Abstract: With the introduction of silicone hydrogel (SiHy) lenses over a decade ago, clinicians have seen both improvements and challenges in contact lens (CL) wear. Regardless of lens design or material, the presence of a CL on the ocular surface induces mechanical complications. Although some of these complications have diminished in frequency and severity with newer generations of SiHy lenses, others persist at previously reported levels. The aim of this review is to provide up-to-date information on mucin balls, superior epithelial arcuate lesions, corneal erosions, CL-induced papillary conjunctivitis, conjunctival epithelial flaps, lid wiper epitheliopathy, and meibomian gland dropout. The conclusions in this review should provide a sound basis for identifying the future areas of research to help minimize mechanically driven adverse events during CL wear with SiHy lenses.


Date Presented 4/20/2018 Increased use of mobile devices in developing countries may provide an effective medium for ongoing training and support for community-based rehabilitation workers. This study found that ongoing smartphone access enabled CBR workers in rural India to view video modules and confidently share strategies with families of children with cerebral palsy. Primary Author and Speaker: Sutanuka Bhattacharjya Additional Authors and Speakers: James Lenker


The analysis of telemetry data offers many unique challenges due to both the observation process and the complexity of the underlying system (e.g., risk of mortality may be influenced by both age and a wide range of environmental variables). Although semi-parametric proportional hazards (SPPH) models have been proposed for analyzing ecological data, recent applications have failed to address the importance of choosing an appropriate time origin and scale for analysis. We compared models fit to a long-term deer (Odocoileus spp.) survival data set using three alternative survival timescales: age, time since start of study, and time since 6 June (with a seasonally recurrent timescale). Temporal variability in risk resulted from multiple sources (e.g., changes in hunting pressure, winter severity), and the risk of mortality varied nonlinearly with age (highest risk for young and older individuals). Age-varying hazards were represented well using regression splines, but temporal variability was more difficult to model using parametric assumptions. Annual survival estimates using the three timescales differed considerably. The model using a study-based timescale most closely tracked temporal patterns in risk. Given the difficulties in modeling temporal variability using parametric assumptions, we recommend this approach over an age-based or recurrent timescale when using SPPH models to evaluate the impact of large (naturally occurring or experimental) disturbances or to estimate annual age-specific survival rates. Lastly, we discuss the strengths and limitations of SPPH models relative to fully parametric approaches.


Teaching-learning environments in nursing education encourage students to think and recall hordes of factual information while checking off a skills list too numerous to mention. In efforts to impart all of this information to students, has the use of imagination been ignored? The author in this column presents a discussion on imagination. First, there is a discussion of the literature, followed by a discussion of imagination in light of the humanbecoming school of thought. A glimpse at the presence of imagination in qualitative research methodologies is also highlighted. The author also presents the limits of imagination, and perhaps, its fading existence in current teaching-learning practices. The column concludes with encouragement toward a greater utilization of imaginative thought in nursing pedagogies.


Miniaturization of devices and the ensuing decrease in the threshold voltage has led to a substantial increase in the leakage component of the total processor energy consumption. Relatively simpler issue logic and the presence of a large number of function units in the VLIW and the clustered VLIW architectures attribute a large fraction of this leakage energy consumption in the functional units. However, functional units are not fully utilized in the VLIW architectures because of the inherent variations in the ILP of the programs. This underutilization is even more pronounced in the context of clustered VLIW architectures because of the contentions for the limited number of slow intercluster communication channels which lead to many short idle cycles.In the past, some architectural schemes have been proposed to obtain leakage energy bene .ts by aggressively exploiting the idleness of functional units. However, presence of many short idle cycles cause frequent transitions from the active mode to the sleep mode and vice-versa and adversely a ffects the energy benefits of a purely hardware based scheme. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a compiler instruction scheduling algorithm that assist such a hardware based scheme in the context of VLIW and clustered VLIW architectures. The proposed scheme exploits the scheduling slacks of instructions to orchestrate the functional unit mapping with the objective of reducing the number of transitions in functional units thereby keeping them off for a longer duration. The proposed compiler-assisted scheme obtains a further 12% reduction of energy consumption of functional units with negligible performance degradation over a hardware-only scheme for a VLIW architecture. The benefits are 15% and 17% in the context of a 2-clustered and a 4-clustered VLIW architecture respectively. Our test bed uses the Trimaran compiler infrastructure.


We experimentally optimize double-ion-exchange process parameters to achieve a designed phase modulation for a wave front passing through a computer-generated waveguide hologram and numerically analyze the effects of fabrication errors. We also demonstrate a gradient-thickness waveguide hologram for ? beam splitting.


Apoplastic transport barriers in the roots of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. IR64) and corn (Zea mays L. cv. Helix) were isolated enzymatically. Following chemical degradation (monomerization, derivatization), the amounts of aliphatic and aromatic suberin monomers were analysed quantitatively by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. In corn, suberin was determined for isolated endodermal (ECW) and rhizo-hypodermal (RHCW) cell walls. In rice, the strong lignification of the central cylinder (CC), did not allow the isolation of endodermal cell walls. Similarly, exodermal walls could not be separated from the rhizodermal and sclerenchyma cell layers. Suberin analyses of ECW and RHCW of rice, thus, refer to either the entire CC or to the entire outer part of the root (OPR), the latter lacking the inner cortical cell layer. In both species, aromatic suberin was mainly composed of coumaric and ferulic acids. Aliphatic suberin monomers released from rice and corn belonged to five substance classes: primary fatty acids, primary alcohols, diacids, omega-hydroxy fatty acids, and 2-hydroxy fatty acids, with omega-hydroxy fatty acids being the most prominent substance class. Qualitative composition of aliphatic suberin of rice was different from that of corn; (i) it was much less diverse, and (ii) besides monomers with chain lengths of C(16), a second maximum of C(28) was evident. In corn, C(24) monomers represented the most prominent class of chain lengths. When suberin quantities were related to surface areas of the respective tissues of interest (hypodermis and/or exodermis and endodermis), exodermal cell walls of rice contained, on average, six-times more aliphatic suberin than those of corn. In endodermal cell walls, amounts were 34 times greater in rice than in corn. Significantly higher amounts of suberin detected in the apoplastic barriers of rice corresponded with a substantially lower root hydraulic conductivity (Lp(r)) compared with corn, when water flow was driven by hydrostatic pressure gradients across the apoplast. As the OPR of rice is highly porous and permeable to water, it is argued that this holds true only for the endodermis. The results imply that some caution is required when discussing the role of suberin in terms of an efficient transport barrier for water. The simple view that only the quantity of suberin present is important, may not hold. A more detailed consideration of both the chemical nature of suberins and of the microstructure of deposits is required, i.e. how suberins impregnate wall pores.


Background/Aim: Long-term acid suppressants are known to have adverse effects. Its effect on gastric mucosa is not known. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to study the effect of Helicobacter pylori on gastric mucosa among patients on longterm acid suppressants. Materials and methods: One hundred and twenty-six patients with symptoms of ulcer type dyspepsia and reflux type dyspepsia for more than a year and on acid suppressants for at least a year were included in the study. Biopsy was obtained from the stomach for demonstration of H. pylori and the histological changes. The duration of treatment and presence of H. pylori was correlated with the histological changes. Results: Sixty-six patients were on omeprazole at a dose of 20 mg a day (group I) and the rest were on ranitidine 150 mg twice a day (group II). Demography and the duration of treatment was comparable in both groups. Gastric mucosa was normal in 18 (27.3%) and 30 (60%) patients in groups I and II respectively, which was statistically significant (p = 0.01). Intestinal metaplasia was significantly more common among those on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) (p = 0.05). None had dysplasia or carcinoma. The colonization of H. pylori correlated with the duration of therapy in each of the two groups but was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Long-term acid suppressants are generally safe. Gastric mucosal changes especially intestinal metaplasia is more common with PPI with fewer mucosal changes when on H2RA and is not influenced by the presence of H. pylori.


w The transition towards multipolarity in the international system has concerned many observers in recent years. This is based partly on the assumption that multipolarity will create competition rather than cooperation as international actors promote or object to intervention in conflicts based on their own geostrategic, economic or political interests. While the stalemate at the United Nations Security Council over the conflict in Syria, the growing isolation of Russia following events in Ukraine and persistent suspicion in the West about the implications of a Chinese superpower all seem to reaffirm this assumption, the international community's ability to swiftly respond to the conflict in Mali demonstrates that cooperation among emerging and traditional powers is attainable in a multipolar world. The conSenSUS on MAli And inTeRnATionAl conflicT MAnAgeMenT in A MUlTipolAR woRld


Five hundred stony cosmic spherules collected from deep-sea sediments, polar ice, and the stratosphere have been analyzed for major and some minor element composition. Typical spherules are products of atmospheric melting of millimeter sized and smaller meteoroids. The samples are small and modified by atmospheric entry, but they are an important source of information on the composition of asteroids. The spherules in this study were all analyzed in an identical manner, and they provide a sampling of the solar system's asteroids that is both different and less biased than provided by studies of conventional meteorites. Volatile elements such as Na and S are depleted due to atmospheric heating, while siderophiles are depleted by less understood causes. The refractory nonsiderophile elements appear not to have been significantly disturbed during atmospheric melting and provide important clues on the elemental composition of millimeter sized meteoroids colliding with the Earth. Typical spherules have CM-like composition that is distinctively different than ordinary chondrites and most other meteorite types. We assume that C-type asteroids are the primary origin of spherules with this composition. Type S asteroids should also be an important source of the spherules, and the analysis data provide constraints on their composition. A minor fraction of the spherules are melt products of precursor particles that did not have chondritic elemental compositions. The most common of these are particles that are dominated by olivine. The observed compositions of spherules are inconsistent with the possibility that an appreciable fraction of the spherules are simply chondrules remelted during atmospheric entry.


This study explored the experiences, coping strategies, and support systems available for perinatally bereaved mothers. A descriptive phenomenological design was employed to explore lived experiences of perinatally bereaved mothers and saturation was reached with the 12th participant. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling and data was collected by in-depth, individual and face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was guided by Colaizzi's method. From the results, four main themes emerged – deprived care, immediate reactions to the loss, painful reminders of the loss, and coping strategies. Participants felt that deprived care contributed to their loss, and continuous support required in managing it was mostly lacking. Participants employed various strategies in coping with the loss, including self-motivation and religious beliefs. Thus, clinicians need to be more vigilant and ensure that mothers and neonates receive adequate care. Increasing awareness of the support needs of perinatally bereaved mothers could rally emotional support for them during grieving moments.

 Key words: Perinatal loss, perinatal bereavement, bereaved mothers, experiences, coping strategies, Kumasi, Ghana.


Previously, a metallic precursor (MP) approach to synthesizing Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (Bi2212), with a homogeneous mixture of Bi, Sr, Ca, Cu and Ag was produced by mechanical alloying. Here, Bi2212/Ag round multifilamentary wire is manufactured using a metallic precursor powder-in-tube (MPIT) process. The MP powders were packed into a pure Ag tube in an Ar atmosphere and then sealed. After deformation, multifilamentary round wires and rolled tapes were heat treated in flowing oxygen through three stages: oxidation, conversion and partial-melt processing (PMP). Processing-microstructure-property relationships on 20–50 mm long multifilamentary round wires and rolled tapes were studied extensively. It is shown that conventional wire deformation processes, optimized for oxide-powder-in-tube wires, are not effective for deforming MPIT wires, and that as with prior studies of MPIT Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy conductors, hot extrusion is required for obtaining a multifilamentary structure with fine filaments. As a result, the Bi2212 MPIT wires reported here have low engineering critical current density. Nonetheless, by focusing on sections of wires that remain intact after deformation, it is also shown that the first heat treatment stage, the oxidation stage, plays a crucial role in chemical homogeneity, phase transformation, and microstructural evolution and three reaction pathways for MP oxidation are presented. Furthermore, it is found the Bi2212 grain alignment within an MPIT filament is significantly different from that found in OPIT filaments after PMP, indicating the formation of highly dense filaments containing Bi2212 fine grains and Ag particles before PMP aids the formation of large, c-axis textured Bi2212 filaments during PMP. These results show that, with improved wire deformation, high critical current density may be obtained via a MPIT process.


The 30 at.% Ho: BaY2F8 crystals were grown by the Czochralski method, and their spectroscopic properties are analyzed systematically by standard Judd–Ofelt theory. The Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters are estimated to be Ω2 = 6.74 × 10−20 cm2, Ω4 = 1.20 × 10−20 cm2, and Ω6 = 0.66 × 10−20 cm2, and the fluorescence branching ratios and radiative lifetimes for a series of excited state manifolds are also determined. The emission cross sections with our measured infrared luminescence spectra, especially important for 4.1 μm, are calculated to be about 4.37 × 10−21 cm2. The crystal quality is preliminarily tested through a mid-infrared laser emission experiment.


We investigate the usage of back-channel information in the information navigation dialogue between an expert guide and a user. By back-channel feedback, we mean the user's verbal short response, which expresses his state of the mind during the dialogue. Its prototypical lexical entries include "hai" in Japanese and "yes" or "right" in English, however, we do not count explicit affirmative responses as back-channels. Previously, there were several works[1, 2] which attempted to automatically generate back-channel responses for smooth communication between the user and the system. Recently, the back-channel information is included in the framework of dialogue act tagging in the game-playing dialogue[3] and meetings[4]. In the information navigation dialogue, in which an expert guide presents a list of recommendation spots, it is expected that the prosodic pattern of the back-channel conveys the para-linguistic information, that is, it suggests the positive/negative feeling on the recommended candidate. We also presume that the human expert guide detects such feelings expressed via back-channels, and chooses to continue the explanation of the current topic if the user seems interested, or change the topic otherwise. Thus, we investigate the back-channel patterns observed in the Kyoto Tour Guide Dialog Corpus.


The effectiveness of exciting the dominant symmetric and antisymmetric resonances on a testbed aircraft using the on-board HF antennas is investigated by using a numerical model. The external resonances of the aircraft are computed for various excitation geometries with the aircraft in the in-flight and ground-alert modes. The ground plane beneath the aircraft is assumed to be perfectly conducting. The surface currents induced on the aircraft are computed for four different HF antenna excitation configurations: (1) fin-cap antenna only, (2) fin-cap and nose antenna, (3) one wing-tip probe, and (4) two wing-tip probes. A method-of-moments solution for the skin current is obtained by modeling the aircraft as intersecting conductive bodies of revolution. The natural modes of the aircraft are obtained numerically, and the excitations of these natural modes by using various configurations of the HF antennas are investigated.<<ETX>>


The goal of the project FIMCAR (Frontal Impact and Compatibility Assessment Research) was to define an integrated set of test procedures and associated metrics to assess a vehicle's frontal impact protection, which includes self- and partner-protection. For the development of the set, two different full-width tests (full-width deformable barrier [FWDB] test, full-width rigid barrier test) and three different offset tests (offset deformable barrier [ODB] test, progressive deformable barrier [PDB] test, moveable deformable barrier with the PDB barrier face [MPDB] test) have been investigated. Different compatibility assessment procedures were analysed and metrics for assessing structural interaction (structural alignment, vertical and horizontal load spreading) as well as several promising metrics for the PDB/MPDB barrier were developed. The final assessment approach consists of a combination of the most suitable full-width and offset tests. For the full-width test (FWDB), a metric was developed to address structural alignment based on load cell wall information in the first 40 ms of the test. For the offset test (ODB), the existing ECE R94 was chosen. Within the paper, an overview of the final assessment approach for the frontal impact test procedures and their development is given.


Microservices based architecture has recently gained traction among the cloud service providers in quest for a more scalable and reliable modular architecture. In parallel with this architectural choice, cloud providers are also facing the market demand for fine grained usage based prices. Both the management of the microservices complex dependencies, as well as the fine grained metering require the providers to track and log detailed monitoring data from their deployed cloud setups. Hence, on one hand, the providers need to record all such performance changes and events, while on the other hand, they are concerned with the additional cost associated with the resources required to store and process this ever increasing amount of collected data. In this paper, we analyze the design of the monitoring subsystem provided by open source cloud solutions, such as OpenStack. Specifically, we analyze how the monitoring data is collected by OpenStack and assess the characteristics of the data it collects, aiming to pinpoint the limitations of the current approach and suggest alternate solutions. Our preliminary evaluation of the proposed solutions reveals that it is possible to reduce the monitored data size by up to 80% and missed anomaly detection rate from 3% to as low as 0.05% to 0.1%.


The long-awaited rulings in the copyright infringement lawsuit provide the most specific guidance available to date on the fair use of certain types of materials in e-reserves systems and online course management systems. Unless successfully appealed or otherwise overturned, this case represents a significant victory for Georgia State University specifically and higher education in general. In addition to rejecting the 1976 Classroom Copying Guidelines for Books and Periodicals as an appropriate legal standard for fair use, the case holds that semester-to-semester use of the same material is permitted by fair use. Further, at least for non-fiction books, this case provides somewhat formulaic standards for evaluating fair use. Finally, the potential financial implications of this case are analyzed and suggestions for institutional due diligence are recommended.


: A mathematical model described in this paper, contrary to other models, takes into account transport effects during penetration of the inhibitor into the cell of a micro-organism, and also a possibility of partial inactivation of the inhibitor during formation of complexes. It changes into models of Monod and Monod--Jerusalimsky at extreme values of parameters. Theoretical steady-state concentrations of the biomass in chemostat predicted on the basis of this model coincided with values obtained in experiments with limitation of growth of Candida utilis by silver ions and copper ions.


Abstract. The anisotropy of the Earth's surface reflection has implications for satellite-based retrieval algorithms that utilize climatological surface reflectivity databases that do not depend upon the observation geometry. This is the case for most of the current ultraviolet and visible (UV/Vis) cloud, aerosol, and trace-gas algorithms. The illumination-observation dependence of surface reflection is described by the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). To account for the BRDF effect, we use the concept of geometry-dependent surface Lambertian-equivalent reflectivity (GLER), which is derived from the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiance computed with Rayleigh scattering and surface BRDF for the exact geometry of a satellite-based pixel. We present details on the implementation of land and water surface BRDF models. We evaluate our GLER product over land surfaces using observed and computed sun-normalized radiances at 466 nm. The input surface BRDF parameters for computing TOA radiance are derived from MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite observations. The observed TOA radiance for comparison is from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The comparison shows good agreement between observed and calculated OMI radiances in typical geographical regions, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9 for a majority of the selected regions in the year of 2006. Seasonal variations of clear-sky OMI radiances (i.e., with minimum clouds and aerosols) closely follow those computed using MODIS-derived GLER over land. GLER also captures the cross-track dependence of OMI radiances, although the observations are slightly higher than those computed using GLER presumably owing to residual cloud and aerosol (non-absorbing) contamination, particularly over dark surfaces (heavily vegetated regions such as mixed forest, croplands and grasslands). The standard OMI climatological surface reflectivity database predicts higher radiances than GLER and OMI observations with different seasonal variations and cross-track dependence over most of the selected regions. Overall, our evaluation demonstrates that the GLER product adequately accounts for surface BRDF effects while at the same time simplifies the surface BRDF implementation within the existing OMI retrieval infrastructure; use of our GLER product requires changes only to the input surface reflectivity database.


This paper presents a novel computational framework based on dynamic spherical volumetric simplex splines for simulation of genuszero real-world objects. In this framework, we first develop an accurate and efficient algorithm to reconstruct the high-fidelity digital model of a real-world object with spherical volumetric simplex splines which can represent with accuracy geometric, material, and other properties of the object simultaneously. With the tight coupling of Lagrangian mechanics, the dynamic volumetric simplex splines representing the object can accurately simulate its physical behavior because it can unify the geometric and material properties in the simulation. The visualization can be directly computed from the object's geometric or physical representation based on the dynamic spherical volumetric simplex splines during simulation without interpolation or resampling. We have applied the framework for biomechanic simulation of brain deformations, such as brain shifting during the surgery and brain injury under blunt impact. We have compared our simulation results with the ground truth obtained through intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging and the real biomechanic experiments. The evaluations demonstrate the excellent performance of our new technique presented in this paper. CR Categories: I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Geometry and Object Modeling—Physically based modeling


In the Pontides, mineralogically similar, calc-alkaline, zoned I-type granitoids were emplaced into a volcanic-arc environment during the Late Cretaceous and Eocene. The granitoids contain an equilibrium assemblage of quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, hornblende, biotite, pyroxene, magnetite, and ilmenite. Large hornblende crystals (1-3 mm) are magnesiohornblende. The average magnesium number is 0.74; Si cation contents range between 6.64 and 7.32; and the average Altot is 0.86. The most common substitution in hornblende is pargasitic. The exchange vector is A□ + VIMg + 2IVSi = ANa + VIAl + 2IVAl. The Altot content of magmatic hornblende in granitoid rocks changes linearly with the crystallization pressures of intrusion; pressures, which were evaluated based on Altot in hornblende, have been estimated using the equation P(kbar) = 4.76Altot - 3.01. The crystallization pressures of granitoid rocks range from 2.4 ± 0.4 to 0.6 ± 0.2 kbar. For estimating temperatures, the hornblende-plagioclase thermometer, T = 0.667P - 48.98 + Y/-0.0429 - 0.008314 InK, was used, and yielded temperatures ranging from 684 ± 13 to 642 ± 7°C. The pressures and temperatures of these zoned intrusions are higher in the granitic and tonalitic rocks of the outer zones than in the quartz monzodioritic and monzonitic rocks of the core.


We demonstrate the use of jitter-free ultrafast rise-time electrical pulses generated by a semiconductor photoconductive switch with femtosecond laser illumination to study the fast polarization switching process in fully integrated, ferroelectric PNZT thin-film capacitors. The necessary conditions for high-speed polarization switching detection are presented. The switching behavior for various sizes of capacitors and various rise-times of applied voltage pulses are investigated. Circuit influence on the activation field, /spl alpha/, as well as application of the Inshibashi-Merz model, are discussed.


Bleedings from varicose veins of the esophagus and stomach belong to the most serious complications of hepatic cirrhosis and 30% of such patients suffer from them. The article features a review of the literature on the application of somatostatin synthetic analogues in a complex treatment of bleedings from varicose esophagus and stomach veins. Hemostasis can be achieved in 84% of patients by means of ocreatide monotherapy. Hemostasis becomes efficient in 97% of cases when ocreatide is used in a complex therapy with ligation.


Abstract Significant declines in many of the world's albatross and petrel populations, linked to the high mortality of birds as bycatch in fishing operations, have elevated their plight to the top of the international marine conservation agenda. We review available information on Australia's Procellariiformes, with respect to their conservation biology and management in the region. Procellariiformes face a range of threats in the marine environment and on land. At sea, threatening factors include direct interactions with fishing operations; ingestion of, and entanglement in, marine debris; contamination from pollutants; and over-fishing of prey species. At breeding colonies, increased mortality and decreased breeding success due to predation by feral pests; degradation of nesting habitat by introduced herbivores; interspecific competition for nest space; and transmission of parasites and disease occurs. Of these threats, increased mortality resulting from interactions with fishing operations and predation by feral pests are particularly important. The first mainly affects larger species (body mass >600 g), whereas the second predominantly affects smaller species (body mass <600 g). This results because the larger species are able to swallow baited hooks and habitually follow ships, whereas smaller species have difficulty swallowing baited hooks but are vulnerable to predation by virtue of their size. Ensuring the long-term survival of Australia's albatross and petrel populations depends on domestic research and conservation management programs, combined with international action that will secure the protection of these seabirds when they are foraging in waters of other jurisdictions or on the high seas.


The ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is an important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increasing evidence suggests that this association may be linked to the ability of ApoE to interact with the amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptide and influence its concentration and structure. To determine the effect of ApoE on Aβ and other AD pathology in vivo, we used APPsw transgenic mice and ApoE knockout (−/−) mice to generate APPsw animals that carried two (ApoE +/+), one (ApoE +/−), or no copies (ApoE −/−) of the normal mouse ApoE gene. At 12 months of age, Aβ deposition was present in the cortex and hippocampus and was also prominent within leptomeningeal and cortical blood vessels of all APPsw ApoE +/+ mice. Importantly, although Aβ deposition still occurred in APPsw ApoE −/− mice, no fibrillar Aβ deposits were detected in the brain parenchyma or cerebrovasculature. There was also no neuritic degeneration associated with Aβ deposition in the absence of ApoE. These data demonstrate that ApoE facilitates the formation of both neuritic and cerebrovascular plaques, which are pathological hallmarks of AD and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Ann Neurol 2000;47:739–747


This paper presents the application of the sensitivity analysis techniques Design of Experiments (DOE) and metamodelling to the agent-based model AgriPoliS, which is a spatial and dynamic simulation model of regional structural change. DOE and metamodelling provide a more systematic analysis of results of complex simulation models. When summarising the results, it becomes clear that interest rates, technical change and managerial ability influence average economic land rent the most.


Procedures and equipment used in the University of Wisconsin laboratory have been described in previous date lists. Except as otherwise indicated, wood, charcoal, and peat samples are pretreated with dilute NaOH—NA4P2O7 and dilute H3PO4 before conversion to the counting gas methane; when noted, marls and lake cores are treated with acid only. Very calcareous materials are treated with HCL instead of H3PO4. Pretreatment of bone varies with the condition of the bone sample; solid bone with little deterioration is first cleaned manually and ultrasonically. The bone is treated with 8% HCL for 15 minutes, then dilute NaOH—Na4P2O7 for 3 hours at room temperature, washed until neutral, and the collagen extracted according to Longin (1971). Charred bone is treated with dilute HCL, NaOH—Na4P2O7, and then dilute HCL again.


The aim of this research is to develop a model of the spread of wildfires that is computationally efficient and easy-to-use, yet comprehensive enough to capture the major phenomena that govern the behaviour of a real fire. Namely, the pyrolysation of wood; the combustion of a mono-phase medium composed of premixed gas of fuel and air; the heat transferred by diffusion, convection and radiation considering emission and absorption of hot semi-transparent gases; and the thermal energy transport due to atmospheric wind and spatial distribution of vegetation. The model consists of two coupled partial differential equations, one representing the mass formation of each chemical species involved in the combustion, and the other ensuring the balance of enthalpy. The dimensionality reduction sought by modelling these three-dimensional (3D) phenomena in two-dimensional (2D) space is an intricate problem that has been overcome by means of pseudo-3D terms in the energy balance equation. For instance, the convection in the direction perpendicular to the 2D domain of the model has been represented as heat loss whose magnitude is linearly dependent on the temperature difference between the ambient and the simulation domain. Thus, the pseudo-3D convection term acts as a sink of thermal energy. It is important to note, however, that some environment properties have necessarily been disregarded in the interest of efficiency. Thus, the effect of topography on the spread of fire has been ignored in this model. In addition, the balance of momentum in the simulation plane is not included in the formulation as air density is considered independent of temperature and the wind velocity field is steady-state and uniform. Furthermore, the diffusion coefficient is augmented to account for the energy transport due to convection inside the flattened vegetal substrate, which is abstractly represented as a premixed gaseous layer. This augmentation has been calibrated for particular environment conditions such as the porosity of the fuel and its spatial distribution so that the model can be used as a tool for prediction of fire propagation. Making use of the 4-Order Runge-Kutta method and running simulations for different constraints and boundary-initial conditions, results appear realistic. The presented fire-spread model is aimed at supporting the design of innovative fire management and suppression technologies and strategies, as well as to function as a decision-support tool to assist fire fighters in the use of current technology. Hence it must be both realistic and computationally efficient. Nonetheless, a more advanced 3D high-fidelity model is currently under development at the other end of the spectrum of the accuracy/efficiency trade-off with the aim to provide better insight into the fire dynamics.


Abstract Purpose: For generations there have been warnings of the need to reform medical education at all levels. Today the voices pushing reform are louder, the need is greater, and there is an urgency not seen before. Approaches that have worked in the past to train physicians are no longer as relevant today as demographics, disease patterns, human resources, practice behaviors, technology, and attention to costs demand new collaborative approaches to clinical practice. To prepare for this practice tomorrow's doctors will need a different type of educational model, a different type of learning, in different environments, often taught by different faculty. This paper provides one innovative approach to redefine "academic medicine". Methods: After reviewing current trends in medical education, this paper describes one approach being taken by a large nonprofit American health care system to move medical education and discovery (research) out of traditional academic universities and placing it within a health care delivery system. Conclusions: The creation of a learning laboratory in a high functioning health care delivery system allows for leveraging the successes in quality health care delivery to transform medical education with a focus on prevention, improving health care quality, reducing disparities in health, and promoting practical evidence-based clinical and outcomes focused research.


Literature in the area of social networks indicates that increases in perceived social network attitudinal heterogeneity generate increased openness to attitude change. Recent evidence in the area of morality, however, shows that morally based attitudes are particularly resistant to persuasion and can result in the rejection of disagreeing others. Positing that considering morality would reduce network influence, an experiment varied moral cues presented along with a non-network persuasive message while holding the actual content constant. Results demonstrate that morality and network composition interact to predict persuasion, such that when people are not cued to consider morality increased network heterogeneity predicts increased persuasion, but when identical messages are presented in a way that invokes morality the impact of network heterogeneity disappears or even reverses marginally. This interactive effect was replicated in two very different political issues: gay adoption and nationalized healthcare. Implications for persuasion by morally motivated sources independent of the effects of specific moral arguments are discussed.


Background: Prognosis for older patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poor, with lower response rates and shorter survival compared with younger patients. Vosaroxin is a first-in-class anticancer quinolone derivative that is active in AML, is minimally metabolized, evades P glycoprotein receptor-mediated efflux, and has activity independent of p53 status. In the phase 3 VALOR trial, overall survival (OS) was significantly improved with vosaroxin plus cytarabine vs placebo plus cytarabine in a prespecified analysis in patients ≥ 60 years of age (median OS: 7.1 mo vs 5.0 mo, respectively; HR = 0.75 [95% CI: 0.62-0.92]; P = 0.0030). At the time of the primary analysis (September 2014), patients had been followed for a median of 24.4 months (as estimated by the reverse Kaplan-Meier method). Here, after a median follow-up of 39.9 months, we provide updated survival information for patients ≥ 60 years treated in the VALOR trial. Methods: In VALOR, patients with refractory or first relapsed AML were randomized 1:1 to receive cytarabine (1 g/m 2 IV over 2 h, d 1-5) plus either vosaroxin (90 mg/m 2 IV over 10 min, d 1, 4; 70 mg/m 2 in subsequent cycles) or placebo. Eligible patients had refractory disease (persistent disease after induction, or first complete remission [CR1] lasting Results:As of Jan 22, 2016, 33/451 patients ≥ 60 years treated in the VALOR trial were alive and in continued follow-up: 23/226 (10.2%) in the vosaroxin/cytarabine arm and 10/225 (4.4%) in the placebo/cytarabine arm. Updated OS data in patients ≥ 60 years of age was consistent with the primary analysis, demonstrating a significant improvement with the addition of vosaroxin (Figure; HR = 0.75 [95% CI: 0.62-0.91]; P = 0.0017). The survival benefit associated with vosaroxin/cytarabine was durable, as demonstrated by the separation of the survival curves through 48 mo . At 24 and 36 mo after randomization, the estimated survival rate was twice as high with vosaroxin/cytarabine as with placebo/cytarabine in patients ≥ 60 years (17.0% vs 8.5% and 12.8% vs 6.0%, respectively). The OS benefit was consistent across various age subgroups in the population ≥ 60 years of age; in patients 60-64 years (n = 124), 65-74 years (n = 293), and 75-84 years (n = 34), vosaroxin/cytarabine treatment increased median survival by 2.9 mo (8.1 vs 5.2 mo; HR = 0.72 [95% CI: 0.49-1.06]), 2.0 mo (7.0 vs 5.0 mo; HR = 0.76 [95% CI: 0.60-0.97]), and 2.2 mo (5.5 vs 3.3 mo; HR = 0.72 [95% CI: 0.36-1.45]) over placebo/cytarabine treatment, respectively. An improvement in OS was observed among patients ≥ 60 years who received post-treatment transplantation (n = 91; 19.9 mo with vosaroxin/cytarabine vs 12.2 mo with placebo/cytarbine; HR = 0.70 [95% CI: 0.43-1.13]) and those who did not (n = 360; 5.3 mo vs 3.8 mo, respectively; HR = 0.75 [95% CI: 0.60-0.92]). When analyzed by disease status, the greatest OS benefit was observed in patients ≥ 60 years with refractory disease (n = 210; 6.7 mo with vosaroxin/cytarabine vs 3.8 mo with placebo/cytarabine; HR = 0.75 [95% CI: 0.57-1.00]) and those with early relapse (n = 154; 6.5 mo vs 3.9 mo, respectively; HR = 0.62 [95% CI: 0.44-0.87]). In patients ≥ 60 years with late relapse (n = 87), median OS was similar in both treatment arms (9.2 mo with vosaroxin/cytarabine vs 9.8 mo with placebo/cytarabine; HR = 1.06 [95% CI: 0.68-1.66]). Conclusions: After a median of 39.9 months of follow-up in the VALOR trial, the OS observed in patients ≥ 60 years of age treated with vosaroxin/cytarabine remains significantly improved versus placebo/cytarabine, with a separation of the survival curves through 48 months. The OS benefit is consistent among all older patients, even those ≥ 75 years of age, and is seen in patients with and without post-treatment transplantation. The updated survival data from VALOR continue to support the use of vosaroxin/cytarabine as a treatment option in patients ≥ 60 years of age with R/R AML. Disclosures Ravandi: BMS: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Ritchie: Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria; Arian: Speakers Bureau. Vey: Sunesis: Honoraria. Strickland: Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Ambit: Consultancy; Baxalta: Consultancy; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy, Research Funding; CTI Biopharma: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Sunesis Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; Celator: Research Funding; Cyclacel: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Research Funding; Karyopharm Therapeutica: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding. Schiller: Incyte Corporation: Research Funding. Jabbour: ARIAD: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy. Erba: Ariad: Consultancy; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding; Celator: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Agios: Research Funding; Juno: Research Funding; Gylcomimetics: Other: DSMB; Astellas: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, DSMB, Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Sunesis: Consultancy; Jannsen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Pigneux: Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sunesis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Horst: Amgen, Novartis, Pfizer, Gilead, Agios: Consultancy; Amgen, Regeneron: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria. Recher: Celgene, Sunesis, Amgen, Novartis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene, Sunesis, Amgen, Novartis, Chugai: Research Funding. Cortes: ARIAD: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squib: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Teva: Research Funding. Roboz: Agios, Amgen, Amphivena, Astex, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celator, Celgene, Genoptix, Janssen, Juno, MEI Pharma, MedImmune, Novartis, Onconova, Pfizer, Roche/Genentech, Sunesis, Teva: Consultancy; Cellectis: Research Funding. Craig: Sunesis: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ward: Sunesis Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Employment. Smith: Sunesis: Employment, Equity Ownership. Stuart: Agios: Research Funding; Sunesis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel, Accomodations, Expenses, Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding; Celator: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding.


A global blocking climatology published by this group for events that occurred during the late 20th century examined a comprehensive list of characteristics that included block intensity (BI). In addition to confirming the results of other published climatologies, they found that Northern Hemisphere (NH) blocking events (1968–1998) were stronger than Southern Hemisphere (SH) blocks and winter events are stronger than summer events in both hemispheres. This work also examined the interannual variability of blocking as related to El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Since the late 20th century, there is evidence that the occurrence of blocking has increased globally. A comparison of blocking characteristics since 1998 (1998–2018 NH; 2000–2018 SH) shows that the number of blocking events and their duration have increased significantly in both hemispheres. The blocking BI has decreased by about six percent in the NH, but there was little change in the BI for the SH events. Additionally, there is little or no change in the primary genesis regions of blocking. An examination of variability related to ENSO reveals that the NH interannual-scale variations found in the earlier work has reversed in the early 21st century. This could either be the result of interdecadal variability or a change in the climate. Interdecadal variations are examined as well.


Purpose
This paper aims to explore the impact of buildings on the creation of healthy workplaces (HWs) and end users' physical and mental health and well-being. The paper presents available research on the impact of workplace layout, interior design, indoor climate and "green" offices. It ends with reflections on the main lessons learned, gaps in our current knowledge and suggestions for further research.

Design/methodology/approach
A literature research has been conducted of all papers in four corporate real estate management and facilities management-oriented journals from 2008 to 2017 that discuss health and well-being and related topics such as satisfaction, productivity and creativity.

Findings
A conceptual model to analyse impact factors for HWs covers the influence of many different variables. Most papers only discuss a particular influencing factor, mainly plants and indoor climate. Various papers show that the spatial layout, in particular the level of openness and opportunities for communication, concentration and privacy and interior design have an important impact on user satisfaction, perceived productivity support and creativity. These factors may have a positive impact on HWs as well and can also be benefits of HWs.

Practical implications
The paper identifies, which factors are important to consider for creating HWs and potential benefits of HWs.

Originality/value
This paper discusses the role of CREM and FM in creating HWs and reflects on the available knowledge, current omissions and the need for transdisciplinary follow-up research.


A large variety of marine animals migrate in the oceanic environment, sometimes aiming at specific targets such as oceanic islands or offshore productive areas. Thanks to recent technological developments, various techniques are available to track marine migrants, even when they move in remote or inhospitable areas. The paper reviews the main findings obtained by tracking marine animals during migratory travels extending over large distances, with a special attention to the orientation and navigation aspects of these phenomena. Long-distance movements have now been recorded in many marine vertebrates, revealing astonishing performances such as individual fidelity to specific sites and basin-wide movements directed towards these locations. Seabirds cover the longest distances, sometimes undertaking interhemispheric flights, but transoceanic migrations are also the rule in pelagic fish, turtles, pinnipeds, and whales. Some features of these journeys call for the involvement of efficient orientation and navigational abilities, but little evidence is available in this respect. Oceanic migrants most likely rely on biological compasses to maintain a direction in the open sea, and displacement experiments have provided evidence for an ability of seabirds and turtles to rely on position-fixing mechanisms, possibly involving magnetic and/or olfactory cues, although simpler navigational systems are not to be excluded.


The surface nuclear magnetic resonance (SNMR) method is a geophysical method designed for non-invasive groundwater investigations. Inversion of experimental data provides the spatial distribution of the water content in the subsurface. However, SNMR inversion is ill-posed and admits many solutions because of the imaging equation properties that are compounded by experimental error. SNMR data sets are conveniently presented as complex numbers, thus possessing phase and amplitude components. Subsurface electroconductive formations and fluctuations of the Earth's magnetic field cause non-negligible phase shifts. Consequently, the forward modelling of the SNMR signal generated by 3-D water saturated formations is achieved in the complex domain. Nevertheless, in many cases, phase measurements are less reliable than amplitude measurements and water content rendering cannot be carried out using the complex SNMR signal. This problem is resolved by performing inversion using complex forward modelling whose resulting signal amplitude is used for comparison with the data. Along with water content boundaries ranging from 0 to 1, this property turns the linear initial value inversion problem into a non-linear one. In such a situation, the comprehensive analysis of inversion uncertainties is achieved by performing a solution space exploration based on a Monte Carlo approach. An adapted Metropolis-Hastings algorithm has been used on SNMR 3-D data sets to perform such an exploration. Computing time depends on the problem dimensions. With a standard laptop computer about 10 hr were necessary for the inversion of our field data set. The resulting model collection is used to calculate the probability density functions of the water content. From there, it is possible to estimate the uncertainty of the water content imagery. Using both synthetic and experimental data, we show that our routine provides robust estimates of the spatial distribution of the water content for the SNMR 3-D initial amplitude inversion.


Immunologic response to acute hepatitis C is mainly a Th1 response, whereas fasciolopsiasis is associated with a diverse T-cell response. Interferon-alpha has immunomodulatory effects and enhances Th1 immune response. Fasciola infection could theoretically interfere with the Th1 immune response, even when acquired after an initial response to interferon-alpha treatment for acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We report here the case of a male patient who acquired Fasciola hepatica infection after an initial response to IFN-alpha therapy with a favorable outcome.


man responsibility is limited. Because of this assumption, people were not considered culpable for the remote consequences of well-intentioned actions. Hans Jonas argues that, in light of modem technology, this view of ethics is no longer adequate. Human ability to act has outstripped the power to predict the consequences of actions. Jonas' primary concern is not, however, nuclear war (which is widely recognized as a danger) but the slow transformation of humankind and nature, which is regarded by many as success. A wide range of technology has allowed society to alter the external environment in a variety of disturbing ways; new techniques in medicine, behavior modification, and genetic engineering make possible even the manipulation of human nature. Jonas insists, in a persuasive if rather abstract argument, that current notions of responsibility


Aims and Objectives: To assess pattern and distribution of chest ray findings in proven case of H1N1 & to evaluate sequential radiographs to assess progression/ resolution of disease. Material and Methods: Patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital in coastal Karnataka, India, from May 2009 to Feb 2011, who tested positive for H1N1 virus with real time PCR test and underwent chest X ray were included in the study. The pattern and distribution of findings and extent of involvement was studied in the initial chest radiograph. Sequential radiographs were studied for progression of disease. Results: The age of patients ranged from 1 to 65 years with 11 (31.5%) patients in pediatric age group, two patients above 60 years and rest were middle age adults (62.8%). Out of 39 patients, four patients had a normal chest radiograph. In the remaining 35 patients, commonest finding was consolidation (77.1%) followed by ground glass opacity (68.6%). Thirty patients had involvement of both lungs at presentation out of which 17 improved, 12 patients expired and one was discharged on request. Conclusion: Patients with bilateral multi zonal involvement at presentation deteriorated faster and had an adverse outcome whereas patients with single zone or unilateral involvement had a better outcome. Consolidation and ground glass opacities, especially if bilateral and multi zonal predicted adverse outcome. Chest radiograph can play an important role in assessing pattern and distribution of findings and may help in predicting prognosis.


The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) has recently produced a greenhouse gas reanalysis (version egg4) that covers almost 2 decades from 2003 to 2020 and which will be extended in the future. This reanalysis dataset includes carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The reanalysis procedure combines model data with satellite data into a globally complete and consistent dataset using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts' Integrated Forecasting System (IFS). This dataset has been carefully evaluated against independent observations to ensure validity and to point out deficiencies to the user. The greenhouse gas reanalysis can be used to examine the impact of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations on climate change (such as global and regional climate radiative forcing), assess intercontinental transport, and serve as boundary conditions for regional simulations, among other applications and scientific uses. The caveats associated with changes in assimilated observations and fixed underlying emissions are highlighted, as is their impact on the estimation of trends and annual growth rates of these long-lived greenhouse gases. Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 3830 A. Agustí-Panareda et al.: Technical note: The CAMS greenhouse gas reanalysis from 2003 to 2020


This paper examines air and soil temperature, their variabilities, and their relationships with decomposition and ground flora diversity within an oak Quercus forest in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks (USA). We conducted 3 experiments with 9 mobile weather stations at Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) study sites from September 1994 to August 1995. We used the cotton strip assay technique to quantify decomposition rate and Simpson's diversity index to evaluate the diversity of the ground flora. We found that air temperature at each site differed significantly from every other site (p c 0.001) based on a temporal scale of 20 min; thls was also the case for soil temperature (p < 0.001). The spatial variation of soil temperature was consistently greater than that of air temperature. The spatial variation of air temperature increased with increasing spatial scale. Spatial variation of soil temperature increased rapidly from the 0 to ca 40 m scale, then decreased slowly before it began to increase again at a spatial scale of ca 700 m. Temperature was not highly correlated to decomposition rate in the study area (correlation coefficients were 0.51 and 0.64 for air and soil temperature, respectively). The spatial variation of temperature was inversely related to the species diversity of the ground flora (R2 was 0.87, 0.93, and 0.76 for air, soil surface, and soil temperature, respectively, at the 400 m scale). These results suggest that temperature variation can be quite significant. even at the stand level, and can impact some ecological patterns and processes at the same scale.


Eleven anti-neurofilament (anti-NF) monoclonal antibodies were studied for their reactivity with heat-stable, microtubule-associated proteins and Alzheimer neurofibrillary tangles (ANT). On immunoblots of NF proteins, the antibodies recognized epitopes that were variably sensitive to Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase. Eight of the antibodies showed reactivity with ANT and decreased binding to electroblotted NF after phosphatase treatment. The same eight antibodies reacted with tau proteins from bovine and rat brain, binding to tau proteins was also substantially reduced by phosphatase. Of the eight antibodies that bound to animal tau proteins, five also bound to tau proteins from normal human brain. All of the antibodies that bound to animal tau proteins stained ANT in frozen tissue sections. Brief treatment of tissue sections with trypsin in most cases enhanced antibody binding to ANT. All antibodies that lacked reactivity with tau proteins failed to bind ANT. Phosphatase treatment of Alzheimer tissue sections did not change the immunoreactivity of ANT and neurites in senile plaques with ANT-reactive, anti-NF antibodies, except for two antibodies that showed decreased binding to ANT. In contrast, axonal staining was decreased or eliminated by phosphatase treatment, similar to the response of electroblotted NF and tau proteins. These results suggest that staining of ANT by anti-NF antibodies may be due to cross-reaction of anti-NF with epitopes in tau proteins, the epitopes in axons, NF, and tau are sensitive to the effect of phosphatase, whereas the majority of those in ANT are not, and some of the epitopes in ANT that are shared with NF and tau proteins are not readily accessible to antibody binding.


Background: American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) have disproportionately high rates of substance use disorders (SUDs). Effective treatment can help to reduce these disparities. Objective: To review and summarize the AI/AN SUD treatment research literature. Methods: The literature between 1965 and 2011 was reviewed to identify AI/AN SUD treatment articles. Results: Twenty-four unique studies were identified. Earlier treatment research focused on clinical ratings of improvement; later studies employed formal assessment measures. Poor outcomes were attributed to psychosocial factors. Where treatment outcomes appeared to be similar to comparison samples, interpretation was hampered by methodological concerns. Conclusions: The research has improved across the decades, as has the inclusion of cultural adaptations. Future research should examine factors that influence treatment effectiveness and improve retention to bolster confidence in findings. Scientific Significance: AI/ANs experience SUD-related health disparities. Understanding what factors contribute to positive treatment outcomes can help to address these disparities.


Objective: To assess occupational exposure to acids and its possible impact on oral health of individuals. Method: A cross sectional descriptive survey was conducted on 597 employees. A calibrated questionnaire was administered, oral health status of the employees was assessed using WHO Oral Health Assessment Proforma and Erosive Tooth Wear was measured using Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE). Results: 49.9% employees presented with some form of erosive tooth wear. Employees who had more frequent exposure to acid fumes at work showed more dental erosion (Chi-square test, p < 0.05). Also it was observed that the prevalence of dental erosion increased with increase in work experience of the employee (r = 0.392, p < 0.01). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of erosive tooth wear among the petrochemical workers and necessary safety precautions and preventive interventions are recommended. © 2019, Indian Journal of Public Health Research and Development. All rights reserved


Gaze-based intention detection has been explored for robotic-assisted neuro-rehabilitation in recent years. As eye movements often precede hand movements, robotic devices can use gaze information to augment the detection of movement intention in upper-limb rehabilitation. However, due to the likely practical drawbacks of using head-mounted eye trackers and the limited generalisability of the algorithms, gaze-informed approaches have not yet been used in clinical practice.This paper introduces a preliminary model for a gazeinformed movement intention that separates the intention spatial component obtained from the gaze from the time component obtained from movement. We leverage the latter to isolate the relevant gaze information happening just before the movement initiation. We evaluated our approach with six healthy individuals using an experimental setup that employed a screen-mounted eye-tracker. The results showed a prediction accuracy of 60% and 73% for an arbitrary target choice and an imposed target choice, respectively.From these findings, we expect that the model could 1) generalise better to individuals with movement impairment (by not considering movement direction), 2) allow a generalisation to more complex, multi-stage actions including several submovements, and 3) facilitate a more natural human-robot interactions and empower patients with the agency to decide movement onset. Overall, the paper demonstrates the potential for using gaze-movement model and the use of screen-based eye trackers for robot-assisted upper-limb rehabilitation.


Over the last few years several algorithms for solving the so-called error localisation problem have been developed at Statistics Netherlands. For six data sets involving numerical data we present computational results for four of those algorithms in this paper. The algorithms are based on a standard mixed integer programming formulation, on the generation of the vertices of a certain polyhedron by means of an adapted version of Chernikova's algorithm, on a branch-and-bound algorithm using FourierMotzkin elimination, and on a cutting plane approach.


Using parameters from an actual fishery, a dynamic optimisation model is used to evaluate the economic payoffs from fishing between: (1) no-take reserve and harvesting outside of a reserve; (2) unrestricted spatial access fishery; and (3) positive harvest rate in a restricted access area, but at a rate less than in unrestricted access area. The results indicate that under a wide range of parameters representing fish dispersal, imperfect control of exploitation rate, fish growth rates, and stochastic shocks a restricted spatial access fishery provides higher economic benefits than an unrestricted spatial access fishery as well as a no-take reserve. Optimal harvest and the economic gain of a restricted spatial access fishery increase the higher is the growth rate, the larger is reproductive advantage of protected area, the greater are the magnitude and frequency of shocks that reduce fish stock in unrestricted access area. By contrast, the optimal harvest and economic gain decline the greater is the mobility of the species and the higher is the level fishing activities harm fish growth in restricted access area. A key finding is that spatial management of fish habitat that allows for differential rates of exploitation by area can increase the inter-temporal fisher profits.


Chromosomal chaos and tumor immunity Cancer immunotherapy produces durable clinical responses in only a subset of patients. Identification of tumor characteristics that correlate with responses could lead to predictive biomarkers and shed light on causal mechanisms. Davoli et al. found that human tumors with extensive aneuploidy—i.e., that display a highly abnormal number of chromosomes and chromosomal segments—express fewer markers of the immune cells responsible for tumor destruction. In a retrospective analysis of clinical trial data, they found that melanoma patients with highly aneuploid tumors were less likely to benefit from immune checkpoint blockade therapy than patients whose tumors had a more normal karyotype. Thus, aneuploidy appears to enhance the ability of tumors to evade the immune system. Science, this issue p. 10.1126/science.aaf8399 Human tumors that display extensive chromosomal aberrations appear to be more resistant to immune attack. INTRODUCTION Aneuploidy, also known as somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs), is widespread in human cancers and has been proposed to drive tumorigenesis. The relationship between SCNAs and the characteristic functional features or "hallmarks" of cancer is not well understood. Among these cancer hallmarks is immune evasion, which is accomplished by neoantigen editing, defects in antigen presentation and inhibition of tumor infiltration, and/or cytotoxic activities of immune cells. Whether and how tumor SCNA levels influence immune evasion is of particular interest as this information could potentially be used to improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade, a therapy that has produced durable responses in a subset of cancer patients. RATIONALE Understanding how SCNAs and mutation load affect tumor evolution, and through what mechanisms, is a key objective in cancer research. To explore the relationships between SCNA levels, tumor mutations, and cancer hallmarks, we examined data from 5255 tumor/normal samples representing 12 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas project. We assigned each tumor an SCNA score and looked for correlations with the number and types of tumor mutations. We also compared the gene expression profiles of tumors with high versus low SCNA levels to identify differences in cellular signaling pathways. RESULTS First, we found that, for most tumors, there was a positive correlation between SCNA levels and the total number of mutations. Second, tumors harboring activating oncogenic mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinase–RAS–phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway showed fewer SCNAs, a finding at odds with the hypothesis of oncogene-driven genomic instability. Third, we found that tumors with high levels of SCNAs showed elevated expression of cell cycle and cell proliferation markers (cell cycle signature) and reduced expression of markers for cytotoxic immune cell infiltrates (immune signature). The increased expression level of the cell cycle signature was primarily predicted by focal SCNAs, with a lesser contribution of arm and whole-chromosome SCNAs. In contrast, the lower expression level of the immune signature was primarily predicted by high levels of arm and whole-chromosome SCNAs. SCNA levels were a stronger predictor of markers of cytotoxic immune cell infiltration than tumor mutational load. Finally, through analysis of data from two published clinical trials of immunotherapy in melanoma patients, we found that high SCNA levels in tumors correlated with poorer survival of patients. The combination of the tumor SCNA score and the tumor mutational load was a better predictor of survival after immunotherapy than either biomarker alone. CONCLUSION We found that two hallmarks of cancer, cell proliferation and immune evasion, are predicted by distinct types of aneuploidy that likely act through distinct mechanisms. Proliferation markers mainly correlated with focal SCNAs, implying a mechanism related to the action of specific genes targeted by these SCNAs. Immune evasion markers mainly correlated with arm- and chromosome-level SCNAs, consistent with a mechanism related to general gene dosage imbalance rather than the action of specific genes. A retrospective analysis of melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade anti–CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated protein 4) therapy revealed that high SCNA levels were associated with a poorer response, suggesting that tumor aneuploidy might be a useful biomarker for predicting which patients are most likely to benefit from this therapy. Genetic events associated with two cancer hallmarks: cell proliferation and immune evasion. Across several human tumor types, high SCNA levels correlate with increased expression of cell cycle markers and decreased expression of markers of cytotoxic immune cell infiltrates. A high load of tumor neoantigens (reflecting a high level of point mutations) promotes the detection of tumors by the immune system, limiting immune evasion. The relative contribution of focal, arm/chromosome, and neoantigen load to the prediction of proliferation and immune evasion is shown. Immunotherapies based on immune checkpoint blockade are highly effective in a subset of patients. An ongoing challenge is the identification of biomarkers that predict which patients will benefit from these therapies. Aneuploidy, also known as somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs), is widespread in cancer and is posited to drive tumorigenesis. Analyzing 12 human cancer types, we find that, for most, highly aneuploid tumors show reduced expression of markers of cytotoxic infiltrating immune cells, especially CD8+ T cells, and increased expression of cell proliferation markers. Different types of SCNAs predict the proliferation and immune signatures, implying distinct underlying mechanisms. Using published data from two clinical trials of immune checkpoint blockade therapy for metastatic melanoma, we found that tumor aneuploidy inversely correlates with patient survival. Together with other tumor characteristics such as tumor mutational load, aneuploidy may thus help identify patients most likely to respond to immunotherapy.


Abstract Photogeneration of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) finds applications in fields as different as nanomedicine, art preservation, air and water depollution and surface decontamination. Here we present photocatalytic nanoparticles (NP) that are active only at acidic pH while they do not show relevant ROS photo‐generation at neutral pH. This dual responsivity (to light and pH) is achieved by stabilizing the surface of TiO2 NP with a specific organic shell during the synthesis and it is peculiar of the achieved core shell‐structure, as demonstrated by comparison with commercial photocatalytic TiO2 NP. For the investigation of the photocatalytic activity, we developed two methods that allow real time detection of the process preventing any kind of artifact arising from post‐treatments and delayed analysis. The reversibility of the pH response was also demonstrated as well as the selective photo‐killing of cancer cells at acidic pH.


This paper reports on an online experiment that took place in several European countries during the three weeks before the 2014 elections for the European Parliament. We created a website where visitors could obtain information about the electoral rules used in different European Member States for this election. Participants were then invited to cast (simulated) ballots for the election according to three voting rules: closed list proportional representation, open list proportional representation with preferential voting, and open list proportional representation with cumulative voting and panachage. Participants were also invited to think about, and experiment with, the idea of electing some members of the European Parliament through pan-European party lists. The data gathered from this study enable researchers to consider the effects of electoral systems on outcomes in individual countries, and also to investigate the potential popularity and effects of Europe-wide European Parliament constituencies.


Objective: To identify the key predictors of performance on a 6-minute walk and health-related quality of life (QOL) one year after cardiac valve replacement and to use the predictors to guide clinical practice and optimise outcome. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary cardiothoracic centre in the UK. Patients: 225 patients having first time valve replacement with a mean age 67.1 (SD 12.1) years. Main outcome measures: Mortality, morbidity, NYHA, performance on a 6-minute walk and health-related QOL one year after surgery. Results: One year after valve replacement 90% of patients were alive and free from a major event related to their surgery. NYHA category fell by 0.6. Performance on a 6-minute walk improved by 42% and QOL improved on all subscales and both composite scores of the SF-36 QOL questionnaire. Although physical QOL scores improved they did not normalise, unlike the mental QOL scores which were near normal on both occasions. Independent baseline predictors of 6-minute walk performance at one year were baseline walk performance, age and belief in surgery as a treatment. Independent baseline predictors of one year physical QOL were baseline physical QOL and walk performance. Independent baseline predictors of one year mental QOL were depression, baseline mental QOL and age, with age having a positive effect. Conclusions: One year after valve replacement patients can expect a significant improvement in their exercise tolerance and QOL but their physical QOL is unlikely to be normal. Outcome may be improved by treating depression and modifying negative illness beliefs preoperatively.


Passwords and PINs continue to remain the most widespread forms of user authentication, despite growing awareness of their security limitations. This is because short secrets are convenient, particularly for an increasingly mobile user population. Many users are interested in employing a variety of computing devices with different forms of connectivity and different software platforms. Such users often find it convenient to authenticate by means of passwords and short secrets, to recover lost passwords by answering personal or "life" questions, and to make similar use of relatively weak secrets.

In typical authentication methods based on short secrets, the secrets (or related values) are stored in a central database. Often overlooked is the vulnerability of the secrets to theft en bloc in the event of server compromise. With this in mind, Ford and Kaliski and others have proposed various password "hardening" schemes involving multiple servers, with password privacy assured provided that some servers remain uncompromised.

In this paper, we describe a new, two-server secure roaming system that benefits from an especially lightweight new set of protocols. In contrast to previous ideas, ours can be implemented so as to require essentially no intensive cryptographic computation by clients. This and other design features render the system, in our view, the most practical proposal to date in this area. We describe in this paper the protocol and implementation challenges and the design choices underlying the system.


The detection of local variations of the proton activity is of interest in many fields such as corrosion, sedimentology, biology and electrochemistry. Using nanostructured palladium microelectrodes Imokawa et al. fabricated for the first time a reliable and miniaturized sensor with high accuracy and reproducibility of the potentiometric-pH response. In absence of oxygen, the nanostructured palladium hydride tips are sensitive only to the activity of the protons close to their local environment and they have an almost Nernstian theoretical response with a slope of -58.7 mV/pH (25C) from pH 2 to 14. In the bulk, the lifetime of the palladium hydride sensor is 60 times longer when the solution is saturated with argon than with oxygen. Besides, the open circuit potential (OCP) recorded during the discharge of the hydride is more positive in an oxygenated solution. To unravel the influence of oxygen on the potentiometric response of these tips, we carried out a series of potentiometric and amperometric scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) experiments over a range of tip-substrate distances against an inert substrate. Potentiometric SECM experiments in aerated solutions demonstrate that the duration of the hydrogen discharge and tip potential depend on the tip-substrate distance: the closer the tip is to an inert substrate, the longer the lifetime of the sensor is, and the more cathodic the open circuit potentials are. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) near the OCP values reveals that the polarization resistance decreases when the tip approaches the substrate. These trends are confirmed by Tafel plots recorded over a range of tip-substrate distances. Potentiometric and amperometric measurements are found to be in good agreement. These results can be analysed in terms of a mixed potential theory as used in corrosion. They reveal that in the potentiometric mode, despite being held at zero current, the tips promote the reduction of oxygen which in turns leads to the rapid discharge of hydrogen from the palladium hydride. The closer the tip is to the substrate, the smaller is the flux of oxygen, the longer is the duration of the discharge and the more negative is the OCP. This dissertation will therefore show that even in a potentiometric SECM experiment where the tip is supposed to be a passive probe, hindered diffusion can affect the tip potential and produce a dependence on the tip-substrate distance. In aerated solutions, a simple correction can be made to bulk experiments. In this study the exceptional potentiometric properties of pH microprobes made with nanostructured palladium hydride microelectrodes are reported to demonstrate their application by monitoring pH variations resulting from a reaction confined in a porous medium. Their properties were validated by detecting pH transients during the carbonation of Ca(OH)2 within a fibrous mesh. Experimental pHs recorded in situ were in excellent agreement with theoretical calculations for the CO2 partial pressures considered. Results also showed that the electrodes were sufficiently sensitive to differentiate between the formation of vaterite and calcite, two polymorphs of CaCO3. These nanostructured microelectrodes are uniquely suited to the determination of pH in highly alkaline solutions, particularly those arising from interfacial reactions at solid and porous surfaces.


The goal of physical education is to instill physical literacy within students. As an important motivation framework, achievement goal theory has been widely used to understand and explain students' cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. In this paper, we reviewed studies examining achievement goals and outcomes in K-12 physical education settings. First, we provide a brief review of the historical development of the achievement goal theoretical models (the dichotomous model, the trichotomous model, the 2 × 2 model, and the 3 × 2 model). Then, we synthesize consequences, antecedents, and interactive factors of each achievement goal construct as well as the influences of gender, age, and culture on students' achievement goals. Finally, we discuss implications for practice and future research. We hope our review can inform physical educators and researchers and assist the application of achievement goal theory into practice.


Several constraints exist in the local market as regards the purchase and after - sales services of small stationary diesel engines used for flour milling, water pumping and generation of electricity. These constraints could be substantially addressed through local production of frequently used spares. This paper describes the local development of a production process for a cylinder head of a single cylinder diesel engine.
The design drawings were used to design the pattern and core box, to mould and make the core assembly which were subsequently dried in an oven before pouring of molten metal. The cylinder head manufactured by the process was pressure tested for integrity of the water jackets and ports before machining and actual engine tests. The performance of the cylinder head during the on load and no load tests were considered normal. Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology Vol.3(2) 2001: 84-95


Writing landscapes inevitably occurs in dialogue with a long textual and pictorial tradition, but first-hand experience also provides a key stimuli to many writers' accounts. This monograph employs a comparative lens to offer an intervention in debates between literary scholars who focus on genre and cultural geographers who are concerned that self-perpetuating literary tropes marginalize practical engagements. Suggesting that representation and experience are not competing paradigms for landscape, Daniel Weston argues that in the hands of contemporary writers they are complementary forces building composite articulations of place. In five case studies, Weston matches a writer to a mode of apprehending place - W.G. Sebald with picturing, Ciaran Carson with mapping, Iain Sinclair with walking, Robert Macfarlane with engaging, Kathleen Jamie with noticing. Drawing out a range of sites at which representation and experience interact, Weston's argument is twofold: first, interaction between traditions of landscape writing and direct experience of landscapes are mutually influential; and second, writers increasingly deploy style, form, and descriptive aesthetics to recover the experience of place in the poetics of the text itself. As Weston shows, emergent landscape writing shuttles across generic boundaries, reflecting the fact that the landscapes traversed are built out of a combination of real and imaginary sources.


This paper proposes new randomized fitness functions for a genetic algorithm used to solve the satisfiability problem. The fitness functions follow the general idea of probability amplification. The first function is inspired by the Lovász Local Lemma, while the second one is based on a randomized 2-SAT approximation. The genetic algorithm uses some specific components derived from unit propagation. The crossover operator and the restart strategy are designed to benefit from the application of unit propagation. A local search algorithm is applied on the best solution at each step of the algorithm in order to improve it. Competitive results were obtained for different benchmarks when compared with state-of-the-art algorithms.


- Mycoremediation is an innovative biotechnology that uses living fungus for in situ and ex situ cleanup and management of contaminated sites. It is a cost effective process and the end products are non-hazardous. The process typically begins with field collection of fungi from a local area and continues with steps of culturing, screening, and preconditioning of native species to remediate specific contaminants. Industrial effluents entering into the surface waters are perhaps the most important sources of toxic contaminants in the environment. Textile is one of the largest industries which results in pollution contributed by untreated effluent discharge, which contains high concentrations of consumed metal based dyes, phenol, aromatic amines etc. The presence of metal based coloured dyes and foaming chemicals in textile waste water not only retards biological activity by reducing the light penetration but also causes metal toxicity to both aquatic and terrestrial life. There are various methods for the treatment of textile wastewater for the removal of dye. These broadly fall into three categories namely physical, chemical and biological. The biological treatment of effluent has become an economically and environmentally attractive alternative to the present physico-chemical methods of treatment. The major disadvantage of physico-chemical methods has been largely due to the high cost, low efficiency, limited versatility, interference by other wastewater constituents and the handling of the waste generated. Microbial decolourisation can be achieved by using various naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and their enzymes. Use of fungi is economical and eco-friendly technique for the fine tuning of waste water treatment. Fungi have proved to be suitable organisms for the treatment of textile effluent and dye removal. The fungal mycelia have an additive advantage over single cell organisms by solubilising the insoluble substrates by producing extracellular enzymes. Due to an increased cell-to-surface ratio, fungi have a greater physical and enzymatic contact with the environment. Among the different fungi white- rot fungi play an important role for dye degradation. White rot fungi have been studied for nearly three decades and new species are being developed to decolourize various textile dyes with their lignin-degrading enzymes.


This chapter explores how the family finances are dealt with following the breakup between cohabitants in non-formal relationships. In particular, it considers property law disputes between cohabitants on relationship breakdown and the application of the law of trusts to determine the resolution of such disputes. As these are principles of general application which have not been designed specifically to deal with the financial consequences of relationship breakdown between cohabitants, the chapter highlights how they are generally regarded as inadequate to resolve family property disputes, producing unfair outcomes in certain situations.


Four different quasi-static flow curve models were investigated to describe flow curves of austenitic (304) and ferritic (430) stainless steel sheets. Uni-axial tensile tests were carried out and material constants of the models were determined by curve fitting technique. Applicability of these models over the uniform plastic deformation region was evaluated according to the value of nonlinear regression parameter R. It was observed, that the predictions made by El-Magd model are in good agreement with the experimental data for both 304 and 430 stainless steel sheets.


Methods for control of spacecraft maneuvers through the use of single gimbal control moment gyroscopes are developed. The development employs an integrated model of the spacecraft dynamics with the control moment gyroscope dynamics. Smooth and continuous open-loop control profiles are obtained which minimize a weighted function of maneuver time, magnitude of control effort, and proximity to singular gimbal configurations. Closed-loop state feedback control laws are derived by invoking Lyapunov stability theory. The schemes are presented for implementing the commanded state feedback: gimbal rate control and gimbal acceleration control. The appropriate handling of singular gimbal configurations is also discussed.


ABSTRACT This study compares language learning strategy (LLS) use between Greek L2 and English FL and a possible variation in the frequency and type of LLSs employed in the two languages in order to depict the strategic profiles of the multilingual learners aged 12–15 (n = 307). It also observes the effect of gender in relation to a second vs. foreign language context. The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) is used to measure the frequency of strategy use. The findings suggest a positive correlation between Greek and English LLSs. Also, there is a statistically significant variation with respect to the frequency of overall strategy use between Greek and English, statistically significantly higher in Greek, and between strategy categories, with cognitive strategies showing a higher frequency of use in Greek and affective strategies in English. There are statistically significant differences on 19 individual strategic items between Greek and English. The findings show that the differences are statistically significantly higher in multilingual girls, both when learning English and Greek. The multilingual boys' higher use of LLSs in their second language Greek is observed, whereas multilingual girls tend to use strategies for both languages equally frequently.


Background Obesity is common in individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), contributing to a significantly shortened lifespan when compared to the general population. Available weight loss treatments have attenuated efficacy in this population, underscoring the importance of prevention and early intervention. Objective Here, we describe a type 1 hybrid study design for adapting and pilot-testing an existing mobile health intervention for obesity prevention in individuals with early SMI and Class I or early-stage obesity, defined as a BMI of 30-35. Methods An existing, evidence-based interactive obesity treatment approach using low-cost, semiautomated SMS text messaging was selected for adaptation. Community mental health clinics and Clubhouse settings in Eastern Missouri and South Florida were identified to participate. This study has the following 3 aims. First, using the Enhanced Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based interventions, contextual aspects of the clinical and digital treatment environments are identified for adaptation, considering 5 main stakeholder groups (clinical administrators, prescribing clinicians, case managers, nurses, and patients). Following a 2-week trial of unadapted SMS text messaging, Innovation Corps methods are used to discover needed intervention adaptations by stakeholder group and clinical setting. Second, adaptations to digital functionality and intervention content will be made based on themes identified in aim 1, followed by rapid usability testing with key stakeholders. A process for iterative treatment adaptation will be developed for making unplanned modifications during the aim 3 implementation pilot study. Individuals working in partner community mental health clinics and Clubhouse settings will be trained in intervention delivery. Third, in a randomized pilot and feasibility trial, adults with 5 years or less of treatment for an SMI diagnosis will be randomized 2:1 to 6 months of an adapted interactive obesity treatment approach or to an attentional control condition, followed by a 3-month extension phase of SMS text messages only. Changes in weight, BMI, and behavioral outcomes, as well as implementation challenges, will be evaluated at 6 and 9 months. Results Institutional review board approval for aims 1 and 2 was granted on August 12, 2018, with 72 focus group participants enrolled; institutional review board approval for aim 3 was granted on May 6, 2020. To date, 52 participants have been enrolled in the study protocol. Conclusions In this type 1 hybrid study design, we apply an evidence-based treatment adaptation framework to plan, adapt, and feasibility test a mobile health intervention in real-world treatment settings. Resting at the intersection of community mental health treatment and physical health promotion, this study aims to advance the use of simple technology for obesity prevention in individuals with early-stage mental illness. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03980743; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03980743 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/42114


Background
The ultrasonography for silicone tamponade eye is a problem in diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases, especially for the calculation of intraocular lens (IOL) power.IOL Master is usually used to the biometric measurement of the silicone tamponade eye in well-equipped hospital, but it is still disabled in serious cataractous eyes.Corrective B or A-type ultrasound methods have been used for a fewer years, but these measured results are incomparable probably due to the difference of viscosity of silicone oils.

Objective
This study attempted to investigate the accuracy of B-type ultrasonography for ocular axial length (AL) measurement in silicone tamponade eyes.

Methods
The transmitting speed of ultrasonic wave in the silicone oil was determined by comparing the outcomes between balance solution mesuring and 5 500 mPas silicone oil, and a calculating formula for corrective ocular AL in 5 500 mPas silicone filled eyes was further established.Thirty-two eyes of 30 patients who received 5 500 mPas silicone oil tamponade due to complex retinal detachment were enrolled in Qingdao Hiser Medical Group from May 2012 to March 2014.The eyes were assigned to the AL<26 mm group (18 eyes of 16 patients) and AL≥26 mm group (14 eyes of 14 patients). B-scan ultrasound and IOL Master were used to measure the AL before the removal of the silicone oil, and the Als were measured again using A-scan ultrasound and B-scan ultrasound 3 months after the removal of the silicone oil.The outcomes were compared and the correlations were evaluated among different measuring methods.The vitrous length values before and after removal of the oils, and the diopters before and after intraocular pressure (IOP) implantation were compared to varify the results of B-type sonography for 5 500 mPas silicone-tamponade eyes.

Results
The transmitting speed of sound wave in 5 500 mPas silicone oil was 1 023 m/second with the conversion factor 0.668 between silicon oil eyes and vitreous cavity, and the corrected formula for AL measurement was: the length form cornea apex to the posterior pole of lens or the center of the capsular membrane+ 0.668×the length form posterior pole of lens or the center of the capsular membrane to the macular area.No significnant differences were found in the AL values among the corrective-B scan, IOL Master method, postoperative B-scan method and A-scan method both in the AL<26 mm group and the AL≥26 mm group (AL<26 mm: F=0.108, P=0.955; AL≥26 mm: F=0.011, P=0.998), and the AL values by corrective B-scan was significantly correlated with that by IOL Master, postoperative B-scan and A-scan, respectively (AL<26 mm group: r=0.876, 0.921, 0.809, all at P<0.01; AL≥26 mm group: r=0.943, 0.956, 0.955, all at P<0.01). The vitreous cavity depth was (20.78±2.13)mm by corrective B-scan in 1 day before the removal of silicone, and that in 3 months after removal of silicone was (20.89±2.16)mm, without statistical diference between them (t=0.795, P=0.219). The actual postoperative refraction in 16 eyes with IOL was (-1.25±1.69)D, and preoperative refrection was (-1.50±0.00)D, the difference was not statistically significant (t=0.585, P=0.284).

Conclusions
The biometry of B-scan ultrasonography for silicone-tamponade eye is accurate and simple, with a good feasibility in clinical measurement.

Key words:
Biometry/methods; Eye/ultrasonography; Lenses, intraocular; Silicone oils/therapeutic use; Viscosity; Axial length, ocular; Diagnostic techniques, ophthalmological/instrumentation; Humans


We study homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies in a Weyl spacetime. We show that for homogeneous and isotropic spacetimes, the field equations can be reduced to the Einstein equations with a two-fluid source. We write the equations as a two-dimensional dynamical system and analyse the qualitative, asymptotic behaviour of the models. We examine the possibility that in certain theories the Weyl 1-form may give rise to a late accelerated expansion of the universe and conclude that such behaviour is not met as a generic feature of the simplest cosmologies.


In this paper, we focus on monitoring, a particular aspect of reflec- tion related to teaching. We define monitoring as a feedback mechanism which entails attending to and evaluating a multitude of cues in the envi- ronment in order to evaluate progress towards a goal. We direct our attention to monitoring because it is a way in which a teacher is able to gain understanding of how effective his/her teaching actions are. Thus, knowing what cues to evaluate (and being able to do so) is a critical skill in reflection. Further, we focus exclusively in this paper on the concur- rent monitoring of cues related to students since we believe that attention to student cues while teaching provides teachers with a window into their students' learning experiences. We call this particular type of reflection, reflection-in-action. As well as depicting multiple examples of monitoring drawn from our research, we explore the contribution of this work to the literature in higher education and to faculty development activities, particularly, to the growing literature on teacher thinking.


In a tube-type condenser, involving complete condensation, small changes in the inlet vapor flowrate momentarily cause very large transient surges in the outlet liquid flowrate. Experimental data are presented which indicate that compressibility effects tend to attenuate the amplitude of these flow surges. The system mean void fraction model was extended to include compressibility effects and its predictions are shown to agree well with experimental data. The model is further extended to predict the response characteristics to an oscillatory inlet flowrate and compared with predictions based upon the drift-flux model.