PICO question
In canines, does the oral administration of carprofen, when compared to meloxicam, result in fewer gastrointestinal side effects?

Clinical bottom line
Category of research question
Treatment
The number and type of study designs reviewed
Three prospective randomised controlled trials were critically reviewed
Strength of evidence
Weak
Outcomes reported
Treatment with carprofen or meloxicam results in no significant difference in gastric lesion scoring, increased intestinal mucosal permeability or diminished small bowel absorptive capacity
Conclusion
There is insufficient evidence supporting preferential administration of carprofen or meloxicam to reduce gastrointestinal side effects

How to apply this evidence in practice
The application of evidence into practice should take into account multiple factors, not limited to: individual clinical expertise, patient's circumstances and owners' values, country, location or clinic where you work, the individual case in front of you, the availability of therapies and resources.
Knowledge Summaries are a resource to help reinforce or inform decision-making. They do not override the responsibility or judgement of the practitioner to do what is best for the animal in their care


During inflammation, monocytes roll on activated endothelium and arrest after stimulation by proteoglycan-bound chemokines and other chemoattractants. We investigated signaling pathways downstream of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are relevant to alpha4beta1 integrin affinity up-regulation using formyl peptide receptor-transfected U937 cells stimulated with fMLP or stromal-derived factor-1alpha and human peripheral blood monocytes stimulated with multiple chemokines or chemoattractants. The up-regulation of soluble LDV peptide or vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) binding by these stimuli was critically dependent on activation of phospholipase C (PLC), inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptors, increased intracellular calcium, influx of extracellular calcium, and calmodulin, suggesting that this signaling pathway is required for alpha4 integrins to assume a high-affinity conformation. In fact, a rise in intracellular calcium following treatment with thapsigargin or ionomycin was sufficient to induce binding of ligand. Blockade of p44/42 and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, or protein kinase C (PKC) signaling did not inhibit chemoattractant-induced LDV or VCAM-1 binding. However, activation of PKC by phorbol ester up-regulated alpha4beta1 affinity with kinetics distinct from those of GPCR signaling. A critical role for PLC and calmodulin was also established for leukocyte arrest and adhesion strengthening.


The exploration and transportation of fluids from corrosive fields or reserves demand corrosion-resistant pipelines. The pipelines for sour-service application demand higher resistance to H2S corrosion because of higher sulphur content observed in the geographical locations. The pipelines laid in the corrosive and marshy lands demand high wall thickness to allow for wall thinning due to corrosion. The linepipes manufactured using TMCP plates are widely accepted for sour-service applications. The use of cut-to-length sheets from hot rolled coils for the manufacturing of LSAW pipes is economical but having limited acceptance by the pipeline operators.
 Welspun took an initiative to develop the linepipes for an onshore sour-service application using API 5L X60MS grade cut-to-length sheets from TMCP hot rolled coils procured from an approved steel mill. The LSAW pipes of 24" OD × 14.27 mm WT were manufactured by the JCO-E press at Welspun Pipes Mill in Anjar-Gujarat-India. The experience of 24"OD × 14.30 mm WT, API 5L X60MO grade pipes manufacturing using TMCP plates procured from another approved steel mill, was used to decide factors such as alloy design, cleanliness, strength, DWTT, hardness, HIC, SSCC, CVN for the selection of cut-to-length sheets. This paper deals with sheet-to-pipe behavioural changes in properties before and after cold mechanical expansion. Wherever possible, the comparison was also made with plate-pipe behavioural changes in properties.


The contribution of this paper is two-fold. First, we propose a Domain Specific Language (DSL) to easily reconfigure and compose Spark applications. For each Spark application we define its input and output interfaces. Then, given a set of connections that map outputs of some Spark applications to free inputs of other Spark applications, we automatically embed Spark applications with the required synchronization and communication to properly run them according to the user-defined mapping. Second, we present an adaptive quality management/selection method for Spark applications. The method takes as input a pipeline of parameterized Spark applications, where the execution time of each Spark application is an unknown increasing function of quality level parameters. The method builds a controller that automatically computes adequate quality for each Spark application to meet a user-defined deadline. Consequently, users can submit a pipeline of Spark applications and a deadline, our method automatically runs all the Spark applications with the maximum quality while respecting the deadline specified by the user. We present experimental results showing the effectiveness of our method.


The process of organ motion correction in scintigraphy is analysed in the frequency domain. The sequence of the x- and y-coordinates registered during scintigraphic recording is converted to a frequency spectrum by a discrete Fourier transform. In the frequency domain motion correction is performed by linear filtering. Every convolution filter in the time domain corresponds to a linear filter in the frequency domain, and the filter form in the frequency domain is a good measure of the quality of correction. With the aid of frequency and analysis, simple convolution filters in the time domain are developed. The usual centre of gravity method is not a convolution filter and has an unfavourable frequency behaviour. By means of phantom measurements the following correction methods are tested: the usual (non-convolutional) centre of gravity method, the convolutional centre of gravity method, a weighted convolutional centre of gravity method and the Fourier filtering method.


This paper is mainly to develop a grid-connected photovoltaic simulation system with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) function using MATLAB software in order to simulate and predict the behaviors of the real photovoltaic system. An engineering model of the photovoltaic (PV) cell is first established and then combined with an MPPT algorithm, as well as models of an MPPT controller and a DC-DC converter, in order to verify the correctness of MPPT controller. A DC-AC inverter using double closed loop control system is used in this paper to track the characteristics of the grid. The outer DC voltage control loop is to keep the input DC voltage stable, and the inner grid current control loop is to ensure that the output current has the same frequency and phase angle as the grid voltage. PLL technique used in the control circuit of the inverter ensures the tracking accuracy of the output current. The simulation results show that the system not only achieves the maximum power point tracking function but also makes the outputs of the inverter are sine waveforms and have less ripple, and also the power factor is close to 1. Therefore the outputs of the inverter satisfy the demands of the grid-connected photovoltaic system.


INTRODUCTION
We present a case of an Asian variant of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma associated with systemic and central nervous system hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) with multiple neurologic manifestations.

CASE PRESENTATION
A 68-year-old, previously healthy, Korean woman presented with a 4-week history of fever and weight loss. She had pancytopenia with neutropenia, a ferritin level of 5030 μg/L, and elevated liver enzyme levels. Bone marrow, liver biopsy specimens, and cerebrospinal fluid demonstrated hemophagocytosis. The patient was treated with the HLH-2004 protocol, but her disease relapsed 3 months later. A repeated liver biopsy specimen confirmed the initially missed diagnosis of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma, a known driver of HLH in patients of Asian origin. She was then treated with lymphoma-directed therapy and had a prompt resolution of fever and neurologic symptoms as well as normalization of her blood cell counts and ferritin level.

DISCUSSION
This case serves as a reminder that patients with an Asian variant of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma frequently present with HLH and neurologic manifestations, including seizures, strokes, and cognitive deficits. A high index of suspicion is needed for prompt diagnosis and initiation of lymphoma-directed therapy.


According to the judge, jury and the public in the UK, Sally Clark murdered her two sons. The prosecution forensic expert had submitted his evidence using complex medical and scientific language that misled the jury. The defence expert failed to challenge him. A few years later, Mrs. Clark was proven innocent, as there was undisclosed evidence and the language of the prosecution forensic expert misled the jury. This paper raises some issues according to the Sally Clark case. It includes some discussions about the expert's role in the adversarial system and also compares it with the inquisitorial system. It is an approach towards understanding whether the expert should stand in the witness box or not. This paper answers whether the decision in the Sally Clark would have taken a different direction, if it was dealt under the inquisitorial justice system or other experts' systems. Although this case has helped to re-open many other cases, it has not encouraged the English criminal justice system to make any changes with the expert system (especially in complex forensic cases). It also affected experts who now think that testifying in court is a risk. This paper presents a new approach that, if considered, can protect the justice system from any miscarriages, the experts themselves from being blamed and the public who look at both as killers.


For a rational design of a welded joint, it is necessary to repeatedly assess the fatigue life of the joint with various dimensions and welding conditions. In this paper, an automated, repeatable/repetitive fatigue life assessment process for a welded cruciform joint was studied. The process consists of a structural analysis to obtain the stress distribution in the vicinity of the weldtoe, a thermal elasto-plastic analysis to determine the welding residual stress, and a fatigue life assessment based on the analyzed stress distribution and welding residual stress. With changes in design conditions including dimensions and/or welding heat input, the aforementioned tasks have to be performed. Using a commercial tool for system integration, automation of a repeated process for a welded cruciform joint based on 2D modeling was achieved. In this automated system, data exchanges between programs, regardless of whether they are commercial or in-house, work well, and parametric studies for optimal design can be performed.


This study examined differences between females and males in emotional intelligence (EI). The researchers conducted a test of association between EI and sex and on age in a sample of educational leadership doctoral students. Using a survey, the principal investigator collected measures on EI and other demographic information from the participants. The sample was made up of 36 educational leadership students (24 women and 12 men) attending a regional university located in the southern region of the United States. EI was evaluated by the Schutte Self-Report EI Test (Schutte et al., 1998), which evaluates four subscales (Perception of Emotion, Utilization of Emotion, Managing own Emotions, and Managing Others' Emotions). When the researchers examined EI as a trait, they were unable to detect differences in EI based on gender and based on age. Additional research is needed to further understand EI in educational leadership doctoral students.


CONTEXT
  Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common injury that interferes with quality of life and physical activity. Clinical subgroups of patients may exist, one of which is caused by proximal muscle dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES
  To develop clinical prediction rules that predict a positive outcome after either a hip and core- or knee-focused strengthening program for individuals with PFP.

DESIGN
  Secondary analysis of data from a randomized control trial.

SETTING
  Four university laboratories.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS
  A total of 199 participants with PFP.

INTERVENTION(S)
  Participants were randomly allocated to either a hip and core-focused (n = 111) or knee-focused (n = 88) rehabilitation group for a 6-week program.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
  Demographics, self-reported knee pain (visual analog scale) and function (Anterior Knee Pain Scale), hip strength, abdominal muscle endurance, and hip range of motion were evaluated at baseline. Treatment success was defined as a decrease in visual analog scale score by ≥2 cm or an increase in the Anterior Knee Pain Scale score by ≥8 points or both. Bivariate relationships between the outcome (treatment success) and the predictor variables were explored, followed by a forward stepwise logistic regression to predict a successful outcome.

RESULTS
  Patients with more pain, better function, greater lateral core endurance, and less anterior core endurance were more likely to have a successful outcome after hip and core strengthening (88% sensitivity and 54% specificity). Patients with lower weight, weaker hip internal rotation, stronger hip extension, and greater trunk-extension endurance were more likely to have success after knee strengthening (82% sensitivity and 58% specificity).

CONCLUSION
  The patients with PFP who have more baseline pain and yet maintain a high level of function may experience additional benefit from hip and core strengthening. The clinical prediction rules from this study remain in the developmental phase and should be applied with caution until externally validated.


Inter-beat interval (IBI) measurement enables estimation of heart-tare variability (HRV) which, in turns, can provide early indication of potential cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, extracting IBIs from noisy signals is challenging since the morphology of the signal gets distorted in the presence of noise. Electrocardiogram (ECG) of a person in heavy motion is highly corrupted with noise, known as motion-artifact, and IBI extracted from it is inaccurate. As a part of remote health monitoring and wearable system development, denoising ECG signals and estimating IBIs correctly from them have become an emerging topic among signal-processing researchers. Apart from conventional methods, deep-learning techniques have been successfully used in signal denoising recently, and diagnosis process has become easier, leading to accuracy levels that were previously unachievable. We propose a deep-learning approach leveraging tiramisu autoencoder model to suppress motion-artifact noise and make the R-peaks of the ECG signal prominent even in the presence of high-intensity motion. After denoising, IBIs are estimated more accurately expediting diagnosis tasks. Results illustrate that our method enables IBI estimation from noisy ECG signals with SNR up to -30dB with average root mean square error (RMSE) of 13 milliseconds for estimated IBIs. At this noise level, our error percentage remains below 8% and outperforms other state of the art techniques.


It is an established truth that the drug availability in the Indian public health system is always remaining as a problem. One can attribute many reasons like shortage of fund, inefficient indenting procedures, poor inventory management and others for the problem. Recognizing the shortage of medicines in government hospitals, many Indian states have introduced exclusive set ups for the purchase of medicines for the hospitals. They procure medicines through centralized pooled purchases. Kerala, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu governments were introduced such pooled procurement system for drug purchase. Tamil Nadu, a major state in India started a corporation styled as Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation (TNMSC) registered under the Companies Act 1956 in July 1994. With the help of a well-designed and scientifically planned scheme TNMSC could introduce many innovations and thereby revolutionize the public drug procurement system in the country. Articles about the drug purchase systems followed in hospitals are rare. In this article mainly focusing the procurements methods adopted by the Tamil Nadu State.


Visual word recognition is a capital stage in reading. It involves accessing a mental representation of a written word, including processes such as perception, letter coding and selection of the proper candidate in our mental lexicon. One key issue for researchers on this field is to shed light on the role of phonological and orthographic processes in lexical access, as well as the choice of an input coding scheme for orthographic representations. In this paper we will review the state of the art about sublexical and lexical processes involved in lexical access. We will discuss behavioral, eye movement and electrophysiological evidence to understand: (i) which are the most important coding units, (ii) how our visual system codes identity and position of such units, (iii) which factors modulate the way we access lexical information in our minds, and (iv) the time course of such processes. We will do so from a methodological perspective, exploring a broad range of paradigms and effects that provide a complete framework about how printed words are coded and represented in our minds.


Among the most important types of derivatives to appear in recent years are credit default swaps. The ability of CDS to separate credit risk exposure from ownership of the debt securities issued by a risky borrower is a major step in risk management. But the mechanics of the CDS market have been problematical, including the fact that there can easily be more protection purchased and sold through CDS than there are bonds subject to that risk in existence. Originally, in the case of a credit event the protection buyer would deliver bonds issued by the defaulting borrower to the protection seller, who was obligated to buy them at par value. This physical settlement process has recently been replaced by cash settlement, in which the payoff is based on bond prices established in an auction of the deliverable bonds. But as Sundaram explains, this is not a simple auction. In this article, he describes its complexities and comments on its potential problems.


Background: Health records changed over time in the countries, and also Türkiye passed from paper versions to personal health records (PHR) and put patients at the center of the system by allowing them to become the master of their health data. Aims: Presenting the current state of the e-Nabız application nationwide in Turkey, and to evaluate the benefits of patients' online access to electronic health records and the system's interoperability. Study Design: A descriptive observational study Methods: In the Turkish PHR system (e-Nabız), services to patients to manage their health are categorized and analyzed within the scope of national digital health services. In addition, the data validation in the e-Nabız within itself has been systematically expressed. Results: The Turkish PHR system allows users to use 30 different services for treatment, prevention, health promotion, and health-related and interrelated areas. Moreover, some statistics regarding the categories specified in the e-Nabız system are included. Today, data is flowing from 28,608 system-integrated health facilities and 39 e-Nabız integrated public institutions. In addition, 4.5 billion transactions are done by people by 2023 and 220 million users are queried by physicians to reach patients' labs and results. Plus, the e-Nabız is adopted by 82% of the Türkiye population. Conclusion: There is no universal model for the content of the PHR. Given its importance to the patient, the content evolved and will continue to grow over the years. With the advent of coronavirus disease 2019, the system is equipped with three new services. The importance of these services over time and in the future has been demonstrated with increasing momentum.


Principles of Forensic Report Writing explores the psychology of report writing, including the motivations of readers and writers, communicative and performative concerns, and the cognitive science that applies to the process. The book addresses foundational principles rather than mechanics and how these feed back to the assessment process. Emphasis is placed throughout on the problem of applying general research, nomothetic tests, and generally useful actuarials to specific cases.


Individuals differ non-randomly in their responses to stressors, exhibiting consistent individual differences (CIDs) in behavioural and physiological coping mechanisms commonly referred to as coping styles. Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are one of the few mammal species in which CIDs in stress responses have been documented in wild populations, though evidence thus far has been purely behavioural. Physiologically, coping styles can be distinguished by differences in the autonomic regulation of cardiac activity, which can be measured using heart rate variability (HRV).

The objectives of this study were two-fold. First, to assess the suitability of Polar® RS800CX monitors and H2/H3 sensors for conducting HRV analyses in grey seals. Second, to quantify inter-individual variation, repeatability, and reproductive performance correlates of baseline HRV.

Polar® devices were deployed successfully during the 2013 breeding season on female grey seals (N = 15) on the Isle of May, Scotland, and were capable of recording HR patterns that characterise phocid seals at rest on land. However, artefacts were widespread and biased HRV metrics. Filtration and correction protocols were able to counteract the effects of artefacts, but severely limited the amount of data available for analysis.

There were significant inter-individual differences in baseline HRV, which could not be explained by factors associated with the breeding season (e.g. percentage mass loss, day of lactation), diurnal rhythms (e.g. time of day), or stressors (e.g. days since capture). These differences in baseline HRV showed consistency across early and late lactation. Individuals appeared to separate into two groups: those with consistently lower or higher baseline HRV, characteristic of proactive and reactive coping styles, respectively. Furthermore, females with lower baseline HRV showed greater maternal transfer efficiency – though there were no associations between baseline HRV and maternal expenditure (i.e. maternal mass loss, kgday–1) or fitness outcomes (i.e. pup mass gain, kgday–1). These findings build upon previous studies on behavioural CIDs in female grey seals by providing the first preliminary evidence for physiological CIDs that are associated with maternal investment. However, due to small sample sizes, further studies are required to determine whether these findings are truly indicative of coping styles.

In their current form, the use of Polar® devices requires several caveats and further studies are needed to fully realise their potential. Future research should focus on validation against simultaneously recorded ECGs to improve artefact detection and correction, and modification to minimise the occurrence of artefacts. Despite their limitations, Polar® devices have immense potential as a minimally invasive research tool for conducting HRV analyses in the field.


This article analyzes the litigation rhetoric used by parties in the physician-assisted suicide cases decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1997. The one case, Washington v. Glucksberg, involved the Washington State law against assisting suicide; the other case, Vacco v. Quill, involved a similar New York statute. The article follows those cases from their initial complaints through their trial court, circuit court and Supreme Court phases looking at the language used by the various attorneys in making their arguments and judges in rendering their rulings. In dealing with this issue, all parties appealed to stories about life and death with or without physician-assisted suicide in presenting their views. In large part, the final verdict depends on whether one believes that, on the whole, individual autonomy is increased or decreased through recognizing a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide. There are compelling stories on both sides, as this article indicates.


Background. Bruxism is a topic of much controversy and is continually debated in the field of dentistry due to the multifaceted clinical relationship that results in painful conditions and consequences to patients. The aim of this review was to determine the effectiveness of a smartphones app in monitoring awake bruxism. Methods. PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42021271190). The eligibility criteria were as followed: observational studies, case–control studies, studies that reported odds ratios, and studies on awake bruxism. The following keywords were searched: [smartphones apps] AND [apps] AND [awake bruxism], OR [sleep bruxism], OR [sleep hygiene], OR [parasomnias], AND [habits]. Results. All the included studies found that the use of the smartphone app allows controlled awake bruxism monitoring. The results also show that the slepp bruxism and awake bruxism are interactive, having negative synergism and substantially increasing the risks of temporomandibular joint pain and temporomandibular disorders. Discussion. In the awake bruxims it was possible to identify 70% symptoms through the different frequencies of behavior provided by the App, within the present technological tools have become daily in young and adult population. The app is effective and easy to use by patients, effectively limiting biases the time of evaluation.


The current research aimed to explore the relationship of PUBG game addiction with narcissistic tendencies and social isolation in gamers. For this correlation survey based research the data was conveniently collected from PUBG gamers (N= 101) age ranging from 13-30 years through online response method. The instruments included Online Game Addiction Scale (Kim, Namkoong, Ku, & Kim, 2008) Narcissistic Personality Inventory (Raskin & Hall, 1981) and Measures of Social Isolation (Zavaleta, Samuel, & Mills, 2017) for testing the hypothesis. According to the yielded results, an excellent reliability of these measures was established. The results also indicated that online game addiction, social isolation and narcissistic tendencies among PUBG game players are negatively correlated (<.05). It was concluded that online games do carry positive aspects of enhancing social skills and interactions among the players, while helping them exhibit behaviors and emotions that are not coherent with narcissistic tendencies. This paper also carries implications for families, friends, teachers and therapists of online gamers, who may use the findings to understand some of the positive aspects of playing online games.


America values dissent. It tolerates, encourages, and protects it. But what is this thing we value? That is a question never asked. "Dissent" is treated as a known fact. For all that has been said about dissent – in books, articles, judicial opinions, and popular culture – it is remarkable that no one has devoted much, if any, ink to explaining what dissent is. No one has attempted to sketch its philosophical, linguistic, legal, or cultural meanings or usages. There is a need to develop some clarity about this phenomenon we call dissent, for not every difference of opinion, symbolic gesture, public activity in opposition to government policy, incitement to direct action, revolutionary effort, or political assassination needs to be tagged dissent. In essence, we have no conceptual yardstick. It is just that measure of meaning that On Dissent offers.


Background The high morbidity and mortality of premature neonates remain significant problem in Indonesia with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) as one of the most common problem. Vitamin D plays  an important role in lung maturity. Vitamin D deficiency causes epithelial cell inflammation, leading to a higher risk of RDS. Previous studies suggest that T regulatory cells (Treg) in inflammatory diseases, such as RDS in neonates, are possibly linked to vitamin D deficiency.
Objective To determine the role of vitamin D on RDS and Treg cells in very premature or very low birth weight neonates.
Methods A prospective cohort study conducted on premature neonates in Neonatology Division, Department of Child Health, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected to evaluate total vitamin D 25-OH levels and Treg cells. Subjects with RDS were evaluated until the end of the observation period.
Results The mean umbilical cord vitamin D level was 15.79 (SD 6.9) ng/mL, and 53% of the subjects were found to be deficient. As much as 65.1% of neonates had RDS. The mean Treg level was 11.38 (SD 2.45)%. No significant correlation was observed between vitamin D level and the occurrence of RDS (RR 0.87; 95%CI 0.56 to 1.34; P=0.53); vitamin D level and the dysregulation of Treg cells (RR 1.30; 95%CI 0.76 to 2.21; P=0.31) as well as between Treg dysregulation and RDS (RR 1.11; 95%CI 0.70 to 1.75; P=0.64). However, we found that RDS group had a lower gestational age and higher presentation of dysregulation Treg.
Conclusion In very premature or very low birth weight neonates, no association between occurence of RDS and vitamin D deficiency as well as Treg cell dysregulation.


Medical therapy for oligospermia is usually given for a minimum period of three months, so that it covers a complete spermatogenic cycle. One experimental study shows that spermatogenic cycles may be shorter, about sixty days, in men. Here clinical data of five oligospermic men are presented to show the increase in sperm count in six to eight weeks only. These men received low dose estrogen and testosterone combination orally for six to eight weeks. Sperm count increased in four of the five men, one man showed mild increase.


In this paper the authors have discussed the requirements and merits and demerits of various props used in longwall workings. The factors which influence the behaviour of props in longwall faces have been stated. Also described are (a) the tests carried out on props and (b) some friction props designed by the authors. The load bearing capacity of wooden props, based on the tests carried out at CMRS, can be approximately calculated from the equation.
 P = 47.2 – 1.5 h/d
 Where P = load bearing capacity of the prop in tonne,
 H = height of the prop in mm and
 D = average diameter of the prop in mm.
The increase in the moisture content below the saturation point of wood and eccentricity affects the load bearing capacity of wooden props. The load requirements of props vary with the increase in seam thickness and the dip of the seam. With wet coal dust applied to the friction surfaces, the M.A.M.C. prop was taking 15 tonne at 2.5 cm yield.


REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY
While advanced stages of ascending placentitis can be diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography and clinical signs, early stages can be missed. Thus, additional tools could enhance assessment of placental health.

OBJECTIVES
To characterise peripheral dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) and testosterone concentrations in mares carrying normal pregnancies (Study 1) and compare plasma concentrations of DHEA-S, testosterone, oestradiol 17-β (oestradiol) and oestrone sulphate (OES) in mares with or without placentitis (Study 2).

STUDY DESIGN
Longitudinal cohort study of healthy mares (Study 1) and controlled experiment (Study 2).

METHODS
In Study 1, mares had serum samples collected from 100 days of gestation to term. In Study 2, pregnant mares (260-280 days gestation) were assigned to a control group or a group with placentitis. Placentitis was induced via intracervical inoculation of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus. Blood was collected at inoculation/commencement for control mares (day = 0) and daily for 12 days post inoculation (DPI) or until abortion. Steroid concentrations were determined by immunoassays. Concentrations of steroids in Study 2 were also evaluated relative to days from abortion (DFA -8 days to 0).

RESULTS
In Study 1, DHEA-S peaked by 180 days gestation, while testosterone concentrations were progressively increased from Days 100 to 180 with a plateau until ~240 days and a progressive decline until 290 days of gestation. In Study 2, concentrations of DHEA-S and testosterone were not significantly different between groups. There were significant effects of time (oestradiol P = 0.0008, OES P = 0.01) and time-by-group interactions (oestradiol P<0.001, OES P<0.0001) for oestrogen concentrations. For mares with experimental placentitis, concentrations of oestradiol were significantly reduced at -6, -2, -1 and 0 DFA, while OES concentrations were significantly reduced on the day before abortion (0 DFA).

CONCLUSIONS
Testosterone and DHEA-S were increased and varied through pregnancy. Oestrogens but not androgens decreased significantly in mares with experimentally-induced ascending placentitis.


Helping software development teams find and repair vulnerabilities before they are released and exploited can prevent costs due to loss of data, availability, and reputation. However, while general defect prediction models exist to help developers find bugs, vulnerability prediction models currently do not achieve high enough prediction performance to be used in industry [43]. Prediction of vulnerabilities in commits and files has been explored by previous work, and while commit-level prediction, at a finer granularity, may offer more useful results, there exists no clear comparison in predictive performance to justify this assumption. To inform further research in vulnerability prediction, we compare commit and filelevel prediction, across 7 projects, using 6 classifiers, for 8 different training dates. We evaluate the performance of each prediction model using 'online prediction' for ensuring an evaluation in line with practical usage of the prediction model. We evaluate each model using four different metrics, which we interpret as representing two different practical usage scenarios. We also perform an analysis of the data and techniques for evaluating prediction models. We find that despite achieving a low absolute prediction performance, file-level prediction generally tends to outperform commit-level prediction, but in a few outstanding cases, commit-level performs better.


Primary infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may arise as infectious mononucleosis (IM) in adolescents and young adults. Morphologically, IM-affected lymphoid tissue is characterized by expanded interfollicular areas with formation of atypical lymphoid blasts. It is assumed that morphology and clinical presentation of IM are related to characteristic patterns of cytokine production by EBV-infected and reactive cells. We studied IM tonsils of eight patients and six normal tonsils with a double in situ hybridization procedure using [35S]-labeled RNA probes specific for various cytokines and digoxigenin-labeled probes for the detection of the nuclear EBV encoded RNA transcripts, EBER 1 and 2. All of the IM cases displayed the same distinct cytokine gene expression pattern. When compared with interfollicular areas of normal tonsils, expression of lymphotoxin (LT), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1 beta, but not IL-8 or IL-1 alpha was strongly enhanced in interfollicular areas in IM tonsils. LT was expressed predominantly by EBV-infected cells. TNF-alpha transcripts were also present in EBV-infected cells, although in smaller proportions. IL-6 specific signals were only found in few EBV-infected cells. IL-1 alpha-, IL-1 beta-, and IL-8-specific signals were not observed in EBV-infected cells, but were present at high signal intensity in many cells within and around foci of EBV-infected cells (IL-1 beta), next to areas of necrosis (IL-8, IL-1 beta), or in epithelial cells (IL-1 alpha). These data suggest that EBV infection in form of IM results in induction of specific sets of cytokine genes in EBV-infected and in neighboring EBV-negative cells contributing to the characteristic morphology and cellular arrangement of the lesion as well as the clinical presentation.


In this paper we consider a generalized k-server problem
with parallel requests where several servers can also be located on one point (which was initiated by an operations research problem). In Section 4 the ''compound Harmonic algorithm'' for the generalized k-server problem is presented. Certain multi-step transition probabilities and absorbing probabilities are used by the compound Harmonic algorithm. For their computation one step of the generalized k-server problem is replaced by a number of steps of other (generalized) specific k-server problems. We show that this algorithm is competitive against an adaptive online adversary. In the case of unit distances the Harmonic algorithm and the compound Harmonic algorithm are identical.


Recently numerous emerging applications, ranging from on-line financial transactions, RFID based supply chain management, traffic monitoring to real-time object monitoring, generate high-volume event streams. To meet the needs of processing event data streams in real-time, Complex Event Processing technology (CEP) has been developed with the focus on detecting occurrences of particular composite patterns of events. By analyzing and constructing several real-world CEP applications, we found that CEP needs to be extended with advanced services beyond detecting pattern queries. We summarize these emerging needs in three orthogonal directions. First, for applications which require access to both streaming and stored data, we need to provide a clear semantics and efficient schedulers in the face of concurrent access and failures. Second, when a CEP system is deployed in a sensitive environment such as health care, we wish to mitigate possible privacy leaks. Third, when input events do not carry the identification of the object being monitored, we need to infer the probabilistic identification of events before feed them to a CEP engine. Therefore this dissertation discusses the construction of a framework for extending CEP to support these critical services. First, existing CEP technology is limited in its capability of reacting to opportunities and risks detected by pattern queries. We propose to tackle this unsolved problem by embedding active rule support within the CEP engine. The main challenge is to handle interactions between queries and reactions to queries in the high-volume stream execution. We hence introduce a novel stream-oriented transactional model along with a family of stream transaction scheduling algorithms that ensure the correctness of concurrent stream execution. And then we demonstrate the proposed technology by applying it to a real-world healthcare system and evaluate the stream transaction scheduling algorithms extensively using real-world workload. Second, we are the first to study the privacy implications of CEP systems. Specifically we consider how to suppress events on a stream to reduce the disclosure of sensitive patterns, while ensuring that nonsensitive patterns continue to be reported by the CEP engine. We formally define the problem of utility-maximizing event suppression for privacy preservation. We then design a suite of real-time solutions that eliminate private pattern matches while maximizing the overall utility. Our first solution optimally solves the problem at the event-type level. The second solution, at event-instance level, further optimizes the event-type level solution by exploiting runtime event distributions using advanced pattern match cardinality estimation techniques. Our experimental evaluation over both real-world and synthetic event streams shows that our algorithms are effective in maximizing utility yet still efficient enough to offer near real time system responsiveness. Third, we observe that in many real-world object monitoring applications where the CEP technology is adopted, not all sensed events carry the identification of the object whose action they report on, so called "non-ID-ed" events. Such non-ID-ed events prevent us from performing object-based analytics, such as tracking, alerting and pattern matching. We propose a probabilistic inference framework to tackle this problem by inferring the missing object identification associated with an event. Specifically, as a foundation we design a time-varying graphic model to capture correspondences between sensed events and objects. Upon this model, we elaborate how to adapt the state-of-the-art Forward-backward inference algorithm to continuously infer probabilistic identifications for non-ID-ed events. More important, we propose a suite of strategies for optimizing the performance of inference. Our experimental results, using large-volume streams of a real-world health care application, demonstrate the accuracy, efficiency, and scalability of the proposed technology.


The aim of our paper is two-fold. First, it wants to contribute to the growing literature on the role of emotions in international relations by exploring how emotions are fundamental to ontological security. We explore the extent to which love and fear are part of the practices and routines that give the EU and Russia ontological security and shape how they relate to each other. Emotions, we will argue, are not just what we feel but also what we do to make sense of the world and to transmit to others how we understand it. Second, we argue that the narratives at the heart of the conceptual and normative maps that guide their actions and behaviour create a sort of (ontological) security dilemma; that is, behaviour aimed primarily at enhancing confidence in the identity and continuity of a political community raises alarms for the ontological security of other actors.


POST CONCEPTUAL ART PRACTICE: NEW DIRECTIONS Part Two
GRANGE TOWER BRIDGE HOTEL, LONDON, February-December 2012

This second part of the New Directions exhibition at Canary Wharf in 2010) comprises both conceptual painting and sculpture. Featured artworks have been installed in public areas throughout the hotel, including the lobby, foyers and restaurant, to enable each piece to be contemplated at leisure. The exhibition will remain at the Grange Tower Bridge until the end of 2012, for viewing by all guests and public visitors to the hotel.
Plastic Propaganda's initiative is to display work in a public non-gallery arena and thereby provide the artists with an opportunity to reach mass audiences who would otherwise not see their works. The essence of the hotel's public spaces reproduces the large white cube environment of a gallery, which reacts directly to the artwork being shown here.
Review of the Grange exhibition by David Minton, Artist's Newsletter
The hotel is not a gallery; the primary intentions of its itinerant inhabitants are not the study of Pryor's work, which waits with suggestions, possibilities, opportunities, questioning us tangentially, in passing, and in passing again. Creatures of our time and the moment, we are formed by the everyday – wallpaper, fabrics, cutlery, sounds, continuous infusions of taste through habitual exposure. Pryor's work partakes of this dialogue of objects, now cacophonous, now incessantly whispered. The passing visitor, the participant on a course, the delivery driver, may not be objectively aware of his or her experience, but the physical presence of the work is felt and remembered; in an hotel the works insinuate themselves into the (un)conscious. In contrast to the 'in your face scale' of the work, the painting engages, pointedly, the corner of the eye in an initial moment of encounter prior to language. There is a sense of looking for something in and by the work, a kind of cultural burglary. He breaks into painting like a burglar in a posh house, rummaging through it, piling up stuff as he goes. The best burglary is an exercise in educated taste and antisocial behaviour. What about this? Or this, and this? His working methods, his materials, have the feel simultaneously of not quite overindulgence, and pleasure that has made the nerve ends raw.
Pryor takes his influences by the hand and wanders off with them. Using colour not as a colourist, drawing not as a draughtsman, making marks in pursuit of experiences, he submits to and encourages paint's desire to engulf, to reach its own limits, shapes, lines, movements, directions. Seeking their places, mark, form, colour, narrative, dance together and pull apart in a repeating dialectic of form and content, the physical work arising from insecurity and assertiveness in the presence of materials.
In making his marks, all kinds of objects are (im)printed on the surface of the canvas - birds, toys, leaves, vegetables, roadkill. Impression is physical and visual, marks both impressions and giving the impression of…. not quite mechanical reproductions, through the process of infilling of detail central to Pryor's printing from found objects we are made to feel uncertain - there is just enough and not quite sufficient. The works are almost not painted, but still are made with paint, spread out, sorted onto the canvas. The painting technique one of pushing the stuff around, caressing and spilling, spraying and squeezing it onto and into line and shape. Wash, impasto, a blob here, a turd-like mound there, and then a line of them. Like overweight starlings before the roost, they manage to remain airborne but heavily. This is painting against the grain. Much work is done on the horizontal canvas, Pollock-slowly, as it were, and then raised to the vertical.
'The Deluge' is a painting on a painting. Foliage and ripples are evident, and maybe sky. Pryor gathers his image toward the centre of the canvas, hemming it in with angular brackets. The detritus of the deluge floats, here a ladder, there a tin can, some leaves, a writhing ochre shape. What might be decomposing food drifts around. Perspectival depth is suggested by the projecting red and green corner of some long defunct magic carpet. The degraded deluge of commodity floats prettily; there is comfort in decadence. Pursuit of pleasure released from moral constraint may be the ultimate freedom. Our desires stare back at us from the paintings; colours seduce, paint often like skin, unreflective, soft. In 'Love and Death', the browns, blacks, golds, encourage a frisson of unease. In stark contrast to his sometimes luscious use of colour, the 'Garden of Earthly Delights' is a cool monochrome. Black, white, grey, a severed hand, palm open, a toy hammerhead shark, now deflated, soft toys once the object of true delight, nothing could be so inappropriately named as this Memorial Garden. What look like hares fight in an archived frieze along the bottom of the work. Above them insects and above the insects, the toys. There is a real sense of ambivalence throughout, of clinging to a cliff-face with an almost overwhelming desire for blessed release. Pryor's objects are in this sense defiant. The paint that smothers them draws our attention, echoes the children whose toys they once were. "Hey! Look!". Pigmented fluid gently seduces, puts its prey at ease, settles a little death over its objects of desire; think with the body, feel with the mind. Working with the reluctance of one who feels the fear of his real desires, Pryor defies his work not to be painting.


The aims of this study were to identify specific risk factors associated with completed suicide in a sample of suicide victims diagnosed with mental illness and to discriminate completed suicides from attempted suicide in individuals who did not kill themselves for at least the next 2 years after the index attempt. Ninety-four adults (34 women; 60 men; mean age = 50.81 [SD = 18.08]) admitted to the Division of Psychiatry of the Department of Neurosciences of the University of Parma who died by suicide between 1994-2004 were matched for sex and age (± 2 years) with 94 outpatients (mean age = 50.70 [SD = 18.08]) who made at least one suicide attempt during the years of the study. Data were gathered by proxy-based interviews with referring psychiatrists and general practitioners and from examination of medical records. Suicide victims were more likely to be not married, have poor social support (OR = 5.28), and have more voluntary and compulsory admissions to hospitals (1 admission: OR = 5.44; > 1 admissions: OR= 8.84) than suicide attempters. Suicide victims were also less likely to have had stressful life events during their childhood and adolescence (OR = 0.09) and to be divorced or widowed than were the attempters.


The purpose of this study was to examine physiological responses to a 20-min Tabata-style shallow water exercise workout (TS-SWE). Volunteers (n = 9, females) had recently participated in an experiment (Experiment I) that measured, in part, peak oxygen uptake and heart rate (VO2 and HR) during SWE (D'Acquisto, Miller, D'Acquisto, Roemer, & Fisher, 2015). Peak VO2 and HR were used in the current study to compute relative physiological responses (e.g., %VO2 and %HR peak) to TS-SWE. VO 2, HR, rating of perceived exertion (RPE; Borg 6–20 scale), and blood lactate were measured during a TS-SWE. TS-SWE consisted of 4 × 4 min bouts (20-s maximal efforts followed by 10 s of rest for each bout; 1 min rest between bouts). TS-SWE elicited cardiorespiratory and psychophysical responses (RPE) classified as vigorous to "near-maximal to maximal intensity" according to the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines for exercise prescription, suggesting that a TS-SWE workout imposes a substantial physiological load on the human body.


This Study was conducted to investigate the processing quality of high-amylose content rice(goami) flour for noodle. The potassium and magnesium contents of rice flour were negatively associated with gross score of noodle making mixed with wheat flour. The high-amylose content of rice flour was closed associated with gel consistency negatively and with hardness of rice noodle positively. Setback viscosity of rice flour measured in a rapid visco-analyser(RVA) was significantly affected by amylose content as well as gel consistency. Also the amylose content decreased, the amylogram pasting temperature and the breakdown ratio increased. The low-amylose content rice(Chucheong) flour showed higher values in solubility. Cooking quality and texture were measured, and sensory evaluation was performed with the noodles prepared. Texture measurement showed that the noodles of composite flour containing 40% goami rice flour were superior to those wheat flour alone. Water binding capacity of the composite flour containing 40% goami rice flour was lower than that of 40% chucheong rice flour. In sensory evaluation, chewiness, overall acceptability of noodle with 40% goami ricer was evaluated as the best.


There is increasing awareness in Australia of the health impacts of poor air quality. A common public concern raised at a number of "roadshow" events as part of the federally funded Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub (CAUL) project was whether or not the air quality monitoring network around Sydney was sampling air representative of typical suburban settings. In order to investigate this concern, ambient air quality measurements were made on the roof of a two-storey building in the Sydney suburb of Auburn, to simulate a typical suburban balcony site. Measurements were also taken at a busy roadside and these are discussed in a companion paper (Part 2). Measurements made at the balcony site were compared to data from three proximate regulatory air quality monitoring stations: Chullora, Liverpool and Prospect. During the 16-month measurement campaign, observations of carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, ozone and particulate matter less than 2.5-µm diameter at the simulated urban balcony site were comparable to those at the closest permanent air quality stations. Despite the Auburn site experiencing 10% higher average carbon monoxide amounts than any of the permanent air quality monitoring sites, the oxides of nitrogen were within the range of the permanent sites and the pollutants of greatest concern within Sydney (PM2.5 and ozone) were both lowest at Auburn. Similar diurnal and seasonal cycles were observed between all sites, suggesting common pollutant sources and mechanisms. Therefore, it is concluded that the existing air quality network provides a good representation of typical pollution levels at the Auburn "balcony" site.


Interval routing is a space efficient method to realize a distributed routing function. In this paper we show that every circular-arc graph allows a shortest path strict 2-interval routing scheme, i.e., by introducing a global order on the vertices and assigning at most two (strict) intervals in this order to the ends of every edge allows to depict a routing function that implies exclusively shortest paths. Since circular-arc graphs do not allow shortest path 1-interval routing schemes in general, the result implies that the class of circular-arc graphs has strict compactness 2, which was a hitherto open question. Additionally, we show that the constructed 2-interval routing scheme is a 1-interval routing scheme with at most one additional interval assigned at each vertex and we an outline algorithm to calculate the routing scheme for circular-arc graphs in O(n^2) time, where n is the number of vertices.


Gravitational lensing time delays depend upon the Hubble constant and the density distribution of the lensing galaxies. This allows one to either model the lens and estimate the Hubble constant, or to use a prior on the Hubble constant from other studies and investigate what the preferred density distribution is. Some studies have required compact dark matter halos (constant M/L ratio) in order to reconcile gravitational lenses with the HST/WMAP value of the Hubble constant (72 ± 8k m s −1 Mpc −1 and 72 ± 5k m s −1 Mpc −1 , respectively). This is in direct contradiction with X-ray, stellar dynamical, and weak lensing studies, which all point towards extended halos and isothermal density profiles. In this work, we examine an up-to-date sample of 13 lensing galaxies resulting in a data set consisting of 21 time delays. We select systems in which there is a single primary lensing galaxy (e.g. excluding systems undergoing mergers). Analysis is performed using analytic models based upon a power-law density profile (ρ ∝ r −η )o f which the isothermal profile is a special case (η = 2). This yields a value of η = 2.11 ± 0.12 (3σ) for the mean profile when modeling with a prior on the Hubble constant, which is only consistent with isothermality within 3σ. Note that this is a formal error from our calculations, and does not include the impact of sample selection or simplifications in the lens modeling. We conclude that time delays are a useful probe of density profiles, in particular as a function of the environment in which the lens resides, when combined with a prior on the Hubble constant.


Objectives. The emergence of drug-resistant lice has created the need for new therapies. This study assesses a new method without neurotoxins, extensive household cleaning, or nit removal. Methods. One hundred thirty-three subjects participated in 2 open clinical trials. In the first trial, 93 subjects completed treatment using a nontoxic, dry-on, suffocation-based, pediculicide lotion, minimal household cleaning measures, and physical removal of the nits. In the second trial, 40 subjects completed treatment using an identical protocol except that the nits were not removed. Head lice infestation was defined as a wet combing test showing lice. Cure was defined as a wet combing test showing no lice, with an absence of symptoms. Subjects were contacted 6 months later, for assessment of their disease status. Results. Cure was achieved for 97% of the patients in the first trial and 95% in the second trial. Remission at the follow-up assessment was reported for 77 of 82 subjects (94%) in the first trial and 36 of 38 subjects (95%) in the second trial. There was no statistical difference in cure rates or remission rates between the protocols with and without nit removal. The overall cure rate was 96%, with a remission rate of 94%. There were no adverse effects. Conclusions. Dry-on, suffocation-based, pediculicide lotion effectively treats head lice without neurotoxins, nit removal, or extensive house cleaning. These results are comparable or superior to the results previously reported for treatments with permethrin, pyrethrin, and malathion.


Background Networking is an essential element of practice and developing partnerships, which often requires a significant investment of time, resources and skills. Description of the problem Research revealed that injury prevention practitioners face complex challenges that can hinder their capacity to network and build partnerships. Challenges like restrictive budgets, heavy workloads, confidence in networking and sector diversity, which are amplified when geographically isolated, working in regional and remote Australia. CONNECT.ed is an innovative network for people with an interest in preventing injury and creating safer communities. Designed to overcome some networking challenges, this paper describes the implementation and evaluation findings of CONNECT.ed. Results CONNECT.ed's aim was to support regionally-based Western Australian injury prevention practitioners enhance their partnership building skills by increasing access to networking opportunities. Since inception in 2015, it is now a network without boarders, spanning multiple countries and engaging practitioners from a diverse array of safety topics. CONNECT.ed pairs practitioners randomly across the network, inviting them to participate in a short mutually beneficial conversation with a peer without a set agenda. Differentiating itself from other networking and mentoring programs, CONNECT.ed is built upon the concept that all practitioners, regardless of position, experience or background, have something to share and learn from others. CONNECT.ed utilises technology for connecting participants, removing status, providing legitimacy and permission for people to talk with others they would not normally meet. Conclusion CONNECT.ed's format challenges the convention that networking can only occur face to face and is time and resource intensive. CONNECT.ed is playing an active role as an enabling structure in the injury prevention sector and provides an innovative opportunity to network without borders.


Haematological involvement occurs frequently in childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia occurring in 10%. Conventional treatment includes high-dose steroids. Second line agents used in refractory cases include azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine and cyclophosphamide. Rituximab, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, is emerging in the treatment of SLE refractory to conventional therapy. We report the successful use of anti-CD20 therapy in the treatment of acute life threatening haemolytic anaemia, complicating childhood onset SLE. We propose that earlier introduction of rituximab may reduce the side effects related to other cytotoxic therapy mainly steroids and cyclophosphamide. However, in view of controversies in the reported side effects of rituximab in childhood onset SLE, multicentred randomised controlled trials are required to determine the long-term efficacy, safety and optimal dosing of rituximab in childhood onset SLE.


ABSTRACT The Asian tree shrew, Tupaia belangeri, has been proposed as a novel animal model for studying hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Here, we describe a protocol for efficient and reproducible infection of primary tupaia hepatocytes with HBV. We report that human serum interferes with HBV binding to the hepatocytes, thus limiting the maximum multiplicity of infection. Purification of HBV virions by gradient sedimentation greatly enhances virus binding and infectivity. Covalently closed circular DNA was clearly detectable by Southern blot analysis and newly synthesized single-stranded HBV DNA was visible 2 weeks postinoculation. Primary tupaia hepatocytes are also susceptible to infection with the recently discovered woolly monkey hepatitis B virus (WMHBV) but not to woodchuck hepatitis virus infection. Compared to HBV, WMHBV replicated at a higher rate with single-stranded DNA detectable within the first week postinoculation. Primary tupaia hepatocytes should represent a useful system for studying early steps of HBV and WMHBV infection.


Much has been learned about calculation, commodification and marketization from the social studies of markets and finance. But what of capitalization? What is distinctive about this mode of valuation and the reality it impels? What does it mean to live under the 'asset condition'? In Capitalization: A Cultural Guide, Fabian Muniesa and his colleagues at the Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation take us on a tour across multiple continents and several centuries, introducing us to capitalization as a 'cultural syndrome'. Their pragmatist enquiry involves tracing capitalization via the scenarios in which value is created, and the gaze that stimulates such value-creation. The result is a field guide to the terrain of capitalization that integrates anthropological work on the dramaturgy of finance with sociological attention to the technicalities of valuation. The stage is set for further investigation into the uneven distribution of the capacity to capitalize and its consequences.


Experiments were performed on the influence of oxidants (air, pure oxygen O2 and pure nitrous oxide N2O at atmospheric pressure) in the straight expansion tube after the burst disk on the hydrogen spontaneous ignition. The lowest pressure at which the spontaneous ignition is observed has been researched for a 4 mm diameter tube with a length of 10 cm for the two oxidant gases. The ignition phenomenon is observed with a high speed camera and the external overpressures are measured. Numerical simulations have also been conducted with the high resolution CFD approach detailed chemistry formerly developed by Wen and co-workers. Comparison is made between the predictions and the experimental data.


New kinds of bifunctional antioxidant enzyme mimics were prepared, and their superoxide anion radical (O2•–) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavenging activity was investigated. These conjugates were prepared by binding insoluble salphen [N,N-(phenylene)salicylidene] Schiff-base metal complexes (HO-salphen-M, M = Co, Mn, Cu) with bovine serum albumin (BSA). They were characterized by UV–vis spectra, circular dichroism (CD), and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). It showed that the binding mode was an axial coordination between HO-salphen-Co and amino acid residue of BSA. The structure of BSA was maintained when the binding amount of HO-salphen-Co was less than 10. After combining HO-salphen-Co into BSA, the low solubility of HO-salphen-Co was overcome, and the O2•– and •OH scavenging activity of BSA was improved two orders of magnitude. In similar inhibitory value, the scavenging rate of salphen-Co20@BSA was far higher than -others. The scavenging activity of different proportion salphen-Co@BSA was salphen-Co20@BSA > salphen-Co10@BSA > salphen-Co5@BSA > salphen-Co2@BSA. But salphen-Cu@BSA and salphen-Mn@BSA did not show •OH scavenging activity.


AIMS
To analyse whether changes in maintenance treatment of opiate-dependent subjects in Sweden were related to changes in opiate-related mortality and inpatient care from 1998 to 2006.

DESIGN
We collected data from surveys of methadone maintenance treatment units, of buprenorphine and methadone sales, and of mortality and inpatient care in Sweden.

SETTING
Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS
Patients in maintenance treatment.

MEASUREMENTS
Survey data of treatment policy to all units in 2003 and 2005. Trend tests and correlation analyses of data on sales, mortality, inpatient care and forensic investigations.

FINDINGS
The surveys showed a marked change to a less restrictive policy, with increased use of 'take-away doses' and a reduction of discharges due to side misuse. The one-year retention rate stayed high. Sales of buprenorphine and methadone and the number of patients in treatment increased more than threefold from 2000 to 2006, with the greatest increase for buprenoprphine, introduced in year 2000. There was a significant 20-30% reduction in opiate-related mortality and inpatient care between 2000-2002 and 2004-2006 but not of other drug-related mortality and inpatient care. This decline was larger in Stockholm County, which had a less restricted treatment policy. However, a significant increase in buprenorphine- and methadone-related mortality occurred. For the study period 1998-2006, statistically significant declines occurred only in Stockholm County.

CONCLUSIONS
The liberalization of Sweden's drug policy correlated with an increase in maintenance treatment, a decrease in opiate-related mortality and inpatient care and an increase in deaths with methadone and buprenorphine in the tissues.


I believe there is one theory that deserves much more press than it is receiving. This is a representational theory where there is, what I call a "spirit world" produced by our brain, made of phenomenal "qualia" (singular quale) that is everything we consciously know. There doesn't seem to be any popular books or articles on consciousness that even consider anything like this theory, nor any of its implications. Given that representational theories of consciousness have been around since Descartes and before it's surprising to me that at least something like this doesn't receive more consideration.


BACKGROUND
Scabies is an intensely itchy parasitic infection of the skin caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite. It is a common public health problem with an estimated global prevalence of 300 million cases. Serious adverse effects have been reported for some drugs used to treat scabies.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate topical and systemic drugs for treating scabies.

SEARCH STRATEGY
In February 2007, we searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2006, Issue 1), MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, and INDMED. In March 2007, we also searched the grey literature and sources for registered trials. We also checked the reference lists of retrieved studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials of drug treatments for scabies.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Results were presented as relative risks with 95% confidence intervals and data combined where appropriate.

MAIN RESULTS
Twenty small trials involving 2392 people were included. One trial was placebo controlled, 16 compared two or more drug treatments, two compared treatment regimens, and one compared different drug vehicles.Fewer treatment failures occurred by day seven with oral ivermectin in one small trial (55 participants). Topical permethrin appeared more effective than oral ivermectin (85 participants, 1 trial), topical crotamiton (194 participants, 2 trials), and topical lindane (753 participants, 5 trials). Permethrin also appeared more effective in reducing itch persistence than either crotamiton (94 participants, 1 trial) or lindane (490 participants, 2 trials). One small trial did not detect a difference between permethrin (a synthetic pyrethroid) and a natural pyrethrin-based topical treatment (40 participants). No significant difference was detected in the number of treatment failures between crotamiton and lindane (100 participants, 1 trial), lindane and sulfur (68 participants, 1 trial), benzyl benzoate and sulfur (158 participants, 1 trial), and benzyl benzoate and natural synergized pyrethrins (240 participants, 1 trial); all were topical treatments. No trials of malathion were identified. No serious adverse events were reported. A number of trials reported skin reactions in participants randomized to topical treatments. There were occasional reports of headache, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, and hypotension.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Topical permethrin appears to be the most effective treatment for scabies. Ivermectin appears to be an effective oral treatment. More research is needed on the effectiveness of malathion, particularly when compared to permethrin, and on the management of scabies in an institutional setting and at a community level.


This report describes a hospital-wide clinical computing system that permits physicians, nurses, medical students, and other health workers to retrieve data from the clinical laboratories; to look up reports from the departments of radiology and pathology; to look up demographic data and outpatient visits; to look up prescriptions filled in the outpatient pharmacy; to perform bibliographic retrieval of the MEDLINE data base; to read, write, retract, edit, and forward electronic mail; and to request delivery of a patient's chart. During a one-week study period, from 300 video display terminals located throughout the hospital, 818 patient care providers used a common registry of 539,000 patients to look up clinical and laboratory data 16,768 times; 477 other hospital workers used the patient registry 46,579 times. In a separate study of 586 health care providers, 470 (80 per cent) indicated that they used computer terminals "most of the time" to look up laboratory results; in contrast, 48 (8 per cent) preferred printed reports. Of 545 hospital workers, 440 (81 per cent) indicated that the computer terminals definitely or probably made their work more accurate, and 452 (83 per cent) indicated that terminals enabled them to work faster. The large amount of use by clinicians and their judgment that the computer has been so helpful to them suggests that a reliable, comprehensive, and easy-to-use computer system can contribute substantially to the quality of patient care.


A long-standing controversy in radiation cytogenetics is the precise mechanism for the formation of chromosome exchanges. The classical breakage-and-reunion hypothesis suggested by Stadler and developed by Sax was challenged in 1959 by Revell, who proposed that radiation produced an "unstable lesion" which could interact with another such lesion to form an exchange. A difference between the predictions of these two theories is that the breakage-and-reunion hypothesis would allow the two broken ends of a chromosome to join with contemporary broken ends in different chromosomes, thereby producing nonreciprocal exchanges involving more than two chromosomes. This would not occur according to the Revell theory, which demands pairwise commital to the exchange. The ability to "paint" a whole chromosome using fluorescence in situ hybridization allows a discrimination between reciprocal and nonreciprocal chromosome exchanges. We scored metaphases in AG1522 human fibroblasts irradiated in G1 phase with 6 Gy and hybridized to chromosomes 1, 4, or 8. Of the complete exchanges involving one of these chromosomes, 26% were found to possess either one or three centromeres in the exchange pair. Since we could rule out any significant contribution of complex exchanges (i.e., those involving more than one break per chromosome), these one- and three-centromere exchange pairs must have arisen from a nonreciprocal exchange. Because an equal number of nonreciprocal exchanges would be expected to have a total of two centromeres, this suggests that approximately 50% of all exchanges at this dose were nonreciprocal. These data support the breakage-and-reunion hypothesis and are incompatible with the standard form of the exchange hypothesis of Revell.


The Schiff base compound (E)-1,5-dimethyl-4-((4-methylbenzylidene)amino)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one (L) has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The corrosion inhibition effect of the synthesized compound has been studied on mild steel in 0.5 M H2SO4, using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Polarization studies showed that L behaved as a mixed type (both cathodic and anodic) inhibitor and the inhibition efficiency (η%) increased with the increasing concentration of L, reaching the best inhibition of 99.87% at 0.1 mM L. The EIS results showed an increase in the charge transfer resistance with the increasing concentration of L. The inhibition action of the Schiff base molecule L is discussed in terms of blocking the electrode surface by means of adsorption of the inhibitor molecule obeying the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of the metal surface confirmed the existence of an adsorbed film. Quantum chemical calculations were undertaken to provide mechanistic insight into the mechanism of the inhibition action of L.


The disaccharide sucrose (α-D-glucopyranosyl-1,2-β-D-fructofuranoside) is a highly efficient donor substrate for enzymatic glucosylation reactions. A large number of commercially relevant glucosides are produced via this general route. Every sucrose-based glucosylation involves co-production of D-fructose in amounts corresponding to the target glucoside. A separation technology for selective removal, and efficient recovery, of the D-fructose co-product would be highly desirable as a generic platform for downstream process development. Here, we demonstrate organoboronate-complex reactive extraction of D-fructose into an 1-octanol/hexane (4/1, v/v) solvent using methyltrioctyl ammonium chloride as phase transfer catalyst and extractant. We show separation of the D-fructose co-product (100 mM) from equimolar mixture with 2-α-D-glucosyl-glycerol, a cosmetic ingredient that is manufactured industrially from sucrose and glycerol using sucrose phosphorylase. With the main parameters of extraction, stripping and organic phase recycling identified and their effect on product/co-product yield and purity characterized, we developed a three-step extraction process with alternating extraction and stripping stages that removed the D-fructose efficiently at 50 ml operating scale. 2-α-D-glucosyl-glycerol and D-fructose were cleanly separated and obtained in excellent purity (≥90%) at a recovery of 90% and 83%, respectively. Reactive extraction appears to be faster and more selective and resource-efficient than applicable alternatives for separation, including chromatography and membrane nanofiltration. Thus, the established extraction process is promising for industrial application. It could be generically useful to separate D-fructose from glucosides.


Facades of conformity are false representations created by employees to appear as if they embrace organizational values. I present a conceptualization of the facades of conformity construct and propose that organizational reward systems, minority status, and self-monitoring are examples of variables likely to serve as antecedents to creating facades of conformity. I also propose that psychological and emotional distress are potential outcomes to facade creation. I conclude with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications for continued research on facade creation.


Recent studies examining the association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes have shown inconsistent results. We compared the risk of CVD and diabetes between adult patients with and without AD by searching the Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Data extraction was done by two independent reviewers. We found a total of 2,855 citations, of which 53 were considered relevant based on title and abstract. Sixteen publications were A cc ep te d A rt ic le This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. included in the qualitative analysis, of which 13 were also included in a quantitative meta-analysis of crude data. No association was observed between AD and unspecified, but suspected type 2, diabetes (pooled odds ratio [OR] 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87-1.42), hypertension (pooled OR 1.16; 95% CI 0.98-1.37), stroke (pooled OR 1.15; 95% CI 0.95-1.39) or myocardial infarction (pooled OR 1.14; 95% CI 0.83-1.56), but a positive association was observed with angina pectoris (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.27-2.37). Meta-analysis on adjusted data gave similar results. While adults with AD in some populations have increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity and smoking, it is unlikely that AD represents an independent and clinically relevant risk factor for cardiometabolic disease.


Mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) coatings have been broadly exploited for constructing functional membrane surfaces. One-step codeposition of PDA with antifouling polymers, especially zwitterionic polymers, has been regarded as a promising strategy for fabricating antifouling membrane surfaces. However, one challenge is that the codeposition is usually a slow process over 10 h or even several days. Herein, we report that CuSO4/H2O2 is able to notably accelerate the codeposition process of PDA with poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA). In our case, PSBMA is facilely anchored to the polypropylene microporous membrane (PPMM) surfaces within 1 h with the assistance of PDA because of its strong interfacial adhesion. The PDA/PSBMA-coated PPMMs show excellent surface hydrophilicity, high water permeation flux (7506 ± 528 L/m2·h at 0.1 MPa), and an outstanding antifouling property. Moreover, the antifouling property is maintained after the membranes are treated with acid and alkali solutions as well as organic solvents. To recap, it provides a facile, universal, and time-saving strategy for exploiting high-efficiency and durable antifouling membrane surfaces.


Background: Studies of the effects of prenatal environmental exposures on postnatal outcomes are particularly vulnerable to live birth bias; i.e., the bias that arises from the necessary restriction of the analysis to live births when that is influenced by both the exposure under study A and unmeasured factors U that also affect the outcome. Objectives: In the context of a recent publication of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that found an odds ratio (OR) of 0.77 per 5.85 ppb NO2 during pregnancy, we aimed to examine what parameters would be needed to account for this protective association through live birth bias. Methods: We simulated the magnitude of bias under two selection mechanisms and when both mechanisms co-occur, assuming a true null effect. Simulation input parameters were based on characteristics of the original study and a range of plausible values for the prevalence of unmeasured factor U and the ORs for the selection effects (i.e., the effects of NO2 and U on loss and of U on ASD). Each scenario was simulated 1,000 times. Results: We found that the magnitude of bias was small when NO2 and U independently influenced pregnancy loss (collider-stratification without interaction), was stronger when NO2-induced loss preferentially occurred in U=1 (depletion of susceptibles), and was strongest when both mechanisms worked together. For example, ORs of 3.0 for NO2-loss, U-loss, U-ASD, and U prevalence=0.75 yielded NO2-ASD ORs per 5.85 ppb NO2 of 0.95, 0.89, and 0.75 for the three scenarios, respectively. The bias is amplified with multiple Us, yielding ORs as low as 0.51. Discussion: Our simulations illustrate that live birth bias may lead to exposure–outcome associations that are biased downward, where the extent of the bias depends on the fetal selection mechanism, the strength of that selection, and the prevalence of U. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7961


The purpose of this work was to the application of Si oxide coatings. This study deals with the preparation of ceria(CeO 2 ) nanoparticles coating with SiO 2 by water glass and hydrolysis reaction. First, the low temperature hydro-reactions were carried out at 30~100°C. Second, Silicon oxide-coated Nano compounds were obtained by the catalyzing synthesis. CeO 2 Nano-powders have been successfully synthesized by means of the hydrothermal method, in a low temperature range of 100~200°C. In order to investigate the structure and morphology of the Nano-powders, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) were employed. The XRD results revealed the amorphous nature of silica nanoparticles. To analyze the quantity and properties of the compounds coated with Si oxide, transmission electron microscopy(TEM) in conjunction with electron dispersive spectroscopy was used. Finally, it is suggested that the simple growth process is more favorable mechanism than the solution/aggregation process.


The role of early maladaptive schemas in understanding and treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was investigated. The first study examined the role of perceived adverse parenting and early maladaptive schemas in the development of PTSD in Australian and New Zealand Vietnam war veterans (n = 220). Veterans diagnosed with PTSD scored higher on the Young Schema Questionnaire (L3) and had higher scores on the Measure of Parental Style than veterans not diagnosed with PTSD. The results suggest that early maladaptive schemas have an important role in the development or maintenance of PTSD in Vietnam veterans. The second study measured at baseline, termination and 3 months the early maladaptive schemas, PTSD, anxiety and depression of war veterans (n = 54) participating in a PTSD group treatment programme that included schema-focused therapy. Scores on the PTSD Checklist, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and 17 schemas decreased significantly after treatment. Change scores for the schema treatment were compared with change scores of war veterans (n = 127) who had completed a manualized cognitive-behavioural therapy programme without schema-focused therapy. Pre-treatment measures were similar in both groups. Nevertheless, PTSD and anxiety improved more significantly for the schema-focused therapy group. Together, these findings support the feasibility of schema-focused therapy to assist veterans with PTSD.


The activity of antioxidant enzymes, copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and catalase (CAT), as well as that of the mitochondrial FAD-dependent alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPD) in the rat interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) were studied after the treatment with methimazole (MMI) for three weeks or with iopanoic acid (IOP) for five days. Besides, the mitochondrial concentration of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) and the activity of catecholamine degrading enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the IBAT as well as the activity of the catecholamine synthesizing enzyme, dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) in rat serum were examined. Judging by the significantly enhanced level of serum DBH, which is an index of sympathetic activity, and that of IBAT MAO, the increase in MnSOD and CAT activities in the IBAT of hypothyroid (MMI-treated) rats seems to be due to elevated activity of sympathetic nervous system (SNS). However, CuZnSOD activity is not affected by SNS. On the contrary, IOP, which is a potent inhibitor of T4 deiodination into T3 producing "local" hypothyroidism, did not change either SNS activity or activities of IBAT antioxidant enzyme. However, both treatments significantly decreased IBAT UCP-1 content and alpha-GPD activity suggesting that the optimal T3 concentration in the IBAT is necessary for maintaining basal levels of these key mitochondrial parameters.


Four groups of mice of the same inbred strain, but with different transgenic backgrounds (no treatment; integration of a functional corticotrophin-releasing factor [CRF] gene construct; integration of a non-functional CRF gene construct; transgenic technique without integration of a DNA construct) were compared, in order to identify and quantify indicators of discomfort in transgenic animals. This approach enables us to differentiate between the effects of the technique of transgenesis and the effects caused by the expression of the transgene. This paper emphasises the search for differences in the early post-natal development of the animals. To this end, newborn mice have been subjected to various behavioural tests; moreover, their growth and morphological characteristics were measured from birth up to the age of 3 weeks. The results indicate that the presence of the microinjected DNA-construct influences the survival rate during the first 2–3 days after birth. The average loss of pups was about 10%, in contrast to the groups without the DNA construct, in which none of the pups died. The increase in the relative body weight of pups with a functional CRF construct was significantly lower than in the other groups, but only during the first 11 days. No significant differences in morphological characteristics or behavioural development were observed between the four groups. This approach was found to be adequate for detecting a broad variety of behavioural and morphological characteristics. Before general conclusions about the extent to which the technique of transgenesis affects animal welfare can be drawn, more transgenic lines should be studied in this way.


Objective: to assess the effect of GnRH analogues on predicted adult final height in girls with a late diagnosis of central precocious puberty. Material and methods: this is a descriptive and retrospective study. Girls seen between 2012 and 2018 in the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit of Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia with a late diagnosis of idiopathic precocious central puberty were included. Anthropometric assessments were performed, Tanner stage assessment and bone age determination using the Greulich and Pyle method were performed, and the final adult height was predicted using the Bailey Pinneau method before and after therapy. A Student-t test was used for comparing the height prediction before and after therapy. A p<0.05 value was considered as significant. Results: twenty-three girls with mean chronological age 8.4 ± 0.4 years were included. Their bone age was 10.7 ± 0.8 on admission. Most of the patients (83.9%) were overweight and 74.3% were Tanner 3 at the time of diagnosis. The average time using GnRH analogues therapy was 20.5 ± 8.4 months. The effect of therapy, which was calculated using the prediction difference for the final adult height minus the initial height prediction was 2.5 ± 4.1 cm (p<0.001). Conclusion: girls with a diagnosis of late diagnosis central precocious puberty show a discrete benefit on the prediction of the final adult height, so therapy at this age should be individualized.


A hybrid integrated light source was developed with a configuration in which a laser diode (LD) array was mounted on a silicon optical waveguide platform for interchip optical interconnection. This integrated light source is composed of 13-channel stripes with a pitch of 20 or 30 μm. The output power of each LD in the 400 or 600-μm long LD array was over 40 mW at room temperature without cooling. An output power uniformity was 1.3 dB including an LD array power uniformity. The use of a SiON waveguide with a spot size converter resulted in an optical coupling loss of 1 dB between an LD and SiON waveguide. The integrated light source including 52 output ports demonstrated a reduction in the footprint per channel. We also demonstrated a light source with over 100 output ports in which the number of output ports is increased by using a waveguide splitter and multichip bonding. These integrated light sources are practical candidates for use with photonic integrated circuits for high-density optical interconnection.


Those seeking to frame political issues to their advantage recognize the power of emotional appeals. Yet the study of framing has focused mainly on the cognitive effects of framing rather than on its emotional effects. This study presents the results of two experiments designed to explore the effect of episodic and thematic framing on emotional response and policy opinion. Participants were randomly assigned to read a column arguing against mandatory minimum sentencing that employed either a thematic or one of two episodic frames featuring a woman who received a harsh sentence under the policy. Episodic framing was more emotionally engaging. Furthermore, the specific emotions elicited by the episodic frame—sympathy and pity for the woman featured in the column—were associated with increased opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing. Yet the thematic frame was actually more persuasive once this indirect effect of frame on emotional response was taken into account. The results are consistent with the conclusion that framing effects on policy opinion operate through both affective and cognitive channels. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.


A new two-port dual-polarized planar antenna with an integrated feeding circuit for in-band full-duplex (FD) (IBFD) applications is presented. The antenna consists of four H-shape slots, stacked patches for enhanced bandwidth (BW), and a separate layer of two differential (0° and 180° split) power dividers connected using vertical transmission lines which define the feeding system. The multilayer antenna is well matched from about 2.2 to 2.5 GHz with isolation values from about 40 to 60 dB. When compared to similar IBFD antenna systems, the proposed configuration provides a higher isolation BW (10%) and higher gain (7.8 dBi) whilst adopting a simple feeding network. Also, by using the proposed feeding circuit, the manufactured antenna does not require any external cables and couplers. This simplifies the structure and reduces the number of cable connections. This allows for other analog-based self-interference reduction schemes for further improvements in the transmit and receive data link. In addition, the proposed antenna design was extended to a $4 \times 1$ array. These dual-differential IBFD antenna systems are a good alternative to more conventional FD designs which typically require external coupler-based feeding. In addition, the operating BWs and isolation values offered by these S-band systems can support new data link possibilities for beam steering and future IBFD wireless networks by low-cost antenna and feeding circuit integration.


CONTEXT
Anatomical and in vivo studies suggest that muscles function synergistically as part of a myofascial chain. A related theory is that certain myofascial techniques have a remote and clinically important effect on range of motion (ROM).

OBJECTIVE
To determine if remote myofascial techniques can effectively increase the range of motion at a distant body segment.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
In November 2018, the authors searched 3 electronic databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and PEDro) and hand-searched journals and conference proceedings. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials comparing remote myofascial techniques with passive intervention (rest/sham) or local treatment intervention. The primary outcome of interest was ROM. Quality assessment was performed using the PEDro Scale. Three authors independently evaluated study quality and extracted data. RevMan software was used to pool data using a fixed-effect model.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Eight randomized controlled trials, comprising N = 354 participants were included (mean age range 22-36 y; 50% female). Study quality was low with PEDro scores ranging from 2 to 7 (median scores 4.5/10). None of the studies incorporated adequate allocation concealment and just 2 used blinded assessment of outcomes. In all studies, treatments and outcomes were developed around the same myofascial chain (superficial back line). Five studies included comparisons between remote interventions to sham or inactive controls; pooled results for ROM showed trends in favor of remote interventions (standard mean difference 0.23; 95% confidence intervals; -0.09 to 0.55; 4 studies) at immediate follow-ups. Effects sizes were small, corresponding to mean differences of 9% or 5° in cervical spine ROM, and 1 to 3 cm in sit and reach distance. Four studies compared remote interventions to local treatments, but there were few differences between groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Remote exercise interventions may increase ROM at distant body segments. However, effect sizes are small and the current evidence base is limited by selection and measurement bias.


A convergent synthesis of a first generation dendrimer with biphenyl-based dendrons and a hexaphenylbenzene core is reported. Suzuki coupling of six first generation biphenyl-dendrons with the rigid hexakis(4-iodophenyl)benzene core furnished the title asterisk-cored dendrimer in 60% yield. Twelve copies of β-(1→6)-linked glucosamine-based oligosaccharides were then efficiently coupled with the acetylenyl surface groups of the dendrimer via a Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction to give a series of multivalent carbohydrate constructs that mimic the globular nodules of polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) produced by Staphylococcus aureus.


Concrete is the most common material used in buildings and its performance is improving. The plant-growing concrete was developed for conveniently greening. The plant species to able to grow in the plant-growing concrete was few. The habitat of plants grown in the plant-growing concrete is very similar to Karst soil environment. The plants of adaptability to Karst were adapted to the Karst stresses of high calcium and pH, low nutrition and drought. The plant-growing concrete combined with the plants of adaptability to Karst can apply in ecological slope protection, roads and roofs greening, and vertical greening. The vertical greening by the plant-growing concrete combined with the plants of adaptability to Karst will enlarge the green areas, beautify the cities and increasing landscape diversity.


This thesis explores aspects of the design, analysis, and experimental test of permanent magnet axial flux machines for use in diesel engine generator sets, vertical axis wind turbines, and wheel motors for solar cars. The characteristic geometry of axial flux machines is naturally more suitable than that of conventional topologies in certain applications. However, convenient and accurate methods of electromagnetic design and analysis are less well established for such machines. The purpose of the research described herein is to benchmark a range of methods of analysis which can be extended to novel designs. There is a particular focus on the use of Finite Element Analysis to facilitate greater understanding of these machines through the illustration and quantification of the electromagnetic aspects of their operation, and the verification of a selection of analytical approaches. Prototype TORUS machines are first considered; the various analyses are then extended to iron-cored axial flux machines having slotted conductors and finally to a selection of novel machines having concentrated coils and an ironless stator. The analyses are successfully extended to a range of machines, and the particular suitability of axial flux permanent magnet machines in certain direct drive applications is demonstrated.


This article is focused on increasing the tracking performance of a developed ankle rehabilitation robot subject to external disturbance. A plug-in-type repetitive controller cascaded to a proportional–integral–derivative controller is designed and implemented in order to make improvement in the tracking ability of the parallel mechanism while performing the common range of motion exercises which are intensive training exercises in ankle rehabilitation. First, the trajectory tracking control is simply implemented by the PID controllers, the parameters of which are optimally tuned using Cuckoo search algorithm. Then, the designed RC is plugged into the system and trajectory tracking control is carried out. Performance measurements of the PID controller and plug-in RC controller are estimated using error-based performance methods and considerable improvements are observed in attenuating the external disturbance and decreasing the tracking error when the plug-in RC is implemented.


The area of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communications systems has received enormous atten- tion recently as they can provide a roughly linear increase in data rate by using multiple transmit and receive antennas. MIMO combined with an Turbo coding has been shown as a promising way to achieve near capacity for wireless channels. This paper proposes applying an Asterism based decoder to produce an additional multi user access scheme on top of the primary access method for Ad Hoc networks. After reviewing Sphere and Asterism decoding for MIMO systems with a larger number of transmit than receive antennas, this paper then shows how multiple users transmitting simultaneously can be represented as a MIMO system with more transmit than receive antennas.


In previous columns, we introduced some amazing women in engineering who strive to empower girls through mentoring. But how do those girls feel about such preengineering training? How did they change after participating in such engineering activities? Now we would like to introduce four girls who had such experiences, and you will find details of their experiences. While three of the girls are still in high school, they plan to become engineers and mentor other girls and boys interested in the engineering field. One of them has entered college as a computer science major and is mentoring a local FIRST robotics team. It is a very good sign that our young generation of women engineers is willing to play a bigger role in engineering education. From the other side, the encouragement and support of their mentors is really valuable in the professional lives of these young ladies.


In Mpu Monaguṇa's Sumanasāntaka, the authors offer an edited text and translation of Mpu Monaguṇa's early thirteenth century epic kakawin Sumanasāntaka along with extensive commentary on the history of the poem and its story in India, Java and Bali.