Summary An offshore petroleum is the main focus of the current research with Big Data and high performance computing motivations in the study area. We undertake a joint exploration study focusing on Romanian offshore Black Sea (Western) basin, using volumes and varieties of datasets in a Big Data scale. The exploration datasets include more than 175 2D seismic lines, 30 km2 of 3D seismic data, information on more than 8 exploratory drilled wells including check-shot and VSP data including existing petrophysical and production data. Big Data opportunities are explored in the current upstream business research by proposing data modelling, visualization and data interpretation schemes. In spite of the data quality issues in the study area, several isochrones, isochores and other geological information are integrated and made based on which depositional models are drawn for risk minimizing the exploration and field development plans. The conclusions are based on structural, strati-structural interpretation, organic geochemistry and identification of new opportunity areas. Several data models, visualization and interpretation artefacts can handle the volumes and varieties in Big Data scale minimizing the risk involved in the upstream business in the investigating area. Several new opportunities are identified in the shelf, slope and deep marine areas.


We consider practical methods for the problem of finding a minimum-weight triangulation (MWT) of a planar point set, a classic problem of computational geometry with many applications. While Mulzer and Rote proved in 2006 that computing an MWT is NP-hard, Beirouti and Snoeyink showed in 1998 that computing provably optimal solutions for MWT instances of up to 80,000 uniformly distributed points is possible, making use of clever heuristics that are based on geometric insights. We show that these techniques can be refined and extended to instances of much bigger size and different type, based on an array of modifications and parallelizations in combination with more efficient geometric encodings and data structures. As a result, we are able to solve MWT instances with up to 30,000,000 uniformly distributed points in less than 4 minutes to provable optimality. Moreover, we can compute optimal solutions for a vast array of other benchmark instances that are not uniformly distributed, including normally distributed instances (up to 30,000,000 points), all point sets in the TSPLIB (up to 85,900 points), and VLSI instances with up to 744,710 points. This demonstrates that from a practical point of view, MWT instances can be handled quite well, despite their theoretical difficulty.


Within the scope of this thesis, the Black-Litterman Asset Allocation Model (as presented in He & Litterman, 1999) is compared to the classical mean-variance framework by simulating past performance of portfolios constructed by both models using identical input data. A quantitative investment strategy which favours stocks with high dividend yield rates is used to generate private views about the expected excess returns for a fraction of the stocks included in the sample. By comparing the ex-post risk-return characteristics of the portfolios and performing ample sensitivity analysis with respect to the numerical values assigned to the input variables, we evaluate the two models' suitability for different categories of portfolio managers. As a neutral benchmark towards which both portfolios can be measured, a third market-capitalization-weighted portfolio is constructed from the same investment universe. The empirical data used for the purpose of our simulations consists of total return indices for 23 of the 30 stocks included in the OMXS30 index as of the 21st of February 2014 and stretches between January of 2003 and December of 2013. The results of our simulations show that the Black-Litterman portfolio has delivered risk-adjusted return which is superior not only to that of its market-capitalization-weighted counterpart but also to that of the classical mean-variance portfolio. This result holds true for four out of five simulated strengths of the investment strategy under the assumption of zero transaction costs, a rebalancing frequency of 20 trading days, an estimated risk aversion parameter of 2.5 and a five per cent uncertainty associated with the CAPM prior. Sensitivity analysis performed by examining how the results are affected by variations in these input variables has also shown notable differences in the sensitivity of the results obtained from the two models. While the performance of the Black-Litterman portfolio does undergo material changes as the inputs are varied, these changes are nowhere near as profound as those exhibited by the classical mean-variance portfolio. In the light of our empirical results, we also conclude that there are mainly two aspects which the portfolio manager ought to consider before committing to one model rather than the other. Firstly, the nature behind the views generated by the investment strategy needs to be taken into account. For the implementation of views which are of an α-driven character, the dynamics of the Black-Litterman model may not be as appropriate as for views which are believed to also influence the expected return on other securities. Secondly, the soundness of using market-capitalization weights as a benchmark towards which the final solution will gravitate needs to be assessed. Managers who strive to achieve performance which is fundamentally uncorrelated to that of the market index may want to either reconsider the benchmark weights or opt for an alternative model.


Color held a contested status in relation to the discursive and affective entanglement of art and Indian nationalism. Examination of the artworks, speeches, manifestos, and musings of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Abanindranath and Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, and Jamini Roy shows how color could be "redeemed" from the disciplinary straitjacket of the British colonial art school. Construed by Indian nationalists as both cosmopolitan and fundamental, color (in terms of its materiality and political resonance) became critical to the formation of a Bengali aesthetic. This new aesthetic, which can be loosely aligned with swadeshi (self-economy), was nonetheless deeply riven with conflict and contradiction.


Animal vocalisations can signify diverse behavioural contexts, knowledge of which can be applied in bioacoustic monitoring programs. Australia's endemic black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus sp., family Cacatuidae) are highly vocal species that are threatened in many locations. In this study, we describe the nest-associated vocal behaviours of two endangered subspecies of black cockatoo, the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, C. banksii graptogyne and the Kangaroo Island glossy black cockatoo, C. lathami halmaturinus. Breeding success is limiting their recoveries and nest monitoring is challenging, but vocal recordings might provide valuable long-term information hard to obtain otherwise. We recorded daily vocal activity at wild nests of both cockatoos using autonomous sound recorders. Combined with behavioural observations and video footage, we identified vocalisations characteristic of six behavioural contexts at nests: birds in flight, while perched, during begging (adult females), during courtship displays (adult males), when entering or sitting near to the nest hollow entrance (adult females), and from nestlings. Linear discriminant analysis on 12 acoustic measurements correctly classified 58.4% of calls of the red-tailed black cockatoo (n = 907 calls from eight nests) and 62.9% of calls of the glossy black cockatoo (n = 1632 calls from 11 nests). In both subspecies, the female nest call and nestling calls are the most conspicuous vocal indicators of active nesting, and therefore should be considered for their bioacoustic potential. Other adult vocalisations indicate a range of behavioural contexts that could be informative for monitoring nesting behaviour, and its association to habitat features, in these endangered subspecies.


An engineered anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) diabody (scFv dimer, 55 kDa) was previously constructed from the murine anti-CEA T84.66 antibody. Tumor targeting, imaging and biodistribution studies in nude mice bearing LS174T xenografts with radiolabeled anti-CEA diabody demonstrated rapid tumor uptake and fast blood clearance, which are favorable properties for an imaging agent. Current radiolabeling approaches result in random modification of the protein surface, which may impair immunoreactivity especially for smaller antibody fragments. Site-specific conjugation approaches can direct modifications to reactive groups located away from the binding site. Here, cysteine residues were introduced into the anti-CEA diabody at three different locations, to provide specific thiol groups for chemical modification. One version (with a C-terminal Gly-Gly-Cys) existed exclusively as a disulfide-bonded dimer. This cysteine-modified diabody (Cys-diabody) retained high binding to CEA and demonstrated tumor targeting and biodistribution properties identical to the non-covalent diabody. Furthermore, following reduction of the disulfide bond, the Cys-diabody could be chemically modified using a thiol-specific bifunctional chelating agent, for radiometal labeling. Thus, the Cys-diabody provides a covalently linked alternative to conventional diabodies, which can be reduced and modified site-specifically. This format will provide a versatile platform for targeting a variety of agents to CEA-positive tumors.


Nowadays we have all sorts of legislation to safeguard safety at home and at work. Safety management systems are supposed to safeguard safety issues at system level. We have advanced computer models to test system designs when still on the drawing board. Safety as a whole is very much safety conscious. Yet despite all our efforts accidents still happen, unwanted or wanted. Apparently safety as such is not an issue in our modern western society, securing safety is the challenge, hence the title of this thesis. Modern society is increasingly complex and vulnerable. On the other hand our knowledge of risks has increased over the years. Using modern digital risk analysis tools it is possible to design and build structures that would have been impossible only two or three decades ago. Risk management as such is nothing new. The various tools we use depend on the level of knowledge we have about the systems. One thing is clear: accidents should not happen, yet it is difficult to avoid them as this thesis will show. They can be the consequence of unintentional misapprehensions through lack of knowledge and/or understanding of the factual functioning of the system (safety). Or they can be the consequence of intentional acts of destruction such as terrorism (security). A third often used notion is risk: the exposure of a danger or unwanted event. Sooner or later a system can be exposed to one or more threats. These distinction between these notions (safety, security and risk) must be clear. This thesis will use them in several analyses. Damage is unavoidable but should it be fatal? What do we know about the effects when things can go wrong and how reliable is our knowledge about the likelihood of occurrence of such a condition/situation? In most cases the extend of our knowledge is well defined, both about what we know and what we don't know. It is the knowledge about what we don't know we don't know (the unknown risks, the unknown unexpected behaviour of a system following from its hidden properties) that poses a challenge to adequate risk management. How to prepare yourself for the risk you don't know?


OBJECTIVES
The objective was to evaluate the effect of arrival to the emergency department (ED) by emergency medical services (EMS) on time to initiation of antibiotics, time to initiation of intravenous fluids (IVF), and in-hospital mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.

METHODS
The authors performed an evaluation of prospectively collected registry data of patients with a diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock who presented to an urban academic ED during a 2-year period from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2006. Descriptive and multivariate analytic methods were used to analyze the data. Using unadjusted and adjusted models, out-of-hospital patients who presented to the ED by ambulance (EMS) were compared to control patients who arrived by alternative means (non-EMS). Primary outcomes measured were ED time to initiation of antibiotics, ED time to initiation of IVF, and in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS
A total of 963 severe sepsis patients were enrolled in the registry. Median time to antibiotics was 116 minutes for EMS (interquartile range [IQR] = 66 to 199) vs. 152 minutes for non-EMS (IQR = 92 to 252, p ≤ 0.001). Median time to initiation of IVF was 34 minutes for EMS (IQR = 10 to 88) and 68 minutes for non-EMS (IQR = 25 to 121, p ≤ 0.001). After adjustment for the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, age, and initial serum lactate level, no significant differences in hospital mortality were seen (adjusted relative risk [aRR] for EMS vs. non EMS = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.92 to 1.66, p = 0.16). The Cox proportional hazard ratio (HR) comparing EMS to non-EMS care after similar adjustment was HR = 1.27 for IVF (95% CI = 1.10 to 1.47, p = 0.004) and HR = 1.25 for antibiotics (95% CI = 1.08 to 1.44, p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS
Out-of-hospital care was associated with improved in-hospital processes for the care of critically ill patients. Despite shortened ED treatment times for septic patients who arrive by EMS, a mortality benefit could not be demonstrated.


verbes-Abstract There is a close association between psychological strain as well as psychological disorders and somatic diseases. Psychological impairments are embedded in a complex interacting model of somatic illnesses and psychological strain and not onlya reaction due to physical disease. Comorbidity of depressive or anxiety disorders and medical diseases have been consistently reported in clinical studies whereas the association between substance abuse, somatoform disorders and eating disorders with chronic somatic disease has been examined less. This article describes relevant explanation models as well as risk factors, e.g. neuro-biological, psychological and social factors, which have an impact on this association between mental disorders and chronic physical diseases. Moreover, etiological models for the comorbidity of oncological, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases on the one hand and psychological disorders on the other hand are explained. Epidemiologic and family genetic investigation models will improve the knowledge about comorbidity in the future. Combining these approaches with neuroscientific and bio-psychiatric models will enhance the knowledge about pathogenesis of comorbid disorders. Beside the scientific aim, the correct diagnosis and treatment of comorbid mental disorders is an important issue. Therefore improved diagnostics and treatment of psychological disorders has a substantial function in medical rehabilitation.


Unavoidable level and flow measurement errors, the very definite uncertainty as to how loss to head varies with depth of water, and variations in the coefficient of frictional resistance all combine to limit the possibilities of reproducing free-surface flows. It seems to be interest, therefore, to examine the similitude conditions whereby given prototype and model flows could be made to correspond to within a degree of approximation not exceeding the degree of uncertainty attached to the evaluation of the relevant characteristic parameters. The basic idea is thus to define similitude conditions enabling an operating point on the prototype to strictly correspond with on the model, and which is approximately satisfied near these "reference operating points". This is by no means a new assumption, as it has already been used implicitly in backwater curve calculation methods (e.g. Bakhmeteff) or simplified procedures for the investigation of transient regimes. The authors have considered two possible approaches, one of which makes use of the equivalence of flows in prismatic and very broad channels, and the other being based on profile similitary. In the case of steady flow conditions, the authors have attempted to base the definition of similitude criteria on the intuitive idea of conserving both Froude number and the slope J/I of the hydraulic gradient J with respect to the longitudinal canal slope I in the vicinity of two homologous "reference points". By using non-dimensional quantities, non-dimensional groups G (h) and M (h) are obtained; these are considered in the definition of the similitude parameters, being similar, to the non-dimensional critical flow rate and characteristic slope defined by Lazard and Silber. The local conservation of Froude number and the J/I ratio is not sufficient to ensure approximate similitude for transient flow conditions, however, for which a third condition "S/BM = a constant" has to be added. The conjunction of these three assumptions is only possible where the profiles can be transformed by similarity. For the general case, the validity has been examined of a similitude condition based on the constancy of J/I and S/BM. These approximations are comparable to those considered for the basic assumptions made for graphical constructions using the depth of water and discharge functions H and Q; they nearly always give satisfactory results. All things considered, however, the experimental approach still remains the most reliable basis of assessment for the validity of this approximate similitude. The first tests have shown that, allowing for unavoidable measurement error, agreement between flows connected by these similitude rules is satisfactory, especially for structures of moderate length. The "hyperdistorted" similitude discussed above is a transformation which makes flows correspond rather than structures. It only hold good within a limited range of depth variations about a reference depth. Its three possible types of application are the following: 1. Investigation of a flow similar to the basic prototype flow on a scale model differing in profile from the prototype. A laboratory Hume with its sides set at a certain slope can be used to study transient How conditions for a different structural profile. 2. Attempted classification of transient flows into groups. Geometrical similitude__and even more so longitudinally distorted similitude__enable a whole "family" of flows to he associated with flows observed on the model or the prototype. 3. Study of equivalent tangent flows in very broad flames. The "hyperdistorted" similitude notion also facilitates use of the equivalence between basic and tangent flows in very broad flumes. Flows of this sort are of very valuable assistance for graphical constructions.


Measurements of ratios of stable isotopes are used in such diverse fields as petroleum prospecting, medical diagnostics, and planetary exploration. The narrow emission linewidth available from tunable diode lasers permits high-resolution infrared absorption measurements of closely spaced isotopic rovibrational lines. Our dual beam spectrometer uses the sweep integration technique in a spectral region where adjacent spectral lines are of approximately equal absorbance at the expected isotopic abundances. The experimental results reported here indicate that isotopic ratios of carbon in carbon dioxide can be measured to an accuracy of better than 0.4%. This laser spectroscopic technique offers an alternative to the mass spectrometric technique for in situ isotopic analysis in field studies, as well as flight and space applications.


This paper demonstrates a four-element integrated photonic radio-frequency (RF) phase shifter array in a single chip with an advanced configuration. These devices are integrated using electrooptic polymer materials and involve several novel technologies. Measurements of this configuration showed that our four outputs were independent and had highly linear RF phases over 360/spl deg/ with negligible RF power fluctuation at the modulation frequency of 20 GHz. This significant improvement is capable of removing one of the major problems in using this type of phase shifter architecture.


In 2014, as Iraq was undergoing a steady rise in sectarian violence, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of several major cities. As militants moved into the country's second largest city, Mosul, they immediately imposed their extremist agenda directly on the bodies of women, ordering them to fully cover themselves and stay at home. Within days, credible reports began emerging of ISIL fighters abducting and raping women. ISIL militants have carried out grave human rights violations including execution, dismemberment, rape, sexual slavery, and flogging. Clerics affiliated with ISIL have issued fatwas calling for the "gifting" of women to the new Caliphate fighters, under the ISIL decree imposing "Jihad al-Nikah". If the occupiers' mission succeeds, a large part of Iraq and Syria would be ruled by a brutal militia that uses murder, torture, and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment against those it deems as not adhering to its extremist interpretation of religion. ISIL's rise comes against a backdrop of long-running armed conflicts in Iraq and Syria where gender-based violence has been continuously present. Threats posed by ISIL and other militia groups should be understood as part of a continuum of violence and discrimination, in which gender rights suffer before, during, and after armed conflicts. These conflicts have not only increased the vulnerability of thousands of displaced persons to gender-based violence, they have also further entrenched structural and cultural violence against women and other marginalized persons. While all Iraqis face insecurity caused by terrorism and civil strife, women and girls experience additional, targeted abuse because of their gender. Comprehensively addressing the rights and humanitarian needs of women and girls fleeing ISIL-controlled territories requires addressing pre-existing threats embedded in laws and social norms. Such a contextual analysis enables us to understand the ways that armed actors manipulate vulnerabilities created by prevailing gender-based discrimination to achieve their strategic ends. It also sheds light on sustainable solutions to long-standing human rights violations that have been exacerbated by conflict.This article is based on extensive conversations and interviews with local Iraqi women's rights activists, who are working to address and prevent gender-based violence and discrimination within the context of the conflict and in greater Iraq. It reflects their perspectives and strategies for addressing both immediate needs and long-term systemic change to enhance gender rights and protections. Local women's rights organizations commonly work on critical issues in times of conflict, forging practical solutions, from law reform and implementation to changing societal norms and rebuilding a more just and sustainable society. They are comprised of women's rights activists; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists; journalists; service providers; lawyers; judges; academics; and human rights advocates. The women and men who come together through these organizations have survived war, political repression, and systemic discrimination. They possess unique expertise that allows them to best identify, meet the needs of, and to advocate for women, LGBT persons, and members of other marginalized communities they serve. They recognize that women are critical as civil society representatives and their work is often based on an analysis that bridges solutions for immediate violations with systemic root causes, producing a more lasting outcome. Yet, women throughout the world are rarely included in either formal conflict resolution or reconstruction processes facilitated by the international community. Iraq is no exception.


Purpose:
To determine the effects of propofol and ketamine anesthesia on liver regeneration in rats after partial hepatectomy (PHT).

Methods:
Male Wistar albino rats were assigned randomly to four groups of 10. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with propofol in groups 1 and 2, and with ketamine in groups 3 and 4. PHT was undertaken in groups 1 and 3. Rats in groups 2 and 4 (control groups) underwent an identical surgical procedure, but without PHT. At postoperative day-5, rats were killed. Regenerated liver was removed, weighed, and evaluated (by immunohistochemical means) for expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS), apoptosis protease-activating factor (APAF)-1, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Also, blood samples were collected for measurement of levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6.

Results:
Between groups 2 and 4, there were no differences in tissue levels of iNOS, eNOS, and APAF-1 or plasma levels of TNF-α and IL-6. eNOS expression was similar in group 1 and group 3. Expression of iNOS and APAF-1 was mild-to-moderate in group 1, but significantly higher in group 3. Groups 1 and 3 showed an increase in PCNA expression, but expression in both groups was comparable. Plasma levels of TNF-α and IL-6 increased to a lesser degree in group 1 than in group 3.

Conclusion:
Propofol, as an anesthetic agent, may attenuate cytokine-mediated upregulation of iNOS expression and apoptosis in an animal model of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.


This research examines the eects of mothers' welfare and work decisions on their children's attainments using a random eect instrumental variables (REIV) estimator. The estimator employs sibling comparisons in a random eect framework and an instrumental variables approach to address the unobserved heterogeneity that may influence mothers' work and welfare decisions. The identification comes from the variation in mothers' dierent economic incentives that arises from the AFDC benefit structures across U.S. states. I focus on children who were born to single mothers with twelve or fewer years of schooling. The short-run child attainments under consideration are the Peabody Individual Achievement Test math and reading recognition scores from the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort. Long-run attainments are a child's number of years of schooling by age 25 and his or her early adulthood labor income, drawn from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The REIV estimates imply that, relative to no welfare participation, participating in welfare for one to three years provides up to a 5 percentage point gain in a child's Picture Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) scores. The negative eect of childhood welfare participation on adult earnings found by others is not significant if one accounts for mothers' work decisions. At the estimated values of the model parameters, a mother's number of years of work contributes between $3,000 and $7,000 1996 dollars to her child's labor income, but has no significant eect on the child's PIAT test scores. Finally, children's number of years of schooling are


Volute tongue is an important part of centrifugal fan flow components, the structure change of which can cause the change of the unsteady flow field in the fan which will affect the flow excitation characteristic and vibration characteristics of the fan. Set up a decoupling test platform for separating vibration of different parts of a marine centrifugal fan. The influence degrees and effect laws of the inclining types, the parameter coupling of inclining angle of the volute tongue and blade-tongue clearance on the vibration of different positions of the fan were studied experimentally. And the binary regression equation of experimental data was obtained. In this paper, 11 volute tongues of different inclining angles and clearance were designed for testing and these two parameters were orthogonal distributed. The results show that the inclining type of keeping the radius of volute tongue constant is better to reduce vibration. The blade frequency amplitude of the volute vibration decreases firstly and then increases when the inclining angle and clearance increases independently. There is an optimum inclining angle for a particular blade-tongue clearance. The influence of inclining angle is more obvious under large clearance conditions. The vibration influence degree of the tongue clearance is greater than that of the inclining angle, and the vibration influence degree of the volute pathway is greater than that of the impeller-motor pathway. The blade frequency vibration amplitude of the optimal volute tongue in the volute tongue region is reduced by 12.8dB. The fitting formula can be used for the low noise design of the centrifugal fan.


The radiotherapy treatment of prostate cancer has improved substantially over the last years. It is now possible to accurately deliver complex dose distributions to the prostate, while limiting the dose to the surrounding healthy tissue. Nevertheless, while the treatment of prostate cancer has improved, there are still patients dying from the disease. Evidence is emerging that prostate tumor recurrences mainly arise at the location of the primary tumor. This suggests that patients would benefit from an extra boost dose at the primary tumor lesion. To minimize the irradiation of healthy tissue, a focal boost to the gross tumor volume (GTV) inside the prostate has been proposed. Such an approach requires a proper delineation of the GTV. Diffusion weighted-imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI have a high sensitivity and specificity for tumor detection. How to use DWI and DCE-MRI for the purpose of tumor delineation prior to radiotherapy is the main question of this thesis. To this end, first was investigated if DWI and DCE-MRI provide similar information about the presence of tumor on a voxel level. In some patients the overlap between the two techniques is high. However, in most patients this overlap is low. Therefore, we came up with pragmatic approaches on how to deal with the perceived inconsistencies. In order to be able to validate MR based tumor delineations, we came up with a registration approach between MR images and histopathology, which is accurate enough to perform these validations. This registration method was used to validate a logistic regression model that we created in order to predict the tumor presence on a voxel level. This model had a good performance in predicting the presence of tumor on a voxel level. Nevertheless, some tumor voxels were not detected by the model. A further investigation into these voxels showed that mainly the voxels with low cell density and low vessel density were not detected. One could argue that the tumor regions with low cell and vessel density are also the least aggressive tumor regions. Many patients that are scheduled for radiotherapy treatment are also treated with hormonal therapy. This therapy may affect the conspicuity of the tumor tissue. Therefore, we investigated the effect of hormonal treatment on the conspicuity of prostate cancer. In patients who used hormonal treatment longer than 3 months prior to MR imaging, the tumor conspicuity is lower compared to patients who used hormonal treatment for a shorter time. In these patients different thresholds need to be set to distinguish tumor from healthy tissue. In conclusion, in this thesis some of the important questions regarding the use of functional MR imaging for focal boost strategies in the prostate have been answered. Furthermore, approaches were presented to face challenges which arise when using DWI and DCE-MRI in a radiotherapy setting. In this way, this work may help to shift from the more classical homogeneous prostate dose distributions towards personalized approaches in which each prostate is treated based on its individual tumor characteristics.


Author(s): Hwang, Michael Taeyoung | Advisor(s): Lal, Ratnesh | Abstract: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in a gene sequence are markers for variety of human diseases. Their detection with high specificity and sensitivity is essential for effective practical implementation of personalized medicine. Current DNA sequencing, including SNP detection, primarily uses enzyme based methods or fluorophore-labeled assays that are time consuming, need lab-scale settings, and are expensive. Electrical detection of DNA has been advancing rapidly, with to achieve high specificity, sensitivity and portability. However, existing electrical charge-based SNP detectors have insufficient specificity and accuracy limiting their effectiveness. Its actual implementation is still in infancy because of the low specificity, especially for analytically optimal and practically useful length of target DNA strands. Most of the research so far has focused on the enhancement of the sensitivity of DNA biosensors while the specificity problem has remained unresolved. The low specificity is primarily due to the non-specific binding during hybridization of probe and the target DNA. Here, we have addressed these limitations by designing a functional prototype of electrical biosensors for SNP detection. We demonstrate the use of DNA strand displacement-based probes on a graphene field effect transistor (FET) for high specificity single nucleotide mismatch detection. The single mismatch was detected by measuring strand displacement-induced resistance (and hence current) change and Dirac point shift in a graphene FET. SNP detection in large double helix DNA strands (e.g., 47 nucleotides) minimize false positive. We describe the first integrated dynamic DNA nanotechnology and 2-D material electronics, to overcome current limitations for the detection of DNA single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Existing SNP detection systems have poor sensitivity and specificity and lack portability and real-time wireless transmission of detected molecular signals. We have integrated two different kinds of dynamic DNA nano-devices as nucleic acid-sensing probes with electrical biosensors using graphene FET and analytical wireless communication platform. The signal was transmitted remotely using a microcontroller board and Bluetooth standard to personal electronics, including smart phones, tablets and computers. Our electrical sensor-based SNP detection technology without labeling and without apparent cross-hybridization artifacts would allow fast, sensitive and portable SNP detection with single-nucleotide resolution. Practical implementation of this enabling technology will provide cheaper, faster and portable point-of-care molecular diagnostic devices for personalized global health management. It will have wide applications in digital and implantable biosensors and high-throughput DNA genotyping with transformative implications for personalized medicine.


Titanium alloys are being widely used in the aerospace, biomedical and automotive industries because of their good strength-to-weight ratio and superior corrosion resistance. Surface roughness is one of the most important requirements in machining of Titanium alloys. This paper describes mathematically the effect of cutting parameters on Surface roughness in end milling of Ti6Al4V. The mathematical model for the surface roughness has been developed in terms of cutting speed, feed rate, and axial depth of cut using design of experiments and the response surface methodology (RSM). Central composite design was employed in developing the surface roughness models in relation to primary cutting parameters. The experimental results indicate that the proposed mathematical models suggested could adequately describe the performance indicators within the limits of the factors that are being investigated. The developed RSM is coupled as a fitness function with genetic algorithm to predict the optimum cutting conditions leading to the least surface roughness value. MATLAB 7.0 toolbox for GA is used to develop GA program. The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental one and hence the model can be efficiently used to achieve the minimum surface roughness value.


Paralogs arise by duplications and belong to families. Ten paralogs (insulin; IGF-1 and -2; INSL3-6 and 3-relaxins) constitute the human insulin-relaxin family. The aim of this study was to outline the duplications that gave rise to the vertebrate insulin-relaxin genes and the chromosomal regions in which they reside. Neurotrophin and Trk-receptor families with more than 300, otherwise unrelated, families had paralogs in the regions hosting insulin/relaxin genes, defining two quadruplicate paralogy-regions, namely: insulin/IGF and INSL/relaxin paralogons. Thereby, the localization of insulin/relaxins in human shows that these regions were formed during two genome duplications at the stem of the vertebrates.We characterized insulin-like genes (INS-L1, -L2 and -L3) in the Ciona intestinalis genome, a species that split from the chordate lineage before the genome duplications. Conserved synteny between the Ciona region hosting the INS-Ls and two human paralogons as well as linkage of the actual paralogons, suggest that a segmental duplication gave rise to the entire region prior to the genome duplications. Synteny together with gene and protein structures demonstrate that INS-L1 is orthologous to the vertebrate INSLs/relaxins, INS-L2 to insulins and INS-L3 to IGFs. This indicates that pro-orthologs of the insulin-relaxin family were formed before Ciona. Our analysis also implies that the INSL/relaxin ancestor switched receptor from tyrosine kinase- to GPCR-type. This probably occurred after the Ciona-stage, but before the genome duplications.Using genes residing within the analyzed human paralogons that were present in a chromosomal region in the Ciona-human ancestor, we identified 37 segments with conserved synteny between the Drosophila melanogaster and human genomes. Orthologs residing in Ciona-, sea urchin- and the fly syntenic segments imply that such segments approximate an ancestral region from which the human paralogons originated.To conclude, the human paralogons are remnants of genome duplications that in addition to segmental- and single duplications, shaped the extant vertebrate genomes. Using the quadruplicate paralogy-regions we were able to deduce duplication events of the insulin-relaxin genes and their chromosomal regions.


The work described in this thesis focuses on the development of inhibitors for two distinct types of proteins that act on carbohydrates: the galectins and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT). Chapter 1 and 2 describe that these two types of protein can bind or convert certain carbohydrates to exhibit different functions in a wide variety of biological processes. Therefore, selective and potent inhibitors of these proteins would be valuable tools to investigate their biological functions. Chapter 3 describes a synthesis of multivalent ligands inhibiting Gal-3, in which multiple lysine residues of albumin were chemically conjugated with "thiodigalactoside" epitopes to make neo-glycoproteins. The neo-glycoproteins were finally evaluated in binding studies with human Gal-1 and -3 to determine the binding properties. Chapter 4 describes the synthesis of galectin inhibitors with a potential "chelate effect", which are designed to bind to the two different binding sites on galectins simultaneously. In this chapter, a series of asymmetric "hybrid" compounds were prepared, that combine two galectin ligands, i.e., thiodigalactoside derivatives and calixarene 0118. Moreover, NMR spectroscopy was used to evaluate the interactions of these compounds with Gal-1 or -3. In addition, cellular experiments were conducted to compare the cytotoxic effects of the hybrids with those of calixarene 0118. Chapter 5 describes our progress on OGT inhibition based on substrate peptides identified by array screening. Subsequently, bisubstrate inhibitors were prepared by conjugating these peptides to uridine in various ways. In parallel, an in silico fragment screening was conducted to obtain small molecules targeting the UDP binding pocket. After evaluation of the initial hits, one of these small molecules was elaborated into a novel OGT hybrid inhibitor, as the replacement of uridine. The novel compounds inhibit OGT activity with IC50 values in the micromolar range.


Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important cause of death among hospitalized patients. The 2 most common causes of AKI are acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and prerenal azotemia (PRA). Appropriate diagnosis of the disease is important but often difficult. We analyzed urine proteins by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis from 38 patients with AKI. Patients were randomly assigned to a training set, an internal test set, or an external validation set. Spot abundances were analyzed by artificial neural networks to identify biomarkers that differentiate between ATN and PRA. When the trained neural network algorithm was tested against the training data, it identified the diagnosis for 16 of 18 patients in the training set and all 10 patients in the internal test set. The accuracy was validated in the novel external set of patients where conditions of 9 of 10 patients were correctly diagnosed including 5 of 5 with ATN and 4 of 5 with PRA. Plasma retinol-binding protein was identified in 1 spot and a fragment of albumin and plasma retinol-binding protein in the other. These proteins are candidate markers for diagnostic assays of AKI.


The recent resurgence of bed bugs has led to an explosion of bed bug research influenced by the applied needs of pest management professionals. I assessed the needs of pest management professionals who deal with bed bugs in South Carolina. Bed bugs were reported in 28 of 46 counties in South Carolina. Previous samples of bed bug populations have displayed a 1:1 sex-ratio suggesting females do not use aggregations and harborages to hide from males and traumatic insemination, which can be harmful to females. Aggregations are biased in composition, suggesting that females are able to hide from males within harborages. Previous studies have shown that male bed bugs and fifth-instar nymphs, but not mated females, release alarm pheromone that deters males from mating with them. I showed that virgin females did not produce alarm pheromone as a deterrent for mating, although the sample size was small. I evaluated the use of heat with residual insecticides on surfaces over time, using both a resistant and susceptible bed bug strain. Products generally performed better if unheated than if heated before bed bug exposure, but susceptible mortality on heated control panels was high, reaching 100% on metal panels. Phantom products were more effective over time on all surfaces for up to three months, and performed best on wood surfaces. Temprid was more effective over time on wood surfaces, and Temprid and Transport products performed best on metal surfaces. Heat had a stronger effect on the susceptible strain than on the resistant strain. The reported results will provide important biological and applied information that will help pest management professionals control bed bugs more efficiently.


Logistics centers are important structures for both commercial and logistic activities so the selection of the places to build these structures is also important. Therefore the study, the organization determined by the locations of all the logistics centers in Turkey have been the subject of public administration. 21 logistics center projects determined by the T.C. Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure were examined in terms of qualitative and quantitative competences of transportation infrastructure, which is one of the most important requirements of logistics centers. The data required for the study were obtained from official institutions. The planned logistics center in Turkey to results of 21 pieces, they are based on rail and road transport and more dry port (terminal) they have the quality, it was observed that the domestic and regional nature.


Prior to July 2009, salaries of the members of the European Parliament were paid by their home country and there were substantial salary differences between parliamentarians representing different EU countries. Starting in July 2009, the salary of each member of the Parliament is pegged to 38.5% of a European Court judge's salary, paid by the EU. This created an exogenous change in salaries, the magnitude and direction of which varied substantially between parliamentarians. Parliamentarians receive per diem compensation for each plenary session they attend, but salaries constitute unearned income as they are independent of attendance to the Parliament. Using detailed information on each parliamentarian of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2011 we show that an increase in salaries reduces attendance to plenary sessions and an increase in per diem compensation increases it. We also show that corruption in home country has a negative effect on attendance for seasoned members of the Parliament.


A spliced cDNA spanning the Epstein-Barr virus BZLF1 gene expresses the BZLF1 protein and is active in inducing the virus productive cycle. A deletion mutant which lacks the N-terminal half of the protein is inactive. Cotransfection experiments in EBV-negative B-lymphocyte cell lines demonstrated that the BZLF1 gene activates the promoter for the BSLF2 + BMLF1 gene in the absence of any other EBV gene product. These results confirmed that the spliced BZLF1 gene is the transactivating gene structure in BamHI-Z.


Advances in computing technology have had a profound impact on the design and development of modern vehicle systems. These advances have provided the basis for virtual design and testing in simulated environments, as well as the development of active control systems capable of providing improved vehicle safety, efficiency, and performance. Continued developments in hybrid powertrains and on-board computing will provide for greater amounts of control, through the integration of larger numbers of actuators and more complex control schemes. The intention of this research is to investigate the effects of advanced vehicle dynamics controls on the human operated vehicle system. Hybrid electric vehicle systems incorporating multiple electric drive motors are capable of actively distributing drive and braking torque to the individual wheels of the vehicle. The modulation of these torques can be used to optimize or alter the dynamic response of the vehicle, through the application of a direct yaw moment. A control structure capable of determining and dynamically allocating appropriate control signals for over-actuated vehicle systems is proposed. A dynamic simulation of a virtual prototype BMW 330i is utilized to evaluate the effects of active drive torque vectoring on vehicle response. The effects of the proposed system on the human operator are also evaluated, through the use of driver model in-the-loop simulations. The results presented indicate the promising potential of direct yaw moment control in modulating the response of human operated vehicle systems. The interactions between the human driver model and control systems were shown to be favourable. The scientific contributions and implications of the research are detailed, including application of closed-loop simulation to engineering education. Conclusions on the efficacy of developed models, methodologies and systems are given. Finally, recommendations on potential improvements and future research regarding vehicle modelling and motion control are provided.


There are a several forces pushing on the law and economics (L&E) movement from different directions. The authors exchanged perspectives on trends in economics, and in particular the increasing mathematical formalization of economics, and their implications for the future of L&E in legal scholarship. The authors discuss strengths and weaknesses of the modern L&E movement, speculate as to where L&E might be headed in the future, and how potential pitfalls might be avoided. The exchange between the authors took place at Truthonthemarket.com and the blog posts have been compiled into this essay.


Transdisciplinary research (TR) is a growing field in a myriad of subject domains ranging from sustainability to education. The idea is to solve complex problems through the collaborative participation of academic actors, community stakeholders, governments, and other leaders to jointly define the problem and find solutions. To accomplish such complex projects, one of the main tools is an efficient technology platform. The need for an efficient technology platform, in turn, leads to a need for an evaluation tool to determine which is the most suitable for a given transdisciplinary research situation, however, a literature review confirms that research on such evaluation tools is scarce. The goal of this paper is to improve the evaluation of technology platforms for individual TR projects, based on the characteristics of that specific TR. The research question is "Can TR characteristics be used to construct an evaluation tool for technology platforms?" The specific aims used to answer the question were: the following: (1) to define the characteristics (core activities and skills) of TR and (2) to construct a tool for evaluating technology platforms for use in TR. Methodology: For the first specific aim, a literature meta-analysis was used; the second specific aim was addressed following a newly developed methodology, including elements of the technology acceptance model and elements of a standard technology evaluation process. Results: A chart for defining the core activities and skills in TR was developed, and a tool was constructed for evaluating technology platforms that could be used in TR.


To the Editor: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is certainly the most innovative and important recent advance in the surgery for gallstones. Just as percutaneous renal stone surgery and arthroscopic joint surgery have almost completely eliminated open surgery in these two areas, so laparoscopic cholecystectomy seems poised to displace open cholecystectomyas the preferred treatment of symptomatic gallstones. In the initial enthusiasm to embrace this technique, its proponentsclaimed that the procedure is easier than open cholecystectomy, hospital stay is shorter and postoperative recovery is faster. As with all techniques there is a "learning curve" which varies with the individual, but previous experience with endoscopy, especially videoendoscopy, aids the acquisition of "triangulation" techniques between hand, eye and videoscreen, which is necessary for optimum performance. It must be emphasised that cholecystectomy is a major surgical procedure, even when performed laparoscopically, and the removalof a difficult, adherent inflamed gallbladder is not made any easier by the laparoscopic technique. Even with experience, the laparoscopic method is likely to take longer than an open cholecystectomy. From the initial collective experience at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, it is clear that the majority of patients are able to leave hospital the day after surgery. However, it is perfectly possible to routinely perform a standard open cholecystectomy in fit patients with only two nights' hospitalisation, and thus the overall saving in hospital time may be only one night. A saving of one night in hospital time does, of course, represent a substantial saving in time and money, but must be offset by the longer theatre time required and the cost of the specialised equipment needed for the laparoscopic technique. If disposable clips and trocars are used, the cost is approximately $500 per case, and these items are currently non-refundable on medical insurance. Whilst the economic aspects of the procedure may be open to debate, and it must be remembered that an item number and schedule fee have yet to be assigned, there seems no doubt from our local experience that patients recover much sooner and can be expected to return to work and normal activities much earlier. It is this aspect of the technique that makes it such an attractive alternative to open surgery, and the smaller scars are, of course, an added bonus. Open cholecystectomy is the "gold standard" for the treatment of symptomatic gallstones, has a mortality approaching zero and a very low morbidity in experienced hands. If the laparoscopic technique is to take over the "crown", it must be shown to have significant advantages and a comparable or lower morbidity. The need for careful prospective audit to determine its place in the treatment of cholelithiasis is therefore of paramount importance. Allan R Askew, FRACS Visiting Surgeon Royal Brisbane Hospital Herston Road, Brisbane, OLD 4029


Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "Ecstasy") is a popular recreational drug and brain serotonin (5-HT) neurotoxin. Neuroimaging data indicate that some human MDMA users develop persistent deficits in brain 5-HT neuronal markers. Although the consequences of MDMA-induced 5-HT neurotoxicity are not fully understood, abstinent MDMA users have been found to have subtle cognitive deficits and altered sleep architecture. The present study sought to test the hypothesis that sleep disturbance plays a role in cognitive deficits in MDMA users. Nineteen abstinent MDMA users and 21 control subjects participated in a 5 d inpatient study in a clinical research unit. Baseline sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory. Cognitive performance was tested three times daily using a computerized cognitive battery. On the third day of admission, subjects began a 40 h sleep deprivation period and continued cognitive testing using the same daily schedule. At baseline, MDMA users performed less accurately than controls on a task of working memory and more impulsively on four of the seven computerized tests. During sleep deprivation, MDMA users, but not controls, became increasingly impulsive, performing more rapidly at the expense of accuracy on tasks of working and short-term memory. Tests of mediation implicated baseline sleep disturbance in the cognitive decline seen during sleep deprivation. These findings are the first to demonstrate that memory problems in MDMA users may be related, at least in part, to sleep disturbance and suggest that cognitive deficits in MDMA users may become more prominent in situations associated with sleep deprivation.


Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases that degrade the extracellular matrix during the processes of invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. BAY 12-9566 (BAY) is a selective, non-peptidic biphenyl inhibitor of MMPs, with nanomolar inhibitory activity against MMP-2, -3 and -9, and anti-invasive, anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic activity in a variety of tumor models. This phase I study of oral BAY was conducted to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of BAY when administered in combination with etoposide (VP-16) or in combination with VP-16 and carboplatin (CBDCA) in subjects with advanced cancer. The first cohort of patients (n=8) received a cycle of VP-16, 60 mg/m2, followed 1 week later by a fixed daily oral dose of BAY, 800 mg b.i.d., to which three potential possible doses of VP-16 (low dose: 60 mg/m2; mid dose: 90 mg/m2; high dose: 120 mg/m2) were added every 3 weeks as tolerated. The second cohort (n=5) received VP-16 (120 mg/m2) and CBDCA (AUC=5) followed 1 week later by a fixed daily oral dose of BAY (800 mg) b.i.d., to which VP-16 (120 mg/m2) and CBDCA (AUC=5) were added. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as toxicity grade 3 or above. Maximum tolerated dose was declared if two or more patients experienced DLT. A performance status of 0–2 and acceptable organ function were required for eligibility. Plasma concentrations of BAY and VP-16 were measured to investigate pharmacokinetic interactions. Eight eligible patients with a variety of tumor types (median age 64 years, range 44–76) were enrolled in the first cohort, six of who whom completed all three levels of VP-16. Progressive disease occurred in five of the eight patients; three patients continued on study with treatment. Drug level and pharmacokinetics analysis of BAY and VP-16 were also determined. The combination of BAY and VP-16 was tolerable in the first cohort, permitting enrollment of the second cohort. In the second cohort (n=5), the combination of BAY, VP-16 and CDBCA was intolerable at the doses used due to excessive hematologic toxicity in the first five patients enrolled. Pharmacokinetics and toxicity analysis was performed for this group of patients. Only Level 1 of treatment was completed for Cohort II. At this point the study was halted due to toxicity and the results of an interim analysis that failed to demonstrate sufficient clinical activity of this compound in other clinical trials. We conclude that the combination of BAY and VP-16 was well tolerated. However, the combination of BAY, VP-16 and CDBCA produces significant hematologic toxicity. Findings from this study may help to direct further studies with other inhibitors of MMPs.


Concentrated solutions of bovine β-lactoglobulin were studied using osmotic stress and rheological techniques. At pH 6.0 and 8.0, the osmotic pressure was largely independent of NaCl concentration and could be described by a hard sphere equation of state. At pH 5.1, close to the isoelectric point, the osmotic pressure was lower at the lower NaCl concentrations (0 mM, 100 mM) and was fitted by an adhesive hard sphere model. Liquid-liquid phase separation was observed at pH 5.1 at ionic strengths of 13 mM and below. Comparison of the liquid-liquid and literature solid-liquid coexistence curves showed these solutions to be supersaturated and the phase separation to be nonequilibrium in nature. In steady shear, the zero shear viscosity of concentrated solutions at pH 5.1 was observed at shear rates above 50 s−1. With increasing concentration, the solution viscosity showed a progressive increase, a behavior interpreted as the approach to a colloidlike glass transition at ∼60% w/w. In oscillatory shear experiments, the storage modulus crossed the loss modulus at concentrations of 54% w/w, an indication of the approaching glass transition. Comparison of the viscous behavior with predictions from the Krieger-Dougherty equation indicates the hydrodynamic size of the protein decreases with increasing concentration, resulting in a slower approach to the glass transition than a hard sphere system.


BACKGROUND
This study aimed to investigate the outcome of using the human acellular dermal allograft patch compared with the conven- tional paper patch in traumatic tympanic membrane perforation.

METHODS
This was a retrospective study including 41 patients (42 ears) treated with 22 human acellular dermal allografts and 20 paper patches for acute traumatic tympanic membrane perforation from April 2013 to June 2020. The procedure was performed by applying human acellular dermal allograft or paper patches after trimming of perforation margins under local anesthesia. Patient's age, sex, cause, duration, side, location, size of perforation, and the result of healing was analyzed. The audiologic or computed tomography data were also investigated when available.

RESULTS
There was no significant difference in sex, age, affected side ratio, size and duration of perforation, recovery confirmation time, and audiogram results between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the size or duration of perforation between the success and failure groups. The human acellular dermal allograft and paper-patch groups showed no significant difference in the recovery confirmation time (70.7 ± 42.3 vs. 89.9 ± 119.4 days, P = .486) and recovery rate (95.5% vs. 85.0%, P = .333). However, the patch maintenance time of the human acellular dermal allograft group was statistically longer than the paper-patch group (32.9 ± 14.9 vs. 15.6 ± 19.9 days, P = .001). On multivariable regression analysis, patch material was the only parameter associated with patch maintenance time (P = .002).

CONCLUSION
Treatment outcomes of traumatic tympanic membrane perforation using human acellular dermal allograft showed better or similar therapeutic efficacy compared to paper patch. The important advantage of this material is to stay in situ for a sufficient time without being detached until successful healing.


Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's late Free Fantasia in F-sharp Minor exists in two versions—one for solo keyboard (Wq. 67/H. 300), the other for keyboard and violin accompaniment (Wq. 80/H. 536)—and bears the subtitle C. P. E. Bachs Empfindungen . For some modern listeners and scholars, the chamber version of the fantasia transforms the private outpourings characteristic of the genre into a public display that condescends to the sociability of the popular accompanied sonata and forces an interloper accompanist onto the solo fantasist. Adding insult to injury, the arrangement ends with a seemingly inexplicable A-major Allegro. Yet the arrangement ought not to be dismissed. In both score and performance, it demands a sensitive and sympathetic relationship between violin and keyboard that points to a new connection between Bach and Empfindsamkeit , a literary movement that emphasized sympathy ( Mitleid ) as much as if not more than emotional disclosure. I offer a new interpretation of the accompanied fantasia by situating Bach's arrangement and its performance in the context of contemporary philosophies of sympathy and practices of sympathetic readership. I compare the relationships of the composer, keyboardist, and violinist to those of author, character, and reader to illustrate that the violinist is an integral figure in the disclosure of C. P. E. Bachs Empfindungen. The violinist appears to be Bach's sympathetic reader.


Emerging evidence suggest that the heterogeneity of cancer limits the efficacy of immunotherapy. To search for optimal therapeutic targets for enhancing the efficacy, we used whole‐exome sequencing data of 23 early cervical tumors from Chinese women to investigate the hierarchical structure of the somatic mutations and the neo‐epitopes. The putative neo‐epitopes were predicted based on the mutant peptides' strong binding with major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. We found that each tumor carried an average of 117 mutations and 61 putative neo‐epitopes. Each patient displayed a unique phylogenetic tree in which almost all subclones harbored neo‐epitopes, highlighting the importance of individual neo‐epitope tree in determination of immunotherapeutic targets. The alterations in FBXW7 and PIK3CA, or other members of the significantly altered ubiquitin‐mediated proteolysis and extracellular matrix receptor interaction related pathways, were proposed as the earliest changes triggering the malignant progression. The neo‐epitopes involved in these pathways, and located at the top of the hierarchy tree, might become the optimal candidates for therapeutic targets, possessing the potential to mediate T‐cell killing of the descendant cells. These findings expanded our understanding in early stage of cervical carcinogenesis and offered an important approach to assist optimizing the immunotherapeutic target selection.


Selective regression testing strategies attempt to choose an appropriate subset of test cases from among a previously run test suite for a software system, based on information about the changes made to the system to create new versions. Although there has been a significant amount of research in recent years on the design of such strategies, there has been very little investigation of their cost-effectiveness. The paper presents some computationally efficient predictors of the cost-effectiveness of the two main classes of selective regression testing approaches. These predictors are computed from data about the coverage relationship between the system under test and its test suite. The paper then describes case studies in which these predictors were used to predict the cost-effectiveness of applying two different regression testing strategies to two software systems. In one case study, the TESTTUBE method selected an average of 88.1 percent of the available test cases in each version, while the predictor predicted that 87.3 percent of the test cases would be selected on average.


ABSTRACT Fluorescence microscopy can recognize depositional facies and delineate diagenetic fabrics and porosity relationships in certain highly dolomitized or recrystallized limestones previously uninterpretable using standard petrographic techniques. This tool has other valuable applications in the study of carbonate rocks. These other applications include differentiating carbonate cements from neomorphic spar, enhancing depositional and diagenetic fabrics, rapidly evaluating mineralogical stabilization and recrystallization in Holocene and Pleistocene deposits and improving delineation of porosity and pore geometries in sedimentary rocks. Fluorescence microscopy is a rapid, easily used and nondestructive technique that can be applied to unpolished thin sections or rock slabs. By itself, or in conjunction with other petrographic and geochemical tools, it has the potential to expand our understanding of carbonate diagenetic processes and products, in particular dolomitization and neomorphism, and carbonate porosity evolution. We strongly encourage routine usage of fluorescence microscopy in future carbonate petrographic studies.


Mucoceles of the sphenoid sinuses are uncommon; 60 cases have been reported in the world literature to date. Signs and symptoms are caused by local expansion of the mucocele and include headache (the most common symptom), ocular field deficits, external ophthalmoplegia (particularly the sixth cranial nerve), and proptosis. Radiologic correlation in the form of plain films and polytomography is the most reliable guide in the diagnosis of sphenoid sinus disease. Therapy of these lesions is surgical, and drainage can be achieved via the external ethmoid or sublabial transseptal route. Three cases are presented: two had classical findings and the third was conspicuous by the presence of aseptic meningitis in the absence of local findings.


It was shown in 25 experiments on anesthetized spontaneously breathing and immobilized artificially ventilated cats that the cooling of the intermediate chemosensitive area of the ventral surface of medulla oblongata to 20-22 degrees C is followed by depressor reaction that is more pronounced after preliminary occlusion of the sinocarotid and vagus nerves. Two types of apudocytes were revealed in this brain area with the use of the histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. The first type cells are typically nervous and contain noradrenaline. The second type apudocytes adjacent to the microvascular wall showed melatonin and its precursors. It is assumed that the cells detected participate in the arterial pressure control.


All vertebrate embryos pass through a developmental period of remarkably low morphological variability. This period has been called phylotypic period. During the phylotypic period, organogenesis takes place, including blood vessel development. Before the phylotypic period, the embryos rely on diffusion for the internal oxygen transport. Diffusion, however, is an efficient way of transport only over small distances. Analytical models were constructed to investigate whether physical constraints ( i.e. diffusional limitations) demand the development of an internal oxygen transport system as the embryos grow bigger. These models showed that teleost embryos are smaller than their theoretically maximum size during the phylotypic period, based on oxygen diffusion. Lack of oxygen does therefore not demand blood vessel development. Subsequently, numerical models of oxygen diffusion in a zebrafish embryo ( Danio rerio ) were developed, thereby including the realistic shape of the embryo. These models were tested and refined with oxygen micro-electrode measurements of the oxygen partial pressure profile in and around the zebrafish embryo. This numerical-experimental procedure revealed a high oxygen permeability in the yolk of the zebrafish embryo. Furthermore, lowest oxygen partial pressures were found in the head region with a gradient of posteriorly increasing oxygen partial pressures along the midline of the embryo. The three-dimensional oxygen partial pressure profile was compared with the expression pattern of the angiogenic factor ( vegf ), which is known to be expressed under hypoxic conditions. The apparent colocalization of low oxygen partial pressure and the expression of vegf suggests oxygen to play an important role in regulating blood vessel development rather than posing a direct request for its development.


Destructive fishing is a significant area of focus for fisheries management. It is at odds with a sustainable fisheries management policy. Key examples of destructive fishing include blast fishing, cyanide fishing, illegal netting, and bottom trawling. It is characterized by indiscriminate killing, stunning, and/or waste of marine life. These methods are attractive to fishermen due to the high initial value of catches, however, the value of catch rapidly depletes as the habitat and surrounding eco-system is damaged or destroyed. For many South-East Asian (SEA) countries the loss of fisheries resource has been a sensitive topic that has been largely ignored. The traditional paradigm towards combating this problem has been to only consider the use of marine-based enforcement strategies. However, even under optimum conditions, current marine based enforcement strategies are ineffective, ineffiecient, and wasteful; failing to distrupt the majority of blast fishermen. This paper considers three major aspects of blast fishing; the problem, the strategies used to eradicate it, and the motivations of the fishers. This study utilizes a database of over 850,000 blast records collected by detectors in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Phillipines since 2006. Analysis shows three different groups of blast fishermen as well as an increase in the size of explosive charges over time, the latter compensateing for the reduction in fish stocks. Futhurmore interviews with blast fishermen reaafirm the different groups. Potential solutions based on providing fishermen and their family with alternative livelihoods, education, and associated actions are suggested. Progress of any eradication method implemented can be monitored through the continued collection of bacground blast data from areas. The results can also regularly indicate the effectiveness of the efforts made to stop blast fishing.


Adolescents spend large amounts of time sitting at school. Little is known about the impact of reducing and breaking-up prolonged sitting during school lessons on adolescents' health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of an intervention to reduce classroom sitting time on adolescents' energy expenditure (EE; kcal/lesson), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and musculoskeletal discomfort. A secondary school classroom was equipped with height-adjustable desks, posters promoting the health benefits of and strategies for breaking-up sitting time, and desk stickers reminding students to periodically stand up. Classroom teachers participated in a professional development session. Using a quasi-experimental design, differences between 49 participants who utilised the intervention classroom 2–5 times/week and a comparison group (39 adolescents, matched by year level and subject) who used traditional classrooms, were examined. EE, BMI and WC were objectively measured and musculoskeletal discomfort was self-reported at baseline, 4-weeks, and 17-weeks. Hierarchical linear and multilevel logistic regression-mixed models were used to examine intervention effects, adjusting for baseline values, sex and age. EE was significantly higher at 4-weeks and 17-weeks (29.4 and 37.7 kcal/lesson, respectively), BMI was higher at 4-weeks (0.34 kg/m2), and WC was lower at 4-weeks and 17-weeks (-3.53 and -2.64 cm, respectively) in the intervention compared to the comparison group. No intervention effect was found for musculoskeletal discomfort. Findings provide preliminary indications that these strategies may benefit health among adolescents in the short term. However, extended longer-duration trials are needed to determine longer-term health effects.


Docetaxel based chemotherapy showed survival benefit and emerged as the mainstay of treatment for castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in 2004. However, therapeutic options have expanded rapidly since 2011. The spectrum of new agents is broad and includes drugs that target the androgen axis (enzalutamide, abiraterone), immunotherapy (sipuleucel-T), bone seeking radionuclides (radium-223), and second line chemotherapy (cabazitaxel). In addition, new agents have been developed to reduce skeletal related events (denosumab). Given that docetaxel was the standard first line treatment for metastatic CRPC, the newer oral agents that affect the androgen axis were initially approved in the post-docetaxel setting. However, subsequent randomized trials have led to their approval in the pre-chemotherapy setting as well. Patients with CRPC are clinically heterogeneous, ranging from patients who are asymptomatic and do not have metastases to those with substantial symptoms and both bony and visceral metastases. CRPC is a clinically challenging disease entity, therefore, with a wide array of treatment options and multiple possible sequencing combinations depending on the individual patient. This review will summarize the findings of the randomized trials that led to the approval of the therapies for CRPC. It will also discuss recent guidelines and provide suggestions for sequencing of drugs based on the best available evidence.


The Uganik thrust and correlative faults constitute a major structural boundary between a melange and a deformed turbidite sequence exposed along the continental margin of southwestern Alaska. During under-thrusting between 60 and 70 m.y. B.P., the lower plate of this thrust was completely disrupted as much as 1 km or more below the fault, whereas the upper plate was overprinted by a cleavage inclined to the thrust surface. A new technique utilizing the geometry of the cleavage-thrust intersection provides the basis for determining 37 slip vectors that indicate that the lower plate of the fault was underthrust along a vector that now trends 334° ± 7° and plunges 42°NW. The movement of the Uganik thrust probably was caused by underthrusting of the sea floor. At the 95% confidence level the direction of movement is similar to slip vectors determined from adjacent accreted terranes and confirms the subduction polarity inferred from regional geology.


A poxvirus named carp edema virus (CEV), is the causative agent of carp edema virus disease (CEVD), which is an emerging disease of global concern that may cause high rates of morbidity and mortality in ornamental koi and common carp and. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is the most important fish species for warm‐water aquaculture in Serbia. CEVD was first time detected in Serbia in 2017. During 2017-2020 period, increasing number of CEVD outbreaks in carp farms is reported.  Carp were collected from farms in different regions of Serbia from 2017 to 2020. The fish were sampled for disease diagnosis because they exhibited lethargy and anorexia, which eventually led to mortality. Mortality started with clinical signs of hypoxia while fish swam slowly without escaping reactions. The gills were pale and covered with a thick mucus layer. In advanced cases, the lesions in the gills turned into a necrotizing form. A moderate to high amount of opportunistic freshwater bacteria were isolated from gills of diseased fish. By performing real-time PCR, CEV was detected in 38 samples of diseased carps from 21 carp farms. These outbreaks further confirm the spread of CEVD and the need for practitioners to be vigilant for outbreaks of this disease. To prevent further spreading of the disease, it is very important to introduce CEV testing before fish movement. To avoid further transmission of the virus to common carp populations in Serbia, testing of CEV should become part of fish disease surveillance programs. Fish health service should be aware of the presence of CEV in Serbia which may result in high losses in carp aquaculture. Action should be taken also to prevent transmission of CEV to carp populations in open waters.


When the populations of two species oscillate together, it's a good bet that they are tightly coupled ecologically. Most often, these oscillations occur between predator and prey (or a pathogen and its host), as demonstrated by the famous case of the Canadian lynx and snowshoe hare, documented in the trapping records of the Hudson's Bay Company. This makes sense—as the predator depletes the prey, its own reproduction suffers and its numbers decline; as predation eases, the prey's numbers can grow again.

But is the opposite also true? If the prey's population doesn't fluctuate while the predator's does, may we assume they are not tightly linked in the food web? Among ecologists, this has generally been thought to be the case. But a new study by Takehito Yoshida and colleagues shows that this assumption is not always justified.

The authors noticed some odd population dynamics in studying a rotifer and its food source, a unicellular alga. They observed the pair in a chemostat, an aqueous growth chamber whose nutrient supply is kept steady through a continuous in- and outflow of medium. Observations of the two species have shown that indeed they are tightly linked—the algae are the only food source for the rotifers—and under many conditions within this system, their populations co-oscillate like the lynx and hare. But the authors found that under other conditions, the rotifer's population waxed and waned, while the alga's population remained virtually constant.

It seemed plausible that this unexpected result was due to changes in the relative abundances of at least two algal genotypes: one type more palatable to the rotifer predator and one less so. The authors reasoned that when rotifers became abundant, loss of the more palatable prey genotype might be compensated for by growth of the less palatable type, which no longer had to compete for access to nutrients. The numbers of the unpalatable algal type might grow large and, since it was unpalatable, cause the rotifer population to decline, giving advantage again to the more competitive but also more palatable genotype. As a test, they constructed a mathematical model that included terms for prey abundance, palatability, nutrient competition ability, birth rates, and other variables in the system, and found that it predicted that the two algal genotypes could exhibit exactly the observed population behavior when the fitness cost to the algae of being unpalatable was low. Furthermore, the model predicted a similar result for sexually reproducing species, not just asexual ones such as the alga. Low cost of defense against consumption is seen not only in the algae studied by Yoshida and colleagues, but is a widespread observation in many plant–herbivore interactions.

Cryptic cycling: the rotifer Brachionus exhibits regular cycles in abundance, but the alga Chlorella, on which it feeds, does not—except in its genotype frequencies. The same occurs between the phage T4 and bacteria.

While results from the model were encouraging, the authors did not have direct genotype data from the alga to back it up. Instead, they turned to another pair of interacting species, the bacterium Escherichia coli and the phage virus T4. These experiments used two strains of E. coli, one of which was resistant to attack by the phage and also carried an easily measured genetic marker. Again, they observed a relatively constant total bacterial population in the face of wide swings in phage abundance and confirmed that the population of the vulnerable bacterial strain showed a typical predator–prey cycle with the phage. In one experiment with only a susceptible strain but in which a spontaneous mutation arose to confer resistance, the total bacterial population ceased to oscillate and again stabilized.

The authors call this pattern of predator–prey population changes "cryptic dynamics," because the rapid change in relative genotype frequency in the prey masks the strong interaction between the two species. They predict that such a pattern may occur when the prey species is genetically diverse (as is true almost everywhere outside the laboratory), when the better defended (less palatable) genotype is also a poorer competitor for nutrients, and when the cost of defense is low. The implications of this prediction for understanding natural communities are extensive, the authors believe, since the conditions they propose may occur in a large fraction of trophic interactions. In such cases, they argue, lack of population co-oscillations cannot be taken as evidence that trophic interactions are weak: in other words, when it comes to population dynamics, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.


Abstract How quickly are different kinds of conceptual knowledge activated in action picture naming? Using a masked priming paradigm, we manipulated the prime category type (artificial vs. natural), prime action type (precision, power, vs. neutral grip), and target action type (precision vs. power grip) in action picture naming, while electrophysiological signals were measured concurrently. Naming latencies showed an inhibition effect in the congruent action type condition compared with the neutral condition. ERP results showed that artificial and natural category primes induced smaller waveforms in precision or power action primes than neutral primes in the time window of 100–200 msec. Time–frequency results consistently presented a power desynchronization of the mu rhythm in the time window of 0–210 msec with precision action type artificial objects compared with neutral primes, which localized at the supplementary motor, precentral and postcentral areas in the left hemisphere. These findings suggest an inhibitory effect of affordances arising at conceptual preparation in action picture naming and provide evidence for embodied cognition.


Using the Gramulator, we analyzed the linguistic features of ESL texts and fairy tales. Our goal was to determine if fairy tales had the potential to be used as reading material for English language learners. The results of our analyses suggest that there are significant similarities between fairy tales and ESL texts, but that differences lie in the content of the text types with fairy tales appearing significantly more narrative in style and ESL texts appearing more expository.


In this paper, we focus on the imbalance issue, which is rarely studied in aspect term extraction and aspect sentiment classification when regarding them as sequence labeling tasks. Besides, previous works usually ignore the interaction between aspect terms when labeling polarities. We propose a GRadient hArmonized and CascadEd labeling model (GRACE) to solve these problems. Specifically, a cascaded labeling module is developed to enhance the interchange between aspect terms and improve the attention of sentiment tokens when labeling sentiment polarities. The polarities sequence is designed to depend on the generated aspect terms labels. To alleviate the imbalance issue, we extend the gradient harmonized mechanism used in object detection to the aspect-based sentiment analysis by adjusting the weight of each label dynamically. The proposed GRACE adopts a post-pretraining BERT as its backbone. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves consistency improvement on multiple benchmark datasets and generates state-of-the-art results.


Background: Cervical dystonia, the most common form of dystonia, is a painful and disabling movement disorder primarily of idiopathic etiology. While there is no cure, several modalities have been utilized for symptom management including medications, injections, and deep brain stimulation. Case Report: The patient is a now 75-year-old female with a history of painful cervical dystonia. Despite several other treatment modalities including physical therapy, oral medications, and onabotulinum toxin injections, her symptoms continued to worsen. She underwent serial low volume dextrose intra-nasal irrigation and experienced decreased pain and improved cervical range of motion. She performed dextrose nasal irrigation at regular intervals with sustained improvement in her range of motion until treatment was discontinued. Conclusion: This is the first reported case presentation utilizing intranasal irrigation of dextrose solution for the treatment of cervical dystonia. Intranasal dextrose solution appears to be associated with temporary decrease of pain and improved range of motion in this patient with cervical dystonia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.


The prevalence and intensity of nematodes from the stomach and the prevalence of nematodes in the oral cavity were recorded in the frillneck lizard, Chlamydosaurus kingii, in Kakadu National Park (Australia) between 1991 and 1994, in order to determine whether or not a seasonal pattern was evident. Seven species were recorded; Strongyluris paronai, Skrjabinoptera goldmanae, Abbreviata, confusa, Abbreviata anomala, Physalopteroides filicauda, Kreisiella sp. and a species of Trichostrongyloidea. Only S. paronai showed a seasonal pattern. Only larval S. paronai occurred in stomach samples and larvae of this species occurred seasonally in the oral cavity of C. kingii, substantiating earlier findings that this genus migrates within the host. The occurrence of S. paronai in the oral cavity coincided with the highest prevalence and intensity of S. paronai in stomach samples. This shows a previously unrecorded aspect in the life cycle of this nematode species. Prevalence of S. paronai was positively correlated with ambient temperature which is highest in the months preceding the monsoonal rains, and coincides with an increase in field metabolic rate and general activity of the host.


Background: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is transmitted through blood, infected body fluids, and unsterile needles and surgical equipment. We first determined the current seroprevalence of HBV and vaccination coverage, then assessed knowledge on risk factors for hepatitis B virus infection among medical laboratory workers at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2014, involving health care workers (HCWs) from KCMC. Eligibility for participation in the study was determined by length on employment, provision of consent, and willingness to complete a questionnaire. Recruitment was non-randomised; a simple and consecutive sampling of 85 eligible HCWs was conducted at the hospital during study period. Structured questionnaires were self-administered and consenting participants allowed blood samples to be tested for HBV infection. Blood (4 mL) was obtained by vene-puncture from all participants using sterilised disposable 5 mL syringes and 20 gauge needles. All collected blood was tested for HBsAg using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay according to manufacturer's guidelines. A cut-off point of 10% (P>0.1) was used to select variables to be included in the further analysis. Results: Out of the 76 HCWs eligible to participate in the study, only 8 (10.5%) were vaccinated against HBV. Of the 68 unvaccinated laboratory workers, 9 (11.8%) tested positive for HBsAg. Knowledge about HBV infection and its associated risks was high among medical personnel – where 36.4% scored above 65% – compared with non-medical personnel, none of whom scored as high as 65%. Conclusion: Seroprevalence of HBsAg among laboratory workers at KCMC was 11.8%. Low knowledge of risks for HBV infection placed HCWs at great risk of occupational exposure. Low vaccination coverage among HCWs increases the risk of acquiring HBV infection following occupational exposure.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Pes cavovarus is a complex deformity of the forefoot, the midfoot and the hindfoot, frequently of neuropathologic etiology. The goals of surgical interventions consist of anatomical and functional correction of the foot deformity by soft tissue and bony procedures. Preoperative planning and postoperative assessment are based on clinical and radiographic examination. The present study was undertaken to find out if pedobarographic outcomes correlate with those postoperative results and if the dynamic pedobarography provides useful information in the functional evaluation of cavovarus feet.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Sixteen patients with cavovarus foot deformity (mean age 32.8 years, range 17-56) with a total of 21 feet were examined before and after surgery. The average follow-up time was 24 months (range 6-50). The study protocol included physical examination, angle measurements on weightbearing radiographs and dynamic pedobarography. The patients performed five trials at self-selected speed for each foot. The amount of correlation was established between: plantar peak pressure pattern and patient's subjective functional result, the evidence of callosities and increased peak pressures in forefoot and midfoot regions of interest, the change of calcaneal pitch or Hibbs' angle (first metatarsal - calcaneal axis) and the midfoot contact area.

RESULTS
The patient's functional opinion and pedobarographic improvement of peak pressures correlated in 7 feet, the patients estimated the result better in 13 feet and worse in 1 foot. In 4 regions of interest callosities and increased peak pressures occurred together in 69% of the cases, in 15.5% callosities were observed without augmented peak pressures and in 15.5% increased peak pressures were measured without evidence of callosities. No correlation was found between radiographic and pedobarographic parameters which describe a reduction of the cavus deformity: calcaneal pitch angle and midfoot contact area (Pearson correlation coefficient r=- 0.36), Hibbs' angle and midfoot contact area (r=0.55), although all parameters changed significantly (p=0.001).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Pre- and postoperative assessment of the cavovarus foot is mainly based on static methods such as clinical and radiographic evaluation. The results of this study demonstrate that the dynamic measurement of plantar peak pressures and contact area offers limited information about functional and anatomical improvement after surgery. Patients with severe deformities and muscular discoordination have difficulties walking consistently on the platform at each trial and severe decrease of plantar contact area makes the exact positioning of the masks difficult, which leads to problems with standardised measurements. In this context, the dynamic pedobarography cannot be used as a profitable diagnostic tool which provides an objective measurement that can add a dynamic component to a clinical or radiographic examination.


This study examined the role of family adaptability in moderating the impact of caregiving on psychological adjustment and the relationship between adaptability and marital roles for 54 spouse caregivers to patients with dementia. Greater memory and behavior problems were related to greater burden and depression. For caregivers who were lower in adaptability, longer hours of care were related to greater depression. For caregivers higher in adaptability, hours of care were unrelated to depression. Cluster analysis identified a subset of caregivers lower in adaptability, with a partner who was severely demented, who endorsed a spouse role. These caregivers were the most depressed in the sample. Implications for service providers and suggestions for future research are discussed.


The injunction to innovate which has permeated our societies in the last few decades has had a significant impact on engineers and their training. The idea of progress has since taken a back seat to the quest for innovation which saves time, space and reduces aims to short term performance objectives. However, marked by the technologism and productivism of the 20th century, the idea of innovation has also absorbed the new principles of sustainability and responsibility which have imposed themselves upon engineering research and activities in a henceforth internationalised world. It is within this context that engineer training institutions have sought to counter the injunctions to innovation and the stresses and strains that they produce. Based on three studies carried out in Europe and in several developing countries in North Africa and South East Asia, this article examines the curricula the institutions have implemented in order to observe current trends in innovation training initiatives in relation to locally‐perceived expectations and requirements. We have observed that technologism and productivism, which are still very present in the principles which guide European engineer training, are in competition with the principles of low‐cost engineering which satisfies user requirements and respects environmental constraints. As for the pedagogical initiatives, the phenomena of standardisation and commodification of higher education have led to the development of active learning (projects, problem‐based learning, fablabs, etc.). However, studies demonstrate that pedagogical orientation depends on how innovation is conceptualised and varies according to the scale of the educational institutions. A closer examination of the concepts of innovation reveals the epistemological issues concerning the way the engineering problems have been constructed.


: This study was undertaken because circulatory distrubances had been advanced as a possible cause of death during initial renourishing of protein-calorie deprived children. Body weight, plasma albumin concentration, intravascular volumes (radiochromium), cardiac index (dye dilution technique), intravascular pressures (flow-guided catheterization), and related hemodynamic parameters were determined at rest in 43 infection-free African children with a form of protein-calorie malnutrition known as marasmic kwashiokor, and were compared with values observed in 24 convalescent children. The malnourished children showed a prolonged circulation time with a tendency to bradycardia and hypotension; cardiac index, stroke index, and heart work were significantly reduced, as were the intravascular volumes. Hemodynamic data correlated with either body weight or plasma albumin and cardiac index bore a direct relation to red cell volume. In the most severely malnourished subjects, ventricle filling pressures were low and vascular resistances were high. It is inferred that most patients were in an adaptive hypocirculatory state comparable to hypothroidism, while the most severely malnourished children showed frank peripheral circulatory failure comparable to hypovolemic shock. Circulatory failure on admission was associated with high death rate during treatment but the relation between cause and effect could not be clearly demonstrated.


In order to reduce the burden on the environment, there is a need to develop non-fluorinated electrolyte membranes as alternatives to fluorinated electrolyte membranes, and water electrolysis using hydrocarbon-based electrolyte membranes has been studied in recent years. In this paper, for the first time, we report elevated-temperature water electrolysis properties of crosslinked sulfonated polyphenylsulfone (CSPPSU) membranes prepared by sulfonation and crosslinking of hydrocarbon-based PPSU engineering plastics. The sulfone groups of the CSPPSU membrane in water were stable at 85 °C (3600 h) and 150 °C (2184 h). In addition, the polymer structure of the CSPPSU membrane was stable during small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements from room temperature to 180 °C. A current density of 456 mA/cm2 was obtained at 150 °C and 1.8 V in water electrolysis using the CSPPSU membrane and IrO2/Ti as the catalytic electrode for oxygen evolution. The stability of the CSPPSU membrane at elevated temperatures with time was evaluated. There were some issues in the assembly of the CSPPSU membrane and the catalytic electrode. However, the CSPPSU membrane has the potential to be used as an electrolyte membrane for elevated-temperature water electrolysis.


Objective Our objective in this study was to extend diaphragmatic pacing therapy to include paraplegic patients with high cervical spinal cord injuries between C3 and C5. Introduction Diaphragmatic pacing has been used in patients experiencing ventilator-dependent respiratory failure due to spinal cord injury as a means to reduce or eliminate the need for mechanical ventilation. However, this technique relies on intact phrenic nerve function. Recently, phrenic nerve reconstruction with intercostal nerve grafting has expanded the indications for diaphragmatic pacing. Our study aimed to evaluate early outcomes and efficacy of intercostal nerve transfer in diaphragmatic pacing. Methods Four ventilator-dependent patients with high cervical spinal cord injuries were selected for this study. Each patient demonstrated absence of phrenic nerve function via external neck stimulation and laparoscopic diaphragm mapping. Each patient underwent intercostal to phrenic nerve grafting with implantation of a phrenic nerve pacer. The patients were followed, and ventilator dependence was reassessed at 1 year postoperatively. Results Our primary outcome was measured by the amount of time our patients tolerated off the ventilator per day. We found that all 4 patients have tolerated paced breathing independent of mechanical ventilation, with 1 patient achieving 24 hours of tracheostomy collar. Conclusions From this study, intercostal to phrenic nerve transfer seems to be a promising approach in reducing or eliminating ventilator support in patients with C3 to C5 high spinal cord injury.


THE PURPOSE of this study was to determine whether or not there is an increased incidence of diabetes mellitus in the families of children with nephrotic syndrome. Such a relationship has been alluded to by Dr. J. D. Crawford, Harvard Medical School, at a case presentation on Sept 20, 1965 while visiting our institution, but so far no data have been published. Furthermore, a possible association was suggested by the observation of two patients in whom nephrotic syndrome occurred early in the course of diabetes mellitus but without the histologic lesions of Kimmelstiel-Wilson nephropathy. Materials and Methods Patients. —One hundred twenty-five children with nephrotic syndrome seen at the Mayo Clinic in the years 1953 through 1962 were used as the study probands. The mean age of these children was 5 years at the time of their initial visit. All of them were of Caucasian extraction except one Chinese boy. For