Data aggregation scheduling, or converge cast, is a fundamental pattern of communication in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where sensor nodes aggregate and relay data to a sink node. For WSN applications that require fast response time, it is imperative that the data reaches the sink as fast as possible. For such timeliness guarantees, TDMA-based scheduling can be used to assign time slots to nodes in which they can transmit messages. However, any slot assignment approach needs to be cognisant of the fact that crash failures can occur (e.g., due to battery exhaustion, defective hardware). In this paper, we study the design of such data aggregation scheduling (converge cast) protocols. We make the following contributions: (i) we identify a necessary condition to solve the converge cast problem, (ii) we introduce two versions of the converge cast problem, namely (a) a strong version, and (b) a weak version , (iii) we show that the strong converge cast problem cannot be solved, (iv) we show that deterministic weak converge cast cannot be solved in presence of crash failures, (v) we show that there is no $1$-local algorithm that solves stabilising weak converge cast in presence of crash failures, (vi) we provide a modular $d$-local algorithm that solves stabilising weak converge cast in presence of crash failures where $d$ is the network radius, and (vii) we show how specific instantiations of parameters can lead to an $d$-local algorithm that achieves more efficient stabilization. Our contributions are novel: (i) the first contribution (necessary condition) provides the theoretical basis which explains the structure of existing converge cast algorithms, and (ii) the study of converge cast in presence of crash failures has not previously been studied.


This accessible introdution to statistics using the program Minitab explains when to apply and how to calculate and interpret a wide range of statistical procedures commonly used in the social sciences. Keeping statistical symbols and formulae to a minimum and using simple examples, this book: * Assumes no prior knowledge of statistics or computing * Includes a concise introduction to the program Minitab * Describes a wider range of tests than other introductory texts * Contains a comprehensive range of exercises with answers. Basic Statistics for Social Research will prove an invaluable introductory statistics text for students, and a useful resource for graduates and professionals engaged in research in the social sciences.


Brand commitment studies had gained considerable attention in today's marketing practices. Sustaining the brand competitive advantages become challenging especially in the context of digital marketing. Development of Web 2.0 that enables interactive communication had offered a new mechanism for owner of the brand to strengthen the bond among their admirers and users via online brand community. Attitude and behavior of online brand community members can be crucial to overall brand competitive advantage. This is because brand image and reputation can be praised or tarnished just by one click from the members. Hence, owner of the brand should understand how online brand community commitment could affect overall brand performance. This study attempts to examine how brand trust and brand community commitment among online brand community will affect their brand resonance behavior namely brand referral and intention to purchase new product of the brand in the future. The study among 167 members of online brand community indicate that brand trust and brand community commitment play a significant roles in determining brand community behavior such as brand referral and intention to purchase new product. Discussion and recommendation for future research direction also were discussed in this article.


Stance detection concerns the classification of a writer's viewpoint towards a target. There are different task variants, e.g., stance of a tweet vs. a full article, or stance with respect to a claim vs. an (implicit) topic. Moreover, task definitions vary, which includes the label inventory, the data collection, and the annotation protocol. All these aspects hinder cross-domain studies, as they require changes to standard domain adaptation approaches. In this paper, we perform an in-depth analysis of 16 stance detection datasets, and we explore the possibility for cross-domain learning from them. Moreover, we propose an end-to-end unsupervised framework for out-of-domain prediction of unseen, user-defined labels. In particular, we combine domain adaptation techniques such as mixture of experts and domain-adversarial training with label embeddings, and we demonstrate sizable performance gains over strong baselines, both (i) in-domain, i.e., for seen targets, and (ii) out-of-domain, i.e., for unseen targets. Finally, we perform an exhaustive analysis of the cross-domain results, and we highlight the important factors influencing the model performance.


Background The Health System evolution has led to a transformation of roles and tasks traditionally assigned to the hospital pharmacist; he/she is now required to be an integral part of the healthcare team, in order to support both managed treatment and patient safety. The Veneto Oncological Institute IRCCS (IOV) of Padua has been selected as one of the five Italian centres of excellence in oncology taking part in the project sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Health (July 2010–February 2011), aimed at evaluating the contribution made by the continuous presence of a pharmacist in an oncology department. The monitoring and reporting of Near Misses was one of the outcome indicators of the project. Purpose The aim of the project was to verify the contribution made by the pharmacist in the oncology department in Near Miss reporting. Materials and methods A record of prescriptions (updated daily) was created to monitor all the following situations that could cause near misses: ▶ Sending a non-agreed statim prescription – Difficult to read prescription ▶ Incorrect date – Wrong dosage – Diagnosis not present or incomplete – Non-standardised prescription form Each situation was evaluated in terms of risk. All high-risk prescriptions associated with a near miss were recorded as non-conforming to our Quality System. Results A special register was established, in which the different causes of near misses are recorded. From the creation of the register (October 2010) to 15 February 2011, 50 near misses were recorded classified by event as follows: ▶ sending a non-agreed statim prescription (17 cases) ▶ difficult-to-read prescription (20 cases; an incident reporting form was completed for one of them) ▶ wrong dosage (5 cases) ▶ mixed up labels (1 case) ▶ error in calculating the length of cycle (2 cases) ▶ wrong prescription (2 cases) ▶ wrong protocol used (3 cases: trastuzumab 2 mg/kg instead of trastuzumab 8 mg/kg) Since November 1st 2011, prescribing has been computerised. The Oncosys medical record, after 18 months of validation, is the only prescribing system used at the moment in our hospital (IOV) for cancer treatment. Introducing the near-miss register is still in progress so a comparative evaluation of pre and postcomputerisation data was not yet possible. At present a reduction in near misses of up to 60% has been recorded. Conclusions The recorded cases of near misses have stimulated the development of standardised protocols, computerisation of medical records and increased awareness of potential medicines errors in the physicians and other healthcare staff. The integration of department pharmacists in the multidisciplinary oncological staff significantly contributes to patient safety, ensuring appropriate prescribing and reducing medical errors and adverse drug effects. Moreover, cooperation within a multidisciplinary team enabled the shared setting up of a fully computerised and safe system for diagnosis and treatment.


CP Snow's mid-century idea that a "third culture" might come into being to connect arts and science is perhaps most publically realised today through art-science - a heterogeneous field of creative research and production, characterised by the collaboration of artists and scientists and by research combining scientific and aesthetic investigation. This paper reports on the development of a new method for investigating the value of third culture collaboration for both the expert collaborators involved (artists and scientists) and the audiences who engage with the work. The visual matrix is a recently developed psychosocial method for evaluating aesthetic experience, which has been used in various sociallyengaged and site-specific art contexts. In 2014 it was experimentally applied to two art-science exhibitions staged in the UNSW Galleries, Sydney: Amnesia Lab and Body Image. This paper discusses the unique potential of this method to capture the shared, complex, emergent and transformative aspects of the experience of these exhibitions. In particular it highlights the ability of the method to capture the emergence of a "third space" at the intersection of art and science in the public domain ‐ a site of trans disciplinary engagement, enquiry and knowledge production that plays a vital role in the contemporary research landscape.


This book is a survey of work on passage times in stable Markov chains with a discrete state space and a continuous time. Passage times have been investigated since early days of probability theory and its applications. The best known example is the first entrance time to a set, which embraces waiting times, busy periods, absorption problems, extinction phenomena, etc. Another example of great interest is the last exit time from a set. The book presents a unifying treatment of passage times, written in a systematic manner and based on modern developments. The appropriate unifying framework is provided by probabilistic potential theory, and the results presented in the text are interpreted from this point of view. In particular, the crucial role of the Dirichlet problem and the Poisson equation is stressed. The work is addressed to applied probalilists, and to those who are interested in applications of probabilistic methods in their own areas of interest. The level of presentation is that of a graduate text in applied stochastic processes. Hence, clarity of presentation takes precedence over secondary mathematical details whenever no serious harm may be expected. Advanced concepts described in the text gain nowadays growing acceptance in applied fields, and it is hoped that this work will serve as an useful introduction. Abstracted by Mathematical Reviews, issue 94c


Techniques for combining geochemical data from a till survey (2438 samples) and a lake sediment survey (17 447 samples) are assessed to determine a rigorous method for comparing the two sampling media. This study is based on five elements, (Cu, Ni, Fe, Pb and Zn) from overlapping geochemical surveys in Labrador, Canada. Two methods for comparing the till and lake sediment geochemical data are: (1) gridding and (2) nearest neighbour. Pearson correlation coefficients between media are low (<0.2) for Cu, Fe and Zn and only Ni has a correlation significant at the 95% confidence level (r2 = 0.45). Results from gridding show slightly higher correlations. Differences are most evident at the extremes, as anomalously high element concentrations in one medium typically do not correlate with high values in the other medium. Correlations between media increase as distance decreases for Ni, Pb and Zn; however, no such trend is evident for Cu or Fe. The nearest neighbour method has several advantages: this procedure retains the original data and it permits calculation of statistics such as distance and direction between the points. The differences between the geochemical results from the two media highlight the synergistic value of multi-media geochemical sampling.


The technological evolution directly influences all areas of social life, a particular place being hold by the field of education. Starting from the hypothesis according to which the modern information and communication technologies have become tools of universal utility, a new manner of thinking and behavior is required in order for teachers/instructors/educators to cope with any new challenge.
The standard education system is going through a period of redefinition, which is based on the increasingly access of general public to Internet. The prefix "e" has become a mark of the current educational system, while the "e-learning" platform is aiming to be a substitute for conventional courses held in auditoriums of great universities.
The platform can be also adapted, regarding necessities, to other activities concerning the training of the Romanian military personnel. The adoption of this educational platform within the Romanian military educational system is a stringent necessity and the seemingly limitless possibilities of development regarding this platform represent the new challenge for those involved in its reorganization. This is not an objective very difficult to reach, given the rigorous character specific to the military system which is configured on rapid and secured data and information transmission networks, on direct communication as well as on protected and secured access to sources and data bases.
The e-learning platform gives the military personnel access to a modern high-quality educational system, designed to meet the specific needs in the domain and available anywhere, anytime, at lower costs. This ensures personnel mobility as well as the necessary training with substantial resources savings.


This volume presents results of a variety of case studies documenting the Late Palaeozoic climate changes and cyclicity of deposition. The collected papers cover many aspects related to palaeoenvironmental analysis with sedimentological, stratigraphic, palaeobiological, geochemical, and palaeomagnetic studies of the fossil record around the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age and soon after. They span a stratigraphic interval from Carboniferous to Permian–Triassic transition around the world. This book comprising results for a range of disciplines, is a valuable source for not only researchers who are actively working on specific aspects of the Late Palaeozoic and looking for an up-to-date reference on this inhospitable time in the Earth's history. It is also of interest to climate modellers and the wider scientific community with an interest in the latest research on the decline of the Palaeozoic World.


A team is backed into a 4th-and-26 from their own 25, down 3 points. What are the odds that drive ends in a field goal? In the 2003 playoffs, Donovan McNabb and the Eagles scoffed at such a probability as they converted and ultimately kicked a field goal to send the game into overtime. This study creates a mathematical model of a football drive that can calculate such probabilities, labeling down, distance, and yard line into states in an absorbing Markov chain. The Markov model provides a basic framework for evaluating play in football. With all the details of the model—absorption probabilities, expected time until absorption, expected points—we gain a much greater situational understanding for in-game analysis.


The { l014} surfaces of optical quality calcite (Iceland spar) were examined in air using scanning force microscopy (SFM) immediately after cleavage and during the hours and days that followed. In the absence of a visible contacting solution phase, spontaneous realTangement of the surface was observed. Images with nanometer-scale resolution showed the formation of hillocks and holes on terraces and cleavage steps; thickness or depth varied from one to ten calcite monolayers (3-30 A). The rate of surface change varied with geochemical system parameters such as humidity and partial pressure of N, and COr, but instrument parameters such as imaging force, tip composition, scanning rate, and reimaging frequency had almost no effect. On the basis of previous work documenting the existence of surface-hydration species and a layer of molecular water on samples exposed only to air, we interpret that the observed process results from dissolution and reprecipitation within an invisible layer of water that is adsorbed from air following cleavage. The dynamic nature of calcite surfaces has important implications in conceptual models for the behavior of adsorbed trace metals in unsaturated porous media or arid climates and also for attack on "dry" statues and building stones under acidic atmospheres.


This paper investigates the large deflection of rectilinear orthotropic square and circular plates. Some types of irregular rectangular meshes are studied and an appropriate mesh to treat the curved boundary in orthotropic circular plate is introduced. The DXDR method, a modified Dynamic relaxation method, is used as an equation solver in the iteration procedure. The results obtained from plate analyses demonstrate the potential of the employed mesh. The present results of isotropic and orthotropic square and circular plates are in good agreement with some available data.


A total of 7244 Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides, Walbaum) were tagged in Greenland waters between 1986 and 1998 to increase information on stock delineations, to clarify migration routes, and to describe the seasonal movements of fjord populations. At present 517 recaptured Greenland halibut have been recorded. For Greenland halibut released in Davis Strait, Baffin Bay, and the fjords of southwestern and eastern Greenland, a substantial portion of recovered fish demonstrated migratory behavior, up to 2500 km, primarily to Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland. The recaptured fish provided evidence of intermingling between the population in Denmark Strait and the populations in Davis Strait and the southwest Greenland fjords. These observations support those of other studies that indicate that Greenland halibut inhabiting Davis Strait and the fjords of southwestern and eastern Greenland originate in the spawning grounds west of Iceland. The high mobility of offshore Greenland halibut within Baffin Bay and Davis Strait suggests that Greenland halibut migrate extensively between feeding and spawning areas. Greenland halibut in the fjords of northwestern Greenland appear to be resident in behavior and do not intermingle with offshore or more southerly inshore populations. A seasonal pattern in the recovery of these fish indicates that Greenland halibut aggregate in the inner part of fjords during the second half of the year (when inshore waters are not covered with ice).


Background and Objectives Algodystrophy or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy is a localised chronic pain syndrome characterised by extreme and persistent pain, functional disability and refusal of mobilisation of a specific segment. Algodystrophy in children has several specific characteristics that are distinct from the disease seen in adults. Psychological stress and other psychological comorbidities play a prominent role in children, with frequent reports of a previous history of familiar problems, bullying or sexual abuse. Significant preceding trauma is not a common event in most paediatric series, as well as previous severe disease. This condition is more common in adolescent girls and pain typically occurs in a single lower extremity. Radiographs of the affected extremity are usually normal in paediatric patients and technetium bone scintigraphy usually show decrease uptake. Pharmacologic agents have a limited role in the treatment of these children. A multidisciplinary approach should be performed, including psychological, behavioural and occupational therapy. The authors present three case reports of Algodystrophy in children. Material and Methods Three patients from a Portuguese Pediatric Rheumatology centre. Results The first case is a ten year old girl presenting with severe arthralgia, diffuse edema and refusal to use the left foot which was experience a history of bulling in school. The second report of an eight year old girl, with a previous injury reported, presenting with arthralgia, allodynia and refusal to use the right foot, also with a previous history of bullying. And a third case of sixteen year old girl with severe pain, edema, cyanosis and functional impairment of her right hand that progress to addition of her left leg in which a history of previous sexual abuse has been found. One of these patients has been previous and wrongly treated with anti-TNF agents, without any clinical result. Conclusions The diagnosis of Algodystrophy in children must lead to a careful investigation of an underlying psychological cause. Its correction is the only way that allows a correct approach of these children and adolescents and enables to provide the best medical care.


Herein novel crab-like biological-based glycoluril with sulfonic acid tags, namely glycoluril tetrakis(butane-1-sulfonic acid) (GTBSA), was prepared in nano-size form and fully characterized via several techniques, such as 1H and 13C NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), CHNS analysis, mass spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal gravimetric analysis (DTG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is proved that this novel nanostructured catalyst is an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of novel spiropyrans via the one-pot multi-component condensation of isatine, naphthalene-2,3-diol or 2,5-dihydroxycyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione, and malononitrile or 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in refluxing water. The mild reaction conditions, easy work-up, good to excellent yields and reusability of the catalyst are the major advantages of the described procedure. Results from DPPH radical scavenging assays showed that the synthesized compounds have eminent antioxidant efficacies (IC50 : 0.16 ± 0.01 to 0.55 ± 0.02 mg mL−1). Moreover, the in vitro antibacterial activities of the compounds were assessed against 4 Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains via a disc diffusion method. The results showed that compounds 2S and 3S possess high suitability for E. coli growth inhibition, comparable to the positive control gentamicin.


During the refractory period that follows ejaculation, the male rat regularly emits 22-kilohertz vocalizations. These cease after about three-fourths of the total period has elapsed, and this corresponds to an "absolute refractory period" during which the male cannot spontaneously initiate copulation. Similar 22-kilohertz vocalizations occur in other social contexts, and in general they appear to be desist-contact signals.


The Territory of Alaska comprises more than 600,000 sq. mi. Increasing interest in the northern and central provinces as well as the southern province developed in 1957. The northern province, including the Arctic coastal plain, has been withheld from public entry as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 and by Public Land Order No. 82. The U.S. Department of the Interior has recently announced lands withheld under P.L.O. No. 82 will be opened in 1958. The central province including the Porcupine, Koyukuk, Bethel, and Nushagak regions is in a very early stage of exploration. Acreage leased in these regions by the end of 1957 probably exceeds 10 million acres. Surface geological investigations during 1957 totaled 21 party-months and seismic and magnetometer surveys 6 party-months. The southern Alaska province includes the Copper River, Cook Inlet, Alaska Peninsula, and St. Elias-Coastal regions. Drilling activity increased 4-fold in 1957 over 1956. The total footage drilled in 1957 was 52,480 ft. as compared with 15,168 ft. in 1956. Drilling in the Cook Inlet basin resulted in a major discovery that may develop into the first substantial commercial production in Alaska. In the Copper River basin no new activity except leasing took place in 1957. Total filings in the basin were approximately 2 million acres. In the Cook Inlet basin the Richfield Oil Corporation's Swanson River Unit No. 1 was completed for 900 b/d from 11,150 to 11,215 ft. in Tertiary sands. The well was located on the basis of seismic and surface data and is the first deep test in the basin. Following the discovery, competitive lease activity ensued and leases or applications to lease cover the basin. In the St. Elias-Coastal region the Phillips Petroleum Company and Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, Inc. abandoned their Sullivan No. 2 as a dry hole at 12,048 ft. and terminated their development contract with the U. S. Department of the Interior. The Colorado Oil and Gas Corporation abandoned its Yakutat No. 1 at 9,314 ft. and at the end of the year was drilling ahead at about 10,500 ft. on its Yakutat No. A-1. Nearly all of the accessible land in this region was leased or under application. In the Alaska Peninsula region Iniskin Unit Operator, Inc. tested its Beal No. 1, total depth 9,746 ft., and received oil and gas indications. The Humble Oil and Refining Company and Shell Oil Company's Bear Creek Unit No. 1 was drilling at 6,586 ft. at the end of the year. About 3 million acres were leased or under application in the region. Exploration in Alaska is expected to increase sharply in 1958 over 1957.


While popular cultural representations portray the "new father" of the past two decades as more involved, more nurturing, and capable of coparenting, many argue that actual fathering conduct has not kept pace. Others, however, question the extent to which the culture of fatherhood does indeed support involved fathering and, if so, what this involvement entails. This study aims to contribute to the exploration of the culture of fatherhood through an analysis of a yearlong Canadian newspaper series dedicated to family issues. Findings suggest that through representations of parental guilt, parental responsibility, work–family balance issues, and hegemonic masculinity, mothers continue to be positioned as primary parents. Support for father involvement, to the extent that it exists, occurs within the framework of fathers as part-time, secondary parents whose relationship with children remains less important than mothers'.


BACKGROUND: Refractive errors are considered public health problem and most common human disorders with a considerable economic and health impact. An increasing trend in prevalence rate of refractive errors is due to environmental factors such as progressively more competitive education system, increased educational level and different occupation. People with higher educational level and low socioeconomic conditions are considered at high risk of myopia. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of different refractive errors with literacy level and to investigate which type of refractive error is more common as duration of education increases. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Patients visiting Eye OPD Mayo Hospital Lahore, refraction room having refractive errors were examined.100 patients in age group 15 to 50 years were included in this study. Retinoscopy and subjective refraction was done in individuals having mild to moderate refractive error. Then they were asked about their literacy level and occupation. Educated patients were grouped in Literate group and uneducated were grouped in Illiterate group. Literate group was further documented as formal education and religious education. Formal education was subdivided in matriculation level, intermediate level, graduation level and post-graduation level. RESULTS: In this study 44% refractive error was observed in students. At graduation level myopia was more common refractive error as compare to hyperopia and astigmatism. Moreover, myopia was associated with higher literacy level. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that refractive errors are associated with literacy level and among all refractive errors myopia is found to be strongly associated with educational level.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the electrochemical corrosion mechanism of AZ31 magnesium alloy by monitoring acoustic emission (AE). AE signals were monitored in situ during the potentiodynamic corrosion test. Evolution of AE signal appeared to be divided into four distinct stages (AE stage I, II, III, and IV) according to the corrosion time and mechanism. AE characteristics in each AE stage were correlated with the bubble behavior, re ecting corrosion mechanism. This interpretation was veri ed with the simultaneous observation of corrosion bubbling by video camera. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2016302]


The sustained progress of very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) technology has dramatically increased the likelihood of the antenna problem in the manufacturing process and calls for corresponding considerations in the routing stage. In this paper, the authors propose a technique that can handle the antenna problem during the layer-assignment (LA) stage, which is an important step between global routing and detailed routing. The antenna-avoidance problem is modeled as a tree-partitioning problem with a linear-time-optimal-algorithm solution. This algorithm is customized to guide antenna avoidance in the LA stage. A linear-time optimal jumper-insertion algorithm is also derived. Experimental results on benchmark circuits show that the proposed techniques can lead to an average of 76% antenna-violation reduction and 99% via-violation reduction.


The Asian subspecies Gelochelidon nilotica affinis of Gull-billed Tern breeds in Asia and migrates to northern Australia during its non-breeding season, which is the Australian wet season/summer. A substantial non-breeding population of this tern occurs in northwestern Australia and it is also an uncommon but regular visitor to the northern coasts of Queensland. However, G. nilotica affinis remains infrequently reported in the Top End. This fact has prompted us formally to report its occurrence in the Darwin region. Interestingly, our own and other recent reports fall outside its normal wet season/summer visiting period in northern Australia. We comment on the importance of recognising and recording this migratory tern, which is separable from the Australian-breeding subspecies (G. affinis macrotarsa) with some care in the field, and include some guidelines to identification of these terns in the field.


RNA interference (RNAi) is induced both artificially to knockdown gene expression and naturally during virus infection as a host defense mechanism. Although genetic studies have provided a biochemical framework for RNAi, little is known if key steps in the RNAi pathway can be inhibited by small molecules. This dissertation describes a cell-based small molecule screen to assay for the suppression of naturally occurring RNAi in Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells induced by viral RNA replication. This screen resulted in the identification of twenty lead compounds in the primary screen that were narrowed down to five RNAi inhibitors (RINs) in the secondary screen by Northern blot analysis. Genetic and biochemical approaches were taken subsequently to determine the targets of these RINs in the RNAi pathway. In Drosophila melanogaster, RNAi begins with the dicing of long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) by the nuclease Dicer-2. This is followed by the assembly of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) that contains a single-stranded siRNA bound to the RNaseH-like Argonaute-2 (Ago2) and cleaves the target mRNA that is complementary to the siRNA. The first set of experiments in this study divided the five RIN compounds into two groups. Although all of the RIN compounds were highly potent in the suppression of RNAi triggered in S2 cells by long dsRNA, artificial initiation of RNAi by synthetic siRNA was also inhibited by RINs 4 and 5, but not by RINs 1-3. These findings indicate that RINs 1-3 target the upstream steps of the RNAi pathway while RINs 4 and 5 target the downstream steps. Further biochemical experiments demonstrated that RINs 1 and 2 inhibited the dicing of long dsRNA into siRNAs and that RIN5 blocked cleavage (slicing) of target mRNA mediated by an siRNA-programmed RISC. These results demonstrate for the first time that both dicing and slicing in the core RNAi pathway can be targeted for inhibition by small molecules. The last set of experiments determined if the RIN compounds were able to suppress the RNAi-mediated antiviral immunity triggered by infection initiated by virion inoculation. Both Flock house virus (FHV) and Cricket paralysis virus (CrPV) replicated to much higher levels in S2 cells following treatment with each RIN compound and RINs 3, 4 and 5 dramatically enhanced the cytopathic effect of both positive-strand RNA viruses. The B2 protein encoded by FHV is a virus suppressor of RNAi (VSR) indispensable for infection of S2 cells. In the absence of RNAi suppression, the B2-deficient mutant of FHV (FHVf´B2) is rapidly cleared in S2 cells following challenge inoculation with viral particles unless RNAi is suppressed in S2 cells, for example, by Ago2 depletion. Treatment of S2 cells with each of the five RIN compounds enhanced the accumulation of FHVf´B2. Notably, FHVf´B2 replicated to similarly high levels in Ago2-depleted S2 cells and S2 cells treated with RIN5. Moreover, both RINs 2 and 5 enhanced the accumulation and virulence of FHV in adult flies and RIN treatment of Caenorhabditis elegans also partially inhibited RNAi induced by a B2-deficient replicon of FHV or exogenous dsRNA.In summary, the experiments detailed in this body of work established a cell-based screen for the identification of small molecule antagonists of RNAi. These experiments also provided a pipeline of experiments to establish where and how the identified compounds affect the RNAi pathway.


Mannose 6-phosphate-specific receptors with an apparent molecular mass of 215,000 are present in fibroblasts at the cell surface and in intracellular membranes. The cell surface receptors mediate endocytosis of exogenous lysosomal enzymes and exchange with the intracellular receptors, which function in the sorting of endogenous lysosomal enzymes. In the present study, several methods independent of receptor ligands were designed in order to examine the exchange of receptors under conditions where receptor-ligand complexes do not dissociate (weak bases and monensin) or where receptor-ligand complexes are not formed due to absence of endogenous ligands as a result of inhibition of protein synthesis. Weak bases and monensin reduce the concentration of receptors at the cell surface by 20-30% and free cell surface receptors were replaced by occupied receptors. The latter continued to be exchanged with internal ligand-occupied receptors and the rates of the exchange were similar to the control values. The exchange of receptors between the cell surface and internal membranes was also not affected when the receptor ligands were depleted from the transport compartments by treating the cells with cycloheximide for up to 10 h. We conclude from these results that movement of mannose 6-phosphate- specific receptors along the endocytosis and sorting pathways is constitutive and not triggered by binding or dissociation of ligands.


: It is suggested that the numerous variants of diverticula occurring in the region of the major duodenal papilla should be grouped into four types. Type I--the major duodenal papilla (MDP) is on the floor of the diverticulum; type II--the MDP is in the region of the lower ++semi-circumference of the diverticular orifice while the longitudinal fold runs radially on the wall of the diverticulum; type III--the MDP is in the region of the orifice of the diverticulum while the longitudinal fold does not pass on its wall; type IV--two diverticula located above the MDP to both sides of the longitudinal fold. Endoscopic papillosphincterotomy is considered contraindicated in patients with type I diverticulum. When indicated, the intervention was carried out in patients with types III and IV diverticula. Endoscopic papillosphincterotomy can be conducted in patients with type II diverticulum measuring more than 2 cm.


Since 2010, Chile has experienced one of the most severe droughts over the last century, the so-called mega-drought (MD). The MD conditions, combined with intensive agricultural activities and the current water management system, have led to water scarcity problems in Mediterranean and Semi-arid regions of Chile. An emblematic case is the Petorca basin, where a water crisis is undergone. To characterize this crisis, we analyzed water provision by using tree-ring records, remote sensing, instrumental data, and allocated water rights within the basin. Results indicate that the MD is the most severe dry period over the last 700-years of streamflow reconstruction. During the MD, streamflow and water bodies of the upper parts of the basin have been less affected than mid and low areas of this valley, where consumptive withdrawals reach up to 18% of the mean annual precipitation. This extracted volume is similar to the MD mean annual precipitation deficits. The impacts of the current drought, along with the drier climate projections for Central Chile, emphasize the urgency for faster policy changes related to water provision. Climate change adaptation plans and policies should enhance the current monitoring network and the public control of water use to secure the water access for inhabitants and productive activities.


We introduce a general implementation of the recently proposed homogenization theory [Tsukerman, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 28, 577 (2011)] allowing one to retrieve all 36 linear constitutive parameters of any 3D metamaterial with parallelepipedal unit cells. The effective parameters are defined directly as linear relations between pairs of coarse-grained fields, in contrast with methods where these parameters are obtained from reflection and transmission data or other indirect considerations. The method is applied to plasmonic metamaterials with spherical gold particles and split-ring resonators (SRR), respectively. In both cases, the expected physical behavior is reproduced almost perfectly, with no unphysical artifacts.


The diagnostic value in polycythemia of the presence of endogenous erythroid colonies derived from bone marrow cells (EECs) was assessed in a prospective study on 108 patients referred for polycythemia (Hb greater than g/dL in men, greater than 16 g/dL in women) with normal plasma volume by comparison with the standard criteria, the bone marrow grade, and the serum erythropoietin (Epo) level. Total red cell volume (TRCV) was high (greater than 36 mL/kg in men, 32 mL/kg in women) in 87 cases (group A) and slightly increased in 21 cases (group B). Standard criteria were applicable in 63 of 108 cases (57%); 46 were PV and 17 were secondary polycythemia (SP). Standard criteria were nonapplicable in 45 cases. EECs were present in 65 cases (60%) with a ratio of EEC/Epo-stimulated colonies of 39.5% +/- 18% (extremes 10% to 80%). EECs were noted in 43 of 46 polycythemia vera (PV) and 0 of 17 SP. Among the 45 unclassified cases, EECs were noted in 22: 18 of 29 cases from group A (10 with 2 major and 1 minor criteria; 8 with 2 major criteria) and 4 of 16 cases from group B (with variable standard criteria, 2 belonging to a PV family). In group A, there was a positive significant correlation between EECs and the presence of two major and 1 minor criteria (P less than .0001). In group B, there was a positive significant correlation between EECs and the presence of at least 1 major criterion and 2 minor criteria or a family background (P less than .0001). The unclassified polycythemias with EECs in the bone marrow are characterized by a bone marrow grade and a mean serum Epo level not different from that of patients with PV and an active course of the disease. The unclassified polycythemias without EECs in the bone marrow are a heterogeneous group corresponding in some cases to SPs of unknown origin (slightly increased bone marrow grade and/or high serum Epo level), and in others cases to spurious polycythemias (normal bone marrow grade and/or normal Epo level). In conclusion, EECs were of great value in differentiating PV from SP (P less than .001), and in allowing the diagnosis of PV in the absence of all the standard criteria even when TRCV was slightly increased. In our study, EEC improved the classification of polycythemia by 22%. The recommended diagnostic steps for the evaluation of polycythemia must be reconsidered.


Abstract Culex coronator Dyar and Knab and Culex usquatus Dyar belong to the Coronator Group of the subgenus Culex. Culex coronator and Cx. usquatus are widespread and sympatric throughout their distribution range, which includes Brazil. Morphological identification of these species is based primarily on the characteristics of the male genitalia; females are indistinguishable using the qualitative characteristics employed in identification keys. The primary objective of this study was to distinguish females of Cx. coronator from those of Cx. usquatus employing both wing geometric morphometrics, and DNA sequences (NADH5, COI, Hunchback, and CAD). Additionally, we employed the isolation with migration model (IMa) to evaluate: 1) the migration rates and 2) the divergence time, between Cx. coronator and Cx. usquatus. Specimens were captured in Pariquera-Açu and Cananéia south-eastern São Paulo, Ribeira Valley, Brazil. Canonical variate analysis (CVA) demonstrated two groups in the morphospace. The accuracy of species recognition was moderate (82.6%) for Cx. coronator and low (60.8%) for Cx. usquatus. Bayesian analyses of concatenated gene sequences recovered from specimens of Cx. coronator separated the species into three lineages (herein referred to as Culex coronator A, B, and C), whereas Cx. usquatus specimens clustered into a single lineage. Lineages A and B of Cx. coronator intermixed with specimens of Cx. usquatus, and one specimen of Cx. coronator clustered into the Cx. usquatus lineage. The IMa analysis indicated that the divergence of Cx. coronator and Cx. usquatus is a slow process, with some degree of gene flow between the two species.


Commerce always requires an institutional embedment. Basically, private Institutions as well as state institutions can provide the normative good of legal certainty understood as the enforceability of contractual commitments. While for domestic commerce, the balance between the importance of private and state institutions is almost equal, economic globalization leads to a decrease in the relative weight of public institutions and to a corresponding increase in the overall importance of private institutions for international commerce. This trend of internationalization and privatization of responsibility for the provision of legal certainty combine to what we call the transnationalisation of commercial law. Drawing on five case studies, in this paper we try to explain why today private institutions are of greater importance for cross-border transactions than state or multinational institutions. One the one hand, the first two studies show that there is no real practical need for multinational institutions for cross-border commerce. First, the modern information and communication technology strengthen the effectiveness of reputation-based mechanisms - relational contracts and reputational networks - for the safeguarding of cross-border transactions. Second, vertical integration in general and intra-firm trade in particular offer effective alternatives to market exchange. One the other hand, some private institutions can offer more than safeguarding commercial transactions as they can guarantee to a certain extent a respect of fairness and public policy issues. In maritime law, the third case study, it can be shown that private actors can achieve a fair arrangement for all stakeholders by allowing them to participate in the process of norm-formation in a transparent process. The fourth study in international commercial arbitration shows that international arbitration courts respect national mandatory rules and produce new transnational mandatory rules. However, the transnationalisation of commercial law leads to the trend of the vanishing trial: National Courts register less commercial disputes which does not come without cost. The fifth case study explains possible reasons for the decreasing number of commercial cases in German courts.


We propose a new digital background calibration method for capacitor mismatches in pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). It combines commutated feedback capacitor switching with a background digital correlation loop to extract capacitor mismatch information, which is subsequently used to correct errors caused by the mismatch. This is an all-digital technique requiring minimal extra digital circuits, and is applicable to both single-bit and multibit-per-stage architectures. Simulations with a 15-stage, 1.5-bit-per-stage pipelined ADC with capacitor mismatch of sigma = 0.25% in each stage show that the technique improves signal-to-noise-distortion ratio from 62 dB (10 bits) to 94 dB (15.4 bits).


Critical discussions of Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher have often noted the film's tendency to suspend narrative movement in moments of tableau vivant, and its frequent mise-en-abime framings, both of which self-consciously mimic the look of paintings and photographs. Such techniques confirm film's profound affinities with the so-called 'static' media of painting and photography, but also foreground what Laura Mulvey calls the 'fundamental, and irreconcilable, opposition between stillness and movement' that defines filmic materiality and distinguishes it from other visual arts (2006: 67). This chapter engages with some of these questions in relation to Ratcatcher's DVD format, to look in particular at the stills gallery feature. The DVD format brings another form of visibility to the film's wider narrative and aesthetic interest in stillness as the still-moving binary inherent in celluloid is displaced onto, and remediated by, the electronic screen. Drawing from debates about intermediality and digital spectatorship, this chapter considers how the stills gallery participates in Ratcatcher's questioning of aesthetic polarities, challenging divisions between 'old' and 'new' media. In tadem, it considers in particular the ways in which the distinctive textual properties and features of DVD – such as interactivity, electronic displays, stills galleries, commentaries, 'making of' featurettes, short films, and so forth – may be said to transform the experience of spectatorship and its spatial and temporal framing. By foregrounding and embracing the material hybridity and intermedial potential of both still and moving images, Ratcatcher points toward the emergence of what Laura Mulvey, D.N. Rodowick (2007), and other scholars have identified as a new ontology in which, to quote Mulvey, 'ambivalence, impurity and uncertainty displace […] traditional oppositions' (2006: 12). More specifically, I argue that the stills gallery feature insists on an experience of the uncanny that is given renewed importance in an era of digital spectatorship.


: The effects of light exposure on plasma concentrations of melatonin, LH, FSH and prolactin were studied in 11 normal cycling women during their follicular phases. Blood samples were obtained via an indwelling venous catheter every 10 min. for 2.5 hours starting at 9:30 and 21:30h. For the blood samplings taken at night, six women were kept in a dark room and were permitted to sleep. Their blood samples were obtained using a flashlight (5-10 lux) without their rest being disturbed. However, the other five women were exposed to light (3,000 lux at eye level) and awakened from 22:40 to 24:00h. Plasma melatonin concentrations in the morning decreased from 48.7 +/- 11.6 pg/ml at 9:30h to 24.7 +/- 4.0 pg/ml at 12:00h. On the other hand, plasma melatonin concentrations at night increased from 65.4 +/- 9.6 pg/ml at 21:30h to 138.2 +/- 28.6 pg/ml at 24:00h. The pulsatile LH secretion was changed from the type of "high frequency, low amplitude" in the morning to the type of "low frequency, high amplitude" at night. Nocturnal FSH concentrations were lower than diurnal ones, but nocturnal prolactin concentrations were higher than diurnal ones. Nocturnal concentrations of melatonin were suppressed 40 min. after the light exposure (from 117.4 +/- 11.4 pg/ml at 22:40h to 74.6 +/- 13.9 pg/ml at 23:20h). On the the other hand, the light exposure increased plasma prolactin concentrations from 10.9 +/- 4.1 ng/ml at 22:40h to 17.0 +/- 4.4 ng/ml at 22:50h, maintained those higher levels for 20 min. and decreased them gradually after 23:20h. With the light exposure, mean values of nocturnal LH concentrations were increased from 11.9 +/- 1.5 mIU/ml before exposure to 14.2 +/- 1.8 mIU/ml after exposure, and those of FSH were also increased from 5.9 +/- 0.4 mIU/ml to 6.3 +/- 0.4 mIU/ml. These results showed that the secretion of melatonin, as well as LH, FSH and prolactin had daily rhythms and that melatonin and prolactin showed different responses to light exposure, suggesting different control mechanisms for the secretion of those two hormones.


In response to growing calls for racial diversity and inclusion in academia, this article offers a framework for decolonisation of the Australasian Marketing Academy. The purpose of our framework is to help shape the adoption of diversity and inclusion practices in a way that promotes knowledge democracy and amplification of underrepresented voices within the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy. This article is thus both a reflective piece and a roadmap to guide the Academy's journey to decolonisation and representation of its minority members. First, our article highlights experiences of marginalisation in the Australasian context, and the reported barriers to diversity and inclusion of minority voices. Next, we propose our framework which aims to collapse these barriers in favour of a more equitable, cultural, and intellectual convergence, wherein the invisibility of minority scholarship can become as visible and as legitimate as the majority.


Real state spending per capita has increased fourfold in North Carolina since 1970. Three sources of revenue allowed for this increase: (1) tax increases, (2) increased debt, and (3) increased federal transfers. The latter two revenue sources have served to mask the true cost of increased spending—that is, they have created a fiscal illusion by transferring costs to future generations of workers and by dispersing costs across all federal taxpayers and debt holders. We argue that despite recent reforms, North Carolina's long-run spending trend is unsustainable. To return the state to long-term fiscal solvency, reforms must likewise be focused on long-term institutional incentives. To be competitive with other states, North Carolina's taxes, regulations, and property rights protections must all be competitive.


This work is addressed to the problem of cluster validation to determine the right number of clusters. We consider a cluster stability property based on the k nearest neighbor type coincidences model. Cluster quality is measured by the deviations from this model such that good constructed clusters are typified by small departures values. The true number of clusters corresponds to the empirical deviation distribution having shortest right tail. The experiments carried out on synthetic and real databases demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.


Reliability is one of the important issues in the design of distributed computing systems (DCSs). This paper deals with the problem of task allocation in heterogeneous DCSs for maximizing system reliability with several resource constraints. Memory capacity, processing load and communication rate are major constraints in the problem. Reliability oriented task allocation problem is NP-hard, thus many algorithms were presented to find a near optimal solution. This paper presents a Hybrid of Simulated Annealing and Tabu Search (HSATS) that uses a non-monotonic cooling schedule to find a near optimal solution within reasonable time. The HSATS algorithm was implemented and evaluated through experimental studies on a large number of randomly generated instances. Results have shown that the algorithm can obtain optimal solution in most cases. When it fails to produce optimal solution, deviation is less than 0.2 percent. Therefore in terms of solution quality, HSATS is significantly better than pure Simulated Annealing.


Table 1 summarizes the findings in these three models of nephrotoxic acute renal failure. As can be noted, leakage of filtrate across damaged tubular epithelium is a factor in each instance. Some degree of tubular obstruction is probably present in each model but is of major importance only with severe tubular injury. Hemodynamic alterations and a change in the ultrafiltration coefficient may also play a role in the renal functional impairment. It is not presently possible to quantitatively determine the significance of each of these abnormalities in a given experimental model.


Purpose The objective of this study was to determine whether the order of implementation of computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) and electronic medication administration records (eMAR) into a health care facility would impact the medication error rate at an academic medical center. Methods A single academic medical center implemented CPOE first in one of its facilities (CPOE-first facility) and eMAR first in the other facility (eMAR-first facility). We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients admitted during designated data collection time periods (baseline, after the first intervention, and after both CPOE and eMAR). The primary outcome was defined as the change in medication error rate from baseline to the first intervention (either CPOE or eMAR). Secondary aims included evaluating final medication error rate and the severity and origin of detected errors. Results In the eMAR-first facility, the medication error rate decreased by 22.6% from baseline after only eMAR was introduced (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; P < .05). The CPOE-first facility showed a 13.3% reduction in the medication error rate after only CPOE was introduced (OR, 1.18; P = .24). Both hospitals demonstrated a significant decrease in medication error rates from baseline to after both CPOE and eMAR were implemented. Additionally, eMAR seemed to reduce errors reaching the patient to a greater extent than CPOE. Conclusion The integration of eMAR prior to CPOE resulted in a greater reduction in medication errors during the implementation of computerized health care technology. Because eMAR also reduced errors reaching the patient, we recommend initiating health information technology implementation with eMAR prior to CPOE.


By means of the fossil record method implemented through Pipe3D, we reconstruct the global and radial stellar mass growth histories (MGHs) of an unprecedentedly large sample of galaxies, ranging from dwarf to giant objects, from the "Mapping Nearby Galaxies at the Apache Point Observatory" survey. We confirm that the main driver of the global MGHs is mass, with more massive galaxies assembling their masses earlier (downsizing), though for a given mass, the global MGHs segregate by color, specific star formation rate (sSFR), and morphological type. From the inferred radial mean MGHs, we find that at the late evolutionary stages (or for fractions of assembled mass larger than ~ 80%), the innermost regions formed stars on average earlier than the outermost ones (inside-out). At earlier epochs, when the age resolution of the method becomes poor, the mass assembly seems to be spatially homogeneous or even in the outside-in mode, specially for the red/quiescent/early-type galaxies. The innermost MGHs are in general more regular (less scatter around the mean) than the outermost ones. For dwarf and low-mass galaxies, we do not find evidence of an outside-in formation mode; instead their radial MGHs are very diverse most of the time, with periods of outside- in and inside-out modes (or strong radial migration), suggesting this an episodic SF history. Blue/star-forming/late-type galaxies present on average a significantly more pronounced inside-out formation mode than red/quiescent/early-type galaxies, independently of mass. We discuss our results in the light of the processes of galaxy formation, quenching, and radial migration. We discuss also on the uncertainties and biases of the fossil record method and how they could affect our results.


Constraint Programming is a powerful paradigmwhich allows the resolution of many complex problems, such as scheduling, planning, and configuration. These problems are defined by a set of variables and a set of constraints. Each variable has non-empty domain of possible value and each constraint involves some subset of the variables and specifies the allowable combinations of values for that subset. The resolution of these problems is carried out by a constraint satisfaction solver which explores a search tree of potential solutions. This exploration is controlled by the enumeration strategy, which is responsible for choosing the order in which variables and values are selected to generate the potential solution. There exist different ways to perform this selection, and depending on the quality of this decision, the efficiency of the solving process may dramatically vary. Autonomous search is a particular case of adaptive systems that aims at improving its solving performance by adapting itself to the problem at hand without manual configuration of an expert user. The goal is to improve their solving performance by modifying and adjusting themselves, either by self-adaptation or by supervised adaptation. This approach has been effectively applied to different optimization and satisfaction techniques such as constraint programming, metaheuristics, and SAT. In this paper, we present a new Autonomous Search approach for constraint programming based on four modern bio-inspired metaheuristics. The goal of those metaheuristics is to optimize the self-tuning phase of the constraint programming search process. We illustrate promising results, where the proposed approach is able to efficiently solve several well-known constraint satisfaction problems. & 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


The patent system encourages innovation and knowledge disclosure by providing exclusivity to inventors. Exclusivity is limited, however, because a substantial fraction of patents have some probability of being ruled invalid when challenged in court. The possibility of invalidity-and an ensuing market competition-suggests that when an innovator's capability (e.g., cost of production) is private information, there is potential value to an innovator from signaling strong capability via a disclosure that transfers technical knowledge to a competitor. We model a product-innovation setting in which a valid patent gives market exclusivity and find a unique signaling equilibrium. One might expect that as the probability that a patent will be invalid becomes low, greater disclosure will be induced. We do not find this expectation to be generally supported. Further, even where full disclosure arises in equilibrium, it is only the less capable who make full disclosures. The equilibrium analysis also highlights many of the novel and appealing features of enabling knowledge disclosure signals. Copyright (c) 2003 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


The importance of gluconeogenesis for the maintenance of normoglycemia in rats bearing a transplantable sarcoma has been studied. Blood glucose concentrations remained within the normal fed range until the tumor/body weight ratio was greater than 0.15. In rats with tumor/body weight ratios between 0.31 and 0.50, the blood glucose was significantly lower than normal but was similar to blood glucose levels measured in normal rats fasted overnight. A sharp decline in the liver glycogen content, from 200 to 50 µmol glucose per g wet weight occurred at a stage when the tumor/body weight ratios were between 0.20 and 0.25. No depletion of the muscle glycogen content occurred until the tumor/body weight ratios were greater than 0.40. The degree of hypoglycemia after the administration of 3-mercaptopicolinate, an inhibitor of gluconeogenesis, became successively more pronounced as the tumor/body weight ratio increased, indicating that gluconeogenesis becomes increasingly important for the maintenance of normoglycemia. This was confirmed by an observed 10-fold increase in the incorporation of label into glucose from [14C]lactate and [14C]alanine during tumor growth. The rates of gluconeogenesis from lactate were approximately 30 times greater than the estimated rates of gluconeogenesis from endogenous alanine. Corresponding to this increase in gluconeogenesis during tumor growth, there was an increase in the percentage of glucose carbon recycled via the Cori cycle, from 9% in rats bearing a small tumor to 52% in rats bearing a large tumor. The actual amount of glucose recycled showed a pattern of increase similar to that of the rates measured from [14C]lactate, and the rates of gluconeogenesis calculated using these two methods were in good agreement. Rates of gluconeogenesis in isolated perfused livers from fed and starved normal rats were in agreement with the estimated rates in vivo . However, the in vitro rates in livers from tumor-bearing rats were approximately 3 times lower than the estimated rates in vivo , even at lactate concentrations that were higher than expected physiological concentrations. The activities of key gluconeogenic enzymes in livers of tumor-bearing rats were similar to those in the livers of overnight-starved rats but were not sufficient to fully explain the high rates of gluconeogenesis in vivo .


Drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction may be repurposed to inhibit inflammation and treat patients with sepsis. Taming TNF during sepsis The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is required for an effective immune response to invading pathogens; however, excessive TNF signaling through its receptor TNFR leads to cell death and tissue damage, such as occurs during sepsis. The proteolytic shedding of TNFR from the cell surface decreases TNF signaling in cells and reduces TNF concentrations in the plasma. Deng et al. showed that treating mouse or human hepatocytes with the bacterial product LPS resulted in increased shedding of TNFR by the protease TACE, an event dependent on the second messenger cGMP. Treating mice that had sepsis with drugs that increased the plasma concentration of cGMP decreased inflammation and increased survival, suggesting that a similar strategy might provide a therapy against sepsis in humans. Proteolytic cleavage of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor (TNFR) from the cell surface contributes to anti-inflammatory responses and may be beneficial in reducing the excessive inflammation associated with multiple organ failure and mortality during sepsis. Using a clinically relevant mouse model of polymicrobial abdominal sepsis, we found that the production of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in hepatocytes led to the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)–dependent activation of the protease TACE (TNF-converting enzyme) and the shedding of TNFR. Furthermore, treating mice with a cGMP analog after the induction of sepsis increased TNFR shedding and decreased systemic inflammation. Similarly, increasing the abundance of cGMP with a clinically approved phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor (sildenafil) also decreased markers of systemic inflammation, protected against organ injury, and increased circulating amounts of TNFR1 in mice with sepsis. We further confirmed that a similar iNOS-cGMP-TACE pathway was required for TNFR1 shedding by human hepatocytes in response to the bacterial product lipopolysaccharide. Our data suggest that increasing the bioavailability of cGMP might be beneficial in ameliorating the inflammation associated with sepsis.


Large financial institutions receive great competitive advantages because the market still perceives them as likely to be saved in a future financial crisis. Therefore, not only do the largest banks enjoy the benefits of being large and diversified, but they also receive implicit and explicit government subsidies. The most significant subsidy, an implicit one, stems from market perception that the government will not allow the largest banks to fail — i.e., that they are "too-big-to-fail" — enabling them to borrow at lower interest rates. Following up on this controversial issue, on November 14, 2013, the Government Accounting Office issued the first of two reports that focus on the benefits large banks receive because of their size. One less obvious yet highly-related issue, which was not mentioned in the 2013 report, but should be included in the 2014 report that plans to examine the economic advantages the largest banks receive because of implied government support, is the exemption from criminal statutes. Specifically, in this comment, I argue that this exemption contributes to the subsidies economic value while also creating incentives for unethical and even criminal activity. Focusing on this too-big-to-jail Department of Justice policy, which allows for "deferred prosecution" and advancing settlements instead of criminal charges for large financial institutions that violate criminal laws, this comment examines the negative effects of enabling the largest financial institutions to dodge criminal liability. First, the too-big-to-jail policy effectively vitiates the law as written by Congress. Second, the policy's favorable treatment of the biggest financial institutions conflicts with the basic constitutional principle of equality under the law. More specifically, confirming that it employs such a purposeful policy of flexible law enforcement when dealing with the largest financial institutions effectively means that the government is intentionally discriminating in favor of the largest financial institutions. Third, the policy makes the Department of Justice less interested in prosecuting the individuals who were employed by such large financial institutions and who were responsible for the institutions' legal transgressions, even in the cases where those individuals had direct personal involvement. Finally, the large fines imposed on too-big-to-fail financial institutions in lieu of prosecution for illegal actions increase already-existing negative behavioral incentives — and even create new incentives for bad conduct — among large financial institutions' executives and decision-makers.


The paper presents a closed form solution for an optimum scheduling of a divisible job on an optimum number of processor arranged in an optimum sequence in a multilevel tree networks. The solution has been derived for a single divisible job where there is no dependency among subtasks and the root processor can either perform communication and computation at the same time. The solution is carried out through three basic theorems. One of the theorems selects the optimum number of available processors that must participate in executing a divisible job. The other solves the sequencing problem in load distribution by which we are able to find the optimum sequence for load distribution in a generalized form. Having the optimum number of processors and their sequencing for load distribution, we have developed a closed form solution that determines the optimum share of each processor in the sequence such that the finish time is minimized. Any alteration of the number of processors, their sequences, or their shares that are determined by the three theorems will increase the finish time.


We present observations of NGC 1068 covering the 19.7–53.0 μm wavelength range using FORCAST and HAWC+ on board SOFIA. Using these observations, high-angular-resolution infrared (IR) and submillimeter observations, we find an observational turnover of the torus emission in the 30–40 μm wavelength range with a characteristic temperature of 70–100 K. This component is clearly different from the diffuse extended emission in the narrow line and star formation regions at 10–100 μm within the central 700 pc. We compute 2.2–432 μm 2D images using the best inferred clumpy torus model based on several nuclear spectral energy distribution (SED) coverages. We find that when 1–20 μm SED is used, the inferred result gives a small torus size (<4 pc radius) and a steep radial dust distribution. The computed torus using the 1–432 μm SED provides comparable torus sizes, pc radius, and morphology to the recently resolved 432 μm Atacama Large Millimeter Array observations. This result indicates that the 1–20 μm wavelength range is not able to probe the full extent of the torus. The characterization of the turnover emission of the torus using the 30–60 μm wavelength range is sensitive to the detection of cold dust in the torus. The morphology of the dust emission in our 2D image at 432 μm is spatially coincident with the cloud distribution, while the morphology of the emission in the 1–20 μm wavelength range shows an elongated morphology perpendicular to the cloud distribution. We find that our 2D clumpy torus image at 12 μm can produce comparable results to those observed using IR interferometry.


This paper introduces two short-time spectral amplitude estimators for speech enhancement with multiple microphones. Based on joint Gaussian models of speech and noise Fourier coefficients, the clean speech amplitudes are estimated with respect to the MMSE or the MAP criterion. The estimators outperform single microphone minimum mean square amplitude estimators when the speech components are highly correlated and the noise components are sufficiently uncorrelated. Whereas the first MMSE estimator also requires knowledge of the direction of arrival, the second MAP estimator performs a direction-independent noise reduction. The estimators are generalizations of the well-known single channel MMSE estimator derived by Ephraim and Malah (1984) and the MAP estimator derived by Wolfe and Godsill (2001), respectively.


Finger marks have often been considered to be one of the most valuable types of evidence that can be found at crime scenes. Cyanoacrylate fuming or "Super-glue" fuming is the most widely used chemical technique for latent finger mark enhancement on non-porous surfaces. There has been extensive research regarding the comparison of various enhancement techniques following cyanoacrylate fuming. However, it seems little research has been conducted regarding the differences between water-based and alcohol-based fluorescent dyes. This project assessed the effectiveness of water-based Basic Yellow 40 (BY40) against the conventionally used ethanol-based Basic Yellow 40 in terms of its ability to enhance finger marks to produce clear friction ridge detail. Both non-porous and semi-porous substrates were used, all of which are frequently submitted to operational forensic laboratories for finger mark enhancement. All substrates underwent cyanoacrylate fuming followed by the application of dyes under equal conditions, along with an equal time between processes. The results indicate that water based BY40 is a suitable enhancement technique for plastic substrates such as freezer bags and self-seal bags, and appears equivalent to ethanol based BY40 for metal substrates. As a conclusion, water-based fluorescent dyes have the potential to be introduced in order to reduce the health and safety risks associated with the flammability of ethanol, as well as being more cost-effective.


Batch cultures of Escherichia coli K-12 grew well in an anaerobic glucose medium at pH 5.9, but even small amounts of acetate (20 mM) inhibited growth and fermentation. E. coli O157:H7 was at least fourfold more resistant to acetate than K-12. Continuous cultures of E. coli K-12 (pH 5.9, dilution rate 0.085 h-1) did not wash out until the sodium acetate concentration in the input medium was 80 mM, whereas E. coli O157:H7 persisted until the sodium acetate concentration was 160 mM. E. coli K-12 cell accumulated as much as 500 mM acetate, but the intracellular acetate concentration of O157:H7 was never greater than 300 mM. Differences in acetate accumulation could be explained by intracellular pH and the transmembrane pH gradient (delta pH). E. coli K-12 maintained a more or less constant delta pH (intracellular pH 6.8), but E. coli O157:H7 let its delta pH decrease from 0.9 to 0.2 units as sodium acetate was added to the medium. Sodium acetate increased the rate of glucose consumption, but there was little evidence to support the idea that acetate was creating a futile cycle of protons. Increases in glucose consumption rate could be explained by increases in D-lactate production and decreases in ATP production. Intracellular acetate was initially lower than the amount predicted by delta pH, but intracellular acetate and delta pH were in equilibrium when the external acetate concentrations were high. Based on these results, the acetate tolerance of O157:H7 can be explained by fundamental differences in metabolism and intracellular pH regulation. By decreasing the intracellular pH and producing large amounts of D-lactate, O157:H7 is able to decrease delta pH and prevent toxic accumulations of intracellular acetate anion.


Newly settled marine invertebrates are typically less than 1 mm tall and face physical and biotic factors distinct from those facing adults, including a fluid environment dominated by high viscosity and deep boundary layers, and a size-specific suite of predators and competitors. If juveniles have distinct morphologies from adults, or morphologies that function differently at small scales, these differences could have important implications for juvenile performance. We compared the ontogenetic scaling of morphological parameters related to suspension feeding in 6 species of ascid- ians covering a wide taxonomic range. Many aspects of early juvenile morphology differed from those of conspecific adults, though not invariably in ways likely to improve feeding performance at small size. Some juvenile morphologies that are detrimental to efficient suspension feeding may serve other functions, whereas others are the result of commencing suspension feeding before the completion of metamorphosis. Thus, not all ascidian species appear specialized for higher rates of suspension feeding and early growth.


Breadfruit leaves (Artocarpus altilis (Park.) Fsb.) are used as traditional medicine intreatment of liver diseases. This study aimed to figure out the hepatoprotective effectof breadfruit leaves infusion in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in malealbino rats. The study used 25 male albino rats of Sprague-Dawley strain, which weredivided randomly into five groups. Group I (normal control group) and group II(carbon tetrachloride-induced control group) only received 0,5% carboxymethylcellulose(CMC) solution. Group III-V received different dose of breadfruit leaves infusionfor seven days respectively, which were 13,5 g/kgBW (dose 1), 27 g/kg BW (dose2) and 54 g/kg BW (dose 3). On 7th day, all groups, excepted the normal group, wereinduced by 0,4 ml/kgBW dose of carbon tetrachloride perorally two hours after the lastbreadfruit leaves infusion given. Parameters of liver damage were estimated by measuringthe activity of plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), the concentration oflipid peroxide in liver, and the concentration of lipid peroxide in plasma. The resultsof ANOVA (pl0,05) demonstrated that breadfruit leaves infusion at a dose of 54 g/kgBW (dose 3) consumed for seven days respectively before 0,4 ml/kgBW dose ofcarbon tetrachloride-induced had hepatoprotective effect estimated by the activity ofplasma ALT and the concentration of lipid peroxide in liver.


Slip and fall incidences are common in our daily lives. They are not only important environmental safety issues but also important occupational safety and health problems. The purpose of this study was to use the Brungraber Mark II to measure the friction so as to investigate the effects of the shoe sole, surface condition and the inclined angle of the floor and their interactions on friction coefficient. The results of the study showed the effects of all the main factors and their interactions were significant (p<0.001). Engineering designs & ergonomic interventions in slip & fall prevention should take these factors in full consideration.


This thesis investigates methods of implementing binary multiplication with the smallest possible latency. The principle area of concentration is on multipliers with lengths of 53 bits, which makes the results suitable for IEEE-754 double precision multiplication.
Low latency demands high performance circuitry, and small physical size to limit propagation delays. VLSI implementations are the only available means for meeting these two requirements, but efficient algorithms are also crucial. An extension to Booth's algorithm for multiplication (redundant Booth) has been developed, which represents partial products in a partially redundant form. This redundant representation can reduce or eliminate the time required to produce "hard" multiples (multiples that require a carry propagate addition) required by the traditional higher order Booth algorithms. This extension reduces the area and power requirements of fully parallel implementations, but is also as fast as any multiplication method yet reported.
In order to evaluate various multiplication algorithms, a software tool has been developed which automates the layout and optimization of parallel multiplier trees. The tool takes into consideration wire and asymmetric input delays, as well as gate delays, as the tree is built. The tool is used to design multipliers based upon various algorithms, using both Booth encoded, non-Booth encoded and the new extended Booth algorithms. The designs are then compared on the basis of delay, power, and area.
For maximum speed, the designs are based upon a 0.6$\mu$ BiCMOS process using emitter coupled logic (ECL). The algorithms developed in this thesis make possible 53 x 53 multipliers with a latency of less than 2.6 nanoseconds @ 10.5 Watts and a layout area of 13mm$\sp2$. Smaller and lower power designs are also possible, as illustrated by an example with a latency of 3.6 nanoseconds @ 5.8 W, and an area of 8.9mm$\sp2$. The conclusions based upon ECL designs are extended where possible to other technologies (CMOS).
Crucial to the performance of multipliers are high speed carry propagate adders. A number of high speed adder designs have been developed, and the algorithms and design of these adders are discussed.
The implementations developed for this study indicate that traditional Booth encoded multipliers are superior in layout area, power, and delay to non-Booth encoded multipliers. Redundant Booth encoding further reduces the area and power requirements. Finally, only half of the total multiplier delay was found to be due to the summation of the partial products. The remaining delay was due to wires and carry propagate adder delays.


This paper presents a new method based on the cost-benefit analysis for optimal sizing of an energy storage system in a microgrid (MG). The unit commitment problem with spinning reserve for MG is considered in this method. Time series and feed-forward neural network techniques are used for forecasting the wind speed and solar radiations respectively and the forecasting errors are also considered in this paper. Two mathematical models have been built for both the islanded and grid-connected modes of MGs. The main problem is formulated as a mixed linear integer problem (MLIP), which is solved in AMPL (A Modeling Language for Mathematical Programming). The effectiveness of the approach is validated by case studies where the optimal system energy storage ratings for the islanded and grid-connected MGs are determined. Quantitative results show that the optimal size of BESS exists and differs for both the grid-connected and islanded MGs in this paper.


Using polymerase chain reaction, we analysed the variable number tandom repeats (VNTR) in intron 13 of coagulation factor VIII gene in the Chinese. Study of 115 X chromosomes from 77 normal Chinese revealed that the VNTR is composed of at least 4 different alleles in the Chinese, i.e. 19, 20, 21, and 23 repeats 53% of the females analysed were heterozygous of this VNTR. The discovery and application of this new molecular genetic marker is of significance in genetic consultation and prenatal diagnosis of hemophilia A.


Metallic oxides encased within Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) structures can demonstrate both unipolar and bipolar switching mechanisms, rendering them the capability to exhibit a multitude of resistive states and ultimately function as memory elements. Identifying the vital physical mechanisms behind resistive switching can enable these devices to be utilized more efficiently, reliably and in the long-term. In this paper, we present a new approach for analysing resistive switching by modelling the active core of two terminal devices as 2D and 3D grid circuit breaker networks. This model is employed to demonstrate that substantial resistive switching can only be supported by the formation of continuous current percolation channels, while multi-state capacity is ascribed to the establishment and annihilation of multiple channels.


Recently, the utilization of IT in the Higher Education institutions has expanded, thus e-Learning must to turn out to be completely embedded into e-Learning and showing practice rather than the traditional approaches to e-Learning. However, this development inside e-Learning frameworks isn't yet completely realized, and the most significant difficulties to this objective are holding students inside instruction and attracting them to take part in Higher Education. One of the methodologies that have been taken to address these difficulties is to utilize the Web services approach to encourage working and participation between Higher Education institutions. Taking account that XML documents are the most commonly applied and successful type of Web services. Being PHP is the best choice for web developers, especially for Web services. This paper will present the proposed approach which aims to expand the current architecture of Web services to meet the technical requirements of the e-Learning framework. It will give an outline of certain strategies that help designers to create SOAP with PHP language. It will portray how to expand PHP Sakai and Moodle to help Web services by utilizing the PHP SOAP method. Besides, it will delineate that this utilization of Web services is a direct advancement of Web programming models, and it will exhibit how PHP can be utilized as a fast and easy development tool for creating them. The spotlight of this paper is to research the expansion of Web services to support PHP Sakai and Moodle by utilizing the PHP SOAP strategy.


Stephen Colbert's announcement in 2011 that he was starting his own Super PAC oneupped The Colbert Report's already substantial commitment to boundary muddling. By raising real money, producing commercials, and exploring the nuances of campaign finance regulations, Colbert acted out his critique of current law in tangible form. The novelty of the experiment created anticipation amongst fans and commentators that the project would have a direct effect on attitudes about campaign finance, or that Colbert would veer into clear advocacy work. Indeed, expectations matched the standard assumptions about satire: that efficacy should be gauged by measurable influence on individual opinions. In reality, the PAC's commercials likely did not influence many outside his existent fan group. However, the project as a whole did work to license journalistic attention and to impact the wider debate about campaign finance. The example demonstrates that the more grandiose expectations of political entertainment are often misdirected, as they are premised on the prospect of instant audience malleability. Rather the most interesting possibilities involve more incremental shifts in the public conversation.


Background Fatigue is frequently reported in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). HRQoL has not been systematically reviewed in IBD fatigue. Aim To investigate what impact IBD fatigue has on HRQoL in adults with IBD. Methods Systematic searches (CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Medline) were conducted on 25 September 2018, restricted to 'human', 'adult', 'primary research' and 'English language'. Search terms encompassed concepts of 'fatigue', 'IBD' and 'HRQoL'. A 5-year time limit (2013–2018) was set to include the most relevant publications. Publications were screened, data extracted and quality appraised by two authors. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Results Eleven studies were included, presenting data from 2823 participants. Fatigue experiences were significantly related to three HRQoL areas: symptom acceptance, psychosocial well-being and physical activity. Patients reporting high fatigue levels had low symptom acceptance. Psychosocial factors were strongly associated with both fatigue and HRQoL. Higher social support levels were associated with higher HRQoL. Physical activity was impaired by higher fatigue levels, lowering HRQoL, but it was also used as a means of reducing fatigue and improving HRQoL. Quality appraisal revealed methodological shortcomings in a number of studies. Notably, use of multiple measures, comparison without statistical adjustment and fatigue and HRQoL assessment using the same tool were some of the methodological shortcomings. Conclusion Psychosocial factors, symptom management and acceptance and physical activity levels have significant impact on HRQoL. Results support application of psychosocial or exercise interventions for fatigue management. Further exploration of HRQoL factors in IBD fatigue is required, using validated fatigue and HRQoL measures. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018110005.


A three dimensional finite element program is developed for the analysis of pavement systems. An explicit approach of the finite element analysis is adopted. This approach results in a vector formulation of the equation of motion. Large displacement is considered through the use of a co-rotational approach which considers small deformations and large rotations of the elements. For the convenience of application a two dimensional finite element program is also developed. An eight-node isoparametric solid element is used for the three dimensional analysis, and a four-node element for the two dimensional analysis. Loading conditions are verified for static ramp and step loadings, sinusoidal loadings, prescribed ground acceleration input, and pulse input. The material library is verified for linear elastic materials, elastic-plastic materials with Mises or Drucker-Prager criteria and assuming associated or non-associated flow rules, and a viscoelastic material of Maxwell type. Three hardening rules are implemented, namely the kinematical hardening, isotropic hardening, and the mixed type. Available analytical data and comparison studies by using ANSYS serve as the basis for the verification.


Background: Understanding the axial lumbar spine anatomy, including knowledge of the relationship between the lumbar spine level and other paraspinal structures, is important in diagnosing and treating disease. The purpose of this study was to validate the accuracy of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model in lumbar spine level numbering on axial MR images and to find the appropriate anatomic landmarks for numbering using a class activation map (CAM).Methods: A total of 6055 axial MR images of the lumbar spine from L1–2 to L5–S1 disc levels were obtained to train and validate the CNN model. The MR images were acquired using three 3-Tesla machines. The algorithm was developed with three models, and the best-performing model was selected. The external validation set (n = 493) was obtained from other institutions using various machines. The accuracy of the numbering was analyzed using a confusion matrix and receiver operating characteristic curves. The CAMs were reviewed, and the identified anatomic structures were investigated. A reader study was performed by three radiologists, and their accuracy was compared with that of the model.Results: The overall accuracy of the best-performing model for lumbar spine numbering was 0.98 on internal validation and 0.95 on external validation. For the CAM review, mappings concentrated on both paraspinal areas, including the kidney, back muscles, and ilium according to the level. Top-1 and top-2 accuracies of the reviewers ranged between 0.56–0.75, and 0.84–0.93, respectively. After reviewing the CAMs, the accuracy increased to 0.75–0.78 and 0.93–0.98, respectively.Conclusion: A CNN model can accurately determine the level of the lumbar spine on axial MR images, and the configuration of muscles can be used to determine the lumbar level.


We study a continuum model for solid films that arises from the modeling of one-dimensional step flows on a vicinal surface in the attachment-detachment-limited regime. The resulting nonlinear partial differential equation, $u_t = -u^2(u^3+\alpha u)_{hhhh}$, gives the evolution for the surface slope $u$ as a function of the local height $h$ in a monotone step train. Subject to periodic boundary conditions and positive initial conditions, we prove the existence, uniqueness and positivity of global strong solutions to this PDE using two Lyapunov energy functions. The long time behavior of $u$ converging to a constant that only depends on the initial data is also investigated both analytically and numerically.


Background: Delay in TB treatment is significant to both disease prognoses at the individual level and within the community. Even though studies conducted in TB treatment delay there is result inconsistencies due to differences in culture, environment and infrastructure. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess health care system tuberculosis treatment Delay and associated factor among pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Method: Facility based cross sectional study triangulated by Qualitative data collection method. A total 340 PTB patients in Hadiya zone public health facilities included in the study. Health facilities were selected by Simple random sampling method from three woredas. DOTS user at the beginning of data collection was consecutively recruited in to the study until the intended sample size was fulfilled. Multivariable binary Logistic regression was used. A P-value < 0.05 at 95% CI was considered statistical significance between dependent and predictor variables. Result: 340 PTB patients participated in this the study. 30% of the PTB patients faced health system delay. Visiting two or more health care providers (AOR: 3.40, 95% CI (1.910, 6.07), every trying other drug than TB drug (AOR: 4.0, 95% CI (2.144, 7.465) and prolonged referral (AOR: 3.004, 95% CI (1.59, 5.67) were independent predictors of delay. Conclusion: Prolonged referral, several visit of health care providers of two or more and ever used other drugs rather than Anti-TB drugs were found to have association with patient delay and health system delay.


Three microarray gene expression cancer databases are represented using neural networks and visual data mining with virtual reality spaces. The databases contains dats from cancerous and noncancerous tissues. In order to understand the structure of the data, structurepreserving virtual spaces are constructed using Samann neural networks. High quality visual representations are obtained. For the databases under study, the vitual spaces are clearly polarized with two distribution modes, each one corresponding to a different class.


Background Although intravenous (IV) bisphosphonates are first-line medications for the management of hypercalcemia, studies examining their use in patients with preexisting renal dysfunction are limited. Objective The objective of this study is to describe the safety and efficacy of pamidronate and zoledronic acid in the treatment of hypercalcemia in patients with baseline renal dysfunction. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of IV pamidronate and zoledronic acid in adult patients with hypercalcemia and creatinine clearance (CrCl) <60 mL/min. The primary endpoint was incidence of all-grade serum creatinine (SCr) elevations. Secondary endpoints included refractory hypercalcemia, hypocalcemia, osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), corrected serum calcium (CSC) decrease ≥1.0 mg/dL by day 7 of bisphosphonate administration, and normalization of CSC ≤10.5 mg/dL by days 10 and 30. Results A total of 113 patients were included (n = 55 pamidronate, n = 58 zoledronic acid). The primary endpoint of all-grade SCr elevation occurred in 28 (24.8%) patients. Grades 3/4 SCr elevations occurred in 10.9% of patients treated with pamidronate and 1.7% of patients receiving zoledronic acid. Approximately 16% and 14% of patients developed grades 1 and 2 hypocalcemia, respectively, and there were no cases of ONJ. Overall, 64.6% of patients achieved normalization of CSC by day 10, and there were no statistical differences between bisphosphonate type and renal function. Conclusions and Relevance The analysis suggests an association between IV bisphosphonates and increased rates of SCr elevations among patients with preexisting renal dysfunction. Future prospective studies are necessary to elucidate these findings.


Context: Pressure ulcers are among the main postoperative complications which isassociated with an increased length of hospitalization. Determining risk factors of postsurgical pressureulcers is crucial for developing prevention and treatment strategies. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the incidence rate of pressure ulcer and related risk factors after general surgery. Settings and Design: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in three hospitals in Mazandaran province in 2016. Materials and Methods: The sample size was 191 surgical patients undergoing general surgery by using census method. Data were collected in pre-, intra-, and post-operative period using demographic and clinical questionnaires and also, through the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Ulcer Risk. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics, t-test, Chi-square, and univariateand multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results: The incidence rate of postoperative pressure ulcers in patients was 17.8% (34 out of 191 patients). Based on the multivariate logistic regression model, significant correlations existed between the incidence of pressure ulcers and the following variables: age over 70 years old (P = 0.003), history of hypertension (P = 0.035), history of heart diseases (P = 0.029), Braden score <15 (P = 0.017), type of surgery (P = 0.003), and type of anesthesia (P = 0.015). Conclusions: Since it is critical to consider the incidence of postoperative pressure ulcers among patients, further measurements are required to identify high-risk people and use preventive protocols by nurses at pre-, intra-, and post-operative levels. Moreover, it requires extra attention in patients over 70 years, those with a history of hypertension and heart diseases, and those undergoing emergency surgery and spinal anesthesia.


Group discussions with the wives of general practitioners and vocational trainees have been held in the Boston vocational training scheme. Many problems such as being tied to the telephone and the registration of doctors' families with other general practitioners were discussed.A consensus view emerged on several topics and I believe that further discussions with wives on subjects of this kind would be valuable.


The maintenance and renewal activities of wheelsets account for a large proportion of the whole-life costs for railway rolling stock. These activities are influenced by a large number of factors including depot constraints, wheel surface damage, fleet availability and vehicle design. If these factors are not managed efficiently it can have significant implications on a vehicle's service provision, track damage, environmental and whole-life costs. Therefore, the development of an effective wheelset management tool will support the optimisation of maintenance and renewal regimes, thereby increasing wheelset life and reducing costs. Further development of the Vehicle Track Interaction Strategic Model has enhanced the rolling stock modelling capabilities of the tool through the development of the Wheelset Management Model (WMM). This model aims to assist in the strategic planning of wheelset maintenance and renewal activities and thereby allowing users to examine the benefits and cost impact of a range of different scenarios to optimise wheelset management strategies. This paper describes the capabilities of the WMM and illustrates how the model can be used to optimise a fleet's maintenance strategy through the application of a realistic industry case study. The implications of different wheelset maintenance regimes on wheelset life and costs were examined. Finally, the paper presents how the tools can be used to investigate whole-system costs and demonstrate the impact of wheelset maintenance on track costs.


Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health problem with high morbidity and mortality rate, and it induces other diseases. Since there are no obvious symptoms during the early stages of CKD, patients often fail to notice the disease. Early detection of CKD enables patients to receive timely treatment to ameliorate the progression of this disease. Machine learning models can effectively aid clinicians achieve this goal due to their fast and accurate recognition performance. In this study, we propose a machine learning methodology for diagnosing CKD. The CKD data set was obtained from the University of California Irvine (UCI) machine learning repository, which has a large number of missing values. KNN imputation was used to fill in the missing values, which selects several complete samples with the most similar measurements to process the missing data for each incomplete sample. Missing values are usually seen in real-life medical situations because patients may miss some measurements for various reasons. After effectively filling out the incomplete data set, six machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, naive Bayes classifier and feed forward neural network) were used to establish models. Among these machine learning models, random forest achieved the best performance with 99.75% diagnosis accuracy. By analyzing the misjudgments generated by the established models, we proposed an integrated model that combines logistic regression and random forest by using perceptron, which could achieve an average accuracy of 99.83% after ten times of simulation. Hence, we speculated that this methodology could be applicable to more complicated clinical data for disease diagnosis.