Introducing a microscope objective in an interferometric setup induces a phase curvature on the resulting wavefront. In digital holography, the compensation of this curvature is often done by introducing an identical curvature in the reference arm and the hologram is then processed using a plane wave in the reconstruction. This physical compensation can be avoided, and several numerical methods exist to retrieve phase contrast images in which the microscope curvature is compensated. Usually, a digital array of complex numbers is introduced in the reconstruction process to perform this curvature correction. Different corrections are discussed in terms of their influence on the reconstructed image size and location in space. The results are presented according to two different expressions of the Fresnel transform, the single Fourier transform and convolution approaches, used to propagate the reconstructed wavefront from the hologram plane to the final image plane.


BACKGROUND
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are rare neoplasms, sporadic or familial, even being part of a syndrome. Their diagnosis is based on symptoms, hormonal disorders or may be fortuitous. The role of Nuclear Medicine is important, mainly because of the possibility of a theranostic strategy. This approach is allowed by the availability of biochemical agents, which may be labeled with radionuclides suitable for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, showing almost identical pharmacokinetics. The major role for radiopharmaceuticals is connected with radiolabeled somatostatin analogues (SSA), being somatostatin receptors highly expressed on neoplastic cells.

DISCUSSION
At the present, in the category of radiolabeled SSA, although 111In-pentetreotide, firstly commercially proposed, is still used, the best choice for diagnosis is related to the so called DOTA-PET radiotracers labeled with 68Ga, such as 68Ga-DOTATATE, 68Ga-DOTANOC, 68Ga-DOTATOC. More recently, the labeling with 64Cu (64Cu DOTATATE) has also been proposed. In this review, we discuss the clinical interest of a SAA (Tektrotyd©) radiolabeled with 99mTc, a gamma emitter with better characteristics respect to 111Indium, radiolabeling Octreoscan©. By comparing both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Octreoscan©, Tektrotyd© and PET DOTA-peptides, on the basis of literature's data and of our own experience, we tried to highlight these topics to stimulate further studies, individuating actual clinical indications for all of these radiotracers.

CONCLUSION
In our opinion, Tektrotyd© could already find its applicative dimension in the daily practice of NETs, either pancreatic or not, at least in centers without a PET/CT or a 68Ga generator. Because of a wider availability, a lower cost, and a longer decay respect to peptides labeled with 68Ga, it could be also proposed , in a theranostic context, for a dosimetry evaluation of patients undergoing Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT), and for non-oncologic indications of radiolabelled SSA. In this direction, and for a more rigorous cost/effective evaluation , more precisely individuating its clinical role, further studies are needed.


Abstract Despite general acceptance of clinical psychology as a broadly based health-care discipline, many graduate programs in clinical psychology have been slow to change from their continued primary focus on mental health education and training. The two papers in this Special Section clearly articulate the compelling rationale for clinical psychology's full participation in all aspects of health, and provide a variety of creative ideas and initiatives regarding current and future educational reform. Interestingly, neither paper focused on the considerable research literature that already exists on graduate education reform and hence I have briefly outlined some of this work here. After reading the papers in this Special Section, I found myself agreeing with much of what was said and disagreeing strongly with some ideas. I also found myself sensitized to the notion that as educational reform proceeds, psychologists need to be vigilant to ensure that they maintain their own unique identity without drifting toward adopting key aspects of the identities of other professions. The papers by Kenkel, DeLeon, Mandell, and Steep (this issue) and by Linden, Moseley, and Erskine (this issue) serve as excellent examples of the creative thinking that is required to modernize and update the education and training of clinical psychologists and the graduate education curriculum. Pretending that all is well and continuing to largely ignore the need to reform graduate education and training is no longer an option if psychology is to maintain public support over the long term. Kenkel et al. and Linden et al. both acknowledge that clinical psychology is transitioning from being a largely mental health profession to a broader health discipline that encompasses both mental and physical health. These authors also understand that this is not an easy transition for many psychologists. However, the silver lining in this scenario is that in order to fully accomplish the shift, psychologists will need to collaborate much more with other health professionals and this will greatly enhance their involvement in multidisciplinary education, training, and research. This will serve psychology well in the future. Kenkel et al. and Linden et al. are in good company with respect to arguing for the need for change in psychology graduate education. Indeed, considerable thought and work on educational reform has already been done by distinguished psychologists. Irwin Altman (1996) noted that historically the academic community has generally met the needs of society while at the same time appropriately protecting its academic freedom and independence. However, Altman also pointed out that curriculum revision has been more difficult over the last few decades, and cited the work of Boyer and Hechinger (1981) who observed that the academic community devotes too little attention to the needs of the community and to making curricula adjustments in order to address the needs of society. The clear implication is that, at its own peril, the academic community neglects educational reform aimed at meeting society's needs. Today, chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes (which are in substantial measure related to lifestyle factors and are, thus, in many instances preventable) lead to premature death and disability as well as poor quality of life for many Canadians. Yet clinical psychology graduate students in most accredited Canadian training programs are not typically required to learn about psychology's potential contributions to both the prevention and management of these and other general health problems. Indeed, the level of expertise required to properly educate and train psychology students in these areas likely does not currently exist in most psychology graduate schools in Canada. Thus significant collaboration with other university departments and community agencies is required if psychology graduate students are to be systematically and comprehensively educated and trained in these areas. …


When a court determines that an agency action violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the conventional remedy is to invalidate the action and remand to the agency. Only rarely will the courts entertain the possibility of holding agency errors harmless. The courts' strict approach to error holds some appeal: better a hard rule that encourages procedural fastidiousness than a remedial standard that might tempt agencies to cut corners. But the benefits of this rule-bound approach are more elusive, and the costs much larger, than is commonly assumed. Across a wide range of cases, the reflexive invalidation of agency action appears wildly excessive. Although the adoption of a context-sensitive remedial standard would increase decision costs and generate inconsistency, the exercise of remedial restraint in appropriate cases may prove superior to a clumsy approach that treats every transgression as worthy of equal sanction.


: Building effective interdisciplinary teams depends on interventions to create a shared vision of the future, to clarify roles and relationships, and to establish a culture of positive change.


The engineblock and cylinderhead of automobile are usually made of cast iron, and tapping of blind holes is one of the most demanding operations. As usual, tapping is the final process for an engineblock, and the failure of taps can disable the engineblock possibly. The productivity is restricted because of the low cutting speed and poor wear resistance of high speed steel (HSS) taps. Thereby, according to the demand on high speed cutting and low tact time of modern engine production lines, several new typical special tungsten carbide taps are developed and their cutting performance are evaluated in comparison with the commercial taps. In the process of tapping blind holes in gray cast iron and ductile cast iron, several aspects are studied comparatively such as wear mechanism of the first complete and the last incomplete tooth, tap structure, wear of TiCN coating and effects of coolant on cutting performance of taps. This study indicates that straight coated taps with fewer flutes are suitable for high speed tapping of cast iron.


Landscape change is a driver of global biodiversity loss. In the western Nearctic petroleum exploration and extraction is a major contributor to landscape change, with concomitant effects on large mammal populations. One of those effects is the continued expansion of invasive white-tailed deer populations into the boreal forest, with ramifications for the whole ecosystem. We explored deer resource selection within the oil sands region of the boreal forest using a novel application of aerial ungulate survey data (AUS). Deer locations from AUS were "used" points and together with randomly allocated "available" points informed deer resource selection in relation to landscape variables in the boreal. We created a candidate set of generalized linear models representing competing hypotheses about the role of natural landscape features, forest harvesting, cultivation, roads, and petroleum features. We ranked these in an information-theoretic framework. A combination of natural and anthropogenic landscape features best explained deer resource selection. Deer strongly selected seismic lines and other linear features associated with petroleum exploration and extraction, likely as movement corridors and resource subsidies. Forest harvesting and cultivation, important contributors to expansion in other parts of white-tailed deer range, where not as important here. Stemming deer expansion to conserve native ungulates and maintain key predator-prey processes will likely require landscape management to restore the widespread linear features crossing the vast oil sands region.


Catchment hydrology has become replete with flow pathway characterizations obtained via combinations of physical hydrologic measurements (e.g. streamflow hydrographs) and natural tracer signals (e.g. stable water isotopes and geochemistry). In this study, we explored how our understanding of hydrologic flow pathways can be improved and expanded in both space and time by the simultaneous application of engineered synthetic DNA tracers. In this study, we compared the advective–dispersive transport properties and mass recovery rates of two types of synthetic DNA tracers, one consisting of synthetic DNA strands encapsulated into biodegradable microspheres and another consisting of 'free' DNA, i.e. not encapsulated. The DNA tracers were also compared with a conservative fluorescent dye. All tracers were injected into a small (3.2‐km2) valley glacier, Storglaciären, in northern Sweden. Seven of the nine DNA tracers showed clear recovery during the sampling period and similar peak arrival times and dispersion coefficients as the conservative fluorescent dye. However, recovered DNA tracer mass ranged only from 1% to 66%, while recovered fluorescent dye mass was 99%. Resulting from the cold and opaque subglacial environment provided by the glacier, mass loss associated with microbial activity and photochemical degradation of the DNA is likely negligible, leaving sorption of DNA tracers onto suspended particles and loss of microtracer particles to sediment storage as probable explanations. Despite the difference in mass recovery, the advection and dispersion information derived from the DNA tracer breakthrough curves provided spatially explicit information that allowed inferring a theoretical model of the flow pathways that water takes through the glacier. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The requirement for monitoring of suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) with good temporal and spatial resolution has led to the development of methods for sediment measurements. In this study, two practical and relatively cheap alternative methods (namely turbidity sensor and Imhoff cone method) were used to estimate SSC. Imhoff cone is a practical and indirect free settleable solid analysis method. Although this method is easy to use and cheap, moving the water samples to the laboratory and allowing them to settle can be time consuming. Therefore polyacrylamide (PAM), which is a soil conditioner and a flocculant, was tested as an accelerant of sediment settling in Imhoff cone method. PAM concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1 ppm were used in water samples. The results showed that it causes turbidity sensor measurement method had high reliability and advantage including continuous monitoring and ability to read and store more data at high expected sediment concentrations (<10.0 g/L). Finalizing the flocculation and settling material stabilization processes in a short time, like 10 min, increased the use of Imhoff cone method in the field conditions without having to move samples to the laboratory. However, this method had disadvantages of causing errors at low sediment concentrations and requiring sensitive measurements due to the graduation of the cone. These problems can be solved by using better graduated cones or digital sensors in the cones. Finally, this study showed that these methods have potential with high reliability and are good alternatives for practical and economical sediment measurements.


Human and macaque observers can detect and discriminate visual forms defined by differences in texture. The neurophysiological correlates of visual texture perception are not well understood and have not been studied extensively at the single-neuron level in the primate brain. We used a novel family of texture patterns to measure the selectivity of neurons in extrastriate cortical area V2 of the macaque (Macaca nemestrina, Macaca fascicularis) for the orientation of texture-defined form, and to distinguish responses to luminance- and texture-defined form. Most V2 cells were selective for the orientation of luminance-defined form; they signaled the orientation of the component gratings that made up the texture patterns but not the overall pattern orientation. In some cells, these luminance responses were modulated by the direction or orientation of the texture envelope, suggesting an interaction of luminance and texture signals. We found little evidence for a "cue-invariant" representation in monkey V2. Few cells showed selectivity for the orientation of texture-defined form; they signaled the orientation of the texture patterns and not that of the component gratings. Small datasets recorded in monkey V1 and cat area 18 showed qualitatively similar patterns of results. Consistent with human functional imaging studies, our findings suggest that signals related to texture-defined form in primate cortex are most salient in areas downstream of V2. V2 may still provide the foundation for texture perception, through the interaction of luminance- and texture-based signals.


The nature of robots in the future is examined, and it is proposed that they should fundamentally function as responsible agents for people and not merely as programmed artifacts. Thus besides having extended powers of perception, they will need to deal with their own purposes, embedded in purpose structures, and with the ways of modifying and optimizing their purposes in parallel. The primary purpose of robotic perception is to see how well the robot is performing on a current task (or subtask). Being responsible means being able to take care of more than one task at once: for example, a cleaning robot must be able not only to clean, but to do it efficiently and to conserve power and itself; it must be able to modify what it tries to do in order to take care of new requirements. Thus the robot must be able to modify its own understanding of what clean means in various circumstances. This viewpoint of robotics extends the current approaches in a new direction.<<ETX>>


Law and practice on the enjoyment on constitutional right on clean healthy environment case study Dar-es-salaam Region, has since time immemorial an eminent problem. Despite many efforts taken by the government to solve it, there still more challenges to strength the laws relating to environmental management so as to ensure clean healthy environment. The study is aimed at insightful analysis designed to suppress the problem of dumping wastes in settlement areas resulting from in effectiveness of laws governing wastes management. The study is divided into six chapters, namely, chapter one which is comprises of background of the study, statement of the problems, literature review, and hypotheses, significant of the study and research methodology. Chapter two discusses the Law and practice on the enjoyment on constitutional right on clean healthy environment in Dar-es-salaam Region, chapter three environmental impact assessments in respect of waste management in Dar-es-salaam Region, chapter four data analysis, result and findings. Chapter five discussions of key findings, Chapter six Conclusions and Recommendation on how to redress the situation in the society. The findings are that, there is no provisional on the environmental law which specifies the actual distance to be considered when of selecting a dump sites or reservoirs from or towards the residential areas, no assessment is done before established a dump or reservoirs, hence right of clean environment ends by the statute and practice.


Abstract:Social conflict was a social phenomenon in early Roman Palestine and may be explored with social-scientific models. A model is proposed that contains the contrasting elite and non-elite ideologies across various applicable social domains. Furthermore, the influence of Roman imperialism is indicated on each social domain. Taken as a whole, the model describes the competitive and alternate visions of society among the elite and non-elite. The model may assist in highlighting social conflict in textual data with early Roman Palestine as a narrative location. It is suggested that the model is applied as a heuristic instrument. Luke 19:1–27, which includes the conversion of Zacchaeus and the parable of the Minas, is discussed as an example of the heuristic value of the model.


New measurements of 12C/13C ratios in Galactic molecular clouds have been conducted using the N = 1 → 0 transition of the CN radical. This species is unique in that it has extensive hyperfine structure that can be accurately used to correct for line saturation effects. Combined with the past observations of Savage and coworkers, the ratios derived from CN are the most extensive data set to date for molecular clouds, and they include sources that lie in the range of 0.09-16.41 kpc in distance from the Galactic center (DGC). The ratios derived from CN indicate a gradient with Galactic distance of 12C/13C = 6.01DGC + 12.28. This gradient agrees rather closely with those derived from measurements of CO and H2CO. The least-squares fit to all data points for the three molecules is 12C/13C = 6.21DGC + 18.71. CO, CN, and H2CO are synthesized from quite varied reactions, and any 13C fractionation must follow different pathways for these three species. The relatively good agreement between the 12C/13C ratios of the three molecules, as well as their lack of correlation with gas kinetic temperature, suggests that chemical fractionation and isotope-selective photodissociation both do not play a substantial role in influencing such ratios. Therefore, the 12C/13C gradient found in the Galaxy is a true indicator of Galactic chemical evolution. The apparent discrepancy between the solar system (12C/13C = 89) and local interstellar medium values (12C/13C ≈ 68) of this ratio may be a result of 13C enrichment since the formation of the solar system, as predicted by recent models.


Presents the world's first integrated analog front-end (AFE) and audio codec IC supporting the WCDMA standard. This chip was fabricated on Intel's 0.18 /spl mu/m flash+logic+analog (FLA) process technology using a 0.35 /spl mu/m feature size analog transistor. The AFE transmit path contains a 10-bit segmented R2R D/A, self-calibrated active RC filter and programmable gain amplifier (PGA) with a self tuning offset correction circuit. The receive path includes a programmable gain active RC filter and an 8-bit A/D with built-in offset correction. The AFE operates at 2.7 V with a current consumption of 55 mA, and total active area of 15 mm/sup 2/.


Gender portrayals in sport-related advertising generally reinforce institutionalized sexism and culturally defined sex-role behaviors. Gender-defining messages in advertising photographs may have an especially profound impact on children because children understand meanings in pictures before they understand meanings in text. The purpose of this study was to analyze gender portrayals contained in advertisements appearing in Sports Illustrated for Kids (SIK) over a 6-year period. Advertisements were coded to determine (a) the total number of advertisements featuring females and males, (b) genders represented as prominent or supporting in advertising portrayals, and (c) gender portrayals in advertisement activities and product types. Content analysis revealed that girls and women were drastically underrepresented as models in SIK advertising and that distinct gender roles were sustained by depicting males in nearly all types of activities and products. Conventional stereotypical relationships between sport ...


Excretion of 45Ca and 32P with the mixed excrements, urine and faeces, bile and pancreatic juice in male chicks and cocks has been studied, showing that: 1. Most intensified 45Ca and 32P excretion takes place during the first two days. Excretion decreases during subsequent days and on the 7th day it is insignificant. For 7 days the birds release with the mixed excrements 38.23 per cent of the intramuscularly administered 45Ca dose and 41.09 per cent of 32P. 2. Excretion of 45Ca and 32P in colostomized cocks takes place mainly through the urine and to a relatively lesser degree with the faeces. For 7 days the urinary excretion of 45Ca is 39.3 per cent, faecal excretion being 12.3 per cent. Total 32P excretion for the same period is 38.1 and 16.96 per cent of the dose introduced, respectively. 3. Cannulation of the two bile ducts (from the liver and bladder) and of the anterior pancreatic duct has shown that the endogenous faecal calcium and phosphorus originate mainly from the 45Ca and 32P with the bile and to a considerably lesser degree with the pancreatic juice. 4. The existence of an entero-hepatic calcium turnover is demonstrated by prevention of 45Ca reabsorption through cannulation of the biliary and pancreatic ducts.


The sensitivity of Helicobacter pylori chromosomal DNA to MboI digestion was investigated in 208 strains from several continents. Only 11 (5%) of strains were sensitive to MboI, and it was hypothesized that HpyIII, a type II restriction/modification enzyme with sequence homology to MboI, mediated the protection. This was confirmed by PCR analysis of the gene locus of hpyIII, normally composed of hpyIIIR and hpyIIIM. In all but one strain sensitive to MboI, no PCR product of hpyIIIR was obtained. In contrast, all strains yielded a product for hpyIIIM, independent of MboI phenotype. Further examination of the hpyIII locus in strains lacking a hpyIIIR PCR product identified a novel gene, hrgA, upstream of hpyIIIM. All 208 strains examined had either hpyIIIR or hrgA, but not both, upstream of hpyIIIM. Although hrgA has homology with a Campylobacter jejuni gene (Cj1602), its function is not known. In Western countries, hrgA was more prevalent (53%) than in Asia (25%; P < 0.0001, chi(2)). In Asia, hrgA was more prevalent among gastric cancer patients (18 of 43; 42%) than among noncancer patients (16 of 95; 17%; P = 0.001, chi(2)). All 143 Asian strains tested were cagA(+), but among Western strains, hrgA was more prevalent in cagA(+) strains (26 of 42; 62%) than in cagA(-) strains (9 of 23; 39%; P = 0.04, chi(2)). In coculture with epithelial cells, hpyIIIR and hrgA strains did not show any significant differences in interleukin-8 induction and apoptosis. Although a direct function for hrgA in virulence could not be demonstrated, our data indicate that hrgA is a strain-specific gene that might be associated with gastric cancer among H. pylori isolates from Asian patients.


The study investigates how the composition and character of aid of Swedish aid has changed over time, and what effects these changes have had for the potential to realize key aspects of the Paris agenda such as ownership, alignment, harmonisation, and accountability and the ability to deliver aid efficiently. We analyse the changes in Swedish aid flows since 1990 and compare with changes in the global pattern in terms of purpose, country allocation, channels, and modalities. We discuss how these changes are likely to have affected the efficiency of Sweden as a donor. We conclude with a discussion about the future direction of Swedish aid.


INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the experiences related to peripartum hysterectomy among first-year maternal-fetal medicine Fellows in the United States. METHODS: A cross-sectional anonymous survey was administered at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine first-year Fellow annual retreat in March 2013. Fellows were asked about prior experiences, management strategies for suspected abnormal placentation, uterine tamponade devices, and antifibrinolytic agents. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate and bivariate methods. RESULTS: There was a 56% response rate (55/99) for completed surveys. Compared with the East Coast, Fellows from West Coast programs have performed more hysterectomies (mean values with standard deviations 2.9±2.4 compared with 1.2±1.2, P=.004). Only 25% of responders felt adequately trained to perform a peripartum hysterectomy as the supervising physician. Handheld cautery devices such as the Ligasure or Gyrus were used by 29% during a peripartum hysterectomy. In situations in which preoperative ultrasonography showed abnormal placentation, only 16% always obtained a preoperative magnetic resonance image. Sixty-five percent responded that their institution never recommend planned delayed hysterectomies. In cases of postpartum hemorrhage resulting from uterine atony, there was a wide variation in the use and management of uterine balloon tamponade devices. The median incremental time for balloon deflation was every 5 hours (interquartile range 2–12) by 25% (interquartile range 20–50). CONCLUSIONS: There is wide variation in practice among first-year maternal-fetal medicine Fellows in management of anticipated, unplanned, or averted peripartum hysterectomies. Given the serious morbidity and mortality associated with these clinical situations, development of management guidelines is warranted.


Chiropractors have been excluded from postgraduate training in medical hospitals since the time such programs were mandated following World War II. Recently, a chiropractic residency program has been established at Lindell Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. This paper briefly describes the development of this program and the functions carried out by the chiropractic resident in the hospital environment. It then attempts to define a future direction for such residency programs.


: In 1891 Georg Avellis described a so-called "laryngeal hemiplegia" that can be caused by peripheral lesions of the vagal and glossopharyngeal nerves and rarely by infarctions of the medulla oblongata, thus representing a classical brainstem syndrome. In this study we describe two patients with an Avellis' syndrome caused by brainstem ischemia. Contemporary publications about Avellis' syndrome in brainstem lesions seem to be very inhomogenous. They report various diseases with unilateral laryngeal palsy due to nucleus ambiguus lesions with diverse additional neurological symptoms. We conclude that according to Avellis' original description only the combination of ipsilateral palatolaryngeal paresis and contralateral hemiparesis and/or hemihypesthesia should to be interpreted as Avellis' syndrome.


This paper presents quantitative estimates of the indirect cost of financial distress and its determinants. In order to measure the cost, this study estimates the annualized changes in industry-adjusted operation profit and sales from a year before the onset of distress to the resolution year. Using those approaches, the median of indirect financial distress cost is estimated between three and 11 percent annually. To the extent that the direct cost of financial distress reduces reported operating income, the estimated costs are overstated. The simple regressions analysis suggest that the indirect cost of financial distress significantly increases with size, leverage, number of creditors, and poor industry performance, but is not related to degree of bank loan reliance. The findings provide a weak support for the financial distress theory which suggests that conflicts of interest render the costs of financial distress.


Machine learning (ML) models are often considered "blackboxes" as their internal representations fail to align with human understanding. While recent work attempted to expose the inner workings of ML models they do not allow users to interact directly with the model. This is especially problematic in domains where labeled data is limited as such the generalizability of ML models becomes questionable. We argue that the fundamental problem of generalizibility could be addressed by making ML models explainable in abstractions and expressions that make sense to users and by allowing them to interact with the model to assess, select, and build on. By involving humans in the process this way, we argue that the cocreated models will be more generalizable as they extrapolate what ML learns from few data when expressed in higher level abstractions that humans can verify, update, and expand based on their domain expertise. In this paper, we introduce RulesLearner that expresses MLmodel as rules on top of semantic linguistic structures in disjunctive normal form. RulesLearner allows users to interact with the patterns learned by the ML model, e.g. add and remove predicates, examine precision and recall, and construct a trusted set of rules.We conducted a preliminary user study which suggests that (1) rules learned by ML are explainable and (2) co-created model is more generalizable (3) providing rules to experts improves overall productivity, with fewer people involved, with less expertise. Our findings link explainability and interactivity to generalizability, as such suggest that hybrid intelligence (human-AI) methods offer great potential.


High-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets have recently become popular for weight loss and the treatment of numerous chronic diseases; however, the general medical community still expresses concern regarding the impact of high-fat diets on serum lipids and cardiovascular risk. Herein, we report on a young man who adopted a ketogenic diet to treat his inflammatory bowel disease. Incidentally, changes in his serum lipids that would be considered adverse by current standards were noted. A more critical analysis of his lipid profile suggests that the changes he experienced may not be dangerous and may, at least with regard to several parameters, represent improvements. This case study demonstrates how the manner in which lipid panels are often reported and reviewed can lead to misleading conclusions and highlights that, at least in the care of those on a ketogenic diet, more nuanced analyses of lipid subfractionations should be conducted in order for physicians to provide optimal care and clinical recommendations.


Rate Equations in Semiconductor Electronics: J. E. CARROLL (Cambridge University Press, 1986, 177 pp., £25.(0) This intriguing book approaches the topic of semiconductor electronics from a new angle, and by doing so it brings new insights and a greater depth of understanding than is usually gained from a study of device models. It is an ideal foil to the author's earlier book on device models. What comes over most clearly on a first reading is the way in which device switching speed depends on both the device geometry and, more particularly, on the fundamental properties of the semiconductor, and this is obviously very important. However, there is far more to the book than this, and the treatment of lasers and of microwave devices will undoubtedly repay detailed study. For someone relatively familiar with semiconductor devices it is ajoy to read this book, but I am inclined to think that such familiarity is essential if one is to gain maximum benefit. It may be the kind of book that is more attractive to teachers than to the taught. The other comment I would make is that the level of treatment of the book is variable and sometimes quite high. For example, most second year undergraduates are still fairly uneasy with Maxwell's equations and vector calculus. More particularly, they lack the author's depth of physical intuition, born oflong experience. This last paragraph sounds more critical than I intended, for I want to commend the book most warmly, and to thank the author for sharing his thoughts with us. For anyone who wants to understand semiconductor devices fully, this is essential reading. It opens one's vision to the future instead of merely recounting how current devices work. D. C. NORTHROP, Department ofElectrical Engineering and Electronics, UMIST


Plants employ a complex network of signaling pathways to regulate developmental processes and to mediate the responses to both environmental and biological stress factors. Ethylene is one of the key plant hormones involved in controlling this network, which has made it and its signaling pathway a target of intense research for several decades. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the plant hormone is detected by a group of five receptors (ETR1, ERS1, ETR2, ERS2 and EIN4) that resemble the sensor histidine kinases of bacterial two-component system. The main aim in this thesis study was the expression and purification of the full-length ETR1 for structural studies to gain insights into the initial steps in ethylene signaling. The FL ETR1 was successfully expressed in baculovirus expression vector system but the isolation of the receptor from the membrane was hampered. In addition to the FL ETR1, the cytosolic portion of the receptor was studied using Small Angle X-ray Scattering. The resulting SAXS model had the expected dimeric arrangement.
EDR1 from A. thaliana is a CTR1-like MAPKKK that is involved in regulating disease resistance responses, cell death and also ethylene-induced senescence. It possesses an N-terminal regulatory domain and C-terminal catalytic domain wit Ser/Thr kinase activity. As EDR1 has been shown to autophosphorylate in trans, the mechanism of this was studied using X-ray crystallography. A crystal structure for the catalytically inactive kinase domain of EDR1 (EDR1-D792N) was obtained in the presence of the ATP substrate analog AMP-PNP. The asymmetric unit contained two molecules, one of which surprisingly was in an active-like conformation. Furthermore, the active-like EDR1-D792N molecule was found to form an authentic trans-autophosphorylation complex with the inactive monomer from the adjacent asymmetric unit.
In addition to the plant defense signaling proteins, an adenylation (A) domain from cyanobacterial non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) was studied. NRPSs are large multidomain enzymes that are found from a number of fungal and bacterial species and catalyze the ribosome-independent assembly of biologically active peptides with diverse composition and function. The A domain plays a central role in the NRPS system as it recognizes and activates the amino acid, which is incorporated into the growing peptide. The A domain ApnA A1 from the Anabaenopeptin synthetase of Planktothrix agardhii is an interesting member of its class as it has an unusual ability to activate two very distinct amino acids (arginine and tyrosine). Structural studies on this enzyme were performed to elucidate its bi-specificity. Based on the solved ApnA A1 structures, two active site residues with a crucial role in the substrate binding were identified. The mutation of these residues led to enzyme variants, which were mono-specific for either tyrosine or arginine, or in some instances were able to activate L-tryptophan. Additionally a number of ApnA A1 mutants were shown to activate unnatural amino acids (4-fluorophenylalanine and 4-azidophenylalanine). A final peptide product with an unnatural amino acid incorporated, could possibly have useful industrial or pharmaceutical applications.


BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to explore which of the outcomes attained by the application of the psychological program Intervención en Adolescentes con Fobia Social (Intervention in Adolescents with Social Phobia) can be attributed to the therapist's competence.

METHOD
The experimental study consists of three conditions: Waiting list control, Group treated by expert psychologists, and Group treated by inexperienced psychologists, with a sample of 110 Spanish adolescents whose mean age was 15.42 years (SD = 0.97, range: 14-18). All participants met the criteria for diagnosis of Generalized Social Phobia) and most of them were female (65.45%).

RESULTS
(i) The effect size attributable to the therapist was low compared to the effect size associated with the manual-based treatment program in the dependent variables measured, and (ii) Expert therapists attained a much greater remission of the criteria for the diagnosis of Generalized Social Phobia among participants than did the inexperienced therapists.

CONCLUSIONS
The IAFS Program was responsible for most of the change measured in participants.


Background Although participatory action research (PAR) studies have proliferated in recent years, the development of technological resources to manage these types of projects has not kept pace. Few studies show how Web-based applications can be used to efficiently manage the data collection process. Objective This study described the development, use, and impact of a Web-based application to facilitate data management in Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family), an interventional multifaceted PAR field study. Methods We described the transformation of the data management process and evaluated the impact of the application in terms of time efficiency of data collection and engagement of community-based data collectors. We defined time efficiency as the total number of days it took to collect 3 main surveys, per year of data collection. The engagement of data collectors was assessed based on qualitative reports. Results The amount of time it took to perform a round of data collection was reduced after implementation of the field team application (between 382 and 383 days and 198 and 233 days). Secondary data were also collected in a tighter time frame around collection of the primary outcome, and communication among data collectors, the field staff, and the research team was streamlined. In focus groups, community-based data collectors reported feeling more empowered and engaged in the data collection process after implementation of the application. Conclusions A Web-based management application was successful in improving data collection time efficiency and engagement among data collectors.


The expression of transient receptor potential protein channels increases intensively colon and breast cancer cells. We aimed to reveal the role of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and capecitabine along with Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels in breast and colon cancer cells. Breast (MCF-7) and colon (Caco-2) cells were cultured and the study was planned as 7 main groups. Cells in the group were incubated with 5FU and capecitabine for 24 h and then incubated with TRPV1 channel antagonist capsazepine and stimulator capsaicin. The effects of medicines were investigated on molecular pathways of apoptosis. It was concluded that the administration of TRPV1 channel stimulator capsaicin in both cancer cells significantly increased the degree of intracellular Ca2+ levels and apoptosis levels compared to the control group whereas, the use of TRPV1 channel inhibitor capsazepine, significantly decreased the degree of apoptosis levels. The apoptotic effects of 5FU and capecitabine on both colon and breast cancer cells are directly related to TRPV1 channels and TRPV1 channels play an important role in the apoptosis. The apoptotic cell lines activity of capecitabine was higher in breast cancer cells, while that of 5FU was more pronounced in colon cancer cells.


Background Increasing patient-reported outcome measures in the 1980s and 1990s led to the development of recommendations at the turn of the millennium for standardising outcome measures in non-specific low back pain (LBP) trials. Whether these recommendations impacted use is unclear. Previous work has examined citation counts, but actual use and change over time, has not been explored. Since 2011, there has been some consensus on the optimal methods for reporting back pain trial outcomes. We explored reporting practice, outcome measure use, and publications over time. Methods We performed a systematic review of LBP trials, searching the European Guidelines for the management of LBP, extending the search to 2012. We abstracted data on publications by year, outcome measure use, analytical approach, and approaches taken to reporting trials outcomes. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression analyses. Results We included 401 trials. The number of published trials per year has increased by a factor of 4.5 from 5.4 (1980–1999) to 24.4 (2000–2012). The most commonly used outcome measures have been the Visual Analogue Scale for pain intensity, which has slowly increased in use since 1980/81 from 20% to 60% of trials by 2012, and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, which rose to 55% in 2002/2003, and then fell back to 28% by 2012. Most trialists (85%) report between-group mean differences. Few (8%) report individual improvements, and some (4%) report only within-group analyses. Student's t test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA regression, or mixed models, were the most common approaches to analysis. Conclusions Recommendations for standardising outcomes may have had a limited or inconsistent effect on practice. Since the research community is again considering outcome measures and modifying recommendations, groups offering recommendations should be cognisant that better ways of generating trialist buy-in may be required in order for their recommendations to have impact.


During the committing of a crime, fingerprints can be deposited onto an endless number of substrates, and can be exposed to a vast range of environmental conditions. The substrate a fingerprint is deposited onto and the environment it is exposed to, affects the techniques that can be used to enhance that fingerprint as well as the persistence of that fingerprint, and therefore its ability to be identified and enhanced, by a forensic practitioner. This is particularly true for when a fingerprint is exposed to a destructive environment, either through the nature of the crime, or in attempt to destroy evidence by the perpetrator of the crime.

This literature review aims to explore the literature to consider the fingerprint enhancement techniques that could be used to enhance fingerprints deposited onto the metal and plastic substrates of a kitchen knife, and exposed to the wetting and washing environment of dishwasher. This literature review will therefore provide the background required to conduct experimental validation of this same purpose. The Results of this study will aid forensic investigators when making decisions on the possibility of recovering prints that were attepted to be cleaned and removed off an item, such as a knife, when suspected to have been used or important to an investigation and recovered from a dishwasher. Subsequently, it will aid in the decision of which enhancement technique to use in this situation.


The dangerous events often happen in coal-fired power plant and its influence is very serious. Use entropy weigh method to determine the weight of index is very popular, it not only consider the key factors but also make a quantitative analysis for the interaction and coordination among different index. It is about how to make the function of system security greater than the sum of each single subsystem. The case study shows that the comprehensive safety evaluation model can integrate the safety factor and analyze the nonlinear effect of each index so as to make the evaluation result more reasonable, then, it can supply the scientific basis for safety production management of enterprise.


Satellite telecommunications and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) would benefit from an early prediction of the ionospheric activity. The Total Electron Content (TEC) values of the ionosphere are already locally predicted by models from previous studies, but no model exists to our knowledge for worldwide prediction. A large amount of data for world TEC maps is available from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE). With Deep Neural Networks (DNN), we propose a method to forecast a sequence of global TEC maps following past given TEC maps, without introducing any prior knowledge. By combining several state-of-theart architectures, the proposed approach is competitive with previous works on TEC forecast, while predicting global TEC maps.


Introduction The main treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is the application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) with expected resolution of the reported excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). It is not uncommon though a few of those patients to continue experiencing residual EDS. The aim of this study was to identify the most common causes of the subjectively reported residual EDS. Methods In our tertiary sleep disorders centre and over a 5-year period, OSAS patients on CPAP with residual EDS despite seemingly good control of the apneic events on overnight oximetry and all the efforts for good treatment compliance were retrospectively identified. Eligible patients had an Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) >10, adequate sleep time was demonstrated on sleep diary or actigraphy, and further polysomnographic and clinical history evaluation was required. Results 179 middle aged patients (52.8 ±8.2 years) were identified with an ESS=16 ±3.2 and a BMI=36.4± 6.99 kg/m2. Almost half of our patients (48.6%) (87 patients) were diagnosed with periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD, periodic limb movement index=44.4±28.37 /hr). Half of those (46%)(40 patients) suffered also from restless legs syndrome. 28% of our patients had depression as the primary cause of their residual EDS. 5.1% of the patients were finally diagnosed with concomitant hypersomnia of central origin(narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia). In 6% no cause was identified and their residual EDS was considered to be secondary to possible hypoxic effects to the brain. Conclusion PLMD can be highly prevalent in OSAS with residual EDS while on CPAP.


AIMS
This study aims to assess the prevalence of relative apical sparing pattern (RASP) in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS), referred for surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR), to evaluate its significance, possible relation to amyloid deposition, and persistence after surgery.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Prospective study of 150 consecutive patients [age 73 (interquartile range: 68-77), 51% women], with severe symptomatic AS referred to surgical AVR. All patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) before surgery. RASP was defined by [average apical longitudinal strain (LS)/(average basal LS + average mid LS)] > 1 by echocardiography. AVR was performed in 119 (79.3%) patients. Both Congo red and sodium sulphate-Alcian blue (SAB) stain were used to exclude amyloid on septal myocardial biopsy. LV remodelling and tissue characterization parameters were compared in patients with and without RASP. Deformation pattern was re-assessed at 3-6 months after AVR.RASP was present in 23 patients (15.3%). There was no suspicion of amyloid at pre-operative CMR [native T1 value 1053 ms (1025-1076 ms); extracellular volume (ECV) 28% (25-30%)]. None of the patients had amyloid deposition at histopathology. Patients with RASP had significantly higher pre-operative LV mass and increased septal wall thickness. They also had higher N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels [1564 (766-3318) vs. 548 (221-1440) pg/mL, P = 0.010], lower LV ejection fraction (53.7 ± 10.5 vs. 60.5 ± 10.2%, P = 0.005), and higher absolute late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) mass [9.7 (5.4-14.1) vs. 4.8 (1.9-8.6) g, P = 0.016] at CMR. Follow-up evaluation after AVR revealed RASP disappearance in all except two of the patients.

CONCLUSION
RASP is not specific of cardiac amyloidosis. It may also be found in severe symptomatic AS without amyloidosis, reflecting advanced LV disease, being mostly reversible after surgery.


An abstraction-based paradigm that makes explicit the process of imposing assumptions on data is discussed. The units of abstraction are models in which levels of abstraction are determined by the degree of assumption necessary for their application. A general-to-specific refinement process provides a mechanism to proceed gracefully through the abstraction hierarchy. This strategy was applied to the recognition and pose determination of objects comprising simple and compound cylindrical and planar surfaces in dense range data. A method of computing reliable Gaussian and mean curvature sign-map descriptors from the polynomial approximations of surfaces is demonstrated. A means for determining the pose of constructed geometric forms whose algebraic surface descriptions are nonlinear in terms of their orienting parameters is developed. It is shown that biquadratic surfaces are suitable companion-linear forms for cylinder approximation and parameter estimation. The estimates provide the initial parametric approximations necessary for a nonlinear regression stage to fine tune the estimates by fitting the actual nonlinear form to the data. >


We have investigated the all-optical generation of ultrashort voltage pulses that are launched by resonant excitation of a passive GaAs photoconductive switch with no electric bias field applied. Due to a specially designed geometry, we can distinguish between electrical transients generated in the Schottky field region of the metal/GaAs contact and shift currents resulting from nonlinear optical effects in the GaAs material. The shift current contribution is smaller than the Schottky field contribution but possesses a higher bandwidth with frequency components exceeding 1 THz. For small bias fields, the contribution of all-optically-generated currents to the overall voltage signal may be significant and needs to be accounted for when modeling photoconductive switches.


This chapter presents an overview of advances in the structural analysis of contracting in vertical markets over the past fifteen years. We provide a discussion of theoretical models of contracting and bargaining that form the basis of recent empirical work, and then present common approaches used by researchers to take these models to the data. We also briefly survey the structural empirical literature on topics in vertical markets (including horizontal and vertical mergers, price discrimination, and nonlinear and exclusionary contracts), and conclude with a discussion of potential topics for future research.


The phenotypes of five different lethal mutants of Drosophila melanogaster that have small imaginal discs were analyzed in detail. From these results, we inferred whether or not the observed imaginal disc phenotype resulted exclusively from a primary imaginal disc defect in each mutant. To examine the validity of these inferences, we employed a multiple-allele method. Lethal alleles of the five third-chromosome mutations were identified by screening EMS-treated chromosomes for those which fail to complement with a chromosome containing all five reference mutations. Twenty-four mutants were isolated from 13,197 treated chromosomes. Each of the 24 was then tested for complementation with each of the five reference mutants. There was no significant difference in the mutation frequencies at these five loci. The stage of lethality and the imaginal disc morphology of each mutant allele were compared to those of its reference allele in order to examine the range of defects to be found among lethal alleles of each locus. In addition, hybrids of the alleles were examined for intracistronic complementation. For two of the five loci, we detected no significant phenotypic variation among lethal alleles. We infer that each of the mutant alleles at these two loci cause expression of the null activity phenotype. However, for the three other loci, we did detect significant phenotypic variation among lethal alleles. In fact, one of the mutant alleles at each of these three loci causes no detectable imaginal disc defect. This demonstrates that attempting to assess the developmental role of a gene by studying a single mutant allele may lead to erroneous conclusions. As a byproduct of the mutagenesis procedure, we have isolated two dominant, cold-sensitive mutants.


: Surgical intervention was found to intensify circulation in the limb and redistribute the blood flow. Leg lengthening led to arterial inflow limitation due to the magisterial artery strain. The changes were accompanied both by increase of functioning capillaries in number and increase of venous outflow dependence on blood inflow. The decreased after surgery oxygen tension in m. gastrocnemius did not change throughout distraction. The increase of functioning capillaries in number in resting contributed to maintenance of tissue oxygenation in the initial period of distraction, and in case of maximal tissue tensioning hydrostatic pressure increased in the capillaries due to arterial pressure rise. Restoration of the circulation parameters in the fixation period started with an increase of circulation volumetric rate in vessels with preservation of the rest mechanisms of the tissue oxygenation maintenance.


In the UK, universal child screening for eye defects or reduced vision is recommended at birth, 6–8 weeks and 4 years.1 A physical examination of the baby's eyes is carried out to detect significant structural abnormalities or media opacities manifesting with an abnormal red reflex. Early diagnosis facilitates prompt treatment to preserve or restore vision, and/or the introduction of early support to improve visual and developmental outcomes if severe visual impairment is inevitable. In addition, babies born prematurely are screened for retinopathy of prematurity. At 4 years of age, screening should be orthoptist led; via measurement of monocular acuity, the principal aim is to detect children with significant amblyopia who will benefit from treatment to improve vision in the 'blunted' eye.

Although auditing of the programme is not well established, its contribution to the detection of severe visual impairment has been demonstrated by Rahi et al 2 who reported on the outcome of a 1-year period of active case finding of children newly diagnosed with severe visual impairment (defined as acuity worse than logMAR 1.0)i (Snellen 6/60). A quarter of those with isolated severe visual impairment were identified through the UK screening programme, and for almost half of the children, paediatricians were the first key professional involved in the diagnostic journey. However, Rahi also highlighted the relative rarity of isolated severe visual impairment: for many children, this occurred in the context of additional, non-ophthalmic impairments. Of this group, almost half were diagnosed via clinical examinations arranged because of a known increased risk of a specific eye disease.

Rahi's study focused on children with severe acuity reduction; however, mild/moderate …


Real-time 3D light microscopy provides a large depth of field and high resolution which have considerable advantages for the discovery and examination of microbial structures in rocks. In highly translucent specimens, real-time 3D observation in transmitted light offers a greater capability for rapid recognition of microbial features than do other 3D imaging methods such as light microscopy of serial sections or tilted specimens, scanning electron microscopy, stereology, confocal microscopy, or computed tomography. Application of this new technique to samples of Precambrian, Permian, Cretaceous, and Pleistocene age reveals an intriguing variety of probable microbial structures, particularly in sparry calcites. A direct view of the true spatial relationships among microbial structures and between microbial structures and mineral substrates provides essential clues for deciphering the controls on and timing of microbial activity relative to chemical and mechanical processes in rocks.


Purpose Treatment guidance for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) recommends inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)+long-acting muscarinic antagonist+long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) triple therapy for patients who experience recurrent exacerbations, persistent breathlessness, or exercise limitation on dual therapy. However, information is limited on pathways to triple therapy in the UK. Patients and Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using de-identified patient-level data from UK primary care electronic medical records from January 1, 2005 to May 1, 2016. Data were included from patients who had their first triple therapy regimen (index date) recorded during the study period and a minimum of 12 months' pre-index data. Treatment pathways to triple therapy were recorded, and the proportion of patients on triple therapy before their COPD diagnosis was determined. Adherence to triple therapy was estimated using the proportion of days covered (PDC). Results After applying eligibility criteria, 82,300 patients were included, with a mean age at COPD diagnosis of 64.7 years. The major treatment pathway (27.9%) was the first initiation of ICS+LABA prior to triple therapy. Following COPD diagnosis, the median time to triple therapy was approximately 3.5 years. The estimated mean adherence to triple therapy was 81.8% PDC. Multivariate analysis showed that the following groups were more likely to have received previous therapy prior to triple therapy: females (versus males), patients with asthma (versus those without asthma), severe COPD (versus those with non-severe COPD), or fewer exacerbations (versus those with more exacerbations). Conclusion Treatment pathways to triple therapy in the UK are diverse, highlighting the need to better understand factors involved in clinical decision-making.


This paper critiques the position of flattening as an alternative way to map and analyse power structures in Trinidad Carnival. As will be argued, traditional hierarchies of meaning and value invert in Carnival, with participants using masquerade and the visual arts to perform and critique the contradictions of Trinidad society, and to make or unmake categories of difference. Flattening, as the authors argue, is particularly well suited when speaking about Carnival, whose cultural frames are constantly blurred, stretched, erased or redrawn, and where distortions of social and cultural distinctions are realised visually. Furthermore, flattening emphasises the elasticity and fluidity that often confounds notions of difference; and it captures the experiences of fragmentation and flux that are central to displays of difference at Carnival. The selected case studies introduced in this paper draw on diverse visual accounts. Such an analysis enables an opportunity to view Trinidad Carnival as a localised social representation of difference, suggesting a blurring of identity conventions in Carnival that offers an opportunity not only to scrutinise social change in Trinidad but also to assess the meaning of social change in the Caribbean more broadly.


Superposition of two or more states is one of the most fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics and provides a basis for several advantages offered by quantum information processing. This work reports the experimental demonstration of two‐way communication between two distant parties that can exchange only a single particle once, an impossible task in classical physics. This is achieved through preparation of a single photon in a coherent superposition of the two parties' locations. Furthermore, it is shown that this concept allows the parties to perform secure and anonymous quantum communication employing one particle per transmitted bit. These important features can lead to the realization of new quantum communication schemes, which are simultaneously anonymous, secure, and resource‐efficient.


out accurate fracture reduction, and movement of bone within the wires can take place. In a bone as heavily stressed as the tibia this is almost impossible to avoid. In other situations, as for instance the fibular component of certain ankle fracture-dislocations, they can be of very great value. It would be a pity for the appropriate use of encirclage wiring in fracture treatment to be discredited by further repetition of this long-standing misapprehension concerning the reasons for its failure when used inappropriately. M F PORTER Birmingham Accident Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre, Birmingham


This paper studies the sum-rate performance of regularized zero-forcing (RZF) precoding in a multi-user multiple-input single-output (MISO) system, where the channel between the base station (BS) and each user is modeled by the double scattering channel model. This non-Gaussian channel accounts for both the spatial correlation in the antenna arrays and the structure of scattering in the propagation environment. The user population is divided into $G$ groups, where the users in the same group experience similar propagation conditions and are characterized by common correlation matrices. Under this setting, we derive deterministic approximations of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and the sum-rate with RZF precoding, which are almost surely tight in the large system limit. Simulation results confirm the close match provided by the asymptotic analysis for moderate system dimensions.


We propose a pervasive usage of the sensor network infrastructure as a cyber-physical system for navigating internal users in locations of potential danger. Our proposed application differs from previous work in that they typically treat the sensor network as a media of data acquisition while in our navigation application, in-situ interactions between users and sensors become ubiquitous. In addition, human safety and time factors are critical to the success of our objective. Without any preknowledge of user and sensor locations, the design of an effective and efficient navigation protocol faces nontrivial challenges. We propose to embed a road map system in the sensor network without location information so as to provide users navigating routes with guaranteed safety. We accordingly design efficient road map updating mechanisms to rebuild the road map in the event of changes in dangerous areas. In this navigation system, each user only issues local queries to obtain their navigation route. The system is highly scalable for supporting multiple users simultaneously. We implement a prototype system with 36 TelosB motes to validate the effectiveness of this design. We further conduct comprehensive and large-scale simulations to examine the efficiency and scalability of the proposed approach under various environmental dynamics.


A finite element model to solve the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations based on the stabilization with orthogonal subscales, a predictor–corrector scheme to segregate the pressure and a nodal based implementation is presented in this paper. The stabilization consists of adding a least‐squares form of the component orthogonal to the finite element space of the convective and pressure gradient terms, which allows to deal with convection‐dominated flows and to use equal velocity–pressure interpolation. The pressure segregation is inspired in fractional step schemes, although the converged solution corresponds to that of a monolithic time integration. Finally, the nodal‐based implementation is based on an a priori calculation of the integrals appearing in the formulation and then the construction of the matrix and right‐hand side vector of the final algebraic system to be solved. After appropriate approximations, this matrix and this vector can be constructed directly for each nodal point, without the need to loop over the elements and thus making the calculations much faster. Some issues related to this implementation for fractional step and our predictor–corrector scheme, which is the main contribution of this paper, are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Nordic Homicide in Deep Time draws a unique and detailed picture of developments in human interpersonal violence and presents new findings on rates, patterns, and long-term changes in lethal violence in the Nordics. Conducted by an interdisciplinary team of criminologists and historians, the book analyses homicide and lethal violence in northern Europe in two eras – the 17th century and early 21st century. Similar and continuous societal structures, cultural patterns, and legal cultures allow for long-term and comparative homicide research in the Nordic context. Reflecting human universals and stable motives, such as revenge, jealousy, honour, and material conflicts, homicide as a form of human behaviour enables long-duration comparison. By describing the rates and patterns of homicide during these two eras, the authors unveil continuity and change in human violence. Where and when did homicide typically take place? Who were the victims and the offenders, what where the circumstances of their conflicts? Was intimate partner homicide more prevalent in the early modern period than in present times? How long a time elapsed from violence to death? Were homicides often committed in the context of other crime? The book offers answers to these questions among others, comparing regions and eras. We gain a unique and empirically grounded view on how state consolidation and changing routines of everyday life transformed the patterns of criminal homicide in Nordic society. The path to pacification was anything but easy, punctuated by shorter crises of social turmoil, and high violence. The book is also a methodological experiment that seeks to assess the feasibility of long-duration standardized homicide analysis and to better understand the logic of homicide variation across space and over time. In developing a new approach for extending homicide research into the deep past, the authors have created the Historical Homicide Monitor. The new instrument combines wide explanatory scope, measurement standardization, and articulated theory expression. By retroactively expanding research data to the pre-statistical era, the method enables long-duration comparison of different periods and areas. Based on in-depth source critique, the approach captures patterns of criminal behaviour, beyond the control activity of the courts. The authors foresee the application of their approach in even remoter periods. Nordic Homicide in Deep Time helps the reader to understand modern homicide by revealing the historical continuities and changes in lethal violence. The book is written for professionals, university students and anyone interested in the history of human behaviour.


Non-heat-treatable wrought Al-Mg alloys are commonly
used in marine structures that require light weight, moderate
strength, weldability, and corrosion resistance. These alloys
become susceptible to intergranular corrosion (IGC) and
intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) when an active β
phase (Al3Mg2) precipitates on grain boundaries during prolonged
thermal exposure. The Degree of Sensitization (DoS) is quantified
using the standard nitric acid mass loss test. Coupled dissolution
of β and H embrittlement is the hypothesized mechanism of IGSCC in
sensitized Al-Mg. The primary objectives of this research are to
characterize the interactive crack tip electrochemical and
mechanical factors that govern IGSCC in Al-Mg alloy 5083-H131, and
particularly to test this hypothesized mechanism. Research is
focused on low temperature, long time sensitization with discrete
grain boundary β precipitation. High resolution subcritical crack
growth experiments established a critical DoS of about 10 mg/cm2
for IGSCC susceptibility in 5083-H131 stressed at near open circuit
potential in neutral NaCl. Below this DoS, the alloy is essentially
immune to IGSCC, while above this sensitization, crack growth rates
increase as a unique function of DoS for several time-temperature
conditions. This threshold is likely due to an acidic crack tip
chemistry established by the dissolution of a critical volume of β,
in combination with an increase in local stress for increased H
concentration ahead of the crack tip due to β presence. As β volume
increases and spacing decreases, these factors continue to increase
crack growth rates. Crack growth measurements and elastic-plastic
J-integral analysis establish that this alloy is susceptible to H
embrittlement in the absence of β phase, provided that an acidic
chemistry is artificially generated in the crack tip, as an analog
to β dissolution. The role of β is verified using polarization to
either promote or preclude β dissolution. Anodic polarization
significantly enhances crack growth, while cathodic polarization
suppresses IGSCC because both β and matrix dissolution are limited.
Results demonstrate the strong benefit of modest cathodic
polarization as a means to control IGSCC. The role of H is
separated from β dissolution through hydrogen precharging of
tensile specimens stressed in the absence of a β-dissolving crack
tip electrolyte. Results demonstrate that, though β is not
essential for hydrogen environment embrittlement, β presence
promotes H damage. The coupled dissolution H-embrittlement
mechanism for IGSCC in 5083-H131 is validated by demonstrating
that: a) β distribution controls crack tip chemistry and H
localization at the fracture process zone, b) crack tip
electrochemistry provides the H production and uptake for grain
boundary decohesion, and c) H-diffusion, rate-limited embrittlement
is the dominant mechanism for crack growth between β. Unexpectedly
rapid IGSCC rates can be explained based on enhanced H diffusion in
this ligament as trapping impedance is reduced. The…


This study focuses on public spaces and analyses them to reveal their gendered nature. It is organized around the following public spaces: educational institutions, malls, railway stations, and the airport. Architectural designs, facilities provided, and gender-specific organization are some of the aspects of these spaces that are under study. Our study identified The discriminatory patterns in some of these places suggesting that there are long-term effects of discrimination on the human psyche, particularly when these spaces do not accommodate gender diversity. This paper highlights some of the discriminations and their effects on the LGBTQ+, gender-fluid and gender non-conforming communities. We observed architectural spaces to trace the subtlety with which gendered structures were incorporated into their architectural design. Specifically, we surveyed architectural designs of railway stations, airports, malls, and selected educational institutions. Each public space accommodates the needs of a specific gender while often overlooking the necessities of the under-represented genders. Despite a nearly balanced ratio that exists between males and females, there is minimal representation of the latter in several public spaces. Shared public spaces generally disregard non-dominant genders, and instead, align themselves with the dominant identities of the gender binary. The indifference towards the presence of genders other than men and women emphasizes the importance of acknowledging evolving identities and their specific needs. For such reasons, the development of gender-neutral spaces and openness towards the multiplicity of genders is of paramount importance in order to incorporate the needs and necessities of all individuals.


Basmati rice is preferred for its characteristic aroma and high export value in an international market. The techniques of tissue culture are employed to generate variations for improving the cultivars. In the present study a two stage sterilization treatment was found to be the most effective leading to maximum number of uncontaminated explants in two rice genotypes. Different combination of growth hormones in MS medium was used for shoot proliferation and multiplication. Maximum number of shoots in both Ranbir basmati and Basmati 370 were obtained in MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l of Kinetin and 0.5mg/l BAP. Effective rooting of plantlets was observed on MS media supplemented with 0.2mg/l NAA with 93.48% in Ranbir Basmati and 90.21% in Basmati 370. An optimum concentration of 2.0mg/l of 2,4-D was found to be effective for callus induction. Best combination of plant growth regulators that resulted in plantlet regeneration from callus was 2 mg/l 2,4-D , 0.5 mg/l Kn and 2 mg/l NAA in both the Ranbir basmati and Basmati 370 leading to 84.67% and 83.33% shoots respectively.


This paper compares classical copying and quantum entanglement in natural language by considering the case of verb phrase (VP) ellipsis. VP ellipsis is a non-linear linguistic phenomenon that requires the reuse of resources, making it the ideal test case for a comparative study of different copying behaviours in compositional models of natural language. Following the line of research in compositional distributional semantics set out by (Coecke et al., 2010) we develop an extension of the Lambek calculus which admits a controlled form of contraction to deal with the copying of linguistic resources. We then develop two different compositional models of distributional meaning for this calculus. In the first model, we follow the categorical approach of (Coecke et al., 2013) in which a functorial passage sends the proofs of the grammar to linear maps on vector spaces and we use Frobenius algebras to allow for copying. In the second case, we follow the more traditional approach that one finds in categorial grammars, whereby an intermediate step interprets proofs as non-linear lambda terms, using multiple variable occurrences that model classical copying. As a case study, we apply the models to derive different readings of ambiguous elliptical phrases and compare the analyses that each model provides.


Detailed information about coastal inundation is vital to understanding dynamic and populated areas that are impacted by storm surge and flooding. To understand these natural hazard risks, lidar elevation surfaces are frequently used to model inundation in coastal areas. A single-value surface method is sometimes used to inundate areas in lidar elevation surfaces that are below a specified elevation value. However, such an approach does not take into consideration hydrologic connectivity between elevation grids cells resulting in inland areas that should be hydrologically connected to the ocean, but are not. Because inland areas that should drain to the ocean are hydrologically disconnected by raised features in a lidar elevation surface, simply raising the water level to propagate coastal inundation will lead to inundation uncertainties. We took advantage of this problem to identify hydrologically disconnected inland areas to point out that they should be considered for coastal inundation, and that a lidar-based hydrologic surface should be developed with hydrologic connectivity prior to inundation analysis. The process of achieving hydrologic connectivity with hydrologic-enforcement is not new, however, the application of hydrologically-enforced lidar elevation surfaces for improved coastal inundation mapping as approached in this research is innovative. In this article, we propagated a high-resolution lidar elevation surface in coastal Staten Island, New York to demonstrate that inland areas lacking hydrologic connectivity to the ocean could potentially be included in inundation delineations. For inland areas that were hydrologically disconnected, we evaluated if drainage to the ocean was evident, and calculated an area exceeding 11 ha (~0.11 km2) that could be considered in inundation delineations. We also assessed land cover for each inland area to determine the type of physical surfaces that would be potentially impacted if the inland areas were considered as part of a coastal inundation. A visual analysis indicated that developed, medium intensity and palustrine forested wetland land cover types would be impacted for those locations. This article demonstrates that hydrologic connectivity is an important factor to consider when inundating a lidar elevation surface. This information is needed for inundation monitoring and management in sensitive coastal regions.


Abstract: This paper examines continuities, adaptions and innovations in elite electoral processes in Central Asian states between the Soviet and post-Soviet period. We argue that the authoritarian leaders of these states have utilized menus of manipulation developed during Soviet times to manage potentially challenging electoral processes, adapting these menus to changed circumstances, including the new reality of nominally pluralist political landscapes. The continuities highlighted by this analysis, particularly in the means used to manufacture implausibly high turnout figures and overwhelming vote shares for incumbents and ruling parties, illustrate patterns of autocratic governance practice in Central Asia and the continued relevance of Soviet legacies in understanding electoral processes in the region even more than 25 years after the end of the Soviet period.


Different convergence properties of the Sturm-Liouville expansion are investigated with particular attention to the case of states which satisfy Schrodinger-like equations with a fixed energy and different depths of a potential, particularly of the Woods-Saxon shape used in nuclear physics.


Zero-crossing analysis is an old problem, with various attempts to tackle it not yet having led to a universally applicable solution. This is especially true for non-Gaussian stable processes, whose heavy-tails result in problematic statistical properties such as undefined autocorrelation. In this thesis we investigate the need for the coherence (as opposed to the ill-defined autocorrelation) and its applicability in predicting the zero-crossing statistics of non-Gaussian stable processes. This requires us to address the innate issues surrounding estimating the heavy-tailed index for empirical data sets within the stable regime. This includes a review of the ubiquitous Hill estimator, and a comparison of it with a proposed method based on characteristic function analysis by testing them on synthetic and real-world data. The theoretical framework of the thesis is then tested on synthetic data, using a novel method to generate non-Gaussian stable noises. From this it is concluded that coherence offers a means to predict the zero-crossing statistics of stable processes.


Humans have an instinctive need to personalize, and a great capacity to effect major customization of the world around them. We change the planet to suit our needs and our homes become an extension of ourselves. Since theatre is the heightened mirror of real life, it stands to reason that this instinct to personalize and customize our surroundings would be magnified on the stage. As a scenic designer, I have been exploring human relations to space, and how our need to adapt objects to us has imprinted our inner selves onto inanimate objects, imbuing them with a sense of character in their own right.For realistic plays like Hedda Gabler or June Moon, the implications of this are straightforward. Hedda needs her curtains and the songwriters of Tin Pan Alley need a piano. Hedda projected a sterile and foreboding environment while our affable musicians called for a certain amount of endearing clutter. These signifiers are less obvious in the more abstract and metaphoric plays. For A Man, His Wife, and His Hat the characters bled into their surroundings tho the point of merger, but the walls themselves revolted and became their own personality. I had to create character through paint and projections. The process I went through to find character in architecture was perfect preparation for The Dybbuk. By merging the visual signifiers of Judaism with the architectural cues related to spirituality, I created a space that simultaneously spoke of the Jewish people and welcomed the varying spiritual ideas of the audience. My designs are always pushing towards life, towards having, or at least implying, a life of their own as derived from the lives of their inhabitants. Scenery can be people too.


A new type of thermosensitive dual-template epitope molecular imprinting polymer was prepared and coated on magnetic carbon nanotubes (MCNTs@D-EMIP) for simultaneous recognition of human serum albumin (HSA) and transferrin (Trf) via the strategies of dual-template epitope imprinting, metal chelation imprinting, and distillation-precipitation polymerization (DPP). C-terminal peptides of HSA and C-terminal peptides of Trf were selected as templates, zinc acrylate and N-isopropylacrylamide were used as functional monomers, and MCNTs@D-EMIP was prepared by the method of DPP. The two types of template epitopes were immobilized by metal chelation and six-membered ring formed with zinc acylate. MCNTs@D-EMIP was prepared in only 30 min, which was much shorter than other polymerization methods. The resultant MCNTs@D-EMIP showed excellent specific recognition ability toward HSA and Trf. The adsorption amounts of MCNTs@D-EMIP for HSA and Trf were 103.67 and 68.48 mg g-1 and the imprinting factors were 2.57 and 2.17, respectively. In addition, MCNTs@D-EMIP displayed a thermosensitive property to realize temperature-controlled recognition and release of target proteins. Furthermore, the results of high-performance liquid chromatography analysis proved that MCNTs@D-EMIP could be applied to specifically recognize two types of targets simultaneously in the biosample. The proposed strategy provided a preparation method for the thermosensitive dual-template epitope imprinting polymer via dual-template imprinting, metal chelation imprinting, and DPP.


BACKGROUND
The Fcgamma receptors play important roles in anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody disease (anti-GBM disease) in animal models, and FCGR gene polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with numerous human autoimmune diseases. We aimed to clarify the genetic association of FCGR gene polymorphisms with anti-GBM disease in Chinese patients.

METHODS
A total of 48 patients with anti-GBM disease and 225 geographically and ethnically matched healthy controls were involved. Genotyping of the previously identified polymorphisms FCGR2A131H/R (rs1801274), FCGR2B 232I/T (rs1050501) and FCGR3A176F/V (rs396991) were detected by the TaqMan genotyping assay and FCGR3B NA1/2 by the PCR-sequence specific primer (SSP). Allele type, genotype and haplotype of identified polymorphisms were analysed between patients and controls.

RESULTS
Our results revealed that FCGR2A131H/R, FCGR3A176F/V and FCGR3B NA1/2 were not associated with anti-GBM disease. The frequency of the FCGR2B 232T allele (30.2% versus 15.6%, corrected P = 0.00028, 95% CI: 1.42-3.89) and genotypes of I232T (60.4% versus 31.1%, corrected P = 0.0004, 95% CI: 1.78-6.43) was significantly increased in patients compared with controls.

CONCLUSION
The present study demonstrates the genetic association of polymorphism of FCGR2B (I232T) with susceptibility to anti-GBM disease in Chinese.


AIMS
Evaluation of aortic stenosis (AS) is based on echocardiographic measurement of mean pressure gradient (MPG), flow velocity (Vmax) and aortic valve area (AVA). The objective of the present study was to analyse the impact of systemic haemodynamic variables and concomitant mitral regurgitation (MR) on aortic MPG, Vmax and AVA in severe AS.

METHODS AND RESULTS
A pulsatile circulatory model was designed to study function and interdependence of stenotic aortic (AVA: 1.0 cm², 0.8 cm² and 0.6 cm²) and insufficient mitral prosthetic valves (n=8; effective regurgitant orifice area [EROA] <0.2 cm² vs. >0.4 cm²) using Doppler ultrasound. In the absence of severe MR, a stepwise increase of stroke volume (SV) and a decrease of AVA was associated with a proportional increase of aortic MPG. When MR with EROA <0.2 cm² vs. >0.4 cm² was introduced, forward SV decreased significantly (70.9±1.1 ml vs. 60.8±1.6 ml vs. 47.4±1.1 ml; p=0.02) while MR volume increased proportionally. This was associated with a subsequent reduction of aortic MPG (57.1±9.4 mmHg vs. 48.6±13.8 mmHg vs. 33.64±9.5 mmHg; p=0.035) and Vmax (5.09±0.4 m/s vs. 4.91±0.73 m/s vs. 3.75±0.57 m/s; p=0.007). Calculated AVA remained unchanged (without MR: AVA=0.53±0.04 cm² vs. with MR: AVA=0.52±0.05 cm²; p=ns). In the setting of severe AS without MR, changes of vascular resistance (SVR) and compliance (C) did not impact on aortic MPG (low SVR and C: 66±13.8 mmHg and 61.1±20 mmHg vs. high SVR and C: 60.9±9.2 mmHg and 71.5±13.5 mmHg; p=ns) In concomitant severe MR, aortic MPG and Vmax were not significantly reduced by increased SVR (36.6±2.2 mmHg vs. 34.9±5.6 mmHg, p=0.608; 3.89±0.18 m/s vs. 3.96±0.28 m/s; p=ns).

CONCLUSIONS
Systemic haemodynamic variables and concomitant MR may potentially affect diagnostic accuracy of echocardiographic AS evaluation. As demonstrated in the present study, MPG and Vmax are flow-dependent and significantly reduced by a reduction of forward SV from concomitant severe MR, resulting in another entity of low-flow low-gradient aortic stenosis. In contrast, calculated AVA appears to be a robust parameter of AS evaluation if severe MR is present. Changes of SVR and C did not affect the diagnostic accuracy of AS evaluation.


We revisit existing ensemble diversification approaches and present two novel diversification methods tailored for open-set scenarios. The first method uses a new loss, designed to encourage models disagreement on outliers only, thus alleviating the intrinsic accuracy-diversity trade-off. The second method achieves diversity via automated feature engineering, by training each model to disregard input features learned by previously trained ensemble models. We conduct an extensive evaluation and analysis of the proposed techniques on seven datasets that cover image classification, re-identification and recognition domains. We compare to and demonstrate accuracy improvements over the existing state-of-the-art ensemble diversification methods.


It is shown that within-speaker variations in vocal effort and phonation affect fundamental frequency (Fo) and the formant frequencies of vowels in the sense of a linear compression/expansion of the spectral separations between them, given an adequate scaling of pitch. Between-speaker variations in size correspond to a translation of the spectral peaks shaped by Fo and the formants if pitch is scaled tonotopically (in Bark). On the basis of these observations, invariant cues to vowel quality are suggested. It is further shown that vowels produced by adult women tend to be phonetically more explicit and, hence, more peripheral in 'vowel space' than those of men and children. It is also shown that the formant frequencies of vowels subjected to paralinguistic variation are related by power func-


Lead containing solders have been employed as an interconnecting and surface coating material in many applications for decades. The two driving forces that affect the present and future requirements of solders for electronic and microelectronic applications are, first, the increased demands on the level of performance due to the increased density and complexity of circuitry and secondly, the concern of the toxicity and health hazard of lead. The second concern has led to government legislation and regulations that have continued to impact the future of lead usage. Extensive literature on lead-free solders has been published in the last decade. A growing area of interest is in lead-free solders for flip chip interconnects. Flip chip interconnections are the electrical and mechanical connections between the semiconductor integrated circuit and the package. These interconnects are formed on the periphery or in an area array on the top surface of an active die. Flip chip interconnects are smaller (of the order of 100 /spl mu/m diameter) than other surface mount joints and are projected to have pitches that shrink to 120 /spl mu/m. The solder joints must withstand board level reflow environments compatible with joining organic substrates that, again, have a maximum reflow temperature of 260/spl deg/C. The lead-free solder must meet these requirements and perform at, or above, the level of performance of the eutectic tin-lead solder alloy it is intended to replace. This paper discusses the design, development , characterization and board level reliability of an advanced flip chip underfill encapsulant using a lead-free alloy (Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu) composition as the interconnecting metallurgy. Commonly known as LF2 solder, it has a density of 7.38 g/ml, a liquidus temperature of 217.5/spl deg/C and a solidus temperature of 216.3/spl deg/C. Confocal scanning acoustic microscopy (CSAM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been employed to study the package microstructure, both before and after reliability. Current work has shown that the assembled flip chip devices have extremely uniform flow fronts in both perimeter array and full area array die. The flow front is seen to be independent of the underfill dispense pattern. The SEM microphotographs have shown uniform distribution of filler particles in the organic phase. The flip chip devices have been subjected to over 3000 cycles of air-to-air thermal cycling (AATC) in the temperature extremes of -55/spl deg/C and 125/spl deg/C with a cycle time of 90 minutes. First electrical failures have been observed after 2500 thermal cycles in the assembled flip chip assemblies. We intend to present the completed reliability studies (Weibull plots) and the associated failure analyses using CSAM, SEM and X-ray techniques. Routes to future work in this area will include the design and development of underfill technology for large, fully populated die with lead-free process compatibility with copper/low-k dielectrics for faster device speed in the front end deep sub-micron technologies.


Activities of lysosomal and cytoplasmic cholesterol esterases and cholesterol content in rat blood serum, liver tissue and aorta were studied after administration of ephedrine and propranolol. The ephedrine-induced lipolytic effect was fully inhibited by propranolol. The correlation between stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors and activation of lipolytic enzymes was found.


To the Editor:-The March and April Issues of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society featured one of the most comprehensive reviews available of urinary incontinence in the elderly. Collectively the articles provide a useful text for teaching and reference regarding almost every aspect of the problem. Given the magnitude of the problem, I feel compelled to comment on one aspect of the treatment of incontinence completely overlooked in all the articles, that is the use of the pessary. Indeed, I find that the use of the pessary is almost entirely overlooked in the literature of our specialty, including textbooks and the Geriatric Medicine Qualifying Examination. At the Parker Jewish Geriatric Institute, a 527-bed skilled nursing facility and rehabilitation center with a large outpatient geriatric assessment center (over 5,000 patient visits each year) we have had much success using pessaries in carefully selected elderly female patients. Most of these patients are seen by our gynecologist for evaluation of stress incontinence, urge incontinence, cystocele, uterocele, etc. Some have also seen our urologist for a complete urodynamic work-up. Some of the patients are over 90 years of age. The pessary is often useful in urge or stress incontinence when other treatment modalities (medications, surgery, etc.) have failed or are contraindicated. The results are often gratifying to the patients' families, caregivers, and physicians. Patients have improved continence and ambulation. Personal care is made easier, and hygiene is improved. Occasionally, when a patient becomes demented and new caregivers are not made aware of the presence of a pessary, a patient may be lost to follow-up, and the risk of complications such as infection and bleeding increase. Notwithstanding, the use of the pessary, when appropriate, can be quite helpful. The following case will illustrate the point. Mrs. G . is an 85 year old hypertensive white female with no other medical problems except for urinary incontinence which has been present and slowly worsening over the past 10 years. Interestingly, she reported a strong family history of "dropped bladder" including her mother (60 years ago) and, more recently, three of her four elderly sisters who were treated with surgery. There is no other significant family history except atherosclerotic heart disease. Ten years ago, after the death of her husband, Mrs. G. returned to work in private industry at an administrative level running a family business. Five years ago she noticed that her urge incontinence had worsened significantly. She could no longer hold her urine long enough to reach the toilet. She sought medical attention from her internist. Infection was ruled out and she was told to "live with the problem because at her age appropriate surgery was not recommended." She began to use incontinence pads and later diapers, at significant expense, including obtaining additional office help. However, the problem worsened. Stress incontinence followed, and when she could no longer work effectively because each time she stood up from her desk she would lose urine, she sought geriatric evaluation at our Center. She was treated for infection which resolved without improving the incontinence and was then referred to our urologist who recommended a trial of imipramine which did not help. She was then evaluated by our gynecologist who inserted a ring pessary for first degree uterine prolapse, second degree cystocele, and rectocele. The patient returned to work with full productivity, fully continent, and without the necessity for incontinence pads. This case illustrates the successful use of a pessary, indicating that that consideration should not be overlooked.


The aim of this study was to investigate foci of activity which were perceived by students of public and private universities  in  Vitoria metropolitan area  as relevant to the establishment and maintenance of their friendships. Participants were 32 college students aged 17 to 21 years,  16 from a public university (UPU) and 16 students from  a private university (UPA). The  following topics  were investigated: (a) friends  network, (b) the origin of  friends, (c) friendship and  neighborhood (d) general activities;  (e) specific activities; (f) communication and conversation; (g) university, friendship and dating; (h) university life  and  old  friends; (i) the influence of  university  on friendships. From a descriptive base,  data showed  friendship as a relationship involving a wide range of interactions, keeping dialectical relationship with these interactions and social groups. The friendships still relate dialectically with the physical environment, including the physical structure of the university, and the socio-cultural, including rules, schedules and activity plans of the university and local traditions.


Athletes in any sports can greatly benefit from feedback systems for improving the quality of their training. In this paper, we present a golf swing training system which incorporates wearable motion sensors to obtain inertial information and provide feedback on the quality of movements. The sensors are placed on a golf club and athlete's body at positions which capture the unique movements of a golf swing. We introduce a quantitative model which takes into consideration signal processing techniques on the collected data and quantifies the correctness of the performed actions. We evaluate the effectiveness of our framework on data obtained from four subjects and discuss ongoing research.


The effects of bloom applications of 2-Chloroethyltrimethylammonium chloride (CCC) and Succinic acid-2,2-dimethylhydrazide (SADH) on fruit quality of Mavrodafni wine grape variety were studied. Over the vegetative period of 2000, sprays of 500 or 1 000 mg/l CCC and 3 000 or 6 000 mg/l SADH were applied, two weeks before bloom or at 20 p. cent of bloom in a completely randomized experimental design, replicated 10 times. Bunch and berry characteristics, berry composition, and phenolic maturity were measured at harvest. There were no differences between the two days of application. Berry number per bunch and per cm of rachis length, were increased by CCC 1 000 mg/l and SADH 6 000 mg/l treatments. Berry weight was decreased by all treatments with a greater reduction in CCC 1 000 mg/l treatment. Soluble solids were reduced by SADH treatment with a greater reduction in 6 000 mg/l of SADH and increased by CCC treatments at both concentrations. Anthocyanin concentration and extractability were increased in CCC at 1 000 mg/l treatments, while the extractability of grains tannins was reduced. A strong decrease of bud fertility was observed in 6 000 mg/l of SADH.