Since some Solanum-genera plants have traditionally been used as anti-cancer and anti-herpes agents from olden times, we examined the cytotoxic activity of typical steroidal glycosides with the framework of spirostane, furostane, spirosolane, and pregnane obtained from Solanum plants. Among these steroidal glycosides, the spirostanol glycosides having a beta-lycotetraosyl moiety were the most effective against PC-12 and HCT-116 cell lines. The potency of activity was observed to be decreased in the order of spirostane, furostane, spirosolane, and pregnane type steroid glycosides. It was also suggested that the activity depend on the kind of oligosaccharide moiety and aglycone moiety.


This paper aims to investigate spillover e?ects of public capital stock in a production function model that accounts for spatial dependencies. In many settings, ignoring spatial dependency yields inefficient, biased and inconsistent estimates in cross country panels. Although there are a number of studies aiming to estimate the output elasticity of public capital stock, many of those fail to reach a consensus on refining the elasticity estimates. We argue that accounting for spillover effects of the public capital stock on the production efficiency and incorporating spatial dependences are crucial. For this purpose we employ a spatial autoregressive stochastic frontier model based on a number of specifications of the spatial dependency structure. Using the data of 21 OECD countries from 1960 to 2001, we estimate a spatial autoregressive stochastic frontier model and derive the mean indirect marginal effects of public capital stock, which are interpreted as spillover effects. We found that spillover effects can be an important factor explaining variations in technical ineffciency across countries as well as in explaining the discrepancies among various levels of output elasticity of public capital stock in traditional production function approaches.


Control techniques for PWM rectifiers in AC adjustable speed drives are presented. In particular, the so-called virtual-flux oriented control (VFOC) and virtual-flux based direct power control (VF-DPC) schemes are described and compared with their voltage based counterparts, that is, the voltage oriented control (VOC) and voltage-based direct power control (V-DPC) techniques. Theoretical background is provided, and results of computer simulations and laboratory experiments are given, documenting advantages and disadvantages of the individual control strategies.


Abstract:Permanent supportive housing (PSH) enrolls highly vulnerable homeless adults who experience early onset of geriatric conditions and require in-home support. Thus, there is potentially a high risk for COVID-19 within PSH, which may require tenants to take protective measures. This study reports on survey results collected from 532 PSH tenants in Los Angeles, California during the 4th week of March in 2020. Results show that nearly all tenants were aware of COVID-19, and 65% considered it to be a very serious health threat. The latter characteristic was a strong predictor of taking protective measures (i.e., handwashing and social distancing). Tenants in units with shared bathroom facilities had lower odds of social distancing than those in studio apartments. Tenants with mental health diagnoses had lower odds of consistent handwashing. Lack of access to food, hygiene items, and medication delivery were commonly reported barriers to sheltering in place.


Abstract During the characterization by electron beam techniques including scanning electron microscope (SEM) and cathodoluminescence at low dimensions, some undesirable phenomena (unwanted effects) can be created, like the thermal effects (or electron beam damage), and these effects can damage the sample. This limits the information one can get from a sample or reduces image spatial resolution. In order to understand these effects, significant efforts have been made but these studies focused on the thermal properties, without a detailed study of the causes of nanoscale heating in the bulk of samples during the SEM-characterization. Additionally, it is very difficult to measure experimentally the heating because there are many variables that can affect the results, such as the current beam, accelerating energy, thermal conductivity and size of samples. Taking into account all the factors and in order to determine the local temperature rise during the electron beam characterization of AlGaN at low dimensions, we have used a hybrid model based on combined molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo calculation of inelastic interaction of electrons with matter to calculate the temperature elevation during the SEM-characterization which can be taken into account during the characterization of AlGaN at low dimension by electron beam techniques.


Breaking up sedentary behavior with short-frequent bouts of physical activity (PA) differentially influences metabolic health compared with the performance of a single-continuous bout of PA matched for total active time. However, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We compared skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration (high-resolution respirometry) and molecular adaptations (RNA sequencing) following 4-day exposure to breaks vs. energy-matched single-continuous PA bout in inactive adults with overweight/obesity. Participants (9M/10F, 32.2 ± 6.4 years, 30.3 ± 3.0 kg/m2) completed three 4-day interventions of a randomized cross-over study: SED, sedentary control; MICRO, 5 min brisk walking each hour for 9 h; ONE: 45 min/d continuous brisk walking bout. Fasted muscle biopsies were collected on day 5. Mitochondrial coupling in the presence of lipid-associated substrates was higher after ONE (4.8 ± 2.5) compared to MICRO (3.1 ± 1.1, p = 0.02) and SED (2.3 ± 1.0, p = 0.001). Respiratory rates did not differ across groups with carbohydrate-associated substrates. In pathways associated with muscle contraction transcription signaling, ONE and MICRO similarly enhanced Oxidative Phosphorylation and Sirtuin Signaling expression (p < 0.0001, for both). However, ONE (p < 0.001, for all), but not MICRO, had greater pathway enrichment, including Ca++, mTOR, AMPK, and HIF1α signaling, than SED. Although breaking up sedentary behavior triggered skeletal muscle molecular adaptations favoring oxidative capacity, it did not improve mitochondrial function over the short term.


In the second quarter, annual inflation (9.67%), the technical staff's projections and its expectations continued to increase, remaining above the target. International cost shocks, accentuated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have been more persistent than projected, thus contributing to higher inflation. The effects of indexation, higher than estimated excess demand, a tighter labor market, inflation expectations that continue to rise and currently exceed 3%, and the exchange rate pressures add to those described above. High core inflation measures as well as in the producer price index (PPI) across all baskets confirm a significant spread in price increases. Compared to estimates presented in April, the new forecast trajectory for headline and core inflation increased. This was partly the result of greater exchange rate pressure on prices, and a larger output gap, which is expected to remain positive for the remainder of 2022 and which is estimated to close towards yearend 2023. In addition, these trends take into account higher inflation rate indexation, more persistent above-target inflation expectations, a quickening of domestic fuel price increases due to the correction of lags versus the parity price and higher international oil price forecasts. The forecast supposes a good domestic supply of perishable foods, although it also considers that international prices of processed foods will remain high. In terms of the goods sub-basket, the end of the national health emergency implies a reversal of the value-added tax (VAT) refund applied to health and personal hygiene products, resulting in increases in the prices of these goods. Alternatively, the monetary policy adjustment process and the moderation of external shocks would help inflation and its expectations to begin to decrease over time and resume their alignment with the target. Thus, the new projection suggests that inflation could remain high for the second half of 2022, closing at 9.7%. However, it would begin to fall during 2023, closing the year at 5.7%. These forecasts are subject to significant uncertainty, especially regarding the future behavior of external cost shocks, the degree of indexation of nominal contracts and decisions made regarding the domestic price of fuels. Economic activity continues to outperform expectations, and the technical staff's growth projections for 2022 have been revised upwards from 5% to 6.9%. The new forecasts suggest higher output levels that would continue to exceed the economy's productive capacity for the remainder of 2022. Economic growth during the first quarter was above that estimated in April, while economic activity indicators for the second quarter suggest that the GDP could be expected to remain high, potentially above that of the first quarter. Domestic demand is expected to maintain a positive dynamic, in particular, due to the household consumption quarterly growth, as suggested by vehicle registrations, retail sales, credit card purchases and consumer loan disbursement figures. A slowdown in the machinery and equipment imports from the levels observed in March contrasts with the positive performance of sales and housing construction licenses, which indicates an investment level similar to that registered for the first three months of the year. International trade data suggests the trade deficit would be reduced as a consequence of import levels that would be lesser than those observed in the first quarter, and stable export levels. For the remainder of the year and 2023, a deceleration in consumption is expected from the high levels seen during the first half of the year, partially as a result of lower repressed demand, tighter domestic financial conditions and household available income deterioration due to increased inflation. Investment is expected to continue its slow recovery while remaining below pre-pandemic levels. The trade deficit is expected to tighten due to projected lower domestic demand dynamics, and high prices of oil and other basic goods exported by the country. Given the above, economic growth in the second quarter of 2022 would be 11.5%, and for 2022 and 2023 an annual growth of 6.9% and 1.1% is expected, respectively. Currently, and for the remainder of 2022, the output gap would be positive and greater than that estimated in April, and prices would be affected by demand pressures. These projections continue to be affected by significant uncertainty associated with global political tensions, the expected adjustment of monetary policy in developed countries, external demand behavior, changes in country risk outlook, and the future developments in domestic fiscal policy, among others. The high inflation levels and respective expectations, which exceed the target of the world's main central banks, largely explain the observed and anticipated increase in their monetary policy interest rates. This environment has tempered the growth forecast for external demand. Disruptions in value chains, rising international food and energy prices, and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies have contributed to the rise in inflation and above-target expectations seen by several of Colombia's main trading partners. These cost and price shocks, heightened by the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have been more prevalent than expected and have taken place within a set of output and employment recovery, variables that in some countries currently equal or exceed their projected long-term levels. In response, the U.S. Federal Reserve accelerated the pace of the benchmark interest rate increase and rapidly reduced liquidity levels in the money market. Financial market actors expect this behavior to continue and, consequently, significantly increase their expectations of the average path of the Fed's benchmark interest rate. In this setting, the U.S. dollar appreciated versus the peso in the second quarter and emerging market risk measures increased, a behavior that intensified for Colombia. Given the aforementioned, for the remainder of 2022 and 2023, the Bank's technical staff increased the forecast trajectory for the Fed's interest rate and reduced the country's external demand growth forecast. The projected oil price was revised upward over the forecast horizon, specifically due to greater supply restrictions and the interruption of hydrocarbon trade between the European Union and Russia. Global geopolitical tensions, a tightening of monetary policy in developed economies, the increase in risk perception for emerging markets and the macroeconomic imbalances in the country explain the increase in the projected trajectory of the risk premium, its trend level and the neutral real interest rate1. Uncertainty about external forecasts and their consequent impact on the country's macroeconomic scenario remains high, given the unpredictable evolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, the degree of the global economic slowdown and the effect the response to recent outbreaks of the pandemic in some Asian countries may have on the world economy. This macroeconomic scenario that includes high inflation, inflation forecasts, and expectations above 3% and a positive output gap suggests the need for a contractionary monetary policy that mitigates the risk of the persistent unanchoring of inflation expectations. In contrast to the forecasts of the April report, the increase in the risk premium trend implies a higher neutral real interest rate and a greater prevailing monetary stimulus than previously estimated. For its part, domestic demand has been more dynamic, with a higher observed and expected output level that exceeds the economy's productive capacity. The surprising accelerations in the headline and core inflation reflect stronger and more persistent external shocks, which, in combination with the strength of aggregate demand, indexation, higher inflation expectations and exchange rate pressures, explain the upward projected inflation trajectory at levels that exceed the target over the next two years. This is corroborated by the inflation expectations of economic analysts and those derived from the public debt market, which continued to climb and currently exceed 3%. All of the above increase the risk of unanchoring inflation expectations and could generate widespread indexation processes that may push inflation away from the target for longer. This new macroeconomic scenario suggests that the interest rate adjustment should continue towards a contractionary monetary policy landscape. 1.2. Monetary policy decision Banco de la República's Board of Directors (BDBR), at its meetings in June and July 2022, decided to continue adjusting its monetary policy. At its June meeting, the BDBR decided to increase the monetary policy rate by 150 basis points (b.p.) and its July meeting by majority vote, on a 150 b.p. increase thereof at its July meeting. Consequently, the monetary policy interest rate currently stands at 9.0% .   1 The neutral real interest rate refers to the real interest rate level that is neither stimulative nor contractionary for aggregate demand and, therefore, does not generate pressures that lead to the close of the output gap. In a small, open economy like Colombia, this rate depends on the external neutral real interest rate, medium-term components of the country risk premium, and expected depreciation. Box 1: A Weekly Indicator of Economic Activity for Colombia Juan Pablo Cote Carlos Daniel Rojas Nicol Rodriguez Box 2: Common Inflationary Trends in Colombia Carlos D. Rojas-Martínez Nicolás Martínez-Cortés Franky Juliano Galeano-Ramírez Box 3: Shock Decomposition of 2021 Forecast Errors Nicolás Moreno Arias


We treated 29 rheumatoid arthritis patients with levamisole. on the basis of a 25% improvement in any 3 of 6 measurements 95% of the patients had a favourable response within 20 weeks. However, 64% of the patients discontinued levamisole by 40 to 60 weeks because of rash or secondary treatment failures. Delayed skin reactivity to streptokinase-streptodornase increased significantly in the entire treatment group, but there was in inverse correlation between skin test enhancement and clinical response. There was no overall change in lymphocytes response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) after 4 and 16 weeks of treatment, but seven patients with enhanced lymphocyte responsiveness to PHA experienced an earlier clinical response to levamisole. Treatment with levamisole frequently results in clinical improvement in rheumatoid arthritis, but this is not clearly related to a stimulatory effect on cell-mediated immunity. Its long-term usefulness may be limited by a high incidence of relapse and rash.


Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Biological Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2017.


Diet, and how it varies in place and time, are important factors in understanding the interactions between seals and fisheries. The grey seal eats a wide variety of prey species and varia- tions in availability of prey can lead to changes in both foraging behaviour and diet that could affect the ecological impact of the seals. Since it is difficult to observe the feeding behaviour of seals directly, we have used changes in the fatty acid profiles of blubber to indicate changes in their diet. We studied inter-colony and inter-annual variations in the fatty acid profiles of female seals from 2 Scottish breeding colonies, North Rona (RON) and the Isle of May, over 3 consecutive years from 1996 to 1998. The fatty acid profiles obtained were compared and tested using several multivariate statis- tical methods, including a new inter-population measure Dfap (a distance measure based on fatty acid profiles). There were significant inter-colony differences in blubber fatty acids in all years of the study. There were significant within-colony variations among years for the seals at the Isle of May but not at RON. Individual seals sampled in more than 1 yr tended to change in a similar manner at the Isle of May but not at RON. Discriminant analysis of the fatty acid profiles provided classifications of the Isle of May seals according to year with 84 to 97% accuracy, but was less successful with the RON seals with 56 to 74% accuracy. Only 4 out of 166 seals were 'mis-classified' into the wrong Isle of May or RON grouping. This analysis suggested a shift in diet at the Isle of May that was supported by evidence from a separate study on the analysis of otoliths in seal faeces.


This paper reports two different enterotoxigenic classes of the genus Aeromonas isolated from fishes. Strains of A. sobria were isolated from healthy fishes only wheras strains of A. hydrophila were isolated from both healthy and moribund fishes. Aeromonas sobria and hydrophilia strains produced a cytotoxic factor and were highly proteolytic. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the A. sobria strains produced only one type of hemolysis on 5% blood agar, but 92% of the A. hydrophilia produced two types of hemolysis. Enterotoxigenicity of all strains was tested by the rabbit gut loop technique and the suckling mouse test. Most of those Aeromonads were enterotoxigenic. Enterotoxigenic strains appeared to produce two different enterotoxins which were antigenically related, but they seemed to have different mechanisms of action. Enterotoxins of Aeromonas were shown to be antigenically different from those of E. coli.


Alternative work arrangements have grown rapidly around the world. In Latin America, these alternative work arrangements have long been part of the labor market and have continued to grow. The informal sector grew rapidly in Latin America over the past few decades comprising up to half of the working population in many countries. Some attribute the growth in alternative work arrangements and informality to regulations and taxes, while others argue that it is precisely the lack of enforcement of regulations that allows unprotected employment arrangements to flourish. We examine whether reducing taxes associated with employment stimulates formal sector employment. We exploit the fact that the tax reform introduced in Colombia in 2012 affected only certain types of workers and not others. In particular, workers earning less than ten times the minimum wage and self-employed workers with more than two employees experienced a reduction of payroll taxes of 13.5 percent between 2013 and 2014. We use the Colombian household surveys, social security records and the monthly manufacturing sample to conduct difference-in-differences analyses of the reform. We find evidence of increased formal employment for the affected groups after the reform using all three data sets. We find that the probability of formal employment and the likelihood of transitioning into registered employment increased for the affected groups after the reform. We also find that the level and share of permanent employment relative to temporary employment grew after the reform for those earnings less than ten times the minimum wage. The results are greatest for those in smaller firms and for those earnings close to the minimum wage.


Background and purpose A considerable number of patients who undergo surgery for spinal stenosis have residual symptoms and inferior function and health-related quality of life after surgery. There have been few studies on factors that may predict outcome. We tried to find predictors of outcome in surgery for spinal stenosis using patient- and imaging-related factors. Patients and methods 109 patients in the Swedish Spine Register with central spinal stenosis that were operated on by decompression without fusion were prospectively followed up 1 year after surgery. Clinical outcome scores included the EQ-5D, the Oswestry disability index, self-estimated walking distance, and leg and back pain levels (VAS). Central dural sac area, number of levels with stenosis, and spondylolisthesis were included in the MRI analysis. Multivariable analyses were performed to search for correlation between patient-related and imaging factors and clinical outcome at 1-year follow-up. Results Several factors predicted outcome statistically significantly. Duration of leg pain exceeding 2 years predicted inferior outcome in terms of leg and back pain, function, and HRLQoL. Regular and intermittent preoperative users of analgesics had higher levels of back pain at follow-up than those not using analgesics. Low preoperative function predicted low function and dissatisfaction at follow-up. Low preoperative EQ-5D scores predicted a high degree of leg and back pain. Narrow dural sac area predicted more gains in terms of back pain at follow-up and lower absolute leg pain. Interpretation Multiple factors predict outcome in spinal stenosis surgery, most importantly duration of symptoms and preoperative function. Some of these are modifiable and can be targeted. Our findings can be used in the preoperative patient information and aid the surgeon and the patient in a shared decision making process.


Abstract False quality claims have recently rocked the automobile industry. To promote customer demand while seemingly complying with regulations, manufacturers may cheat even at the risk of incurring severe penalties. As a result, the production horizon becomes uncertain. Assuming it is socially critical to enforce quality standards (e.g., specific emission levels or safety levels for food, drugs, or transportation), we study dynamic production policies under the threat of penalties and assess when a false quality claim can be optimal for the firm. We find that regardless of the specific form of a convex penalty function, the production rate will gradually decrease to slow down the increase in the probability of getting caught. We show that the government or regulatory department can determine a minimal finite penalty to prevent the manufacturer from cheating. In the context of an underlying supply chain, we show that vertical competition between the manufacturer and its suppliers can play a socially positive role by reducing the batch produced under a false quality claim.


The emergence and widespread nature of pathogen resistance to antibiotics and chemicals has led to the re-consideration of bacteriophages as an alternative biocontrol agent in several fields, including agriculture. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel bacteriophage, POP72, that specifically infects Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc), which frequently macerates agricultural crops. POP72 contains a 44,760 bp double-stranded DNA genome and belongs to the family Podoviridae. To determine the phage receptor for POP72, a random mutant library of Pcc was constructed using a Tn5 transposon and screened for resistance against POP72 infection. Most of the resistant clones had a Tn5 insertion in various genes associated with colanic acid (CA) biosynthesis. The phage adsorption rate and CA production decreased dramatically in the resistant clones. Complementation of the clones with the pUHE21-2 lacIq vector harboring genes associated with CA biosynthesis restored their sensitivity to POP72, as well as their ability to produce CA. These results suggest that CA functions as a novel phage receptor for POP72. The application of POP72 protected Chinese cabbage from Pcc infection, suggesting that phage POP72 would be an effective alternative antimicrobial agent to protect agricultural products from Pcc.


In this prospective study, a canine-adapted histological grading method was compared with histopathological and clinical characteristics and was evaluated as a prognostic indicator in canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs). Recruited dogs with at least 1 malignant mammary tumor (n = 65) were clinically evaluated, surgically treated, and followed up (minimum follow-up 28 months, maximum 38 months). Histopathological diagnoses were performed according to Goldschmidt et al (2011). Tumors were graded as grade I (29/65), grade II (19/65), and grade III (17/65). The tumor size, clinical stage, histological diagnosis, presence/absence of myoepithelial proliferation, and regional lymph node metastases at diagnosis were significantly associated with histological grade. The histological grade, age, clinical stage, tumor subtype group, and lymph node metastases at time of diagnosis were significantly associated with the development of recurrences and/or metastases, cancer-associated death, and survival times (disease-free survival and overall survival) in univariate analyses. A subdivision of clinical stage I (T1N0M0) into stages IA and IB was proposed in terms of prognosis. The clinical stage, histological grade, and spay status were selected as independent prognostic variables (multivariate analyses) with disease-free survival as the dependent variable. When overall survival was evaluated as a dependent variable, clinical stage and histological grade were selected as the independent covariates. This grading system is a useful prognostic tool, facilitates histological interpretation, and offers uniform criteria for veterinary pathologists. Comparative studies on CMCs performed in different countries should take into account possible changes in the prognoses due to different proportions of spayed females among the selected dog population.


Packaging potatoes in institutional size retort pouches is analyzed as a possible market outlet for Michigan potatoes. A two-pronged research approach involves estimation of unit costs of retort pouch potato products (RPP) and an assessment of the market potential for RPP in the food service industry. Break-even costs for a six-pound pouch is estimated to be $2.62 (44¢ per pound), which translates to a likely price disadvantage relative to competing products. Food service operators expressed general satisfaction with existing potato products and will not readily switch to use of retort pouch potato products.


The ability to form effective mutualisms with nitrogen‐fixing bacteria (rhizobia) is implicated in the success of introduced leguminous plant species, such as Acacia. While Acacia appear to associate with rhizobia where introduced, there is evidence that the extent of this may limit success during early stages of colonization. We examine three Australian Acacia species that have been introduced to New Zealand and ask whether variation in their ability to form rhizobial associations can explain differences in the degree to which they have established and spread since introduction. In both Australia and New Zealand, we used glasshouse experiments to measure growth and nodulation of Acacia seedlings grown under two soil treatments: soils taken from underneath conspecifics (Host+ soils) and soils taken from the same sites but away from Acacia trees (Host−). We predicted that suitable rhizobia would be widespread in Australia leading to similar growth and nodulation in Host+ and Host− soils. However, we predicted lower growth and nodulation in New Zealand Host− soils, relative to New Zealand Host+ soils, due to limited availability of suitable rhizobia away from established conspecifics. We also predicted that differences between Host+ and Host− soils would be less marked in Acacia that were more widespread in New Zealand. Finally, we examined whether the establishment of one Acacia species might facilitate the establishment of other species by planting seedlings into soils associated with each of the two congeners. As predicted, seedling growth and nodulation were lower in Host− than Host+ soils in New Zealand but there was no significant difference in Australia. In both countries, the difference between Host+ and Host− soils was similar for all three species and in conspecific and congeneric soils. Synthesis. In New Zealand, Acacia seedlings that colonize sites away from established conspecifics or congeners are likely to suffer reduced growth and nodulation, which may limit their ability to establish and spread away from introduction sites. However, this limitation was the same for all three species, implying that interactions with soil biota cannot explain differences in the degree to which these Acacia have spread in New Zealand.


We consider the vortices in a superconductor with two individually conserved condensates in a finite magnetic field. The ground state is a lattice of cocentered vortices in both order parameters. We find two phase transitions: (i) a "vortex sublattice melting" transition where vortices in the field with lowest phase stiffness ("light vortices") lose cocentricity with the vortices with large phase stiffness ("heavy vortices"), entering a liquid state (the structure factor of the light vortices vanishes continuously; this transition is in the 3Dxy universality class); (ii) a first-order melting transition of the lattice of heavy vortices, in a liquid of light vortices.


Objective: To compare one protease inhibitor (PI)-based and two PI-sparing antiretroviral therapy regimens. Methods: International, open label, randomized study of antiretroviral drug-naive patients, with CD4 lymphocyte counts ⩾ 200 × 106 cells/l and plasma HIV-1 RNA levels > 500 copies/ml. Treatment assignment to stavudine and didanosine plus indinavir or nevirapine or lamivudine. Primary study endpoint was the percentage of patients with plasma HIV-1 RNA levels < 500 copies/ml after 48 weeks in the intention-to-treat analysis (ITT). Results: In total, 298 patients were enrolled. After 48 weeks, the percentage of patients in the indinavir, nevirapine and lamivudine arms with HIV-1 RNA < 500 copies/ml was 57.0%, 58.4% and 58.7%, respectively, in an ITT analysis. After 96 weeks of follow-up, these percentages were 50.0%, 59.6% and 45.0%, respectively. The percentage of patients with HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies/ml was significantly less for those allocated to lamivudine in an on-treatment analysis after 48 and 96 weeks of follow-up. Patients in the nevirapine arm experienced a smaller increase in the absolute number of CD4 T lymphocytes. There were no significant differences in the incidence of serious adverse events. Conclusions: A comparable virological response can be achieved with first-line PI-base and PI-sparing regimens. The triple nucleoside regimen utilized may be less likely to result in viral suppression to < 50 copies/ml, while the nevirapine-based regimen is associated with a lower increase in CD4 T lymphocytes.


Abstract The safety and efficacy of an implantable left atrial pressure (LAP) monitoring system is being evaluated in a clinical trial setting. Because the number of available specimens from the clinical trial for histopathology analysis is limited, it is beneficial to maximize the usage of each available specimen by relying on integrated microscopy techniques. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how a comprehensive pathology analysis of a single specimen may be reliably achieved using integrated microscopy techniques. Integrated microscopy techniques consisting of high-resolution gross digital photography followed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning, low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM), and microground histology with special stains were applied to the same specimen. Integrated microscopy techniques were applied to eight human specimens. Micro-CT evaluation was beneficial for pinpointing the location and position of the device within the tissue, and for identifying any areas of interest or structural flaws that required additional examination. Usage of LVSEM was reliable in analyzing surface topography and cell type without destroying the integrity of the specimen. Following LVSEM, the specimen remained suitable for embedding in plastic and sectioning for light microscopy, using the positional data gathered from the micro-CT to intersect areas of interest in the slide. Finally, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and methylene blue staining was deployed on the slides with high-resolution results. The integration of multiple techniques on a single specimen maximized the usage of the limited number of available specimens from the clinical trial setting. Additionally, this integrated microscopic evaluation approach was found to have the added benefit of providing greater assurance of the derived conclusions because it was possible to cross-validate the results from multiple tests on the same specimen.


The characteristics of, and energy transfer mechanisms involved in, thermonuclear detonation are discussed. What makes the fundamental difference between thermonuclear and chemical detonation is that the former has a high specific energy release and can therefore be employed for preliminarily compressing the thermonuclear mixture ahead of the burning wave. Consequently, with moderate (megajoule) initiation energies, a steady-state detonation laboratory experiment with unlimited energy multiplication becomes a possibility.


Although the problem of automatic video summarization has recently received a lot of attention, the problem of creating a video summary that also highlights elements relevant to a search query has been less studied. We address this problem by posing query-relevant summarization as a video frame subset selection problem, which lets us optimise for summaries which are simultaneously diverse, representative of the entire video, and relevant to a text query. We quantify relevance by measuring the distance between frames and queries in a common textual-visual semantic embedding space induced by a neural network. In addition, we extend the model to capture query-independent properties, such as frame quality. We compare our method against previous state of the art on textual-visual embeddings for thumbnail selection and show that our model outperforms them on relevance prediction. Furthermore, we introduce a new dataset, annotated with diversity and query-specific relevance labels. On this dataset, we train and test our complete model for video summarization and show that it outperforms standard baselines such as Maximal Marginal Relevance.


The Petascale era has recently been ushered in and many researchers have already turned their attention to the challenges of exascale computing. To achieve petascale computing two broad approaches for kernels were taken, a lightweight approach embodied by IBM Blue Gene's CNK, and a more fullweight approach embodied by Cray's CNL. There are strengths and weaknesses to each approach. Examining the current generation can provide insight as to what mechanisms may be needed for the exascale generation. The contributions of this paper are the experiences we had with CNK on Blue Gene/P. We demonstrate it is possible to implement a small lightweight kernel that scales well but still provides a Linux environment and functionality desired by HPC programmers. Such an approach provides the values of reproducibility, low noise, high and stable performance, reliability, and ease of effectively exploiting unique hardware features. We describe the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.


Abstract Despite their significance, structural parameters are sometimes neglected in assessments of uncertainty on connected volumes and forecast production for compartmentalized reservoirs. A workflow is proposed for modelling multiple realizations of fault geometry and properties using 3D geomodelling software. Geometrical parameters that may be simulated include fault and horizon shape and location, fault displacement and fault pattern, while property variables include fault permeability, thickness and clay smears. Realizations are ranked by estimated connected volume, with selected models being exported for numerical flow simulation. Experimental design is used to assess sensitivity of forecast production and pressure to different parameters. The workflow is illustrated using a North Sea reservoir, in which structural heterogeneities cause considerable uncertainty on connected volumes, with implications for history matching and infill well planning. Fault geometry and permeability were the most important properties for all studied responses, however their relative significance could vary between early and late field life. A number of improvements are proposed, chiefly in the areas of connected volume estimation, handling of uncertain grid geometries and calculation of stress- or saturation-dependent fault permeabilities. Finally, the method can be integrated with conventional sedimentary and petrophysical uncertainties to investigate interactions and relative sensitivities with regard to structural parameters.


Summary The aim of the present study was to evaluate the surface membrane glycoproteins of pseudo‐Pelger granulocytes in six patients suffering from chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). We studied the functional and immunochemical activities of five monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) minimally reactive with integrin familial antigens of pseudo‐Pelger granulocytes. The study conducted with cytofluorimetric and immunological alkaline phosphatase anti‐alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) analysis showed a decreased expression of CD11b/CD18 detected by antibodies OKM1, 60.1 and 60.3 (P<0.001). Lymphocyte function associated antigen (LFA‐1) was expressed in normal amounts in pseudo‐Pelger granulocytes. There was decreased expression of CD11b/ CD18 in pseudo‐Pelger granulocytes with respect to controls (P<0.001) after stimulation with formyl‐met‐leu‐phe (FMLP). We conclude that acquired pseudo‐Pelger granulocyte dysfunction may be correlated to decrease of surface glycoprotein expression of CD11b/CD18.


Using comment information available from Digg we define a co-participation network between users. We focus on the analysis of this implicit network, and study the behavioral characteristics of users. Using an entropy measure, we infer that users at Digg are not highly focused and participate across a wide range of topics. We also use the comment data and social network derived features to predict the popularity of online content linked at Digg using a classification and regression framework. We show promising results for predicting the popularity scores even after limiting our feature extraction to the first few hours of comment activity that follows a Digg submission.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
We provided an updated overview of recent data on the value of nutritional therapy in the management of chronic wounds in older adults.

RECENT FINDINGS
In the last years, advances in this area were limited, but new data suggest considering nutritional care (screening and assessment of malnutrition and nutritional interventions) also in patients with chronic wounds other than pressure ulcers, namely venous leg and diabetic foot ulcers, as in these patients, nutritional derangements can be present despite overweight/obesity and their management is beneficial.

SUMMARY
Chronic wounds are wounds in which the process of repair does not progress normally due to a disruption in one or more of the healing phases. Nutritional therapy is aimed at recovering the process of repair. General principles of nutritional care in geriatrics apply to these patients but disease-specific recommendations are available, particularly for pressure ulcers. Interventions should address nutritional status, comorbidities, hydration and should provide key nutrients playing an active role in the healing process (arginine, zinc, and antioxidants) but always within the context of an individual care plan addressing patients requirements, particularly protein needs. Further evidence of efficacy in vascular and diabetic foot ulcers is warranted.


Abstract Nurse practitioners were introduced into Australia in 1990 to improve access to health care in isolated communities where medical doctors are scarce. The slow uptake of nurse practitioners in these areas has largely been the result of legislation not affording them access to provider numbers through the Medicare Australia Act 1973. This has denied nurse practitioners the opportunity to become primary care providers because they cannot prescribe medications and order diagnostic tests at rebated costs. Recently this Act changed, making provision for nurse practitioners. Ironically the enactment of the new legislation still prevents nurse practitioners from practicing effectively. This paper describes the discursive practices in legislation, driven by traditional power brokers, which perpetuate the traditional role of nurses as care givers and fails to support the evolution of nurse practitioners as care providers. These continued practices effectively prevent nurse practitioners from working to their potential, despite government reassurance under recent health care reform in Australia.


Sac-like particulate antigens were isolated from avirulent cells of two immunogenically distinct strains of Pasteurella multocida by extraction with cold saline and centrifugation at 105,000 × G. They possessed many of the properties ascribed to endotoxins, i.e., they were toxic, high-molecular-weight, nitrogen-containing, phosphorylated lipopolysaccharides which were readily inactivated under mild acid conditions.
 Almost 100% of the chickens given either intravenous injections of saline suspensions of the particulate antigens or subcutaneous injections of mineral oil emulsions of them were protected to challenges of live organisms which killed 100% of the controls. The same degree of protection was obtained in mice.
 Rabbits injected i.d. with mineral oil emulsions of the particulate antigens gave strong specific antibody responses, but the degree of passive protection of mice by their antisera did not correlate with the amount of antibody. Good protection was obtained with antisera to one of the strains of P. multocida, but not to the other.
 Injection of 0.1- to 0.5-mg amounts of the particulate antigens into mice, rabbits or chickens produced moderate to severe toxic effects such as depression and diarrhea; death frequently followed. Chickens showed many of the same signs after injection of fractional milligram amounts of the particulate antigen as have been observed with cases of acute fowl cholera.
 Mice were actively and passively protected to the lethal effects of the X-73 antigen, but the degree of active protection was superior to the passive protection obtained with rabbit antiserum.


In this paper, 2 X 2 characteristic matrices of uniaxially anisotropic thin film for extraordinary and ordinary wave are deduced at oblique incidence. Furthermore, the reflectance and transmittance of thin films are calculated separately for two polarizations, which provide a new concept for designing non-polarizing thin films at oblique incidence. Besides, using the multilayer birefringent thin films, non-polarizing designs, such as beam splitter thin film at single wavelength, edge filter and antireflection thin film over visible spectral region are obtained at oblique incidence.


Sponsor-driven initial public offerings (IPOs) remain one of the predominant methods for venture capital and private equity funds to exit their investment in a portfolio company, even after the IPO declines of 2015 and the volatility of 2016. This article provides a brief checklist of legal items for sponsors engaging in an IPO exit. It provides a guideline for the questions that sponsors and their counsel should consider when undertaking an IPO exit.


Gene delivery vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) have potential utility in the treatment of many genetic disorders. Current AAV vector manufacturing methods employ helper viruses to deliver functions needed to produce replication-defective recombinant AAV (rAAV) vectors, and clearance of infectious helper virus from the drug substance is essential for ensuring the safety of rAAV-based therapies. We have developed a manufacturing method for the production of rAAV vectors using a recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 (rHSV) complementation system in suspension baby hamster kidney (sBHK) cells. The manufacturing process includes three primary unit operations, detergent lysis of the cell harvest and two downstream column chromatography steps, which achieve viral clearance. These unit operations inactivate and remove HSV, including replication-competent HSV present at low levels in rHSV helper stocks. Here we report results quantifying the reduction in HSV achieved during rAAV vector purification. Clearance of HSV was at least 6.84 log10 with 1% Triton X-100, 4.34 log10 with CIM Q column chromatography and 2.86 log10 with AVB affinity chromatography. Combined, these three orthogonal methods achieved clearance of at least 14.04 log10 of HSV. The total input quantity of rHSV in a 100 L production batch is approximately 1.2 × 1012 plaque-forming units (pfu) and after purification the concentration of residual rHSV in the resulting drug substance of approximately 450 mL would be less than 2.43× 10-5 pfu/mL. A rAAV vector produced using this method was used in a clinical trial in which subjects receive up to 100 IM injections of 1.35 mL each, which would contain a maximum of 2.28× 10-3 pfu of HSV. These results support the safety of rAAV vectors produced using our rHSV complementation method.


Glomus tumors in the gastrointestinal tract are unusual, as the previous series in the literature have been mainly limited to the stomach. Less than 10 cases of esophageal glomus tumors have been described in the literature. Oncocytic glomus tumors are a recently identified, rare variant of the glomus tumor. We report a 47‐year‐old female who presented with an approximately 3‐month history of dysphagia and weight loss. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed a black‐purple, hypervascular, protruding lesion measuring approximately 65 mm at the 37th cm of the esophagus. The patient underwent an Ivor Lewis operation via open thoracotomy. The resected specimen had a protuberant, ulcerated mass measuring 80 × 35 mm in the posterior wall of the esophagus. Based on the histopathological, immunohistochemical and electron microscope findings, the final diagnosis was a malignant glomus tumor with oncocytic features. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a malignant glomus tumor with oncocytic features in an esophageal location.


Indirect methanol fuel cells currently being investigated at General Motors for transportation applications require removal of carbon monoxide from the hydrogen-rich gas stream produced by the fuel processing section. A variety of catalytic materials, including noble metals (Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ru) and base metals (Co/Cu, Ni/Co/Fe, Ag, Cr, Fe, and Mn), were evaluated in a laboratory reactor feedstream containing CO, H2, and O2 in order to identify alternate catalysts which are more effective than currently used Pt/Al2O3 in selectively oxidizing CO in the presence of excess H2. Both Ru/Al2O3 and Rh/Al2O3 are among the most active catalysts for CO oxidation, achieving nearly complete CO conversion at temperatures as low as l00°C (compared to ∼200°C required for currently used Pt/Al2O3. Furthermore, the Ru/Al2O3 and Rh/Al2O3 catalysts were found to be exceptionally selective for CO oxidation, making it possible to purify the fuel cell feedstream with a minimum loss of the energy content associated with H2.


A procurement protocol is a protocol for a buyer to purchase digital goods at their prices from a vendor. A procurement protocol with privacy preservation can be achieved by priced oblivious transfer (POT). POT allows the buyer to obliviously procure items one by one. An adaptive POT protocol only consumes <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(1)$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>O</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="guo-ieq1-2819652.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> communication cost in each transaction, where all items are committed and encrypted before transactions. However, we found that the state-of-the-art adaptive POT protocol proposed by Rial et al. is less practical and does not meet real-world needs. It has to restrict to the one-buyer setting where all items are encrypted associated with one buyer's public key. For multiple buyers, the vendor must respectively encrypt all the same items for each buyer. Besides, it has to employ computationally expensive primitives such as zero-knowledge proof which imply inefficient computation operations. It is therefore unscalable and unsuitable in large-scale applications. In this paper, we propose an efficient adaptive priced oblivious transfer protocol to address the aforementioned problems. The proposed adaptive POT is built on top of a new cryptographic primitive, namely, adaptive set membership encryption (ASME). In our proposed protocol, all items are encrypted without the use of buyers' public keys and hence they can be used for universal buyers. Our protocol significantly reduces the transaction cost compared to existing schemes. For example, the communication in each transaction costs only 6 group elements compared to at least 141 group elements in Rial et al.'s protocol. The implementation shows that our protocol is efficient in terms of bandwidth and computational cost.


The patient-to-nurse ratio is a topic that affects all nurses. A review of the research literature was performed to study this vital issue. Data was obtained from surveys conducted in numerous countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Chile. The evidence showed that an increased patient-to-nurse ratio motivated nurses' intention to leave their job. A higher patient-to-nurse ratio was found to have been associated with higher levels of personal burnout, client-related burnout, and job dissatisfaction in nurses. Currently in California, in medical-surgical units, the registered nurse staffing mandate is at one nurse to five patients. When nurses' workloads were in line with California's mandated ratios, nurses' burnout and job dissatisfaction were lower, and nurses reported consistently better quality of care. Furthermore, there was a decrease in nurses receiving verbal abuse from patients or other staff and complaints from patients and their family. In addition, a theoretical model is presented, which offers a hypothesis that nurses' level of education may be a factor in affecting patient outcomes. In this paper, I propose a study to examine how a baccalaureate degree in nursing may affect patient mortality and failure to rescue.


AIMS: The goal of this study was to report skull vault injuries characteristics among motorcyclists after crash. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was descriptive study performed at the Departmental Hospital of Borgou, Benin from January 2008 to April 2009. It concerned motorcyclists hospitalized after traffic accidents. They undergoing skull X-ray and or Brain CT-scan. RESULTS: On 106 patients answering the criteria of inclusions, 40 (37,7%) presented a lesion of the skull vault. Sex ratio M:F was 4,71. The mean age was 24,55 years. Skull X-Ray was performed in 25 cases, CT- scan in 9 and both in 6.A fracture was observed in 22 patients (55%), a depressive fracture in 13 (32,5%) patients, an association fracture and depressive fracture in 5 patients (12,5%). The location was: frontal 47,5%, parietal 22,5%, temporal 7,5%, occipital 2,5%. Intracranial lesions were identified in 12 (80%) of 15 patients receiving CT-scanning. CONCLUSION: The skull vault lesions observed after motorcycle crash in our study are worrying. Helmet use law may reduce these injuries and they can be better explored by a technical conditions strengthened. Language: fr


In radiotherapy treatments of head and neck cancer, ionizing radiation is used to destroy malignant tumor tissue, while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. For successful delivery of radiotherapy treatments, an accurate definition of the target is essential. This target is defined using threedimensional imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI can visualize, amongst others, local differences in the diffusion of water: diffusion weighted MRI (DW-MRI). Tumors have different diffusion characteristics than normal tissue. With DW-MRI these differences can be visualized and used in target volume delineation. In order to use DW-MRI in a radiotherapy setting, geometric accuracy is vital. The most common method to acquire DW-MRI, DW-EPI, is known for its sensitivity to geometric distortions, especially in areas with large magnetic field inhomogeneities. The geometric accuracy of DW-EPI was evaluated in patients with a retrospective analysis of magnetic field maps. It was found that severe geometric distortions are present when using DW-EPI in the head and neck region. Therefore, the use of an alternative acquisition method, DW-SPLICE, was proposed. This method is based on a turbo spin echo sequence, which is used for standard anatomical imaging and has comparable, high geometric accuracy. The method was implemented and demonstrated in patients. Using DW-SPLICE, diffusion weighted images with excellent geometric accuracy were acquired in head and neck cancer patients. Additionally, the DW-SPLICE technique was extended in order to improve fat suppression. Additional images were acquired in order to yield a dataset which was suitable for water fat separation. The results from the water fat separation were applied in order to provide a more robust and homogeneous fat suppression. The diffusion weighted images acquired with DW-SPLICE were used to generate target volume delineations. Using an intensity threshold, an initial volume was segmented on diffusion weighted images. Subsequently these were manually adjusted based on the diffusion coefficients. These delineations were compared with those based on PET. Pathology validation of PET delineations has shown these to be quite accurate. The (semi-)automatic target volume delineations on DW-SPLICE show good correspondence with target volume delineations based on PET, indicating that, for a large part, both techniques indicate the same target for treatment. Using surgical specimens, obtained after total laryngectomy, pathological validation of DW-MRI can be performed. Patients received an MRI exam with DW-MRI prior to surgery. The surgical specimen of the larynx was processed, resulting in a digitally reconstructed threedimensional volume which was matched to the imaging prior to surgery. The initial results from the first patient show that the target volume delineation based on DW-MRI has very good agreement with the tumor defined on pathology. When diffusion weighted images are acquired with good geometrical accuracy, these images can be a valuable addition for target volume delineation in head and neck radiotherapy.


The ultimate goal of a permanent human presence on the Moon is discussed intensively within the global lunar community. Obviously, such an effort poses stringent demands not only on the technology but also on logistics, especially considering the important aspects of masses and volume for materials and replenishments of consumables. On-site propellant production (i.e. liquid oxygen) is one of the main needs and would lead to more efficient return-to-Earth or further exploration missions. Additionally, the supply of breathable air and water for the survival of the crew on the lunar surface is also a major aspect. Thus, large effort is put into the development and research of technologies for in-situ resources utilization (ISRU) to drastically reduce the required supply from Earth and to increase the level of autonomy of a lunar outpost. The major resource on the Moon for such a purpose is regolith, which covers the first meters of the lunar surface and contains about 45% of mineralogically bounded Oxygen in terms of mass. By using adequate processing methods of this material, one could be able to extract valuable minerals and volatiles for further utilization. At DLR Bremen a compact and flexible lab experimenting facility has been developed, built and tested, which shall demonstrate the feasibility of the process by extracting oxygen out of lunar regolith, respectively soil simulants and certain minerals in the laboratory case. For this purpose, important boundary conditions have been investigated such as temperatures during the process, chemical reaction characteristics and material properties for the buildup of the facility, which shall be analyzed within this paper. Since it is one of the most elaborated chemical processes regarding ISRU and has comparably low temperature and energy constraints it has been primarily concentrated on the Hydrogen-reduction process which reduces the iron oxide component of Ilmenite (FeTiO3) within the lunar regolith. Based on the obtained results, a first line-out of a planned superior test set-up and infrastructure with pre- and post-processing units such as feeding and extraction is also presented, as well as an analysis of reaction products with common methods. This paper will present the first results of DLR efforts regarding these topics. Finally, important aspects of the future development of the processes and technologies are discussed with special consideration of lunar applicability and with respect to environmental conditions as well as mass and energy constraints.


Economists today agree that growth is fundamental in reducing poverty. But the strength of the relationship between the two has been debated, and there is a lack of satisfactory explanations to why the growth elasticity of poverty differs between countries. Solid democratic institutions have been mentioned as a means to ensure that growth is shared by the poor, but this proposition has not been assessed empirically. Using a data set including 157 intervals from 57 developing countries I estimate the elasticity of poverty to growth. I also use two different democracy indices to test the hypothesis that growth in democracies is more poverty-reducing than in non-democracies. Several other macroeconomic variables are also included in the model to analyze the determinants of the growth elasticity of poverty. Using several measures of growth and poverty, I find strong support that poverty is reduced by economic growth, with the elasticity estimated to be around -2. I do not, however, find any robustly significant determinants of the impact of growth on poverty. The results give some indication that the growth elasticity of poverty is higher in partly free countries than in nonfree countries. However, contrary to the hypothesis, there is stronger evidence that growth in fully democratic countries reduces poverty less than it does in partly free countries. None of the other macroeconomic variables are found to have a significant impact on how poverty responds to growth.


L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferome- try is very successful for mapping ground deformation in densely vegetated regions. However, due to its larger wavelength, the capacity to detect slow deformation over a short period of time is limited. Stacking and small baseline subset (SBAS) techniques are routinely used to produce time series of deformation and average deformation rates by reducing the contribution of topographic and atmospheric noise. For large sets of images that are presently avail- able from C-band European Remote Sensing Satellites (ERS-1/2) and Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT), the standard stacking and SBAS algorithms are accurate. However, the same algorithms are often inaccurate when used for processing of interferograms from L-band Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array type L-band SAR (ALOS PALSAR). This happens because only a limited number of interferograms is acquired and also because of large spatial baselines often correlated with the time of acquisition. In this paper two techniques are suggested that can be used for removing the residual topographic component from stacking and SBAS results, thereby increasing their accuracy. Index Terms—Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased-Array-type L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) (PALSAR), interferometry, SAR interferometry (InSAR), small baseline subset (SBAS) topographic correction, stacking.


Understanding how water, energy and carbon are partitioned to primary production and effective precipitation is central to quantifying the limits on critical zone evolu- tion. Recent work suggests quantifying energetic transfers to the critical zone in the form of effective precipitation and primary production provides a first order approximation of critical zone process and structural organization. However, explicit linkage of this effective energy and mass transfer (EEMT; W m 2 ) to critical zone state variables and well de- fined physical limits remains to be developed. The objective of this work was to place EEMT in the context of thermo- dynamic state variables of temperature and vapor pressure deficit, with explicit definition of EEMT physical limits us- ing a global climate dataset. The relation of EEMT to em- pirical measures of catchment function was also examined using a subset of the Model Parameter Estimation Experi- ment (MOPEX) catchments. The data demonstrated three physical limits for EEMT: (i) an absolute vapor pressure deficit threshold of 1200 Pa above which EEMT is zero; (ii) a temperature dependent vapor pressure deficit limit following the saturated vapor pressure function up to a temperature of 292 K; and (iii) a minimum precipitation threshold required from EEMT production at temperatures greater than 292 K. Within these limits, EEMT scales directly with precipitation, with increasing conversion of the precipitation to EEMT with increasing temperature. The state-space framework derived here presents a simplified framework with well-defined phys- ical limits that has the potential for directly integrating re- gional to pedon scale heterogeneity in effective energy and mass transfer relative to critical zone structure and function within a common thermodynamic framework.


Portions of a series of end-of-life tests are described for a Sandia National Li~boratories- designed space-based sensor that utilizes a mercury-cadmium-telluride focal plane array. Variations in background intensity are consistent with the hypothesis that seasonal variations in solar position cause changes in the pattern of shadows falling across the compartment containing the optical elements, filter-band components, and focal plane array. When the sensor compartment is most fully illuminated by the sun, background intensities are large and their standard deviations tend to be large. During the winter season, when the compartment is most fully shadowed by surrounding structure, backgrounci intensities are small and standard deviations tend to be small. Details in the surrounding structure are speculated to produce transient shadows that complicate background intensifies as a function of time or of sensor position in orbit.


This paper deals with the modeling of punching shear failure in reinforced concrete slabs using nonlinear finite element analysis. The 3D finite element analyses (FEA) were performed with the appropriate modeling of element size and mesh, and the constitutive modeling of concrete. The FE numerical models are validated by comparing with the experimental results obtained from tested specimens and previous research. One slab served as a control without any modification while three slabs were strengthened. The ultimate behavior of FRP strengthened RC flat slabs under a centrally applied load. Each method of repair or strengthening is reviewed with emphasis on its performance with respect to the application details. The punching shear capacity, stiffness, ductility were investigated. In addition, the analytical results were compared with the predictions using the provision of ACI 318-08. The results showed that for control slab and strengthened specimens an increase varied from 4% to 105% in punching shear capacity is determined.


Meaningful Use of Animation and Simulation in the Science Classroom. by Kevin T. Swain Science classes should place a strong emphasis on incorporating educational technologies, such as animations, interactive computer programs and various other technologies into the classroom. The use of animations and computer based simulations throughout instruction increases student understanding and achievement (Rosen, 2009). The use of educational technology in the science classroom, not only helps with student understanding of content, but also positively impacts students' engagement in lessons and their attitudes towards learning (Shu-Nu, Yau-Yuen & May, 2009). Studies have shown that instruction in a science classroom should incorporate students being actively engaged in the material in order for maximum achievement to occur. Students need to be able to take concepts from the science classroom and apply them to their everyday lives. Through the use of animations and simulations this connection can be bridged more effectively than through traditional instruction. The incorporation of computer animations and models provide enhancement and relevance to science learning. Incorporating more educational technology such as animations and computerbased simulations is of ever increasing importance because federal legislation mandates an emphasis on technology integration in all areas of K-12 education (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). Under this mandate, education leaders at the state and local levels are expected to develop plans to effectively utilize educational technologies, such as simulations in the classroom. Meaningful Use of Animation and Simulation in the Science Classroom 5


In Western theism, different attributes have classically been ascribed to God, such as omnipotence, omniscience, wisdom, goodness, freedom and so on. But these ascriptions have also raised many conceptual difficulties: are these attributes internally coherent? Are they really compossible? Are they compatible with what we know about the world (e.g. the existence of evil, human freedom, the laws of nature etc.). These traditional questions are part of the inquiry on God's nature as it is carried out in contemporary philosophy of religion. Another part of this inquiry is constituted by theological and philosophical questions raised by more precise or particular religious conceptions of God – e.g. the doctrine of Trinity in Christianity, or other specific credentials about the right way to understand God's perfection and absolute transcendence in Judaism, Christianity or Islam.
In this issue, we propose to follow these two directions of the inquiry about God's nature and attributes through historical and systematic studies, in the perspective of contemporary philosophy of religion and analytical theology. While the three papers specifically dedicated to the problem of the Trinity pertain mainly to the second part of the examination (the conceptual analysis of specific credentials and theological doctrines), the three others offer new perspectives and arguments on traditional questions about God, like the problem of evil, perfect goodness, or the problem of divine perfection and God's freedom.


Recent experimental evidence suggests that melatonin, the major pineal hormone, might possess oncostatic properties. The present experiments were performed to verify whether melatonin might modulate the growth of androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells (LNCaP) and to obtain information on its possible mechanism of action. We have shown that melatonin, when given in the nanomolar range, significantly inhibits the proliferation of LNCaP cells; moreover, the pineal gland hormone affects cell cycle distribution by inducing an accumulation of the cells in G0/G1 and a decrease in S phase. To investigate the mechanism of action of melatonin, by RT-PCR analysis we were able to demonstrate the expression, in prostate cancer cells, of a mRNA coding for the membrane Mel1a melatonin receptor. However, by radioreceptor assay, no detectable binding of 2-[125I]iodomelatonin could be observed in membrane preparations from these cells, suggesting that the levels of translation of the mRNA for Mel1a are possibly too low to mediate the antiproliferative action of the hormone. This hypothesis is further supported by the following observations: i) melatonin analogs, specifically acting through membrane receptors (i.e., 2-bromomelatonin), were completely ineffective in modulating prostate cancer cell proliferation; ii) melatonin failed to prevent forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation. These results indicate that melatonin, at nanomolar concentrations, exerts a direct antiproliferative action on androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells, significantly affecting their distribution throughout the cell cycle. Membrane receptors do not seem to be involved in the oncostatic action of the pineal gland hormone.


Building on theories from body phenomenology, new materialism and a theoretical concept of historical consciousness, this article argues that embodied simulations of pasts used in reenactment and living history in open-air museums make reenactors and living historians experience pasts as present and make the actors reflect on pasts. This is an argument for saying that historical consciousness has an embodied dimension that has not yet been explored in depth because most research about how ordinary people use pasts exposes how pasts on a reflexive level are present and usable to them. But what the research does not reveal, is how pasts are also physically present to people and that this process of materialization also has an effect on how people interpret, use and reflect on pasts. Two different kinds of reenactment done in Denmark are analysed and compared to build up the argument: World War II reenactors and volunteering living historians in different open-air museums communicating life and work in Denmark in the 19-20thcentury. Firstly, the material space they do their simulations of pasts in is analysed; Secondly, the things they use to simulate the pasts; Thirdly, their embodiments and their bodies' movements, senses, habits and performances in their simulations of pasts. In conclusion, it is discussed how the reenactors and the living historians reflect on pasts in their embodied simulations of pasts.
KEYWORDSReenactment; Living History; World War II; Historical consciousness; Embodiment; Materiality


Representational limits of message-passing graph neural networks (MP-GNNs), e.g., in terms of the Weisfeiler-Leman (WL) test for isomorphism, are well understood. Augmenting these graph models with topological features via persistent homology (PH) has gained prominence, but identifying the class of attributed graphs that PH can recognize remains open. We introduce a novel concept of color-separating sets to provide a complete resolution to this important problem. Specifically, we establish the necessary and sufficient conditions for distinguishing graphs based on the persistence of their connected components, obtained from filter functions on vertex and edge colors. Our constructions expose the limits of vertex- and edge-level PH, proving that neither category subsumes the other. Leveraging these theoretical insights, we propose RePHINE for learning topological features on graphs. RePHINE efficiently combines vertex- and edge-level PH, achieving a scheme that is provably more powerful than both. Integrating RePHINE into MP-GNNs boosts their expressive power, resulting in gains over standard PH on several benchmarks for graph classification.


The online domain has witnessed the proliferation of fake news in the past few years all over the world. This overwhelming amount of (dis)information has created incentives for the proliferators of fake news to benefit from ongoing political developments across the world, due to the courtesy of the existing model of online revenue generation on the Internet. The unregulated, liberal and open nature of the Internet has created an unintended consequence of incentive maximisation for fake news. This paper takes an analytical look at the relationship between revenue generation model in the cyber-domain and how content producers of fake news benefit from it. This paper postulates that the existing online advertisement model remains lucrative for fake news publishers particularly in regions such as South Asia. Its interplay with social media platforms enables further monetisation and spreading of fake news to Internet users. It analyses the relationship between these factors and suggests cross-sector solutions for de-incentivising and countering fake news in the cyber domain.


Background Currently, there is an intensive debate about the regulation of the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in indoor places. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes toward e-cigarette use in indoor workplaces and selected public and private venues among the general population in Barcelona (Spain) in 2013–2014. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the population of Barcelona (n = 736). The field work was conducted between May 2013 and February 2014. We computed the prevalence and the adjusted odds ratios (OR) derived from multivariable logistic regression models. Results The awareness of e-cigarettes was 82.3%. Forty five percent of respondents did not agree with the use of e-cigarettes in public places and 52.3% in workplaces. The proportion of disapproval of the use of e-cigarettes in indoor places was higher at 71.5% for schools and 65.8% for hospitals and health care centers; while the prevalence of disapproval of e-cigarette use in homes and cars was lower (18.0% and 32.5%, respectively). Respondents who disagreed on the use of e-cigarettes in indoor workplaces were more likely to be older (OR = 1.64 and 1.97 for groups 45–64 and ≧65 years old, respectively), those with a high educational level (OR = 1.60), and never and former smokers (OR = 2.34 and 2.16, respectively). Increased scores in the Fagerström test for cigarette dependence were also related to increased support for their use. Conclusions Based on this population based study, half of the general population of Barcelona does not support the use of e-cigarettes in indoor workplaces and public places, with the percentage reaching 65% for use in schools, hospitals and health care centers. Consequently, there is good societal support in Spain for the politicians and legislators to promote policies restricting e-cigarettes use in workplaces and public places, including hospitality venues.


In the last few decades the Alien Tort Statute has proven a useful tool in the struggle to impose legal obligations on transnational corporations conducting their activities in developing countries. However, its usefulness has recently been significantly reduced, as its application to conduct occurring outside of the United States has been seriously challenged by the Supreme Court decision in the Kiobel case. This decision was founded on the basis of the presumption against extraterritoriality; a U.S. law provision which entails that domestic legislation does not normally apply outside of the United States' territory. This article argues that the principles of international law, rather than the presumption against extraterritoriality, would have constituted better guidance for assessing the legitimacy of the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction. It contends that based on these principles, the exercise of extraterritorial civil jurisdiction is legitimate when the alleged perpetrator is an American national. In addition, even where both parties are foreign, universal civil jurisdiction can be legitimately exercised when the alleged perpetrator is present on U.S. territory, provided it is limited to the same category of particularly heinous crimes of universal concern as those giving rise to universal criminal jurisdiction.


In Diabetes mellitus, long-term complications, that cause morbidity and premature mortality, are characterized by microvascular and macrovascular diseases. A more frequent concomitant of distal anesthesia is the development of neurotropic ulceration, particularly on the plantar aspect of the foot. All these events characterize the underlying mechanisms that may lead to rapid gangrene after foot injury. Vascular endothelium appears to be a vulnerable target for hyperglycemia-induced metabolic changes. Activation of polyol pathway, non-enzymatic glycosilation of proteins and the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in diabetes complications. Ozone has been used as a therapeutical agent and beneficial effects have been observed. However, so far only a few biochemical and pharmacodynamic mechanisms have been elucidated. We demonstrated that controlled ozone administration may promote an oxidative preconditioning or adaptation to oxidative stress, preventing the damage induced by ROS [1]. Taking into account that diabetes is a disorder associated with oxidative stress, we postulate that ozone treatment might protect antioxidant systems and maintain, at a physiological level, other markers of endothelial cell damage associated with diabetic complications. In this study we evaluate ozone efficacy in a preclinical diabetes animal model [2]and in a clinical trial with type 2 diabetes patients suffering of diabetic foot complications [3]. Diabetes animal model [2]: Five groups of rats were classified as follows: (1) control group treated only with physiological saline solution; (2) positive control group using streptozotocin (STZ) as a diabetes inductor; (3) ozone group, receiving 10 treatments (1.1 mg / kg), one per day after STZ-induced diabetes; (4) oxygen group (26 mg /kg), one per day, as in group 3, but using oxygen only and (5) control ozone group, as in group 3, but without STZ. The following parameters were evaluated: plasma glucose concentration; in pancreas homogenates: levels of aldose reductase, fructolysine, advanced oxidation protein products, nitrite/nitrates (as an index of nitric oxide), glutathione (GSH), total hydroperoxides (TH), malondialdehide concentration (MDA), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities as indicators of redox balance. Pancreas morphology was evaluated by light microscopy. Clinical assay [3]: Randomized controlled clinical trial where all patients provided a signed informed consent before being enrolled was performed. Adult hospitalized patients of both sex of any ethnic, with diagnosis of neuroinfectious diabetes foot suffering of ulcers of the feet and lower extremities were eligible to participate in the study. These patients must not meet any of the following criteria: severe septic conditions, hypersensibility to the medication that will be used, hepatic dysfunction, renal failure (serum creatinine level > 1.32 mol/L), pregnancy, cancer, current therapy with any immunosuppresive agent or anticonvulsant. Patients were randomized to two different groups of treatment: 1- control, 50 patients treated with antibiotic therapy, systemic and topically in the lesion (during 20 days), and 2- ozone, 52 patients treated daily with ozone, 20 sessions, by rectal insufflation (with an ozone dose of 10 mg, ozone concentration: 40 mg/L) and locally. The same biochemical parameters that were taking into account in the preclinical study were measured in plasma, at the beginning and at the end of the treatments, as well as the clinical evaluation of the lesions and length of hospitalization. In both studies, ozone treatment improved glycemic control, and prevented oxidative stress, the increase of fructolysine content and advanced oxidation protein products. However, high plasma glucose figures and oxidative stress were maintained in the antibiotic group. In the animal model, ozone treatment also improved pancreas integrity. In the clinical assay, at the end of the treatments, a decrease of the area and perimeter of the lesions, for both groups, was obtained, but the expected total recovery showed that patients treated with ozone needed half of the time to achieve it, with regard to the antibiotic group. No significant differences between both treatments were obtained for the variable clinical evaluation (qualitative clinical evaluation), but with a trend to increase the number of cured patients and to decrease the non-cured patients in the ozone group, in comparison with also decreased the area to be amputated. The length of hospitalization decreased in patients treated with ozone with regard to the antibiotic group. Also, a controlled, randomized and double blind clinical trial was performed in 21 patients with a diagnostic criterion of peripheral diabetic neuropathy (DN) which were treated with ozone (ozone group) or with oxygen (oxygen group), both by rectal insufflation [4]. The results of this study showed that repeated administration of ozone in non-toxic doses played a role in the control of diabetes and its complications. It is important to emphasize the ozone treatment effect in the increase of SOD, as well as to consider it a molecular target in this syndrome. This is an interesting explanation, since it has been recognized anion superoxide radical as the link of four pathogenic pathways associated to micro and macro vascular complications in diabetes. The ozone treatment, in patients with diabetes type 2 suffering of neuroinfectious diabetic foot, improved glycemic control and prevented oxidative stress associated to diabetes mellitus and its complications, maintaining a cellular redox balance, in agreement with the excellent results obtained clinically in these patients. Patients with DN treated with ozone showed significant statistical increases in amplitude of peroneal (proximal and distal) nerve for both legs and nerve conduction velocity, as well as improvement in numbness, paresthesia and painful dysesthesia of the feet. However, no significant modification was observed in patients treated with oxygen in any of the electrophysiological indicators or clinical symptoms measured, between the pre and post treatment values No side effects were observed. Ozone therapy could be a future alternative in the therapy of diabetes and its complications.


This study involves the design and development of a panel heater triangular solar still (PHTSS) for producing distilled water from saline and contaminated water. The PHTSS was fabricated with cheap, lightweight and locally acquired and durable materials for easy maintenance. The PHTSS consists of a trough, main frame, polythene cover, support structure, DC heater and solar PV system. A number of field experiments were carried out using seawater, pond water and synthesized salt water of varying salt percentages (1, 2, 3 and 5% salt). The variation of temperatures, relative humidity and the solar radiation were monitored along with the hourly water production. The effect of initial water depth on the production was obtained and an inverse relationship was found between them. Other relationships were also obtained namely, between the daily solar radiation and daily production, between the temperature difference (cover-water) and daily water production, and between the average ambient air temperature and daily production. The water quality analysis of the feed and product water was performed before and after the experiments, respectively. The water quality parameters tested were pH, redox, electrical conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), Escherichia coli (E.coli) and arsenic for feed and product water. The results obtained from the laboratory tests were then compared with various drinking water standards and found that most of the values were within the acceptable ranges provided by the standards. The daily productions of PHTSS are 79.8, 81.3, 77.3 and 43.9% higher than the TSS on July 20, October 1,September 20 and September 24, 2012, respectively. It was found that on average the production of PHTSS is 70.5% higher than the TSS and the highest total daily production of PHTSS is 4.7 kg/m2/day. The relation between the daily water production and the solar radiation shows a positive linear relation, i.e. when solar radiation increases the daily production also increases. A linear proportional relationship is also obtained between the daily production and the temperature difference between water and cover. The relation between the daily production and the salt concentration is inversely proportional, i.e. increasing the salt concentration in feed water will decrease the production. An inverse relationship is also observed between the daily production and the initial water depth. A few models developed earlier (Dunkle, Murugeval et al., Ahsan and Fukuhara) cannot precisely predict the production flux of PHTSS; however the proposed model can reproduce well the production flux. Finally, it is concluded that the PHTSS is capable of producing distilled water from saline and contaminated water and can be applied to remove arsenic, pathogen and TDS as well.


Abstract Headlight intensity of vehicles poses a great danger during night travel. The drivers of most vehicles use high bright beam while driving at night. This causes inconvenience for the person travelling from the opposite direction. Person experiences a sudden blaze for a short duration. When these headlights shine brightly, they cause a temporary blindness to a person, resulting in road accident during night. To avoid such incidents, we are designing a prototype of automatic headlight intensity control system. The obstacle alerting system helps the driver parking the vehicle during day and night time without colliding the vehicle with obstacles. Automated detection of vehicles in front is an integral component of many advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), such as collision mitigation, automatic cruise control (ACC), and automatic headlamp dimming. We present a novel image processing system to detect and track vehicle rear-lamp pairs in forward-facing color video. A standard low-cost camera with a complementary metal–oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor and Bayer red–green–blue (RGB) color filter is used and could be utilized for full-color image display or other color image processing applications. A tracking-based detection stage is introduced to improve robustness and to deal with distortions caused by other light sources and perspective distortion, which are common in automotive environments. Results that demonstrate the system's high detection rates, operating distance, and robustness to different lighting conditions and road environments are presented. Keywords: Computer vision, driver assistance, tail-lamp detection, vehicle detection, video processing. Cite this Article S. Angeline Jenipher, P. Aswin, S.Gowsalya, C. Manjula Devi, D. Baskaran . Automated Headlight Intensity Controller and Speed Control in Vehicles. Journal of Network Security . 2019; 7(2): 1–5p.


The week long annual assembly of the World Medical Association opens in Bali next week. The WMA has been through long years of internal conflict associated with the continuing membership of the South African Medical Association and wrangles over finance, and the question that observers of the assembly must address is: has the WMA finally turned a corner, or are there still questions over its relevance to ordinary doctors? Douglas Carnall talked to Anders Milton, the chairman of its council, about the work of the WMA and his vision of its future.

Dr Milton was born and brought up in Sweden and studied for a degree in economics before turning to medicine. He was appointed to the staff of the University Hospital at Uppsala as a nephrologist on completing his PhD. Four years ago he gave up his clinical work to became the full time secretary general of the Swedish Medical Association. He was elected chairman of the council of the WMA in April of this year.

DC: Why do doctors need the WMA?

AM: Doctors are all members of one of the classic professions. A profession is defined by two qualities: firstly, it defines its own area of work, and, secondly it has it own ethics. Medicine has had its own ethical guidelines since the time of Hippocrates, the basic rule being that you should not harm your patients--do good and not bad. However, during the second world war some doctors in some countries engaged in "scientific" research on or pure torture of both civilians in concentration camps and prisoners of war. After the second world war it was felt that this should not happen again, and a number of medical associations decided to form a world body that would define and promulgate medical ethics throughout the world, while …


SUMMARY Understanding the impacts of endemic parasites on protected hosts is an essential element of conservation management. However, where manipulative experiments are unethical, causality cannot be inferred from observational correlative studies. Instead, we used an experimental structure to explore temporal associations between body condition of a protected reptile, the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) and infestation with ectoparasites (ticks and mites). We surveyed tuatara in a mark-recapture study on Stephens Island (New Zealand), which encompassed the pre-peak, peak and post-peak infestation periods for each ectoparasite. Tick loads during the peak infestation period were negatively related to body condition of tuatara. Body condition before the peak was not related to subsequent infestation rates; however, tick loads in the peak were negatively related to subsequent changes in body condition. Mite loads during the peak infestation period were not correlated with body condition of tuatara. Body condition before the peak had no effect on subsequent mite infestation rates, but mite loads of small males during the peak were negatively related to subsequent changes in body condition. Our results suggest that both ectoparasites reduce the body condition of tuatara, which has implications for the long-term conservation management of this host and its parasites.


Bacterial cellulose (BC) is natural biopolymers with unique properties such as high purity and high tensile strength. These properties considerably support for use as filler in rubber applications.  In this research, BC was produced from fermentation by Acetobacter xylinum . Additionally, pineapple peels (agricultural waste) were evaluated for carbon sources in BC's production process. Natural rubber latex (NRL) compound was then incorporated BC with various loadings of 0, 5, 10 and 15 phr (parts per hundred of rubber) for enhancement properties of NRL. Furthermore, NRL filled with BC (NRL-BC) compounds were prevulcanized at 70°C for 2 hours and then NRL-BC sheets were finally prepared.  NRL-BC sheets were examined in the term of, tensile properties, tear strength, and dynamic mechanical properties (DMA). From the results, with incorporation of BC, it was observed that not only tensile strength, tensile modulus and tear strength slightly increased but also DMA result clearly showed increase in storage modulus. Moreover, results revealed that NRL containing 10 phr of BC provided optimum properties.


Learning Agility in Context: Engineers' Perceptions of Psychologically Safe Climate on Performance Lauren Catenacci-Francois Organizations are changing faster than ever underscoring the importance of being learning agile— that is, learning new concepts and skills quickly while integrating learnings from past experiences to new situations in order to be successful (Mitchinson & Morris, 2012). Learning agility has been a topic of interest for almost two decades, and while research to date has demonstrated a positive relationship between learning agility and various performance outcomes (Dries, Vantilborgh, & Pepermans, 2012; Lombard & Eichinger, 2000; Smith, 2015), it remains to be seen whether certain contextual variables enhance, diminish, or altogether change learning agility's positive impact on performance (DeRue, Ashford, & Myers, 2012). This research examined organizational climate rooted in psychological safety as a contextual factor, or moderator, and how it influences when learning agility leads to high performance. While learning agility and psychologically safe climate were not significant predictors of performance, a marginally significant interaction revealed that when an organization's climate is perceived as low in psychological safety, those who score lower on learning agility perform worse than highly learning agile individuals. However, counterintuitive findings suggest than when the organization's climate is perceived as high in psychological safety, those who score lower on learning agility outperform those who score higher on learning agility. Exploratory and post-hoc analyses are used to better understand the data and the organizational context in which the results occurred. Directions for future research are discussed along with implications for organizations.


Current seismicity levels on the New Madrid seismic zone should produce about 0.11 cm/year of horizontal slip which, when compared with uplift of 42 m in the subsurface strata below the Lake County uplift and assuming a 31° reverse fault model, indicates that the present seismicity levels could not have been present for more than about 64,000 years. If seismicity in the region has persisted for a much longer period of time, then (1) the seismicity has moved spatially between several deformed zones (Crowley's Ridge and the Crittenden County fault zone); (2) the seismicity is episodic in nature, and active periods similar to the present occur between long quiescent times; or (3) there have been far fewer large earthquakes than predicted by extrapolation of the Gutenberg-Richter relation to higher magnitudes. Any of these scenarios indicates that assessing the hazard from large earthquakes is more complicated than conventional analyses have assumed because either the seismicity locations or rates change or analysis techniques relying on the Gutenberg-Richter relation are invalid for estimating the recurrence times of large earthquakes in the New Madrid area.


Abstract. Complex multibody system models that contain bodies with small mass or nearly singular inertia tensor may suffer from high frequency solution components that deteriorate the solver efficiency in time integration. Singular perturbation theory suggests to neglect these small mass and inertia terms to allow a more efficient computation of the smooth solution components. In the present paper, a recursive multibody formalism is developed to evaluate the equations of motion for a tree structured N body system with O(N) complexity even if isolated bodies have a rank-deficient body mass matrix. The approach is illustrated by some academic test problems in 2-D.


Introduction: Maintaining optimal self-care in managing Type 2 diabetes is a common struggle for patients due to several barriers, including access to quality services, financial insecurity and/or lack of insurance, and emotional distress. Consequently, morbidity and mortality rates are high, alongside rising health care costs. Alternative approaches that address common barriers require further investigation. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials examines the effectiveness of using community health workers (CHWs) in Type 2 diabetes care. This effort is warranted to orient practitioners and researchers to the state of existing knowledge, and to direct clinical practice and future research. Method: Data were extracted from 17 peer-reviewed articles; they were examined with respect to theory integration, CHW intervention design, outcome variables, and findings. Results: Approximately one-third of articles explicitly integrated theory into their research conceptualization and design. There was great variation across intervention dosages, attrition rates, and methods of CHW training. Main foci across studies' findings suggest that a CHW intervention has significant impacts on physical health outcomes, diabetes knowledge, self-care behaviors, and emotional distress and well-being. Discussion: Principal implications relate to the need for more research regarding CHW intervention types and methods, and further investigation about the mechanisms of change within a CHW-delivered intervention. Findings support the case for more CHWs in treatment teams to bridge patients with the medical system. This research will serve to better equip providers in the support of patients managing Type 2 diabetes and advance the Triple Aim of health care.