The multistage model of nonmelanoma skin carcinogenesis has contributed significantly to our understanding of epithelial cancer in general. We used the Krt1‐15CrePR1;R26R transgenic mouse to determine the contribution of keratin 15+ cells from the hair follicle to skin tumor development by following the labeled progeny of the keratin 15 expressing cells into papillomas. We present three novel observations. First, we found that keratin 15 expressing cells contribute to most of the papillomas by 20 weeks of promotion. Second, in contrast to the transient behavior of labeled keratin 15‐derived progeny in skin wound healing, keratin 15 progeny persist in papillomas, and some malignancies for many months following transient induction of the reporter gene. Third, papillomas have surprising heterogeneity not only in their cellular composition, but also in their expression of the codon 61 signature Ha‐ras mutation with approximately 30% of keratin 15‐derived regions expressing the mutation. Together, these results demonstrate that keratin 15 expressing cells of the hair follicle contribute to cutaneous papillomas with long term persistence and a subset of which express the Ha‐ras signature mutation characteristic of initiated cells. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Between the 9th December 2015 and 8th February 2016 Oxford Archaeology East (OA East) carried out excavations at Land East of Warren Hill, Saxmundham, Suffolk. Excavation was proposed of three areas, totalling 1.02 hectares, across the proposed development area.
The location of the excavation areas were based on the results of previous phases of work including a desk-based assessment, geophysical survey and two phases of archaeological evaluation. The evaluation revealed archaeological remains from multiple periods including: Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pitting; a Middle Iron Age roundhouse ring ditch and associated pits; and medieval boundary ditches.
The excavation of the first area, in the southern part of the site (Area 1), did not encounter any significant remains with only a large clay filled pit yielding a small quantity of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flintwork.
A substantial Early Bronze Age pit cluster was revealed in the second excavation area, in the northern part of the site (Area 2), the fills of which produced rusticated, Beaker-type pottery and flintwork that suggest occupation of the site during this period. This occupation along the River Fromus is further attested by two further pit clusters of the period previously excavated in the near vicinity.
The excavation of Area 2 uncovered the full extent of the Middle Iron Age Iron Age roundhouse found during the evaluation. A further Middle Iron Age roundhouse and associated pitting activity were also revealed.
Unexpectedly, the excavation of this area also demonstrated the presence of a significant Early Saxon settlement. A large rectangular post-built structure, possibly representing a hall, was revealed with evidence for a further two post-built structures. In addition, nine sunken-feature buildings (SFBs) were revealed and excavated.
The post-built and sunken-feature buildings contained hand made pottery, including decorated sherds, indicating an early 6th century AD date to the Saxon settlement. Furthermore, the sunken-feature building deposits yielded finds indicating cloth weaving, crop processing, horn-working and antler-working activities. A cruciform brooch of the period was also recovered with other fragments of metalwork, including two whittle tang knives. The basal fills of the SFBs were treated as possible primary refuse deposits, with the finds and environmental samples mapped to further aid in the reconstruction of the use of these buildings.
The Area 2 excavation was extended at the expense of the proposed third area of excavation towards the northern edge of the site and the medieval boundary ditches encountered in the evaluation. This approach was adopted so that the limit to the Early Saxon settlement could be better defined. In total 1.5ha was investigated.
The remains encountered in this excavation are of local and regional significance, providing the first direct evidence for the Early Saxon origins of Saxmundham and giving a rare insight to an Early Bronze Age non-funerary site in Suffolk.


Objective: To evaluate the long- term safety and efficacy of high- dose daunorubicin(DNR)(60 mg·m-2·d-1)combined with standard dose of cytarabine(DA)as induction therapy in patients under 65 years old with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia(AML). Methods: The complete remission(CR)rate, disease free survival(DFS), overall survival(OS)and side effects of therapy were retrospectively assayed in 116 patients with newly diagnosed AML who were younger than 65 years old and received daunorubicin(60 mg · m-2·d-1)combined with cytarabine(Ara- C 200 mg ·m-2·d-1)as induction therapy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital during July 2012 to February 2016. Results: Of 116 patients, 78 cases(67.2%)achieved CR after first course of induction treatment, 94(81.0%)achieved CR after two courses of induction, and early death occurred in only 3 patients(2.6%)during the first course of induction treatment. Only 1 patient had asymptomatic decreased ejection fraction after 6 months of induction treatment. Eighty nine patients received 1 to 4 courses of consolidation. With a median follow-up of 24(1-46)months, the median DFS was 25 months and median OS was not achieved yet. Cox regression multifactor analysis showed genetics risk groups was the only risk factor for DFS(HR=0.258, 95% CI 0.100- 0.664, P=0.005), while genetics risk groups(HR=0.309, 95% CI 0.126- 0.756, P=0.010)and whether patients received more than one cycle of high dose of Ara-C as consolidation therapy(HR= 0.370, 95% CI 0.179- 0.765, P=0.007)were independent factors associated with OS. Conclusions: In young adults with AML, intensifying induction therapy with a high daily dose of daunorubicin(60 mg/m2)could improve the rate of complete remission without obvious side effects.


Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Vitamin D supplementation in erectile dysfunction patients with Vitamin D deficiency. Material and Method: This study was carried out in Department of Urology, S.M.S. Medical College and attached Hospitals between March 2018 to April 2019 among patients in the age group 20-60 years presenting with ED and having severe Vitamin D deficiency. Patients were randomized into three groups. First group was treated with Tadalafil 10mg once a day while the second group had Tadalafil 10mg once a day plus Vitamin D 60,000 IU once a week, and third group was given Vitamin D 60,000 IU once a week only. Efficacy of drugs was evaluated at base line and after 12 weeks on the basis of International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire scoring. Results: After 12 weeks of treatment IIEF-5 scoring was nearly same as that of the base line with no significant difference in group C patients. On the other hand, IIEF-5 scoring was significantly improved in group A and B patients (P<0.001). On comparing group A and B patients there was significant improvement in group B compared to group A (P < 0.05). In comparison to group C, group A and group B patients had more side effects (P<0.05), but of mild intensity and prescribed medications were well tolerated. Group A and B patients had no significant difference in side effects. Conclusion: This study showed that the use of Tadalafil in combination with Vitamin D in Vit D deficient ED patients act better than Tadalafil or Vit. D alone. Keyword: ED, Vitamin D, Tadalafil, IIEF


: Most children pass through a period of otitis media with effusion, which can be considered as a normal reaction of the body to viral or bacterial infections. The general practitioner provides education and advice regarding the favourable prognosis of the hearing loss and is alert to the detection of high-risk groups and an aberrant course. In most children with otitis media with effusion, the general practitioner can wait for the disease to take its natural course. Children with persistent otitis media with effusion whose development is retarded should be referred to an otorhinolaryngologist. The former screening for perceptive hearing loss in infants resulted in the detection of many children with otitis media with effusion. Children with abnormal results on the new form of neonatal auditory screening should preferably be referred to a centre for audiology.


Defects in frataxin result in Friedreich ataxia, a genetic disease characterized by early onset of neurodegeneration, cardiomyopathy, and diabetes. Frataxin is a conserved mitochondrial protein that controls iron needed for iron-sulfur cluster assembly and heme synthesis and also detoxifies excess iron. Studies in vitro have shown that either monomeric or oligomeric frataxin delivers iron to other proteins, whereas ferritin-like frataxin particles convert redox-active iron to an inert mineral. We have investigated how these different forms of frataxin are regulated in vivo. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, only monomeric yeast frataxin (Yfh1) was detected in unstressed cells when mitochondrial iron uptake was maintained at a steady, low nanomolar level. Increments in mitochondrial iron uptake induced stepwise assembly of Yfh1 species ranging from trimer to >24-mer, independent of interactions between Yfh1 and its major iron-binding partners, Isu1/Nfs1 or aconitase. The rate-limiting step in Yfh1 assembly was a structural transition that preceded conversion of monomer to trimer. This step was induced, independently or synergistically, by mitochondrial iron increments, overexpression of wild type Yfh1 monomer, mutations that stabilize Yfh1 trimer, or heat stress. Faster assembly kinetics correlated with reduced oxidative damage and higher levels of aconitase activity, respiratory capacity, and cell survival. However, deregulation of Yfh1 assembly resulted in Yfh1 aggregation, aconitase sequestration, and mitochondrial DNA depletion. The data suggest that Yfh1 assembly responds to dynamic changes in mitochondrial iron uptake or stress exposure in a highly controlled fashion and that this may enable frataxin to simultaneously promote respiratory function and stress tolerance.


Author(s): Connolly, Kathleen | Abstract: The following essay analyzes representations of whiteness and its imbrication with both masculinity and the construction of Eastern European migrants in the Spanish TV drama Mar de plastico (2015). The violent, white masculinity of the protagonist, Hector Aguirre, frames him as a protector of the weak and victimized, and the type of man needed to resolve the many problems plaguing Spanish society. By contrast, the whiteness of Eastern European migrants is portrayed as insidious and threatening to the safety and social structure of the community. Both of these engagements with whiteness stem from feelings of uncertainty and anger in broader Spanish society with entrenched economic and class hierarchies, as well a reaction to changing demographics and new influxes of immigrants. The innovative aspects of the show: a desire to create a well-produced, cinematic experience as well as engage with socially-relevant topics, unfortunately are only skin deep, because the narrative falls back on stereotyped portrayals of immigrants and a white, warrior-hero masculinity.


Frequency hopping systems have been widely used in military communications to prevent hostile jamming, interception and detection. In traditional frequency hopping (FH) systems, the transmitter hops in a pseudo-random manner among available frequencies according to a pre-specified algorithm, and the receiver operates accordingly in exact synchronization with the transmitter's hopping pattern. In multiple access systems, a collision may happen when more than one users transmit in the same frequency band simultaneously. Two major limitations with the conventional frequency hopping systems are: strict requirement on frequency acquisition/synchronization, and very low spectral efficiency due to inefficient utilization of the available bandwidth. In this paper, we introduce a new concept - collision-free frequency hopping (CFFH). Based on the OFDM framework and the secure subcarrier assignment algorithm, the proposed CFFH system can achieve high information capacity through collision-free multiple access, and can successfully resolve the strict synchronization limitation. At the same time, as each user still transmits through a pseudo-random frequency hopping scheme, CFFH can maintain the inherent anti-jamming, anti-interception security features of the conventional FH system.


This piece reflects on what I perceive to be the major analytical and practical failures of Section 1983 jurisprudence as it has been shaped by the Supreme Court since the watershed case of Monroe v. Pape. Based on 40 years of academic involvement with both judges and lawyers who struggle with the various doctrines the Court has promulgated in the wake of Monroe, I highlight those areas that have become truly unintelligible, nonsensical, and incoherent. There is a growing consensus among practitioners, scholars, and judges that Section 1983 is no longer serving its original and intended function as a vehicle for remedying violations of constitutional rights, that it is broken in many ways, and that it is sorely in need of repairs. The primary focus of this article is on the befuddled jurisprudence, "the madness," surrounding the defense of qualified immunity. I begin, however, with some brief observations about "the maze" built to sustain the direct vs. vicarious line drawn in the context of municipal liability and "the mud" that Iqbal has deposited with respect to issues of liability of supervisors. Problems plaintiffs have manipulating through the maze of municipal liability doctrine and wading through the mud of liability standards for supervisors underscore the importance of overcoming the madness of qualified immunity if plaintiffs are to have a viable damages remedy for the violation of their constitutional rights. In the end, however, I come back to where I started in 1978, to the position I advocated following the decision in Monell, and urge the Court to relinquish its dogged adherence to the doctrine of no respondeat superior for claims brought under Section 1983.


In this paper, experimental conditions are carefully optimized of excitation energy, power and degree of focus, water disturbance and temperature to overcome th e difficulties involved in photoluminescence (PL) study of ZnTe:Ti. It is illust rated that:(i)Higher PL intensity is accessible with excitation energy just belo w the band-gap energy of ZnTe.(ii)Water disturbance not only changes the relative intensities of the PL lines but also increases the measuring error of the transition energies. (iii) Excitation with relatively stronger focus produces better PL spectrum. Two zero-phonon lines (ZPLs) are unambiguously identified at 3903.5 and 3905.9 cm-1, respectively. They are ascribed to be due to Ti 3+ in ZnTe with the aid of the crystal field theory, the transition energy, the energy difference of the two ZPLs and the temperature dependence of the relative intensity of the ZPLs. It is the first evidence from PL study for the Ti3+ in Ⅱ-Ⅵ compound semiconductors.


Degenerative changes in the plantar fascia may cause the so‐called "painful heel" with typical projections of tenderness. This condition is often associated with a plantar heel spur. Radiotherapy with low doses (LD‐EBRT) has been well known for its anti‐inflam‐ matory potential. In the recent years, several microbiological mechanisms were eluci‐ dated to explain immunomodulation by LD‐EBRT. Furthermore, a randomized study proved the clinical efficacy of this therapy in plantar fasciitis. Two other trials defined a fractionation schedule of 6 × 0.5 Gy twice weekly as the new standard therapy. Taken together, LD‐EBRT is an effective and safe therapeutic option for patients over 30 years of age and after exclusion of pregnancy. In case of an insufficient response, a second course can be offered to the patient. There are still open questions concerning target volume definition and fractionation of LD‐EBRT. Furthermore, studies randomizing LD‐EBRT with other conservative therapeutic approaches are missing.


Purpose: This research begins with a problem dealing with the inability of many local governments in Indonesia to compile a Government Agency Performance Accountability Report or LAKIP. The problem transpires because many local governments have not been able to measure performance using applicable standards. This research aims to find out the local government's efforts to measure performance according to the organizational factors of local government in Indonesia. Approach/Methodology/Design: Data collection in this study was based on the structured questionnaire sent to 44 respondents who have been the Head of the Planning Subdivision that has compiled LAKIP in Bekasi city, Indonesia. The sampling methodology used in this study is a census method. The hypothesis testing is based on the Structural Equation Modelling by SmartPLS. Findings: The results indicate that the resources have a significant positive relationship with the local government performance measurement. Meanwhile, technical knowledge and management commitment do not have a significant relationship with the local government performance measurement. Practical Implications: The findings imply to the local government expected to maintain the principles of behavior and ethics by existing standards to carry out the preparation of LAKIP and provide a picture for the local government in measuring performance based on organizational factors. Originality/Value: The study originally examines the effect of resources with the local government performance measurement.


In theory, multi homed Internet hosts, that is, hosts simultaneously connected to multiple Internet service providers (ISP) should see increased access capacity, be able to circumvent possible last-mile congestion problems, and experience improved end-to-end quality of service (QoS). In practice however, the advantages one can gain from multi homing are highly dependent on the path switching mechanism used, that is, on dynamically deciding which ISP should be used as a first-hop. This paper is a first step toward understanding the trade-off between performance improvements multi homing can help achieve and the complexity of the decisions that must be made. We measure changes in end-to-end network layer metrics (loss, latency, jitter) over the different paths available from a multi homed host to a large population of Internet hosts. Our measurements indicate that (1) in over 60% of the cases, one only needs to reevaluate the service provided by each ISP every minute to improve the performance of a specific metric, and that (2) in approximately 85% of the cases, decisions to switch from one ISP to another can be treated independently of the service metric of interest. We conclude that multi homing could in practice result in noticeable performance improvements.


Motion planning is a major problem in robotics. The objective is to plan a collision-free path for a robot moving through a workspace populated with obstacles. In this paper, we present a fast and practical algorithm for moving a convex polygonal robot among a set of polygonal obstacles with translations and rotations. The running time is O(c((n + k)N + n log n ) ), where c is a parameter controlling the precision of the results, n is the total number of obstacle vertices, k is the number of intersections of configuration space obstacles, and N is the number of obstacles, decomposed into convex objects. This work builds upon the slabbing method proposed by Ahrikencheikh et al. [2], which finds an optimal motion for a point among a set of nonoverlapping obstacles. Here, we extend the slabbing method to the motion planning of a convex polygonal robot with translations and rotations, which also allows overlapping configuration space obstacles. This algorithm has been fully implemented and the experimental results show that it is more robust and faster than other approaches.


left with an untrue statement such as Simmias would not naturally make. (iii) Burnet : 'rots jroXXofs. . . avSptinrois, "mos t people" who do hold it.' Even if we deleted avSptbTois, this could hardly be got out of the Greek. (iv) Cary (cf. Cope, Robin, etc.): ' whence most men derive their opinions.' This is acceptable as regards sense, but SOKCT avSprfnrois surely cannot mean ' men hold (their) opinions.' I suggest that we should read So net <4 SoKel>, 'men hold the opinions they hold.' The form of expression is common and the corruption assumed natural. Cf. Rep. 342e Kal \iyei a \iyei Kal lroiei S. iroiei dtravra (om. a iroiet Bekkeri q). W. L. LOR1MER. University College, Dundee.


Genetic programming (GP) has been used to discover the function that describes the collisions of positrons with sodium, potassium, rubidium and cesium atoms at low and intermediate energies. The GP has been running based on experimental data of the total collisional cross sections to produce the total cross sections for each target atom. The incident energy and the static dipole polarizability of the alkali target atom have been used as input variables to find the discovered function. The experimental, calculated and predicted total collisional cross sections are compared. The discovered function shows a good match to the experimental data. We find that the GP technique is able to improve upon more traditional methods. To our knowledge, this is the first application of the GP technique to the data of positron collisions with alkali atoms at low and intermediate energies.


Molecularly imprinted film with diphenolic acid (DPA) as dummy template molecule has been grafted on the surface of Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) to develop a selective and sensitive sensor for rapid determination of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in water and soils. The obtained DPA-MIP-QDs sensor has distinguished selectivity and high binding affinity to TBBPA. The fluorescence quenching fractions of the sensor presented a satisfactory linearity with the concentrations of TBBPA in the range of 0.1-100 μM, and its limit of detection can reach 0.015 μM. The sensor has been successfully applied to determine the TBBPA in water and soil samples, and the average recoveries of the TBBPA at various spiking levels ranged from 80.2% to 96.5% with relative standard deviation below 8.0%. The results provided a clue to develop sensors for rapid determination of hazardous materials from complex matrixes.


The corrosion behaviour of 316LVM in NaCl solution steel has been investigated. Large scale polarization measurements and etching tests in V2A solution showed that the hydrostatically extruded (HE) 316LVM steel had a lower corrosion resistance than specimens in the as received condition. Small area measurements were carried out in order to determine the sites that were responsible for the decreased corrosion resistance of the HE 316LVM steel. Tests on cross sections parallel to the HE direction, showed better corrosion resistance than on cross sections perpendicular to the HE direction. These observations indicate, in combination with SEM and AFM measurements, that the inclusions which were deformed during HE, can trigger the onset of corrosion on HE 316LVM steel.


This article describes a new method of measuring wind velocity profiles between 93 km and 110 km altitude by tracking non‐specular meteor echoes as neutral winds transport the plasma trails. This requires a large VHF radar with interferometric capability able to point nearly perpendicular to the geomagnetic field. A small data sample from the Jicamarca Radio Observatory allows the measurement of horizontal wind speeds and directions with a range resolution of a few hundred meters. These observations show speeds reaching 150 m/s and sometimes changing by as much as 100 m/s over a 6 km altitude range. At the best times, these measurements can be made with only a few minutes of data. With some refinement of the data collection and analysis techniques, this technique should produce high resolution images of lower thermospheric winds as they change in both altitude and time.


Webquest is an Internet-based learning and teaching tool, within which is a process involving students and teachers to use it for educational purposes. As an educational tool, the webquest has gained popularity in the education field across subjects and settings and is generally well-received by both teachers and students. Many junior high school English teachers use webquests to support modern teaching methods to improve students' instructions and learning processes in new opportunities of using webquest resources in English classes, as well. This study aimed at investigating the advantages and disadvantages of using webquests in Iranian junior high school English classes. This study also examined the application of webquests to motivate high school English teachers to teach more efficiently and provided the learners with a wonderful situation to learn English well. The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019 in four cities of Isfahan Province, Iran. The participants included 16 Iranian English teachers chosen based on the stratified random sampling method from junior high schools. The questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data and the participants' insights about the advantages and disadvantages of using webquests in their English classes. Many English teachers considered webquests helpful and believed that it could help students do duties better and that the teachers could teach English more effectively and meaningfully. Webquest resources, likewise, help teachers work in groups and share ideas associated with the school curriculum.


Dams built to supply electricity, irrigation and fresh water, change the characteristics of the region they are located. The ecological, limnological characteristics and the quality of water in the dam reservoir deteriorate with time. In this study, the physicochemical, toxicological and ecological parameters of Gokcekaya Dam Lake's water, which is situated on Sakarya River were examined. The selected area has different characteristics from the others. This lake is situated between two other dam lakes on Sakarya River. So the main water of the lake comes from Sakarya Dam. During the years 2005-2006, water samples were taken from the lake surface and depths in seasonal periods, and the physical, chemical and biological parameters were examined to determine the modifications in the quality of water. It was seen that while the quality had no certain differences, the level of the nutrients in the water was low. The different characteristics of the coming water enriched the varieties of algae. It was concluded that the structure of the water in Gokcekaya Dam Lake is mezotrophic.


The role of RET-Y (the mean value of the forward-scattered light histogram within the reticulocyte population), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and the ratio of soluble transferrin receptor to log10 ferritin (sTfR-F index) in discriminating hemoglobinopathies remains unclear. For that purpose, a cohort of 141 patients with microcytic, hypochromic anemia, along with 58 healthy individuals, were evaluated in the present study. Patients were divided into 4 groups: A (beta-thalassemia trait, n=62), B (iron-deficiency anemia [IDA], n=41), C (alpha-thalassemia trait, n=10) and D (hemoglobin O-Arab trait, n=28). Whole blood count, RET-Y, ferritin, sTfR, and sTfR-F index were performed for each individual. Diagnostic efficiency was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Youden index was used for the estimation of the cutoff points and the associated values for sensitivity and 1-specificity. Statistically significant differences were observed for RET-Y, sTfR-F, and sTfR-F index between patients and healthy individuals, except for sTfR-F index of group C; between groups A, D, and B for RET-Y; between groups C, D, and B for sTfR; and between groups A, C, D, and B for sTfR-F index. ROC curves were constructed considering IDA as a positive case and indicated a very good diagnostic ability for sTfR-F index (area under the ROC curve [AUCROC]=0.938, cutoff point >2.19) in differentiating IDA from hemoglobinopathies in the study population. When the beta-thalassemia trait was considered as a positive case, ROC curves demonstrated a very good diagnostic efficiency for RET-Y (AUCROC=0.894, cutoff point <1411.8 AU). In populations where hemoglobinopathies are frequent, the full blood count, including the new parameter RET-Y, and sTfR-F index provide an extra, simple, and accurate tool for diagnosis and genetic consulting.


In an effort to determine which biological reactions can occur in relation to the water content of seeds, the regulation of lettuce seed dormancy by red and far red light was determined at various hydration levels. Far red light had an inhibiting effect on germination for seeds at all moisture contents from 4 to 32% water. Germination was progressively stimulated by red light as seed hydration increased from 8 to 15%, and reached a maximum at moisture contents above 18%. Red light was ineffective at moisture contents below 8%. Seeds that had been stimulated by red light and subsequently dried lost the enhanced germinability if stored at moisture contents above 8%. The contrast between the presumed photoconversion of phytochrome far red-absorbing (Pfr) to (Pr) occurring at any moisture content and the reverse reaction occurring only if the seed moisture content is greater than 8% may be explained on the basis of the existence of unstable intermediates in the Pr to Pfr conversion. Our results suggest that the initial photoreaction involved in phytochrome conversion is relatively independent of water content, while the subsequent partial reactions become increasingly facilitated as water content increases from 8 to 18%.


To maximize the production from mature fields, it is important to know the shape of the reservoir and its continuity. In this paper, well log data and multicomponent seismic are combined to delineate a sandstone reservoir at the Pikes Peak heavy oil field, Saskatchewan. We generate PP and PS synthetic seismograms to correlate events with the surface seismic data. The productive formation has a Vp/Vs value noticeably lower (1.7) than the overlying formations (which are around 4.4). The top of the productive interval is interpreted as a PP impedance drop (to 5010 m/s*g/cc) and PS increase (to 3066 m/s*g/cc). Inversion and various seismic attributes were used to predict the density along the seismic line: the Waseca oil sands are characterized as a low-density (2.17 g/cc) zone.


Rabbit antibodies against Encephalitozoon cuniculi were detected in an indirect microagglutination test using a bead substrate to which anti-rabbit immunoglobin G light and heavy chain antibodies were coupled. The test was positive using immune whole serum or F(ab)' and F(ab)'2 fragments of immunoglobin G but negative using the F(c) fragment. The reaction was blocked by saturating the beads with rabbit serum or by absorbing positive sera with excess Encephalitozoon cuniculi. The test provided a simple method to detect antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi, did not require elaborate equipment and could be performed using frozen antigen.


Future power grid systems are envisioned to be integrated with many distributed renewable energy sources (DRES). Energy storage is the key technology to enable reliable and cost-effective renewable energy. Given the fact that large-scale energy storage devices are typically costly to install and operate, we are naturally led to the following question: How much storage is necessary to guarantee the stability of a power grid network with DRESs? In this paper, we study the tradeoff between capacity of energy storage devices and outage probability, i.e., the probability of the occurrence of imbalance between the supply and demand. We first propose a secure scheduling and dispatch (SSD) algorithm that is capable of maintaining the grid stability in the presence of volatility in the power generation. We then derive a closed-form expression that quantifoes the tradeoff between the storage capacity and the outage probability. Under mild assumptions, we show that the outage probability decreases exponentially with respect to the square of the storage capacity. This finding implies that energy storage is an effective and economically viable solution to maintain the stability of a smart grid network, even in the presence of many volatile and intermittent renewable energy sources.


The Consejo Nacional Electoral of Ecuador has been seriously questioned with the implementation of the System of Transmission and Publication of Results (STPR). Descriptive tables of threats and controls were analyzed; to determine criteria such as: loss of integrity, loss of availability and loss of confidentiality. The objective was to identify the security protocols, determining the processes that make up the electoral vote. The qualitative documentary analysis and impact of the analyzed threats was used. In this way the results said that the system is highly vulnerable to threats of human origin, the highest risks are the threats of computer criminals or malicious collaborators. It was concluded that the greatest risk lies in the employees, their selection and hiring must be carried out without incidents of the policy, that comply with a professional profile according to the functions or tasks that they will fulfill and that demonstrate values such as honesty and ethics.


Abstract Existing compartmental-logistics models in epidemics control are limited in terms of optimizing the allocation of vaccines and treatment resources under a risk-averse objective. In this paper, we present a data-driven, mean-risk, multi-stage, stochastic epidemics-vaccination-logistics model that evaluates various disease growth scenarios under the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) risk measure to optimize the distribution of treatment centers, resources, and vaccines, while minimizing the total expected number of infections, deaths, and close contacts of infected people under a limited budget. We integrate a new ring vaccination compartment into a Susceptible-Infected-Treated-Recovered-Funeral-Burial epidemics-logistics model. Our formulation involves uncertainty both in the vaccine supply and the disease transmission rate. Here, we also consider the risk of experiencing scenarios that lead to adverse outcomes in terms of the number of infected and dead people due to the epidemic. Combining the risk-neutral objective with a risk measure allows for a tradeoff between the weighted expected impact of the outbreak and the expected risks associated with experiencing extremely disastrous scenarios. We incorporate human mobility into the model and develop a new method to estimate the migration rate between each region when data on migration rates is not available. We apply our multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model to the case of controlling the 2018–2020 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) using real data. Our results show that increasing the risk-aversion by emphasizing potentially disastrous outbreak scenarios reduces the expected risk related to adverse scenarios at the price of the increased expected number of infections and deaths over all possible scenarios. We also find that isolating and treating infected individuals are the most efficient ways to slow the transmission of the disease, while vaccination is supplementary to primary interventions on reducing the number of infections. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that vaccine acceptance rates affect the optimal vaccine allocation only at the initial stages of the vaccine rollout under a tight vaccine supply.


Tangible User Interfaces (TUI) have been found to be relevant tools for collaborative learning by providing a shared workspace and enhancing joint visual attention. Researchers have explored the use of TUIs in a variety of curricular activities and found them particularly interesting for spatial exploration. However, very few studies have explored how TUIs could be used as a collaborative medium for people with visual impairments (VIs). In this study, we investigated the effect of tangible interaction (a small tangible robot) in a spatial collaborative task (a treasure hunt) involving two people with VIs. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the design of the TUI on the collaboration and the strategies used to perform the task. The experiment involved six dyads of people with VIs. The results showed that the collaboration was impacted by the interaction design and open interesting perspectives on the design of collaborative games for people with VIs.


Reactions in leprosy causing nerve function impairment (NFI) are increasingly treated with standardized regimens of corticosteroids, often under field conditions. Safety concerns led to an assessment of adverse events of corticosteroids, based on data of three trials studying prevention of NFI (the TRIPOD study). A multicentre, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted in leprosy control programmes in Nepal and Bangladesh. Treatment was with prednisolone according to fixed schedules for 16 weeks, starting in one trial with 20 mg/day (prophylactic regimen: total dosage 1.96 g) and in the other two trials with 40 mg/day (therapeutic regimen: total dosage 2.52 g). Minor adverse events were defined as moon face, fungal infections, acne, and gastric pain requiring antacid. Major adverse events were defined as psychosis, peptic ulcer, glaucoma, cataract, diabetes and hypertension. Also, the occurrence of infected plantar, palmar, and corneal ulceration was monitored, together with occurrence of TB. Considering all three trials together, minor adverse events were observed in 130/815 patients (16%). Of these, 51/414 (12%) were in the placebo group and 79/401 (20%) in the prednisolone group. The relative risk for minor adverse events in the prednisolone group was 1.6 (P = 0.004). Adverse events with a significantly increased risk were acne, fungal infections and gastric pain. Major adverse events were observed in 15/815 patients (2%); 7/414 (2%) in the placebo group and 8/401 (2%) in the prednisolone group. No major adverse events had a significantly increased risk in the prednisolone arm of the trials. No cases of TB were observed in 300 patients who could be followed-up for 24 months. Standardized regimens of corticosteroids for both prophylaxis and treatment of reactions and NFI in leprosy under field conditions in developing countries are safe when a standard pre-treatment examination is performed, treatment for minor conditions can be carried out by field staff, referral for specialized medical care is possible, and sufficient follow-up is done during and after treatment.


Background: Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) is India's response to the challenge of meeting the holistic needs of children below six years of age, adolescent girls expectant and nursing mothers through the network of Anganwadis. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of Anganwadi Workers of Jaipur Zone (Rajasthan) India. Materials and methods: 8 AWCs were selected from each of the 5 Zones of Jaipur. So, total 40 AWCs were included in the present survey. Performance of each of the AWW from identified AWCs was assessed as per the 'Form no. (1)' of ICDS. Performance of various districts and various activities were analyzed and inferred in proportion and percentages. Results: 100% of AWWs of Jaipur zone was well aware about the care of pregnant women and lactating women except Kangaroo Method Care (KMC) which is known to only 10%. All the surveyed AWWs had knowledge about Infant feeding and family planning except the advantage of breast feeding which were know to 72.5%. Referral services about children, pregnant women and lactating mothers were known to 80% of surveyed AWWs. Conclusion: Knowledge of AWWs was excellent except Kangaroo Cara Method, advantage of breast feeding and Referral services.


Gauge theories appear broadly in physics, ranging from the standard model of particle physics to long-wavelength descriptions of topological systems in condensed matter. However, systems with sign problems are largely inaccessible to classical computations and also beyond the current limitations of digital quantum hardware. In this work, we develop an analog approach to simulating gauge theories with an experimental setup that employs dipolar spins (molecules or Rydberg atoms). We consider molecules fixed in space and interacting through dipole-dipole interactions, avoiding the need for itinerant degrees of freedom. Each molecule represents either a site or gauge degree of freedom, and Gauss's law is preserved by a direct and programmatic tuning of positions and internal state energies. This approach can be regarded as a form of analog systems programming and charts a path forward for near-term quantum simulation. As a first step, we numerically validate this scheme in a small-system study of $\mathrm{U}(1)$ quantum link models in ($1+1$) dimensions with link spin $S=1/2$ and $S=1$ and illustrate how dynamical phenomena such as string inversion and string breaking could be observed in near-term experiments. Our work brings together methods from atomic and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, high-energy physics, and quantum information science for the study of nonperturbative processes in gauge theories.


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consists of small nodes with constrain capabilities. It enables numerous applications with distributed network infrastructure. With its nature and application scenario, security of WSN had drawn a great attention. In malicious environments for a functional WSN, security mechanisms are essential. Malicious or internal attacker has gained attention as the most challenging attacks to WSNs. Many works have been done to secure WSN from internal attacks but most of them relay on either training data set or predefined thresholds. It is a great challenge to find or gain knowledge about the Malicious. In this paper, we develop the algorithm in two stages. Initially, Abnormal Behaviour Identification Mechanism (ABIM) which uses cosine similarity. Finally, Dempster-Shafer theory (DST)is used. Which combine multiple evidences to identify the malicious or internal attacks in a WSN. In this method we do not need any predefined threshold or tanning data set of the nodes.


This article analyzes the problem of DVB-H based mobile TV network planning, and specifically, the deployment cost minimization issue. The article presents the planning studies for a DVB-H network in the city of Valencia (Spain). A TV broadcasting tower and the base stations of a 3G cellular phone service provider were considered as the broadcasting sites. The network under study involves synchronized transmitters at all the broadcast sites. In order to find network configurations yielding maximum coverage and minimum costs, a genetic multi objective based algorithm was used. The obtained results show a high density of transmitters is needed in order to achieve satisfactory coverage levels in indoor environments, hence, the re-usage of telecommunications infrastructure is a key factor in reducing the network deployment costs.


A series of carbohydrate-based tetrahydropyridazines are prepared by the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of the chiral 1,2-diaza-1,3-butadienes 1 and 2 with acrylonitrile. Reactions are regiospecific, and the observed diastereoselection is consistent with a preferred attack to the Re face of the heterodiene unit, as the chiral sugar placed at C4 does largely protect the opposite Si face. The stereochemistry of the major cycloadduct 4 has been firmly established by an X-ray crystallographic study that, in addition, reveals a conformation placing the cyano group in axial orientation. Cycloadducts such as 9 and 11, in which the axial cyano group and the carbohydrate moiety exhibit a cis relationship, undergo a facile E2 elimination that relieves the steric congestion. A detailed computational study is reported to provide better insight into the factors that influence this asymmetric cycloaddition. A DFT study (B3LYP/6-31G) on a reduced model does correctly predict the regiochemistry observed experimentally, while the facial diastereoselection is modeled at a semiempirical (PM3) level on the parent reagents, thereby accounting for the steric factor provided by the chiral substituent. The calculations also indicate that the axial orientation of the cyano group can be rationalized in terms of a stabilizing anomeric effect.


Ilinx is a multidisciplinary art/science research project focusing on the development of a multisensory art installation involving sound, visuals and haptics. In this paper we describe design choices and technical challenges behind the development of the haptic technology embedded into six augment garments. Starting from perceptual experiments, conducted to characterize the thirty vibrating actuators used in the garments, we describe hardware and software design, and the development of several haptic effects. The garments have successfully been used by over 300 people during the premiere of the installation in the TodaysArt 2014 festival in The Hague.


Due to the extensive growth of food varieties, making better and healthier food choices becomes more and more complex. Most of the current food suggestion applications offer just generic advices that are not tailored to the user's personal taste. To tackle this issue, we propose in this paper a novel food recommender system that provides high quality and personalized recipe suggestions. These recommendations are generated by leveraging a data set of users' preferences expressed in the form of users' ratings and tags, which signal the food's ingredients or features that the users like. Our empirical evaluation shows that the proposed recommendation technique significantly outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms. We have found that using tags in food recommendation algorithms can significantly increase the prediction accuracy, i.e., the match of the predicted preferences with the true user's preferred recipes. Furthermore, our user study shows that our system prototype is of high usability.


We propose a methodology for intercomparing climate models and evaluating their performance against benchmarks based on the use of the Wasserstein distance (WD). This distance provides a rigorous way to measure quantitatively the difference between two probability distributions. The proposed approach is flexible and can be applied in any number of dimensions; it allows one to rank climate models taking into account all the moments of the distributions. By selecting the combination of climatic variables and the regions of interest, it is possible to highlight specific model deficiencies. The WD enables a comprehensive evaluation of the skill of a climate model. We apply this approach to a selected number of physical fields, ranking the models in terms of their performance in simulating them and pinpointing their weaknesses in the simulation of some of the selected physical fields in specific areas of the Earth.


Iron-deficiency anemia is still the most prevalent anemia occurring in infancy, despite modern knowledge concerning iron metabolism and the causation of this deficiency state. The premature infant is extremely vulnerable to iron deficiency because his total body hemoglobin available for use is smaller and his growth rate is usually greater than that of the full-term infant. Recently an iron-dextran complex has been found to be effective in supplying the human organism parenterally with large quantities of iron for hemoglobin synthesis. The preparation 1 is a third as toxic in mice as saccharated iron oxide solutions. It has been used widely for the treatment of iron deficiency of children 2-4 and adults. 5,6 It was felt worth while to evaluate its use in the prevention of the late (iron-deficiency) anemia of prematurity. This report concerns observations of two groups of infants born prematurely who were examined hematologically until one year of


Stability of engineering structures that are constructed on or in rock masses is greatly influenced by the engineering behavior of rock mass and its properties. Furthermore, the engineering characteristic of rock and particularly, the shear strength in rock masses play a key role in civil engineering and specifically in the design and safety evaluation of dams. At present, many researchers have carried out with investigations regards to understanding of the rock mass but not many contributions have been madefor use in engineering design. In addition, insufficient understanding of engineering data especially related to rock mass in the tropical region has contributed to unexpected occurrence of failure. In verifying the characteristic of weathered granite subjected to triaxial loading, laboratory tests are needed to be carried out to gather the data and record the results. This research focus on examination of field samples, determination of hardness in order to classify the weathering grade and relevant laboratory works to establish the characteristic of the rock samples. Samples of weathered granite ranging from Grade II to Grade IV were used in this research. Physical properties which are hardness, moisture content, density, porosity, specific gravity and void ratio were determined. Petrographic and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis were also conducted to determine the mineralogical characteristic of the different state of weathering. Free-Free Resonant Column (FFRC) method was used to determine the velocity result of weathered granite, meanwhile Rock's Triaxial (RTX 3000) was used to determine the shear strength properties of the samples. The RTX 3000 equipment was used for confined Triaxial test with confining pressure of 5 MPa, 10 MPa, 15 MPa and 20 MPa. The data obtained from laboratory assessment were analysed to determine the effect of weathering on the rock properties and shear strength parameters. The results show that the density, hardness, specific gravity and velocity of granite decreases with increasing of weathering grade of granite. Meanwhile, moisture content, porosity and void ratio increases with increasing weathering grade of granite. It is also indicated that internal friction and cohesion parameters decrease with increasing with state of weathering. In addition, correlation between all properties and shear strength parameter is also established.


A surprising and unprecedented event happened in Moscow at the end of 2011, when an exhibition of paintings by William Blake opened. Such a show of Blake's works is a great rarity, because there are no Blake paintings in Russian art collections. The exhibition presented about 150 works by Blake and some of his "British visionary" counterparts from the collections of the eight largest museums in the UK. According to the web portal Gazeta.ru, "Only a few Britons have been able to see so much of Blake's fine legacy."


Digital cameras as well as many other electronic devices need light-sensitive sensors. In order to cater to the increasing demand for optoelectronic components of this kind, industry is searching for new semiconductor materials. They are not only supposed to cover a broad range of wavelengths but should also be inexpensive. A hybrid material, developed in Dresden, fulfills both these requirements. Himani Arora, a physics Ph.D. student at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), demonstrated that this metal-organic framework can be used as a broadband photodetector. As it does not contain any costintensive raw materials, it can be produced inexpensively in bulk.


Recently, different models have been proposed for analyzing the broadband power-line communication (BPLC) systems based on transmission-line (TL) theory. In this paper, we make an attempt to validate one such BPLC model with laboratory experiments by comparing the channel transfer functions. A good agreement between the BPLC model based on TL theory and experiments are found for channel frequencies up to about 100 MHz. This work with controlled experiments for appropriate validation could motivate the application and extension of TL theory-based BPLC models for the analysis of either indoor or low-voltage or medium-voltage channels.


Medical cannabis use among U.S. Veterans has continued to rise. However, data on cannabis use by older Veterans is generally less available. This study aims to understand the characteristics of older Veterans who enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Patient Program in Illinois and analyze their health outcomes and co-use of cannabis and opioids using longitudinal survey data. Overall, participants reported positive outcomes for pain, sleep, and emotional problems because of cannabis use in two survey periods. Approximately, 62% and 85% respondents reported no change in memory and falls, respectively, with only 3% and 1% reporting a negative outcome for the conditions in both surveys. About 20.4% of those who indicated cannabis use only in the initial survey started to co-use opioids in the follow-up survey, while 44.1% of those who indicated the use of both substances in the initial survey reported no longer using opioids in the follow-up survey. However, these changes were not statistically significant (α=0.05). The logistic regression showed that both clinical and contextual factors affected co-use. In conclusion, older U.S. Veterans may be using cannabis to alleviate their pain and other chronic conditions. More research is needed to understand the effect of cannabis use on reducing or substituting opioids.


There have been many studies and suggested technological applications using the two dimensional electron system in the GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. These have mostly focused on the behaviour of electrons propagating at or close to the Fermi Energy. More recently, one such application of this two dimensional system is for an electron pump, which isolates electrons from the two dimensional electron gas and pumps them individually at energies typically 100 meV above the Fermi energy, using surface gates to create a dynamic quantum dot. This energy regime had been previously unobtainable. We can utilise the high accuracy output of the pump - consistency that each pumped electron has the same properties, to study fundamental single particle physics, and work towards technological schemes, at this high energy. In this work we set out to continue and extend the previous work in this fi eld. We present new measurements that detail an electron detector barrier that we can use both as a sampling oscilloscope, with a bandwidth approaching 100 GHz, or to measure the wavepacket properties of electrons, including their energy and time of arrival with high resolution. After developing and establishing the electron detector, we detail a series of experiments that utilise it to measure the electron velocity, scattering mechanisms and wavepacket size. We show this work maps consistently to theory, and further, we begin to demonstrate control of the electron wavepacket, with the possibility that this hot electron system could have future technological applications. This is all put together in the construction of an interferometer, which seeks to complete our understanding of electrons in this system by measuring coherence of the wavefunction, a key step to demonstrating construction of a prescribed state.


The primary aim of this article is to estimate the multiple determinants of film advertising expenditures in four important media, namely television, press, outdoor and radio, in the UK. First, television advertising, the leading film advertising medium, is examined as part of a system of equations, capturing the interdependences between advertising, the number of screens on which films are initially shown and box office revenues. Then a reduced form model is put forward to reveal the determinants of film advertising in the four media. While major distribution companies have different preferences for the use of the alternative advertising media, results highlight the importance of quality signals, such as critical reviews, in determining advertising expenditures in the film industry. Moreover, advertising expenditures can themselves be considered to offer potential cinema goers signals of film quality.


The REDD payments must not only be adequate but also reflect the realities of cost to different stakeholders and reach them without vanishing in corrupt practices. One way of approaching it is to make REDD Plus a positive action instead of a passive compensation for harm not done and making most of the payments to those who actually participate in such positive actions. These activities may include identification and survey of forest boundaries, maintenance of related land records, inventorying timber and non-timber forest produce, preparation of management plans, carrying out sustainable harvesting, first level value addition to the harvested product, setting up and managing decentralized biomass energy units sustainably for meeting local energy needs, replanting at least some of the previous years cleared lands, protection against fires and pests and promotion of ecotourism through laying trails and managing them, and capacity building of suitable members of the local communities for all the related activities. In the forestry sector an annual expenditure of $ 1 million creates between 500 to 1000 full time jobs in the developing countries and between 20 to 100 jobs in the developed countries. In these times of high unemployment in the Annex I countries, it would be a politically wise step to ensure that REDD creates a good number of jobs in developed economies, too, for the purpose of capacity building, planning, monitoring, reporting and verification. At annual investments of $ 20 billion, and with a quarter of money being spent within developed economies, REDD would have the potential of creating about 1,00,000 direct full time jobs in the developed countries besides 7.5 million full time forestry jobs in the developing economies.


Background Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is a challenging condition with variable outcomes. Injuries that are traditionally associated with training volume such as tendinopathies are less frequently reported in rugby but are likely to increase as a result of more intensive training regimens. Objective To evaluate the prevalence of PT in elite academy rugby. Design Cross sectional, observational study with 12 month follow-up. Setting Elite/international division rugby. Participants All members of the academies of the rugby provinces (Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht) of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) were invited (N=87) and 83 players participated in the study. Mean age was 20.4 years (1.48), with a mean of 11.9 years (2.8) experience. Risk factor assessment Anthropometrics, body mass, and fat % were measured by bio-impedance. Clinical examination investigated symptoms. Ultrasound examination established tendon thickness, echogenicity and homogeneity including focal areas of tendinopathy in both transverse and longitudinal planes. Statistical analysis was performed using PASW 18 and CIA software. Main outcome measurements The Cincinnati Sports Activity Scale, established activity levels. The VISA-P scale evaluated symptoms. Ultrasounds were reviewed and graded by two musculoskeletal radiologists. Results 30 participants (36.1%) had US abnormalities with 38 abnormal tendons. The abnormalities were microcalculi (44.7%) (N=17), thickened tendons +/- large areas of cystic degenerative change (26.3%) and macrocalculi or large hypoechoic areas (28.9%) (N=11). Eleven participants (13.3%) fulfilled the clinical diagnosis of PT based on clinical examination. Combining both US and clinical exam, the prevalence of PT was 9.6% (N=8). There was a statistically significant difference between the prevalence of patellar tendinopathy based upon US findings (P=.027) and the combination of both clinical examination and US (P=.044) in different training academies. Twelve-month follow up data will be reported. Conclusions PT is a relatively common injury in elite academy rugby players and training practices may contribute to its development.


We present an improved version of an ASIC implementation of the adaptive arithmetic coding algorithm which uses a two-level memory hierarchy. We propose algorithmic modifications and a special hardware structure to speed-up the design without degrading the compression ratio obtained using this memory hierarchy. Moreover, several new features which increase the compression efficiency are introduced. Finally, a VLSI implementation based on the results of our work is presented.


LUSTRE is a synchronous declarative language designed to specify and to implement reactive software. One of its main advantages is that it can be used as a temporal logic to express software invariant properties. The satisfaction of the latter can be proven by model-checking, using LESAR, a verification tool designed for LUSTRE programs. We address two important problems related to this verification process. First, developing the specifications of synchronous software is a difficult and error-prone task. Before attempting to formally prove their satisfaction, one should validate them. We propose random automatic animation as a means to validate such formal specifications. Second, due to the often huge amounts of required memory and time, proof may not be applicable, in which case the specification work is wasted. To cope with this problem, we propose testing techniques which reuse the software specifications to formally test the software.


Since the mid-1990s, strategic partnerships have emerged as a new form of alignment between states, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Yet only recently has the United States begun to pursue such relationships, especially under the Obama administration which has signed new partnerships with Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and New Zealand. As a result, the current literature does not yet include significant study on how the United States views strategic partnerships. This article attempts to fill this gap by exploring the emergence of strategic partnerships as a new form of alignment in US strategy in the Asia Pacific under the Obama administration. Drawing on the existing literature on alignment, government documents, as well as conversations with policymakers from the United States and Southeast Asia, it argues that Washington is pursuing strategic partnerships as part of a deliberate effort to both enlist target countries to share the burden in addressing challenges and to institutionalize its relationships in the Asia Pacific. It constructs an original three-part analytical framework to understand how US policymakers conceive, craft and evaluate strategic partnerships in the Asia Pacific and applies it to analyse the similarities and differences in US partnerships with Indonesia and Vietnam.


In wireless sensor networks, sensor nodes are typically powerconstrained with limited lifetime, and thus it is necessary to know how long the network sustains its networking operations. Heterogeneous WSNs consists of different sensor devices with different capabilities. One of major issue in WSNs is finding the coverage distance and connectivity between sensors and sink. To increase the network lifetime, this paper proposed Swarm Intelligence, routing technique called Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). Ant colony optimization algorithm provides a natural and intrinsic way of exploration of search space of coverage area. Ants communicate with their nest-mates using chemical scents known as pheromones, Based on Pheromone trail between sensor devices the shortest path is found. By finding the coverage distance and sensing range, the network lifetime maximized and reduces the energy usage. Extensive Java Agent Framework (JADE) multi agent simulator result clearly provides more approximate, effective and efficient way for maximizing the lifetime of heterogeneous WSNs. Index Terms wireless sensor networks (WSNs), Ant colony optimization (ACO), connectivity, coverage, network lifetime.


Gonadal sex differentiation is temperature-dependent in Alligator mississippiensis; testis differentiation occurs in embryos incubated at 33°C and ovary differentiation occurs in embryos incubated at 30°C. Laminin and cytokeratin were examined immunohistochemically in the gonads of alligator embryos incubated at these temperatures. The aim of this study was to determine whether these structural proteins show the same sex-specific expression patterns reported for mammalian embryos, and to assess their usefulness as early markers of gonadal differentiation in species with temperature-dependent sex determination. Laminin delineated enlarged seminiferous cords in differentiating testes from developmental stage 23 to hatching. Laminin distribution was more diffuse and revealed smaller cords of cells in differentiating ovaries. Cytokeratin was also detected in developing gonads of both sexes. Cytokeratin became concentrated in the basal cytoplasm of differentiating Sertoli cells in developing testes. In developing ovaries, prefollicular cells of the ovarian cortex and cell cords in the medulla stained strongly for cytokeratin. Cytokeratin did not show the same basal distribution in female medullary cord cells as seen in the Sertoli cells of testes, however. These sex-specific patterns of laminin and cytokeratin distribution in embryonic alligator gonads may serve as early markers of sexual differentiation.


Common cocklebur (Xanthium sibiricum) was widely distributed in the water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir after its impoundment to 156 m in elevation. Flooding maybe accelerated the germination of common cocklebur and it was likely to be the explanation of the phenomena. The aim of present paper was to determine the influence of water submergence on the germination of common cocklebur. The result showed that more than ninety percent of seeds even submerged in situ for even eight months were still alive. The germination rate of in situ inundated seeds at 25 ℃ was significantly depressed and was negatively related with submerged period. The germination rate of the seeds with bur stored in dry and airy indoor environment was not significantly different with the germination rate of seeds placed in the drawdown area with 160 m and 150 m in elevation respectively, but it was significantly lower than the germination rate of the seeds placed in the drawdown area with 170 m in elevation. All the germination indicators were significant improved after eight months' indoor submergence. Thus, it is visible that short term in situ submergence can improve germination of the seeds with burr at common temperature, while long term in situ flooding would depress germination of the seed of common cocklebur. The negative effect of flooding on germination strengthened as the prolonging of submerged periods and increasing of water depth.


Dry eye disease is common and affects millions of people throughout the world. Unfortunately, the management of this disease can be challenging due to persistent inflammation and damage to the ocular surface which can result in ocular discomfort, photophobia, and blurred vision. Herein, we report the outcome of three patients with moderate dry eye disease that was recalcitrant to conservative treatments including artificial tears, ophthalmic immunomodulator drops, and topical lubricants. All patients presented with superficial punctate keratopathy (1+ to 3+ SPK), moderate ocular pain (5-6 out of 10), and were subsequently treated with micronized amniotic membrane applied with a bandage contact lens for 3-4 days. After treatment, the patients reported no pain (0 of 10) and there was faint SPK. At 1 month, SPK had resolved and the patients' visual acuity was 20/20. This case series highlights the utilization of micronized amniotic membrane with a bandage contact lens to manage patients with moderate dry eye disease.


I explore whether international organizations (IOs) promote peaceful conflict management. Using territorial claims data, I find that organizations with interventionist capabilities encourage disputing members to attempt peaceful conflict resolution. Then, to more fully uncover the causal relationship between IOs and conflict management, I investigate the influence of IOs on bilateral dispute settlement separately from third party settlement.The analyses reveal that institutions do not promote bilateral negotiations between members, indicating that the socialization and trust-building capabilities of IOs are limited. However, institutions foster multilateral talks, demonstrating that IOs broker bargaining with third party diplomatic intervention.


Summary The three-dimensional organization of the genome is essential for development and health. Although the organization of euchromatin (transcriptionally permissive chromatin) dynamically adjusts to changes in transcription, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we studied how transcription organizes euchromatin, using experiments in zebrafish embryonic cells and theory. We show that transcription establishes an interspersed pattern of chromatin domains and RNA-enriched microenvironments. Specifically, accumulation of RNA in the vicinity of transcription sites creates microenvironments that locally remodel chromatin by displacing not transcribed chromatin. Ongoing transcriptional activity stabilizes the interspersed pattern of chromatin domains and RNA-enriched microenvironments by establishing contacts between chromatin and RNA. We explain our observations with an active microemulsion model based on two macromolecular mechanisms: RNA/RNA-binding protein complexes generally segregate from chromatin, while transcribed chromatin is retained among RNA/RNA-binding protein accumulations. We propose that microenvironments might be central to genome architecture and serve as gene regulatory hubs. Graphical abstract Highlights Transcription establishes microenvironments that remodel euchromatin Microenvironments form by RNA accumulation in the vicinity of transcription sites Microenvironments exclude not transcribed DNA and retain transcribed DNA Euchromatin is organized like an active microemulsion, stabilized by transcription


An interactive software package is presented for evaluation and design of hybrid co-generation systems. This software with user-friendly interface is introduced to replace a previous graphical summary of a simulation of a Brayton Cycle-fuel cell cogeneration system in an introductory graduate course in the Energy Systems program at Northeastern University and an advanced undergraduate course at Universidad de América. The description of the software package code and how it is implemented is outlined. The code is a MATLAB simulation of a hybrid co-generation system including the analysis of the solid oxide fuel cell and reformer. While there was a small sample of students in 2020–2 class and special circumstances related to the COVD-19 restrictions, there is evidence that the software package was an improvement over the previous methodology. A written tutorial and YouTube interactive guide for students to download the software considered as an improvement by the student feedback survey.


Homicide-suicide incidents involving child victims can have a detrimental impact on survivors of the violence, family members and friends of the decedents, and other community members, but the rare occurrence of these acts makes using quantitative data to examine their associated antecedents challenging. Therefore, using qualitative data from the 2003-2011 National Violent Death Reporting System, we examined 175 cases of homicide-suicide involving child victims in an effort to better understand the complex situational factors of these events. Our findings indicate that 98% of homicide-suicides with child victims are perpetrated by adults (mostly parents) and propelled by the perpetrators' intimate partner problems, mental health problems, and criminal/legal problems. These events are often premeditated, and plans for the violence are sometimes disclosed prior to its occurrence. Findings provide support for several theoretical perspectives, and implications for prevention are discussed.


groups having worse health. Even when there is good news-for example, higher immunisation rates' or lower mortality from most cancers-this is not acknowledged. The fact is that members of ethnic minority groups are alive, kicking, and whenever possible vigorously contributing to our ailing, recession-bitten community. The overall standardised mortality ratio of most ethnic minority groups is close to the national average,, and the proper interpretation of this requires noting their greater socioeconomic deprivation. For British Punjabis living in Glasgow, in comparison with the general population, health status was better in several respects, comparable in most measures, and worse in others.8 The report ignores several powerful critiques of traditional thinking on ethnicity and health.-' Why? The cynical view would be that an emphasis on personal behaviour, cultural factors, and genetics deflects attention from deep and disturbing issues about the structure of society; a strategy also seen in relation to the inequalities in health debate. The misleading interpretations are too many to discuss so I shall merely observe that:


A balanced diaphragm type of maximum cylinder pressure indicator was designed to give results consistent with engine operating conditions. The apparatus consists of a pressure element, a source of controlled high pressure and a neon lamp circuit. The pressure element, which is very compact, permits location of the diaphragm within 1/8 inch of the combustion chamber walls without water cooling. The neon lamp circuit used for indicating contact between the diaphragm and support facilitates the use of the apparatus with multicylinder engines.


This paper presents the performance of the Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) in warm-up and recovery at different draw rates and draw amount. Performance is evaluated based on COPsys and Recovery Efficiency as measure. Results show that the recovery efficiency is proportional to draw amount. With increase of draw rate, stratification worsens causing lower recovery efficiency. This paper also presents numerical investigations to validate the influence of draw rate and analyze the influence of baffle, nozzle and inlet position on tank stratification by ThreeDimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods. CFD results are confirmed with the experimental data indicating that higher draw rate destroys the tank stratification. Thermal performance of HPWH systems is strongly influenced by the thermal stratification in the water tank. The simulation results also show that the baffle, nozzle and inlet position helps preserving the stratification in the water tank. A dimensionless coefficient, the MIX number, ranging from 0 to 1, with 0 representing a perfectly stratified tank and 1 representing a fully mixed tank, has been used to characterize the tank stratification level.


Abstract Chromium valence ratios in igneous olivine may hold a wealth of redox information about the melts from which they crystallized. It has been experimentally shown that the Cr2+/ΣCr of olivine varies systematically with fo2 therefore measurements of Cr valence in olivine could be employed as a quantitative oxybarometer. In situ synchrotron μ-XANES analyses of Cr valence ratios of individual olivine phenocrysts in thin section have the potential to unlock this stored magmatic redox information on a fine spatial scale. However, there are still obstacles to obtaining accurate XANES measurements of cation valence in crystalline materials, as the results from these measurements can be compromised by anisotropic absorption effects related to the crystallographic orientation of the sample. Improving the accuracy of XANES measurements of Cr valence ratios in olivine by calibrating an anisotropy correction is a vital step in developing Cr valence measurements in olivine as a rigorous oxybarometer. To accomplish this goal, we have used an integrated approach that combined experiments, electron backscatter diffraction analysis, and XANES measurements in olivine to systematically examine how orientation affects the resultant Cr K-edge XANES spectra and the Cr valence ratios that are calculated from them. The data set generated in this work was used to construct a model that mitigates the effects of anisotropy of the calculated Cr2+/ΣCr values. The application of this correction procedure as a part of spectral processing improves the overall accuracy of the resultant Cr2+/ΣCr values by nearly a factor of five. The increased accuracy of the XANES measured Cr valence ratios afforded by the anisotropy correction reduces the error on calculated fo2 values from approximately ±1.2 to ±0.25 log units.


This paper shows the application of mathematical modeling to scale-up a cycle developed with lab-scale equipment on two different production units. The above method is based on a simplified model of the process parameterized with experimentally determined heat and mass transfer coefficients. In this study, the overall heat transfer coefficient between product and shelf was determined by using the gravimetric procedure, while the dried product resistance to vapor flow was determined through the pressure rise test technique. Once model parameters were determined, the freeze-drying cycle of a parenteral product was developed via dynamic design space for a lab-scale unit. Then, mathematical modeling was used to scale-up the above cycle in the production equipment. In this way, appropriate values were determined for processing conditions, which allow the replication, in the industrial unit, of the product dynamics observed in the small scale freeze-dryer. This study also showed how inter-vial variability, as well as model parameter uncertainty, can be taken into account during scale-up calculations.


Abstract Energy security is one of the major global challenges of the twenty-first century. Intensifying competition for ever scarcer forms of conventional energy resources is causing significant tensions in the international system. East Asia will have a more profound impact on global energy security than any other region as its burgeoning demand for energy fuels, spurred principally by China, is expected to continue growing at over twice the world average in the next few decades. This paper examines the reasons why we may expect the energy diplomacies of East Asian states to become an increasingly salient feature of East Asian states' foreign policy and international relations in the foreseeable future, and thereby significantly shape the nature of the region's international political economy. It presents a framework of energy diplomacy analysis in order to better understand how East Asian states are formulating their energy diplomacy strategies and actions. The four prime elements of this framework comprise: empirical perspectives and generic task-oriented terms; agential influences on the formation and organization of energy diplomacy practice; the energy–development nexus; and transaction mechanisms of energy diplomacy. The main conclusions are first, mercantilist approaches to energy diplomacy will persist but continue to gradually give way to market institutionalism; second, energy diplomacy will become increasingly linked to other forms of diplomacy, such as trade, environment and development assistance; third, we may expect East Asian states to afford greater priority to multilateral energy co-operation both regionally and in a wider international or global sense as energy security interdependencies deepen; and fourth, East Asia's growing reliance on sourcing energy fuels from outside the region will make it more dependent on stable international energy markets—these markets are becoming increasingly internationalized and globalized, which will broaden the future options of East Asian states developing new international energy partnerships.


PURPOSE
To compare the degree of corneal light scatter as measured by densitometry in ultrathin Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (UT-DSAEK) and Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) in the Descemet endothelial thickness comparison trial.

METHODS
This was a prespecified secondary analysis of the Descemet endothelial thickness comparison trial, which was a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Subjects with isolated endothelial dysfunction were enrolled and were randomized to either UT-DSAEK or DMEK. Corneal opacity was quantitatively measured by Pentacam densitometry (OCULUS) at 3, 6, and 12 months.

RESULTS
Fifty eyes of 38 patients were enrolled at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University and the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University. Corneal densitometry for the anterior and posterior layers improved in both UT-DSAEK and DMEK after surgery. The decrease was more pronounced in the posterior layer for both groups. However, there was no difference in the degree of corneal light scatter between UT-DSAEK and DMEK at postoperative month 12, and no difference in change in densitometry was observed between the 2 arms from baseline to month 12.

CONCLUSIONS
Both UT-DSAEK and DMEK experience an improvement in the degree of corneal light scatter after surgery. However, there was no difference in densitometry between the 2 groups at month 12. Therefore, other factors such as higher order aberrations in the posterior cornea rather than stromal-stromal interface haze mediate the superior visual outcomes in DMEK compared with UT-DSAEK.


This article examines why Southeast Asian American adolescents and emerging adults in two urban settings prefer to use "blunts," or hollowed-out cigars filled with marijuana, over other methods of drug intake. Rationales for preferring blunts were both instrumental and social. Blunts allowed users to more easily share marijuana, the preferred drug among their peers, and protected against potential adverse effects associated with the "high." Blunts also allowed users to identify with the dominant style of drug use and differentiate themselves from users of stigmatized drugs such as crack cocaine and methamphetamine. This article highlights the importance of drug-intake methods in the formation and performance of drug-using behaviors among adolescents, emerging adults, and members of ethnic minority subgroups.


Predictions derived from a principal-agent analysis of the manufacturer-retailer relationship are derived and tested using microdata on contractual form, outlet characteristics and retail prices for gasoline stations in Eastern Massachusetts. The empirical results are consistent with upstream firms choosing contracts that have strong incentive characteristics but less direct control when asset characteristics make unobservable effort by downstream agents important. Manufacturers trade-off incentive power for more direct control when observable effort is relatively more important. Retail prices are affected by the identity of the decisionmaker and are slightly lower when the upstream firm is allowed to directly control the retail price.


Bartolus was perhaps the greatest jurist and law professor of the Middle Ages. He left an extraordinarily large number of commentaries on the Corpus iuris civilis, many treatises on various branches of public and private law, and a huge number of legal opinions (consilia).
His influence has been the subject of research throughout Europe, but regarding Hungary there has been no research into the sources and extant manuscripts and incunables of Bartolus' works. This article aims to rectify this deficiency. The author surveys the medieval legal literature used in Hungary to give an understanding of Bartolus' influence on Hungarian medieval law.
In summarising his investigations into the influence of Bartolus on Hungarian law in the Middle Ages, the author points out that this influence was very limited. The legal works of the Italian glossators were much more popular among Hungarian jurists than the long commentaries of Bartolus. This was the consequence of the strengthening of the Hungarian Juristenstand and the consolidation of Hungarian customary rules, which were reduced to writing as from the fourteenth century when Bartolus himself wrote and taught in Perugia and other cities. Because they clashed with the growing influence of Hungarian customary law and the legal conservatism of Hungarian lawyers, Bartolus' legal doctrines did not have the impact one might have expected.


Controlling the launching efficiencies and the directionality of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and their decoupling to freely propagating light is a major goal for the development of plasmonic devices and systems. Here, we report on the design and experimental observation of a highly efficient unidirectional surface plasmon launcher composed of eleven subwavelength grooves, each with a distinct depth and width. Our observations show that, under normal illumination by a focused Gaussian beam, unidirectional SPP launching with an efficiency of at least 52% is achieved experimentally with a compact device of total length smaller than 8 μm. Reciprocally, we report that the same device can efficiently convert SPPs into a highly directive light beam emanating perpendicularly to the sample.


Abstract Is there a short-term reversal effect outside the universe of individual stocks? To answer this, we investigate a comprehensive dataset of more than two centuries of returns on five major asset classes: equity indices, government bonds, treasury bills, commodities, and currencies. Contrary to stock-level evidence, we find a striking short-term momentum pattern: the most recent month's return positively predicts future performance. The effect is not explained by established return predictors—including the standard momentum—and is robust to many considerations. The short-term momentum is strongest among assets of high idiosyncratic volatility and in periods of elevated return dispersion. Also, the strategy payoffs display partial commonality across different asset classes.


AIMS
To (1) establish tooth-size ratios in a Saudi sample with Class I normal occlusion; (2) compare tooth-size ratios between the present study and Bolton's study and between genders; and (3) investigate whether there was a correlation between the interincisal angle and the anterior ratio.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Dental casts and cephalometric radiographs of 65 subjects (37 males and 28 females) were used in this study. The age range was 18 to 25 years. All subjects had normal Class I occlusion, with no history of orthodontic treatment.

RESULTS
Student's t test was used to compare tooth-size ratios between the present study and the Bolton study, and between genders. Pearson's correlation coefficient was computed between the anterior ratio and interincisal angle. Results indicate that there were no statistically significant differences between the mean values of the anterior ratio and the overall ratio of the present study and the mean values reported by Bolton and also between genders. Further, the results revealed a low correlation between the anterior ratio and the interincisal angle.

CONCLUSION
It is suggested that Bolton's prediction tables can be used for Saudis until a large enough representative sample is studied to allow the drawing of prediction tables.


The effect of environmental variability is one of the major concerns in experimental design for both research in plant systems and greenhouse plant production. Microclimates surrounding plants are not usually uniform. Therefore, many samples and sensors are required to obtain a true representation of the plant population. A plant monitoring system capable of reducing the required number of samples by reducing environmental variability would be more advantageous. To better understand plant-environment interaction, it is essential to study plants, microclimate surrounding the plants and the growth media. To achieve this, the monitoring system must be equipped with proper instrumentation.To achieve proper management practices and sustainable greenhouse production, it is essential first to understand plants and their interactions with their surroundings and then establish plant response-based sensing and control strategies for greenhouse processes. Therefore, an effort was conducted to review and discuss current sensing and control strategies in greenhouse research and plant production and provide recommendations on plant response-based sensing and control strategies for sustainable greenhouse production.


A Pt-loaded TiO2 photocatalyst successfully catalyzed the direct cross-coupling between various alkenes and tetrahydrofuran (THF) without any additional oxidizing agent. The reaction between cyclohexene and THF gave three cross-coupling products, namely, 2-cyclohexyltetrahydrofuran (A), 2-(cyclohex-2-en-1-yl)tetrahydrofuran (B) and 2-(cyclohex-1-en-1-yl)tetrahydrofuran (C), along with gaseous hydrogen. The mechanistic study revealed that these products were formed through different individual mechanisms: successive addition of two radical species, a 2-tetrahydrofuranyl radical and a hydrogen radical, to the double bond of cyclohexene for A, coupling of a 3-cyclohexenyl radical and a 2-tetrahydrofuranyl radical for B, and 2-tetrahydrofuranyl radical addition and hydrogen radical elimination at the double bond of cyclohexene for C. Among these three mechanisms, those for B and C are dehydrogenative. In this photocatalytic reaction system, since the cyclohexene molecule has enough reactivity, due to the localized π electron density, the Pt nanoparticles loaded on the TiO2 function not as a metal catalyst but as an electron receiver to enhance the charge separation, although the dehydrogenative cross-coupling of benzene with THF requires Pd metal catalysis.


Small and Medium Enterprises are important for economic development and jobs creation in Kenya. They face a common challenge and as a result there is need to improve on their technological advancement and innovation. The Alcohol Act 2010 was introduced in Kenya and it seeks to regulate the alcohol production and sales. The aim of this study was to assess the influences of technology adoption on entrepreneurial orientation amongst SMEs operators in Kenya. The target population was 115 owners/managers of alcohol retailing SMEs who have been in business for the last five years and are members of Pub, Entertainment and Restaurant Association of Kenya (PERAK). Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to analyze both descriptive and inferential statistics.


Objective: The objective of this study was to outline the possible implications and potentially valuable techniques for managing cases in which the neural integrity of the peripheral auditory system is in question. Study Design: This study was a retrospective case review. Subject and Method: A 3-year-old child with a profound blilateral sensorineural hearing loss was assessed for suitability of cochlear implantation. Audiologic tests confirmed that the child met the audiologic criteria for cochlear implantation. Computed tomographic scanning and magnetic resonance imaging were undertaken. Results: Computed tomographic scanning showed bilateral narrow internal auditory canals. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the absence of the acousticofacial bundle on the left side and possible atrophy of the bundle on the right. After detailed discussion, the parents elected to proceed with implantation on the right ear using the Nucleus mini-22 cochlear implant. Tuning of the device resulted in myogenic facial activity with no electrically stimulated auditory sensation. Postoperative electrophysiologic testing confirmed the presence of a compound muscle action potential only. Conclusions: Seven months after implantation, the child was explanted uneventfully. The electrical auditory nerve action potential and the electrically evoked auditory brainstem response, using intracochlear stimulation, are potentially valuable measurements to assess neural integrity before the decision to proceed with implantation is made.


A wide range of research on language and identity has focused on areas such as ethnicity, nationalism and gender. However, work on the construction of religious identity and Muslim identity in particular remains limited. Thus, this research aims to shed more light on a specific aspect of religious identity, namely, the construction of Muslim identity in family interaction in Saudi Arabia. The analysis of moment-to-moment interactions in this research is based on several bodies of work stemming mainly from Interactional Sociolinguistic research including framing (Goffman, 1974), positioning (Davies and Harre, 1990), stance-making (Du Bois, 2007), and alignment (Goffman, 1959) to uncover the various practices by which Muslim identity is (co-)constructed and negotiated. It also draws on narrative analysis (Blum-Kulka, 1997) as it pertains to identity construction in family interaction (Tannen, Kendall and Gordon, 2007). This study identifies several strategies by which religious identity is individually and collaboratively (co-)constructed and negotiated by investigating family interaction. For example, it demonstrates how moment-to-moment analysis of interactions involving parental socialising frames and collaborative arguing frames among family members reflect how daily life is organized according to religious rituals and practices and how this is reflected within the domains of space and time. This, in turn, demonstrates how a sense of moral order is created among family members. Another strategy revealed by this analysis is the use of storytelling, using narratives of a religious nature in the (co-)construction of Muslim identity for the purposes of sociability and/or socialisation. This study also investigates moment-to-moment interactions concerning religious rituals that reflect the negotiation of religious identity through different power and connection manoeuvres. These practices include questioning, guilting and critical argumentation. It also highlights that these interactions sometimes result in shifts in the power hierarchy among family members due to the loss of face.


Over the past six decades, the focus shift caused by the evolving role of design in business environment has leveraged design to the rank of strategic factor of competitive advantage. As a theoretical and managerial background, Design Management is responsible for managing the design as part of the company's strategic intention, properly inserting and integrating capabilities, processes and strategies. Although it is already consolidated as knowledge, conceptual frameworks can be continuously developed to better approach the reality of companies. This paper presents a conceptual model of Design Management developed through theoretical background and qualitative research with rounds of in-depth interviews within companies and with experts and designers. The first two stages of interviews with experts and designers allowed the analysis of design use in companies helping to map the processes related to design, identifying their role in the dynamics of companies and how they are managed. The results, together with the theoretical background made possible to outline a conceptual model of Design Management consisting of three dimensions that was, in a final stage of research, reviewed by experts and designers and verified in the practice of companies and in theory. Keywords: conceptual framework, design management, design management theory.


Background: The suicide rate among adolescents around the world has increased rapidly. There are many risk factors for attempting suicide, but not all have been clarified yet. Therefore, it is very important to identify risk factors. This study evaluated adolescents with a history of suicide attempts and their association with chronic diseases. Besides, to check whether they attempted suicide multiple times. Other clinical features related to multiple suicide attempts were investigated. Method: This study used a multicentre, retrospective cross-sectional design; 253 adolescents admitted to emergency departments in 2019 for suicide attempts were evaluated. Results: Adolescents with chronic disease were at greater risk for both single and multiple suicide attempts and patients had a 6.14 times higher risk of multiple attempts (p = .013). The likelihood of multiple attempts did not differ according to the presence of somatic or psychiatric disease. Multiple attempters were more likely to poison themselves with their therapeutic drugs (p = .002). Conclusion: When adolescents with a chronic disease present to the emergency services after a single suicide attempt using their therapeutic drugs, families should be informed regarding the potential for further attempts.


The principle of representing continuous complex-valued functions by their decomposition into three positive-valued ones is proposed for the generation of complex reference functions for a joint transform correlator. Three basic approaches involving coherent and incoherent superposition of the component functions are analyzed. The potentials and limitations of the techniques are discussed.


Phenotypic polymorphisms can be applied to study the micro‐evolutionary forces that maintain genetic variation and can mediate speciation, but it can be difficult to determine the genetic basis of polymorphisms. Recently, restriction‐site‐associated DNA (RAD) sequencing has become popular, which can easily produce multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms from whole genomes. Here, we combined RAD sequencing, allele‐specific PCR and Sanger sequencing to determine the genetic basis underlying male colour dimorphism of a Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish, Cyprichromis leptosoma. Our analyses using both a cross‐family (two parents and 12 F2 males) and 64 wild individuals do not contradict a hypothesis that two alleles of one‐locus control male colour dimorphism. Also, the locus may be located on a genome region that experiences reduced levels of recombination. Although more analyses will be needed to conclude these findings, this study is the first to suggest the genetic basis of a colour polymorphism using RAD sequencing.