Considering the spontaneous growth in retrofitting practices, existing buildings, particularly those of historical significance are being transformed using a wide range of interventions. However, the pervasiveness of these interventions constitutes a serious challenge to retrofitting heritage buildings. The aim of this paper is to investigate current retrofitting strategies and interventions in heritage buildings. The purpose is to assess current performance through the viewpoint of energy efficiency. The paper adopted pragmatic analytic and comparative approach and methodology to investigating retrofitting interventions in the reuse of England listed churches. A top down approach method of data collection was employed to collect energy use data from monthly utility bills and meter printer outs from selected buildings. Findings show that in terms of energy performance, the majority of the surveyed buildings are currently under-performing. Recommendations for low energy use interventions for operational management of retrofitting projects were proposed. It concluded that the low operational energy use should be a key priority for effectiveness in any proposed retrofitting intervention on heritage building projects.


Data from the acoustic surface reverberation experiment (ASREX) [Williams et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 3404 (1995)], is analyzed using multivariate Fourier and wavelet techniques to investigate relationships between environmental conditions and observed acoustic surface backscatter at 200, 400, and 800‐Hz frequencies. Environmental variables observed included wind speed and direction, wave height, air and sea temperatures, current speed and direction, ambient noise, and various measurements of bubble activity characterized by depth‐integrated air volume and e‐folding depth. The relative contribution of the environmental parameters to observed backscattering strengths at the various frequencies will be discussed. The analysis techniques will be described, compared, and contrasted. [Work supported by ONR.]


CFD has become a mature art form and its use in turbomachinery design has become commonplace. Simple blade-blade simulations run at near interactive rates but anything involving complex geometry — like turbine cooling — turns around too slowly to participate in realistic design cycles; this is mostly due to the difficulty of modifying and meshing the geometry. Simulations for complex geometries are run afterwards as a check — rather than at the critical conceptual design phase. There is a clear opportunity for some sort of rapid prototyping but fully 3D simulation to remedy this. This paper reports work exploring the relationship between solid modelling, mesh generating and flow solving in the general context of design optimization but with the emphasis on rapid prototyping. In particular, the work is interested in the opportunities derived by tightly integrating these traditionally separate activities together within one piece of software. The near term aim is to ask the question: how might a truly virtual, rapid prototyping design system, with a tactile response like sculpting in clay, be constructed? This paper reports the building blocks supporting that ambition.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has the potential to reveal the molecular details of biological processes in their native, cellular environment at atomic resolution. However, few cells are sufficiently thin to permit imaging with cryo-EM. Thinning of frozen cells to <500 nm lamellae by cryogenic focused ion beam (FIB) milling has enabled visualization of cellular structures with cryo-EM. FIB-milling represents a significant advance over prior approaches because of its ease of use, scalability, and lack of large-scale sample distortions. However, the amount of damage caused by FIB-milling to the generated thin cell section has not yet been determined. We recently described a new approach for detecting and identifying single molecules in cryo-EM images of cells using 2D template matching (2DTM). 2DTM is sensitive to small differences between a molecular model (template) and the detected structure (target). Here we use 2DTM to demonstrate that under the standard conditions used for machining lamellae of biological samples, FIB-milling introduces a layer of variable damage that extends to a depth of 60 nm from each lamella surface. This thickness exceeds previous estimates and limits the recovery of information for in situ structural biology. We find that the mechanism of FIB-milling damage is distinct from radiation damage during cryo-EM imaging. By accounting for both electron scattering and FIB-milling damage, we find that FIB-milling damage will negate the potential improvements from lamella thinning beyond 90 nm. Significance The molecular mechanisms of biological macromolecules and their assemblies is often studied using purified material. However, the composition, conformation and function of most macromolecules depend on their cellular context, and therefore, must also be studied inside cells. Focused ion beam (FIB) milling enables cryogenic electron microscopy to visualize macromolecules in cells at close to atomic resolution by generating thin sections of frozen cells. However, the extent of FIB-milling damage to frozen cells is unknown. Here we show that Ga+ FIB-milling introduces damage to a depth of ∼60 nm from each lamella surface, leading to a loss of recoverable information of up to 20% in 100 nm samples. FIB-milling with Ga+ therefore presents both an opportunity and an obstacle for structural cell biology.


Introduction: atrial fibrillation (AF) is common among critically-ill patients, who are considered at increased cardioembolic and haemorragic risk. Consequently, anticoagulant therapy might be ineffective or harmful for an excess of haemorragic events which could not be counterbalanced by an adequate reduction of cardioembolic occurrences.
Aims: main outcome (MO) was the composite of death or intensive care unit (ICU) transfer in a population of critically-ill subjects admitted to a medical subintensive care unit (sICU); we assessed (i) thromboembolic events (TEE) and major haemorrhages (MH); (ii) current guidelines (GL) adherence and related outcomes; (iii) performance of validated risk scores for TEE and MH; we engineered (iv) new scores adopting machine learning (ML) predicting MO, TEE, MH.
Patients and Methods: single-center, retrospective study enrolling all the consecutive AF-affected patients admitted to a sICU for critical illness. Demographic, clinical, therapeutic and laboratoristic data were collected. Performance of CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores was evaluated. GL-adherence and its relationship with outcomes was studied. ML was used to engineer new predictive models.
Results: we enrolled 1430 subjects; CHA2DS2-VASc (AUC:0.516;95%CI:0.472-0.560) and HAS-BLED (AUC:0.493;95%CI:0.443-0.543) did not predict TEE or MH; in-hospital warfarin use was associated to increased MO risk (OR:1.73;95%CI:1.06-2.83; p<0.05); low-molecular-weight-heparin use was not associated to an increased MO risk; antiplatelet drugs use was associated to MO risk reduction (OR:0.51;95%CI:0.34-0.78;p<0.002). GL-adherent treatment was associated to TEE risk reduction and MH and MO risk increase; ML identified specific features for MO, TEE, MH: ML-based classifiers outperformed CHA2DS2-VASc (AUC: from 0.516 to 0.90, p<0.0001) and HAS-BLED (AUC: from 0.493 to 0.82, p<0.0001).
Discussion: AF-related outcomes cannot be predicted in critically-ill patients with currently validated methods. GL-adherence is associated to a significant TEE reduction, but also to MH and MO increase. ML algorithms can identify the most important features and shape specific scores able to outperform the classical models.


For those portfolio managers who follow a top-down approach to fund management when they are trying to develop a pan-European investment strategy they need to know which are the most important factors affecting property returns, so as to concentrate their management and research efforts accordingly. In order to examine this issue this paper examines the relative importance of country, sector and regional effects in determining property returns across Europe using the largest database of individual property returns currently available.
Using annual data over the period 1996 to 2002 for a sample of over 25,000 properties the results show that the country-specific effects dominate sector-specific factors, which in turn dominate the regional-specific factors. This is true even for different sub-sets of countries and sectors. In other words, real estate returns are mainly determined by local (country specific) conditions and are only mildly affected by general European factors. Thus, for those institutional investors contemplating investment into Europe the first level of analysis must be an examination of the individual countries, followed by the prospects of the property sectors within the country and then an assessment of the differences in expected performance between the main city and the rest of the country.


This paper considers online stochastic multiple vehicle routing with time windows in which requests arrive dynamically and the goal is to maximize the number of serviced customers. Contrary to earlier algorithms which only move vehicles to known customers, this paper investigates waiting and relocation strategies in which vehicles may wait at their current location or relocate to arbitrary sites. Experimental results show that waiting and relocation strategies may dramatically improve customer service, especially for problems that are highly dynamic and contain many late requests. The decisions to wait and to relocate do not exploit any problem-specific features but rather are obtained by including choices in the online algorithm that are necessarily sub-optimal in an offline setting.


Abstract Objective: To determine whether anorectal biofeedback therapy can improve the symptoms of fecal incontinence (FI) in patients with scleroderma when compared to patients with functional FI, and also whether there is any effect on anorectal physiology or quality of life (QOL). FI in patients with scleroderma is highly prevalent and is associated with significant loss of QOL. Biofeedback has been proven to be an effective treatment for functional FI, but there are no data to support its use in scleroderma. Materials and methods: 13 consecutive female patients (median age 59, IQR 47–65 years) with scleroderma, and 26 age- and parity-matched female patients with functional FI (disease controls, 2:1), underwent biofeedback therapy for management of FI. Fecal incontinence severity index (FISI), anorectal physiology, feeling of control and QOL were collected before and after 6 weeks of biofeedback therapy, with additional scoring repeated at 6-month follow-up. Results: After biofeedback treatment FISI, feeling of control and QOL significantly improved in both groups (p < 0.005). There was no difference in the degree in improvement in physiology, FISI or QOL between scleroderma patients and functional FI patients. Long-term improvement in FISI and control were seen in both groups and for QOL only in the scleroderma cohort (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Patients with scleroderma benefit from biofeedback therapy to the same extent as that achieved in patients with functional FI. There are significant improvements in symptoms, physiology and QOL. Biofeedback is an effective, low-risk treatment option in this patient group.


The deposition of ultra-thin tungsten films and their related 2D chalcogen compounds on large area dielectric substrates by gas phase reactions is challenging. The lack of nucleation sites complicates the adsorption of W-related precursors and subsequent sulfurization usually requires high temperatures. We propose here a technique in which a thin solid amorphous silicon film is used as reductant for the gas phase precursor WF6 leading to the conversion to metallic W. The selectivity of the W conversion towards the underlying dielectric surfaces is demonstrated. The role of the Si surface preparation, the conversion temperature, and Si thickness on the formation process is investigated. Further, the in situ conversion of the metallic tungsten into thin stoichiometric WS2 is achieved by a cyclic approach based on WF6 and H2S pulses at the moderate temperature of 450 °C, which is much lower than usual oxide sulfurization processes.


Two years before impoundment, the trophic status of Lake Ray Roberts was predicted by applying the total phosphorus input into the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) eutrophication model. Predicted mean summer epilimnetic (MSE) chlorophyll a of Elm Fork arm, Isle duBois arm and Main Body were in the eutrophic category of the OECD model. Observed MSE chlorophyll a two years after impoundment of Elm Fork arm, Isle duBois and Main Body had not reached their predicted means and were at the mesotrophic-eutrophic boundary of the OECD model. Six years after impoundment, observed MSE chlorophyll a for Main Body, was closer to its predicted mean and in the eutrophic category of the OECD model. Six years after impoundment, Elm Fork arm was the most productive area of Lake Ray Roberts. Observed means of chlorophyll a, total phosphates, suspended solids and turbidity were often highest in the Elm Fork arm. Wastewater effluent from Gainesville and Valley View, TX, had an impact on productivity in Elm Fork arm.


Explosive advances in communication technologies that have occurred since 1993 have given birth to rapidly growing demands for new-generation distributed computing (DC) applications, all geared toward realization of better and better ubiquitous computing societies. Economic and reliable construction of new-generation DC applications has thus become an issue of national interests in all advanced nations. What is needed is a new-generation DC software engineering technology which is at least multiple times more effective in constructing new-generation DC applications than the currently practiced technologies are. In particular, this author believes that a new-generation building-block (BB), which is much more advanced than the current-generation DC object provided in languages C++, Java, and C#, is needed. Such a BB should enable systematic and economic construction of DC applications that are capable of taking critical actions with 100-microsecond-level or even 1-microsecond-level timing accuracy, fault tolerance, and security enforcement while being easily expandable and taking advantage of all sorts of network connectivity. Some directions considered worth pursuing for finding such BBs are discussed.


Pose-tracking is an important problem that requires identifying unique human pose-instances and matching them temporally across different frames in a video. However, existing pose-tracking methods are unable to accurately model temporal relationships and require significant computation, often computing the tracks offline. We present an efficient multi-person pose-tracking method, KeyTrack that only relies on keypoint information without using any RGB or optical flow to locate and track human keypoints in real-time. KeyTrack is a top-down approach that learns spatio-temporal pose relationships by modeling the multi-person pose-tracking problem as a novel Pose Entailment task using a Transformer based architecture. Furthermore, KeyTrack uses a novel, parameter-free, keypoint refinement technique that improves the keypoint estimates used by the Transformers. We achieve state-of-the-art results on PoseTrack'17 and PoseTrack'18 benchmarks while using only a fraction of the computation used by most other methods for computing the tracking information.


Introduction Migraine is a highly prevalent disorder. Current treatments are far from desired regarding efficacy and tolerability. Recent knowledge has been indicating targets whose antagonism may improve outcomes. Blocking CGRP or its receptor with monoclonal antibodies (mAb) can interfere with migraine mechanisms and decrease the frequency of attacks. Erenumab, galcanezumab, fremanezumab and epitnezumab were recently approved for migraine treatment and the first three are available in Brazil. Although the figures of efficacy were not astonishing, tolerability and higher adherence were demonstrated. However, real-world experience is limited in Brazil, since these new therapies have been used for only a year. Objective We present a summary of pivotal studies with the four mAb and preliminary results of this short-term option for migraine in real-world Brazilian patients. Methods One hundred twelve episodic or chronic migraineurs received the prescription of a mAb during the last 12 months in a tertiary center. This initial study was performed with 83 patients who should have taken, at the time of this writing, at least three-monthly doses of a mAb, which was chosen by a neurologist with full time dedication to headache medicine. Results Sixty-four women (77.1%) and 19 men (22.9%), with episodic (n=49; 59%) or chronic migraine (n=34; 41%), mean age of 43.6 years and mean headache history of 26.2 years were retrospectively studied. Baseline frequency was 14.8 headache days/month in the three months prior to the mAb use. Erenumab was prescribed to 40 (48.2%) patients; galcanezumab was given to 37 (44.6%) patients and fremanezumab was prescribed to 6 (7.2%) migraineurs. The mean headache frequency among the 77 patients who returned was reduced to 5.6 headache days/month in the following three months. Considering the headache frequency reduction of ≥50%, 44 (57%) migraine sufferers achieved a meaningful decrease. Mild adverse events were presented by 24.6% of the patients. Conclusion The authors present the first Brazilian experience in real-world patients using different mAbs in migraineurs' preventive treatment.


Of the three major sectors of the world's economy, the services industry is becoming the largest as growing numbers of people shift their jobs away from manufacturing and extraction (which includes agriculture, mining, and so on). Training people to work in the modern services economy will increasingly require innovative approaches to evolve our traditional education systems, which haven't necessarily changed with this shift. Therefore, building an extensible and flexible skills scale-up model is essential to help modernize the services industry. From a technology perspective, service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services are promising tools for achieving this goal. However, most SOA and Web services books and courses concentrate on one or a few topics, so they lack a comprehensive overview that can address the foundational challenges in the modern services industry.


Purpose: Fatigue significantly influences not only physiological parameters during swimming, but also the technique of swimming stroke. Fatigue, therefore, affects also swimmers performance. This study aims to find out to what extent fatigue influences the technical execution of the butterfly stroke with and without breathing. Method:This work is structured as a case study. The participant was one of the best Czech and European swimmers, a 50 m butterfly Czech record holder. The swimmer performed a standardized lactate test - 8 x 50 metres butterfly swim.In selected moments his heart frequency was measured using a sport tester Polar and a blood sample was taken for lactate level test using Lactate scout+ device. A speedometer "Swim-Speedo-Meter" fixed on the belt and a video record was used for the stroke technique analysis. Temporal, spatial and speed characteristics were evaluated from the acquired curve of the swimmers speed. Results: Maximum heart frequency (172 bpm) as well as blood lactate level (14.2 mmol·l-1 ) was reached after fifth 50m track. There was a huge increase in stroke frequency with increasing fatigue. This fact resulted in the decrease in stroke duration from initial 1.37 s to 1.09 s in stroke with breathing and from 1.29 s to 1.06 s in a stroke without breathing. Significant changes during the transition phase from "insweep" to "upsweep" were observed, with a huge decrease in speed. Furthermore, accumulated fatigue caused that the speed developed during "insweep" phase was smaller in the second part of lactate test compared to the previous parts. These major differences in technique negatively influence stroke effectiveness.Conclusion: The core importance lies in between relations of measured variables that show changes of butterfly stroke technique as swimmer fatigue increased. We recommend to focus on strength and dynamic preparation during training, mainly leg movement during the second kick. We also recommend regular speedometer measurements which can help control changes in technique causedby factors such as fatigue, injury, different period of training annual cycle, etc.


Mixed-model assembly line (MMAL) is a type of assembly line where several distinct models of a product are assembled. MMAL is applied in many industrial environments today because of its greater variety in demand. This paper considers the objective of minimizing the work overload (i.e., the line balancing problem) and station-to-station product flows. Generally, transportation time between stations are ignored in the literature. In this paper, Multiobjective Mixed-Integer Programming (MOMIP) model is presented to optimize these two criteria simultaneously. Also, this MOMIP model incorporates a practical constraint that allows to add parallel stations to assembly line to decrease higher station time. In the last section, MOMIP is applied to optimize the cycle time and transportation time simultaneously in mixed-model assembly line of a real consumer electronics firm in Turkey, and computational results are presented.


Doing design is to imagine and specify things that don't exist, with the scope of modeling them and bringing them into the world. The «things» may be palpable-machines, buildings and bridges; they may be procedures-design methodologies for an organization or protocols for a manufacturing process, or for solving a scientific research problem by experiment; they also may be works of art-painting, lyrics, music or sculpture. Engineering design can be challenging and exciting, or it can be taxing, difficult and unproductive if the validation methods of the product are not linked to the client needs and to the product specifications. Uncertainties and variability always exist in design predictions. Loads are often variable and inaccurately known, strengths are variable and sometimes inaccurately known for certain failure modes or certain states of stress and other uncertainties may result from variations in the quality of manufacture, operation conditions or maintenance practices. One of the objectives of this paper is to outline a methodology that highlights the exciting challenges of product design and allows both engineers and students to focus on the development of a creative, effective and profitable solution. Another challenging goal of this paper would be to integrate design optimization and design validation at the detailed design phase in the product development process. Detailed design involves interactions between three elements: geometry, materials and loads. In this context, links between these elements will be formalized in terms of design methodologies. The optimization process allows finding one or more combinations of parameters maximizing or minimizing a given design criterion, while the validation activities provide feedback to the designers in order to verify the calculations accuracy and the achievement of all design criteria. To provide safe, reliable operation in the face of these variations and uncertainties, it is common practice to utilize the design safety factor and to integrate it into the product development process (PDP).


The global financial and economic crises exposed one of the major weaknesses of a Bahrain and its reliance on too few export commodities and one or two sectors. Such dependence makes Bahrain vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity prices and demand. The purpose of this study looks at how the government of Bahrain can diversify its economy and analyze Bahrain's economic diversification profiles in particular. The paper begins by examining some of the major determinants of diversification and will also look at how the private sector plays a key role by being at the forefront of innovation, research and development and production. Good governance is needed to create an enabling environment for investment and trade; to manage natural resources; and to set policies to develop strategic sectors. A regional approach to economic diversification is particularly important, especially given the small size of Bahrain's economy and the benefits of economies of scale from regional initiatives. Lastly, infrastructure and human resources help to facilitate trade, productivity and innovation and are key drivers of diversification. Diversifying the Bahrain economy is not an easy task. One of the key challenges is how to overcome over-specialization. The country has a developed systems and know-how in oil and gas sector but may find it difficult to transfer these to other sectors and activities. Also, significant trade barriers exist and Bahraini firms may not be able to compete against their peers in other parts of the world because of a lack of access to finance, administrative hurdles, weak productive capacities, and other impediments to competitiveness. These challenges need to be addressed if diversification efforts are to gain traction. The study is important because when the financial crisis hit, it affected the economies of almost all countries worldwide. In this crisis however, the countries with a poor economic diversification suffered more than those where they have a relatively well diversified economy. It is therefore important for an emerging country like Bahrain, although relatively wealthy, to diversify its economy.


It is widely accepted that fluctuations in market demands and product life cycles are often unpredictable. Based on these uncertainties, companies cannot calculate with constant demands. Manufacturers are also confronted with quality fluctuations in semi-finished parts that lead to various product qualities. This paper identifies the most relevant uncertainties for companies and gives answers how manufacturers can deal with these problems. It also shows recent developments in the field of flexible forming using servo press technology. Hereby the focus is set on 3D Servo Presses, providing various options for accomplishing uncertainties.


A generalised diagonal recurrent neural network (GDRNN) for nonlinear channel equalisation is proposed. The hidden nodes of the GDRNN have recurrent weights to capture the dynamic characteristics of the communication channels. The learning algorithm of the proposed GDRNN is derived, based on constrained optimisation. The proposed neural network gives faster learning speed and has better convergence properties than do conventional channel equalisers.


Objective To determine the optimal duration and type of antibiotic prophylaxis in patients undergoing clean-contaminated resection for head and neck cancer. Data Sources Search strategies were created by a medical librarian, implemented in multiple databases, and completed in June 2016. Review Methods The population of interest was adults ≥18 years undergoing clean-contaminated head and neck surgery, intervention was postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, comparator was duration and types of antibiotics used, outcome was the wound infection rate, and the study design was randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Studies were excluded if not randomized, did not use systemic antibiotics, did not study wound infections, or included children. After excluding duplicates, the search strategy yielded 427 abstracts. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 67 studies were screened, leaving 19 RCTs for review. PRISMA guidelines were followed. A random-effects model was used for meta-analysis. Results Meta-analysis of 340 patients in 4 RCTs showed that the pooled relative risk of wound infection was 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-1.61; P = .718; I2 = 0.0%) in patients receiving 1 day vs 5 days of prophylaxis. Conclusion This study provides evidence that there is no difference in the risk of wound infection with 1 day vs 5 days of systemic antibiotic prophylaxis in clean-contaminated head and neck surgery, consistent with existing guidelines. Future large randomized trials are needed to more clearly define the appropriate choice of prophylaxis in penicillin-allergic patients.


We describe a simple and low-cost humanoid leg design with compliant joints and springy feet. Mechanical compliance is achieved by combining visco-elastic material with metal. Joints and feet characteristics are evaluated by repeatedly dropping the system from a fixed height. Different joint configurations (silicone rubber, latex and brass) and foot compliance are examined, and additional data are obtained with a Lagrangian analysis of the system. We show that compliance not only reduces impact forces, but also induces smoother joint trajectories.


Importance Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia (tMDS/AML) is a rare, usually fatal complication of chemotherapy, including certain alkylating agents, topoisomerase II inhibitors, and platinum compounds. With the introduction of new chemotherapeutic agents, expanded indications for established agents, and increased neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy, tMDS/AML risks in the modern age are poorly understood. Objectives To quantify tMDS/AML risk after chemotherapy for solid cancer among United States adults since 2000 and correlate tMDS/AML risk patterns with chemotherapy treatment practices. Design, Setting, and Participants A population-based cohort study was conducted using cancer registries from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and Medicare claims. Risk analyses included 1619 tMDS/AML cases among 700 612 adults (age, 20-84 years) who were diagnosed with first primary solid cancer during 2000 to 2013 (followed up through 2014), received initial chemotherapy, and survived 1 year or longer, as reported to SEER. Descriptive analyses were conducted of SEER records linked with Medicare claims for chemotherapy in 165 820 older adults (age, 66-84 years) receiving initial chemotherapy for a first primary solid cancer in 2000-2013. Data analysis was conducted from October 2017 to April 2018. Exposures Receipt of initial chemotherapy for solid cancer. Main Outcomes and Measures Second primary tMDS/AML. Results Based on 1619 tMDS/AML cases in the SEER database (mean [SD] age, 64.3 [12.2] years; 1148 [70.9%] female), tMDS/AML risks were statistically significantly elevated after chemotherapy for 22 of 23 solid cancers (all except colon). Relative risks ranged from 1.5 to greater than 10 and excess absolute risks from 1.4 to greater than 15 cases per 10 000 person-years compared with the general population. Overall survival following tMDS/AML diagnosis was poor (1270 of 1619 patients [78.4%] died; median overall survival, 7 months). For patients treated with chemotherapy at the present time, approximately three-quarters of tMDS/AML cases expected to occur within the next 5 years will be attributable to chemotherapy. In the SEER-Medicare database, use of known leukemogenic agents, particularly platinum compounds, in initial chemotherapy increased substantially since 2000, most notably for gastrointestinal tract cancers (esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum; 10% in 2000-2001 to 81% during 2012-2013). Conclusions and Relevance Large-scale, United States population-based data demonstrate excess tMDS/AML risks following chemotherapy for nearly all solid tumor types, consistent with expanded use of known leukemogenic agents in the 21st century. Continued efforts to reduce treatment-related adverse events, particularly for solid cancer patients with favorable prognosis, are needed.


As machine learning black boxes are increasingly being deployed in domains such as healthcare and criminal justice, there is growing emphasis on building tools and techniques for explaining these black boxes in an interpretable manner. Such explanations are being leveraged by domain experts to diagnose systematic errors and underlying biases of black boxes. In this paper, we demonstrate that post hoc explanations techniques that rely on input perturbations, such as LIME and SHAP, are not reliable. Specifically, we propose a novel scaffolding technique that effectively hides the biases of any given classifier by allowing an adversarial entity to craft an arbitrary desired explanation. Our approach can be used to scaffold any biased classifier in such a way that its predictions on the input data distribution still remain biased, but the post hoc explanations of the scaffolded classifier look innocuous. Using extensive evaluation with multiple real-world datasets (including COMPAS), we demonstrate how extremely biased (racist) classifiers crafted by our framework can easily fool popular explanation techniques such as LIME and SHAP into generating innocuous explanations which do not reflect the underlying biases.


Blood glucose levels of normal and diabetic rabbits were determined after oral administration of graded doses of three different types of honeys; namely honeys of Apis florea (Small-Bee) and Apis dorsata (Large-Bee) and an adulterated commercial honey. The chemical analysis showed that commercial honey was adulterated with a saturated sucrose solution as it contained lower ash but higher nonreducing sugar levels than the natural ones. Oral administration of pure small or large-bee honeys in 5 ml/kg/doses could not produce a significant (P greater than 0.05) increase in glucose levels in normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits whereas the adulterated honey significantly raised the blood glucose levels in normal and hyperglycaemic rabbits even at this low dosage. In higher doses of 10 ml/kg and 15 ml/kg body weight, all the three honeys produced a significant (P less than 0.05 or P less than 0.001) rise in blood glucose levels of normal as well as alloxan-diabetic rabbits. It may, therefore, be suggested that pure natural honeys in low doses may be recommended as a source of carbohydrates and even as a sweetening agent in place of sucrose to the human patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (JPMA 39: 107, 1989).


A new mathematical formulation is presented for describing the three-dimensional anisotropic plastic flow behavior of a heterogeneous polycrystalline solid. By using three principal stresses, three loading orientation angles, and a generally non-quadratic, real-valued stress exponent, a mathematical theory of anisotropic plasticity is formulated as two coupled orthogonal series expansions in both the 3D principal stress space (the p–plane) and the 3D loading orientation space. A geometrical interpretation of the new mathematical representation of anisotropic plasticity is offered. Specific examples are given to illustrate the application of the proposed theory for modeling the plastic anisotropy of orthotropic polycrystalline sheets under uniaxial and biaxial tension.


Prey selection and its effect on the major prey species was examined between 1979 and 1980 by comparing the diet of dingoes and the biology of the swamp wallaby at two sites where the relative numbers of dingoes and wallabies differed. Selection of prey by dingoes was not opportunistic but demonstrated a preference for larger native species, and was similar to that found in the same area between 1972 and 1974. In particular, dingoes had a strong preference for swamp wallaby, the occurrence of which in the diet was disproportionate to its observed numbers; and switching was not observed even when numbers of swamp wallaby were reduced and alternative macropod prey present. Contrary to Optimal Foraging Theory predictions that the predator should become more catholic in prey selection, this species was more frequent in the diet when its availability was lower. At one site the major effect of this predation was the disruption of the breeding cycle, as a result of the loss of large pouch young because of the harassment of their mothers.


In the wake of the Federal Communication Commission's 1952 Sixth Report and Order, which established plans for a nationwide television system, it became clear that traditional station allocations could not provide service to many isolated mountainous regions. Thus enterprising tinkerers, appliance store operators, and others set up so-called booster stations to broadcast the signals of urban stations into isolated western towns. However, the FCC wanted the boosters shut down, contending that they threatened the overall television allocation plan and could potentially create dangerous interference. Booster operators and viewers who depended on them were able to enlist the help of Western congressmen and governors to plead their case. Ultimately, the FCC was forced several times to backtrack on booster prohibitions, ultimately approving their operation in 1960.


The purpose of this study ass to investigate the addition of round 80-200m granules shape radiopaque agents (RA) to synthetic Injectable Bone Substitute to improve contrast performance for minimal invasive surgery MIS. Composites were obtained by mixing BaSO4, Bi2O3, Lu2O3 or GdPO4 with calcium deficient apatite CDA which decompose during sintering process in BCP (60% HA, 40% β-TCP). Each composite was characterized: by XRD, FTIR. Biocompatibility was tested in vitro and in vivo in bony site (3 weeks implantation in rats). Primary results show that the suitable radiopaque BCP/RA composite (radiopacity intensity, biological responses) appeared to be BCP/Ba. Next works will complete the current studies on biological performance in association with different kind of resorbable injectable bone substitute as suspension, gel or calcium phosphate cements.


The authors examined relationships between the wealth of older adults and their early-life decisions regarding investment in human capital, family formation, and work activities in Mexico, using the 2001 Mexican Health and Aging Study. The authors examined correlates of accumulated financial wealth by gender and across three age cohorts: 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70 years or older. The authors outline the changing context these cohorts experienced during their lifetimes; describe patterns of net financial worth by main covariates across groups defined by age, sex, and marital status; and present the results of multivariate models of net worth. Simulations were conducted to illustrate patterns of net worth associated with alternative scenarios depicting differing representative combinations of life-course characteristics by age cohort. The findings suggest that old-age financial wealth in Mexico is more closely associated with family formation and human capital decisions than with employment decisions over the lifetime.


BACKGROUND: The risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is associated with low birth weight and low gestational age. For ROP screening examination is recommended in infants weighing < or = 1500 g or of less than 32 weeks' gestational age. METHODS: From 1991 ROP screening was performed in 452 premature infants with either a birth weight < or = 1500 g (n = 303) or a birth weight > 1500 g (n = 149) and who required additional oxygen supplementation or underwent surgery with general anaesthesia before estimated term. RESULTS: Unexpectedly, three infants with birth weights between 2080 and 2325 g and a gestational age of 32 or 33 weeks developed stage 2 or 3 ROP. One of these underwent cryocoagulation. In three infants, preterm birth was induced by sudden placental abruption with severe prenatal blood loss followed by haemorrhagic shock. The umbilical cord packed cell volume was reduced to 0.14-0.19 (normal 0.43-0.63). All three infants underwent surgery with general anaesthesia within the first weeks of life. Of the remaining 449 infants none with a birth weight > 1650 g developed any stage of ROP. CONCLUSION: Severe prenatal blood loss requiring blood transfusions and surgery with general anaesthesia may induce higher stages of ROP even in infants with birth weights exceeding the usual screening criteria.


A new recurrent neural network based on B- spline function approximation is presented. The network can be easily trained and its training converges more quickly than that for other recurrent neural networks. Moreover, an adaptive weight updating algorithm for the recurrent network is proposed. It can speed up the training process of the network greatly and its learning speed is more quickly than existing algorithms, e.g., back-propagation algorithm. Examples are presented comparing the adaptive weight updating algorithm and the constant learning rate method, and illustrating its application to modelling of nonlinear dynamic system.


The objective of this study is to analyze the geochemical conditions associated with the presence of fluoride (F − ) in the groundwater of an area of Northern Tanzania. The studied aquifers are composed of volcanic rocks such as phonolitic and nephelinitic lavas, basalts, lahars of various ages and mantling ash. Sedimentary rocks consisting of fine-grained alluvial and lacustrine deposits occur as well. Samples collected from springs, borehole and surface water, during two monitoring surveys, were analyzed for the various physico-chemical and isotopic parameters. The geochemical composition of water is typically sodium bicarbonate. High values of F − (up to 68 mg l −1 ) were recorded. The highest values of fluoride agreed with the highest values of pH, sodium and bicarbonate. Dissolution of major ions, exchange processes and precipitation of Ca 2+ from super-saturated solutions joined with the local permeability and hydraulic gradients, control the fluoride mobilization and the contamination of the area.


Therapeutic approaches to eating disorders--in particular the restrictive form of anorexia nervosa--should, in the first instance, be directed towards improving the patient's physical state of health. In addition, psychotherapeutic management of the interoceptive and emotional perception disturbances that are also usually present makes good sense (e.g. by cognitive behavioral therapy, video confrontation of the patient with her own appearance). On the other hand, disturbances in emotional expression also need to be addressed, and inadequate social skills improved. On an individual basis, the question must be investigated as to how far chronic stress, and/or major events in the patient's life are involved, or whether conflicts within the family or a partnership may be of significance for the initiation and maintenance of an eating disorder.


Multi-View Clustering (MVC) has garnered more attention recently since many real-world data are comprised of different representations or views. The key is to explore complementary information to benefit the clustering problem. In this paper, we present a deep matrix factorization framework for MVC, where semi-nonnegative matrix factorization is adopted to learn the hierarchical semantics of multi-view data in a layer-wise fashion. To maximize the mutual information from each view, we enforce the non-negative representation of each view in the final layer to be the same. Furthermore, to respect the intrinsic geometric structure in each view data, graph regularizers are introduced to couple the output representation of deep structures. As a non-trivial contribution, we provide the solution based on alternating minimization strategy, followed by a theoretical proof of convergence. The superior experimental results on three face benchmarks show the effectiveness of the proposed deep matrix factorization model.


Kerosene poisoning is a rare condition in children, or at least it is a condition that is rarely reported in the literature. This is rather surprising since kerosene is still used in a great many households, especially in rural communities, and careful precautions are not always taken to keep it out of reach of small children. During the past two years I have seen four cases of children who drank kerosene. One experienced no untoward effects, one went into an immediate collapse from which there was rapid recovery, one had considerable respiratory difficulty for eighteen hours with subsequent recovery, and one died. REPORT OF CASES Case 1. —B. J., a colored girl, aged 1 year, while playing around the house found a tin can containing kerosene, from which she drank. Crying and a slight coughing attracted the mother's attention, and the child was brought to the hospital. On admission, an


Abstract The emplacement mechanisms of the Palaeoproterozoic Gåsborn granite, a satellite of the Transscandinavian Igneous Belt (TIB), are investigated using an integrated structural and geophysical approach. The pluton is discordant to c. 1.89 Ga folded supracrustal rocks that were deformed and metamorphosed at c. 1.85–1.80 Ga during the Svecokarelian Orogeny. Emplacement occurred at a depth of c. 10 km, within a regime of late Svecokarelian dextral transpression. Deformation of the pluton during cooling resulted in the formation of a variably developed foliation in the granite and deflection of less competent wall-rock units around its western and eastern contacts. Later E-W Sveconorwegian shortening resulted in the formation of shear zones that affect one of the pluton margins and may contribute to a component of the observed wall-rock distortion. The granite is situated above strong NNW-trending linear magnetic and negative gravity anomalies, which are interpreted to correspond to an important early Svecokarelian shear zone. The geophysical data indicate that the pluton is markedly asymmetric and modelling of the residual gravity field suggests that it consists of a deep root zone in the west and a thin sill-like body, which makes up most of the east and south parts of the body. Emplacement of the sill-like part occurred by lateral flow of magma from the root zone accommodated by downwarping of the underlying units. Intrusion of the thicker, discordant west part may have been accommodated by a combination of roof lifting and floor depression, aided by displacement on an active shear zone.


Both BMP2 and BMP4 are involved in tooth development. We examined phenotypes and BMP2 and BMP4 gene variations in two Mexican oligodontia families. Physical and oral examinations and panoramic radiographs were performed on affected and unaffected members in these two families. The affected members lacked six or more teeth. DNA sequencing was performed to detect BMP2 and BMP4 gene variations. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BMP2 and BMP4 genes were identified in the two families, including one synonymous and two missense SNPs: BMP2 c261A>G, pS87S, BMP2 c570A>T, pR190S, and BMP4 c455T>C, pV152A. Among the six affected patients, 67% carried "GG" or "AG" genotype in BMP2 c261A>G and four were "TT" or "AT" genotype in BMP2 c570A>T (pR190S). Polymorphism of BMP4 c455T>C resulted in amino acid changes of Val/Ala (pV152A). BMP2 c261A>G and BMP4 c455T>C affect mRNA stability. This was the first time that BMP2 and BMP4 SNPs were observed in Mexican oligodontia families.


Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat, Epomophorus wahlbergi, feeds on a range of fruit, nectar, pollen and flowers. Frugivores may have difficulties in maintaining their protein requirements since fruit are generally high in sugar content but low in protein content. Some studies have found that fruit bats obtain most of their food protein when feeding on a variety of fruits. We investigated if E. wahlbergi prefers additional protein to sugar-only nectar solutions. They were offered equicaloric 15% glucose solutions with varying protein concentrations (2.58, 5.68, 7.23 g soy protein/kg H2O) and a solution with no protein. This was repeated using 15% sucrose instead of glucose solutions. Epomophorus wahlbergi's volumetric intake of the respective glucose and sucrose solutions varied among individual bats, with total volumetric intake being highest for solutions with no protein. This suggests they have low protein dietary requirements, which may be a response to the low-protein fruit available in the wild. Alternatively they may supplement their diet by actively preying on insects, but this needs to be investigated.


This paper investigates the introduction of free universal secondary education in England and Wales in 1944. It focuses on its effects in relation to a prime long-term goal of pre-war Boards of Education. This was to open secondary school education to children of all social backgrounds on equal terms. Adopting a difference-in-difference estimation approach, we do not find any evidence that boys and girls from less well-off home backgrounds displayed improved chances of attending selective secondary schools. Nor, for the most part, did they show increased probabilities of gaining formal school qualifications. One possible exception in this latter respect relates to boys with unskilled fathers.


When murine interleukin-6 is overexpressed in Escherichia coli, a small population of molecules exhibits a novel C-terminal modification. Peptide mapping, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and automated N- and C-terminal sequencing identified a peptide ("tag" peptide), -Ala-Ala-Asn-Asp-Glu-Asn-Tyr-Ala-Leu-Ala-Ala-COOH, encoded by a small metabolically stable RNA of E. coli (10Sa RNA) attached to truncated C termini of the recombinant protein. A mutant strain of E. coli in which the chromosomal 10Sa RNA gene (ssrA) is disrupted does not produce this C-terminal modification, confirming that the tag peptide originates from the ssrA gene.


Abstract. We present an evaluation of aircraft observations of the carbon and greenhouse gases CO2, CH4, N2O, and CO using a direct-absorption pulsed quantum cascade laser spectrometer (QCLS) operated during the HIPPO and CalNex airborne experiments. The QCLS made continuous 1 Hz measurements with 1σ Allan precisions of 20, 0.5, 0.09, and 0.15 ppb for CO2, CH4, N2O, and CO, respectively, over > 500 flight hours on 79 research flights. The QCLS measurements are compared to two vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) CO instruments (CalNex and HIPPO), a cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS) measuring CO2 and CH4 (CalNex), two broadband non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) spectrometers measuring CO2 (HIPPO), two onboard gas chromatographs measuring a variety of chemical species including CH4, N2O, and CO (HIPPO), and various flask-based measurements of all four species. QCLS measurements are tied to NOAA and WMO standards using an in-flight calibration system, and mean differences when compared to NOAA CCG flask data over the 59 HIPPO research flights were 100, 1, 1, and 2 ppb for CO2, CH4, N2O, and CO, respectively. The details of the end-to-end calibration procedures and the data quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) are presented. Specifically, we discuss our practices for the traceability of standards given uncertainties in calibration cylinders, isotopic and surface effects for the long-lived greenhouse gas tracers, interpolation techniques for in-flight calibrations, and the effects of instrument linearity on retrieved mole fractions.


This paper presents an empirical comparison of the following approaches to estimate annual mileage budgets for multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models of household vehicle ownership and utilization: (a) a log-linear regression approach to model observed total annual household vehicle miles traveled (AH-VMT), (b) a stochastic frontier regression approach to model latent annual vehicle mileage frontier, and (c) other approaches used in the literature to assume annual household vehicle mileage budgets. For the stochastic regression approach, MDCEV and multiple discrete-continuous heteroscedastic extreme value (MDCHEV) models were estimated and examined. When model predictions were compared with observed distributions of vehicle ownership and utilization in a validation data sample, the log-linear regression approach performed better than other approaches. However, policy simulations demonstrate that the log-linear regression approach does not allow for AH-VMT to increase or decrease as a result of changes in vehicle-specific attributes, such as changes in fuel economy. The stochastic frontier approach overcomes that limitation. Policy simulation results with the stochastic frontier approach suggest that increasing the fuel economy of a category of vehicles increases the ownership and use of those vehicles. But this does not necessarily translate into an equal decrease in the use of other household vehicles, confirming previous findings in the literature that improvements in fuel economy tend to induce additional travel. In view of policy responsiveness and prediction accuracy, using the stochastic frontier regression (for estimating mileage budgets) in conjunction with the MDCHEV model for discrete-continuous choice analysis of household vehicle ownership and utilization is recommended.


In this study, a novel latent ruthenium indenylidene catalyst, bearing morpholine substituted bidentate (N, O) Schiff base is used in nonaqueous emulsion ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) reactions for the first time. This novel catalyst has unique features such as latency and high silica gel affinity. The performance of the catalyst is tested on ring-closing metathesis (RCM), ROMP reactions, and aqueous emulsion ROMP reactions. In addition, nonaqueous (using immiscible binary organic solvents: n-hexane and dimethylformamide) emulsion ROMP reactions are carried out for the first time using latent ruthenium catalysts. The latency of the catalyst allows us to control the molecular weight of emulsion ROMP polymers by varying HCl/Ru ratio, keeping the nanoparticle sizes stable between 26 and 75 nm in aqueous emulsion and 51 and 208 nm in nonaqueous emulsion ROMP reactions. In addition, high silica gel affinity of the catalyst allows us to synthesize pure RCM products with ruthenium contamination less than 1 ppm.


Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 10 to 15% of all strokes, but results in a disproportionately high morbidity and mortality. Although chronic hypertension accounts for the majority of ICH, other common causes include cerebral amyloid angiopathy, sympathomimetic drugs of abuse, and underlying cerebral vascular anomalies. Validated baseline predictors of clinical outcome after ICH include the Glasgow Coma Scale score, hematoma volume, presence and amount of intraventricular hemorrhage, infratentorial ICH location, and advanced age. Although no treatment of proven benefit currently exists for ICH, several recent large clinical trials have demonstrated the feasibility of surgical and medical treatments for ICH. Clinical research into ICH mechanisms of injury has demonstrated that hematoma expansion is common, even in patients without coagulopathy. Basic research has suggested that perihematoma injury is more likely related to toxicity of blood and iron in the brain ("neurohemoinflammation") rather than primary ischemic injury. Current guidelines for ICH treatment emphasize blood pressure management, urgent and rapid correction of coagulopathy, and surgery for cerebellar ICH. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating surgical evacuation of lobar hemorrhage, minimally invasive surgical hematoma evacuation, and aggressive blood pressure lowering.


The "productivity paradox" of information systems (IS) is that despite enormous improvements in the underlying technology, the benefits of IS spending have not been found in aggregate output statistics. One explanation is that IS spending may lead to increases in product quality or variety which tend to be overlooked in aggregate output statistics, even if they increase sales at the firm level. Furthermore, Lhe restructuring and cost-cutting that are often necessary to realize these potential benefits have only recently been undertaken in many firms. Our study uses new firm-level data on several components of IS spending for the period 1987 to 1991. The dataset includes 380 large firms which generated approximately two trillion dollars in output annually. We supplemented the IS data with data on other inputs, output, and price deflators from several other sources. As a result, we could assess several econometric models of the contribution of IS to firm-level productivity. Our results indicate that IS have made a substantial and statistically significant contribution to firm output. We find that between 1987 and 1991, return on investment (ROD for computer capital averaged 54% in manufacturing and 68% for manufacturing and services combined in our sample. We am able to reject the null hypothesis that the ROI for computer capital is no greater than the return to other types of capital investment and also find that IS labor spending generates several times as much output as spending on non-IS labor and expenses. Because the models we applied were essentially the same as those that have been previously used to assess the contribution of IT and other factors of production, we attribute the different results to the recency and larger size of our dataset. We conclude that the "productivity paradox" disappeared by 1991, at least in our sample of firms.


Nolz R., Loiskandl W., Kammerer G., Himmelbauer M.L. (2016): Survey of soil water distribution in a vineyard and implications for subsurface drip irrigation control. Soil & Water Res., 11: 250−258. Controlling a subsurface drip irrigation system based on soil water monitoring is a very efficient way to supply grapevines with water for optimal thriving and high vintage quality. However, finding an adequate location for sensor installation is a great challenge due to the well-known spatio-temporal variability of soil moisture and possible measurement uncertainties. The variations depend on soil structure, soil hydraulic properties, or plant water uptake, for instance. Subsequently, these factors are influenced by management practices such as soil cultivation or cover cropping. The main objective of this study was to gain experience in order to give recommendations for soil water monitoring in a vineyard in accordance to local management practices. Soil moisture was surveyed across a study plot in a vineyard. A gouge auger was used to obtain soil samples from both sides of two vine rows for determining gravimetric water content. Volumetric soil water content was measured near the vine rows by inserting a portable soil water probe into pre-installed access tubes. Soil water variability was investigated under rain-fed conditions, and before and after a subsurface drip irrigation event. Differences were considered between inter-rows that were frequently tilled and those with permanent crop cover. In the first of two study years the variability of soil water content was small as the soil characteristics were relatively homogeneous across the plot and the atmospheric conditions were rather wet. In the second year the deviations were greater due to the more dynamic outer conditions. The alternating cultivation of every second inter-row had a substantial effect on soil water distribution in both years. Representative monitoring across the entire plot should thus consider all inter-rows with distinct cultivation. However, a more efficient procedure is recommended as a basis for irrigation control, considering the uncertainties caused by spatial variability.


In India, male out-migration from rural to urban areas has increased in recent years, especially in the Indo- Gangetic regions of the country. This indicates that most of the developed regions of India are utilizing labour force of backward areas. The paper has investigated on labour out-migration from the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to find its determinants and its impacts on farm economy. The analysis of determinants shown that the number of members in a family and their educational status have a positive impact on migration. As a result of male out-migration, the women left behind in the villages assume a major role in various farm activities resulting in the so-called 'feminization of agriculture'. It has also empowered the female members of the migrant households in terms of enhancing their decision-making role in various activities. The study has observed some policy implications in terms of formation of self-help groups or labour societies to help out-migrants, organization of training programmes for capacity building of women, more thrust on education a girl-child and development of infrastructure in the rural areas.


A repeatable preconcentration electrophoretic methodology for the analysis of bacteria was developed. This method is based on an isotachophoretic mode coupled with a simultaneous hydrodynamic-electrokinetic injection in conditions of field-amplified sample injection. This electrophoretic method allows the quantification of Enterobacter cloacae (studied as a model of Gram negative bacteria) with a limit of detection of 2 × 10(4) cells/mL. With the optimized conditions, a preconcentration factor of about 500-fold was obtained as compared to a standard hydrodynamic injection. The RSD (n = 5) on the migration time and on the peak area were 3% and 5%, respectively. This capillary electrophoretic methodology has been applied for the quantification of microbes in natural water (river and natural spring waters). Filtration of the sample prior to injection was required to remove ions present in the water and to keep the field-amplified sample injection condition at the injection. Filtrated bacteria were then recovered in terminating electrolyte diluted 10 times with water. Good agreements were obtained between cellular ATP measurements and the proposed CE methodology for the quantification of bacteria in waters.


Summary

Eragrostis lehmanniana (Lehmann lovegrass) is an invasive perennial bunchgrass in semi-desert grasslands in the USA. We removed E. lehmanniana using glyphosate at three locations in south-eastern Arizona in 2003 and 2004 to evaluate the community response. We also sampled the seedbank five times during the course of the experiment to characterise viable seeds at the sites. Two of the sites with histories of livestock grazing responded similarly to the continued removal of E. lehmanniana, with significant increases in native cover and species richness, mainly attributable to herbaceous annual species. Over the course of the study, progressively fewer E. lehmanniana seeds and higher numbers of native annual herb seeds were germinated from seedbank samples of treated plots. At the third site, characterised by a history of intense agricultural use and drier conditions than the other sites, there was a large decrease in E. lehmanniana cover in all plots, followed by an increase in aggressive non-native species as well as native grasses. The seedbank at this site suggested potential for restoration, with native perennial grass species present in increasing quantities. The results of this study have implications for site restoration, should a means of permanently removing E. lehmanniana be found.


Thermal modeling of plutonium metal ingots stored in food pack cans provides information useful for performing stored material safety evaluations. Four storage can geometries were modeled, and several conclusions can be made from the 14 cases analyzed. The ingot temperature increased from 7 degrees F to 12 degrees F (depending on can configuration) per additional watt of power. Including internal convection lowers computed ingot temperatures by 70 degrees F. Accounting for the heat flow through the bottom of the cans to the storage rack lowered computed ingot temperatures by an additional 70 degrees F to 80 degrees F. In the rimmed can systems storing ingots with a power of 10.35 watts, the ingot temperature varies from 190 degrees F to 213 degrees F. Including a plastic bag between the inner and outer can increases the ingot temperature by 15 degrees F. Adding a label to the outer can side reduces the outer can side temperature by 13 degrees F. Changes in ambient temperature affect the outer can temperatures more than the ingot temperature by a factor of 3. Similarly, a 5 degrees F drop in outer can temperature due to increased convection lowered the ingot temperature by only 2 degrees F


Flow properties and stress state are indispensable factors for safety assessment of structural materials in operation, which were evaluated using instrumented indentation tests (IITs). Flow properties were obtained by defining representative stress and strain, and IIT results for 10 steel materials were discussed by comparing with those from uniaxial tensile tests. The indentation load-depth curve is significantly affected by the presence of residual stress, and the stress-induced load change was converted to a quantitative stress value. The stress state of a friction stir-welded joint of API X80 steel was evaluated and compared with that measured by energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction.


A population of the lemon-clawed fiddler crab (U. perplexa) in Fiji (island of Vanua Levu) was studied for types of communication (i.e., signaling via waving the male's larger claw). Two types of signals were observed. In addition to the expected territorial display of a large and complex vertical wave that conveys its message over a typical distance of 10–40 cm (with large males signaling to other large males over the greatest distance), a short, rapid, and horizontal wave was typically directed over a much shorter distance, rarely exceeding 10 cm. This latter wave type, seemingly of an aggressive nature, differs from the vertically directed aggressive signal observed in an Australian population of this species and thus appears to be a regional "dialect" for this mode of communication.


Abstract Background Dysphagia is a common consequence of treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of dysphagia in a group of patients treated for HNC in Slovenia, and to identify factors contributing to the development of dysphagia. Patients and methods One-hundred-nine consecutive patients treated for HNC at two tertiary centers were recruited during their follow-up visits. They fulfilled EORTC QLQ-H&N35 and "Swallowing Disorders after Head and Neck Cancer Treatment questionnaire" questionnaires. Patients with dysphagia were compared to those without it. Results Problems with swallowing were identified in 41.3% of the patients. Dysphagia affected their social life (in 75.6%), especially eating in public (in 80%). Dysphagia was found the most often in the patients with oral cavity and/or oropharyngeal cancer (in 57.6%) and in those treated less than 2 years ago (p = 0.014). In univariate analysis, a significant relationship was observed between dysphagia prevalence and some of the consequences of anti-cancer treatment (impaired mouth opening, sticky saliva, loss of smell, impaired taste, oral and throat pain, persistent cough, and hoarseness), radiotherapy (p = 0.003), and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (p = 0.027). After multiple regression modelling only persistent cough remained. Conclusions In order to improve swallowing abilities and, consequently, quality of life of the patients with HNC a systematic rehabilitation of swallowing should be organized. A special emphasis should be given to gastroesophageal reflux treatment before, during and after therapy for HNC


The relationship between IT-business strategic alignment (hereafter referred to as alignment) and firm performance has been a topic of great concern to strategy researchers for decades. However, we found no research to date that has considered a complete model considering all the links between 6 unique types of alignment and 3 unique types of firm performance. The failure to consider a single, omnibus test of this model has resulted in conflicting findings and, consequently, an "alignment paradox" where some research finds a positive relationship between alignment and firm performance and other research finds a negative relationship. This research-in-progress seeks to theorize these relationships for future empirical testing.


Classical techniques for mitigating vibration in rotating structures are divided into three main categories viz. careful design and manufacture, correct installation and effective control strategies. The balancing sleeves analysed in this thesis were developed as a 'semi active' method of vibration control to improve the state of balance of dynamically unstable coupling shafts. However, the addition of the balancing sleeves affects the natural dynamics of the shaft, and requires a detailed understanding of their characteristics and the impact on the overall shaft dynamics in order to be useful in practice. As a first approximation, the sleeves are initially modelled as part of a full coupling shaft using the Extended Hamilton's Principle. The simulation studies show that the flexibility of the sleeves have little impact upon the dynamics of the system and can therefore be neglected. However, when compared to results from the use of computational finite element methods with different sleeve lengths, discrepancies are identified. Experimental validation using a purpose built high speed test facility is used to show that the difference is due to the lack of appropriate modelling of sleeve flexibility characteristics. A full system model using finite element methods is therefore devised. More widely, a study of the impact of sleeve lengths shows that the classical definition of a 'shaft mode' does not encompass sufficient fidelity to discriminate between modes that are initially considered as being shaft dominated and those that are considered as sleeve dominated mode shapes, and the sharp transition that occurs between the two. It is notable that the transition between the two dominant modal contributors occurs at sleeve lengths that impart a natural frequency that is close to that corresponding to the shaft. It is concluded that the mechanism of passive control via use of the sleeves is a combination of softening due to the added mass of the sleeves and coherence of the individual modes of the shaft and sleeves. In this way, it is shown that the sleeves act in a manner similar to a tuned mass-damper. By appropriate design therefore, use of balancing sleeves offer the opportunity to increase the critical speed margin in practical applications and reduce unwanted lateral vibrations.


Background Lower back pain occurs more frequently among volleyball than other players and one of the main course affecting their performance on the court. Objective To identify the reason of the lower back pain, a detailed MRI analysis of disk degeneration (DD) and survey were conducted. Design, setting and participants There were 48 players from the 2009 and 2010 national teams; mean age, 25.1 years; mean height, 188.7 cm, mean weight, 81.9 kg; mean length of career as a volleyball player, 15.1 years. They practiced volleyball on 5.9 days of the week and for 4.1 h a day, on average. Intervention DD of each case was evaluated retrospectively based on the signal intensity (rated on a 5-grade scale: I through V) of five intervertebral disks (L1/2 to L5/S1) on MRI using Pfirrmann's classification. Results The DD grade was I-II in five players (10.4%) and III-V in 43 players (89.6%). It was 20.8% at L1/2, 22.9% at L2/3, 16.7% at L3/4, 45.8% at L4/5, and 75.0% at L5/S1. Of all the players, 95.8% had had lower back pain. Conclusions Hangai et al.1 reported a higher prevalence of DD among baseball players (59.7%) and swimmers (57.5%) than among non-athletes (31.4%). The prevalence of DD among the volleyball players was as high as 89.6% in this study. With an average of 200 jumps a day, a volleyball player will jump about one million times during a 15-year career. Factors possibly responsible for DD and lower back pain are: (1) shocks from jumping and landing associated with attacks, blocks, jump serves, etc., (2) body trunk twisting in the air at the time of attack, (3) flying receiving, etc. In summary, the prevalence of DD among Japanese male national volleyball players was 89.6%. DD was closely associated with volleyball tactics.


The immediate and late outcomes of treatment of acute pulmonary tuberculosis with and without surgical treatments (337 and 271 patients, respectively) were analyzed. The vast majority of patients in both groups were those with caseous pneumonia and fibrocavernous tuberculosis complicated by caseous pneumonia. A complete clinical effect was achieved in 14% of non-operated patients at their discharge, with a hospital mortality of 15.5%. A surgical treatment provided a 6.5-fold early effectiveness with a less (8.6-fold) hospital mortality. In a follow-up periods (up to 11 years), the number of cases of recurrences and progression of tuberculosis in patients in whom surgery was indicated, but non operated cases was 5.7 times higher than that in those radically and arbitrarily radically operated on; 5-, 7-, and 10-year survival rates in the non-operated patients were 1.6, 2.3, and 4.9 times less, respectively (85.7% versus 17.6%).


This study proposes and evaluates an average consensus scheme for wireless sensor networks. For this purpose, two communication error models, the fading signal error model and approximated fading signal error model, are introduced and incorporated into the proposed decentralized average consensus scheme [1]. Also, a mathematical analysis is introduced to derive the approximated fading signal model from the fading signal model. Finally, different simulation scenarios are introduced and their results analysed to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme and its effectiveness in meeting the needs of wireless sensor networks.


We examined the effects of exisulind (sulindac sulfone) and a potent derivative CP248 on the Barrett's esophagus (BE)-related adenocarcinoma cell lines Seg-1 and Bic-1, and on HCE7 esophageal squamous carcinoma cells. Marked growth inhibition and apoptosis occurred in all cell lines with IC50 values of 100-300 microM for exisulind and 100 nM for CP248. Bic-1 and HCE7 cells were more sensitive to the growth inhibitory properties of exisulind. Treatment of all cell lines with CP248 for 24 h increased the proportion of cells in mitosis. Exisulind had no effect on cell-cycle progression. Treatment with either compound induced rapid activation of the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1), suggesting that JNK1 activation plays a role in the induction of apoptosis by these compounds. Only Seg-1 cells expressed a detectable basal level of cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2), providing further evidence that cox-2 is not the critical target for the growth inhibitory and apoptotic effects of these compounds. Cellular levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) increased approximately five-fold in all cell lines after 24 h of treatment with either compound. These studies provide support for the use of exisulind in BE chemoprevention trials, and of exisulind or CP248 in the therapy of patients with esophageal carcinoma.


Fragments of the brain cortex of 17- or 18-day-old rat embryos were allotransplanted into the brain cortex of rats subjected to hypoxia. Four days later the graft consisted of mixed differentiating neuroblasts. By the 100th to 130th day after transplantation the graft contained mature neurons, differentiating neurons and neuroblasts. Hypochromic neurons showing the signs of intracellular reparation were also detected. A well-developed neuropile was localized inside the graft. In contrast to the normal brain, neurons in the graft were not organized in layers.


Compounds that can bind and stabilize non-canonical DNA structures are named quadruplex and are of interest in anticancer drug design due to their selective inhibitions of telomerase and consequent effects on cell proliferation. In this study, we report novel Co/Cu [II] complex compounds as G-quadruplex DNA binding ligands. The results from the preliminary assay indicated that the introduction of a positively charged 6-membered tail to the aromatic terminal group of benzimidazole significantly enhanced the binding affinity with the quadruplex and exhibited anti-telomerase activity. These derivatives showed significant selectivities for the telomeric quadruplex over duplex nucleic acids. The stabilization of non-canonical forms estimated with the FRET DNA technology using different sequences, such as F21T, c-kit1 and c-kit2, in cancer cell lines were assessed. Three members of this family showed to be very selective in stabilizing one particular G-quadruplex.


The Tokamak concept, based on magnetic confinement of a hydrogen plasma, is one of today's most promising paths to energy production by nuclear fusion. The experimental scenarios leading to the largest fusion rate are based on a high confinement plasma regime, the H-mode, in which the energy and particle confinement are enhanced by a transport barrier located at the plasma edge and forming a pedestal in the plasma pressure profile. In standard axisymmetric magnetic configurations, stationary H-mode regimes suffer from instabilities of the plasma edge, the so-called edge localized modes (ELMs), leading to potentially damaging repetitive ejections of heat and particles toward the plasma facing components. In ITER, a Tokamak currently being built to demonstrate net power production from fusion, type I ELMs are expected to occur during high performance discharges. It is expected that the power flux released by these ELMs will cause an intolerable erosion and heat load on the plasma facing components. The control of ELMs, in terms of frequency and energy loss, is therefore of primary importance in the field of magnetic fusion and is subject to an intense research effort worldwide. This thesis, in line with this effort, focuses on two particular ELM control methods: local continuous or modulated heating of the plasma edge, and application of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP). In this thesis, the effects of plasma edge heating on the ELM cycle have been investigated by applying electron cyclotron resonant heating (ECRH) to the edge of an H-mode plasma featuring type I ELMs in the Tokamak a Configuration Variable (TCV). As the power deposition location is shifted gradually toward the plasma pressure pedestal, an increase of the ELM frequency by a factor 2 and a decrease of the energy loss per ELM by the same factor are observed, even though the power absorption efficiency is reduced. This unexpected and, as yet, unexplained phenomenon, observed for the first time, runs contrary to the intrinsic type I ELM power dependence and provides a new approach for ELM mitigation. The effects of heating power modulation on the ELM cycle have also been experimentally investigated. It showed that power modulation synchronized in real-time with the ELM cycle is able to pace the ELMs with low deviation from a given frequency. Experimental results also clearly indicate that the ELM frequency purely remains a function of the heating power averaged over the ELM cycle, so that power modulation itself is not able to drive the ELM frequency and only has a stabilization effect. These results are in qualitative agreement with a simple 0D finite confinement time integrator model of the ELM cycle. RMP consists in applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the plasma magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium flux surfaces with a spatial variation tuned to align with the equilibrium magnetic field lines. If each coil of an RMP coil system (i.e. a set of toroidally and poloidally distributed coils) is powered with an independent power supply, the coil current distribution can be tuned to optimize the RMP space spectrum. In the course of this thesis, a multi-mode Lagrange method, with no assumption on the coil geometry or spatial distribution, has been developed to determine this optimum, in the limit of the vacuum magnetic field approximation. This method appears to be an efficient way to minimize the parasitic spatial modes of the magnetic perturbation, and the coil current requirements, while imposing the amplitude and phase of a set of target modes. A figure of merit measuring the quality of a perturbation spectrum with respect to RMP independently of the considered coil system or plasma equilibrium is also proposed. To facilitate the application of the Lagrange method, a spectral characterization of the coil system, based on a generalized discrete Fourier transform applied in current space, is performed to determine how spectral degeneracy and side-bands creation limit the number of simultaneously controllable target modes. Finally, this thesis sets the foundations of experimental research in the particular subject of RMP at CRPP by proposing a physics-based design for a multi-purpose saddle coil system (SCS) for TCV, a coil system located and powered such as to create a helical magnetic perturbation. Using independent power supplies, the toroidal periodicity of this perturbation is tunable, allowing simultaneously ELM control, error field correction and vertical control. Other experimental applications, like resistive wall mode and rotation control, are also in view. In this thesis, the adequacy of two SCS designs, an in-vessel one and an ex-vessel one, is assessed with respect to the desired experimental applications. The current requirements and the system performances are also characterized. The conducting vessel wall is accounted for in a model used to determine the coupled response functions of the SCS, the screening of the magnetic perturbation by the wall, the induced voltages and currents during a plasma disruption and the maximal magnetic forces exerted on the SCS. A scaling of the SCS parameters with the number of coil turns is presented and the issue of coil heating and cooling is discussed.


This study examined whether the relationship between information-seeking and social uncertainty differed when information was sought about a specific individual (e.g. a new housemate) or a group (e.g. a group of new housemates). An online experiment recruited 488 first-year undergraduates in the weeks immediately before starting a new university. Four information-seeking strategies (Ramirez, Walther, Burgoon & Sunnafrank, 2002) successfully modeled how students sought information about each other using Social Network Sites. Whereas an interactive strategy predicted lower social uncertainty about individuals than groups, a passive strategy predicted higher social uncertainty for indi- viduals and lower social uncertainty for groups. Findings are discussed in the context of impression formation, specif- ically Entitativity (Hamilton & Sherman, 1995).


Objectives. To examine the association between historical redlining and contemporary pedestrian fatalities across the United States. Methods. We analyzed 2010-2019 traffic fatality data, obtained from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, for all US pedestrian fatalities linked by location of crash to 1930s Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) grades and current sociodemographic factors at the census tract level. We applied generalized estimating equation models to assess the relationship between the count of pedestrian fatalities and redlining. Results. In an adjusted multivariable analysis, tracts graded D ("Hazardous") had a 2.60 (95% confidence interval = 2.26, 2.99) incidence rate ratio (per residential population) of pedestrian fatalities compared with tracts graded A ("Best"). We found a significant dose‒response relationship: as grades worsened from A to D, rates of pedestrian fatalities increased. Conclusions. Historical redlining policy, initiated in the 1930s, has an impact on present-day transportation inequities in the United States. Public Health Implications. To reduce transportation inequities, understanding how structurally racist policies, past and present, have an impact on community-level investments in transportation and health is crucial. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(4):420-428. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307192).


The classification of goods as private, public, club and common pool resource (CPR) (based on their properties of excludability and rivalry in consumption) is used to analyse changes to upland farming agricultural policy priorities, away from objectives considered to be 'in the public good' to the provision of 'public goods'. Unregulated upland commons are CPRs that produce private goods (e.g. food) and public goods (e.g. landscape and biodiversity). But, local associations with effective powers to exclude farmers with no grazing rights and regulate grazing by farmers with grazing rights change them into club goods. Private goods are marketable, so there is an incentive for commoners to produce them at the expense of public good. To readdress this balance in favour of public goods, the agreement of all commoners is needed, for example, to enter the commons into an agri-environmental scheme. Government can intervene to increase public good provision from uplands; their choice of instrument being principally influenced by ecological effectiveness (ability to produce the type and quantity of the good required) and transaction costs. This paper discusses the decision of government to intervene through legislation that empowers local associations in England and Wales by introducing commons councils against a background of changing agricultural support programmes for upland farming. The reasons why land managers may support this institutional reform are reviewed, and the importance of the financial model used to underpin the work of commons councils is discussed. There is no reason why similar legislation could not be used to support the club provision of public goods in lowland areas, which exhibit environmental characteristics similar to upland commons.


Background: Lung cancer has been the most common cancer in the world for several decades. It is probably one of the most important life threatening conditions responsible for the death of millions of people in today's world. An increasing incidence of lung cancer has also been observed in India. The objective of the present project was to study the clinical profile of lung cancer in histopathologically diagnosed lung cancer patients in AVBRH, Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha. Study Design: The study was conducted at Acharya Vinobha Bhave Rural Hospital, Sawangi (Meghe) in indoor patients of Lung Cancer. This was an observational study which included 62 patients in total who were admitted in AVBRH. A structured standard proforma was used for recording the history, clinical signs, radiological & histopathological findings of patients. Results: Out of the total 62 patients, 59.68% were males and 40.32% were females. Most of the patients presented with cough as chief complaint along with breathlessness, chest pain, fever and loss of weight/appetite were other common symptoms. Majority of males were smokers. On Chest X-ray, right lung was the most commonly involved and right lower lobe was the most common area involved. Adenocarcinoma was the most common subtype found in 51.61% of patients and small cell carcinoma was second most common found in 24.19% of patients. Majority of patients (51.61%) presented in stage 4 of lung cancer. Conclusion: The study shows that smoking is strongly associated with lung cancer. Cough was the most common symptom while presence of mass and right sided effusion were the most common findings in chest x-ray. Adenocarcinoma predominated both in males and females. Most of patients presented in late stages (Stage 3b and 4) thus leading to poor survival rates and poor prognosis among them.


The present invention relates to a construction material containing a microencapsulated phase change material, and a method for preparing the construction material. More specifically, the uniformly mixed state of a microencapsulated phase change material in a combined construction material used for constructing a building, a road, a bridge, and the like can be maintained by mixing two or more types of construction materials containing a microencapsulated phase change material-adhered construction material in which the microencapsulated phase change material is adhered and fixed to the outer surface of a selected construction material.


Precautions taken in early stages of diabetes mellitus are more beneficial in terms of quality of life. The risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been shown to be reduced at rates up to 58% or its emergence may be delayed with healthy lifestyle changes in different studies. Transtheoretical model and motivational interview method are especially used to increase the adaptation of individuals to disease management and to change behaviours about diabetes mellitus for decreasing or preventing the harmful effects of diabetes mellitus in studies conducted with individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Interventions using motivational interview method based on transtheoretical model demonstrated that a general improvement in glycaemic control and in physical activity level can be achieved and significant progress has been made during the stage of change. Motivational interview method based on trans-theoretical model is an easy and efficient counselling method to reach behavioural change.


Research identifying the biobehavioral processes that link threat exposure to cognitive alterations can inform treatments designed to reduce perpetration of stress-induced aggression. The present study attempted to specify the effects of relatively predictable versus unpredictable threat on two attention networks, attentional alerting and executive control. In a sample of adults (n = 74, 35 % identifying as women, Mage = 32.85) with high rates of externalizing behaviors (e.g., substance use, criminal/legal system involvement, aggressivity), we measured event-related brain activity during an attention network test that manipulated cognitive systems activation under relatively unpredictable and predictable threat conditions. Results showed that threat exposure alters attentional alerting and executive control. The predictable threat condition, relative to unpredictable threat, increased visual alerting (N1 amplitude to alert vs. no alert cue conditions) and decreased attention to the task (P3 amplitude to subsequent task-relevant flankers, but these effects did not survive adjusting for multiple tests. In contrast, overall threat and unpredictable threat conditions were associated with faster response time to alert cue (versus no cue) and poorer conflict processing, operationalized as flanker N2 reductions and slower response time to incongruent (versus congruent) flanker trials. These results expand what is known about threat-related modulation of cognition in a sample of individuals with histories of externalizing behaviors.


Accurate determination of impurities present in a matrix by glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) requires use of relative sensitivity factors (RSFs). In general, RSFs are obtained from reference materials with a comparable matrix composition as that of the sample being measured. Further, RSFs are sensitive to variation in discharge conditions. Thus, in the present study, various combinations of glow discharge parameters, namely current, voltage and argon flow are studied on a powder certified reference material, NIST silicon 57b, using indium sheets. Likewise, quantification of discharge gas, argon is carried out to facilitate the optimization of GDMS parameters. Furthermore, discharge parameters leading to optimum crater in a flat silicon sample is also considered before selecting optimum discharge condition for RSFs determination. As a result, two sets of RSFs are built – one based on calibrated values reported by NIST and the other based on values obtained after analysis of the same powder by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Both sets of RSFs are tested further using another powder certified reference material, NIST 195, using both certified and ICP-MS values. The results of this study indicate that there is no considerable variation in concentration for most of the elements/isotopes including argon when discharge current and voltage are in range of 2–3 mA and 1.2–1.4 kV, respectively. It is found that for most of the elements, RSFs built based on both ICP-MS analysis and certified NIST values give comparable result with error below 20%. However, calcium showed ∼80% discrepancy based on certified values as compared to ∼10% based on ICP-MS values.


In this paper, the authors propose a hierarchical control architecture for dealing with faults an adverse environmental conditions on an Automated Highway System (AHS). The design builds on a previously designed control architecture that works under normal conditions of operation. The faults that are considered in the design are classified according to capabilities remaining on the vehicle or roadside after the fault has occurred. Information about these capabilities is used by the supervisors in each of the layers to select appropriate control strategies. The extended control strategies which are needed by the supervisors of each layer of the hierarchy are outlined, and in certain cases, examples are given of their detailed operation.


The emergence of biofuel as a renewable energy source offers opportunities for climate change mitigation and greater energy security for many countries. At the same time, biofuel represents the possibility of substitution between energy and food. For developing countries like India, which imports over 75% of its crude oil, fossil fuels pose two risks—global warming pollution and negative economic impacts of oil price hikes. This paper examines India's options for managing energy price risk in three ways: biofuel development, energy efficiency promotion, and food productivity improvements. The overall results suggest that biodiesel shows promise as a transport fuel substitute that can be produced in ways that fully utilize marginal agricultural resources and hence promote rural livelihoods. First-generation bioethanol, by contrast, appears to have a limited ability to offset the impacts of oil price hikes. Combining the biodiesel expansion policy with energy efficiency improvements and food productivity increases proved to be a more effective strategy to enhance both energy and food security, help mitigate climate change, and cushion the economy against oil price shocks.


PCa. To further explore this relationship and given the accumulating evidence between BMI and smoking in cancer risk, we conducted further analyses taking into account smoking status within the EPICAP study. Methods EPICAP is a French population-based case-control study that enrolled 819 incident cases of PCa diagnosed in 2012 and 2013, aged less than 75 years old and residing in the département of Hérault, France. Controls were 879 agematched individuals living in the same geographic area. Face to face interviews, using a standardized computerized questionnaire, gathered information about socio-demographic characteristics, personal medical history, lifestyle factors, physical activity, residential and occupational history. Anthropometric indicators have also been collected through the questionnaire (self-report of height at 18 years old and weight every decades) or anthropometric measures at time of interview (height, weight, waist and hip circumferences). Logistic regression models were used to assess odds ratios (ORs) for the associations between anthropometric indicators (BMI, WC, WHR) and PCa risk. Analyses were adjusted for age, family history of PCa and ethnicity. Stratified analyses were conducted by PCa aggressiveness according to the Gleason score. Seeking for relevant interaction between smoking status and BMI trajectories and given that smoking is a major risk factor for many types of cancer, known to decrease obesity, we performed stratified analyses according to smoking status. Results Overall, 28.6% were never smokers, 54.9% former smokers, and 16.5% current smokers, similarly distributed between cases and controls (p=0.21). Among never smokers, we observed a slight but not significant increased risk of overall PCa for men with a BMI above 25 kg/m; (OR 1.52 [0.97–2.38]) as well as for men with a WC greater to 94 cm (OR 1.42 [0.93–2.16]) or a WHR greater or equal to 0.95 (OR 1.40 [0.92–2.13]). Among current smokers, we observed no association between BMI, WC or WHR and PCa risk (OR 1.15 [0.62–2.13], OR 1.24 [0.68–2.30], OR 1.06 [0.58–1.93], respectively). However interaction was not significant. Conclusion Our results showed that associations between anthropometric indicators were more pronounced among never smokers, in agreement with the assumption that smoking may attenuate the association between obesity and cancer.


The marine environment is heavily exploited, but unintentional consequences cause wide-ranging negative effects to its characteristics. Linkage frameworks (e.g., DPSIR [driver-pressure-state-impact-response]) are commonly used to describe an interaction between human activities and ecological characteristics of the ecosystem, but as each linkage is viewed independently, the diversity of pressures that affect those characteristics may not be identified or managed effectively. Here we demonstrate an approach for using linkages to build a simple network to capture the complex relationships arising from multiple sectors and their activities. Using data-analysis tools common to ecology, we show how linkages can be placed into mechanistically similar groups. Management measures can be combined into fewer and more simplified measures that target groups of pressures rather than individual pressures, which is likely to increase compliance and the success of the measure while reducing the cost of enforcement. Given that conservation objectives (regional priorities) can vary, we also demonstrate by way of a case study example from the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, how management priorities might change, and illustrate how the approach can be used to identify sectors for control that best support the conservation objectives.