Stories of HIV Activists during COVID-19 in the UK examines and interprets the experiences of HIV activists during the COVID-19 pandemic. It relies on qualitative data obtained through a UK-ICN BBSRC funded grant. We draw from these stories to start a conversation about how activism translates from one health crisis (HIV/AIDS) to another (COVID-19). These activist stories tell us about how activist individuals and organisations responded to COVID-19, but they also provide insight for future pandemic contexts. The UK and many other countries across the world face a variety of new pandemic threats, including monkeypox and Ebola, which demand new forms of health intervention and strategies to mobilise individuals and communities. We use these stories to illuminate the resilience of some activists in the face of crisis and to articulate ways in which health activism can be adapted and remobilised to respond to new health crises.


In this paper, we propose a framework for optimal energy scheduling combined with a transaction mechanism to enable multiple microgrids to exchange their energy surplus/deficit with others while the distributed networks of microgrids remain secure. Our framework is based on two layers: a distributed network layer and a market layer. In the distributed network layer, we first solve optimal power flow (OPF) using a predictor corrector proximal multiplier algorithm to optimally dispatch diesel generation considering renewable energy and power loss within a microgrid. Then, in the market layer, the agent of microgrid behaves either as a load agent or generator agent so that the auctioneer sets a reasonable transaction price for both agents by using the naive auction-inspired algorithm. Finally, energy surplus/deficit is traded among microgrids at a determined transaction price while the main grid balances the transaction. We implement the proposed mechanism in MATLAB (Matlab Release 15, The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, USA) using an optimization solver, CVX. In the case studies, we compare four scenarios depending on whether OPF and/or energy transaction is performed or not. Our results show that the joint consideration of OPF and energy transaction achieves as minimal a cost as the ideal case where all microgrids are combined into a single microgrid (or called grand-microgrid) and OPF is performed. We confirm that, even though microgrids are operated by private owners who are not collaborated, a transaction-based mechanism can mimic the optimal operation of a grand-microgrid in a scalable way.


This paper evaluates the design and implementation of Omniware: a safe, efficient, and language-independent system for executing mobile program modules. Previous approaches to implementing mobile code rely on either language semantics or abstract machine interpretation to enforce safety. In the former case, the mobile code system sacrifices universality to gain safety by dictating a particular source language or type system. In the latter case, the mobile code system sacrifices performance to gain safety through abstract machine interpretation.Omniware uses software fault isolation, a technology developed to provide safe extension code for databases and operating systems, to achieve a unique combination of language-independence and excellent performance. Software fault isolation uses only the semantics of the underlying processor to determine whether a mobile code module can corrupt its execution environment. This separation of programming language implementation from program module safety enables our mobile code system to use a radically simplified virtual machine as its basis for portability. We measured the performance of Omniware using a suite of four SPEC92 programs on the Pentium, PowerPC, Mips, and Sparc processor architectures. Including the overhead for enforcing safety on all four processors, OmniVM executed the benchmark programs within 21% as fast as the optimized, unsafe code produced by the vendor-supplied compiler.


Energy consumption outlook shows that the demand for Oil and Gas is increasing worldwide and since most of the undemanding reserves are already being explored, new reserves means longer distances from the shore and increasing water depths, of up to 3,000 meters. Collapse resistance has become a key factor in the design of pipelines for ultra-deepwater applications. UOE process is commonly used for manufacturing pipelines of large diameter and the cold work involved in this forming process modifies the mechanical properties of the pipes. This paper presents the effect of thermal treatment on final material properties, proving the validity of enhancing collapse for different D/t, as allowed by DNV-OS-F101 αFab, and extending what has been shown as valid on previous studies. In this work, the inputs for the processing strategies are presented, along with coupon compression testing and full scale testing, in order to qualify the selected route as compliant with producing pipes with αFab equal to 1, for usual D/t combinations. An analysis of the predicted collapse pressure compared to the real collapse pressure of the pipes is also presented. The extension of the qualification process achieved successful results and allows the use of a fabrication factor equal to 1 in ultra-deepwater offshore pipeline projects. This enables the reduction of wall thickness, generating reductions in material and offshore installation costs and also potentially enhancing the feasibility of many challenging offshore projects.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


A 4-month-old male infant developed pneumonitis following a prolonged exposure to tear gas (CS or orthochlorobenzylidene malononitrile). The patient had a persistent leukocytosis (white blood cell count 20,000 to 30,000/cu mm) with predominance of lymphocytes on peripheral blood smear and had a slow resolution of the pneumonitis radiologically. A discussion of the toxicity of the two most widely used tear gases—chloroacetophenone (CN) and CS—on the respiratory system indicates that both agents are capable of inducing severe clinical toxicity dependent upon the concentration of the gas.


Multipath routing allows for load balancing and fast re-routing in order to improve the reliability and the efficiency of the network. Current IP routers only support Equal Cost MultiPath (ECMP) which guarantees that the forwarding paths do not contain loops. However, ECMP provides limited path diversity. In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm that allows routers to enable more path diversity: our algorithm let each router computes at least the two best first hop distinct paths towards each destination and achieves a good tradeoff between path diversity and overhead. In addition, we propose a multipath routing scheme whose goal is to combine fast re-routing and load balancing loop-free routes. The low overhead of our scheme (no additional signaling messages and low complexity) and the nature of its loop-free rules allow to incrementally deploy it on current IP routers. Using actual, inferred, and generated topologies, we compare our algorithm to existing solutions.


This book examines the role of private firms in the American water and wastewater industry. As more water infrastructure shifts from public- to private-sector control, vendors, consultants, and facilities are taking on more importance. Lewis D. Solomon presents an historical overview of water supply and treatment needs and the role of the government, including how water policy has been crafted. He argues that water scarcity is becoming a problem due to groundwater depletion, contamination, and patterns of consumption. He examines the impact of climate change on water availability and quality considering voluntary conservation programs and mandatory restrictions for water use. Solomon points to how for-profit firms can use technology to increase water supply. He describes what privatization would look like in practice and reviews evidence from two case studies. Solomon proposes privatization as a viable response to America's water crisis that can address both scarcity and capital problems. America's Water and Wastewater Crisis presents a careful examination of how the water industry has operated in the United States in the past and how it may work as we move into the future. This book is invaluable to environmental specialists, businessmen, and government officials.


Grazing exclusion is a common practice for restoration of degraded rangelands. A study was carried out on common grazing lands of Iceland at Audkuluheidi and Theistareykir, to assess the effect of short-term grazing exclusion on different soil properties. Soil samples were collected inside and outside grazing exclosures at two depths (0-5 and 5-10 cm). Soil pH, organic matter content and C:N ratios were analysed for each plot. With reference to the fenced plots, there were no significant differences in soil chemical properties between the two sites but local differences between habitats (gravel desert and heath) are reported. The results point to the fact that the practice of grazing exclusion has no effect on the soil chemical properties in the short term. Long term monitoring in these areas could inform about the minimum time needed to detect differences between fenced and non-fenced areas, to report on the optimal exclusion duration for soil recovery in Icelandic rangelands. Such studies would provide valuable information on the conservation and use of these common grazing lands to a nation with such a rich culture of grazing.


This research attempted to discover the degree to which performance on assessments that have no direct consequences for individual students can be attributed to students' motivational states in addition to their underlying achievement in the domains measured. If such findings were reliable, it would allow us to correct underestimates of domain performance due to lack of motivation. Such corrections would be extremely interesting in explaining differential subgroup performance in state or national assessments that have institutional but not individual consequences. Recent information on international assessments (e.g., the Third International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS]) indicates that 12th-grade students in the United States are doing poorly on such assessments compared with their peers in other countries. These poor results are usually attributed to cognitive factors such as students' opportunities to learn, etc. However, a partial explanation may be motivational. Because the low-stakes tests were administered in these 12th-graders' final year in high school, this timing may have negatively affected motivation, and thus performance. Using TIMSS released math items, we provided $10.00 per item correct so as to increase a motivational effect and thus increase performance. However, the monetary incentive was not effective in improving performance.


Effects of learning in two microhabitat specialists, Leptopilina boulardi Barbotin et al. and L. fimbriata Kieffer were compared to previous and new results of learning in the microhabitat generalist L. heterotoma Thomson. Females were given one or more oviposition experiences on hosts in different types of substrate. In all species oviposition experience affected the choice for a substrate, although this effect of learning was considerably less in L. fimbriata compared to the other two species. Patch times, known to be highly determined by experience in the generalist L. heterotoma, were much less flexible in the specialists. L. boulardi and L. fimbriata have fixed patch times on their natural substrate and have variable patch times on other substrates only. In all three species one oviposition affected the choice for a substrate. Additional ovipositions showed no different effect. An accumulative effect of the number of ovipositions on patch times was found in L. heterotoma only. Retention of the learning effect was only studied in L. boulardi, and was shown to be similar to that reported for L. heterotoma, i.e. two to three days. Although learning was found in both the generalist and the specialist species studied, it seems to affect their foraging behaviour differently.


Devices have been fabricated based on the bilayer manganite La1.4Sr1.6Mn2O7, which in the bulk state orders magnetically below 90 K, at which point both in-plane and c-axis bulk resistivity decrease by 2-3 orders of magnitude. We provide an optimized procedure to fabricate devices to electrical transport in- and out of plane. Fabricated mesoscopic devices have dimensions comparable to a typical magnetic domain, allowing us to study structures going from a single domain to several domains.


In this paper, we describe the general approach of trying to solve Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes with approximate value iteration. Methods based on this approach have shown promise for tackling larger problems where exact methods are doomed, but we explain how most of them suffer from the fundamental problem of ignoring information about the uncertainty of their estimates. We then suggest a new method for value iteration which uses Gaussian processes to form a Bayesian representation of the uncertain POMDP value function. We evaluate this method on several standard POMDPs and obtain promising


Protein Crystallization Apparatus in Microgravity (PCAM) trays have been used in Shuttle missions to crystallize proteins in a microgravity environment. The crystallization experiments are 'sitting drops' similar to that in Cryschem trays, but the reservoir solution is soaked in a wick. From early 2001, crystallization experiments are conducted on the International Space Station using mission durations of months rather than two weeks on previous shuttle missions. Experiments were set up in April 2001 on Flight 6A to characterize the time crystallization experiments will take to reach equilibrium in a microgravity environment using salts, polyethylene glycols and an organic solvent as precipitants. The experiments were set up to gather data for a series of days of activation with different droplet volumes and precipitants. The experimental set up on ISS and results of this study will be presented. These results will help future users of PCAM to choose precipitants to optimize crystallization conditions for their target macromolecules for a particular mission with known mission duration. Changes in crystal morphology and size between the ground and space grown crystals of a protein and a protein -DNA complex flown on the same mission will also be presented.


Purpose To advance the field of endovascular interventional MRI, which could allow real-time assessment of brain tissue viability during acute ischemic stroke interventions, we have developed a prototype MRI compatible magnetically assisted remote controlled catheter (MARC). We sought to compare navigation of a MARC catheter under real-time MRI with manual navigation under MRI and standard x-ray guidance in endovascular catheterization procedures in vitro. Materials and Methods A custom clinical-grade micro catheter prototype with a solenoid coil at the distal tip was deflected with a foot pedal actuator used to deliver current of 300 mA. Investigators navigated the catheter into branch vessels in a cryogel abdominal aortic phantom. This was repeated under MR imaging guidance without magnetic assistance and under conventional x-ray fluoroscopy. MR experiments were performed at 1.5T using a balanced steady-state free precession sequence. The mean procedure times and percentage catheterization success data were determined and analyzed with a linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results The catheter was clearly visible under real-time MRI. One hundred ninety-two (80%) of 240 turns were successfully completed with magnetically assisted guidance versus 144 (60%) of 240 turns with non-assisted guidance (P = 0.001) and 119 (74%) of 160 turns with standard X-ray guidance (P = 0.028). Mean procedure time was shorter with magnetically assisted than with non-assisted guidance under MRI (37 seconds vs 55 seconds, P = 0.001), and time was similar between magnetically assisted and standard x-ray guidance (37 seconds vs 44 seconds, P = 0.045). When stratified by angle of branch vessel, magnetic assistance was faster than nonassisted MRI guidance at turns of 45°, 60°, and 75°. Conclusion In this study, a MARC catheter for endovascular navigation under real-time MRI guidance was developed and tested. For catheterization of branch vessels arising at large angles, magnetically assisted catheterization was faster than manual catheterization under MR imaging guidance and was comparable to standard x-ray guidance. This represents a significant advance in MRI guided catheterization and brings the performance of MRI guided stroke interventions closer to clinical reality. Disclosures S. Hetts: 1; C; NIH-NIBIB, NIH-NCI, Siemens, Covidien. 2; C; Stryker, Penumbra, Silk Road Medical, Medina Medical. 4; C; Medina Medical, ChemoFilter. A. Losey: None. P. Lillaney: None. D. Cooke: 1; C; Siemens. 4; C; Viket. B. Thorne: None. M. Saeed: None. R. Arenson: None. M. Wilson: None.


HIV seroprevalence among people with serious mental illness has increased substantially in recent years. Although the prevalence of HIV behavioral risk factors has been well documented, few researchers have chosen to investigate the impact that psychopathology may have on HIV risk behavior. A review of the literature on psychiatric diagnoses related to HIV sexual risk reveals that bipolar disorder and perhaps schizophrenia are related to increased HIV risk. Further, persons in whom both Axis I and Axis II disorders are diagnosed appear to be at greater HIV behavioral risk. Research on psychiatric symptoms shows that illness severity may vary in its relation to HIV risk according to the specific symptoms present and that excited and possibly positive symptoms may be predictors of HIV sexual risk behavior. However, there is a need for research to elucidate these relationships. Future efforts that will add most to the literature will include examinations of psychiatric symptoms and illness severity, adequate sample sizes, statistical tests showing prediction of HIV risk behavior rather than the correlation with it, controls for substance abuse or dependence, and comparisons of psychopathology across HIV-positive and HIV-negative persons.


The growing number of studies on ICT innovation experiences in the justice sector report a few easy successes and, far more frequently, difficult (and long) struggles to overcome multiple and often unexpected problems. Empirical analysis shows that these problems are the result of the complex interplay between technological, institutional, organizational and normative components of e-justice. What has been discovered is that the techno-institutional systems that are developed in the making of e-justice need not to be just technically functional, but also institutionally, organizationally and normatively compatible with the justice system. As the implementation of such systems breaks established practices and shared visions of what should be done, how and by whom, innovation requires the re-establishment of such agreements in the new situation. Cognitive, social and institutional features of the domain in which the innovation takes place thus play a paramount role in the innovation effort. This paper shows the interesting case of the development of an e-filing system, TeleRecours, in the French administrative justice sector. The system has been developed following a functional simplification strategy to cope with the technological, organizational and normative complexity of the endeavour. Such a strategy had been successfully adopted by several Northern European countries, but generally it had not been followed in Continental Europe, where much less successful attempts to create functional equivalents of paper-based procedures had been made. As the paper will attempt to explain, the functional simplification approach allowed the French justice administration to develop a functioning technology which is appreciated by the limited number of those who use it but that, due to its incapability of attaining institutional compatibility, is failing to exit the experimental phase.


A competitive fluorescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cFELISA) was developed for the highly sensitive detection of fumonisin B1 (FB1) based on the catalase (CAT)-regulated fluorescence quenching of mercaptopropionic acid-modified CdTe quantum dots (MPA-QDs). We propose a system that uses an FB1-labeled CAT (FB1–CAT) as a competing antigen for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) decomposition, and H2O2-sensitive MPA-QDs were adopted provided the signal output of the cFELISA. Various parameters that could influence the sensitivity of cFELISA, including the labeled molar ratio of FB1 to CAT in FB1–CAT, concentration of the anti-FB1 monoclonal antibodies and FB1–CAT, hydrolysis time of CAT to H2O2, and the pH and methanol concentration in the sample solution, were optimized. The developed cFELISA exhibits a favorable dynamic linear quantitative detection of FB1 over the range of 0.39–12.50 ng mL−1 under the optimized detection conditions. The half maximal inhibitory concentration and limit of detection were 1.95 and 0.33 ng mL−1, respectively, which were approximately 10- and 15-fold lower than those of a horseradish peroxidase-based colorimetric ELISA. The recovery of intra- and inter-assays for FB1-spiked corn samples ranged from 80.9% to 87.7% and 85.8% to 93.1%, with a coefficient of variation ranging from 5.5% to 8.6% and 11.5% to 17.4%, respectively. Moreover, the proposed cFELISA exhibited negligible cross-reaction with other common mycotoxins. The reliability of the proposed method was further confirmed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The proposed method displays remarkable potential for the rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective detection of mycotoxins or analytes with applications in food quality control and safety monitoring.


Purpose Several publications have investigated the association between the Cyclin D1 G to A substitution at nucleotide 870 (CCND1 G870A) polymorphism and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT), but their conclusions still remain controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to precisely evaluate this association. Patients and methods We electronically searched the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, and Embase (up to January 2015) databases for case–control studies on the association between the CCND1 G870A polymorphism and SCC of the UADT, and 23 studies were included in total. Results The meta-analysis results showed that there was a significant association between the CCND1 G870A polymorphism and the risk of SCC of the UADT (AA vs GG: odds ratio [OR] =1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.01–1.74, P<0.001 for heterogeneity; GA/AA vs GG: OR =1.24, 95% CI =1.01–1.51, P<0.001 for heterogeneity; AA vs GA/GG: OR =1.16, 95% CI =0.97–1.39, P<0.001 for heterogeneity; allele A vs allele G: OR =1.14, 95% CI =1.00–1.30, P<0.001 for heterogeneity; GA vs GG: OR =1.18, 95% CI =0.98–1.42, P<0.001 for heterogeneity). However, when analyzing prognosis, allele G was a potential risk factor for poor tumor differentiation (AA vs GA/GG: OR =2.60, 95% CI =1.15–5.86, P=0.836 for heterogeneity) and reduced disease-free intervals (OR =2.08, 95% CI =1.17–3.69, P=0.134 for heterogeneity). In the subgroup analysis, the cancer susceptibility of Asian groups, population-based control groups, nasopharyngeal cancer groups, and esophageal SCC groups were more likely to be affected by the CCND1 G870A polymorphism. No significant publication bias was found in our analysis (P=0.961 for Egger's test and P=0.245 for Begg's test). Conclusion The results of the present meta-analysis suggest that the variant CCND1 870A allele might confer an elevated risk of SCC of the UADT, particularly among Asians and individuals who have esophageal or nasopharyngeal cancers. Moreover, the CCND1 870A allele might also confer better tumor differentiation grades and longer disease-free intervals.


It is generally accepted that implantation morphologically consists of the establishment of a contact between the blastocyst and the uterine tissues. During this contact and interaction process, many physiological, biochemical and ultrastructural factors are involved. The aim of this study was to describe the ultrastructure of connection complexes between mural trophoblast cells in the blastocystic ring in the rat. Implantation sites obtained from rats on day 5 of pregnancy were studied ultrastructurally. Connected complexes were observed between mural trophoblast cells in different three types: a) dense long line connection; b) desmosome–like sturctures; c) regular suture–like interdigitation resembling parallel railings. According to the ultrastructural evidence, the trohoblast cells, exhibiting different features, suggest structural changes according to their functions.


Countries who adopted regulation of coal-fired power plants after 1980 generally did so at a much lower level of per-capita income than did early adopters -- poor countries regulated sooner. This phenomenon suggests that pioneering adopters of environmental regulation provide an advantage to countries adopting these regulations later, presumably through advances in technology made by these first adopters. Focusing specifically on regulation of coal-fired power plants, we ask to what extent the availability of new technology influences the adoption of new environmental regulation. We build a general equilibrium model of an open economy to identify the political-economy determinants of the decision to regulate emissions. Using a newly-created data set of SO2 and NOX regulations for coal-fired power plants and a patent-based measure of the technology frontier, we test the model's predictions using a hazard regression of the diffusion of environmental regulation across countries. Our findings support the hypothesis that international economic integration eases access to environmentally friendly technologies and leads to earlier adoption, ceteris paribus, of regulation in developing countries. By limiting firms' ability to burden shift, however, openness may raise opposition to regulation. Our results suggest that domestic trade protection allows costs to be shifted to domestic consumers while large countries can shift costs to foreign consumers, raising the likelihood of adoption. Other political economy factors, such as the quality of domestic coal and election years, are also important determinants.


The fishery for deepwater precious corals in the Hawaiian Islands has experienced an on-and-off history for almost 40 years. In spite of this, research, driven primarily by the precious coral jewelry industry, remains active. In this paper, the results of deepwater surveys in 2000 and 2001 are reported. In summary, a new bed on the summit of Cross Seamount is described and revised estimates of MSY's for pink coral, Corallium secundum; red coral, Corallium regale; and gold coral, Ger ardia sp., in the two known beds off Makapuu, Oahu, and Keahole Point, Hawaii, in the main Hawaiian Islands, are presented. The population dynamics of each species is described, as well as their ecological limits on Hawaii's deep reefs, island shelves, and seamounts. The local supply of precious coral in the main Hawaiian Islands is sufficient to support the local industry, but cost/ benefits of selective harvest requirements and weather constraints limit profitability of the fish


Abstract Female Lewis (LEW) rats received orthotopic small intestinal transplantation (SIT), or tail skin grafts from female (Lewis × Brown Norway)F1 (LBNF1) rats, along with peritransplant portal venous (pv) infusion of LBNF1 bone marrow-derived dendritic cells derived from male donors. All animals received im injection with cyclosporin A (5 mg/kg) for 3 consecutive days following transplantation. In some cases rats received intravenous injections, at 2-day intervals, with 1 mg of monoclonal antibodies to ICAM-1 or the integrins α 4 , α L , or β 2 , or combinations of these reagents. Cells were harvested from the recipient rats at different times posttransplantation, and single cell suspensions were analyzed by FACS for expression of CD3 + , CD4 + , CD8 + , αβTcR + , and γδTcR + cells. Other tissue samples were used for histopathological assessment of rejection. We also investigated donor-specific and third-party (Wistar–Furth, Wi) restimulation of host lymphocytes from MLN, PLN, and PP for production of different cytokines in vitro. Of the various antibodies tested, only anti-α 4 , but not anti-α L , -β 2 , nor -ICAM-1 led to further increased graft survival of LBNF1 SIT beyond that seen with pv-infused cells alone (30 days vs 19 days), while the combination of anti-α L (or β 2 ) and ICAM-1 produced further significantly increased survival of skin grafts (30 days vs 21 days). For both SIT and skin-grafted animals increased graft survival was associated with decreased production of IL-2 and IFN-γ and increased production of IL-4 and IL-10 from tissues local to the graft (PP and draining LN, respectively), with less significant alterations in tissues distant to the graft (PLN for SIT, and MLN for skin grafts). While, as reported previously, pv-immunized SIT rats showed increased γδTCR + cells within the SIT in association with increased graft survival, treatment with anti-α 4 diminished this increase in γδTCR + cells, while simultaneously increasing SIT survival. Nevertheless, the bias toward increased IL-10 production, and decreased IFN-γ production, from cells of animals showing increased survival was maintained. These data suggest that local graft infiltration with γδTCR + cells following pv immunization is not necessary for prolongation of survival in this model system, although functional changes in the local cytokine milieu may be important.


The harmful effects of speech-related anxiety among learners and users of foreign language is well documented. Aiming to investigate the potential of reducing anxiety through ad libitum interaction with Artificial Intelligence chatbots, a controlled pilot study was conducted on East Asian staff of a large financial institution over a 4-week period, the sample of 40 divided between a test group using AI and the non-exposed subjects. Variety of measures were employed to gain as comprehensive an insight as warranted given the study limitations of a small sample, brief study period and relatively unsophisticated but freely available AI chatbot. The measures ranged from surveys of anxiety, attitudes toward daily chatbot usage, oral interviews and IELTS testing of English speaking ability. The results were cautiously encouraging: nearly universal endorsement of AI as a non-threatening interlocutor positively impacting subjects' confidence and to the extent limited by time constraint, enhancing individual components of the IELTS paradigm. Moreover, significant linear relationship between individual anxiety survey items and overall IELTS scores at baseline was observed, lending a measure of validity to the construct developed for the occasion. In summary, it is felt that subject to further development and refinement, conversationally enhanced AI chatbots hold a significant promise toward reducing speech-related anxieties and learning inhibitions of English as a foreign language and thus merit further investigation toward this objective.


ABSTRACT: Objectives: The first objective of this study was to determine how mother-infant sleep duration is related across the first 2 years of life. The second objective was to determine whether these relationships change across the first 2 years of life. The third objective was to understand demographic and health predictors of the relationship between maternal and child sleep. Methods: Parents of 464 infants from the STRONG Kids 2 study reported their own and infants' nocturnal sleep duration and other health information (i.e., breastfeeding) at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months postpartum. Results: Latent transition models revealed 2 mother-infant sleep profiles exist at 3 to 24 months. The low maternal sleep (LMS) pattern was characterized by lower maternal sleep duration than the recommended amount and lower infant sleep duration. The average maternal sleep (AMS) pattern was characterized by average maternal sleep duration meeting the recommended standard and average infant sleep duration. Approximately half of the mothers who started in the LMS profile transitioned to the AMS profile after 12 months postpartum. The sleep profiles stabilized after 12 months postpartum with limited transitions across 12 to 24 months. More infant-signaled nighttime wakings, later bedtimes, more infant sleep problems, and more exclusive breastfeeding were predictors of being in the LMS profile. Conclusion: Mother-infant sleep profiles stabilized after age 12 months, and mother-infant sleep profiles are driven by infant sleep quality during the night. The findings suggest the need to establish a healthy sleep routine for mothers and infants in the first year of life to promote longer-term sleep hygiene.


1. The electrical potential across the isolated midgut of five developmental stages of the Cecropia silkworm was studied by changing the concentration of single cations in solutions bathing each side of the midgut. The stages included feeding fourth-instar insects, insects moulting from the fourth to the fifth instar, feeding fifth-instar insects, insects which had evacuated their midguts, and insects spinning cocoons. 2. Average values of the initial maximal potential exhibited by the midgut in solutions containing K, Mg, and Ca but no Na, for the stages mentioned above, were 68, 83, 90, 124, and 2 mV., respectively. 3. In all of the developmental stages studied except the 'spinning larva', reducing the potassium concentration from 32 to 2 mM/l. on the blood-side of the isolated gut lowers the potential, on the lumen-side of the gut raises the potential and on both sides gives an intermediate value. 4. When the potential prior to a decrease in concentration of potassium on the blood-side is over 100 mV., the Nernst slope approaches 59 mV. 5. A tenfold reduction in the concentration of magnesium or the addition of 32 mM/l. sodium to the solutions bathing the isolated gut has no systematic effect on the potential. 6. A tenfold drop in the concentration of calcium in the solutions causes changes in the potential in the opposite direction from those predicted by the Nernst equation. 7. The pH of the midgut contents rises from early fourth instar to late fifth instar. The hydrogen-ion concentration of the blood is about 1000 times more than that of midgut contents in fifth-instar insects. 8. Neither synthetic ecdysone, partially purified natural ecdysone nor juvenile hormone has an effect on the potential or current of the isolated midgut over periods as long as 30 min.


Over 3000 years ago, Nefertari, the favourite queen of Ramesses II, was buried in a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Queens. The discovery of the tomb by Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1904 began a process of drastic deterioration which remained unchecked until 1988 when emergancy consolidation and restoration began. This guide takes the reader through each chamber, describing the hieroglyphic messages depicted in the wall paintings, and discussing the images within the context of religious beliefs. An insight is offered into the life of Nefertari and the Valley of the Queens, and on the development and symbolism of royal tombs generally and their construction and decoration. The author discusses the discovery and degradation of the tomb, and the crucial role of the getty Conservation Institute in restoring and stabilizing the wall paintings. The dangers and risks to such tombs in the future are also addressed.


Video call capabilities in 3G mobile handsets and higher data rate in HSPA networks are fuelling resurgence in video telephony. This enables the delivery of exciting video applications to subscribers. The addition of Interactive Voice and Video Response (IVVR) opens up a wide stream of interactive video applications. In this paper we present a comparative study on the encoding tools and the techniques used to store and stream video on demand to subscribers. The paper presents the performance results obtained on a IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) based Next Generation Network test-setup connected to a live operator network. These results are based on the Quality of Experience (QoE) that end user perceive. These results can help service operators to deliver content rich applications to the end users as per their expectations. Quality of Experience, Next Generation Networks, Video Streaming Applications


Tentative Prune-and-Search for Computing Fixed-Points with Applications to Geometric Computation Motivated by problems in computational geometry, we investigate the complexity of finding a fixed-point of the composition of two or three continuous functions that are defined piecewise. We show that certain cases require nested binary search taking Theta(log^2(n)) time. Others can be solved in logarithmic time by using a prune-and-search technique that may make tentative discards and later revoke or certify them. This work finds application in optimal subroutines that compute approximations to convex polygons, dense packings, and Voronoi vertices for Euclidean and polygonal distance functions.


Gamma-tubulin, a protein critical for microtubule assembly, functions within multiprotein complexes. However, little is known about the respective role of gamma-tubulin partners in metazoans. For the first time in a multicellular organism, we have investigated the function of Dgrip84, the Drosophila orthologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gamma-tubulin-associated protein Spc97p. Mutant analysis shows that Dgrip84 is essential for viability. Its depletion promotes a moderate increase in the mitotic index, correlated with the appearance of monopolar or unpolarized spindles, impairment of centrosome maturation, and increase of polyploid nuclei. This in vivo study is strengthened by an RNA interference approach in cultured S2 cells. Electron microscopy analysis suggests that monopolar spindles might result from a failure of centrosome separation and an unusual microtubule assembly pathway via centriolar triplets. Moreover, we point to an involvement of Dgrip84 in the spindle checkpoint regulation and in the maintenance of interphase microtubule dynamics. Dgrip84 also seems essential for male meiosis, ensuring spindle bipolarity and correct completion of cytokinesis. These data sustain that Dgrip84 is required in some aspects of microtubule dynamics and organization both in interphase and mitosis. The nature of a minimal gamma-tubulin complex necessary for proper microtubule organization in the metazoans is discussed.


It is difficult to make a retrospective diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia in symptomatic neonates delivered non-institutionally. We studied serum creatine kinase muscle-brain fraction (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and glutamic pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) for differentiating asphyxiated (n=25) from non-asphyxiated (n=20) neonates who present with non-specific signs of sickness. CK-MB was assayed at 8 and 24 h; and LDH, SGOT and SGPT at 72 h of life. On comparing cases and controls, median 8-hr CK-MB [80 U/L vs. 26 U/L respectively, P< 0.001], median 24-hr CK-MB [33.5 U/L vs. 21.5 U/L respectively, P=0.009] and median LDH [965 U/L vs. 168 U/L respectively, P< 0.001] were higher in asphyxiated neonates. Raised LDH had 100% sensitivity, while CK-MB had 100% specificity for asphyxia. LDH had the highest area under ROC curve (0.998). We conclude that LDH at 72 hr of life is most accurate at differentiating asphyxiated from non-asphyxiated symptomatic neonates.


Physical and biogeochemical processes that influence primary production set Earth's carbon and heat budgets. While these processes have long been the focus of research, high resolution models to investigate local phenomena have only recently been developed, and two-way coupling between oceanic physics and biology is only recently getting attention due to computational power. With these new developments, it is possible to study the mechanisms through which these processes interact at both global and regional scales to shape Earth's climate, which is the goal of this paper. This paper introduces oceanic physical phenomena at submesoscales to global scales –like mixed layer depth and turbulent structures–and the relationship of smaller scale events with biological factors. It discusses the implications of these relationships for primary production. After an introductory explanation of turbulence, primarily in the form of eddies and fronts, and the effects of internal instability and surface forcing, this paper emphasizes the contributions of those phenomena (turbulence, internal instability, and surface forcing)to vertical velocities and the influence of vertical transport on biology. Next, it introduces biogeochemical feedbacks, concerning both large scale population dynamics and increased absorption of radiation at the submesoscale, to consider their impacts on physical dynamics and regional climates. Finally, the paper compiles equations of irradiance and variables of significance, suggesting terms that could produce meaningful responses to variations in phytoplankton populations. The paper highlights the importance of understanding physical-biogeochemical relationships and suggests directions for future research, particularly areas related to global warming or abrupt climate change.


The authors report a case of pityriasis versicolor circinata whose isolated etiologic agent was Malassezia sympodialis in a 34-year-old woman. The isolation and identification of Malassezia sympodialis were accomplished with modified Dixon's agar, and the molecular method used to confirm the species was polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP).


The popularity of open source tools is constantly increasing, as they offer the possibility to quickly create and use visualizations of arbitrary data sources. As the positive effects of uncertainty communication to all kinds of visualizations were discussed over the past years in the academic world, this work examines the uncertaintyawareness of open source solutions. Through a categorization and classification of available tools, this paper identifies the problems in uncertainty-awareness of available open source solutions. To solve this problem, a new paradigm of data handling that extends raw datasets by its uncertainty is suggested.


The electronic and topological properties of alpha-Sn (a-Sn) and HgTe and their low-dimensional systems are studied by means of ab-initio calculations. The used approximate quasiparticle theory including spin-orbit coupling (SOC) gives the correct band ordering, band gap and SOC-splitting for bulk a-Sn, HgTe and CdTe. Calculating the topological invariants, a-Sn and HgTe are shown to be topological insulators, whereas CdTe is identified as trivial insulator. These findings suggest the occurrence of the quantum-spin Hall (QSH) phase in the respective low-dimensional systems, which is characterized by topologically protected spin-polarized edge-of surface states. For a-Sn nanocrystals, a topological transition indicated by an inversion of the electronic level-ordering for a certain critical diameter is found. In addition, the diameter-dependent optical absorption-and emission properties are investigated in detail. In a-Sn(001) surfaces, the occurrence of spin-polarized topological surface states, although inside the inverted bulk band gap is demonstrated in agreement to recent angle-resolved photoemission studies. The investigation of HgTe/CdTe and a-Sn/CdTe quantum-well (QW) structures shows a topological transition from the topological trivial insulating state into a non-trivial QSH insulator with increasing QW thickness. The spatial localization of the wave functions near the interfaces and the spin polarization are demonstrated for the edge states for QWs with thicknesses near the critical one. They do not depend on the QW orientation and are therefore topologically protected. We show that the inclusion of inversion symmetry, the non-axial rotation symmetry of the QWs, and the real QW barriers lead to some agreement but also significant deviations from the predictions within toy models. Real structure effects becom most improtant in a-Sn/CdTe(001) Qws, where the QSH phase is suppressed by an intrinsic electrostatic saw-tooth potential.


The interstitial waters of many sediments are saturated with methane derived from the decay of included organic material. Further generation of methane or local pressure reduction resuilts in sediment dilation and loss of sediment stability. The grains of sediment separated by gas behave in toto as an elastic fluid, and typical " slumping structures " result.


This study examines the presence of nonconvexity and multiple extrema in the feasible region defined by the concentration response function. The response function is defined in the context of concentration constraints imposed on groundwater quality management models and is constructed assuming that concentration constraints are imposed at every node in a numerical grid. The groundwater system is represented by a homogeneous numerical simulation model. The response function is graphically depicted as a function of pumping rates at two wells. The dependence of the response function on simulation model and management model characteristics is examined by varying dimensionless parameter values. This study shows that the response surface is nonconvex and contains multiple local extrema over a wide range of parameter values. These features of the surface are most prominent at the transitions from extraction to injection pumping, Binding constraints often occur at or near low-velocity zones.


The pathogenic, free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri is the causative agent of human primary amebic meningoencephalitis. N. fowleri has been isolated from thermally elevated aquatic environments worldwide, but temperature factors associated with occurrence of the amoeba remain undefined. In this study, a newly created cooling reservoir (Clinton Lake, Illinois) was surveyed for Naegleria spp. before and after thermal additions from a nuclear power plant. Water and sediment samples were collected from heated and unheated arms of the reservoir and analyzed for the presence of thermophilic Naegleria spp. and pathogenic N. fowleri. Amoebae were identified by morphology, in vitro cultivation, temperature tolerance, mouse pathogenicity assay, and DNA restriction fragment length analysis. N. fowleri was isolated from the thermally elevated arm but not from the ambient-temperature arm of the reservoir. The probability of isolating thermophilic Naegleria and pathogenic N. fowleri increased significantly with temperature. Repetitive DNA restriction fragment profiles of the N. fowleri Clinton Lake isolates and a known N. fowleri strain of human origin were homogeneous.


Introduction Despite extensive investigations on the task-dependency of neuromuscular fatigue after several types of exercise, hardly anything is known about central and peripheral factors of fatigue after rowing. In rowing, approximately 70% of total muscle mass is involved due to the fact that upper and lower body muscles work synchronised during the rowing stroke.1 In particular, the quadriceps muscle is identified as a major contributor to propulsion of the rowing boat by pushing against the foot stretcher.2 The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a 2000-m rowing time-trial on indices of quadriceps muscle fatigue. Methods Eight competitive rowers (4 males, 4 females, 20 ± 4 years) performed a 2000-m time-trial on an indoor rower and a control condition (sitting). Neuromuscular function of the quadriceps muscle was analysed before and after each experimental condition. Maximal voluntary torque, voluntary activation estimated via interpolated twitch technique and normalised root mean square of the EMG signal (RMS·M–1) were assessed during maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs). Furthermore, potentiated quadriceps twitch torque and maximal M-wave amplitudes in response to electrical nerve stimulation were recorded. Results After 2000-m rowing, there were significant reductions in isometric and concentric maximal voluntary torque (–20%–18%, P < 0.01). Both voluntary activation during isometric and concentric MVCs were significantly decreased after rowing (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant change in quadriceps twitch torque after rowing. For the control condition, indices of central and peripheral fatigue were not significantly different from baseline values (all P > 0.05). Discussion The 2000-m rowing time-trial induced considerable quadriceps muscle fatigue. Data further revealed a major contribution of central factors to quadriceps muscle fatigue after rowing as indicated by significant reductions in voluntary activation and quadriceps RMS·M–1. Interestingly, previous studies have typically shown that less central, but rather peripheral mechanisms contribute to quadriceps muscle fatigue after short-duration endurance exercise [3]. We hypothesise, in this regard, that the strong impairments in voluntary drive to quadriceps are possibly related to a "spill-over" of central fatigue from the great amount of simultaneously working muscles. This effect might be attributable to the ensemble feedback of inhibitory group III/IV muscle afferents.4 References Steinacker J. J Appl Physiol1993;84:3–10. Soper C, Hume PA. Sports Med2004;34:825–48. Thomas K, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc2015;47:537–46. Sidhu SK, et al. J Physiol2014;592:5011–24.


Rural inhabitants of Venezuela, Ecuador and Honduras were examined by volunteer optometry student interns. The resulting data indicate significantly lower best-corrected distance visual acuities, a greater prevalence of many ocular pathologies, less frequent occurrence of myopia, and an earlier onset of presbyopia than is found in the general United States population.


Plastic pipe reinforced by cross helically wound steel wires, namely, PSP, is a new plastic-matrix steel composite pipe developed in China recently were theoretically and experimentally investigated herein. Although the steel wires carry most of the loading in a linear elastic way, time-dependent behavior was demonstrated in PSP, and was then the subject of further analysis and description. Based on the structural features of PSP and the viscoelastic behaviors of the matrix, a three-layer viscoelastic model was proposed to identify time-dependent elastic stresses and strains for PSP subjected to internal pressure. The experimental results showed that the hoop strain decreased slowly, while the axial strain increased by 0.16% in 14,000 min at constant internal pressure. Good agreement between theoretical results and experimental data demonstrated that the three-layer viscoelastic model was able to predict the time-dependent relationship of stress and strain. Finally the effects of the steel-wire volume fraction and the winding angle on the creep behavior of PSPs subjected to an internal pressure were analyzed.


In this study, the relationship between non-invasively measured cardiovascular signal entropy and global cognitive performance was explored in a sample of community-dwelling older adults from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), both cross-sectionally at baseline (n = 4525; mean (SD) age: 61.9 (8.4) years; 54.1% female) and longitudinally. We hypothesised that signal disorder in the cardiovascular system, as quantified by short-length signal entropy during rest, could provide a marker for cognitive function. Global cognitive function was assessed via Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) across five longitudinal waves (8 year period; n = 4316; mean (SD) age: 61.9 (8.4) years; 54.4% female) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) across two longitudinal waves (4 year period; n = 3600; mean (SD) age: 61.7 (8.2) years; 54.1% female). Blood pressure (BP) was continuously monitored during supine rest at baseline, and sample entropy values were calculated for one-minute and five-minute sections of this data, both for time-series data interpolated at 5 Hz and beat-to-beat data. Results revealed significant associations between BP signal entropy and cognitive performance, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results also suggested that as regards associations with cognitive performance, the entropy analysis approach used herein potentially outperformed more traditional cardiovascular measures such as resting heart rate and heart rate variability. The quantification of entropy in short-length BP signals could provide a clinically useful marker of the cardiovascular dysregulations that potentially underlie cognitive decline.


Research in the field of countering violent extremism (CVE) has grown significantly in the last few decades. This research project contributes to the CVE literature by studying narratives as tools of reflections on self-identity designed intentionally within gaming exercises to help contextualize and account for as much environmental complexity as possible. This paper provides theoretical understandings of narratives (and their role in our lives), discusses narratives as they relate to violent extremist ideologies, and proposes how narrative reflections may serve as a deradicalization tool within cooperative games. Additionally, this article highlights elements of narrative reflection within current CVE resources and provides a list of exercises (games) that can be used in the field to promote narrative reflections.


The R package spate implements methodology for modeling of large space-time data sets. A spatio-temporal Gaussian process is defined through a stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE) which is solved using spectral methods. In contrast to the traditional geostatistical way of relying on the covariance function, the spectral SPDE approach is computationally tractable and provides a realistic space-time parametrization. This package aims at providing tools for simulating and modeling of spatio-temporal processes using an SPDE based approach. The package contains functions for obtaining parametrizations, such as propagator or innovation covariance matrices, of the spatio-temporal model. This allows for building customized hierarchical Bayesian models using the SPDE based model at the process stage. The functions of the package then provide computationally efficient algorithms needed for doing inference with the hierarchical model. Furthermore, an adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm implemented in the package can be used as an algorithm for doing inference without any additional modeling. This function is flexible and allows for application specific customizing. The MCMC algorithm supports data that follow a Gaussian or a censored distribution with point mass at zero. Spatio-temporal covariates can be included in the model through a regression term.


In a large-scale mutagenesis screen in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, we have identified a heterogeneous group of 30 recessive, embryonic lethal mutations characterized by degeneration in the developing central nervous system that is either transient or initially localized to one area of the brain. Transient degeneration is defined as abnormal cell death occurring during a restricted period of development. Following degeneration, the affected structures do not appear to regenerate. In each case degeneration is identified after somitogenesis is complete and is not associated with visually identified patterning defects. These 30 mutations, forming 21 complementation groups, have been classified into four phenotypic groups: group 1, transient degeneration (13 mutations); group 2, spreading degeneration, early onset, in which degeneration is initially confined to the optic tectum but subsequently spreads to other areas of the central nervous system (7 mutations); group 3, late-onset degeneration, initially identified after 4 days (6 mutations); and group 4, degeneration with abnormal pigmentation (4 mutations). Although apoptotic cells are seen in the retina and tectum of all mutants, the distribution, temporal progression, and severity of degeneration vary between mutations. Several mutations also show pleiotropic effects, with degeneration involving extraneural structures including the pharyngeal arches and pectoral fins. We discuss some of the pathways important for cell survival in the nervous system and suggest that these mutations will provide entry points for identifying genes that affect the survival of restricted neural populations.


Liquid‐infused silicones are a promising solution for common surface adhesion problems, such as ice accumulation and biofilm formation, yet they generally lack the tunability, mechanical durability and/or longevity essential for industrial applications. Self‐stratifying porous silicones (SPS) infused with compatible silicone oil are developed as a passive strategy to address these shortcomings. Through emulsion templating, porosity is formed in the bulk polymer, providing increased free volume for oil infusion, while a non‐porous skin layer is formed at the surface. The bulk porosity and pore size distribution of SPS are independently controlled by varying water and surfactant concentration respectively, leading to a higher volume of oil infusion and improved oil retention relative to an unmodified silicone. Despite a higher oil loading and bulk porosity, the skin layer provides liquid‐infused SPS with a comparable surface elasticity to liquid‐infused silicones. The potential of liquid‐infused SPS as a nontoxic fouling release coating for marine applications is demonstrated using laboratory assays against a variety of soft and hard fouling organisms.


The use of poultry manure and maggot for pond fertilization and fish food respectively, are age-long aquaculture practices to improve productivity. This study investigated the bacterial load, and frequencies of occurrence in fish raised using poultry manure and maggot.
A total of 200 Clarias gariepinus (average weight, 150 ± 0.92 g) were each stocked into four earthen ponds (Dimension 20 × 13 m2, each). Ponds A and B were prepared but not fertilized, while Pond C and D were prepared and fertilized with poultry manure. Ponds A and C were fed commercial diet, while ponds B and D were fed maggot at 3% body weight for 6 weeks. Microbial assay of the culture water, skin and gut of experimental fish were carried out to determine the microbial load, species identification and frequency of occurrence. The effect on water quality parameters was investigated.
Results of the assay showed a higher bacterial count in the water sample, skin and gut of fish from C group (9.30 × 104, 2.50 × 104 and 2.11 × 106 cfu/ml/cm2/g respectively) while the least was recorded in B (4.43 × 102, 2.91 × 103 and 6.4 × 105 cfu/ml/ cm2/g for water sample, skin and gut respectively). Basillus spp., Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Micrococcus spp were isolated from the fish and water, with high frequency of occurrence recorded for Salmonella spp, Bacillus spp and Micrococcus spp in the skin and guts of C and D groups.
The result of this study revealed increase in the bacterial load in pond water, fish skin and gut as a result of fertilization with poultry manure.


Genetic polymorphisms influence the magnitude of the cytokine response after an inflammatory stimulus. To determine whether such polymorphisms might play a role in Kawasaki disease (KD), we analyzed white and Japanese children with KD and control populations for two polymorphic loci in which the A allele is associated with high tumor necrosis factor-α secretion. The lymphotoxin-α+250 A/A genotype was overrepresented among white children with KD compared with controls (0.59 versus 0.36;p = 0.013). The tumor necrosis factor-α−308 A/G genotype was overrepresented among whites with KD who had coronary artery abnormalities compared with those with normal echocardiograms (0.36 versus 0.09;p = 0.044). No significant difference was seen at either locus between Japanese children with KD and Japanese controls. The increased frequency of the high secretor alleles in white children with KD suggests that these loci may be related to susceptibility to KD and to outcome after disease.


Abstract In many lower animals, germ cell formation, migration, and maintenance depend on maternally provided determinants in germ plasm. In zebrafish, these processes have been extensively studied in terms of RNA-binding proteins and other coding genes. The role of small non-coding RNAs in the regulation of primordial germ cell (PGC) development remains largely unknown and poorly investigated, even though growing interests for the importance of miRNAs involved in a wide variety of biological processes. Here, we reported the role and mechanism of the germ plasm-specific miRNA miR-202-5p in PGC migration: (i) both maternal loss and knockdown of miR-202-5p impaired PGC migration indicated by the mislocalization and reduced number of PGCs; (ii) cdc42se1 was a direct target gene of miR-202-5p, and overexpression of Cdc42se1 in PGCs caused PGC migration defects similar to those observed in loss of miR-202-5p mutants; (iii) Cdc42se1 not only interacted with Cdc42 but also inhibited cdc42 transcription, and overexpression of Cdc42 could rescue PGC migration defects in Cdc42se1 overexpressed embryos. Thus, miR-202-5p regulates PGC migration by directly targeting and repressing Cdc42se1 to protect the expression of Cdc42, which interacts with actin to direct PGC migration.


Tsukuba College of Technology is the first national university established as an institute of higher education for the visually and hearing impaired. We have been systematically conducting a University Personality Inventory (UPI) survey on our students since 1989 to understand their mental health. In this study, we compared the UPI scores of the new students of Tsukuba College of Technology in 1993 and 1994 with unimpaired students from the University of Tsukuba (control group), but found no significant difference in the UPI scores of the visually impaired and the control group. However, we noticed a significant difference in the average UPI scores between the hearing impaired and the control group. The visually impaired group were divided into four subgroups, UPI scores descended in order from degree 1 (total blindness), to degrees 2 and 3 (amblyopia), to degree 4 (visual acuity 0.3). The UPI scores of the degree 4 subgroup were significantly lower than those of the control group. An investigation of the items for which the check rate was at least 50% showed that the visually impaired students had a variety of psychological problems, most of which seemed to concern depression or anxiety as did the normal control group. The number of affirmative responses increased with low visual acuity. The only one belonging to the `lie' scale item was observed in the group of hearing impaired students. Thus, comparing these three groups from the viewpoint of mental health, we noticed the hearing impaired group was slightly different from the other two groups, but the visually impaired group was similar to the normal control group.


This research project investigated the potential in using a Wi‐Fi sensor network composed of Open Mesh
sensor nodes to measure both localized and non‐localized occupants in the Architecture Building at Ryerson University with two different sensor node configurations. It also experimented with the use of Raspberry Pi, a low‐cost infrared motion sensor, as a people counter. The results show that the proposed sensor network is not capable of measuring non‐localized (transient) occupants due to their short duration of stay in the measurement area. The number of non‐localized occupants and their duration of stay can be more accurately measured by the people counter. As for localized (in one location for longer periods) occupants, the results find that while the proposed system cannot provide an accurate occupant count, it can produce a fairly accurate overall occupancy pattern under both perimeter node and single node configurations


Background Voriconazole (VCZ) is a triazole antifungal agent widely used in immunocompromised patients with suspected or proved invasive fungal infection. The achievement of therapeutic range (1–5 mg/L) is clinically important to maximise VCZ efficacy. Many factors are known to influence its pharmacokinetics characterised by a wide inter and intra-individual variability in trough concentrations (age, genotype, comedications.). VCZ is metabolised primarily by CYP2C19 producing the main metabolite, N-oxide VCZ, pharmacologically inactive but potentially responsible for the occurrence of toxicities. Polymorphisms on 2 C19 gene induce different phenotypes impacting the VCZ plasma levels. Our objectives are to evaluate the variability of voriconazole trough concentrations and identify practical issues to optimise and interpret such monitoring data in children and adolescents with oncohaematological disease. Methods Children (<18 years old) with oncohaematological disease treated with VCZ for documented or suspected invasive fungal infection who had samples drawn for VCZ monitoring from January 2014 to December 2016 were included in the study. Demographic data (age, sex, weight, initial disease and biological parameters) were collected for each patient from medical prescription or informatic extraction. Indication of VCZ, detailed treatment and monitoring data were also collected. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v24.0. For some analysis, patients were divided in two group based on prescription recommendations: Group 1 (G1) included children<2 years, 2–12 years and 12–14 years<50 kg and Group 2 (G2) included adolescents>12–14 years>50 kg (instead of 40 kg) and adolescents>14 years>40 kg. Results A total of 380 trough concentrations at steady state (C0,ss) were identified in 79 patients (46 girls and 33 boys), 126 concentrations had to be excluded (66 were not at steady state, 22 were not trough levels, 38 had incomplete medical or biological information). Median age at the initiation of VCZ was 9 (1–16.5) years. The majority of patients had acute leukaemia (60.8%) and received VCZ after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Median oral doses in G1 was 8.1 (2.5–13.8) mg/kg (n=38) vs 3.9 (2.4–6.0) mg/kg (n=13) in G2. Median intravenous doses in G1 was 7.8 (4.2–13.3) mg/kg (n=22) vs 3.7 (2.8–4.6) mg/kg (n=6) in G2. In the global cohort, 45.6% attain therapeutic range at first monitoring, 46.8% had C0,ss below 1 mg/L and 7.6% had C0,ss over 5 mg/L. Forty-one patients were treated with recommended doses but only 53% of them reach therapeutic range. There was no impact of age, sex, biological parameters, indication of VCZ on C0,ss values. The number of C0,ss in the therapeutic range increases with the number of monitoring per pa-tient following dosage adaptation. Conclusion There is a wide variability in VCZ trough con-centrations and our data shows that conditions should be precisely defined. for optimal monitoring. It is necessary to identify factors which contribute to this variability to individualise treatment for each patient and to take them into consideration for establishing a standardised thera-peutic drug monitoring.


Corporate Social responsibility is an overall contribution of business to sustainable development. Many companies have taken Social responsibility seriously in the recent years because they realized the importance of the community in general and the society in particular. Companies were spending towards CSR Activities because they owe towards society. But now the Companies Act 2013 has made it obligatory to do some activities towards welfare of the society. Provided it fulfills some condition of Net Profit, Net Worth and Turnover. Companies tried to bridge the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged of society. This study attempted to assess the performance of Manufacturing Companies towards CSR and to know whether companies are spending towards CSR as per the Standard Requirements of the companies Act 2013. Industries such as cement, iron and steel and mining have been relatively close to 2.0% CSR expenditure after the year 2010-11 compared to the other industries. It is also evident that the industries such as Pharma, Auto, Oil and Gas, FMCG and Chemical have been far away from the 2.0% CSR expenditure throughout the study duration i.e. 2005-06 to 2014-15 compared to the other industries


The influence of non-metallic inclusions on the corrosion resistance of stainless steel of the austenitic-martensitic class, deposited in one layer with flux-cored wire under the flux by the arc method in the mode of stationary and pulsed arc burning, has been studied. In the latter case, the wire feed impulse was 0.5 and 0.7 Hz. The selected surfacing conditions, with both methods of the process, contribute to the formation of non-metallic inclusions of complex composition and structure in the deposited metal, including those containing calcium and its compounds with other elements, which are classified as corrosive, accelerating the occurrence of corrosion phenomena.


Rapid growth in power sector of nation has given the opportunity to power engineers to protect the power equipment for reliable operation during their operating life. It has been seen from the several studies conducted by power engineers that one of the main problem in high voltage power (HV) equipment is the degradation of insulation i.e., quality of insulation of power equipment. As the high voltage power equipments are mainly subjected with spark over voltage causes by the lighting strokes, switching action, a protective device is used for determine the safe clearance required for proper insulation level. The sphere gaps are commonly used for measurements of peak values of high voltages and have been adopted by IEC and IEEE as a calibration device. Generally, the standard sphere gaps are widely used for protective device in electrical power equipments. The sphere gaps are filled up with insulating medium such as liquid insulation (transformer oil), and gas insulation (SF6, N2, CO2, CCl2F2 etc.) in HV power equipments. Normally, air medium is widely used as an insulating medium in different electrical power equipments as its breakdown strength is 30kV/cm. Therefore electrical breakdown characteristic of small air gap under the different applied voltage has its great significance for the design consideration of various air insulated HV equipment. In addition, the effect of breakdown voltage on different insulation like lamiflex, leatheroid, plywood, craft paper, and polyester fiber has also been studied. To observe the effect on insulation due to breakdown mechanism, the insulation samples are collected both before and after breakdown voltage test and analysis has been done with the help of Scanning electron microscope (SEM). To simulate the air breakdown voltage with and without the insulation barrier has been studied experimentally in high voltage laboratory, a standard diameter of 25 cm spheres are used for measurement of air breakdown voltages and electric field of the high voltage equipments. The above experiment is conducted at the normal temperature and pressure. The simulation of such air breakdown voltage has been carried out in the COMSOL environment. Finally, the experimental result has been compared with theoretical, and simulation results.


There are particular similarities in how machines learn about the nature of their environment, and how humans learn to process visual stimuli. Machine Learning (ML), more specifically Deep Neural network algorithms rely on expansive image databases and various training methods (supervised, unsupervised) to "make sense" out of the content of an image. Take for example how students of architecture learn to differentiate various architectural styles. Whether this be to differentiate between Gothic, Baroque or Modern Architecture, students are exposed to hundreds, or even thousands of images of the respective styles, while being trained by faculty to be able to differentiate between those styles. A reversal of the process, striving to produce imagery, instead of reading it and understanding its content, allows machine vision techniques to be utilized as a design methodology that profoundly interrogates aspects of agency and authorship in the presence of Artificial Intelligence in architecture design. This notion forms part of a larger conversation on the nature of human ingenuity operating within a posthuman design ecology. The inherent ability of Neural Networks to process large databases opens up the opportunity to sift through the enormous repositories of imagery generated by the architecture discipline through the ages in order to find novel and bespoke solutions to architectural problems. This article strives to demystify the romantic idea of individual artistic design choices in architecture by providing a glimpse under the hood of the inner workings of Neural Network processes, and thus the extent of their ability to inform architectural design. The approach takes cues from the language and methods employed by experts in Deep Learning such as Hallucinations, Dreaming, Style Transfer and Vision. The presented approach is the base for an in-depth exploration of its meaning as a cultural technique within the discipline. Culture in the extent of this article pertains to ideas such as the differentiation between symbolic and material cultures, in which symbols are defined as the common denominator of a specific group of people.1 The understanding and exchange of symbolic values is inherently connected to language and code, which ultimately form the ingrained texture of any form of coded environment, including the coded structure of Neural Networks. A first proof of concept project was devised by the authors in the form of the Robot Garden. What makes the Robot Garden a distinctively novel project is the motion from a purely two dimensional approach to designing with the aid of Neural Networks, to the exploration of 2D to 3D Neural Style Transfer methods in the design process.


This Article reports the results of a field survey of a judicially initiated ban on plea bargaining in felony prosecutions in El Paso County, Texas. The study is based primarily upon personal interviews with participants in the criminal justice process and a statistical analysis of a random sample of 1,395 felony prosecutions commenced in the district courts during the four-year period from 1974 to 1977 – two years when plea bargaining was practiced and two years after implementation of the purported prohibition in late 1975. It also discusses the reasons for judicial dissatisfaction with the prosecutor's explicit policy toward plea bargaining during the period before the ban. After describing plea bargaining practices before this change in policy, the Article reports the impact of the attempted ban on various facets of the criminal process during the subsequent two-year period. The study focuses on the following questions: (1) Is it possible for a system relying principally upon negotiated pleas to be supplanted by a system relying heavily on adjudication through jury trials? (2) In a system without plea bargaining, are there still substantial numbers of defendants who choose to plead guilty? (3) What effect did the prohibition have on the disposition of indicted cases? (4) How did the ban affect charging practices? (5) What effect did the ban have on case processing time? (6) How did the prohibition affect sentencing practices? Before the ban, had longer sentences been imposed on defendants who pleaded guilty than on those who were convicted by a jury?


Thin films are one the best choice to improve materials properties. Instead of entire replacement of the material in a component, which may be expensive, a coating process is a good option to achieve required properties precisely where they are required. Generally, coating depends on deposition methods which consist of chemical or physical interactions to form a film on substrate surface. Residual internal stresses are generated during cooling stage after deposition process, due to always present difference in thermal expansion coefficient of film and substrate materials. These stresses produce either failure or performance reduction on component utilization. Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate these residual stresses. In this work Raman spectrum behavior was analyzed under different residual stress conditions of DLC films deposited on a 4050 steel/ molybdenum alloy steel substrates. The comparative method used at three different bias tensions of -550, -650 and -750 V showed that residual stress increases with increasing bias voltage. The normal compressive load to produce delamination in scratching test decreased from 16 N to 9 N with bias voltage increase from -550 V to -750 V, as expected due to higher interface stresses.


Resistance to anti-retroviral therapy is one of the main problems in the favorable outcome of treatment in HIV patients, as well as toxicity and adherence to treatment. Resistance has increased in recent years, and it is evaluated through genotyping and phenotypic tests. Information provided by these studies is crucial when deciding the most appropriate treatment. However, genotype interpretation is complex and subject to frequent change, because of the incorporation of new drugs and the appearance of new resistance patterns. This review aims ,understanding the fundamental concepts of antiretroviral resistance (ARV), which examines the general principles, mechanisms and patterns of resistance, both for the traditional family of anti-retrovirals, as well as for the most recently licensed drugs.


: Enabling human operators to interact with robotic agents using natural language would allow non-experts to intuitively instruct these agents. Towards this goal, we propose a novel Transformer-based model which enables a user to guide a robot arm through a 3D multi-step manipulation task with natural language commands. Our system maps images and commands to masks over grasp or place locations, grounding the language directly in perceptual space. In a suite of block rearrangement tasks, we show that these masks can be combined with an existing manipulation framework without re-training, greatly improving learning efficiency. Our masking model is several orders of magnitude more sample efficient than typical Transformer models, operating with hundreds, not millions, of examples. Our modular design allows us to leverage supervised and reinforcement learning, providing an easy interface for experimentation with different architec-tures 2 . Our model completes block manipulation tasks with synthetic commands 530% more often than a UNet-based baseline, and learns to localize actions correctly while creating a mapping of symbols to perceptual input that supports compositional reasoning. We provide a valuable resource for 3D manipulation instruction following research by porting an existing 3D block dataset with crowdsourced language to a simulated environment. Our method's 25 . 3% absolute improvement in identifying the correct block on the ported dataset demonstrates its ability to handle syntactic and lexical variation.


BACKGROUND
The management of invasive candidiasis (IC) remains a major challenge in intensive care units (ICU). On the one hand, it becomes admitted that delayed antifungal is an independent mortality factor. In the other hand, the unreasonable administration of antifungal agents is implicated in emergence of resistant Candida strains.  Aim: to evaluate whether empirical antifungal therapy (EAFT) improves survival at day 28 and prevents a new episode of candidemia in septic patients without proven Candida infection.

METHODS
a 8-years retrospective double cohort, monocentric study, comparing two arms of ICU non neutropenic septic patients without proven fungal infection according to administration or not of an EAFT. The primary outcome was the 28-day mortality and the second was the occurrence of candidemia. The analysis was adjusted on Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Candida score, invasive ventilation and central catheterisation.

RESULTS
  247 patients were included (EAFT group, n=125 and non EAFT group, n=122). No improvement of 28-day survival was found. These results were in accordance both in crude analysis and after adjusting on factors mentioned above. No preventing effect on a new episode of candidemia. Nevertheless, a beneficial effect of EAFT on survival was found in patients with an APACHE II score<16: OR=0.68; CI 95% [0.53-0.87]; p=0.002.

CONCLUSIONS
no beneficial impact of an EAFT on 28- day survival neither in preventing the occurrence of candidemia in non neutropenic septic critically patients. In patients with APACHE II score less than 16, there was a beneficial effect on survival.


BACKGROUND Melasma is a common acquired disorder of hyperpigmentation that commonly affects those with skin of color. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is a novel treatment for melasma that has a multimodal mechanism of action. OBJECTIVE To provide a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the evidence on the mode of action, safety profile, and efficacy of TXA in the treatment of melasma. MATERIALS AND METHODS The literature was searched for publications on TXA in the treatment of melasma using MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar. RESULTS Oral TXA has clearly demonstrated the efficacy for melasma in Asian skin, even in low doses (e.g., 500 mg daily) over short periods (8–12 weeks). It is also a safe therapeutic option, which is easy to administer with few and mild side effects. Studies have shown that TXA does not increase the thromboembolic risk, although patients should be screened carefully for contraindications and risk factors prior to commencement of the therapy. CONCLUSION Oral TXA is a safe and efficacious treatment for refractory melasma. It should be considered in cases that are unresponsive to topical hydroquinone and combination topical therapy over a period of approximately 12 weeks and without contraindications to oral TXA.


ABSTRACT This study investigated the influence of the lower-limb extension mechanical variables (strength variables) on the ippon-seoi-nage kinematic variables (technical variables) in elite judokas. Additionally, we studied the effect of performing ippon-seoi-nage with lower-limb flexion-extension action vs. without it, on the technical and strength variables, as well as on their relationship. Twenty-four male elite judokas were classified into two groups depending on the type of ippon-seoi-nage performed, i.e. with lower-limb flexion-extension action or without it. Mechanical outputs from an incremental loaded countermovement jump test were assessed, as well as kinematic variables transferred to the uke (person who is thrown) during an ippon-seoi-nage technique test. The strength parameters did not positively correlate with the technical ones, showing no transference between the variables studied. Furthermore, the judokas that performed the ippon-seoi-nage with lower-limb flexion-extension action presented lower times in the execution of the technique than the group that did not perform this action. Therefore, the transference from strength parameters to the performance of ippon-seoi-nage is not yet explained, even when considering different technical styles.


A toroidally symmetric tungsten ring inserted in the lower outer divertor of DIII-D was exposed to 25 repeated, attached L-mode shots in reverse- configuration. Radial profiles of the W gross erosion flux inferred in situ from spectroscopic measurements of the WI line (400.9 nm) during these experiments are well reproduced by ERO-D3D simulations of carbon and tungsten impurity erosion, transport and redeposition in the outer divertor region. Tungsten gross erosion is mainly induced by physical sputtering of tungsten by carbon impurities. The outward radial transport of carbon impurities in the outer divertor is shown to be mainly governed by drifts in the sheath region. In addition, the erosion and redeposition of carbon on tungsten, induced by the implantation of carbon into tungsten modeled with the homogeneous mixed material model, increases the effective flux of carbon impurities onto the tungsten ring (carbon recycling on tungsten). The dynamics of carbon implantation in tungsten is shown to be consistent with the plasma shot duration in DIII-D. Moreover, it is shown that the localized deposition of tungsten measured experimentally in the outboard region away from the tungsten ring is caused by the long-range radial transport of tungsten impurities in the outer divertor region induced by the interplay between poloidal and radial drifts. Such experimental measurements might provide direct quantitative estimations of tungsten net erosion. The modeling and analysis of carbon and tungsten erosion and redeposition presented in this paper demonstrates that various physical mechanisms and their synergistic effects need to be taken into account to accurately describe erosion, transport and redeposition of impurities in tokamak divertors.


There is substantial evidence that both inflammation and oxidative damage contribute to the pathogenesis of motor neuron degeneration in the G93A SOD1 transgenic mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Celastrol is a natural product from Southern China, which exerts potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. It also acts potently to increase expression of heat shock proteins including HSP70. We administered it in the diet to G93A SOD1 mice starting at 30 days of age. Celastrol treatment significantly improved weight loss, motor performance and delayed the onset of ALS. Survival of celastrol-treated G93A mice increased by 9.4% and 13% for 2 mg/kg/day and 8 mg/kg/day doses, respectively. Cell counts of lumbar spinal cord neurons confirmed a protective effect, i.e. 30% increase in neuronal number in the lumbar spinal cords of celastrol-treated animals. Celastrol treatment reduced TNF-α, iNOS, CD40, and GFAP immunoreactivity in the lumbar spinal cord sections of celastrol-treated G93A mice compared to untreated G93A mice. TNF-α immunoreactivity co-localized with SMI-32 (neuronal marker) and GFAP (astrocyte marker). HSP70 immunoreactivity was increased in lumbar spinal cord neurons of celastrol-treated G93A mice. Celastrol has been widely used in treating inflammatory diseases in man, and is well tolerated; therefore, it may be a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of human ALS.


We present a case in which Mycobacterium kansasii flexor tenosynovitis caused the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. The diagnosis was made from synovial tissue specimens taken at the time of operation.


The use of detailed balance relationships between absorption and emission to obtain a gain spectrum from a spontaneous emission spectrum is a relatively easy method of measuring the gain from a semiconductor laser. It has been shown that the usual theoretical gain and emission spectra do not satisfy these relationships casting doubt on the validity of the procedure. We show that this arises from the incorrect implementation of spectral broadening that leads to a situation where the carriers and photons are no longer in thermal equilibrium and the relationship between absorption and gain in the calculations breaks down. We show that with a more exact implementation of spectral broadening thermal equilibrium is preserved and that the relationship between absorption and emission remains valid. We discuss the accuracy of the measurements required to obtain a correct gain spectra. >


In this paper, we report the design, synthesis, and optical properties of novel negative-type fluorinated polycarbonate photoresists (FPC-PRs) and their use in thermo-optic switches. The novel polymer films are readily fabricated by spin coating on a silicon wafer followed by irradiation with UV light and post-baking at 110 °C. These films exhibit low roughness, good thermal stability (Td, up to 292 °C), high transparency (up to 97.8% at 400 nm) and high refractive indices (RI, 1.583–1.512 at 1550 nm). Channel optical waveguide and MZI thermo-optic waveguide switch arrays were fabricated based on the direct UV-written technique using the FPC-PR 2. The propagation loss of the channel waveguide was only 0.17 dB cm−1 at 1550 nm. The rise and fall times of the device with an applied 500 Hz square-wave voltage were 837 μs and 381.8 μs, respectively. The applied electric power as the switching power was about 35 mW, and the extinction ratio was measured to be about 14.0 dB.


AIMS
To investigate the effects and interactions of sex and stress (provoked by chronic restraint [RS]) on pain-like behavior in a rat model of trigeminal neuropathic pain.

METHODS
The effects of sex and RS (carried out for 14 days as a model for stress) on somatosensory measures (reaction to pinprick, von Frey threshold) in a rat model of trigeminal neuropathic pain were examined. The study design was 2 × 4, with surgery (pain) and sham surgery (no pain) interacting with male restrained (RS) and unrestrained (nRS) rats and female RS and nRS rats. A total of 64 Sprague Dawley rats (32 males and 32 females) were used. Half of the animals in each sex group underwent RS, and the remaining half were left unstressed. Following the RS period, trigeminal neuropathic pain was induced by unilateral infraorbital nerve chronic constriction injury (IOCCI). Half of the animals in the RS group and half in the nRS group (both males and females) were exposed to IOCCI, and the remaining halves to sham surgery. Elevated plus maze (EPM) assessment and plasma interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels were used to measure the effects of RS. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the effects of stress, sex, and their interactions on plasma IFN-γ levels, changes in body weight, EPM parameters, tactile allodynia, and mechanohyperalgesia. Pairwise comparisons were performed by using Tukey post hoc test corrected for multiple comparisons.

RESULTS
Both male and female RS rats showed significantly altered exploratory behavior (as measured by EPM) and had significantly lower plasma IFN-γ levels than nRS rats. Rats exposed to RS gained weight significantly slower than the nRS rats, irrespective of sex. Following RS but before surgery, RS rats showed significant bilateral reductions in von Frey thresholds and significantly increased pinprick response difference scores compared to nRS rats, irrespective of sex. From 17 days postsurgery, RSIOCCI rats showed significantly reduced von Frey thresholds and significantly increased pinprick response difference scores compared to nRS-IOCCI rats, and the von Frey thresholds were significantly lower in females than in males. RS-sham females-but not RS-sham males-developed persistently reduced thresholds and increased pinprick response difference scores.

CONCLUSION
RS produced an increased bilateral sensitivity to stimuli applied to the vibrissal pad following infraorbital nerve injury, irrespective of sex. This observed sensitivity subsequently persisted in RS-sham female rats but not in RS-sham male rats. Stress induced a significant but moderate increase in pain-like behavior in female rats compared to male rats. RS had no significant sex effects on IFN-γ levels, EPM parameters, or body weight gain. This suggests that stress may have a selective effect on pain-like behavior in both sexes, but the possible mechanisms are unclear.


125 Surgical treatment is considered the last option for chronic tennis elbow. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare treatment with botulinum toxin infiltration of the wrist extensor, a less invasive method, with a surgical wrist extensor release (Hohmann operation). Forty patients were included in the prospective randomized study; one group of patients had surgery (n 20), the other group of patients was treated with botulinum toxin (n 20). The results of evaluations after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months are presented. One year after treatment 13 (65%) patients in the botulinum toxin group and 15 (75%) patients in the operative group had good to excellent results. Two years after treatment 15 patients in the botulinum toxin group (75%) had good to excellent results; four patients had been operated on after initial treatment with botulinum toxin Type A. Seventeen patients in the operative group scored good to excellent (85%) at 2 years. When analyzed with an overall scoring system, no differences were found between the two forms of treatment. Botulinum toxin infiltration, a less invasive technique, may be an alternative for surgical treatment of tennis elbow.


OBJECTIVE
To find historical relics of propagation of Chengjiang acupuncture and moxibustion school of thought abroad in which Cheng Dan' an is representative.

METHODS
Interview Xing Jingqing, Zhao Zhixing, Qiu Rongqing, students of Ph.D. Su Tianyou in Malaysia, who is the third generation of students of Cheng Dan' an, and collect historical materials about practicing medicine and teaching of Ph.D. Su abroad.

RESULTS
Su Tianyou is a student of Zeng Tianzhi, a brilliant disciple of Cheng Dan' an. He practiced medicine in 1939 and established Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medical College of Hong Kong in 1940, and he went to 13 countries and districts such as Asia, America and so on for practicing medicine, running schools. He is respectfully called "father of American acupuncture and moxibustion".

CONCLUSION
Ph.D. Su propagated Chinese medicine abroad, with outstanding achievement in education of medical sciences.


The study presents the results of experimental investigation of finding out the limit concentrations of DBDS and sulfur mercaptan for safe and prolonged operation of power transformers in the local environmental conditions of Saudi Arabia. For experimental investigation of limit concentrations of DBDS and sulfur mercaptan, new oil free of sulfur compounds was acquired. Four specimens of this were spiked with 2.2, 3.9, 5.4 and 10.2 ppm of DBDS and another four with free sulfur mercaptan RSH concentrations of 0.00, 0.52, 1.07, 2.13, and 7.10 ppm. The covered conductor deposition (CCD) tests were performed in accordance with IEC 62535 method on all the specimens. The experimental results indicated that the concentration of DBDS should always be <;5 ppm and sulfur mercaptan <;1 ppm in the new oils before putting in to the service.


This paper presented the on-site test results on two-way RC slabs with and without FRP-strengthening. Two slabs strengthened with BFRP, one slab strengthened with CFRP and one slab without strengthening were tested on a practical engineering structure being repaired. The effects of different load cases on mid-span deflection, distribution of stresses around the steel bars at the top and bottom of slabs were analyzed.


The DfE commissioned CFE Research (CFE) in partnership with the University of Nottingham, Birmingham City University and Edge Hill University to undertake research to build a better understanding of, and document, approaches and strategies to effectively plan and deliver post-16 mathematics and English provision, and how best to engage and teach this group of students. This report summarises the findings from this study and offers insight into what constitutes effective delivery and teaching of English and mathematics for students aged 16 to 18 who did not achieve an A*–C pass in GCSE English and/or mathematics at Key Stage 4.


BACKGROUND
Several malignant tumors and brain abscesses have similar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Because the prognosis and treatment strategies differ among these disorders, accurate preoperative diagnosis is very significant. Recently, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and calculation of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) have been reported to be useful to differentiate between the two disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
MRI and DWI were performed in 37 patients: 13 with glioblastomas, 14 with metastatic tumors, 7 with malignant lymphomas, and 3 with brain abscesses. The minimum ADC value (ADC min ) and mean ADC value (ADC mean ) were taken into consideration.

RESULTS
Statistically significant differences were found in the enhanced lesions for ADC min and ADC mean between metastatic tumors and malignant lymphomas. The receiver operating characteristic analyses revealed no statistically significant differences among them. There were statistically significant differences in ADC mean in the cores of cystic lesions between brain abscesses and metastatic tumors or glioblastomas.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that evaluation using ADC values may facilitate differentiating metastatic tumors from malignant lymphomas, and also metastatic tumors or glioblastomas from brain abscesses.


This Working Paper contributes to the conceptualisation of 'inclusive trade'. The review adopts a deliberative approach while considering the direct and indirect distributive dimensions of trade. It draws attention to issues across four central aspects of inclusion: transparency and participation, poverty, gender, and human rights, and raises insights that can inform a way forward.


The aim of the present paper is to study the chemical and the mineralogical composition of an archaeological pottery ware shred which was found in the excavation belongs to the Roman period (250A.D). It was found and stored in the National Museum in Tripoli the capital of Lybia. Its type was found to be a Terra Sigillata ware, bright-red, polished pottery used throughout the Roman Empire from the 1st century B.C to the 3rd century A.D. To perform this study, several analytical instruments were used; including X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal analysis (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTG) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The texture of the pottery was made of fine quartz and the fracture color is red due to the presence of Hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ). The firing temperature of the ware is high, subsequently; the hardness of the pottery is quite high. The dish was made with a mould In addition to analytical studies, restoration treatments were carried out on the dish including; mechanical and chemical cleaning, bonding and replacement and coloring processes.