Natural user interfaces (NUI) have recently become popular due to their characteristics that capitalize on a user's ability to utilize skills acquired through real world experiences. NUI's provide a method of device interaction that may be easier when compared to a traditional graphical user interfaces because users can interact by using gestures and motions which mimic motions that are used outside of device interaction. One example of NUI's is the recent trend in exergames - video games that require actions such as running in place, moving the arm in a bowling motion, or swinging the arm as if to swing a tennis racquet. Unfortunately, most of the cues given to the player to perform these natural motions are visual cues which makes it difficult for people who have visual impairments to participate in these activities. This dissertation investigates non-visual natural user interfaces. Three exergames were created to show techniques for using a combination of haptic and audio cues in order to promote physical activity for people who are visually impaired. A method, Real Time Sensory Substitution, was developed which allowed people who are visually impaired to participate in a commercially available exergame by introducing additional haptic cues. The exergames and Real Time Sensory Substitution were effective in promoting physical activity for temporal based challenges, however they lacked the information to assist users in complex spatial challenges. Techniques were developed and compared using proprioception (the body's ability to sense its own position) to assist users in finding targets in one, two, and three dimensions without using any visual cues. Proprioception was also used as a cell phone interface where the phone can convey information to the user without using the graphical display of the phone, but using the human body as the display mechanism. The techniques developed in these studies have set the stage for enhanced access to technology without the use of a video display.


Using a sample of 227 million $\Upsilon(4S) \to B \bar{B}$ events collected with the $BABAR$ detector at the PEP-II $B$ Factory in 1999--2004, we study $B^- \to D^0 K^*(892)^-$ decays where $K^{*-} \to K^0_S \pi^-$ and $D^0 \to K^-\pi^+, K^- \pi^+ \pi^0, K^-\pi^+ \pi^+ \pi^-$ (non-CP final states), $K^+ K^-, \pi^+ \pi^- (CP+$ eigenstates), $K^0_S~\pi^0, K^0_S \phi$ and $K^0_S \omega (CP-$ eigenstates). The partial rate charge asymmetries $\mathcal{A}_{CP}$ and the ratios $\mathcal{R}_{CP}$ defined in the literature as the sum of the $B^+$ and $B^-$ partial rates to a charged $K^*$ and a $D^0 CP$-eigenstate divi ded by the $B \to D^0 K^*$ decay rate, %of the \ensuremath{\Bu}\xspace\xspace m \ensuremath{\to}\xspace \Dcp \ensuremath{K^*}\xspacepm branch ing fractions summed over %\B charge to the \ensuremath{B^-}\xspace \xspace\ensuremath{\to}\xspace \ensuremath{D^0}\xspace \ensu remath{K^{*-}}\xspace branching fraction are sensitive to the angle $\gamma$ of the CKM unitarity triangle. We measure:
\mathcal{A}_{CP+} &=&-0.09 \pm 0.20 (stat.) \pm 0.06 (syst.)
\mathcal{A}_{CP-} &=& -0.33 \pm 0.34 (stat.) \pm 0.10 (syst.) (+1.15 \pm 0.12) \cdot (\mathcal{A}_{CP-} - \mathcal{A}_{CP+})
\mathcal{R}_{CP+} &=& +1.77 \pm 0.37 (stat.) \pm 0.12 (syst.)
\mathcal{R}_{CP-} &=& +0.76 \pm 0.29 (stat.) \pm 0.06 (syst.) ^{- 0.04}_{-\ 0.14}
The third uncertainty quoted for the CP- measurements reflects possible interference effects in the final states with $\phi$ and $\omega$ resonances. All results are preliminary.


There is a dire need in South Africa for multilingual polythematic terminology. Currently no tertiary institution presents terminology theory and practice as a fully-fledged subject and there is also no sufficient mechanism for the training of terminologists. This situation provides tertiary institutions the opportunity to position themselves in terms of terminology training and development. Terminology centres at tertiary institutions could be of great value for language as well as all other subject-related departments. The language departments, where such terminology centres could possibly be housed, already have facilities to teach some or all of the official languages of South Africa at tertiary level. Language students could receive postgraduate (and even undergraduate) training in the theory and practice of terminology. For practical work, they could collect terminology at subject-related departments and take it to the terminology centres, where source language terms could be terminographically treated. Subject specialists (i.e. lecturers teaching different subjects) would have to be consulted when defining the concepts and would have to assist language students and their lecturers to supply term equivalents in target languages. This process would enable subject-related and language departments to cooperate in different domains. Language and language departments would therefore become useful to different subject areas. Multilingual polythematic terms with definitions could be available to students who are not proficient in English or Afrikaans. They would therefore have access to study material in their first language. The terminology could be disseminated internally and (inter)nationally through the Internet, which would make it accessible to any other student. This process could best be managed and executed by dedicated terminology centres.


Background The objective of this retrospective study was to determine if there are any differences in grafted kidney function in recipients of kidney transplantation (KT) when donors and recipients were anesthetized with sevoflurane compared to desflurane. Methods Seventy-three pairs of donors-recipients were anesthetized with sevoflurane (Sevo group) and 71 pairs were anesthetized with desflurane (Des group). We retrospectively investigated the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, creatinine (Cr) levels, and estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) of the recipients in both groups for 1 year postoperatively. We tested non-inferiority for serum creatinine at discharge and 1 year after KT. Short-term (1 year) outcomes of KT were assessed by the incidence of delayed graft function (DGF), acute rejection episodes (ARE), and graft failure. Results There were no differences in BUN, Cr, eGFR, or outcomes of KT at 1 year postoperatively. Specifically, the 95% confidence interval for the difference in creatinine levels between the Sevo and Des groups was less than the margin of equivalence at the time of discharge and 1 year after surgery. The occurrences of DGF, ARE, and graft failure were comparable between the groups. Conclusions Compared to desflurane, sevoflurane had no adverse effects on grafted renal function or on the short-term outcome of renal transplantation.


As a result of multiple QTL-mapping projects in recent years, a quantitative trait locus for milk fat percentage and milk yield has been described on BTA14. Recent reports name the acyl-CoA[ratio ]diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT1) gene on BTA14 as a potential candidate gene, with a nonconservative substitution of lysine by alanine (K232A) producing a major effect on milk composition and yield. DGAT1K appears to be the ancestral allele and the K232A substitution probably occurred after the divergence of the Bos indicus and Bos taurus lineages. These findings prompted us to genotype 1748 DNA samples of 38 different Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle breeds from 13 countries on five continents (Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and South America), to examine the occurrence of the DGAT1 polymorphism and characterize the K232A substitution in cattle breeds of different origins and selected for different purposes (e.g., beef, dairy and dual purpose). Calculating pairwise FST values for pooled subpopulations showed least divergence for Bos indicus breeds with high milk fat percentage. Fixation of DGAT1A was found in some Bos taurus breeds and fixation of DGAT1K in one Bos indicus breed. Breeds of no known organized breeding background from the Near East domestication centre of Bos taurus and taurine African N'Dama cattle were found to possess intermediate frequencies of DGAT1K. While beef breeds tended to harbour higher DGAT1A levels, dairy cattle showed everything from very low levels of DGAT1K to unexpectedly high frequencies of this allele.


The fixed-target Main Injector Particle Production (MIPP) experiment, Fermilab E907, was designed to measure the production of hadrons from the collisions of hadrons of momenta ranging from 5 to 120 GeV / c on a variety of nuclei. These data will generally improve the simulation of particle detectors and predictions of particle beam fluxes at accelerators. The spectrometer momentum resolution is between 3% and 4%, and particle identification is performed for particles ranging between 0.3 and 80 GeV / c using d E / d x , time-of-flight, and Cherenkov radiation measurements. MIPP collected 1.42 × 10 6 events of 120 GeV Main Injector protons striking a target used in the Neutrinos at the Main Injector facility at Fermilab. The data have been analyzed and we present here charged pion yields per proton on target determined in bins of longitudinal and transverse momentum between 0.5 and 80 GeV / c , with combined statistical and systematic relative uncertainties between 5% and 10%.


The level of a country's long-term food-supply and agricultural export is basically determined by the agricultural and food industrial investments. In Hungary the level of the agricultural output have decreased considerably in the previous years, and the investments have dropped drastically at the beginning and in the middle of the 1990s. In the following years it is an important task to realize the missing developments, especially as our agriculture needs significant projects to comply with the increasing demands. It is necessary not only to increase the output, but also to improve the quality of the production and the products, because it is more and more important to supply the custumers with good-quality product both in the export and in the internal supply. In the agricultural production the environmental protection also plays an increasingly significant role. The purpose of joining European Union is increasing the importance of the environmental protection, because we have to orient to the exacting requirements of the EU. Hungarian government also realized the significance of subsidies in implanting investments, so it helps the farmers to accomplish their development plans. Through subsidies farmers should be inspired by government. On the basis of my studies I would like to answer the next two questions: 1. How significant parts are the customers' demands and environmental protection in planning developments among young farmers? 2. What requirements have the competition in the connection with the environment and the quality of products?


My research focuses on determining what composition of a court will respond most favorably to women's issues. In order to answer this question, I examine state supreme court cases nationwide concerning sex-based discrimination in the workplace. Based on previous literature, I expect this area of the law to engender different voting patterns for men and women. I investigate what influences the different political behavior of men and women through a sociological and psychological lens. Ultimately, my research seeks to understand the impact of increasing numbers of women in the legal profession and in the highest positions of the law. Do female justices act as representatives of women in general? If this is not the case, increasing the number of women on the bench is unlikely to make courts more receptive to women's issues. I consider several possible explanations for impediments to substantive representation of women, including a lack of critical mass, and communication problems among female justices. My results help define how best to achieve equal representation for women before the law.


A new approach accompanied by superstructural frustration is reported. By attaching a cholesterol moiety directly to the central bent-core system it displayed exotic BPIII, BPII/I, Ncyb*, TGBA, SmAPA, SmA and SmX phases as shown by X-ray scattering results. While higher homologues of the series exhibited spontaneous formation of polar order (Ps ∼ 61 nC cm-2) upon applied voltage, the lower homologues showed thermochromic behaviour which can also be trapped via temperature quenching.


This guide will take you to information and research sources for V526 assignments. There are also links to sources for helping you search for information effectively and for citing sources. Tutorials


Sofosbuvir (SOF) combined with nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) inhibitors has demonstrated its efficacy in treating a recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) after liver transplantation (LT). However, the duration of treatment and need for ribavirin (RBV) remain unclear in this population. Our aim was to determine whether LT recipients could be treated with an SOF + NS5A inhibitor‐based regimen without RBV for 12 weeks post‐LT. Between October 2013 and December 2015, 699 LT recipients experiencing an HCV recurrence were enrolled in the multicenter ANRS CO23 CUPILT cohort. We selected patients receiving SOF and NS5A inhibitor ± RBV and followed for at least 12 weeks after treatment discontinuation. The primary efficacy endpoint was a sustained virological response 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12). Among these 699 patients, 512 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Their main characteristics were: 70.1% genotype 1, 18.2% genotype 3, 21.1% cirrhosis, and 34.4% previously treated patients. We identified four groups of patients according to their treatment and duration: SOF + NS5A without RBV for 12 (156 patients) or 24 (239 patients) weeks; SOF + NS5A + RBV for 12 (47 patients) or 24 (70 patients) weeks. SVR12 values reached 94.9%, 97.9%, 95.7%, and 92.9%, respectively (P = 0.14). Only 20 patients experienced a treatment failure. Under multivariate analysis, factors such as fibrosis stage, previous treatment, HCV genotype, and baseline HCV viral load did not influence SVR12 rates in the four groups (P = 0.21). Hematological adverse events (AEs) were more common in the RBV group: anemia (P < 0.0001) and blood transfusion (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: SOF + NS5A inhibitors without RBV for 12 weeks constituted reliable therapy for recurrent HCV post‐LT with an excellent SVR12 whatever the fibrosis stage, HCV genotype, and previous HCV treatment. (Hepatology 2018; 00:000‐000).


Abstract:  Although the detection of visual bilateral symmetry has been claimed to be highly efficient, the possible involvement and function of visual memory in such efficient mechanisms has rarely been examined. We hypothesized that symmetry perception is rapid, as it can be achieved from rapidly decaying information of visible persistence. To test this hypothesis, we employed a temporal integration paradigm. A symmetric dot pattern was randomly divided into two asymmetric patterns and presented successively with a blank screen presented between patterns. Observers could detect symmetry when the two patterns were presented close in time (Experiment 1), indicating that observers perceived symmetry presumably utilizing visible persistence. In addition, the inverse-intensity effect of visible persistence (Di Lollo & Bischof, 1995) was evident in our temporal integration task of symmetry (Experiment 2). The results of the current study clearly demonstrate that the detection of symmetry can be achieved based on the visible persistence. The large capacity and high spatial precision of visible persistence might be adequate for the rapid and spatially global encoding of visual symmetry.


Using a novel continuous-time framework, this paper explores the effects of illiquidity on portfolio dynamics and expected returns. In summary, the paper makes three key contributions to the existing literature on asset pricing and illiquidity. First, it illustrates that illiquidity leads to portfolio proportions being stochastic processes. The numerical results highlight that investors should be prepared for potentially large and skewed variations in portfolio weights and can be away from optimal diversification for a long time when adding illiquid assets to a portfolio. The second contribution is to show that stochastic portfolio proportions implied by illiquidity increase overall portfolio risk. Interestingly, this effect gets more pronounced when the return correlation between the liquid and illiquid asset is low. Thus, there is a correlation effect in the sense that illiquidity costs, as measured by the increase in overall portfolio risk due to portfolio proportions being stochastic, are inversely related to the return correlation of the liquid and illiquid asset. Third, the paper explores the asset pricing implications of stochastic portfolio proportions. The derived valuation framework shows that the required excess returns of a portfolio can be split into two covariance terms: the first covariance term captures standard market risk, whereas the second term can be interpreted as a required compensation for a form of liquidity risk. This required compensation for liquidity risk increases linearly with the covariance between the proportion invested illiquid in the portfolio and the proportion invested illiquid in the market portfolio, i.e., investors want to be compensated for holding portfolios that become illiquid when the market in general turns illiquid.


The synthesis of the first all-metal aromatic sandwich by Pan et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137, 10954) was an important breakthrough in chemistry and is indicative of the possible existence of other similar complexes. In this study, an all-metal aromatic sandwich species with D3h symmetry, [Bi3Au3Bi3]3−, was designed and investigated via density functional theory. Analysis of the bonding nature indicated that the Bi–Bi bond is a nonpolar σ covalent bond, which is mainly attributed to the p orbitals of Bi atoms; the Bi–Au bond is a polar σ covalent bond, which mainly consists of 6s AOs of Au and 6pz AOs of Bi; and the Au–Au bond has a typical aurophilic interaction dominated by 5sAu→6pAu character. Furthermore, charge decomposition analysis indicated an intermolecular electron transfer between cyclo-Bi3 and cyclo-Au3 that explained the weak Jahn–Teller effect in cyclo-Bi3. In addition, the large Egap and small ΔEavgR indicated the stability and potential application of the species as a semiconductor material. Nucleus-independent chemical shift values and molecular orbital analysis indicated that cyclo-Bi3 constitutes uncommon multiple aromaticity (both σ and π aromaticities), and cyclo-Au3 has conflicting aromaticity (σ and δ aromaticity and weak π antiaromaticity).


Cristobal Balenciaga made his name in Paris in the 1940s and 1950s in the golden age of haute couture, and was hailed by Coco Chanel as the only true couturier amongst us, able to design, cut, assemble and sew a dress entirely by himself. His clients included Princess Grace of Monaco and the Duchess of Windsor. This book is published to mark the long awaited inauguration of the Balenciaga Museum in Getaria, Guipuzcoa, Spain, which will house a permanent collection of over 100 pieces created by the master designer. Four introductory articles by Balenciaga experts present new research and analysis of the designers work and assess his legacy, but at the heart of the book is a catalogue of the museums outstanding collection in over 500 wonderful illustrations. This beautiful book will be essential reading for both designers and anyone interested in Balenciaga's life and work.


Human values were reflected in Islamic architecture and among these important values were (the value of privacy - Neighborhood Rights - social solidarity - Moderation- Equity- Sincerity - Aesthetic values). Islam has paid great attention to Neighborhood Rights as they have a significant impact on Islamic creed. Persons and groups are in need to Neighborhood rights as a requirement of their daily lives. Islamic values have had a great impact in ascension of human relations and in achieving the security, safety and tranquility that Islam has been keen to establish among Muslims each other and among Muslims and other religions. Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: "Gabriel impressed upon me (the kind treatment) towards the neighbor (so much) that I thought as if he would soon confer upon him the (right) of inheritance." (Agreed upon).The architectural style in the Islamic city has been characterized that it is a material reflection of the human relations that Islam established hundreds years ago. This has led to form a strong and a coherent social base that reflects the cohesion of neighbors in a framework of good knowledge of the rights and duties emanating from the Islamic decree.   Research Methodology: Monitoring and extrapolating the concepts of values and neighborhood rights and their types and the extent of the impact of the neighborhood rights on architectural formations in the Islamic ages by analyses the levels of realization of neighborhood rights in Islamic architecture.Research problem: The main problem of the research is the disappearance of human values  that  Islamic architecture was characterized by from the modern architecture, especially the rights of neighborhood. This has negatively affected the current architectural product, making it unsuitable for society. The research aims to monitor the rights of the neighborhood and the extent to which they are not applied in modern day architecture in practice and theoretically especially with modern regulations, laws and legislation. All these regulations have affected the Islamic architecture in Egypt this is to know the importance of human values that affect architecture, especially the rights of the neighborhood and the following Islamic human values, in order to benefit from them in contemporary architecture. conclusions: The concept of human values is a broad concept and has many directions where human values represent general and fundamental criteria in which members of society participate and contribute to the integration and identification of the behaviors of the individual within society. Human Values have affected Human as well as architecture and led to establishing a modern architecture which is environmentally compatible and coherent to the human through establishment of Islam principles. A surviving and mature building can be reached by studying the architectural heritage of Islamic architecture and learning about its philosophy and thought. Neighboring rights and privacy have a major role in Islamic architecture, especially Islamic residences. The rights of neighborhoods are the main value in the Islamic house which the building of this type of architecture is based on, as these buildings provide psychological comfort and a sense of tranquility. We also note the quest of the Muslim architect to achieve that value in Islamic architecture. The placement of wooden curtains to separate surfaces has a significant role in shrouding the containment of the buildings (to separate the roofs from each other) and to prepare the roofs for personal usage.


This paper presents the models and algorithms for determination of longevity of protective coating of reinforced concrete parts of structures by a statistical (Monte-Carlo) method.


This article focuses on the tensions between mobility, knowledge and recognition, and what the impact of migration could be on lifelong education and society. This is discussed with the case of Sweden as the starting point. The main issue in Sweden concerning migration is the admission of refugees. Sweden has had a relatively open policy concerning refugees in recent decades, and a large number of refugees have also been granted residence permits. Thus, they have not come to Sweden due to a labour shortage, and the demand for their knowledge in the labour market has not been high. Their knowledge is not recognised in terms of employment in vocations where their prior learning could be utilised. This means that Sweden has faced challenges concerning questions of recognition and lifelong education. In this article, we take as our starting point the policy in this area, including policy texts and national initiatives as well as experiences from such initiatives, to discuss the role of lifelong education and recognition of prior learning in a situation where mobility concerns not only migration of people but also of knowledge. We discuss how this knowledge, which has been situated in another national context, can be recognised and included in further lifelong education, and what type of lifelong education or lifelong learning is needed in this situation.


Background: The role of laparoscopy in abdominal trauma has increased in the last years in diagnosis as well as therapeutic interventions. It is a viable alternative for the diagnosis of intra-abdominal injury in both penetrating and blunt trauma. The number of negative laparotomies decreased since the use of laparoscopy in trauma patients. Methods: A retrospective study of twenty eight patients with abdominal trauma (22 penetrating trauma, 6 blunt trauma) were laparoscopic intervention done by general surgery department at Aljazeera Hospital for Orthopedic and Specialized Surgery from January 2017 to March 2019. All patients underwent clinical assessment and FAST-Scan, CT-scan done for twenty patients and unavailable for eight patients. All of the patients included for the research were stable with normal blood pressure. Results: In our series twenty-eight patients with abdominal trauma, 22 penetrating trauma (78.57%) all were shotgun injuries, and 6 blunt trauma (21.43%). In penetrating trauma therapeutic laparoscopy for seven patients (31.8%), diagnostic laparoscopy for 10 patients (45.5%), and negative laparoscopy for 5 cases (22.7%). In blunt trauma therapeutic laparoscopy for 2 cases (33.3%), diagnostic laparoscopy for 3 cases (50%), and negative laparoscopy for 1 case (16.7%). The rate of conversion to laparotomies was 8 cases (28.5%) for both penetrating and blunt trauma. Conclusion: Laparoscopy can be safely performed in hemodynamically stable patients with abdominal trauma for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes; also it helps to cut down the number of non-therapeutic laparotomies.


Biogas systems are complex in the sense that they cut across several sectors, mainly agriculture, waste management and energy. Cooperation between actors in these sectors must work for biogas projects to be realised and successful. The aim of this report is to describe the biogas systems in Skane from a value chain perspective, including important development pathways. The different segments in the value chain are mapped with regard to actors, actors in supporting activities, technologies and institutions (mainly regulations). Skane is a fairly small part of Sweden in terms of land area but it is the most important agricultural and food producing region in Sweden and comparatively densely populated. These characteristics explain why Skane is an important (if not the most important) biogas region in Sweden. The earliest applications of biogas were for the purpose of reducing the volume of sewage from waste water treatment plants. The biogas produced was used mainly for plant process needs and part of it was often flared. Much of the biogas today, from a variety of types of biogas plants, is upgraded and used for transport. The development towards transport applications can be traced back to the desire to reduce oil dependence and urban air pollution from diesel buses. Initially buses were converted to compressed natural gas, but with regional ambitions for fossil free public transport attention in recent years has turned to compressed biogas. Biogas value chains have developed in response to sustainability concerns in energy and transport, sewage sludge and waste handling, and in agriculture. The development has generated new business opportunities, especially in the field of upgrading. The production of biogas, for transport fuel, waste handling and fertiliser, is expected to continue to grow in Skane. (Less)


Background Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disorder of articular cartilage and is the most common type of arthritis in the elderly. Some studies have suggested that Hyaluronic acid1 and atorvastatin2 may have a role in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Objectives The purpose of the present study was to investigate and compare the potential effects of Hyaluronic acid and Atorvastatin on the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Methods We conducted an open, randomized, parallel study on patients with knee osteoarthritis. Eligible patients were those who met the ACR criteria of primary knee osteoarthritis, radiologically ascertained grade I or II of knee osteoarthritis on the Kellgren-Lawrence scale, had a pain score≥60 (maximum 100) and age 50–70 years. Patients are not eligible if they had secondary osteoarthritis, systemic disease like diabetes, history of inflammatory arthritis, sever knee deformity (varus or valgus >50 degree), history of coagolopathy, sever cardiovascular disease, and active infections. Patients were enrolled from outpatient clinic of Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. We divided them randomly into two groups; Group 1 (n=35) received intra-articular Hyaluronic acid each week for three weeks, and group 2 (n=35) received oral atorvastatin 40 mg/day orally for six months. Symptoms were assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) at baseline and every month up to 6 months. Results Twenty eight patients (40%) were male and 42 patients (60%) were female. There was not a significant difference between 2 groups regard to sex (P=0.626). Mean age of patients was 57.9±1.1 years. Groups mean age did not differ significantly (P=0.710). The pain and function scores were significantly decreased only in the Hyaluronic acid group in the second month (P<0.001). There was not any significant improvement in any group in the next months (figure 1). Conclusions Intra articular Hyaluronic acid improved the pain and function of patients with knee osteoarthritis in the second months after injection. Atorvastatin did not have any effect on the knee osteoarthritis symptoms during 6 months. References Petrella RJ, Petrella M. A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of intraarticular hyaluronic acid for osteoarthritis of the knee. J Rheumatol 2006; 33:951. Pathak NN, Lingaraju MC, Balaganur V, Kant V, More AS, Kumar D, Kumar D, Tandan SK. Anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective effects of atorvastatin in a cartilage explant model of osteoarthritis. Inflamm Res. 2015 Apr;64(3–4):161–9. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Low high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction, which has triggered the hypothesis that HDL, in contrast to low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), acts as an anti‐atherogenic lipoprotein. Moreover, experimental studies have identified potential anti‐atherogenic properties of HDL, including promotion of macrophage cholesterol efflux and direct endothelial‐protective effects of HDL, such as stimulation of endothelial nitric oxide production and repair, anti‐apoptotic, anti‐inflammatory and anti‐thrombotic properties. Studies in gene‐targeted mice, however, have also indicated that increasing HDL‐cholesterol plasma levels can either limit (e.g. apolipoprotein A‐I) or accelerate (e.g. Scavenger receptor class B type I) atherosclerosis. Moreover, vascular effects of HDL have been observed to be heterogenous and are altered in patients with CAD or diabetes, a condition that has been termed 'HDL dysfunction'. These alterations in biological functions of HDL may need to be taken into account for HDL‐targeted therapies and considering raising of HDL‐cholesterol levels alone is likely not sufficient in this respect. It will therefore be important to further determine, which biological functions of HDL are critical for its anti‐atherosclerotic properties, as well as how these can be measured and targeted.


This work deals with a 10-MW doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) for direct-drive operation of wind turbines with a reduced-size converter. The work includes a lumped parameter design, an optimization procedure, a finite-element analysis (FEA), and an electrical performance assessment. A monetary cost was assumed as a cost function, and an approximation of the construction cost as a function of the axial length was obtained. The found solutions were checked by FEA in order to assure the mechanical feasibility. Further verifications were developed to allow a conclusive performance evaluation. The optimization improved the cost of the proposed DFIG, including materials, losses, and converter, making it slightly cheaper than an available permanent-magnet synchronous generator.


Amino acids are little bio-particles with different properties. The capacity to ascertain the physiochemical properties of proteins is pivotal in many research regions, for example, tranquilize plan, protein displaying and basic bioinformatics. The physiochemical properties of the protein decides its collaboration with different atoms and subsequently its capacity. Foreseeing the physiochemical properties of protein and translating its capacity is of extraordinary significance in the field of medication and life science. The point of this work is to create python based programming with graphical UI for anticipating the physiochemical and antigenic properties of protein. Thus the instrument was named as ASAP-Analysis of protein succession and antigenicity expectation. ASAP predicts the antigenicity of the protein succession from its amino corrosive arrangement, in light of Chou Fasman turns and antigenic file. ASAP computes different physiochemical properties that is required for invitro tests. ASAP utilizes standardization esteems that expansion the affectability of the apparatus.


We present a novel 1.3-mum laser, a short-cavity distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) laser that enables uncooled, 10-Gb/s operation with low drive currents. The laser consists of a short InGaAlAs multiple-quantum-well active region butt-jointed to an InGaAsP-DBR region. A fabricated laser with a 75-mum active region demonstrated 100 degC, 10-Gb/s operation at a record low drive current of 14-mA peak-to-peak (mAp-p) with an average output power of -3 dBm


Bacteria react to adverse environmental stimuli by clustering into organized communities called biofilms. A remarkably sophisticated control system based on the dinucleotide 3′–5′ cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP) is involved in deciding whether to form or abandon biofilms. The ability of c-di-GMP to form self-intercalated dimers is also thought to play a role in this complex regulation. A great advantage in the quest of elucidating the catalytic properties of the enzymes involved in c-di-GMP turnover (diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases) would come from the availability of an experimental approach for in vitro quantification of c-di-GMP in real-time. Here, we show that c-di-GMP can be detected and quantified by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in the low micromolar range. The method is based on the selective ability of manganese ions to induce formation of the intercalated dimer of the c-di-GMP dinucleotide in solution, which displays an intense sigmoidal CD spectrum in the near-ultraviolet region. This characteristic spectrum originates from the stacking interaction of the four mutually intercalated guanines, as it is absent in the other cyclic dinucleotide 3′–5′ cyclic adenilic acid (c-di-AMP). Thus, near-ultraviolet CD can be used to effectively quantify in real-time the activity of diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases in solution.


Importance Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is associated with often-delayed clinical diagnosis, poor prognosis, and expensive therapeutic approaches. Prognostic accuracy is important in improving treatment outcomes of patients with this disease. Objectives To assess lymph node ratio (LNR) and other factors in estimating response to treatment and provide prognostic information helpful for clinical decision making. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2015, at an academic hospital in Denver, Colorado. Participants included 149 patients with primary OCSCC who received curative-intent surgery and/or postoperative adjuvant therapies. Analysis was performed from December 8, 2017, to August 15, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional disease-free survival (LRDFS), and distant metastasis–free survival (DMDFS) adjusted for known prognostic risk factors, as well as correlation of LNR with other histopathologic prognostic factors. Results Of the 149 patients included in analysis, 105 were men (70.5%); the median age at diagnosis was 59 years (range, 28-88 years). Using the Kaplan-Meier method, the 5-year survival estimates for OS rate was 40.4% (95% CI, 31.3%-49.3%); DFS, 48.6% (95% CI, 38.6%-58.0%); LRDFS, 57.7% (95% CI, 46.6%-67.2%); and DMDFS, 74.7% (95% CI, 65.1%-82.0%). The median follow-up was 20 months for all patients and 34.5 months (range, 0-137 months) for surviving patients. Nonwhite race (hazard ratio [HR], 2.15; 95% CI, 1.22-3.81), T3-T4 category (HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.18-3.35), and LNR greater than 10% (HR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.39-5.27) were associated with poorer OS. Nonwhite patients also had higher risk of locoregional failures (HR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.28-4.79), whereas women were more likely to have distant metastasis (HR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.14-5.71). Floor-of-mouth subsite had fewer locoregional recurrences than did other subsites (HR, 0.45, 95% CI, 0.21-0.99). An LNR greater than 10% independently was associated with worse OS (HR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.39-5.27), DFS (HR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.18-5.22), and DMDFS (HR, 6.05; 95% CI, 1.54-23.71). The LNR was associated with N-stage (Cramer V, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.58-0.78), extracapsular extension (Cramer V, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.44-0.66), lymphovascular invasion (Cramer V, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.27-0.61); number of excised lymph nodes (Cramer V, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.06-0.37), margin (Cramer V, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.05-0.38), and tumor thickness combined with depth of invasion (Cramer V, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.05-0.38). Conclusions and Relevance Locoregional treatment failure remained the predominant pattern of failure. An advanced pathologic stage and nonwhite race were found to be associated with worse outcomes. The findings from this study suggest that LNR is the most robust prognostic factor and appears to have implications for risk stratification in this disease.


Based on the multi-dimensional matrix theory, this paper introduced four-dimensional (4D) model, and deduce the Walsh orthogonal transform in 4D nth-order matrix space. This method is used for color image coding. We obtained very good results. 4D nth-order matrix model can express 4D data in a unified mathematical model for processing. On one hand, it considers the high efficiency of classical matrix transform in the aspect of removing redundancy of color space. On the other hand, it overcomes the restriction of traditional two-dimensional matrix multiplication. Favorable image compression effect can be obtained by 4D Walsh orthogonal transform and traditional discrete cosine transform.


The article presents a logistic model for prediction of miscarriage in the second trimester in conditions of iodine deficiency, which is based on the accounting of clinical and laboratory evidence, in particular, the altered parameters of iodine-thyroid homeostasis. The objective: development and practical application of the algorithm, which, based on the analysis of quantitative and qualitative parameters with high reliability, makes it possible to draw clinical conclusions and on their basis predict the risk of miscarriage in the second trimester of pregnancy. Materials and methods. We examined 80 pregnant women living in conditions of natural iodine deficiency (50 women with spontaneous abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy and 30 women with in-time deliveries). The parameters of iodine-thyroid homeostasis were assessed by iodine, free thyroxine and antibodies to thyreperoxidase levels. The algorithm is based on a pathometric recognition procedure with subsequent calculation of informative parameters, prognostic coefficients. Results. The result of the correct operation of the algorithm was a substantiated conclusion about the necessity for integrated accounting of the iodine-thyroid parameters in assessing the risk of miscarriage. It has also been established that the independent prognostic value of these indicators for a relatively high risk of miscarriage is realized only in conditions of the totality of their deviations and the level of iodine excretion < 49 μg/l. Accordingly, at an iodine excretion level >50 μg/l, corresponding to mild iodine deficiency, or lack of such (>100 μg/l), the independent prognostic value of hypothyroxinemia and high thyroid peroxidase antibodies level is not statistically significant. Conclusion. The presented logistic model allows to predict the risk of miscarriage in the second trimester with a high level of sensitivity and specificity. The high prognostic significance of the deviations of iodine-thyroid parameters, which is realized fully in the conditions of middle-severe iodine deficiency, is shown. Key words: logistic model for prediction of miscarriage, iodine deficiency.


Police violence against racial and ethnic minorities has been researched through the lens of multiple social science disciplines including psychology. Within psychology, the study of trauma lends itself to understanding the dynamics of unjustified violence perpetrated by some law enforcement agents. These acts of aggression are not only examples of interpersonal trauma but also the trauma of racism, which is examined through the lens of intergenerational trauma, racistincident–based trauma, and complex trauma. There is a history of violence against racial and ethnic minorities that contextualizes the traumatic experience of police violence. Additionally, the framework of trauma illuminates the causes and consequences of police brutality as a racist-incident trauma. Finally, survivors of police violence targeting racial and ethnic minorities are often persons who have been exposed to multiple traumas resulting in a cumulative effect. Filling a current gap in the literature, we discuss the clinical implications of applying trauma theories to police violence, as well as diverse ways racially and ethnically marginalized persons have coped with and resisted these acts. There is attention given to the need to attend to the intersecting identities of persons who are targeted such as ethnic minority women. Finally, we describe the need for further study of this complex and devastating phenomenon.


Acromegalic arthropathy may affect the hand joints with characteristic radiological changes. Sesamoid involvement in the hand may be presented with unusual changes. A case of a female patient with characteristic hand joint and sesamoid bone osteophytic changes related to acromegalic arthropathy is presented.


Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) is a highly contagious gammacoronavirus which infects poultry. Using reverse genetics, enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) has been inserted into a pathogenic strain of IBV, M41, in place of a newly identified open reading frame (ORF), ORF7. ORF7 has been identified in several IBV strains including M41 and apathogenic strain Beau-R. ORF7 is located immediately downstream of the N gene, preceding the 3' UTR. This region has been chosen because we are interested in investigating whether a protein can be transcribed from the associated transcription regulatory sequence (TRS-B). M41 has a deletion at the 3' end of the genome and does not encode all of ORF7, suggesting it is not essential for the viral replication and is not required for a pathogenic phenotype. The TRS-B, TAACA for ORF7 in Beau-R, is non-canonical and is located after the stop codon for the N gene. In M41 only part of the TRS-B is present, TAA, so nucleotides CA were added alongside the eGFP sequence. A number of viruses were successfully rescued. Growth kinetics in primary Chicken Kidney cells (CK) were comparable to the parent virus M41-K. The stability of the eGFP sequence has been assessed in CK cells and in embryonated eggs. The newly constructed TRS-B however was not utilised suggesting that it is not solely the TRS-B that controls the transcription of ORF 7.


Clinical studies evaluating the effectiveness of investigational new animal drugs are conducted to support approval of a new animal drug application. These studies must be conducted in a manner that ensures the integrity and validity of the collected data. On November 2, 1992, the Center for Veterinary Medicine announced the availability of a guideline entitled "Conduct of Clinical Investigations: Responsibilities of Clinical Investigators and Monitors for Investigational New Animal Drug Studies." This guideline, which provides recommendations on the conduct of clinical investigations and the responsibilities of monitors and investigators, is presented in this manuscript. Additionally, the responsibilities of sponsors as delineated by the Food and Drug Administration's laws and regulations are also summarized.


Toxicity and digestive inhibition are commonly thought of as the primary postingestive consequences by which plant secondary metabolites (PSM's) limit herbivore food selection. However, food selection may also be modified by nutritional costs imposed by detoxication processes and nutrient dilution. Few studies have determined the magnitude of these costs for vertebrate herbivores and their ecological significance. Research clarifying the mechanisms by which PSM's repel animals may give new insights into the development of repellents for nuisance wildlife and improve our ability to predict ecological interactions involving herbivores. Using captive ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), we tested whether PSM ingestion interferes with energy and nitrogen retention and whether food selection was related to costs associated with detoxication and nutrient dilution. Two feeding experiments were conducted. In one experiment, grouse (Group 1) were fed quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) flower buds with different levels of conifeql benzoate (CB), the primary PSM in the buds. In the other experiment, birds (Group 2) were given a formulated diet treated with CB (6.5 % dry wt.). We measured energy and nitrogen utilization efficiencies and the output of detoxication products. Intake of CB was associated with decreased food utilization efficiencies in both experiments. The low energy utilization efficiency of Group 1 birds consuming high levels of CB, was mainly attributed to nutrient dilution by CB. These birds retained 24% less metabolizable energy than when feeding on buds with low CB levels (P = 0.010). Group 1 birds excreted 10 to 14% of their daily metabolizable energy intake as glucuronic acid and ornithine. Excretion of detoxication conjugates and ammonium increased with CB intake in both experiments. Nitrogen excreted in the form of ornithine and ammonium accounted for approximately 30% of the daily nitrogen intake in both experiments. During the high CB trials, the excretion of ornithine conjugates alone increased Group 1 birds' minimum daily nitrogen requirement by 90.0% over that required when consuming a diet containing no Present address: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 650 State Street, Bangor, Maine 04401. Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 Canada. 54 AVIAN DETOXICATION COSTS PSM's. Relative to Group 1 birds, Group 2 birds excreted a higher proportion of their daily nitrogen intake as ornithine, despite having one-forth the nitrogen intake as Group 1 birds and despite being in negative nitrogen balance. For the development of repellents to control nuisance wildlife, additional research should be conducted to determine the extent to which repellency can be increased by raising nutrient dilution costs or by manipulating detoxication pathways.


: This paper aims at assessing the consumer choice for masala (Homemade/ Ready-made powder) for home cooking in Trivandrum City in the state of Kerala, India. Kerala is popularly known as the "King of Spices," the leading producer of black pepper, enjoying a pride of place among all the spice producers. From the analysis made by us it is clear that people choose home-made forms of masala rather than ready-made ones. The reasons behind this are clearly studied in this paper. The target market is identified and segmented. Geographic segmentation is done by dividing the entire Trivandrum city into 12 major locations. Socio-demographic segmentation was also done on the basis of age, gender and income. Descriptive research design is being employed for the study. The data is collected using survey method by self-administering questionnaire or survey instrument. This paper is mainly divided into two main parts. The first part talks about the relationship between certain demographic factors like age, income and gender with the choice of masalas. The sample size is 300 and a Chi-square test of independence is done using SPSS tool. The second part talks about the reasons why people prefer home-made forms compared to ready-made forms of spice and masala powders. For this the sample size was 121 respondents. The analysis is done using Voyant tool. Text mining approach has been adopted. From the results it is clear that there is no significant correlation between the demographic factors considered and the choice made. Most of the respondents prefer to use home-made spices and masala powders as they consider it to be not adulterated. The two major factors driving the growth of the global organic food & beverage market are the number of health-conscious customers and growing awareness of the health benefits associated with organic spice consumption. Health is an important aspect considered in the case of spice powders and masala. People do not tolerate adulteration and hence they tend to choose the traditional methods of making masala powders over the ready-made forms available in the market today. This study would help the marketers to know the market potential and also to understand the consumer needs in case of spices and masala powders.


The ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis, a mutualistic plant-fungus association, plays a fundamental role in forest ecosystems by enhancing plant growth and by providing host protection from root diseases. The cellular complexity of the symbiotic organ, characterized by the differentiation of structurally specialized tissues (i.e. the fungal mantle and the Hartig net), is the major limitation to study fungal gene expression in such specific compartments. We investigated the transcriptional landscape of the ECM fungus Tuber melanosporum during the major stages of its life cycle and we particularly focused on the complex symbiotic stage by combining the use of laser capture microdissection and microarray gene expression analysis. We isolated the fungal/soil (i.e. the mantle) and the fungal/plant (i.e. the Hartig net) interfaces from transverse sections of T. melanosporum/Corylus avellana ectomycorrhizas and identified the distinct genetic programmes associated with each compartment. Particularly, nitrogen and water acquisition from soil, synthesis of secondary metabolites and detoxification mechanisms appear to be important processes in the fungal mantle. In contrast, transport activity is enhanced in the Hartig net and we identified carbohydrate and nitrogen-derived transporters that might play a key role in the reciprocal resources' transfer between the host and the symbiont.


Background: Praliciguat (IW-1973), a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, has been shown to augment nitric oxide (NO) signaling and reduce fasting plasma glucose and proteinuria in an animal model of diabetic nephropathy. In healthy adults, repeated oral doses of 15-40 mg were tolerated and lowered blood pressure (BP). Methods: This Phase 2a, double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled study assessed the effects of oral praliciguat in 26 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension on stable glycemic and BP-lowering therapy. Most (69%) were also on statins. Two praliciguat regimens were tested: (1) 40 mg QD for days 1-14 (N=10), and (2) 20 mg BID for days 1-7 then 40 mg QD for days 8-14 (N=10). Assessments included serum chemistry, fasting plasma glucose, BP and heart rate, platelet function, reactive hyperemia index (RHI), plasma biomarkers, and adverse events (AEs). Results: Results were similar for both praliciguat regimens and are here combined. After 14 days of treatment, praliciguat-treated patients had notable differences in least squares mean change from baseline (95% CI) relative to PBO in 24-hour mean arterial pressure [-4.7 mmHg (-10, 0.8)], heart rate [2.9 bpm (-0.7, 6.5)], fasting glucose [-13 mg/dL (-32, 7)], HOMA-IR [-26 (-58, 7)], total serum cholesterol [-26 mg/dL (-44, -7)], and LDL cholesterol [-20 mg/dL (-37, -3)]. Praliciguat had no effect on platelet function or RHI. Among the exploratory biomarkers tested, levels of the endogenous NO synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine were lower in praliciguat vs. PBO recipients. Both praliciguat dose regimens were generally well tolerated. Except for one serious AE of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, AEs in praliciguat-treated patients were mild. Conclusion: In this initial trial, praliciguat had beneficial effects on BP and metabolic parameters in T2DM patients with hypertension on standard therapies. Further clinical investigation of praliciguat in T2DM patients is warranted. Disclosure J.P. Hanrahan: Employee; Self; Ironwood. J.D. Wakefield: Employee; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. P.J. Wilson: None. P. Miller: None. J. Chickering: None. L. Morrow: Stock/Shareholder; Self; ProSciento. Employee; Spouse/Partner; Eli Lilly and Company. M.L. Hall: Employee; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. M. Currie: Employee; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. G. Milne: Employee; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Employee; Spouse/Partner; Catabasis Pharmaceuticals. Stock/Shareholder; Spouse/Partner; Catabasis Pharmaceuticals. A.T. Profy: Other Relationship; Self; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals.


The interactive effects of mechanical canopy management on the optimum cropping level and Ravaz index of Pinot gris in a warm growing region were determined. The study examined two pruning methods, three shoot thinning treatments, and two leaf removal treatments arranged factorially in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The pruning methods were applied by either hand pruning to 23 nodes/m or mechanically hedging and retaining a 100 mm spur height. The shoot thinning treatments were applied mechanically at modified E-L stage 17 to retain 23 (low), 33 (medium), or 45 (high, not thinned) shoots/m of row. The leaf removal treatments removed leaves on the east side of the canopy in a 450 mm zone in the fruiting zone, 20 days postbloom with a mechanical deleafer or no leaf removal was done. The interaction of mechanical hedging and medium shoot thinning treatments reduced the contribution of noncount shoots to total shoots. Percent canopy gaps and photosynthetically active radiation increased, while canopy leaf layers decreased with the application of leaf removal regardless of pruning or shoot thinning regime in both years. Yield increased and berry and cluster weight decreased in both years with the application of mechanical hedging and medium shoot thinning compared to hand-pruned vines without any detrimental effects on fruit composition. To achieve the economic crop level threshold of 8.15 kg/m, a Ravaz index of 10.2 to 12.0 kg/kg was needed. This Ravaz index corresponded to a pruning weight of 0.82 to 0.92 kg/m. The study identified a mechanical hedging and shoot thinning method where a 100 mm spur height was retained during the dormant season and 35 shoots/m of row was retained at E-L stage 17 to optimize crop load without adversely affecting pruning weight or fruit composition in a warm climate. The identified method provided 79% labor operations cost savings compared to hand pruning alone.


The influence of film thickness on the material properties of aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films deposited on Pt(111) electrodes has been investigated experimentally by means of x-ray diffraction, dielectric response, atomic force microscopy, interferometry measurement of effective d(33), and residual stress measurement. The thickness was varied between 35 nm and 2 mum. Full width at mid-height of the rocking curve decreased from 2.60 to 1.14degrees, rms roughness increased from 3.8 to 18.6 Angstrom, the effective d(33), namely d(33f), from 2.75 to 5.15 pm/V. The permittivity epsilon(AIN) was stable at 10.2, whereas the dielectric losses decreased from 1% to 0.1%. The breakdown electric field under do voltages varied between 4.0 and 5.5 MV/cm. (C) 2004 American Vacuum Society.


Thin films are often used as protective coatings against wear and corrosion; nitride films are also used as decorative layers. Typically, these films have a 1:1 metal:nitrogen composition, as in TiN, ZrN, or CrN, all of which have a NaCl-like structure and are highly conductive. Although it is difficult to make films with higher proportions of nitrogen, there have been reports of films with a M3N4 composition. Under high pressure inside a diamond anvil cell, the orthorhombic structure of these materials transforms into a metastable cubic structure, and the films become transparent and less conductive. Chhowalla and Unalan have designed an industrially viable, filtered cathodic arc process to create cubic Zr3N4 films. Metal vapor is generated by an arc discharge on a pure Zr cathode and reacted with fully ionized atomic nitrogen.The deposition process produces films with inherent compressive stresses and, in combination with the localized high temperatures where the plasma is deposited, creates conditions that stabilize the cubic phase of Zr3N4. These films were found to be much harder than either ZrN or orthorhombic Zr3N4, and showed excellent wear resistance when used to coat a steelmilling tool. — MSL


Abstract. Under the argument-based approach to validity, test-score interpretations and uses that are clearly stated and are supported by appropriate evidence are considered to be valid. Conversely, interpretations or uses that are not well defined or that involve doubtful inferences or assumptions are not considered valid. The proposed interpretation and use of test scores are specified in terms of a network of inferences and assumptions (or an argument) leading from a test taker's observed performances to score-based conclusions and decisions for the test taker. The validity of the proposed interpretation and use can then be evaluated in terms of the completeness and coherence of the network and the plausibility of its inferences and assumptions.


To clarify the role of leptin as a signal of energy status in humans, this study investigated the relationship of leptin to measures of body composition, maturity, and lifestyle factors in a lean sample of 293 male and 303 female Filipino adolescents (age 14-16 years). Participants were selected from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, a representative birth cohort study begun in 1983. Using IOTF criteria, the prevalence of overweight (2.2%) and obesity (0.3%) were extremely low, and leptin levels were among the lowest reported in any healthy population (mean: 0.78 and 3.57 ng/dl in males and females). As expected, adiposity was the strongest predictor of leptin, with triceps skinfold explaining 40.2 and 30.6% of leptin variance in males and females. In females, subscapular skinfold was a significant predictor of leptin independent of triceps, while no anthropometric measure predicted leptin independent of triceps in males. There were few relationships between lifestyle factors and leptin independent of adiposity. In males, leptin levels varied little across most of the triceps distribution, suggesting that the leptin-adipose regulatory system is sensitive to very small changes in leptin in lean populations, at least among males. These findings add to the small but growing list of studies documenting differences in leptin biology among chronically lean populations.


Distributed Video-on-Demand (DVoD) systems are proposed as a solution to the limited streaming capacity and null scalability of centralized systems. In a previous work, we proposed a fully distributed large-scale VoD architecture, called Double P-Tree, which has shown itself to be a good approach to the design of flexible and scalable DVoD systems. In this paper, we present relevant design aspects related to video mapping and traffic balancing in order to improve Double P-Tree architecture performance. Our simulation results demonstrate that these techniques yield a more efficient system and considerably increase its streaming capacity. The results also show the crucial importance of topology connectivity in improving multicasting performance in DVoD systems. Finally, a comparison among several DVoD architectures was performed using simulation, and the results show that the Double P-Tree architecture incorporating mapping and load balancing policies outperforms similar DVoD architectures.


A special matrix of amino acid antigenic similarity for computer detection of the potential antigenic proximity of unrelated proteins is proposed. The matrix was built using the data concerning affinities of amino acid residue interactions between subunits in oligomeric proteins. The diagonal elements of the matrix characterize the recognition of amino acid residues and the non-diagonal ones represent the relative similarity measure of antibody--amino acid residue interactions specificity. The application of the new matrix for comparing proteins allows the hydrophilic potentially immunologically active regions of sequences to be picked out as similar fragments. When the influenza virus hemagglutinin was compared with 116 human proteins, eight fragments were picked out, that could not be determined by means of the routinely used MDM78 matrix. The antigenic similarity matrix for defining the forbidden structures is proposed to be used for preparing the peptidic antiviral vaccines.


Local economic development programs are primarily aimed at increasing employment and tax revenues. Data on these programs are collected through self-report surveys conducted by the International City Managers Association and others. This study evaluates predictors of accurate self-reporting. Using agency theory as a theoretical framework, the study measures the quantity of internal reporting components and the quality of financial reporting and evaluates how these are associated with accurate self-reporting. As a control, the condition of the local economy is also evaluated. The findings indicate a statistically significant relationship between the quality of financial reporting and the strength of a local economy with accurate self-reporting. Recommendations to improve research in this area are for the Government Finance Officers Association and the International City Managers Association to work together, with the former creating standards for reporting on local economic development programs and the latter aligning its survey with these standards.


An effective rescheduling method takes an important role on improving the operational performance of a semiconductor wafer fabrication facility (fabs). In this paper, we propose a rescheduling method based on swarm intelligence. Firstly, we build a swarm intelligence based rescheduling model (SIRM) including an ant queen agent, multiple job ant agents and machine ant agents. Secondly, we design a rescheduling algorithm (CMRA) composed of three sub-algorithms: sub-algorithm-1 is used by an ant queen agent to transfer an existing static optimized scheduling plan into additional pheromones of job ant agents; sub-algorithm-2 and sub-algorithm-3 are used to convert scheduling related real-time information to dynamic pheromones of job ant agents and machine ant agents, respectively. Finally, a simplified semiconductor wafer fab model is used to verify and validate CMRA. The simulation results demonstrate that CMRA is superior to the original scheduling method to generate a static optimized scheduling plan with better performance on move, step and on-time operational due date rate under uncertain production environments.


The design of a special-purpose on-line processor for bandpass analysis with application to spectral estimation is described. The processor utilizes a digital filtering procedure based on the frequency shift of the sampled signal spectrum. A peculiarity of the processor is that it performs a bandpass analysis by using a unique set of digital filter coefficients for all the analyzed bands. A small and simple memory is therefore used as coefficient memory, while a special, but not complex, organization with many sections is required for the sample memory. The processing of an audio signal to obtain a type of digital vocoder is also considered. From the point of view of the actual implementation, only MSI and LSI circuits are used for the memory and arithmetic units.


Purpose

Although prior research has highlighted the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) on a country's internationalization, it has largely focused on developed countries. As a result, the FDI performance of a developing country, which differs fundamentally from that of developed countries in their environment, remains unclear. Under the newly development environment, the traditional FDI theories have been challenged by the increasing investments from emerging and transition economies. The theory system needs a fresh situation's supplement urgently.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of a literature review, this paper constructed an empirical model to further study the moderating effects of context-specific factors on the influence of inbound foreign direct investment (IFDI) on outbound foreign direct investment (OFDI). China was chosen as the representation of a developing country, and its data of mutual investments with 125 countries from 2003 to 2014 were used to carry out hypothesis testing.

Findings

The analysis and results of this paper suggested: first, for China, the overall influence of IFDI on OFDI is positive. That is to say, IFDI's positive spillover effect is greater than the negative competition effect. Second, innovational distance's effect on FDI is complicated. It can either be positive or negative, which calls for further investigation. Third, economic distance negatively affects OFDI and negatively moderates IFDI's effect on OFDI, especially the export. To some extent, the moderating effect that resulted from the competition effect will reduce overseas investment by extruding some of the local enterprises. Fourth, cultural distance's effect is closely related to the spillover effect that will positively moderate IFDI's influence on OFDI.

Originality/value

This paper enriched the international investment theoretical system by adding a mechanism of multiway international investment of a developing country. The research also has a guiding significance for developing countries' governments in coordinating mutual international investments. Also, these results have important implications for how policymakers promote OFDI and put forward new theoretical avenues for conceptualizing the internationalization process.


In this paper I explore the changing nature of connections `at a distance'. I argue that some characteristic ways of formulating these changes are unhelpful. The social sciences have developed weak analyses of the more distant yet intermittent connections that hold social life together. It is shown that intermittent bodily copresence resulting from travel and occasioned encounters is critically significant for social life. The importance of such copresence is characteristic even of virtual communities and of far-flung diasporic communities. But it is also shown that new `inhabiting machines' are emerging, machines that undermine the distinction between `transportation' and `communications'. These new machinic hybrids are reconfiguring relations at a distance and constitute something of an epochal shift. Although there have always been complex connections of presence and absence, the current century seems to be ushering in some exceptional changes in those recurrent patterns of presence and absence, through our dwelling within an increasingly populous world of inhabiting machines. DOI:10.1068/d322t


Learned biomechanical strategies prepare the human body in kinematics and kinetics terms during interception tasks, such as throwing and catching, in real world. Based on this, we present a real‐time physics‐based approach that generates natural and physically plausible motions for a highly complex task ball catching. We showed that ball catching behavior could be achieved with the proper combination of rather simple motor skills, such as standing, walking, and reaching. The character learns some policies to know how and when to react by using reinforcement learning in order to use time accurately. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method with some of the catching animation results in different catching strategies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Lightness variation in a supposedly uniform printed surface is referred to as "print mottle." This phenomenon is one of the most detrimental to overall print quality. A fundamental problem in the evaluation of human sensitivity to a print quality variable such as mottle is the difficulty in controlling external variables, such as variations in color or in average print density, that arise in the printing process. These variables can influence the rating of quality. To analyze the impact of a systematic mottle pattern compared to that of the common case of a random pattern, a digital simulation technique was used to create gray test samples with various amounts of stochastic and systematic noise of different characters. The samples were printed using a high quality inkjet printer and evaluated by a panel of judges. Two different evaluation methods were used. Observers rated dissimilarity and preference in a pairwise comparison task, and also by positioning samples in the horizontal and vertical directions of a digitizing tablet. The results show that individuals rate the samples in a very consistent way and that systematic noise is perceived to be more annoying than random noise of a similar physical magnitude. Furthermore, the consistency between the two different evaluation methods is very good, which suggests that two-dimensional scaling on a digitizing tablet is a viable method for grouping samples in a plane. The results also show that digital simulation of print artifacts is a powerful tool for creating samples with controlled disturbances.


In this paper, an interleaved converter has been studied. The control system structure, the modelling and the implementation of step-up/step-down have been simulated and presented. The whole system has been simulated with the PLECS/Simulink simulation software in order to validate the theoretical model. A 10 kW proof-of-concept prototype has been designed, built and tested using a Texas Instruments C2000 processor.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Germinal matrix hemorrhage is a frequent complication of prematurity and can be associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcome, depending on its severity. In addition to parenchymal damage, intraventricular residues of hemorrhage and hydrocephalus MR imaging findings include superficial siderosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and location of superficial siderosis in patients with a history of germinal matrix hemorrhage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients with a history of germinal matrix hemorrhage who underwent MR imaging in our institution between 2008 and 2016. Imaging was evaluated for the presence and location of superficial siderosis. The presence of subependymal siderosis and evidence of hydrocephalus were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients with a history of germinal matrix hemorrhage were included; 86.5% had preterm births. The mean age at the first MR imaging was 386 days (range 2–5140 days). The prevalence of superficial siderosis was 67.6%. Superficial siderosis was detected significantly more often when MR imaging was performed within the first year of life (82.8% versus 12.5%, P < .000). When present, superficial siderosis was located infratentorially in all cases, while additional supratentorial superficial siderosis was detectable in 27%. CONCLUSIONS: Here we report that superficial siderosis is a common MR imaging finding in the first year of life of patients with a history of germinal matrix hemorrhage, but it dissolves and has a low prevalence thereafter. A prospective analysis of its initial severity and speed of dissolution during this first year might add to our understanding of the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental impairment after germinal matrix hemorrhages.


Auxiliary basis sets specifically matched to the correlation consistent cc-pVnZ-PP, ccpwCVnZ-PP, aug-cc-pVnZ-PP and aug-cc-pwCVnZ-PP orbital basis sets (used in conjunction with pseudopotentials) for the 5d transition metal elements Hf-Pt have been optimized for use in density fitting second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory and other correlated ab initio methods. Calculations of the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory correlation energy, for a test set of small to medium sized molecules, indicate that the density fitting error when utilizing these sets is negligible at three to four orders of magnitude smaller than the orbital basis set incompleteness error.


In this article, I intend to look back and draw contrasts between the current situation of Irish prisons and what prevailed when I joined the prison service, as one of the group of four psychologists, newly employed in 1980.

Although the prison system in 1980 was under considerable strain and was preoccupied with the handling of paramilitary prisoners, who at that time comprised a substantial proportion of the prison population, this was actually a period of relative calm before the storms that were subsequently to shake the system and threaten to overwhelm it. It was also, in stark contrast to today, a period of intense, sustained public interest and concern regarding conditions in prison. From the late 1970s, several highly critical reports were published by the churches, trade unions, and groups of concerned citizens. Then, in 1985 the Committee of Inquiry into the Penal System (the Whitaker Committee), the state's only major official enquiry into the penal system, published its report.

However, what was to follow would dramatically change Irish prisons and alter the face of psychology in the prisons. I am referring in particular to the seismic changes begun by the disastrous heroin epidemic of the early 1980s and by the official 'discovery' of child sex abuse. The concentration of AIDS cases within the prison population and the growth of a violent drugs gang culture – now pervasive throughout Ireland but endemic in Irish prisons since the mid-1980s – were transformative. The criminal drugs culture in particular changed prisons beyond recognition and still poses immense challenges. A challenge of a different kind was the growing awareness of sex crime and the gradual strengthening of the collective will to prosecute and punish sex offenders. This eventually led to the imprisonment of many offenders from the respectable and privileged classes, including priests, religious brothers, and teachers....


Arguing that An Intellectual History of the Caribbean is an important text in the emerging field of Caribbean intellectual history, this essay suggests that missing from this important text is the working through of an intellectual history that grapples with black religious practices as modes of thought. It also argues that if Caribbean thought gets knotted up in the trope of Caliban, it will not decolonize itself and begin to wrestle with what Kamau Brathwaite has called the "inner plantation."


This dissertation contributes to develop the mathematical fundamentals and computational strategies of risk-based security-constrained optimal power flow (RBSCOPF) and validate its application in electricity markets. The RB-SCOPF enforces three types of flow-related constraints: normal state deterministic flow limits, contingency state deterministic flow limits (the "N-1" criteria), and contingency state system risk, which depends only on contingency states but not the normal state. Each constraint group is scaled by a single parameter setting allowing tradeoffs between deterministic constraints and system risk. Relative to the security-constrained optimal power flow (SCOPF) used in industry today, the RB-SCOPF finds operating conditions that are more secure and more economic. It does this by obtaining solutions that achieve better balance between postcontingency flows on individual circuits and overall system risk. The method exploits the fact that, in a SCOPF solution, some post-contingency circuit flows which exceed their limits impose little risk while other post-contingency circuit flows which are within their limits impose significant risk. The RB-SCOPF softens constraints for the former and hardens constraints for the latter, thus achieving simultaneous improvement in both security and economy. Although the RB-SCOPF is more time-intensive to solve than SCOPF, we have developed efficient algorithms that allow RB-SCOPF to solve in sufficient time for use in real-time electricity markets. In contrast to SCOPF, which motivates market behavior to offload circuit flows exceeding rated flows, the use of RB-SCOPF provides price signals that motivate market behavior to offload circuit flows and to enhance system-wide security levels. Voltage stability testing has demonstrated that the dispatch result based on RB-


Thick hydride vapor phase epitaxy GaN layers have been grown on a-plane sapphire using high-temperature ion-assisted reactively sputtered AlN as a buffer layer. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were carried out to study the formation of the two interfaces sapphire/AlN and AlN/GaN, and their influence on the microstructure of both the buffer layer and the main GaN layer. It was demonstrated that the high-temperature reactively sputtered buffer layer provides a good alternative for hydride vapor phase epitaxy growth of GaN layers. In particular, the buffer promotes a specific interface ordering mechanism different from that observed on low-temperature buffers.


This research examined the travel motives of South African World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fans at a live Smackdown event in July 2011, which was part of the WWE's world tour. Based on these motives, different market segments at the events were identified and profiled. This was the first time that the motives of WWE fans in this country were identified and compared to previous research. A total of 450 questionnaires were distributed, of which 414 were completed and included in the analysis. The results showed that WWE fans in South Africa are motivated by four reasons: Unique experience and entertainment, Socialisation, Wrestling enjoyment and Known-group affiliation and novelty. Based on these motives, three distinct clusters of fans were identified: Recreational fans, Avid fans and Aficionados. The travel motives and behavioural characteristics of these fans differ significantly and results showed that WWE fans are a heterogeneous market. Therefore, marketing campaigns directed at these fans should be designed according to their individual needs and preferences in order to sustain the WWE's success and popularity in South Africa. Keywords: World Wrestling Entertainment; Fans; Motives; Sport entertainment; South Africa South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation , 2012, 34(2): 63-81


Introduction: Orbital lymphoma is a rare presentation of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, accounting for less than 1% of the total. The role of radiotherapy in its management is well-established. This is a report of a case of orbital lymphoma Materials and Methods: Clinical records and pathologic material of a patient woman of 62 age treated with local radiotherapy for localized orbital lymphoma. Treatment consisted of 36 Gy in 1.8-Gy fractions of irradiation using 6-MV photons with complex treatment planning for retrobulbar lesions. Median follow-up was 18 months Results: Local control was 100%. Cataracts was not observed in 8 of the treated eyes.
 Conclusion: In this case, localized orbital MALT lymphoma was well controlled with radiotherapy.


Abstract A number of proteolytic enzymes (proteases) and their inhibitors (anti-proteases) have been demonstrated in the bronchial secretions. The most important of these proteases is probably the potent elastase derived from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) which are recruited into the bronchial tree during inflammation. This enzyme can degrade elastin, collagen and proteoglycan and can damage the bronchial epithelium; it is inhibited by antileukoprotease and by alpha protease inhibitor (API). Pulmonary macrophages also secrete an elastase, but Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the only microorganism known to produce elastase. Antileukoprotease is probably the most important of the antiproteases to be found in bronchial secretions. Other antiproteases such as low molecular weight inhibitors, API and alpha 2 macroglobulin have been demonstrated in bronchial secretions but they are present in low concentration. A balance between proteolytic enzymes and their inhibitors is thought to be of great importance in the prevention of proteolytic damage to local tissues, not only in emphysema but also in chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. Oxidants derived from PMN or from tobacco smoke can inactivate protease inhibitors and in both the bronchial tree and the lung parenchyma, a balance between oxidants and anti-oxidants must presumably also be maintained to prevent local tissue damage.


I feel honored to have the opportunity to respond to David Carrier's editorial on Ernst H. Gombrich—all the more so as my book Art and the Mind: Ernst H. GoMbricH has been published in February 2018 [1]. The 2009 international conference devoted to Gombrich in Greifswald, Germany, for which I was able to attract the financial support of the Wissenschaftskolleg Alfried Krupp Stiftung, allowed me to spread my vision of engaging—as in a cycle of sowing and reaping—with certain concepts and insights of Gombrich in the context of image science. The subtitle of the book is in German: Mit dem Steckenpferd unterwegs, intended to evoke such reflections as "What could Gombrich's hobbyhorse support best, or Where does it go next?" The "Steckenpferd" (hobbyhorse) became a metaphor for the approach or lifelong interest of E.H. Gombrich, and recalls the fundamental questions Gombrich posed in the volume Meditations on a Hobby Horse and other Essays on the Theory of Art [2]. I want to make clear that this book is not biographical and not an homage but offers firm ground for building upon. Among the international contributors to the book are some of the most influential figures in art history, original authorities in their own right; among them are former students of Gombrich. David Freedberg, who traveled far to work with Gombrich and Michael Baxandall, established an interdisciplinary postdoctoral program to bridge the epistemological gap between the humanities and the sciences for the benefit of understanding cultures and human behaviors, especially in the presence of images. For the last twenty years, John Onians has been using neuroscience to advance the study of the history of art. Gombrich anticipated the extent to which neuroscience could be of service to the art historian, but sadly he did not live long enough to hear his archenemy, Norman Bryson, join him in the "biological" camp, having abandoned his earlier theories as of purely "clerical" interest because of their emphasis on words in favor of an approach founded in neuroscience and rooted in lived experience, as Onians notes. Robert Kudielka (of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin) draws attention to another of Gombrich's hobbyhorses, the conviction that cooperation with painters could be more productive than with art historians—a point of view he sustains with the observation that the phenomenon of color as a particular totality of all colors, irreducible to the single hues involved, long exploited by painters, has only recently found scientific explanation through the study of neurobiology. The special insights of a painter are illustrated by the well-known writer Julian Bell, who, in a generous but critical spirit worthy of Gombrich himself, explores the benefits and limitations of neuroarthistory. Hans Belting, having generated impulses toward a fundamental revision of the selfconception and methodology of the discipline of art history, became a leading voice in the fields of image research. Nadia J. Koch focuses on the interaction between classical rhetoric and the theory of art production. I asked her to share her new insights into the ancient techne, thereby reviving models of visual communication that are of contemporary interest. These are only some ideas from the book. Gombrich's scholarly publications persuaded academic art historians to rethink many of the cozy assumptions on which their conservative field was built. They also brought renewal in areas of philosophy and psychology. Gombrich introduced students in many fields to the complexities of the artist's mind and helped them to realize the power of their own eyes and intellects. These achievements were obscured in the last decades of his life by a wave of fashion, but this has now receded, leaving the rocks of his achievement standing out as landmarks in the history not just of art but of culture. (See Fig.1.) It is true that there have been extensive debates about some of Gombrich's claims, especially on perspective; many of the battles that he fought no longer seem very relevant, because they have been won. But it is easy to forget that, when he was writing, the ideas that he opposed still exerted a powerSybille Moser-Ernst (academic), Department of Art History, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria. Email: <email@example.com>.


Increasing demands for portable power applications are pushing conventional battery chemistries to their theoretical limits. Silicon has potential as an anode material to increase lithium-ion cell capacity. The associated volume change during lithiation/delithiation leads to a decline in capacity during cycling and low lithium di ff usion rates within silicon limit high rate performance. Porous silicon can potentially address the poor cyclability and rate capabilities simultaneously by minimising stresses and providing smaller silicon substructures for lithium di ff usion. Template assisted synthesis and magnesiothermic reduction of silica to silicon o ff ers a facile and scalable route for the production of porous silicon structures even when using a non-porous feedstock. This review collates the available literature concerning the e ff ects of reaction conditions through the reduction reaction. We highlight that it is important to report in detail all reaction conditions and complete characterisation of both the reactant and the product. The battery performance of these porous silicon structures is discussed and future research directions are identi fi ed. These outcomeswillenabletheidenti fi cationof a cleardesignpathwayfor the bespokeproductionof porous silicon.


Liver transplantation is the most effective treatment for the patients with acute liver failure or end-stage liver diseases. Liver transplantation is also indicated for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma to yield a best result if the tumor/tumors meet Milan criteria, University of California San Francisco(UCSF) criteria, or up-to-seven criteria. It is no doubt that more and more people need liver transplantation to save their lives. However, liver donation is always short to match the demand of liver transplanta‐ tion. Therefore, how to expand the donor pool to increase the opportunities of liver transplantation is paramount. Splitting liver is one of the ways to expand the donor pool and offers an additional chance of liver transplantation. At the beginning of split liver transplantation (SLT), the liver was split and transplanted to an adult and a child. Now, the liver can be split into full right and left lobes and transplanted to two adults. When split liver transplantation is to be performed, there are many considerations that should be clarified. With the improvement of surgical skill, the outcomes of split liver transplantation are similar to that of deceased whole liver transplantation. It is worth to promote the policy of split liver transplantation.


Large differences in mortality rates across those with different levels of education are a well-established fact. This association between mortality and education may partly be explained by confounding factors, including intelligence. Intelligence may also be affected by education so that it becomes a mediating factor in the causal chain. In this paper we estimate the impact of education on mortality using inverse probability weighted (IPW) estimator, using either intelligence as a selection variable or as a mediating variable. We develop an IPW estimator to analyse the mediating effect in the context of survival models. Our estimates are based on administrative data, on men born in 1944-1947 who were examined for military service in the Netherlands between 1961-1965, linked to national death records. For these men we distinguish four education levels and we make pairwise comparisons. From the empirical analyses we conclude that the mortality differences observed by education are only attributable to education effects for high educated individuals. For low educated individuals the observed mortality gain is mainly attributable to differences in intelligence.


Introduction: A growing health problem, obesity exacerbates decline in physical function. We determined the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated risk factors among an elderly Nigerian population. Methods: We screened a stratified, random community sample of 274 persons aged 65 years and older for overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m2), obesity (BMI >30 kg/m2), and known risk factors. Results: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13.5% (95%CI 9.7-18.1%) and 4.7% (2.6-8.0%), respectively. Obesity among females was 7.0% compared with 2.3% among males (OR 3.4; 95%CI 0.9-12.4). Hypertension was more frequent in those overweight or obese (70.0%) than in those of normal weight (43.9%; P=0.002). Hypertension (OR 2.9; 1.3-6.7) and female sex (OR 3.3; 1.4-7.9) were significant risk factors for overweight and obesity in logistic regression. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity affect a substantial proportion of elderly Nigerians and are associated with hypertension, potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Key Words: nutrition, geriatric, Africa, body mass index, epidemiology


Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease with an eczematous rash and itching. Due to undesired adverse effects of traditional systemic treatment, there is still an unmet need for safe and effective long-term therapy for refractory AD. As our understanding of the pathogenesis underlying AD grows, novel treatments targeting specific molecules have been developed. Here, we discuss the efficacy and safety profiles of these drugs in recent clinical trials. Among their adverse effects, of particular note is AD acceleration. Although there is still debate about whether certain adverse reactions can be said to be paradoxical adverse events (PAEs), a wide range of PAEs have been reported during biological treatment for chronic immune-mediated diseases. Close surveillance of novel biologics is crucial to detect new undescribed paradoxical reactions and to shed light on the convoluted pathogenesis of AD.


This brief essay reports a study of citations to every article published in 1992 in thirteen leading law journals. It uses citations as a proxy (an admittedly poor one) of article quality and then compares the citations across journals. There are, not surprisingly, vast differences in number of citations per article. While articles in the most elite journals receive more citations on average than the less elite (but still highly regarded) other journals studied, some articles in the less elite journals are more heavily cited than many articles in even the most elite journals. In keeping with studies in other disciplines and other citation studies of legal journals, the results here suggest that we should we wary of judgments about quality based on place of publication. We should also be wary of judgments about quality of scholarship based on number of citations and we should, therefore, continue to evaluate scholarship through close reads of it.


We report two families with Brunner syndrome living in one state of Australia. The first family had a predicted protein‐truncating variant of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) (p.S251KfsX2). Affected males had mild intellectual disability (ID), obsessive behaviour, limited friendships and were introverted and placid during clinical interview. The family disclosed episodic explosive aggression after a diagnosis was made. The second family had a missense variant in MAOA (p.R45W). Affected males had borderline‐mild ID, attention deficit disorder and limited friendships. One had a history of explosive aggression in childhood and episodic symptoms of flushing, headaches and diarrhoea. Their carrier mother had normal intelligence but similar episodic symptoms. Characteristic biochemical abnormalities included high serum serotonin and urinary metanephrines and low urinary 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5‐HIAA) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA). Symptomatic individuals in the second family had particularly high serotonin levels, and treatment with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor and dietary modification resulted in reversal of biochemical abnormalities, reduction of 'serotonergic' symptoms and behavioural improvement. Brunner syndrome should be considered as a cause of mild ID with paroxysmal behavioural symptoms. It can be screened for with serum/urine metanephrine and serotonin measurement. Cautious treatment with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, dietary modifications and avoidance of medications contraindicated in patients on monoamine oxidase inhibitors can improve symptoms.


Maharashtra has emerged as highly potential state for silk production during last one decade. Many modern technologies have been adopted by the farmers resulting in high and quality silk production. Among various technologies, silkworm rearing house is one of the most important for success of the silk crop. The farmers in Maharashtra have constructed silkworm rearing houses with large variability in design, construction materials, etc. It is time to study these rearing houses for improvement in silk production. A study was conducted in three districts of Western Maharashtra during the period from August -2018 to March-2019 to know present status of design, materials used in construction, structures, construction cost and various other parameters related to rearing houses for mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L. The data was collected from sericulture farmers by personal visits and interaction at the sites. It was found that only 12.5 percent farmers possess rearing house with modern amenities for silkworm rearing. About 25 percent were having medium level structures where as 62.5 percent of the farmer's constructed low cost rearing house. The present study revealed the exact status of rearing house structures available with farmers in relation to the size, area of the rearing house, materials used for construction, location, actual area available for rearing of silkworm, capacity of dfls (Disease free layings) to be brushed and income generated. The data was also analysed for the various correlation and regression analysis to know the relationship status between the rearing house structures, area, income and many other factors. In the present investigation it was realised that, intervention of civil engineers is highly required in planning of rearing house construction, selection of site, materials to be used, and area to be considered for construction, passive and


The present study investigated the development of global and domain-specific self-representations in the transition from late childhood to early adolescence and tested whether gender, puberty, and school transition help explain individual differences in change. The study was based on three measurement occasions over 2 years and included 248 adolescents (average age at T1 = 10.6 years). Findings indicated both stability and change over time. Individual differences in change were partially explained by gender and school transition. It revealed that girls experienced steeper decreasing trajectories and were more negatively affected by school transition in comparison with boys. Time-varying associations between puberty and self-representations were evident in terms of perceived pubertal timing. Findings suggest that both biological (pubertal timing) and contextual factors (school transition) play a role in explaining individual differences of self-representation level as well as their development in girls' and boys' transition to early adolescence.