To the Editor: The primary mode of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) appears to be through exposure to respiratory droplets and direct contact with patients and their contaminated environment. However, in summarizing their experiences during the SARS outbreaks in Toronto and Taiwan, McDonald et al. (1) note that certain persons were very efficient at transmitting SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and that in certain settings these so-called "superspreaders" played a crucial role in the epidemic. Airborne transmission by aerosols may have occurred in many of these cases. The same observation has been made by others (2–4), but the causes of these superspreading events and the reasons for the variable communicability of SARS-CoV are still unclear. Possible explanations include specific host characteristics (e.g., altered immune status, underlying diseases), higher level of virus shedding, or environmental factors (1–3).

We hypothesize that superspreading events might be caused by coinfection with other respiratory viruses. Such a mechanism has been identified in the transmission of Staphylococcus aureus. Eichenwald et al. (5) showed that newborns whose noses are colonized with this bacterium disperse considerable amounts of airborne S. aureus and become highly contagious (i.e., superspreaders) after infection with a respiratory virus (e.g., adenovirus or echovirus). These babies caused explosive S. aureus outbreaks in nurseries. Because they are literally surrounded by clouds of bacteria, they were called "cloud babies" (5). We have shown that the same mechanism also occurs in certain adult nasal carriers of S. aureus ("cloud adults") (6,7). Reports indicate that viral infections of the upper respiratory tract facilitate the transmission of other bacteria, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis (8). Moreover, superspreading events have also been reported in outbreaks of viral diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever and rubella (3).

Some observations suggest that coinfection with other respiratory viruses might cause superspreading events with airborne transmission of SARS-CoV. First, other viral pathogens, including human metapneumovirus, have been detected together with SARS-CoV in some patients with SARS (4). Second, few patients with SARS are superspreaders, and upper respiratory symptoms such as rhinorrhea and sore throat are a relatively uncommon manifestation of SARS (with prevalences of 14% and 16%, respectively) (4). Thus, some patients with SARS and upper respiratory symptoms might be coinfected with other respiratory viruses and become superspreaders. Interestingly, the report on a SARS superspreading event in Hong Kong explicitly states that the superspreader had presented with a "runny nose" (in addition to fever, cough, and malaise) (3). Therefore, upper respiratory symptoms might be a marker for highly infectious SARS patients. Future investigations, based upon either existing specimens from the last outbreak or newly collected specimens from any future outbreak, should focus on whether an association exits between SARS superspreading events and coinfection with other respiratory viruses.


Understanding the parameters of modernism and the characteristics of postmodernism has been the goal of specialists and thinkers in the modern world. In recent years, the development of these epistemological modern and postmodern parameters and characteristics has attracted the attention of educational philosophers. In this article, an effort is made to analyze the educational ideas of some very influential thinkers such as Lyotard (1979), Frazer(1989) Penely (1989)), Hirsch (1987), Rortri(2002) and Curren (2003)as the foundations of modern and postmodern eras through a descriptive method. To this end, the relevant educational epistemological approach is scrutinized by dint of concepts such as definitions, principles, aims of education, parameters of critical and 'boundary' education, curriculum development and methodologies of modernism as well as postmodernism. The findings of this article elucidated the fact that paying attention to educational pluralism, multicultural conventions, creation of probable rather than absolute and certain knowledge are the outstanding features of postmodern educations. These features can illustrate the claim for fostering active and critical citizenship in the local, national and international arenas. Moreover, the findings of this study show that the rejection of all generalization and homogeneous perceptions and appreciations of social critical discourses are the essential building blocks and important aims of postmodern education. This leads to the practice of democracy based on interdisciplinary fields rather than on separate subjects(in the postmodern era). This aim is obtainable through the interrelated networks of group learning 'at school', and the 'university of life' as a 'small community' in critical education. Such a postmodern curriculum produces rather than consumes knowledge and it is iconoclastic not conformist and structuralism. The other result gained from postmodern education is the application of hermeneutic not dilectic modernist model. Based on the post modern criteria, the system of education must distance itself from the mere utilitarian, and instrumental criteria and embrace the postmodern touchstones of the citizen's critical and democratic attitudes, and mentalities


Diffraction-limited polarized stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) Stokes output from a multimode fiber is possible when the Stokes beam is the phase conjugate of diffraction-limited polarized pump light from a narrow-band master oscillator. Net amplification can be obtained by interposing a gain medium, such as a fiber amplifier between the master oscillator and the region of SBS generation. This paper proposes and studies numerically a model which describes the space-time dynamics of SBS generation, including phase conjugation, attenuation, phonon decay, thermal noise, inhomogeneous broadening, and amplifier gain. Noise reduction and phase locking are obtained by seeding the low-power end of the fiber at the Stokes frequency. Simulations are described for the case of 1.064 /spl mu/m light amplification in a dual-clad Yb-doped multimode fiber amplifier.


A series of 3-guanidinopropyl methacrylamide (GPMA)-based polymeric gene delivery vehicles were developed via aqueous reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The polymers have been evaluated for their cellular internalization ability, transfection efficiency, and cytotoxicity. Two homopolymers: P(GPMA20), P(GPMA34), were synthesized to study the effect of guanidium polymer length on delivery efficiency and toxicity. In addition, an N-acetyl-d-galactosamine (GalNAc)-based hydrophilic block was incorporated to produce diblock polymers, which provides a neutral hydrophilic block that sterically protects plasmid-polymer complexes (polyplexes) from colloidal aggregation and aids polyplex targeting to hepatocytes via binding to asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPRs). Polyplexes formed with P(GPMAx) (x = 20, 34) homopolymers were shown to be internalized via both energy-dependent and independent pathways, whereas polyplexes formed with block polymers were internalized through endocytosis. Notably, P(GPMAx) polyplexes enter cells very efficiently but are also very toxic to human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells and triggered cell apoptosis. In comparison, the presence of a carbohydrate block in the polymer structures reduced the cytotoxicity of the polyplex formulations and increased gene delivery efficiency with HepG2 cells. Transfection efficiency and toxicity studies were also carried out with HEK 293T (human embryonic kidney) cells for comparison. Results showed that polyplexes formed with the P(GPMAx) homopolymers exhibit much higher transfection efficiency and lower toxicity with HEK 293T cells. The presence of the carbohydrate block did not further increase transfection efficiency in comparison to the homopolymers with HEK 293T cells, likely due to the lack of ASGPRs on the HEK 293T cell line. This study revealed that although guanidinium-based polymers have high membrane permeability, their application as plasmid delivery vehicles may be limited by their high cytotoxicity to certain cell types. Thus, the use of cell penetrating structures in polyplex formulations should be used with caution and carefully tailored toward individual cell/tissue types.


Conventional sources are deteriorating the planet; therefore environmental friendly technological solutions are becoming more prominent. This paper presents a new system configuration of the front end rectifier stage for a hybrid wind-photovoltaic energy system. This configuration allows the two sources to supply the load separately or simultaneously together depending on the availability of the energy sources. The proposed design has the Cuk and Sepic converters combined together which eliminate the need of additional input filters to filter out the high frequency harmonics. The fused multiinput rectifier stage also allows Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) to be used to extract maximum power from the wind and sun when it is available. A standard perturb and observe method will be used for PV system and wind energy system. Simulation results were obtained using MATLAB/Simulink.


The esterification of oleic acid with 2-ethylhexanol in presence of sulfuric acid  as homogeneous catalyst was investigated in this work to produce 2-ethylhexyl oleate (biodiesel) by using semi batch reactive distillation. The effect of reaction temperature (100 to 130°C), 2-ethylhexanol:oleic acid molar ratio (1:1 to 1:3) and catalysts concentration (0.2 to 1wt%) were studied. Higher conversion of 97% was achieved with operating conditions of reaction temperature of 130°C, molar ratio of free fatty acid to alcohol of 1:2 and catalyst concentration of 1wt%. A simulation was adopted from basic principles of the reactive distillation using MATLAB to describe the process. Good agreement was achieved.


ABSTRACT This work aims to explore the perceived accessibility of adapted toilets according to the user's perspective, indicating the relevance of their attributes and features for persons with reduced mobility. There are recent studies addressing accessibility, but few focus on adapted toilets, making this study of adapted toilets in Brazil unique. A total of 98 disabled users with restricted mobility and carers took part in a survey after using adapted toilets. The study sample variance resulted in 27 attributes, distributed in eight factors: accessories, transit ability, access, hydro sanitary facilities, facilities, openings, safety, and ergonomic comfort. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to identify attributes with impact on general satisfaction. The results identified three primary attributes in terms of design, execution and improvement of the user experience. Findings demonstrate a gap between the recommended standards and what the user perceives to be important, which has ramifications for the further development of standards and the design and construction of adapted toilets. The implication is that it is necessary to pay more attention to what the users need, and thus help to improve the users' experience, satisfaction and wellbeing.


Recent advancement in wireless communications and electronics has enabled the development of low-cost sensor networks. The sensor networks can be used for various application areas(e.g., health, military, home). For different application areas, there are different technical issues that researchers are currently resolving. The current stats of the art of sensor networks is captured in this article, where solutions are discussed under their related protocol stack layer sections. This article also point out the open research issues and intends to spark new interests and developments in this field.


This article presents an extensive experimental investigation of singly curved fibre-reinforced composite structures subjected to low energy heavy mass impact. The objective of the study is to understand the contribution the surface ply orientation makes to the resistance of the impact strike and the impact behaviour of composite cylinders of different stacking configuration. Tests were conducted on laminate configurations suitable for various structural applications, using an instrumented drop-weight (30 kg) device. Impact studies conducted were on half single curved symmetrical composite panels of (β2/452/−452/02/902)s stacking configuration, where β = 0, 30, 45, 60, 90 and also on fully single curve composite cylinders of stacking sequence (02/452/902/−452)s, (452/02/902/−452)s and (902/452/02/−452)s. The test samples were manufactured by the hand lay-up technique using unidirectional carbon fibre–epoxy matrix prepregs. The impact properties such as the absorbed energy, bending stiffness, saturation energy, damage degree and the contact period were obtained from the response data and interpreted to establish the impact effect on the composite structure. From this unique study, it was realised that surface ply orientation of half single curved composites significantly contributes to the energy absorption characteristics and that the damage effect was most severe for the (902/452/02/−452)s configuration of the composite cylinder.


In the crystal structure of the title complex, [Zn(N(3))(2)(C(6)H(8)N(6))](n) or [Zn(N(3))(2)(bte)](n), where bte is micro-1,2-bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)ethane, each Zn atom is pentacoordinated in a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal coordination environment involving two N atoms from two bte ligands and three N atoms from three azide ligands. The Zn atoms are bridged by micro-1,1-azide groups and bte ligands around a centre of inversion, forming an infinite one-dimensional chain containing both four-membered Zn(micro-1,1-N(3))(2)Zn and 18-membered Zn(gauche-bte)(2)Zn rings.


In the past ten years Australia has rapidly restructured its economy, exposing its institutions and businesses to higher levels of global competition than its international competitors. At the same time that the country faces cuts in public funding and services, Australian governments, schools and community organisations are increasingly demanding that service organisations work with one another, institutions and local business to form an effective environment for sustainable regional responses to young people who become disengaged from one another, their families, schools and communities. This paper uses research commissioned by a range of service agencies in a specific region in Melbourne, Australia, to propose that to meet the increasing demand of young people for assistance in what is internationally a strong economy, services need to underpin their work with a practice framework of principles and to plan their work through local collaboration and wider advocacy. It concludes that these current concerns are in keeping with the foundational principles of youth work as a practice in the nineteenth century.


This paper presents a flexible topic model based on the nested Indian buffet process (nIBP). The flexibility is achieved by relaxing three constraints: (1) number of topics is fixed, (2) topics are independent, and (3) topic hierarchy for a document is limited by a single tree path. Bayesian nonparametric learning is conducted to build a tree model where the number of topics and the topic hierarchies are automatically learnt from the given data. In particular, we propose the nIBP to construct the topic mixture model for representation of heterogeneous documents where the mixture components are flexibly selected from tree nodes or dishes that a document or customer chooses in Indian buffet process. The selection is performed in a nested and hierarchical manner. The experiments on document representation show the benefits of using the proposed nIBP.


In this paper, we study transmit strategies for a fullduplex (FD) point-to-point system with residual self-interference. Under the MISO and MIMO setup, finding optimal transmit strategies which maximize the system sum rate is a non-convex problem and in general NP-hard. Thus, we resort to a suboptimal solution which maximizes the signal-to-leakage-plus-noise ratio (SLNR). The SLNR based precoding design avoids the joint design of the precoders at the two transmitters. It also provides a closed-form solution. Noticing that properly adjusting the transmit power can also improve the performance of a FD system. We develop power adjustment schemes which maximize the system sum rate for SISO, MISO, and MIMO scenarios. The optimization problem is still non-convex. Nevertheless, by analyzing whether the constraints are active at the optimality, we are able to obtain a closed-form solution at the end. Due to the fact that the sum rate achievable power adjustment algorithms might violate the quality of service (QoS) requirements in the system, we also propose power adjustment schemes which consider the max-min fairness. Simulation results demonstrate that for our FD system the proposed schemes achieve a significant gain over traditional transmit strategies for half-duplex (HD) systems when they are applied to FD systems.


A fully automatic mesh segmentation scheme using heterogeneous graphs is presented. We introduce a spectral framework where local geometry affinities are coupled with surface patch affinities. A heterogeneous graph is constructed combining two distinct graphs: a weighted graph based on adjacency of patches of an initial over-segmentation, and the weighted dual mesh graph. The partitioning relies on processing each eigenvector of the heterogeneous graph Laplacian individually, taking into account the nodal set and nodal domain theory. Experiments on standard datasets show that the proposed unsupervised approach outperforms the state-of-the-art unsupervised methodologies and is comparable to the best supervised approaches.


Self-efficacy reflects the extent to which students believe that they can successfully perform in school. It usually positively correlated with outcome expectations but it is possible that a student's has high self-efficacy does not transform into a high academic achievement. This study sought to find out the relationship between chemistry students' self-efficacy and their academic achievement in senior secondary schools in North-central, Nigeria. The study is an ex-post facto research and is a descriptive survey. The subjects of the study were one thousand one hundred and fifty (1150) senior secondary school III chemistry students selected from Kogi, Kwara and Niger States of Nigeria. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics of mean, percentage and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The findings revealed that no significant relationship existed between self-efficacy and the academic achievement of the chemistry students. The study concludes that students' self-efficacy needs to be complemented with a host of other factors to achieve high academic achievement in Chemistry. It is therefore recommended that attention be paid to other factors necessary for better students' achievement in chemistry to complement students' high self-efficacy, so that a combination of these factors could result in high academic achievement in Chemistry


The identity of a group is captured in prototypical members who are perceived by members to embody the characteristics that define the group (Hogg, 1992; Tajfel & Turner, 1979). Of importance, the specific attributes of this group prototype can serve two functions. The first is to enhance perceived intragroup similarity if attributes of prototypes are common with other members, while the second is maximizing intergroup differences if attributes are more extreme. This study tested how different identity prototypes relate to the way individual members perceive the cohesiveness of the group. Team sport athletes (n = 102) were asked to think about the group member who best embodied the team (i.e., group prototype) and report the degree to which the member had qualities that were common/similar (commonalities) or extreme/superior (differences) to other team members. The individual attraction to the team (task and social) dimensions of group cohesion also were assessed. Results of a canonical correlation model, Wilks' ? = .82, F (4, 194) = 5.20, p = .001, indicated a significant amount of overlap in the variability of the prototype and cohesion variable sets accounting for 18% of the variance. When a group prototype was assessed as being common/similar to teammates, individual attraction to the group across task and social dimensions were higher. These findings provide preliminary evidence of a link between group prototype and team cohesion in sport and suggests that when the prototype features commonalities rather than differences between sport team members, task and social cohesion perceptions are higher.Acknowledgments: Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Scholarship to the first author (752-2014-2655)


Abstract Fire is rampant throughout subtropical South and Southeast Asian grasslands. However, very little is known about the role of fire and pyric herbivory on the functioning of highly productive subtropical monsoon grasslands lying within the Cwa climatic region. We assessed the temporal effect of fire on postfire regrowth quality and associated pyric‐herbivory in the subtropical monsoon grasslands of Bardia National Park, Nepal. Every year, grasslands are burned as a management intervention in the park, especially between March and May. Within a week after fire, at the end of March 2020, we established 60 m × 60 m plots within patches of burned grassland in the core area of the Park. We collected grass samples from the plots and determined physical and chemical properties of the vegetation at regular 30‐day intervals from April to July 2020, starting from 30 days after fire to assess postfire regrowth forage quality. We counted pellet groups of cervids that are abundant in the area for the same four months from 2 m × 2 m quadrats that were permanently marked with pegs along the diagonal of each 60 m × 60 m plot to estimate intensity of use by deer to the progression of postfire regrowth. We observed strong and significant reductions in crude protein (mean value 9.1 to 4.1 [55% decrease]) and phosphorus (mean value 0.2 to 0.11 [45% decrease]) in forage collected during different time intervals, that is, from 30 days to 120 days after fire. Deer utilized the burned areas extensively for a short period, that is, up to two months after fire when the burned areas contained short grasses with a higher level of crude protein and phosphorus. The level of use of postfire regrowth by chital (Axis axis) differed significantly over time since fire, with higher intensity of use at 30 days after fire. The level of use of postfire regrowth by swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) did not differ significantly until 90 days after fire, however, decreased significantly after 90 days since fire. Large‐scale single event fires, thus, may not fulfil nutritional requirements of all species in the deer assemblage in these subtropical monsoon grasslands. This is likely because the nutritional requirements of herbivores differ due to differences in body size and physiological needs—maintenance, reproduction, and lactation. We recommend a spatiotemporal manipulation of fire to reinforce grazing feedback and to yield forage of high quality for the longest possible period for a sustainable high number of deer to maintain a viable tiger population within the park.


We have experimentally investigated thermal diffusion in a SrTiO3 based YBCO bicrystalline thin-film by means of one-dimensional low temperature scanning microscope (LTLSM). Grain boundary (GB) being a weak link is temperature sensitive, thus it can be used as a local thermal sensor. In experiments DC bias current was higher than the GB critical current, but much lower than the intra-grain one. At 10 Hz modulation frequency the detected GB trace was found to be about 300 micrometers. Upon the frequency increase, the trace diminishes and for 200 kHz was about 10 micrometers. Theoretical analysis shows that thermal length varies inversely as the square root of the frequency, and phase delay is in direct proportion. We have shown phase delay between modulating and response signals to be in a good agreement with theoretical frequency dependence. Effective thermal diffusivity coefficient calculated from the above dependence is close to that of the SrTiO3 and indicates that heat diffusion is much influenced by the substrate. Hence this result demonstrates the potential of the LTLSM for obtaining effective in-plane thermal diffusivity of multilayered superconducting tapes and films.


In a recent CMAJ commentary on drug interactions with warfarin, David Juurlink overlooked a very important category of drugs that interact with warfarin: antiepileptic drugs. Phenytoin, carbamazepine and phenobarbital are potent inducers of the cytochrome P450 system, and their interactions with warfarin have been known for decades. These drugs can substantially increase the rate at which warfarin is metabolized and thus reduce the effect of a previously adjusted dose. Likewise, sudden withdrawal of any of these drugs may decrease the rate at which warfarin is metabolized and put a patient taking a combination of these drugs at an increased risk of bleeding. Antiepileptic drugs are not only prescribed for epilepsy, which is estimated to affect 200 000 Canadians; they are also used to treat psychiatric disorders in a large population of patients. I suggest that Juurlink should add antiepileptic drugs as a ninth category to Table 1.


Citrullinated proteins have been associated with several diseases and citrullination can most likely function as a target for novel diagnostic agents and unravel disease etiologies. The correct identification of citrullinated proteins is therefore of most importance. Mass spectrometry (MS) driven proteomics can with bottom up strategies analyze protein profiles and PTMs in complex samples. However, the site-specific characterization of citrullination using MS remains problematic, especially in complex samples where no sensitive chemical modification technique exists. A tryptic missed cleavage after citrulline is therefore often used as a marker for citrullination post processing. However, C-terminal tryptic citrullinated peptides have also been reported. In this study, we therefore aimed at optimizing the identification of citrullinated peptides in complex samples. To assess the cleavage properties of trypsin, digestion was performed on synthetic peptide sets containing either arginine or citrulline. The peptide sequences originated from disease-associated in vivo citrullinated proteins; some reported as being C-terminal tryptic citrullinated peptides. Furthermore, the proteolytic activity was verified using digested synovial fluid samples from a rheumatoid arthritis patient. The samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography/tandem MS with electrospray ionization. Our in vivo and in vitro studies clearly demonstrate the inability of trypsin to cleave after citrulline residues. Based on our findings, we present a strategy for verifying citrullinated sites in complex samples post processing, in proteomics shotgun experiments. By requiring a missed cleavage for the identification of citrullinated peptides, we demonstrate that 64% of false-positively annotated citrullination sites could be removed. We furthermore demonstrated likely pitfalls of applying the strategy. In conclusion, manual annotation of citrullinated peptide spectra remains essential to ensure correct annotation. Implementing a missed cleavage requirement significantly reduces the number of spectra needing manual verification with minimal loss. This method may help future proteomics studies identify citrullinated proteins in complex samples.


Monodontella giraffae Yorke et Maplestone, 1926 was collected from the biliary duct of liver of a dead giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis (Linnaeus) from the Tianjin Zoo, Tianjin, China. A redescription of this species was made using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The lateral alae and the detailed structures of the spicules and genital cone were observed for the first time by SEM. The taxonomic status of the genus is discussed.


INTRODUCTION
Macular edema (ME) is the leading cause of visual impairment in retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech) on ME secondary to RVO.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A prospective, interventional study was conducted among patients with ME due to RVO from June 2008 to February 2010. Intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 ml) was given at 4 to 6 weekly intervals until the ME subsided. Complete ophthalmic evaluation and measurement of central retinal thickness (CRT) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed at baseline and follow up visits.

RESULTS
Thirty four eyes (18 CRVO and 16 BRVO) were included in the study. The mean duration of visual symptoms and follow up period were 5.1 months (range 0.3 - 24 months) and 7.5 ± 4.8 months respectively. In CRVO, the CRT improved from 652 ± 206 ?m at the baseline to 257 ± 132 ?m (p less than 0.0001) at the final follow up, and in BRVO, the CRT improved from 540 ±197 ?m to 219 ± 135 ?m (p 0.0001). The improvement in BCVA was significant at each follow up interval for BRVO; in CRVO, there was only a significant improvement between the baseline and the 6 weeks' follow up. BCVA was improved in 75 % cases of BRVO and in 61.6 % in CRVO at the final follow up. There were no ocular or systemic adverse effects.

CONCLUSION
Intravitreal bevacizumab is an effective and safe drug for reducing ME and improving visual acuity secondary to RVO in the short term follow up.


The finances in the organizations are vital to maximize the value of the company in a market, it is constituted in the most dynamic business function in the current moments, its importance consists in the management that can be given to the investments from the current being prospective at the same time.The work presented by the authors, show different edges of analysis, one external to the organizations and another internal, the external allows us to understand how the environment operates and its impact on companies, in what has to do with the internal, You can see important elements for the financial health of companies.The management of pensions is highlighted as an element of financial inclusion, researchers show the impact of this issue on public entities, especially as it must be addressed to achieve a cleanup of finances and maintain a good working climate in the entities, The methodology describes the analysis very well, which allows it to be replicated in similar studies.Likewise, the incidence of poverty and the environment in the surrounding reality of the organizations is observed in order to operate. The proposed methodology reflects a valid analysis instrument to replicate in similar studies, especially, it is essential for entrepreneurs who want to know the incidences of the environment, the economy and the environment in the operations in any region.Likewise, the text denotes the importance of leadership in financial management, although it is not strictly speaking of analysis tools, it is clearly shown that finance is an important element of the administration, therefore, its management must have a leadership to achieve the objectives, the methodology used favors its replication in studies of an economic sector different from the one studied.Of course, the work is interesting for readers, which will allow them to have a complement to the vision they have of finance.


Sliceform paper art is an art form where long strips of paper are cut, folded and slotted together to form intricate geometric configurations. We present a system that streamlines the design process for such artwork, which are conventionally highly time-consuming to assemble. This system takes in a polygonal tile-based geometric configuration and traces patterns across tile boundaries to produce a strip-based representation, which can be used to generate the physical paper strips for easy assembly. We exhibit some representative results generated by our system.


Loss of teeth vitality when root formation is incomplete, results in weaker structures leaving them prone to fractures and unfavourable long-term prognosis. Apexogenesis is currently the treatment of choice in immature teeth and is indicated in vital teeth without pulpal pathologies. The treatment aims to eliminate the causal agent of the damage, and provide the necessary conditions to preserve vitality in the tooth and induce apical root closure. A 6-year-old male patient was treated at the Endodontics Clinic, Universidad de La Frontera upon complaining of acute pain in tooth 30. The tooth presented incomplete root development due to dental caries with pulp exposure and a diagnosis of irreversible symptomatic pulpitis. Total pulpotomy was performed with the application of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and controlled at 1, 4, 6, 7 and 12 months, achieving root development and apical closure in the permanent molar. The result was comparable with studies that support this therapy in teeth with irreversible pulpitis. This work seeks to contribute to the existing evidence on the management of immature permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis to induce root development and apical closure, and maintain pulp vitality.


Matt Hills argues that cultural theorists have been unable or unwilling to transcend a dichotomy that places academic discourse and identities in the realm of the rational or passionless, and fan identities in the realm of the immersed or open. As a result, the scholar-fan and the fan-scholar have become liminal and transgressive persona. This article draws on the author's own experience, and that of 13 other delegates who participated in the Slayage Conference on Buffy the Vampire Slayer held in Tennessee in May 2004, as a basis for exploring the way in which the issues of the fan-scholar identity are lived out. Questions addressed include the way in which tensions between fan and academic identities were manifested, and the ways in which individuals managed their fan and academic identities.


Background Investigations into the mechanism of diffuse retinal edema in diabetic subjects have been limited by a lack of animal models and techniques that co-localized retinal thickness and hydration in vivo. In this study we test the hypothesis that a previously reported supernormal central retinal thickness on MRI measured in experimental diabetic retinopathy in vivo represents a persistent and diffuse edema. Methodology/Principal Findings In diabetic and age-matched control rats, and in rats experiencing dilutional hyponatremia (as a positive edema control), whole central retinal thickness, intraretinal water content and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC, 'water mobility') were measured in vivo using quantitative MRI methods. Glycated hemoglobin and retinal thickness ex vivo (histology) were also measured in control and diabetic groups. In the dilutional hyponatremia model, central retinal thickness and water content were supernormal by quantitative MRI, and intraretinal water mobility profiles changed in a manner consistent with intracellular edema. Groups of diabetic (2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 mo of diabetes), and age-matched controls were then investigated with MRI and all diabetic rats showed supernormal whole central retinal thickness. In a separate study in 4 mo diabetic rats (and controls), MRI retinal thickness and water content metrics were significantly greater than normal, and ADC was subnormal in the outer retina; the increase in retinal thickness was not detected histologically on sections of fixed and dehydrated retinas from these rats. Conclusions/Significance Diabetic male Sprague Dawley rats demonstrate a persistent and diffuse retinal edema in vivo, providing, for the first time, an important model for investigating its pathogenesis and treatment. These studies also validate MRI as a powerful approach for investigating mechanisms of diabetic retinal edema in future experimental and clinical investigations.


In the late 1960s and early '70s, Anglo-American experimental cinema pursued a shift of artistic strategies marked by an increased foregrounding of filmic materials, a minimization of referential content, and more stripped-down structures. In the dominant narratives concerning these movements—variously known as Structural Film, New Formal Film, or Structuralist/Materialist Film—critics and scholars have argued that these minimalist film practices were virtually absolute in their eschewal of expressive or personal content. However, this article contests the formalist reductionism of this prevailing interpretation by arguing that many key films of the period, including canonical works by Paul Sharits, Hollis Frampton, and Malcolm Le Grice, retain potent traces of autobiography, affect, and diaristic recollection.


This paper introduces a computational framework which allows to assess a-priori the control performance of a nonlinear networked control system (NCS) for which actuator signal communication is time triggered. The plant system is nonlinear and continuous-time. A discrete nonlinear controller has been designed without the knowledge of the communication network. The integration of the control system under the assumption of time-triggered actuator signal communication requires the choice of a feasible communication policy. It is shown that a continuous-time quadratic infinite horizon cost can be evaluated for the NCS via a sum-of-squares (SOS) approach. The equivalent linear cost computation for the linearized closed-loop is used to minimize computational effort by reducing the number of variables for the cost computation and avoiding SOS-computations where possible. A numerical example proves the feasibility of the approach.


The purpose of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical features of hospitalized patients with the pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus infection in a tertiary care hospital in Central Anatolia, Turkey. The patients, all over 16 years of age and hospitalized for influenza-like symptoms between 1 November 2009 and 31 December 2009, were retrospectively identified from the records of the Infectious Diseases Department. Eighty patients whose diagnoses were confirmed by real-time PCR were included in this study. The median age of the patients was 27 years; 41 of them were male. Thirty-seven of the patients had a radiologically proven pneumonia. Eighteen of 37 (48.6%) patients with pneumonia had an underlying co-morbid medical condition, and 14 required intensive care unit admission. Patients with pneumonia had higher levels of C-reactive protein. All patients but one received oseltamivir treatment. Six patients with pneumonia received only antiviral therapy, while 31 of the patients with pneumonia received concomitant antibiotic therapy. Three patients who required mechanical ventilatory support died due to respiratory insufficinency. Although our study implicates the later periods of the pandemic, there were no significant differences for patients' characteristics between our study and previous reports from the countries where the pandemic first occurred.


The purpose of this study was to assess success rates of long-term glycemic control and diabetes drug prescriptions by gender, age and race in a large, state-wide, integrated, electronic health record database in Indiana. Descriptive analysis of a retrospective cohort of 308,4adults with type 2 diabetes observed from 20to 2018 was conducted. The success rate for glycemic control (A1c <7 [<65 y/o] or <8 [>=65 y/o]) was defined as (number of A1c tests meeting target) / (number of A1c tests) in any given year. Sample characteristics included gender, age, race, and diabetes drug prescription rate for twelve classes of diabetes drugs. Analysis of 876,656 year-level observations showed the success rate of glycemic control was steady at 60% with year-to-year change of 0-1% since 2009. It was greater for females (62-64%) than males (57-59%) ; patients aged 65 or above (75-89%) than those below (43-62%) ; and whites (61-63%) than blacks (51-54%) . Biguanides (56-63% = subject n with orders of biguandes in x year/ population n in x year) were most frequently prescribed, followed by sulfonylurea (29-33%) , fast-acting and long-acting insulin (29-32%) . Blacks had more insulin prescription (47-53%) regardless of age group. Costlier drugs were more frequently prescribed among whites vs. non-white: 0.6-1.2% vs. 0.5-0.8 for meglitinides; 10.3-16.7% vs. 1.3-17.3% for DPP-4; 0.5-9.3% vs. 0.2-8.0 for SGLT2i; and 5.3-12.15% vs. 1-11.5% for GLP-1. For blacks who were prescribed insulin (44-53%) , the success rate for glycemic control was lower than for whites (38-43% vs. 46-50%) . The success of longitudinal glycemic control did not improve over a 10-year period among 308,4adults with type 2 diabetes in Indiana. Racial minorities received notably fewer prescriptions for higher-priced drugs such as meglitinide, DPP4, SGLT2, and GLP-1.

 H.N.Fu: None. M.Weiner: Stock/Shareholder; AbbVie Inc., Accuray, Inc., Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Amgen Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Crispr Therapeutics Ag Com, Express Scripts Hdlg Co, General Electric Co., Globus Med, Inc., IBM, Integer Hldgs Corp Com, Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corp, Johnson & Johnson, Mallinckrodt PLC, Mead Johnson & Company, LLC., Medtronic, Metlife Inc Com, Mylan N.V., Novo Nordisk A/S, Nuvasive, Inc., Orthofix Medical Inc., Perspecta Inc Com, Pfizer Inc., Resmed, Inc., Roche Pharmaceuticals, Seaspine Hldgs, Inc., Senseonics, Stryker Corp., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Varex Imaging Corp., Varian Med Sys, Inc., Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. J.Wolfson: None. T.S.Hannon: Advisory Panel; Eli Lilly and Company. P.Balius: None. T.Schleyer: None.

 T15LM012502, UL1TR002529, the Lilly Endowment Physician Scientist Initiative


This paper begins by reviewing the impact of external considerations on British economic policy making over the last hundred and fifty years. We then go on to ask whether, in addition to the usual intertemporal solvency requirement, there is a period-by-period external constraint in the form of a rising virtual supply price of foreign borrowing. We estimate a version of consumption risk-adjusted interest parity that allows for such a feature, but find little evidence that it is important. Finally, we discuss the recent evolution of the British current account and argue that the authorities are right to take a sanguine view.


This study presents an analysis of data from various radon anomalies that were compiled by Toutain and Baubron [1999], to investigate their relationships with the earthquake parameters of magnitude and distance from epicenter. The simple methodology applied here reveals significant and positive correlation between the duration of the radon anomalies and the ratio between the earthquake preparation radius and the distance between the sensor and the event epicenter. This shows an important relationship between seismic activity and duration of radon anomalies at a local scale. The consequences and implications of this relationship are discussed.


Due to increasing concerns with petroleum usage and the increasing federal fuel economy regulations, electric powertrains have become more accepted by automotive manufacturers and can be found in production and within numerous development programs. Although electric propulsion vehicles were first built over 100 years ago, such vehicles are not commonplace in today's automotive market. As with any "new" technology, concerns arise regarding safety and reliability of such vehicles. The functional safety standard ISO 26262, introduced in final draft in 2011, provides crucial safety-related requirements for passenger vehicles including those employing electrical propulsion. Although the standard has already had a large influence on automobile manufacturers and suppliers, it's implications for EMC have not previously been fully clarified. This paper outlines the impact of ISO 26262 for EMC related issues, and discusses the standard's implications for EMC requirements within the field of electric powertrains.


Purpose Prenatal MRI with novel motion-correction techniques has the potential to improve fetal diagnosis of congenital heart disease in clinically challenging cases. We sought to quantify the added value of MRI for fetuses with an unresolved echocardiographic diagnosis. Methods Only patients with an incomplete fetal diagnosis were referred for MRI. Standard 'HASTE' images (2D) were acquired, and then reconstructed using a novel motion corrected slice-volume-registration algorithm to generate navigable 3D volumes (3DV) and segmented 3D models (3 DM) of the fetal vasculature. Two blinded clinicians were asked to independently score these data in order (2D-3DV-3DM); firstly according to a standard segmental approach, and secondly with regards to the areas of unresolved anatomy. Scores were given from 0 (no confidence) to 5 (high confidence). Results 23 consecutive cases were analysed (14 with suspected abnormalities of the aortic and/or ductal arches, and 9 with abnormalities of the pulmonary vessels). In a structured approach for all patients, mean confidence scores from 2D-3DV-3DM data increased from 1.0–3.2*−3.7 for systemic venous anatomy; from 0.8–2.9*−3.6* for pulmonary arterial anatomy; from 0.8–2.6*−3.0 for pulmonary venous anatomy; and from 0.9–3.0*−4.6* for arch/ductal anatomy. In addressing the specific clinical question unresolved by echocardiography, diagnostic confidence increased from 0.7–2.9*−4.2*. Asterisks denote a P value of<0.001. All MRI findings were contemporaneously reported before birth, and confirmed postnatally in each case. Conclusion Motion corrected slice-volume MRI techniques provide increased diagnostic confidence, during both structured and focussed assessment of fetal congenital heart disease. These novel techniques can offer a highly complementary adjunct to ultrasound in clinically challenging cases.


4181 An estimated 211000 new cases and 40000 deaths will be attributed breast cancer in the USA in 2006. Novel approaches that allow for a more effective and less toxic chemotherapy for disseminated breast cancer are needed for which the current therapies are largely ineffective. Targeted drug encapsulated nanoparticles may decrease the side effects of available treatment and increase their efficiency resulting in enhanced therapeutic index of available chemotherapies. The targeted delivery of nanoparticles with polypeptides may confer certain advantages when compared to antibodies such as small size, robustness of platform, and synthetic production that can facilitate scale-up production. We report the development of controlled release polymer nanoparticles using a poly (D,L lactic)-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer with a terminal maleimide functional group (PLA-PEG-MAL). These nanoparticles were conjugated to a polypeptide sequence that has a preferential binding characteristics for the Her-2 receptor, a well characterized antigen that is overexpressed on the surface of breast and pancreatic cancers. The resulting pegylated nanoparticle-peptide bioconjugates were ~120 nm in size and had negative surface charge of ~ -5 mV. The combination of these characteristics is expected to minimize the non-specific clearance of these nanoparticles by the body's immune system. The conjugation of the peptide does not affect the physical properties of the nanoparticles and we did not observe any nanoparticle aggregation. We next demonstrated a differential cytotoxity of these bioconjugates using docetaxel encapsulated targeted nanoparticles. These bioconjugates specifically bound to and were taken up by the Her2 expressing cells resulting in enhanced differential cytotoxity as compared cells which do not express Her2, and to empty nanoparticle controls. These targeted drug delivery nanoparticles could be used as a powerful therapeutic tool for Her2 expressing cancers. Keywords: Her2, Poly(lactic acid), PLA, targeted nanoparticles, docetaxel Topic: Drug Delivery & Therapeutics- Targeting at Molecular, Cellular and Higher Levels. Figure 1. Targeted nanoparticle-polypeptide conjugates uptake into SKBR-3 cells


Rat pancreatic islets were incubated in vitro with L-[4,5-3H]leucine or with L-[2,3-3H]tryptophan in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer, containing 0, 5, or 20 mM glucose. Incorporation of labeled amino acids in islet cells was evaluated quantitatively by a validated radioautographic procedure. Incorporation of labeled leucine into [3H]proinsulin and [3H]insulin was measured by immunoprecipitation and into other islet proteins by trichloroacetic acid precipitation. Incorporation of labeled amino acids in pancreatic beta cells was patchy and not uniform. Up to 20 to 35% of beta cells, mainly in central regions of the islets, showed poor or no incorporation of label. Peripheral nonbeta, endocrine islet cells and mesenchymal islet cells were all uniformly labeled. Incorporation of either amino acid into nonbeta endocrine and mesenchymal cells was not much affected by the absence of glucose in the incubation buffer. In contrast, incorporation of the amino acids into beta cells was strikingly affected. Incorporation of [3H]leucine into proinsulin and insulin at 0 mM glucose measured by specific immunoprecipitation and by silver grain densities over beta cells was 15 to 20 times less than at 20 mM glucose. Incorporation of [3H]tryptophan, an amino acid absent in proinsulin, into nonhormonal, sedentary beta cell proteins studied by radioautography, similarly, was strikingly affected in the absence of glucose. Thus, radioautography revealed a great sensitivity of both hormonal and nonhormonal protein biosynthesis in the beta cell to the concentration of glucose in the medium.


OBJECTIVEDeep brain stimulation (DBS) has revolutionized the treatment of neurological disease, but its therapeutic efficacy is limited by the lifetime of the implantable pulse generator (IPG) batteries. At the end of the battery life, IPG replacement surgery is required. New IPGs with rechargeable batteries (RC-IPGs) have recently been introduced and allow for decreased reoperation rates for IPG replacements. The authors aimed to examine the merits and limitations of these devices.METHODSThe authors reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent DBS implantation at their institution. RC-IPGs were placed either during initial DBS implantation or during an IPG change. A cost analysis was performed that compared RC-IPGs with standard IPGs, and telephone patient surveys were conducted to assess patient satisfaction.RESULTSThe authors identified 206 consecutive patients from 2011 to 2016 who underwent RC-IPG placement (mean age 61 years; 67 women, 33%). Parkinson's disease was the most common indication for DBS (n = 144, 70%), followed by essential tremor (n = 41, 20%), dystonia (n = 13, 6%), depression (n = 5, 2%), multiple sclerosis tremor (n = 2, 1%), and epilepsy (n = 1, 0.5%). DBS leads were typically placed bilaterally (n = 192, 93%) and targeted the subthalamic nucleus (n = 136, 66%), ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (n = 43, 21%), internal globus pallidus (n = 21, 10%), ventral striatum (n = 5, 2%), or anterior nucleus of the thalamus (n = 1, 0.5%). RC-IPGs were inserted at initial DBS implantation in 123 patients (60%), while 83 patients (40%) were converted to RC-IPGs during an IPG replacement surgery. The authors found that RC-IPG implantation resulted in $60,900 of cost savings over the course of 9 years. Furthermore, patient satisfaction was high with RC-IPG implantation. Overall, 87.3% of patients who responded to the survey were satisfied with their device, and only 6.7% found the rechargeable component difficult to use. In patients who were switched from a standard IPG to RC-IPG, the majority who responded (70.3%) preferred the rechargeable IPG.CONCLUSIONSRC-IPGs can provide DBS patients with long-term therapeutic benefit while minimizing the need for battery replacement surgery. The authors have implanted rechargeable stimulators in 206 patients undergoing DBS surgery, and here they demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and high patient satisfaction associated with this procedure.


Link performance functions (LPFs) are essential components of macroscopic models for signal optimization, traffic assignment, or combined control-assignment models. Numerous studies have developed a variety of performance functions for signal optimization. Most of these studies attempted to use simplified LPFs that did not capture the important relationships and dependencies among the variables. Dependent LPFs are introduced; in these LPFs the performance on any link depends on the flow pattern not only on that link alone but also on the feeder links. Such functions represent with greater fidelity the performance characteristics of the link and can lead to better control and assignment. An optimization model explicitly considers flow interactions among successive links and applies it in a dynamic programming procedure to determine optimal signal settings. The procedure, which is an offshoot of the combination method for offset optimization, is illustrated for an arterial street and demonstrates its efficacy in comparison with existing optimization models.


One category of machines for determining the low-stress abrasion resistance of materials uses a rubber wheel rotating in a water-sand slurry and rubbing against a stationary specimen. Using the Wet-Sand Rubber-Wheel Abrasion Test Method being developed by the SAE produces a wear scar on the order of 0.25 mm deep in normalized 1090 steel at HRC 30, and so may be unsuitable for testing thin coatings and surface treated materials. This was confirmed in testing boride coatings on steel, the coatings being penetrated prior to completion of the test. Modified practices were investigated in order to determine procedures more suitable for wet-sand rubber-wheel testing of coatings. Tests were conducted using the SAE Practice, with three rubber wheels of varying rubber hardness but with reduced numbers of revolutions per wheel, and using single rubber wheels and repeated increments of varying numbers of wheel revolutions. The criterion for acceptance of modified practice was the correlation of weight loss (wear) ratios obtained for selected materials with those obtained using the SAE Practice. Results are discussed in terms of this correlation, and selected modified practices were evaluated for three highly varied coating types; electroplated chromium, a boride diffusion coating, and plasma-sprayed alumina, all on plain carbon steels.


The effect associated with the substitution of adenine (A) for guanidine (G) in the promoter region of the apolipoprotein AI gene (−75 bp) with plasma apo AI and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) levels was investigated in the European Atherosclerosis Research Study (EARS). This is a study of healthy offspring (cases) of fathers who had suffered premature myocardial infarction (MI) before age 55 years (n = 565) and age‐ and sex‐matched controls (n = 1,078) from 12 European countries, divided into 5 regions based on geography and language. The frequency of the polymorphism was not significantly different among the regions and the relative frequency of the rare A allele was similar in cases and controls (0.159 vs. 0.142) combining data from all regions. Individuals with one or more A allele had significantly higher plasma apo AI levels (P < 0.05) than individuals homozygous for the G allele. This effect was consistent in all regions. The data were analyzed separately in males and females. In females, those with one or more A allele had significantly higher apo AI levels (P = 0.05) than individuals homozygous for the G allele, and this raising effect of the A allele was greater in cases than controls for both apo AI (5.23% vs. 1.56%) and HDL (4.48% vs. 1.89%). In males, the A allele was associated with higher levels of apo AI and HDL, but the effect was much smaller and the differences did not reach statistical significance. In the females, where the effect of the A allele was strongest, the effect on apo AI associated with genotype was evident in non‐smokers, and individuals with one or two A alleles had 3.6% higher apo AI and 3.14% higher HDL levels than individuals homozygous for the G allele. However, in the female smokers the raising effect of the A allele was greatly reduced (0.56%). Thus genetic variation in the promoter region of the apo AI gene is associated with differences in apo AI and HDL levels in healthy individuals throughout Europe, but the effect is modulated by gender, environmental factors such as smoking, and a family history of MI.


We compare simultaneous Ryle Telescope radio and Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer X-ray observations of the galactic microquasar GRS 1915þ105, using the classification of the X-ray behaviour in terms of three states as previously established. We find a strong (one-to-one) relation between radio oscillation events and series of spectrally hard states in the X-ray light curves, if the hard states are longer than ,100 s and are 'well separated' from each other. In all other cases the source shows either low-level or high-level radio emission, but no radio oscillation events. During intervals when the source stays in the hard spectral state for periods of days to months, the radio behaviour is quite different; during some of these intervals a quasi-continuous jet is formed with an almost flat synchrotron spectrum extending to at least the near-infrared. Based on the similarities between the oscillation profiles at different wavelengths, we suggest a scenario which can explain most of the complex X-ray:radio behaviour of GRS 1915þ105. We compare this behaviour with that of other black hole sources, and challenge previous reports of a relation between spectrally soft X-ray states and


Vehicle speed is one of the main risk factors for road traffic safety. To increase the level of road safety, especially in urban areas, measures must be implemented to reduce vehicle speed. The installation of calming measures on a road network is systematically planned way to reduce driving speeds. This paper studies the effectiveness in terms of speed reduction of three types of traffic calming measures: 1) speed table, 2) chicane, and 3) road narrowing. The speed analyses regard a series of traffic calming measures located in urban contexts of Catania Province (Italy). For each of these traffic calming measures, experimental investigations were carried out relating to the measurement of speed. The study has shown that the speed tables represent the measure of traffic calming that guarantees the greatest conditioning on speed (it is also possible to halve the average speed). Even the chicanes have a significant impact on reducing speed, as well as the speed tables (average speed is reduced by up to 50%), while road narrowing allows maximum reductions in average speed of around 35%. Furthermore, all three traffic calming measures have resulted in a reduction of accidents always greater than 30%. In the case of speed tables, the reduction in accidents exceeds even 40%. The consequences of road accidents are also mitigated thanks to the traffic calming interventions considered. The reduction of injured people is between 32% (road narrowing) and 50% (chicane). The speed tables involve a reduction of almost 40% of injured people while fatal accidents are completely eliminated. Finally, it has been observed that the reduction in pedestrian injuries is between 33% (road narrowing) and 50% (speed tables). In the case of the chicane the reduction of injured pedestrians is 40%. The pedestrian fatal accidents in the road section in which the speed tables were subsequently installed have been reduced to zero.


Serologic tests for Lyme borreliosis and for syphilis were performed on 75 patients seen in a 1-week period at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. The incident of syphilis was 8% and of Lyme borreliosis 3% in this study in a nonendemic area. The most common cause for a high titer serologic response for Lyme borreliosis in this group was a prior Treponema pallidum infection. The importance of getting VDRL, FTA-ABS, Lyme IFA, and Lyme ELISA tests in all suspected cases was emphasized.


The choice of the optimal tyre inflation pressure is always a conflict of aims since the inflation pressure has a significant influence on safety, comfort and environmental behaviour of a vehicle. The development of a dynamic Tyre Pressure Control System (TPCS) can reduce the conflict of minimal rolling resistance and maximal traction. Driven by the requirements for autonomous driving, recently substantial progress was made to predict the road conditions precisely and robust. This premise moves the development of a Tyre Pressure Control System (TPCS) to the focus of research.
To study the influence of the tyre inflation pressure on longitudinal tyre characteristics under laboratory conditions, an experimental sensitivity analysis is performed using a multivalent usable Corner Module Test Rig (CMTR) developed by the Automotive Engineering Group at Technische Universitat Ilmenau. The test rig is designed to analyse suspension system and tyre characteristics on a roller of the recently installed 4 chassis roller dynamometer. Camber angle, toe angle and wheel load can be adjusted continuously. In addition, it is possible to control the temperature of the test environment between -20°C and +45°C. The results of the experimental study, that covers a wide range of different wheel loads and inflation pressures for three different tyre variations, show a significant influence of the inflation pressure on longitudinal tyre characteristics as slip stiffness or maximum traction force. To simulate the influence of a TCPS on vehicle dynamics with a numerical simulation tool, it is essential to describe the influence of the inflation pressure on tyre characteristics correctly with a tyre simulation model. Consequently, the well-known physically based HSRI tyre model adapted from Dugoff is extended for large inflation pressure changes. The model parameters for the tyre model are determined with a parameter identification method implemented in a developed automatic MATLAB analysis tool. The extended HSRI tyre model shows a good model accuracy to represent the tyre inflation pressure dependent tyre characteristics.


BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to determine the clinical and immunologic implications of an elevated ESR in HIV-infected patients.

METHOD
One hundred and four consecutive HAART naïve human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adult patients and fifty one controls were studied. Detailed history was taken and full physical examination was conducted. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), CD4+ T lymphocyte count, and complete blood count were performed.

RESULTS
The mean (+/- SD) of ESR in the patients was 84.5 +/- 36.8 mm/1st one hour and that for the controls was 20.4 +/- 17.6 mm/1st one hour. The patients' ESR was significantly higher than those of the controls (p < 0.0001). There was a significant difference between the mean ESR of symptomatic (87.6 +/- 37.0 mm/1st hr) and asymptomatic patients (61.0 +/- 26.1 mm/1st hr) (p = 0.018), and between asymptomatic patients (mean +/- SD = 61 +/- 26.1 mm/1st one hour) and controls (mean +/- SD= 20.4 +/- 17.6 mm/1st one hour) (p = 0.000).The mean (+/- SD) CD4+ lymphocytes count of the patients and controls were 155.4 +/- 90.6 cells/microL, and 655.7 +/- 17.6 cells/microL, respectively. The CD4+ cells count was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION
ESR may be useful in monitoring HIV/AIDS disease.


The two areas of online transaction processing (OLTP) and online analytical processing (OLAP) present different challenges for database architectures. Currently, customers with high rates of mission-critical transactions have split their data into two separate systems, one database for OLTP and one so-called data warehouse for OLAP. While allowing for decent transaction rates, this separation has many disadvantages including data freshness issues due to the delay caused by only periodically initiating the Extract Transform Load-data staging and excessive resource consumption due to maintaining two separate information systems. We present an efficient hybrid system, called HyPer, that can handle both OLTP and OLAP simultaneously by using hardware-assisted replication mechanisms to maintain consistent snapshots of the transactional data. HyPer is a main-memory database system that guarantees the ACID properties of OLTP transactions and executes OLAP query sessions (multiple queries) on the same, arbitrarily current and consistent snapshot. The utilization of the processor-inherent support for virtual memory management (address translation, caching, copy on update) yields both at the same time: unprecedentedly high transaction rates as high as 100000 per second and very fast OLAP query response times on a single system executing both workloads in parallel. The performance analysis is based on a combined TPC-C and TPC-H benchmark.


Introduction The abbreviation of perioperative fasting among candidates to elective surgery have been associated with shorter hospital stay and decreased postoperative complications. Objective To conduct a systematic review from randomized controlled trials to detect whether the abbreviation of fasting is beneficial to patients undergoing cancer surgery compared to traditional fasting protocols. Method A literature search was performed in electronic databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), SciELO, EMBASE and Cochrane, without time restriction. Were used the descriptors: "preoperative fasting", "cancer", "diet restriction" and "perioperative period". Randomized trials were included in adults of both sexes, with diagnosis of cancer. Exclusion criteria were: use of parenteral nutrition and publications in duplicate. All analyzes, selections and data extraction were done blinded manner by independent evaluators. Results Four studies were included, with a total of 150 patients, 128 with colorectal cancer and 22 gastric cancer. The articles were published from 2006 to 2013. The main outcome measures were heterogeneous, which impaired the unification of the results by means of meta-analysis. Compared to traditional protocols, patients undergoing fasting abbreviation with the administration of fluids containing carbohydrates had improvements in glycemic parameters (fasting glucose and insulin resistance), inflammatory markers (interleukin 6 and 10) and indicators of malnutrition (grip strength hand and CRP/albumin ratio), and shorter hospital stay. The methodological quality of the reviewed articles, however, suggests that the results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions The abbreviation of perioperative fasting in patients with neoplasm appears to be beneficial.


This study examined the role of negative affectivity (NA) in the formation process of perceived work stress among workers employed in two Italian organizations. Psycho-physical strain, perceived conflict (with superiors and colleagues), and NA were detected through self-report, adapting the StrainFree Negative Affectivity Scale to the Italian context. Four alternative models, popular in the literature on work stress, were tested. Each hypothesizes a specific role for NA. The analyses conducted suggest that NA has both a direct effect on strain and an indirect one, through perceived conflict. From a theoretical point of view, the results show, therefore, a substantive role of NA in the formation of perceived work stress. From an application point of view, they point to the opportuneness of also adopting heteroevaluations or objective indicators of stress together with self-evaluations of stress.


Measurements of the suppression of high-pT particles and the away-side jets from heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have shown that medium-induced energy loss affects partons produced in the early stage of a heavy-ion collision. At LHC energies the initial production cross-section is much higher, which allows jets to be reconstructed with a wide kinematic range. Measuring fully reconstructed jets by taking advantage of the ALICE Electromagnetic Calorimeter allows for a more differential investigation of the parton energy loss. Parton energy loss will allow us to access key observables of the hot, dense matter created in heavy ion collisions. The data presented was collected during the 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb runs, as well as baseline measurements from the 2.76 TeV pp run. The procedures used to reconstruct jets and extract them from a fluctuating background will be discussed. The procedure for quantifying the background with a limited acceptance will also be discussed. These results are compared to pp measurements and simulations.


Cushing's disease (CD), or pituitary-dependent Cushing's syndrome, is a severe endocrine disease caused by a corticotroph pituitary tumor and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The first-line treatment for CD is pituitary surgery, which is followed by disease remission in around 78% and relapse in around 13% of patients during the 10-year period after surgery, so that nearly one third of patients experience in the long-term a failure of surgery and require an additional second-line treatment. Patients with persistent or recurrent CD require additional treatments, including pituitary radiotherapy, adrenal surgery, and/or medical therapy. Pituitary radiotherapy is effective in controlling cortisol excess in a large percentage of patients, but it is associated with a considerable risk of hypopituitarism. Adrenal surgery is followed by a rapid and definitive control of cortisol excess in nearly all patients, but it induces adrenal insufficiency. Medical therapy has recently acquired a more important role compared to the past, due to the recent employment of novel compounds able to control cortisol secretion or action. Currently, medical therapy is used as a presurgical treatment, particularly for severe disease; or as postsurgical treatment, in cases of failure or incomplete surgical tumor resection; or as bridging therapy before, during, and after radiotherapy while waiting for disease control; or, in selected cases, as primary therapy, mainly when surgery is not an option. The adrenal-directed drug ketoconazole is the most commonly used drug, mainly because of its rapid action, whereas the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, mifepristone, is highly effective in controlling clinical comorbidities, mainly glucose intolerance, thus being a useful treatment for CD when it is associated with diabetes mellitus. Pituitary-directed drugs have the advantage of acting at the site responsible for CD, the pituitary tumor. Among this group of drugs, the dopamine agonist cabergoline and the somatostatin analog pasireotide result in disease remission in a consistent subgroup of patients with CD. Recently, pasireotide has been approved for the treatment of CD when surgery has failed or when surgery is not an option, and mifepristone has been approved for the treatment of Cushing's syndrome when associated with impairment of glucose metabolism in case of the lack of a surgical indication. Recent experience suggests that the combination of different drugs may be able to control cortisol excess in a great majority of patients with CD.


Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis, the most common form of cryptococcosis, is caused by the opportunistic fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. Molecular strategies used by C. neoformans to invade the central nervous system (CNS) have been the focus of several studies. Recently, the role of a novel secreted metalloprotease (Mpr1) in the pathogenicity of C. neoformans was confirmed by studies demonstrating that Mpr1 mediated the migration of fungal cells into the CNS. Given this central function, the aim here was to identify the molecular determinants of Mpr1 activity and resolve their role in the migration of cryptococci across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The Mpr1 protein belongs to an understudied group of metalloproteases of the M36 class of fungalysins unique to fungi. They are generally synthesized as propeptides with fairly long prodomains and highly conserved regions within their catalytic core. Through structure-function analysis of Mpr1, our study identified the prodomain cleavage sites of Mpr1 and demonstrated that when mutated, the prodomain appears to remain attached to the catalytic C-terminus of Mpr1 rendering a nonfunctional Mpr1 protein and an inability for cryptococci to cross the BBB. We found that proteolytic activity of Mpr1 was dependent on the coordination of zinc with two histidine residues in the active site of Mpr1, since amino acid substitutions in the HExxH motif abolished Mpr1 proteolytic activity and prevented the migration of cryptococci across the BBB. A phylogenetic analysis of Mpr1 revealed a distinct pattern likely reflecting the neurotropic nature of C. neoformans and the specific function of Mpr1 in breaching the BBB. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the molecular regulation of Mpr1 activity and may lead to the development of specific inhibitors that could be used to restrict fungal penetration of the CNS and thus prevent cryptococcal meningoencephalitis-related deaths.


INVESTIGATION OF DYNAMIC FRICTION IN LUBRICATED SURFACES by Hanuman Rachoor The research reported in this dissertation is concerned with the development of friction models for lubricated contacts. A few analytical models have been developed to investigate the friction under dynamic velocity conditions. In this study, two different tribological situations such as conformal and non-conformal contacts have been chosen. Friction modeling covers boundary, mixed and full fluid film friction regions. Anew theory based on the elastic properties of the surface materials, and fluid film properties of the lubricant at the contact has been developed to determine the dynamic friction in boundary, mixed and full hydrodynamic lubrication regions. In the full fluid film lubrication region, friction has been determined from the lubrication principles based on the tribological situation, i.e., hydrodynamic lubrication theory for a short journal bearing and elastohydrodynamic lubrication theory for a line contact. A conformal contact formed by a short journal bearing operating in the region where hydrodynamic lubrication theory is valid has been considered to develop a model. The model is simulated for unidirectional as well as bi-directional sinusoidal velocity oscillations for various frequencies. Simulation resulted in a phase lag in the friction and hysteresis in friction versus velocity (f vs U) curves. The results obtained for unidirectional velocity oscillations indicate qualitative agreement with experimental work on lubricated line contact by Hess and Soom (1990). Results for bi-directional oscillations also show phase lag in friction and similar hysteresis in f vs U curves. In addition to the hysteresis, results for the bi-directional velocity oscillations show a discontinuity in friction at velocity reversals. These results have been verified experimentally. A special apparatus to measure the friction has been designed and built by using a sleeve bearing. Experiments have been conducted to measure friction under various velocity conditions, and the results have been used to determine the coefficients required to simulate the analytical model. The analytical model has been simulated for the above coefficients and the results have been compared with the friction measurements. The comparison shows similar hysteresis in f vs U curves for uni-directional and bi-directional velocity oscillations. However, the friction behavior of the apparatus during bi-directional oscillations differs in the magnitude of the discontinuity (step function) at velocity reversals. The above analytical friction model developed for the hydrodynamic short journal bearing has been extended to investigate the effect of resisting forces on the dynamic friction behavior at low speed. Resistance forces include sliding friction as well as the presliding friction Dahl effect. The Dahl effect is due to elastic deformation of the compliance in the system before the force reaches the breakaway magnitude when sliding initiates. In this study, stiffness of the asperities as well as elastic support have been considered. Simulation results of the model for uni-directional velocity oscillations are in qualitative agreement with earlier experimental work. Simulation of the model for bidirectional velocity oscillations shows that the discontinuity at velocity reversals has been replaced by a line with slope. This work indicates that the stiffness of the elastic compliance can play a significant role in replacing the discontinuity. The above concepts of friction modeling has been extended for a non-conformal contact formed with a cylindrical surface sliding over a flat surface operating on elastohydrodynamic lubrication theory. In this model, elastohydrodynamic lubrication theory has been used to determine the friction in full fluid film region. Simulation results of this model for uni-directional as well as bi-directional sinusoidal velocity oscillations indicate a similar phase lag in the friction and hysteresis in f vs U curves as observed in the earlier models. Results of the present investigation indicate that the instantaneous friction is not only a function of the instantaneous velocity, but it is also a function of previous velocity or velocity history. These models can be improved with the aid of more experimental work. Also, these models can be extended for stick-slip analysis and for friction compensation. INVESTIGATION OF DYNAMIC FRICTION IN LUBRICATED SURFACES


history is one of only eight weeks. Although the precise origin of the growth cannot be stated, it is certain that the cancer has an extrinsic origin. The voice is only affected by the bulky presence of a large mass of growth above the cords. The neoplasm rises high up towards the upper pharynx, and from here a piece was very easily snared for the purpose of microscopical section. The case is shown for its short history, and its very active and malignant character. Sir WILLIAM MILLIGAN (President) said he did not suppose much could be done in that case except by symptomatic treatment, including insufflations of charcoal, to absorb the bad odours, which were quite noticeable in this patient.


We introduce a new distance-based measure for the nonclassicality of the states of a bosonic field, which outperforms the existing such measures in several ways. We define for that purpose the operator ordering sensitivity of the state which evaluates the sensitivity to operator ordering of the Renyi entropy of its quasiprobabilities and which measures the oscillations in its Wigner function. Through a sharp control on the operator ordering sensitivity of classical states we obtain a precise geometric image of their location in the density matrix space allowing us to introduce a distance-based measure of nonclassicality. We analyze the link between this nonclassicality measure and a recently introduced quantum macroscopicity measure, showing how the two notions are distinct.


Although many hypotheses have been proposed to explain why humans speak so many languages and why languages are unevenly distributed across the globe, the factors that shape geographical patterns of cultural and linguistic diversity remain poorly understood. Prior research has tended to focus on identifying universal predictors of language diversity, without accounting for how local factors and multiple predictors interact. Here, we use a unique combination of path analysis, mechanistic simulation modelling, and geographically weighted regression to investigate the broadly described, but poorly understood, spatial pattern of language diversity in North America. We show that the ecological drivers of language diversity are not universal or entirely direct. The strongest associations imply a role for previously developed hypothesized drivers such as population density, resource diversity, and carrying capacity with group size limits. The predictive power of this web of factors varies over space from regions where our model predicts approximately 86% of the variation in diversity, to areas where less than 40% is explained.


We conduct a superposed epoch analysis of Birkeland current densities from AMPERE (Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment) using isolated substorm expansion phase onsets identified by an independently derived data set. In order to evaluate whether R1 and R2 currents contribute to the substorm current wedge, we rotate global maps of Birkeland currents into a common coordinate system centered on the magnetic local time of substorm onset. When the latitude of substorm is taken into account, it is clear that both R1 and R2 current systems play a role in substorm onset, contrary to previous studies which found that R2 current did not contribute. The latitude of substorm onset is colocated with the interface between R1 and R2 currents, allowing us to infer that R1 current closes just tailward and R2 current closes just earthward of the associated current disruption in the tail. AMPERE is the first data set to give near‐instantaneous measurements of Birkeland current across the whole polar cap, and this study addresses apparent discrepancies in previous studies which have used AMPERE to examine the morphology of the substorm current wedge. Finally, we present evidence for an extremely localized reduction in current density immediately prior to substorm onset, and we interpret this as the first statistical signature of auroral dimming in Birkeland current.


Mobile platform owners are faced with a tension. On one hand they foster generativity to enable third parties to innovate compelling services. On the other hand they regulate innovation on their platforms in order to protect their commercial interests. This tension leads to complex interactions between platform owners and third parties as they negotiate the extent and nature of innovation. This paper outlines on-going research that applies structural narrative analysis in order to simplify these complex interactions into sequences of simpler generic generative and controlling actions. It is intended that these simplified structured sequences of actions will facilitate the identification of the mechanisms that explain how platform owners manage innovation and the paradox of control and generativity. The approach to analysis is illustrated using empirical data concerning interactions that have occurred on the Apple iPhone and Google Android platforms. This data is sourced from blogs reporting events in the mobile industry.


This study investigated the effects of form Two Secondary Education Examinations
(FTSEE) in academic performance at ordinary level education in Mbeya City. The
study employed a total of six (6) school heads, 36 teachers and 180 students. The
study sought responses on the comparison between FTSEE and CSEE results before,
during and after FTSEE termination, the extent to which FTSEE results of particular
students correlated with CSEE results at a number of selected schools, the extent to
which both teachers and students perceived FTSEE as a motivation for performance
improvement in teaching and learning processes and finding out the merits and
demerits of FTSEE in academic achievement. The study employed both quantitative
and qualitative approaches. In the quantitative approach, the Pearson correlation
coefficient was used to measure the degree of correlation between FTSEE and CSEE
results. Qualitatively, questionnaires were used to collect information from
respondents. The obtained correlation coefficient values, most of which were
approaching 1.0, revealed that there was a significant correlation between FTSEE
results and CSEE results thus significant relationship between the two. Similarly,
findings from the questionnaires showed that the majority of perceived the existence
of the relationship between FTSEE results and those of the CSEE and city were
motivated by FTSEE to work hard in teaching and learning processes. The study
therefore concludes that screening FTSEE performance has a positive effect in CSEE
performance than screening FTSEE. Besides, the study recommends to the
Government and further study that, screening FTSEE should persist and to
emphasize on broad range of exams from quizzes to annual exams that contribute to
better CSEE for the whole country.


Abstract 400 hundred years of Shakespeare's presence in world-wide theatres, schools, literature, film, and even languages must give us pause. It is worth reflecting on what there is in the texts that have come down to us that answers this great and obviously most diversified horizon of reception. The paper will try to present Shakespearean plots, characters and themes and examine them for their potential to become appropriated into the very centres of multiple cultural polysystems.


Biolubricants are employed to various degrees with the hope of minimizing the life cycle environmental impacts compared to mineral based lubricants. Approximately 50 percent of all traditional lubricants are released into the environment during use, spills, and disposal causing impacts that could be reduced with the use of biolubricants. Traditional lubricants, mostly mineral based, are not completely biodegradable and have high toxic content compared to biobased options produced from plant oils, such as: sunflower, soybean, rapeseed, algae, palm, and coconut. Therefore, new and used lubricants can cause significant damage to the environment, especially to water sources. Research on biobased lubricants has generated varying conclusions regarding the environmental effects of these products. A comparative life cycle assessment of rapeseed, soybean, and mineral based lubricants was performed in this study to determine the environmental impacts caused by these products. The assessment included an evaluation of the impacts to air and water created during extraction and production of these materials. A detailed analysis of the eutrophication potential impact category was completed to address missing inventory data. Additives, lubricant use, and lubricant disposal were not included in the assessment. The assessment resulted in rapeseed lubricants with the largest contribution in several impact categories including: acidification potential, photochemical smog, and eutrophication potential. Mineral lubricants dominated the global warming potential and ozone depletion potential categories.The effects of an increase in the use of biobased lubricants in the U.S. are discussed in addition to the environmental effects caused by the use of different lubricants. A comparison of the acidification potential and ozone depletion potential emissions from each of the lubricants for different use scenarios was also calculated. In addition, the direct land use impacts from producing 2 billion gallons of lubricants from biobased sources instead of mineral based sources were determined. Finally, a decision matrix framework is developed to include life cycle assessment results and other lubricant properties.


A sulphated tin ion-exchanged montmorillonite (SO42−/Sn-MMT) was successfully prepared by the ion exchange method of montmorillonite (MMT) with SnCl4, followed by the sulphation. This catalysis was applied as a solid acid catalyst for the heterogeneous catalytic transformations of xylose and xylan into furfural in the bio-based 2-methyltetrahydrofuran/H2O biphasic system. These prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD), pyridine adsorbed Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (Py-FTIR), element analysis (EA) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. Their catalytic performance for xylose and xylan into furfural was also investigated. The reaction parameters such as the initial xylose and xylan concentration, the amounts of catalyst, the organic-to-aqueous phase volume ratio, the reaction temperature and time were studied to optimize the reaction conditions. Results displayed that SO42−/Sn-MMT contained both Bronsted acid and Lewis acid sites, and SO42− ions were contributive to the formation of stronger Bronsted acid sites, which could improve the reaction efficiency. Reaction parameters had significant influence on the furfural production. The substitution of water by the saturated NaCl solution in the aqueous phase also had an important effect on the xylose and xylan conversion. The highest furfural yields were achieved up to 79.64% from xylose and 77.35% from xylan under the optimized reaction conditions (160 °C, 120 min; 160 °C, 90 min). Moreover, the prepared catalyst was stable and was reused five times with a slight decrease (10.0%) of the furfural yield.


The accelerated spread of fake news via the internet and social media such as Facebook and Twitter have created a debate concerning the credibility of sources online. Assessing the credibility of these sources is generally a complex task and cannot solely rely on computer-based algorithms as evaluation still requires human intelligence. The research question guiding this article deals with the conceptualization of a theoretically anchored concept of a participatory and co-creative medium for evaluation of sources online. The concept-driven design research methodology was applied to address the research question, which consisted of seven activities that unify design and theory. The result of this article is a proposed concept that aims to support the assessment of the credibility of sources online using crowdsourcing as an approach for evaluation. The practical implications of the proposed concept could be to constrain the spread of fake news, strengthen online democratic discourse, and potentially improve the quality of online information.


There is a limited number of research studies focused on investigating the relationship between employee silence and counterproductive work behavior especially in the telecommunication sector. Thus, this study aims to examine the impact of employee silence' dimensions on counterproductive work behavior in the telecommunication sector in Egypt. The participants in this study were 231 including both managerial and executive employees. The relations between sub-dimensions of employee silence and counterproductive work behavior are tested with correlation analysis and SEM Partial Least Squares. The results of this study have shown that as there was a positive and significant impact between acquiescent silence and counterproductive work behavior. Also, there was a negative and significant impact between prosocial silence and counterproductive work behavior, while the relationship between quiescent silence (defensive) and counterproductive behavior was not supported as the results have shown a negative and insignificant results. The reason for the different results is because some employees may be silent although they do not engage in any anti-work behaviors.


In his 1790 address to the Academie Francaise in Paris, Condorcet noted that every new generation has a tendency to accuse itself of being less civic-minded than previous cohorts. Two centuries later, this argument has once again regained front-page status. The debate is currently focused on the question of whether or not social capital and civic engagement are declining in Western societies. In his academic best-seller Bowling Alone , Robert Putnam argues that younger age cohorts, socialized in the prosperous economic conditions of the 1960s and onwards, are less inclined to engage in community life and in politics, and also less likely to trust their fellow citizens. By contrast, the 'long civic generation', born roughly between 1910 and 1940, is portrayed as much more motivated in these respects. They readily volunteer in community projects, read newspapers and take on more social responsibilities. In this view, a process of generational replacement is responsible for a steady decline of social capital and civic engagement in American society. As the long civic generation is replaced by younger age cohorts, the social capital stock of American communities slowly diminishes. The indicators used to substantiate this claim are numerous and diverse: measures for voter turnout, attendance of club meetings, generalized trust, the number of common family dinners, the number of card games played together, and even respect for traffic rules. All of these attitudes and behaviours, it is argued, depict a significant downward trend. Although Putnam is by far the most vocal of all scholars in the 'decline of social capital' choir, he certainly is not the only author describing an erosion of traditional societal relations.


In order to realize large-area, high-power devices with high-performance, low-temperature diffusion, bonding technology between Al electrodes on both cathode and anode sides of Si devices and Mo electrode foils has been investigated, The 100 mm diameter power devices and the same size Mo foils could be joined by the formation of Au-Al intermetallic compounds below 573 K. The compounds were formed by solid state diffusion with activation energy of about 1.0 eV. Substantial reduction of the mounting force while keeping uniform contact was possible after low-temperature bonding. Reliability of the bonded large area, high-power device was predicted to be sufficient from a metallurgical viewpoint.


We report here the generation and characterization of a recombinant/chimeric construct of murine gamma 1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) B72.3, containing the murine variable region and a human gamma 1 constant region [designated cB72.3(gamma i)]. cB72.3(gamma 1) was generated by first isolating functionally rearranged VH and VL genes of B72.3 from partial genomic libraries in phage vectors. Construction of mouse-human chimeric heavy and light chain genes was performed by inserting restriction fragments carrying VL and VH regions of B72.3 into unique sites of expression vectors which contains sequences encoding constant regions of human kappa and gamma 1, respectively. The expression constructs were subsequently electroporated into SP2/0 cells. The transfected SP2/0 murine cell line has been shown to synthesize cB72.3(gamma 1) at a level of 10-20 micrograms/ml. Reciprocal competition radioimmunoassays demonstrated that cB72.3(gamma 1), a previously described cB72.3(gamma 4), and native B72.3 (designated nB72.3) competed similarly. A rat anti-idiotype MAb made against nB72.3 was shown to bind equally well to cB72.3(gamma 1) and to the nB72.3. Immunochemical studies of the nB72.3, cB72.3(gamma 4), and cB72.3(gamma 1) revealed slight differences in size among the three MAb forms on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels and revealed a higher isoelectric point for the cB72.3(gamma 1). Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity experiments using human lymphokine-activated killer effector cells indicated better tumor cell killing by the cB72.3(gamma 1) than the nB72.3 or cB72.3(gamma 4). Dual label studies of coinjected cB72.3(gamma 1) and nB72.3 revealed that both MAbs could efficiently localize human tumor xenografts in athymic mice. Pharmacokinetic studies, analyzing the blood clearance of cB72.3(gamma 1), cB72.3(gamma 4), and nB72.3 in mice, showed that the nB72.3 beta phase of clearance was slower than that of other MAb forms. However, when the pharmacokinetic patterns of these three MAbs forms were analyzed in monkeys, the cB72.3(gamma 1) and the nB72.3 showed similar clearance curves, while the cB72.3(gamma 4) showed a much slower plasma clearance. In view of the binding properties of nB72.3 and its ability to localize a range of carcinomas in clinical trials, the studies reported here demonstrate that the cB72.3(gamma 1) may serve as a potentially useful diagnostic and/or therapeutic reagent.


Parental involvement is the foundation of a child's education that has been recognized to positively impact students' academic outcomes. However, a lack of parents' support and involvement in the children's education persists in a catholic school in the Philippines. It leads to issues concerning its role in children's academic performance with single parents. Thus, this study describes the extent of involvement of solo parents based on Epstein's framework covering parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating in relation to their demographics. It also describes the level of academic performance of high school students with solo parents in a catholic school during the School Year 2019 – 2020 as a whole and according to the academic level. It also explores the differences in the extent of involvement and level of the students' academic performance and the relationship between these two variables.