Introduction Chemotherapy induced cardiomyopathy (CIC) carries significant morbidity and mortality in cancer survivors. Female sex is a recognised risk factor for CIC in paediatric populations but the effect of sex in adult patients has not been established. We investigated sex differences in CIC using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). Method 76 patients without abnormal left ventricular function prior to chemotherapy (30 male [59±15 years], and 46 female [58±13 years, p=0.86]) were included. Cumulative anthracycline dose (193±165 vs. 189±119 mg/m2, p=0.91) and follow-up interval (8.75±8.75 years vs. 8.75±9 years, p=0.99) were similar. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced CMR at 1.5T, including long and short axis cine imaging, mitral and tricuspid annular peak systolic excursion (MAPSE and TAPSE, respectively), and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Multivariate regression analysis was undertaken. Results Left (39±13 vs 46±10%; p=0.027) and right ventricular ejection fraction (50±10 vs. 55±8%; p=0.042) were significantly lower in males, largely driven by differences in LV (208±83 vs. 167±42, p=0.02) and RV end diastolic volume (150±44 vs. 120±31, p=0.002). MAPSE and LAVi correlated significantly with LVEF (p<0.001 in both cases), as did TAPSE with RVEF (p=0.02). LGE prevalence did not differ between males and females (37% vs. 20%, respectively, p=0.10). Conclusions Adult male cancer survivors developed comparably worse late biventricular CIC than their female counterparts despite receiving similar doses of cancer treatment. These findings need confirmation in larger cohort studies, and if confirmed, could inform bespoke monitoring strategies taking sex differences into account.


The information-transfer rate (ITR) is commonly used to assess the performance of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Various studies have shown that the optimal number of mental tasks to be used is fairly low, around 3 or 4. We propose a formal approach and an experimental validation to demonstrate and confirm that this optimum is user and BCI design dependent. Even if increasing the number of mental tasks to the optimum indeed leads to an increase of the ITR, the gain remains small. This might not justify the added complexity in terms of protocol design.


Can televised political advertising change voting behavior in elections held in authoritarian regimes? We study the case of Chile, where the opposition used television campaigns weeks before the election that ended the seventeen-year dictatorship known as the Pinochet regime. Using national surveys conducted before the election and administrative electoral data, we provide evidence of a positive effect of television exposure on opposition votes. When compared to similar estimates in democracies, the effect of campaigns in Chile appear large. These results suggest that televised political campaigns can help to defeat dictators at the polls.


A year and a half after the establishment of Fundeon, the result of a merger between SBW and
Bouwradius, the board of directors of the new company ordered an investigation into the
organisational culture. This is the resulting case study. It maps out how the present organisational
culture of the company relates to the desired culture.
The research into the organisational culture is based on the Competing Values Framework (Quinn &
Rohrbaugh, 1983) emerged from a series of research of empirical studies on the notion of
organizational effectiveness. Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983) discovered two dimensions of
effectiveness. The first dimension is related to organisational focus, from an internal emphasis on
people in the organization to an external focus of the organization itself. The second dimension
represents the contrast between stability and control and flexibility and change. Based on the theory of
the Competing Values Framework Cameron & Quinn (1999) developed the Organisational Culture
Assessment Instrument. This instrument contains a bundle of dimensions originated from extensive
research of organisational effectiveness: 'dominant characteristics', 'organisational leadership',
'management of employees', 'organisational glue', 'strategic emphasis', and 'criteria for success'.
In this case study the instrument is used to diagnose the patterns of the culture type, the cultural
strength and the culture congruence.
All Fundeon employees were asked to fill out an OCAI questionnaire. Employees were also given an
additional query to establish the existence of possible occupational subcultures as well as to trace
subcultures in their level of education, term of employment, and blood-group (i.e. former employer).
The board of directors was interviewed on the desired organisational culture using the OCAI.
This case study determines the present and desired culture. It makes an analysis on how both relate
to each other. Based on the analysis, conclusions were drawn and recommendations made to the
board, to attain the desired culture.


Results from portfolio models for credit risk tell us that loan concentration in certain industry sectors can substantially increase the value-at-risk (VaR). The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether a tractable "infection model" can provide a meaningful estimate of the impact of concentration risk on the VaR. I apply rather parsimonious data requirements, which are comparable to those for Moody's Binomial Expansion Technique (BET) and considerably lower than for a multi-factor model. The infection model extends the BET model by introducing default infection into the hypothetical portfolio on which the real portfolio is mapped in order to obtain a simple solution for the VaR. The infection probability is calibrated for a range of typical values of input parameters, which capture the concentration of a portfolio in industry sectors, default dependencies between exposures and their credit quality. The accuracy of the new model is measured for test portfolios with a realistic industry-sector composition, obtained from the German central credit register. I find that a carefully calibrated infection model provides a reasonably close approximation to the VaR obtained from a multi-factor model and outperforms by far the BET model. The simulation results suggest that the calibrated infection model promises to provide a fit-for-purpose tool to measure concentration risk in business sectors that could be useful for risk managers and banking supervisors alike.


Overexpression of GLUT4 exclusively in skeletal muscle enhances insulin action and improves glucose homeostasis. Transgenic studies have discovered two regions on the GLUT4 promoter conserved across several species that are required for normal GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle. These regions contain binding motifs for the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) family and GLUT4 enhancer factor (GEF). A single bout of exercise increases both GLUT4 transcription and mRNA abundance; however, the molecular mechanisms mediating this response remain largely unexplored. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether a single, acute bout of exercise increased the DNA-binding activities of MEF2 and GEF in human skeletal muscle. Seven subjects performed 60 min of cycling at approximately 70% of VO2peak. After exercise, the DNA-binding activities of both the MEF2A/D heterodimer and GEF were increased (P<0.05). There was no change in nuclear MEF2D or GEF abundance after exercise, but nuclear MEF2A abundance was increased (P<0.05). These data demonstrate that exercise increases MEF2 and GEF DNA binding and imply that these transcription factors could be potential targets for modulating GLUT4 expression in human skeletal muscle.


Existing off-line schedulability analysis for real-time systems can only handle periodic or sporadic tasks with known minimum inter-arrival times. Modeling sporadic tasks with fixed minimum inter-arrival times is a poor approximation for systems in which tasks arrive in bursts, but have longer intervals between the bursts. In such cases, schedulability analysis based on the existing sporadic task model is pessimistic and seriously overestimates the task's time demand. In this paper, we propose a generalized sporadic task model that characterizes arrival times more precisely than the traditional sporadic task model, and we develop a corresponding schedulability analysis that computes tighter bounds on worst-case response times. Experimental results show that when arrival time jitter increases, the new analysis more effectively guarantees schedulability of sporadic tasks.


We present the gauge invariant atomic orbital (GIAO) calculation of nuclear magnetic shieldings for solvated molecules described within the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The performance of the PCM-GIAO approach is tested in a benchmark calculation of isotropic 13C, 15N, and 17O shielding constants for CH3CN and CH3NO2 in vacuo and in water, both at the Hartree–Fock and density functional levels of theory. Various aspects of the calculation of solvent effects on these properties, such as the dependence on the basis set, the electron correlation, and the size of the molecular cavity embedding the solute, are taken into account and discussed. An interpretation of the gas-to-solution shielding variations in terms of a combined action of the solvent reaction field and the shielding polarizabilities is also given.


s are available at: http://pediatrics.aappublications. org/content/vol118/issue1/index. shtml For more information about this study, contact: Ardis L. Olson, M.D. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center E-MAIL firstname.lastname@example.com Cynthia S. Minkovitz, M.D., M.P.P. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health E-MAIL email@example.com Mary Mahon Senior Public Information Officer The Commonwealth Fund TEL 212-606-3853 E-MAIL firstname.lastname@example.com This summary was prepared by Martha Hostetter and Deborah Lorber. Commonwealth Fund Pub. #952 September 2006 In the Literature presents brief summaries of Commonwealth Fund– supported research recently published in professional journals. THE COMMONWEALTH FUND ONE EAST 75TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10021-2692 TEL 212.606.3800 FAX 212.606.3500 E-MAIL firstname.lastname@example.com http://www.cmwf.org Depression—one of the most prevalent and disabling mental illnesses in the United States—is twice as likely to affect women as men, with rates of major depression peaking during women's childbearing years. Research has shown that maternal depression can affect parenting behaviors and, ultimately, harm children's health and development. Because pediatricians have frequent contact with mothers, they have opportunities to screen for depression and intervene when necessary. Two Commonwealth Fund– supported articles in Pediatrics (July 2006) explore strategies for incorporating maternal depression screening into well-child care. Making Screening Routine In "Brief Maternal Depression Screening at Well-Child Visits," Ardis L. Olson, M.D., a professor at Dartmouth Medical School, and colleagues report on the results of the first study to explore the feasibility, time requirements, and effects of regular and structured screening for maternal depression. Typically, pediatricians rely on observation (81%) to detect depression; only 8 percent of pediatricians routinely ask mothers about symptoms of depression. These usual techniques have been shown to detect less than half of depressed mothers. The study assessed whether pediatricians could use a simple, two-question screening tool—preceded by an introduction explaining why the pediatrician was screening for depression—during all well-child visits (see screening form below). The tool was developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and validated through psychiatric interviews. The trial took place at three rural pediatric practices for an initial onemonth period, followed by a six-month period of ongoing screening. Findings Among the three practices, about one of 20 mothers screened positive for depression. Of 1,300 encounters, nearly 10 percent led to a specific clinician action, typically a referral, discussion of the impact of the mother's emotional state on the child, or follow-up monitoring. Demands on clinicians' time were modest, with most screenings requiring no additional discussion, 20 to 30 percent requiring brief discussion (less than three minutes), and only 4 percent to 5 percent requiring longer discussion during the visit. Fewer than 2 percent of screenings required discussions of more than 10 minutes. Screening rates were high (70%) across all three practices, and higher when clinicians and nurses fully integrated the screening forms into daily routines. The researchers conclude that maternal depression screening is feasible during well-child visits—it did not require large amounts of time and detected mothers who were willing to discuss their depressive symptoms and sources of stress with their pediatricians. "The choices that pediatric practices make about whether to use a structured screening approach ultimately are made on the basis of perceived value for the time invested," In the Literature the authors note. "The time spent helping depressed mothers function better may pay preventive dividends in the child's mental health and healthy development." Timing of Depressive Episodes In "The Timing of Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Mothers' Parenting Practices with Young Children: Implications for Pediatric Practice," Kathryn Taaffe McLearn, Ph.D., of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Cynthia S. Minkovitz, M.D., M.P.P., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and colleagues examine how the occurrence of maternal depressive symptoms at various stages of a child's development affects parenting practices. The study analyzed the effects of depressive symptoms on parenting behaviors among mothers enrolled in the Healthy Steps for Young Children program. It focused on three domains of parenting: child development, safety, and discipline. Of 3,412 mothers, 16.1 percent reported they had depressive symptoms when their children were 2 to 4 months old. Nearly as many— 15.5 percent—reported depressive symptoms when their children were 30 to 33 months. Findings The researchers found that, among mothers with toddlers, those with depressive symptoms were less likely to initiate age-appropriate recommended safety and child development practices, such as using electric outlet covers, limiting television and video exposure, and following daily routines, and more likely to use harsh discipline with their children. The effects on parenting practices were more pronounced among mothers experiencing depressive symptoms while their children were toddlers, compared with those who had experienced earlier episodes of depression. Yet, there were also lingering effects of early maternal depressive symptoms: mothers who reported symptoms when their children were 2 to 4 months old were less likely—when their children were toddlers—to engage in practices that are typically established early in a child's life, such as use of a car seat. According to the authors, these results underscore the importance of pediatricians screening for maternal depressive symptoms at critical times in a child's first three years—not just during the postpartum period. "Providing periodic depressive symptom screening of the mothers of young patients has the potential to improve clinician capacity to provide timely and tailored anticipatory guidance about important parenting practices, as well as to make appropriate referrals," they conclude.


Traditional for-profit and nonprofit corporate forms do not provide the appropriate framework for an organization pursuing both profits and social responsibility. In response, state legislatures have begun to take initiative by offering new business forms to accommodate for an increased demand in social responsibility. These hybrid forms seek to offer an organization the optimal platform by which to meet their dynamic goals. This Note will analyze the recently popular hybrid form of a benefit corporation. Further, this Note will dissect the Model Benefit Corporation Legislation and explain how benefit corporations provide a solution to the theory of shareholder wealth maximization. In closing, this Note will expose a deficiency in the model legislation and offer a solution to this deficiency. In particular, this Note will argue that the current enforceability and accountability provisions do not provide a sufficient assurance that all stakeholders' interests will be adequately protected.


Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), an important earth observation sensor, has been used in a wide range of applications for land and marine surveillance. Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) can obtain abundant scattering information of a target to improve the ability of target detection, classification, and quantitative inversion. In this paper, the important role of PolSAR in ocean monitoring is discussed with factors such as sea ice, ships, oil spill, waves, internal waves, and seabed topography. Moreover, the future development direction of PolSAR is put forward to get an inspiration for further research of PolSAR in marine surveillance applications.


Objective: To investigate the influence of salt mine medium from the Turda Salt Mine upon the cell morphology and electrophoretic expression of pulmonary fibroblasts in vitro obtained from Wistar rats' lung, in normal and Ovalbumin challenged - "asthmatic" conditions. Materials and methods: Pulmonary fibroblasts cultures were prepared from Wistar rat lung. Cultures derived from lung rat develop with a monolayer of fibroblasts attached to the culture dish. Before cultures initiation, Wistar rats of 75-100 g weight were divided in two lots: control and ovalbumin challenged animals. Five animals of each lot were send to Turda Salt Mine for 14 days and maintained in the salt mine medium, as in speleotherapy treatment. Results: Speleotherapy of Wistar rats had induced significant differences in cell morphology and electrophoretic expression of primary pulmonary fibroblasts cultures. The data obtained support the protective effects of speleotherapy by comparing with ovalbumin sensibilised animals. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate the fact that speleotherapy induces changes on the morphology and protein expression of pulmonary fibroblasts in vitro, and these changes support the therapeutical properties of Turda Salt Mine medium.


Summary
The sera of residents of two tropical sites were examined for the property of neutralizing the poliomyelitis virus. Seven of 9 adults of Thursday Island, Australia, and 10 of 12 adults of Formosa, Brazil, possessed this property. In the former place sporadic cases of poliomyelitis occur, and deaths from the disease have been reported from scattered parts of Brazil.
These and similar findings in other regions where poliomyelitis epidemics are infrequent suggest a wide distribution of the virus and disease, a generalized immunization of the residents to the virus, and an effect of warm climate on the occurrence of epidemics.
If the neutralization test is a specific antigen-antibody reaction, the ability of human sera from scattered areas to neutralize the same standard strain of virus speaks for a common antigenicity of the virus in the regions studied.


These codes are supplementary to the full thesis, which is available on OpenAIR: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/2144. The codes are provided in a single ZIP file, which will need to be unzipped to access the individual files. The dataset consists of 33 individual files, of which 3 are plain text (Library[...]) and the rest are MATLAB files in .m format. The abstract for the thesis reads as follows: This work investigates the gas Knudsen flow under condensate saturation effect and phase behaviour deviation under capillary pressure of gas-condensate fluids in shale matrix with pore size distribution; and evaluates their effect on well productivity.


In the current study, we used a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and bioassay to assess leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) protein levels, activity, and function in supernatants of 59 adherent layers derived from acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, and hairy cell leukemia patients and from normal controls. We demonstrate that biologically active LIF protein is constitutively produced and secreted by cultured bone marrow stromal cells from all of the studied subjects. Furthermore, various cytokines can alter endogenous LIF protein levels. Twenty-four h of exposure to recombinant human (rh) interleukin (IL) 4 (100 units/ml) significantly decreased LIF protein levels in adherent layer conditioned media [median base line level, 2.6 ng/ml; range, 1.6–8.0 ng/ml; median post rhIL-4 exposure levels, 1.9 ng/ml; range, 0.9–5.8 ng/ml ( n = 7; P = 0.022)]. In contrast, rhIL-1βand rh tumor necrosis factor α consistently increased LIF protein levels. In the samples exposed to 50 units/ml rhIL-1β, median base line LIF level was 2.6 ng/ml; median post-LIF level was 9.0 ng/ml ( n = 8; P = 0.014). In the two samples exposed to rh tumor necrosis factor α (200 units/ml), LIF levels increased from baseline levels of 2.6 and 2.7 ng/ml to postexposure levels of 7.7 and 12.2 ng/ml, respectively. Finally, the presence of LIF may be relevant to both normal and malignant hematopoietic processes as evidenced by: ( a ) LIF protein levels in adherent layer conditioned media were significantly elevated in samples from patients with a spectrum of hematological neoplasms [acute myelogenous leukemia: median level, 3.0 ng/ml (range, 1.6–11.0 ng/ml); myelodysplastic syndrome: median level, 4.5 ng/ml (range 1.4–15.5 ng/ml); hairy cell leukemia: median level, 3.5 ng/ml (range 2.2–10.3 ng/ml); chronic myelogenous leukemia-chronic phase: median level, 4.35 ng/ml (range 0.3–19.0 ng/ml); and chronic myelogenous leukemia-blast crisis: median level, 6.25 ng/ml (range 0.7–20.3 ng/ml)] as compared to samples from normal individuals (median level, 2.0 ng/ml; range, 0.7–4.6 ng/ml; P < 0.05); and ( b ) in normal controls, in vitro abrogation of endogenous LIF bioactivity by neutralizing antibody decreased the number of committed granulocytemacrophage hemopoietic progenitors.


BACKGROUND
The relationship between pain and motor function is not well understood, especially for children and adolescents with communication and motor impairments associated with cerebral palsy (CP).

OBJECTIVES
To determine whether a predictive relationship between motor function and musculoskeletal pain exists in children with CP.

METHODS
Following informed consent, caregivers of 34 pediatric patients with CP (mean [± SD] age 9.37±4.49 years; 80.0% male) completed pain- and function-related measures. Parents completed the Dalhousie Pain Interview and the Brief Pain Inventory based on a one-week recall to determine whether pain had been experienced in the past week, its general description, possible cause, duration, frequency, intensity and interference with daily function. The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) was used to classify the motor involvement of the child based on their functional ability and their need for assistive devices for mobility.

RESULTS
GMFCS level significantly predicted parent-reported musculoskeletal pain frequency (P<0.02), duration (P=0.05) and intensity (P<0.01). Duration of pain was significantly related to interference with activities of daily living (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Children with CP with greater motor involvement, as indexed by GMFCS level, may be at risk for increased pain (intensity, frequency and duration) that interfers with activities of daily living. The clinical index of suspicion should be raised accordingly when evaluating children with developmental disability who cannot self-report reliably.


In vivo-matured cumulus-oocyte complexes are valuable models in which to assess potential biomarkers of rabbit oocyte quality that contribute to enhanced IVM systems. In the present study we compared some gene markers of oocytes and cumulus cells (CCs) from immature, in vivo-matured and IVM oocytes. Moreover, apoptosis in CCs, nuclear maturation, mitochondrial reallocation and the developmental potential of oocytes after IVF were assessed. In relation to cumulus expansion, gene expression of gap junction protein, alpha 1, 43 kDa (Gja1) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (Ptgs2) was significantly lower in CCs after in vivo maturation than IVM. In addition, there were differences in gene expression after in vivo maturation versus IVM in both oocytes and CCs for genes related to cell cycle regulation and apoptosis (V-Akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homologue 1 (Akt1), tumour protein 53 (Tp53), caspase 3, apoptosis-related cysteine protease (Casp3)), oxidative response (superoxide dismutase 2, mitochondrial (Sod2)) and metabolism (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6pd), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gapdh)). In vivo-matured CCs had a lower apoptosis rate than IVM and immature CCs. Meiotic progression, mitochondrial migration to the periphery and developmental competence were higher for in vivo-matured than IVM oocytes. In conclusion, differences in oocyte developmental capacity after IVM or in vivo maturation are accompanied by significant changes in transcript abundance in oocytes and their surrounding CCs, meiotic rate, mitochondrial distribution and apoptotic index. Some of the genes investigated, such as Gja1, could be potential biomarkers for oocyte developmental competence in the rabbit model, helping improve in vitro culture systems in these species.


The introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) into clinical practice has revolutionized the prevention and the therapeutic approaches to thromboembolic events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and represents with no doubts one of the most remarkable advances in the history of cardiovascular medicine over the last years. NOACs beyond a comparable efficacy with vitamin K antagonists allow to overcome the limitations of this last category of drugs owing to their less drug to drug interactions and a predictable anticoagulant effect that allows a fixed dose administration without the need for continuous monitoring. However, the penetration of NOACs into the Italian market is still lower than predicted with respect to their use in other European countries.The aim of this review is to critically analyze the reasons behind this attitude through the adoption of the nominal group technique, a methodology that permits to reach an official consensus.


The purpose of this study is to address a disconnect between women's perceptions of their advancement potential / barriers to success in upper echelon corporate roles and their actual level of representation within such roles in companies in the S&P 500. This study involves the use of semi-structured phone interviews with 13 women in an organization in the S&P 500, who have been identified by organizational leadership as having high advancement potential. The results are evaluated using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to ensure an understanding of respondents' experiences and perceptions in connection with their own process of meaning-making. In the findings, the participants' responses indicate a disconnect between primarily positive perceptions on advancement opportunities for women, low levels of gender bias, and diversity initiatives and the actual outcomes regarding numbers of women in top leadership roles. Further, participants consistently espouse a strong sense of personal responsibility and a perception that barriers they encounter are self-imposed. This is consistent with an overall institutional narrative that organizational initiatives have mitigated the problem of women's barriers to advancement in the corporate pipeline, which serves to reinforce the illusion of an equitable and effective meritocracy. By drawing on a phenomenological research design and prioritizing the experiences and perceptions of women on the edge of advancement into upper echelon corporate roles, it becomes evident that corporate narratives and diversity initiatives may be serving to reinforce, rather than ameliorate, the status quo of gender disparity in Corporate America. Both scholars and institutional stakeholders can build on the results of this study to move toward improving the corporate pipeline for women's advancement to executive-level roles.
Keywords: gender, women's advancement, corporate pipeline, stereotypic attribution bias


The objective of this paper is to explore the potential of the real options approach for analyzing farmers' choice to switch from conventional to organic farming. Understanding the determinants of this decision is relevant in particular for agricultural policy makers when predicting the response of farmers to supporting programs. An econometric model is applied to aggregated data of conventional and organic farms in Germany and Austria. The empirical analysis confirms the reluctance to adopt organic farming due to option-like effects. We conclude that the incentives for an adoption of organic farming have to be increased if a higher share of this production type is desired.


Abstract Assistive technologies for older adults are getting more and more attention because of changes in demographics. Mobility is one of the biggest issues for people with degenerating physical and mental abilities, such that they are able to live independently. Therefore, this paper deals with the development and the evaluation of a drive assistance function for a mobility scooter to help keep older people mobile. The implemented drive assistance function reduces the challenging control of the vehicle and provides supports for the operator. The assistance function analyses the driving commands of the operator and controls the mobility scooter according to these commands. Finally, an evaluation of the assistance function with odler people shows the less challenging control and the increased safety.


Mangroves are the most fragile ecosystems in the intertidal zones of tropical and subtropical areas, supporting a rich diversity of flora and fauna on regional and global scales. Mangrove ecosystems are prone to die back owing to diverse climatic and anthropogenic effects. The present study is focused on the various climatic and anthropogenic effects experienced by the KadalundiVallikkunnu community reserve mangrove (11○07'33.'76" N and 75ο49'49.40" E), located in North Kerala, India. This site forms the State's first community reserve, lying very close to the Arabian Sea and being home to various migratory birds. Results of field observations and Google Earth image analysis in the above mangrove ecosystem revealed remarkable changes in the land cover, owing to the formation of sand bars, along the edges of the river mouth. The sand bar formation at the site has resulted in the massive die-back of the mangrove vegetation, especially that of Avicennia marina. Apart from these, dumping of waste materials in the site, often completely masking the mangrove vegetation also severely affected the growth of A. marina. During the summer season, owing to heavy infestation by a Lepidopteran caterpillar, the plant was found susceptible to canopy defoliation also. The findings made during the present study recall the urgent measures to be adopted from the authorities to ensure community participation for restoration of the community reserve.


Background Evaluation of anisocoria including pharmacological testing for Horner's syndrome in the pediatric population is challenging in view of potential serious underlying disease. We describe cocaine test results, outcome of systemic investigation, and long-term follow-up in children with anisocoria. Methods Retrospective review of medical records and phone interview of consecutive pediatric patients (<18 years old) who underwent cocaine testing from August 2007 to July 2015 at a tertiary referral centre. Results A total of 35 patients were included with a positive, negative, or inconclusive cocaine test in 12/35, 19/35, and 4/35, respectively. Systemic investigation was performed in 11 of the patients with a positive and in 2 of the patients with an inconclusive cocaine test result. Mediastinal Hodgkin lymphoma was found in one patient with an inconclusive cocaine test result. Two other cases were presumably related to birth trauma and surgical trauma. None of the other children further developed any pathology during the follow-up period of 34.8 months (range 0–106.6). Conclusions In most children with anisocoria and a positive cocaine test result, systemic investigation did not reveal any underlying etiology. The only malignant disease was diagnosed in a patient with a suspicion of Horner's syndrome but with an inconclusive cocaine test result in our cohort.


This work is an attempt to analyze how men and women communicate gender identity by using stereotypical traits in a chat line environment, through quantitative and qualitative data. In Study 1 (Coding & Counting Approach, Herring, 2004), 80 same-sex conversations (40 men and 40 women; 40 Italians and 40 Chileans), carried out in public chatrooms were analyzed using some Project H-Codebook categories and the X². The categories taken into consideration were: Firstper, Opinion, Apology, Question, Emoticon, Emodevice, Coalition_1, Coalition_2, Fact, Action, Challenge, Flame, Status, Style. The results showed no significant differences between women and men in the use of these categories, except for Flame (p<0.001). We used the Conversational Analysis method in Study 2 to examine conversational dynamics which chatters use to co-construct their identity. Qualitative results have emphasized the existence of specific gender related mechanisms, thereby making it possible to understand the construction of online subjectivity through relationships. Our results suggest that there is an opportunity to investigate communicative style through both quantitative and qualitative differences.


We investigate the hydrodynamic stability of compressible boundary layers over adiabatic walls with fluids at supercritical pressure in the proximity of the Widom line (also known as the pseudo-critical line). Depending on the free-stream temperature and the Eckert number that determines the viscous heating, the boundary-layer temperature profile can be either sub-, trans- or supercritical with respect to the pseudo-critical temperature, $T_{pc}$ . When transitioning from sub- to supercritical temperatures, a seemingly continuous phase change from a compressible liquid to a dense vapour occurs, accompanied by highly non-ideal changes in thermophysical properties. Using linear stability theory (LST) and direct numerical simulations (DNS), several key features are observed. In the sub- and supercritical temperature regimes, the boundary layer is substantially stabilized the closer the free-stream temperature is to $T_{pc}$ and the higher the Eckert number. In the transcritical case, when the temperature profile crosses $T_{pc}$ , the flow is significantly destabilized and a co-existence of dual unstable modes (Mode II in addition to Mode I) is found. For high Eckert numbers, the growth rate of Mode II is one order of magnitude larger than Mode I. An inviscid analysis shows that the newly observed Mode II cannot be attributed to Mack's second mode (trapped acoustic waves), which is characteristic in high-speed boundary-layer flows with ideal gases. Furthermore, the generalized Rayleigh criterion (also applicable for non-ideal gases) unveils that, in contrast to the trans- and supercritical regimes, the subcritical regime does not contain an inviscid instability mechanism.


Lodged in an impasse between questions of environmental justice and modes of capitalisation in the green economy, indeterminacy is a vulnerable and porous relation. Pollution activates a potentiality in the organism to be otherwise, to generate certain kinds of tumours, mini-deaths or mutations. Toxicity has an intermediary status that launches a mobility of effects that is often fragmented through sense organs, affirming forms of non-identity in biopolitical relations. Organisms are receptive to such bodily reconfigurations precisely because they are open to the material communication of the world. In contrast to the "hidden labour" of indeterminacy in capitalist modes of capture, this article crafts an analytics of indeterminacy as an interjection in the politics of environments. Through dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico and military bees, two economies of indeterminacy are discussed. Drawing on Georges Bataille's notion of political economy, I argue that what is required is an economy of radical inequivalence; an excessive engagement with the possibilities of indetermining forces to make fleeting marks.


In 2007, the state of Michigan and five tribes entered into a consent decree that provides opportunity for collaborative fishery assessments and restoration activities. The struggles found in state and tribal cooperation are well known by many fisheries practitioners; less well known is the benefit, although described extensively in literature. To achieve this benefit, each participating culture must be granted an equitable and mutually beneficial role in the comanagement arrangement. To comprehend the range of perspectives and values for fishery assessment and restoration activities, we conducted semistructured interviews with state and tribal agency participants and evaluated work plan data. Similarities included focus on ecosystem sustainability and harvest opportunities; however, participants often assigned and described value differently through divergent western and indigenous knowledge systems. New areas for fostering cultural understanding, broader views, collaboration, and networking to develop s...


Supply-side explanations of gambling behaviour and associated social outcomes have been generally neglected in gambling research efforts. As a consequence, supply structures and their relationships to problem gambling have been poorly understood, although this has not prevented their somewhat questionable translation into regulatory regimes, notably in machine relocation policies. The simplistic assumption behind these initiatives is that problem gambling can be reduced to a linear effect of association between gambling exposure (or supply) and the distribution of gambling opportunities among disadvantaged populations. However, the assumptions contained in this formulation can be shown to be based on either a faulty logic or uncertain and problematic causal sequences. It is argued that this formulation has omitted an important mediating interaction between gambling venues and the wider markets in which they operate. This paper presents an alternate account of the relationship between socio-spatial processes and social outcomes in which the structure, location and uses of gambling venues assume a central position as a mediating factor between supply and demand. The paper then presents a revised conceptual framework of a regulatory area which addresses the complexity of these relationships. Without such consideration of these effects, it is argued that regulatory efforts will be often based on a confused or over-simplistic social logic, one that is unable to reconcile the social outcomes of processes at different geographic scales.


ABSTRACT Background: The relationship between spontaneous speech and formal language testing in people with brain tumors (gliomas) has been rarely studied. In clinical practice, formal testing is typically used, while spontaneous speech is less often evaluated quantitatively. However, spontaneous speech is quicker to sample and may be less prone to test/retest effects, making it a potential candidate for assessing language impairments when there is restricted time or when the patient is unable to undertake prolonged testing. Aim: To assess whether quantitative spontaneous speech analysis and formal testing detect comparable language impairments in people with gliomas. Specifically, we addressed (a) whether both measures detected comparable language impairments in our patient sample; and (b) which language levels, assessment times, and spontaneous speech variables were more often impaired in this subject group. Method: Five people with left perisylvian gliomas performed a spontaneous speech task and a formal language assessment. Tests were administered before surgery, within a week after surgery, and seven months after surgery. Performance on spontaneous speech was compared with that of 15 healthy speakers. Results: Language impairments were detected more often with both measures than with either measure independently. Lexical–semantic impairments were more common than phonological and grammatical impairments, and performance was equally impaired across assessment time points. Incomplete sentences and phonological paraphasias were the most common error types. Conclusions: In our sample both spontaneous speech analysis and formal testing detected comparable language impairments. Currently, we suggest that formal testing remains overall the better option, except for cases in which there are restrictions on testing time or the patient is too tired to undergo formal testing. In these cases, spontaneous speech may provide a viable alternative, particularly if automated analysis of spontaneous speech becomes more readily available in the future. These results await replication in a bigger sample and/or other populations.


Summary The aim of this study was to investigate the nycthemeral rhythm of total locomotor activity (TLA) in horse and the possible involvement of the daily organization of rest/activity cycles in the fluctuation of the redox state. For this purpose we recorded TLA and determined oxidative markers in ten clinically healthy Italian Saddle horses. TLA was continuously recorded by means of an actigraphy-based data logger (Actiwatch-Mini ® ). For the assessment of free radicals (dROMs), the antioxidant barrier (Oxy-ads) and the thiol-antioxydant barrier (SHp), blood samples were collected every 4 hours over a 48 h period. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a statistically significant effect of time of day on all studied parameters. The application of the periodic model and the statistical analysis of cosinor indicate, in horses, the existence of a daily rhythm of the studied parameters during the 48 h of monitoring. The results show that nycthemeral rhythms of TLA and oxidative markers have different trends in horse. dROMs and Oxy-ads showed a nycthemeral rhythm with an acrophase in the middle of the photophase, and the acrophase of SHp nycthemeral rhythm preceded them. In contrast, TLA showed its acrophase only after the middle of the photophase. TLA showed a lower robustness of rhythms (16.3 and 20.3%) and in respect to the robustness values of the rhythms of oxidative markers (67.3–86.2%). In conclusion, the results of the present investigation showed that oxidative markers have different patterns than locomotor activity, and further studies could be necessary to determine whether other external stimuli, such as solar radiation, food administration or physical exercise are able to influence redox state rhythms in this species.


Hepatic embolization using the percutaneous transcatheter technique can provide valuable palliation of symptoms in patients with inoperable liver metastases. The method is not without complications and since its effect on patient survival is only modest the principal indication for its use is the amelioration of symptoms directly attributable to liver metastases such as local pain or the unpleasant humoral effects produced by secondary deposits from active endocrine tumours.


We have developed a low-temperature growth technique (400 °C or lower) via microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films using surface-wave plasmas, whereas a substrate temperature of over 400 °C is necessary for conventional diamond CVD. Using this technique, NCD films still grow at a substrate temperature below 100 °C. This enables a wide selection of substrate material, including steel and plastics, to be used. The NCD growth in the surface-wave plasma exhibits a temperature-insensitive growth rate (activation energy =0.07 eV), which indicates a different growth mechanism from that of conventional diamond growth. The analysis of the size distribution of the diamond crystals in the NCD films implies diamond nucleation in the plasma, which is invoked by a low-electron temperature (2–3 eV) of the surface-wave plasma over the growth region. This gas-phase nucleation enables the low-temperature growth of NCD. The NCD film deposited in the surface-wave plasma exhibits high transparency and high tribological performance originating from its small surface roughness and large power-law exponent. The transparency for visible light of NCD films of 500 nm thickness on glass substrates reaches 90%. NCD films deposited on stainless steel substrates exhibit good tribological properties in air at room temperature without any lubrication, particularly a low friction coefficient (<0.1) and a low aggression strength against the stainless steel counterpart (specific wear rate ∼ 109 mm3 mN−1).


Human health is adversely affected by ozone and the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced from its reactions in the indoor environment. Hence, it is important to characterize the ozone-initiated reactive chemistry under indoor conditions and study the influence of different factors on these reactions. This investigation studied the ozone reactions with clothing through a series of experiments conducted in an environmental chamber under various conditions. The study found that the ozone reactions with a soiled (human-worn) T-shirt consumed ozone and generated VOCs. The ozone removal rate and deposition velocity for the T-shirt increased with the increasing soiling level and air change rate, decreased at high ozone concentrations, and were relatively unaffected by the humidity. The deposition velocity for the soiled T-shirt ranged from 0.15 to 0.29 cm/s. The ozone-initiated VOC emissions included C6-C10 straight-chain saturated aldehydes, acetone, and 4-OPA (4-oxopentanal). The VOC emissions were generally higher at higher ozone, humidity, soiling of T-shirt, and air change rate. The total molar yield was approximately 0.5 in most cases, which means that for every two moles of ozone removed by the T-shirt surface, one mole of VOCs was produced.


Advanced age is arguably the most important risk factor for developing cancer. About 77% of all cancers are diagnosed in individuals 55 years of age and older. Aging is especially a dominant risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC), with 91% of cases diagnosed in individuals 50 years of age and older. A number of genes and signaling pathways have been indicated in the aging process in model organisms including mammals, e.g. the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway, mTOR pathway and telomere and telomerase pathway. Recently, genome-wide association studies also identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with longevity. Therefore, we hypothesized that genetic variations of the genes and pathways related to aging might be associated with CRC risk. We systematically identified 189 putative functional SNPs in 109 aging-related genes and 20 longevity-associated SNPs from GWAS. In the discovery phase, we genotyped these SNPs in 797 Caucasian CRC cases and 797 matched healthy control subjects. In main effect analysis, 10 SNPs were significantly associated with altered CRC risk. When evaluating combined effects of these SNPs, we found a significant gene dosage effect for increased CRC risk with increasing number of unfavorable genotypes. Compared with individuals carrying fewer than three unfavorable genotypes, individuals with six and more than six of these unfavorable genotypes exhibited a 2.06-fold (95% CI: 1.24-3.43, P = 0.006) and a 2.44-fold (95% CI: 1.76-3.38, P = 7.56×10−8) increased risk of CRC, respectively (P for trend 1.25×10−9). Higher order gene-gene interaction analysis also revealed potential relationships among SNPs in TP53, ERCC2, GPR133, PRKAG3, TEP1, TSC1 and LMNA that further defined risk groups for CRC. Our results suggest that genetic polymorphisms in aging-related genes and pathways may modify CRC susceptibility both individually and jointly. Replication is currently underway to validate these findings. Citation Format: Fanmao Zhang, Cathy Eng, Moubin Lin, Michelle A.T. Hildebrandt, Yonggang He, Jie Lin, Maosheng Huang, Jian Gu, Xifeng Wu. Genetic variations in aging-related genes/pathways and colorectal cancer risk. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A93.


We study the highly magnified arc SGAS J122651.3+215220 caused by a star-forming galaxy at zs = 2.93 crossing the lensing caustic cast by the galaxy cluster SDSS J1226+2152 (zl = 0.43), using Hubble Space Telescope observations. We report in the arc several asymmetric surface brightness features whose angular separations are a fraction of an arcsecond from the lensing critical curve and appear to be highly but unequally magnified image pairs of underlying compact sources, with one brightest pair having clear asymmetry consistently across four filters. One explanation of unequal magnification is microlensing by intracluster stars, which induces independent flux variations in the images of individual or groups of source stars in the lensed galaxy. For a second possibility, intracluster dark matter subhaloes invisible to telescopes effectively perturb lensing magnifications near the critical curve and give rise to persistently unequal image pairs. Our modelling suggests, at least for the most prominent identified image pair, that the microlensing hypothesis is in tension with the absence of notable asymmetry variation over a six-year baseline, while subhaloes of ∼106–$10^8\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$ anticipated from structure formation with cold dark matter typically produce stationary and sizable asymmetries. We judge that observations at additional times and more precise lens models are necessary to stringently constrain temporal variability and robustly distinguish between the two explanations. The arc under this study is a scheduled target of a Director's Discretionary Early Release Science program of the James Webb Space Telescope, which will provide deep images and a high-resolution view with integral field spectroscopy.


Biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanofibrous matrix containing gelatin was fabricated by electrospinning method. The average diameter of electrospun PHBV/Gelatin (1:1) nanofibers was 600 nm determined by FE-SEM. ATR-FTIR and ESCA measurements were used to confirm the presence of gelatin in PHBV/Gelatin nanofibers. Human fibroblasts' behavior on PHBV/Gelatin nanofibrous matrix has been investigated. Fibroblasts were well attached on the surface of control PHBV and PHBV/Gelatin nanofibers. Initial cell attachment on PHBV/Gelatin nanofibers was higher than that of control PHBV nanofibers. Gelatin has many RGD moiety that mediate cell attachment. From this reason, initial cell attachment increased on the surface of PHBV/Gelatin nanofibers. From the results, coelectrospinning of PHBV and gelatin is a promising method for tissue engineering scaffold.


A discussion is given of the application of Fourier series techniques to the problems of linearized supersonic flow. The formulation presented is an extension of the doublet type of "fundamental solution" to higher order types of singularity. The equations developed have application to wing theory but are primarily of importance in wing-body interaction problems. A specific example of a wing-body interference problem is discussed in light of the presented methods.


A particle filter (PF) is a recursive numerical technique which uses random sampling to approximate the optimal solution to target tracking problems involving nonlinearities and/or non-Gaussianity. A set of particle filtering methods for tracking and manoeuvering target in clutter from angle-only measurements is presented and evaluated. The aim is to compare PFs to a well-established tracking algorithm, the IMM-PDA-EKF (interacting multiple model, probabilistic data association, extended Kalman filter), and to provide an insight into which aspects of PF design are of most importance under given conditions. Monte Carlo simulations show that the use of a resampling scheme which produces particles with distinct values offers significant improvements under almost all conditions. Interestingly, under all conditions considered here,using this resampling scheme with blind particle proposals is shown to be superior, in the sense of providing improved performance for a fixed computational expense, to measurement-directed particle proposals with the same resampling scheme. This occurs even under conditions favourable to the use of measurement-directed proposals. The IMM-PDA-EKF performs poorly compared with the PFs for large clutter densities but is more effective when the measurements are precise.


We present a novel quaternary optical-modulation scheme based on the combination of amplitude and phase modulation. The modulator has a simple structure and can be realized by using standard components. We present two simple receivers, each one using photodiodes for direct detection. The performance of the modulation scheme is investigated.


A novel hybrid model of the lumbar spine, allowing fast static and dynamic simulations of the disc pressure and the spine mobility, is introduced in this work. Our contribution is to combine rigid bodies, deformable finite elements, articular constraints, and springs into a unique model of the spine. Each vertebra is represented by a rigid body controlling a surface mesh to model contacts on the facet joints and the spinous process. The discs are modeled using a heterogeneous tetrahedral finite element model. The facet joints are represented as elastic joints with six degrees of freedom, while the ligaments are modeled using non-linear one-dimensional elastic elements. The challenge we tackle is to make these different models efficiently interact while respecting the principles of Anatomy and Mechanics. The mobility, the intradiscal pressure, the facet joint force and the instantaneous center of rotation of the lumbar spine are validated against the experimental and theoretical results of the literature on flexion, extension, lateral bending as well as axial rotation. Our hybrid model greatly simplifies the modeling task and dramatically accelerates the simulation of pressure within the discs, as well as the evaluation of the range of motion and the instantaneous centers of rotation, without penalizing precision. These results suggest that for some types of biomechanical simulations, simplified models allow far easier modeling and faster simulations compared to usual full-FEM approaches without any loss of accuracy.


Purpose. The objective of this study was to analyse the possibilities of using 4D CT scanning for the tracking of patients' mandibles. Methods. A clinical 256-slice Revolution CT was used in obtaining 4D CT scans without table movement, with a novel mandibular phantom, mounted on a programmable six degrees-of-freedom Stewart Platform in motion. The phantom was used to simulate mandibular motions which are combinations of rotations with translations (depression, elevation, protrusion, retrusion and laterotrusion). The phantom was scanned five times during identical motion patterns with a dynamic CT acquisition protocol. An image processing workflow consisting of a pairwise rigid registration and semi-automatic segmentation was developed to extract kinematic parameters (cardan angles and point-of-interest displacements) from the dynamic sequences. Reproducibility was investigated by the 95% confidence interval and the absorbed organ dose to organs of interest in the primary beam were also estimated and compared to those of a standard CT scan of the brain Results. The maximum average 95% confidence interval for the displacement across all time points for the five repetitions was 0.61 mm (Y axis). In terms of rotations, the maximum average 95% confidence interval across all time points for the five repetitions was 1.39° (X axis). The effective dose for the dynamic scan was found to be 1.3 mSv, for a CTDIvol of 63.95 mGy and a DLP of 1023.14 mGycm. The absorbed organ doses were similar to organ doses during a clinical head CT scan. Conclusions. A framework is proposed to use 4D CT scanning as a possible methodology to evaluate the motion of the temporomandibular joint. The scanning protocol allows to visualise the motion by applying a semi-automated segmentation and registration. A graphical representation of all displacements in the three spatial dimensions can depict multiple points-of-interest at once during the same acquisition. A novel type of phantom was also introduced which simulates mandibular movement with six degrees-of-freedom (three translations and three rotations).


We propose a simple method to investigate the crystallization kinetics of amorphous In44Sb20Te36 films on a nanosecond scale, based on local reflectivity measurements of the nanosecond laser-induced crystallization using a static tester. The pulse condition in terms of laser power and pulse width required for the onset of crystallization is established. Applying this pulse condition and Kissinger's analysis, an activation energy of 0.57 eV is estimated for the crystallization. This value deviates substantially from the activation energy determined at lower sample temperatures where crystallization proceeds in a time scale of seconds rather than nanoseconds.


Aureothin is a rare nitroaryl-substituted metabolite from the soil bacterium Streptomyces thioluteus, which exhibits a variety of biological activities, including antifungal, antitumoral and insecticidal. By construction and screening of a S. thioluteus HKI-227 genomic cosmid library, the aureothin (aur) gene cluster was cloned and sequenced. Detailed sequence analyses revealed that aureothin is synthesized by an unusual modular type I polyketide synthase (PKS), which has several exceptional features, including a novel priming mechanism and the iterative use of one module. Typically, modular type I PKS are arranged in an assembly line fashion, harboring a catalytic domain for each biosynthetic step. In stark contrast to this accepted principle of co-linearity, heterologous expression of the aur PKS cluster and fusion of the first two PKS genes demonstrate that one module catalyzes two successive cycles of chain extension, one of the first examples of a PKS in which such iteration or "stuttering" is required to produce the normal polyketide product. Further functional analysis of the aur biosynthesis gene cluster revealed several additional ORFs encoding starter unit biosynthesis enzymes, most remarkably an unprecedented N-oxygenase, which represents the first member of a new family of oxidizing enzymes. Furthermore, the order of the tailoring reactions was elucidated by mutational biosynthesis.


In 1994, the University of the Philippines established Ugnayan ng Pahinungod as the premier state university's volunteer service program to promote engaged citizenship among its constituents and to integrate voluntarism into the university's academic functions of teaching, research and extension. Launched in 1997, the Gurong Pahinungod (Volunteer Teacher Program) became the centerpiece initiative of this program. It was designed to deploy volunteers for one academic year, as subject-matter teachers in basic education courses such as English, history, mathematics and science in underserved areas identified by the Department of Education. The program was viewed by Pahinungod's advocates as the university's intervention in dealing with the problems besetting the public education sector such as shortage of teachers and low quality of instruction. This article examines the modes of intervention employed by volunteer teachers as bearers of change in communities, from 1998 to 2003. It also attempts to analyze the discourses of empowerment contained in the mass of documents produced throughout the first five years of existence of the program. The discourses of empowerment and identity as practiced and constructed by the volunteer teachers showed two key levels of empowerment in their experiences and thoughts. The first level is the self-fulfillment of volunteers in sharing their time, skills and knowledge as teachers cum community workers. The other level of empowerment is the volunteers' realization that they were really the ones being empowered because they learned more from the community and grew to be better individuals out of the experience.


ABSTRACT Epithelial cells lining the urinary tract are rich in globo series glycolipids, structurally defined by a Galα1,4Gal motif in the oligosaccharide moiety of this glycolipid family. This Galα1,4Gal motif is the attachment target for the P-fimbrial adhesin of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. We investigated the ability of a trisaccharide analog of this core motif, globotriose (Galα1,4Galβ1,4Glc), to interfere with uropathogen attachment and colonization in vitro and in vivo. We assessed the ability of globotriose to inhibit and reverse the binding and agglutination of a P-fimbriated strain of E. coli (JR1) using human erythrocytes and immortalized human colonic epithelial cells as targets. Globotriose (5 mg/ml) completely inhibited and reversed cell agglutination and caused a 10- to 100-fold reduction in JR1 binding to target cells, as determined by flow cytometry. In preparation for an in vivo efficacy study, we investigated the distribution and pharmacokinetics of globotriose in the BALB/c mouse. Globotriose was administered via the tail vein, targeting an instantaneous plasma concentration of 5 mg/ml, and in a different experiment, animals were gavaged at 10 times the intravenous (i.v.) dose. Globotriose was rapidly cleared from plasma (half-life [t1/2], 6 min) and slowly excreted via the kidney (t1/2, 4 h). Urine levels of >5 mg/ml were maintained from 4 to 12 h after the i.v. bolus dose, which resulted in a 1-log reduction in established bladder colonization by JR1. These results suggest that free, soluble globotriose is a feasible alternative therapy for urinary tract infections.


The objective of this study is to understand how the reason for use (RFU) or the indication for medications are used, its effects on the decision-making process, the implications, and the willingness among prescribers, pharmacists, and patients to share RFU information. Methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted to retrieve the information needed from a total of 60 participants. Results, pharmacists, prescribers, and patients generally have positive opinions about including RFU information in their communications. Conclusion, there is a general agreement among participants that sharing RFU information will improve patient safety.


— In recent years intrusions on computer network are the major security threat. Hence, it is important to impede such intrusions. The hindrance of such intrusions entirely relies on its detection, which is primary concern of any security tool like Intrusion detection system (IDS). Therefore, it is imperative to accurately detect network attack. Numerous intrusion detection techniques are available but the main issue is their performance. The performance of IDS can be improved by increasing the accurate detection rate and reducing false positive. The existing intrusion detection techniques have the limitation of usage of raw dataset for classification. The classifier may get jumble due to redundancy, which results incorrect classification. To minimize this problem, Principle component analysis (PCA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Local Binary Pattern (LBP) can be applied to transform raw features into principle features space and select the features based on their sensitivity. Eigen values can be used to determine the sensitivity. To further classify, the selected features greedy search, back elimination, and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) can be used to obtain a subset of features with optimal sensitivity and highest discriminatory power. This optimal feature subset is used to perform classification. For classification purpose, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) are used due to its proven ability in classification. The Knowledge Discovery and Data mining (KDD'99) cup dataset was considered as a benchmark for evaluating security detection mechanisms. The proposed approach can provide an optimal intrusion detection mechanism that outperforms the existing approaches and has the capability to minimize the number of features and maximize the detection rates.


ABSTRACT This article focuses on project-based learning in media practice education, identifying three themes of interest. The first questions the recontextualisation of practice from the professional to a pedagogic environment. The second theme questions how much we know about what goes on inside a project and contrasts the ways in which students 'do' projects with the ways in which educators idealise project work as a mirror of professional practice. The final theme questions whether processes and procedures external to a project environment may result in a decoupling between professional practice and the everyday formulations of practice enacted by students. While educators may seek to encourage students to simultaneously adopt academic, professional and creative identities, as part of an active and purposeful approach to doing projects, this article questions whether tensions between these identities may actually encourage students to engage in decoupling behaviour. The article aims to encourage media practice educators to reflect on their own use of projects and question the ways in which the identities students claim as learners align with educator's beliefs and values.


From January 1984 to June 1985, 20 out of 65 P. falciparum strains isolated in an hospital in Paris were epidemiologically suspect of resistance to chloroquine. 15 of them were submitted to in vitro chemosensitivity tests with several antimalarials drugs. In cases of suspected chloroquine resistance the initial choice of an alternative drug is mainly presumptive and is generally not guided by the in vitro chemosensitivity assay which results are too much delayed. When in vitro assay shows sensitivity to amino-4-quinolines treatment can be modified accordingly. The determination of plasma concentration of drugs are required in any case. However in vitro sensitivity assays would probably appears essential to physicians in cases of resistance to quinine.


Breast cancer is first in incidence and mortality among Costa Rican women. In 2011 there is a projected 1 071 new cases. We selected 116 patients diagnosed with breast cancer and family history of breast cancer. A detailed family history and epidemiology data was obtained from each patient and a blood sample was processed for DNA extraction. We analyzed the prevalence of risk factors and BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. These mutations were detected by different techniques and were confirmed by direct sequencing. Six patients (5.2%) had a mutation, five of which were in the BRCA2 gene and only one in BRCA1. We found that the average age of women who carry a mutation is lower than in non-carrier women. All other risk factors analyzed were not different among carrier and non-carrier women. In addition, these results and the increased incidence of breast cancer in recent years in Costa Rica, should promote an increase in prevention policies and the establishment of efficient detection methods that allow early disease diagnosis.


Jaw1 (also known as IRAG2), a tail-anchored protein with 39 carboxyl (C)-terminal amino acids, is oriented to the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and outer nuclear membrane. We previously reported that Jaw1, as a member of the KASH protein family, plays a role in maintaining nuclear shape via its C-terminal region. Furthermore, we recently reported that Jaw1 functions as an augmentative effector of Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum by interacting with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs). Intriguingly, the C-terminal region is partially cleaved, meaning that Jaw1 exists in the cell in at least two forms - uncleaved and cleaved. However, the mechanism of the cleavage event and its physiological significance remain to be determined. In this study, we demonstrate that the C-terminal region of Jaw1 is cleaved after its insertion by the signal peptidase complex (SPC). Particularly, our results indicate that the SPC with the catalytic subunit SEC11A, but not SEC11C, specifically cleaves Jaw1. Furthermore, using a mutant with a defect in the cleavage event, we demonstrate that the cleavage event enhances the augmentative effect of Jaw1 on the Ca2+ release ability of IP3Rs.


As smartphones become increasingly prevalent, social scientists are recognizing the ubiquitous data generated by the sensors built into these devices as an innovative data source. Passively collected data from sensors that measure geolocation or movement provide an unobtrusive way to observe participants in everyday situations and are free from reactivity biases. Information on day-to-day geolocation could provide valuable insights into human behavior that cannot be collected via surveys. However, little is known about the quality of the resulting data. Using data from a 2018 German population-based probability app study, this article focuses on the measurement quality of geolocation sensor data, with a strong focus on missing measurements. Geolocation sensor data are an example of an available data type that is of interest to social science research. Our findings can be applied to the wider subject of sensor data. In our article, we demonstrate (1) that sensor data are far from error-free. Instead, device-related error sources, such as the manufacturer and operating system settings, design decisions of the research app, third-party apps, and the participant, can interfere with the measurement. To disentangle the different influences, we (2) apply a multistage error model to analyze and control the error sources in the specific missingness process of geolocation data. We (3) raise awareness of error sources in geolocation measurement, such as the use of GPS falsifier apps, or device sharing among participants. By identifying the different error sources and analyzing their determinants, we recommend (4) identification strategies for future research.


Future changes in climate and socioeconomic systems will drive both the availability and use of water resources, leading to evolutions in scarcity. The contributions of both systems can be quantified individually to understand the impacts around the world, but also combined to explore how the coevolution of energy-water-land systems affects not only the driver behind water scarcity changes, but how human and climate systems interact in tandem to alter water scarcity. Here we investigate the relative contributions of climate and socioeconomic systems on water scarcity under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways-Representative Concentration Pathways framework. While human systems dominate changes in water scarcity independent of socioeconomic or climate future, the sign of these changes depend particularly on the socioeconomic scenario. Under specific socioeconomic futures, human-driven water scarcity reductions occur in up to 44% of the global land area by the end of the century.


Social media is a new phenomenon that has changed how the business environment operates. Businesses are able to gain access to resources that were otherwise not available to them. It has also helped businesses to increase their worthiness, cultivate strategic partnerships and increase their contact with customers and suppliers. It has become important for business owners and marketers to understand how social media work as a communication and marketing tool and how they can significantly grow their businesses. The study focused on establishing the effect of social media on the growth of SMEs in Nairobi. This was done by determining the effect of social media on the market access, customer relationship management, innovativeness and pricing of products of SMEs in Nairobi. The study used descriptive research design. Questionnaires were administered on 246 SMEs in Nairobi, with the respondents being either the owners or managers. Cluster sampling was used to divide the population of interest and then simple random probability sampling technique was used to further identify the specific businesses to be used for the study. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected and then analyzed using SPSS. The results of the study have been presented in tables and figures for easy interpretation. The study established that social media tools offer greater market accessibility and CRM which in turn have a significant impact on the growth of SMEs. On the other hand, the pricing of products and innovativeness aspects offered by social media have had very little impact to cause any growth in the SMEs. It revealed that geographical barriers can be broken down by the use of social media tools. Additionally, social media allows businesses to communicate speedily and cheaply with customers as well as allow them to construct a database that can be used to generate business leads that may translate to increased sales and thus grow the SMEs. The study recommends that policy makers such as the government should be keen on the current trends of technological adoption by SMEs to come up with policies that encourage best practices for the growth of the SME sector. Issues of copyright and privacy should also be addressed, and training of social media and provision of business solutions that would bridge the gap and encourage more SMEs to adopt the use of social media tools which would lead to their growth.


BACKGROUND
Activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB is part of the immediate early response of tissues to ionizing irradiation. This pathway has been shown to protect cells from tumor necrosis factor-alpha, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy-induced apoptosis (programmed cell death). However, because the role of NF-kappaB as a modifier of the intrinsic radiosensitivity of cancer cells is less clear, we have studied the impact of NF-kappaB on the intrinsic radiosensitivity of human cancer cells.

METHODS
We used PC3 prostate cancer cells and HD-MyZ Hodgkin's lymphoma cells transduced with an adenovirus vector that contains a gene encoding a form of IkappaB (an inhibitor of NF-kappaB) that cannot be phosphorylated. This form of IkappaB will remain bound to NF-kappaB; thus, NF-kappaB cannot be activated. We monitored NF-kappaB activity with a gel-shift assay and used a colony-forming assay to assess clonogenicity and radiosensitivity.

RESULTS
Constitutive DNA-binding activity of NF-kappaB was dramatically decreased in PC3 cells transduced with the IkappaB super-repressor gene. The clonogenicity of transduced PC3 cells declined to 19.6% of that observed for untreated control cells, a finding similar to one we have previously demonstrated for IkappaB-transduced HD-MyZ cells. However, inhibition of NF-kappaB activity in the surviving PC3 and HD-MyZ cells failed to alter their intrinsic radiosensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that activation of NF-kappaB does not determine the intrinsic radiosensitivity of cancer cells, at least for the cell lines tested in this study.


MapReduce is a widely-used model for data parallel applications. We found its resource utilization is inefficient when there are not enough tasks to fill all task slots as the resources "reserved" for idle slots are just wasted. We propose resource stealing which enables running tasks to steal the unutilized resources and return them when new tasks are assigned. It exploits the opportunistic use of the otherwise wasted resources to improve overall resource utilization and reduce job execution time. Besides, our practical use of Hadoop shows the current mechanism adopted to trigger speculative execution creates many unnecessary speculative tasks that are killed soon after creation as the original tasks complete earlier. To alleviate the issue, we propose Benefit Aware Speculative Execution which predicts the benefit of running new speculative tasks and greatly eliminates unnecessary runs. Finally, MapReduce is mainly optimized for homogeneous environments and its inefficiency in heterogeneous network environments has been observed in our experiments. We investigate network heterogeneity aware scheduling of both map and reduce tasks. Overall, our goal is to enhance Hadoop to cope with significant network heterogeneity and improve resource utilization.


Code review is a software quality assurance practice widely employed in both open source and commercial software projects to detect defects, transfer knowledge and encourage adherence to coding standards. Notwithstanding, code reviews can also delay the incorporation of a code change into a code base, thus slowing down the overall development process. Part of this delay is often a consequence of reviewers not understanding, becoming confused by, or being uncertain about the intention, behavior, or effect of a code change.We investigate the reasons and impacts of confusion in code reviews, as well as the strategies developers adopt to cope with confusion. We employ a concurrent triangulation strategy to combine the analyses of survey responses and of the code review comments, and build a comprehensive confusion framework structured along the dimensions of the review process, the artifact being reviewed, the developers themselves and the relation between the developer and the artifact. The most frequent reasons for confusion are the missing rationale, discussion of non-functional requirements of the solution, and lack of familiarity with existing code. Developers report that confusion delays the merge decision, decreases review quality, and results in additional discussions. To cope with confusion developers request information, improve familiarity with existing code, and discuss off-line. Based on the results, we provide a series of implications for tool builders, as well as insights and suggestions for researchers. The results of our work offer empirical justification for the need to improve code review tools to support developers facing confusion.


A method on theoretical simulation of chromosome breaks in cells exposed to heavy ions Background. The aim of this study is to assess an easy and quick method on simulating chromosome breaks in cells exposed to heavy charged particles. Methods. The theoretical value of chromosome break was calculated, and the validated comparison with the experimental value by using a premature chromosome condensation technique was done. Results. A good consistence was found to be appeared between the theoretical and experimental value. Conclusions. This suggested that a higher relative biological effectiveness of heavy ions was closely correlated with its physical characteristics and besides, a safe approach on predicting chromosome breaks in cells exposed to heavy ions at off-line environment come to be considered. Furthermore, three key factors influencing the theoretical simulation was investigated and discussed.


Abstract Etheostoma zonale, the banded darter, was introduced to the Susquehanna River basin of Pennsylvania through an interbasin transfer, or transplantation of native fishes outside their natural range. We examined the habitat use of a darter native to the Susquehanna River drainage E. olmstedi, the tessellated darter, in sympatry and allopatry with E. zonale to determine if its habitat use was different. In the presence of E. zonale, E. olmstedi occupied significantly (P < 0.05) shallower habitats (mean depth < 27 cm) with smaller substrates (mean substrate index < 32) and slower water velocities (mean water velocity < 0.13 m s−1) than in sites without E. zonale. The habitat shift of E. olmstedi was accompanied by a compression of niche breadth. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that E. zonale excludes E. olmstedi from riffle and run habitats, restricting E. olmstedi to shallow pools and stream margins.


This article describes automatic parallelization techniques in the SUIF (Stanford University Intermediate Format) compiler that result in good multiprocessor performance for array-based numerical programs. Parallelizing compilers for multiprocessors face many hurdles. However, SUIF's robust analysis and memory optimization techniques enabled speedups on three fourths of the NAS and SPECfp95 benchmark programs.


The objective of this paper is to give an up-to-date terminology for and categorization of hackers on the Internet, and to characterize each category of hackers by their threat properties. To be able to prioritize defense efforts, security experts need an accurate taxonomy of attackers for the production of detailed and precise threat assessments. We take an existing taxonomy for hackers and update it to correspond to the terminology used by hackers and security experts. Also, the categories of hackers are updated to reflect the threat properties demonstrated in recent attacks, and each category is described in terms of motivations, capabilities, triggers, methods, and trends. The result is a current and detailed taxonomy usable in planning of digital defense efforts as well as in forensics after an attack has occurred.


Variable rate irrigation (VRI) is the capacity to vary the depth of water application in a field spatially. Developing precise management zones is necessary to efficient variable rate irrigation technologies. Intelligent fuzzy inference system based on precision irrigation knowledge, i.e., a system capable of creating prescriptive maps to control the rotation speed of the central pivot. Based on the VRI-prescribed map created by the intelligent system of decision-making, the pivot can increase or decrease its speed, reaching the desired depth of application in a certain irrigation zone. Therefore, this strategy of speed control is more realistic compared to traditional methods. Results indicate that data from the edaphoclimatic variables, when well fitted to the fuzzy logic, can solve uncertainties and non-linearities of an irrigation system and establish a control model for high-precision irrigation. Because remote sensing provides quick measurements and easy access to crop information for large irrigation areas, images will be used as inputs. The developed fuzzy system for pivot control is original and innovative. Further-more, the artificial intelligent systems can be applied widely in agricultural areas, so the results were favorable to the continuity of studies on precision irrigation and application of the fuzzy logic in precision agriculture.


Rapid advances in high quality sensors and integrated circuits have enabled the affordable realization of very high resolution digital output devices. New analog to digital converters and piezoelectric accelerometers are being combined to deliver unprecedented broadband resolution and noise immunity. Standardization of the interface between digital sensors and microcontrollers provides for cost‐effective measurement system development. Applications such as condition based maintenance and structural acoustics are poised to expand rapidly with the advent of this technology. [See NOISE‐CON Proceedings for full paper.]


Forecasts of U.S. ending stocks for corn, soybean, and wheat issued by the USDA and private analysts are evaluated. The null hypothesis that USDA forecasts are unbiased cannot be rejected. The null hypothesis that private analysts' forecasts are unbiased forecasts of USDA forecasts cannot be rejected either. However, there is strong evidence that the forecasts issued by the USDA and private analysts are inefficient. Overall, the precision of the USDA forecasts and the private analysts' forecasts is highest for wheat and lowest for soybean.


The sequence of events leading to stress granule assembly in stressed cells remains elusive. We show here, using isotope labeling and ion microprobe, that proportionally more RNA than proteins are present in stress granules than in surrounding cytoplasm. We further demonstrate that the delivery of single strand polynucleotides, mRNA and ssDNA, to the cytoplasm can trigger stress granule assembly. On the other hand, increasing the cytoplasmic level of mRNA-binding proteins like YB-1 can directly prevent the aggregation of mRNA by forming isolated mRNPs, as evidenced by atomic force microscopy. Interestingly, we also discovered that enucleated cells do form stress granules, demonstrating that the translocation to the cytoplasm of nuclear prion-like RNA-binding proteins like TIA-1 is dispensable for stress granule assembly. The results lead to an alternative view on stress granule formation based on the following sequence of events: after the massive dissociation of polysomes during stress, mRNA-stabilizing proteins like YB-1 are outnumbered by the burst of nonpolysomal mRNA. mRNA freed of ribosomes thus becomes accessible to mRNA-binding aggregation-prone proteins or misfolded proteins, which induces stress granule formation. Within the frame of this model, the shuttling of nuclear mRNA-stabilizing proteins to the cytoplasm could dissociate stress granules or prevent their assembly.


Background Breathlessness is a multidimensional symptom prevalent in elderly affecting many aspects of life. We aimed to determine how different dimensions of breathlessness are associated with physical and mental quality of life (QoL) in elderly men. Methods This was a cross-sectional, population-based analysis of 672 men aged 73 years in a Swedish county. Breathlessness was assessed using Dyspnoea-12 (D-12) and Multidimensional Dyspnoea Profile (MDP), and QoL using the Short Form 12 physical and mental scores. Scores were compared as z-scores across scales and analysed using multivariable linear regression, adjusted for smoking, body mass index and the presence of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Results Worse breathlessness was related to worse physical and mental QoL across all the D-12 and MDP dimension scores. Physical QoL was most strongly associated with perceptional breathlessness scores, D-12 total and physical scores (95% CI −0.45 to −0.30). Mental QoL was more strongly influenced by affective responses, MDP emotional response score (95% CI −0.61 to −0.48). Head-to-head comparison of the instruments confirmed that D-12 total and physical scores most influenced physical QoL, while mental QoL was mostly influenced by the emotional responses captured by the MDP. Conclusion Breathlessness dimensions and QoL measures are associated differently. Physical QoL was most closely associated with sensory and perceptual breathlessness dimensions, while emotional responses were most strongly associated with mental QoL in elderly men. D-12 and MDP contribute complimentary information, where affective and emotional responses may be related to function, deconditioning and QoL.


ABSTRACT Background: Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection that occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body, especially in the acute phase of the disease, producing excessive pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to multiple organ injury and death. The Hev b 13 fraction has demonstrated biological activity capable of inducing IL-10 production and shrinking inflammatory disease lesions. Aim: To investigate the immunomodulating effects of the Hev b 13 fraction on septic rats. Methods: Acinetobacter baumannii was injected into the peritoneal cavity of the animals after sustaining a lesion in the pancreas, with the stomach as an entry point. After 10 h of infection, they were euthanized for blood and lung collection, followed by total and differential leukocyte count, determination of cytokine level and histopathological analysis. Results: Administering a single dose of the Hev b 13 fraction 2 h after sepsis induction significantly decreased total leukocyte count. Higher IL-10 and IL-4 and lower IL-6 production shrank the lung tissue lesions compared to the control groups. Conclusion: The Hev b 13 fraction exhibits an anti-inflammatory tendency, with potential for sepsis treatment.


Shared segment protection (SSP), compared to shared path protection (SPP) or shared link protection (SLP), provides an optimal protection configuration, since SSP can increase the number of connections sharing the same protection segments and can reduce the restoration time in case of single link failure. This paper provides a thorough study on SSP under the GMPLS-based recovery framework, where an effective survivable routing algorithm for SSP is proposed, called shared segment protection (SSP) algorithm. The main advantage of the SSP algorithm is to reduce the high computation complexity in solving the ILP formulation first introduced in P-H. Ho et al., (2004). With an efficient iterative approach the design space is significantly reduced by excluding all the links that result intolerably long routes. The tradeoff between the price (i.e., cost representing the amount of resources, and the blocking probability) and the restoration time is extensively studied by simulations on three networks with highly dynamic traffic. It is demonstrated that the SSP algorithm can be a powerful solution in the GMPLS-based recovery with a stringent delay upper bound for achieving high availability and restorability of the transport services. The comparison among the three protection types further verifies that SSP can yield significant advantages over SPP and SLP.


Purpose –Buildings energy efficiency is generally considered in terms of energy consumption, costs and GHG emissions reduction in line with the 2020 goals. It is commonly agreed that the greater the building energy efficiency, the greater the property market value. To increase energy efficiency, deep retrofitting was set in place and simultaneously photovoltaic power plants (PV) were installed, boosted through feed-in-tariffs that made them extremely attractive for both institutional and small private investors. Nonetheless Government incentives and regulations were not able to foster consumers to substantially change their energy consumption patterns. In this scenario overall cost-savings by PV-generation systems would only have a marginal impact on real estate market values, if the energy consumption pattern of the household does not match the most beneficial generation pattern and energy management is not properly performed. Aim of the paper is to investigate whether Smart Grids can increase market values due to higher production and consumption flexibility. Smart grids give de facto producers and consumers, the opportunity to be active in the market and strategically decide their optimal production/consumption pattern. We provide a model based on the real option theory to determine the value of this flexibility and the related market value increase. Design/Methodology/Approach – We model the homeowner decision to invest in a PV plant and connect to a Smart Grid. We determine the property potential market value increase due to the opportunity to perform active energy management given by smart grids and we compare this value increase to the PV plant value per se. To capture the value of managerial flexibility we implement a real option approach. Findings – The paper provides a theoretical framework to model the owner's decision to invest in a PV plant, to be integrated in a smart grid, and determines the real estate market value increase. The greater the flexibility the greater the market value Research limitations/implications – Interesting policy implications might be driven from the model implementation. It might be derived the optimal mix between building energy retrofitting and energy market participation that increases property values in a smart grid scenario. Originality/values – The novelty of the paper lies in the attempt to define energy efficiency also in terms of flexible energy management and its implications in the energy market.


The ssord "Siam" has disappeared since the date February, 1939, when Sia)n in Tranisitionz' was written, and that country is no%w known and referred to as Thailand-Maung Thai, the Land of Free Men. Little has been published in English on any phase of Siamese life since the revolution of 1932, which suddenly transformed the last absolute monarchy in Asia into something approaching a democracy. Professor Landon set himnself to remedy this defect and has sought the best sources of information for his material. We can find no evidence throughout the b'ook that the author has visited or lived in Tlhailand: -his work would appear to be a scholarly analysis of authoritative reports, and it gives a reliable picture of the changing condition's that are affecting the country and its people. The introduction recounts the history of Thailand atnd describes the inhabitants, their language, and the climate. Fronm that basis the author proceeds to show how matters are progressing, in a series of chapters on political trends, economic, ethnic, educational, medical, and religious trends, and in each one the pros and cons of the suabject are attractively discussed. It would not be unjust to describe Thailand as a backward country which has only' recently awakened to modern political demands. An aspect of Siamese character is lassitude and lethargy. "Whatever of this spirit cannot be traced to such diseases as hookworm can probably be blamed on the climate and on the ease with which one can secure enouigh to eat." Thailand is underpopuilated, largely becaulse of the high death rate. It is so warm that clothing is of no great importance. "A peasant will work for a limited time. but when he has money in his pocket he prefers to sleep. gamble, and enjoy life in his own way. The idea of working every day simply to add to his wealth seems absuLrd." The trend towards modern medicine is along a stony path full of empiric obstacles, but it is gaining steadily if slowly, and the Government Department of Public Health. is active. It planned and carried out an eleven-year programme of national vaccination and has given two million treatments for hookworm, much needed in a population that showed 65 per cent. of this infection. We would not be wrong in regarding Thailand as a paradise for the research work'er in tropical dliseases.


This article presents a data-efficient learning approach for the complex-conjugate control of a wave energy point absorber. Particularly, the Bayesian Optimization algorithm is adopted for maximizing the extracted energy from sea waves subject to physical constraints. The algorithm learns the optimal coefficients of the causal controller. The simulation model of a Wavestar Wave Energy Converter (WEC) is selected to validate the control strategy for both the regular and irregular waves. The results indicate the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed control system. Less than 20 function evaluations are required to converge towards the optimal performance of each sea state. Additionally, this model-free controller can adapt to variations in the real sea state and be insensitive and robust to the WEC modeling bias.


A new digital distortion calibration technique is demonstrated in a 14-bit 20-MS/s pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Calibration parameters are obtained in a way similar to conventional digital gain calibration. The prototype ADC has been fabricated in a 0.18-mum CMOS process and consumes 33.7 mW at 2.8 V. Using the proposed calibration method, a 15-dB improvement of the third-order harmonic rejection is achieved. The measured SNDR and SFDR are 71.6 and 82.3 dB, respectively


: Sialographic manifestations of 82 patients with parotid masses were studied to determine the value of sialography in the differential diagnosis. Multiple filling defects indicate metastatic tumor, tuberculosis and sarcoidosis. The occurrence of calcification suggests tuberculosis or sarcoidosis. The parotid cyst may show the sialographic appearance similar to that of adenolymphoma. The appearance of adenitis of parotid lymph nodes may be similar to that of malignant tumor when the inflammation extends into the parenchyma. Sometimes the appearance of eosinophilic lymphatic granuloma may be similar to that of malignant tumor, but the former is more extensive. The displacement of entire gland suggests extrinsic lesion. Although the displacement of branch ducts may occur in the hypertrophy of parotid, there is no defect in acinar filling. At times it is not easy to differentiate the parotid masses by sialography alone Case histories, results of laboratory and other examines, such as gray scale ultrasound, should be combined to improve the diagnosis.


In this paper, we share our experience in information collection, management and online effective life calculation of tower crane. We propose a framework to complete collecting, classing, storing and processing of the working parameters of tower crane through wireless transmission and some commercial software, such as Visual Basic and SQL Server, based on the monitoring system of tower crane group. The load spectrum of tower crane can be gotten by numerical statement of above-mentioned information. Thus, the real-time effective life of tower crane is calculated and displayed directly through our algorithm. This life can be taken as a reliable reference in the safety detecting of tower crane. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified by a simple example of tower crane hoisting mechanism assessment. The results show that the system is accurate and reliable. The main advantage of the new method is its simplicity of implementation in lack of the load spectrum.


In the past 20 years the field of silicon photonics has moved all the way from curiosity-driven exploratory research to market-driven industrial manufacturing of products. Mature technology platforms have emerged and a supply chain, from design to packaging, has been put in place. While the present capabilities can serve major markets, there is a potential for many more applications if the performance and functionality of silicon photonics can be boosted beyond the current state of the art.