Abstract  Gender differences in the treatment response to fluvoxamine (selective serotonin re‐uptake inhibitor) and milnacipran (serotonin/norepinephrine re‐uptake inhibitor) were investigated in Japanese major depressive patients. A total of 125 Japanese patients was included in the present study. Sixty‐six patients received fluvoxamine treatment. The daily dose was 50 mg/day for the first week and increased to 100 mg after 1 week, up to 200 mg after another week. Fifty‐nine patients were given milnacipran. The daily dose was 50 mg/day for the first week, and up to 100 mg/day thereafter. Patients were divided into three groups: younger women (<44 years of age), older women (≥44 years of age) and men. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Montgomery and Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) before treatment and at 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks after the beginning of the study. In comparison with other groups, younger women treated with fluvoxamine demonstrated a significant difference in the time course of MADRS score change. However, these gender/age‐related differences of antidepressant response were not observed in the patients treated with milnacipran. The results suggest that fluvoxamine is more effective in younger female patients than older female patients and male patients, while milnacipran is generally effective irrespective of gender or age.


With development of traffic speed, friction materials were required more and more high, in this paper polymer matrix friction material reinforced with fibers was studied. The rigid modified phenolic resin and the soft rubber were mixed to form "polymer alloy", which was the matrix of friction material. When the amount of resin-rubber blending system was 20~25%, the friction material had better friction performance. Carbon fiber had distinct effects on friction performance and mechanical properties. Friction material was a multicomponents composition, so the physical and chemical changes in material were complex. By TEM it was observed that "sea-island" blending system was obtained by mechanical mixing, in which rubber particles formed uniform distribution. By FTIR analysis it was known that because of the force-chemistry of polymer and time-temperature equivalence principle, resin chemically reacted with rubber during the mixing process.


Thanks to the accurate determination of the baryon density of the universe by the recent cosmic microwave background experiments, updated predictions of the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis now yield the initial abundance of the primordial light elements with unprecedented precision. In the case of 7 Li, the CMB+SBBN value is significantly higher than the generally reported abundances for Pop II stars along the so-called Spite plateau. In view of the crucial importance of this disagreement, which has cosmological, galactic and stellar implications, we decided to tackle the most critical issues of the problem by revisiting a large sample of literature Li data in halo stars that we assembled following some strict selection criteria on the quality of the original analyses.
In the first part of the paper we focus on the systematic uncertainties affecting the determination of the Li abundances, one of our main goal being to look for the "highest observational accuracy achievable" for one of the largest sets of Li abundances ever assembled. We explore in great detail the temperature scale issue with a special emphasis on reddening. We derive four sets of effective temperatures by applying the same colour–${T}_{\rm eff}$  calibration but making four different assumptions about reddening and determine the LTE lithium values for each of them. We compute the NLTE corrections and apply them to the LTE lithium abundances. We then focus on our "best" (i.e. most consistent) set of temperatures in order to discuss the inferred mean Li value and dispersion in several ${T}_{\rm eff}$ and metallicity intervals. The resulting mean Li values along the plateau for [Fe/H]  ≤  –1.5 are $A({\rm Li})_{\rm NLTE} = 2.214\pm0.093$ and $2.224\pm0.075$ when the lowest effective temperature considered is taken equal to 5700 K and 6000 K respectively. This is a factor of ~2.48 to 2.81 (depending on the adopted SBBN model and on the effective temperature range chosen to delimit the plateau) lower than the CMB+SBBN determination. We find no evidence of intrinsic dispersion. Assuming the correctness of the CMB+SBBN prediction, we are then left with the conclusion that the Li abundance along the plateau is not the pristine one, but that halo stars have undergone surface depletion during their evolution.
In the second part of the paper we further dissect our sample in search of new constraints on Li depletion in halo stars. By means of the Hipparcos parallaxes, we derive the evolutionary status of each of our sample stars, and re-discuss our derived Li abundances. A very surprising result emerges for the first time from this examination. Namely, the mean Li value as well as the dispersion appear to be lower (although fully compatible within the errors) for the dwarfs than for the turnoff and subgiant stars. For our most homogeneous dwarfs-only sample with [Fe/H]  ≤  –1.5, the mean Li abundances are $A({\rm L})_{\rm NLTE} = 2.177\pm 0.071$ and $2.215\pm0.074$ when the lowest effective temperature considered is taken equal to 5700 K and 6000 K respectively. This is a factor of 2.52 to 3.06 (depending on the selected range in ${T}_{\rm eff}$ for the plateau and on the SBBN predictions we compare to) lower than the CMB+SBBN primordial value. Instead, for the post-main sequence stars the corresponding values are $2.260\pm0.1$ and $2.235\pm0.077$, which correspond to a depletion factor of 2.28 to 2.52.
These results, together with the finding that all the stars with Li abnormalities (strong deficiency or high content) lie on or originate from the hot side of the plateau, lead us to suggest that the most massive of the halo stars have had a slightly different Li history than their less massive contemporaries. In turn, this puts strong new constraints on the possible depletion mechanisms and reinforces Li as a stellar tomographer.


Magnetic nerve stimulation is a new method for the noninvasive stimulation of neuromuscular tissue. The technique, developed at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, is being increasingly used for both clinical studies and basic research, with some 500 stimulators presently in use worldwide. This paper looks at the development of magnetic stimulation as a clinical tool. The basic physics principles of the technique are outlined, and the different magnetic field waveforms, coil geometries, and orientations that can be used are discussed. The depth of penetration of magnetic stimulation is compared to that of conventional electrical stimulation using surface electrodes. It is shown that the former generates lower electric fields at the surface of the body, resulting in greater penetration and the ability to stimulate deep nerves without pain. Magnetic stimulation has several other advantages over electrical stimulation, including being able to stimulate the human brain without discomfort due to the magnetic fields passing through the skull without attenuation. These advantages, along with the limitations of the technique, are discussed. Finally, data relating to the safety of brain stimulation are summarised in terms of the electromagnetic parameters used. It is concluded that the present generation of magnetic stimulators do not cause acute hazards, provided their electrical and mechanical design meets the relevant electromedical safety standards.


This paper initializes the study of online-to-batch conversion when the samples in batch learning are not i.i.d. Our motivation originated from two facts. First, sample sets in reality are seldom i.i.d., thus preventing the application of the existing conversions. Second, the online model of learning permits an adversarial stream of samples that almost for sure violates the i.i.d. assumption, raising the possibility of adapting an online algorithm effectively to learn from a non-i.i.d. sample set. We present a set of techniques to utilize an online algorithm as a black box to perform batch learning in the absence of the i.i.d. assumption. Our techniques are generic, and are applicable to virtually any online algorithms on classification. This provides strong evidence that the great variety of known algorithms in the online-learning literature can indeed be harnessed to learn from sufficiently-representative non-i.i.d. samples.


The majority of sound scene analysis work focuses on one of two clearly defined tasks: acoustic scene classification or sound event detection. Whilst this separation of tasks is useful for problem definition, they inherently ignore some subtleties of the real-world, in particular how humans vary in how they describe a scene. Some will describe the weather and features within it, others will use a holistic descriptor like 'park', and others still will use unique identifiers such as cities or names. In this paper, we undertake the task of automatic city classification to ask whether we can recognize a city from a set of sound scenesƒ In this problem each city has recordings from multiple scenes. We test a series of methods for this novel task and show that a simple convolutional neural network (CNN) can achieve accuracy of 50%. This is less than the acoustic scene classification task baseline in the DCASE 2018 ASC challenge on the same data. A simple adaptation to the class labels of pairing city labels with grouped scenes, accuracy increases to 52%, closer to the simpler scene classification task. Finally we also formulate the problem in a multi-task learning framework and achieve an accuracy of 56%, outperforming the aforementioned approaches.


Foley catheter placement is one of the most common medical procedures performed for patients across all age ranges and diagnoses. We present the case of a patient who required six urinary catheters during her brief peripartum stay secondary to urethral perforation. This case illustrates how a routine and simple task performed in numerous laboring patients can result in an unexpected morbidity during the peripartum period.


Helical gears are widely used as power transmitting gears between parallel or crossed shafts in gearbox or other parts of machine, since not only can they carry large load but also the noise level experienced during the operation is low. The application of parallel axis helical gears is well established in gear industry. So stress analysis of involute-helical gears is very beneficial and has specific importance. However, due to their shape complexity using analytical method to solve and gain stress distributions at engaged teeth is very difficult task. To facilitate the convergency different types of elements has been used for the contacting surfaces and the rest of the model, respectively. In this paper, the distribution of contact stresses, bending stresses and torque transmission in the pinion for a given tangential displacement (rotation) of the pinion hole surface was investigated using FEM and the obtained stresses are then compared with Hertz theory and AGMA standard.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.23.5.14884


Abstract Local pollution exposures have a disproportionate impact on minority households, but the root causes remain unclear. This study conducts a correspondence experiment on a major online housing platform to test whether housing discrimination constrains minority access to housing options in markets with significant sources of airborne chemical toxics. We find that renters with African American or Hispanic/Latinx names are 41% less likely than renters with white names to receive responses for properties in low-exposure locations. We find no evidence of discriminatory constraints in high-exposure locations, indicating that discrimination increases relative access to housing choices at elevated exposure risk.


How far can we push chemical self-assembly? This is one of the 25 biggest questions science is facing over the next quarter century, as reported by the Science journal in 2005. The idea of self-assembly is to fabricate synthetic structures or materials from the bottom-up. Up to date a huge class of distinct structures was successfully demonstrated to be fabricated by self-assembly. One important scientific area that exerts the ideas of self-assembly arose from the fusion of the fields of colloidal nanochemistry and nanooptics. There, the focus is on the fabrication of bottom-up nanophotonic structures with a tailored optical response. Very interesting are self-assembled metamaterials (MMs). They promise to widen the possibilities on how to control the propagation of light to an extraordinary degree. Concerning self-assembled MMs the precise spatial arrangement of its unit cells across larger dimensions is not possible in most cases; leading essentially to amorphous structures. Such self-assembled MMs require novel analytical means to describe their optical properties and innovative designs of functional elements that possess a desired near- and far-field response. The first goal of this thesis is the introduction and development of a feasible theoretical description of amorphous MMs. Once the theory is established the second goal is on experimental realizations of self-assembled MMs. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is on self-assembled MMs and the question on how far they can be pushed to obtain artificial materials with an extraordinary optical response.


Abstract A 2-year-old castrated male Holland lop rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) was presented for loss of hind limb motor function after leaping from the owner's arms. Results of a neurologic examination revealed appropriate mentation, normal thoracic limb posture and gait, paralysis in the right pelvic limb, and voluntary movement of the left pelvic limb. Superficial pain perception and withdrawal reflexes were present bilaterally in the hind limbs. Bilateral proprioception was evident in the forelimbs but absent in the hind limbs. Standard radiographs and a myelogram were performed, revealing subluxations at T5-T6, L1-L2, and L3-L4, a comminuted fracture of the T9 vertebral body, fractures of the right articular facets of L3-L4, and spinal cord swelling at T9. The clinical signs continued to decline, resulting in paraplegia with loss of deep pain perception in the left hind limb after the myelogram procedure. The owners of the rabbit were given a guarded-to-poor prognosis for the animal to regain mobility in the hind limbs. The rabbit was hospitalized and medical treatment including pain management, intravenous fluid therapy, nutritional support, and cage rest was initiated. After the initial decline of the clinical signs, the neurologic deficits stabilized during hospitalization. At the time of discharge, partial voluntary movement had been regained in the right hind limb, but there was no movement or pain perception in the left hind limb. This gradually resolved over 3 months of conservative therapy, at which point the rabbit had recovered the voluntary movement in both hind limbs and was able to ambulate by walking and hopping. This case report documents acute spinal cord trauma in a rabbit, as well as recovery of the neurologic deficits after prolonged medical management.


The extrusion of section from round billet poses a great challenge for theoretical modeling of the process using upper bound method. The greatest difficulty in three-dimensional upper bound method is to determine kinematically admissible velocity field. The SERR (Spatial Elementary Rigid Region) technique is fairly applicable for analyzing extrusion of sections having re-entrant corners. A modified version of SERR technique has been used for extrusion of octagon sections from round billet through a linearly converging die. The circular cross section of the round billet is approximated by a regular polygon of equal area. The extrusion pressure has been computed for different boundary condition at the die billet interface. The optimum die geometry has been determined.


Objectives: To evaluate, sonographic, power-Doppler features and histological findings in cases of small unilocular-solid cyst in a normal-size ovary. Methods: All consecutive women with small ovarian unilocularsolid cyst in normal-size ovary detected by transvaginal ultrasound, were included in the study. Patients had either follow-up ultrasound examination every three months or underwent surgical removal of the cyst. CA 125 was also evaluated. Histological findings were reviewed. Results: A total of 45 cases were identified. The median age of the patients was 48 years (range 25–77). CA 125 was elevated (> 35 UI/mL) in 6/45 (13%) cases. The median size of the cyst was 18 mm (range 11–30). The vascularization was present in 20/45 (44%) cases. 15/45 (33%) women received followup ultrasound examination every three month. 30/45 (67%) undervent laparoscopic removal of the cyst. Hystological diagnosis of malignancy (three carcinoma, and six borderline tumors) was recorded in 9/45 (20%) cases and of benign lesion in 21/45 (47%). Conclusions: These data suggest that the presence of a papillary projection is more important than the size of the cyst. Small unilocular solid cysts even in a normal-size ovary have substantial risk of malignancy.


More than 85% of managers believe employees leave because they have been pulled away by "more pay" or "better opportunity." Yet, more than 80 percent of employees say it was "push" factors related to poor management practices or toxic cultures that drove them out. This gaping disparity between belief and reality keeps organizations from addressing the costly problems of employee disengagement and regrettable turnover with on-target solutions.The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave gives readers a deeper understanding of why conventional exit interviewing doesn't work, and what organizations can do to identify, prevent, and correct the root causes of these problems. This valuable book shows how to avoid job-person mismatches, how to align employee expectations with the realities of the position and the company, how to provide constructive feedback and coaching that breeds employee confidence, and much more.The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave incorporates data from surveys of 19,700 employees performed by the Saratoga Institute, an internationally recognized research organization.


PEDIATRICIANS have been cognizant for some time that there has been a change in the picture of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in children and youth. This opinion has been based upon their experience in private practice and as staff members of the larger hospitals which usually care for these patients. In spite of this general impression, however, the American literature has published few reports containing facts which substantiate or refute this clinical observation. Some of the facts describing the situation in New York City are presented herewith. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A review of the American literature from 1940 to the present time reveals 10 reports relevant to this subject. These reports are briefly summarized in chronological sequence. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1943 1 reported that for its industrial policy-holders between the ages of 5 and 24 years in the interval between World War I and


Sweet potato is an important staple crop and many varieties have been released into farmers' fields in Nigeria, but no reliable means in tracking their identity, thus causing multiple naming of these varieties among farmers. The objective of the study is to establish objectively and reliable means of identifying released, local and elite sweet potato genotypes available in farmers' fields. Thirty genotypes of sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) species comprised IITA elites, local landraces and adaptable farmers' varieties were planted at a space of 1m x 1m in a randomized complete block design in two replications. High genetic diversity was observed among the sweet potato genotypes examined. The morphological data revealed three distinctive clusters. In cluster I, purple vine, green petiole and light pink storage root colour were the dominant traits. While cluster II had dark green leaf at emergence and later changed to light green when fully expanded and the root cortex and pulp were white and cream colour, respectively. Cluster III exhibited different morphological characters. Two of the four isozyme markers examined, Aspartate amino transferase (AAT) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6 PGD) were more effective to discriminate sweet potato genotypes. AAT had 9 loci while 6-PGD had 10 loci and polymorphism ranged from 10.0% - 90.0% for AAT and 10.0% - 96.7% for 6-PGD. Isozyme data analysis revealed four clusters and insignificant correlations were observed between the isozyme and morphological analyses. The results could assist breeders in genetic diversity study of this crop and for its improvement. Keywords: Electrophoresis, isozyme markers, sweet potatos, morphology and polymorphisms


We are practising medicine at a time of unprecedented demand in the acute care pathway, with capacity reaching saturation in both primary care1 and in hospitals.2 While these facts alone mandate a change in how we deliver acute medical care, we are aware that, for some of our patients, the hospital bed-based model of care can cause unintended harms.3 The negative impact of acute institutional care, compared with a credible community-based alternative, can be seen in the differential rates of harm in trials of hospital in the home.4 Observational studies have also linked the hospital environment to ongoing functional decline, over and above the impact of acute illness.5 Faced with these data, how do we change the model of care for acute medical illness and create a sustainable acute care pathway?

The Royal College of Physicians' Future Hospital Commission recognised that the existing structures of acute care are no longer fit for all of our contemporary population.6 Ambulatory emergency care is recommended as a default care model but this leaves a formidable number of unknowns: the physical environment for assessment, patient selection for ambulatory rather than hospital care, the mix of professional skills needed to deliver safe out-of-hospital care, the diagnostic test platform and range, monitoring and interventions in the community, costs, and patient and carer experience of home-based care at higher levels of acuity of illness. Given these uncertainties, how do we construct services that deliver cost-effective ambulatory care?

Although there is some guidance from existing literature of hospital-level interventions delivered in the home environment,4 the majority of trials recruited patients who had been assessed …


Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are primarily used for the treatment of acute or chronic conditions with pain and inflammation. Evidence from a wide range of sources suggested that chronic administration of NSAIDs reduced the risk of cancer incidences. Both the epidemiological and animal studies showed an inverse association between the incidence of various cancers and the use of aspirin or other NSAIDs. The chemopreventive and therapeutic interventions of NSAIDs in cancer are obvious; however, the instigation of drug and treatment period depends on the study objective. Typically, prevention involves initiating the medication before the appearance of clinical symptoms and lasts long-term; while treatment could be short-term and contingent to the response of patient to the medication. Recent studies from our laboratories provided substantial evidence on the anti-cancer activity of tolfenamic acid, a NSAID for the potential applications in pancreatic, esophageal and lung cancers. In this review, we provide a summary on the potential benefits of NSAIDs in a variety of human cancers with more emphasis on tolfenamic acid.


In this paper we demonstrate that exchange rate regime switching is compatible with optimal government policies. Nominal exchange-rate regimes are formalized as equilibrium commitments on future seigniorage policies, and the collapse of an exchange-rate peg as an excusable default which allows the government to lump-sum tax private sector money holdings. We demonstrate that a regime in which the exchange-rate peg is allowed to collapse when government spending is unusually high is a trigger-strategy equilibrium. Such a regime can be superior to both fixed and flexible exchange rate because it combines some of the flexibility of the floating exchange rates with some of the benefits of precommitment afforded by fixed rates.


Dielectric Spectroscopy (DS) and 1H Fast Field-Cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry were applied for understanding the dynamic behavior of the amorphous ter-polymer poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) across the glass transition temperature (Tg = 70 °C by Differential Scanning Calorimetry). Above Tg, main chain segmental motions (α relaxation) were detected and characterized using both DS and FFC NMR relaxometry. The correlation times extracted by the analysis of DS and FFC NMR relaxometry data agreed within a factor of three and showed a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann temperature dependence, with an associated Tg of 69 °C and a fragility of 155 for PVB glass. Below Tg, a secondary process (β relaxation) was revealed by DS, and was ascribed to reorientations of the vinyl alcohol dipoles due to local twisting motions with an associated activation barrier of 11 kcal mol-1. The β process was also found to contribute to 1H NMR relaxation above Tg.


A quantitative relationship between diesel soot oxidation rate and oxidation temperature and oxygen partial pressure was investigated by burning the diesel exhaust soot particles in a controlled flat flame supplied with methane/air/oxygen/nitrogen mixtures. The oxidation temperature and the oxygen partial pressure were controlled in the ranges of 1530 to 1820 K and 0.01 to 0.05 atm (1atm = 1.01325 bar) respectively. Soot particle size distribution measurements were achieved with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for particle samples that were collected on copper grids at different positions along the flame centerline. Oxidation periods were determined by means of laser Doppler anemometry (LDA). The experimental results showed that the experimental oxidation rates fall between the values predicted by the Nagle and Strickland-Constable formula and those by the Lee formula. Copyright © 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.


Here we report the experimental implementation of a linear-optics partial Bell-state analyzer following the propagation of single-photons through long telecommunication optical fibers. Polarization encoded weak coherent states were sent from independent remote continuous wave faint laser sources over two 8.5 km long optical fiber spools. Automatic polarization stabilization systems were used in each spool to compensate the random polarization drift. We demonstrate stable two-photon interference with a dip visibility of 47.8% over a 40 minute time-interval, close to the theoretical maximum of 50% for weak coherent states. We successfully show that it is possible to carry out remote long-distance Bell-state analysis of polarization weak coherent states in spite of random residual birefringence fluctuations in optical fibers. These results pave the way for important applications in quantum communications with polarization qubits such as measurement device-independent quantum key distribution and quantum repeaters.


The Norian is the longest time interval of the Triassic but almost devoid of plant fossils in Europe. The Seefeld flora thus gives important insights in the composition of the flora of this time interval. It is composed mainly of vegetative shoots and reproductive organs of conifers (Brachyphyllum,Pagiophyllum,Elatocladus,Voltzia, Cheirolepidiaceae), but also includes a few remains putatively assigned to the cycadophytes (Taeniopteris) and lycophytes (Lepacyclotes). Plant fossils of the Seefeld flora occur mainly in organic-rich calcareous laminites of the middle Norian Seefeld Formation of the Northern Calcareous Alps (Tyrol, Austria). The conifer-dominated and fragmentary nature of the plant remains, generally protected by thick cuticles, was interpreted as due to the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions the plants lived in arid and hot climate, probably growing on small islands. The plant remains were subject to transport from islands to deeper marine sediments of an intraplatform basin before deposition.


Of the vast wealth of information unlocked by the Internet, most is plain text. The data necessary to answer myriad questions—about, say, the correlations between the industrial use of certain chemicals and incidents of disease, or between patterns of news coverage and voter-poll results—may all be online. But extracting it from plain text and organizing it for quantitative analysis may be prohibitively time consuming. [18]


The increasing use of information and communication technologies has allowed for a new type incivility known as cyber incivility. This study compared the correlations of face-to-face and cyber incivility with job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intentions. Data were collected from 231 participants who completed an online survey asking about the aforementioned work outcomes and face-to-face and cyber incivility. Results indicated that face-to-face and cyber incivility were both significantly correlated with each of the work outcomes, consistent with previous research. Contrary to the hypotheses, Fisher's r-to-z transformations showed that face-to-face incivility was more strongly correlated with job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intentions than cyber incivility. Taken together, these results suggest that organizations should focus on interventions to reduce both face-to-face and cyber incivility.


: Light and electron microscopy were used to study the renal tissues from 160 children varying in ages from 3 months to 15 years suffering from congenital hereditary, and acquired diseases of the urinary system. Signs of disorders in the renal parenchyma differentiation were observed in 98 patients and detected at the tissue and subcellular levels. Morphological elements of renal dysplasia and little-studied structures are described. Signs of differentiation disorders were accompanied by the development of secondary changes making morphological diagnosis of renal abnormalities difficult. The main differences between the disturbed differentiation and pseudofetal structures appearing due to the development of secondary changes are described.


In the last 20 years, Emotional Intelligence (EI) has received special attention from researchers and scholars in different contexts. The marketing and media channels that flood Saudi's market assume that EI is the key to developing educational leadership and decision-makers have been influenced by these promises. Consequently, EI has been introduced to Educational Supervisors (ESs), in an attempt to enhance and improve leadership practices. Connectedly, the few attempts by Arab and Saudi scholars to reconfigure the imposed meanings of EI were ignored when Goleman's (1995) concept was adopted.
Thus, the aim of this research was to critically examine the influence of the transformative foreign concept of EI in the context of educational supervision in Saudi Arabia. A three-phase qualitative study was carried out with 3 male and 3 female ESs. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, participatory workshops with focus groups, participant observation, personal reflective diaries and qualitative questionnaires.
The findings suggested that the participants had a limited understanding of EI that drew on Goleman's model as a benchmark. This could be explained by Goleman's popularity and acceptability in the Saudi market in preference to any other EI scholar. The participants' perspectives on EI fell in between two rather extreme positions: from fully resistant to fully accepting. A complicated set of social, cultural, political and personal factors appeared to shape participants' understandings of EI, and the way they re-thought, re-negotiated and reconfigured the concept into one that met the needs of their context.
The study suggests an expanded definition of EI in the context of Saudi's educational leaders. The limitations addressed in the last chapter influence the theoretical and practical contribution of the research and further research studies are suggested to enhance our understanding of EI and how it could be used to meet the needs of its context.


To assess the adaptation of the heart of diabetic subjects in the natural volume overload state of pregnancy, echocardiography was performed during each trimester and postpartum in 17 women with insulindependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and in 11 healthy women. The mean duration of diabetes was 14 yr and signs of microvascular complications were detected in 6 patients. The diabetic women had slightly smaller left ventricles than the control women already in the basal state (postpartum), and the pregnancy-induced increase in left ventricular size and stroke volume was less in the diabetic than in the control women. The heart rate rise also tended to be less in the diabetic women, resulting in a markedly smaller increase in cardiac output in this group (1.3 vs. 3.4 L/min, P < .01). Left ventricular systolic function, wall thicknesses, or left atrial size did not differ between the groups at any point in the study. Minor collections of pericardial fluid were observed in 14 (76%) diabetic women and in 5 (45%) control women during the second and/or third trimester, but only 2 diabetic women had classic pericardial effusions. In conclusion, the normal hemodynamic adjustments to pregnancy seem to be impaired in women with IDDM. Preclinical diabetic cardiomyopathy and autonomic neuropathy may be involved in the observed alterations.


Dissolved gas analysis of transformer oil is one of the most effective ways to determine the transformer condition. Currently, there are many interpretation techniques that have been used in data processing of dissolved gas analysis results. However, all of the techniques used are rely based on the experience of experts who have conducted research by using the results of dissolved gas analysis. The combination of expert system and fuzzy to diagnose the dissolved gas analysis data to identify the condition of the transformer is discussed in this paper. The data used for this research is collected from several different transformers and then interpreted by using a standard methods and fuzzy expert systems, and the results are compared. From several experiments show that fuzzy expert system is more effective to identify a transformer failure. Keyword---DGA, Dissolved Gas Analysis, Fuzzy Expert System, TDCG.


Multiple Sclerosis (MS), is a common autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. Currently, there is no cure for MS, and most treatments involve the use of immunosuppressive drugs that can have adverse effects or increased toxicity. Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, is a product of the Cannabis sativa, and for several centuries has been used as an alternative medicine in many cultures. Cannabis sativa produces over 421 chemical compounds, including about 80 terpenophenols named phytocannabinoids, and include both psychotropic THC and non-psychoactive CBD. In the currently study, we show that a combination therapy using THC and CBD results in amelioration of EAE, an animal model of MS, by reducing hind limb paralysis, decreasing immune cellular infiltration into the brain, and mitigating the presence of inflammatory biomarkers, including gram negative bacteria-associated lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Interestingly, the gut microbiome plays an important role in immune function and studies have shown that it is altered significantly in MS patients. Inasmuch, we performed 16S rRNA sequencing on experimental groups to investigate the gut microbiome composition after using a combination of THC and CBD compared to disease controls. Interestingly, we found that EAE mice showed increase in the mucin degrading bacterial species, Akkermansia municiphila, which was significantly reduced in disease mice treated with THC+CBD. Collectively, our data suggests that THC+CBD can ameliorate EAE by preventing accumulation of mucin-degrading bacteria that would lead to increased gut microbial dysbiosis.


OBJECTIVES
We present a system dynamics model that quantifies the energy imbalance gap responsible for the US adult obesity epidemic among gender and racial subpopulations.

METHODS
We divided the adult population into gender-race/ethnicity subpopulations and body mass index (BMI) classes. We defined transition rates between classes as a function of metabolic dynamics of individuals within each class. We estimated energy intake in each BMI class within the past 4 decades as a multiplication of the equilibrium energy intake of individuals in that class. Through calibration, we estimated the energy gap multiplier for each gender-race-BMI group by matching simulated BMI distributions for each subpopulation against national data with maximum likelihood estimation.

RESULTS
No subpopulation showed a negative or zero energy gap, suggesting that the obesity epidemic continues to worsen, albeit at a slower rate. In the past decade the epidemic has slowed for non-Hispanic Whites, is starting to slow for non-Hispanic Blacks, but continues to accelerate among Mexican Americans.

CONCLUSIONS
The differential energy balance gap across subpopulations and over time suggests that interventions should be tailored to subpopulations' needs.


Introduction The secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has been neglected in Gram-positive bacteria due to the absence of an outer membrane and the difficulties of proper visualization. Here we aimed to prove that lactobacillus casei can secrete extracellular vesicles. Methods : EVs were extracted from Lactobacillus casei , cultured in De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe broth, using a polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution. The characteristics of the EVs were analyzed by electron microscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and SDS-PAGE. Results: The electron microscopy showed rounded vesicles with average diameter of 300 nm. The protein content of this nanostructure was 2.5 mg/ml with a protein pattern within the range of 10-200 kDa. DLS result showed populations of approximately 300 nm while the extracted EVs had a negative zeta potential. Conclusion: A new method of producing functional molecules from probiotic bacteria was presented. Our results indicated EVs purity with acceptable conformation. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the efficacy, practicality and mechanism of action of such EVs in clinical practices, especially for development of bio-compounds and vaccine delivery vehicles.


Optical conductivity measurements on the perovskite-related oxide CaCu3Ti4O12 provide a hint of the physics underlying the observed giant dielectric effect in this material. A low-frequency vibration displays anomalous behavior, implying that there is a redistribution of charge within the unit cell at low temperature. At infrared frequencies (terahertz), the value for the dielectric constant is ∼80 at room temperature, which is far smaller than the value of ∼105 obtained at lower radio frequencies (kilohertz). This discrepancy implies the presence of a strong absorption at very low frequencies due to dipole relaxation. At room temperature, the characteristic relaxation times are fast (≲500 nanoseconds) but increase dramatically at low temperature, suggesting that the large change in dielectric constant may be due to a relaxor-like dynamical slowing down of dipolar fluctuations in nanosize domains.


Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been completed to characterize the efficiency of tidal turbines. Efficiency is taken as the ratio of power production (i.e. useful electricity) to total power lost from the upstream incident flow energy. Many tidal turbine developers are considering ducted designs which accelerate the flow through the turbine, improving the power coefficient CP. It has been found that for the designs considered, this increase in CP is associated with decreasing efficiency due to increased overall drag of the entire system. It is also found that for a given turbine, the optimum operating condition for power differs from the optimum condition for efficiency. Thus a compromise between power and efficiency must be made when considering turbines in constricted waters and arrays of turbines.


This paper presents a high-speed single-channel pipeline analog-to-digital converter sampling at 2.4 GS/s. The high sample rate is achieved through the use of fast open-loop current-mode amplifiers and the early comparison scheme. The bounds on the sub-ADC sampling instance are analyzed based on sufficient settling for a decision as well as metastability. Implemented in a 65 nm general purpose CMOS technology the SNDR is above 30.1 dB in the Nyquist band, being 34.1 and 31.3 dB at low frequency and Nyquist, respectively. This shows that multi-GS/s pipeline ADCs are feasible as key building blocks in interleaved structures.


Mark Katz's highly readable and useful overview of Soviet military interest in the Third World will be an important resource for anyone doing research in this field. Francis Fukuyama, Deputy Director for East-West Relations, Policy Planning Staff, U.S. Department of State In his timely and thoughtful assessment of Gorbachev's evolving military policy, Mark Katz cautions against concluding that Moscow has lost interest in retaining and acquiring positions of influence in areas such as Angola, the Arab world, Ethiopia, and Central America. By detailing for us the 'new thinking' in Moscow, and the new policies that it has spawned in the USSR's Third World Policy, he has made a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate about the challenge that Gorbachev poses to the United States. Alvin Z. Rubinstein, Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania This book examines the changes that have occurred in Soviet military policy toward the Third World under Gorbachev. Mark Katz studies Gorbachev's active pursuit of detente with the West in terms of his ambitious economic reform efforts. Katz maintains that since Gorbachev regards detente as so essential for the achievement of perestroika, he has adopted a less aggressive military policy in the Third World. This book examines the Soviet military statements since Gorbachev came to power, which indicate that the Soviet military, for the most part, does not oppose Gorbachev's retrenchment from the Third World. The Soviet military even seems to approve the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. The author points out that while Gorbachev has de-emphasized the expansion of Moscow's base network in the Third World, he has vigorously sought to reduce U.S. military access to it. Gorbachev has attempted to do this through a stepped-up diplomatic campaign to convince moderate Third World states that the Soviet Union is not their enemy and hence there is no need to ally with Washington against Moscow. Katz also analyzes the Soviet support of regional security proposals for Asia and the Pacific, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, parts of Africa, Central America, and elsewhere. Katz maintains that if these security proposals are accepted, U.S. military access to them would definitely be reduced and that the Soviets' de-emphasis on obtaining new bases could mean that moderate Third World governments may become more amenable to accepting these regional security proposals.


the cepts first-order needed decision procedure are all and the procedure itself is clearly presented and illustrated. It is then used as a springboard to a discussion of axiomatizability, completeness, consistency, and finitistic methods. The decision procedure which results from enumerating all logical deductions in the system is also discussed. Godel's incompleteness theorem and related results are men tioned.


The personal effectiveness of Extension agents is a topic continuously researched, yet problems persist, suggesting that not enough is yet known to improve the situation. We undertook a study to determine the personal effectiveness competency training needs of agents in Florida, specifically looking at time management and work–life integration competencies. Data were collected via an online survey of University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension agents. Agents needed training for all areas of personal effectiveness, but particularly for how to manage time and how to get adequate amounts of sleep. Additionally, organizational practices and culture should be considered as part of the solution for improving personal effectiveness.


Circadian timekeeping by intracellular molecular clocks is evident widely in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The clockworks are driven by autoregulatory feedback loops that lead to oscillating levels of components whose maxima are in fixed phase relationships with one another. These phase relationships are the key metric characterizing the operation of the clocks. In this study, we built a mathematical model from the regulatory structure of the intracellular circadian clock in mice and identified its parameters using an iterative evolutionary strategy, with minimum cost achieved through conformance to phase separations seen in cell-autonomous oscillators. The model was evaluated against the experimentally observed cell-autonomous circadian phenotypes of gene knockouts, particularly retention of rhythmicity and changes in expression level of molecular clock components. These tests reveal excellent de novo predictive ability of the model. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis shows that these knockout phenotypes are robust to parameter perturbation.


The idea of morphogen gradients encoding positional information for a developing organism has long been discussed in the field of developmental biology, but only recently have quantitative models been proposed that relate measured transcription factor concentrations to enhancer activity. However, successful models are typically computationally time-consuming, thus limiting full exploration and interpretation of the data. This thesis addresses these problems using standard statistical techniques applied to a comprehensive data set with the even skipped (eve) locus as a test case. The first part of the thesis introduces the data set. This is the precellular Virtual Embryo from the Berkeley Drosophila Transcription Network project. It comprises expression measurements of almost 100 genes in more than 6,000 individual nuclei at six time points. Different modelling approaches are evaluated in the context of this data set leading to a justification of logistic regression and the methods used to prepare the data set for further analysis. The second part applies logistic regression to describe the response of the eve enhancers to known regulating transcription factors such as Hunchback. Predictions of behaviour under regulator perturbation are consistent with experimental results and the functional form is shown not to be arbitrarily flexible, both in terms of the regulators and regions of the embryo included. The third part uses the framework developed above to find minimal explanatory models in the context of statistical model selection. It is found that the best scoring models depend on well-known regulators. The model selection techniques are then extended by directing the process using previous biological observations to analyse the eve 2 and eve 3+7 enhancers. The results are consistent with published research, but suggest specific additional hypotheses for the enhancers' regulation. Finally, the thesis concludes by proposing a general model of positional information and discussing the biological implications of the results. Overall, the results show how transcriptional control can be allocated to discrete enhancers and that characterising their activity in relatively simple terms is sufficient to explain their precise spatially-defined response to transcription factor concentrations.


Abstract. We modeled the African terrestrial carbon balance over the past century using a spatially resolved process based vegetation model (ORCHIDEE). The model is forced by changing climate and by human-induced changes in land use. It includes a simple parameterization of natural fires, but the natural vegetation dynamics was ignored. The period analyzed is 1901–2002. Overall, we found that the African net terrestrial carbon balance (Net Biome Productivity, NBP) increased from a net CO2 source to the atmosphere of 0.14 Pg C yr−1 in the 1980s to a net sink of 0.15 Pg C yr−1 in the 1990s. The land use flux alone is estimated to be a source of 0.13 Pg C yr−1 caused by deforestation. This implies that climatic trends (mainly increasing precipitation) and CO2 increase (fertilization effect), are causing a sink of 0.28 Pg C yr−1 which offsets the land-use source. We found that the interannual variability of NBP is large, and mostly driven by photosynthesis variability. Over savannas, photosynthesis changes from one year to the next are strongly correlated with rainfall changes (R2=0.77 in northern Africa, and R2=0.42 in southern African savannas). Over forests, such a control by rainfall is not found. The main spatial pattern of interannual variability in NBP and photosynthesis/ecosystem respiration fluxes is related with ENSO, with dryer conditions prevailing over savannas during El Nino and wetter conditions over forests. Climate induced variations in fire emissions respond to this ENSO forcing, but do not determine strongly the NBP interannual variability. Finally, we model that ecosystem respiration variations (mostly autotrophic respiration) are correlated with those of photosynthesis, on interannual as well as on decadal time scales, but this result is uncertain given the potential for acclimation for autotrophic respiration processes.


In developed countries, drug therapy has turned HIV infection into a chronic disease. Follow-up of patients who take antiretroviral therapy is becoming more and more complex and individualised, often multidisciplinary approach is warranted. Problems with compliance to treatment and viral drug resistance have encouraged research of new substances. More is known about viral replication and other targets for treatment are under investigation. Improvements to therapeutic strategies practised in the last few years provide new possibilities in the fight against HIV infection.


Summary A detailed geophysical study of the Great Meteor East area centred near 31.5°N, 24.5°W in the Madeira Abyssal Plain is described in this paper. The area is some 200 km × 300 km in extent, and stretches from the lowermost NW African continental rise to the lower flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on sea-floor 80–100 Ma old. It has been studied using long-range side-scan sonar (GLORIA), seismic reflection and 3.5 kHz profiling, bathymetry and magnetometry. The flat abyssal plain is bounded to the E by an abrupt change of slope at the base of the rise. The line of this slope change is also approximately the distal limit of debris flows and coarse-sand-based turbidites derived from the upper part of the continental slope. Side-scan sonar reveals diminishing sediment surface variation in progressively more distal parts of the plain. Abyssal hills some tens of kilometres across and a few hundred metres high stand up above the flat surface of the abyssal plain which is 5400 m deep. These hills, which are aligned NE-SW perpendicular to the palaeo-spreading direction, were produced by normal faulting at the axis of the Cretaceous Mid-Atlantic Ridge. They are covered mostly by pelagic sediment which can be traced below the abyssal plain as a drape over igneous basement. Consideration of seismic reflection profiles in combination with core data suggests that Neogene and Quaternary turbidites compose most of the uppermost 200–500 m of the abyssal-plain sediments.


There are two major theories about the origin of human syntax: evolutionary and catastrophic, the latter appears more probable on theoretical and empirical grounds, the most serious reason being the problem with imagining the intermediate stages between protosyntax and full-blown syntax (Bickerton 1998). The "missing link" is recently often associated with recursion, a  sole element of human syntax considered specifically human and specifically linguistic. Some accounts associate this trigger with a subpart of recursion, either operation Merge or a subpart of Merge, operation Label (Hornstein 2009) which by breaking the initial symmetry provides a sine qua non condition for asymmetric syntax in terms of endocentricity, phrase structure and, consequently, recursive embedding. My hypothesis is that assuming the catastrophic scenario, more than one catastrophic event must have happened in a very short time. Given that human vocal tract and human phonetics and phonology have several unique features compared with Great Apes (hierarchical but non-recursive structure, speech imitation skills, abundant use of formants, lack of laryngeal air sacks in the vocal tract) and given that the phonological form constitutes the interface of the human syntax, the mere addition of Label to the already existing operations of the protolanguage is insufficient, since (1) it does not account for the emergence of the phonologically interfaced syntax, (2) it fails to explain the indisociability of non-syntactic elements of language in terms of phonology, semantics and syntax as evidenced in Jackendoff (2011). Consequently, I  assume that human language emerged as a  result of at least two catastrophic processes: catastrophic emergence of phonetics and catastrophic emergence of syntax accompanied by the rapid expansion of the lexicon, the latter possibly as a result of a quantitative rather than qualitative development. The emergence of human phonology might have occurred gradually, but as a result of the catastrophic emergence of phonetics.


Tuanku Nan Renceh was an Islamic cleric (ulama), leader and commanding figure who held in Indonesia History as a fighter against the Dutch colonialism in the battle known as the Padri War in Minangkabau. In contrast to this, the existence of this figure in history, was generally considered as a controversial figure who was responsible for the violence and bloodshed. Ironically, this figure appeared as a completely controversial figure on account of the written sources generally referred to him as an emotionally charged, fierce and frightening character. The source came from the enemy of Tuanku Nan Renceh at that time. When searching about his biography, it was very rarely obtained information about the history of life, family, struggle and the end of his life. The recent short article revealed the life history of Tuanku Nan Renceh and his valuable contribution for Minangkabau history in the days of Padri. Through this formulated paper, it is expected the life history of Tuanku Nan Renceh can be discovered. Most importantly, the respected readers can also assess his presence in more neutral position and do not discredit his character as a radical figure.


Three earthquakes have shaken the main pillars of the global system – security, economy and politics – over the past two decades. The foreign policy Turkey has pursued throughout these three major earthquakes draws on principles that are in line with the challenges of the enormous transformations underway. The fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11 and, most recently, the Arab Spring and the euro crisis have had tremendous implications for the international order. With its international position and historical depth, Turkey has shown that it has the potential to contribute to the transformation of the international system, and it will continue to maintain its determined stance in the future.


ABSTRACT In the last decade, several smart cities throughout the world have started employing Internet of Things, big data, and algorithms to nudge citizens to save more water and energy, live healthily, use public transportation, and participate more actively in local affairs. Thus far, the potential and implications of data-driven nudges and behavioral insights in smart cities have remained an overlooked subject in the legal literature. Nevertheless, combining technology with behavioral insights may allow smart cities to nudge citizens more systematically and help these urban centers achieve their sustainability goals and promote civic engagement. For example, in Boston, real-time feedback on driving has increased road safety and in Eindhoven, light sensors have been used to successfully reduce nightlife crime and disturbance. While nudging tends to be well-intended, data-driven nudges raise a number of legal and ethical issues. This article offers a novel and interdisciplinary perspective on nudging which delves into the legal, ethical, and trust implications of collecting and processing large amounts of personal and impersonal data to influence citizens' behavior in smart cities.


The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has placed an unprecedented burden on healthcare systems as the virus spread from the initial 27 reported cases in the city of Wuhan, China to a global pandemic in under three month[1]. Resources essential to monitoring virus transmission have been challenged with a demand for expanded surveillance. The CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time Diagnostic Panel uses a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) consisting of two TaqMan probe and primer sets specific for the 2019-nCoV N gene, which codes for the nucleocapsid structural protein that encapsulates viral RNA, for the qualitative detection of 2019-nCoV viral RNA in respiratory samples. To isolate RNA from respiratory samples, the CDC lists RNA extraction kits from four manufacturers. In anticipation of a limited supply chain of RNA extraction kits and the need for test scalability, we sought to identify alternative RNA extraction methods. Here we show that direct lysis of respiratory samples can be used in place of RNA extraction kits to run the CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time Diagnostic assay with the additional benefits of higher throughput, lower cost, faster turnaround and possibly higher sensitivity and improved safety.


The rapid spread of coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) has manifested a global public health crisis, and chest CT has been proven to be a powerful tool for screening, triage, evaluation and prognosis in COVID-19 patients. However, CT is not only costly but also associated with an increased incidence of cancer, in particular for children. This study will question whether clinical symptoms and laboratory results can predict the CT outcomes for the pediatric patients with positive RT-PCR testing results in order to determine the necessity of CT for such a vulnerable group. Clinical data were collected from 244 consecutive pediatric patients (16 years of age and under) treated at Wuhan Children's Hospital with positive RT-PCR testing, and the chest CT were performed within 3 days of clinical data collection, from January 21 to March 8, 2020. This study was approved by the local ethics committee of Wuhan Children's Hospital. Advanced decision tree based machine learning models were developed for the prediction of CT outcomes. Results have shown that age, lymphocyte, neutrophils, ferritin and C-reactive protein are the most related clinical indicators for predicting CT outcomes for pediatric patients with positive RT-PCR testing. Our decision support system has managed to achieve an AUC of 0.84 with 0.82 accuracy and 0.84 sensitivity for predicting CT outcomes. Our model can effectively predict CT outcomes, and our findings have indicated that the use of CT should be reconsidered for pediatric patients, as it may not be indispensable.


Self compacting concrete is a concrete mixture specifically designed not to require external energy for compaction. This property results in many advantages for precast as well as ready-mix concrete applications. Especially, dense reinforcements or slender elements can be achieved. However, in current design codes this concrete is treated as traditional concrete although the mix composition is substantially different. Due to a decrease in coarse aggregates, combined with a higher amount of chemical and mineral admixtures, the overall mechanical behavior may differ from that of traditional concrete even when the compressive strength of both mixtures are equal. This is especially visible in the crack formation in the tensile zone of concrete beams. This paper presents results of an analysis of crack formation, distribution and width on reinforced concrete beams with varying reinforcement ratios. Differences in crack properties, favoring self-compacted over traditional concrete are found for all considered reinforcement ratios, although the results are less pronounced for the higher ratios. The results may allow a favorable serviceability limit state criteria for this material.


This thesis reports the outcomes of research evaluating the application of Diversity Array Technology (DArT) to two important tropical legume crops, mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) and soybean (Glycine max (L). Merrill.). Mungbean is comparatively under-studied, and is therefore likely to benefit from research to improve adaptation and productivity. Soybean has received more breeding attention than mungbean, but is still under-researched when compared with modern cereals like rice, wheat and maize. Drought remains an important constraint to soybean productivity in rainfed areas. DArT is a novel molecular marker technology that has been successfully applied in genetic studies in several plant species, but had not been previously applied to either of the crops of interest.

A DArT marker library/ array for mungbean was created using two mungbean cultivars, Berken and Kiloga, and two wild accessions V. radiata. ssp. sublobata, ACC 1 and ACC 87, and one or more accessions of five other Vigna species, viz. V. lanceolata, V. mungo, V. mungo var. sylvestris, V. trilobata and V. vexillata. A DArT library/ array for soybean was developed using two oilseed type cultivars, CPI 26671 and Valder, a landrace G2120, a wild soybean (G. soja) accession and one or more accessions of two wild Glycine species, G. falcata and G. tomentella. For each crop, two genomic complexity reduction methods, utilizing PstI/TaqI and PstI/BstNI restriction digests, were selected for DNA clonal library development and for the isolation in each case of 7,680 DArT clones from genomic representations of pooled DNA samples. While the PstI/BstNI method produced more polymorphic clones than PstI/TaqI for the soybean library, there was no significant difference between the two methods for the mungbean library. In the initial library evaluation, there were nearly 1,500 polymorphic clones identified for soybean. Polymorphism frequencies in mungbean were around twice those in soybean, reflecting greater diversity in the mungbean germplasm samples. The DArT marker transferability from soybean to mungbean (13.6%) was nearly five times higher than that from mungbean to soybean (3.1%). The percentage of DArT marker transferability between mungbean and several other Vigna species ranged from 3.4 to 20.2%. The genetic similarities among 11 diverse Vigna spp. samples, evaluated using the DArT mungbean library, were consistent with published information on these taxa.

These mungbean and soybean arrays were then used to evaluate the application of DArT markers for construction of genetic linkage maps and identifying putative qualitative and quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In mungbean, four F₅ recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations were derived from crosses between cultivars Berken and Kiloga and wild accessions ACC 1 and ACC 87. The F₅ RIL populations were evaluated for 54 qualitative and quantitative traits using plants grown in large pots on outdoor benches. There were large differences between the cultivated and wild parents and individual lines for all traits. Broad sense heritability estimates were moderate to high in most cases, with significant phenotypic correlations between many traits. A large number of polymorphic DArT markers were selected for the four RIL populations (1062 – 2013). The four mungbean linkage maps contained 672 to 981 DArT markers with segregation distortion levels higher in the ACC 87 (44.1 – 47.8%) than in the ACC 1 crosses (33.7 – 42.4%). Maps consisted of 15 – 19 linkage groups (LGs) and spanned lengths of 629.7 to 883.5 cM with average inter-marker distances of 0.9 – 1.2 cM. Various putative QTLs (77 – 122 QTLs) were identified for the vast majority of the 54 evaluated traits. In addition, the level of congruence across populations was reasonably strong.

In soybean, one F₇ and two F₆ RIL populations derived from crosses between CPI 26671, Valder and G2120 were used in phenotypic evaluation and QTL mapping with DArT markers for physiological drought stress response traits. The RILs were grown in deep cylindrical pots in the glasshouse, and exposed to severe water deficit followed by re-watering. Traits recorded included relative water content (RWC), epidermal conductance (gₑ), and recovery in growth following re-watering. The drought stress responses in the parental plants and RIL populations were broadly consistent with prior studies: As plant available water (PAW) in the soil declined, both RWC and gₑ declined, with the relation between RWC and gₑ exponential rather than linear as in previous studies. Analysis of variance showed significant differences at both population and genotypic levels for all key traits. However, there were large environmental effects on most traits, which resulted in high coefficients of variation and low estimates of broad sense heritability. The three individual linkage maps contained 196 – 409 DArT markers and 15 – 22 LGs with the aggregate length ranging from 409.4 to 516.7 cM. An integrated soybean map was constructed consisting of 759 DArT markers, 27 LGs and an expanded length of 762.2 cM. Total numbers of putative QTLs identified in the CPI 26671 x G2120 (CG) and VG (Valder x G2120) populations were 106 and 34 respectively. In each of the population, 10 LGs harboured QTLs associated with RWC, gₑ and recovery ability, of which five similar LGs contributed to drought tolerance. A BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) search for sequences of 19 selected DArT markers linked to QTLs conditioning drought response traits indicated that 18 DArT markers were unique and aligned to 12 soybean chromosomes. Comparison of these DArT markers with other markers associated with drought-related QTLs in previous studies confirmed that five of them overlapped whereas the remaining 13 had not been previously identified. However, except for chromosome 15, the chromosomes with which the DArT QTLs in the CG and VG populations were associated were ones that had been shown to harbour drought-related QTLs in previous studies.

This study is the first showing DArT development in mungbean and soybean and its application for manipulating QTLs associated with wild physiological traits in mungbean and drought tolerance in soybean. DArT was successfully developed for both species, with more polymorphisms evident in the mungbean than in the soybean arrays. The study demonstrated that DArT provides high quality markers which can be used for diversity analyses, the construction of high-density genetic linkage maps and for QTL analysis. Meanwhile the marker transferability between arrays enabled plausible discrimination of genetic relationships between related taxa.

In both mungbean and soybean, the large numbers of DArT markers that were generated contributed to relatively tight resolution in the genetic maps, enhancing the power for QTL detection. Potentially useful QTLs/ markers were identified for many traits in mungbean, including some potentially useful ones such as resistance to powdery mildew and thrips, late flowering, hardseededness and perenniality, and in soybean, for RWC, gₑ and recovery after drought stress. In mungbean, further research is needed to identify an appropriate approach for the construction of an integrated map from the four RIL populations used in this study.In both species, follow-up research is required to verify the QTLs detected in this study before they can be used for marker-assisted selection in mungbean and soybean breeding programs. Nonetheless, the QTL analyses based on DArT markers in this study have been shown to be useful in the genetic dissection of both qualitative and quantitative traits in both species, and it is apparent that DArT markers will offer advantages for a range of molecular breeding and genomics applications.


Andy Warhol is usually remembered as the artist who said that he wanted to be a machine, and that no one need ever look further than the surface when evaluating him or his art. Arguing against this carefully-crafted pop image, Reva Wolf shows that Warhol was in fact deeply emotionally engaged with the people around him and that this was reflected in his art. Wolf investigates the underground culture of poets, artists, and film-makers who interacted with Warhol regularly. She claims that Warhol understood the literary imagination of his generation and that recognizing Warhol's literary activities is essential to understanding his art. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material, including interviews, personal and public archives, tape recordings, documentary photographs, and works of art, Wolf offers dramatic evidence that Warhol's interactions with writers functioned like an extended conversation and details how this process impacted on his work. This study aims to gives fresh insight into Warhol's art, and reformulates the myth that surrounds this original American artist.


This article surveys the past and current research on Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village near the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Historical sources and modern explorations show that Huqoq was a small agricultural village during the biblical and postbiblical periods. Formal excavations of the site began in 2011 and have uncovered portions of the ancient village and its synagogue. This article highlights the discoveries made during the first two seasons of excavation (2011-2012), including pieces of a mosaic floor in the synagogue's east aisle that depict two female faces, an inscription, and an illustration of Samson tying lit torches to foxes (Judges 15:1-5). Because of the rarity of Samson in Jewish art, the religious significance of this mosaic is difficult to explain. However, liturgical texts from late antiquity indicate that some synagogue congregations celebrated Samson as an apocalyptic image and messianic prototype, whose victories against the Philistines fostered hope in the eschatological messiah expected to appear and deliver the Jewish community from foreign oppression.


Background and Objectives: aphasia is common consequence of stroke. Most people with aphasia in the acute phase show some degree of spontaneous recovery, most of which occurs during the first two to three months. Neuro-linguistic mechanisms of recovery in aphasia remain a lot unknown still, but considerably depends to the amount of change plasticity in brain of patients after stroke. The aim of this article is review of the role of Neuroplasticity types in aphasia recovery and its influencing factors: a systematic review of literature Methods: this study is a review of all articles listed in PubMed database from January 1990 to September, 2016 that were identified using the keywords Neuroplasticity and aphasia (in titles) and language. Results: Three types of changes in the activity of the nervous system after a stroke, is closely linked with aphasia recovery: 1. Reactivation of damaged areas of the left hemisphere or activities it`s surrounding in language tasks 2. Acquisition or manifest of the ability to process language in the nondominant right Hemisphere 3. The wrong activity of nondominant right hemisphere that can prevent language improvement. Discussion and Conclusion: Most of studies have shown involvement of surrounding areas in the left hemisphere lesion in language improvement, others reported employment of the right hemisphere regions and some others have known useful the involvement of both hemispheres in language improvement. It is difficult, aphasia improvement prediction due to the interaction of various factors. The most promising results aphasia treatment for the reorganization of the brain, caused by speech therapy that lead to quick improvements considerably.


The relation between real-time transillumination (lightscanning) and the histologic appearance of 243 breast carcinomas was evaluated. Lightscanning mainly failed in identifying ductal and lobular carcinomas in situ. The result of lightscanning was also poor regarding small, invasive carcinomas. The absorption patterns in elastosis and scar tissue associated with carcinoma played no important role in the ability of lightscanning to identify a cancer. The relation between the lightscanning and mammographic appearance of 85 breast cancers from the same material was also evaluated. Lightscanning performed poorly in identifying tumors characterized by calcifications as compared to tumors with other mammographic appearances. However, the difference was not significant.


Restoration programs need to increasingly address both the restitution of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the preparation of habitats for future climate change. One option to adapt habitats to climate change in the temperate zone is the translocation of southern populations to compensate for climate change effects—an option known as assisted migration (AM). Although AM is widely criticized for endangered species, forest managers are more confident that tree populations can be translocated with success because of previous experiences within native ranges. Here, we contend that translocations of tree populations are also subject to uncertainties, and we extract lessons for future programs of AM within species ranges from a well‐documented failed case of population translocation of Pinus pinaster Ait. in Europe. The failure of these translocations originated from the unawareness of several unpredictable ecological and social events: cryptic maladaptation of the introduced populations, underestimation of climate variability differences between the source and target sites, and complexity in the management schemes, postponing decisions that could have been undertaken earlier. Under the no‐analog conditions that are expected with climate change, management decisions need to be made with incomplete data, implying that a certain degree of maladaptation should always be expected when restoring plant populations from local or external seed sources.


Hepatic arterioportal fistula (HAPF) is uncommon, arising largely from either a ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm or from penetrating trauma. It is being encountered increasingly, secondary to rising numbers of percutaneous transhepatic procedures. We will describe five cases of HAPF seen at Emory University Hospital over the last 5 years and conclude with a review of the current status of treatment of this condition. HAPF occurred secondary to ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm in two patients, operative injury in two patients, and after trauma in one patient. The predominant clinical manifestation in these patients were complications of portal hypertension, most commonly gastrointestinal bleeding. Angiography remains the definitive diagnostic procedure and it was used to accurately diagnose HAPF in all cases. However, duplex ultrasonography is rapidly becoming a useful screening tool and was the initial imaging modality in the most recent case. Several factors determine the therapeutic approach including the location of the HAPF and associated comorbidity. Due to the development of portal hypertension even asymptomatic fistulas should be treated. In general, surgery is the procedure of choice for extrahepatic fistula, while embolization is optimal for intrahepatic fistulas. Embolization is also useful for patients in whom associated comorbidity prohibits surgical treatment. The goal of surgery is to interrupt the fistula, to maintain hepatic arterial flow, and to close the defect in the portal vein.


Consanguineous relatives of a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCMP) were examined. Asymmetric hypertrophy of the interventricular septum with signs of obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract was detected in the patient's brother. Hypertrophy of the left ventricular posterior wall and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW, type A) was detected in the patient's daughter. This case demonstrated a diversity of HCMP clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic signs among the members of the same family.


SINCE Hurler's1description of 2 cases in 1919, a syndrome consisting of enlarged, abnormally shaped head, dwarfishness, grotesque facies with sunken nasal bridge, cloudiness of the corneas, hepatosplenomegaly, umbilical and inguinal hernias, dorsolumbar kyphosis and flexion deformities of the extremities has been recognized. It has been known, under various names, as gargoylism, Hurler's syndrome, Hunter's syndrome, lipochondrodystrophy, osteochondrodystrophy and dysostosis multiplex. Although it is often referred to as Hurler's syndrome, Hunter2two years prior to the publication of Hurler's paper described the condition in two brothers. To date, approximately 100 cases of lipochondrodystrophy have been described in the literature. However, in this large number of reports there have been only 14 comprehensive general pathologic studies and 8 analyses of the changes in the nervous system. On such meager studies, the prevailing opinion places lipochrondrodystrophy in the group of lipid storage diseases related to amaurotic familial idiocy and to


The dissertation considers Irish films through the valence of movement and migration to conceptualize a cinema that can account for how films function locally and transnationally. I consider various forms of migration in films produced in Ireland to interrogate how identity and the nation are presented. Considering forms of migration opens a different approach to the films that enables questioning of the myths of the nation-state within globalized capital and culture. In Ireland, the land has given shape to the physical boundaries of imagined identity; land is understood as a material trace denoting a linear history of invasion, conquest, and ultimately independence - an evolution from colonial oppression to postcolonial identity. Movement and migration make the boundaries defining subjectivity permeable by demonstrating how place, identity, language, and consciousness are located in the intermezzo. Using a case study approach that considers diverse films, including big budget, small budget, documentary and popular genre films, I demonstrate how changes in conceptions of national cinema and identity occur on aesthetic and epistemological levels, resulting in multiple points of entry for transnational audiences. I examine the movements of people, the landscape, and storytelling as forms of mobility. Analyses of the films and their context focus on exiles, internal emigres, nomads, disaffected young people, and Travellers to shift the consideration of migration from emigration toward a conception of epistemological mobility. A double consciousness is elicited though the use of legends derived from earlier Irish history, redefining the relationship between myth and nation. The resultant fluctuating and mobile sign systems refuse strict adherence to any one mode of narration or style, often breaking down boundaries between reality and fantasy. I discuss Irish films in terms of censorship, funding and distribution, arguing that these issues must inflect an understanding of the dispersed form this cinema exhibits. The transformations to genre conventions and meanings are an effect of the necessary movement toward international co-productions. The dissertation culminates in a discussion of how the heterogeneous body of recent films shifts, metamorphoses, and defies definition, indicating transformations in the time, space, and body of the nation.


Although there is adequate evidence to support treatment of primary and secondary peritoneal surface malignancies with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), the latter procedure is still far from standardized and optimization of its aspects may be warranted. Significant variations remain in HIPEC procedures and include also the drug choice. In this manuscript the characteristics of the optimal HIPEC drug will be discussed. Subsequently, the drug choice for HIPEC treatment of different peritoneal surface malignancies will be briefly analyzed. Prospective randomized trials are warranted to determine which drug is the most effective for HIPEC in each type of peritoneal surface malignancy. In the future, it would be of major significance when the choice of the most optimal drug in HIPEC may be tailored to the patient's individual tumor by adequate drug sensitivity testing of the tumor cells.


Adaptation to a novel gravitational state involves adaptation of vestibular mediated responses, in particular those mediated by the otolith organs. The present paper investigates whether the orientation of Listing's plane, which is under control of otolith signals, is affected by sustained exposure to hypergravity. Subjects were exposed to four G-loads differing in duration (45 or 90 min) and magnitude (2 or 3G). During centrifugation subjects were in a supine position, directing the gravito-inertial acceleration along the naso-occipetal axis. We determined the orientation of Listing's plane before and after each centrifuge run, with the head erect and tilted in pitch. Head tilt in pitch induced a counter-pitch of Listing's plane, which was found to be less pronounced after centrifugation. In addition, exposure to 3G for 90 min induced a small backward tilt of Listing's plane compared to the pretest orientation (head erect). In order to explain these results a hypothesis is discussed, proposing that the orientation of Listing's plane in the head is governed by a head fixed orientation vector that is modulated by the direction of gravity relative to the head. Sustained centrifugation is proposed to decrease this gravitational modulation, leading to the effects observed. This could reflect a shift towards a more body centered frame of reference.


We review the use of young low mass stars and protostars, or young stellar objects (YSOs), as tracers of star formation. Observations of molecular clouds at visible, infrared, radio and X-ray wavelengths can identify and characterize the YSOs populating these clouds, with the ability to detect deeply embedded objects at all evolutionary stages. Surveys with the Spitzer, Herschel, XMM-Newton and Chandra space telescopes have measured the spatial distribution of YSOs within a number of nearby (<2.5 kpc) molecular clouds, showing surface densities varying by more than three orders of magnitude. These surveys have been used to measure the spatially varying star formation rates and efficiencies within clouds, and when combined with maps of the molecular gas, have led to the discovery of star-forming relations within clouds. YSO surveys can also characterize the structures, ages, and star formation histories of embedded clusters, and they illuminate the relationship of the clusters to the networks of filaments, hubs and ridges in the molecular clouds from which they form. Measurements of the proper motions and radial velocities of YSOs trace the evolving kinematics of clusters from the deeply embedded phases through gas dispersal, providing insights into the factors that shape the formation of bound clusters. On 100 pc scales that encompass entire star-forming complexes, Gaia is mapping the young associations of stars that have dispersed their natal gas and exist alongside molecular clouds. These surveys reveal the complex structures and motions in associations, and show evidence for supernova driven expansions. Remnants of these associations have now been identified by Gaia, showing that traces of star-forming structures can persist for a few hundred million years.


Cistanche deserticola MA (C. deserticola) has been widely used as a laxative herbal in herbal medicine for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome or constipation, and echinacoside (ECH) is one of the major bioactive ingredients in this herbal. Our aim was to investigate the effect of ECH on intestinal epithelial cell growth and death. MODE-K, an intestinal epithelial cell line, was used as an in vitro model of the intestine. Cell proliferation was measured by methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Cell apoptosis was determined with Annexin-V staining. Here we showed that in cultured MODE-K cells, ECH significantly stimulated cell proliferation and enhanced cell survival by reducing cell apoptosis in the presence of H2O2 or the mixture of pro-inflammatory cytokines, while transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 expression was up-regulated in a dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of TGF-β1 expression disrupted both the proliferative and cytoprotective activities of ECH, which was further confirmed by neutralization of TGF-β1 activity using anti-TGF-β1 antibody. These data suggest that ECH as one of bioactive ingredients in herbal C. deserticola and others may improve mucosal tissue repair by stimulating intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and preventing cell death via up-regulation of TGF-β.


Tangible Anchoring explores potential practices for news reporting and analysis afforded by the convergence of tabletop computing forms, broadcast media, and user-generated content via mobile, interactive television, and online technologies. Our system applies these technologies in a novel combination to support new forms of dialogue for broadcast television, with a focus on polling, and the techniques prototyped are also applicable for webcasts, meetings, and art installations. The system enables tabletop computing users (e.g. television anchors or moderators) to receive and mix for redistribution both quantitative and qualitative data, i.e. viewpoints, from participants in remote locations or face-to-face settings.
 Our design scenario for the television studio assumes multiple camera angles, two or more discussants, multiple displays, and issues-based polls using mobile phones. Our current prototype features viewer viewpoints presented on a tangible tabletop broadcast anchor desk. In this paper, we present our design rationale and feedback on the application from industry professionals and colleagues.


Virion deproteinization and viral RNA transport to the isolated cell nuclei have been studied in the presence of rimantadine with rimantadine-sensitive influenza viruses fowl plague (H7N7), A/Krasnodar/101/59 (H2N2) and rimantadine-resistant influenza strains (WSN/H1N1 and A/Krasnodar/101/59-R). Rimantadine failed to affect deproteinization during incubation with the isolated cellular plasma membranes as well as the transport to isolated cell nuclei of the viral RNA of either sensitive or resistant strains of influenza virus. Using photosensitive viruses (labelled with neutral red) rimantadine exerted dissimilar effects on deproteinization of the sensitive and resistant influenza virus strains. The possible effects of rimantadine on influenza virus deproteinization is discussed.


Gezi Parki Resistance is a unique case in Turkey as a grassroot movement that realized without the support of any institutional oppositon. It indicates that Turkish movements become close to the new kind of social struggles that occur in the different places of the world. Tha aim of the paper is to analyze its movement aspect through changings in social movements. During 2000s in counter-globalization movement the demands became more plural; the differences raised and the grievences of the grass-root became more oriented with daily life. Gezi Parki can be seen as a big step to constitute a new politics for Turkish politics from bottom-to-top whereas other social movements tried to their own local level at different countries. The study has a framework on the growing importance of the political against politics and the constitutive role of social movements in politica debates. It will be argued that in the case of Gezi Parki, Turkish people have created their own commons that means a search for new politics.


ABSTRACT Gastric Helicobacter infection in healthy pet cats is not well characterized. We performed endoscopy with gastric biopsy on 15 healthy pet cats that were rigorously screened to exclude underlying or concurrent diseases that might affect Helicobactercolonization. Gastric mucosa biopsy specimens were examined by histology, culture, and PCR for the presence ofHelicobacter infection and by histology for the presence of gastritis. Of 15 cats, all but 1 had gastricHelicobacter-like organisms (GHLOs) on examination by light microscopy, and in the one histologically negative cat, GHLOs were detected by PCR. Gastric inflammation was mild or was absent for all cats. No Helicobacter species were identified by culture. Analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence from Helicobacter strains from 10 cats showed that all bacteria were closely related toHelicobacter felis, although there was heterogeneity among the sequences. These results suggest that the gastric mucosa of healthy pet cats is commonly colonized with an uncultivatedHelicobacter that is closely related to H. felis, is associated with little or no gastritis, and shows heterogeneity in its 16S rRNA sequence. The epithet "Helicobacter heilmannii" continues to be an appropriate working designation for these bacteria.


Background: Myocardial metabolic impairment is a major feature in chronic heart failure. As the major coenzyme in fuel oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation and a substrate for enzymes signaling energy stress and oxidative stress response, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is emerging as a metabolic target in a number of diseases including heart failure. Little is known on the mechanisms regulating homeostasis of NAD+ in the failing heart. Methods: To explore possible alterations of NAD+ homeostasis in the failing heart, we quantified the expression of NAD+ biosynthetic enzymes in the human failing heart and in the heart of a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) triggered by Serum Response Factor transcription factor depletion in the heart (SRFHKO) or of cardiac hypertrophy triggered by transverse aorta constriction. We studied the impact of NAD+ precursor supplementation on cardiac function in both mouse models. Results: We observed a 30% loss in levels of NAD+ in the murine failing heart of both DCM and transverse aorta constriction mice that was accompanied by a decrease in expression of the nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme that recycles the nicotinamide precursor, whereas the nicotinamide riboside kinase 2 (NMRK2) that phosphorylates the nicotinamide riboside precursor is increased, to a higher level in the DCM (40-fold) than in transverse aorta constriction (4-fold). This shift was also observed in human failing heart biopsies in comparison with nonfailing controls. We show that the Nmrk2 gene is an AMP-activated protein kinase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor &agr; responsive gene that is activated by energy stress and NAD+ depletion in isolated rat cardiomyocytes. Nicotinamide riboside efficiently rescues NAD+ synthesis in response to FK866-mediated inhibition of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase and stimulates glycolysis in cardiomyocytes. Accordingly, we show that nicotinamide riboside supplementation in food attenuates the development of heart failure in mice, more robustly in DCM, and partially after transverse aorta constriction, by stabilizing myocardial NAD+ levels in the failing heart. Nicotinamide riboside treatment also robustly increases the myocardial levels of 3 metabolites, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide, methylnicotinamide, and N1-methyl-4-pyridone-5-carboxamide, that can be used as validation biomarkers for the treatment. Conclusions: The data show that nicotinamide riboside, the most energy-efficient among NAD precursors, could be useful for treatment of heart failure, notably in the context of DCM, a disease with few therapeutic options.


Collecting and sharing speech resources is important for progress in speech science and technology. Often, speech resources cannot be shared because of concerns over the privacy of the speakers, e.g., minors or people with medical conditions. Current technologies for pseudonymizing speech have only been tested on "standard" speech for which pseudonymization methods are evaluated on speaker identification risk, intelligibility, and naturalness. For many applications, the important characteristics are para-linguistic aspects of the speech, e.g., voice quality, emotion, or disease progression. Little information is available about the extent to which speaker pseudonymization methods preserve such paralinguistic information. The current study investigates how well voice quality parameters are preserved by an example speech pseudonymization application. Correlations prove to be high between original and pseudonymized recordings for seven acoustic parameters and a composite measure of dysphonia, the AVQI . Root mean square errors for these parameters were reasonably small. A linear mixed effect model shows a link between the difference between source and target speaker and the size of the absolute difference in the AVQI . It is argued that new measures of quality are needed for pseudonymized non-standard speech before wide-spread application of pseudonymized speech can be con-sidered in research and clinical practise.


We have developed a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy method that selectively can sample cortical gray matter and adjacent white matter in the frontal lobe. We have used this approach to study a group of patients (n = 7) infected with HIV and clinical manifestations of the AIDS dementia complex (ADC), a group of patients (n = 8) infected with HIV without any indications of ADC, and seven controls. The patients without ADC had a statistically significant increase in the ratio of myo-inositol to creatine in white matter compared with normal controls. In contrast, the group of patients with ADC had almost normal levels of myo-inositol to creatine in both gray matter and white matter and showed a statistically significant decrease in the N-acetylaspartate to creatine ratio in gray matter compared with either the normal controls or the patients without ADC. Patterns of spectral abnormalities correlated with neuropsychological measures of frontal lobe dysfunction, suggesting that the evaluation of frontal lobe metabolism by magnetic resonance spectroscopy can play a role in the early detection of ADC, in determining its progression, and in assessing responses to therapeutic interventions.


This paper studies the damage process induced by dewetting microcracks in composite solid propellant. A nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model for composite soild propellant is presented. The damage variable D is derived from the microcrack system and is function of microcrack size density. The damage evolution equation is determinded by the extending of microcrack. Form the proposed model of microrack evolution process, an explicit form of damage evolution equation which is a function of stress field is given. The cracking event N and the new crack surface area damage ΔA formed by microcrack extension are defined. Material constants are determinded by acoustic emission tests. The rationality of our model has been confirmed by tension tests.


Background: Healthcare workers are at increased risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 and potentially causing institutional outbreaks. Staff testing is critical in identifying and isolating infected individuals while also reducing unnecessary workforce depletion. Tygerberg Hospital implemented an online pre-registration system to expedite staff and cluster testing. Objectives: We aimed to identify (1) specific presentations associated with a positive or negative result for SARS-CoV-2 and (2) staff sectors where enhanced strategies for testing might be required. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study involving all clients making use of the hospital's pre-registration system during May 2020. Results: Of 799 clients, most were young and female with few comorbidities. The most common occupation was nurses followed by administrative staff, doctors and general assistants. Doctors tested earlier compared to other staff (median: 1.5 vs 4 days). The most frequent presenting symptoms were headache, sore throat, cough and myalgia. Amongst those testing positive (n=105), fever, altered smell, altered taste sensation, chills and history of fever were the most common symptoms. Three or more symptoms was more predictive of a positive test, but 12/145 asymptomatic clients also tested positive. Conclusion: Staff coronavirus testing using an online pre-registration form is a viable and acceptable strategy. While some presentations are less likely to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, no symptom can completely exclude it. Staff testing should form part of a bundle of strategies to protect staff including wearing masks, regular hand washing, buddy screening, physical distancing, availability of PPE and special dispensation for COVID-19-related leave.