Science Versus Stigma Stigma is an enormous obstacle to more effective drug abuse treatment. Widespread perceptions that addiction strips individuals of basic human qualities lead to selffulfilling predictions that those who are addicted cannot recover or ever play positive and productive social roles. Two articles in this issue of Addiction Science & Clinical Practice illustrate a fundamental truth about stigma: It arises when we do not understand the true nature of a health condition. Dr. Michael Dennis and Dr. Christy K Scott, in a thorough presentation of the reasons for managing addiction as a chronic disease, enumerate some of the consequences of regarding it, instead, as an acute problem. These include demoralized patients, frustrated clinicians and families, and a treatment armamentarium that is often ill-suited to deal with the challenges in long-term recovery. Dr. Diana Sylvestre argues that the pervasive fear of hepatitis C is excessive. She reports that misperceptions cause some patients to despair and avoid seeking treatment, and some treatment providers to believe—incorrectly—that treating drug abusers with this disease is futile. Historically, stigma wanes when people understand why and how a disease develops. Striking examples include the conceptual rehumanizing of people with leprosy and epilepsy when science accounted for those diseases' disturbing manifestations. Today, researchers and informed, creative clinicians are achieving the understanding and management skills that eventually will erase the stigma surrounding drug addiction. We are witnessing another instance of one of the great moral achievements of science: establishing the right of people who have been regarded as hopeless or untouchable to full consideration as human beings.


The method of retrospective analysis was used to examine 240 women with duodenal ulcer. Mean time of establishing the diagnosis was 6.3 years. The causes of belated diagnosis in out-patient conditions were inadequate knowledge of atypical course of ulcer in women by the physician; incomplete evaluation of the X-ray data; infrequent fibroscopy and underestimation of endoscopic data; rare use of intragastric pH-metry.


DTW calculates the similarity or alignment between two signals, subject to temporal warping. However, its computational complexity grows exponentially with the number of time-series. Although there have been algorithms developed that are linear in the number of time-series, they are generally quadratic in time-series length. The exception is generalized time warping (GTW), which has linear computational cost. Yet, it can only identify simple time warping functions. There is a need for a new fast, high-quality multisequence alignment algorithm. We introduce trainable time warping (TTW), whose complexity is linear in both the number and the length of time-series. TTW performs alignment in the continuoustime domain using a sinc convolutional kernel and a gradient-based optimization technique. We compare TTW and GTW on S5 UCR datasets in time-series averaging and classification. TTW outperforms GTW on 67.1% of the datasets for the averaging tasks, and 61.2% of the datasets for the classification tasks.


Children are often excluded from making decisions related to their medical treatment, and parents' proxy reports are often used. This approach fails to consider that parents and children may differ in their perception of the child's health. In this study, we assessed children's decision-making processes related to postoperative pain management. Forty-five children who underwent an anterior cruciate ligament repair or Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum repair were studied. A standard gamble technique was used to assess children's perceptions of the utility of a hypothetical treatment that would provide them with perfect pain control, with respect to different rates of risk for vomiting during the postoperative period. The maximum risk of vomiting that the overall study population was willing to accept to decrease the pain level to zero was 32% ± 24%. Girls were willing to take a significantly higher risk (41% ± 24%) compared to boys (25% ± 22%) (P = 0.02). Children who actually experienced vomiting before they were questioned were willing to take a higher risk (46% ± 26%) compared to those who did not (23% ± 17%) (P = 0.035). Children can express opinions about preferred postoperative outcomes and provide useful input about their care. Girls, more than boys, seem to perceive vomiting as less important than improved pain control in the postoperative period.


Background. Hypertension is extremely prevalent in patients with diabetes. Limited data exist on utilization patterns of antihypertensive in this population are consistent with evidence-based practice guidelines. Objective. To evaluate utilization patterns of antihypertensive agents among diabetic patients with hypertension. Design. Retrospective descriptive cross sectional. Patients / Participants. 149 patients with diabetes and hypertension from outpatient department at Family Medicine Hospital, Ahaderfieda. Khamis Mushait, K.S.A. Results. Over 43% of patients were receiving calcium channel blockers (CCB), 36.2 % of received angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), followed by angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) (34.9%), diuretics (34.2%) and β -blockers (16.2%). Patients on monotherapy were mostly receiving CCB (34.3%) and ACEI (29.9%). The majority (55.03%) of treated patients were on multidrug regimens. In patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), a diuretic with ACEI (25%) and calcium channel blocker with angiotensin receptor blocker (25%) was most commonly prescribed. Conclusions. Patterns of antihypertensive therapy were generally consistent with international guidelines. Areas of improvement include increasing ACEI/ARB and diuretic use, decreasing the number of untreated patients, and increasing the proportion of patients with controlled BP in this population.


INTRODUCTION
Trauma systems within the United States have adapted the "golden hour" principle to guide prehospital planning with the goal to deliver the injured to the trauma facility in under 60 minutes. In an effort to reduce preventable prehospital death, in 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates mandated that prehospital transport of injured combat casualties must be less than 60 minutes. The U.S. Military has implemented a 60-minute timeline for the transport of battlefield causalities to medical teams to include Forward Surgical Teams and Forward Resuscitative Surgical Teams. The inclusion of orthopedic surgeons on Forward Surgical Teams has been extrapolated from the concept of damage control orthopedics (DCO). However, it is not clear if orthopedic surgeons have yielded a demonstrable benefit in morbidity or mortality reduction. The purpose of this article is to investigate the function of orthopedic surgeons during the military "golden hour."

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The English literature was reviewed for evidence supporting the use of orthopedic surgeons within the golden hour. Literature was reviewed in light of the 2009 golden hour mandate by Secretary Gates as well as those papers which highlighted the utility of DCO within the golden hour.

RESULTS
Evidence for orthopedic surgery within the "golden hour" or in the current conflicts when the United States enjoys air superiority was not identified.

CONCLUSIONS
Within the military context, DCO, specifically pertaining to fracture fixation, should not be considered an element of golden hour planning and thus orthopedic surgeons are best utilized at more centralized Role 3 facility locations. The focus within the first hour after injury on the battlefield should be maintained on rapid and effective prehospital care combined with timely evacuation, as these are the most critical factors to reducing mortality.


This paper focuses on the development and analysis of the endemic model for disease control in an aged-structured population in Nigeria. Upon the model framework development, the model equations were transformed into proportions with rate of change of the different compartments forming the model, thereby reducing the model equations from twelve to ten homogenous ordinary differential equations. The model exhibits two equilibria, the endemic state and the disease-free equilibrium state while successfully achieving a Reproductive Number R0 = 0.The deterministic endemic susceptible-exposed-infected-removed-undetectable=untransmissible-susceptible (SEIRUS) model is analyzed for the existence and stability of the disease-free equilibrium state. We established that a disease-free equilibrium state exists and is locally asymptotically stable when the basic reproduction number 0 ≤ R0 < 1. Furthermore, numerical simulations were carried to complement the analytical results in investigating the effect treatment rate and the net transmission rate on recovery for both juvenile and adult sub-population in an age-structured population.


A traffic monitoring system is an integral part of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). It is one of the critical transportation infrastructures that transportation agencies invest a huge amount of money to collect and analyze the traffic data to better utilize the roadway systems, improve the safety of transportation, and establish future transportation plans. With recent advances in MEMS, machine learning, and wireless communication technologies, numerous innovative traffic monitoring systems have been developed. In this article, we present a review of state-of-the-art traffic monitoring systems focusing on the major functionality–vehicle classification. We organize various vehicle classification systems, examine research issues and technical challenges, and discuss hardware/software design, deployment experience, and system performance of vehicle classification systems. Finally, we discuss a number of critical open problems and future research directions in an aim to provide valuable resources to academia, industry, and government agencies for selecting appropriate technologies for their traffic monitoring applications.


Skeletal muscle has the ability to adapt and remodel after functional, mechanical, and metabolic stresses by activation of different adaptation mechanisms that induce gene expression, biochemical changes, and structural remodeling. Skeletal muscle cells continuously generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), which can act as mediators in cellular signaling pathways that regulate the adaptation mechanisms. There is strong evidence that indicates that RONS are generated in skeletal muscle cells during contractile activity and this induces the activation of transcription factors which modulate gene expression of antioxidant and protective proteins. Thus, it has been proposed that RONS act as signals that modulate the adaptation mechanisms in skeletal muscle and other cells. Structural and functional changes occur in skeletal muscle during aging and are characterized by a reduction of muscle mass and force (sarcopenia). The causes are known, however, there is considerable support for an involvement of RONS in the process of aging and sarcopenia. Several studies indicate that adaptive responses of skeletal muscle that are activated and regulated by RONS are disrupted during aging. This reduction of skeletal muscle adaptation to contractile activity during aging might be responsible for the loss of muscle mass and function and the progressive deterioration of this organ. In summary, there is sufficient evidence that indicates that cellular redox regulation in skeletal muscle is crucial in the physiology and pathology of skeletal muscle. However, new methodologies and experimental models are required for understanding the complex biology of RONS in the cell. This will provide future interventions that mitigate pathologies and aging of skeletal muscle.


According to the results of epidemiological studies mood disorders with unipolar (major and minor depressive disorder; dysthymia) or bipolar features are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. These disorders with their frequent comorbidities (alcohol and/or drug use disorders, smoking, suicide, cardiovascular disorders) pose great public health challenge and cause substantial individual and familar burdens as well. Since SSRIs and other new antidepressant agents entered the market the possibilities to treat depression improved substantially but 25-35 percent of major depressives do not respond even to the second antidepressant trial but the rate of patients who are resistant after the third and fourth adequate antidepressant trial are around only 15-25 and 10 percent, respectively. Pharmacotherapy-resistant depression is a multicausal phenomenon. Along with its well-known risk-factors investigations of the past decade have revealed that unrecognised or hidden (subsyndromal or subthreshold) bipolarity is one of the most frequent causes of treatment resistance. In the case of bipolar depression (either as a part of syndromal bipolar I or II disorder or a subsyndromal manifestation) antidepressant monotherapy should be avoided and, instead of it, the administration of a mood stabilizer (primarily lithium and lamotrigine) or some atypical antipsychotics (preferably quetiapine) are recommended. If antidepressant is inevitably necessary in bipolar depression, we should use it always in combination with mood stabilizers or atypical antipsychotics.


In this letter, we propose a new detection method for video surveillance which provides for a robust and real-time working object detection under various global illumination conditions. The proposed scheme needs no manual parameter settings for different illumination conditions, which makes the algorithm applicable to automatic surveillance systems. Two special filters are designed to eliminate the spurious object regions that occur due to the charge coupled device (CCD) noise, making the scheme stable even in very low illumination conditions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm experimentally with different illumination conditions, changes in contrast, and noise level.


This thesis presents the results of a 6-year research project to investigate the radioecology of temperate coastal sand dunes. Samples (n = 617) of soil, water and biota were collected from the Drigg coastal sand dunes (West Cumbria, UK) between February 2005 and October 2007. Biota groups sampled included amphibians, birds, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, plants (including lichens and mosses) and fungi. All samples were analysed for 40K, 137Cs and 241Am. A sub-set of samples (n = 26) was analysed for 90Sr, 99Tc, 238Pu and 239+240Pu. Additional soil analyses included soil moisture, bulk density, pH, organic matter content, carbonate content and cation concentrations (Ca2+, K+, Na+ & Mg2+). The application of three publicly-available environmental radiation protection models (ERICA, R&D128/Sp1a & RESRAD-BIOTA) to an assessment of ionising radiation impacts at the Drigg coastal sand dunes site was evaluated. Soil activity concentration data were used as input data and model results compared with measured activity concentrations in sand dune biota. Radionuclide concentration ratios (CRs) were identified as an important source of variation in model predictions. For sand dune small mammals, Am, Cs and Pu CRs were found to be 1 – 2 orders of magnitude lower than those for small mammals in other terrestrial ecosystems. For reptiles, the variability could be attributed to the paucity of data on transfer to this vertebrate group. Through literature review, mining of unpublished data sets and analysis of samples collected from the Drigg coastal sand dunes, CR databases were developed for reptiles (across a range of ecosystem types) and for sand dune biota. Analysis of sand dune soil data suggested that both sea-to-land transfer and the transport of sand grains in saltation influence the soil activity concentrations in coastal sand dunes. The low CRs for sand dune biota may be due to low bioavailability of particulate-bound radionuclides.


During the past decade, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by CO2 in shale oils has received substantial attention. In shale oil reservoirs, CO2 diffusion into the resident oil has been considered as the dominant interaction between the CO2 in fractures and the oil in the matrices. CO2 diffusion will lead to oil swelling and improvement in oil viscosity. However, despite two-way mass transfer during CO2 EOR in conventional oil reservoirs, one-way mass transfer into shale oils saturated with live oils is controlled by an additional transport mechanism, which is the liberation of light oil components in the form of a gaseous new-phase. This in-situ gas formation could generate considerable swelling, which could improve the oil recovery significantly. This mechanism has been largely overlooked in the past. This study is aimed to better understand the role of this evolving gas phase in improving hydrocarbon recovery.
 Taking account of Bakken shale oil reservoir data, numerical simulations were performed to identify efficiencies of EOR by CO2 at the laboratory and field scales. Equation of state parameters between CO2 and oil components were adjusted to optimize the calculations and a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the role of gas formation and consequent EOR efficiencies. At the laboratory scale, in-situ gas formation can increase oil recovery by 20% depending on the amount of gas saturation. Also, the CO2 storage capacity of the shale matrix can be enhanced by 25%, due to CO2 trapping in the gas phase. At the field scale, an additional oil recovery of 9.1% could be attained, which is notably higher than previous studies where this gas evolution mechanism was ignored. Furthermore, the results suggest that a six-weeks huff period would be sufficient to achieve substantial EOR if this new mechanism is incorporated. On the other hand, the produced fluid in the early period was primarily composed of CO2, which would make it available for subsequent cycles. The produced gas of the well under CO2 EOR was used in an adjacent well, which resulted in similar additional oil recovery and hence, impurities in CO2 injection stream would not undermine efficiency of this EOR method. The results of this study, therefore, could potentially be used to substantially improve the evaluations of CO2 EOR in liquid-rich shale reservoirs.


Uterine function in cattle is compromised by bacterial contamination and inflammation after calving. The objective of this study was to select a combination of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to decrease endometrium inflammation and Escherichia coli infection. Primary endometrial epithelial cells were cultured in vitro to select the most favorable LAB combination modulating basal tissue inflammation and E. coli infection. Supernatants were obtained to determine expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and E. coli infection was evaluated after harvesting the tissue and plate counting. The selected LAB combination was tested in uterus explants to assess its capacity to modulate basal and acute inflammation (associated with E. coli infection). The combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus , Pediococcus acidilactici , and Lactobacillus reuteri at a ratio of 25:25:2, respectively, reduced E. coli infection in vitro with (89.77%) or without basal tissue inflammation (95.10%) compared with single LAB strains. Lactic acid bacteria treatment reduced CXCL8 and IL1B expression 4.7-and 2.2-fold, respectively, under acute inflammation. Ex vivo, the tested LAB combination reduced acute inflammation under E. coli infection, decreasing IL-8, IL-1β, and IL-6 up to 2.2-, 2.5, and 2.2-fold, respectively. In the total inflammation model, the LAB combination decreased IL-8 1.6-fold and IL-6 1.2-fold. Ultrastructural evaluation of the tissue suggested no direct interaction between the LAB and E. coli , although pathological effects of E. coli in endometrial cells were greatly diminished or even reversed by the LAB combination. This study shows the promising potential of LAB probiotics for therapeutic use against endometrial inflammation and infection.


1. The remaining fragments of Magnesian Limestone Grassland (MLG) in East Durham and Tyne & Wear were surveyed. Biogeographical theory and climate modelling techniques are applied in order to provide insights for conservation policy 2. Either Area or Perimeter is the most important variable in predicting species richness at all three scales. The Degree of isolation of a habitat isolate from other MLG habitat is also a significant predictor. Micro-habitat variation is of most importance at the smallest scale.3. A Schematic model is presented which summarises the main processes determining MLG species richness at three interconnecting scales. 4. There is an exponential Species/Area relationship across the studied MLG fragments. It is very difficult to specify the exact mechanisms underlying this relationship however it appears that random and biological processes play a role. 5. Habitat sub-division appears not to depress species richness of MLG fragments. However this may be a result of smaller fragments supporting higher percentages of ecotonal species and also that these patches may be in historical disequilibrium. 6. There is a high degree of heterogeneity within the overall dataset. As different combinations of variables predict species richness within species' subsets representing different dispersal mechanisms. 7. There is a moderate nested structure across all studied MLG fragments 8. Few species occur in a high proportion of fragments and those that do tend to be non-characteristic MLG species. Conservation policy should focus on maximising the amount of habitat which is managed and protected, as opposed to saving specific species. Self-supporting metapopulations should be encouraged by viewing individual fragments as part of a wider network. 9. The distributional ranges of Bromus erectus and Thesium humifusum are highly correlated with three bioclimatic variables: MTCO, GDD5 and AET/PET. Sesleria albicans' distribution is also correlated with these bioclimatic variables but other non- climatic may also be important. 10. The distributional ranges of all three species change dramatically under the two future climate scenarios. There is a general pattern that the climate optimum for any species migrates in Northwards and Eastwards. 11. The present MLG community will disintegrate as species respond individualistically to climate change. It is likely that Sesleria albicans will no longer be the dominant grassland species


This paper explores a unique new source of social valuation: a market for bodies. The internet hosts a number of large synthetic worlds which users can visit by piloting a computer-generated body, known as an avatar. Avatars can have an asset value, in that users can spend time to increase their skills; these asset values can be directly observed in online markets. Auction data for avatars from the synthetic fantasy world of EverQuest are used here to explore a number of questions, especially those involving the relative value of male and female avatars. In EverQuest, about 20 percent of the avatar population is female, and there are no sex-based differences in avatar capabilities. Many avatars (about one-fourth to one-fifth of the population) are cross-gendered, being piloted by a person of the opposite sex. Nonetheless, relations between avatars are gender-based, and include chivalry, dating, and sex. Female avatars tend to be concentrated in highly sexualized Human and Elven races, with very few being present among such aesthetically-challenged races as Ogres and Trolls. Hedonic analysis of the auction price data suggests that gender labels are a less important determinant of avatar values than the "level," a game-design metric that indicates the overall capabilities of the avatar. Thus, ability seems more important than sex in determining the value of a body. Nonetheless, among comparable avatars, females do sell at a significant price discount. The average avatar price is 333 dollar; the price discount for females is 40 to 55 dollar, depending on methods. The discount may stem from a number of causes, including discrimination in Earth society, the maleness of the EverQuest player base, or differences in well-being related to male and female courtship roles. We do know, however, that these differences cannot be caused by sex-based differences in the abilities of the body, since in the fantasy world of Norrath there are none.


Recent decisions by leading AI labs to either open-source their models or to restrict access to their models has sparked debate about whether, and how, increasingly capable AI models should be shared. Open-sourcing in AI typically refers to making model architecture and weights freely and publicly accessible for anyone to modify, study, build on, and use. This offers advantages such as enabling external oversight, accelerating progress, and decentralizing control over AI development and use. However, it also presents a growing potential for misuse and unintended consequences. This paper offers an examination of the risks and benefits of open-sourcing highly capable foundation models. While open-sourcing has historically provided substantial net benefits for most software and AI development processes, we argue that for some highly capable foundation models likely to be developed in the near future, open-sourcing may pose sufficiently extreme risks to outweigh the benefits. In such a case, highly capable foundation models should not be open-sourced, at least not initially. Alternative strategies, including non-open-source model sharing options, are explored. The paper concludes with recommendations for developers, standard-setting bodies, and governments for establishing safe and responsible model sharing practices and preserving open-source benefits where safe. ⇤Corresponding author: email@example.com Please cite as Seger, Dreksler, Moulange, Dardaman, Schuett, Wei, et al, 'Open-Sourcing Highly Capable Foundation Models: An Evaluation of Risks, Benefits, and Alternative Methods for Pursuing Open-Source Objectives', Centre for the Governance of AI, 2023.


The precise roles of visceral (VAT) or subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) on hepatic fat accumulation have not been fully elucidated. In this report, we examined the correlation between VAT or SAT volume and severity of hepatic fat accumulation. In the present study, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed a standard diet containing 10% fat or a high-fat diet containing 45% or 60% fat for 16 weeks. Abdominal VAT and SAT volume, as well as fat percentage of the liver were measured by computed tomography (CT). Hepatic triglyceride (TG) content and histopathological findings of hepatic steatosis were also examined. Abdominal SAT weight/body weight ratio was positively and strongly correlated with abdominal VAT weight/body weight ratio. Fat percentage of the liver by CT evaluation, hepatic TG content, and hepatic steatosis score by histopathological evaluation showed positive correlations with one another. Fat percentage of the liver by CT evaluation and hepatic TG content was positively correlated with both the abdominal VAT weight/body weight ratio and SAT weight/body weight ratio, respectively. Furthermore, hepatic TG content was negatively correlated with the abdominal VAT weight/SAT weight ratio. Our data suggest that abdominal SAT accumulation is positively correlated with hepatic steatosis in SD rats, rather than abdominal VAT accumulation. Further investigations are needed in order to clarify the precise mechanisms of SAT and VAT effects on the development of hepatic fat accumulation. ACTA MEDICA NAGASAKIENSIA 59: 47−56, 2014


Born in 1929 and raised on a small farm in eastern Tennessee, Paul Conkin, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at Vanderbilt University, provides an accessible work on the development of agriculture in the United States over the last 80 years. Conkin is neither an apologist for American agriculture nor a critic. Perhaps he might best be described as an interested bystander who has observed that "agriculture has been the most successful sector in the recent economic history of the United States" (p. x). Since 1950, the productivity of American farms has increased at least tenfold, an advance which never fails to astound Conkin. This balanced and partially biographical work is a good place to begin to understand how farming and rural life has changed in the latter half of the 20th century.


The ALICE experiment measured J/psi photoproduction in Pb+Pb ultraperipheral collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 2.76 TeV at forward and central rapidity. The coherent J/psi cross section is found to be in good agreement with those models which include nuclear gluon shadowing consistent with EPS09 parametrization. Results on rho_0 photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb+Pb collisions are also briefly discussed. Studies on exclusive J/psi in p+Pb and on diffraction in pp collisions are mentioned.


OBJECTIVE— Chronic pancreatitis, characterized by pancreatic exocrine tissue destruction with initial maintenance of islets, eventually leads to insulin-dependent diabetes in most patients. Mice deficient for the transcription factors E2F1 and E2F2 suffer from a chronic pancreatitis-like syndrome and become diabetic. Surprisingly, onset of diabetes can be prevented through bone marrow transplantation. The goal of the described studies was to determine the hematopoietic cell type responsible for maintaining islets and the associated mechanism of this protection. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— Mouse models of acute and chronic pancreatitis, together with mice genetically deficient for macrophage production, were used to determine roles for macrophages in islet angiogenesis and maintenance. RESULTS— We demonstrate that macrophages are essential for preventing endocrine cell loss and diabetes. Macrophages expressing matrix metalloproteinase-9 migrate to the deteriorating pancreas. E2f1/E2f2 mutant mice transplanted with wild-type, but not macrophage-deficient colony stimulating factor 1 receptor mutant (Csf1r−/−), bone marrow exhibit increased angiogenesis and proliferation within islets, coinciding with increased islet mass. A similar macrophage dependency for islet and islet vasculature maintenance is observed during caerulein-induced pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS— These findings demonstrate that macrophages promote islet angiogenesis and protect against islet loss during exocrine degeneration, could explain why most patients with chronic pancreatitis develop diabetes, and suggest an avenue for preventing pancreatitis-associated diabetes.


Background We investigated whether disease location influences survival in patients with peripheral arterial disease. Methods and Results Patients (n=12 731; mean age, 67.5±12.7 years; 57.4% male) who underwent outpatient noninvasive lower extremity arterial evaluation were followed up for 5.9±3.1 years for all‐cause mortality. Peripheral arterial disease (n=8930) was defined as a resting or postexercise ankle‐brachial index (ABI) ≤0.90, and normal ABI (n=3 801) was defined as a resting and postexercise ABI of 1.00 to 1.30. Presence or absence of disease at the proximal location or distal location was determined on the basis of Doppler signals in leg arteries; 42% had no PD or DD, 45% had proximal (14% postexercise PD only), 30% had distal disease, 17% had both proximal and distal disease, 28% had proximal only and 14% had distal only. We performed multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with disease location, and Cox proportional hazard regression to assess the respective effects of proximal or distal disease on survival. Older age, male sex, diabetes, heart failure, and critical limb ischemia were associated with distal disease, whereas female sex, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and critical limb ischemia were associated with proximal disease. Over a mean follow‐up of 5.9±3.1 years, 3039 patients (23.9%) died. After adjustment for potential confounders, the hazard ratios (HRs) of death associated with PD only and DD only were 1.3 (1.3 to 1.4) and 1.5 (1.4 to 1.6), respectively. After additional adjustment for resting ABI, there was no significant association between proximal disease and death, whereas the association of distal disease with death remained significant (HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.3). Conclusions In patients with peripheral arterial disease, proximal and distal disease locations were associated with distinctive risk factor and comorbidity profiles. Distal disease was associated with worse survival even after adjustment for risk factors, comorbidities, and resting ABI.


The objective of the present study was to determine the chemical composition and meat yield for both sexes of adult cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, in the Mersin Bay, East Mediterranean. The results of meat yield showed that meat yield of adult male cuttlefish were higher than those of the female. The levels of protein ranged from 22.15% to 22.20%, lipid from 0.86% to 1.01%, and water from 74.97% to 75.30%, total mineral substance (TMS) from 1.68% to 1.69% for mantle of female and male cuttlefish. Moreover, there were not variations in protein, lipid, water and TMS content of mantle tissues of both adult females and males (p>0.05). The levels of saturated fatty acids (SFA) ranged from 29.49% to 29.88%, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) from 10.97% to 11.40%, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from 52.27% to 53.42% for both of the sexes. In the present study, the major fatty acids found in S. officinalis were palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3). Statistically, there were no significant differences in DHA concentrations in mantle tissue of male and female cuttlefish (p>0.05). Besides, EPA concentrations in mantle of female cuttlefish were higher than those of the male (p 0.05). Cu content of female cuttlefish was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that found in male cuttlefish.


The detection of planar structures within the satellite systems of both the Milky Way (MW) and Andromeda (M31) has been reported as being in stark contradiction to the predictions of the standard cosmological model (Λ cold dark matter – ΛCDM). Given the ambiguity in defining a planar configuration, it is unclear how to interpret the low incidence of the MW and M31 planes in ΛCDM. We investigate the prevalence of satellite planes around galactic mass haloes identified in high-resolution cosmological simulations. We find that planar structures are very common, and that ∼10 per cent of ΛCDM haloes have even more prominent planes than those present in the Local Group. While ubiquitous, the planes of satellite galaxies show a large diversity in their properties. This precludes using one or two systems as small-scale probes of cosmology, since a large sample of satellite systems is needed to obtain a good measure of the object-to-object variation. This very diversity has been misinterpreted as a discrepancy between the satellite planes observed in the Local Group and ΛCDM predictions. In fact, ∼10 per cent of ΛCDM galactic haloes have planes of satellites that are as infrequent as the MW and M31 planes. The look-elsewhere effect plays an important role in assessing the detection significance of satellite planes and accounting for it leads to overestimating the significance level by a factor of 30 and 100 for the MW and M31 systems, respectively.


This article aims to present a new perspective on contemporary debates about the transformations of work and employment, and their impacts on individuals and communities, by focusing on the writings of Christophe Dejours. Basically, the article attempts to show that Dejours' writings make a significant contribution to contemporary social theory. This might seem like an odd claim to make, since Dejours' main training was in psychoanalysis and his main activity is the clinical, psychiatric study of pathologies linked to work. However, in the course of his career, Dejours has greatly extended this initial clinical interest, and by integrating insights from philosophy and other social sciences, has developed a highly sophisticated and consistent theoretical model of work. Starting from a narrow psychopathological focus, Dejours has gradually developed a full-blown theoretical defence of the centrality of work. The article outlines the main features of Dejours' metapsychological model, and the structuring role played by work in his theory of subjective identity. This allows us to outline the originality of his approach by comparison with some of the most significant current accounts of the impact of transformations of work and employment conditions upon individuals and societies, notably Honneth, Castel and Sennett.


Fifteen patients in the early stages of the adult respiratory distress syndrome with severe hypoxemia who were capable of maintaining adequate spontaneous ventilation were treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The optimal level of CPAP was adjusted for each patient to achieve the highest oxygenation with the least adverse hemodynamic effects. The optimal intravascular volume, judged by pulmonary arterial occlusion pressure, was maintained by infusion of lactated Ringer's solution. Application of an optimal CPAP ranging between 10 and 25 cm H2O significantly reduced the intrapulmonary shunt, increased the forced vital capacity, and decreased the respiration rate. The improvement in pulmonary status was achieved with no significant changes in cardiac output or the arterial-mixed venous oxygen content difference. Early application of an adjusted level of positive end-expiratory pressure using CPAP in patients with adequate levels of fluid is an effective and safe method of treating selected groups of patients in the early stages of the adult respiratory distress syndrome.


Extracellular neural recordings obtained from awake behaving subjects through chronically implanted microelectrode arrays provide information about the functioning of the brain with sub-millisecond temporal resolution at the level of individual neurons. After bandpass filtering in a frequency range suitable for spike detection, these recordings consist of spikes and background activity. Methods exist to segment the background activity automatically using truncation thresholds and Otsu-based methods. In previous work, truncation thresholds have been computed using the truncated Normal distribution. Here, we use the truncated Johnson's SU distribution instead to examine whether it segments the background activity better. We also find that the truncated Johnson's SU distribution explains the background activity segmented by Otsu-based thresholds. These results are useful for developing invasive brain-computer-interfaces that automatically extract information from extracellular neural recordings in real time.


OBJECTIVE
Abdominal adiposity is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and decreased GH secretion. The objective of our study was to determine the effects of GH on body composition and cardiovascular risk markers in abdominally obese women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 79 obese premenopausal women received GH vs placebo for 6 months. Primary endpoints were i) total abdominal (total abdominal adipose tissue, TAT) fat by computed tomography (CT) (body composition) and ii) high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (cardiovascular risk marker). Body composition was assessed by CT, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and proton MR spectroscopy. Serum cardiovascular risk markers, carotid intima-media thickness, and endothelial function were measured.

RESULTS
Mean 6-month GH dose was 1.7±0.1 mg/day, resulting in a mean IGF1 SDS increase from -1.7±0.08 to -0.1±0.3 in the GH group. GH administration decreased TAT and hsCRP compared with placebo. In addition, it increased thigh muscle mass and lean body mass and decreased subcutaneous abdominal and trunk fat, tissue plasminogen activator, apoB, and apoB/low-density lipoprotein compared with placebo. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) decreased and intramyocellular lipid increased within the GH group. Six-month change in IGF1 levels was negatively associated with 6-month decrease in TAT and VAT. One subject had a 2 h glucose >200 mg/ml at 3 months; four subjects, three of whom were randomized to GH, had 2 h glucose levels >200 mg/ml at the end of the study.

CONCLUSION
GH administration in abdominally obese premenopausal women exerts beneficial effects on body composition and cardiovascular risk markers but is associated with a decrease in glucose tolerance in a minority of women.


Quantitative imaging of the human thorax poses one of the most difficult challenges for 3D (septaless) PET, due to the strong attenuation of the annihilation radiation and the large contribution of scattered photons to the data. In FDG studies of the heart with the patient's arms in the field of view, the contribution of scattered events can exceed 50% of the total detected coincidences. Accurate correction for this scatter component is necessary for meaningful quantitative image analysis and tracer kinetic modeling. For this reason, we have implemented a single-scatter simulation technique for scatter correction in positron volume imaging. In this paper we describe this algorithm, and present scatter correction results from human and chest phantom studies.


This paper reports the purification and characterization of kinetic parameters of cellulase produced from Trichoderma viride under still culture solid state fermentation technique using cheap and an easily available agricultural waste material, wheat straw as growth supported substrate. Trichoderma viride was cultured in fermentation medium of wheat straw under some previously optimized growth conditions and maximum activity of 398±2.43U/mL obtained after stipulated fermentation time period. Cellulase was purified 2.33 fold with specific activity of 105U/mg in comparison to crude enzyme extract using ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis and Sephadex-G-100 column chromatography. The enzyme was shown to have a relative low molecular weight of 58kDa by sodium dodecyl sulphate poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme displayed 6.5 and 55oC as an optimum pH and temperature respectively. Using carboxymethyl cellulose as substrate, the enzyme showed maximum activity (Vmax) of 148U/mL with its corresponding KM value of 68uM. Among activators/inhibitors SDS, EDTA, and Hg2+ showed inhibitory effect on purified cellulase whereas, the enzyme activated by Co2+ and Mn2+ at a concentration of 1mM. The purified cellulase was compatible with four local detergent brands with up to 20 days of shelf life at room temperature suggesting its potential as a detergent additive for improved washing therefore, it is concluded that it may be potentially useful for industrial purposes especially for detergent and laundry industry.


People tend to use their smartphones one-handed, which is unergonomic for the human musculoskeletal system. Stretching the thumb to reach certain touch keys is uncomfortable. Especially now that smartphones have large screens, normally ranging from 4.5" and above. Exaggerated use of smartphones can lead to repetitive strain injury (RSI), which is caused by static, repetitive movements over an extended time. This master thesis investigates how different touch key locations and touch key sizes affect the ergonomics of user interfaces on large smartphones. Moreover, it examines if the principles of the functional area improve the ergonomics of mobile user interfaces. The functional area is the surface of the touchscreen that is reachable by the thumb. Expert interviews were used to collect data to make hypotheses regarding improving the ergonomics of mobile user interfaces for one-handed interaction. An electromyography (EMG) test was conducted to investigate the hypotheses. EMG is a technology used to measure muscle contractions. The results show a significant correlation between a user interface that applies the functional area and a decline in muscle contraction. However, the decline in muscle contraction only occurs if the functional area is designed specifically for the user's dominant hand. There were no significant differences between the touch key sizes and the extent of muscle contraction. The findings from this master thesis support the idea that the functional area and changes in the user interface design affect the ergonomics of smartphone interaction.


This paper presents an approach to the optimal stabilization of a linear time invariant system via decentralized control. The class of controllers considered does not restrict the controller to be finite dimensional or time-invariant. In fact, the controller structure proposed can be regarded as a form of time-varying sampled data control. The main result of the paper presents a scheme for constructing such a collection of decentralized controllers which stabilizes the system and is optimal with respect to a quadratic performance index.


Distribution of food items of six commercially important fish species in waters off the east coast of Peninsular
Malaysia were studied. Trawl surveys were conducted in 124 stations in areas between 12 to 200 nautical miles from shore covering an estimated area of 27,785.54 square nautical miles. Stomachs offish species collected were
removed on board, preserved and taken to the laboratory for analysis of the contents. The occurrence method was
used to quantify the diet. Penaeus sp. was found to be the main food item of Carangoides malabaricus, Nemipterus marginatus, Priacanthus tayenus, and Upeneus bensasi while Loligo sp. for Saurida undosquamis and Sphyraena forsteri. Sub-areas 0, 1, II and III appeared to be the most productive areas for the studied species and the food items. The results also show that there exist significant relationships between the food items and fish distribution. Information on the availability and distribution of food items is important for the management of fishery resources as well as for the efficient exploitation of the species.


In India healthcare providers initiate counselling and testing diagnosis and treatment. They determine where you get tested the shop you buy medicines from which drugs you buy and which brands of these drugs. This is the background of the current debate on provider-initiated testing. According to the latest WHO guidance note (1) providers who believe that a patient is at risk of HIV may suggest a test for HIV. All testing for HIV including provider initiated testing and counselling (PITC) may be done only in the following conditions: informed consent which includes the right to refuse the availability of counselling with follow-up and in the event of a positive test result treatment. Are these requirements for testing available in the Indian scenario? (excerpt)


IZA DP No. 15161 MARCH 2022 The Global Inequality Boomerang* In this paper we argue that the decline in global inequality over the last decades has spurred a 'sunshine' narrative of falling global inequality that has been rather oversold, in the sense, we argue, it is likely to be temporary. We argue the decline in global inequality will reverse due to changes in the between-country component. We find there is a potentially startling global inequality 'boomerang', possibly in the mid-to-late 2020s, which would have happened even if there were no pandemic, and that the pandemic is likely to bring forward the global inequality boomerang. JEL Classification: D31, D63, O15


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether dogs that received eyedrops containing phenylephrine and scopolamine would have a higher mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) when anesthetized than would dogs that did not receive the eyedrops.

ANIMALS
37 nondiabetic and 29 diabetic dogs anesthetized for phacoemulsification and 15 nondiabetic dogs anesthetized for corneal ulcer repair (control dogs).

PROCEDURES
Medical records were reviewed to identify study dogs. Dogs undergoing phacoemulsification received 2 types of eyedrops (10% phenylephrine hydrochloride and 0.3% scopolamine hydrobromide) 4 times during a 2-hour period prior to the procedure. Control dogs did not receive these eyedrops. Heart rate and MAP were measured before surgery in all dogs 10 and 5 minutes before, at the time of (t0), and 5 (t5) and 10 (t10) minutes after atracurium administration.

RESULTS
MAP was greater in the 2 groups that received the eyedrops than in the control group at t0 and t5; at t10, it was greater only for the nondiabetic dogs that received eyedrops. Nine nondiabetic dogs and 1 diabetic dog anesthetized for phacoemulsification had at least 1 MAP value>131 mm Hg; 73% of MAP values>131 mm Hg were detected within 10 minutes after atracurium administration. At no time did a control dog have an MAP value>131 mm Hg.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Anesthetized dogs pretreated with eyedrops containing phenylephrine and scopolamine had higher MAP values than dogs that did not receive the eyedrops, suggesting the drops caused hypertension. Atracurium may interact with the eyedrops and contribute to the hypertension.


We propose a new method for determining the coupling of the Higgs boson to charm quarks, via Higgs production in association with a charm-tagged jet: pp→hc. As a first estimate, we find that at the LHC with 3000 fb^{-1}, it should be possible to derive a constraint of order one, relative to the standard model (SM) value of the charm Yukawa coupling. As a by-product of this analysis, we present an estimate of the exclusive pp→hD^{(*)} electroweak cross section. Within the SM, the latter turns out to be not accessible at the LHC even in the high-luminosity phase.


Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a genetic disease leading to the loss of central vision and optic nerve atrophy. The existence of occasional cases of LHON patients developing a Multiple Sclerosis (MS)-like illness and the hypothesis that mtDNA variants may be involved in MS suggest the possibility of some common molecular mechanisms linking the two diseases. We have pursued a comparative proteomics approach on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from LHON and MS patients, as well as healthy donors by employing 2-DE gel separations coupled to MALDI-TOF-MS and nLC-MS/MS investigations. 7 protein spots showed significant differential distribution among the three groups. Both CSF of LHON or MS patients are characterized by lower level of transthyretin dimer adduct while a specific up regulation of Apo A-IV was detected in LHON CSF. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Treatment with traditional Chinese medicinal composite is one of the most important characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Studying material base of TCM composite and its mechanism is a key to modernizing the industry of Chinese medicinal herbs. The research for TCM composite can be carried out from many different angles, including multiple components, multiple actions, multiple levels and multiple targets. Such a way to study TCM composite will be beneficial to improving the theory of TCM composite, guiding clinical administration and developing new products.


Research on mould flux attack of oxide-graphite submerged entry nozzle refractories is reviewed and discussed in light of recent work by the authors. There is general agreement that the mechanism must involve attack of both the oxide and the carbon phase, but there is some uncertainty about the process of attack of the carbon. Some workers have suggested dissolution in the steel but some recent work shows that oxidation has an important role to play. There is some debate over the importance of surface tension driven stirring in a system where forced convection rates are fairly high. Additives such as metallic silicon accelerate the breakup of zirconia grains but also appear to protect the carbon bond. Dissolution of the oxide phase is the predominant rate determining step and the relationship between diffusion of refractory oxides in mould flux as a function of viscosity is consistent with the relationship between attack and flux viscosity.


A grand challenge of the 21st century is to understand the response of ecosystems and populations of species to environmental variability and intensifying climate change. My dissertation focuses on the potential for changing environmental conditions to influence marine food webs, foraging ecology, and ultimately population success of consumers. I combined biogeochemical tools (stable isotope analyses) of zooplankton and endangered leatherback turtles with measures of oceanography and environmental conditions to evaluate changes in foraging ecology and food web dynamics over time. My research specifically focuses on long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of Atlantic and Pacific leatherback turtles and how environmental variability in the Pacific may alter food web dynamics in a critical foraging area for a declining leatherback population. My first two chapters were focused on leatherback turtles, a cosmopolitan species with populations inhabiting tropical and temperate regions throughout the global ocean. In Chapter 1, I examined the trophic ecology of North Atlantic leatherbacks over an eighteen-year period to test the hypothesis that shifts in foraging ecology or environmental conditions in the North Atlantic have contributed to leatherback population recovery. In Chapter 2, I focused on a subgroup of the critically endangered Western Pacific leatherback population that forages in the California Current. Here, I addressed questions about their diet, habitat use, and the trophic structure of leatherback prey in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME). These two chapters allowed me to better understand whether the continuing decline of Pacific leatherbacks was related to dietary differences potentially driven by variability in environmental conditions between ocean basins as the North Atlantic population of turtles are steadily increasing. In Chapter 3, I investigated ecosystem responses to a multi-year, warm water anomaly (a marine heatwave and strong El Nino event) in the CCLME, which is a productive upwelling system that supports the biomass of many commercially and ecologically important species, including the leatherback population that Chapter 2 focused on. My findings illustrate mechanisms through which the amount of energy transferred to higher trophic level consumers is altered by environmental variability in the CCLME. In my first three chapters, I used stable isotope analyses, which can be a valuable tool for reconstructing patterns of trophic or foraging ecology over time. However, archived tissues that are used for analyses are often stored in chemical preservatives, which may affect their potential for use in isotope ecology. In Chapter 4, I conducted laboratory experiments to test the effects of common chemical preservatives on stable isotope values to better understand how we can best use preserved and archived tissues in future studies. My research provides insight into the trophic ecology and habitat use of an endangered marine consumer. Although I found no…


Absorbed sunlight in a solar cell produces electrons and holes. However, at the open-circuit condition, the carriers have no place to go. They build up in density, and ideally, they emit external luminescence that exactly balances the incoming sunlight. Any additional nonradiative recombination impairs the carrier density buildup, limiting the open-circuit voltage. At open circuit, efficient external luminescence is an indicator of low internal optical losses. Thus, efficient external luminescence is, counterintuitively, a necessity for approaching the Shockley–Queisser (SQ) efficiency limit. A great solar cell also needs to be a great light-emitting diode. Owing to the narrow escape cone for light, efficient external emission requires repeated attempts and demands an internal luminescence efficiency 90%.


Name: Lisa Nelson Title: An Investigation of the Phototransduction Cascade and Temporal Characteristics of the Retina of tlie Cuttlefish, Sepia Officina/is Cephalopods have extremely well developed visual systems which are of particular interest due to the well known morphological similarity of the cephalopod eye to the vertebrate eye. This similarity ends at the level of the photoreceptors where vertebrates and invertebrates have been found to use different intracellular second messengers. Although the effect of extracellular ion manipulation on the light response has been examined and some very useful biochemical studies carried out, the pathway has not been investigated by the use of pharmacological intervention; a method which has proved to be useful in other preparations. This study examines various properties of the photoreceptors of the cuttlefish, Sepia officina/is, with particular interest in the second messenger signalling pathway. Both extracellular and whole cell patch clamp recording has been utilised. The second messenger signalling pathway, which mediates phototransduction in the retina of S. officina/is, was investigated by recording the electroretinogram and examining how this changed with the application of various extracellularly applied, membrane permeable pharmacological agents. Invertebrate phototransduction utilises the phosphoinositide (PI) signalling pathway therefore specific activators and inhibitors targeted at precise sites of this pathway were applied to the extracellular bathing solution. These studies indicated that cleavage of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate is essential for the production of a light response and that the inositol trisphophate (IP3) branch of this pathway is of greatest importance in this preparation, as opposed to the diacylglycerol branch. How this second messenger cascade transfers the incoming information into a temporally coded signal was studied by measuring maximum critical flicker fusion frequency. The effect of cell size on this property was investigated and also how cell sensitivity was affected and whether these properties appeared to fit the animal's environmental conditions or whether they were restricted by cellular properties. The animals were found to have relatively "slow" eyes. However the younger age group studied, with shorter photoreceptors, was found to be both faster and more sensitive. This was an unexpected finding considering temporal resolving power is often sacrificed for sensitivity. It is suggested that the observed differences between age groups was attributable to the effects of increased cell size on the cell membrane time constant and that deterioration of signalling molecules with aging may also be a contributing factor. An investigation of the cell signalling pathway at the level of individual cells was also carried out using the whole cell patch clamp technique. Using this technique, two voltage activated currents were found; an inward sodium current characterised by its voltage and tetrodotoxin sensitivity, and an outward potassium current characterised by its tetraethylammonium sensitivity. As well as finding further evidence for the involvement of the IP3 branch of the PI pathway there is also evidence of a role for cyclic guanosine monophosphate. A suitable mode of measuring light-induced fluctuations in the intracellular calcium levels was also investigated with a view to observing the impact of the pharmacological agents on intracellular calcium concentration. This investigation has enhanced the understanding of the S. officina/is visual system by greatly adding to the present knowledge of the second messenger signalling cascade and by giving an insight into how this transfers into the animal's temporal resolving power. Some preliminary information regarding the membrane currents activated by light has also been presented. This has all been possible by the development of a versatile retinal slice preparation that has been proven to be accessible to extracellular recording and whole cell patch clamp recording combined with pharmacological manipulation.


Comparative composition of snake faunas (Reptilia, Squamata) in four biogeographical provinces of the Chacoan Domain . The comparative composition of snake species in the Gran Chaco, Espinal, Pampa, and Monte biogeographical provinces was analyzed in order to determine shared taxa among them, endemic species, and faunal similarity by calculating the Coefficient of Biogeographic Resemblance (CBR). The richest province is the Gran Chaco (39 genera, 97 species and subspecies, 10 endemics), followed by Pampa (28 genera, 48 species, three endemics) and Espinal (25 genera, 47 species and subspecies, no endemics). The Monte province is the poorest (16 genera, 22 species, two endemics), however, this last formation has a floristic and faunistic definite physiognomy, different from its neighbouring provinces. Faunal similarity is highest between Espinal and Pampa (CBR = 0.67), followed by Gran Chaco and Espinal (CBR = 0.61). In all comparisons these three provinces are more similar among them than to the Monte. Analysis of published results on lizard, amphisbaenian, and turtle assemblages from these four provinces adds support to the hypothesis that the Espinal formation has not a characteristic reptile fauna, and that it is an ecotone between Gran Chaco and Pampa.


The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between depression, negative automatic thoughts, life satisfaction, number of symptoms, psychologizing, somatizing and normalizing in young adults. The mediator role of life satisfaction in the relationship between negative automatic thoughts and depression especially is the major question of this study. Participants are composed of 115 volunteer teacher candidates from an urban Turkish university. Their ages vary between 21 and 29. The data are collected through Beck Depression Inventory, Life Satisfaction Scale, Automatic Thoughts Scale, Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire and Personal Information Form. As a result, it is seen that the depression scores of young adults do not differ according to gender and according to whether they encountered an event causing stress in the past 3 months or not. Another finding is that five variables (negative automatic thoughts, life satisfaction, number of symptoms, psychologizing and normalizing) are significant predictors in explaining the depression level of young adults. Together, these five variables explain 52% of the young adults' depression. Another finding of the study is that negative automatic thoughts of young adults make them negatively assess quality of life and this causes the depression levels to increase.


We establish a unified framework for Majorana-based fault-tolerant quantum computation with Majorana surface codes and Majorana color codes. All logical Clifford gates are implemented with zero time overhead. This is done by introducing a protocol for Pauli product measurements with tetrons and hexons which only requires local 4-Majorana parity measurements. An analogous protocol is used in the fault-tolerant setting, where tetrons and hexons are replaced by Majorana surface code patches, and parity measurements are replaced by lattice surgery, still only requiring local few-Majorana parity measurements. To this end, we discuss twist defects in Majorana fermion surface codes and adapt the technique of twist-based lattice surgery to fermionic codes. Moreover, we propose a new family of codes that we refer to as Majorana color codes, which are obtained by concatenating Majorana surface codes with small Majorana fermion codes. Majorana surface and color codes can be used to decrease the space overhead and stabilizer weight compared to their bosonic counterparts.


This series explores the relationship between contemporary photography and the traditional modes of pictorial representation of painting. In these works photography has been used to document large-scale portrait paintings, which sit uncomfortably in run-down and incongruous surroundings. Details: Series of two works, 'The Grand & The Mean I, II' (1998), 122 cm x 152 cm, colour c.type photographic prints. Edition of three.


BACKGROUND
The GlideScope Video Laryngoscope is a new intubating device. It was designed to provide a view of the glottis without alignment of the oral, pharyngeal and tracheal axes. The aim of the study was to describe the use of the GlideScope in comparison with direct laryngoscopy for elective surgical patients requiring tracheal intubation.

METHODS
Two hundred patients were randomly assigned to intubation by direct laryngoscopy using a Macintosh size 3 blade (DL, n=100) or intubation using the GlideScope (GS, n=100). Prior to intubation all patients were given a Cormack and Lehane (C&L) grade by a separate anaesthetist using a Macintosh size 3 blade. The patient was then intubated, using direct laryngoscopy or the GlideScope, by a different anaesthetist during which the larynx was inspected and given a laryngoscopy score. Time to intubate was measured.

RESULTS
In the GS group, laryngoscopy grade was improved in the majority (28/41) of patients with C&L grade >1 and in all but one of patients who were grade 3 laryngoscopy (P<0.001). The overall mean time to intubate was 30 (95% CI 28-33) s in the DL group and 46 (95% CI 43-49) s in the GS group. The time to intubate for C&L grade 3 was similar in both groups, being 47 s for the DL group and 50 s for the GS group respectively.

CONCLUSION
In most patients, the GlideScope provided a laryngoscopic view equal to or better than that of direct laryngoscopy, but it took an additional 16 s (average) for tracheal intubation. It has potential advantages over standard direct laryngoscopy for difficult intubations.


BACKGROUND
With an improved understanding of tumor biology and behavior, the recommended margins for the surgical treatment of melanoma have evolved.

OBJECTIVE
We describe the progression of these surgical margins, detailing the historical basis for the 5-cm margin and transitioning to current practice, in which Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) with immunohistochemistry (IHC) has become increasingly used.

METHODS/MATERIALS
We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published between January 2019 and April 2023 describing the use of MMS for melanoma in situ (MIS) and invasive melanomas.

RESULTS
We identified 12 articles focusing on the use of MMS for MIS and invasive melanomas: 3 meta-analyses and 9 retrospective studies. Two retrospective analyses documented no differences in overall survival between MMS and wide local excision (WLE) and 2 found improved overall survival for MMS compared with WLE. Three retrospective analyses and 3 meta-analyses demonstrated low recurrence rates after the use of MMS for both MIS and invasive melanomas. Finally, 2 retrospective studies documented the success of MMS with IHC using MART-1.

CONCLUSION
Over the past century, the surgical margins for the treatment of melanoma have undergone a marked transformation. MMS with IHC has become increasingly popular given its ability to reliably produce superior clinical outcomes.


ABSTRACT Research Findings: Home-based involvement—defined as the actions parents take to promote children's learning outside of school—is often the most efficient way for low-income parents to be involved with their children's education. However, there is limited research examining the factors predicting home-based involvement at kindergarten entry for low-income families. This is a notable oversight given established links between parent involvement and children's educational outcomes. To learn more about this gap, we used data from 220 low-income, urban students to examine associations between 4 dimensions of child temperament—negative reactivity, task persistence, withdrawal/shyness, and motor activity—and home-based parent involvement. Parent–child conflict was also examined as a mechanism explaining associations between dimensions of child temperament and parent involvement. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that a withdrawn/shy temperament in children predicted lower levels of home-based parent involvement, whereas a task-persistent temperament predicted higher levels of home-based parent involvement. Parent–child conflict partially mediated the relationship between task persistence and home-based parent involvement. Practice or Policy: Results expand understanding of home-based involvement at kindergarten entry in low-income families and illuminate the need to consider child temperament within the context of early intervention programs.


Treatment options for patients with heart failure have improved rapidly over the last few decades. Data from large scale clinical trials demonstrate that medical and device therapies can improve quality of life, reduce hospitalizations for acute heart failure, and reduce mortality. However, the use of many of these therapies in routine practice is remarkably low. There are many reasons for suboptimal implementation of evidence‐based therapies for heart failure, and we believe addressing the large gap between what can be accomplished in clinical trials versus routine practice is a critical and urgent public health issue. In this review, we outline reasons for this implementation gap and review recent studies attempting to address this issue. We also provide recommendations for future interventions and areas of clinical investigation to improve implementation for patients with heart failure.


As tobacco companies continue to heavily market their products at the point of sale, tobacco control groups seek strategies to combat the negative effects of this marketing. Store observations, which have been widely used by researchers and practitioners alike, are an excellent surveillance tool. This article provides a guide for public health practitioners interested in working in the tobacco retail environment by detailing the steps involved in conducting store observations of tobacco marketing and products including 1) obtaining tobacco product retailer lists, 2) creating measures, 3) selecting a mode of data collection, 4) training data collectors, and 5) analyzing data. We also highlight issues that may arise while in the field and provide information on disseminating results of store observations, including the potential policy implications.


OBJECTIVE: To conduct an investigation of fetal cortical tissue graft survival using transmission electron microscopy and analyzing neurotransmitters and amino acids and their function, with special reference to the effect of dexamethasone. METHODS: Transplantation of fetal cortical brain tissue to 100 adult Wistar albino rats weighing 170 to 220 g was performed. The rats were divided into three groups. Only transplantation of fetal cortical brain tissue was performed in the first group (n = 36). In the second group (n = 48), dexamethasone was administered in addition to fetal cortical tissue transplantation. The third group (n = 16) was used as the surgical control group. The rats were allowed to live for 6 weeks and were then decapitated. The grafts were examined by electron microscopy. Additionally, quantitative analyses of the neurotransmitters and amino acids of the grafts were conducted using high-pressure liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Electron microscopic observations revealed that the grafts were still surviving at the end of the 6th week in both groups. However, in the group that received dexamethasone, neurons and their organelles were better developed than in the group that did not receive dexamethasone. Concommitantly, results of quantitative analysis in the dexamethasone group revealed statistically extremely significant higher amino acid values for glutamic acid, aspartic acid, β-alanine, and lysine and significantly higher values for γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamine, glycine, and serine when compared to the nondexamethasone group. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone is effective in increasing the survival and in developing the ultrastructural and functional outcome of transplanted neurons in fetal grafts.


Abstract Introduction: Prenatal diagnosis is an integral part of modern perinatal care. In the article results of questionnaires pertaining to the prenatal process of diagnosis are presented. Parents whose children were afflicted with congenital malformations of all types responded to enquiry Materials and methods: Between March 2014 and March 2015 150 of 355 infants were hospitalized in the Department of Pediatric Intensive Care and Congenital Malformations in Łódź, and 150 had congenital malformations. Results: 101 parents of 150 children (67,3%) have given the feedback. Anomalies were such as: of the digestive system (37%), CHD (25%), OUN (14 %), genito-urinary (13%), skeletal system (9%) and respiratory system (2%). In 65 children of 101 the defects were detected prenatally. The obstetric US exam was the most frequently pointed out as performed (more than 1200). The biochemical markers and genetic tests in were performed in 34 pregnancies. The high percentage of ability to detect malformation was reported in the group of fetal echo examinations. Conclusions: 1. Prenatal ultrasound exams were the least effective method of making appropriate prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformation. 2. Fetal echocardiography had a high level of sensitivity and specificity in detecting congenital malformations. 3. Prenatal cardiologists proved to be the most effective in detecting congenital malformations 89,3 % of detected abnormalities. 4. Biochemical exams had a positive result in only one case of Down Syndrome.


Many well-established sociological studies pertaining to the salubrious link between social relations and mental health have been published. In particular, numerous researchers address the issue of how social isolation and lack of family support and social ties can adversely affect one's mental well-being. In this paper, we seek to identify and explore the relationships between people who were clinically diagnosed with depression and the aspects of their social environment, namely their social and family circumstances in the UK adult population. One hundred and ten blogs mentioning depression as their main condition were selected from a mental health support website, Time-to-Change, for analysis. As not many studies have analysed such narratives, we expected the analysis to provide a fresher and deeper understanding of the experiences of those afflicted with depression. We observed that there is a consistent discourse emphasising the importance of social support from close loved ones, in particular friends and family members. There is evidence that social circumstances can be mediating factors in depression.


The need for community interaction and integration among urban residents is still an important factor in the environmental sustainability of urban life in Owerri. Issues of social dynamics make it imperative that any enduring development should be done through an inclusive and participatory process. A well-balanced urban environment can enhance living conditions and the quality of life of urban residents. The pressures of urban life often make it difficult for the residents to find the time for community interactions. Urban schemes and developments in the urban area have pressured out places that could be developed into places for community interactions and have grossly reduced opportunities for interactions among urban residents. Planning authorities have created green spaces within neighbourhoods and layouts in order to enhance the urban environment. However, these spaces have become neglected, misused and negate the urban environment. The study was to find out how the neglected green spaces could be used to ameliorate fractured community interactions in Owerri Urban. The study of these spaces reveals that they could also be integrated into the urban environment as places for community interaction and integration. The study was a survey research using questionnaires administered on residents of some selected layouts in Owerri. Obtained data was analysed using the frequency distribution and the Spearman Rho correlation statistical tools. Findings reveal that if these spaces are integrated into the neighbourhoods, they would serve as community spaces that could enhance community interactions and integrations, hence would improve quality of life of the urban residents. This paper makes a case for more efforts to be made in enhancing community interaction and integration in the layouts in Owerri urban.


TiO2 photocatalysts prepared by a novel multi-gelation method showed good photocatalytic activity for the degradation of 2-propanol diluted in water by the control of parameters such as particle size, surface area, crystallinity, pore-volume, pore-diameter as well as anatase and rutile phase composition by changing the number of pH swings during preparation. In particular, with this method the phase transition from anatase to rutile at higher pH swing times can be controlled and high purity and uniformity of the TiO2 particles which leads to higher photocatalytic activity of the particles can be achieved. From our experimental results, it has been observed that TiO2 catalysts prepared by this unique multi-gelation method, i.e., adopting variations in the pH swing, significantly shows higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of 2- propanol diluted in water. It can be considered a viable alternative over existing commercial methods for the preparation of photofunctional catalysts.


As seeds are the only movable stage in the plant life-cycle, their dispersal determines the chances of recruitment and survival away from the parent trees and the distribution of the next generation. We studied the light- demanding tree, Choerospondias axillaris (Anacardiaceae), whose pyrenes ("seeds") are dispersed mainly by deer and gibbons, to determine if seed dispersal is random with respect to parent trees and preferred germination and recruitment sites. Research was carried out during 2004 and 2005 on the Mo Singto 30-ha forest dynamics plot, Khao Yai National Park, in which all trees down to 1 cm in diameter are mapped and measured. The species has a relatively large number of adults but very few juveniles 1-10 cm in diameter and appears not to be replacing itself in this old-growth forest. Dispersal into gaps is essential for recruitment, but gaps make up less than 10% of the area. Dispersal by sambar (Cervus unicolor), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), and gibbons (Hylobates lar) is almost random over the plot and not directed to gaps. In the 2 years of the study, less than 1% of seeds found in sub-quadrat samples were in gaps, but in the following year, approximately half of 1-year old seedlings were found in gaps. While 4.5% of the 750 sub-quadrats contained seedlings, the percentage of sub-quadrats in gaps containing seedlings was 11% and 23% in the 2 years of census. Only seedlings in gaps survived to the second year. In this population, recruitment is limited by a shortage of gaps in which seedlings can grow. Both the size distribution of adults and the dependence of seedling recruitment on light in gaps suggest that this tree population may depend on episodic forest disturbances large enough to create much larger gaps in order to maintain itself. If so, this species cannot maintain itself in mature forest and may be in perpetual disequilibrium.


Wealthy individuals often voluntarily provide public goods that the poor also consume. Such philanthropy is perceived as legitimizing one's wealth. Governments routinely exempt the rich from taxation on grounds of their charitable expenditure. We examine the normative logic of this exemption. We show that, rather than reducing it, philanthropy may aggravate absolute inequality in welfare achievement, while leaving the change in relative inequality ambiguous. Additionally, philanthropic preferences may increase the effectiveness of policies to redistribute income, instead of weakening them. Consequently, the general normative case for exempting the wealthy from expropriation, on grounds of their public goods contributions, appears dubious. JEL Classification No. D31, D63, D74, Z13.


Mucus is a hydrogel that covers epithelial cells and acts as an intermediary between the exterior and interior surfaces of the human body. It is complex and diverse, comprised of various compounds and serves as a selective barrier to pathogens, nutrients and administered substances. It is therefore important to circumvent or penetrate this barrier to increase drug bioavailability. The most important constituent of mucus is mucin glycoprotein that enables gel formation. Due to the molecular nature of mucin, it interacts with most substances including polyanionic biopolymers like alginates. Alginate molecules have been extensively used in pharmaceutical and medical industries as mediators because they possess suitable characteristics for a variety of biomedical applications. They have also been shown to influence mucus rheology, and could hold potential to alter other properties of mucus as well, such as particle mobility. In this thesis, the effect of different molecular weight alginates were investigated on the rheology of porcine gastric (PG) mucin, porcine small intestinal mucus (PSIM), porcine tracheobronchial mucus (PTBM) and bio-similar mucus. In addition, the effect of alginate on particle mobility in PG mucin samples were investigated using multiple particle tracking (MPT). The rheological effect of alginate G-block DPn 12, DPn 24, DPn 33 and alginate LFR 5/60 on PG mucin was inconclusive as the sample suffered from pH and mechanical instabilities. Particle mobility was greatest for G-block DPn 12 and G-block DPn 33 treated PG mucin at long time scales. In addition, their mean-square displacement (MSD) trajectories were more narrowly distributed than the other samples, which correlates to a higher degree of uniform pore sizes. The rheological behaviour of bio-similar mucus and PSIM after treatment of G-block DPn 12, G-block DPn 33 and LFR 5/60 did not coincide, despite bio-similar mucus being a model system for porcine intestinal mucus (PIM). This was ascribed interactions between alginate and polyacrylate in the bio-similar mucus causing phase separation. Alginate G-block DPn 12 weakened the PSIM and PTBM gel, while G-block DPn 33 and LFR 5/60 had minor strengthening effects on PSIM.


This essay takes up the question of the dating of the Last Supper and the apparent contradiction between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels with regard to the date of the Passover Feast in the year that Jesus died. Our point of departure is Joseph Ratzinger's consideration of the same problem in the second volume of his recent book Jesus of Nazareth, wherein he ultimately concedes the irreconcilability of the two accounts and concludes in favor of the historical accuracy of the Johannine rather the Synoptic chronology. The second part of this essay then takes up and re-proposes the solution to this apparent contradiction given by St Thomas Aquinas. The intervening centuries of 'higher criticism' notwithstanding, Aquinas's solution remains satisfactory inasmuch as it preserves the historical truth of all four Gospel accounts whole and entire, and does so with an historical plausibility and an elegant simplicity that is not forced to rely upon tenuous historical reconstructions. Moreover, there are strong arguments that can be drawn from the Gospel itself and from Jewish laws and customs pertaining to Passover which can be marshaled in favor of Aquinas's interpretation.


Context: It is well established in the literature that healthier diets cost more than unhealthy diets. Objective: The aim of this review was to examine the contribution of food prices and diet cost to socioeconomic inequalities in diet quality. Data Sources: A systematic literature search of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases was performed. Study Selection: Publications linking food prices, dietary quality, and socioeconomic status were selected. Data Extraction: Where possible, review conclusions were illustrated using a French national database of commonly consumed foods and their mean retail prices. Data Synthesis: Foods of lower nutritional value and lower-quality diets generally cost less per calorie and tended to be selected by groups of lower socioeconomic status. A number of nutrient-dense foods were available at low cost but were not always palatable or culturally acceptable to the low-income consumer. Acceptable healthier diets were uniformly associated with higher costs. Food budgets in poverty were insufficient to ensure optimum diets. Conclusions: Socioeconomic disparities in diet quality may be explained by the higher cost of healthy diets. Identifying food patterns that are nutrient rich, affordable, and appealing should be a priority to fight social inequalities in nutrition and health.


This research aims to evaluate the face-to-face participation processes included in the design of collaborative interactive documentaries. The transmedia expansion of these initiatives favors a hybrid approach that keeps the online perspective but also reclaims the link between creative collaboration and territory, thus generating collective processes with the participants. This article presents an analysis of four projects developed in both physical and virtual spaces. We apply an original characterization model to each of the initiatives to draw conclusions about face-to-face participation, its different formulas depending on the creative approach, and the influence that onsite participation has on the results. We detected a series of productive connections that occur because of the spatial conception of the initiatives and that have consequences for the development of the works, either increasing the participants' involvement or improving the collaboration results.


Lumbosacral back pain is one of the most common reasons for patients with a work-related injury to present to a primary care physician. In most cases, low back pain has a good prognosis, but the condition is often the source of much frustration for clinicians, patients and employers. The family physician should be able to treat the patient's symptoms and address the psychosocial issues that frequently complicate recovery. Three decision points, based on the history and physical examination, allow the physician to determine the severity of illness and implement an appropriate treatment plan. These three points are as follows: Is it likely that systemic disease or bone pathology is the cause of pain? Has neurologic compromise occurred? Are social or psychologic stressors present that may prolong the clinical course?


Abstract
When cancer is first diagnosed in most patients, it is usually incurable. Chemotherapy can cause remissions, prolonged disease-free survival, and prolonged survival in general, but it is associated with considerable toxicity to the physical and mental well-being of the patient. The number of side-effects increases when multiple drug combinations are used. In addition, financial and social problems add to the stress of coping with a fatal disease. Therefore both patients and physicians have asked whether survival (sometimes for extra months) with added side-effects of chemotherapy is worthwhile. The "soft" index of quality of life has been measured by many investigators, and a variety of interventions have been found to alleviate some distress.


The surface of dendritic cells (DC) has been analyzed by means of monoclonal antibodies (Ab) and lactoperoxidase (LPO)-mediated radioiodination. Antigens and other exteriorily disposed polypeptides of purified spleen DC were compared with those of tissue macrophages (Mφ), monocytes, and other bone marrow-derived elements. Quantitative binding studies and autoradiography with (125)I-Ab established that DC expressed high levels of I-A and H-2D, 2 × 10(5) and 1 × 10(5) Ab binding sites per cell, respectively. DC from conventional, germ-free, and specific pathogen-free mice were all rich in Ia. Expression of Ia on B cells was 5-10 percent of that on DC and increased fivefold during lipopolysaccharide mitogenesis. More than 70-90 percent of purified Mφ and monocytes from specific pathogen-free mice were Ia negative, but increased levels of Ia were noted on cells from mice reared under conventional conditions. Thus large amounts of Ia on DC is a constitutive trait, whereas the expression of Ia by other cell types may be governed by the environmental and immunological status of the host. The 2.4G2 Fc receptor Ag was not detected on DC. Peritoneal and spleen Mφ had 10(5) 2.4G2 binding sites/cell, whereas monocytes and lymphocytes were less reactive (1 × 10(4)-3 × 10(4) binding sites/cell). Four other Mφ-related antigens were evaluated. Each had a distinctive tissue distribution and none bound exclusively to Mφ and monocytes. Neither 1.21J (Mac-1) nor F4/80 reacted with DC. Immunoprecipitation studies of externally ((125)I) and biosynthetically ([(35)S]methionine)dabeled cells confirmed the binding data. Sensitive binding assays with (125)I-Ab confirmed previous observations that DC lack Ig and Thy-1. Lyt-1 was also not found on DC, but 5-12 percent of the cells in purified DC preparations expressed both Lyt-2 and Ia. All DC expressed the leukocyte common antigens at levels similar to other leukocytes. The spectrum of surface polypeptides labeled by LPO-mediated iodination was different on Mφ, DC, and lymphocytes. Polypeptides migrating at molecular weights of 155,000, 85,000, and 62,000 appeared to be restricted to DC. These observations establish that the cell surface of DC differs considerably from other leukocytes, including the blood monocyte, and suggest that the DC is part of a unique Ia-rich leukocyte differentiation pathway.


Title: Sensory Marketing - Does music influence customers?Effects of music on customer behaviour, emotion and perceived atmosphere towards a specific product categoryBackgroundA new area of research within the field of marketing have grown since the 2010's. This type of marketing is called Sensory Marketing and it can be used to trigger subconscious emotions within consumers by using the human senses: sight, hearing, smell, feeling and taste. In order to make products more attractive for the customers.PurposeThe object of this study is to conduct an experiment where music is added to a specific product category located in specific part of the service environment. The goal of the experiment is to find out if the music changes the customers perceived atmosphere, emotions and actual behaviour when they are being exposed to music near a specific product category. The study aims to increase the understanding of customers emotions, perceived atmosphere, quantity of products bought and how long customers stay in a area of a service environment that is being targeted with music.Method and theoryThrough reviews of relevant literature within Sensory Marketing twelve hypotheses was created, which either got confirmed or rejected after 4 days of observations and questionnaires done on a sample consisting of 300 customers in a service environment.ResultsMost of the hypotheses were confirmed and the results shows that there is a significant correlation between music and customers emotions, behaviour and perceived atmosphere of a specific section in a service environment.


Cassava, corn, sago and the other food crops have been commonly used as raw materials to produce green plastics. However, plastics produced from such crops cannot be tailored to fit a particular requirement due to their poor water resistance and mechanical properties. Nowadays, researchers are hence looking to get alternative raw materials from the other sustainable resources to produce plastics. Their recent published studies have reported that marine red algae, that has been already widely used as a raw material for producing biofuels, is one of the potential algae crops that can be turned into plastics. In this work, Eucheuma Cottonii , that is one of the red alga crops, was used as raw material to produce plastics by using a filtration technique. Selected latex of Artocarpus altilis and Calostropis gigantea was separately then blended with bioplastics derived from the red algae, to replace use of glycerol as plasticizer. Role of the glycerol and the selected latex on physical and mechanical properties of the red algae bioplastics obtained under a tensile test performed at room temperature are discussed. Tensile strength of some starch-based plastics collected from some recent references is also presented in this paper Doi : 10.12777/ijse.5.2.81-88 [ How to cite this article : Machmud, M.N., Fahmi, R.,  Abdullah, R., and Kokarkin, C.  (2013). Characteristics of Red Algae Bioplastics/Latex Blends under Tension. International Journal of Science and Engineering , 5(2),81-88. Doi: 10.12777/ijse.5.2.81-88


Abstract. This paper describes in situ meteorological forcing and evaluation data, and
bias-corrected reanalysis forcing data, for cold regions' modelling at 10
sites. The long-term datasets (one maritime, one arctic, three boreal, and
five mid-latitude alpine) are the reference sites chosen for evaluating
models participating in the Earth System Model-Snow Model Intercomparison
Project. Periods covered by the in situ data vary between 7 and 20 years of hourly meteorological data, with evaluation data (snow depth, snow
water equivalent, albedo, soil temperature, and surface temperature)
available at varying temporal intervals. Thirty-year (1980–2010) time series
have been extracted from a global gridded surface meteorology dataset
(Global Soil Wetness Project Phase 3) for the grid cells containing the
reference sites, interpolated to 1 h time steps and bias-corrected.
Although the correction was applied to all sites, it was most important for
mountain sites hundreds of metres higher than the grid elevations and for
which uncorrected air temperatures were too high and snowfall amounts too
low. The discussion considers the importance of data sharing to the
identification of errors and how the publication of these datasets
contributes to good practice, consistency, and reproducibility in
geosciences. The Supplement provides information on instrumentation,
an estimate of the percentages of missing values, and gap-filling methods at
each site. It is hoped that these datasets will be used as benchmarks for
future model development and that their ease of use and availability will
help model developers quantify model uncertainties and reduce model errors.
The data are published in the repository PANGAEA and are available at
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.897575.


Grazing experiments were conducted at different seasons with the large Calanus fin- marchicus, C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus, and the small Acartia longiremis in Disko Bay, West Greenland and Young Sound, NE Greenland. Female copepods incubated in 200 µm screened nat- ural water preferred large protists. Thus, particularly during the post-bloom period, the relatively large heterotrophic protists (ciliates and heterotrophic dinoflagellates) contributed substantially to the trophic coupling between protists and copepods. However, low grazing by C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus in mid-June suggests that large parts of the populations of these species had terminated feeding at this time, prior to overwintering. Clearance increased with ciliate and dinoflagellate size above 10 µm equivalent spherical diameter (ESD), equal to the size of the smallest heterotrophic pro- tists. At a size of 30 to 40 µm ESD maximum clearance was observed. Grazing on Phaeocystis single cells of 5 µm by C. finmarchicus showed a lower size-limit for capture of this species < 5 µm which contrasts with C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus, which had a lower size-limit near 10 µm. In addition to size and relative concentrations of phytoplankton and heterotrophic protists, prey and/or predator behavior is suggested to play an important role for copepod feeding.


Cogeneration systems (CGSs) consist of power generators and thermally activated machines used to recover the thermal energy from the generators. The CGS optimal design problem is an optimal location problem of facilities that produce energy through two stages. Electric power and thermal energy are produced in the first stage and thermal energy is converted to effective energy in the second stage. An allocation of facilities is evaluated as the sum of the initial cost associated with the equipping of facilities and the minimum running cost entailed in satisfying the energy demand. Therefore, the CGS optimal design problem is a difficult problem that is composed of an optimal location problem and an optimal scheduling problem. In this paper, we present a mixed integer programming (MIP) formulation of the CGS optimal design problem. The proposed formulation enables us to use a general purpose MIP solver that is readily available. We show that realistic CGS optimal design problems arising in a hospital, a hotel and an office can be solved with reasonable computational costs.


We conducted a phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and antifungal activity of adjuvant recombinant interferon (rIFN)- gamma 1b in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and acute cryptococcal meningitis. Patients received 100 or 200 microg of rIFN- gamma 1b or placebo, thrice weekly for 10 weeks, plus standard therapy with intravenous amphotericin B, with or without flucytosine, followed by therapy with fluconazole. End points included conversion of cerebrospinal fluid fungal cultures from positive to negative at 2 weeks, resolution of symptoms, and survival. Among 75 patients, 2-week culture conversion occurred in 13% of placebo recipients, 36% of rIFN- gamma 1b (100 microg) recipients, and 32% of rIFN- gamma 1b (200 microg) recipients. There was a trend toward improved combined mycologic and clinical success in rIFN- gamma 1b recipients (26% vs. 8%; P=.078). Therapy with rIFN- gamma 1b was well tolerated, and there was no apparent influence on serial CD4 cell counts and human immunodeficiency virus load measurements. Adjunctive therapy with rIFN- gamma 1b holds promise for patients with acute cryptococcal meningitis and warrants further study.