FIR Nyquist filters play important roles in communication applications. Minimax filters are very attractive because of their minimal maximum approximation error. Minimax FIR Nyquist filters, however, may not satisfy the alternating theorem. Thus the efficient multiple-exchange design algorithms are not guaranteed to converge or may not converge to minimax filters. By trading off the minimax and the least-squares criterions, a positive definite quadratic programming formulation of the design problem is obtained. It is shown that under sufficiently small tradeoff factor, the resulted filter is actually a minimax one. Using this method, many FIR Nyquist filters have been designed. Comparison with existing algorithms demonstrates the effectiveness and the efficiency of the method.


We propose two new estimators for a wide class of panel data models with nonseparable error terms and endogenous explanatory variables. The first estimator covers qualitative choice models and both estimators cover models with continuous dependent variables. The first estimator requires the existence of a vector z such that the density of the error term does not depend on the explanatory variables once one conditions on z. In some panel data cases we may find z by making the assumption that the distribution of the error term conditional on the vector of the explanatory variables for each cross-section' unit in the panel is exchangeable in the values of those explanatory variables. This situation may be realistic, in particular, when each unit is a group of individuals, so that the observations are across groups and for different individuals in each group. The basic idea is to first estimate the slope of the mean of the dependent variable conditional on both the explanatory variable and z and then undo the effect of conditioning on z by taking the average of the slope over the distribution of z conditional on a particular value of the explanatory variable. We also extend the procedure to the case in which the explanatory variable is endogenous conditional on z but an instrumental variable is available. The second estimator is based on the assumption that the error distribution is exchangeable in the explanatory variables of each unit. It applies to models that are monotone in the error term. A shift in the value of an explanatory variable for member 1 of a group has both a direct effect on the distribution of the dependent variable for member 1 and an indirect effect through the distribution of the error. A shift in the explanatory variable has an indirect effect on the dependent variable for other members of the panel but no direct effect. We isolate the direct effect by comparing the effect of the explanatory variable on the distribution of the dependent variable for member 1 to its effect on the distribution for the other panel members.


Numerous UK surveys conducted during COVID-19 examined the pandemic's detrimental effects on health, and the consequences of lockdown and other public health restrictions on mental health. Some surveys considered specific populations and social inequities exacerbated during COVID-19. Fewer surveys examined the ways in which the adverse effects of public health restrictions, such as lockdown, shielding and social distancing, might be alleviated. Drawing upon self-determination theory, the purpose of the current study was to assess whether culture-, health- and nature-based engagement would mitigate the effects of these restrictions on psychological wellbeing, social connectedness and loneliness. Quantitative data from a smaller-scale survey (n = 312) and a subset of questions embedded in a larger-scale survey (n = 3647) were analyzed using univariate and multivariate methods. Frequency of engagement, whether participation was online or offline and with or without other people, and the extent to which type of participation was associated with psychological wellbeing, social connectedness and loneliness were examined. Sports and fitness, gardening and reading occurred frequently in both surveys. For the smaller-scale survey, increases in connectedness and frequency of participation and decreases in loneliness were significantly associated with improved wellbeing, whereas the type of participation and age range were not significant predictors. Outcomes from the smaller-scale survey approximated the larger-scale survey for measures of loneliness, type and frequency of participation and proportion of respondents in each age range. As the frequency of participation was a significant predictor of wellbeing, but the type of participation was not significant, the findings implied that any type of participation in a sufficient quantity would be likely to boost wellbeing.


Aims Microcarcinoids refer to microscopic nests of monotonous cells with endocrine and squamoid features. Their peculiar morphology can appear infiltrative with a desmoplastic-like background, raising concerns for an infiltrating adenocarcinoma. To further characterise microcarcinoids, we undertook a prospective clinicopathological study. Methods 11 specimens originating from five men and six women (average age=58.9 years) were prospectively collected from December 2004 to December 2011. Results Microcarcinoids were most commonly identified in high-risk adenomas (size ≥10 mm (n=10), villous components (n=8) and/or high-grade dysplasia (n=4)). All polyps had mucosal prolapse and four displayed background fibrosis reminiscent of desmoplasia. The microcarcinoid component was most often multifocal (n=7) within the individual polyp and extended over an average length of 3.9 mm. The individual microcarcinoid cells were cuboidal with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. All cases had monotonous nuclei which lacked pleomorphism, hyperchromasia and mitotic activity. All available microcarcinoids were β-catenin and synaptophysin reactive and non-reactive for chromogranin and p53 with a negligible Ki-67 proliferation index (<2%). In addition, the microcarcinoids were variably reactive for p63 and/or CK 5/6, thereby demonstrating focal squamoid features. Two of the study cases were submitted with a concern for invasive carcinoma. Clinical information was available in 10 patients with up to 24 months of follow-up: all patients are alive and well and no subsequent malignancy has been reported. Conclusions Awareness of this unique morphology is important to avoid overdiagnosing microcarcinoids as invasive adenocarcinoma. Moreover, this immunohistochemical panel can be helpful in discriminating microcarcinoids from its malignant mimic in challenging cases.


The Atlantis Water Supply Scheme (AWSS, Western Cape, South Africa) has been in operation for about 40 years as a means to supply and augment drinking water to the town of Atlantis via managed aquifer recharge (MAR). In this study, the numerical model MODFLOW for groundwater flow and contaminant transport was used in support of the management of the AWSS. The aims were: (i) to calibrate the MODFLOW model for the MAR site at Atlantis; (ii) to run realistic scenarios that cannot be replicated through experiments; and (iii) to make recommendations in support of efficient and sustainable management of the aquifer. MODFLOW was calibrated through comparison of observed and simulated groundwater levels (R 2 between 0.663 and 0.995). Scenario simulations indicated possible drawdowns between 20 m (high abstraction and high artificial recharge) at localized areas of the Witzand wellfield. At Silwerstroom, large drawdown levels were not predicted to occur, so this wellfield could be exploited more without affecting the sustainability of the groundwater resource. Groundwater moves from the infiltration basins towards the Witzand wellfield at a rate of 120–150 m·a -1 . The modelling results supported recommendations for balancing groundwater abstraction and artificial recharge volumes, monitoring the water balance components of the system, the potential risks of groundwater contamination and the delineation of groundwater protection zones. Keywords : Groundwater abstraction; managed aquifer recharge; MODFLOW; particle tracking; scenario modelling


A new, rapid, simple, precise and extraction-free spectrophotometric method
 is proposed for the micro determination of titanium(IV) employing
 N'-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)- 3-oxobutanehydrazide as a reagent. Under the
 optimum conditions established, the absorbance was found to increase linearly
 with the concentration of titanium(IV) in the range 1.757 to 17.57 μg mL−1.
 The method parameters such as the molar absorptivity, Sandel sensitivity,
 stoichiometry of the complex, method detection limit and limit of
 quantification were reported. The reproducibility of the method was excellent
 and recoveries reported were ranging from 102 to 104%. The proposed method
 can be readily applied for the determination of titanium(IV) in synthetic
 mixtures and alloys.


"Renaissance Drama, "an annual and interdisciplinary publication, is devoted to drama and performance as a central feature of Renaissance culture. The essays in each volume explore traditional canons of drama, the significance of performance (broadly construed) to early modern culture, and the impact of new forms of interpretation on the study of Renaissance plays, theater, and performance.


Purpose: To examine the interrelationship among behavioral health clinician (BHC) staffing, scheduling, and a primary care practice's approach to delivering integrated care. Methods: Observational cross-case comparative analysis of 17 primary care practices in the United States focused on implementation of integrated care. Practices varied in size, ownership, geographic location, and integrated care experience. A multidisciplinary team analyzed documents, practice surveys, field notes from observation visits, implementation diaries, and semistructured interviews using a grounded theory approach. Results: Across the 17 practices, staffing ratios ranged from 1 BHC covering 0.3 to 36.5 primary care clinicians (PCCs). BHC scheduling varied from 50-minute prescheduled appointments to open, flexible schedules slotted in 15-minute increments. However, staffing and scheduling patterns generally clustered in 2 ways and enabled BHCs to be engaged by referral or warm handoff. Five practices predominantly used warm handoffs to engage BHCs and had higher BHC-to-PCC staffing ratios; multiple BHCs on staff; and shorter, more flexible BHC appointment schedules. Staffing and scheduling structures that enabled warm handoffs supported BHC engagement with patients concurrent with the identification of behavioral health needs. Twelve practices primarily used referrals to engage BHCs and had lower BHC-to-PCC staffing ratios and BHC schedules prefilled with visits. This enabled some BHCs to bill for services, but also made them less accessible to PCCs in when patients presented with behavioral health needs during a clinical encounter. Three of these practices were experimenting with open scheduling and briefer BHC visits to enable real-time access while managing resources. Conclusion: Practices' approaches to PCC-BHC staffing, scheduling, and delivery of integrated care mutually influenced each other and were shaped by the local context. Practice leaders, educators, clinicians, funders, researchers, and policy makers must consider these factors as they seek to optimize integrated systems of care.


The paper considers price adjustment on the plane and derives global stability conditions for such dynamics. First, we examine the well-known Scarf Example, to obtain and analyze a global stability condition for this case. Next, for a general class of excess demand functions, a set of conditions is identified which guarantee not only convergence to some equilibrium but also robustness of these properties.


OBJECTIVES
This study attempted to determine whether the association between job strain (high job demands plus low job control) and blood pressure among men varies by socioeconomic status.

METHODS
The cross-sectional associations between job strain and ambulatory blood pressure, by level of education, occupational status, and income, and the interaction between job strain and these measures of socioeconomic status were assessed by multiple linear regression, adjusted for age, race or ethnicity, body mass index, alcohol use, smoking, standing position, and worksite for 283 men, aged 30-60 years, from eight worksites in New York City.

RESULTS
A substantial association between job strain and work ambulatory blood pressure was found among men with lower socioeconomic status, ranging from 2.7-11.8 mm Hg systolic to 1.9-6.1 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure, depending upon the measure of socioeconomic status examined. However, in the groups with high socioeconomic status, the association between job strain and ambulatory blood pressure at work was much smaller, the range in blood pressure being 0-5.3 (systolic) and 0.2-2.1 (diastolic) mm Hg. Two of the 10 tests of the interaction between job strain and socioeconomic status had a P-value of <0.05.

CONCLUSIONS
These data provide evidence that the relationship between job strain and blood pressure is greater among men with lower socioeconomic status.


Energy consumption combined with scalability and 3D architecture is a fundamental constraint for brain-inspired computing. Neuromorphic architectures including memristive, spintronic, and floating gate metal–oxide–semiconductors achieve energy efficiency while having challenges of 3D design and integration, wiring and energy consumption problems for architectures with massive numbers of neurons and synapses. There are bottlenecks due to the integration of communication, memory, and computation tasks while keeping ultra-low energy consumption. In this paper, wireless power transmission (WPT)-based neuromorphic design and theoretical modeling are proposed to solve bottlenecks and challenges. Neuron functionalities with nonlinear activation functions and spiking, synaptic channels, and plasticity rules are designed with magneto-inductive WPT systems. Tasks of communication, computation, memory, and WPT are combined as an all-in-one solution. Numerical analysis is provided for microscale graphene coils in sub-terahertz frequencies with unique neuron design of coils on 2D circular and 3D Goldberg polyhedron substrates as a proof-of-concept satisfying nonlinear activation mechanisms and synaptic weight adaptation. Layered neuromorphic WPT network is utilized to theoretically model and numerically simulate pattern recognition solutions as a simple application of the proposed system design. Finally, open issues and challenges for realizing WPT-based neuromorphic system design are presented including experimental implementations.


Intellectual property law is currently exploding, as demonstrated by the growth of technology transfer offices in universities. More and more scientists, companies, and institutions are rushing to secure intellectual property rights for their ideas and inventions. This process frustrates many people; patent laws are constantly changing, and most books about them are either overly technical or boring. Protecting Your Ideas: The Inventor's Guide to Patents is a succinct, straightforward guide to the system. This guide presents the steps involved in obtaining patent protection for inventions. It is easy to read and brimming with essential information and advice compounded from FAQs posed by the author's academic and industrial clientele. The text includes tips, warnings, and examples that guide the reader through the invention process so patent rights are not jeopardized. Checklists and other helpful information are provided to assist the inventor preparing to enter the patent process. The book includes valuable resource information and business guidance to protect the inventor from consumer fraud that is sometimes associated with the patent process. Protecting and Idea is a must read for every engineer, scientist, or amateur inventor. Simple, easy-to-read format demystifies the patent process Numerous example patents help to illustrate the issues involved Provides an overview of the types of intellectual property protection Incorporates up-to-date information about U.S. patent laws Advises inventors about the do's and don'ts of patenting Includes useful resources for helping inventors safeguard their ideas


The location and function of recognized cortex-lytic enzymes of Bacillus subtilis have been explored, and the involvement in germination of a number of related proteins tested. The SleB and CwlJ proteins are cortex-lytic enzymes, partially redundant in function, that are required together for effective cortex hydrolysis during B. subtilis spore germination. Spores were fractionated, and Western blotting of individual fractions suggests that the CwlJ protein is localized exclusively to the outer layers, or integument. The second spore-lytic enzyme, SleB, is localized both in the inner membrane of the spore and in the integument fraction. Neither protein changes location or size as the spore germinates. The ypeB gene is the second gene in a bicistronic operon with sleB. The SleB protein is absent from ypeB mutant spores, suggesting that YpeB is required for its localization or stabilization. In fractions of wild-type spores, the YpeB protein is found in the same locations as SleB - in both the inner membrane and the integument. As the absence of CwlJ protein does not affect the overall RP-HPLC profile of peptidoglycan fragments in germinating spores, this enzyme's hydrolytic specificity could not be defined. The effects of inactivation of several homologues of cortex-lytic enzymes of as yet undefined function were examined, by testing null mutants for their germination behaviour by OD(600) fall and by RP-HPLC of peptidoglycan fragments from dormant and germinating spores. The YaaH enzyme is responsible for a likely epimerase modification of peptidoglycan during spore germination, but the loss of this activity does not appear to affect the spore's ability to complete germination. Unlike the other cortex-lytic enzymes, the YaaH protein is present in large amounts in the spore germination exudate of B. subtilis. Mutants lacking either YdhD or YvbX, both homologues of YaaH, had no detectable alteration in either dormant or germinating spore peptidoglycan, and germinated normally. The ykvT gene, which encodes a protein of the SleB/CwlJ family, has no apparent association with germination: the gene is expressed in vegetative cells, and mutants lacking YkvT have no detectable phenotype.


This paper examines power as a conceptual lens for understanding Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation plus (REDD+) scholarship in the Global South. It focuses on the underlying argument that conservation problematization, practices, and execution are complex and variegated in shaping asymmetric power relations. This demonstrates that REDD + power framing is not unilinear but has theoretical commonalities and differences that need systematic documentation, yet scanty and discrete. Thus, it reexamines recent debates and theoretical trends on REDD+ through power approaches. It has shown that analysing the complexity of power relations reveals uneven power structures shaping REDD+ with associated inequitable relations. Also, the paper highlights specific ideas, strategies and initiatives by those powerful actors have produced in extending coloniality for controlling forest-landdependent communities and their actions to resist it. It showcases how current critical theories and policy debates are crucial for realizing a just and equitable conservation model in the Global South.


ABSTRACT Background: Social communication impairment is a persisting and debilitating consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, there has been little empirical speech-language pathology (SLP) study focusing on the early stage of recovery after TBI, including during post-traumatic amnesia (PTA). This research reports on social communication presentation and recovery during late PTA and the post-acute period, assessed with standardized measures. Method: Using mixed-methods case study research, four participants with severe TBI were assessed with social communication assessment measures over the later stages of PTA and/or at PTA emergence, and at follow-up three months later. Assessment tools included the Measure of Cognitive Linguistic Abilities Family Questionnaire, the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire and The Profile of Pragmatic Impairment in Communication and included patient and friend/family perspectives. Results: It was possible to identify a profile of social communication disorder on SLP measures for participants during PTA that persisted at follow-up, but with decreased severity. Self and friend/family member ratings of social communication indicated an increased awareness of social difficulty at three months after PTA emergence. Conclusion: Findings provided information about presentation and course of recovery of social communication ability for participants in the early stage of rehabilitation after TBI. These findings have implications for timing and methods of SLP assessment during PTA.


Meat and meat products, are one of the most important parts of a healthy and balanced diet. Also meat and meat products are accepted as a source of high biological value protein, B group vitamins, minerals and different bioactive compounds. Meat and meat products should be consumed for healthy life. But manufacturing process and products as a result of wrong practices and processes can become harmful to health. Especially processed and heat treated products are the main risk group. Nitrosamines occuring during the production as a contaminant is defined as the amine derivatives containing R1R2N-N = O functional group. Nitrosamine formation can occur in meat products with false and unconscious practice and can threat public health. Nitrosamine was reported as a carcinogenic to humans by the International Agengy For Research on Cancer. In this review, it is aimed to draw attention to the formation of nitrosamines in the meat matrix and their effects on health. Keywords : Meat products, nitrosamine, carcinogenic. DOI : 10.7176/JSTR/5-4-13


In order to study the catalytic activity in the preparation of fuel gases from catalytic pyrolysis of coal, the author selects NixOy/γ-Al2O3、CrxOy/γ-Al2O3,AgxOy/γ-Al2O3 and CoxOy/γ-Al2O3, respectively as the metal oxide supported catalysts from the previous experiment's results. These catalysts have been added to Shenhua coal for a series of experiments. After these experiments, GC (gas chromatography) has been used for the analysis on the yield changes of CO and CH4 which result from the experiments. The results show that all of these catalysts have a positive influence on the yield of CO and CH4. As to the yield of CO, catalytic activity of CrxOy/γ-Al2O3 represents the most prominent performance at medium temperature period and CoxOy/γ-Al2O3 represents the same performance at high temperature period, while NixOy/γ-Al2O3, in which a great number of aluminum acid nickel spinels are reduced into metallic Ni at high temperature period, which results in different catalytic activity center from raw metallic Ni reduced from NiO. Consequently, the former reduced Ni shows outstanding catalytic activity. As to the yield of CH4, four catalysts mentioned above represent either the similar catalytic activity with CO or the individual characteristic —on one hand ,due to the strong adsorption of AgO and CrO3, CH4 gas is changed into H2 via pyrolysis at medium temperature as the yield of CH4 slumps ,on the other hand, due to an enormous amount of H2 production ,there is a drastically chemical reaction between H2 and these catalysts at high temperature, in which the yield of CH4 upswings toward the maximum amount greatly at the same time. Therefore, CrxOy/γ-Al2O3, AgxOy/γ-Al2O3 and CoxOy/γ-Al2O3 are more efficient at medium temperature and high temperature respectively. However, NixOy/γ-Al2O3 demonstrates the positive influence only from 800°Con. All of these results depend on the essence of catalysts to some extent. The study would have some theoretical guidance about increasing the utilization of coal and about industrial application of fuel gases generated from catalytic pyrolysis of coal.


a retreat by Evangelicals from anything which might seem to resemble such doctrines. For Dr Toon their decisive achievement was to sustain the Protestant character of the Church of England. He is sceptical about the view that Tractarianism supplemented rather than contradicted the Evangelical Revival and in strictly doctrinal terms he is probably right. It should be added that he is remarkably fair and accurate in his descriptions of Tractarian theology and makes no exaggerated claims for the quality of Evangelical thinking. HENRY D. RACK


An experimental and theoretical study has been carried out of the ablation of a solid insulator with a wide band gap (LiF) under the action of ultrashort laser pulses of the UV range, obtained in a free-electron laser (pulse width τ L =0.3ps, photon energy ħω L =20.2eV), and the soft X-ray region, obtained in a silver-plasma laser (τ L =7ps, ħω L =89.3eV). A comparison is made of the results obtained on the two laser systems. It is shown that the ablation threshold is about the same for both lasers. A theory is presented that explains the weak growth of the ablation mass with increasing surface energy density of the laser radiation (the fluence) in the case of X-ray lasers as a result of the transition from spallation close to the ablation threshold to evaporative ablation at high fluence values.


The paper aims to spotlight the importance and significance of the long-term port development strategy planning which allows for the maximum effects to be produced with a minimum of the resources (production and service capacities, human resources, financial potential) invested, and thus, by making the optimum short-term and long-term decisions, leading to the permanent growth and development of the whole system. The strategic objectives, and, through that, the business policy and its implementation can be set up only after the port vision and mission are clearly defined. Understanding the competition is crucial for the efficiency of the strategy which, in order to be successful, must be focused on the competition weaknesses aiming at neutralizing its advantages. Hence, the importance of defining the existing and potential competitors and making a comparison of strengths and weaknesses is of utmost importance. Sometimes, the real businesses opportunities and threats are placed beyond one's own line of industry and business. It is therefore necessary to make a careful analysis of the port environment. After the port competition and environment have been analyzed, it would be possible to initiate the building of the SWOT matrix. The matrix will incorporate all perceptions and consequently, propose strategies based on the analysis of internal and external factors.


This study aims at developing an interval multicriteria decision‐making method for helping the stakeholders to select the most sustainable prime mover for combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP) technologies under uncertainties for promoting the sustainable development of CCHP system. The "interval best‐worst method," which can address the vagueness and ambiguity existing in the judgments of the decision‐makers, has been developed for determining the weights of the evaluation criteria. The interval VIKOR method which can rank the alternatives with imprecise data has been used to prioritize the alternative prime movers for CCHP technologies. Four alternative prime movers including internal combustion engine, gas turbines, microturbines, and fuel cells were studied by the developed method, and the sustainability order of the 4 prime movers from the most sustainable to the least is fuel cells, microturbines, gas turbines, and internal combustion engine. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out to investigate the influences of the weights of the sustainability criteria on the sustainability ranking of the alternative prime movers, and the results reveal that the sustainability rankings are very sensitive to the weights of sustainability criteria.


Tillage changes soil properties and the way how the environment affects those properties. Soil properties and environment determine the rate of water movement in liquid and gaseous form into and out of soil. Based on the experimental database of the Institute of Land Utilisation, Regional Development and Technology of the University of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management and the KITE PLC, various cultivation systems were examined with maize (Zea mays L.) as indicator plant in Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok county. The sample area can be found in the outskirts of Kenderes on a meadow chernozem soil. On the examined plot, strip-tillage, subsoiling and moldboard ploughing were performed, each on 4.5 ha, respectively. The purpose of the present study is to compare these cultivation systems according to the soil- and maize kernel moisture content and to the yield based on the years of 2012 and 2013.


The main point of the paper is to investigate how much the modeled ring current depends on the representations of magnetic and electric fields and boundary conditions used in simulations. Two storm events, one moderate (SymH minimum of−120 nT) on 6–7 November 1997 and one intense (SymH minimum of −230 nT) on 21–22 October 1999, are modeled. A rather simple ring current model is employed, namely, the Inner Magnetosphere Particle Transport and Acceleration model (IMPTAM), in order to make the results most evident. Four different magnetic field and two electric field representations and four boundary conditions are used. We find that different combinations of the magnetic and electric field configurations and boundary conditions result in very different modeled ring current, and, therefore, the physical conclusions based on simulation results can differ significantly. A time-dependent boundary outside of 6.6 RE gives a possibility to take into account the particles in the transition region (between dipole and stretched field lines) forming partial ring current and near-Earth tail current in that region. Calculating the model SymH* by Biot-Savart's law instead of the widely used Dessler-Parker-Sckopke (DPS) relation gives larger and more realistic values, since the currents are calculated in the regions with nondipolar magnetic field. Therefore, the boundary location and the method of SymH* calculation are of key importance for ring current data-model comparisons to be correctly interpreted.


The main objective of this study is to examine the stock markets' shock due to the effect of the price of oil in the East Asia Region. Particularly, this study examines if there is stock market interdependence during global oil price shocks (sudden changes) for a sample of five total oil importers (the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan), four net oil importers (Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and China), and one net oil exporter (Malaysia) between 1999 and 2014. From the result, an oil price change is collectively found to have a small but significant positive impact on the stock markets, in particular where a sudden decrease in oil prices tends to cause a stock market downturn and volatility. The world economy's spending, financial investments in oil futures and foreign investment by oil rich nations are some underlying motives for inducing this oil-stock positive relation. The same direction of time-varying conditional correlations is found across East Asian stock markets during negative oil price shocks. The integration among East Asian stock markets is inducing the oil shock contagion to be transmitted from direct oil-affected countries (South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore) to non-direct oil affected countries' (Japan and Taiwan) stock markets. In spite of a long practiced ASEAN+3 macroeconomics surveillance process and Early Warning System (EWS) which can be customized for stock markets to prevent or detect the oil risk, hedging against initial oil-affected stock markets and a stronger influence by the East Asian countries in the global world of oil and capital investment are strongly suggested. Keywords : oil price; capital market integration; stock market behaviour


Evolutionary theory predicts that males seek more sexual partners than females because of their higher fitness benefits from such a reproductive strategy. Accordingly, variance in numbers of partners and offspring is expected to be greater and association between mating and reproductive success to be stronger in males. Studies testing key predictions of this hypothesis in humans are lacking. Using data of 3700 men and 4010 women living in contemporary United States, we examined sex differences in the variance of number of spouses and offspring and in the association between spouse number and number of offspring. The results suggested a stronger selective advantage of serial monogamy in men than in women. Variance in spouse and offspring number was, respectively, 5% and 10% higher in men. In addition, the association between mating and reproductive success was stronger in men, so that men with 3 or more consecutive spouses had 19% more children than men with only spouse, whereas spouse number beyond the first partner was not associated with number of children in women. When the sample was stratified by ethnic group, the sex differences were stronger among Black and Hispanic participants than among White participants. Key words: humans, mating system, remarriage, reproductive strategy, sexual selection. [Behav Ecol]


Abstract Objectives: Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is reported increasingly in non-traditional hosts, typically patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objectives were to describe the excess burden of IA in COPD, including mortality, resource utilization, and costs, as well as to examine the impact of initial antifungal selection on clinical and economic outcomes. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used national data from 2005 to 2008, from the Premier Perspective hospital database. IA was identified using proxy ICD-9 codes based on published algorithms. The COPD + IA patient cohort was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Excess resource utilization was analyzed by matching cases (COPD + IA) and controls (COPD patients without aspergillosis) on demographic and clinical variables. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the impact of initial antifungal drug selection on outcomes in COPD + IA. Results: In total, 475 COPD + IA patients were identified (mean age 69 years, 50% male, 76% Caucasian). COPD + IA cases had significantly higher costs, length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and mortality compared to COPD controls (all p < 0.01). On average, antifungal therapy was initiated on hospital day 6, with mean length of therapy 15 days, and one-third of patients were in the ICU when antifungal treatment was initiated. Most commonly used antifungals were voriconazole, fluconazole, and caspofungin. Patients receiving fluconazole as the initial antifungal, an agent inactive against moulds, had almost two times greater mortality (p = 0.016), two additional hospital days (p = 0.002), and 25% greater costs (p = 0.007), compared to patients receiving voriconazole first-line. Findings were consistent in sub-analyses including ICU patients. Limitations: 'Invasive' form of aspergillosis was identified using proxy ICD-9 codes based on published literature. Additional limitations stem from the study's non-randomized, retrospective design that is typical with any database analyses. Conclusions: COPD + IA patients had significantly higher mortality, resource utilization, and costs versus COPD controls. Treatment with an agent active against Aspergillus was associated with better survival and reduced economic burden, therefore this potential etiology of pneumonia should be considered when contemplating antifungal therapy in COPD patients.


Nonsynchronous generators such as photovoltaics (PVs) are expected to undermine bulk power systems (BPSs)' frequency response at high penetration levels. Though the underlying mechanism has been relatively well understood, the accurate assessment and effective enhancement of the U.S. interconnections' frequency response under extra-high PV penetration conditions remains an issue. In this paper, the industry-provided full-detail interconnection models were further validated by synchrophasor frequency measurements and realistically-projected PV geographic distribution information were used to develop extra-high PV penetration scenarios and dynamic models for the three main U.S. interconnections, including Eastern Interconnection (EI), Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Up to 65% instantaneous PV and 15% wind penetration were simulated and the frequency response change trend of each U.S. interconnection due to the increasing PV penetration level were examined. Most importantly, the practical solutions to address the declining frequency response were discussed. This paper will provide valuable guidance for policy makers, utility operators and academic researchers not only in the U.S. but also other countries in the world.


The rapid developments in the field of genomics and proteomics are expected to lead to a further increase in the potential for early diagnosis, the fine-tuning of prognostic features of specific tumors and the detection of cancer predisposition. Oncogenomics has identified new drug targets for genotype-specific treatments and provided strategies to validate these targets and to develop drugs. With the potential need to stratify patients by genotype, clinical testing of targeted drugs has become more complicated while expectations of patients, investors, and funding agencies have become accelerated. Oncogenomics has progressed logically from molecular profiling to model systems, cancer pharmacology and clinical trials. Oncogenomics covers cutting-edge issues such as array-based diagnostics, pharmacogenomics, pharmacoproteomics and molecularly targeted therapeutics includes discussions of ethical, legal, and social issues related to cancer genomics and clinical trials.


In the last few years, the activity of cath labs has undergone some notable changes, at present largely focusing on diagnosis and invasive therapy of a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases. Technological and pharmacological advances have allowed for procedures to be performed in patients who are increasingly complex, and cath labs have become the preferred venue for endovascular treatment of coronary artery disease, in particular acute coronary syndrome, as well as the treatment of structural heart disease and peripheral vascular disease. This position paper is an update of the 1996 and 2008 versions, given the present level of experience and the situation in Italy. It aims to provide the quality standards required to maintain adequate conditions of know-how and safety, as well as the structural and organizational requirements that are fundamental to obtain the best possible use of human and technological resources. Position papers should be a stimulus and guide for operators in the field as well as for those who govern health policies. This should allow for an improved and more rational allocation of cath labs in Italy, based on the real need for procedures and an optimal distribution and organization of the cardiovascular emergency networks while respecting the minimum standards of care.


Cloud applications generate a mix of flows with and without deadlines. Scheduling such mix-flows is a key challenge; our experiments show that trivially combining existing schemes for deadline/non-deadline flows is problematic. For example, prioritizing deadline flows hurts flow completion time (FCT) for non-deadline flows, with minor improvement for deadline miss rate. We present Karuna, a first systematic solution for scheduling mix-flows. Our key insight is that deadline flows should meet their deadlines while minimally impacting the FCT of non-deadline flows. To achieve this goal, we design a novel Minimal-impact Congestion control Protocol (MCP) that handles deadline flows with as little bandwidth as possible. For non-deadline flows, we extend an existing FCT minimization scheme to schedule flows with known and unknown sizes. Karuna requires no switch modifications and is back- ward compatible with legacy TCP/IP stacks. Our testbed experiments and simulations show that Karuna effectively schedules mix-flows, for example, reducing the 95th percentile FCT of non-deadline flows by up to 47.78% at high load compared to pFabric, while maintaining low (<5.8%) deadline miss rate.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm section thicknesses of liver CT on the detection and grading of esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients.

METHODOLOGY
A total of 219 consecutive cirrhotic patients who had undergone both upper endoscopy and 64-channel liver CT were included. Portal phase images of each CT were reconstructed with a section thickness of 1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm. Four radiologists independently reviewed the 3 image sets. The observers evaluated the presence of esophageal varices on a 5-point confidence scale and measured the maximal short diameter of the largest varix identified. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value calculation and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed. Correlation between CT measurements and endoscopic grading as the reference standard was assessed.

RESULTS
The averaged Az values at 1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm image sets were 0.936, 0.946, and 0.935, respectively, and they were not significantly different among the 4 observers. When a 3 mm cut-off criterion for large varices was applied, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were comparable among the 3 image datasets.

CONCLUSIONS
Routine liver CT protocol is sufficient for evaluation of esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients without adding thin section reconstruction images.


Background The potential benefits of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), applied either alone or as a combination treatment, on recovery of lower limbs after stroke have been insufficiently studied. Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of priming with 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over contralesional leg motor area with a double-cone coil before physical therapy on regaining ambulation. Methods Thirty-eight subacute stroke patients with significant leg disabilities were randomly assigned into the experimental group or control group to receive a 15-min real or sham 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, respectively, over the contralesional motor cortex representing the quadriceps muscle followed by 45-min physical therapy for 15 sessions for 3 wks. Functional measures, motor evoked potentials, and quality of life were assessed. Results There was no significant difference between experimental group and control group regarding the recovery in ambulation, balance, motor functions, and activity of daily living. No significant difference was found in other functional measures and the quality of life. Only the control group displayed significantly increased cortical excitability of the contralesional hemisphere after the intervention. Conclusions The present study found that insufficient evidence that contralesional priming with 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves ambulatory and other motor functions among patients with a severe leg dysfunction in subacute stroke.


This research characterizes the initial acquisition performance of a transform domain communication system (TDCS) via modeling and simulation. As previously demonstrated a TDCS provides an effective interference suppression capability and differs from traditional spread spectrum systems in two primary ways: 1) spectrally crowded regions are avoided via adaptive spectral notching, and 2) no carrier modulation is employed; rather "noise-like" basis functions are data modulated. Relevant TDCS research has unrealistically assumed perfect synchronization conditions, a vitally important and complex element of most digital communication systems. This research investigated initial TDCS acquisition performance for various synchronization codewords and several acquisition methods, e.g., direct time correlation (DTC) and German's technique, using both peak and threshold detection techniques. Theoretical development and MATLAB(R) simulations results indicate a TDCS can achieve a high probability of detection (P/sub 0/>0.9) for relatively low input Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNRs), as low as -23 dB for peak detection and -21 dB for threshold detection. DTC results are shown to approximate matched filter performance while providing reasonable improvement over radiometric processing. Extensive computer simulations and subsequent analysis indicate that a TDCS can adequately acquire and accurately align a locally generated reference waveform with a received noise-like TDCS signal.


Background and objectives Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare but potentially life threatening connective tissue disease characterised by vasculopathy, inflammation, the production of autoantibodies and excessive fibrosis of skin and internal organs. Fibrosis is defined by an excess production of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules predominantly of type I collagen. The main producers of collagen are myofibroblasts. These cells are characterised by the expression of α-SMA. Monocytes are one of the first cells that infiltrate inflamed or damaged tissue and they bear a high differentiation potential. Furthermore, in SSc it is suggested that monocytes are activated and play an important role in disease onset and progression. We postulate that monocytes can differentiate into myofibroblasts-like cells under the influence of soluble factors such as endothelin-1, IL-4 and GM-CSF which are elevated in SSc serum. Materials and methods To study the effect of ET-1 as well as GM-CSF and IL-4, we isolated monocytes from whole blood of healthy controls or SSc patients by ficoll and positive selection with CD14 beads. Monocytes were cultured in the presence of the above soluble factors over 14 days. Expression of α-SMA and type I collagen was then determined by Western blotting, qPCR and immunofluorescence. Results Monocytes from healthy individuals and SSc patients responded different to certain stimuli. In particular, we found that differentiation of healthy monocytes into α-SMA expressing cells is strictly dependent on GM-CSF. However, in patient monocytes ET-1 and IL-4 are also able to promote α-SMA expression but to a lesser extend than GM-CSF. Furthermore, we observed that type I collagen expression requires GM-GSF treatment but can be enhanced with costimulation of ET-1. Conclusions These data suggest that monocytes can differentiate into a myofibroblast-like phenotype and that SSc patient monocytes require a less complex stimulation to do so. Understanding the role of monocytes in fibrosis may contribute to the development of novel therapies for systemic sclerosis.


Abstract Objective. This study was designed to investigate the effect of sublethal doses (10, 60, and 120 mg/kg of pirimiphos-methyl on implantation and pregnancy in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Pirimiphos-methyl is a pesticide widely used worldwide, especially in Africa to protect food against pests and has gained widespread acceptance. Methods. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats used for this study had access to food and water ad libitum and were divided into a control group and three experimental groups based on dose of chemical given. The pregnant rats were given pirimiphos-methyl orally on days 1–5, 1–7, 7–18th day of gestation and from day 1 to term. Implantation studies were carried out on days 6 and 8 of pregnancy, while the fetal parameters were ascertained on day 19 of pregnancy and at term. Serum levels of progesterone and estradiol were measured on days 6, 8 and 19 of pregnancy. Results. Sublethal administration of pirimiphos-methyl showed decreased number of implantation sites on days 6 and 8, fetal weight, crown-to-rump length, length of umbilical cord and placenta weight (day 19), birth weight, litter size and total number (at term) in rats administered with pirimiphos-methyl when compared with control. Conclusion. Administration of pirimiphos-methyl resulted in a reduced implantation rate due to decreased uterine receptivity caused by an imbalance in the level of estradiol and progesterone and impaired reproductive outcome during pregnancy.


Author(s): Karimzadeh Kiskani, Mohsen | Advisor(s): Sadjadpour, Hamid R | Abstract: Coded caching in wireless networks and storage systems is studied. Caching based on two types of codes, index codes and fountain codes, is investigated in terms of network throughput and security. It is shown that index coding can significantly increase the multicast transmission rate in Information Centric Networks (ICN). Also, it is proved that index codes can be efficiently used to increase the multicasting transmission rate in cellular networks. It is proved that a simple graph coloring-based algorithm for index coding achieves order optimal capacity gains both for cellular and ICN networks. A new decentralized caching scheme based on Random Linear Fountain (RLF) codes is then introduced and it is shown that RLF-based coded caching performs close to optimal in terms of reducing the average number of transmission hops in wireless ad hoc and cellular networks. Therefore, considerable capacity gains can be achieved using RLF-based coded caching in wireless networks. It is shown that the RLF codes can significantly reduce the overcaching in wireless networks. Further, it is shown that using coded caching based on RLF codes we can achieve asymptotic perfect secrecy. In the limiting case of large number of coded files, the conditions of Shannon secrecy theorem are met and the problem can be modelled by a Shannon cipher system which is perfectly secure. Finally, a new storage policy based on RLF codes for storage systems along with a Private Information Retrieval (PIR) scheme for these systems is proposed and it is proved that perfect privacy and secrecy is achievable in these systems.


In a single-input-single-output production process the variability of the input and output from the process makes the determination of the exact nature of the relationship between the input and output quite complex and difficult. It is therefore necessary to seek an analytical tool to clarify the nature of this relationship. The proposed analytical model is the transfer function. Determination of the production process transfer function will have potential applications in game theory, maintenance and quality control. This work examined the potential application of single-inputsingle- output production process transfer function modelling to game theory and mechanism design. Models relating transfer functions to Bayesian games and mechanism design were developed. On the final analysis, it was shown that relating transfer function to Bayesian games and mechanism design would lead to optimal bids, optimal manufacturing and purchasing strategies, and design of efficient mechanism by social choice planners. Keywords : Transfer function, Game theory, mechanism design, production process


In this communication we reported the fusion of mitochondria of hepatocytes extracted from a rat liver. It was found that fusion occurred at an electric field of 1.56-1.8 kV/cm at room temperature. Further increase in the field strength (greater than 1.8 kV/cm) was accompanied by the breakdown of mitochondria.


Purpose:
The aims of this paper are: to investigate the perceptions held by police (insiders) and community member (outsiders) of the recruitment and retention of culturally and linguistically diverse employees of Victoria Police; and, to develop a model that can assist in future recruitment and retention policy development.----------

Design/methodology/approach:
Structured focus group interviews were conducted based on an instrument deduced from existing literature. Police and community members were interviewed separate cohorts. The discussions were thematically coded to themes and sub-themes.----------

Findings:
Specific differences were identified in perceptions of the importance of recruiting culturally and linguistically diverse groups, barriers to recruitment, recruitment methods, and retention methods.----------

Research limitations/implications:
Based on these perceptions, a propose a model addresses the importance of cultural diversity in policing and barriers to recruitment and retention of culturally and linguistically diverse employees. Further research is necessary to assess the broader applicability of this model.----------

Practical implications:
The proposed model is may be used as the basis for future recruitment and retention activities, and human resource management policy development.----------

Originality/value:
This is the first study in the Australian context of recruitment and retention of culturally and linguistically diverse police that addresses both community and police perspectives. Aligning the demographic profile of the police service with that of the community is beneficial to effective policing.


Objectives
Numerous studies have documented the relationship between education and cognitive functioning at the individual level. Yet few studies have examined whether a spouse's education spills over to influence the other spouse's cognitive functioning. This study, therefore, investigated the association between spousal education and cognitive functioning, the pathways that may account for this association, and gender differences in this association.

Method
Growth curve models were analyzed by using longitudinal couple data from the Health and Retirement Study (N=5,846 individuals).

Results
More years of spousal education is associated with higher level of cognitive functioning at age 65 (γ000=.0532, 95% confidence interval [CI]=.0163.0901) and slower decline in cognitive functioning in later adulthood (γ100 =.0054, 95% CI=.0026.0082). The positive association between spousal education and the level of cognitive functioning at age 65 was fully explained by economic resources. The association of spousal education with the rate of cognitive decline decreased but remained significant after controlling for economic resources and health behaviors (γ100 =.0043, 95% CI =.0014.0072). The association between spousal education and cognitive functioning was similar for men and women.

Discussion
Findings suggest that more years of spousal education may slow decline in cognitive functioning for men and women in later life.


: The authors compared amikacin penetration into the aqueous humor after intraveinous and subconjunctival administration, by samples taken at cataract surgery. Of 12 patients divided into 4 groups, given 500 mg of intraveinous amikacin at one to four hours before surgery, none showed detectable aqueous levels; whereas, the plasma level was maximum at one hour (25.5 +/- 4.5 micrograms/ml). Of 18 cases similarly divided into 4 groups given 30 mg of subconjunctival amikacin, aqueous levels of the drug were detectable at 24 minutes (6.2 +/- 5.2 micrograms/ml) and increased thereafter to 177.5 +/- 11.45 micrograms/ml at the maximum time allowed of 3 hours. No plasma levels were detected at time. Based on prior reports of the minimum inhibiting concentration of amikacin, subconjunctival administration would appear to provide effective aqueous levels for the prophylaxis and treatment of susceptable bacterial infections.


A by now large literature in regional economics has greatly improved our understanding of the determinants of the observed spatial disparities in productivity. However, this literature neglects what seems to be a robust and persistent fact accompanying regional productivity differences: high productivity regions also have lower unemployment than low productivity regions. In this paper, we set out a model in the NEG/job search tradition to explore the theoretical determinants of this fact. We find that the same forces producing regional agglomeration and productivity differences also generate persistent unemployment disparities. Moreover, we highlight a contrast between the short-run and long-run effects of migration on regional unemployment. In particular, migration from the periphery to the core may reduce unemployment disparities in the short-run, but exacerbates them in the long-run.


Improving agricultural productivity has been the world's primary defense against a recurring Malthusian crisis— where needs of a growing population outstrip the ability of humankind to supply food. Over the last half-century, world population doubled while food supply tripled, even as land under cultivation grew by only 12% (FAO, 2012). It is by raising productivity, or getting more output from existing resources, that has been driving growth in global agriculture, and what has proven Malthus wrong. In fact, at the global level, the long-run trend since at least 1900 has been one of increasing food abundance—in inflationadjusted dollars, food prices fell by an average of 1% per year over the course of the 20th Century


This study was undertaken to determine if response selection accuracy could be improved without sacrificing a football linebacker's response selection speed by practicing his response selection skills in relation to various offensive plays that were seen via a videotape from a viewing angle similar to what he would see in a game. The task required the linebacker to respond to the cues of the tight end and backfield play by manipulating a joystick as accurately and quickly as possible. The data revealed that there was an improvement in response selection accuracy without sacrificing response selection speed. This finding was interpreted as evidence that training using a video-tape that displays a view of plays that is similar to what is seen in a game situation can be an effective method for improving the perceptual skills needed for response selection accuracy by a linebacker in a laboratory setting.


ABSTRACT Foscarnet (trisodium phosphonoformate hexahydrate) is an antiviral agent used to treat cytomegalovirus disease in immunocompromised patients. One common side effect is acute ionized hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia following intravenous administration. Foscarnet-induced ionized hypomagnesemia might contribute to ionized hypocalcemia by impairing excretion of preformed parathyroid hormone (PTH) or by producing target organ resistance. Prevention of ionized hypomagnesemia following foscarnet administration could blunt the development of ionized hypocalcemia. To determine whether intravenous magnesium ameliorates the decline in ionized calcium and/or magnesium following foscarnet infusions, MgSO4 at doses of 1, 2, and 3 g was administered in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover trial to 12 patients with AIDS and cytomegalovirus disease. Overall, increasing doses of MgSO4 reduced or eliminated foscarnet-induced acute ionized hypomagnesemia. Supplementation, however, had no discernible effect on foscarnet-induced ionized hypocalcemia despite significant increases in serum PTH levels. No dose-related, clinically significant adverse events were found, suggesting that intravenous supplementation with up to 3 g of MgSO4 was safe in this chronically ill population. Since parenteral MgSO4 did not alter foscarnet-induced ionized hypocalcemia or symptoms associated with foscarnet, routine intravenous supplementation for patients with normal serum magnesium levels is not recommended during treatment with foscarnet.


With massive amounts of atomic simulation data available, there is a huge opportunity to develop fast and accurate machine learning models to approximate expensive physics-based calculations. The key quantity to estimate is atomic forces, where the state-of-the-art Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) explicitly enforce basic physical constraints such as rotation-covariance. However, to strictly satisfy the physical constraints, existing models have to make tradeoffs between computational efficiency and model expressiveness. Here we explore an alternative approach. By not imposing explicit physical constraints, we can flexibly design expressive models while maintaining their computational efficiency. Physical constraints are implicitly imposed by training the models using physics-based data augmentation. To evaluate the approach, we carefully design a scalable and expressive GNN model, ForceNet, and apply it to OC20 (Chanussot et al., 2020), an unprecedentedly-large dataset of quantum physics calculations. Our proposed ForceNet is able to predict atomic forces more accurately than state-of-the-art physics-based GNNs while being faster both in training and inference. Overall, our promising results open up an exciting avenue for future research.1


Building brand loyalty is very important and very crucial to maintain it. Making brand loyalty is becoming an important element to gain long-term profitability and competitive advantage. The objective of this study was to determine the key element and their contribution towards making brand loyalty so the study shows a significant and positive relationship between brand loyalty and the subjected variables including brand image, customer satisfaction, trust, and promotion. This quantitative research was done with a sample size of 406 specifically mobile phone users and questionnaire was the tool to collect data which was distributed among mobile phone users all over Pakistan and analyzed through SPSS. The results found and after evaluation, it concludes that the brand image has the highest contribution toward dependent variable that is brand loyalty on the other hand correlation between trust and customer satisfaction was found intensively with the highest level among all variables and lowest with customer satisfaction and promotion. It is also observed that data was highly deviated from variable Promotion and lest with Brand Image which is favorable. All the factors which were subjected to investigate help to take competitive advantage and will discriminate brand from several which make customers loyal influences customers' decision making. It is also found that people become more brand conscious related themselves with brands in order to meet social needs which make them feel deprive and pursue the repetitive purchase. Fights to retain customers become more beneficial for the advancement and invention of new technologies. It is found that this competitive environment does not allow marketers to take unethical commercial benefits in presence of competitors but on the other hand, it helps managers to make excellent marketing strategies and advice manufacture to take correct business decisions. Loyalty is all about the state of mind so it assists marketers to understand consumer buying behavior.


Most school systems grant teachers and school principals considerable discretion in grade retention decisions. This paper argues that schools can exploit this discretion by selectively retaining students to reduce class size which potentially has important implications for public spending on education and affected students. To this end, I build a model in which class size is subject to a class size cap, with teachers and school principals determining the share of students to be retained. This leads to a set of empirical predictions that can be tested with minimal data requirements. Testing these predictions using administrative data for German primary schools yields strong evidence of schools strategically using grade retention to reduce class size.


Ejaculated mammalian spermatozoa must reside in the female genital tract for some time before gaining the ability to fertilize the egg. During this time, spermatozoa undergo some physiological changes that collectively are called capacitation. Capacitation of mammalian spermatozoa is a prerequisite for acrosome reaction, which is an exocytotic event occurring before fertilization. The specific biophysical and biochemical changes that accompany sperm capacitation and the agonists inducing acrosome reaction are not fully understood. Using SDS-gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, we demonstrate the existence of a class of angiotensin receptors (AT1) in bovine spermatozoa. In capacitated sperm, we show that angiotensin II (ANG II) AT1 receptors are localized in the head and tail, whereas in noncapacitated cells the receptors are localized in the tail only. We find that ANG II markedly stimulates acrosomal exocytosis of capacitated bovine spermatozoa in vitro in a concentration range of 0.1-10 nM. No effect of ANG II was found in noncapacitated cells. The ability of ANG II to stimulate the acrosome reaction depends on the presence of calcium ions in the incubation medium. The ANG II-induced acrosome reaction was markedly inhibited by a selective AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan (DUP 753). PD-123319, a selective antagonist of the ANG II AT2 receptor, had no effect on the ANG II-induced acrosome reaction. Thus ANG II via activation of AT1 receptors may play a regulatory role in the induction of the acrosome reaction.


Retinoic acid receptor (RAR) is a nuclear receptor involved in vertebrate morphogenesis, growth, cellular differentiation, and tissue homeostasis. Excess expression of the retinoid signaling can cause various developmental toxicities in animals and humans. We previously found that influents from sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Japan had a RAR agonistic activity and the activity cannot be removed completely by conventional biological treatments. In this study, we assessed the performance of chemical and physical sewage treatment technologies-ozonation, ultraviolet treatment, chlorination, coagulation using polyaluminium chloride (PAC) and ferric sulfate, and filtration with ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes-in removal of RAR agonistic activity of STP effluent. All water treatment experiments were conducted in laboratory-scale reactors. The RAR agonistic activity of samples was measured using a yeast two-hybrid assay. Results showed that the effectiveness of tested technologies on the removal of RAR agonistic activity can be ranked as RO or NF > chlorination > ozonation > MF > UV > coagulation with ferric sulfate>>coagulation with PAC. Furthermore, the effectiveness of chlorination might rank lower because excess reaction might bring a side effect by producing some RAR agonistic by-product(s).


The increasing electrification of aircraft propulsion systems is leading to new control architectures being developed to address integration between electric machines and gas-based turbine engines. For hybrid-electric propulsion systems, current conceptual architectures often couple electric machines with the shafts of gas turbine engines and introduce energy storage. Leveraging the electrical power system of hybridized engines, Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM) is a recent control approach that improves transient operability in an effort to enable more efficient and lighter weight turbomachinery. This study seeks to expand TEEM's application beyond traditional proportional-integral (PI) control by presenting linear model predictive control (MPC) schemes to execute the TEEM concept. Through constraint selection and cost function design, transient operability goals for TEEM are considered with no external logic or saturation. Unique to the designs are the use of a washout filter, which simplifies transient detection and motor activation logic. The proposed architectures are implemented with both centralized MPC and distributed MPC approaches, and comparisons are drawn to a benchmark PI controller simulated on a nonlinear turbofan engine model at one ground condition and one cruise condition. Performance is evaluated using compressor maps, stall margin performance, and two novel metrics: transient stack usage and transient excursion integral. Results reveal the linear MPC scheme performs comparably to the baseline controller and can be implemented in at least two distinct configurations with potential for further modifications, thus establishing the groundwork for future investigations.


On the mobile Internet, individual identification and information transmission are more convenient. With the popularity of mobile Internet, private information of users is easily accessed. Appropriate access to users' information can help enterprises understand consumers' demand better and improve marketing effectiveness. However, grabbing users' information excessively may increase the costs of enterprises and induce the privacy leakage, which causes users' dissatisfaction. Recently, events of privacy leakage based on the mobile Internet are frequently exposed in China. It triggers much attention and results in great social impact. From the perspective of mobile Internet users, the concept of privacy leakage tolerance is put forward to describe users' acceptance of privacy leakage. Based on the description and dimensions of privacy leakage tolerance, a three-dimension and second-order privacy leakage tolerance measurement scale is designed and will be verified. We believe that the scale has good reliability and validity for the measurement of privacy leakage tolerance on the mobile Internet and data show users' attitude to privacy leakage exactly. The measurement of privacy leakage tolerance on the mobile Internet has important significance both in business practices and theory studies. It is conducive for mobile Internet enterprises to collect users' information appropriately and to protect users' privacy with target, which makes contribution to optimizing information allocation and to exerting the economic value of information. Moreover, it provides a new concept to describe users' privacy attitude and it is helpful to analyze users' privacy behaviors and to explain the privacy paradox1.


Objective: To evaluate and compare the effects of letrozole and low-dose gonadotropin combination with clomiphene citrate (CC) and low-dose gonadotropin combination prior to intrauterine insemination (IUI) in patients with unexplained infertility. Design: Prospective, randomized, clinical study. Setting: Academic tertiary institute. Patient(s): A total of 94 patients in the age group of 21-37 years with unexplained infertility were randomized using computer-generated random number table to receive follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) injection and human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) injection, along with either letrozole or CC. Intervention(s): All the patients received 150 IU of purified urinary FSH on day 2 of the cycle and from day 3 to day 7 of the cycle 5.0 mg/d of letrozole or 100 mg/d of CC were administered; this was followed by administration of 150 IU of hMG on day 9. Ovulation was triggered with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection (5,000 IU) when the dominant follicle(s) reached 18 mm in diameter. A single IUI was performed 36 h later. The luteal phase was supplemented with micronized progesterone vaginally. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy rates and the incidence of multiple pregnancies were our primary outcome. The secondary outcome included the number of dominant follicles, grade of perifollicular blood flow, endometrial thickness, endometrial blood flow pattern, side effects, and complications. Result(s): There were no differences in demographic characteristics between the two groups. Pregnancy occurred in four out of 47 patients (120 cycles) in the letrozole group (pregnancy rate: 8.5% per patient and 3.3% per cycle) and eight out of 47 patients (121 cycles) (pregnancy rate: 17% per patient and 6.6% per cycle) in the CC group; the differences were not statistically significant. None of the regimes resulted in a multiple gestation gestation. The number of follicles per cycle was significantly higher in the CC + gonadotropin group as compared to the letrozole + gonadotropin group (1.77 ± 0.99 vs. 1.39 ± 0.617, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in perifollicular blood flow, endometrial thickness, and endometrial blood flow pattern between the two groups. No side effects were observed in either group. There was one case of ectopic gestation in the CC group. Conclusion(s): The use of lower dose of gonadotropins and oral agents together resulted in decreased medication costs, lesser monitoring [ultrasound (USG) visits], and good primary and secondary outcomes. However, more randomized controlled trials are needed to prove the efficacy of one regime over the other.


Static timing analysis has traditionally used the PERT method for identifying the critical path of a circuit. The authors show in this paper that due to the influence of the transition time of a signal on the subsequent path delay, the traditional timing analysis approach can report an optimistic circuit delay and may identify the wrong critical path. Also, the calculated circuit delay is a discontinuous function with respect to transistor and gate sizes, posing a severe problem for circuit optimization methods. The authors also examine an alternate approach where the propagated signal is constructed by combining the latest arrival time and the slowest transition time from all signals incident on a node. While this approach remedies the problem of discontinuity, it can significantly overestimate the circuit delay and can also identify the wrong critical path. In this paper, they therefore propose a new timing analysis algorithm and prove that it computes the correct and continuous timing graph delay and the proper critical path. The proposed algorithm selectively propagates multiple signals through each timing edge in cases where there exists ambiguity regarding which arriving signal represents the critical path. They show that the algorithm propagates the sufficient and necessary set of signals for computing the delay of a general timing graph. The authors also introduce a new property of digital gates, referred to as the transition shift property, and, using this property, show that the number of propagated signals can be significantly reduced for timing graphs of digital circuits. Finally, they discuss the computation of required times and node slacks for the traditional approaches and propose corresponding algorithms for the new approaches. They show that while the traditional approach can incur both a positive or negative error in the computed slack, the proposed algorithms compute a conservative slack for off-critical nodes and the correct and continuous slack for the critical path. The proposed algorithms were implemented in an industrial static timing analysis and optimization tool, and the authors present results for a number of industrial circuits. Their results show that the traditional timing analysis method underestimates the circuit delay by as much as 39%, while the discussed alternate approach can overestimate circuit delay by as much as 17%. The proposed method computes the correct delay, while incurring only a small run time overhead in all cases.


In this paper we study the impact of tenure security on rural to urban migration of household members over the age of 15. Using three waves of the Tanzanian National Panel Survey (NPS) data, we show that tenure security is associated with lower probability of migration in rural Tanzania. This result is consistent with the idea that better property rights over agricultural land in rural Tanzania, by easing the fear of expropriation of land holdings, can induce households to retain more of their members. The result is found to be robust to different specifications and estimation techniques. Promoting land tenure security is a key policy concern in curbing rural– urban migration at early stages of development.


This paper investigates the results of experimental studies conducted in an evaporative condenser with induced draft and in a spray filled forced draft cooling tower. The pressure drop and drift loss characteristics of cement-asbestos drift eliminators, concrete drift eliminators, wooden drift eliminators and cellular type drift eliminators were experimentally investigated. The experiments were conducted with one, two, and three stages of cellular type drift eliminators but for cement-asbestos, concrete and wooden drift eliminators only two and three stages were used with various orientation angles ( q ) of the eliminator plates. The results showed that the drift loss for CTDE decreases with the increase of the number of stages and with decrease of flow rate whereas drift loss for CADE and CDE also decreases with decrease of orientation angle, q .The pressure drop for CTDE is smaller than that for CADE and CDE in the practical range of q . In this study, the superiority of the cellular type drift eliminators over the others has been divulged.


We recorded volcanic lightning generated by Vulcanian explosions at Sakurajima Volcano using a synchronized multiparametric array. Physical properties of lightning are related to plume dynamics, and associated electromagnetic field variations are revealed by video observations (high speed and normal speed) together with infrasound and high sampling rate magnetotelluric signals. Data show that volcanic lightning at Sakurajima mainly occurs in the plume gas thrust region at a few hundred meters above the crater rim, where the overpressure of the turbulent volcanic jets determines the electrification of particles generating a complex charge structure in the growing plume. Organization of charges may be achieved at later stages when the plume transitions from the jet phase to the convective phase. Comparison with atmospheric sounding and maximum plume height data show that the effect of hydrometeors on flash generation at Sakurajima is negligible and can be more prudently considered as an additional factor contributing to the electrification of volcanic plumes.


SO2 emissions has begun to cause serious problems in industrialized countries. Today, various methods are used for removal of SO2 gas. SO2 gas is an important raw material for production of sulfuric acid. However, SO2 content of flue gas must be over 6% to produce sulfuric acid commercially. Flue gases, which don't have enough amount of SO2 to produce sulfuric acid commercially are harmful to the environment and human health and they must be filtered. In this study, calcined dolomite was used to remove SO2 in flue gas which doesn't have enough SO2 to produce sulfuric acid but have high emission values. Pyrite was used as SO2 source and SO2 removal efficiency of dolomite was determined for different experimental parameters. SO2 capturing system was thermodynamically modeled and SO2 capturing efficiency was determined as 77.81% in the experiments.


ABSTRACT Ambient UV radiation is recognised as an important environmental factor in the regulation of plant growth and development, and selenium (Se) as a beneficial nutrient that can increase plant tolerance to different environmental constraints. The effects on hybrid buckwheat plants of full (+UV) and reduced (−UV) ambient UV radiation without (−Se) and with (+Se) foliar Se treatment (10 mg L−1 sodium selenate) provided the four conditions of Se−UV–, Se–+UV, +Se−UV and +Se+UV. Plant morphological, biochemical and physiological properties were examined, along with leaf elemental composition and content, efficiency of Se enrichment, and production parameters. Leaf anatomical parameters under all conditions were mainly affected by UV radiation, and less so by Se. +Se+UV plants showed a trade-off between primary and secondary metabolism, which resulted in high levels of protective substances (e.g. anthocyanins, UV absorbing compounds), and low levels of photosynthetic pigments. All +UV plants were significantly shorter in comparison to those under the reduced −UV, while biomass production was highest for −Se+UV plants and lowest for +Se+UV plants. +Se plants accumulated ∼20-fold greater Se content compared to −Se plants, and full ambient UV radiation partly reduced this effect. +UV plants showed increased phosphorus content in leaves, independent of Se status, while +Se plants showed increased K content. Si content was increased by Se treatment and decreased by the full UV exposure. Se treatment and the ambient UV radiation, separately have positive effects on growth and production of this hybrid buckwheat, while the combination of the Se treatment and ambient UV resulted in lower yields. However, under these conditions (+Se+UV), the buckwheat plants established good protection against the different environmental constraints that are becoming more and more frequent due to changes to our climate.


Today, the digital implementation of the controllers is mainly preferred from reprogrammability point of view. Many important control problems can be effectively solved using a digital architecture in conjunction with analog-to-digital (ADC) and/or digital-to-analog conversion (DAC). Digital solutions offer two very attractive advantages: (1)-promise to shorten design cycles, and (2)-provide the freedom to reprogram the design in simple ways. This ease-of-change stands in sharp contrast to the great effort required to redesign a typical hard-wired analog implementation. However, depending on the complexity of the plant and the degrees of freedom (DOF) to be controlled, digital implementation of an algorithm may be demanding due to the high computational power requirement to run in real time. The necessity for the acquisition of the analog signals on the other hand requires ADC and DAC conversions that compel extra conditions on the system. Hence, multi-DOF systems may require either diminish in the systems operation frequency or additional hardware to run the algorithm in parallel for each DOF. This work aims to develop an analog motion controller for single input single output (SISO) plants of complex nature. As the control algorithm, Sliding Mode Control (SMC) like the well known robust nonlinear controller is selected as a design framework. Originally designed as a system motion for dynamic systems whose essential open-loop behavior can be sufficiently modeled with ordinary differential equations, Sliding Mode Control (SMC) is one of the effective nonlinear robust control approaches that provide system invariance to uncertainties once the sliding mode motion is enforced in the system. An important aspect of sliding mode is the discontinuous nature of the control action, which switches between two values to move the system motion on so-called "sliding mode" that exist in a manifold and therefore often referred as variable structure control (VSC). The resulting feedback system is called variable structure system (VSS). The position tracking of the piezoelectric actuators (PEA) is selected as the test bed for the designed system. Piezoelectricity, the ability of the material to become strained due to an electric field, gives the possibility to user those materials as actuator in sub-micrometer domain for a range of applications. Piezoelectric effect is a crystalline effect, and therefore, piezoelectric actuators do not suffer from "stick slip" effect mainly caused by the friction between elements of a mechanical system. This property theoretically offers an unlimited resolution, and therefore piezoelectric actuators are already used in many applications to provide sub-micrometer resolution. Still the achievable resolution in practice can be limited by a number of other factors such as the piezo control amplifier (electronic noise), sensor (resolution, noise and mounting precision) and control electronics (noise and sensitivity to EMI). As a result of this work, we are aiming an analog controller for SISO systems and by the use of this controller, improvement on the tracking performance for the plant we are studying and decrease on the possible computational load on digital controllers is targeted.


A tendency to use thick catgut at operation is due to an unfounded fear that fine stitches may be insufficiently strong to hold the wound edges in apposition, Great force is not normally necessary to keep a wound closed and even if considerable strain is expected, as in retching or coughing after laparotomy, it is more likely that the sutures would cut out of the tissues than that the stitches themselves would break., The shearing strain of tissues, which is analogous to their resistance to the cutting out of stitches, is not so high as appears to be generally believed, varying from less than I lb. in soft tissue, as for instance bowel, to no more than 24 lb. in rectus muscle sheath. The minimum standard breaking strain for No. 2/0 catgut, even when knotted, is 3 lb. This bears out the experiments of various workers who advocate the use of fiher catgut sutures than those commonly used, with No. o for fascia as the thickest recommended, down to No. 3/0 or No. 4/0 for muscle, peritoneum and subcutaneous tissue (Howes, I929, I941). Suspected infection in a wound need not be a reason for using thick catgut; besides the addition of 'thick catgut reaction' to the bacterial disturbance, it is by no means certain that a moderate infection speeds up the absorption of catgut excessively. In a summary of a large number of abdominal wound disruptions, it was found that the cases in which infection was present disrupted considerably later than the clean cases. Furthermore, with the considerable improvements in the manufacture of surgical catgut over recent years resulting in greater tensile strength, there is no justification on this score for using the thicker sizes.


These are expended notes of my talk at the summer institute in algebraic geometry (Seattle, July-August 2005), whose main purpose is to present a global overview on the theory of higher and derived stacks. This text is far from being exhaustive but is intended to cover a rather large part of the subject, starting from the motivations and the foundational material, passing through some examples and basic notions, and ending with some more recent developments and open questions.


We propose an approach to gait analysis that relies on fitting 3D temporal motion models to synchronized video sequences. These models allow us not only to track but also to recover motion parameters that can be used to recognize people and characterize their style. Because our method is robust to occlusions and insensitive to changes in direction of motion, our proposed approach has the potential to overcome some of the main limitations of current gait analysis methods. This is an important step towards taking biometrics out of the laboratory and into the real world.


Plasma renin activity (PRA) is markedly increased by captopril. There is not enough separation between the changes in PRA of patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS) to separate them reliably from those with essential hypertension. A minimal response may suggest primary aldosteronism. Captopril does increase the ratio of PRA in the venous blood from a kidney with RAS to that of the contralateral kidney. Captopril, 25 to 50 mg orally, given before renal vein PRA sampling will increase the sensitivity and specificity of the test. Treatment with current antihypertensive drugs need not be discontinued. Scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) used to be uniformly lethal within a few months. Modern, aggressive antihypertensive therapy has made survival of 2 or more years common. Not all patients respond, and some progress to renal failure despite good BP control. Captopril has been used with success in some patients with idiopathic edema. In conclusion, captopril markedly enhances the accuracy of renal vein renin assay for the diagnosis of RAS and is of major value in the treatment of SRC.


It is said that "the Romanian is born poet". And so it is, but we could say rather that "the Romanian is born and an engineer", having deeply embedded himself, the vocation of the builder, the innovator, the inventor. The great cathedrals, the beautiful monasteries built, or even the churches and churches (built or wooden) clearly show this vocation. After centuries, the "Voroneţ blue" still retains its vivid colors, even on the outer walls, beaten by rain, snow and wind. Suveica, the loom of war, the potter's wheel, the water and windmills, the musical instruments, the wells or the fountains, the agricultural tools, the traditional Romanian houses with porch, are only some proofs of the folk craftsmanship (engineering) over time. Ever since the beginnings of civilization on today's territory of Romania, the inhabitants of these lands have been pioneers in the creation and have thought of things that others have found much later. Henri Marie Coanda (June 7, 1886 - November 25, 1972) was an Academician and Romanian engineer, aviation pioneer, physicist, inventor, inventor of the reaction engine and discoverer of the effect that bears his name. The first "Coanda" attested in the village of Strehaia was in 1630, Vlădoianu Coanda. From the same source (Strehaia City Hall), we learn that Matei Coanda was the protector of Iancu Jianu, the defensive hood of the orphans. Henri Coanda was born in Bucharest on June 7, 1886, being the second child of a large family (Henri had four brothers and two sisters, a total of seven children). His father was General Constantine Coanda, a former mathematics professor at the National School of Bridges and Highways in Bucharest and former Prime Minister of Romania for a short period of time in 1918. His mother, Aida Danet, was the daughter of French physician Gustave Danet. Even from childhood, the future engineer and physicist was fascinated by the miracle of the wind, as he will later remember. Henri Coanda was first a pupil of the Petrache Poenaru School in Bucharest, then of St. Sava High School in 1896 where he attended the first three classes, after which, at 13, he was sent by his father who wanted to guide him towards his career Military High School in Iasi, 1899. He graduated high school in 1903, receiving the rank of major sergeant and continuing his studies at the School of Artillery, Genius and Marine Officers in Bucharest.


1. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has recently been shown to stimulate both polydipsia and polyuria and the aim of this study was to determine which was the primary response. Ewes received a continuous intravenous saline infusion (100 ml day‐1) for 12 days (days 1‐12) and EGF at doses of 0 (n = 6) or 10 micrograms h‐1 (n = 6) over days 5‐8. The supply of water was ad libitum during days 1‐4 and 9‐12, but was fixed at the pretreatment mean of days 1‐4 for each ewe during days 5‐8. 2. During the period of fixed water intake, the EGF‐treated ewes experienced mild dehydration with elevated plasma osmolality, sodium, renin and arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations and slightly reduced plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentrations. 3. When the supply of water returned to ad libitum, the EGF‐treated ewes increased their water intake by 105% (5.25 +/‐ 0.28 vs. 2.55 +/‐ 0.19 l day‐1) and subsequently fluid balance was restored; plasma electrolyte and hormone responses also returned to normal. 4. This experiment demonstrates that EGF infused at a dose rate of 10 micrograms h‐1 I.V. into sheep has a direct renal diuretic effect.


The objective was to determine effects of old and new rubber matting in a slatted, indoor cattle feeding facility on cattle growth performance, locomotion, and carcass characteristics. In experiment 1, fall-born Angus × Simmental steers (N = 207; body weight = 222 ± 38 kg) were blocked by weight and assigned to 32 pens. Pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments: no matting/concrete (CONC1), 12-year-old Animat Pebble matting (OLD1), new Animat Maxgrip matting (MG), and new Animat Pebble matting (PEB1). Steers were fed a common diet for 209 d with a minimum stocking density of 3.40 m 2 per animal. Final body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) were affected (P = 0.02 and P < 0.01, respectively) by treatment with steers on PEB1 finishing heaviest with the greatest growth, MG and CONC1 intermediate, and OLD1 finishing at the lightest final BW with the least growth. Flooring treatment did not affect overall dry matter intake (DMI; P = 0.16) or gain to feed ratio (G:F; P = 0.94). Flooring treatment did not affect (P ≥ 0.19) any carcass traits. Locomotion scores (LS) were affected (P < 0.01) by flooring treatment with CONC1 having the worst mobility while OLD1, MG, and PEB1 were similar (P ≥ 0.24). Locomotion score had a day effect (P < 0.01) where cattle gait and mobility worsened as days on feed increased. In experiment 2, fall-born Angus × Simmental steers (N = 189; BW = 352 ± 43 kg) were blocked by weight and assigned to 21 pens. Pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: no matting/concrete (CONC2), 15-year-old Animat Pebble matting (OLD2), and new Animat Pebble matting (PEB2). Steers were fed a common diet for 152 d with a stocking density of 2.65 m 2 per steer. After 152 days on feed, flooring treatment did not affect (P ≥ 0.30) BW, ADG, or DMI nor did treatment affect (P ≥ 0.17) carcass traits. However, steers housed on OLD2 or PEB2 had improved locomotion scores (P = 0.02) compared with steers housed on CONC2. Locomotion score had a day effect (P < 0.01) as cattle gait and mobility worsened with greater number of days on feed, regardless of treatment. Overall, results suggest new rubber matting increased ADG and HCW during a 209 d trial when cattle were stocked at 3.4 m 2 in small pens and that rubber matting regardless of age improved cattle locomotion scores in slatted indoor feeding facilities.


OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to prospectively compare the size of invasive breast cancer before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) at breast MRI and molecular breast imaging (MBI) and to assess the accuracy of post-NAC MBI and MRI relative to pathologic analysis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Women with invasive breast cancer greater than or equal to 1.5 cm were enrolled to compare the longest dimension before and after NAC at MRI and MBI. MBI was performed on a dual-detector cadmium zinc telluride system after administration of 6.5 mCi (240 MBq) 99mTc-sestamibi. The accuracy of MRI and MBI in assessing residual disease (invasive disease or ductal carcinoma in situ) was determined relative to pathologic examination. RESULTS. The longest dimension at MRI was within 1.0 cm of that at MBI in 72.3% of cases before NAC and 70.1% of cases after NAC. The difference between the longest dimension at imaging after NAC and pathologic tumor size was within 1 cm for 58.7% of breast MRI cases and 59.6% of MBI cases. Ninety patients underwent both MRI and MBI after NAC. In the 56 patients with invasive residual disease, 10 (17.9%) cases were negative at MRI and 23 (41.1%) cases were negative at MBI. In the 34 patients with breast pathologic complete response, there was enhancement in 10 cases (29.4%) at MRI and uptake in six cases (17.6%) at MBI. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value after NAC were 82.8%, 69.4%, 81.4%, and 71.4%, respectively, for MRI and 58.9%, 82.4%, 84.6%, and 54.9%, respectively, for MBI. CONCLUSION. Breast MRI and MBI showed similar disease extent before NAC. MBI may be an alternative to breast MRI in patients with a contraindication to breast MRI. Neither modality showed sufficient accuracy after NAC in predicting breast pathologic complete response to obviate tissue diagnosis to assess for residual invasive disease. Defining the extent of residual disease compared with pathologic evaluation was also limited after NAC for both breast MRI and MBI.


There were increasing concerns on the possibility and suitability of using elevators for high-rise building evacuation because, through the improvement of the elevator system, the self-evacuation ability of age people is promoted as much as possible in the process of an emergency evacuation. The combined evacuation using both elevators and stairs was put into discussion. However, there was no empirical evidence and numerical simulation on emergency evacuation using both elevators and staircases for aging people in high-rise nursing homes. Therefore, using one case study, this paper simulated the emergency evacuation in a high-rise nursing home using variables such as the distribution of the elderly with different physical conditions, the proportion of the elderly in different physical conditions, the number of the elderly, the number of floors, the number of elevators used, and the priority of the elevator floor. By simulating the evacuation process in various scenarios, the general distribution strategy of high-rise nursing home and the optimal use of the elevator-stair combination during the emergency evacuation were developed. Results show that the elevator-stair combination of evacuation is more effective than using elevators or stairs alone. Increasing the number and speed of elevators can reduce evacuation time. Categorizing elderly people on each floor according to their physical conditions could reduce the evacuation time than randomly distributing them.


Spousal interactions are key predictors of relationship satisfaction in couples, but it is not yet sufficiently clear as to which aspect of spousal interactions matters most. In this study, three forms of interactions are examined to disentangle their unique associations with relationship satisfaction. Altogether, 1944 married individuals completed questionnaires in a cross-sectional study. Self-report measures of relationship external stress, negative interactions (NIs), positive interactions (PIs), dyadic coping (DC), and relationship satisfaction were assessed. A multigroup path analytical mediation model was used to test whether couple interactions mediate the association between stress and relationship satisfaction. Stress stemming from outside the relationship is highly associated with an increase in NIs and a decrease in DC. Although all interactions covaried significantly with relationship satisfaction, DC outperformed PI and NI. Being supported by the partner in times of need (i.e. after experiencing relationship external stress) seems to be particularly relevant for marital quality.