An important element for improving technical performances in sport is the access of coaches and athletes to objective information regarding the form and content of specific movements. In artistic gymnastics, the organisation and regulation of motor behaviour, necessary to improve the perceptual motor skills, are based mainly on proprioceptive information. Hypothesis: We want to highlight through this research the fact that by using visual feedback we can shorten or improve time for learning elements, combinations of elements, but also create attractive exercises in high performance training. However, an important role is played by visual information in the awareness of spatial characteristics of movements and bodily sensations correctly associated with the phases that compose the technical structures. In this paper we intend to introduce a training method, successfully applied on learning, correcting and perfecting the art of men's artistic gymnastics, based on visual feedback. For this method we used a modern technical system that enables the recording, storage and playback of actions executed by athletes as a video image. Visual information was provided to athletes and coaches in different ways. Thus, they tracked and analysed both their own technical execution of the structures made in the same exercise as well as different training and execution models made by elite gymnasts compared to their own executions. Improving the attractiveness of work on training apparatus in conjunction with desire for self-improvement and reporting their evolutions to the top values of the world order represent the aim of this research. The results found a shorter learning time or correcting technical elements with greater stability executions correct them after the consolidation phase.


OF DISSERTATION UNDERSTANDING AND MITIGATING THE ELECTROCHEMICAL-MECHANICAL DEGRADATION OF HIGH CAPACITY BATTERY ELECTRODES Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density and cycling stability play a critical role in developing electric vehicle (EV) and grid energy storage techniques. The electrochemical performance of LIBs can be improved by using high capacity positive (e.g., LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2, i.e., NMC111) and negative (e.g., silicon) electrodes; both, however, experience severe electrochemical-mechanical degradation caused by the lithiation/delithiation induced volume changes. Understanding mechanical degradation mechanisms and their relationships with the capacity fading of electrodes is important for improving the cycling stability of electrodes as well as optimizing the design of electrodes with high capacity electrode materials. As one of the current commercial positive electrodes, NMC degrades because of the structural disintegration of its secondary particles, which consists of submicron primary particles. The decohesion of primary particles leads to the loss of electronic conductivity and low utilization of NMC. Hence, the fracture behavior of NMC particles is crucial to optimizing the performance of NMC electrodes. Using flat punch indentation measurements, the intergranular dominating fracture behavior of single NMC secondary particles with different sizes and at various state-of-charge (SOC) was investigated. The critical load corresponding to the fracture of secondary particles increases with increasing particle size, while the fracture strength (St) is statistically independent of the particle size. Electrochemical cycling has tremendous effects on the fracture behavior, as St decreases remarkably just after the first delithiation. In addition, St decreases during delithiation and increases during the subsequent lithiation process due to the SOC-dependent stress generated in secondary particles. Possible approaches to enhance the structural integrity of NMC secondary particles are proposed based on these findings. Low-cost Si microparticles (SiMPs) are a promising high capacity negative electrode material for LIBs. The lithiation/delithiation-induced substantial volume change, inevitable fracture, and unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) of SiMPs impede the applications of SiMP electrodes. Several recent studies have shown that using proper polymeric binders can mitigate the electrochemical-mechanical degradation of SiMPbased electrodes. Yet, a guidance for designing effective binders for SiMP electrodes is lacking. Herein, the effect of binders on the degradation behavior of SiMP electrodes and its correlation with binders' properties were investigated. The comparison among three binders, i.e., polyvinylidene fluoride, Nafion, and sodium-alginate, shows that the strong adhesion between binders and Si is not the dominating parameter for the degradation of SiMP electrodes. Mechanical properties of binders are of critical importance. Furthermore, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and Li substituted PAA (PAA-xLi, x ≤ 1) were used as a model binder system to study the effects of binders on the electrochemical stability of SiMP electrodes. Due to the metal cation-induced electrostatic association of carboxyl groups, PAA-xLi binders exhibit different mechanical properties, adhesion with Si, and electrochemical stability. As a result, SiMP/PAA-xLi electrodes show different cycling stabilities and C-rate capabilities following the sequence of PAA-0.75Li > PAA-0.5Li > PAA-0.25Li > PAA-1Li > PAA-0Li. The correlation between the electrochemical performance of SiMP/PAA-xLi electrodes and the properties of PAA-xLi further suggests that the critical properties of binders for SiMP electrodes are robust mechanical properties, strong adhesion with Si, and electrochemical stability, all of which are more demanding than those of Si nanoparticle-based electrodes. In full cell applications, SiMP electrodes, even made of the state-of-the-art binders, always suffer from the insufficient cycle life because the formation of SEI irreversibly consumes Li ions and electrolytes. To address this issue, a pre-cycling method was developed to stabilize SiMP electrodes before assembling full cells. During pre-cycling, SiMPs gradually pulverize into clusters consisting of nano-sized particles. SEI is generated in electrodes. The full cells made of the pre-cycled SiMP/PAA-0.75Li electrodes show much slower capacity fading than those made of fresh SiMP/PAA-0.75Li electrodes whereas pre-cycling has little improvement on the full cell performance of SiMP/PAA-0Li electrodes.


While speaking at an academic conference on January 14, 2005, Lawrence Summers, the president of Harvard University, suggested that innate biological differences between men and women might be one reason for the paucity of women math and science professors. Nancy Hopkins, a biology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), walked out upon hearing this remark. Both Summers' comments and Hopkins' reaction have received significant publicity and undergone much scrutiny.

Hopkins is an accomplished molecular biologist, but it is her pioneering role in fostering gender equity in academia for which many have come to know her. At the start of her career, Hopkins assumed that so few women worked in science because they wanted families and thus opted out of the 80-hour work week she associated with a successful career in the lab. Hopkins herself married young, but was divorced by 30 and decided not to have children. Early on, Hopkins repeatedly observed men and women equally accomplished in the lab, but noticed that they were not treated the same by colleagues. She did not see women as chairmen or as speakers, nor did she see women faculty with administrative power.

Hopkins says she was in denial about the situation and just worked harder until one particular event, 20 years into her career, opened her eyes. When she needed an additional 200 square feet of lab space, Hopkins started measuring nearby labs with a tape measure and realized that, as a full professor, she had much less space than her male counterparts and also lacked the power to get what she needed. She set out to remedy the situation.

In 1995, Hopkins was appointed chair of the first Committee on Women Faculty in the School of Science at MIT. At the time, there were 194 male faculty in the school, compared with 17 female. An extensive investigation by the committee was released in 1999 and sparked a flurry of attention when it was published in the Boston Globe and the New York Times. The committee found that women faculty tended to leave after tenure because they felt they were not part of the system in the same way as their male colleagues. The women tended to work alone, were not part of group grants, and were not in administrative positions. Interestingly, half of the women were unmarried without children, while nearly all their male counterparts had families. The committee concluded that MIT was experiencing unintentional gender bias.

MIT responded by recruiting more women faculty, both to the university and to administrative positions. The university established gender equity committees chaired by senior female faculty to review salary data and interview the faculty. The president also established a Council on Faculty Diversity, which establishes institutional policies regarding such issues as hiring and family leave. Altogether, MIT created 11 committees to infiltrate the university structure. As a result, and in only 6 years, the number of women science faculty has nearly doubled, while the number of women faculty in engineering has undergone an almost 5-fold increase. MIT has become a model for recognizing, acknowledging, and rectifying gender bias.

On March 25, 2005, Hopkins gave her first talk since the now-infamous Summers comment. Hopkins said she felt "like we turned the clock back 40 years" when Summers said that innate aptitude differences between men and women may be to blame for the dearth of women engineers, scientists, and mathematicians in advanced faculty positions. She said she "couldn't sit there and take it" and "that it was morally wrong to listen" to Summers's dismissal of the existence of gender discrimination after all the research that she and others had done. In reference to Rosalind Franklin, Hopkins joked, "If you discover the structure of DNA, you win the Nobel prize, right? Well, depends who you are."

Hopkins's response to Summers is timely in light of a study recently published in Nature, which examines the complete sequence of the X chromosome (1). A companion paper in the same issue (2) shows that the second X chromosome — found only in women and thought to be silent — actually expresses many genes. Interestingly, different women express different genes from this "silent" chromosome, and do so at different levels. The two papers explain why men and women are biologically different, and why women are different from each other. The papers do not, however, lend any credence to the concept that innate aptitude differences exist between the sexes.


Library resources and information for students in the online Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education program; Librarian Nick Alongi, Editor.


Nets are used across a wide variety of food production landscapes to control avian pests typically resulting in deaths of entangled birds. However, the impact of nets on bird populations is a human–wildlife conflict that remains mostly unquantified. Here, we examined the scale of netting in the central plains of Thailand, a region dominated by ricefields, among which aquaculture ponds are increasingly interspersed. Nets/exclusion types, number of individual birds and species caught were recorded on 1312 road‐survey transects (2‐km length × 0.4‐km width). We also interviewed 104 local farmers. The transect sampling took place in late‐September 2020, and from December 2020 to April 2021. Each survey transect was visited only once. We found 1881 nets and barriers of parallel cords on 196 (15%) of the transects. Counts of nets and barriers were ~13 times higher than expected in aquaculture ponds based on their areal proportion, and vertical nets were the most commonly observed type (n = 1299). We documented 735 individuals of at least 45 bird species caught in the nets and parallel cords, including many species not regarded as pests. Approximately 20% of individuals caught in ricefields and 95% at aquaculture ponds were non‐target bycatch. Our interviews suggested that 55% of respondents thought nets were ineffective while only 6% thought they were effective. We suggest imposing a ban on netting, considering other mitigation strategies to reduce conflicts such as promoting the use of parallel cords, and prioritizing conservation actions with community participation. Further studies should investigate the efficacy of less deleterious deterrents.


Ribonucleases are known to cleave ribonucleic acids, inducing cell death. RNase A, a member of the ribonuclease family, generally displayed poor in vitro activity. This has been attributed to factors such as low intracellular delivery. Poly(amidoamine)s have been used to promote the translocation of non-permeant proteins to the cytosol. Our objective was to demonstrate that poly(amidoamine)s could potentially promote the delivery of RNase A to selected cell line. Interactions of three cationic poly(amidoamine)s (P1, P2 and ISA1) with wild-type bovine RNase A were investigated using gel retardation assays, DLS and microcalorimetry. Although the polymers and the protein are essentially cationic at physiological pH, complexation between the PAAs and RNase A was observed. The high sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (HSDSC) thermograms demonstrated that the thermal stability of the protein was reduced when complexed with ISA1 (Tmax decreased by 6.5 °C) but was not affected by P1 and P2. All the polymers displayed low cytotoxicity towards non-cancerous cells (IC50 > 3.5 mg mL-1). While RNase A alone was not toxic to mouse melanoma cells (B16F1), P1 was able to promote cytosolic delivery of biologically active RNase A, increasing cell death (IC50 = 0.09 mg mL-1).


The commonest method of traditional storage pest's management among small scale maize farmers in Ghana is the use of botanicals. Earlier studies on the use of plant extract showed that some minimized insect pests' damage to acceptable levels. The objectives of this study were to identify the potency of some local botanical materials: Piper nigrum L.(black pepper seed powder), Cymbopogon nardus (citronella shoot powder), Carica papaya (pawpaw seed powder), Allium sativum (garlic bulbs paste) and Cymbopogon citrates (lemon grass shoot powder) for the treatment of stored maize and determine their minimum effective dosage for application. In a completely randomized design in olfactometer and potency test of the botanical materials, black pepper, lemon grass, pawpaw seed powder, citronella and garlic showed varying degrees of repellency decreasing in that order as well as their potency. Fifty grammes of black pepper powder in a bag (100kg) of maize were determined as the mimnimum effective concentration. Black pepper seed powder was therefore recommended at a rate of 50g/100kg maize to farmers. It was also recommended that the active ingredient of black pepper be formulated into insecticide against/ for the management of the maize storage weevil.


When the first generation of generative linguists discovered presuppositions in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the initial set of examples was quite small. Aspectual verbs like stop were discussed already by Greek philosophers, proper names, Kepler , and definite descriptions, the present king of France , go back to Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell by the turn of the century. Just in the span of a few years my generation of semanticists assembled a veritable zoo of 'presupposition triggers' under the assumption that they were all of the same species. Generations of students have learned about presuppositions from Stephen Levinson's 1983 book on Pragmatics that contains a list of 13 types of presupposition triggers, an excerpt of an even longer unpublished list attributed to a certain Lauri Karttunen. My task in this presentation is to come clean and show why the items on Levinson's list should not have been lumped together. In retrospect it is strange that the early writings about presupposition by linguists and even by philosophers like Robert Stalnaker or Scott Soames do not make any reference to the rich palette of semantic relations they could have learned from Frege and later from Paul Grice. If we had known Frege's concepts of Andeutung – Grice's conventional implicature – and Nebengedanke, it would have been easy to see that there are types of author commitment that are neither entailments nor presuppositions.


We consider a model of unreliable or crowdsourced data where there is an underlying set of $n$ binary variables, each evaluator contributes a (possibly unreliable or adversarial) estimate of the values of some subset of $r$ of the variables, and the learner is given the true value of a constant number of variables. We show that, provided an $\alpha$-fraction of the evaluators are "good" (either correct, or with independent noise rate $p 1/(2-2p)^r$. This setting can be viewed as an instance of the semi-verified learning model introduced in [CSV17], which explores the tradeoff between the number of items evaluated by each worker and the fraction of good evaluators. Our results require the number of evaluators to be extremely large, $>n^r$, although our algorithm runs in linear time, $O_{r,\epsilon}(n)$, given query access to the large dataset of evaluations. This setting and results can also be viewed as examining a general class of semi-adversarial CSPs with a planted assignment.
This parameter regime where the fraction of reliable data is small, is relevant to a number of practical settings. For example, settings where one has a large dataset of customer preferences, with each customer specifying preferences for a small (constant) number of items, and the goal is to ascertain the preferences of a specific demographic of interest. Our results show that this large dataset (which lacks demographic information) can be leveraged together with the preferences of the demographic of interest for a constant number of randomly selected items, to recover an accurate estimate of the entire set of preferences. In this sense, our results can be viewed as a "data prism" allowing one to extract the behavior of specific cohorts from a large, mixed, dataset.


Domain-specific generators will increasingly rely on graphical languages for declarative specifications of target applications. Such languages will provide front-ends to generators and related tools to produce customized code on demand. Critical to the success of this approach will be domain-specific design wizards, tools that guide users in their selection of components for constructing particular applications. The authors present the P3 ContainerStore graphical language, its generator, and design wizard.


I. Potentially reactive, bifunctional compounds 1 and 127 have been studied, and both compounds have been found to undergo rapid base-catalyzed degenerate topomerization. The topomerization processes, which in the case of 1 represents a degenerate transamidation and in the case of 127 a degenerate transesterification, have been studied in acetonitrile-d$\sb3$ and D$\sb2$O under a variety of conditions by the DNMR method. In both cases, the presence of a stable tetrahedral anion intermediate can be inferred from analysis of NMR and IR spectra. In the case of 1, the unusually high rate of topomerization can be attributed to the presence of a transannular donor-acceptor interaction and a strained urea functionality. In 127, the rate enhancement is attributed to a favorable entropic situation with respect to an intermolecular reaction of the same type. In addition to the base catalysis studies, acid-catalysis studies of other amino-ureas such as 9 and 10 were carried out in D$\sb2$O. The rate of topomerization of 10 was slow on the NMR time scale under acid catalysis. The rate of topomerization of 9 could be quantified by a 2D NMR method. II. The release characteristics of biofouling inhibitors 160 and 161 from various ablative and nonablative matrices into artificial seawater have been studied. The goal of these release experiments was to achieve 30-day controlled, sustained release of inhibitor from a matrix into artificial seawater at a level which was considered effective to inhibit fouling of marine surfaces. It was found that encapsulation of 161 in a polymeric matrix and dispersion of 161-containing capsules in a vinyl, nonablative coating provided a successful method for achieving this goal. Release rates of inhibitors 160 and 161 from various matrices are summarized and discussed.


Since WHO declared the corona virus as a pandemic outbreak, various studies have been carried out by authorities and experts in the world from various scientific fields, ranging from the fields of health and medical sciences, education, economics, socio-politics,to the field of religious sciences. In the LIPI study data, there are around 285 research papers discussing the corona virus from various scientific fields' points of view. In addition, in the study data of Arabic-based papers in Algeria, there are about 131 papers. This does not include the various papers widely spread in scientific journals published by other countries in different languages. However, the topic that becomes the theme of this research is very different from those previous studies. This research will examine the Covid-19 from the perspective of the Theology of Destiny in Islamic teachings. This research will be conducted in the form of a literature review through classical and contemporary Islamic literature with an induction approach using qualitative analysis. humans in making every effort to be free from the Covid-19 pandemic.The conclusion of this research is that the Theology of Destiny destroys atheism, proves human weakness before God's power. Besides, the Theology of Destiny can provide a sense of optimism and motivation for humans in making every effort to survive the Covid-19 pandemic.


We extend the Majumdar-Papapetrou solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations, which are implied generally for static electric charge in nonrotating metrics, to encompass equally well magnetic charges. In the absence of Higgs and non-Abelian gauge fields, 'dyonic' is to be understood in this simpler sense. Cosmologically this may have far-reaching consequences, to the extent that existence of multimagnetic monopole black holes may become a reality in our universe. Infalling charged particle geodesics may reveal, through particular integrals, their inner secrets, which are screened from our observation.


Over the last two decades, New York City has witnessed historic drops in crime. Numerous explanations for this crime decline have been discussed, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has been central to that debate, most notably because of the adoption of order maintenance policing and the implementation of Compstat. While those developments in the early 1990s are clearly important for understanding the potential role of the NYPD in the crime decline, those changes did not occur in a vacuum. This paper adopts an historical framework that places the role of the NYPD in the crime decline in the larger context of the department's history, culture, and key events over a nearly 40-year span. This perspective suggests that many of the crime control strategies implemented by the NYPD over that time have been driven by internal and external crises, and that these strategies have also produced unintended consequences. With the historical analysis as a backdrop, the paper considers the ongoing debate over stop, question and frisk practices, and their disproportionate impact on minority residents, as the next potential crisis for the NYPD. The paper concludes with a discussion of the historical framework as a foundation for initiating a comparative dialog across law enforcement agencies regarding crime control strategies, their impact, and their consequences.


A space-time point process is a stochastic process having as realizations points with random coordinates in both space and time. We define a general class of space-time point processes which we term {\em analytic}. These are point processes that have only finite numbers of points in finite time intervals, absolutely continuous joint-occurrence distributions, and for which points do not occur with certainty in finite time intervals. Analytic point processes possess an intensity determined by the past of the point process. As a class, analytic point processes remain closed under randomization by a parameter. The problem we consider is that of estimating a random parameter of an observed space-time point process. This parameter may be drawn from a function space and can, therefore, model a random variable, random process, or random field that influences the space-time point process. Feedback interactions between the point process and the randomizing parameter are included. The conditional probability measure of the parameter given the observed space-time point process is a sufficient statistic for forming estimates satisfying a wide variety of performance criteria. A general representation for this conditional measure is developed, and applications to filtering, smoothing, prediction, and hypothesis testing are given.


Several simple organic (hydroxy)acids as models of principal functional moieties of humic acids and the copper ion as a model ion were used to investigate the metal-humic interactions. The quantum chemical calculations have been performed showing differences in the interaction strength and stability of the metal-acid complexes formed by different aromatic mono- and polycarboxylic acids and their hydroxyl-containing analogues. In this study, new results from the high resolution ultrasound spectroscopy will be presented. The ultrasound propagation velocity, which is sensitive to the intermolecular interactions, has been measured during titration of the models by solution of the copper(II) salt. The dependence of ultrasound velocity on added amount of the copper(II) ions enabled to follow the metal interactions with the individual functional groups and to elucidate the effect of structure of complexing molecule on its binding with the metal. Changes in the slope of the dependence were used to find the saturation of binding and to follow changes of hydration of interacting species. The differences observed for the individual models show that there are active centers not only with various strength and stability of the formed complexes but also with their various rigidity and ability of conformational changes.


The production of sewage sludge in China has been increasing sharply in order to treat 40% of the municipal sewage in 2005 as planned by central government. The main sludge disposal method is landfill owing to heavy metal contamination, but it presents an attractive potential for agricultural land application. Experiments were carried out to study the simultaneous metal removal and sludge stabilization by plants. The sludge samples were collected from Datansha Wastewater Treatment Plant of Guangzhou, it contained excessive Cu and Zn compared with the Chinese National Standard for Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge. Plants growing on sludge beds were investigated to follow their growth and metal uptake. 30 sludge plants were identified during 1 year's observation. A Zn high-accumulating and high growth rate plant(Alocasia macrorrhiza) was selected and grown on sludge beds in plots. The water, organic matter, heavy metals and nutrients contents, the E. coli number and the cress seed germination index were monitored for the sludge samples collected monthly. The plant growth parameters and its heavy metals contents were also determined. The sewage sludge treated by plants could be stabilized at about 5 months, the E. coli number was significantly decreased and the cress seed germination index attained 100%. Crop on sludge could ameliorate the sludge drying. The experiments are continuing to find out the appropriate plant combination for simultaneous sludge stabilization and metal removal for an acceptable period. Comparisons between the proposed processes and other methods for treating produced sludge such as composting, chemical andbacterial leaching were discussed.


Abstract This article presents the results of a high-resolution microgravity survey which was successful in delineating the 150-year old Williamson tunnels beneath inner-city Liverpool, England. The tunnels, which date from the Napoleonic Wars, lie at depths of c. 5 to 15 metres, and are poorly mapped because of several phases of later development and subsequent dereliction. The 'brown-field' nature of this site created substantial noise signals which required the application of careful terrain corrections and second derivative and Euler deconvolution methods to isolate and identify the tunnel signatures. Successful delineation was only possible because of a comprehensive initial desk study and prior modelling, which assessed the likely depths and conditions of the impassable tunnels and allowed appropriate techniques and survey parameters to be determined.


Among the molecules that play an essential role in the early steps of the process of fertilisation, and in the interaction of the sperm with the egg, are the sperm adhesion molecule 1 (SPAM1) and fertilin β(FTN-β). This interaction, mediated by various molecules on the gametes, starts with sperm-egg adhesion and ultimately results in the fusion of the membranes. The human fertilin β(FTN-β) and SPAM1 promoters were cloned and characterised to determine their similarity with other testis germ cellsspecific promoters, and to assess their functionality and tissue specificity. Various fragments of the promoters were fused with GFP in an expression cassette for an in situ transcription assay using four different cell types. Transcription initiation sites (TSS) were mapped by RACE at -127 nucleotide position relative to the initiation codon (ATG) in SPAM1 and at -64 nucleotide position in FTN-b. Neither the SPAM1 nor FTN-b promoter have consensus TATA or CCAAT boxes; however, they have the initiator (Inr) motif at the transcription initiation sites and the TSF (Testis Specific Factor) motif pair, one in either orientation. In addition FTN-b has a DPE (downstream promoter element) at +30 position relative to the transcription start site, while SPAM1 has CRE (Cyclic-AMP Response Element) motifs at positions -28 and -70.


The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the relationship between meteorological factors (i.e., daily maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, temperature range, relative humidity, average wind speed and total precipitation) and COVID-19 transmission is affected by season and geographical location during the period of community-based pandemic prevention and control. COVID-19 infected case records and meteorological data in four cities (Wuhan, Beijing, Urumqi and Dalian) in China were collected. Then, the best-fitting model of COVID-19 infected cases was selected from four statistic models (Gaussian, logistic, lognormal distribution and allometric models), and the relationship between meteorological factors and COVID-19 infected cases was analyzed using multiple stepwise regression and Pearson correlation. The results showed that the lognormal distribution model was well adapted to describing the change of COVID-19 infected cases compared with other models (R2 > 0.78; p-values < 0.001). Under the condition of implementing community-based pandemic prevention and control, relationship between COVID-19 infected cases and meteorological factors differed among the four cities. Temperature and relative humidity were mainly the driving factors on COVID-19 transmission, but their relations obviously varied with season and geographical location. In summer, the increase in relative humidity and the decrease in maximum temperature facilitate COVID-19 transmission in arid inland cities, while at this point the decrease in relative humidity is good for the spread of COVID-19 in coastal cities. For the humid cities, the reduction of relative humidity and the lowest temperature in the winter promote COVID-19 transmission.


Reasonable composition design and controllable structure are effective strategies for harmonic electromagnetic wave (EMW) adsorption of multi-component composites. On this basis, the hybrid MoS2 /CoS2 /VN multilayer structure with the triple heterogeneous interface is prepared by simple stirring hydrothermal, which can satisfy the synergistic interaction between different components and obtain excellent EMW absorption performance. Due to the presence of multiple heterogeneous interfaces, MoS2 /CoS2 /VN composites will produce strong interfacial polarization, while the defects in the sample will become the center of polarization, resulting in dipole polarization. Due to the excellent structural design of MoS2 /CoS2 /VN composite material, MoS2 /CoS2 /VN composite material not only has good conductive loss and polarization loss, but also can maintain excellent stability in simulated seawater, and enhance corrosion resistance. The MoS2 /CoS2 /VN composite with dual functions of corrosion resistant and microwave absorption achieves a minimum reflection loss (RL) of -50.48 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of up to 5.76 GHz, covering both the X-band and Ku-band. Finally, this study provides a strong reference for the development of EMW absorption materials based on transition metal nitrides.


Visibility data (providing details about supply chain activities in e.g. production, logistics, and quality processes) is of highly sensitive nature – not just in the food sector, but also beyond. Amongst other things, unauthorized data access can be (mis)used to uncover supply chain relationships, volumes, and other business context information. At the same time, it becomes increasingly important to share visibility data with trading partners, e.g. to meet customer requirements and legal obligations. So far, it is not a trivial matter to access or even discover that data, which is often stored in numerous distributed databases. A possible means to overcome this predicament is a Discovery Service (DS), which has knowledge of the parties owning information about specific objects (e.g. product batches) and can provide pointers to the actual data sources to authorized clients while leaving no opportunity to misuse accessible data. It is important to note that a DS itself does not contain actual visibility data, but only references to it. Yet, even the knowledge that party A, B and C have information about a specific product is still sensitive as the querying client would be able to reveal the flow of goods and may take advantage of that knowledge. For instance, he could identify his supplier's upstream vendor and, for the sake of saving costs, try to procure products directly from that upstream vendor rather than from his previous supplier. Hence, a DS should provide the ability to prevent such scenarios if it strives to achieve a high level of acceptance. A key enabler for a DS is a trust-inspiring means to ascertain whether a querying party is actually part of a given chain of custody (CoC). In conjunction with a set of rules previously defined by the respective data owners, the DS is then able to decide which service addresses (if at all) can be provided in the message response to the query client. Afterwards, the querying party can gather detailed information about a specific object by querying the indicated data sources. In this context, our paper addresses the following research question: How can a DS ascertain if and to which extent a trading partner, whether known or not, is entitled to get pointers to visibility data stored in distributed repositories while ensuring privacy of the data owners? In pursuing this research question, we first provide the relevant background including the current state of the art. Second, we explain and discuss the solution approach and complete our paper by outlining the solution we are going to realize in the course of the research project 'FoodAuthent' (funded by the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture ).


During fetal lung development, cells within the mesenchyme differentiate into vascular endothelia. This process of vasculogenesis gives rise to the cells that will eventually form the alveolar capillary bed. The cellular mechanisms regulating lung vasculogenesis are poorly understood, partly due to the lack of experimental systems that model this process. Here, we have developed and characterized a novel fetal mouse lung cell model of mesenchymal to endothelial differentiation. Using mesenchymal cells from the lungs of embryonal day 15 Immortomice, we show that endothelial growth media containing fibroblast growth factor-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor can stimulate formation of vascular endothelial cells in culture. These newly formed endothelial cells retain plasticity, as removing endothelial growth media causes loss of vascular markers and renewed formation of α-smooth muscle actin positive stress fibers. Cells with the highest Flk-1 expression differentiated into endothelia more efficiently. Individual mesenchymal cell clones had varied ability to acquire an endothelial phenotype. These fetal lung mesenchymal cells were multipotent, capable of differentiating into not only vascular endothelia, but also osteogenic and chondrongenic cell lineages. Our data establish a cell culture model for mesenchymal to endothelial differentiation that could prove useful for future mechanistic studies in the process of vasculogenesis both during normal development and in the pathogenesis of pulmonary vascular disease.


This paper describes a novel passive wireless SAW sensor providing a highly coherent measurand proportional frequency, FM modulated with identification (ID) data and immune to interference with multiple path signals. The sensor comprises a highly stable low-power oscillator, stabilized with the sensing SAW resonator and powered by the rectified RF power of the interrogating signal which is received by a /spl lambda//4 whip antenna on the sensor part. A few hundred /spl mu/W of dc power are enough to power the sensor oscillator and ID modulation circuit and achieve stable operation at 1.0 and 2.49 GHz. Reliable sensor interrogation was achieved over a distance of 0.45 m from a SAW based interrogation unit providing 50 mW of continuous RF power at 915 MHz. The -30 to -35 dBm of returned sensor power was enough to receive the sensor signal over a large distance and through several walls with a simple superheterodyne FM receiver converting the sensor signal to a low measurand proportional intermediate frequency and retrieving the ID data through FM detection. Different sensor implementations including continuous and pulsed power versions and the possibility of transmitting data from several measurands with a single sensor are discussed.


Radioimmunoassay was used to study the effect of restricted motor activity on circadian rhythms of blood plasma sexual steroids and cortisol in female Papio hamadryas during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Instact animals manifested clear-cut circadian rhythms of the testosterone and cortisol content during both the phases and those of estradiol and progesterone during the follicular phase of the cycle. Two-week immobilization did not produce any changes in the general pattern of circadian rhythms of cortisol and testosterone but led to a decrease in their mean daily concentrations, with that decrease being more pronounced for testosterone of females immobilized during the luteal phase. The authors established unbalance of sexual steroids with a dramatic fall of the mean daily concentrations of estradiol and progesterone and desynchronism of their circadian rhythms regardless of the cycle phase at the moment of immobilization. The mechanisms responsible for alterations in circadian rhythms of sexual steroids in hypokinetic females are discussed.


The AMA demanded more fiscal responsibility from government and strongly supported voluntary cost containment measures in actions at its annual convention. Of the 48 recommendations of the National Commission on the Cost of Medical Care, the house accepted those that were in agreement with AMA policy. Four commission recommendations that directly affect hospitals were passed: prospective rate setting, limitations on new hospital beds, decertification of existing health facilities, and strengthening physician price consciousness.


Racial discrimination in this report is understood to mean 'any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin' (ICERD, Article 1). Discrimination is distinct from racial prejudice (an attitude) and stereotypes (beliefs). Discrimination can be damaging to both individuals' life chances and their wellbeing, as well as to society (OECD, 2013; Fibbi et al., 2021). Yet discrimination is difficult to measure accurately. It is also challenging to devise measures to combat discriminatory behaviour and promote diversity. This report reviews international literature on racial discrimination in the labour market and the effectiveness of measures to combat it. The aim is to distil the evidence into a short report to inform measures addressing discrimination in the labour market, including the current development of the National Action Plan Against Racism. The focus is on specific measures that can be implemented now to address current racial discrimination in the labour market.


Better understanding of the local deformation of the bone network around metallic implants subjected to loading is of importance to assess the mechanical resistance of the bone-implant interface and limit implant failure. In this study, four titanium screws were osseointegrated into rat tibiae for 4 weeks and screw pullout was conducted in situ under x-ray microtomography, recording macroscopic mechanical behavior and full tomographies at multiple load steps before failure. Images were analyzed using Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) to access internal displacement and deformation fields during loading. A repeatable failure pattern was observed, where a ∼300–500 μm-thick envelope of bone detached from the trabecular structure. Fracture initiated close to the screw tip and propagated along the implant surface, at a distance of around 500 μm. Thus, the fracture pattern appeared to be influenced by the microstructure of the bone formed closely around the threads, which confirmed that the model is relevant for evaluating the effect of pharmacological treatments affecting local bone formation. Moreover, cracks at the tibial plateau were identified by DVC analysis of the tomographic images acquired during loading. Moderate strains were first distributed in the trabecular bone, which localized into higher strains regions with subsequent loading, revealing crack-formation not evident in the tomographic images. The in situ loading methodology followed by DVC is shown to be a powerful tool to study internal deformation and fracture behavior of the newly formed bone close to an implant when subjected to loading. A better understanding of the interface failure may help improve the outcome of surgical implants.


ABSTRACT Cefiderocol (CFDC; S-649266), a novel parenteral siderophore cephalosporin conjugated with a catechol moiety, has a characteristic antibacterial spectrum with a potent activity against a broad range of aerobic Gram-negative bacterial species, including carbapenem-resistant strains of Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermenting bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. Cefiderocol has affinity mainly for penicillin-binding protein 3 (PBP3) of Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermenting bacteria similar to that of ceftazidime. A deficiency of the iron transporter PiuA in P. aeruginosa or both CirA and Fiu in Escherichia coli caused 16-fold increases in cefiderocol MICs, suggesting that these iron transporters contribute to the permeation of cefiderocol across the outer membrane. The deficiency of OmpK35/36 in Klebsiella pneumoniae and the overproduction of efflux pump MexA-MexB-OprM in P. aeruginosa showed no significant impact on the activity of cefiderocol.


Human peripheral blood monocytes and a human monocyte cell line were exposed to the toxin pneumolysin. Pneumolysin-exposed cells produced significantly larger amounts of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1 beta than cells not exposed to the toxin. The viability of cells was not affected by the concentrations of pneumolysin used in the experiments.


Although data on the prevalence of injection drug use are an essential prerequisite for estimating the number of individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there have been few attempts to utilize statistical methods of population estimation based on multiple data sources. Data on 3,670 cases (2,866 individuals) were obtained from the HIV test register, drug treatment agencies, police records, and needle and syringe exchanges in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1990. Log-linear analysis was used to model the number of individuals in each of the sources. The model incorporating dependency among the three health care agencies (HIV test, drug treatment, and needle exchange) and independence of the police sample fitted the data well, with a residual chi 2 value of 2.9 (6 df). The expected value of the missing cell corresponding to absence from all four samples was 5,628, yielding an overall estimate of 8,494 injectors (95% confidence interval (CI) 7,491-9,721), for a prevalence rate of 1.35% for people aged 15-55 years in Glasgow during 1990. The high ratio of known to unknown injectors (1:2) resulted from the extensive coverage of known injectors and the relatively high level of overlap between the combined health care agency sample and the police sample. While further analysis demonstrated that the probability of appearing in the four samples varied by age and sex, heterogeneity in the population did not affect the choice of model or substantially alter the estimates for the total number of unknown injectors. A concurrent study of a community-wide sample of 503 injectors resulted in an HIV prevalence rate of 1.1% (95% CI 0.4-2.5%). The results of these studies were combined to produce a further estimate of 93 HIV-infected current injectors in Glasgow (95% CI 33-214).


This paper provides a new and complementary explanation for a pricing puzzle for seasonal products, namely, counter-cyclical pricing, drawing on the category-expansion effects of price promotions. Our study emphasizes the seasonal fluctuation in promotion frequency rather than the change in aggregate mean price across seasons, which motivates most existing studies. We propose a rationale for the counter-cyclical price promotions: consumers are more likely to increase category demand in response to promotions during periods of high demand, causing seasonally varying promotion effects on category expansion. We show promotion effects are amplified during high-demand periods if the product category is subject to stockpiling and endogenous-consumption behavior; that is, consumption is a function of inventory. Using scanner-panel data on the canned soup category, we find households' purchase patterns are consistent with the endogenous consumption hypothesis. We investigate the seasonally varying promotion effects using the framework of a dynamic inventory model with forward-looking consumers (Erdem, Imai, and Keane, 2003; Hendel and Nevo, 2006) by allowing the consumption rate to be endogenous to household inventory and subject to the exogenous seasonal fluctuation in category preference. Our results indicate the long-run promotion effects are underestimated by 32% during periods of high demand if endogenous consumption is ignored, and that with endogenous consumption, the long-run promotion effects increase by 24% across seasons, implying a larger gain of promotions during high-demand periods, which is a motivation for the counter-cyclical price promotions.


Objectives. To determine whether adjunctive therapy with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) could reverse the neutropenia and reduce the incidence of sepsis (≤28 days postnatal age) in neonates with prolonged preeclampsia-associated neutropenia compared with conventional therapy. Study Design. An intravenous infusion of rhG-CSF (10 μg/kg/day × 3 days for 10 neonates or 5 μg/kg/day × 3 days for 5 neonates) was administered to ventilated patients with prolonged (≥3 consecutive days in the first postnatal week) preeclampsia-associated neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count [ANC] <1500/mm3). Neutrophilic responses and the incidence of neonatal sepsis in the next 28 postnatal days were compared with 13 case-matched control neonates who also had prolonged preeclampsia-associated neutropenia. Sepsis was defined as at least one positive blood culture in a newly symptomatic neonate treated with antibiotics for ≥7 days. Results. No significant differences existed among the three groups in the birth weight, gestational age, sex, growth retardation, method of delivery, magnitude of respiratory support, use of surfactant, usage of intravascular catheters, or in the initial (pretreatment) ANC. The average baseline ANC (pretreatment) in the 10-μg rhG-CSF group was 815 ± 169/mm3 (mean ± SEM), in the 5 μg group it was 786 ± 165/mm3, and in the conventional group it was 965 ± 283. Eighteen of 28 (64%) neonates with preeclampsia-associated neutropenia were neutropenic at birth, the other 10 (36%) had normal neutrophil counts at birth but subsequently developed ≥3 days of neutropenia between 24 and 120 hours after birth. The ANC increased by 2-fold at 24 hours, by 4-fold at 72 hours, and 14-fold by the 7th day in the 10-μg group. In the 5-μg group, a 2-fold and 5-fold increase occurred at 72 hours and 7 days, respectively. In the conventionally-treated group, only a 4-fold increase was seen as late as 7 days after achieving entry criteria. Sepsis was observed in 13% (2/15) of the rhG-CSF-treated neonates compared with an incidence of 54% (7/13) in the conventionally-treated neonates. Conclusions. rhG-CSF increases the ANC significantly (at 10 μg/kg/day × 3 days) and reduces the incidence of neonatal sepsis in critically ill ventilated neonates with prolonged preeclampsia-associated neutropenia when compared with conventional therapy. A future prospective, randomized, and blinded trial is needed to validate the beneficial effects of prophylactic rhG-CSF therapy in neonates with prolonged preeclampsia-associated neutropenia.


Prion diseases are a group of encephalopathies with neurodegenerative changes caused by an altered protein named prion whose characteristic datum is transmissibility. In most cases they occur in a sporadic form although a group of them are familial associated with mutations in the gene of the prion protein. Genetic polymorphism seems to determine the different family variants. One of the most enigmatic and unusual is Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI), a hereditary disorder characterised by loss of physiological sleep with oneiric stupor, autonomic and motor hyperactivity, and motor anomalies. The polysomnography of this entity reflects an inability to produce the physiological pattern of NREM and REM sleep, as well as hormonal and vegetative circadian fluctuations; the transition from wakefulness to sleep is markedly altered with the early disappearance sleep spindles. The hypothesis of the origin of these disorders is thalamic neuronal loss, especially in the anterior and dorsomedial nuclei, described in the neuropathology of these patients; besides PET reveals hypofunction of thalamic nuclei, centres responsible for controlling wakefulness-sleep. In Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease the wake-sleep disorders are not considered characteristic; nonetheless, frequent alterations have been found in the electroencephalographic registers of sleep. Besides thalamic neurodegeneration, there could be common etiopathogenic mechanisms in prion diseases in relation to the biological function of the prion protein.


To determine the effect of various stereoisomers of benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol 9,10-epoxide (BPDE) on translesion bypass by human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase and its α-helix H mutants, six 33-mer templates were constructed bearing site- and stereospecific adducts. This in vitro model system was chosen to understand the structure-function relationships between the polymerase and damaged DNA during replication. Comparison of the replication pattern between wild type human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase and its mutants, using primers which were 3′ to the lesion, revealed essentially similar patterns. While these primers terminated with all three of the C10R and two of the C10S BPDE-adducted templates 1 base 5′ and 1 base 3′ to the damaged site respectively, (+)-anti-trans-(C10S) BPDE-adducted DNA alone permitted the formation of full-length products. Utilization of a primer with its 3′-hydroxyl 1 base beyond the lesion resulted in full-length products with all the C10S BPDE-adducted templates and the (−)-syn-trans-(C10R)-BPDE-adducted template, following replication with either the wild type or mutant enzymes. However, the other two C10R BPDE-adducted templates failed to allow any primer extension, even with the wild type enzyme. Although T·;P depletion studies further confirmed the differential primer extension abilities using the C10R and C10S adducted templates, their binding affinities were similar, yet distinct from the unadducted template.


The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Seventy-two patients with CKD stage 3 or above were included in this study. Blood samples were taken from each patient to determine complete blood counts, serum albumin, electrolytes, lipid profile and blood sugar random/fasting. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated with the Cockcroft-Gault formula. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) was determined to identify the presence of PVD. A standardized Doppler ultrasound device was used. ABI of <0.90 was considered diagnostic of PVD. The mean age of the patients was 53.22 ± 12.8 years. Forty-six patients (63.9%) were male. Twenty-five patients (34.7%) were in stage 3 CKD, 20 patients (27.8%) were in stage 4 CKD and 27 patients (37.5%) were in stage 5 CKD. Twenty patients (27.8%) had an ABI <0.9 and hence had PVD. Of these patients, 13 (18.1%) had mild to moderate PVD with ABI of 0.41-0.90 and seven (9.7%) had severe PVD with ABI of 0.00-0.40. All the baseline parameters including systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, height, weight, body mass index, GFR, hemoglobin, total blood count, platelets, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and uric acid were not significantly different between patients with and without PVD (P >0.05). However, the mean total cholesterol was significantly higher among patients with PVD. The prevalence of PVD was significantly high in patients with stage 5 CKD (P <0.05). PVD is frequent among patients with CKD based on the ABI as measured by Doppler ultrasound.


This study aims to develop understanding about training opportunities for practitioners who work on early intervention programmes within multidisciplinary teams. The study relates to independent reviews, which have advocated 'early intervention' as an effective approach to support young children's future outcomes (Field, 2010, Marmot, 2010, Allen, 2011). Moreover, Tickell (2011) has advised that the benefits of early intervention are only fully realised when professionals work effectively together. Nutbrown (2012) and Betram and Pascal (2014) have called for effective training to support practitioners to undertake their roles in early years practice. The study draws on the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project (Sylva et al., 2004), which established the relationship between high quality provision and improved outcomes for children, especially for the most disadvantaged children. Sylva et al. (2004) noted that effective provision was supported by a well-qualified staff. A qualitative approach was used in this study to gain practitioners' perspectives on training to support their role when working with other professionals. An interpretive paradigm was used to explore their interview responses. The research was undertaken in accordance with BERA's (2011) ethical guidance, with consideration of Whitmarsh's (2012) principles of respect, beneficence and justice by seeking to avoid any harm or exploitation of research participants involved in the study. Initial data from this study suggests that practitioners would value further training opportunities that would support them to undertake their role within multidisciplinary team contexts. The study aims to contribute to the wider debate on training for the early years workforce.


Alginate lyases are group of enzymes which catalyze depolymerization of alginate into oligosaccharides. Alginate lyase have been widely used in many applications such as in production of bioactive oligosaccharides, control of polysaccharide rheological properties, and polysaccharide structure analysis. The products of alginate lyase, polysaccharide structure analysis, alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) have many biological activities including act as prebiotics, immune modulator, anticoagulation, antioxidant, anticancer, growth promoting activities, promote production of antibiotics and ethanol. In relation to the importance of alginate lyases, their potential aplications and prospect in development of new bioactive products, we present review of the enzymes, sources, mechanism of activity and potential applications. This paper also discussed some new biological engineering in alginate lyase production.


Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to compare hydrogen defects formed in p doped [001] oriented Cz silicon samples which are H+ plasma treated , H+ implanted or Si+ implanted + H+ plasma treated. Samples were studied as processed and after annealing at 250°C, 450°C and 600°C. It is found that 1 hour H+ plasma treatment at 250°C produces a low density of large defects (~100 nm) in prefered {111} plans close to the surface. H+ implantation at a dose of 3x1016 cm-2 produces high density of small (~ 20 nm) mostly {100} platelets that after 1 hour annealing at 450°C result in microcrack formation. Lower H+ implantation doses form very few microcracks at this temperature. Silicon implantation with a dose of 1015 cm2 followed by 1 hour H+ plasma treatment at 250°C and 1 hour annealing at 450°C produces similar microstructure and microcracks as the 3x1016 cm2 H+ implantation dose.


A superdeformed band consisting of a cascade of ten gamma-ray transitions has been identified and assigned to the nucleus Tc-89, close to the proton dripline. The quadrupole moment of the band (Q(t) = 6.7(-2.3)(+3.0) eb, as measured by the Residual Doppler Shift Method) as well as a large dynamic moment of inertia point to a highly elongated shape. With a relative population of approximately 15% of the gamma-ray flux in the Tc-89 exit channel, thp band is among the most intense superdeformed bands observed to date.


CONTEXT
The College of American Pathologists' Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Gynecologic Cytology has seen an increase in enrollment in liquid-based Papanicolaou test challenges with a decrease for conventional Papanicolaou tests. Trichomonas vaginalis can be difficult to identify in all preparation types.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate 20 years of participant results from the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Gynecologic Cytology for Trichomonas to ascertain whether performance has changed because of the introduction of liquid-based Papanicolaou and proficiency testing.

DESIGN
Concordance rates for the target diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis were evaluated for 167,956 participant responses (1990-2010). A nonlinear mixed model was fit with participant type, preparation type, and a 2-level program year (1990-2005 and 2006-2010) reflecting before and after proficiency testing began. A repeated-measures component allowed modeling of the slide-specific performance to ensure that the overall results were not based on the performance of a few slides.

RESULTS
Cytotechnologists had higher concordance with the target diagnosis than did pathologists (89.8% [72,992 of 81,319] versus 83.4% [72,271 of 86,637], P < .001) and better performance for each preparation type (P = .003). Concordance initially dropped after the introduction of proficiency testing (P < .001) for conventional and liquid-based (SurePath) preparations by both participant types, followed by quick, parallel improvement.

CONCLUSIONS
Performance is high in the detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Gynecologic Cytology. Liquid-based Papanicolaou and proficiency testing minimally affected participant performance. Cytotechnologists performed better over time and across preparation types than did pathologists, although pathologists showed performance results parallel to that of the cytotechnologists. Awareness of the performance differences by pathologists and cytotechnologists, as well as their difference in proficiency among liquid-based techniques, may help ensure accurate results in clinical practice.


Sera from 28 patients with renal cancer were tested for reactivity with surface antigens of cultured autologous renal cancer cells. Four serological assays were used to survey sera for autologous antibody. Immune adherence, protein A, and C3-mixed hemadsorption assays detected reactivity in a high percentage of patients (80-100%), whereas mixed hemadsorption assays were negative with sera from all but one patient. Reactive sera from six patients were analyzed by absorption tests with autologous, allogeneic, and restricted to autologous renal cancer cells; class 2 antigens, present on certain allogeneic renal and nonrenal cancer cells; and class 3 antigens, found on a wide variety of normal and malignant cell types. The sera of one patient detected class 1, 2, and 3 antigens, the sera of three patients detected class 2 antigens, and the sera of two patients detected class 3 antigens. This analysis of renal cancer, with the recognition of three classes of surface antigens recognized by autologous sera, resembles the results of autologous typing of three other human malignancies: malignant melanoma, acute leukemia, and astrocytoma. Evidence provided by autologous typing of these cancers indicates that class 1 and class 2 antigens are tumor-restricted and that under certain circumstances these antigens are immunogenic for the autologous host.


Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) is one of the most famous plants which has been used as natural medicine and nutraceutical. Its phytochemical composition, bioactive compounds and health benefits have been intensively studied and hawthorn preparations may be recognized as classical natural products for cardiovascular health. Polyphenolic compounds of different hawthorn anatomical parts as well as their extracts have been the focus of a majority of these studies, although various other classes of natural health promoting constituents have also been isolated, identified and characterized. Regardless, numerous published reports have particularly focused on the activity mechanisms which are very important for supporting various health benefits. This review summarizes the most recent studies on hawthorn, mainly published since 2015. Search of different databases indicates that approximately 200 publications, which are relevant to phytochemistry and health benefits of Crataegus spp., have appeared since then, most of them have not been included in the existing reviews.


Network-on-Chip (NoC) has become the de facto communication standard for multi-core or many-core System-on-Chip (SoC) due to its scalability and flexibility. However, an important factor in NoC design is temperature, which affects the overall performance of SoC—decreasing circuit frequency, increasing energy consumption, and even shortening chip lifetime. In this article, we propose SSS, a self-aware SoC using a static-dynamic hybrid method that combines dynamic mapping and static mapping to reduce the hotspot temperature for NoC-based SoCs. First, we propose monitoring and thermal modeling for self-state sensoring. Then, in static mapping stage, we calculate the optimal mapping solutions under different temperature modes using the discrete firefly algorithm to help self-decision making. Finally, in dynamic mapping stage, we achieve dynamic mapping through configuring NoC and SoC sentient units for self-optimizing. Experimental results show that SSS has substantially reduced the peak temperature by up to 37.52%. The FPGA prototype proves the effectiveness and smartness of SSS in reducing hotspot temperature.


Abstract. Wind turbine power production deviates from the reference
power curve in real-world atmospheric conditions. Correctly predicting
turbine power performance requires models to be validated for a wide range
of wind turbines using inflow in different locations. The Share-3 exercise
is the most recent intelligence-sharing exercise of the Power Curve Working
Group, which aims to advance the modeling of turbine performance. The goal
of the exercise is to search for modeling methods that reduce error and
uncertainty in power prediction when wind shear and turbulence digress from
design conditions. Herein, we analyze data from 55 wind turbine power
performance tests from nine contributing organizations with statistical tests
to quantify the skills of the prediction-correction methods. We assess the
accuracy and precision of four proposed trial methods against the baseline
method, which uses the conventional definition of a power curve with wind
speed and air density at hub height. The trial methods reduce
power-production prediction errors compared to the baseline method at high
wind speeds, which contribute heavily to power production; however, the
trial methods fail to significantly reduce prediction uncertainty in most
meteorological conditions. For the meteorological conditions when a wind
turbine produces less than the power its reference power curve suggests,
using power deviation matrices leads to more accurate power prediction. We
also determine that for more than half of the submissions, the data set has a
large influence on the effectiveness of a trial method. Overall, this work
affirms the value of data-sharing efforts in advancing power curve modeling
and establishes the groundwork for future collaborations.


The relationships between flow stress curve and microstructure evolution in strain induced dynamic phase transformation (SIDT) of low carbon steel (0.22wt.%) were quantitatively investigated. The deformation was carried out at just above Ar3 temperature (710°C) as a function of strain rate (0.01-5/sec). The softening process of SIDT was well agreed with calculated result derived from Avrami's and constitutive equation at higher strain rate than 0.5/sec. However, the calculated results differed from the experimental curve at strain rate of less than 0.2/sec. This is due to fact that the dynamic transformation from austenite to ferrite can not be completed owing to less stored energy during hot deformation.


National certification and the professionalism of school counselors are becoming more salient, particularly as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act. Archival data were used to examine the relationship between preparation at programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and national certification for school counselors. Significantly more individuals who obtained the National Certified Counselor credential were graduates of CACREPaccredited programs while the majority of school counselors who obtained the National Certified School Counselor credential were graduates of non-accredited programs. Implications for school counselors are examined.


We present an effective machine learning method for malicious activity detection in enterprise security logs. Our method involves feature engineering, or generating new features by applying operators on features of the raw data. We generate DNF formulas from raw features, extract Boolean functions from them, and leverage Fourier analysis to generate new parity features and rank them based on their highest Fourier coefficients. We demonstrate on real enterprise data sets that the engineered features enhance the performance of a wide range of classifiers and clustering algorithms. As compared to classification of raw data features, the engineered features achieve up to 50.6% improvement in malicious recall, while sacrificing no more than 0.47% in accuracy. We also observe better isolation of malicious clusters, when performing clustering on engineered features. In general, a small number of engineered features achieve higher performance than raw data features according to our metrics of interest. Our feature engineering method also retains interpretability, an important consideration in cyber security applications.


Is it time to revisit our definitions of projects and programmes?Definitions and assumptions play a key part in delimiting both knowledge and practice. Language is closely entwined with human life: Words and constructions and the way a language is used can shape what is seen and understood, defining what is acceptable and even possible."When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less."— Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass (1871)The Humpty Dumpty theory of semantics holds sway in most societies and manyorganisations and cultures. Words, symbols and concepts are endowed with additional meaning or associations, often derived from highly contextual, regional or vernacular sources, which can make a word mean precisely what the user wants it to mean.


Docking simulations are very popular approaches able to assess the capacity of a given ligand to interact with a target. Docking simulations are usually focused on a single best complex even though many studies showed that ligands retain a significant mobility within a binding pocket by assuming different binding modes all of which may contribute to the monitored ligand affinity. The present study describes an innovative concept, the binding space, which allows an exploration of the ligand mobility within the binding pocket by simultaneously considering several ligand poses as generated by docking simulations. The multiple poses and the relative docking scores can then be analyzed by taking advantage of the same concepts already used in the property space analysis; hence the binding space can be parametrized by (a) mean scores, (b) score ranges, and (c) score sensitivity values. The first parameter represents a very simple procedure to account for the contribution of the often neglected alternative binding modes, while the last two descriptors encode the degree of mobility which a given ligand retains within the binding cavity (score range) as well as the ease with which a ligand explores such a mobility (score sensitivity). Here, the binding space concept is applied to the prediction of the hydrolytic activity of BChE by synergistically considering multiple poses and multiple protein structures. The obtained results shed light on the remarkable potential of the binding space concept, whose parameters allow a significant increase of the predictive power of the docking results as revealed by extended correlative analyses. Mean scores are the parameters affording the largest statistical improvement, and all the here proposed docking-based descriptors show enhancing effects in developing predictive models. Finally, the study describes a new score function (Contacts score) simply based on the number of surrounding residues which appears to be particularly productive in the framework of the binding space.


This paper explores the use of the horror genre in Roman Polanski's Repulsion [1965], The Tenant [1976] and Rosemary's Baby [1968] in order to call attention to societal fears of the Other. Taking Robin Wood's definition, the Other is what society has oppressed and repressed, whether consciously or unconsciously, including women, different cultures, different ethnic groups, deviations from sexual norms, and children. Polanski takes societal fears of everyday life as inspirations for his horror films, expressing these fears as psychological anxieties of his protagonists and then projects the mental states of his characters back onto the world through the gothic imagery of his films. In doing so, Polanski brings to the fore what society has unconsciously repressed, namely fear of the Other, subverting dominant social norms.


Brain protein BASP1 forms oligomers that resemble amyloid protein oligomers in some respects, including interaction with conformation-specific antibodies against amyloid oligomers. Aggregation-prone N-terminal myristoylated peptide myr-BASP1 (1-13) forms fibrillar aggregates of amyloid-like structure under physiological conditions in vitro, which is also the evidence of BASP1 similarity to amyloid proteins. Protein cross-linking by glutaraldehyde in situ demonstrated that BASP1 exists on the presynaptic membrane as lipid raft-associated oligomers. In addition, BASP1 is non-toxic to PC12 cells, when applied either as a monomer or oligomer. We conclude that BASP1 oligomer is a non-pathological physiologically relevant functional form of this protein.


The psychometric properties of Pitcher Adjective Test, to assess leadership, were obtained. Participants were 400 health workers in the cities of Bogota, Cali, Bucaramanga and Barranquilla, in Colombia. By applying a logistic model, with difficulty and discrimination parameters, they were analyzed the properties of the items. The function of information of the test resulted more informative at the intermediate level (from -1.4 to 1.6), the indicators of difficulty and discrimination, were appropriate. A marginal reliability coefficient of .94 was obtained. Multiple correspondence analysis drew a two-dimension solution of leadership and by a latent class analysis, with a partial credit model, participants were classified into three leadership styles. According to this, it is concluded that psychometric properties are appropriate, and Pitcher Adjective Test is of interest, yielding a classification that does not correspond with those commonly used.


Introduction The revolution created by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a result of its ability to utilize the intrinsic differences in the magnetic properties of tissues to provide information about function, structure, and chemistry. This book provides background on a variety of MRI methods and focuses on their application to neurological conditions that manifest with movement disorders. These disorders include neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease, and ataxia which are characterized by progressive neuronal loss with accompanying neuropathological changes. Meanwhile other movement disorders are not clearly degenerative and tend to have more subtle structural, functional, and neurochemical changes. The focus of many chapters herein will be on PD, which constitutes the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is the principle focus of many clinicians and researchers in the movement disorders field. It is stated that approximately 1% of those over 65 years of age have PD [1]. As a result there is substantial focus on PD research, and the discoveries made in basic neuroscience that relate to pathogenic mechanisms of PD (or AD for that matter) are often relevant for lesser known neurodegenerative parkinsonian conditions such as multiple system atrophy (MSA) or progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Along with the progress made in basic science research, MRI developments have been applied to PD and have begun to show promise as a surrogate biomarker in research studies. As well these techniques may be more useful clinically in looking at other parkinsonian conditions such as MSA and PSP. While MRI is presently not able directly to image dopaminergic neuronal loss that underlies degenenerative parkinsonian conditions, it can provide complementary data to those obtained with nuclear tracer imaging. First, this chapter will provide an overview of MRI methods which will be discussed in much greater depth in subsequent chapters, and we will cover nascent techniques that we are employing at the University of Minnesota that may ultimately help provide an imaging biomarker of disease.


Using a nationally representative sample for Mexico, we analyse the effect of a husband having a working mother on the probability that he has a working wife. Our results show that labour force participation by a husband's mother increases the probability of the labour force participation of his wife by 15 percentage points. The effect is mainly driven by males with less than high school education. One possible confounding factor is the effect of labour force participation of the wife's mother on the wife's labour participation decision. However, in a different sample, we do not find any effect of work force participation of wives' mothers on wives' decisions to join the labour force. Finally, we test the effect of work force participation by a husband's mother on the husband's preferences regarding child-rearing practices. We find that having a working mother strongly reduces the probability that daughters will be tasked to care for siblings and fosters preferences for a more egalitarian allocation of educational resources among children. Hence, promoting female labour force participation can have important dynamic implications, especially for developing countries.


Abstract The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), which accredits over 840 business schools globally, released a new business school accreditation standards document in 2020. In this paper, we briefly give a retrospective of library references in the AACSB standards over time and an overview of the development of the new standards. We then analyze sections of the new standards where business librarians can play an important role and outline how business librarians can use them in their collaboration with business faculty by mapping library information literacy to the programmatic goals of business schools.


This paper investigates the medium- and long-term growth effects of the global financial crises on Low-Income Countries (LICs). Using several methodological approaches, including impulse response function analysis, growth spells techniques and panel regressions, we show that external demand (ED) shocks are not historically associated with sharp declines in output growth. Given existing evidence that LICs were primarily impacted by such a shock in the global financial crisis, our analysis provides some optimism on the chances that LICs will avoid a protracted period of slow growth. However, we also show that there seem to be persistent output losses associated with ED shocks in the medium-run. In terms of policy implications, our analysis provides evidence that countries with lower deficits, lower debt, more flexible exchange rate regimes, and a higher stock of international reserves are more likely to dampen the effects of an ED shock on growth.


In 2015 a new WHO classification of lung tumors was issued. This classification clarified several important issues and corrected many entities (1). For adenocarcinomas the previous published classification (2) was adapted and largely taken over. Adenocarcinomas are now grouped into non-mucinous adenocarcinomas and adenocarcinoma variants. Within the non-mucinous adenocarcinomas the evaluation of primary, secondary, and tertiary patterns have to be given in percentages; patterns recognized are lepidic, acinar, papillary, micropapillary, and solid. Recently cribriform pattern was added as another pattern conferring worse prognosis (3,4). Patterns are also important for prognosis, as lepidic pattern confers a good prognosis, whereas solid and micropapillary regardless of their percentage confers a worse prognosis.


Abstract. The seasonal cycle of radiation intensity often causes a marked seasonal cycle in the inhomogeneities (IHs) of observed temperature time series, since a substantial portion of them have direct or indirect connection to radiation changes in the micro-environment of the thermometer. Therefore the magnitudes of temperature IHs tend to be larger in summer than in winter. A new homogenisation method, the Adapted Caussinus – Mestre Algorithm for Networks of Temperature series (ACMANT) has recently been developed which treats appropriately the seasonal changes of IH-sizes in temperature time series. The performance of ACMANT was proved to be among the best methods (together with PRODIGE and MASH) in the efficiency test procedure of COST ES0601 project. A further improved version of the ACMANT is described in this paper. In the new version the ANOVA procedure is applied for correcting inhomogeneities, and with this change the iterations applied in the earlier version have become unnecessary. Some other modifications have also been made, from which the most important one is the new way for estimating the timings of IHs. With these modifications the efficiency of the ACMANT has become even higher, therefore its use is strongly recommended when networks of monthly temperature series from mid- or high geographical latitudes are subjected to homogenisation. The paper presents the main properties and the operation of the new ACMANT.


Erosion is a substantial problem on many shorelines of the Galveston Bay complex, as well as other bays of the Gulf of Mexico. Erosion can be prevented by structural measures such as riprap and bulkheads, but shoreline structures often replace the marsh habitat that is important to various estuarine species. Bioengineering, which is the use of vegetation in combination with various low-cost building materials, can often be established to prevent erosion and is less costly than traditional methods of shore protection. Additionally, bioengineering methods with marsh vegetation often offer a more diverse and more species-rich habitat than use of traditional structures alone. This paper discusses some wave break devices, erosion control mats, and other methods in combination with smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) that were tested at a dredged material site, Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston Bay, Texas.


This study analyzed individual water and feed consumption related to weight of weaned piglets and their link to diarrhea. Data were collected from 15 batches of 102 piglets each, using specific automata (connected feeders, connected drinkers, automatic weighing stations, RFID ear tags). Analyses were carried out every week on the 138 healthy animals compared by weight category. The average feed consumption had no significant difference between weight categories (light, medium, heavy pigs) whatever the week and was close to 4% of the live weight. For the average water consumption according to weight, it was close to 10%. There was no significant difference between weight groups, except at the end of the period, where the variability of one heavy pig was so high that its own water consumption caused significant difference when compared with the light group. But these overall stable averages do not highlight the high intra-individual variabilities, which was around 40% for both water and feed data at the beginning of trial. At the end, it was almost 16% for feed consumption and 25% for water. The comparison between healthy and diarrheic piglets showed no statistical difference for average water consumption on the day of the first clinical signs and even 1 and 2 days before. In contrast, the average feed consumption had a very significant difference (P ≤ 0.001) for days 5–7 after the weaning and a significant difference for day 8 (P ≤ 0.05). Differences were also significant for data 24 and 48 h before first clinical signs. This means either that diarrheic piglets decrease their feed consumption the first days after weaning or that it is because they eat less that they become diarrheic. So, the hypothesis was that feed consumption could be an interesting indicator to detect early sick animals. Nevertheless, despite this difference, machine learning methods failed in detecting individually diarrheic animals from water and feed consumption related to weight, because of considerable individual variability. To improve these results, one solution could be to collect other data from new sensors like automatic measurement of body temperature or location of piglets in the pen by image analysis.


Long-gap esophageal atresia remains a difficult problem for the pediatric surgeon and reconstruction using the native esophagus is considered to be superior to any interposition procedure. Because of esophageal segmental blood supply and vascular vulnerability of the distal esophageal pouch in the short term and its motility disorder in the long term, surgeons are reluctant to perform extensive esophageal dissection. However, ascending and descending branches of esophageal vessels converge along the anterolateral and posterolateral aspects of the esophagus. This arrangement allows for dissection and mobilization of the distal pouch without necessarily causing vascular impairment. Extensive dissection of the distal pouch was advocated by Robert Gross over fifty years ago. More recently, circular myotomy of the distal pouch has been performed. However, manometric studies showed that prior to surgical repair, peristalsis of the upper and lower esophageal pouch was synchronized, while after surgery this coordination was clearly defective. Furthermore, in the adriamycin-induced rat model, inherent abnormalities in the course and branching pattern of the vagus nerves in the lower esophagus have been demonstrated. Significant abnormalities of the intramural nervous components involving both the excitatory and inhibitory nerves, and elevated levels of S100 and galanin in the lower esophageal pouch could explain an inborn motility disorder. The selective injury of minor vagal branches in experimental animals also alters esophageal peristalsis. In conclusion, given that the native esophagus is still considered the best alternative for reconstruction of esophageal atresia, when indicated, gentle but extensive dissection of the lower esophageal pouch seems to be preferable, keeping in mind the possibility of vascular compromise and the inevitability of motility disfunction.


BACKGROUND
Most practitioners now view a miscarriage as a significant psychosocial stressor that results in a high level of dysphoria and grief. Anxiety, although also commonly present, is less frequently considered and less frequently addressed. A review of the empirical literature was conducted to determine if anxiety after a miscarriage is elevated, and if risk is increased for particular types of anxiety syndromes. An attempt was also made to identify the types of interventions that have been found to be helpful in alleviating anxiety.

METHODS
An electronic search of the Medline and Psych Info databases were conducted using the keywords "miscarriage," "perinatal loss," "pregnancy loss," "anxiety," "trauma," and "stress." The searches were not intentionally circumscribed by date. Further searches were then carried out using references. Studies were subsequently included only if most women in a study sample experienced the pregnancy loss before 20 weeks' gestation.

RESULTS
The literature was relatively limited. With respect to level of anxiety after a miscarriage, 4 studies were located that employed a matched comparison group design, and 3 that employed a follow-up design. Three studies that used a matched comparison design were located with respect to an increased risk for particular anxiety syndromes. A significant percentage of women experience elevated levels of anxiety after a miscarriage up until about 6 months post-miscarriage, and they are at increased risk for obsessive-compulsive and posttraumatic stress disorder.

CONCLUSIONS
Practitioners, as part of routine care after a miscarriage, should screen for signs of anxiety as well as depression. When signs of anxiety are present, opportunities for catharsis, understanding, and legitimation are likely to be helpful, as is reassurance that the stress is likely to appreciably lessen over the next 6 months.


This article presents a resistorless current-mode first-order allpass filter based on second generation current controlled current conveyors (CCCIIs). The features of the circuit are that: the pole frequency can be electronically controlled via the input bias current: the circuit description is very simple, consisting of 2 CCCIIs and single grounded capacitor, without any external resistors and component matching requirements. Consequently, the proposed circuit is very appropriate to further develop into an integrated circuit. Low input and high output impedances of the proposed configuration enable the circuit to be cascaded in current-mode without additional current buffers. The PSpice simulation results are depicted. The given results agree well with the theoretical anticipation. The application example as a current-mode quadrature oscillator is included.


Abstract Herman's tortoise, Testudo h. hermanni, is an endangered subspecies in Italy, France, and Spain. We studied a Herman's tortoise population in the Riserva Naturale Regionale Monterano in the Tolfa Mountains of central Italy. We found that, unlike most other studies of this and related species, sex ratios were 1∶1, and half the population was made up of juveniles. Sexual maturity was reached at 12 years in males and 12–13 years in females, and females were significantly larger. Tortoises greatly preferred open maquis habitat over other habitat types and thermoregulated so that body temperatures stayed consistently above ambient temperatures, especially under low ambient temperature conditions. Presence of ticks was significantly associated with an index of thermoregulatory behavior. We suggest that maintenance of open maquis habitat in this reserve is essential to high hatchling production and effective thermoregulation.


Acoustic monitoring has always been a niche area in the field of monitoring applications compared to other modalities, such as computer vision. Over the last decades, the number of applications for acoustic monitoring has been growing and ranges from predictive maintenance within the industrial sector to acoustic scene classification and security monitoring in traffic and urban scenarios. With the rise of the internet-of-things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years, smart consumer products and devices have pushed forward using different sensor technologies to enhance the user experience. To this end, acoustic monitoring is still an underestimated discipline with great potential to serve as a missing link in smart sensing within environments where other modalities face difficulties. In this paper, we present PyzoFlex®, a printable sensor technology which facilitates accurate measurement of pressure and temperature changes in objects and their environment, as a sensor interface for acoustic monitoring applications. In contrast to microphones or acceleration sensors, PyzoFlex may be printed onto any curved or textured surface. To demonstrate the possibilities, we present a case study in which we equip a coffee machine with PyzoFlex to acoustically monitor the machine states in real-time using a machine learning model.


This study was conducted to determine the degree to which differences were present in the distribution of Guidance Counseling Services dollars spent per student at the elementary, middle, and high school levels for the 2009-2010 through the 2018-2019 school years in Texas. Texas statewide data were obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for 10 school years. Specifically targeted in this multiyear investigation was the expenditure, out of the total amount of available dollars, of monies toward providing guidance counseling services to students. Through the use of inferential statistical procedures, statistically significant differences were established. The amount of school counseling dollars spent per pupil were highest at the high school level, followed by the middle school level, and were lowest at the elementary school level. From the 2009-2010 school year through the 2018-2019 school year, expenditures for elementary, middle, and high schools across the State of Texas increased by only $60, $95, and $100, respectively. Implications and recommendations for future research were discussed.


Problem:

Digital health has the potential to support wellbeing, preventive care, and care delivery for those with chronic illness and multimorbidity. However, despite many demonstration projects and trials, and positive evidence from localised implementations, new technologies have proven slow to become accepted, integrated and routinized at scale. Previous studies have examined implementation issues in relation to single digital health products/interventions and/or single geographies but no studies have yet explored the full ecosystem readiness of a nation from stakeholders (professionals and public) to health care organisations (primary and secondary care), and wider commercial market, infrastructure, and policy environment to the deployment of a wide range of digital health products and services ranging from telecare services to web portals and apps. Here we have examined the readiness of the UK health system and wider environment to implement digital health at scale, through the evaluation of a national digital health and wellbeing programme called 'Delivering Assisted Living Lifestyles at Scale' (dallas, 2012-2015, £37M). The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to digital health and to make clear recommendations about key steps to help promote uptake and utilisation of digital health.

Approach:

Qualitative study involving Interviews (n=126) with key stakeholders; Focus groups (n= 7) with professionals and public using dallas services; dallas leads meetings (N=12); ethnographic field work/participant observation in one community (n=16); and cross programme documentary evidence (N=215) were used to evaluate the implementation of the dallas programme. We used a sociological theory, Normalisation Process Theory, and a longitudinal (3 years) qualitative framework analysis approach to identify emerging barriers and facilitators to the uptake and mainstreaming of digital health.

Findings:

Issues influencing readiness for digital health were noted at three levels: Macro (market; infrastructure; policy), Meso (organisational) and Micro (professional/public). Factors hindering implementation included: lack of IT infrastructure both locally and nationally; uncertainty around information governance; lack of incentives to prioritise interoperability; lack of precedence on accountability within commercial sector; a market perceived as difficult to navigate; inadequate implementation resources; low IT skills and access across users (professional and lay); and concerns surrounding security and safety. Factors enabling implementation included: clinical endorsement; digital health champions; and public and professional willingness to embrace digital health.

Consequences:

There is receptiveness to digital health, but substantial barriers to widespread use remain. Our work has enabled us to produce ten clear recommendations to ensure progress in this sphere. These include: greater investment in national and local infrastructure; implementation of clear systems for accreditation and quality assurance; incentivisation of interoperability; and investment in upskilling of professionals and public would help support normalisation of digital health.


This study presents a novel technique for the measurement of insertion depth of an epidural Tuohy needle in real-time. A wireless camera is used which transmits video images during insertion to a host computer. The computer contains the image processing algorithm to detect the visible needle in the image and measures the length. The measurement is done by HSV background removal, colour comparison and using RGB intensity profile to locate 10 mm markings on the Tuohy needle shaft. The visible length is then subtracted from the known length of the needle to calculate the depth of the needle tip. The camera can be placed in the operating theatre between 50 and 100 cm away from the needle insertion site. Wireless camera is beneficial since it minimises disturbance to the anaesthetist and the patient and avoids ethical and sterility concerns which would be caused by bringing additional equipment into the hospital room. The speed of the image processing technique is 10 frames per second with a maximum error of ±3 mm. The image processing failure rate was 3 frames out of 150 which gave an overall reliability of 97.8% during insertion. Also this enables continuous needle depth monitoring during insertion by storing measurements into a data file. The purpose of measuring needle depth in real time is to precisely place the needle in the epidural space.


: Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of fresh harvested grain (570 samples of wheat and barley harvested in 1990-1992) and food grain crops (468 samples of wheat, rye, barley from different regions of the Russian Federation) was examined for frequency and degree. DON was detected in 70% of the fresh harvested wheat, exceeding MPC in 26% of the samples and in 67% of the stored barley samples, exceeding MTL in 14%. In 1992 100% of the harvested wheat from fusariosis natural habitat were contaminated exceeding MPC in 92%. Out of 314 samples of food wheat, 29% contained DON in quantities exceeding MTL in 14%. 11% of food barley and 8% of food rye samples contained DON within MTL. Maximum quantities of contaminated wheat were produced in the North-Caucasian regions (66% of the contaminated samples) or were imported (21%). Contaminated wheat was used most frequently in the North-Caucasian region and Central regions (56% and 30% of the contaminated samples, respectively).