B sodium content is most intimately coupled with extracellular water content. The idea is that body fluids inside and outside the cells readily equilibrate, resulting in constant electrolyte concentrations in extraand intracellular fluids. This concept of constancy of internal environment composition is perhaps one of the hallmarks of medical physiology established by Claude Bernard in the 19th century (1). Sodium homeostasis seems to perfectly fit into this model. Sodium is the major cation in the extracellular fluid compartment where it acts to hold water, thereby determining the extracellular volume. Elaborated from this model, three major assumptions dominate our clinical and physiological approach towards sodium balance. First, sodium homeostasis is primarily restricted to the extracellular space. Second, any extracellular sodium accumulation or loss will inevitably lead to commensurate changes in extracellular fluid content (equilibrium theory). Third, to ensure constancy of extracellular volume, our body's sodium content is to be maintained within very narrow limits. Dietary sodium will be completely excreted when the extracellular volume is normal (steady state theory). Our thinking on sodium balance is largely based on textbook teachings (2): "If dietary intake is abruptly increased from a low-sodium diet, only about one-half is excreted on the first day. This state of affairs elevates the plasma osmolality, stimulating both thirst and secretion of antidiuretic hormone. The increments in water intake and renal water reabsorption produce water retention, resulting in increases in effective circulating volume and weight. After 3-4 days, a new steady state is achieved in which renal sodium excretion matches intake. The same sequence occurs in reverse if sodium intake is reduced." This experiment, which was first described by the 19th century physiologist Carl Ludwig, places renal sodium handling into the very center of sodium homeostasis (3). Today's molecular exploration of mechanisms of sodium excretion and reabsorption by renal glomerular or tubular systems in response to abrupt changes in salt intake is the most logical continuation of this experimental approach. However, recent evidence from experiments in humans and in animals suggests that there are limitations with this well-established concept. Our research on salt and water balance has traditionally relied on the study of renal short-term adjustment in response to dietary extremes. The reverse experiment during a simulated long-term space flight to Mars, namely study of renal excretion of sodium in response to long-term constant salt intake, showed astounding results. We found that humans rhythmically retain and excrete sodium in their urine over weeks and months, resulting in significant accumulation and release of body sodium—without the expected changes in body weight. This finding was highly anomalous, because it neither supported the model that dietary salt is excreted by the kidneys within 24 hours (steady-state theory), nor that sodium accumulation invariably leads to fluid retention (equilibrium theory). Sodium had been stored in tissues. Additional animal experiments have revealed that sodium can be stored in muscle and in the skin. While the mechanisms of sodium storage in muscle have not yet been addressed, skin sodium storage to our surprise leads to osmotic stress, which triggers an even more surprising regulatory response by immune cells. Apparently, macrophages act as onsite controllers of interstitial sodium and blood pressure homeostasis. The cells sense sites of sodium storage in the skin and most presumably modulate electrolyte and fluid transport by cutaneous lymph capillaries, thereby enhancing removal of interstitial sodiumand chloride-rich fluid from the skin tissue. Failure of this physiological extrarenal regulatory homeostatic immune cell response leads to local electrolyte accumulation in the skin and salt-sensitive hypertension. Investigation of tissue sodium content has shown that this storage phenomenon is not an animal-research curiosity, but also exists in humans. Visualization of reservoir sodium by 23Na magnetic resonance imaging technology revealed sodium storage in human muscle and skin, which increases with age, is more pronounced in men than in women and is directly associated with blood pressure levels. Emerging basic research questions are how sodium storage is organized at the cellular level, and whether the immune/lymph system forms a homeostatic regulatory network for tissue electrolyte balance. Clinicians may ask whether humans with increased sodium storage are at risk for developing cardiovascular disease, and whether tissue sodium content can be modified by lifestyle changes or medical treatment. The concept of extrarenal regulation of sodium homeostasis provides new avenues for the preclinical and clinical research community.


BACKGROUND
In allergic models, administration of rice that expresses a hybrid peptide consisting of 7 major T cell epitopes of Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 (7Crp), suppressed allergic symptoms, IgE elevation and specific T cell response to Japanese cedar pollen.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 7Crp-expressing rice in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis METHODS: A 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to see the efficacy of 7Crp on allergic symptoms using scoring systems, in which 45 patients were assigned to take either 5 g, 20 g test rice, or placebo daily. A 96-week open study was also conducted to determine its inhibitory effect on serum IgE and T cell proliferative response for Japanese cedar pollen, in which 10 patients consumed 5 g test rice daily.

RESULTS
No adverse events associated with the test rice occurred, and the intake rate was more than 96%. The test rice did not show suppression of symptoms related to Japanese cedar pollinosis within 24 weeks. However, intake of 5 g test rice led to a significant decrease in T cell response to Japanese cedar pollen during and after the second disperse season in a 96-week open trial, whereas the specific IgE titer remained unchanged.

CONCLUSION
Tolerability and safety of 7Crp-expressing rice was accepted. Daily intake of up to 20 g transgenic rice did not provide beneficial effects on Japanese cedar pollinosis within 24 weeks, however, continuous intake of 5 g rice might reduce allergen specific T cell response.


From astronomical observations, we know that dark matter exists, makes up 23% of the mass budget of the Universe, clusters strongly to form the load-bearing frame of structure for galaxy formation, and hardly interacts with ordinary matter except gravitationally. However, this information is not enough to identify the particle specie(s) that make up dark matter. As such, the problem of determining the identity of dark matter has largely shifted to the fields of astroparticle and particle physics. In this talk, I will review the current status of the search for the nature of dark matter. I will provide an introduction to possible particle candidates for dark matter and highlight recent experimental astroparticle- and particle-physics results that constrain the properties of those candidates. Given the absence of detections in those experiments, I will advocate a return of the problem of dark-matter identification to astronomy, and show what kinds of theoretical and observational work might be used to pin down the nature of dark matter once and for all. This talk is intended for a broad astronomy audience.


Since 2008, the Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG) team, consisting of multidisciplinary undergraduate researchers from Carthage College, has been developing and testing a fuel gauging system for use in microgravity environments. Using experimental modal analysis (EMA) techniques, the goal of the MPG project is to develop a flight ready technology that gauges fuel in microgravity environments by correlating the modal response of a 1-g equilibrium surface to the microgravity surface response at the same fluid fill level. The technology has been tested aboard parabolic flights via a manned parabolic flight payload. The payload consists of two propellant tanks and is designed to measure the modal response of each propellant tank to an injected white noise signal via piezoelectric sensors. Flight data shows that the MPG method can measure fuel with greater than or equal to 1% resolution at and below 50% fill levels. Under funding from the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium during the summer of 2018, the MPG team made improvements to the Blue Origin New Shepard research flight rig which is manifested to fly in the second half of 2018.


Crucial to the long-term contribution of immigration to a receiving country's population is the extent to which the immigrants reproduce themselves in subsequent, native-born generations. Using conventional projection methodologies, this fertility contribution may be poorly estimated primarily because of problems in projecting the number of immigrants who are at risk of childbearing. We propose an alternative method that obviates the need to project the number of immigrants by using the full sending-country birth cohort as the risk group to project their receiving-country childbearing. This "sending-country birth cohort" method is found to perform dramatically better than conventional methods when projecting to 1999 from base years both before and after the large increase in inflows of Mexican immigrants to the United States in the late 1980s. Projecting forward from 1999, we estimate a cumulative contribution of Mexican immigrant fertility from the 1980s to 2040 of 36 million births, including 25% to 50% more births after 1995 than are projected using conventional methods.


LED light sources, which are more compact, capable to change color in real time, less dissipative, and more durable are finding more applications than conventional light bulbs in domestic, commercial, and industrial environments. However, requirements such as high-power factor, long lifetime, accurate current control, and high-efficiency pose challenges to the design of LED ballast circuits. This paper proposes an LED ballast with a dual noncascading structure. The first-stage noncascading structure is an isolated current-fed power factor correction (PFC) preregulator. In the proposed design, the short-lifetime high-voltage storage capacitor at the primary is replaced by a long-lifetime low-voltage capacitor at the secondary, thus extending the overall system lifetime. The PFC is programmed by the conventional averaged current-mode control for high-power-factor applications. Furthermore, the high-voltage stress on the main switch, which is typical in current-fed converters, is reduced substantially by appropriately exploiting the transformer leakage inductance. The design uses two secondary transformer windings and an LED current driver to form a second noncascading structure to improve efficiency. Multiple noncascading structures can be used for LED lamps for instant independent brightness control. Analysis, design example, and prototype verification are given for the LED ballast.


QUESTIONS
During extension of the elbow joint (test measurement) and extension of the wrist (control measurement), maximal bandage pressure is desired on the extensor group of the forearm, especially of the M. extensor carpl radialis brevis (ECRB). Do the various commercial epicondylitis bandages produce a mechanical effect on the extensor group of the forearm and how do the maximal pressures of these bandages behave in direct comparison? Are the pressures produced clinically relevant?

METHODS
Eleven different epicondylitis bandage constructions were examined for their biomechanical effects. The exerted pressure was measured continously during the above-mentioned movements. A fist-closing strength of ca. 30 N was maintained for the necessary pre-stressing of the forearm muscles.

RESULTS
Strap-type bandages were the only bandages to produce adequately high pressures. Bands applied at pressures which approach those of the straps led to obstruction in bloodflow. Stocking designs showed no effect in respect to our study.

CONCLUSION
Bandages which apply pressure to relieve the tendon insertion of the extensor muscles must, from a technical standpoint, be of a strap construction in order to build up adequate pressures to be effective.


Summary Sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich carcinoma, maintained in the ascites form, were transplanted in a varying number of cells into the brain of mice. Determination of cancer dissemination was based on the incidence of tumor growth when fragments of various organs were transplanted subcutaneously in normal mice. Animals bearing an intracerebral tumor showed two distinct phases of dissemination. An early presence of cancer cells started immediately after the transplantation, lasted several hours and decreased thereafter. After a latent period of 2–4 days there was a second increase of cancer cells in blood and lung. The dissemination of cancer cells in other tissues, its relation to the number of cells transplanted intracerebrally, and its degree in relation to the site of transplantation are reported.


During the last few years, the cdma2000/spl reg/ cellular system has undergone a major enhancement within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2. The objective of this enhancement was to improve the bandwidth efficiency of the cdma2000 system by creating a new set of high-speed packet data channels, the forward packet data channel and the reverse packet data channel. This new set of high-speed packet data channels utilize technologies such as fast packet scheduling, hybrid automatic repeat request, and adaptive modulation and coding. This article discusses the performance evaluation aspect of the high-speed packet enhancement of cdma2000 revisions C and D, the so-called 1/spl times/EV-DV system. Insights into how the performance evaluations of cdma2000 revisions C and D were conducted, and the results of these evaluations are discussed.


Obesity and diabetes are major health problems in the United States. The primary aim of this study is to examine the association between obesity and diabetes and to estimate the cost of diabetes linked to obesity in the Appalachian region. A system of simultaneous equations approach, and a logit estimation are employed for the analyses. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys for 2001 and 2009 are the main sources of data. Both county-level and individual-level data are used for the analyses. The simultaneous approach at county-level based on the changes of income, employment, obesity, and diabetes reveals that obesity increases diabetes, but diabetes does not have an effect on obesity. The counties with high initial levels of obesity had less obesity growth but more diabetes growth. Increasing income impacts negatively on diabetes growth. Logit analysis indicates that obesity significantly increases the risk of diabetes of adults' in Appalachia. Besides, being employed, higher income, as well as engaging in exercise reduce the prevalence of diabetes, while age increases diabetes. The economic cost of obesity-related diabetes is $1.9 billion, and can be reduced through mitigating obesity.


Introduction: First trimester screening for aneuploidy has been proposed as a major improvement because of higher detection rates and an earlier gestational age at diagnosis. Objectives: To evaluate the possible influence of first trimester examination on the time of diagnosis in cases with trisomy 21 in a referral center. Methods: Retrospective database analysis of all cases with trisomy 21 over a 4-year period (2003–2006). The studied population consisted of patients referred for targeted ultrasound examinations at different weeks, including patients with suspected or externally diagnosed aneuploidies. Results: A total of 160 fetuses with trisomy 21 were identified. Of those, 40 (25%), 37 (23.1%), 37 (23.1%) and 46 (28.8%) were diagnosed < 13 + 6 weeks, at 15 to 18 weeks, 19 to 22 weeks and > 22 weeks, respectively. Maternal age in the first three groups was significantly higher than in the group with late referral (37.1 vs. 34.9 years). In the first trimester, 38% of cases were diagnosed after screening in our center and 62% were referred for suspicious findings or confirmed trisomy 21. Second trimester diagnosis was 21.6% and 13.6% after screening, compared to 78.4% and 86.4% referred for suspected or diagnosed trisomy 21 at 15 to 18 weeks and 19 to 22 weeks, respectively. All cases with late referral had ultrasound abnormalities. Conclusion: Despite an increasing proportion of first trimester examinations performed at centers and by local obstetricians, the vast majority of cases with trisomy 21 are still diagnosed in the second trimester. Cases in the high risk population are detected earlier, as these patients receive targeted ultrasound examination in the first and early second trimester.


Despite their better revenue and welfare guarantees for repeated auctions, dynamic mechanisms have not been widely adopted in practice. This is partly due to the complexity of their implementation as well as their unrealistic use of forecasting for future periods. We address these shortcomings and present a new family of dynamic mechanisms that are simple and require no distribution knowledge of future periods. This paper introduces the concept of non-clairvoyance in dynamic mechanism design, which is a measure-theoretic restriction on the information that the seller can use. A dynamic mechanism is non-clairvoyant if the allocation and pricing rule at each period does not depend on the type distributions in future periods. We develop a framework (bank account mechanisms) for characterizing, designing, and proving lower bounds for dynamic mechanisms (clairvoyant or non-clairvoyant). This framework is used to characterize the revenue extraction power of non-clairvoyant mechanisms with respect to mechanisms that are allowed unrestricted use of distributional knowledge.


Abstract This article maps the poetry of Mary Barnard (1909–2001) and May Swenson (1913–89) in relation to late modernist practice in mid-century New York. Exploring their work with image and rhythm, and their respective engagements with the legacies of Imagism and Objectivism, the article finds that Barnard and Swenson innovated poetry and poetics which took account of the example of Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore, while extending their experimentation. If, in the 1940s, some of Barnard's and Swenson's contemporaries felt modernism's rails terminate, this article gives voice to two 'new' New York women poets who were quietly yet surely extending the line in exciting, experimental directions while resident in Manhattan. It concludes with a reconsideration of their work and significance in the light of recent developments in modernist studies.


Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland experienced an extreme windstorm during the night of 8/9 March 1972. The event is not among official WMO records because the anemometer broke after recording the highest gust of 93 m s−1. A recent study re‐examined the event based on coarse‐resolution reanalyses and observations which, however, did not fully resolve the proposed storm processes. This is the first study that uses high‐resolution numerical simulations to investigate the processes associated with this windstorm. A cold‐frontal inversion and strong flow across the mountain ridge upstream of Thule Air Base (associated with a passing low pressure system) are shown to be key factors for the severe downslope windstorm in the lee of the ridge. It is shown that trapped lee waves occurred during the initial phase of the storm, but did not contribute to the highest wind speeds as proposed in the previous study. It is confirmed that rotor circulations occurred which possibly contributed to the large wind variability and, hence, large differences between individual observation sites. However, no rotors were present at the time of the highest simulated wind speed. Instead, wave breaking above the lee slope is found to indirectly contribute to the wind maxima by facilitating Kelvin–Helmholtz instability at the top of the shooting flow that caused intense wind speed pulsations near the surface. In agreement with the previous study, a corner jet was simulated, however it was not responsible for the strong winds in the vicinity of the air base. Sensitivity experiments showed that the flow field was considerably influenced by the high topography downstream of the air base and that simulations with very thin or no sea ice cover over Baffin Bay resulted in a weaker frontal inversion and up to about 30% lower maximum wind speeds.


This study was conducted to determine the success of a conservative cavity preparation using the principle of "sealing for prevention" rather than cavity "extension for prevention". Three hundred and twenty one restorations were placed in 234 teeth of 110 subjects, ages six to fourteen, with a mean age of eight years. After three years, 273 restorations were examined. Caries appeared in ten teeth and sealant wear occurred in sixteen restorations. Complete sealant loss was observed in two restorations and partial loss in thirty-nine, leaving 224 restorations with complete retention of the sealant. These preliminary results demonstrate that conservative cavity preparation with sealing for prevention is a successful technique which conserves valuable tooth structure.


The abdominal ganglion neurosecretory cells responsible for the synthesis and release of two insect neurohormones, cardioacceleratory peptides 1 and 2 (CAP1 and CAP2), from the perivisceral organs (PVOs) have been identified in the tobacco hawkmoth, Manduca sexta. Previous work established the existence of two groups of abdominal ganglion cell bodies with axons projecting to the PVO: four laterally-situated pairs and five pairs lying on the midline (Taghert & Truman, 1982b). Micro-dissection and bioassay of various parts of an abdominal ganglion revealed that CAP activity was greatest in the medial portion of the ganglion, the portion containing the 10 midline neurones. Six of the 10 midline neurosecretory cells, the new midline bilateral (MB) cells, appeared to differentiate post-embryonically, commencing differentiation late in the last larval instar and reaching maturity midway through adult development. The development of the new MB cells was mirrored by the accumulation of CAP activity in the abdominal nerve cord. Not present in measurable amounts in larvae, CAP activity was first detectable a few days after pupation and reached maximal levels midway through adult development. CAP-like bioactivity was collected from the PVO in response to antidromic stimulation of the nerve containing the new MB axons. No CAP-like bioactivity was detected in those preparations in which the new MB axons were severed or in which other nerves were stimulated. Intracellular stimulation of a new MB neurone evoked the release from the PVO of measurable levels of CAP bioactivity. It was shown that this stimulation-evoked, cardioacceleratory activity was sensitive to protease treatment, and was released only from the cell that was stimulated. On the basis of these experiments, it was concluded that the CAPs are synthesized and secreted from the new MB cells.


In Software Engineering, one of the most important activities is debugging. Debugging is a set of techniques to detect, locate, and correct faults in a computer program. Modern Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), such as Eclipse or Visual Studio, provide infrastructure to support interactive debugging, during which a developer explores the source code of the system under development or maintenance. Although IDEs encourage developers to work collaboratively, debugging is still an individual activity. Furthermore, interactive debugging activity is limited by IDE debugging features that do not store previous debugging sessions. This condition forces developers to repeat debugging execution sessions to review the debugging information. In this paper, using the concept of Swarm Debugging, we present the Sequence Debugging Session View (SDV) tool. The primary goal is to capture the debugging information from a developer IDE (as Visual Studio) and store it. Then, the tool enables developers to retrieve the data in 3D interactive visualization and understand software behavior through the analysis and sharing of debugging session data. The main contribution of the tool is to assist on program comprehension and to reduce effort during software maintenance. To validate the solution, we performed two usage studies in real situations at a software house. The feedback from the evaluation of the tool suggests that the team could be helped on the software arrangement.


Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are responsible for most cases of the common cold. In healthy people, the consequences of HRV infections are usually minor. However, this innocuous virus can have serious consequences in certain individuals, with HRV infections linked to the onset of asthma in young children, and to potentially life threatening exacerbations in those with established asthma. Understanding the pathogenesis of HRV infections in asthma is thus a subject of much interest. This article reviews recent advances in our understanding of HRV-induced inflammatory pathways and immune responses, focussing on publications from the last 4 years. We outline new insights into the different types of HRVs, the cellular receptors they engage, and the transcriptional pathways that are engaged as a prelude to interferon synthesis. The importance of cross-talk between the innate immune response to HRV infections and cytokines produced during allergic inflammation is emphasised, with researchers continuing to document both altered anti-viral interferon production and immune dysregulation in asthma. Better definition of the mechanisms by which HRV infections induces lower airway inflammation is an important foundation on which to develop novel therapies that target HRV and/or the immunopathology that it induces.


: The cases and conditions reported in this article are but a minute sampling of the multitude of systemic conditions in which foot shape and position are valuable clues to associated serious illnesses in children. The podiatrist can contribute greatly by establishing important early diagnoses in these cases. Many times the podiatrist is the first-contact physician because of the early foot involvement. The podiatrist can make a valuable contribution to the health of children by recognizing early symptoms.


Bank deposits contain an option which allows the depositor to break the deposit prior to maturity and reinvest the funds at a higher yield.  How much is this option worth?  This is the question that this paper tries to answer by applying the Binomial Option Pricing Model (BOPM).  A price for the pre-termination option was determined and shown to be "correct" in the sense that an arbitrage opportunity is not present at that price.  The surprising, counter-intuitive result is that the option price is invariant relative to pre-termination penalties.  Why this is so is a matter that may merit further analysis.


Purpose: To evaluate the epidemiologic features of the children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus followed up in Child Health and Diseases Clinic of Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Education and Research Hospital. Material and methods: We investigated epidemiologic features of 51 patients (30 girls and 21 boys) between 2 - 14 years of age followed up in our clinic between 2002 and 2006. The distribution of gender, diagnose age, and application seasons of the patients were examined. According to their complaints, they were divided into three groups such as nausea-vomitingheadache- abdominal pain- fainting, polyuria- polydypsiapolyphagia- weight loss and those who don?t have any complaints. According to biochemical and physical findings, they were divided into four groups: hyperglycemia-glucosuria, ketonuria- ketonemia, diabetic ketoacidosis and coma. The family history and levels of HbA1c were evaluated. Data: The age of diagnosis reached the peak level between 4 and 6 (n=16, %31.37). Admissions to hospital were mostly during spring season (n=15, %29.4). It was determined that the most frequent complaints were nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache and fainting (n=25, %49). 10 patients did not have any complaints. Their diagnosis was made by routine investigation (%19.6). According to biochemical and physical examination, hyperglycemia- glucosuria were the most frequent findings (n=21, %41.2). Diabetes mellitus was detected in the first grade relatives of 6 patients (%11.76). HbA1c levels of 27 patients were above the reference interval (%52.9). Conclusion: It was seen that the ages during the diagnosis of our cases made peak between 4 and 6 years. It may be thought that this result is related to the increased frequency of viral infections and consumption of nonorganic foods in this age group. It was seen that ten patients had no complaints during the diagnose time. Therefore diabetes mellitus must be considered while examining the tests that are taken for other purposes.


Prepectoral prosthetic breast reconstruction has become increasingly popular during the last several years. Original shortcomings and poor outcomes in the 1970s have been overcome with the use of the bioengineered breast concept-namely, use of improved form stable breast implants, autologous fat grafting, and acellular dermal matrices (ADMs). Careful use of these reconstructive tools combined with improved mastectomy skin flaps has lead to successful early outcomes. Prepectoral breast reconstruction mitigates the animation deformities and muscle tightness previously associated with dual-plane prosthetic breast reconstruction while at the same time producing reproducible and outstanding aesthetic outcomes. The use of ADM is a critical component to performing prepectoral breast reconstruction. There are many techniques utilized to inset the ADM. Various methods of direct in vivo inset have been performed. These techniques are employed following completion of the mastectomy and are performed with both 2-stage as well as single-stage direct-to-implant reconstruction. Various ex vivo techniques have also been used for prepectoral breast reconstruction. Various prefabricated constructs of ADM and implant/tissue expander can be created on the back table while the mastectomy is in progress, which decreases operative time and improves surgical efficiency. This article will describe briefly the history of prepectoral reconstruction as well as describing the various techniques used for creating the ADM-device interphase.


Definitely, mechanical ventilation (MV) is a life-saving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU), but it is also a double-edged sword. Forty percent of the overall time spent in the ICU was reported to be devoted to weaning of MV. The major cause of weaning failure is the imbalance between the imposed load on the respiratory system and its capacity to overcome that. Thus, since the 1980's numerous studies with inspiratory muscle training (IMT) have been conducted in an attempt to reduce weaning and MV time in prolonged mechanically ventilated patients. Despite dozens of published research, only 5 randomized controlled trials (RCT) were conducted until this date. Nevertheless, it was not yet clear whether IMT led to a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation, improved weaning success, or improved survival. These RCT show considerable heterogeneity among them and possible bias that could have impaired their results. Thus, some questions may be made to highlight main points: What is the ideal prescription of IMT for patients on MV? What is the best time to measure treatment effect? Which kind of device should be used to IMT? What are the best endpoints to evaluate the effects of IMT on the process of discontinuing from MV? IMT on mechanically ventilated patients seems to be a promissory treatment despite controversial results. Therefore, RCTs should be carried out to verify the efficacy of new protocols in different approaches.


Neurons in the cerebral cortex originate predominantly from asymmetrical divisions of polarized radial glial or neuroepithelial cells. Fate control of neural progenitors through regulating cell division asymmetry determines the final cortical neuronal number and organization. Haploinsufficiency of human LIS1 results in type I lissencephaly (smooth brain) with severely reduced surface area and laminar organization of the cerebral cortex. Here we show that LIS1 and its binding protein Nde1 (mNudE) regulate the fate of radial glial progenitors collaboratively. Mice with an allelic series of Lis1 and Nde1 double mutations displayed a striking dose-dependent size reduction and de-lamination of the cerebral cortex. The neocortex of the Lis1–Nde1 double mutant mice showed over 80% reduction in surface area and inverted neuronal layers. Dramatically increased neuronal differentiation at the onset of corticogenesis in the mutant led to overproduction and abnormal development of earliest-born preplate neurons and Cajal–Retzius cells at the expense of progenitors. While both Lis1 and Nde1 are known to regulate the mitotic spindle orientation, only a moderate alteration in mitotic cleavage orientation was detected in the Lis1–Nde1 double deficient progenitors. Instead, a striking change in the morphology of metaphase progenitors with reduced apical attachment to the ventricular surface and weakened lateral contacts to neighboring cells appear to hinder the accurate control of cell division asymmetry and underlie the dramatically increased neuronal differentiation. Our data suggest that maintaining the shape and cell–cell interactions of radial glial neuroepithelial progenitors by the Lis1–Nde1 complex is essential for their self renewal during the early phase of corticogenesis.


Mushrooms had long been used for medicinal and food purposes since decades. It is now increasingly recognized that correct diet, controls and modulates many functions of human body and consequently participates in the maintenance of state of good health, necessary to reduce the risk of many diseases. Modern pharmacological research confirms large parts of traditional knowledge regarding the medicinal effects of mushrooms due to their antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral properties, besides being used as functional foods. This paper sums up diverse beneficial health effects of mushrooms to humans, in the form of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, food and drugs, and medicines.

 Key words: Mushrooms, medicine, food, properties


New morphometric procedures allow selection of alveoli for analysis in an unbiased manner and then to determine the volume of individual alveoli. The latter, together with the easily measured lung volume, allows the calculation of alveolar number. These new techniques have greatly increased the rigor of the study of the formation of alveoli and the manner in which this process is regulated. This review deals mainly with work based on these new morphometric methods that explore the regulation of the formation of alveoli and hence the size of the lung's gasexchange surface area. We expect that continued application of these methods, buttressed with experiments at the cellular and molecular level, will result in a fundamental understanding of how the formation of alveoli and the size of the gasexchange surface area is regulated. This new information holds the promise of translation into the induction of the formation of alveoli for therapeutic purposes.


Using Participatory Action Research (PAR), the research presented here sought to resolve the problematic of whether climate group-initiated legislation could stimulate effective policy action on climate change. In late 2006, Australian public concern about the impacts of climate change and the Federal Government's weak response became more pronounced due to increased media coverage and international developments. Locally based citizens' 'climate groups' began to form, including Climate Action Coogee (CAC) in Sydney. CAC wrote their own Australian Climate Protection Bill after being motivated by the UK's grassroots success in developing and promoting the UK Climate Change Bill. This article documents 10 months of the project, from inception to widespread grassroots endorsement and political awareness of the Bill. The use of PAR processes tested and further developed the theory of double-loop learning and its applicability to such a project. These processes allowed CAC coparticipants to experience a transformation in their agency through developing their personal and collective political power. The project contributed to legislative outcomes on climate change. The findings contribute to academic literature by demonstrating the effectiveness of PAR in guiding social movement campaigns.


Aim and Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) virus pandemic is still ravaging the world with its ongoing resurgence and the continuous mutation, suggesting the need for continuous research on safe and effective novel vaccines. Presently several types of vaccines have been developed and emerged in the global market to control COVID-19 virus. Consequently, the knowledge and information on COVID-19 have been expanding at a high level. Researchers need to gain relevant knowledge regarding the different vaccines;however scattered information makes this process time-consuming and laborious. The present study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and trends in global COVID-19 vaccine high-cited literature using bibliometric and visualizations methods and offer some directions and suggestions for future research. Methodology: Studies published between December 2019 and 22 Nov 2022 on COVID-19 vaccines were retrieved from the Scopus database. From the 16026 studies retrieved, 406 were identified as high-cited papers (HCPs) having received 100 or more citations. From the 406 HCPs, information about publications outputs, countries, institutions, journals, keywords, and citation counts was identified. Data analysis and visualization were conducted using Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer and Bibliometrix R software. Result(s): The 406 global HCPs on COVID-19 vaccines research were identified in Scopus database since Dec 2019 till 30 Nov 2022 using a search strategy, which received 123614 citations, averaging 304.17 citations per publication (CPP). An external funding was received by 53.20% (216 publications), which were cited 76107 times (with an average of 352.35 CPP). The 7086 authors from 694 organizations affiliated to 76 countries and publishing in 121 journals were involved in global COVID-19 vaccine research. The most productive countries were USA (n=213), U.K (n=91), China (n=36) and Germany (n=35). The most impactful countries in terms of citations per paper (CPP) and relative citation index (RCI) were South Africa (794.68 and 2.61), Germany (507.11 and 1.67), U.K. (396.59 and 1.30) and Spain (367.5 and 1.121). The most productive organizations were University of Oxford, U.K., Imperial College London, U.K. (n=25 each), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA and Tel Aviv University (n=19 each) and the most impactful organizations were University of Cambridge, U.K (783.4 and 2.57), Emory University, USA (780.1 and 2.56), John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA (702.67 and 2.31) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. USA (676.41 and 2.22). The most productive authors were A.J. Pollard (n=16) and T. Lambe (n=14) (of University of Oxford), O. Tureci and P.R. Dormitzer (n=12 each) (of BioNTechSE, Germany) and the most impactful were D. Cooper (1239.22 and 4.07), K.J. Janseu (1228.11 and 4.03) (BioNTechSE, Germany, K.A. Swanson (987.0 and 3.24) (University of Oxford, U.K.) and P.R. Dormitzer (983 and 3.23) (BioNTechSE, Germany). The most productive journals were New England Journal of Medicine (n=53), The Lancet (n=28), Nature (n=22) and JAMA (N=17). The most impactful journals (as per citations per paper) were New England Journal of Medicine (613.15), Lancet (496.39), Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics (369.67) and Nature (360.64). Among population age groups, the major focus was on adults (51.48%) and Middle Aged (39.16%). Among publication types, the major focus was Clinical Studies (26.85%), Epidemiology (22.66%) and Genetics (21.92%). The most significant keywords by frequency of appearances were "Covid-19" (n=388), "Covid-19 Vaccines" (n=357), "Vaccination" (n=221), "Prevention and Control" (n=181) and "Vaccine Immunogenicity" (n=133), Conclusion(s): The HCPs in COVID-19 vaccine research was done mainly by the authors and institutions of high-income Countries (HIC) and was published in high-impact medical journals. Our research has identified the leading countries, institutions, journals, hotspots and development trend in the field that could provide the foundati n for further investigations. The bibliometric analysis will help the clinicians to rapidly identify the potential collaborative partners, identify significant studies, and research topics within their domains of COVID-19 vaccines.Copyright Author (s) 2023.


Goal models have been found to be an effective way to represent, communicate and analyse stakeholder requirements. Once such models reach some degree of completeness, a software-intensive system is developed to support the achievement of the identified goals. A question that naturally arises in this process, though, is whether and how the way by which requirements are represented in goal models influences the structure of the design of the system to be built. Does the content and organisation of the resulting source code disclose anything about the stakeholder intentions that have led to its production, and how? In this study the authors focus on web-based systems and describe the experiences in developing two small, layered web applications using goal models as a requirements representation tool and without introducing any goal-model specific methodological, design or platform restrictions. The authors study the artefacts of this process in an effort to identify intentional categories to which different parts of the source code belongs. The results indeed suggest interesting characterisations of goals, source code and relationships thereof that could be useful in developing goal-oriented web engineering frameworks and methodologies.


This research title is "The Impact of Relationship Marketing Strategy on Customer Loyalty at Taming Sari Tower, Malacca". There is only one purpose of this study which is to determine what the best strategy that can be related to relationship marketing strategies towards customer loyalty at Taming Sari Tower. Besides that, there are involved two variables which are independent variable and dependent variable. Next, the independent variables consist of four relationships marketing which are trust, commitment, communication and conflict handling. In order to completing this research, the hypothesis was been constructed and focus on the objective to determine whether there has significant relationship between those independent variable with dependent variable (customer loyalty). Meanwhile, there are 140 of customers at Taming Sari have participated in this study as a respondents. The methodology used for this research was primary and secondary data collection. For primary data, the researcher was used the method of questionnaire to obtained and collect the data or information of data has completed, the researcher will continue with the analyzing and interpret the result of the data. Hence, there are several method that will be used to analyzed the data which are normality data, reliability analysis, frequency analysis, descriptive testing, Pearson`s Correlation Coefficient testing and Multiple Regression method. The result of the correlation testing was shows that all of the independent variable is significant and moderate with the customer loyalty (dependent variable) at Taming Sari Tower in Malacca. Thus, for the multiple regressions analysis shown that the most significant and has proven that there the impact of relation marketing strategy on customer loyalty which is trust and commitment compared to communication and conflict handling clearly shows that both independent variables is a weak factor towards customer loyalty. For the hypothesis, there are only two of hypothesis which including trust and commitment is accepted while the communication and conflict handling is not accepted.


Objective: To describe characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of critically ill children with influenza A/pandemic influenza A virus (pH1N1) infection in Canada. Design: An observational study of critically ill children with influenza A/pH1N1 infection in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Setting: Nine Canadian PICUs. Patients: A total of 57 patients admitted to PICUs between April 16, 2009 and August 15, 2009. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Characteristics of critically ill children with influenza A/pH1N1 infection were recorded. Confirmed intensive care unit cases were compared with a national surveillance database containing all hospitalized pediatric patients with influenza A/pH1N1 infection. Risk factors were assessed with a Cox proportional hazard model. The PICU cohort and national surveillance data were compared, using chi-square tests. Fifty-seven children were admitted to the PICU for community-acquired influenza A/pH1N1 infection. One or more chronic comorbid illnesses were observed in 70.2% of patients, and 24.6% of patients were aboriginal. Mechanical ventilation was used in 68% of children, 20 children (35.1%) had acute lung injury on the first day of admission, and the median duration of ventilation was 6 days (range, 0–67 days). The PICU mortality rate was 7% (4 of 57 patients). When compared with nonintensive care unit hospitalized children, PICU children were more likely to have a chronic medical condition (relative risk, 1.73); aboriginal ethnicity was not a risk factor of intensive care unit admission. Conclusions: During the first outbreak of influenza A/pH1N1 infection, when the population was naïve to this novel virus, severe illness was common among children with underlying chronic conditions and aboriginal children. Influenza A/pH1N1-related critical illness in children was associated with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure and prolonged mechanical ventilation. However, this higher rate and severity of respiratory illness did not result in an increased mortality when compared with seasonal influenza.


Estrogens and prolactin may raise the plasma titer of factor XII (Hageman factor) by enhancing gene expression at the level of transcription and RNA processing, protein synthesis, or secretion (or a combination of these). Alternatively, these hormones may protect factor XII or its transcripts from degradation. Because the liver is a major site of factor XII synthesis, we studied the expression and metabolism of factor XII in isolated livers of estrogen- and prolactin-treated rats. All rats were ovariectomized to reduce the effect of endogenous estrogen and prolactin on the expression of factor XII. When a phosphorus 32-labeled factor XII complementary DNA probe for Northern blot analysis was used, increased factor XII messenger RNA was found in poly (A) RNA prepared from livers of estrogen- and prolactin-treated rats relative to those of untreated rats. Simultaneously, enhanced release of immunoreactive factor XII was noted when isolated liver perfusion techniques were used. Cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, blocked the hepatic release of immunoreactive factor XII in both hormone-treated and untreated rats, suggesting that factor XII translation was directly affected. The biologic half-life of injected rat iodine 125-labeled factor XII in estradiol- and prolactin-treated rats was not significantly different from that in untreated rats. By inference from these data, the high plasma titer of factor XII observed in estrogen- and prolactin-treated rats is caused by enhanced hepatic expression at both transcriptional and translational levels, as well as by increased secretion of factor XII.


abstract :In principle, aid from donor organizations to developing countries should be based on need and the likelihood of positive impact, but political biases may intrude into decisions about aid allocations. This article elaborates a theory about why a particular form of bias, one based on partisan affiliations, can affect where aid goes and whether the goals of aid are met. Party networks can facilitate coordination of decisions and leverage bureaucratic capacity, but they can also ensure that resources, such as aid, stay in the control of copartisans to boost reelection goals. The empirical analysis evaluates whether partisan bias is evident in the locations and impact of World Bank agricultural aid to India. The authors analyze georeferenced data on aid projects, election results, and cropland coverage at the levels of state parliamentary electoral constituencies and administrative districts from 1995 to 2008. They find that alignment between local legislators and the political parties that govern state and national governments is associated with a greater number of new aid projects and with anomalous changes in cropland coverage. The evidence is consistent with arguments that partisan bias works primarily through patronage to achieve strategic party goals.


This article rests on the hypothesis that a coalition can be considered as a process during which normal rules and practices of activism are tested. Through the Italian case of the House of Freedoms (mainly composed by the Northern League, the National Alliance and Forza Italia) the ruling coalition between 2001 and 2006; we explore the consequences of this kind of alliance on young activists, just as their party was joining the government. Focusing on the grass-roots enables us to underline that the conditions of perception and use of the coalition depend on a set of different factors which characterized each party: the importance of ideology, the type of partisan culture, the probability of access to electoral mandates for its members, the position of the party inside the coalition, the degree of professionalization and the proximity towards the practice of politics. If the impact of the coalitional configuration on the activities of the youth organizations is globally weak, on the contrary it affects the careers (and associated role conflicts) of their members, especially for those who experience the most a contradiction between expected/real benefits from the coalition and their primary partisan socialization.


Eubacterial ribosomes stalled on defective mRNAs are released through a mechanism referred to as trans-translation, depending on the coordinated actions of small protein B (SmpB) and transfer messenger RNA (tmRNA). A series of tmRNA variants with deletions in each structural domain were produced. Their structures were monitored by enzymatic and chemical probes in vitro, in the presence and absence of SmpB. Dissociation constants between these RNAs and SmpB from Aquifex aeolicus were derived by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) combined with filter binding assays. Three independent experimental evidences, including filter binding assays, SPR, and concentration titrations of the RNA-protein reactivity changes toward structural probes, indicate that the binding site that has the highest affinity for the protein is located outside the tRNA domain, upstream of the internal tag. The minimal tmRNA fragment that contains this high affinity site for SmpB, and also contains another site of lower affinity, includes the tag reading frame and three downstream pseudoknots that form a ring structure in solution.


Successful implementation of a catchment modelling system requires careful consideration of the system calibration which involves evaluation of many spatially and temporally variable control parameters. Evaluation of spatially variable control parameters has been an issue of increasing concern arising from an increased awareness of the inappropriateness of assuming catchment averaged values. Presented herein is the application of a real-value coding genetic algorithm (GA) for evaluation of spatially variable control parameters for implementation with the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). It was found that a real-value coding GA using multiple storms calibration was a robust search technique that was capable of identifying the most promising range of values for spatially variable control parameters. As the selection of appropriate GA operators is an important aspect of the GA efficiency, a comprehensive investigation of the GA operators in a high-dimensional search space was conducted. It was found that a uniform crossover operation was superior to both one-point and two-point crossover operations over the whole range of crossover probabilities, and the optimal uniform crossover and mutation probabilities for the complex system considered were in the range of 0.75–0.90 and 0.01–0.1, respectively.


In this manuscript, we developed a high-performance, printable and water-based semiconducting SCNT ink, and fabricated all-printed chemically functionalized CoMoCat 76 SCNT thin film transistors (TFTs) on flexible substrates via a suite of printing technologies. The metallic species in the pristine CoMoCat 76 SCNTs were effectively eliminated by organic radicals, and the functionalized SCNTs were characterized by UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy and Raman spectra. The high quality, printable and water-based functionalized SCNT inks were obtained by tuning the ink ingredients, such as the concentrations of surfactants and additives. The printing methods we investigated include inkjet printing, aerosol jet printing and a hybrid with nanoimprinting. Large area source and drain electrode patterns were first fabricated on flexible substrates by a hybrid printing method, and then the optimal SCNT ink was printed on the channel of the TFT devices by ink-jet printing. Subsequently, the silver side-gate electrode and ion gel dielectric layer were deposited by aerosol jet printing. The all-printed flexible TFTs exhibited an effective mobility up to 1.5 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an on/off ratio up to 4 × 103. This work opens up a way to fabricate scalable and all-printed flexible electronics, and it is of benefit to generalize the practical applications of flexible electronics in the future.


One of the challenges to be overcome in no till deploying in tropical regions is the production of straw in the offseason, a period commonly with low water availability. To help in the choice of species to be used as cover crop in dry winter regions, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of soil water potential on growth of black oat (Avena strigosa Sckreb), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Brown), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench.) e guinea sorghum (Sorghum bicolor subespecie bicolor raca guinea). Pearl millet is a good option to be cropped during offseason by show high yield potencial, even been more sensitive to water deficit. Grain sorghum and guinea sorghum are also good options, particularly by showed abundant root system, which possibly gives them a certain tolerance to low water availability conditions. The black oat, even with high tolerance to water stress (tolerance conferred by highest percentage of fine roots), seems to be much affected by higher temperatures, common to these regions.


We present a non-destructive technique for a combined evaluation of refractive index and active-dopant distribution in the same position along a rare-earth-doped optical fiber preform. The method relies on luminescence measurements, analyzed through an optical tomography technique, to define the active dopant distribution and ray-deflection measurements to calculate the refractive index profile. The concurrent evaluation of both the preform refractive index and the active dopant profiles allows for an accurate establishment of the dopant distribution within the optical core region. This combined information is important for the optimization and development of a range of advanced fibers, used, for example, in a high-power fiber lasers and modern spatial-division-multiplexing optical communication systems. In addition, the non-destructive nature allows the technique to be used to identify the most appropriate preform segment, thus increasing fiber yield and reducing development cycles. We demonstrate the technique on an Yb3+-doped aluminosilicate fiber preform and compare it with independent refractive index and active-dopant measurements. This technique will be useful for quality evaluation and optimization of optical fiber preforms and lends itself to advanced instrumentation.


A color CCD (charge-coupled device) camera is used as a chemical detector to quantify fluorescence emission intensities from two kinds of optofluidic device platforms. The fluorophores responsive to oxygen are immobilized in photo-patternable hydrogel matrices. The first device is a hydrogel sensor array formed within a commercial silicone elastomer imaging chamber. The second one involves a double-chamber fluidic device composed of a permeable membrane layer and dry film photoresist layers. The results suggest that digital color imagers, in combination with a simple color separation method, can serve as the high quality chemical detectors for fluidic biosensors and biological culture platforms.


Commentary and analysis of the oral arguments in Mims v. Arrow Financial Services, on the Supreme Court's 2011-12 appellate docket. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act was enacted by Congress in 1991 to fill a gap in state consumer protection statutes relating to auto-dialing technology, unsolicited "robo-calls", and abusive telemarketing practices. The appeal in Mims focuses on language in the statute that provides: "A person or entity may, if otherwise permitted by the laws of rules of a State, bring an action in an appropriate state court." The Court will decide whether the statutory language requires private TCPA lawsuits to be brought in state court only, divesting federal courts of jurisdiction, or whether the statutory language permits individuals to bypass state courts and pursue TCPA violations in federal court. Although the Mims appeal does not involve a class action but rather an individual lawsuit, the Court's decision may have implications for TCPA class action litigation. During the past decade, federal and state courts have entertained a wave of so-called "blast fax" class actions for alleged violations of the TCPA. While some states have allowed certification of TCPA claims, other states have rejected this. Federal courts that have entertained TCPA class actions in their diversity jurisdiction have split regarding whether such cases can be certified under Federal Rule 23. At oral argument on November 28, 2011, Chief Justice Roberts Jr. characterized the TCPA as "the strangest statute I have ever seen," and Justice Samuel Alito deemed it "the oddest creature."


Today the design of hydraulic and lubrication circuits is becoming more and more important. The aim of this study is to develop a methodology for the design of the lubrication circuit of an agricultural tractor. In this paper the lubrication circuit of a continuously variable transmission is analysed. Several lines of the circuit are considered and in particular the lubrication of gears is discussed. The worst possible working condition which corresponds to the highest power dissipation for each part of the transmission is determined. The model of the lubrication circuit is developed with two different software simulations (Automation Studio & Amesim). In order to check the reliability of the simulation models and to characterise the lubrication circuit, experimental tests are performed. The comparison between the values of pressure drops obtained by the models and by the experimental test, demonstrates that it is possible to use these programs for the set up of a simple model of the lubrication circuit. The calculation of oil flows necessary for a force-fed lubrication of the gears, the simulation of the circuit by commercial software, and the validation of the circuit design allow to set up a preliminary equilibrium among the pipes and a proper flow rate distribution. Optimising the circuit design in the initial phase of the project is very important. The experimental adjustment of the circuit, which is often difficult, can be simplified; time and cost production can be reduced.


Health monitoring of current complex systems significantly impacts the total cost of the system. Centralized fault diagnosis architectures are sometimes prohibitive for large-scale interconnected systems, such as distribution systems, telecommunication networks, water distribution networks, or fluid power systems. Confidentiality constraints are also an issue. This article presents a decentralized fault diagnosis method that only requires the knowledge of local models and limited knowledge of their neighboring subsystems. The method, implemented in the decentralized diagnoser design (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D^{3}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) algorithm, is based on structural analysis and can advantageously be applied to high-dimensional systems, linear or nonlinear. Using the concept of isolation on request, a hierarchy is built according to diagnostic objectives. The resulting diagnoser is based on analytical redundancy relations (ARRs) generated along the hierarchy. Their number is optimized via binary integer linear programming (BILP) while still guaranteeing maximal diagnosability at each level. <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D^{3}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> proves of lower time complexity than its centralized equivalent. It is successfully applied to a nonlinear combined cycle gas-turbine power plant.


The paper's main content is that simulating the process—drawing the high-strength steel-DP500 which is used on automobile to the cylindrical cup through the commercial finite element simulation software—Dynaform. Through the simulation, the author analyzes the effect that friction impacts on drawing high-strength steel. The result is that: if the friction coefficient between the blank and the die declines, it can significantly improve the uniform of the blank's thickness distribution; it can enlarge the processing range of DP500 steel through decreasing the friction coefficient; the springback is sensitive to the change of the friction condition. Generally speaking, in drawing process, improving the friction coefficient is very important to increase the drawing performance of the cylindrical parts.


An algorithm for computing formula representations of instances of the generalized hypergeometric function is presented. Examples of lookup routine certi cates and the underlying theory of the algorithm are discussed in the paper. Finally, a gallery of results are presented and the algorithm is compared to already existing routines in Macsyma, Maple, and Mathematica.


A cultural heritage canvas from the early 19th century, painted by the Vaccaro brothers for the church of Niscemi, province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, was analyzed using Fourier transform (FT)-Raman, attenuated total reflectance-FT-infrared and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The painting, still used in religious rites related to the Easter mass ('la calata da tila'), depicts the scene of the Crucifixion and is executed in a scarce palette, with white, green and blue colors. Analysing vibrational data in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy and solid -state 13C-NMR signals of the linen threads, we were able to offer valuable insight into the painting technique, unknown prior to this study. SERS is usually employed in artwork diagnosis for the identification of organic lakes and dyes. Due to its sensitivity, SERS has been successfully applied for the detection of either organic painting materials (indigo) that are usually not resolved by conventional Raman spectroscopy or of inorganic pigments difficult to observe in the presence of highly fluorescent aged organic supports or binders. To the best of our knowledge, this is also the first report on the SERS investigation of flax used in linen from cultural heritage objects using Ag colloidal nanoparticles. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


71 species of smut fungi known for Colombia are cited in a checklist together with their host plants, collection data, and some comments. 20 species of smut fungi are reported for the first time for Colombia. The list includes the new species Aurantiosporium colombianum and the new combination Sporisorium concelatum. Ustilago garcesi is recognized as a synonym of Sporisorium panici-leucophaei. Four species of host plants were not yet known to be infected by the respective smut species. The smuts known for Colombia are presented in a key which contains distinctive characteristics of sori and spores.


Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a pandemic and continues to spread around the globe at an unprecedented rate. To date, no effective therapeutic is available to fight its associated disease, COVID-19. Our discovery of a novel insertion of glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-binding motif at S1/S2 proteolytic cleavage site (681-686 (PRRARS)) and two other GAG-binding-like motifs within SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (SGP) led us to hypothesize that host cell surface GAGs might be involved in host cell entry of SARS-CoV-2. Using a surface plasmon resonance direct binding assay, we found that both monomeric and trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike more tightly bind to immobilized heparin (KD = 40 pM and 73 pM, respectively) than the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV SGPs (500 nM and 1 nM, respectively). In competitive binding studies, the IC50 of heparin, tri-sulfated non-anticoagulant heparan sulfate, and non-anticoagulant low molecular weight heparin against SARS-CoV-2 SGP binding to immobilized heparin were 0.056 μM, 0.12 μM, and 26.4 μM, respectively. Finally, unbiased computational ligand docking indicates that heparan sulfate interacts with the GAG-binding motif at the S1/S2 site on each monomer interface in the trimeric SARS-CoV-2 SGP, and at another site (453-459 (YRLFRKS)) when the receptor-binding domain is in an open conformation. Our study augments our knowledge in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and advances carbohydrate-based COVID-19 therapeutic development.


N ews of further hunger strikes and force feeding at Camp X-Ray, the temporary US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, again brings into sharp relief the ethical debate on the position of doctors in a hunger strike by prisoners. A series of hunger strikes has occurred at the camp since it was opened, but they have gone largely unnoticed. What little coverage the media have given them seems to accept without question the right of prison authorities to force feed hunger striking prisoners against their will.

The World Medical Association, in its 1975 Declaration of Tokyo and again in the 1991 Declaration of Malta, prohibits the use of force feeding of hunger strikers. Details at Guantanamo Bay are predictably sketchy, but prison authorities seem to justify force feeding on the basis of preventing suicide. Any justification that is based on an assumption that a hunger strike is a form of prolonged suicide has been almost universally rejected. The aim of suicide is death. Hunger strikers do not …


The final exams for English in Dutch secondary schools contain a multiple choice component for text comprehension. The questions in this component are mainly about factual content but progressively also about communicative aspects such as opinions and style. It is usually assumed that the latter add to the level of difficulty of the test in general. But is this really the case? In a (limited) project caried out by the University of Groningen this assumption has been tested in six pre-final forms at three grammartype schools, by setting the same test in Dutch and in English within a six-week interval. At the same time the influence of vocabulary command was mapped out against the overall test results. The communicative questions did not turn out to be more difficult in English than in Dutch and there appeared to be a strong correlation between the overall (not: single item) vocabulary command and general test score. The average test results were considerably higher (4.0) for the Dutch test than for the equivalent English one.


This paper presents a new method for the design of distributed controllers that achieves component swapping modularity (CSM) in control systems. Our approach, referred to as the direct method, is based on solving a bilevel optimization problem to obtain the distributed controller gains directly. In the previously proposed three-step method, the distributed controllers were obtained by matching with a precomputed centralized controller. To illustrate our approach, we consider an engine idle speed control problem, where CSM is achieved with respect to the throttle actuator. The results indicate that the direct method can significantly improve the CSM metric compared to the three-step method. In addition, for a certain distributed control structure, the direct method enables the designer to tradeoff between desired system performance and CSM.


We introduce the problem of k-pattern set mining, concerned with finding a set of k related patterns under constraints. This contrasts to regular pattern mining, where one searches for many individual patterns. The k-pattern set mining problem is a very general problem that can be instantiated to a wide variety of well-known mining tasks including concept-learning, rule-learning, redescription mining, conceptual clustering and tiling. To this end, we formulate a large number of constraints for use in k-pattern set mining, both at the local level, that is, on individual patterns, and on the global level, that is, on the overall pattern set. Building general solvers for the pattern set mining problem remains a challenge. Here, we investigate to what extent constraint programming (CP) can be used as a general solution strategy. We present a mapping of pattern set constraints to constraints currently available in CP. This allows us to investigate a large number of settings within a unified framework and to gain insight in the possibilities and limitations of these solvers. This is important as it allows us to create guidelines in how to model new problems successfully and how to model existing problems more efficiently. It also opens up the way for other solver technologies.


Momordica charantia is a thermophilic voluble plant from the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. In central Europe, momordica requires greenhouse plantations. Mature fruits resemble a cucumber or a pumpkin and can be used as other similar vegetables. Crude fruits are very bitter and refreshing. For centuries the plant has been known in Chinese traditional medicine for its antidiabetic effects as well as for the treatment of cancer or infections caused by worms, viruses and malaria. Antidiabetic effects are attributed namely to cucurbitane type triterpenoids, charantin, p-insulin and 9cis-11trans-13trans-conjugated linolenic acid. These substances in momordica preparations show antidiabetic effectiveness in clinical studies by increasing insulin secretion and deceasing insulin resistance or glucose absorption from the gut. Beside this main effect the extract possesses certain neuroprotective and antioxidant effects (especially p9cis-11trans-13trans-conjugated linolenic acid) and contributes to normalize blood lipid and adipokine levels which results in the normalization of metabolic syndrome. Antidiabetic effectiveness of momordica was compared to active treatment with several oral antidiabetic drugs and proved comparable effects. However, the number of studies is limited and their methodological approach variable. Therefore, the evidence is so far inconclusive.


In order to explain the emergence of ethnic violence, scholars from different disciplines have focused on different factors, such as the role of ethnicity, the individual gain from civil war, the relative deprivation explanations and the role of ethnic élites, and proposed different conflict narratives. Although these approaches focus on different aspects and use different explanatory variables to explain the emergence of violent group mobilization, they are complementary and overlapping in many important ways. In order to explain the descent of Côte d'Ivoire into violence at the end of the 1990s, this article focuses on the relationship between inter-ethnic or horizontal inequalities and the emergence of violent group mobilization. The central focus of the proposed analytical framework is on the interaction between the evolution of the political horizontal inequalities at the élite level and socio-economic horizontal inequalities at the mass level. The evidence presented regarding the Ivorian case demonstrates that the simultaneous presence of severe political horizontal inequalities at the élite level and socio-economic horizontal inequalities at the mass level forms an extremely explosive socio-political situation because in these situations the excluded political élites not only have strong incentives to mobilize their supporters for violent conflict along ethnic lines, but also are likely to gain support among their ethnic constituencies quite easily.


The success of any book must be judged by the extent to which it achieves its objectives. This small book 'is not a textbook of nutrition or of medicine, but an attempt to relate the two disciplines'. It is written with students of the various life-sciences in mind and the hope that it will also prove of interest to the educated layman. The whole book is very readable and informative. It contains only three chapters. The chapter on 'The problems of undernutrition' (Ebrahim; 117 pages) contains some elementary food science with discussions of nutrition in pregnancy, the growth of the fetus, infant feeding, and weaning practices. This serves as a background to a discussion of protein-energy malnutrition as it affects so many of the world's children. Deficiencies in these children are multiple so this chapter also includes descriptions of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The second chapter discusses 'The problem of food abundance' (Jarrett; 41 pages) and includes a brief review of the problem of obesity and other diseases of western society--coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, and the diseases attributed to lack of dietary fibre. The third chapter on 'Nutrition and immunity' (Poston; 42 pages) deals with the three aspects of the relationships of the immune response to nutrition-the effect of nutrition on immune responses, the production of immune response by dietary proteins, and the impairment of nutrition bv immune resDonses. tables and line drawings. It is, however, unfortunate that the latter, and the photographs, are not of a better quality considering the price of the book. Those who feel that they can nevertheless afford the book will have a well-written introduction to the topics covered and will be helped further to pursue their reading by the suggestions at the end of each chapter.


Last December a long review of Penguin books covering topics that might be of relevance and interest to O.Ts. was published. -Since that time other new titles have appeared and amongst them three in the Penguin education series. Social Aspsects of the Human Body (edited by Ted Polhemus. £2.75) is another in the series of "readings" designed to introduce a theme or topic. This theme is "the physiopsycho-sociological study of body behaviour" and anyone wishing to get in on a new science that seeks to cover the way in which people use their bodies to convey meaning, via kinetics and proxemics studies will want to read it. Whilst it cannot be pretended that this is light reading it does cover the ground thoroughly and with an unusually plentiful supply of illustrations.


A long-term commitment by a company to continually train its members as part of mission critical, vision, and strategic goal. Guide will provide students with information and resources to advance in their jobs or career.


Abstract Most Australian archaeologists would say that Birdsell's trihybrid model is defunct and no longer worth considering. Unfortunately, this is not the view of many in the Australian public. In his revisionist history of Australia, the conservative commentator Keith Windschuttle still refers to this model, and, potentially more seriously, writers with a particular political agenda to deny Aboriginal people legitimate Native Title rights have also adopted Birdsell's model as 'fact'. In this paper we analyse one such political text in detail: Pauline Hanson: The Truth. We demonstrate that in this, and other similar works, archaeological 'data' are used selectively to sustain sensational claims about Australia's Aboriginal past. Although perhaps easily dismissed by professional archaeologists, such claims are still widely embraced by a surprisingly large number of people in the wider Australian public, and a debate needs to be held about how the archaeological community should challenge such 'knowledge'.


Space weather is a relatively new discipline, which is still largely unknown amongst the wider public despite its increasing importance in all of our daily lives. Outreach activities can promote awareness of space weather. In particular the visual beauty and excitement of the aurora make these lights a wonderful inspirational hook to enhance understanding of space weather in a general audience. A century ago, the Norwegian experimental physicist Kristian Birkeland, one of the founding fathers of modern space science, demonstrated with his Terrella experiment the formation of the aurora. Recently, a modernized version of the Terrella has been designed. This "Planeterrella" experiment allows the visualization of many phenomena that occur in our space environment. Although the Planeterrella was originally a local project, it has developed to become a very successful international public outreach experiment. We believe that its success is due to mainly two factors (i) the Planeterrella is not patented and the plans are free to any public institute and (ii) the project is widely advertised using national and European scientific networks such as COST ES 0803, as well as press releases, books and web sites. Today, seven Planeterrellas are in operation, four more are under construction in four different countries and several more are being planned. During the last five years, about 50 000 people in Europe have attended live Planeterrella demonstration on the formation of auroral light, the space environment and space weather. Many more have seen the Planeterrella being demonstrated on TV. The Planeterrella received the first international prize for outreach activities from the Europlanet Framework 7 program in 2010 and the French Ministry of Science outreach prize "Le gout des sciences" in November 2012. This paper describes the process that led to the construction of the first Planeterrella and discusses how the Planeterrella project developed to become an international public outreach phenomenon. We also examine some of the lessons learnt along the way.


Distillation column of special materials having high viscosity or containing solid particles, etc in chemical and petrochemical process is studied in this paper. Packed-column does not fit into this situation and even in a plate column, because of high flow resistance on the plate; it will cause some problems, such as blocking, flooding and shutting down. Here the hydrodynamic performance of flow-guided fixed valve trays (FFVT) is introduced and its hydrodynamic performance has been experimentally studied. With flow-guided holes and trapezoid fixed valves to transfer momentum of the gas bursting forth in a horizontal way to the liquid, the flow on the FFVT is well-proportioned and stable. The hydrodynamic data have been correlated and equations have been obtained for the pressure drop, the entrainment and the gas velocity at weeping point, which can be used for the design of FFVT.


Platinum is electrochemically stable and biocompatible, and remains the preferred material for the fabrication of implantable neural electrodes. In a foil or film format, platinum is mechanically stiff compared to interfaced biological tissue. We report a soft, highly stable platinum-elastomer composite that offers both mechanical compliance and the electrochemical properties of platinum. We demonstrate the high-performance of the novel mesocomposite printed on stretchable microelectrodes both in vitro and in vivo. The platinum-elastomer composite is a new promising coating for chronic neural interfaces.


The objective of this study was to examine whether ciprofloxacin-containing otic drops (Cipro HC Otic Suspension; 0.2% ciprofloxacin, 0.1% hydrocortisone; Alcon, Ontario, Canada) are cochleotoxic in the chinchilla animal model. Five chinchillas in total underwent these studies. Pretreatment distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were measured in each ear, followed by a random injection of Cipro to one ear and normal saline to the other. Injections consisted of 0.2 mL into the middle ear cavity (bulla) for 5 consecutive days. Post-treatment DPOAEs and auditory brainstem responses were measured at 1 month, and cochlear hair cell integrity was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All animals had normal pretreatment DPOAEs. One month after Cipro instillation, DPOAE levels decreased in three of the animals. No significant change was seen in the ears treated with saline. On SEM examination, the integrity of the stereocilia of the inner and outer hair cells demonstrated no histologic evidence of significant cochlear damage. The finding of reduced DPOAEs suggests a mild local middle ear inflammation caused by the ciprofloxacin or some other component or property of Cipro.


Architectural practices worldwide have to deal with increasingly complex design requirements. How do practices acquire the ability to do so? The Changing Shape of Practice provides a handbook of examples for practices that wish to integrate more research into their work and a reference book for students that seek to prepare themselves for the changing shape of practice in architecture. It addresses the increasing integration of research undertaken in architectural practices of different sizes ranging from small to very large practices from the UK, USA, Europe and Asia. The book is organized according to the size of the practices which is significant in that it addresses the different structures and resourcing requirements that are enabled by specific practice sizes, as this determines and constrains the type, scope and modes of research available to a given practice. The practices covered include: Woods Bagot, Perkins + Will, White, AECOM, UN Studio, Shop Architects, PLP Architecture, Kieran Timberlake, 3XN / GXN, ONL, AZPML, Thomas Herzog + Partners, Herreros Arquitectos, Spacescape, OCEAN Design Research Association By taking stock of the current shape of practice, the book provides essential information for professional architects who are integrating research into their practice.


We present a flexible and compact experimental setup that combines an in vacuum liquid jet with an x-ray emission spectrometer to enable static and femtosecond time-resolved resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements from liquids at free electron laser (FEL) light sources. We demonstrate the feasibility of this type of experiments with the measurements performed at the Linac Coherent Light Source FEL facility. At the FEL we observed changes in the RIXS spectra at high peak fluences which currently sets a limit to maximum attainable count rate at FELs. The setup presented here opens up new possibilities to study the structure and dynamics in liquids.


"Tuna. dose. fractionation factor. The concept of primary fibrositis was strongly resisted by Cyriax, who emphasised that "it is never tenderness of a muscle, but pain elicited by the appropriate resisted movement that identifies a muscle lesion." I therefore agree with Reilly and Littlejohn that fibrositis is a misnomer. Fibromyalgia does not appear to be an adequate substitute. I was puzzled as to why they made no direct mention of neuropathic pain." This pain model may have served them well in the quest for an explanation of the clinical features of fibrositis syndrome (FS). Perhaps when the mysteries of neuropathic pain are explained, it may then be possible to "turn the pain dial down." John Quintner, MRCP St John of God Medical Centre 175 Cambridge Street Wernbley WA 6014 1 Reilly PA. Littlejohn GO Flbros,lls/f,bromyalgla syndrome the key to the puzzle of chrome pain Med J Ausf 1990. 152 226·228 2 Gowers WR A lecture on lumbago Its lessons and analogues BrMedJ t904.1 t17t21 3 Cynax J F,broslllS Br Med J 1948. 2 251255 4 . Lishman WA, Russell WR The brachial neuropathies Lancet t961. 2. 941946 5 Loeser JD Pain due to nerve Inlury Spine 1985. to 232235 6 Ochoa JL, Torbjork E, Marchettlnl P. Sivak M Mechanisms of neuropathic pain cumulative observations. new experiments and further speculations In, Fields HL, eo Advances ill pain research and therapy: vol 9 New York Raven Press, 1985 431·450 7 Fields H. Pain New York McGraw H,(I 1987 133t69 8 Wall PO, Recent advances In the knowledge of mechanisms of intractable pain Int Drsabll Stud t987. 9 22·23 9 Devor M The pathophysiology of damaged peripheral nerves In Wall PD. Melzack R. eds Textbook 01 pain 2nd ed Edinburgh Churchill Llvlngslone 1989 63·8t


Optical burst switching (OBS) is a promising switching technology to exploit the potential benefits of optical communication and, at the same time, support statistical multiplexing of data traffic at a fine granularity. To quantify its benefits, the paper describes several typical burst assembly algorithms and studies their impact on the assembled burst traffic characteristics as well as the performance of TCP traffic. Also described is a proactive burst scheduling algorithm, called burst overlap reduction algorithm (BORA), which schedules locally assembled bursts in such a way as to reduce burst contention at downstream nodes in OBS networks. Furthermore, to provide analytical insights into performance evaluation of OBS networks, a burst loss model at an OBS node and its extension to different reservation protocols are presented.


Abstract. A growing number of studies
are using specific primary sugar species, such as sugar alcohols or primary saccharides,
as marker compounds to characterize and apportion primary biogenic organic aerosols
(PBOAs) in the atmosphere. To better understand their annual cycles, as well as their
spatiotemporal abundance in terms of concentrations and sources, we conducted a large
study focusing on three major atmospheric primary sugar compounds (i.e., arabitol,
mannitol, and glucose) measured in various environmental conditions for about 5300 filter
samples collected at 28 sites in France. Our results show significant atmospheric
concentrations of polyols (defined here as the sum of arabitol and mannitol) and glucose
at each sampling location, highlighting their ubiquity. Results also confirm that polyols
and glucose are mainly associated with the coarse rather than the fine aerosol mode. At
nearly all sites, atmospheric concentrations of polyols and glucose display a well-marked
seasonal pattern, with maximum concentrations from late spring to early autumn, followed
by an abrupt decrease in late autumn, and a minimum concentration during wintertime. Such
seasonal patterns support biogenic emissions associated with higher biological metabolic
activities (sporulation, growth, etc.) during warmer periods. Results from a previous
comprehensive study using positive matrix factorization (PMF) based on an extended
aerosol chemical composition dataset of up to 130 species for 16 of the same sample
series have also been used in the present work. The polyols-to-PMPBOA ratio
is 0.024±0.010 on average for all sites, with no clear distinction between traffic,
urban, or rural typology. Overall, even if the exact origin of the PBOA source is still
under investigation, it appears to be an important source of particulate matter (PM),
especially during summertime. Results also show that PBOAs are significant sources of
total organic matter (OM) in PM10 (13±4 % on a yearly average, and up to
40 % in some environments in summer) at most of the investigated sites. The mean PBOA
chemical profile is clearly dominated by contribution from OM (78±9 % of the mass
of the PBOA PMF on average), and only a minor contribution from the dust class
(3±4 %), suggesting that ambient polyols are most likely associated with
biological particle emissions (e.g., active spore discharge) rather than soil dust
resuspension.


It has long been recognised that the role of soils is critical to the understanding of the way catchments store and release water. This study aimed to gain an understanding of the hydropedological characteristics and flow dynamics of the soils of three mountain catchment areas. Digital soil maps of the hydropedological characteristics of the catchments were interpreted and a conceptual response of these watersheds to precipitation was formed. This conceptual response was then tested with the use of site-specific precipitation and streamflow data. Furthermore, piezometers were installed in soils classified as the interflow hydropedological soil group as well as the saturated responsive hydropedological soil group and water table depth data for the three catchments were analysed. Climatic data indicated that there is a lag time effect in the quantity of precipitation that falls in the catchment and the corresponding rise in streamflow value. This lag time effect coupled with data obtained from the piezometers show that the various hydropedological soil groups play a pivotal role in the flow dynamics. Of importance is the unique influence of different wetland systems on the streamflow dynamics of the catchments. The drying and wetting cycles of individual wetland systems influenced both the baseflow connectivity and the overland flow during wetter periods. They are the key focus in understanding the connectivity between the hydropedological flow paths and the contribution of soil water to the stream networks of the three catchments.


Focusing on observable message signs and referencing structures, communication processes can be described and analysed as message reference networks which are characterized by dynamic pattern evolution. Computational simulation provides a way of obtaining insights into the factors driving such processes. Our paper describes a theoretical framework for communication-oriented modelling — the COM approach — that is centred around the notion of social visibility as a reputation mechanism. The approach contrasts with agent-based social networks on the one hand, and with bibliometric document networks on the other. In introducing our simulation environment COM/TE, typical properties of message reference networks are discussed in terms of a case study which deals with the impact of different media and styles of communication on emergent patterns of social visibility.


The present fragility of the European project has reduced the credit given to its considerable achievements, especially in intensifying the bonds across a war-torn continent and, since 1989, across nations divided by the Cold War. Yet while far-sighted economic policies have steered EUnification so far, these policies are under threat by a return in some quarters to more nationalistic sentiments and priorities. Generally these latter currents are seen as negative and divisive, yet, as this paper argues from a longer term historical trajectory and across disciplines usually themselves fractured into social science and humanities faculties, such diversity has been and is still now an asset, and, properly weighted, is the one main strength which the EU has in its recovery from the present crisis which, on the one hand, has specific local causes but which, on the other, cannot properly be considered apart from the cyclical and structural properties of globalisation. The paper then argues that policy makers, stakeholders (that is, both EU populations and the global community) should derive strength and resolve from their consideration of the Union's motto "united in diversity".


This report is a mid-term evaluation of a UNEP/FAO GEF project implemented between 2005 and 2009. The LADA project had two principal objectives: develop and implement strategies, methods and tools to assess, quantify and analyse the nature, extent, severity and impacts of land degradation (land degradation) on ecosystems, watersheds and river basins, and carbon storage in drylands at a range of spatial and temporal scales; and build national, regional and global assessment capacities to enable the design, planning and implementation of interventions to mitigate land degradation and establish sustainable land use and management practices. The objective of the evaluation was to assess operational aspects, such as project management and implementation of activities and also the level of progress towards the achievement of objectives.


Computer architectures are moving towards an era dominated by many-core machines with dozens or even hundreds of cores on a single chip. This unprecedented level of on-chip parallelism introduces a new dimension to scalability that current database management systems (DBMSs) were not designed for. In particular, as the number of cores increases, the problem of concurrency control becomes extremely challenging. With hundreds of threads running in parallel, the complexity of coordinating competing accesses to data will likely diminish the gains from increased core counts.

To better understand just how unprepared current DBMSs are for future CPU architectures, we performed an evaluation of concurrency control for on-line transaction processing (OLTP) workloads on many-core chips. We implemented seven concurrency control algorithms on a main-memory DBMS and using computer simulations scaled our system to 1024 cores. Our analysis shows that all algorithms fail to scale to this magnitude but for different reasons. In each case, we identify fundamental bottlenecks that are independent of the particular database implementation and argue that even state-of-the-art DBMSs suffer from these limitations. We conclude that rather than pursuing incremental solutions, many-core chips may require a completely redesigned DBMS architecture that is built from ground up and is tightly coupled with the hardware.


Falling remains one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death for the elderly all around the world. The considerable risk of falls and the substantial increase of the elderly population have stimulated scientific research on smartphone-based fall detection systems recently. Even though these systems are helpful for fall detection, the best way to reduce the number of falls and their consequences is to prevent them from happening in the first place. Therefore, our focus is on fall prevention rather than fall detection. To address the issue of fall prevention, in this paper, we propose a smartphone-based fall prevention system that can alert the user about their abnormal walking pattern. Most current systems merely detect a fall whereas our approach attempts to identify high-risk gait patterns and alert the user to save them from an imminent fall. Our system uses a gait analysis approach that couples cycle detection with feature extraction to detect gait abnormality. We validated our approach using a decision tree with 10-fold cross validation and found 99.8% accuracy in gait abnormality detection. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to use the built-in accelerometer and gyroscope of the smartphone to identify abnormal gaits in users for fall prevention.


Ascorbic Acid Supplements and Kidney Stone Risk To the Editor In their Research Letter, Thomas et al1 report an increased risk of first-episode renal stone in Swedish men who took ascorbic acid supplements (but no other supplements). This risk is almost certainly overestimated. Cases were identified according to code N20 of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases: calculus of kidney or ureter in the absence of hydroureter (www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/2006-Vol-I .pdf). Contrary to what the authors claim, the symptoms of renal colic are often nonspecific, especially in the absence of hydroureter2,3, and for this reason, nonspecific abdominal or flank pain frequently prompts an investigation for renal stone.2,3 As many as 40% of renal stones identified by means of imaging studies are asymptomatic4—not surprisingly, since the prevalence of renal stone in asymptomatic men is 10%.5 The fact that physicians and the general public are repeatedly warned that ascorbic acid supplements cause renal stones (even though the evidence is inconclusive) predictably lowers the threshold for testing for them. Thus, all other things being equal, takers of high-dose ascorbic acid supplements are much more likely than nontakers to be investigated for renal stone, artificially increasing the number of code N20 cases linked to vitamin C. These factors, combined with the authors' sole reliance on registry entries for case identification, strongly expose their study to the important epidemiological error of "confounding by indication."


We investigate the modulational instability induced by cross-phase modulation (XPM) of two incoherently coupled optical pulses copropagating in a lossless fiber with a finite nonlinear response time. The non-instantaneous character of the nonlinear response is introduced through a Debye relaxation process. We analytically obtain the exact dispersion relation for weak harmonic perturbations over the stationary solution. We show that the instability spectrum, present in both normal and anomalous dispersive regimes in instantaneously responding Kerr media, develops a double peak structure whose relative strength and typical frequency range depend on the response time. Further, we reveal that there are two unstable modes in the entire frequency spectrum. We report the dependence of the maximum gain and central frequency within each unstable mode as a function of the group velocity mismatch and response time, showing the crossover between the regimes of fast and slow nonlinear responses.