The share of the average firm's value added that accrues to its owners has declined, even though the aggregate capital share has increased. These changes in factor shares partly reflect a larger firm-level risk insurance premium paid by workers to owners. The largest firms in the right tail account for a larger share of output, but the compensation of workers at these firms has not kept up. We develop a model in which firms provide managers with insurance against firm-specific shocks. Larger, more productive firms return a larger share of rents to shareholders, while less productive firms endogenously exit. An increase in firm-level risk lowers the threshold at which firms exit and increases the measure of firms in the right tail of the size distribution, pushing up the aggregate capital share in the economy, but lowering the average firm's capital share. As predicted by the model, the increase in firm size inequality is not matched by an increase in inter-firm labor compensation inequality.


A traditional parking lot is managed by manpower, and perhaps there are also plenty of advanced areas which are auxiliary installed with RFID or IR equipment. However, this kind of state is constrained with limit service and bounded in fixed style. This paper presents an innovative concept of close service for parking guidance. Driver can make an appointment by cell phone in thirty minutes before, and furthermore the service platform will book a parking space for driver. The parking lot location will be marked in a map and transmitted to vehicle screen when vehicle pass through entrance using DSRC communication. After driver successfully drive to scheduled parking lot, parking server will send a message to driver cell phone in order to log the final vehicle location. The developed system, SmartValet, is also available in underground parking. The autonomous ability is integrated different sensors to offer robots or remotely operated systems a reliable navigation means. In system technology, it addresses a global and all weather navigation design based on GPS positioning, gear-box speed, odometry and inertial measurement unit in dead reckoning. Positioning uncertainty will grow with time as a result of integration error so the performance will lose accuracy. To solve this shortcoming with error bounded, this paper uses a creative idea which driver clicks and drags touch panel to give a new position and heading. The proposed system is carried out with theoretical application and hardware integration, and furthermore the result shows navigation ability and intelligent approach applicability.


Anecdotal evidence suggests that the timing and intensity of the Central American Midsummer Drought (MSD) may be changing, while observations from limited meteorological station data and paleoclimate reconstructions show neither significant nor consistent trends in seasonal rainfall. Climate model simulations project robust future drying across the region, but internal variability is expected to dominate until the end of the century. Here we use a high-resolution gridded precipitation dataset to investigate these apparent discrepancies and to quantify the spatiotemporal complexities of the MSD. We detect spatially variable trends in MSD timing, the amount of rainy season precipitation, the number of consecutive and total dry days, and extreme wet events at the local scale. At the regional scale, we find a positive trend in the duration, but not the magnitude of the MSD, which is dominated by spatially heterogeneous trends and interannual variability linked to large-scale modes of ocean-atmosphere circulation. Although the current climate still reflects predominantly internal variability, some Central American communities are already experiencing significant changes in local characteristics of the MSD. A detailed spatiotemporal understanding of MSD trends and variability can contribute to evidence-based adaptation planning and help reduce the vulnerability of Central American communities to both natural rainfall variability and anthropogenic change.


seems plain enough: but to express the distinction correctly has not proved easy. What one wants to say is that if A has authority over B, B obeys him out of a sense of obligation rather than out of fear or for personal advantage: but this leaves us with the problem of distinguishing the kind of obligation involved (a man with a family may well have an obligation to obey a gunman!), and also with stretching the concept of obligation to cover all types of authority (can one really talk about a private 'feeling morally obliged' to obey a noncommissioned officer of the British army?).


Acoustical evidence for the formation of subsurface bubble layers generated by extremely heavy rainfall will be presented. These bubble layers are associated with the presence of very large raindrops (over 3.4 mm diameter) within the rain, which in turn, tend to be associated with extremely heavy rainfall. The splash physics of very large raindrops include a turbulent downward propagating jet which has been shown to carry bubbles into the underlying water. These raindrops have also been shown to rapidly deepen a rain‐induced mixed layer, suggesting that rain can generate a subsurface bubble layer. The bubble populations are measured by predicting the sound field generated at the surface and then measuring the acoustic extinction well below the surface. Vertically integrated bubble population densities equivalent to the bubble field generated by 10‐m/s winds are observed. These bubble populations quickly dissipate when the very large raindrops are no longer present in the rain, suggesting that the bubble l...


The overexposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation may lead to oxidative stress, resulting in severe damage. The prevention of skin injuries through the topical application of natural compounds rich in antioxidants, such as propolis extracts, has shown promising results. In Brazil, the "red propolis" extract has stood out due to its complex constitution, based mainly on polyprenylated benzophenones (BZP). However, although the use of red propolis extracts has been shown to be encouraging, their addition in topical formulations is limited by the low solubility of BZP. For this reason, this study aimed to develop topical nanoemulgels containing Brazilian red propolis (BRP) extract to increase the potential of topical application, and the evaluation of skin protection against UVA/UVB radiation damage by means of protein carbonylation, protein thiol content and TBARS assays. The nanoemulgels were obtained by adding gelling polymer to nanoemulsions that were previously prepared by spontaneous emulsification. In this sense, a nanoemulgel containing BRP extract-loaded nanoemulsions (H-NE) and a nanoemulgel containng BRP extract-loaded nanoemulsions with DOTAP (H-NE/DT) were prepared. The physicochemical characterization of nanoemulgels showed monodisperse populations of 200–300 nm. The H-NE zeta potential was -38 mV, while that of H-NE/DT was +36 mV. BZP content in the formulations was around 0.86 mg g^−1. These parameters remained stable for 90 days under cold storage. H/NE and H-NE/DT presented a non-Newtonian pseudoplastic rheological behavior. Permeation/retention studies, through porcine ear skin, showed the highest BZP retention (18.11 μg cm^−2 after 8 h) for H-NE/DT, which also demonstrated, in an in vitro study, the highest ability to protect skin against oxidative damage after UVA/UVB radiation exposure. The results concerning the antioxidant activity revealed that formulations containing the BRP n-hexane extract were the most promising in combating oxidative stress, probable due to the presence of polyprenylated BZP. Altogether, the outcomes of this study suggest that nanoemulgels have suitable characteristics for topical application, and may be an alternative for the prevention of oxidative skin damage caused by UVA/UVB radiation.


Coccidiosis is an economically important parasitic disease of chickens that, in Australia, is caused by seven species of the genus Eimeria.1 The disease has traditionally been controlled by prophylactic drugs, but vaccination with attenuated lines of the parasites2–4 is rapidly gaining acceptance world wide. Live Eimeria vaccines are produced in batches which are not frozen and have a limited shelf life. The per cent infectivity of vaccine seed stocks and the vaccines produced from them must therefore be accurately monitored using standardised dose dependant assays to ensure that shelf life, quality control and vaccine release specifications are met. Infectivity for the chicken host cannot readily be determined by microscopic observation of oocysts or sporocyst hatching.5 Dose dependent parameters such as body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, visual lesion scores, mortality, oocysts production, clinical symptoms and microscopic lesion counts could be used as measures of infectivity.6–11 These parameters show significant dose dependant effects with field strains, but lines of vaccine parasites that have been selected for precocious development with associated reduced virulence and reproductive capability may not have the same effect.3,4 The aim of this trial was to determine which parameters provide the most effective measures of infective dose in birds inoculated with a precocious vaccine strain.


In this day and age of Žižekian rock star theorists and overly-abstruse philosophers, the institutional study of cultural theory can be understood as firmly entrenched in two camps. The first, pandering to the leftovers of the MTV generation and readers of Totem Books' Introducing series, are engaged in what can be called a type of theoretical bricolage; why shouldn't one be able to reference Lacan's borromean knot in a discussion of early nineties Norwegian blackmetal or 4G cellular wireless technology (from a Marxist perspective, of course)? The other camp, which often adheres to a strict nomenclature so esoteric that only those at the graduate level can penetrate their meaning, enjoys a certain performativity of the text; the form of their work, unlike the relatively straightforward and at times journalistic style of the former group,attempts to structurally mimic the logic of their thought. It could be called a type of philosophical, meta-textual performance art. This group would argue that essays have anaesthetic autonomy (see Theodor Adorno's "The Essay as Form"). Each camp exists on one side of an invisible line that can be called the continental/analytic divide, and if we push this sensible difference further we can justifiably say that, in the last analysis, the difference is one of"positive" and "negative" thought; between a positivist logic founded on the necessity of presuppositions (the logic of word games, game theory, etc.) and a thought that is intrinsic,parasitic even, to thought itself (deconstruction, Gadamerian hermeneutics, etc.). One group envisions a need for answers while the other seeks to identify problems. This difference has been and might always be one of contentious debate, and it is certainly the locus of one of the chief frustrations permeating the theoretical realm of this ephemeral thing we call "Cultural Studies".


From a social problem-solution springboard, this paper develops a framework to capture the breadth and fluidity of social innovation within the contemporary landscape of innovation. The social innovation continuum advanced in the paper reconciles incremental, institutional and disruptive social innovations that vary in their scalability and impact. A novel notion of hybrid innovation extends the mainstream perspective of social innovation, to encompass science and technology innovations that are predominantly profit driven but can have an enormous impact on solving specific social problems of global significance. Consideration is also given to how associated social entrepreneur and entrepreneurship and social enterprise frames fit in relation to the social innovation continuum. The flexible yet robust continuum framework is recommended as a route to overcome current definitional ambiguity as well as for extending the concept of social innovation.


We show that the complete set of intermediate states in second-order perturbation expressions can be replaced by a finite number of states, provided the subspace they span contains one effective state, solution of an inhomogeneous equation. It is therefore not necessary that the subspace be complete. The existence of this effective state guides the choice of the basis in approximate calculations. As an example, we apply these considerations to two-photon transition rates in hydrogen.


For several years, Fujitsu has been researching and developing high-speed packet switching networks, the result being an integrated multimedia information networks architecture. This architecture has already been applied to LAN systems and can now be applied to wide area corporate networks thanks to the new developments described in this paper. The most important technology-the bus matrix switch-provides a quantum leap in processing capacity up to several Gbit/s (few millions of packets every second), while keeping a very low switching delay. The performance evaluation based on our prototype models is also considered in detail. For example, a voice delay of less than 20 ms is obtained for five-hop communication. The new technologies will greatly improve for computer networks and will also enable basic and broadband ISDN.


Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) based insecticidal formulations have been recognized as one of the most successful, environmentally safe and sustainable method of controlling insect pests. Research teams worldwide are in search of Bt diversity giving more choices of bio-insecticides and alternatives to address insect resistance. In fact, there are many unexplored ecologies that could harbor novel Bt strains. This study is the first initiative to explore Bt strain diversity in Qatar. A collection of 700 Bt isolates was constructed. Scanning electron microscopy of Bt crystals showed different crystal forms, with a high abundance of spherical crystals compared to the bipyramidal ones. Among the spherical crystals, four different morphologies were observed. The δ-endotoxin content of parasporal crystals from each Bt isolate revealed that there are 16 different protein profiles among the isolates of the collection. On the other hand, plasmid pattern analysis showed seven different plasmid profiles. Their insecticidal activity was predicted by exploring the δ-endotoxin coding genes and conducting qualitative insecticidal bioassays. 19 smooth spherical crystal producing isolates have been identified that could be possible candidates for endotoxin production targeting Dipteran insects. Another group of 259 isolates producing bipyramidal and cuboidal crystals could target Lepidopteran and Coleopteran insects. The remaining 422 isolates have novel profiles. In conclusion, Qatari soil ecology provides a good collection and diversity of Bt isolates. In addition to strains harboring genes encoding common endotoxins, the majority are different and very promising for the search of novel insecticidal endotoxins.


Abstract Light emitter diodes (LEDs) are typical layered structures composed of different film materials. During the fabrication of LEDs, the mechanical stresses induced in the thin films due to misfit in lattice constants and difference in thermal expansion coefficients between adjacent layers will lead to dislocations and defects in structures such as hillocks, cracks and voids, which will not only significantly reduce the strength of structures but also reduce the efficiency and stability of LEDs. In this article, the influences of misfit strain, dislocation and thermal stresses due to difference in thermal expansion coefficients on total mechanical stresses of multilayered heterostructures are considered. A simple and powerful modified shear lag method is proposed to evaluate the mechanical stresses in LEDs subjected to thermal annealing treatment. Moreover, the influences of quantum‐well structure and indium content on the mechanical stresses and optoelectronic characteristics of LEDs are also evaluated and discussed.


This paper proposes an optimal control strategy for the energy management system (EMS) of marine hybrid power systems with the objective of reducing operational expenses (OPEX) and environmental emissions. Here, the OPEX includes main parameters such as the fuel consumption, degradation, and maintenance of diesel engines. The engines as the maintenance- intense devices in the power systems are expensive to operate not only due to the fuel cost, but also the cost of maintenance and overhaul. Hence, better engine management will improve the overall system efficiency and reliability. In the proposed method, the engine operation is further improved in terms of running hours and transient loading. The optimization algorithm is designed based on mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) considering the physical constraints of the engine-generators and battery-related limits. The developed EMS is then tested with a real ship profile by the different cases of with and without battery and with various battery capacities. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed EMS to improve the operation of the hybrid power system for a stable, efficient, and reliable ship operation.


The H.264/advanced video coding standard applies a spatial loop-filter in both encoder and decoder to reduce the blocking artifact. However, the temporal fluctuation artifact is still noticeable between intra-coded frames or between an intra (I)-frame and its preceding or subsequent inter-prediction (P) frames. This letter proposes a temporal postfilter using a robust statistical model to reduce the temporal fluctuation and to preserve the motion sharpness of the reconstructed video. The novelty is the implementation of a simplified robust statistical model as well as the Huber statistical model for the temporal fluctuation reduction. Performance evaluations of fluctuation reduction have been conducted using the proposed robust statistical temporal filter (RSTF), the Huber filter, and three other temporal filtering techniques, in terms of a temporal impairment metric (i.e., the sum of squared differences), and a spatial quality metric (i.e., the peak-signal-to-noise ratio). Consistent improvements of the temporal fluctuation reduction and the perceptual picture quality produced by the RSTF are demonstrated using the aforementioned performance criteria, and can be best appreciated by viewing the sequences on professional broadcasting television monitors.


The DNA replication-related element-binding factor (DREF) is a BED finger-type transcription factor that has important roles in cell cycle progression. In an earlier study, we showed that DREF is required for endoreplication during posterior scutellar macrochaete development. However, dynamic change in the dref expression in the cell lineage is unclear. In this study, we focused on the spatio-temporal pattern of expression of the dref gene during bristle development. Gene expression analysis using GAL4 enhancer trap lines of dref and the upstream activation sequence-green fluorescent protein with nuclear localization signals (UAS-GFPnls) in combination with immunostaining revealed the half-life of GFPnls in vivo (<6 hours) is short enough to monitor the dref gene expression. The analysis revealed that the dref expression occurs in clusters that include cells consisting of a bristle as well as surrounding epidermal cells. The intensity of GFP signals was almost the same in those cells, suggesting expression of the dref gene in bristle cell lineages occurs simultaneously in clusters. Further analysis showed that GFP signals increased twice during sensory organ precursor development as well as in bristle development at 9 hours and 15 hours after pupal formation, respectively. However, its expression was barely detectable in the cell lineages in and around asymmetric cell division or at other stages of development. For the first time, we clarified a spatio-temporal pattern of expression of the dref gene in vivo and revealed that expression of the dref gene occurs in clusters and is temporally regulated at specific times during bristle development.


Bone metastases are a common complication in prostate and breast cancer patients. It leads to extensive morbidity and eventually mortality. Matrix metalloproteinases are implicated in various steps of development of metastasis, through their ability to degrade the extracellular matrix. Increased matrix metalloproteinase activity of tumor cells has been associated with a higher metastatic potential. Inhibitors of metalloproteinases have been shown to effectively reduce or prevent the formation of metastases. The family of tetracyclines is able to inhibit matrix metalloproteinase activity through chelation of the zinc ion at the active site of the enzyme. Using tumor cell lines relevant to bone metastases, i.e. PC-3, MDA-MB-231, Hs696, B16/F1, we showed that tetracycline and derivatives of tetracycline, namely doxycycline and minocycline, also induced cytotoxicity. The effective concentrations are relatively high for plasma, but are clinically achievable in the bone, since tetracyclines are osteotropic. All four bone-metastasizing tumor cells produced and secreted various matrix metalloproteinases. Doxycycline was able to inhibit the activity of 72- and 92-kDa type IV collagenase secreted by bone-metastasizing cells by 79-87%. These characteristics could make tetracycline a unique candidate as a therapeutic agent to prevent bone metastases in cancer patients with a high likelihood for development of bone metastasis. Studies using animal models of experimental bone metastasis will be necessary to confirm this.


Aim: To compare the quality of the tridimensional (3D) filling and the presence of radiographic translucencies after root canal obturation with three different techniques: warm vertical condensation, carrier-based and single cone with bioceramic sealer.
Methodology: Thirty single-rooted human teeth extracted for periodontal reasons were selected. Glide path was performed with ProGlider and shaping with ProTaper Next (PTN) X1, X2 and X3 up to working length (WL). The specimens were randomly divided into three groups (N=10) for the final 3D filling step: Buchanan's continuous wave of condensation (Group 1, G1), Thermafil® (Group 2, G2) or TotalFill® BC Points™ combined with  TotalFill® BC Sealer (Group 3, G3).
Micro-CT scans were performed after the obturation step and the slices were 3D reconstructed with standardized parameters. Afterwards, the filled area and the associated radiographic translucencies were computer-isolated, and their volumes were calculated. The statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and the post-hoc Student-Newmann-Keuls (P<0,05).
Results: The mean percentage of translucency areas in the warm vertical condensation group was 1,23%, whereas in the carrier-based group was 4,22% and in the single cone with bioceramic sealer group was 10,44%. The differences between the groups were statistically significant (P=0,029).
Conclusion: All the obturation techniques provided an adequate 3D root canal filling. However, the null hypothesis of a superimposable 3D filling quality between groups was refused. The single cone technique with bioceramic sealer represented a viable clinical alternative, although it seemed more operator-dependent than the others.
Key Words: bioceramic sealer, micro-CT, root canal obturation, root canal sealers volumetric distortion


Fifty-eight 30-month-old children and their mothers were observed during a task in which the child was asked to refrain from touching an attractive toy. Child and maternal regulatory strategies were independently coded in 5-sec intervals. Consistent with past research, the ability to refrain from touching the toy was associated with less time orienting to the forbidden object and more time focusing on other stimuli. Mothers of children who refrained from touching the toy were more likely to use distraction as a technique to assist in their children's regulation than were mothers of touchers, whereas mothers of children who transgressed used more nondistracting strategies than did mothers of nontouchers. Analysis of contingent behaviors suggested that mothers and children effectively coregulated behavior during this challenging situation, as children and mothers followed one another's lead in the allocation of attention away from the toy. These findings indicate the benefits of proactive, rather than reactive, parental strategies for assisting child delay of gratification.


This paper illustrates the application of sensitivity methods as a tool for long-term transmission expansion planning. Possible investments are ranked in accordance with their effectiveness in increasing the system load supplying capability or reducing the system load curtailment. The calculation of these indices is performed as a special case of the optimal dispatch problem, for which very efficient solution algorithms are available. A case study with the system of Southern Brazil is used to evaluate the performance of the ranking algorithms.


An allelic variant of the human TCR C alpha gene, designated C alpha AL, which encodes a structurally different protein product has been characterized. C alpha AL was independently sequenced using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified TCR C alpha cDNA from various T cell clones derived from a same individual. It differed from the most usual C alpha sequence by two non-synonymous base changes at codons 4 (AAC-->AAG) and 84 (GAA-->GCA) of the C alpha coding region. These changes imply amino acid substitutions Asn-->Lys and Glu-->Ala respectively. An oligotyping method, based on hybridization of allele-specific oligonucleotides to PCR-amplified C alpha DNA, is also described. It was used for differential typing of the two C alpha forms in family and population studies. In each of three T cell clones analyzed from the same donor having two rearranged TCR alpha chain transcripts, C alpha AL was found in only one of the transcripts. In addition, C alpha AL segregated as a co-dominant mendelian allele within the family of this donor. Population analysis was carried out in 73 spanish individuals. Twelve donors (16.4%) were heterozygous, implying that C alpha AL was present in this population sample with an allelic frequency of 0.08. The observed frequencies of C alpha genotypes were those expected for the two alleles being in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. This demonstration of structural polymorphism in the constant region of TCR alpha chains provides a useful genetic marker for TCR and disease association studies due to its precise mapping within the C alpha coding region, and its significant frequency in the analyzed population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The principal salmonella serovar associated with infections linked to eggs and egg products in the UK, most European countries and North America is Salmonella enteritidis. However, other serovars have also been implicated in a number of egg-associated outbreaks, most notably S. typhimurium exhibiting a range of phage types. The present article reviews human egg-associated salmonellosis associated with non-S. enteritidis serovars, predominantly in the European Union (EU) but also world-wide, using information from published literature and epidemiological databases. There are also brief reviews of S. enteritidis and of mechanisms leading to egg contamination by salmonella. The numbers of egg-associated infections caused by non-S. enteritidis serovars are fairly substantial (for example 22% of outbreaks and 11.5% of more than 20,000 cases in the EU in 2008), and such infections have resulted in hospitalisations and deaths. Furthermore, in parts of the world where S. enteritidis historically has not penetrated laying hen breeding flocks, egg-related salmonellosis is a problem associated specifically with non-S. enteritidis serovars. Control measures to limit the incidence of S. enteritidis and S. typhimurium in poultry flocks are vital. It is therefore important that close surveillance of salmonellosis incidence and serovars in laying flocks is used to establish suitable biosecurity and vaccination programmes throughout EU Member States and elsewhere.


A method for the calculation of high-energy electron dose distributions in tissue-equivalent media is suggested. The total electron source on the exposed surface of the medium is regarded as a superposition of point unidirectional sources. A sufficiently simple analytical function for describing the axial and radial dose distribution produced by such point source is suggested. A method for determining this function, which make direct dose measurements with narrow beams unnecessary, is developed. The parameters of the point source function are derived from the depth dose distribution in a sufficiently broad beam and from the transverse dose profiles for rectangular fields. Equations for computing relative dose distributions in the volume of a tissue-equivalent medium with a flat surface are presented. The method is primarily intended for use in electron beam treatment planning but may find other applications as well.


Background Objective: Antimicrobial resistance is a problem in hospital-acquired urinary tract infection
(UTI), and is the most frequent nosocomial infection. This study was carried out to determine the
prevalence of Hospital-acquired Urinary Tract Infection (HAUTI) a etiological microorganisms and their
antimicrobial resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Methods: This cross-sectional study was
performed in a referral state general hospital in Bandar abbes, Southern Iran between January, 2014
and December, 2015. All cases admitted to the different wards of Shahid Mohammadi Hospital and
recognized as symptomatic and asymptomatic HAUTIs, after 48 h of admission, and those who were
readmitted to the hospital because of a UTI up to 48 h after discharge from the hospital were included as
the targeted population. According to the checklist, the risk factor and demographic information of these
patients were recorded. The identification of isolated microorganisms was done by standard
microbiological test, then antimicrobial susceptibility testing of all bacterial isolates was performed by
disk diffusion method and statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 20.0.Results In this
study, 1.57% of the 19,768 hospitalized patients acquired HAUTI. The most commonly isolated gram
negative bacteria are Escherichia coli 26.7%(82), followed by Acinetobacter baumannii 15.3%(47) and
among gram positive organisms, it was Candida spp 23.5%(72). Gram negative bacteria were most
resistant to Ceftriaxone, non-fermented bacteria were most resistant to Cefazol in, Cotrimoxazole and
Nalidixic acid, Staphylococcus spp were resistant to Ampicillin, Enterococcus fecalis was resistant to
Gentamicin and Nalidixic acid while Streptococcus agal actie did not show any resistance pattern
.Conclusions The results of this study are indicative of a big challenge about the prevalence of multi-drug
resistant bacteria in the studied hospital that limits therapeutic options, if infection control policy and
continuous monitoring of ESBL bacteria are not used.


Molluscum contagiosum (MC) infection is relatively common in the pediatric population and affects the skin and/or mucous membranes. MC can affect the patients' quality of life, often with visible locations, and it can raise concerns regarding the children's integration in the community, since it is a communicable disease.
 Most studies have shown an association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and MC viral infection, with eczema proving to be more common in children with MC compared to the general population. Although the studies to date have not elucidated the pathogenic relationship between AD and MC, in practice, measures can be taken to prevent the onset or spread of the viral infection. The introduction of new therapies in the management of AD may contribute to the further diminishing of the immune defense capacity against infections, including the possibility of worsening or the occurrence of MC infection. Although apparently benign, MC may influence the course of biological therapy, with dose reductions or even its cessation. Future studies should focus on the impact of classic or modern atopic dermatitis therapies on MC infection and also address the identification of new MC therapies that can be tolerated by pediatric patients, without significant adverse reactions such as worsening of AD.


Non linear antiferromagnetic resonance was observed by parallel pumping (PP) with continuous waves in (NHsCH~)~ CuC14. This system is unique in its low threshold for PP and its strong anisotropy. The absorbed microwave power displays self spiking. As a function of power the irregularity of periods between the spikes changes. Reproducible transitions from nearly regular to irregular spiking are found (RI-transitions) with information dimensions DI in the range 2.5 5 & 5 5. For certain parameter settings a hierarchy of RI transitions with different amplitudes is observed. The measurements are compared to the results of the 2n-dimensional stroboscopic model (SM), which describes the dynamics of n non-linear coupled spin wave modes. The SM simulates the mentioned behaviour for n = 2 and for strong anisotropy. Certain measurements with large DI were more readily modeled by the three mode SM.


There is no athletic movement in China... Caspar Whitney, in Harper's Weekly, 1898" and "Just as our women [swimmers] dominate... Zhou Ming, Head Coach, PRC National Swim Team, 1997. There is little doubt that, after a century's exposure, Chinese have absorbed and understand quite clearly the greater meanings of the realm of sport—the connections between competitive athletic endeavor, imperialist bluster, and economic standing in the world community. This article is an exploration of the late Qing Dynasty origins of this modern global culture of physical culture and sport.


Author(s): Paull, Michael Louis | Advisor(s): Daugherty, Patrick S | Abstract: The adaptive immune system produces antibodies to specifically target antigens. Identifying and characterizing epitopes on target antigens enables numerous medical applications such as vaccine design, diagnostic discovery, and therapeutic antibody development. We have developed computational tools that characterize epitopes using large sets of antibody-binding peptides. To identify epitopes in target proteins, we used an approach termed K-mer Tiling of Protein Epitopes (K-TOPE). In this approach, we divided protein sequences into short overlapping subsequences of length k (k-mers). Then, we defined and scored epitopes using each k-mer's enrichment in the sets of antibody-binding peptides. Using K-TOPE, we accurately identified epitopes for monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Next, using 250 specimens, we identified commonly targeted epitopes in nearly 3,000 viral proteins as well as two bacterial proteomes. Importantly, these epitopes agreed with previously reported results. To map antibody binding in epitopes, we developed Multiplexed Epitope Substitution Analysis (MESA). In this approach, target epitopes were divided into short overlapping k-mers. Then, each k-mer was exhaustively substituted with all amino acids. The effects of these substitutions were used to identify amino acid preferences at important binding positions in the epitopes. By applying this method to monoclonal antibodies and multiple sets of specimens, we identified binding motifs which agreed with an alternative computational approach. Finally, K-TOPE and MESA were used to characterize epitopes and antigens in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and Chagas disease. We identified 42 AMD-specific epitopes, 30 HSV2-specific epitopes, and 222 Chagas-specific epitopes. Several epitopes were in validated antigens while many were novel. MESA demonstrated that generally only 4-5 positions in these epitopes were important for binding. Future application of these approaches could enhance our understanding of the role that antibodies play in disease progression.


Recombinant human erythropoietin is effective therapy for the anemia of chronic renal failure. Hypertension, seizures, dialysis access thromboses, and clotted dialyzers have been reported as problems associated with the use of this drug. To test the hypothesis that low-dose erythropoietin is effective and safe, we gave 37 chronic hemodialysis patients this compound (3,000 units, i.v.) three times each week for 3 months. Before and for 3 months during therapy, we measured hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood transfusions, blood pressure, access thromboses, seizures, and clotted dialyzers. After 2 months of treatment, mean hemoglobin concentration and mean hematocrit increased significantly. Five patients had no increase in either value. In 4 of these 5 nonresponders, blood loss accounted for treatment failure. Neither blood pressure nor the incidence of access thromboses, seizures, and clotted dialyzers changed during the 3 months of therapy. We conclude that recombinant human erythropoietin is effective as treatment for the anemia of chronic renal failure at much lower doses than have been reported previously. The low incidence of adverse events may be related to the low dose used.


Previous studies have found monolinguals and bilinguals use different areas of the brain when solving problems, while bilinguals manifest a cognitive system with the ability to attend to more relevant information while ignoring distractions (Bialystok 2007; Hernandez and Bates 2001). Since the mental process that monolinguals experience when answering survey questions differs from that of bilinguals, they likely encounter different problems in understanding the meaning of questions even in their native language. Therefore, for cognitive interviews aimed at improving the quality of translated questionnaires targeting monolingual non-English speakers, it is crucial to conduct interviews with such respondents to elicit relevant information. However, there has been no standardized tool for identifying these speakers. By using different definitions of monolingual speakers: (1) based on self-rated English reading, (2) based on self-rated speaking, and (3) based on both, we investigate how similar or different these groups are by comparing their demographic characteristics.


In recent studies, it has been found that fat tissue can be used as a microwave communication channel. In this article, the effect of thickness inhomogeneities in fat tissues on the performance of in-body microwave communication at 2.45 GHz is investigated using phantom models. We considered two models namely concave and convex geometrical fat distribution to account for the thickness inhomogeneities. The thickness of the fat tissue is varied from 5 mm to 45 mm and the Gap between the transmitter/receiver and the starting and ending of concavity/convexity is varied from 0 mm to 25 mm for a length of 100 mm to study the behavior in the microwave propagation. The phantoms of different geometries, concave and convex, are used in this work to validate the numerical studies. It was noticed that the convex model exhibited higher signal coupling by an amount of 1 dB (simulation) and 2 dB (measurement) compared to the concave model. From the study, it was observed that the signal transmission improves up to 30 mm thick fat and reaches a plateau when the thickness is increased further.


Clinical observations are described in 13 cases of pyomyositis with various cardiovascular complications: (a) pyogenic pericarditis (10 cases) with tamponade in 7 and myopericarditis in 1 case, and (b) acute bacterial endocarditis (3 cases). Blood cultures grew Staphylococcus aureus in all 3 with endocarditis and in 5 of 10 with pericarditis. These complications probably resulted from the bacteraemia which sometimes complicates pyomyositis. Enhanced susceptibility of cardiac muscles to infection in pyomyositis however remains another possibility.


A heat exchanger 30 comprising a layer of material defining a passage 52 through which a heat transfer fluid may flow. The material layer has a first side for contact with the object; and a second side which, in use, will face away from the object. The first side has a relatively high coefficient of thermal conduction. The second side has a relatively low coefficient of thermal conduction compared to the first side. The sides may be made from silicone rubber, with aluminium particles in the first side and a insulating layer external of the second side. The passage 52 has a boustrophedonic path. The first side may have a double arcuate outer surface.


Bangladesh, with approximately 25 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas initially in place and 15.52 TCF of initial recoverable reserves, and an average success ratio of 3:1, has emerged as a new hydrocarbon exploration frontier. The country occupies the major part of the Bengal Basin and is essentially located in a convergent‐margin basin that owes its origin to the Early Cretaceous rifting of the Indian Plate away from Antarctica, the formation of the Indian Ocean (part of Palaeo‐Tethys), and ultimately the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate. The Bengal Basin is filled with approximately 20km of mostly Tertiary siliciclastic sediments comprising a spectrum of facies including deep‐ to shallow‐marine, deltaic and fluvial types. The presence of thick sequences of reservoir‐quality sandstones coupled with organic‐rich shales, and of different kinds of traps including broad anticlinal structures, makes the basin highly prospective for hydrocarbon exploration. Of the exploration wells (52 onshore; 12 offshore) so far drilled in Bangladesh, a total of 22 reported commercial discoveries of natural gas from sandstones in the Miocene‐Pliocene Surma Group. The hydrocarbon potential of older sequences, especially the Eocene Sylhet Limestone and the Oligocene Barail Group, are not adequately known at present. However, initial indications (e.g. the presence of suitable source rocks, high‐pressure zones, "dim" and "flat" spots and velocity sag in reef complexes in the Sylhet Limestone) tend to favour the hydrocarbon prospectivity of these sequences.


Despite major advancements in the performance of thermal interface materials (TIMs), contact resistance between components persists as a major thermal bottleneck in electronics packaging. In this work, the thermal performance of composite TIMs is enhanced through a synergistic coupling of magnetic alignment and engineered particle coatings that reduce the thermal resistance between particles. By itself, magnetically induced percolation of nickel particles within a cross‐linked silicone matrix doubles the thermal conductivity of the composite. This process significantly increases contact between particles, making the interfacial particle–particle resistance a major contributor to the composites thermal performance. The resistance at these interfaces can be reduced by introducing soft metal (silver) or liquid metal coatings onto the nickel particles. Compressing powder beds of these hybrid particles reveals that, dependent on coating thickness, the contact engineering approach provides multifold increases in thermal conductivity at mild pressures. When dispersed in a polymer matrix and magnetically aligned, the coated particles provide a threefold increase in composite thermal conductivity, as compared to unaligned samples (up to nearly 6 W m−1 K−1 with volumetric fill fraction of 0.5). For equivalent coating thicknesses, silver coatings achieve better performance than liquid metal coatings.


This paper describes the technologies developed for the extraction and publication of large volumes of statistical information, such as are produced by public data collection organisations and National Statistical Institutes (NSIs); the approach has been implemented in the MISSION system that has been developed as part of a EU Fifth Framework project. We review the MISSION system, and then focus on our novel approach that utilises metadata to simplify the user interface and database query process, by allowing the user to browse metadata to compose a query by specifying the format of the answer. The system then decomposes the request into query fragments, works out what type of data could be used to answer these query fragments, and searches the metadata to find where such data can be found and what processing is required. Once the query has been composed, data and metadata are retrieved from the distributed sites, processed, combined appropriately and the result returned to the user.


Nine communication-related occupations in Alabama are analyzed in terms of employment, wages, and location for 2007 and 2012. The communication occupations examined are public relations managers, post-secondary communication teachers, radio and television announcers, broadcast news analysts, reporters and correspondents, public relations specialists, editors, technical writers, and writers and authors. Employment analysis found employment in the field declined 9 percent in Alabama over the study period, three metropolitan areas account for 54 percent of employment, and technical writers are the fastest growing occupation. Wage analysis found Alabama wages 55 to 86 percent of the national average, with Huntsville having the highest and fastest growing wages. Location analysis found technical writers and broadcast news analysts the dominant communication occupations in the state. An economic base analysis found that the 6,090 Alabama-based communication jobs produced total annual wages of $299 million in 2012, of which 583 job are in excess of local needs generating $23 million in additional wages.


The discipline of horticulture, growing and propagating plants under artificial conditions, has a centuries-long tradition and has developed into a vital industry of breeding, propagating and trading ornamental and wild plants around the globe. Botanic gardens have always been at the centre of horticultural training and have provided excellence and advancements in the field. In recent decades, botanic gardens have also become an active part of ex situ conservation activities by storing seeds of endangered wild plants, growing living collections for conservation purposes, or propagating plants for direct reintroduction measures. While this shift in focus has been necessary and very important, ex situ collections of wild plants have been criticised for beinggenetically impoverished, potentially hybridised with congeners, or adapted to the artificial garden conditions and potentially having lost specific adaptations to their original wild habitat. In this review, we provide an overview of these potential threats to wild plants in ex situ living collections and outline examples of how ex situ cultivation can affect genetic diversity, trait expression and adaptive responses of the plants. We evaluate what these changes could mean for the conservation value of the collections, and discuss how they could be avoided by refining horticultural practices.


Purpose/Experimental Design: Treatment of cerebral tumors and peritumoral brain edema remains a clinical challenge and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Dexamethasone is an effective drug for treating brain edema, but it is associated with well-documented side effects. Corticorelin acetate (Xerecept) or human corticotrophin-releasing factor (hCRF) is a comparatively new drug and has been evaluated in two orthotopic glioma models (U87 and C6), by a direct comparison with dexamethasone and temozolomide. Results: In vitro combination therapy and monotherapy showed a variable response in 6 different glioma cell lines. In vivo studies showed a dose-dependent effect of hCRF (0.03 and 0.1 mg/kg q12h) on survival of U87 intracranial xenograft–bearing animals [median survival: control – 41 days (95% CI 25–61); "low-hCRF" 74.5 days (95% CI 41–88); "high-hCRF" >130 days (95% CI not reached)]. Dexamethasone treatment had no effect on survival, but significant toxicity was observed. A survival benefit was observed with temozolomide and temozolomide + hCRF-treated animals but with significant temozolomide toxicity. C6-bearing animals showed no survival benefit, but there were similar treatment toxicities. The difference in hCRF treatment response between U87 and C6 intracranial gliomas can be explained by a difference in receptor expression. RT-PCR identified CRF2r mRNA in U87 xenografts; no CRF receptors were identified in C6 xenografts. Conclusions: hCRF was more effective than either dexamethasone or temozolomide in the treatment of U87 xenografts, and results included improved prognosis with long-term survivors and only mild toxicity. The therapeutic efficacy of hCRF seems to be dependent on tumor hCRF receptor (CRFr) expression. These results support further clinical assessment of the therapeutic efficacy of hCRF and levels of CRFr expression in different human gliomas. Clin Cancer Res; 17(10); 3282–92. ©2011 AACR.


In 1878, the Dutch physicist Hendrik Antoon Lorentz first addressed the calculation of the local electric field at an atomic site in a ferroelectric material, generated by all the other electric dipoles within the sample. This calculation, which applies equally well to ferromagnets, is taught in Universities around the World. Here we demonstrate that the Lorentz concept can be used to speed up calculations of the local dipolar field in square, circular, and elliptical shaped monolayers and thin films, not only at the center of the film, but across the sample. Calculations show that long elliptical and rectangular films should exhibit the narrowest ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth. In addition, discrete dipole calculations show that the Lorentz cavity field μ 0 M / 3 does not hold in tetragonal films. Depending on the ratio (b/a), the local field can be either less/greater than μ 0 M / 3 : an observation that has implications for FMR. 3D simple cubic (SC) systems are also examined. For example, while most texts discuss the Lorentz cavity field in terms of a Lorentz sphere, the Lorentz cavity field still holds when a Lorentz sphere is replaced by a the Lorentz cube, but only in cubic SC, FCC and BCC systems. Finally, while the primary emphasis is on the discrete dipole–dipole interaction, contact is made with the continuum model. For example, in the continuous SC dipole model, just one monolayer is required to generate the Lorentz cavity field. This is in marked contrast to the discrete dipole model, where a minimum of five adjacent monolayers is required.


Abnormalities in Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signalling may affect the cells essential processes and influence the cell in acquiring traits to favour tumorigenic transformation and the progression of cancer. Deregulation of the MAPK pathways and uncontrolled crosstalk occurring in cancers may be caused by deregulation by MAP-kinase phosphatases (MKPs) that negatively regulates MAPKs by dephosphorylation. In this study, we were interested in the role of MKP-2 in MAPK-signalling pathways. MKP-2 is known to specifically dephosphorylate the MAP kinases Erk1/2, p38 and JNK. In this study, I was to elucidate key events leading to MKP-2 expression and the role of MKP-2 in regulating and balancing MAPK signaling. Also, I was to analyse the possible involvement of p53 in the deregulation of the MAPK pathways and its correlation with MKP-2 expression. In this report, I suggest a model where the Erk1/2 pathway in conjugation with p53 promote MKP-2 expression. I have also discovered a crosstalk between two different MAPK pathways, i.e between Erk1/2 and Erk5.


In recognition of their substantial contribution to the economy both in terms of number of enterprises and workers, the Philippine government has put in place a number of policies and programs designed specifically to boost SME productivity and competitiveness in the country. However, the performance of SMEs in the last decade has not been vigorous enough to boost the Philippine manufacturing industry. As such, the deepening of high technology industries in terms of the creation of backward linkages has remained weak. While the country's exports of high technology products have grown rapidly, the value added of these exports is very low due to the limited links of large domestic and foreign companies to the domestic economy. Rapid changes in the international trade and the growing complexity of global production system, pose a significant challenge to Filipino SMEs. This paper reviews existing government SME policies as well as recent developments in the manufacturing sector, within the context of the emerging global production network. The paper draws on the findings of a survey interview of SMEs in the automotive, electronics, and garments sectors. The paper highlights the importance of creating a separate government office that would coordinate SME policies and programs to support the integration of SMEs in the global production chain.


In some diseases, due to the restrictive availability of vaccines on the market (e.g., during the early emergence of a new disease that may cause a pandemic such as COVID-19), the use of plasma transfusion is among the available options for handling such a disease. In this study, we developed an SEIR mathematical model of disease transmission dynamics, considering the use of convalescent plasma transfusion (CPT). In this model, we assumed that the effect of CPT increases patient survival or, equivalently, leads to a reduction in the length of stay during an infectious period. We attempted to answer the question of what the effects are of different rates of CPT applications in decreasing the number of infectives at the population level. Herein, we analyzed the model using standard procedures in mathematical epidemiology, i.e., finding the trivial and non-trivial equilibrium points of the system including their stability and their relation to basic and effective reproduction numbers. We showed that, in general, the effects of the application of CPT resulted in a lower peak of infection cases and other epidemiological measures. As a consequence, in the presence of CPT, lowering the height of an infective peak can be regarded as an increase in the number of remaining healthy individuals; thus, the use of CPT may decrease the burden of COVID-19 transmission.


Purpose:To introduce a novel algorithm of automated attenuation-based tube potential selection and to assess its impact on image quality and radiation dose of body computed tomography angiography (CTA). Materials and Methods:In all, 40 patients (mean age 71 ± 11.8 years, body mass index (BMI) 25.7 ± 3.8 kg/m2, range 18.8–33.8 kg/m2) underwent 64-slice thoracoabdominal CTA (contrast material: 80 mL, 5 mL/s) using an automated tube potential selection algorithm (CAREkV), which optimizes tube-potential (70–140 kV) and tube-current (138.8 ± 18.6 effective mAs, range 106–177 mAs) based on the attenuation profile of the topogram and on the diagnostic task. Image quality was semiquantitatively assessed by 2 blinded and independent readers (scores 1: excellent to 5: nondiagnostic). Attenuation and noise were measured by another 2 blinded and independent readers. Contrast-to-noise ratio was calculated. The CT dose index (CTDIvol) was recorded and compared with the estimated CTDIvol of a standard 120 kV protocol without using the algorithm in each patient. Selected tube potentials were correlated with BMI and attenuation of the topogram. Results:Diagnostic image quality was obtained in all patients (excellent: 14; good: 21; moderate: 5; interreader agreement: &kgr; = 0.78). Mean attenuation, noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio were 260.8 ± 63.5 Hounsfield units, 15.5 ± 3.3 Hounsfield units, and 14 ± 4.2, respectively, with good to excellent agreement between readers (r = 0.50–0.99, P < 0.01 each). Automated attenuation-based tube potential selection resulted in a kV-reduction from 120 to 100 kV in 23 patients and to 80 kV in 1 patient, whereas tube potential increased to 140 kV in 1 patient. Automatically selected tube potential showed a significant correlation with both BMI (r = 0.427, P < 0.05) and attenuation of the topogram (r = 0.831, P < 0.001). CTDIvol (7.95 ± 2.6 mGy) was significantly lower when using the algorithm compared with the standard 120 kV protocol (10.59 ± 1.8 mGy, P < 0.001), corresponding to an overall dose reduction of 25.1%. Conclusion:Automated attenuation-based tube potential selection based on the attenuation profile of the topogram is feasible, provides a diagnostic image quality of body CTA, and reduces overall radiation dose by 25% as compared with a standard protocol with 120 kV.


Environmental education and education for sustainability are educational responses to negative environmental impacts both locally and globally. In South Africa, the schooling sector has experienced several shifts in the curriculum since 1994, with implications for the coverage, teaching and examination of environmental-impact topics in subjects such as Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Life Orientation, Agricultural Sciences, and Geography. The aim of the research reported here was to investigate the coverage and examination of environmental-impact topics in the Further Education and Training (FET) Phase of the South African school curriculum. Data sources were the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) documents and examination papers. In analysing the coverage and examination of environmental-impact topics, thematic content analysis was used. The findings indicate that there is unequal coverage of environmental-impact topics in the curriculum, despite the CAPS indicating that environmental content should feature in all subjects. The present paper shows that Life Sciences has the widest coverage and that Geography examination papers sometimes exceed the policy allocation. Agricultural Sciences has the least coverage. The study also found that there is general, but not complete, alignment between policy and examination papers. The study concluded that there is too little focus in the FET curriculum on environmental education and warns that this will constrain the development of a pro-environmental culture among learners. This has relevance for curriculum and policy developers in responding to societal and environmental issues. Keywords: Environmental education, education for sustainable development, environmental-impact topics, curriculum


The aim of this research was to understand the precautionary measures of pharmacies in terms of safety issues of service. There are 322 community pharmacies in Kocaeli. Cluster sampling was used to select the community pharmacies included into the study. Four of eight regions were selected to this end. Throughout December 2005, face-to-face questionnaires were administered in 156 of 247 community pharmacists in four regions. Two thirds of community pharmacists (33.3%) have described the service area as unsafe. Eighty-eight (88) pharmacists who had inadequate safety measures in their pharmacy indicated 122 reasons. Cost accounted for 64% of these reasons, lack of necessary regulations for 31%, lack of managerial direction for 21%. Pharmacists who had not experienced any threat to security of life and property (n = 47, 40.2%) used a higher ratio of new technology methods (safety measures alarm systems to inform the police and private security firms, sensors on windows and doors, digital video recording systems). Traditional safety measures taken by pharmacists were cameras, window-guards, guns and other objects used as weapons (such as metal bars) and never being alone on night duty. 64% of pharmacists explained their safety measures against earthquake as fixing shelves to the wall. It is understood that in 56% of community pharmacies, there was no provision made for drugs which need to be kept cold during power outages. Thus, In-services needs have to be made and provided for pharmacist regarding safety issues.


In experiments on adult male rats it was found that the oral injection of non-steroid antiandrogen 4-nitro-3-trifluoromethylisobutyranilide (niftolide) in a dose of 25 mg/kg during 8 or 30 days induces atrophy of the accessory genital glands and the levator ani muscle and a decrease in the nucleic acid and protein content. Niftolide "castration" effect is realized through its ability to inhibit biosynthesis of these compounds in androgen-sensitive organs. The antiandrogen dose used exerted a potent prolonged antiandrogenic action, despite its stimulating effect upon the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal system.


Purpose: Our previous work suggested the potential of gEUD‐based inverse optimization tool for HDR prostate brachytherapy (Giantsoudi et al AAPM 2010). In this study we attempt to define a default set of parameters for this optimization system that will maximize the conformal index (COIN — Baltas et al 1998) while leading to clinically acceptable dosimetric results. Methods: For given patient geometry, multiple gEUD‐based optimized plans were produced by varying the penalty factors n of the objectives in the range of 0–20 for the prostate‐PTV (target), prostate‐OAR (used as dose constraint structure) and normal tissue (ring surrounding the prostate) structures, for various clinical cases. Calculated COIN values for all the resulting plans were plotted against the penalty factor values. The combination of factors maximizing COIN was then selected and applied in 12 clinical cases. Their dosimetric results were evaluated following the Offenbach clinical protocol. Our method's sensitivity was then examined by varying the n‐parameter values to +/−10% and the gEUD0 values to +/−2% of the default settings. Results: The set of penalty factor values maximizing COIN [n(prostate‐PTV)=18, n(prostate‐OAR)=2, n(NT)=2] led to clinically accepted plans for all 12 clinical cases and is suggested as the default optimization protocol for this method. Introducing deviations to the gEUD0 or n‐parameter values, most of the dosimetric evaluators showed less than 1.6% difference compared to the default optimized solutions. Exception to this rule was the V150 parameter that showed up to 6.08% deviation for 10% change of the n(prostate‐PTV) factor and 6.53% deviation for 2% change of the gEUD0(prostate‐PTV). Conclusions: A default set of penalty factor values is suggested for our gEUD‐based optimization system that leads to maximized COIN and clinically acceptable solutions for a wide range of clinical cases, facilitating HDR prostate brachytherapy inverse optimization. The stability and robustness of our method was also shown.


We investigate the impacts of state shareholding, corporate culture and employee commitment on corporate performance of privatized firms in the Vietnamese context. Using data collected from a structured questionnaire as well as companies' annual reports, we show that only organizational integration significantly affects the performance of privatized firms. Furthermore, employee and customer satisfactions are among the most important drivers of corporate performance. Finally, there is evidence to suggest that privatized firms with less state ownership perform better than those with more state ownership.


Objectives. The aim of this prospective phase II study is to evaluate the treatment of early-stage breast cancer (T1 N0) with intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) in terms of local control, early complications, and cosmesis. Patients and Methods. From February 2010 to February 2012, 200 patients underwent partial IOERT of the breast. Inclusion criteria were unifocal invasive ductal carcinoma, age ≥40 years, histological tumour size ≤20 mm, and no lymph node involvement. A 21 Gy dose was prescribed over the 90% isodose line in the tumour bed. Median follow-up is 23.3 months (7–37). Results. Acute toxicity was not frequent (Grade 1: 4.5%, Grade 2: 1%). The cosmetic result was considered to be very good or good in 92.5%. One ipsi lateral out-quadrant recurrence at 18 months was observed. The crude and actuarial local recurrence rates after median follow-up were 0.5% and 0.9%, respectively. Conclusion. The preoperative diagnostic work-up must be comprehensive and the selection process must be rigorous for this therapeutic approach reserved for small ductal unifocal cancers. After a 23.3-month median follow-up time, the clinical results of IOERT for selected patients are encouraging for the locoregional recurrence and the toxicity rates. The satisfaction of our patients in terms of quality of life was extremely high.


Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in Australia with crude incidence rates increasing drastically from 62.8 at ages 35–39 to 271.4 at ages 50–54 (cases per 100,000 women). Various researchers have proposed methods and tools based on Machine Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for assessing mammographic images, but these methods have produced detection and interpretation errors resulting in false-positive and false-negative cases when used in the real world. We believe that this problem can potentially be resolved by implementing effective image pre-processing techniques to create training data for Deep-CNN. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to propose effective image pre-processing methods to create datasets that can save computational time for the neural network and improve accuracy and classification rates. To do so, this research proposes methods for background removal, pectoral muscle removal, adding noise to the images, and image enhancements. Adding noise without affecting the quality of details in the images makes the input images for the neural network more representative, which may improve the performance of the neural network model when used in the real world. The proposed method for background removal is the "Rolling Ball Algorithm" and "Huang's Fuzzy Thresholding", which succeed in removing background from 100% of the images. For pectoral muscle removal "Canny Edge Detection" and "Hough's Line Transform" are used, which removed muscle from 99.06% of the images. "Invert", "CTI_RAS" and "ISOCONTOUR" lookup tables (LUTs) were used for image enhancements to outline the ROIs and regions within the ROIs.


This article provides an overview of creativity research in marketing and offers a novel framework for matching the demand and supply side of creativity. The demand side comprises the marketing problem domain and the specifics of the task, which will influence how much emphasis management places on the originality versus usefulness of the generated ideas or solutions. The supply side includes individual and organizational resources that management can put to use for boosting creativity. Based on contemporary creative cognition research, this article distinguishes the following pathways to creativity: fluency, persistence, and flexibility. Examples of common marketing decisions, including their need for creativity, the emphasis placed on originality versus usefulness, and the pathway(s) that may lead to the desired level of creativity, are used to illustrate how the presented framework for matching the demand and supply side of creativity can guide managerial decision-making. This article concludes with a discussion of creativity research priorities in marketing.


OBJECTIVES
Failure of anastomotic healing is a morbid complication after airway or oesophageal surgery. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used extensively in the management of complex wound-healing problems. We demonstrate the use of HBOT to rescue at-risk anastomoses or manage anastomotic failures in thoracic surgery.

METHODS
Retrospective review of 25 patients who received HBOT as part of the management of tracheal or oesophageal anastomotic problems during 2007-2018. HBOT was delivered at 2 atm with 100% oxygen in 90-min sessions.

RESULTS
Twenty-three patients underwent airway resection and reconstruction while 2 patients underwent oesophagectomy. There were 16 (70%) laryngotracheal and 7 (30%) tracheal resections. Necrosis at the airway anastomosis was found in 13 (57%) patients, partial dehiscence in 2 (9%) patients and both in 6 (26%) patients. HBOT was prophylactic in 2 (9%) patients. Patients received a median of 9.5 HBOT sessions (interquartile range 5-19 sessions) over a median course of 8 days. The airway anastomosis healed in 20 of 23 (87%) patients. Overall, a satisfactory long-term airway outcome was achieved in 19 (83%) patients; 4 patients failed and required reoperation (2 tracheostomies and 1 T-tube). HBOT was used in 2 patients after oesophagectomy to manage focal necrosis or ischaemia at the anastomosis, with success in 1 patient. Complications from HBOT were infrequent and mild (e.g. ear discomfort).

CONCLUSIONS
HBOT should be considered as an adjunct in the management of anastomotic problems after airway surgery. It may also play a role after oesophagectomy. Possible mechanisms of action are rapid granulation, early re-epithelialization and angiogenesis.


Constructivism refers to a collection of educational practices that are student-focused, meaning-based, process-oriented, interactive, and responsive to student personal interests and needs. In contrast, instructionism refers to a collection of educational practices that are teacher-focused, skill-based, product-oriented, non-interactive, and highly prescribed. In the context of reading instruction, constructivist theoretical assumptions are reflected in whole language learning; instructionist theoretical assumptions are manifest in remedial reading. Constructivist remediation is teacher-controlled and skilldirected instruction delivered in a context that is personally meaningful to students. Both constructivist and instructionist assumptions are acknowledged and combined to provide the foundation upon which specific skill deficits are identified and corrected in meaningful context. Constructivist remediation is conceptualized and presented in terms of seven critical elements that are integrated and interdependent. Core skills remediation in 1) phonological processing, 2) sight word vocabulary, and 3) reading comprehension, based upon 4) authentic individual student assessment, are taught in instructional contexts made meaningful by 5) whole pieces of literature, 6) integration of literacy and language development, and 7) enhanced student motivation through selfselected, functional learning activities.


Utilization of motorcycle in Malaysia is really synonym especially for lower income group. Statistic for motor vehicles in Malaysia shown that nearly five million units or over the half are motorcycles. These are mostly small capacity, two or four stroke engine motorcycles. The use of low quality fuel to operate motorcycles causes a serious pollutant especially in densely populated areas. Besides, crude oil reserve in Malaysia is expected to finish within 19 years. Natural gas is now acknowledged by the world as being a mainstream alternative fuel. It has a high octane rating that is general indication of the ability of the fuel to burn more efficient and improving engine performance. Malaysia has massive, under exploited natural gas reserve. As such a study has been conducted by a group of researchers from Gas Technology Centre (GASTEG) to diversify the usage of natural gas especially as a fuel for internal combustion engine. The product of this research is a set of natural gas conversion kits and the first prototype of natural gas motorcycle. The exhaust emissions from natural gas motorcycle give complete combustion, which decrease 99.6% of carbon monoxide and 72.5% of unburned hydrocarbon at a speed of 70km/hr. However, the lower heat content of natural gas and the lower burning velocity as compared to gasoline reduces the engine maximum power for about 15% at high engine speed without any modification to the original engine. These parameters can be used as a guidance to the motorcycle industry how to utilise natural gas as a fuel, a new and a leading technology for the world that propelling Malaysia for the next millennium with clean city.


ABSTRACT Del Río, L.; Gracia, F.J., and Benavente, J., 2016. Multiple-source cliff erosion in Southern Spain: current risk and future perspectives. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 1072 - 1076. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This work analyses coastal erosion causes, impacts and management strategies in two sandstone cliffs in SW Spain: El Almirante (EA) and Fuente del Gallo (FG). Five sets of aerial photographs spanning the last 50 years were used, combined with detailed field inspection. Retreat rate of the cliff top in EA is 0.8–1.6 m/yr, increasing over the last decade to 4 m/yr at some points. This poses a serious risk for infrastructure located on the cliff top, and cliff recession leaves an outstanding palaeontological site exposed to wave attack. Erosion rates in FG are lower, but there is a significant risk to beach visitors due to mass movements involved in cliff retreat. Interventions to mitigate erosion impacts in EA have consisted in tetrapod deployment and concrete fencing, while in FG stabilization measures include removal of unstable blocks, soil nailing, draining tubes, seeding, a riprap and beach nourishments. However, these measures have only had a limited success, as the main causes for cliff erosion are related to marine and subaerial processes enhanced by rainfall and cliff fractures. Undermining of the cliff base by waves in FG and in eastern EA triggers rock falls, which are easily dismantled by waves, resulting in a rapidly retreating cliff face. In central EA rotational slides are responsible for cliff top recession, favoured by a plastic substratum of marls. Future projections of shoreline position indicate a likely increase in potential damage generated by erosion in both sites, leading to the need for adopting alternative mitigation measures.


Concussion imposes a substantial global health burden, and few evidence-based treatments that approach concussion treatment holistically are available. Moreover, early intervention is important before concussion symptoms become chronic and more refractory to treatment. In this pilot study, we evaluated the tolerability of a protocol called Mindfulness and Yoga for Treatment After Concussion (MYTAC), which was specifically designed for individuals with concussion. We also explored the possible benefit of the MYTAC protocol for concussion recovery. Participants were 15-60 years old with recent concussion and had presented to selected practices within a university health system. Participants used the video-based MYTAC protocol for 5 consecutive days and reported concussion symptoms on an abbreviated version of the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool version 3 (SCAT3). We compared the abbreviated SCAT3 scores across the intervention period, including immediately before and after each yoga session, using standard statistical methods for paired data. Of 25 participants enrolled in the study, 15 completed the MYTAC protocol and 1 completed 2 days of the protocol before withdrawing due to worsening symptoms; the remaining 9 participants did not complete the protocol. On average, total abbreviated SCAT3 scores decreased by 9.9 ± 7.6 points, or approximately 50%, over the intervention period (from an initial value of 18.8 ± 6.7 points prior to the yoga protocol). Although this pilot study had significant methodological limitations, we concluded that the MYTAC protocol had fair tolerability and possibly a beneficial effect on concussion recovery. However, future interventions should evaluate this protocol in larger, more rigorously designed studies.


Secondary fungal infections are a critical problem that accompany immunosuppressive therapy for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). We report a fatal case of COVID‐19 with disseminated mucormycosis diagnosed during autopsy. A 58‐year‐old man with diabetes was hospitalized for severe COVID‐19 and treated with remdesivir, systemic steroids and tocilizumab. Following treatment, he was provided extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. However, he died of multiple organ failure accompanied by pulmonary and kidney infarction, as revealed by computed tomography. Autopsy revealed that the infarction was caused by thromboangiitis due to mucormycosis in the brain, lungs, heart, liver and kidneys. Therefore, the diagnosis of disseminated mucormycosis was established. Disseminated mucormycosis is a rare complication of COVID‐19. Although its early diagnosis is difficult, the disease progresses rapidly. Hence, we propose that immunosuppressive treatment for COVID‐19 should be administered with caution considering the risk of developing severe opportunistic infections, such as mucormycosis.


The complement system protects the host against foreign organisms and induces a non-inflammatory phagocytosis of damaged or mutated host cells. Complement regulators protect intact host cells against complement attack and prevent inflammatory reactions. Factor H is the main soluble regulator of the alternative complement pathway. Factor H binds to host cells and blocks the alternative complement activation to prevent cell- and tissue damages. In addition, Factor H binds the acute phase protein C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP opsonizes apoptotic and necrotic host cells and microbial invaders for phagocytosis by activating the classical complement cascade. However, the amplification loop via the alternative pathway and the pro-inflammatory terminal complement pathway are inhibited. Here I analyzed the role of Factor H binding to CRP in this limitation of complement. Furthermore, the Factor H related (CFHR) proteins CFHR-1, CFHR-4A, and CFHR-4B, which have a high similarity to Factor H, were functionally characterized. In this work I show, that Factor H, CFHR 4A, and CFHR-4B bind different isoforms of CRP. Factor H binds monomeric CRP (mCRP), while CFHR-4A/4B bind pentameric CRP (pCRP). Moreover, the analyzed proteins of the Factor H protein family regulate complement at the surface of cellular debris. Factor H and CFHR 1 inhibit complement and protect cellular debris from inflammatory complement attack, while CFHR 4A/4B enhance the cell opsonization through recruitment of pCRP. In addition, Factor H enhances the phagocytosis of apoptotic particles and inhibits the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-αand the chemokine IL-8. These effects of Factor H are enhanced by mCRP. Thus, Factor H, CFHR-1, CFHR-4A/4B, and CRP maintain a beneficial balance between complement activation and inhibition which is crucial to prevent inflammation and ultimately the development of autoimmune diseases.


The processes of software engineering and the industries themselves tend to be fluctuant. There are numerous factors, such as software methodologies, technologies, supporting tools, and process managements, which may significantly affect the strategies and activities of a software development process. We improve the PIE approach and propose an XML-based meta-model for process and agent-based integrated software development environment (PRAISE). PRAISE includes both the external representation in UML and its internal representation in XML, and can be used to support the integration of software development in a global aspect.


This thesis examines the development of goat and sheep herding in the Levant during the
Neolithic period, and focuses particularly on the emergence of caprines as major early
domesticates and the development of specialised pastoral economies. It is divided into
two sections. The first consists of a critical review of published palaeoclimatic,
archaeological, archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data, which are integrated to
provide baseline interpretations of caprine domestication and the development of
specialised pastoral economies. The second section presents the results of a
zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal assemblage from the Neolithic site of 'Ain
Ghazal, located in the Jordanian Highlands, which are evaluated in the context of the two
baseline interpretations presented in the first section. The relative merits of the different
methods by which archaeological caprine remains can be identified to species are also
discussed. It is argued that goats were probably first domesticated in or immediately
adjacent to the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains during the 10th millennium b.p.,
and that mouflon were probably first domesticated in the piedmont zones of the Taurus
and Zagros Mountains during the first half of the 9th millennium b.p.. The independent
domestication of goats in the Zagros Mountains during the first half of the 9th millennium
b.p. is regarded as a strong possibility. It is concluded that the concepts of there have
been a temporal gap between the appearance of the earliest permanent agricultural
villages and the earliest domestic caprines, and that significant periods of loose-herding
preceded the full domestication of these species, may need to be reconsidered. Pastoral
economies during the Levantine Neolithic seem to have been based on sedentary animal
husbandry aimed at subsistence-orientated meat production. There is however some
evidence that simple forms of distant pastures husbandry, still focused on subsistenceorientated
meat production, may have developed during the Neolithic period.


Email is one of the most popular Internet applications which enables individuals and organisations alike to communicate and work effectively. However, email has also been used by criminals as a means to commit cybercrimes such as phishing, spamming, cyberbullying and cyberstalking. Cyberstalking is a relatively new surfacing cybercrime, which recently has been recognised as a serious social and worldwide problem. Combating email-based cyberstalking is a challenging task that involves two crucial steps: a robust method for filtering and detecting cyberstalking emails and documenting evidence for identifying cyberstalkers as a prevention and deterrence measure. In this paper, we discuss a hybrid approach that applies machine learning to detect, filter and file evidence. To this end we present a new robust feature selection approach to select informative features, aiming to improve the performance of machine learning within this task.


In Autumn 2016, the National Trust commissioned Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) to survey an early settlement site on the western side of The Tongue, a natural spur of land between two streams, on Troutbeck Park Farm, near Windermere (NY 42259 06797 (centred)). The survey was required to establish the condition and extents of several Scheduled Monuments within the study area, two of which are currently on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register due to threats to their survival from vegetation growth. The survey was therefore intended to record and evaluate the condition of archaeological and historical features to inform land management and a programme of vegetation control.
The survey was undertaken in February 2017 as a Level 1 identification survey across a 1.56 square kilometre study area within the landholding. In addition, more detailed Level 2 survey was undertaken on the area surrounding the scheduled settlement/enclosures on the western flank of The Tongue (NHLE 1007201), which includes the area of settlement and also a cairnfield which extends across the western flank.


Rangeland wildfires burned 275,805 ha in 2 large blocks in the Texas Panhandle in March 2006. We assessed the impact on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) populations through use of spring call-counts at 6 study sites during summer 2006–2008. Call-counts were higher in 2006 on non-burned (control) sites combined than on burned sites combined. Two years post-burn call-counts were higher on 3 of the burned sites and on 3 of the control sites. Between year comparisons revealed a difference only in the 2006/2007 pairing with 2006 having lower counts on burned than on control sites. Vegetation regrowth and concomitant quail abundance was affected more by soil texture, topography, and precipitation than spatial relation to the burn perimeter. Sites comprised of coarse-textured soils responded more quickly and likely supported higher densities pre-burn than sites with more finely-textured soils. Shortgrass sites without a significant woody component probably had lower populations pre-burn, and recovered more slowly than mid-grass communities that had a greater woody component. Landscape relief appeared to mitigate the immediate impact of the burn, enhancing recovery by providing refugia (unburned patches) within the burn. Citation: Cearley, K. A., D. Rollins, C. Snow, and B. Wilson. 2012. Quail response to two large-scale wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. Proceedings of the National Quail Symposium 7:35–41.


This article explores the dynamics of labour organizing among migrant and immigrant workers in Canada, focusing on two case studies: first, recent efforts to organize migrant farmworkers in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Program; and, second, the work of the Immigrant Workers' Centre in Montreal. The Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Program, which employs workers from Mexico and Caribbean countries, is often viewed by policymakers and employers as an example of 'best practices' in migration policy. Yet workers in the program experience seasonal employment characterized by long hours and low wages, and are exempt from many basic labour standards. The Immigrant Workers' Centre formed in 2000 to provide a safe place for migrant and racialized immigrant workers to come together around problems in their workplaces. Through these case studies, we examine labour organization efforts including advocacy and grassroots organizing through the Immigrant Workers' Centre and legal challenges attempting to secure recognition of freedom of association rights for farmworkers. The article explores the 'limits and possibilities' of these strategies, and concludes by assessing the implications for labour organizing among the growing numbers of migrant and immigrant workers employed in a wide range of low-wage, low-security occupations due to the recent expansion of Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program.


In June 1987, neurobiologists, immunologists, molecular biologists, virologists and neurologists from several countries met in Vancouver to discuss recent advances of relevance to multiple sclerosis. The symposium was a part of the 22nd Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences meeting and was sponsored by funds from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Medical Research Council of Canada. The presentations covered five major topics: basic neurobiology, molecular biology, the role of viruses in demyelination, immune function and dysfunction in multiple sclerosis, and clinical magnetic resonance imaging studies. It was heartening to note that scientists from several different disciplines were working towards a common end-point: the understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis. In this book, speakers at the symposium have each presented a chapter of their findings and discussions. In addition, some non-participants at the symposium have been invited to submit chapters in order to give this volume a more complete scope. It is hoped that the reader will find this book a useful reference for several subjects of interest to multiple sclerosis. In closing, I would like to thank the following for their help and support: the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Medical Research Council of Canada for their financial support; the contributors of this book for their manuscripts; Dr. A. Eisen, Mrs. K. Eisen, Mrs. P. Bodnarchuk and Mrs. M. Kim for their efforts in planning and organizing the symposium; and Ms. Catherine Schikowski for her secretarial assistance. Seung U. Kim, M.D. Ph.D.


Are less productive regions catching up with more productive regions? In this paper we investigate the importance of regional industry structure for regional productivity convergence. We use county data for the Scandinavian Peninsula. Norway and Sweden are similar in many respects and the Scandinavian Peninsula therefore represents an attractive natural laboratory with one country inside and another outside the European Union. The data cover five-year intervals from 1980 to 2000 for Norway and from 1985 for Sweden. We find strong productivity convergence between Norwegian counties and weak divergence between Swedish ones. The effect of the industry structure on the spatial distribution of productivity appears to be small in magnitude, but it is qualitatively important. Moreover, the role played by the changing composition of production in the process of economic growth seems to differ over time. By implication, considerable caution should be exercised when undertaking convergence studies based on the commonly used one-sector growth model. More complex models allowing for differences in industry structure, and possibly also other potentially important factors such as wealth effects and transitional dynamics, should be considered.


Ultra-thin channel materials with excellent tunability of their electronic properties are necessary for the scaling of electronic devices. Two-dimensional materials such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are ideal candidates for this due to their layered nature and great electrostatic control. Ternary alloys of these TMDs show composition-dependent electronic structure, promising excellent tunability of their properties. Here, we systematically compare molybdenum sulphoselenide (MoS2( 1−x )Se2x ) alloys, MoS1Se1 and MoS0.4Se1.6. We observe variations in strain and carrier concentration with their composition. Using them, we demonstrate n-channel field-effect transistors (FETs) with SiO2 and high-k HfO2 as gate dielectrics, and show tunability in threshold voltage, subthreshold slope (SS), drain current, and mobility. MoS1Se1 shows better promise for low-power FETs with a minimum SS of 70 mV dec−1, whereas MoS0.4Se1.6, with its higher mobility, is suitable for faster operations. Using HfO2 as gate dielectric, there is an order of magnitude reduction in interface traps and 2× improvement in mobility and drain current, compared to SiO2. In contrast to MoS2, the FETs on HfO2 also display enhancement-mode operation, making them better suited for CMOS applications.


Measuring progress toward healing is fundamental to the management of pressure ulcers. A method to assess progress of an individual ulcer over time is lacking. Given the limitations of currently available instruments and the need for a precise and practical method of monitoring healing in clinical practice, the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel initiated the development of a new tool for measuring pressure ulcer healing. The key elements in developing an instrument include simplicity of use in clinical settings, validity for measuring whether ulcers are improving or worsening, and sensitivity to changes in the ulcer between observations. A new tool incorporating surface area, exudate amount, and surface appearance is proposed. Content validity, correlation validity, prospective validity, and sensitivity to change can be met by the proposed Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing instrument.


Cryptococcal epidemiology is shifting toward HIV-negative populations who have diverse presentations. Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) testing is also changing, with development of the lateral flow assay (LFA) having reported increased sensitivity and specificity, but with minimal knowledge in the HIV-negative population. In this study, we evaluate the real-life performance of CrAg testing in patients with cryptococcal disease. We conducted a retrospective review of patients with cryptococcosis from 2002 to 2019 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. ABSTRACT Cryptococcal epidemiology is shifting toward HIV-negative populations who have diverse presentations. Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) testing is also changing, with development of the lateral flow assay (LFA) having reported increased sensitivity and specificity, but with minimal knowledge in the HIV-negative population. In this study, we evaluate the real-life performance of CrAg testing in patients with cryptococcal disease. We conducted a retrospective review of patients with cryptococcosis from 2002 to 2019 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Latex agglutination (LA) was used exclusively until April 2016, at which point LFA was used exclusively. Demographics, presentations, and testing outcomes were evaluated. Serum CrAg testing was completed in 227 patients with cryptococcosis. Of 141 HIV-negative patients, 107 had LA testing and 34 had LFA testing. In patients with disseminated disease, serum CrAg sensitivity by LA was 78.1% compared to 82.6% for LFA. In patients with localized pulmonary disease, serum CrAg sensitivity was 23.5% compared to 90.9% for LFA. Of 86 people living with HIV (PLWH), 76 had LA testing, and 10 had LFA testing. Serum CrAg sensitivity for LA was 94.7% compared to 100% for LFA in patients with disseminated disease. We noted a significant improvement in sensitivity from LA testing to LFA testing, predominantly in those with localized pulmonary disease. However, both LFA and LA appear to be less sensitive in HIV-negative patients than previously described in PLWH.


This paper shows the development process for measuring three-dimensional flow velocity components in a web-browser. The system is developed in an embeddable C/C++ interpreter Ch and Ch-CGI toolkit. The interface for the web-based measurement system consists of a set of web html files and Ch files for CGI. All of data in web browser are passed to Ch-CGI script to generate the output of new html file. PC-Server and PC-Client can submit measurement parameters and receive the text/graphical results each other. PC-Client can control the test equipment by using a parameters that received from PC-Server. It also can pass the test results between the web-based measurement system. In summary, the designed measurement system is evaluated, the outputs shown well on the web browser.


Here, we report a formal synthesis of the marine cytotoxic meroterpenoid actinoranone. Key steps include a racemization-free semipinacol rearrangement/Wittig reaction sequence and a chiral pool approach for the syntheses of the tetralone and the decalin fragments, respectively. The presented route provides access to the natural product in 14 steps in the longest linear sequence.


Precipitates in Al-Mg-Si alloys with Cu addition (~0.1 wt%) and Zn addition (~1 wt%) were investigated by aberration corrected high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). Most precipitates had no overall unit cell but contained ordered network of Si atomic columns for both the Cu and the Zn containing precipitates. It was found that both Cu and Zn atomic columns are located at specific sites and producing characteristic local configurations on the Si atomic columns.


The global analysis of changes in the protein composition of bacterial cells in response to treatment with antibiotic agents grants insights into the physiological response of cells to inhibition of vital cellular functions. This unit gives an overview of how global proteomic studies can impact antibacterial drug discovery by identifying or validating compound mechanism of action and by increasing the confidence in the value of genes with unknown function as potential new targets. It describes the design and function of a reference compendium of proteomic responses to inhibition of vital cellular functions through antibacterial agents or genetic down‐regulation of potential target genes. An overview of the workflow for two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis‐based experiments is also presented. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 26:1F.2.1‐1F.2.16. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Systematic plantwide control system design for economically optimal operation of the ethyl benzene process over a large throughput range is studied. As throughput is increased, constraints progressively become active with the highest number of active constraints at maximum throughput. An economic plantwide control system (CS1) is designed for operation at this most constrained operating point using a novel "top-down" pairing approach with higher prioritization to the economic objectives over regulatory objectives. This structure is adapted for near optimal low throughput operation with constraints that go inactive taking up additional economic variable control. For comparison, a conventional plantwide control structure (CS2) with the throughput manipulator at a fresh feed and "bottom-up" pairing for the control objectives is also synthesized. Four overrides are needed in CS2 to handle the hard equipment capacity constraints at maximum throughput. Rigorous dynamic simulations show that CS1 is dynamically and economically significantly superior to CS2. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 1996–2014, 2013


The ability to capture information of turf grass in situ makes digital camera based image analysis, a viable tool to quantify turf grass (Cynodon dactylon Pers.) in field experiments. In addition to colour quantification, digital image analysis has been used successfully to quantify percentage turf grass cover and has also been proved to be useful in quantifying turf parameters such as weed infestation, disease incidence, herbicide toxicity, leaf area and recovery from injury. Colour is one of the major criteria used to evaluate the quality of turf and lawn. To generate variability in Bermuda grass to select genotypes responsive to low management, gamma-ray irradiation was used for induction of dwarfness and other quality attributes. Five dwarf mutant lines (DFR 440, DFR-C-444, DFR-C-445, DFR-C 446 and DFR-C-448) were isolated. In the present study, camera and image analysis technique is applied to measure turf colour by its reflectance in the HSB colour scale. The data depicts that the dwarf mutant lines had better quality of lower canopy height, shorter internodes and shorter leaves than the parent. It is demonstrated that image analysis is a suitable non-destructive tool to assess turf grass colour in a reproducible and calibrated manner, over a wide span of structural and colour attributes of turf grass.


Abstract
Hemangiomas are considered tumors originating in blood vessels and are classified as ectatic and hyperplastic. Controversy regarding active therapy occurs in the case of strawberry hemangiomas which are hyperplastic capillary hemangiomas. Although they may clear up spontaneously, on rare occasions they may predispose to grave sequelae. Port-wine stain hemangiomas should never be treated with x-ray or radium.