Western blots of normal human platelets, employing a monoclonal antibody raised against the full-length amyloid precursor protein of Alzheimer's disease (APP695), revealed major bands of 100-110 and 120-130 kDa in both cytosolic, membrane, and released fractions. These species were similar in size to forms seen in brain preparations and in plasma. There was no difference in Western blots of platelet preparations from Alzheimer patients compared with controls. Purified platelet amyloid precursor proteins were sequenced and shown to be amino terminally homogeneous. Immunohistochemistry localized the antigen to the platelet and megakaryocyte and demonstrated weak immunostaining of some lymphocytes. Immunoprecipitation of material released from platelets demonstrated that sedimentable full-length APP with the carboxyl-terminal epitope, and soluble APP lacking the carboxyl-terminal epitope, may exist in the circulation. Western blots and carboxyl-terminal and amino-terminal APP radioimmunoassay of material released by platelets in response to stimulation revealed that platelets release APP during degranulation. The function of platelet APP is yet to be determined, but the present studies suggest a role in regulation of the coagulation cascade or in platelet aggregation.


This paper presents a preliminary exploration of the challenges of automatically recognizing positive and negative facial expressions in both spontaneous and intentionally expressed conditions. Instead of recognizing iconic basic emotion states, which we have found to be less common in typical human computer interaction, we instead attempted to recognize only positive versus negative states. Our hypothesis was that this would prove more accurate if participants intentionally expressed their feelings. Our study consisted of analyzing video from seven participants, each participating in two sessions. Participants were asked to view 20 images, 10 positive and 10 negative, selected from the OASIS image data set. In the first session participants were instructed to react normally, while in the second session they were asked to intentionally express the emotion they felt when looking at each image. We extracted facial action coding units (AUs) from the recorded video and found that on average, intentionally expressed emotions generated 33% more AU intensity across action units associated with both negative emotions (AU1, AU2, AU4 and AU5) and 117% more intensity for AUs associated with positive emotions (AU6 and AU12). We also show that wide variation exists both in average participant responses across images and in individual reactions to images and that simply taking a ration of our identified action units is not sufficient to determine if a response is positive or negative even in the intentionally expressed case.


We examine the implications of consumer privacy when preferences today depend upon past consumption choices, and consumers shop from different sellers in each period. Although consumers are ex ante identical, their initial consumption choices cannot be deterministic. Thus ex post heterogeneity in preferences arises endogenously. Consumer privacy improves social welfare, consumer surplus and the profits of the second-period seller, while reducing the profits of the first period seller, relative to the situation where consumption choices are observed by the later seller.


This study investigated the relation between crime, fear, and micro level physical environmental features: physical incivilities, places that afford concealment (or refuge), limited prospect, and blocked escape. Low and high crime streets in Istanbul, Turkey was determined. Then 68 streets were selected via cluster random sampling and evaluated by two investigators at the site and by 127 people via photographs for perceived safety, upkeep (as an indicator of physical incivilities) the extent to which they afford wide vista (prospect) and easy escape and concealment opportunities, the density and height of trees, shrubs, and walls. Results supported the theory and the findings of previous empirical studies.


We study the role of international tribunals, like the International Criminal Court (ICC), as an effective way of reducing the number and/or gravity of crimes against humanity. The action of the ICC is directed against leaders that promote or tolerate these kinds of crimes, that is, political authorities, army commanders, civil leaders, etc. In order to simulate the action of the ICC we build a hierarchical society where the most important leaders have the highest connectivity and can spread their points of view, or their orders, through a chain of less but still highly connected deputy chiefs or opinion chieftains. In this way, if they practice misconduct, corruption, or any kind of discriminatory or criminal actions against individuals or groups, it would very difficult and improbable that they will be prosecuted by the courts of their own country. It is to alleviate this situation that the ICC was created. Its mission is to process and condemn crimes against humanity though a supranational organism that can act on criminal leaders in any country. In this study, the action of the ICC is simulated by removing the corrupt leader and replacing it by a "decent" one. However, as the action of the corrupt leader could have spread among the population by the time the ICC acts, we try to determine if a unique action of the ICC is sufficient or if further actions are required, depending on the degree of deterioration of the human rights in the hypothetical country. The results evidence the positive effect of the ICC action with a relatively low number of interventions. The effect of the ICC is also compared with the action of the local national judiciary system.


Hedonic models are a common nonmarket valuation technique, but, in practice, results can be affected by omitted variables and whether homebuyers respond to the assumed environmental measure. We undertake an alternative stated preference approach that circumvents these issues. We examine how homeowners in the United Kingdom and Italy value mortality risk reductions by asking them to choose among hypothetical variants of their home that differ in terms of mortality risks from air pollution and price. We find that Italian homeowners hold a value of a statistical life (VSL) of €6.4 million, but U.K. homeowners hold a much lower VSL (€2.1 million). This may be because respondents in the United Kingdom do not perceive air pollution where they live to be as threatening, and actually live in cities with relatively low air pollution. Italian homeowners value a reduction in the risk of dying from cancer more than from other causes, but U.K. respondents do not hold such a premium. Lastly, respondents who face higher baseline risks, due to greater air pollution where they live, hold a higher VSL, particularly in the United Kingdom. In both countries, the VSL is twice as large among individuals who perceive air pollution where they live as high.


A strategy to increase residual activity of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar. israelensis (Bti) extract through slow-release formulations and protection from solar radiation was studied. The median lethal concentration (LC50) and 90% lethal concentration (LC90) levels of laboratory-reared early 4th-stage larval Aedes aegypti after exposure to Bti extract were determined. Formulations with 4 polymers and 1 solar protectant were prepared, and their shelf lives were evaluated for year-long storage at 20-35 degrees C and 50-80% relative humidity. Also, the effect of ultraviolet light on unformulated (extract) and formulated Bti larvicidal activity persistence was determined. Laboratory bioassays were conducted with larval Ae. aegypti introduced into treated and control containers at 1, 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days after treatment, and larval mortalities were checked 24 h after introduction. Probit analysis of Bti extract showed LC50 and LC90 values of 0.016 and 0.051 mg/liter, respectively. The polymer-based Bti formulations showed no significant loss of insecticidal activity after 8 months of storage. Ultraviolet irradiation reduced activity of unformulated Bti extract after different exposure times, up to 40-46%, whereas Bti formulated with gelatin or acacia gum showed lower variation in larvicidal activity than formulations with sodium alginate and paraffin for protecting the activity of Bti toxin. Residual activity against 4th-stage Ae. aegypti in the laboratory for the formulation containing acacia gum at 10% (w/w) was 80% mortality at 14 days after treatment, whereas the Bti formulation containing gelatin (10%, w/w) caused 65% mortality. In addition, Bti formulations made with paraffin at 5% (w/w) sustained up to 60% mortality for 21 days. Unformulated Bti showed only 2.6% mortality, and a commercial preparation maintained 37% mortality, both at 14 days after treatment.


Author(s): Acosta Rangel, Aleyda Maritza | Advisor(s): Santiago, Louis S | Abstract: The challenge to produce more food under sustainable agricultural practices is to develop more efficient systems in the use of natural resources, avoiding agrochemical contamination, and prediction of yield under a changing environment. This dissertation has focused on providing information of the physiological and floral gene expression behavior of avocado trees under different environmental conditions building upon three different chapters: (1) the identification of water-use efficient avocado varieties using leaf carbon isotopic composition (δ 13C), (2) the analysis of the physiological behavior of salinity-tolerant avocado rootstocks, and (3) the analysis of the effects of temperature, soil moisture, and light intensity on the temporal pattern of floral gene expression and floral intensity in avocado. In the first chapter, we found carbon isotope composition measurements to be useful for identifying water-use efficient plants. In the second chapter, the relationship between the physiological performance, health and productivity of avocado exposed to a salinity treatment is described. Low photosynthetic rate and canopy damage describe the effect of salinity on avocado yield. In the third chapter, we successfully identified the gene expression profile of putative floral genes when avocado flowering is promoted by low temperature. The results from the floral gene expression analysis in avocado suggest that the significantly greater bud expression levels of LFY and AP1/FUL promoted by low temperature were sufficient to confer bud determination, since transferring the trees from low to warm temperatures did not prevent flowering. Overall, the first two chapters successfully allowed the identification of trees or cultivars that are saline tolerant or water-use efficient while the gene expression analysis showed how the expression of putative floral genes are coordinated with bud determination, suggesting a role during the reproductive development in P. americana.


Understanding genetic mechanisms underlying hybrid male sterility is one of the most challenging problems in evolutionary biology especially speciation. By using the interspecific hybridization method roles of Y chromosome, Major Hybrid Sterility (MHS) genes and cytoplasm in sterility of hybrid males have been investigated in a promising group, the Drosophila bipectinata species complex that consists of four closely related species: D. pseudoananassae, D. bipectinata, D. parabipectinata and D. malerkotliana. The interspecific introgression analyses show that neither cytoplasm nor MHS genes are involved but X-Y interactions may be playing major role in hybrid male sterility between D. pseudoananassae and the other three species. The results of interspecific introgression analyses also show considerable decrease in the number of males in the backcross offspring and all males have atrophied testes. There is a significant positive correlation between sex - ratio distortion and severity of sterility in backcross males. These findings provide evidence that D. pseudoananassae is remotely related with other three species of the D. bipectinata species complex.


The quality of care for children and adults in the United States is variable and often suboptimal. Approaches that improve the systems of care for entire patient populations are needed. The certifying medical boards can contribute to driving change by ensuring that improving care and outcomes for patients and families is the priority. The American Board of Pediatrics has catalyzed collaborative improvement networks, resulting in improved health outcomes for children, fostered partnerships with patients and families, and brought together key stakeholders to advocate for network improvement efforts for sickle cell disease as one action to address health disparities. Similar concerted efforts by certifying boards in collaboration with physicians and patients can improve the quality of care and lead to better patient outcomes. ( J Am Board Fam Med 2020;33:S36–S41.)


Introduction: Mature ovarian teratoma is a benign tumor of the ovary derived from pluripotent germ cells. It can be complicated by infection following rupture of its membrane in the peritoneal cavity or fistulation. The objective of our study is to discuss the diagnostic means as well as the surgery of a dermoid cyst of the ovary.
Observation:  The patient had undergone appendectomy in 2001. Two subumbilical fistulous orifices had appeared on the scar with nauseous yellowish liquid. The diagnosis of fistulized dermoid cyst was made intraoperatively during the exploratory laparotomy. The evolution was favorable with a simple operative follow-up.
Conclusion: The diagnosis is histological. A conservative treatment is recommended knowing that the haunting remains a degeneration in women who are already menopausal.


Beneficial effects of nature on health and wellbeing have been reported using laboratory, crosssectional, and epidemiological studies. Furthermore, the effects of nature on vitality in daily life have been reported in an experience sampling study (Ryan et al., 2009). In the study we present here, we also employed an experience sampling methodology to investigate beneficial effects of nature in everyday life. We expanded the findings of Ryan and colleagues by investigating a wider range of outcome variables; tension, hedonic tone, energy, and executive functioning and self-control. Moreover, we not only investigated effects of naturalness of the environment on wellbeing, but also of the amount of daylight in the environment. The rationale for including daylight in the study is that not only do both phenomena occur at the same time, they can also confound each other as they both produce very similar beneficial effects on health and wellbeing (Beute & de Kort, 2013). Pseudo-objective checklists as well as subjective assessments of naturalness and daylight characteristics were used to assess naturalness and amount of daylight. Self-control and executive functioning were operationalized as lapses in self-control and ability to concentrate. Results indicate that naturalness of the environment can positively influence wellbeing in many ways, whereas effects of daylight were less pronounced.


1. A series of breathing movements which are effective in ventilating the lungs are accompanied by a marked increase in pulmonary blood flow and a decrease in pulmocutaneous arterial pressure. This reaction must involve considerable vasodilation of the pulmonary vascular bed. 2. Similar vasodilation is produced by artificial inflation of the lungs via an implanted cannula. Nitrogen is not so effective as air in producing the vasodilation, whereas oxygen is more effective. It is suggested that both stretch receptors in the lungs and chemical receptors in lungs or blood are involved in the reaction. 3. The level of anaesthesia is important in determining the degree of vasodilation response to the different stimuli. It is concluded that the central nervous system is the site where interaction occurs between signals from stretch receptors and chemical receptors and from the breathing movements themselves. Experiments with atropine suggest that the efferent pathway is in the vagus nerve. 4. Recordings from free-swimming, unanaesthetized toads show that the vasodilation response occurs as part of normal diving-emergence behaviour.


OBJECTIVE
Thyroid function and gonadal axis are related throughout a woman's fertile period. Modifications of thyroid hormone levels have been reported as a consequence of controlled ovarian stimulation for infertility.

METHODS
A 28-year-old woman with regular menses and previous evidence of euthyroidism underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for assisted reproductive technology (ART). Free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and autoantibodies against thyroperoxidase and thyroglobulin (TPOAb and TgAb, respectively) were measured before COH. FT4, FT3, and TSH were re-evaluated 6 days, 2 weeks (during oocyte retrieval), and 1 month after the beginning of the procedure.

RESULTS
The baseline evaluation revealed subclinical autoimmune hypothyroidism. The patient was hypothyroidic at 6 days and 2 weeks and spontaneously returned to euthyroidism 1 month after COH.

CONCLUSION
This is the first case of a woman with an unknown subclinical autoimmune hypothyroidism who developed overt and transient hypothyroidism as a consequence of COH. Careful thyroid evaluation is advised for women undergoing COH.


This thesis explores peculiar effects of mesoscopic structures revealed at low temperatures. Three particular systems are studied experimentally: Ferromagnetic thin films made of diluted Pt1-xNix alloy, hybrid nanoscale Nb-Pt1-xNix-Nb Josephson junctions, and planar niobium Josephson junction with barrier layer made of Cu or Cu0.47Ni0.53 alloy. A cost-effective way is applied to fabricate the sputtered NixPt1-x thin films with controllable Ni concentration. 3D Focused Ion Beam (FIB) sculpturing is used to fabricate Nb-Pt1-xNix-Nb Josephson junctions. The planar junctions are made by cutting Cu-Nb or CuNi-Nb double layer by FIB. Magnetic properties of PtNi thin films are studied via the Hall effect. It is found that films with sub-critical Ni concentration are superparamagnetic at low temperatures and exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Films with over-critical Ni concentration are ferromagnetic with parallel anisotropy. At the critical concentration the films demonstrate canted magnetization with the easy axis rotating as a function of temperature. The magnetism appears via two consecutive crossovers, going from paramagnetic to superparamagnetic to ferromagnetic, and the extraordinary Hall effect changes sign at low temperatures. Detailed studies of superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor Josephson junctions are carried out depending on the size of junction, thickness and composition of the ferromagnetic layer. The junction critical current density decreases non-monotonically with increasing Ni concentration. It has a minimum at ~ 40 at.% of Ni which indicates a switching into the π state. The fabricated junctions are used as phase sensitive detectors for analysis of vortex states in mesoscopic superconductors. It is found that the vortex induces different flux shifts, in the measured Fraunhofer modulation of the Josephson critical current, depending on the position of the vortex. When the vortex is close to the junction it induces a flux shift equal to Φ0/2 leading to switching of the junction into the 0-π state. By changing the bias current at constant magnetic field the vortices can be manipulated and the system can be switched between two consecutive vortex states. A mesoscopic superconductor can thus act as a memory cell in which the junction is used both for reading and writing information (vortex).


Digital technologies offer new opportunities for learning in an increasingly connected society, in which learning to work with others and collaborate has become an extremely important skill. This article presents the results of a research study into the conceptions and practices of working teachers regarding collaborative learning methodologies mediated by information and communication technologies (ICT) in Elementary and Secondary Education schools. We analyze data concerning ICT contributions to collaborative work processes in the classroom, from the point of view of teachers at schools accredited with a high level of ICT by the Regional Government of Castile and Leon. We furthermore take into account the limitations of these tools, as well as teachers' conceptions of collaborative learning strategies. The methodology is based on the content analysis of interviews of teachers from a representative sample of schools. The results indicate that teachers think that ICT have great potential for enhancing collaborative activities among students and for developing highly relevant generic skills, although they are also aware of the difficulties that both students and teachers face in educational practice.


European directives for renewable energies and decreasing costs of these alternative
generation technologies are incentivising a transformation of the
electricity markets, grid infrastructure and the way the grid is operated. Distribution
networks, which were not traditionally designed to host generation,
have to deal now with distributed energy resources that feed intermittent
power into the grid. Thus, due to the fact that excess energy from these
intermittent sources cannot be hosted, not only the need of energy storage
in power systems has emerged but also of new control strategies in the eld
of grid planning such as demand response or curtailment of generation units.
In order to take SmartGrid elements and control strategies into the
planning stage, the ETH Zurich spin-o Adaptricity has developed DPG.sim,
a time-series simulation software that can overcome traditional grid planning
software limitations in representing the behavior of SmartGrid elements for
grid planning studies.
Within the traditional grid extension planning, this thesis addresses
the implementation of an automatic grid upgrade algorithm to be used with
DPG.sim to automatically select which elements must be substituted. This
work also demonstrates, using temporal simulations in DPG.sim, the scope
of active network management strategies to enlarge grid hosting capacity
of distributed energy generation. Thus, it will show how these strategies
can reduce the technical challenges faced by Distribution System Operators
(DSOs) such as overvoltages and line overloadings.


Background: In recent times, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy and placebo drug therapy have been studied widely in the management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain; but at the individual level. Thus, it was required to compare the efficacy of TENS and placebo drug therapy in patients with TMJ pain disorders. Aims: To determine the effectiveness of TENS therapy and placebo drug therapy in the treatment of TMJ pain disorders and to compare the efficacy of both. Settings and Design: A comparative study was done with 40 subjects reporting with the chief complaint of TMJ pain by dividing them into two groups through randomization. Materials and Methods: Subjects of either sex in the age group of 18-60 years and diagnosed with TMJ pain disorders were considered and divided into two equal groups of 20 patients each as Group I and Group II. Group I patients were advised TENS therapy once in a week for 4 weeks and were followed up in the fifth week. In Group II, placebo was given once daily for 4 weeks and follow-up was done in the fifth week. TMJ pain before, during, and at the completion of the treatment was measured in terms of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Statistical Analysis: Z-test for proportion and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. Results: A significant improvement in the tenderness of muscles and TMJ and for maximum mouth opening bilaterally was observed in Group I during different visits. It was also observed that the average values for pain and tenderness of the muscles and TMJ in TENS therapy for the different visits including follow-up were less compared to the values in placebo drug therapy. Conclusion: TENS therapy proved to be one of the widely and most effectively used treatment modalities with its multifaceted approach toward the treatment of the TMJ pain disorders as compared to placebo therapy.


The European financial crisis in recent years (2008–2012) and economic challenges in long-term perspective, have initiated intensive debates among politicians, academic circles and media. The intensity of the debate has been related to the amplitude of the crisis and to the possible interests, influence and costs of the social stakeholders. The aim of this research is to analyze the interests of crisis management and policy actions from the perspective of social stakeholders (political actors, economic actors, voters and supranational institutions such as European Central Bank). Process tracking and narrative analysis will be used as methodological approaches. The research will first focus on the challenges and dilemmas of the European financial crisis and interests of social stakeholders. The second part of the research will analyze how the social stakeholders managed to influence the policy decisions related to the Eurozone crisis management, which measures were taken and why supranational institutions have been most successful in decision making process.


Autism spectrum disorder [ASD] is characterized by deficits in communication and social interactions combined with repetitive and restricted patterns of behaviors. Bidirectional changes in brain-gut microbiota are known to be responsible for the pathophysiology of many brain-related disorders, such as autism, as well as well-known gastrointestinal diseases, including gut disorders. Imbalance in the composition of gut microbiota is frequently observed in individuals with ASD. It is therefore believed that this imbalance is significant in the frequent occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms. The integrity of the intestinal barrier and the blood-brain barrier [BBB] in individuals with ASD is affected. Incompletely digested peptides, toxins, and proinflammatory cytokines cross the BBB by entering the bloodstream and reach the central nervous system. As a result of the accumulation of these elements, brain function is adversely affected. It is hypothesized that incompletely digested peptides acting as opioid agonists reduce pain sensitivity and increase the severity of autism-specific behaviors. However, it is not known exactly how opioid peptides trigger ASD symptoms after they reach the brain. Diet therapies, especially elimination diets, are considered to be an alternative treatment to prevent this condition. Gluten-free casein-free [GFCF] diet is an elimination diet that involves the removal of certain proteins from the normal diet, such as gluten and casein. However, studies that demonstrate the beneficial effects of the GFCF diet on ASD patients and explain its mechanism is limited, which supports the opioid theory. This review aims to investigate the gastrointestinal and behavioral problems that are frequently observed in ASD, the possible action mechanisms of GFCF diets, and the efficacy of these elimination diets.


Storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) by precipitation of carbon-bearing minerals in geological formations is, on the long run, more stable and therefore much safer than direct storage or solution trapping. Among available options for CO2 sequestration that are particularly attractive are those that offer additional economic benefits apart from the primary positive effect for the atmosphere (e.g., enhanced gas or oil recovery), such as the novel approach of storing dissolved CO2 as calcite in managed geothermal aquifers. Hydrogeothermal energy in Germany is mainly provided from deep sandstone aquifers by a so-called doublet installation consisting of one well for hot water production and one well for injection of the cooled water. When cold brines are enriched with CO2 and injected into an anhydrite-bearing reservoir, this mineral dissolves. As a result, the water becomes enriched in calcium ions. Numerical simulations demonstrate that dissolved Ca and CO2 react to form and precipitate calcium carbonate provided that alkaline buffering capacity is supplied from plagioclase in the reservoir rock or by surface water treatment with fly ashes. We show that anhydrite dissolution with the concurrent pore-space increase is important to balance pore-space reduction by precipitation of calcite and secondary silicates. Laboratory experiments prove the feasibility of transforming anhydrite into calcite and provide necessary kinetic input data for the modeling. Suitable geothermal reservoirs exist, which contain sufficient anhydrite as matrix mineral and plagioclase for supplying alkalinity. Mass balance calculations performed with respect to the anhydrite and feldspar content show that, for an assumed operation time of 30 yr, the theoretical storage capacity is significant: millions of tons of CO2 can be trapped as calcite in geological formations used by geothermal heating plants.


The M 5.0 earthquake that occurred near Au Sable Forks, New York on 20 April 2002 is the first moderate event in eastern North America (ENA) to be well recorded on modern regional broadband seismographic stations, and is thus important in refining our understanding of source and propagation processes of moderate ENA earthquakes. We analyze the available seismographic recordings to obtain the source spectrum of the Au Sable Forks earthquake, comparing the results obtained using two methods. In the direct method, the Fourier spectra of the records from each station are corrected back to the source by using an empirical regional attenuation model for ENA. In the empirical Green's function method, aftershocks are used as empirical Green's functions to remove path and site effects. Results from these two methods agree closely and are in agreement with a two-corner source model for ENA. A pronounced sag in the source spectrum at a frequency near 2 Hz is suggestive of significant source complexity.

Observed response spectral amplitudes agree well with the predictions of several ground-motion relations for ENA for an event of M 5.0. It is concluded that ground motions from this earthquake were "typical" for ENA earthquakes of this magnitude.


Ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal malignancy of the female genital tract. Population-based trials in the general population have not demonstrated that screening improves early detection or survival. Therefore, application of prevention strategies is vital to improving outcomes from this disease. Surgical prevention reduces risk and prophylactic risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy is the most effective means to prevent ovarian carcinoma in the high-risk patient although the risks do not outweigh the benefits in average risk patients. Other surgical and medical options have unknown or limited efficacy in the high-risk patient. In this review, we define the patient at high risk for ovarian cancer, discuss how to identify these women and weigh their available ovarian cancer prevention strategies.


E-field measurements are an important task for the investigation of newly developed hyperthermia applicators as well as for online control of hyperthermia treatments. Compact and non-perturbing integrated optical E-field sensors based on LiNbO3 as well as optical E-field sensors based on infrared emitting diodes and light bulbs are suitable for nearfield measurements of hyperthermia antennas. In order to investigate their properties a calibration cell with transverse electromagnetic (TEM) waves has been constructed. By using this cell, calibration curves and directional patterns for all sensors have been measured. Due to the threshold behaviour of the IRED and light bulb sensor, only the LiNbO3 sensor is capable of measuring weak fields inside an applicator or a homogeneous phantom.


This practitioner-led study explores the subjective experience of distance learning. The ability of this mode of education to offer deep learning opportunities is questioned in the academic literature; an impression compounded by the gap between contemporary notions of transformational learning and organisationally led appraisals of distance learning. Therefore, this research is distinct because investigative attention is placed on person-centred understandings of distance learning alumni. To address the research question, the qualitative methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is used as approach, process and method. The small scale research design features individual, in-depth telephone interviews followed by a transcript verification meeting. In IPA, the power of the single and collective voice of participants is recognised through systematic description and interpretation. To aid reflexivity and rigour, a methodological extension entitled 'echoes' innovatively contributes to the six steps of IPA analysis.
Interpretative insights reveal the participants' transformational learning, visible through five pedagogical tenets associated with the notion of self-connected learning. Self-connected learning is an original contribution to educational knowledge, and encapsulates the embodied experience of learning for the self, nurtured in a caring environment to empower ongoing self-efficacy, curiosity and choice. Transformational change is observed when the participants turn their gaze inwards, embracing new ways of thinking and acting, with tutors providing stability whilst encouraging intellectual risk-taking. Importantly, the consequences of the learning experience are noted after course completion through real-life integration. Temporal outcomes show distance learning as conducive to significant and relevant learning when embedded in a learning atmosphere of care, consistency and supportive challenge.
The detailed application of IPA allows for transferability, whilst making no claims of generalisability. Instead, ideas are offered to encourage confidence and self-learning via pedagogic assumptions, distance learning curricula, and tutor actions. Recommendations are also suggested regarding future educational research and IPA practice. When distance learning is understood as an embodied experience, new conversations about the integration of humanistic educational ideals can go hand-in-hand with advancements in technology.


In this paper, we define goal legibility in a multi-agent path-finding setting. We consider a set of identical agents moving in an environment and tasked with reaching a set of locations that need to be serviced. An observer monitors their movements from a distance to identify their destinations as soon as possible. Our algorithm constructs a set of paths for the agents, one to each destination, that overlap as little as possible while satisfying a budget constraint. In this way, the observer, knowing the possible agents' destinations as well as the set of paths they might follow, is guaranteed to determine with certainty an agent's destination by looking at the shortest possible fragment of the agent's trajectory, regardless of when it starts observing. Our technique is robust because the observer's inference mechanism requires no coordination with the agents' motions. By reformulating legible path planning into a classical minimum cost flow problem, we can leverage powerful tools from combinatorial optimization, obtaining fast and scalable algorithms. We present experiments that show the benefits offered by our approach.


Instead of arguing whether or not Sayyid ʿAlī Muḥammad Shīrāzī (the Bāb, 1819–1850) and his writings are Islamic, this paper suggests that they are simultaneously Islamic and post-Islamic. The Bāb's Qayyūm al-asmāʾ (Sustainer of Divine Names), written at the outset of the Bābī movement in 1844, can be understood as a commentary on the Quran, the original Quran, and divine revelation. Although the Bāb gradually disclosed his identity to the public, his status (associated with the Imām, Muḥammad, and a manifestation of God) is present in the Qayyūm al-asmāʾ, in which he refers to himself as the Gate (Bāb), Remembrance (Dhikr), Point (Nuqṭah), ʿAlī, and Muḥammad. The Bāb participates in the long tradition of Islamic literary culture by creating meaning through metaphorical, symbolic, and paradoxical language, which for the Bāb ultimately point to post-Islamic revelation. The simultaneous absence and presence of Islam in the Bāb's writings created a real-world division between the Bāb's followers and his critics, many of whom were Muslim scholars. By focusing on multiple meanings in the Bāb's texts, this paper analyzes the interplay between the Bāb's identity and his writings as they relate to Islam.


In recent years, with the development of deep neural networks, end-to-end optimized image compression has made significant progress and exceeded the classic methods in terms of rate-distortion performance. However, most learning-based image compression methods are unlabeled and do not consider image semantics or content when optimizing the model. In fact, human eyes have different sensitivities to different content, so the image content also needs to be considered. In this paper, we propose a content-oriented image compression method, which handles different kinds of image contents with different strategies. Extensive experiments show that the proposed method achieves competitive subjective results compared with state-of-the-art end-to-end learned image compression methods or classic methods.


This paper presents a high throughput, parallel, scalable and irregular LDPC coding and decoding system hardware implementation that supports twelve combinations of block lengths 648, 1296, 1944 bits and code rates 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6 based on IEEE 802.11n standard. Based on architecture-aware LDPC codes, we propose an efficient joint LDPC coding and decoding hardware architecture. The prototype architecture is being implemented on FPGA and tested over the air on our wireless OFDM testbed, which is a highly capable, scalable and extensible platform for advanced wireless research. The ASIC resource requirements of the decoder are reported and a trade-off between pipelined and non-pipelined implementation is described


We explore what associations Norwegian citizens have with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through an analysis of their knowledge of and attitudes towards these goals. To achieve this, we combine three methodological approaches: (1) structural topic modelling (STM) providing topic prevalence, (2) manual content analysis including exploration of attitudes, and (3) analysis of how individuals' background characteristics relate to expressions of negative or positive sentiments towards SDGs. The data consist of 4046 answers to an open-ended question, formulated as follows: What comes to mind when you read or hear the expression 'UN Sustainability Development Goals?', fielded during the autumn of 2020, through a survey at the Norwegian Citizen Panel/DIGSSCORE. Major findings: The most prevalent topics associated with the SDGs are poverty, climate/environment, resources, future generations and consumption. The analysis indicates that the Norwegian awareness-raising campaigns have been relatively successful. However, the manual analysis shows that the SDG is an unknown concept for 12% of the respondents, and that 10% hold a negative view. Nine percent of the respondents hold a positive view of the goals. In addition, their attitudes differ clearly according to various background variables (gender, age, political preference). The findings are important for further efforts to spread knowledge of, and raise interest in, the SDGs, at different levels (government, regional and local contexts).


The Pgp (P-glycoprotein) multidrug transporter couples ATP hydrolysis at two cytoplasmic NBDs (nucleotide-binding domains) to the transport of hydrophobic compounds. Orthovanadate (V(i)) and fluoroaluminate (AlF(x)) trap nucleotide in one NBD by forming stable catalytically inactive complexes (Pgp-M2+-ADP-X), which are proposed to resemble the catalytic transition state, whereas the complex formed by beryllium fluoride (BeF(x)) is proposed to resemble the ground state. We studied the trapped complexes formed via incubation of Pgp with ATP (catalytically forward) or ADP (reverse) and V(i), BeF(x) or AlF(x) using Mg2+ or Co2+ as the bivalent cation. Quenching of intrinsic Pgp tryptophan fluorescence by acrylamide, iodide and caesium indicated that conformational changes took place upon formation of the trapped complexes. Trapping with V(i) and ATP led to a 6-fold increase in the acrylamide quenching constant, K(SV), suggesting that large conformational changes take place in the Pgp transmembrane regions on trapping in the forward direction. Trapping with V(i) and ADP gave only a small change in quenching, indicating that the forward- and reverse-trapped complexes are different. TNP (trinitrophenyl)-ATP/TNP-ADP interacted with all of the trapped complexes, however, the fluorescence enhancement differed for the trapped states, suggesting a change in polarity in the nucleotide-binding sites. The nucleotide-binding site of the BeF(x)-trapped complex was much more polar than that of the V(i) and AlF(x) complexes. Functionally, all the trapped complexes were able to bind drugs and TNP-nucleotides with unchanged affinity compared with native Pgp.


The Class A Middleton noise model is a commonly used statistical-physical, parametric model for non-Gaussian interference superimposed on a Gaussian background. In this study, the problem of efficient estimation of the Class A parameters for small sample sizes is considered. The proposed estimator is based on the EM algorithm, a two-step iterative estimation technique that is ideally suited for the Class A estimation problem since the observations can be readily treated as incomplete data. For the single-parameter estimation problem, a closed-form expression for the estimator is obtained. Furthermore, for the single-parameter estimation problem, it is shown that the sequence of estimates obtained via the EM algorithm converges, and a characterization of the point to which the sequence converges is given. In particular, it is shown that if the limit point of this convergent sequence is an interior point of the parameter set of interest, then it must be a stationary point of the traditional likelihood function. In addition, for both the single-parameter and two-parameter estimation problems, the small-sample-size performance of the proposed EM algorithm is examined via an extensive simulation study. >


The Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) relates traffic flow (vehicles/hour) and density (vehicles/km), and can be used to support decisions on how to mitigate traffic congestion in some region. The MFD is usually computed over an area characterized by a homogeneous traffic pattern. For this reason, when considering multiple traffic assignments for the same transportation infrastructure, the different patterns of traffic densities arising result in MFDs computed over different areas, which cannot be meaningfully compared. In order to allow the use of MFDs to compare the impact of different traffic assignments, partitioning of the region needs to be done based on an infrastructure metric that will not change the resulting area. This paper assesses the use of the administrative boundaries of a city to partition the area in a way that satisfies this requirement. Using this partitioning method, we show how MFDs can be used to quantify the impact of a mode shift from cars to powered two wheelers on traffic congestion in a city-scale multi-modal mobility simulation of Monaco. Our results show that it is possible to use administrative boundaries to generate MFDs, and to use them to evaluate the impact of multiple traffic assignments on the same transportation infrastructure.


This year marks the 40th anniversary of Shirakawa, MacDiarmid, and Heeger's first ground-breaking publication on electrically conducting polymers. Their original studies were based on polyacetylene, but work quickly progressed to other classes of polymers, including poly phenylenes, poly (phenylenevinylenes), polyanilines, and the poly heterocycles. While "electrically conducting polymers" is, of course, an apt description for these materials, that description fails to capture the most important feature of these polymers: changes in oxidation state result in changes in many properties, including not just conductivity but also color, volume, reactivity, permeability, and solubility. For this reason, describing these materials as "electroactive polymers" might be more appropriate.


Aims: This study aimed at investigating maternal malaria and its impact on red cell indices of pregnant women in rural Nigeria. Study Design: Case-control study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in rural Cross River State of Nigeria between May and November, 2018. Methodology: This study was carried out among consenting pregnant women at Akpet central, Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State. A total of three hundred and eighty pregnant women and three hundred and eighty non-pregnant women were enrolled. Blood samples were collected into ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid bottles and plain bottles for analysis of red cell indices by automation and to obtain serum for iron tests respectively. Serum iron and TIBC were analyzed by standard colorimetric methods while serum ferritin was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Malaria microcopy was carried out on stained thick and thin blood films. Original Research Article Akwiwu et al.; AJPCB, 2(1): 1-5, 2019; Article no.AJPCB.48947 2 Results: The red cell indices and iron levels of pregnant women were significantly lower (p≤ 0.05) compared to non-pregnant women. These parameters were also significantly lower (p≤ 0.05) among malaria-infected pregnant women compared to their counterparts who did not have malaria. Conclusion: Malaria and anaemia remain important health challenges for pregnant women in rural communities of Nigeria.


OBJECTIVE To examine the influence of diabetes on length of stay (LOS), functional status, and discharge setting in individuals with hip fracture. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This work included secondary analyses of 79,526 individuals from 915 rehabilitation facilities in the U.S. Patients were classified into three groups using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services comorbidity structure: individuals without diabetes (77.0%), individuals with non-tier diabetes (18.3%), and individuals with tier diabetes (4.7%). RESULTS Mean age was 79.4 years (SD 9.6), and mean LOS was 13.3 days (SD 5.3). Tier diabetes was associated with longer LOS, lower functional status ratings, and reduced odds of discharge home when compared with individuals with no diabetes and non-tier diabetes. Statistically significant interactions (P < 0.05) were found between age and diabetes classification for LOS, functional status, and discharge setting. CONCLUSIONS The impact of diabetes on recovery after hip fracture is moderated by age.


To investigate the fine structures of epithelium, 30 patients bearing gallstones were subjects for this study: ten for gallbladders with cholesterol stones, 10 for pigment stones and 10 for the control. The electron microscopic examination of these specimens revealed that all the epithelial cells from three gallbladder models had similar ultrastructural features. The most striking feature was the presence of numerous mucous droplets in the apical portion of the all epithelial cells. Another prominent finding was multivesicular bodies predominantly in gallbladders with pigment stone. Golgi apparatus, rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were apparent and well-developed. Crescent and semi-circular structures were found exclusively in gallbladders with cholesterol gallstones. According to the well-developed Golgi apparatus, rough endoplasmic reticulum and abundant mucous droplets, these epithelial cells are presumably mucus secretory cells. The gallbladder epithelium may play an important role in regulating the stone formation.


Background and Purpose: Self-care is behavior that the person relying on your knowledge, ability and skills, take care of your health And it is directly related to people's desire and motivation. Because, the motives are the causes of behavior and lead Person's activities to the beginning and continue. On the other hand, religious leaders, in order to improve the behavior and lifestyles of their followers, always have to explain the causes of behavior expected of their religion and expression Philosophy of Religion as well as the effects and benefits of religious practice, motivation of people to repeat and reinforce the desired behavior, have increased. This article, in order to define and categorize motivation for self-care behavior that is mentioned in the verses and hadiths, was developed. Materials and Methods: This study have been carried out library research and the study of the Holy Quran and Islamic traditions. First "Encyclopedia of Medical Traditions" by Ayatollah Mohammadi Reyshahri and book of "Prophet medicine"(PBUH), were studied and traditions, according to the purpose of this study was selected. Then go to the original sources, the traditions were studied. Results: In this study, fifteen motivated self-care behavior were derived from the Qur'an and the hadiths and according to the source of their motivation was classified in four general categories of Source of spiritual, source of material motivation(physical), source of to get joy motivation, source of avoid illness motivation. Conclusion: Islam to strengthen self-care behavior in people applied different types of motives. In other words, the religious teachings used of different sources of motivation (inner-outer or five categories of personal motivation) and has thus strengthened its audience behavior has been discussed at different levels. Understanding these motivations, will help health officials and policy makers to strengthen the religious beliefs of individuals, to culture and to promote a culture of self-care in the community to take effective steps.


We present a new neural sequence-to-sequence model for extractive summarization called SWAP-NET (Sentences and Words from Alternating Pointer Networks). Extractive summaries comprising a salient subset of input sentences, often also contain important key words. Guided by this principle, we design SWAP-NET that models the interaction of key words and salient sentences using a new two-level pointer network based architecture. SWAP-NET identifies both salient sentences and key words in an input document, and then combines them to form the extractive summary. Experiments on large scale benchmark corpora demonstrate the efficacy of SWAP-NET that outperforms state-of-the-art extractive summarizers.


Using nationally representative data from married families, research has consistently demonstrated that both generic religious values and conservative Protestantism are positively associated with paternal involvement. Unfortunately, little research has focused on the association between affiliation with a conservative Christian group and paternal involvement in so-called fragile families—families in which the parents were not married when the child was born—despite the fact that this is an increasingly common parenting context in the United States. In this paper, I use labeling theory to suggest why conservative Christianity may be associated with decreased paternal involvement in fragile families and test this hypothesis using data from the one-year follow-up of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study—a longitudinal study of mostly unmarried parents residing in urban areas in the United States. Results demonstrate that affiliation with a conservative Christian denomination is negatively associated with affective paternal involvement, suggesting that conservative Christian cohabiting fathers are neither authoritarian nor authoritative—and possibly more accurately described as uninvolved.


Analysis tools are developed that can be effectively used to study the performance degradation of a filter when incorrect models of the state and measurement noise covariances are used. For a linear time-variant system with stationary noise processes, it is shown that under certain stability conditions on the system model, the one-step prediction error covariance matrix will converge to a steady-state solution even when the filter gain is not optimal. On the other hand, if the state transition matrix has an unreachable mode outside a unit circle, then the modeling errors in the noise covariances may cause the filter to diverge. Bounds on the asymptotic filter performance are computed when the range of errors in the noise covariance matrices are known. Using simple examples, insights into the behavior of a Kalman filter under nonideal conditions are provided. >


. A laboratory study was designed to provide data on the decomposition of rape, sunflower and soyabean residues put in bags buried in soil. The residue bags were removed at intervals during 1 year, analysed for remaining total mass, organic and water-soluble C, water-soluble sugars, as well as for volatile acids and phenolic compounds. The decomposition dynamics of total mass, total organic and water-soluble organic C, and water-soluble sugars were reproduced satisfactorily by a double-exponential model of the first-order type.

Generally, no large differences in the rate and magnitude of decomposition among the residues were observed; the greatest losses of both total mass and chemical components occurred in the first month of the study, during which the volatile acids and phenolic compounds disappeared almost completely. Of the three residues, soyabean showed the lowest loss of organic carbon, losing 66% of the original content over the course of the year compared with 73 and 75% for sunflower and rape, respectively.


Introduction: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GI) is a known cause of morbidity and mortality. Cancer patients are at a higher risk of bleeding due to bone marrow suppression aft er chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or metastatic involvement of the bone marrow. Th e etiologies of bleeding are comparable to that seen in the general population. We aimed to determine and compare the etiologies of GI bleeding in cancer vs non-cancer hospitalized patients. Methods: We used the national inpatient sample (NIS) for the year 2008 to determine etiologies of GI bleed in cancer patients including those with metastatic disease. We used ICD-9-CM codes to extract data of hospitalized individuals in the U.S. for the year 2008. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine statistical signifi cance between the cancer and non-cancer groups for various characteristics and etiologies of bleeding at 95% confi dence interval (CI). Results: Th ere were 119,328 inpatient hospitalizations for overt GI bleeding which were divided into cancer and non-cancer inpatient groups and we compared patient demographics, insurance status, type and size of the hospital between the 2 groups (Table 1). Cancer group consisted of signifi cantly higher number of older males (p=<0.001) and had more number of co-morbidities (p=<0.001), than non-cancer group. Cancer group had signifi cantly higher number of cases of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia than the non-cancer group (p=<0.001) and had higher in-hospital mortality (p=<0.001). Th e prevalence of etiologies of GI bleed among cancer and non-cancer is described in table. While non-malignant causes of GI bleed were signifi cantly higher among non-cancer patients, the prevalence of diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, and non-radiation colitis diff ered marginally between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Cancer patients who present with GI bleeding tend to be older males with higher incidence of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Th e prevalence of non-tumor related causes of GI bleeding is appreciably higher among patients with cancers and warrants appropriate work-up to treat reversible etiologies as amongst non-cancer population.


In the early decades of the 20th century, trade issues prompted countries to engage in increasingly complex interactions, creating the need for a platform to facilitate and regulate trade relations. The resulting 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) not only provided a round-table discussion forum, creating a multilateral approach to trade, but also established a system of internationally recognised rules on trade. The underlying idea was to create a level playing field for all members through the 'substantial reduction of tariffs and other barriers to trade and the elimination of discriminatory treatment in international commerce'[1].


This paper addresses the problem of estimating the aggregate international demand schedule for emerging market (EM) securities as an asset class. The standard 'push-pull' model of capital flows is modified by reference to recent work on portfolio choice in the context of credit rationing leading to a simultaneous equation model that determines EM yield and capital flows together. Interaction effects include lagged flows and yields to reflect herding and asset bubbles, with a time-varying risk aversion variable affecting yields and flows. This model is then tested on monthly data for US bond purchases, using the General-to-Specific Approach (GETS) to find significant variables, lags, and shock dummies for yield spread and bond flows separately; followed by a Full Information Maximum Likelihood (FIML) estimation of the two equations together. The results are robust and give a very good fit for both yields and flows, contributing a valuable insight into the dominant impact of short-term shifts in the demand schedule on emerging markets.


We report magnetotransport measurements of the critical field behavior of thin Al films deposited onto multiply connected substrates. The substrates were fabricated via a standard electrochemical process that produced a triangular array of 66-nm-diameter holes having a lattice constant of 100 nm. The critical field transition of the Al films was measured near ${T}_{c}$ as a function of field orientation relative to the substrate normal. With the field oriented along the normal ($\ensuremath{\theta}=0$), we observe reentrant superconductivity at a characteristic matching field ${H}_{m}=0.22$ T, corresponding to one flux quantum per hole. In tilted fields, the position ${H}^{*}$ of the reentrance feature increases as $sec(\ensuremath{\theta})$, but the resistivity traces are somewhat more complex than those of a continuous superconducting film. We show that when the tilt angle is tuned such that ${H}^{*}$ is of the order of the upper critical field ${H}_{c}$, the entire critical region is dominated by the enhanced dissipation associated with a submatching perpendicular component of the applied field. At higher tilt angles a local maximum in the critical field is observed when the perpendicular component of the field is equal to the matching field.


Little is known about the timing of the etiological events and the preclinical process of type 1 diabetes during the first years of life in the general population. In this population-based prospective birth cohort study, the appearance of diabetes-associated autoantibodies as a sign of beta-cell autoimmunity and the development of type 1 diabetes were monitored from birth. Of 25,983 newborn infants, 2,448 genetically susceptible children were monitored for islet cell antibodies (ICA) at 3- to 6-month intervals. If an infant seroconverted to ICA positivity, all his/her samples were also analyzed for insulin autoantibodies (IAA), antibodies to the 65-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase, and antibodies to the protein tyrosine phosphatase-related IA-2 molecule. Fifteen children of those who carried the high-risk genotype (2.7%) and 23 of those who carried the moderate-risk genotype (1.2%; P = 0.019) tested positive for ICA at least once. Among those who showed positivity for at least 2 antibodies during the observation period (25 of 38), IAA appeared as the first or among the first antibodies in 22 children (88%) and emerged earlier than the other antibodies (P < 0.019 or less). The first autoantibodies appeared in the majority of the children in the fall and winter (30 of 38 vs. 8 of 38 in the spring and summer, P < 0.001). These observations suggest that young children in the general population with a strong human-leukocyte-antigen-DQ-defined genetic risk of type 1 diabetes show signs of beta-cell autoimmunity proportionally more often than those with a moderate genetic risk. IAA emerge as the first detectable antibody more commonly than any other antibody specificity, implying that insulin may be the primary antigen in most cases of human type 1 diabetes associated with the DR4-DQB1*0302 haplotype. The seasonal variation in the emergence of the first signs of beta-cell autoimmunity suggests that infectious agents may play a role in the induction of such autoimmunity.


Abstract We compared corticosteroid metabolite excretion rates and patterns in a group of 68 subjects with untreated essential hypertension and a matched group of 48 normotensive control subjects. The ratio of tetrahydrocortisol plus allotetrahydrocortisol to tetrahydrocortisone and the ratio of allotetrahydrocortisol to tetrahydrocortisol were significantly higher in the hypertensive group. This is qualitatively similar to the situation found in patients with the syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess or subjects treated with licorice or carbenoxolone where hypertension is known to arise from deficiencies of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 5β-reductase activities. The equivalent ratios for corticosterone metabolites were not different between groups, but total corticosterone metabolite excretion was higher in the hypertensive group. Plasma cortisol levels were lower in hypertensive than in control subjects, but corticosterone levels were higher. This evidence supports a previous suggestion that the activities of these two enzymes may be reduced in essential hypertension, but the contribution of these changes to hypertension is not known.


This paper proposes a preliminary conceptual approach for studying how social media (i.e., a class of specific Internet-based communication tools) can be strategically employed to promote social innovation (i.e., the actual consolidation of norms guiding democratic and participated policy-making processes). To this aim, we propose to overcome monolithic conceptions of Internet users, uses and politics thus grounding empirical studies on the joint observation of a) the type of users; b) the type of Internet-enabled communication; c) the different facets of political processes; d) the multi-level nature of contemporary politics


The levels of nine essential (K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni and Cr) and two non-essential (Cd and Pb) metals were determined in coffee beans (from farmer's farms and washing industries) and soil samples using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The samples were collected from the three major coffee producing woredas of Gedeo zone, namely Kochere, Yirgacheffee and Wonago. Effective optimum microwave digestion procedure was developed for coffee bean samples. The efficiency of the optimized procedure was validated by spiking experiment and the percentage recoveries for entire metals lie within the range of 90%-106%. Soil samples were digested with slight modification of EPA 3050B acid digestion method. In all coffee bean samples the concentrations of macroelements were higher than microelements. Among the macroelements, K was determined to be the highest followed by Mg and Ca. On the other hand, among the trace microelements, Cu quantified in the maximum level followed by Mn, Zn, Co, Ni and Cr, respectively. Toxic metals Pb and Cd were not detected in coffee beans of Gedeo zone. Like coffee beans, soil samples also contained highest amount of macroelements than microelements with maximum and minimum concentration of Mg and Cd, respectively. Pb was below method detection limit in all soil samples. The concentrations of metals in coffee beans from farmer's farms and washing industries were not significantly different at 95% confidence level within a single woreda. The levels of heavy metals in coffee bean samples were found to be below the maximum permissible limits set by FAO/WHO for different food items and herbal plants.


In my 2007 monograph Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times (hereafter TA), I develop the conceptual frame of "homonationalism" for understanding the complexities of how "acceptance" and "tolerance" for gay and lesbian subjects have become a barometer by which the right to and capacity for national sovereignty is evaluated. I had become increasingly frustrated with the standard refrain of transnational feminist discourse as well as queer theories that unequivocally stated, quite vociferously throughout the 1990s, that the nation is heteronormative and that the queer is inherently an outlaw to the nation-state. While the discourse of American exceptionalism has always served a vital role in U.S. nation-state formation, TA examines how sexuality has become a crucial formation in the articulation of proper U.S. citizens across other registers like gender, class, and race, both nationally and transnationally. In this sense, homonationalism is an analytic category deployed to understand and historicize how and why a nation's status as "gay-friendly" has become desirable in the first place. Like modernity, homonationalism can be resisted and re-signified, but not opted out of: we are all conditioned by it and through it.


The dynamic compressive experiments of cubic concrete specimens under various biaxial equal proportion loading were preformed. The biaxial equal proportion stress in the tests were kept constant at 1:0, 1:0.5 and 1:1, respectively, and the tested strain rate ranged from 10−5/s to 10−2/s. Based on the experimental results, the influence of the strain rates on compressive characteristics of concrete under various biaxial stress ratios were researched. The unified strength criterion in terms of principal stress space considering the influence of strain rates and biaxial stress ratio is proposed. The fitting curves by the present strength criterion agree well with experimental data.


B13 Initiatives to promote informed decision making for prostate cancer (CaP) screening and early detection have grown significantly in recent years. However, several subpopulations of men throughout the United States remain underserved. Systematic reviews of the CaP control literature point to a need for more research to enhance African American mens' knowledge of CaP screening issues and research that can increase their levels of participation in CaP screening decision-making discussions with physicians. Evidenced-based tools exist that can achieve both of these objectives. However, many of these tools have not been evaluated for use with African American men nor with consideration given to participants' abilities to comprehend health messages as measured by health literacy status. The current research study was conducted in response to national calls for more type II translation research--research aimed at increasing the adoption of effective practices into communities--with vulnerable and high risk populations. The goal was to evaluate the applicability of a video intervention-The PSA Test for Prostate Cancer: Is it Right for Me?--for use with African American men in the Greater Florida Panhandle Region. The specific aims were (1) to assess acceptability of the intervention, (2) to evaluate the impact of the intervention on knowledge about screening-related issues, and (3) to assess the impact of the intervention on intentions to become involved in decision-making discussions across participants' demographic and health literacy characteristics. Fifty African American men participated in interviewer-administered pretest/posttest interviews during January and February 2008. Health literacy status was determined with the test of functional health literacy in adults (TOFHLA). Six research hypotheses related to changes in CaP knowledge, intentions to engage in PSA screening decision-making discussions, and intentions to undergo PSA testing were tested. Results from bivariate analyses [F(2,46) = 6.54, p = .003] indicated that men with functional health literacy (M = 7.29) had higher mean levels of CaP knowledge at baseline than men with inadequate health literacy (M = 5.50). No baseline differences were noted regarding participants' intentions to have PSA discussions with physicians in the next 12 months or their intentions to have a PSA test in the next 12 months. The between group and within group test results from repeated measures analysis of covariance indicated that the group differences in CaP knowledge that existed at pretest had lessened after intervention exposure. No changes were found regarding participants' intentions to have a PSA discussion with a physician in the next 12 month or their intentions to have a PSA test. Participants' perceptions of the information presented in the video were overwhelmingly favorably. Nearly all (98%) believed the information was credible. Ninety percent stated that the information was trustworthy. All men thought the information was interesting. Most (91%) stated that the information was understandable. Nearly all (96%) thought the information presented was complete. Results from the current study provide preliminary support for the use of an evidenced-based intervention with diverse African American men and support more dissemination research with the intervention within the African American community. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):B13.


Emotional Intelligence is a set of qualities and competencies that captures a broad collection of individual skills and dispositions, usually referred to as soft skills or inter and intra-personal skills, that are outside the traditional areas of specific knowledge, general intelligence, and technical or professional skills. Emotions are an intrinsic part of our biological makeup, and every morning they march into the office with us and influence our behaviour. Work-Life Balance is a challenging issue for IT leaders, managers and has also attracted the attention of researchers. Work/life balance, in its broadest sense, is defined as a satisfactory level of involvement or 'fit' between the multiple roles in a person's life. In this climate managing the boundary between home and work is becoming more challenging. Organizations need to ensure they not just encourage but mandate a practical and workable work/life balance policy, benefiting and meeting the needs of both the organization and its employees. Organizations not providing real opportunity for employees work/life balance are opening themselves up to increasing numbers of dissatisfied and unproductive employees and hence increased attrition rates. Merely creating a work/life policy framework is not enough; fostering an organizational culture that supports the use of available policies is also of great importance. Further there is a need for employers and employees alike to find flexible and innovative solutions that maximize productivity without damaging employees well-being, their family relationships and other aspects of life. This term paper is through light on impact of emotional intelligence on performance of employees and the next objective is to know how to become an EI organization. Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while other claim it is an inborn characteristic. To do the research thoroughly, review of literature is being taken with twenty articles. Through this study, it is concluded that emotional intelligence has greater impact on performance of employees. Secondly an emotionally intelligent organization is based on an organisational strategy to improve business performance.


The regulation of cell proliferation needs to be coordinated with cell growth and differentiation regulation in multicellular organisms for development to occur properly
and tumourogenesis to be avoided. Cell proliferation is regulated through positive and negative signals that influence progression through the cell cycle. The cell cycle is regulated by cyclin dependent kinases that are controlled by the binding of cyclins, whose protein levels oscillate throughout the cell cycle. It is extremely important that progression through the cell cycle is regulated correctly, that mitosis only occurs once
DNA replication is completed, and that DNA replication only begins once chromosomes have segregated into daughter cells. While there is great understanding about how the different phases of the cell cycle are controlled, it is still largely unknown how the phases are coordinately regulated, and how the cell cycle is regulated externally during development. An understanding of how cell proliferation is coordinated with cell growth and differentiation requires an examination of how the cell
integrates various and sometimes competing signals with the core cell cycle machinery to effect cell proliferation in the right developmental context.

This study describes the identification of deflated as a novel cell proliferation regulator. Taking a genetic and cell biological approach, the role that deflated plays in regulating cell proliferation was examined. deflated alleles were generated by P-element mobilisation and P-element induced male recombination. The characterisation of four different alleles and the expression pattern of deflated mRNA suggested a role for deflated in regulating cell proliferation and cell signalling. These findings were further supported by genetic interactions observed between deflated and cell proliferation regulators and cell signalling components. Examination of deflated function in Ras signalling demonstrated that deflated may be a negative regulator of Ras signalling. The findings that DEFLATED::GFP protein localised to nuclei and mitotic spindles in embryos and to the apical surface of wing imaginal discs, further support a role for deflated in cell proliferation and cell signalling.

When taken together, these data suggest both a direct and an indirect role for deflated in regulating cell proliferation. It appears that DEFLATED may be involved in regulating re-replication and thus link DNA synthesis completion with M-phase entry. DEFLATED may also regulate spindle function and formation, possibly by forming a
complex with Ran and clathrin, two proteins that are predicted to bind DEFLATED and have roles in spindle function. deflated may also regulate cell proliferation indirectly through involvement in Ras signalling, the Ran pathway, or through endocytosis. While these are many roles to ascribe to DEFLATED it may be able to carry them all or a
subset out by functioning as an adaptor protein at the intersection of different cellular pathways.

This initial analysis is the first to characterise deflated function in any model system and it is clear that deflated is a novel regulator of cell proliferation. Further elucidation of its function will enable an understanding of how sensing and signalling pathways communicate with one another to ensure that cell proliferation occurs correctly. In particular, the study of deflated will enable further understanding on how Ras signalling regulates cell proliferation and how M-phase and the mitotic spindle are regulated.


ABSTRACT Design practices in the United States generally allow substantial flexibility in the design of cross-sectional elements of urban and suburban arterial roadways. The operational and safety performance of such facilities is influenced by a variety of design controls, which influence the selection of important cross-sectional components, such as the number of lanes, lane widths, and the presence of shoulders, medians, or on-street parking. This study assesses the effects of lane width on the safety performance of urban and suburban arterial segments in the State of Nebraska. Ten years of traffic crash, volume, and roadway geometry data are analyzed to discern differences in the frequency of sideswipe-same direction and rear-end collisions across four functional classes of urban arterials. Crashes generally decreased as lane width increased, with 10-ft. lanes experiencing 18.1% more rear-end crashes and 27% more same-direction sideswipe collisions. In general, 12-ft. lanes showed fewer crashes than 11-ft. lanes. However, there was significant variability across the sample as 11-ft. lanes sometimes demonstrated fewer crashes, as well. These differences may be reflective of geometric characteristics that were not available in the dataset or of general differences in driver behavior across segments with varying cross-sectional characteristics.


AIM
To compare endoscopic sclerotherapy (ES) with distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) in the prevention of recurrent variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients during a long-term follow-up period.

METHODS
In 1984 we started a prospective, controlled study of patients with liver cirrhosis. Long-term follow-up presents a natural history of liver cirrhosis complicated by advanced portal hypertension. In this study the effects of 2 types of treatment, DSRS or ES, were evaluated. The study population included 80 patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension referred to our department from October 1984 to March 1991. These patients were drawn from a pool of 282 patients who underwent either elective surgery or ES during the same period of time. Patients were assigned to one of the 2 groups according to a random number table: 40 to DSRS and 40 to ES using polidocanol.

RESULTS
During the postoperative period, no DSRS patient died, while one ES patient died of uncontrolled hemorrhage. One DSRS patient had mild recurrent variceal hemorrhage despite an angiographically patent DSRS and another patient suffered duodenal ulcer rebleeding. Eight ES patients suffered at least one episode of gastrointestinal bleeding: 4 from varices and 4 from esophageal ulcerations. Eight ES patients developed transitory dysphagia. Long-term follow-up was completed in all patients except for 5 cases (2 DSRS and 3 ES patients). Five-year survival rates for shunt (73%) and ES (56%) groups were statistically different: in this follow-up period and in subsequent follow-ups this difference decreased and ceased to be of statistical relevance. The primary cause of death became hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Four DSRS patients rebled due to duodenal ulcer, while eleven ES patients had recurrent bleeding from esophago-gastric sources (seven from varices, three from hypertensive gastropathy, one from esophageal ulcerations) and two from unknown sources. Nine DSRS and 2 ES patients developed a chronic encephalopathy; 13 DSRS and 5 ES patients suffered at least one episode of acute encephalopathy. Five ES patients had esophageal stenoses, which were successfully dilated.

CONCLUSION
In a subgroup of patients with good liver function, DSRS with a correct portal-azygos disconnection more effectively prevents variceal rebleeding than ES. However, this positive effect did not influence the long-term survival because other factors (e.g. HCC) were more important in deciding the fate of the cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension.


In the last years Cloud computing has become popular among IT organizations aiming to reduce their operational costs. Applications can be designed to run in the Cloud, or can be partially or completely migrated to it. Migrating the data layer of an application to the Cloud, however, implies that existing applications might need to be adapted in order to access their migrated to the Cloud databases. In this work we examine how we can use an existing ESB to enable transparent access to the relational data store running either in the Cloud or on-premise. The goal of our approach is to minimize the effort required to adapt the application. In particular, we discuss the requirements and prototype realization of a Cloud aware data access layer for transparent data access, using an existing open source and multi-tenant aware ESB as the basis. We then evaluate the performance of our proposed solution by considering different Cloud providers and using example data from an existing benchmark as application workload.


It has been claimed that Ngkolmpu (Yam, Papuan) displays discontinuous noun phrases (Donohue 2011). However, careful textual analysis of a corpus of naturalistic language reveals that, in practice, this
 is highly restricted. The data shows two relatively rare constructions which give rise to limited discontinuous structures. The first is an
 afterthought construction involving a full co-referential nominal constituent adjacent to the clause. This co-referential constituent is
 both syntactically and phonetically distinct from the main utterance. The other involves a topic marking demonstrative encliticised to verbs
 at the right edge of the clause interacting with general information-structural conditions on word order. This is the only true
 discontinuity found in the corpus and is restricted to demonstratives only. This paper clarifies a claim in the literature about the
 empirical facts of a specific language, Ngkolmpu, and adds a nuanced discussion of nominal discontinuity in a language of New Guinea.


In the yeast Hansenula polymorpha the peroxisomal membrane protein Pex11 and three endoplasmic reticulum localized proteins of the Pex23 family (Pex23, Pex24 and Pex32) are involved in the formation of peroxisome-ER contact sites. Previous studies suggested that these contacts are involved in non-vesicular lipid transfer and important for expansion of the peroxisomal membrane. The absence of Pex32 results in a severe peroxisomal phenotype, while cells lacking Pex11, Pex23 or Pex24 show milder defects and still are capable to form peroxisomes and grow on methanol. We performed transposon mutagenesis on H. polymorpha pex11 cells and selected mutants that lost the capacity to grow on methanol and are severely blocked in peroxisome formation. This strategy resulted in the identification of Vps13, a highly conserved contact site protein involved in bulk lipid transfer. Our data show that peroxisome formation and function is normal in cells of a vps13 single deletion strain. However, Vps13 is essential for peroxisome biogenesis in pex11. Notably, Vps13 is also required for peroxisome formation in pex23 and pex24 cells. These data suggest that Vps13 is crucial for peroxisome formation in cells with reduced peroxisome-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites and plays a redundant function in lipid transfer from the ER to peroxisomes.


Francisco Broch y Llop taught Spanish (language and for some years also literature) at the Venetian Institute of Economics for more than 30 years, from 1919 to 1954. Until 1937 there was no official teaching of Spanish literature. It was established by a national Act in 1938 and Alfredo Cavaliere was appointed to the chair. Four years later, in 1942, Giovanni Maria Bertini was the first Full Professor of Spanish Literature. He was the head of the Spanish Studies in Venice until 1954, when he left Venice to return to his home University. The study of the Spanish language was until recent years under the charge of the professor of Spanish literature, and thus language, as a subject, had no official citizenship until recent years. In 1954, after a very long process, which lasted for over 15 years with the Italian Ministry of Education, a brand new Faculty of Languages and Literatures was officially established, and Spanish Studies began to flourish at Ca' Foscari.


: Pseudocysts, fistulae and abscesses are common complications of acute and acute-recurrent pancreatitis. Extension of necrosis and pseudocysts occur along anatomically determined structures. Extension of pancreatic necrosis into the mediastinum is rare. One such case is described. Possible mechanisms for the occurrence of acute and relapsing pancreatitis are discussed.


Primates must solve complex spatial problems when foraging, such as finding patchy resources and navigating between different locations. However, the nature of the cognitive representations supporting these types of behaviors is currently unclear. In humans, there has been great debate concerning the relative importance of egocentric representations (which are viewer-dependent) versus allocentric representations (which are based on aspects of the external environment). Comparative studies of nonhuman apes can illuminate which aspects of human spatial cognition are shared with other primates, versus which aspects are unique to our lineage. The current studies therefore examined spatial cognitive development in one of our closest living relatives, bonobos (Pan paniscus) across contexts. The first study assessed how younger bonobos encode locations in a place-response task in which apes first learn that one of two locations is consistently baited with a reward, and then must approach the two locations from a flipped perspective. The second study examined how a larger age sample of bonobos responded to a spatial relations task in which they first experience that one location is baited, and then can generalize this learning to a new set of targets. Results indicated that while bonobos exhibited a predominantly allocentric strategy in the first study, they consistently exhibited an egocentric strategy in the second. Together, these results show that bonobos can use both strategies to encode spatial information, and illuminate the complementary contributions to cognition made by egocentric and allocentric representations.


Scarcity of good-quality water is a limiting factor for irrigated agriculture, especially in semi-arid regions, which leads to the use of water with high salt content to irrigate crops. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate physiological aspects and production of colored cotton genotypes under saline stress, during the different development stages and under conditions of low and high salinity. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design, with a 3 × 7 factorial scheme and three replicates. Treatments corresponded to three colored cotton genotypes irrigated with low-salinity water (0.8 dS m-1) and high-salinity water (9.0 dS m-1): T1-A1B1C1, T2-A2B1C1, T3-A1B2C1, T4-A1B1C2, T5-A2B1C2, T6-A2B2C1 and T7-A1B2C2 (A1, B1 and C1: without salinity and A2, B2 and C2: with salinity; in the vegetative, flowering and fruiting stages, respectively). Among the genotypes, BRS Rubi was the most sensitive to irrigation water salinity, regardless of development stage. Successive application of saline water at the flowering and boll formation stages led to drastic reduction in physiological aspects of the crop, with recovery of the plants after the stress was interrupted. Saline water irrigation at initial development stages can be used in the cotton crop for reducing the average time to the beginning of flowering. Seed cotton production was more affected by application of saline water at the flowering and boll formation stages.


Bone marrow (BM) chimeric mice are a valuable tool in the field of immunology and hematology, and genetic manipulation of donor cells is widely used to study gene function under physiological and pathological settings. Current BM chimera protocols generally require use of multicolor fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for donor hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) purification. Here, we describe a cell culture technique for the enrichment of functional HSPCs from mouse BM without the use of FACS purification. This technique is therefore expected to overcome current limitations in mouse BM chimera models.


P13

 Previous analysis of transgenic mice carrying a genomic construct encoding the human angiotensinogen (HAGT) gene indicated that the 13.7 Kb sequence harbored all
 cis
 elements required for the appropriate tissue and cell expression of HAGT
 in vivo
 . In addition, analysis of independently derived HAGT transgenic lines suggested the presence of a locus control element (LCR) in the HAGT gene since the expression levels were proportional to transgene copy number. In attempt to identify
 cis
 elements responsible for the regulation of HAGT expression
 in vivo
 we created several new transgenic mouse lines carrying either 1.5 Kb of the HAGT promoter or 1.5 kb of the promoter along with the first exon and intron of the HAGT gene fused to the LacZ reporter gene. Reporter gene expression did not correlate with transgene copy number suggesting the absence of a putative LCR element in the 1.5 Kb region proximal to the HAGT transcription start site. LacZ expression was most prominent in liver and adrenal gland, with additional expression in heart, testis, brain, and cerebellum. Most other tissues (including kidney) had little to no expression of the reporter gene. Our results indicate that the regions proximal to the HAGT transcription start site contain
 cis
 -acting

 elements important for appropriate HAGT expression in the liver and some, but not all, extra-hepatic tissues which should express HAGT. Further dissection of the genomic HAGT sequence will be required to identify all elements involved in proper
 in vivo
 regulation of the HAGT gene.


Interpersonal violence is expensive. For instance estimates of the cost of violence in the United States of America reach 3.3% of the gross domestic product. In England and Wales the total costs from violence - including homicide wounding and sexual assault - amount to an estimated $40.2 billion annually. Interpersonal violence is defined to include violence between family members and intimate partners and violence between acquaintances and strangers that is not intended to further the aims of any formally defined group or cause. Self-directed violence war state-sponsored violence and other collective violence are specifically excluded from these definitions. This report based on an extensive review of peer reviewed articles and published and unpublished reports treats the following themes: The economic effects of interpersonal violence in a variety of socioeconomic and cultural settings; The economic effects of interventions intended to reduce interpersonal violence The effects of economic conditions and policies on interpersonal violence - with particular reference to poverty structural adjustment income equality and social investment. (excerpt)


Higher‐order Pade approximations have been applied to reduce the limitations and to improve the efficiency of the parabolic equation (PE) method [M. D. Collins, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 1736–1742 (1993)]. Several of the derivatives are correct at the origin for Pade approximations. Improved efficiency may be achieved by using rational approximations designed using the minimax method, which involves minimizing the maximum error over a domain of interest. This approach has been applied for deriving a PE for fluid media that handles wide propagation angles [Vefring and Mjo/lsnes, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 93, 1736–1742 (1993)]. Additional applications of the minimax approach include deriving improved approximations for the elastic PE (for which stability is an important issue), the two‐way PE (which may require a careful treatment of the evanescent spectrum), and the split‐step Pade solution (which involves that approximation of a relatively complicated function).


Purpose : To test whether radiolysis-induced fragmentation in frozen aqueous protein solution is dependent on solvent access to the surface of the protein or to the molecular mass of the polypeptide chain. Materials and methods : 60 Co gamma-irradiation of three proteins at -78°C: lysozyme, citrate synthase and alpha-lactalbumin in their native state, with or without bound substrate, or denatured (random coil in urea/acid-denatured state). Results : By SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis/analysis of the protein-fragmentation process, it was found that for a given protein D 37 values (dose to decrease the measured amount of protein, with an unaltered polypeptidic chain, to 37% of the initial amount) varied according to the state of the protein. D 37 for denatured proteins was always much smaller than for native states, indicating a greater susceptibility to fragmentation. In urea, contrary to the native state, no well-defined fragments were observed. Radiolysis decay constants (K = 1/D 37) increased with solvent-accessible surface area of these proteins estimated from their radii of gyration in the various states. This is shown also in previous data on native or SDS-denatured proteins. Denatured proteins which have a large surface area exposed to the solvent compared with native ones are more fragmented at equal doses. Conclusions : It is concluded that D 37 is directly related to the exposed surface area and not to the molecular mass of the polypeptide chain.


Automatic differentiation (AD) is conventionally understood as a family of distinct algorithms, rooted in two "modes"—forward and reverse—which are typically presented (and implemented) separately. Can there be only one? Following up on the AD systems developed in the JAX and Dex projects, we formalize a decomposition of reverse-mode AD into (i) forward-mode AD followed by (ii) unzipping the linear and non-linear parts and then (iii) transposition of the linear part. To that end, we define a (substructurally) linear type system that can prove a class of functions are (algebraically) linear. Our main results are that forward-mode AD produces such linear functions, and that we can unzip and transpose any such linear function, conserving cost, size, and linearity. Composing these three transformations recovers reverse-mode AD. This decomposition also sheds light on checkpointing, which emerges naturally from a free choice in unzipping let expressions. As a corollary, checkpointing techniques are applicable to general-purpose partial evaluation, not just AD. We hope that our formalization will lead to a deeper understanding of automatic differentiation and that it will simplify implementations, by separating the concerns of differentiation proper from the concerns of gaining efficiency (namely, separating the derivative computation from the act of running it backward).


Telemedicine is the most promising one for improving the access to specialized health services to all remote, rural areas in all developing countries. Exploiting the technological advancements in the field of electronics, signal processing and software a communication network for telemedicine is proposedfor the existing twisted pair based public switched public data network. To expand the bandwidth capability of twisted pair network to gain the near capability of optical fiber based Broadband Integrated System Digital Network BIS'DN), additional subsystems High-BitRate Digital Subscriher Line (HDSL), Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and the advanced modulation techniques for bandwidth compression are discussed. A complete communication network for delivering telemedicine to all the developing countries is presented.


Background Approximately 80% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients suffer from anorexia, weight loss, and asthenia. Most PDAC patients receive chemotherapy, which often worsens their nutritional status owing to the adverse effects of chemotherapy. Malnutrition of PDAC patients is known to be associated with poor prognosis; therefore, nutritional management during chemotherapy is a key factor influencing the outcome of the treatment. Mobile apps have the potential to provide readily accessible nutritional support for patients with PDAC. Objective We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile app–based program, Noom, in patients receiving chemotherapy for PDAC. Methods We prospectively enrolled 40 patients who were newly diagnosed with unresectable PDAC from a single university-affiliated hospital in South Korea, and randomly assigned them into a Noom user group (n=20) and a non-Noom user group (n=20). The 12-week in-app interventions included meal and physical activity logging as well as nutritional education feedback from dietitians. The non-Noom user group did not receive any nutrition intervention. The primary outcomes were the changes in the nutritional status and quality of life (QoL) from the baseline to 12 weeks. The secondary outcomes included the changes in the skeletal muscle index (SMI) from the baseline to 12 weeks. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) were used as paper questionnaires to assess the QoL and nutritional status of the patients. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted. Regarding the study data collection time points, we assessed the nutritional status and QoL at the baseline (T0), and at 4 (T1), 8 (T2), and 12 (T3) weeks. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) imaging was conducted at the baseline and after 8 weeks for tumor response and SMI evaluation. The skeletal muscle area (cm2) was calculated using routine CT images. The cross-sectional areas (cm2) of the L3 skeletal muscles were analyzed. Results Between February 2017 and January 2018, 48 patients were assessed for eligibility. Totally 40 patients with pancreatic cancer were included by random allocation. Only 17 participants in the Noom user group and 16 in the non-Noom user group completed all follow-ups. All the study participants showed a significant improvement in the nutritional status according to the PG-SGA score regardless of Noom app usage. Noom users showed statistically significant improvements on the global health status (GHS) and QoL scales compared to non-Noom users, based on the EORTC QLQ (P=.004). The SMI decreased in both groups during chemotherapy (Noom users, 49.08±12.27 cm2/m2 to 46.08±10.55 cm2/m2; non-Noom users, 50.60±9.05 cm2/m2 to 42.97±8.12 cm2/m2). The decrement was higher in the non-Noom user group than in the Noom user group, but it was not statistically significant (-13.96% vs. -3.27%; P=.11). Conclusions This pilot study demonstrates that a mobile app–based approach is beneficial for nutritional and psychological support for PDAC patients receiving chemotherapy. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04109495; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04109495.