The pattern of episodic gonadotropin release was studied in 15 normal female volunteers during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle with 24 h of blood sampling for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels at 10-min intervals. Six subjects (two in the early, two in the mid-, and two in the late luteal phase) also had each of these specimens processed for progesterone levels. A progressive slowing of LH pulsations was present across the luteal phase with the mean LH pulse frequency declining from 15.2 pulses/24 h in the early to 8.4/24 h in the late luteal phase. A trend towards reduction in the amplitude of LH pulses was also observed (12.3 +/- 2.2 SD mIU/ml in the early vs. 8.6 +/- 3.4 mIU/ml in the late luteal phase; NS). In addition, LH pulses of heterogeneous amplitude were identified during the same 24-h study. The mean +/- SD of the larger and of the smaller LH pulses was 16.9 +/- 4.7 and 2.3 +/- 1.0 mIU/ml, respectively (P less than 0.001). While the slowing of the frequency of all LH pulses correlated well (r = 0.80, P less than 0.001) with the day of the luteal phase and poorly with the actual plasma progesterone levels, the incidence of the small LH pulses was highest in the mid-luteal phase and correlated well with the mean progesterone plasma levels (r = 0.63, P less than 0.01). In the early luteal phase, the pattern of progesterone secretion was stable over the 24-h studies and showed no relationship to episodic LH release. In contrast, in the mid- and late luteal phase, plasma progesterone concentrations rapidly fluctuated during the 24-h studies from levels as low as 2.3 to peaks of 40.1 ng/ml, often within the course of minutes. Progesterone increments closely attended episodes of LH release, as documented by the significant (P less than 0.05) cross-correlation between LH and progesterone levels, at time lags of 25-55 min. The results of this study indicate that in the human luteal phase: (a) the frequency of pulsatile release of LH declines progressively and correlates well with the duration of exposure to progressively and correlates well with the duration of exposure to progesterone; (b) the amplitude of LH pulses varies with the appearance of an increased percentage of smaller pulses correlating well with the acute level of progesterone; (c) in the early luteal phase, the pattern of progesterone secretion is stable; (d) in the mid- and late luteal phase, progesterone secretion is episodic, and correlates with LH pulsatile release; and (e) single progesterone estimations in the mid- and late luteal phase do not accurately reflect corpus luteum adequacy.


In recent years, hydrogels have attracted attention as active components in microfluidic devices. Here, we present a demonstration of remote controlled flow regulation in a microfluidic device using a hydrogel nanocomposite valve. To create the nanocomposite hydrogel, magnetic nanoparticles were dispersed in temperature-responsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) hydrogels. The swelling and collapse of the resultant nanocomposite can be remotely controlled by application of an alternating magnetic field (AMF). A ceramic microfluidic device with Y-junction channels was fabricated using low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. The nanocomposite was incorporated as a valve in one of the channels of the device. An AMF of frequency 293 kHz was then applied to the device and ON-OFF control on flow was achieved. A pressure transducer was placed at the inlet of the channel and pressure measurements were done for multiple AMF ON-OFF cycles to evaluate the reproducibility of the valve. Furthermore, the effect of the hydrogel geometry on the response time was characterized by hydrogels with different dimensions. Magnetic hydrogel nanocomposite films of different thicknesses (0.5, 1, 1.5 mm) were subjected to AMF and the kinetics of collapse and recovery were studied.


Let $X$ be a complex $K3$ surface with an effective action of a group $G$
which preserves the holomorphic symplectic form. Let $$ Z_{X,G}(q) =
\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} e\left(\operatorname{Hilb}^{n}(X)^{G} \right)\, q^{n-1} $$
be the generating function for the Euler characteristics of the Hilbert schemes
of $G$-invariant length $n$ subschemes. We show that its reciprocal,
$Z_{X,G}(q)^{-1}$ is the Fourier expansion of a modular cusp form of weight
$\frac{1}{2} e(X/G)$ for the congruence subgroup $\Gamma_{0}(|G|)$. We give an
explicit formula for $Z_{X,G}$ in terms of the Dedekind eta function for all 82
possible $(X,G)$. The key intermediate result we prove is of independent
interest: it establishes an eta product identity for a certain shifted theta
function of the root lattice of a simply laced root system. We extend our
results to various refinements of the Euler characteristic, namely the Elliptic
genus, the Chi-$y$ genus, and the motivic class.


In this paper, we describe the variant of the Runge - Kutta Discontinuous Galerkin (RKDG) method for numerical simulation of 2D gas dynamics flows on structured rectangular meshes. The RKDG algorithm was implemented with C++ code based on the experience in 1D case implementation and verified on simple tests. The advantage of the RKDG method over the most popular finite volume method (FVM) is discussed: three basis functions being applied in the framework of the RKDG approach lead to a considerable decrease of the numerical dissipation rate with respect to FVM. The numerical code contains implementations of Lax - Friedrichs, HLL and HLLC numerical fluxes, KXRCF troubled cell indicator and WENO_S and MUSCL slope limiters. Results of the acoustic pulse simulation on a sufficiently coarse mesh with the piecewise-linear approximation show a good agreement with the analytical solution in contrast to the FVM numerical solution. For the Sod problem results of the shock wave, rarefaction wave and the contact discontinuity propagation illustrate the dependence of the scheme resolution on the numerical fluxes, troubled cell indicator and limitation technique choice. The numerical scheme with MUSCL slope limiter has the higher numerical dissipation in comparison to one with WENO_S limiter. It is shown, that in some cases KXRCF troubled cell indicator doesn't detect numerical solution non-monotonicity.


Background: The problem that is central to trauma research is the prediction of survival rate after trauma. Trauma and Injury Severity Score is being used for predicting survival rate after trauma. Many countries have conducted a study on the classification, characteristics of variables, and the validity of the Trauma and Injury Severity Score model. However, few investigations have been made on the characteristics of coefficients or variables related to Trauma and Injury Severity Score in Korea. Objectives: There is a need for coefficient analysis of Trauma and Injury Severity Score which was created based on the United States database to be optimized for the situation in Korea. Methods: This study examined how the currently used Trauma and Injury Severity Score coefficients were developed and created for trauma patients visiting the emergency department in a hospital in Korea using the analytical method. A total of 34,340 trauma patients who were hospitalized into an emergency center from January 2012 to December 2014 for 3 years were analyzed with trauma registry established on August 2006. Results: Trauma and Injury Severity Score coefficients were transformed with the methods that were used to make the existing Trauma and Injury Severity Score coefficients using the trauma patients' data. Regression coefficients (B) were drawn by building up a logistic regression analysis model that used variables such as Injury Severity Score, Revised Trauma Score, and age depending on survival with Trauma and Injury Severity Score. Conclusion: With regard to Trauma and Injury Severity Score established in the United States differing from Korea in injury types, it seems possible to realize significant survival rate by deriving coefficients with data in Korea and reanalyzing them.


Twenty-five children with cows' milk protein intolerance were studied. Twenty had presented with an illness clinically indistinguishable from infantile gastroenteritis; an enteropathogenic Escherichia coli was isolated from the stools in two children, and in six another member of the family simultaneously developed acute diarrhoea and vomiting. Twenty-three children had lactose intolerance secondary to cows' milk protein intolerance. Eight out of 20 children were found to be partially IgA deficient. An acute attack of gastroenteritis, in damaging the small mucosa, may act as a triggering mechanism in cows' milk protein intolerance, and a deficiency in IgA may be a predisposing factor in so far as it allows the patient to become sensitised to foreign protein.


A sparse approximate inverse technique is introduced to solve general sparse linear systems. The sparse approximate inverse is computed as a factored form and used as a preconditioner to work with some Krylov subspace methods. The new technique is derived from a matrix decomposition algorithm for inverting dense nonsymmetric matrices. Several strategies and special data structures are proposed to implement the algorithm eeciently. Sparsity patterns of the the factored inverse are exploited to reduce computational cost. The computation of the factored sparse approximate inverse is relatively cheaper than the techniques based on norm minimization techniques. The new preconditioner possesses much greater inherent parallelism than traditional preconditioners based on incomplete LU factorizations. Numerical experiments are used to show the eeectiveness and eeciency of the new sparse approximate inverse preconditioner.


Drifting behavior of a container on an apron due to tsunami run-up and drawdown is investigated using hydraulic experiments and numerical simulations. When a container and a wall on the apron are set parallel to the seawall, the container can drift to the sea for the large relative overflow height of an incident tsunami and the small relative position of the container. It is consequently suggested that it is not always effective to move containers landward before tsunami attack to prevent the containers from drifting to the sea. When a wall with an opening is set oblique to the seawall, a container parallel to the seawall can rotate toward the normal to the seawall as drifting through the opening. As a result, it is necessary to consider various drifting patterns of container in dealing with the container drifting landward through the opening.


The aim of this study was to evaluate milk production and lactation curve parameters of Bianca Val Padana (BVP) and Italian Friesian (IF) cattle reared in the same herds in relation to different housing-feeding systems. Therefore, 8488 test-day records of 103 BVP and 367 IF cows from 7 herds were used; 2 herds had free stalls and total mixed ration feeding (FS-TMR group) and 5 had tie stalls and traditional feeding (TS-TF group). Data for milk production (kg), fat, protein, lactose production (kg) and content (%), and somatic cell score (SCS) were submitted to analysis by ANOVA, using a model with breed, housing-feeding type, test day, herd within housing-feeding type, season of calving, lactation number, class of days in milk, and two- and three-way interactions as fixed factors. A mixed model according to Wood's equation in linear form was also performed. Interactions between breed and type of housing-feeding were always significant (P<0.05), except for milk fat percentage and SCS. Daily milk, fat, protein and lactose productions were lower in TS-TF compared to FS-TMR, but the reduction was significantly higher (P<0.05) in IF than in BVP. Protein percentage showed an opposite trend in the two breeds depending on the type of housing-feeding. The lactation curves were continuously decreasing for BVP in FS-TMR housing-feeding type. In TS-TF rearing conditions, BVP showed an earlier week at peak and a lower peak production than IF. In conclusion, BVP seems to be better adapted to TS-TF rearing conditions than IF.


Proteins have evolved to use water to help guide folding. A physically motivated, nonpairwise-additive model of water-mediated interactions added to a protein structure prediction Hamiltonian yields marked improvement in the quality of structure prediction for larger proteins. Free energy profile analysis suggests that long-range water-mediated potentials guide folding and smooth the underlying folding funnel. Analyzing simulation trajectories gives direct evidence that water-mediated interactions facilitate native-like packing of superseconclary structural elements. Long-range pairing of hydrophilic groups is an integral part of protein architecture. Specific water-mediated interactions are a universal feature of biomolecular recognition landscapes in both folding and binding.


Abstract— One of the main problems underlying most optimization theories is local optimum. When time delays are presented, this issue becomes much more problematic. In such conditions, evolutionary optimization algorithms are proven to be helpful. In this paper, quantum genetic algorithm (QGA) has been used to tackle the stated problem in the framework of delay-dependent linear matrix inequality (LMI) robust H∞ control. QGA is employed to find suitable feedback gains and delay-dependent LMI solvers are concerned to resolve stability issues. In addition, to provide more balance between exploration and exploitation, to increase convergence rate as well as to prevent premature convergence, it is proposed that particle swarm optimization (PSO) is augmented with QGA. Simulation is dealt with LMI-based H∞ control scheme of the QGA and QGA-PSO optimization space from the design point of one-degree freedom single link scara robot. The whole controller satisfies the desired properties for uncertain-but-known constant bounded time delay. Furthermore, one of the drawbacks found in tests of most hybrid global-local strategies, i.e. premature convergence, has been cancelled by the proposed scheme of QGA and PSO.


presenting in VF during the first year using RLB defibrillators. There were 153 adult patients during the comparable year using MDS defibrillators. The 120-J RLB shock had a significantly higher first shock rate of successful VF termination (67%) compared with the 200 J MDS shock (48%, p, 0.0025). There were 50 (35%) patients who had a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) using the RLB waveform compared with 40 (26%) patients using an MDS waveform. Thirty-five (25%) of these patients were defibrillated to a sinus rhythm ROSC using the RLB defibrillator compared with 23 patients (15%, p = 0.05) using an MDS defibrillator. Patients resuscitated with shocks only were patients resuscitated to a sinus rhythm ROSC with less than three shocks total and with no drug therapy utilized. The RLB waveform resuscitated 24 (17%) of the 35 sinus rhythm ROSC patients with shocks only. The MDS waveform resuscitated 15 (10%) of the 23 sinus rhythm ROSC patients with shocks only. Conclusions: The RLB waveform defibrillated OHCA patients with significantly better rates using significantly less energy when compared with MDS waveforms. The RLB waveform shocked OHCA patients to normal sinus rhythm ROSC with significantly greater rates than MDS waveforms.


Improved social relationships and connectedness is a frequently cited benefit of retirement community living. However, few studies have prospectively investigated changes in loneliness or social networks following relocation. This study involved 83 Australians (aged 57–90 years) relocating to independent living units within a retirement community. A prospective longitudinal design was employed whereby data was collected prior to relocation, and 1, 6 and 12 months post relocation. Comparisons were made with a sample of community-dwelling (N = 549) residents of the same age. Individual characteristics (e.g., personality characteristics) associated with change were also explored. Results indicated reduced loneliness and increased neighbour support networks following relocation. A reduction in contact with friends was also observed. This study provides an important contribution to our understanding of the initial impact of transitioning into a retirement community on personal relationships. Through exploring factors associated with successful transition, we can begin to understand the characteristics of those individuals most likely to thrive in this type of environment.


Abstract:This article shows how diversity discourse and programming function as a dominant pedagogy by highlighting three commonplace approaches to diversity: as a defense to mitigate a problem, as a commodity to be collected, and as a threat to those in privileged positions. The authors intervene in these approaches by forwarding a difference-driven pedagogy, which seeks to foster movement toward the practice of deliberation, the recognition of difference as in flux, and the willingness to be vulnerable in engaging the complex, messy work of difference.


Node-graph-based procedural materials are vital to 3D content creation within the computer graphics industry. Leveraging the expressive representation of procedural materials, artists can effortlessly generate diverse appearances by altering the graph structure or node parameters. However, manually reproducing a specific appearance is a challenging task that demands extensive domain knowledge and labor. Previous research has sought to automate this process by converting artist-created material graphs into differentiable programs and optimizing node parameters against a photographed material appearance using gradient descent. These methods involve implementing differentiable filter nodes [Shi et al. 2020] and training differentiable neural proxies for generator nodes to optimize continuous and discrete node parameters [Hu et al. 2022a] jointly. Nevertheless, Neural Proxies exhibits critical limitations, such as long training times, inaccuracies, fixed resolutions, and confined parameter ranges, which hinder their scalability towards the broad spectrum of production-grade material graphs. These constraints fundamentally stem from the absence of faithful and efficient implementations of generic noise and pattern generator nodes, both differentiable and non-differentiable. Such deficiency prevents the direct optimization of continuous and discrete generator node parameters without relying on surrogate models. We present Diffmat v2, an improved differentiable procedural material library, along with a fully-automated, end-to-end procedural material capture framework that combines gradient-based optimization and gradient-free parameter search to match existing production-grade procedural materials against user-taken flash photos. Diffmat v2 expands the range of differentiable material graph nodes in Diffmat [Shi et al. 2020] by adding generic noise/pattern generator nodes and user-customizable per-pixel filter nodes. This allows for the complete translation and optimization of procedural materials across various categories without the need for external proprietary tools or pre-cached noise patterns. Consequently, our method can capture a considerably broader array of materials, encompassing those with highly regular or stochastic geometries. We demonstrate that our end-to-end approach yields a closer match to the target than MATch [Shi et al. 2020] and Neural Proxies [Hu et al. 2022a] when starting from initially unmatched continuous and discrete parameters.


Abstract Background Low levels of numeracy and literacy skills are associated with a range of negative outcomes later in life, such as reduced earnings and health. Obtaining information about effective interventions for children with or at risk of academic difficulties is therefore important. Objectives The main objective was to assess the effectiveness of interventions targeting students with or at risk of academic difficulties in kindergarten to Grade 6. Search Methods We searched electronic databases from 1980 to July 2018. We searched multiple international electronic databases (in total 15), seven national repositories, and performed a search of the grey literature using governmental sites, academic clearinghouses and repositories for reports and working papers, and trial registries (10 sources). We hand searched recent volumes of six journals and contacted international experts. Lastly, we used included studies and 23 previously published reviews for citation tracking. Selection Criteria Studies had to meet the following criteria to be included: Population: The population eligible for the review included students attending regular schools in kindergarten to Grade 6, who were having academic difficulties, or were at risk of such difficulties. Intervention: We included interventions that sought to improve academic skills, were conducted in schools during the regular school year, and were targeted (selected or indicated). Comparison: Included studies used an intervention‐control group design or a comparison group design. We included randomised controlled trials (RCT); quasi‐randomised controlled trials (QRCT); and quasi‐experimental studies (QES). Outcomes: Included studies used standardised tests in reading or mathematics. Setting: Studies carried out in regular schools in an OECD country were included. Data Collection and Analysis Descriptive and numerical characteristics of included studies were coded by members of the review team. A review author independently checked coding. We used an extended version of the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool to assess risk of bias. We used random‐effects meta‐analysis and robust‐variance estimation procedures to synthesise effect sizes. We conducted separate meta‐analyses for tests performed within three months of the end of interventions (short‐term effects) and longer follow‐up periods. For short‐term effects, we performed subgroup and moderator analyses focused on instructional methods and content domains. We assessed sensitivity of the results to effect size measurement, outliers, clustered assignment of treatment, risk of bias, missing moderator information, control group progression, and publication bias. Results We found in total 24,414 potentially relevant records, screened 4247 of them in full text, and included 607 studies that met the inclusion criteria. We included 205 studies of a wide range of intervention types in at least one meta‐analysis (202 intervention‐control studies and 3 comparison designs). The reasons for excluding studies from the analysis were that they had too high risk of bias (257), compared two alternative interventions (104 studies), lacked necessary information (24 studies), or used overlapping samples (17 studies). The total number of student observations in the analysed studies was 226,745. There were 93% RCTs among the 327 interventions we included in the meta‐analysis of intervention‐control contrasts and 86% were from the United States. The target group consisted of, on average, 45% girls, 65% minority students, and 69% low‐income students. The mean Grade was 2.4. Most studies included in the meta‐analysis had a moderate to high risk of bias. The overall average effect sizes (ES) for short‐term and follow‐up outcomes were positive and statistically significant (ES = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.25, 0.34] and ES = 0.27, 95% CI = [0.17, 0.36]), respectively). The effect sizes correspond to around one third to one half of the achievement gap between fourth Grade students with high and low socioeconomic status in the United States and to a 58% chance that a randomly selected score of an intervention group student is greater than the score of a randomly selected control group student. All measures indicated substantial heterogeneity across short‐term effect sizes. Follow‐up outcomes pertain almost exclusively to studies examining small‐group instruction by adults and effects on reading measures. The follow‐up effect sizes were considerably less heterogeneous than the short‐term effect sizes, although there was still statistically significant heterogeneity. Two instructional methods, peer‐assisted instruction and small‐group instruction by adults, had large and statistically significant average effect sizes that were robust across specifications in the subgroup analysis of short‐term effects (ES around 0.35–0.45). In meta‐regressions that adjusted for methods, content domains, and other study characteristics, they had significantly larger effect sizes than computer‐assisted instruction, coaching of personnel, incentives, and progress monitoring. Peer‐assisted instruction also had significantly larger effect sizes than medium‐group instruction. Besides peer‐assisted instruction and small‐group instruction, no other methods were consistently significant across the analyses that tried to isolate the association between a specific method and effect sizes. However, most analyses showed statistically significant heterogeneity also within categories of instructional methods. We found little evidence that effect sizes were larger in some content domains than others. Fractions had significantly higher associations with effect sizes than all other math domains, but there were only six studies of interventions targeting fractions. We found no evidence of adverse effects in the sense that no method or domain had robustly negative associations with effect sizes. The meta‐regressions revealed few other significant moderators. Interventions in higher Grades tend to have somewhat lower effect sizes, whereas there were no significant differences between QES and RCTs, general tests and tests of subdomains, and math tests and reading tests. Authors' Conclusions Our results indicate that interventions targeting students with or at risk of academic difficulties from kindergarten to Grade 6 have on average positive and statistically significant short‐term and follow‐up effects on standardised tests in reading and mathematics. Peer‐assisted instruction and small‐group instruction are likely to be effective components of such interventions. We believe the relatively large effect sizes together with the substantial unexplained heterogeneity imply that schools can reduce the achievement gap between students with or at risk of academic difficulties and not‐at‐risk students by implementing targeted interventions, and that more research into the design of effective interventions is needed.


This chapter analyzes the role of financial accounting in the German financial system. It starts from the common perception that German accounting is rather 'uninformative'. This characterization is appropriate from the perspective of an arm's length or outside investor and when confined to the financial statements per se. But it is no longer accurate when a broader perspective is adopted. The German accounting system exhibits several arrangements that privately communicate information to insiders, notably the supervisory board. Due to these features, the key financing and contracting parties seem reasonably well informed. The same cannot be said about outside investors relying primarily on public disclosure. A descriptive analysis of the main elements of the Germany system and a survey of extant empirical accounting research generally support these arguments.


This paper proposes a literary reading centered on the absence of the father as a narrative and psychological element of Sandra Lorenzano's novel, Fuga en mi menor. The search for the father as a necessary process to configure one's identity becomes an interior escape, leading the main character to work out a suspended mourning, which finds expression in art and music. The metaphoric pun in the title itself announces the meaning of the escape as a double movement, musical and interior, and anticipates the structure that revolves around one single theme whose counterpoints are the different voices and linguistic codes used by the author, which put music and photography in the focus. The threads of heteroglossia weave individual and collective memory; the sounds and silences, the lights and shadows, European history during the Second World War and Argentine history during the dictatorship as moments that have forced people into exile. In the novel the classic paradigm of Telemachus takes on the shape of exile with all its meaning of separation and loss, and leads to the discovery of being an orphan as a necessary condition to inherit from the father, that is, inherit the possibility of opening up new meanings to the world, as the only possible way to give meaning to the experience of life, to your own history.


The earliest daily barometric pressure readings were taken during the Maunder Minimum of Solar activity (1645—1715). In Italy, observations were made at Pisa over the years 1657—1658 by V. Viviani and A. Borelli, and at Modena during the year 1694 by B. Ramazzini. These readings have been recovered, corrected and adjusted to modern units. The early instruments used and their problems have been thoroughly discussed. Barometer observations recorded by John Locke in Essex (UK) during the year 1694 have also been recovered and corrected. Daily observations were recorded during the same period in Paris by L. Morin; these have previously been published by Legrand and Le Goff (1992: Les observations météorologiques de Louis Morin. Monographie No. 6, Direction de la Météorologie Nationale, Ministère de l'Equipement, de Logement et des Transports, 41 pp.). However, cross-comparisons with the Locke and Ramazzini data have shown that the Paris series needed a further correction to take into account instrumental error. Using these three corrected series, it has been possible to reconstruct the atmospheric circulation over Europe for the year 1694. An indication of the state of the atmospheric circulation can also be made by using the earlier observations recorded in Italy. A common feature of the two periods studied (1657—1658 and 1694) is that winters were characterized by higher pressure compared with the reference period 1961—1990, while the summers generally experienced lower pressure. This latter conclusion indicates that the Azores High was late or not well developed, favouring low temperature and frequent rain in the late spring and early summer.


The possible use of plastic replicas in lithic use wear anaysis is explored. It can be shown that within the existing observational techniques involving metallographic light microscopes with magnifications up to 400 x that plastic replicas of flint surfaces replicate the surface at a very detailed level. It is detailed enough to permit analysis of microwear traces and can thus be used as substitutes for original tool surfaces when they for different reasons are not available and when the surface to be inspected is to curved to admit scanning with light microscope. It can also be shown that white, ligth reflecting flint surfaces is easier analyzed using a replica surface.


ABSTRACT Abacavir is a potent new carbocyclic nucleoside analogue. We employed our hollow-fiber pharmacodynamic modeling system to examine the antiretroviral effects of different abacavir exposures, as well as the impact of the schedule of drug administration on efficacy. Dose ranging of abacavir revealed that a concentration of four times the 50% effective concentration (EC50) (approximately the EC95) was required to inhibit the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) (strain MN) either in a continuous-infusion hollow-fiber experiment or in a classical tissue culture flask experiment. In contrast to earlier work with another drug class (HIV-1 protease inhibitors), addition of physiological amounts of the human drug binding proteins albumin and α1 acid glycoprotein revealed that there was little impact on the antiviral effect of the drug. Comparison of equivalent exposures (an area under the concentration-time curve [AUC] developed by approximately 500 mg per day of orally administered abacavir), either in a continuous-infusion mode or as a single oral dose of abacavir, demonstrated no difference in the ability to suppress either strain IIIB or strain MN. Comparison of administration of 250 mg every 12 h (q12h) versus once-daily administration of 500 mg for strain MN again showed no significant difference in suppressive effect. These experiments were carried out over 8 to 15 days. Because of these promising initial results, we extended the experiment to 30 days and examined three different schedules of administration that generated the same AUC at 24 h (AUC24): 300 mg q12h, 600 mg q24h, and 1,200 mg q48h. The aim of the last of these regimens was to definitively demonstrate schedule failure. There was little difference between the 1,200-mg q48h treatment group and the untreated control at 30 days. Likewise, there was little difference between the 600-mg q24h and 300-mg q12h treatment groups. However, at circa day 18 of the experiment, there was a small increase in viral output of p24 in the once-daily dosing unit. Examination of virus from all groups demonstrated no phenotypic or genotypic differences. The small difference in hollow-fiber unit p24 in the once-daily dosing group was not due to emergence of resistance over the 30-day single-drug exposure. We conclude that the dose of abacavir currently being studied in clinical trials (300 mg orally q12h) will be efficacious for the majority of sensitive clinical isolates of HIV-1. These in vitro data also suggest that this drug may be able to be administered to patients on a once-daily basis at a dose of 600 mg.


This paper introduces a novel T-beam actuator fabricated by a piezoelectric MEMS fabrication process. ICP-RIE etching from the front and back of a bulk PZT chip is used to produce stair stepped structures through the thickness with complex inplane shapes. Masked electrode deposition creates active and passive regions in the PZT structure. With a T-shaped crosssection, and bottom and top flange and web electrodes, a cantilevered beam can bend in-plane and out-of-plane with bimorph actuation in both directions. One of these T-beam actuators is fabricated and experimentally tested. An experimentally validated model predicts that the cross-section geometry can be optimized to produce higher displacement and blocking force.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Dr. Shave's monograph, a volume of the International Psychiatry Clinics , raises many fundamental questions that involve all psychotherapists. His work results from an intensive study of recorded psychotherapy sessions. He employed "a formal, nondirective, client-centered, and 'free-associative,' but non-interpretive, technique, by which the therapist attempts to respond to the patient in the metaphorical context the patient chooses." Implied in his statement is his theory of psychopathology, his theory of therapy, and his theory of interpretation. What he chooses to emphasize in this work is the language of the transference situation. Dr. Shave believes that this transference language is evidenced by the repeated use of manifest metaphorical expression. He further asserts that this language, orally oriented in the basic and fundamental latent content, is characterized by ambivalence, dependency, hostility, and oral-incorporative guilt necessitating the use of unconscious latent language, previously described by the author as a "universal, underlying, primaryprocess, implied communication


Whereas chordomas involving the sellar region are uncommon, largely or entirely intrasellar chordomas are rare. The authors report three cases in which the chordomas filled the pituitary fossa and presented as nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. All lesions exhibited the typical histological patterns and immunophenotype of chordoma. One tumor, studied ultrastructurally and subjected to DNA analysis, was shown to have a diploid histogram. The authors present a clinicopathological study of these three cases and review the literature on intrasellar chordomas.


OBJECTIVE
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as a feasible alternative treatment to conventional surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) for high-risk patients with aortic stenosis. The present systematic review aimed to assess the comparative clinical and cost-effectiveness outcomes of TAVI versus AVR, and meta-analyse standardized clinical endpoints.

METHODS
An electronic search was conducted on 9 online databases to identify all relevant studies. Eligible studies had to report on either periprocedural mortality or incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) to be included for analysis.

RESULTS
The systematic review identified 24 studies that reported on comparative clinical outcomes, including three randomized controlled trials and ten matched observational studies involving 7906 patients. Meta-analysis demonstrated no significant differences in regards to mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction or acute renal failure. Patients who underwent TAVI were more likely to experience major vascular complications or arrhythmias requiring permanent pacemaker insertion. Patients who underwent AVR were more likely to experience major bleeding. Eleven analyses from 7 economic studies reported on ICER. Six analyses defined TAVI to be low value, 2 analyses defined TAVI to be intermediate value, and three analyses defined TAVI to be high value.

CONCLUSION
The present study demonstrated no significant differences in regards to mortality or stroke between the two therapeutic procedures. However, the cost-effectiveness and long-term efficacy of TAVI may require further investigation. Technological improvement and increased experience may broaden the clinical indication for TAVI for low-intermediate risk patients in the future.


Fundamental to the assertion that environmental regulatory standards are strategically set by decentralized authorities and consequently firms respond to spatial differences in regulatory standards is the underline causal relationship. Establishing the cause-effect association between regulatory standard setting and industry response is essential to justify the existence of the pollution haven and the potential for a race to the bottom. In this paper using 25 years data of the livestock production intensities for hog, dairy and fed cattle sectors and environmental regulatory stringency measure from 1975 to 2000 for 48 contiguous states we explore whether the direction of causality as suggested by race to the bottom hypothesis is in fact supported by the empirical evidence and hence the potential for existence of pollution haven is real in the U.S. livestock production sector. The results in general support the existence of pollution havens and potential for a race to the bottom at the regional level. There were no convincing evidences supporting the reserve causality that the "industry driving policy" hypothesis. Across the different livestock types, dairy sector provided conclusive evidence that in the regions with substantial growth of dairy inventories, there are strong evidences for a race to the bottom.


Abstract  A four‐month‐old infant with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery developed severe left ventricular failure after aortic reimplantation, despite prolonged supportive cardiopulmonary bypass with high level inotropic support and several abortive attempts for discontinuation. The Batista procedure was performed and the patient was successfully weaned from bypass. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and at one‐year follow‐up she remains asymptomatic. (J Card Surg 2012;27:114–116)


Lake Kasumigaura and Kitaura in Ibaraki Prefecture is the second largest lake in Japan. In the lake, common fisheries such as trawling and set net as well as net cage culture are practiced. Net cage culture produces about 5,000 tons of edible common carp (Cyprinus carpio) per year, which is one half of the total production in Japan. At the beginning of October 2003, deaths of unknown origin of common carp in net cages occurred in Lake Kasumigaura. After inquiry of the cause, PCR testing detected DNA of the Koi herpesvirus (KHV) in the affected fish and natural carp captured in Lake Kitaura, confirming the occurrence of the Koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD). We conducted an interview survey on aquaculturers regarding the date, quantity, and circumstance of death of cultured carp in Lake Kasumigaura and Kitaura, and investigated the circumstances of death in net cage farms. Another interview survey was also conducted on other fishermen regarding the occurrence of abnormality in natural carp, and both cultured and natural carps were sampled for PCR testing. The death of cultured carp in Lake Kasumigaura was generated in two areas dense with net cage farms, and then was likely expanded. The cumulative amount of death according to the interview surveys increased rapidly: 200-300 tons in the middle of October, 660 tons at the end of the same month, and 1,200 tons at the beginning of November. The damage amount reached one quarter that of the annual common carp products. Since the KHVD is one of the designated diseases under the Law to Ensure Sustainable Aquaculture Production, to prevent the spread of this disease according to this law, Ibaraki Prefecture requested aquaculturists of Lake Kasumigaura and Kitaura to exercise restraint on the transfer of cultured carp in net cages on November 2, and issued orders prohibiting transfer on November 12 and implementing incineration and landfill disposal on December 21. The incineration disposal commenced from January 20. This report aims to shed light on the state of mass cultured carp kills in Lake Kasumigaura and Kitaura, caused by this KHV, and the state of outbreaks of abnormal fish among cultured and natural carp.


The genus Pestivirus includes four species: bovine viral diarrhea virus 1, bovine viral diarrhea virus 2, classical swine fever disease virus, and ovine border disease virus. Pestiviruses infect many species of domestic and wild animals. Bovine viral diarrhea virus is a prototypical representative of the pestiviruses of ruminant animals. Recently, new candidates appeared for including in this genus: two viruses of the wild ruminant animals that have not been officially classified and one HoBi-like virus discovered for the first time in the bovine fetal serum. The circulation of the ruminant animal pestiviruses within population of domestic and wild animals, the presence of these viruses in bioproducts stimulates studies of the infection reservoirs and their influence on the effect of the bovine viral diarrhea control programs.


Maternal plant responses to different levels of pollination vary and are of importance for the total fitness of the plant. We studied how varying pollen load affects late flowering, reproduction, and growth of maternal plants. Raphanus raphanistrum, Sinapis arvensis, and Brassica napus were used as study species. We conducted hand‐pollination experiments with different pollen loads for early flowers in the inflorescence and measured responses on vegetative traits, floral traits of late flowers, and seed production. There were no effects on vegetative traits, but floral traits were affected by treatments in two of the study species. The high pollen load treatment in S. arvensis resulted in longer petals on late flowers compared with the low pollen load treatment. In R. raphanistrum, the high pollen load treatment resulted in a higher number of flowers, with narrower petals, than the low pollen load treatment. Total seed production was similar in both treatments in all species. Our results suggest that plants that received a high pollen load were able to allocate resources to high seed production of early flowers and to increased pollen dispersal of late flowers, thereby achieving higher total fitness than plants that received a lower pollen load.


A vertical strut of the 1,232-ft long, self-anchored Paseo Suspension Bridge fractured when the temperature hit a record low of 9 deg F below zero. During inspection the following day, it was found that its lower pin was frozen and did not allow for free movement of the superstructure. The objective of this study is to pinpoint one of the four reasons for this incidence or their combination: overstressing, thermal contraction, fatigue and reduction in fracture toughness at low temperatures. To achieve this objective, material property and fatigue testing was performed on samples of strut material while the bridge and strut were analyzed under service loading conditions. This study indicated that the strut material practically has an infinite life under normal conditions. The root cause of the failure is overstressing of the vertical strut due to a frozen pin that became frozen because the design of the bridge did not allow the pin to be maintained. The mechanically frozen pin condition was attributable to salt and sand accumulation in the strut housing. To prevent this to the new struts and other similar structures, it is recommended that both upper and lower pins be greased during special inspections and the lower housings be partially sealed to prevent salt and sand accumulation near the pins. Alternatively, a rotation monitoring system can be installed to remotely monitor the rotation of all four vertical struts and alert officials should the pins become mechanically frozen.


With commercial wind power generation coming of age, the majority of research and development has gone into the design of turbine blades and the components within the nacelle, leaving the turbine mast largely ignored. The author proposes a system for the instrumentation and monitoring the modal properties of a commercial wind turbine, as well as the design and creation of a model suitable for use in wind tunnel tests. This is accomplished via a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. A system for structural monitoring of the turbine will allow for early warning and preventive maintenance of masts in the field. The model will focus on conditions where failure of the mast is most likely to occur, such as severe weather events. These tools will prove valuable in the design of masts as well as siting for wind farms.


This study aimed to understand womens experiences of domestic violence and their decision to terminate the abusive marriage in Yogyakarta. Criterion sampling of three woman survivor of domestic violence was performed. These consented to be interviewed and a semi structure interview guide was used. The women shared their life experiences since the dating time up to the time after divorce. A phenomenological approach was employed to analyze the data, to explore, share, and validate their feelings and insights on their life experiences. From this study numerous factors that facilitated as well as hindered the women to terminate their abusive relationships, and the dynamics of the transition process were identified. The womens experiences reflect the complexity of domestic violence. The womens transformation from victims, meaning women living under the authorities, into survivors, meaning woman with self-autonomy, is demonstrated through their stories. The complexity of domestic violence among Indonesia women is only a little known. By comprehending the complexity of domestic violence, a more visible and practical programs to address the national commitment to improve the Indonesian womens situation can be developed.


: The deficiency of selenium and vitamin "E" is not infrequently noted to occur in agricultural and game-animals. Its development in humans is not ruled out. Experiments set up on mice of the CC57 lineage fed on an artificial ration with a low selenium and vitamin "E" content showed an acute selenium and vitamin "E" deficit apt to call forth profound histopathomorphological changes that become apparent following hematoxylin-eosin staining in the pancreas, liver, heart, kidneys, testes and muscular tissue. Evidence was obtained for the first time that an acute selenium and vitamin "E" deficiency leads up to a drastic fall in the content of zinc, determined by the sulfargentic method, as well as in the insular cells of the pancreas, in the renal parenchyma and in the cells of the spermatogenic epithelium of the testes.


There is controversy concerning the role of genetic factors in species extinctions. Many authors have asserted that species are usually driven to extinction before genetic factors have time to impact them, but few studies have seriously addressed this issue. If this assertion is true, there will be little difference in genetic diversity between threatened and taxonomically related nonthreatened species. We compared average heterozygosities in 170 threatened taxa with those in taxonomically related nonthreatened taxa in a comprehensive metaanalysis. Heterozygosity was lower in threatened taxa in 77% of comparisons, a highly significant departure from the predictions of the no genetic impact hypothesis. Heterozygosity was on average 35% lower (median 40%) in threatened taxa than in related nonthreatened ones. These differences in heterozygosity indicate lowered evolutionary potential, compromised reproductive fitness, and elevated extinction risk in the wild. Independent evidence from stochastic computer projections has demonstrated that inbreeding depression elevates extinction risk for threatened species in natural habitats when all other threatening processes are included in the models. Thus, most taxa are not driven to extinction before genetic factors affect them adversely.


For a traditional amine-based CO2 capture system, the absorber column accounts for a significant part of the overall capitaland operating cost. One important design factor of absorber columns is the gas velocity through the absorber packing. Higher gas velocity leads to higher energy cost due to increased pressure drop, but at the same time lower packing cost due to increased effective interfacial area. By utilizing available correlations in the new version 9.0 of the simulation program Aspen HYSYS, the cost optimum gas velocity can be determined. This work evaluated six types of structured packings: Mellapak 250X, 250Y, 2X, 2Y, Mellapak Plus 252Y and Flexipac 2Y. The simulation results show that for all the packings, the cost-optimum gas velocity is in the range of 2.0 to 2.5 m/s giving a pressure drop through the absorber in the range of 10 to 15 mbar.


(1-14) by W. H. Stiebing, in fact an account of the Egyptian dynastic family, is of little relevance to the volume's topic. J. M. Halligan's 'The Role of the Peasant in the Amarna Period' (15-24) draws heavily on the anthropologist E. R. Wolf. A vituperative review by G. E. Mendenhall of N. K. Gottwald's 'Tribes of Yahweh', which it dubs 'Ancient Israel's Hyphenated History', concludes the collection (91-103) it indulges in wide generalizations, shouting when the argument is weak. Gottwald's own essay


Indium sulfide films have been deposited using chemical bath deposition onto glass and indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates. The influences of different deposition parameters viz. substrate and pH have been studied. The films were characterized by different techniques with respect to their crystal structure, surface morphology and compositional property by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and optical absorption. X-ray diffraction studies revealed amorphous nature of the films. The scanning electron microscopy of deposited indium sulfide film on ITO coated glass substrate shows random orientation of grains where as those on glass substrates show dumbbell shape. Optical absorption study revealed that band gap varies from 2.29 to 2.79 eV for the deposited film.


The increasing operating frequencies in modern designs call for broadband macromodeling techniques. The problem of computing high-accuracy simulation models for high-speed interconnects is of great importance in the modeling arena. Nowadays, many full-wave numerical techniques are available that provide high accuracy, often at a significant cost in terms of memory storage and computing time. Furthermore, designers are usually only interested in a few electrical quantities such as port voltages and currents. So, model order reduction techniques are commonly used to achieve accurate results in a reasonable time. This paper presents a new technique, based on the partial element equivalent circuit method, which allows to generate reduced-order models by adaptively selecting the complexity (order) of the macromodel and suitable frequency samples. Thus, the proposed algorithm allows to limit the computing time while preserving the accuracy. Validation examples are given.


An important objective of science is to find global theories, those that explain/predict what happens in a wide variety of circumstances. Along the way, scientists usually encounter local theories which are either discarded or embedded in a more general theory. Statistical hypothesis tests provide two tools for this scientific method: (a) Tests for theory significance, regardless of local/global distinction, and (b) Tests for global-ness versus local-ness. The present work takes pieces of information from each method and builds some new tests, with power focused on global theories. The tests answer the question: "Is the theory valid and global?", rather than a subordinate question: "Is it valid?" or "Is it global?". The statistics are asymptotically equivalent to quadratic forms in statistics obtained from standard methods (a) and (b), and under simplifying assumptions these forms coincide with out-of-sample and nested-sample model validation statistics. We examine test performance in simulation, and illustrate with an economic example.


Emerging network services such as transcoding and encryption need application-specific handling of data streams within the network, thus requiring enormous computational capabilities on routers to process packets at link speed. Recently appeared network processors (NPs) are able to significantly increase the available processing capacities on a router by a chip-multi-processor architecture. Embedded within the network interface card, NPs provide several code-extensible processors with different capabilities located at various layers. However, the increase in processing capacity comes at the cost of a higher complexity to program and control various processor hierarchies provided on the router. We introduce the model of active network nodes built of a processor hierarchy together with a component-based service model. We present the architecture of PromethOS NP which is a modular framework that manages and controls a network node with a multitude of processors in a scalable way. Specifically, we describe the mechanisms required to dynamically configure multiple processors organized in a hierarchical fashion such that they provide a new network service on behalf of applications. As a proof of concept, we have implemented a service framework for PromethOS NP. Our implementation is based on a network interface card with an embedded IBM PowerNP 4GS3 and an Intel Xeon processor, offering programmability on a three-tier hierarchy of processors.


AIM: The occupational radiation exposure in interventional radiology is hypothetically one of the highest in the medical field. In our medical center multiple specialized interventions are performed including: endoscopy, lithotripsy, orthopedic surgery, vascular, neurological and cardiac catheterization. Analysis of the occupational doses obtained from eleven different monitored groups performing cardiac and non-cardiac fluoroscopically guided procedures are reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this work a statistical analysis was performed on the available data from the occupation radiation dosimetry program during the past five years from 2015 to 2019 at a tertiary care medical Centre. The radiation doses were measured using both optically stimulated dosimetry (OSL) and thermo-luminescence dosimetry (TLD). RESULTS: The total number of monitored staff was 281. The average dose for the 5 years review period in this study was 0.29±0.05 mSv with maximum doses of 1.43 mSv. The occupational dosimetry system has a minimal detection limit of 0.1 mSv. Comparisons with the internationally published data are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The reported occupational doses in interventional radiology including fluoroscopically guided procedures was well below the ICRP recommended annual dose limit of 20 mSv. The obtained results are in agreement with internationally reported studies and current trends. The medical use of x-ray imaging during interventional procedures is a safe practice for all categories of involved personnel when adherence to the basic radiation protection methods are closely observed.


Background: In acute-care settings interruptions and workload increase medication
administration errors (MAEs). However, MAEs are studied less within mental-health
settings, where nursing staff specialise in psychiatric therapeutics and the mode of
administration is different; e.g. in psychiatry, patients are not necessarily resting in
hospital beds making bedside administration redundant. Existing research in psychiatry
suggests MAEs are linked to morning rounds associated with more interruptions,
medicines to administer, activities and staff shortages. An audit at the current Trust in
2014 found 13−52% of patients had at least one 'blank box' on their drug chart in the
preceding seven days on seven mental-health wards necessitating further research. In
addition, the Trust spans mental-health (psychiatric) and community wards (some with
patient lockers for medication administration), providing an opportunity to examine
differences across therapeutic areas and modes of administration.
Aim: The study aims to document the rate of MAEs across all inpatient wards at
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT) psychiatric and community
hospital wards, and to investigate the interrelationship between error rates and a range
of possible contributing factors as well as the causes behind the MAEs. The aim
eventually is to produce recommendations for improving medication administration
practices in this type of setting.
Methodology: This research used a mixed-method approach by adopting direct
observation and semi-structured interviews to examine in depth the rate and causes of
MAEs within mental-health and community hospital wards. The researcher visited all
19 wards (9 community hospital wards, 10 psychiatric wards) between July and
October 2015 making 65 separate observations in total. Different modes of
administration were noted alongside any interruptions and other potential contributing
factors. The different modes of administration observed included administering at the
patient 'bedside' prepared in clinic room (applied to psychiatric wards only), using
patient lockers (applied to community hospital wards only) or a drug trolley (applied to
community hospital wards only), or via a 'queue' where by patients were called to wait
outside the clinic room (applied to psychiatric wards only) or a 'mixed' mode whereby
medicines were given at the bedside or via a queue with the medication prepared in
clinic room (applied to psychiatric wards only). In this research, data were entered into
SPSS (v21) and analysed descriptively and using the Poisson Regression Model. These
findings were discussed in structured interviews with nurses, pharmacists and compared
with the researcher's own notes to describe the causes of errors using the organisational
accident causation model as a theoretical framework, which were then triangulated with
the quantitative findings.
Findings: In total 2237 opportunities for error were observed with 367 MAEs, resulting
in a total error rate of 16.4%, 2.4% of which were wrong time errors. When the number
of MAEs was separated to procedural errors versus clinical errors, the clinical error rate
was 7.7%. The most frequent type of MAE was expiry errors (32% - a type of
procedural error) followed by omissions (23% - a type of clinical error). Two modes of
administration ('bedside-prepared in clinic room' and using 'bedside-patient locker')
and the non-psychiatric drug group increased the risk of procedural errors. Two
administration times (08:00 and 12:00 only), nurse grade (band-5 nurses) and two
modes of administration (using 'bedside-patient locker' and 'mixed') increased the risk
of clinical errors. Twelve interviews were completed with eight nurses and four
pharmacists. The main active failure category for clinical errors was understood to be
'lapses', the main error-producing condition 'staff workload' and the main latent
condition 'safety culture and priorities'. The main active failure category for procedural
errors was judged to be 'situational violations' by the researcher but this was not the
view of nurses and pharmacists who painted a more blameless picture of the workplace.
Conclusion: The findings show that expiry errors, a major component of procedural
errors, take place across both psychiatric and community hospital ward types
specifically when medication is given at the patient bedside and is prepared either in the
clinic room or given via patient lockers, and that this is likely because of staff workload
and/or lack of staff knowledge. The findings also suggest that omissions, a major
component of clinical errors, were associated with the mixed mode of administration on
psychiatric wards and the 12:00 administration time, and occurred because of a range of
reasons that included workload, miscommunication and staff-related factors. Another
type of clinical error was the wrong time error which was associated mainly with the
patient lockers and the 08:00 administration time, mainly because of the high staff
workload. The results suggest that patient lockers are not as safe as perceived because
they are implicated in both clinical and procedural errors. In addition, the distinct
contributing factors identified in this study can provide a means through which the
occurrence of MAEs can be addressed. This mixed-method study makes a novel
contribution to knowledge as the first study to compare mental-health and community
hospital wards using the direct observation method, researching different modes of
administration, and then comparing and contrasting the perceptions of the researcher
with nurse and pharmacist opinions for causes of MAEs.


This new book takes as its focus a simple yet critical question: Does foreign direct investment lead to weakened environmental regulation, thereby turning developing countries into "pollution havens"? The debate over this question has never before been the focus of a book about China. Phillip Stalley examines the development of Chinese law governing the environmental impact of foreign investors, describes how regional competition for investment has influenced environmental regulation, and analyzes the environmental practices of foreign and Chinese companies. He finds only modest evidence that integration with the global economy has transformed China into a pollution haven. Indeed, after China opened its domestic market, the entry of foreign films largely strengthened the environmental protection regime, including the oversight of foreign firms' environmental practices. Nevertheless, foreign firms (and the competition to lure them) have posed new challenges to controlling industrial pollution. Stalley identifies the conditions under which foreign investment contributes to and undermines environmental protection, offering readers a solid understanding of China's environmental challenges. He also builds on existing theory and provides hypotheses that can be tested with other developing nations.


Natural dormancy of yam tubers can last several months, which makes storage mandatory in this crop before starting a new planting. This situation implies additional risks and costs for the farmers, which sometimes a forced to sow using tubers that have not yet completed their natural dormancy period. Consequently, irregular sprouting and uneven crops occur in the field. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of applying plant growth regulators (PGR), such as thiourea, mepiquat chloride and ethephon on the induction of early sprouting of yam tubers in two varieties (cv. 0307‑49SB and 0307-50CB), harvested at 149, 179, 269 and 326 days after sowing (DAS). The results showed that growth regulators influence sprouting in tubers harvested at 179, 269, and 326 DAS, ethephon (1 g L‑1), being more effective in tubers of 179 DAS, thiourea (10-20 g L-1), those of 269 DAS, and mepiquat chloride (1-2 g L-1), in tubers of 326 DAS with similar effects on the two yam varieties. No effects of growth regulators were observed on sprouting in tubers of 149 DAS, which was attributed to immaturity of developing tissues. The study concludes that the application of growth regulators may induce early sprouting of yam tubers.


It has now become generally understood that the treatment of peptic ulcer consists of a thorough medical regimen before an operation is considered. For that reason physicians are now encountering complications from prolonged medical management as well as those which result from improper selection of patients that need to be operated on. It seems better not to differentiate between gastric and duodenal lesions on the ground of malignant transformation. The etiology is apparently the same for both gastric and duodenal lesions, and the symptoms are essentially the same. Most clinicians that have had the opportunity to observe the clinical course of gastric neoplasm and of gastric ulcer under medical management feel definitely that malignant transformation in gastric ulcer is rare. For that reason one need not be concerned with a different method of treatment of gastric and of duodenal ulcer to prevent malignant changes. Certainly, experience in the clinic for


This study examines the causality between total factor productivity (TFP) and capital investment in Japanese agriculture for the period 1957-97. We employ the Granger causality test to determine the causality between the two variables. This study also investigates movements in total output, total input and TFP for average farms of four size classes for the same period. We employ the aggregation technique to estimate total output and total input and use a large pooled cross-section and time series data set. It has been found that both TFP and capital investment had a fairly high growth rate from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s, and thereafter it started declining. The result of this study shows that there is a significant and positive bi-directional Granger-causal relationship between TFP and capital investment in Japanese agriculture over the long term.


The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Giardia spp in dogs and children in three rural communities in Puno, Peru. Fecal samples were collected (n = 130) from both children and apparently healthy dogs of both sexes and different ages. The Sheather and spontaneous sedimentation technique were used for the diagnosis of Giardia. A sample was considered positive if at least one positive result in any of the two techniques was found. The overall prevalence was 14.6 ± 6.1 and 28.5 ± 7.8% in dogs and children respectively. Sex, age, and location in both children and dogs were not statistically associated with the presence of the parasite. The results of prevalence of Giardia in dogs and children suggest a possible zoonotic risk.


Aim Prolonged QT syndrome is now recognised as a major cause of sudden unexpected cardiac death, especially in children and adolescents. Methods Selected from Paediatric Cardiology clinic list Results A 3 1/2 year old fit and healthy boy, was found to be unresponsive by his parents at home. He was given Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation(CPR) in Emergency dept as noted to have Ventricular Fibrillation(VF) rhythm and was given 2shocks. His total down time(from the onset of CPR to return of detectable pulse) was approximately 26mins. CT head were normal. In Cardiac ICU he was cardioverted twice using 60J energy and started on bolus dose of Amiodarone followed by maintenance dose. He was intubated total of 3days and was passively cooled for total of 72hrs. His ECG shown long QT syndrome and was started on Nadolol, titrated the dose based on serial 24hr tapes. His MRI head and Cardiac MRI was normal. His Cardiomyopathy screening blood tests were normal. His bloods were taken for Long QT syndrome genetic testing and was sent home with a consideration for inserting Intra cardiac defibrillator (ICD) when results available. ECG performed on both parents and his sister were normal. He was sent home with automated external defibrillator for parents to carry around. Parents were advised to attach 12 lead ECG probes to his body at night and oxygen saturation monitor. Parents and nursery staff received basic life support (BLS) training. His genetics blood tests came back positive for Long QT syndrome 3. Whole family was referred for genetics review and was listed for consideration of insertion of epicardial pacemaker. Conclusions Long QT syndrome can be asymptomatic and be an incidental finding. However it can present as sudden syncope and malignant ventricular arrhythmia or sudden death in previously healthy individuals. All first degree family members of affected patients should be screened with ECG to determine whether others are affected. References Moss AJ. Long QT Syndrome. JAMA2003; 289:2041–2044 Garson A Jr, Dick M 2nd, Fournier A, et al The long QT syndrome in children. An international study of 287 patients. Circulation1993; 87:1866–72


Context: There is a paucity of studies comparing crystalloid preload and coload in parturients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia from India. Aims: To compare crystalloid preload and coload for the prevention of maternal hypotension in parturients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Secondary outcomes studied included requirement of ephedrine for treatment of hypotension, maternal nausea and vomiting, neonatal APGAR scores and acid base status. Settings and Design: Tertiary level, teaching hospital. Prospective, randomized study. Materials and Methods: Hundred parturients, aged 20 to 40 years, American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) physical status 1 or 2, with singleton, uncomplicated pregnancies scheduled for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomized into two groups. Subjects in group P received 15 ml/kg of lactated Ringer's (RL) solution as preload over 20 min before the placement of spinal block, while those in group C received 15 ml/kg of RL over 20 min, starting as soon as CSF was tapped. Statistical Analysis Used: Student's t-test, Chi-square test, Fisher's test. Results: The number of parturients developing hypotension in group P and C was 30 and 23 respectively and was comparable statistically. More number of patients developed nausea (19 versus 10, P = 0.0473) and vomiting (14 versus 6, P = 0.0455) in group P as compared to group C and these values were statistically significant. The mean number of doses of ephedrine required (2.6 in group P and 1.8 in group C) and the total dose of ephedrine used (14.2 mg and 12.6 mg in groups P and C respectively) in the groups were comparable statistically. Conclusions: Both preloading and coloading with 15 ml/ kg of RL solution are ineffective in the prevention of spinal-induced maternal hypotension. We recommend frequent monitoring of maternal blood pressure (at 1-min intervals) and prompt treatment of maternal hypotension with vasopressors for better neonatal outcomes.


Aim: To evaluate the feasibility, safety and outcome of day case laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with symptomatic gallstones. Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Department of Surgery, Northern Medical Tower, in the Northern Border region of Saudi Arabia from Jan 2018 to Dec 2019. Two hundred forty six patients with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were admitted electively on the same day and operated on in the morning hours and discharged by the surgeon 6-8 hours later in the evening. The variables of this study were overnight stay, rate of conversion to open surgery and perioperative complications. Results: Out of 246 patients, 221 (90%) were female and 25 (10%) were male with a ratio of 9:1. The age of the patients ranged from 20-50 years with a mean age of 35 years. In this series 209 patients (85%) were discharged successfully after observation of 6-8 hours in the day surgery unit (DSU) whereas 37 patients (15%) stayed overnight. Factors responsible for overnight stay included excessive postoperative nausea and vomiting in 5 cases (2%), drain placement in 27 cases (11%) and three patients (>1%) refused to discharged. Two patients (<1%) required conversion to open laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Umbilical port site infection was noted in 4 cases (2%). Conclusion: Day-case laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and feasible with high success rate in carefully selected patients with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones.


Every micro organization ensures the deployment of its best practices for sustainability amidst seemingly competitive, complex and unpredictable business environment. Consequently, supportable leaders are needed to ensure longevity and sustained performance. This calls for succession management. The study therefore aimed to examine the effect of succession management on sustainability of micro organizations with a focus on the challenges in the South East. Survey method was adopted. The population of the study was infinite. However, purposive random sampling was adopted to select 50 micro organizations. Sources of data were through primary and secondary sources. Structured questionnaire was the major research instrument. The validity of instrument was determined by applying construct validity which refers to the degree to which the questionnaire measures the theoretical concept that the researchers hope to measure. A test-re-test method of reliability was adopted for the study. Simple regression analysis with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was adopted. The findings showed inter alia that; sustainability of micro organizations significantly depends on succession management, usually achieved through training and retention of existing employees in an organization. There is high optimism among the organizations sampled in the Southeast that adequate planning and execution of succession management will ensure productive longevity of many organizations in the geopolitical zone.The study contributed to existing knowledge on the indispensability of succession management to the sustainability of micro organizations in the Southeast. It confirms that the most efficacious means of organizational sustainability is through training and retention of existing employees of organizations. Therefore, this construct should be considered by micro organizations in planning and implementation process to remain afloat.The population of the study is limited to one geopolitical zone in the country-the South East, thus the result cannot be generalized to the remaining five zones. There is need for more studies on the remainder of the zones in Nigeria.


Background: While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used for many years, there is insufficient research regarding the indications for continuation/maintenance (C/M)-ECT, its safety and efficacy, and the characteristics of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple ECT sessions. The aims of this study were to characterize a series of patients who received 30 ECT sessions or more, to describe treatment regimens in actual practice, and to examine the results of C/M-ECT in terms of safety and efficacy, especially the effect on aggression and functioning. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 20 consecutive patients (mean age 64.6 years) with schizophrenia (n = 16) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 4) who received at least 30 ECT sessions at our ECT unit, and also interviewed the treating physician and filled out the Clinical Global Impression-Severity, Global Assessment of Functioning, and the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised. Results: Patients received a mean of 91.3 ECT sessions at a mean interval of 2.6 weeks. All had been hospitalized for most or all of the previous 3 years. There were no major adverse effects, and cognitive side effects were relatively minimal (cognitive deficit present for several hours after treatment). We found that ECT significantly reduced scores on the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised subscales for verbal aggression and self-harm, and improved Global Assessment of Functioning scores. There were reductions in total aggression scores, subscale scores for harm to objects and to others, and Clinical Global Impression-Severity scores, these were not statistically significant. Conclusion: C/M-ECT is safe and effective for chronically hospitalized patients. It improves general functioning and reduces verbal aggression and self-harm. More research using other aggression tools is needed to determine its effects and to reproduce our findings in prospective and controlled studies.


Objectives: This paper examines ICT adoption among small hotel establishments in South Africa. The paper identifies the key ICT adoption attributes and explains how these influence ICT adoption and development of e-business among these typical SMEs in South Africa.
Prior Work: The paper draws and builds on several studies on ICT adoption in small firms (Gibbs et al., 2007; Beckinsale and Ram, 2006; Zappala and Gray, 2006; Manueli et al., 2007). Notably, the paper mainly draws from the Gibbs et al. (2007) model which identifies and integrates the key ICT adoption factors that include government; environmental attributes; owner (managerial) attributes; organisational attributes; adoption attributes and social networks.
Approach: This qualitative research takes a multiple case study approach highlighting the experiences of small hotel establishments in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews, observation and document analyses
are used to collect data from a total of 3 case studies theoretically sampled from two locations in Johannesburg. The underlying technique in the analytical and interpretative process within the multiple case study methodology is that of epistemological bootstrapping (Archer, 1988).
Results: The findings suggest internet; websites; fixed-line and mobile phone networks as the most common technologies adopted by SMEs to support their e-business operations. The results also suggest both formal and informal networks as important for ICT adoption. These are key sources of information, technology, social and business support. In addition, financial and owner manager support, including personal skills and
experience are also crucial in the adoption of ICT. Power outage is identified as a major barrier across the three case studies. Government intervention is largely indirect and crucial in areas such as setting up of national ICT policy; infrastructure; dissemination of information; facilitating public-private partnerships; capacity building and power supply.
Implications: The paper highlights ICT adoption and the distinctive and behavioural characteristics of SMEs operating small hotel business in South Africa. Potentially, other sectors and, SMEs in general may benefit from these insights which may also be useful to policy-makers in terms of effective policy reviews, implementation and support strategies for SMEs.
Value: Although this paper only presents the findings based on SMEs in South Africa, the original doctoral project also included case studies from Botswana and Zimbabwe. The findings contribute to literature on ICT adoption among SMEs in general, but more specifically bring new insights to this area of study in developing nations within SADC. In addition, the research framework was applied within different geographical, economic, political and social contexts of the SADC countries and provided insights which suggested it was a useful framework for undertaking this research in southern Africa. Future research involving more SADC countries and other SME sectors would bring more detailed insights into ICT adoption at regional level.


This review explores ways in which the mentors of trainee teachers can use research as a means of questioning, understanding and improving their own practices. The first part presents an overview of empirical and theoretical research into mentoring relationships. The second part presents four ways in which mentors might engage with this literature: (1) generalisations, generated by research, can inform practice directly; (2) mentoring can be better understood by reference to theoretical frameworks derived from the literature; (3) in‐depth case studies can provide vicarious experiences of mentoring; and (4) mentors might use research methods to inquire into their own practice.


Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy of first aid training provided to academic and administrative staff working at a state university. Materials and methods: The study sample included 318 academic and administrative staff members from a state university. Between the dates of December 15, 2017 to December 22, 2017, the study participants attended basic first aid training, the sessions of which lasted for 2 hours. Before and after the training, participants answered a 20-question survey questionnaire. Frequency, mean, Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal Wallis Variance Analysis, Wilcoxon T-test, McNemar chi-square analysis, and Spearman correlation for the analysis between variances, were used for the statistical assessment of data. Results: The mean age of the participants was 35.96 ± 8.96, 68.6% were female, 54.7% held a bachelor's degree. The mean posttest score of the participants was found to be 75.0 ± 15.6, which was significantly higher than their mean pretest score of 60.0 ± 14.5 (p<0.05). Significant differences were found in terms of gender, level of education, and having undergone first aid training before and first aid knowledge scores (p<0.05), and a negative significant relationship was found between age and first aid knowledge scores. Conclusion: Results of the study showed that the first aid training provided to participants substantially increased their knowledge level, which strongly suggests that the training was effective. It is recommended that training can be repeated periodically, and they must be made known and available to all segments of society through the cooperation of various institutions and organizations.


The aim of the present study is to investigate the quantitative effects of sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors on the quality of life in heart failure (HF) patients. A total of 14,674 HF patients from two dapagliflozin and three empagliflozin studies is included for analysis via the nonlinear mixed-effect modeling (NONMEM) software, among which the change rate of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) score is used as the evaluation index. There is no significant difference in the pharmacodynamics influencing the quality of life in HF patients between the SGLT-2 inhibitors: 10 mg/day dapagliflozin and 10 mg/day empagliflozin. For the clinical summary score (CSS), total symptom score (TSS), and overall summary score (OSS), the Emax of the SGLT-2 inhibitors on the quality of life in HF patients is 3.74%, 4.43%, and 4.84%, respectively, and ET50 is 2.23, 4.37, and 7.15 weeks, respectively. In addition, the time duration of achieving 25%, 50%, 75%, and 80% Emax is 0.75, 2.23, 6.69, and 8.92 weeks for the CSS; 1.46, 4.37, 13.11, and 17.48 weeks for the TSS; and 2.39, 7.15, 21.45, and 28.6 weeks for the OSS, respectively. Therefore, to reach the plateau period (80% of Emax) of SGLT-2 inhibitors on the CSS, TSS, and OSS, 10 mg/day dapagliflozin (or 10 mg/day empagliflozin) is required to be taken for 8.92 weeks, 17.48 weeks, and 28.6 weeks, respectively. This is the first time that the quantitative effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors on the quality of life in HF patients are being explored.


An overview of the chiropractic and naturopathic professions is presented in this paper. History, theories, therapeutic modalities, and educational preparation are discussed. Emphasis is given to education covering the eye and vision at Western States Chiropractic College and the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. A practitioner survey was conducted to investigate referral patterns, ocular screening areas, and ocular treatment areas. The survey revealed that a majority of chiropractors and: naturopaths rarely receive referrals from optometrists. Conversely, a majority of chiropractors and naturopaths purport to refer patients to optometrists at least occasionally. Almost half of the chiropractors and two thirds of the naturopaths questioned do some form of ocular screening. Close to half of the chiropractors and naturopaths are involved in treatment of certain ocular conditions.


A novel reinforcement learning-based neural network (RLNN) controller is presented for the manipulation and handling of micro-scale objects in a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS). In MEMS, adhesive, surface tension, friction and van der Waals forces are dominant. Moreover, these forces are typically unknown. The RLNN controller consists of an action NN for compensating the unknown system dynamics, and a critic NN to tune the weights of the action NN. Using the Lyapunov approach, the uniformly ultimate boundedness (UUB) of the closed-loop tracking error and weight estimates are shown by using a novel weight updates. Simulation results are presented to substantiate the theoretical conclusions.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A large spectrum of neurologic disease has been reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Our aim was to investigate the yield of neuroimaging in patients with COVID-19 undergoing CT or MR imaging of the brain and to describe associated imaging findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study involving 2054 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 presenting to 2 hospitals in New York City between March 4 and May 9, 2020, of whom 278 (14%) underwent either CT or MR imaging of the brain. All images initially received a formal interpretation from a neuroradiologist within the institution and were subsequently reviewed by 2 neuroradiologists in consensus, with disputes resolved by a third neuroradiologist. RESULTS: The median age of these patients was 64 years (interquartile range, 50–75 years), and 43% were women. Among imaged patients, 58 (21%) demonstrated acute or subacute neuroimaging findings, the most common including cerebral infarctions (11%), parenchymal hematomas (3.6%), and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (1.1%). Among the 51 patients with MR imaging examinations, 26 (51%) demonstrated acute or subacute findings; notable findings included 6 cases of cranial nerve abnormalities (including 4 patients with olfactory bulb abnormalities) and 3 patients with a microhemorrhage pattern compatible with critical illness–associated microbleeds. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience confirms the wide range of neurologic imaging findings in patients with COVID-19 and suggests the need for further studies to optimize management for these patients.


Junikka, L., Uotila, P. & Lahti, T.: A phytogeographical comparison of the major Mediterranean islands on the basis of Atlas Florae Europaeae. – Willdenowia 36 (Special Issue): 379-388. – ISSN 0511-9618; © 2006 BGBM Berlin-Dahlem. doi:10.3372/wi.36.36134 (available via http://dx.doi.org/) The phytogeographical affinities of Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, the Maltese and the Balearic Islands are analysed on the basis of the chorological information in the Atlas Florae Europaeae 1-13. Data for 1109 indigenous phanerogam species were used for the production of a similarity matrix and taxon richness maps for each island, showing the representation of its flora in Europe. Jaccard's similarity index values of each island and related mainland areas show a strong floristic similarity between the large W Mediterranean islands Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, and parts of their adjacent mainland, which reflects a common geological history. The maps show that the Balearic Islands have many species in common with Malta, which depends on the prevailing pan-Mediterranean element. Many Sicilian taxa show up in the Balkans, while many species of (the mountains of) Corsica, Sicily and to a lesser extent of Sardinia appear in Central Europe. Such an element is absent in Crete, Malta and the Balearic Islands. Crete deviates widely from the other investigated areas as it has many species in common with the Cyclades and mainland Greece, but less so with the Balkans.


Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacterium associated with multidrug-resistant nosocomial infections, a problem for immunocompromised patients and those with cystic fibrosis. Here, we present the new S. maltophilia-infecting podophage Pokken. Its 76,239-bp genome, with 92 protein-coding genes and 5 tRNA genes predicted, is similar to that of phage N4. ABSTRACT Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacterium associated with multidrug-resistant nosocomial infections, a problem for immunocompromised patients and those with cystic fibrosis. Here, we present the new S. maltophilia-infecting podophage Pokken. Its 76,239-bp genome, with 92 protein-coding genes and 5 tRNA genes predicted, is similar to that of phage N4.


Every person harbors a population of potentially self-reactive lymphocytes controlled by tightly balanced tolerance mechanisms. Failures in this balance evoke immune activation and autoimmunity. In this study, we investigated the contribution of self-reactive CD8+ T lymphocytes to chronic pulmonary inflammation and a possible role for naturally occurring CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (nTregs) in counterbalancing this process. Using a transgenic murine model for autoimmune-mediated lung disease, we demonstrated that despite pulmonary inflammation, lung-specific CD8+ T cells can reside quiescently in close proximity to self-antigen. Whereas self-reactive CD8+ T cells in the inflamed lung and lung-draining lymph nodes downregulated the expression of effector molecules, those located in the spleen appeared to be partly Ag-experienced and displayed a memory-like phenotype. Because ex vivo-reisolated self-reactive CD8+ T cells were very well capable of responding to the Ag in vitro, we investigated a possible contribution of nTregs to the immune control over autoaggressive CD8+ T cells in the lung. Notably, CD8+ T cell tolerance established in the lung depends only partially on the function of nTregs, because self-reactive CD8+ T cells underwent only biased activation and did not acquire effector function after nTreg depletion. However, although transient ablation of nTregs did not expand the population of self-reactive CD8+ T cells or exacerbate the disease, it provoked rapid accumulation of activated CD103+CD62Llo Tregs in bronchial lymph nodes, a finding suggesting an adaptive phenotypic switch in the nTreg population that acts in concert with other yet-undefined mechanisms to prevent the detrimental activation of self-reactive CD8+ T cells.


Currently, boars selected for commercial use as AI sires are evaluated on grow-finish performance and carcass characteristics. If AI sires were also evaluated and selected on semen production, it may be possible to reduce the number of boars required to service sows, thereby improving the productivity and profitability of the boar stud. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic correlations between production and semen traits in the boar: average daily gain (ADG), backfat thickness (BF) and muscle depth (MD) as production traits, and total sperm cells (TSC), total concentration (TC), volume collected (SV), number of extended doses (ND), and acceptance rate of ejaculates (AR) as semen traits. Semen collection records and performance data for 843 boars and two generations of pedigree data were provided by Smithfield Premium Genetics. Backfat thickness and MD were measured by real-time ultrasound. Genetic parameters were estimated from five four-trait and one five-trait animal models using MTDFREML. Average heritability estimates were 0.39 for ADG, 0.32 for BF, 0.15 for MD, and repeatability estimates were 0.38 for SV, 0.37 for TSC, 0.09 for TC, 0.39 for ND, and 0.16 for AR. Semen traits showed a strong negative genetic correlation with MD and positive genetic correlation with BF. Genetic correlations between semen traits and ADG were low. Therefore, current AI boar selection practices may be having a detrimental effect on semen production. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2006. Vol 19, No. 2 : 160-164)


Several multi-item activities of daily living (ADL) scales have been developed for assessment of functional status of patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in the last few decades. A disadvantage of the large number of scales is that scores of different ADL scales cannot be compared directly with each other. ADL scales which are used by McNamee's (Townsend's disability scale) and Hill's (Medicare Beneficiary definitions and Katz index of ADL) provide suitable tools for modelling the cost-effectiveness of different treatments in patients with Alzheimer's disease, since they report empirical results about the relationship between the degree of functional impairment (healthcare costs) and the prevalence of institutionalisation.

The IDEAL trial examines the efficacy of Exelon Patch with the ADCS - Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADL). This ADL instrument is not directly comparable to the ADL scales used by McNamee and Hill. However, the use of the ADL scale from the IDEAL study to predict the prevalence of institutionalisation with scales by Hill and McNamee would be desirable. Because of the generic nature of the ADL construct, and considering the fact that these well validated ADL instruments identify the main physical impairments and functional disabilities in Alzheimer's disease, we should expect high overlap in item content between different ADL instruments. The high overlap in item content between instruments, and the similar wording and scoring criteria, makes it possible to pair each impairment with another. The intention of this study was to establish the link between these ADL scales in order to provide appropriate conditions for further economic analyses on the dataset provided by the IDEAL study.


In a prospective, randomized, double-blind study, we compared cefotaxime with nafcillin plus tobramycin in the treatment of serious bacterial infections. Of 195 patients with suspected or proven infections who were not neutropenic, definite bacterial infections were identified in 81; 34 of 38 patients given cefotaxime and 26 of 43 given nafcillin plus tobramycin (p less than 0.01) responded to treatment. The difference in response rates occurred primarily in patients with rapidly fatal underlying disease or with an infection outside the urinary tract. A logistic regression analysis showed that treatment with cefotaxime was still associated with a higher response rate after adjusting for several potential confounding factors. Among patients treated for 3 days or more, our criteria for nephrotoxicity were met in 2 of 68 (2.9%) given cefotaxime and 16 of 57 (28.1%) given nafcillin plus tobramycin (p less than 0.001). Prolongation of the prothrombin time and enterococcal colonization did not occur more frequently with cefotaxime. We conclude that cefotaxime may be more effective and less toxic than nafcillin plus tobramycin for patients with serious bacterial infections.


With the development of spaceborne imaging sensors, a unified image fusion approach suitable for all employed imaging sources becomes necessary. In this work, we first investigate the recently proposed hyperspherical color sharpening (HCS) method which is specifically designed for the WorldView-2 imagery. It can then be shown that the HCS method is indeed a Brovey-transform-like (BT) approach. In this paper, the performance analysis of BT-like and intensity-hue-saturation-like (IHS) methods is provided. In addition, to solve the problem of spectral mismatch, viable solutions are proposed and rigorously tested. For controlling the trade-off between the spectral and spatial information in fused images, smoothing-filter-based intensity modulation (SFIM) technique is incorporated into the IHS-BT-SFIM fusion approach with five different modules. It is demonstrated that this adjustable approach is capable of quickly merging the massive volume of data and providing a satisfactory control of color and spatial information for a wide variety of input scenes.


Abstract During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the legend of Charlemagne gained widespread popularity, as the figure of the emperor became a model for rulers and crusaders. However, at the same time, there was no equivalent cult of the emperor in East Central Europe, despite intensive intellectual exchange with those parts of the continent in which Charlemagne served as the highest political ideal. The examination of two early texts—the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus and Cosmas of Prague—reveals that although not completely absent from the chroniclers' repertoire of historical parallels and examples, Charlemagne was either mentioned simply as a chronological marker or (especially in the Chronicle of Cosmas of Prague) given attributes that do not appear in any other contemporary works and which suggest a local reinterpretation of his role in history and of his personality. Additionally, this is confirmed by an examination of a slightly later text—the Gesta Hungarorum, the earliest surviving work of medieval historiography in Hungary.