Henckelia sect. Loxocarpus is a small taxon consisting of c. 26 taxa distributed in
West Malesia. The present study is the first comprehensive taxonomic revision for all
species of Loxocarpus. This study has four objectives. The first one is to provide a review
of macro-morphological diversity and variation within Loxocarpus. Second, to carry out
phylogenetic analyses to determine whether Loxocarpus is distinct from or is a section
within Henckelia based on DNA sequences and morphological data. Third is to provide a
full taxonomic revision of Loxocarpus. And last, to provide ecology and phytogeographic
perspectives of Loxocarpus species and their conservation status.
Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that Loxocarpus is distinct from Henckelia
and nested within a few Asian and Malesian twisted-fruited genera clade. However, it is
paraphyletic. This finding is in contrast with morphological data analysis result which
showed the monophyly of Loxocarpus species. In the taxonomic revision, Loxocarpus is
reinstated as a genus with a revised generic circumscription.
Twenty three species are recognised in this taxonomic treatment, including 15
species formerly described as Loxocarpus species are reinstated, 5 new combinations are
made, 6 species are synonymised with one recognised as a variety, 4 species are determined
as novelties, and 6 incompletely known taxa are enumerated. A key to all species and
regional keys are provided to aid species identification. Species descriptions with full
synonymy, geographic distribution with distribution maps, habitat and ecology information
are given. Identification lists for herbarium specimens is provided.
iv
Based on corolla morphology, Loxocarpus species were divided into two informal groups ‗A' and ‗B'. This grouping to a certain extent correlates with phylogenetic analysis results and distribution pattern. Morphological characters were assessed in the light of their taxonomical value.
Molecular phylogenetic analyses were based on a dataset of two markers, namely trnL-F intron spacer and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS). Twenty samples from Loxocarpus species were included as ingroup, 31 taxa were selected from ‗Asian and Malesian twisted group' as outgroup. Two analysis methods, namely Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony, were implemented.
Ecological aspects of Loxocarpus species are presented. Study showed that habit is correlated with habitat. Pollination and dispersal as inferred from morphology and observation are discussed. Most probably, Loxocarpus species are pollinated by Trigona bees and seeds are dispersed by rain-drop ballistic. The Riau Pocket was determined as the centre of highest species diversity. Seventeen out of 24 taxa are narrowly endemic (c. 71 %). Conservation status for all species was assessed and 5 out of 24 taxa (c. 21 %) fall within ‗threatened' categories.
The three important research questions (Section 1.2) were answered in this study. First, it is distinct from Henckelia/Codonoboea and warrants generic status. Second, Loxocarpus is a paraphyletic taxon. Third, the characters circumscribing Loxocarpus are expanded so that the genus now includes species with longer (> 10 mm) capsules.


INTRODUCTION: Hyperthyroidism is characterised by high levels of serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine, and low levels of thyroid-stimu- lating hormone.The main causes of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy are Graves' disease and chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)-mediated hyperthyroidism. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of antithyroid drug treatments for hyperthyroidism in pregnancy? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to June 2014 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review).We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). RESULTS:We found no studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: antithyroid drugs (carbimazole/thiamazole and propylthiouracil).


Whey diafiltration was carried out with a UF25-PAN polyacrylnitrilic membrane with 25 kDa molecular weight cut-off at volume reduction factors (VRF) VRF=2, VRF=4, VRF=6, VRF=8, VRF=10. The values of the principal components dry matter, protein, lactose and mineral substances in the retentates and permeate obtained were established. The relative shares of protein, lactose and mineral substances in the dry matter, the concentration factor (CF) values for dry matter, protein, lactose and mineral substances, and the protein retention factor (RF) were determined. Linear models were created for the CF of each investigated component according to the VRF, and a logarithmic model was developed for the protein RF according to the VRF. The results obtained demonstrated the efficiency of diafiltration for deep treatment aimed at a further elimination of lactose and mineral substances and subsequent utilization of the diafiltration concentrates low in lactose and mineral substances as a liquid supplement in the manufacture of extruded cereal products.


Malignancy, surgical resection, and neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy increase the low-extremity deep vein thrombosis (LDVT) risk in patients with breast cancer, bringing in great physical burdens, disabilities, and worse survivals. However, LDVT in surgical breast cancer patients is scarcely reported. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the incidence and related factors for LDVT in these patients. Patients with breast cancer who underwent surgical resection were included. LDVT was examined on the day of discharge and 1 month after the discharge. A total of 491 eligible patients were included, among which 11 (2.2%) patients occurred LDVT. Besides, higher age, history of diabetes mellitus, advanced T and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stages, higher platelet count, and shorter activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were correlated with increased LDVT incidence (all p < 0.05). Additionally, higher age [p = 0.004, odds ratio (OR) (95% CI): 1.082 (1.023–1.144)], history of diabetes mellitus [p = 0.003, OR (95% CI): 10.426 (2.219–48.986)], and a higher platelet count [p = 0.008, OR (95% CI): 1.017 (1.004–1.029)] were independent factors for increased LDVT incidence, while higher APTT [p = 0.004, OR (95% CI): 0.636 (0.467–0.866)] was an independent factor for decreased LDVT incidence. Lastly, the risk prediction model involving age, history of diabetes mellitus, platelet count, and APTT showed a good ability to predict LDVT occurrence (area under curve: 0.919, 95% CI: 0.869–0.968). In conclusion, the LDVT incidence is 2.2%, and its independent factors consist of age, history of diabetes mellitus, platelet count, and APTT in patients with breast cancer who underwent surgical resection, which provides evidence for the prevention and surveillance of LDVT in surgical breast cancer.


As a software component which is capable of learning in an autonomous way, software agent should have the capability of learning in a dynamic environment. Genetic Algorithm has a wide perspective in the machine learning because of its unique characteristic (e.g. dynamic adaptability, self-organization, global convergence and robustness). But when applying GA to agent's dynamic learning model, it encounters a series of problem. In this paper, a Modifided Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm(MMOGA) will be introduced to solve these problems. Finally, an Agent's Dynamic learning model based on a MMOGA which has the flexible dynamic learning capability, better global convergence and performance, will be introduced.


AIMS
In addition to patients with pure/predominant aortic stenosis (PAS), real-world transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) referrals include patients with mixed aortic valve disease (MAVD; severe stenosis+moderate-severe regurgitation). We sought to compare TAVI outcomes in patients with MAVD vs. PAS.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Out of 793 consecutive patients undergoing TAVI, 106 (13.4%) had MAVD. Patients with MAVD were younger and had a higher operative risk, a more severe adverse cardiac remodelling, and a worse functional status than patients with PAS. Moderate-severe prosthetic valve regurgitation (PVR) was significantly more frequent in patients with MAVD than in patients with PAS (15.7% vs. 3.6%, p=0.003), even after propensity-score and multivariable adjustments. Moderate-severe PVR was associated with increased one-year mortality in patients with PAS (log-rank p=0.002), but not in patients with MAVD (log-rank p=0.27). Eventually, all-cause and cardiac mortality as well as the functional capacity were similar in the two study groups up to one year.

CONCLUSIONS
A significant proportion of patients referred for TAVI in a real-world registry has MAVD. Moderate-severe AR at baseline can influence the rate and modify the clinical sequelae of post-TAVI PVR. Eventually, clinical outcomes in patients with MAVD are comparable to those in patients with PAS in the acute and midterm phases, in spite of a baseline higher risk. MAVD should not be considered a contraindication for TAVI.


Dr Wijkstra opened this symposium on long-term non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dr Köhnlein presented data from a recent randomised controlled trial (RCT) of NIV for the treatment of severe stable COPD.1 Dr Cheval discussed the use of telemonitoring
in French patients with COPD. The meeting concluded with a round-table discussion on the international practice of home mechanical ventilation (HMV) for COPD, moderated by Dr Wijkstra and Prof Windisch with contributions from Dr Köhnlein, Dr Nava, Dr Hart, and Prof Pépin.


Article history: Received October 15, 2013 Received in revised format March 2 2014 Accepted May 1, 2014 Available online May 7 2014 Selection of one or a combination of the most suitable potential providers and outsourcing problem is the most important strategies in logistics and supply chain management. In this paper, selection of an optimal combination of suppliers in inventory and supply chain management are studied and analyzed via multiple attribute decision making approach, data mining and evolutionary optimization algorithms. For supplier selection in supply chain, hierarchical clustering according to the studied indexes first clusters suppliers. Then, according to its cluster, each supplier is evaluated through Grey Relational Analysis. Then the combination of suppliers' Pareto optimal rank and costs are obtained using Artificial Bee Colony meta-heuristic algorithm. A case study is conducted for a better description of a new algorithm to select a multiple source of suppliers. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


The effects of ionizing radiation in different compositions of polymer gel dosimeters are investigated using FT-Raman spectroscopy and NMR T2 relaxation times. The dosimeters are manufactured from different concentrations of comonomers (acrylamide and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide) dispersed in different concentrations of an aqueous gelatin matrix. Results are analysed using a model of fast exchange of magnetization between three proton pools. The fraction of protons in each pool is determined using the known chemical composition of the dosimeter and FT-Raman spectroscopy. Based on these results, the physical and chemical processes in interplay in the dosimeters are examined in view of their effect on the changes in T2. The precipitation of growing macroradicals and the scavenging of free radicals by gelatin are used to explain the rate of polymerization. The model describes the changes in T2 as a function of the absorbed dose up to 50 Gy for the different compositions. This is expected to aid the theoretical design of new, more efficient dosimeters, since it was demonstrated that the optimum dosimeter (i.e, with the lowest dose resolution) must have a range of relaxation times which match the range of T2 values which can be determined with the lowest uncertainty using an MRI scanner.


We
 report the orientation selective immobilization of human erythrocyte membranes on planar solid supports.
 The orientation of the immobilized membrane was identified with selective fluorescence labels. When
 the right-side-out (RSO) ghosts were incubated with planar glass cover slides, no adsorption or rupture of erythrocytes
 could be observed. To increase the interfacial attraction between cells and the surface, two types of hydrated polymer films were deposited on the glass cover slides; (a) physisorbed films of cationic polylysine, and
 (b) Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films of cellulose derivatives. On polylysine films, patches of the ruptured
 membranes could be observed, but the surface coverage still remained poor. On the other hand, RSO ghosts were
 likely to coat the surface of cellulose films more continuously. The fluorescence labeling demonstrated
 that immobilized erythrocyte membranes selectively inverted their native orientation. Tentatively, we interpreted
 this larger surface coverage on the cellulose film in terms of the "wetting affinity" between the cell surface glycocalix and the polysaccharides. Such ultrathin (thickness 5–10 nm), biological polysaccharide films have a large potential to immobilize native cell membranes
 without denaturing
 their structure, membrane orientation, and functions.


* Accepted for publication by Carl Murchison of the Editorial Board, and received in the Editorial Office, November 14, 1930.


Comprehensive research on glacier changes in the Tian Shan is available for the current decade; however, there is limited information about glacier investigations of previous decades and especially before the mid 1970s. The earliest stereo images from the Corona missions were acquired in the 1960s but existing studies dealing with these images focus on single glaciers or small areas only. We developed a workflow to generate digital terrain models (DTMs) and orthophotos from 1964 Corona KH-4 for an entire mountain range (Ak-Shirak) located in the Central Tian Shan. From these DTMs and orthoimages, we calculated geodetic mass balances and length changes in comparison to 1973 and 1980 Hexagon KH-9 data. We found mass budgets between −0.4 ± 0.1 m·w.e.a−1 (1964–1980) and −0.9 ± 0.4 m·w.e.a−1 (1973–1980) for the whole region and individual glaciers. The length changes, on the other hand, vary heterogeneously between +624 ± 18 m (+39.0 ± 1.1 m·a−1) and −923 ± 18 m (−57.7 ± 1.1 m·a−1) for 1964–1980. An automation of the processing line can successively lead to region-wide Corona data processing allowing the analysis and interpretation of glacier changes on a larger scale and supporting a refinement of glacier modelling.


: Gait and mobility of 50 Parkinsonian patients were studied using an instrumented walkway and by analysis of video tape. Whilst walking velocities did not differ from those of subjects with other conditions affecting gait, worsening of the patients' clinical condition was related to deterioration of scores in these objective tests.


In this paper we investigate the performance of Lytro camera in terms of its refocusing quality. The refocusing quality of the camera is related to the spatial resolution and the depth of field as the contributing parameters. We quantify the spatial resolution profile as a function of depth using empirical and model based approaches. The depth of field is then determined by thresholding the spatial resolution profile. In the model based approach, the previously proposed sampling pattern cube (SPC) model for representation and evaluation of the plenoptic capturing systems is utilized. For the experimental resolution measurements, camera evaluation results are extracted from images rendered by the Lytro full reconstruction rendering method. Results from both the empirical and model based approaches assess the refocusing quality of the Lytro camera consistently, highlighting the usability of the model based approaches for performance analysis of complex capturing systems.


It has been a common belief of students of Chinese history that the "One Hundred Days of Reform" of 1898 got under way only after Weng T'ungho, the imperial tutor and associate grand secretary, popularly known to foreigners as China's prime minister, strongly recommended the reformer K'ang Yu-wei to the Emperor Te-tsung in the spring of that eventful year. So strong has been this impression that Weng was alleged to have said that his own official career hinged upon whether or not K'ang could make a favorable impression upon the emperor in June 1898. Weng, therefore, has been regarded as the sponsor if not the official leader of the reform party. A critical examination of the contemporary Chinese sources, however, reveals that in the spring of 1898, when nationwide reform was in the air, Weng was in reality an opponent of systematic innovation, although he had previously endorsed K'ang and his program. It is the aim of this article to test the truth of the common belief that Weng was the key high official who persistently patronized the reform movement.


During menopause, women may experience greater loss of bone mineral density, leading to a high risk of fractures. Estradiol has great importance in the maintenance of bone micro architecture and estradiol and testosterone combination have high effectiveness in preventing osteoporosis and fractures in post menopausal women. There is an actual trend of using testosterone combined with estradiol in order to improve the hypo androgen symptoms with an important improvement in the quality of life of these women. The behavior of the lipid profile in women using this combination is not well defined once the results of the studies already made are very controversial.  This review article aims at evaluating the studies made in the last years that evaluated the impact of the use of androgens in post menopause women over a bone mineral density and the lipid profile. Searches of articles were made on Pubmed from 1980 to 2011. The searches were made with the use of the keywords 'testosterone' or 'androgens' and 'postmenopausal women' and 'bone density' and 'hormone replacement therapy'. In its second phase the 'testosterone' or 'androgens' and 'postmenopausal women' and 'lipoprotein' and 'hormone replacement'. A total of 67 articles were found. After reading their whole content, 09 original articles were included in this review, prospective that evaluated bone mineral density or the lipid profile in patients using hormone therapy in post menopause. The benefits of the use of androgens have been demonstrated in publications resulting from studies with a reduced number of patients, in non-probabilistic samples, and most of them observational. On the other hand, the results converge towards an improvement of the lipid profile and increase in the bone mineral density in the patients in post menopause. The greater limitation of these results lies on the difficulty on determining the isolated effects of the androgens once the studies showed results obtained through HT with estradiol and androgens. Clinical rehearsals in comparison between the use of isolated estradiol and estardiol + testosterone shall clarify the impact of this combination under the lipid profile and bone protection in postmenopausal patients. doi:10.4021/jem56w


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The annual Lesquerella fendleri, native to the south-western desert of United States and Mexico, and the perennial L. mendocina, native to Argentina, may have potential as new crops for cold-arid environments. The introduction of a new crop requires an understanding of environmental influences on growth and development, particularly temperature, which has been recognized as the main factor affecting the rate of development in crops. The objective of this study was to examine differences in the phenology of L. fendleri and L. mendocina and in the response to temperature in both vegetative and reproductive phases.

METHODS
Plants of each species were grown at a range of constant temperatures under controlled conditions and developmental responses were analysed and quantified.

KEY RESULTS
The rate of development of L. fendleri increased linearly with temperature in the phase from emergence (EM) to floral bud appearance (FBA) over the range 9-20 degrees C, and for the phase from FBA to first flower open (FL) over the range 9-24 degrees C. In contrast, the rate of development of L. mendocina was insensitive to temperature during the phase EM to FBA. In the phase FBA to FL, L. mendocina had a lower sensitivity to temperature than L. fendleri. In addition, L. fendleri exhibited a quantitative response to supra-optimal temperatures (reducing rate of development with further increases in temperature) whereas L. mendocina showed a qualitative response, with development ceasing to progress at temperatures above the optimum.

CONCLUSIONS
This differential behaviour at high temperatures could explain the biennial habit found for L. mendocina sown during late spring under field conditions, whereas it behaves as an annual when sown in autumn-winter. The possibility is discussed of using this information for establishing the coincidence of critical stages with environmental conditions that can limit potential and actual yield through agronomic practices.


A conventional power system stabilizer (PSS) can improve the steady-state stability margin and increase the system positive damping, but it has some drawbacks, such as the time-consuming tuning and nonoptimal damping in the entire operating process. A proportional--integral (PI) adaptive control law in simple adaptive control (SAC) can overcome these drawbacks. However, it can only be applied to the plants with almost strict positive realness (ASPR), and the computation of adaptive control law is really complex. A new improved SAC (ISAC) based on quadratic performance index was proposed. A new PSS can be designed using the ISAC. The simulation and experimental results show that this stabilizer possesses good dynamic characteristics and regulation precision. They also show that the new PSS can improve the dynamic stability of the power system and suppress the low-frequency oscillation effectively.


Environmental protection is becoming more and more important for enterprises because of stronger public awareness, competitors and communities, and government regulations. For this purpose, some programs have become more popular for raising environmental awareness including total quality environmental management and green supply chain management. Reducing the environmental pollution from upstream to downstream during procuring raw materials, producing, distribution, selling products, and products depreciation is the most important goal of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM). The main contribution of this study is introducing the main factors in green supply chain management that are very important in environmental attributes by providing an evaluation framework to select the most eligible green suppliers by examining the influential and important criteria and subcriteria among ten elements of two main GSCM practices, namely, green logistics and environmental protection. First, these factors are divided into two groups, that is, green logistics and environmental protection, and then by applying DEMATEL technique, the complex causal relationship between all factors dependencies and feedbacks among them is examined. Finally, by drawing the impact relationship map the most important and influential factors are determined for improving green supply chain environmental aspects.


Since the start of recent healthcare, medicine and dentistry have existed as separate healthcare domains. The systemic separation began a century ago, and health care policy has historically reinforced it. While this separation seemed to serve for several years, significant changes in healthcare have occurred and this separation is now obsolete and should be harmful. This artificial division of care into organizational silos ignores the very fact that the mouth is a component of the body. The emergent understanding of how oral health affects overall health, and the other way around, suggests that continuation of this separation results in incomplete, inaccurate, inefficient and inadequate treatment of both medical and dental disease. We are entering the age of accountability and wish to specialise in oral and craniofacial health also as its connection to systemic health, research and education. albeit technology and therefore the market are constantly changing, there's one thing which always remains an equivalent – the human concern for health. The strength of overall healthcare during a community relies on an interdisciplinary approach. Its integration.

The classical clinical manifestation is represented by a daily round or slightly red irregular area. this will be characterized by atrophy or the presence of ulceration. The red area is characterized by typical white radiating striae and telangiectasia. These signs may resemble those of lichen ruber planus, despite the shortage of symmetry. Although the oral condition isn't major, petechial lesion and gingival bleeding like desquamative gingivitis, marginal gingivitis, or erosive mucosal lesions are reported in up to 40% of patients and should indicate serious thrombocytopenia.

The diagnosis of mucosa pemphigoid is predicated on clinical and histological samples. The histologic examination shows the detachment of the epithelium from the underlying animal tissue. Direct immunofluorescence is diriment when there are doubtful histological samples showing a linear involvement at the extent of the basal membrane. The immunofluorescence is especially useful within the medical diagnosis with pemphigus and lichen also like periodontitis and SLE. Epithelial degeneration isn't observed; the animal tissue appears pervaded by an intense inflammatory infiltrate mainly consisting of plasma cells and eosinophils.

It has been said that there aren't pathognomonic laboratory findings. so as to diagnose the Behcet syndrome, consistent with the ISG criteria, a minimum of two of the most features (oral, genital, or ocular lesions) must be present when another clinical explanation is excluded. Indeed, the medical diagnosis may be a challenge considering that oral aphthous lesions are quite common within the general population. Moreover, aphthous lesions are linked to HIV, Crohn's disease, sarcoidosis, and SLE, as long as the dual-site-specific ulcerations seem to be the unique sign wont to differentiate the Behcet syndrome.

The treatment of Behcet syndrome is predicated on the utilization of local and systemic cortisones intrinsically or including immunosuppressant drugs. the utilization of immunosuppressive drugs is justified by the shortage of prevention of relapses thanks to the monocorticosteroid treatment strategy. the most objective of Behcet syndrome patient care is to treat in time the oral mucocutaneous lesions so as to hinder the progression of the disease and to stop the irreversible organ involvement especially during the active phase. Behcet syndrome might be fatal especially within the case of vascular involvement: aneurism rupture and thrombosis are the most causes of death.


An autopsy case of mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver was reported and from the macroscoplcal observation and serial sections of the tumor the following findings were found: (1) macroscopically the tumor is supplied by only one large triad, (2) in the tumor hepatic lobular structure is fundamentally preserved and proliferated bile ducts with surrounding fibrosis and many bile thrombi are mainly elongated and dilated Hering's canals, (3) the cysts connect with dilated interlobular bile ducts, (4) there are two portions, where connection of bile ducts is incomplete, that Is, from Hering's canals to interlobular bile ducts and from interlobular ducts to large ducts in the large triad of (1), (5) almost all portal veins in the large triad of (2) are stenosed or obliterated by loose intimal fibrosis. From these findings it is considered that intrahepatic bile duct obstruction resulting in regional biliary cirrhosis is the fundamental process of this disease, and in addition the role of hemodynamic disturbance was discussed.


This article is a response to criticisms of my thesis that Giovanni Francesco Straparola invented the rise fairy-tale plotline in 1550s Venice. In order to clarify and support the argument that I made in my 2002 book, Fairy Godfather, I here make efforts toward establishing a common terminology, critiquing the parameters of Proppian structural analysis, and revising the trope of women-as-storytellers. I affirm the importance of sociohistorical studies of publishing, editing, and patterns of literacy for understanding the emergence and spread of rise fairy tales. I refute arguments for the existence of rise fairy tales in the ancient world and in the Middle Ages. In addition, I offer further explanations of how print technology, widespread schooling, and economic change brought about the emergence of rise fairy tales in Renaissance Venice, and to account for the post-1789 spread of rise fairy tales among European and non-European populations, I cite increasing literacy in rural areas.


The digestibility of CP and AA by growing pigs in coproducts from canola and 00-rapeseed may be influenced by the variety of seeds that was grown and the processing method used to extract the oil from the seeds. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers fed to growing pigs. Canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal are the coproducts produced after the residual oil has been solvent extracted from canola seeds and 00-rapeseeds, respectively, whereas 00-rapeseed expellers is the coproduct from 00-rapeseeds that have been only expeller pressed. Twenty-three barrows (initial BW: 28.8 ± 2.64 kg) that had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum were allotted to a 9 × 23 Youden square design with 9 periods and 23 dietary treatments. The 23 diets included 7 diets based on the 7 samples of canola meal, 10 diets based on the 10 samples of 00-rapeseed meal, 5 diets based on the 5 samples of 00-rapeseed expellers, and a N-free diet. Each source of canola or rapeseed coproducts was used as the only source of CP and AA in 1 diet. The SID of CP and all AA except Val, Cys, and Glu were not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-rapeseed expellers had greater (P < 0.01) SID of CP and all AA except Thr, Trp, and Gly than 00-rapeseed meal, which possibly is due to heat damage in 00-rapeseed meal. For Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp, SID values of 70.6%, 84.5%, 73.0%, and 82.6%, and 71.9%, 84.6%, 72.6%, and 82.6% were obtained in canola meal and rapeseed meal, respectively, whereas values in 00-rapeseed expellers were 74.7%, 87.1%, 74.0%, and 83.4%. The SID for most AA was different (P < 0.05) among the 7 sources of canola meal, among the 10 sources of 00-rapeseed meal, and among the 5 sources of 00-rapeseed expellers. The concentration of standardized ileal digestible indispensable AA in canola and 00-rapeseed coproducts can be predicted from the concentration of the corresponding AA with only a low to moderate correlation (r(2) = 0.206 to 0.655). In conclusion, AA digestibility is not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-rapeseed expellers have greater digestibility of most AA than 00-rapeseed meal. Prediction equations may not always adequately estimate the concentration of indispensable AA and standardized ileal digestible indispensable AA in canola and 00-rapeseed coproducts.


Abstract Librarians, faculty, professional researchers, and students often encounter difficulties in locating pertinent journal articles for the field of archaeology. This article examines the coverage given by 13 discipline-specific and subject-oriented indexes available online over a 50-year interval to 89 archaeology journals originating in the United Kingdom and in Ireland. The coverage provided by the individual indexes and several of the larger issues surrounding the coverage of the field are discussed, and a few recommendations are offered.


Background Malignant bowel obstruction is common in advanced cancer. It is frequently associated with a poor prognosis. Management is complex and requires multidisciplinary input. Though management decisions need to be individualised, the assessment process leading to such decisions should be systematic. Aims The primary aim was to provide baseline information on key areas of malignant bowel obstruction management for future auditing purposes. A secondary aim was to assess compliance with the current hospital guidelines for the medical management of this condition. Methods The medical notes for 32 admissions to the oncology ward of an acute tertiary hospital between 31 July 2009 and 1 August 2010 were reviewed. Data was entered onto a proforma. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results The majority of patients had advanced cancer with peritoneal metastases (28.88%). Ovarian was the most common primary site (17.57%). 15 (47%) patients were committed to a course of chemotherapy at presentation. The majority of patients had symptoms of nausea (26.81%), vomiting (26.81%), abdominal pain (26.81%) and altered bowel habit (27.78%). Medications were administered via a continuous subcutaneous infusion in 19 (60%) cases. A nasogastric tube was inserted in 10 (31%) cases. Cyclizine was the most commonly used first-line antiemetic (57%). Octreotide was rarely used (3.9%). Treatment of persisting bowel obstruction included: chemotherapy (13.41%), surgery (3.9.4%), radiotherapy (1.3%), stenting (5.15%) and venting gastrostomy (1.3%). 7 (22%) patients were commenced on parenteral nutrition. Twenty-seven patients (84%) survived to discharge and, of these, 20 (74%) were discharged home. Conclusion The results indicate that the presentation and nature of malignant bowel obstruction is heterogeneous and that treatment decisions vary widely. The current local guidelines are under review to promote more consistent management and to guide referral to important disciplines.


This article reviews recent literature on bereavement concerning the typical features of both normal and pathological grief. It discusses the distinctive aspects of grief in children and concludes with suggestions for physicians seeking to assist bereaved families.


A radar transponder was constructed, which modifies the received signal such that its complex conjugate is returned to the radar, qualities of the conjugate mirror used in optics and acoustics. For a monostatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a perfect conjugate mirror will reflect a signal back to the radar with no phase shift due to the propagation path. The signal received by the transponder is also decorrelated from other targets, enhancing the transponder signal in the SAR image. This letter describes a transponder operated as a SAR conjugate mirror and an experiment with the European Remote Sensing 1 satellite, demonstrating the feasibility and characteristics. The significance for transponder design is addressed and possible applications discussed


beta-Blockers are widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease and act by antagonizing the effects of adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) on beta-adrenergic receptors. All beta-blockers currently used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease contain at least one chiral center and, while most are marketed as racemates, their cardiac antihypertensive activity generally resides in the S-enantiomer. Nebivolol is a third generation beta-blocker that is highly selective for the beta(1)-adrenoceptor. The nebivolol molecule contains four chiral centers and is marketed as a racemate of (+)-nebivolol (SRRR-configuration) and (-)-nebivolol (RSSS-configuration). Nebivolol differs from all other beta-blockers with a hydroxypropanolamine substructure in that its cardiac antihypertensive activity resides in the R-enantiomer at the hydroxy group, whereas all other beta-blockers have antihypertensive activity in the S-enantiomer. Two of the four chiral centers in nebivolol are part of a ring structure and the increased rigidity of this structure may be related to nebivolol's divergence from the standard pharmacophore model of beta-blockers.


In past times, media were the sole vector to reflect in their entire complexity the events surrounding major world tragedies. Nowadays, social media are an essential component of the media process and classical press channels are connected to the social networking flow, where they can find information and, at the same time, tap into the emotional pulse of society. On 30 October 2015, a Bucharest nightclub was destroyed in a blaze tragedy in which 64 people were killed, most of them young. The present study focuses on how Romanian mainstream media and social media came together and made use of each other, generating post-tragedy side effects. Monitoring was conducted over a period of one month, starting from 30 October 2015, the date of the tragedy, until 30 November. Our investigation method combines content analysis and the interpretation of quantitative data, with reference to parameters such as context, themes, style, genre, and information/opinion rapport. The conclusions of this case study show that the interweaving between media and social media has generated a change of paradigm in mass communication, as a result of which professional journalists continue to play a role as responsible filters.


This study investigated the effects of propranolol (P) as a non-selective b-adrenergic receptor blocker on blood glucose and lipid profile in non-diabetic patients. The results of this project will be a guide to prevent occurrence of hypoglycemic signs (tachycardia, palpitation, feeling hunger, blood pressure changes, anxiety and sweating) and its undesired consequences in P takers. Thirty seven patients chosen were without any serious cardiovascular complications and also without hearing, intellectual and visual defects. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile of the patients were estimated by autoanalyser instrument, BT3000. Only comparison between blood HDL level before taking P and after an 8-week period of taking P became significant (Pv = 0.034) and the variable mentioned showed a reduction of level in most of the P takers. It is concluded that if a patient needs a beta adrenergic blocker, a selective beta 1 blocker should be considered cautiously.


BACKGROUND
Bleeding and thrombosis are common extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) complications associated with increased mortality. Heparin is the most commonly used ECMO anticoagulant, employed in 94% of cases. Reduced antithrombin III (AT3) levels could decrease heparin effectiveness. Neonates have inherently lower levels of AT3 than adults, and pediatric patients on ECMO can develop AT3 deficiency. One potential approach for patients on ECMO with AT3 deficiency is exogenous AT3 supplementation. However, there is conflicting data concerning the use of AT3 for pediatric and neonatal patients on ECMO.

METHODS
We analyzed the Bleeding and Thrombosis during ECMO database of 514 neonatal and pediatric patients on ECMO. We constructed daily regression models to determine the association between AT3 supplementation and rates of bleeding and thrombosis. Given the physiological differences between pediatric patients and neonates, we constructed separate models for each.

RESULTS
AT3 administration was associated with increased rates of daily bleeding among pediatric (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.59, p < 0.01) and neonatal (aOR 1.37, p = 0.04) patients. AT3 supplementation did not reduce the rate of thrombosis for either pediatric or neonatal patients.

CONCLUSION
AT3 administration was associated with increased rates of daily bleeding, a hypothesized potential complication of AT3 supplementation. In addition, AT3 supplementation did not result in lower rates of thrombosis. We recommend clinicians utilize caution when considering supplementing patients on ECMO with exogenous AT3.


Abstract. Tropical giant clams of the subfamily Tridacninae, including the
species Tridacna maxima, are unique among bivalves as they live in a symbiotic relationship
with unicellular algae and generally function as net photoautotrophs. Light
is therefore crucial for these species to thrive. Here we examine the
light dependency of calcification rates of T. maxima in the central Red Sea as well as
the patterns of its abundance with depth in the field. Red Sea T. maxima show the highest
densities at a depth of 3 m with 0.82±0.21 and 0.11±0.03 individuals m−2 (mean ± SE) at sheltered and exposed sites,
respectively. Experimental assessment of net calcification (µmol CaCO3 cm−2 h−1) and gross primary production (µmol O2 cm−2 h−1) under seven light levels (1061, 959, 561, 530,
358, 244, and 197 µmol quanta m−2 s−1) showed net
calcification rates to be significantly enhanced under light intensities
corresponding to a water depth of 4 m (0.65±0.03 µmol CaCO3 cm−2 h−1; mean ± SE), while gross primary
production was 2.06±0.24 µmol O2 cm−2 h−1 (mean ± SE). We found a quadratic relationship between net calcification and
tissue dry mass (DM in gram), with clams of an intermediate size (about 15 g DM) showing the highest calcification. Our results show that the Red Sea
giant clam T. maxima stands out among bivalves as a remarkable calcifier, displaying
calcification rates comparable to other tropical photosymbiotic reef
organisms such as corals.


Soliton propagation along optical fibers is discussed on the basis of the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which is known to be completely integrable in terms of the inverse-scattering transformation. Numerical observation of soliton propagation reveals various kinds of dynamical behavior, which cannot be accounted for by treating the nonlinear derivative term of the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation as a perturbation term for the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation.


In recent years the availability of GPS devices and the development in web technologies has produced a considerable growth in geographical applications available on the web. In particular the growing popularity of digital photography and photo sharing services has opened the way to a myriad of possible applications related to geotagged pictures. In this work we present an overview of the creation, sharing and use of geotagged pictures. We propose an approach to providing a new browsing experience of photo collections based on location and heading information metadata.


Interaction of CO2, Nd:YAG, excimer and high-power diode laser radiation with the surface of a common mild steel (EN8) was found to effect changes in the wettability characteristics of the steel, namely changes in the measured contact angle of certain liquids. Such changes were identified as being due to modifications to (i) the surface roughness, (ii) changes in the surface oxygen content and (iii) changes in the surface energy of the mild steel. However, it was found that changes in the wettability characteristics of the mild steel were predominantly influenced by the surface roughness. To a much lesser extent surface O2 content is also thought to play a role. The work has shown that the wettability characteristics of the selected mild steel could be controlled and/or modified with laser surface treatment. Moreover, the findings of this work strongly indicate the existence of a relationship between the change of the wetting properties of the mild steel and the laser wavelength.


Introduction Chest radiography remains a critical tool for diagnosing intrathoracic tuberculosis (TB) in young children who are unable to expectorate. We describe the radiological findings in children under 3 years of age investigated for TB in the district of Manhiça, southern Mozambique, an area with a high prevalence of TB and HIV. Methods Digital antero-posterior and lateral projections were performed and reviewed by two independent readers, using a standardized template. Readers included a local pediatrician and a pediatric radiologist blinded to all clinical information. International consensus case definitions for intra-thoracic TB in children were applied. Results A total of 766 children were evaluated of whom 43 (5.6%) had TB. The most frequent lesion found in TB cases was air space consolidation (65.1%), followed by suggestive hilar lymphadenopathy (17.1%) and pleural effusion (7.0%). Air space consolidation was significantly more common in TB cases than in non-TB cases (odds ratio 8.9; 95% CI: 1.6-50.5), as were hilar lymphadenopathy (OR 17.2; 95% CI: 5.7-52.1). The only case with miliary infiltrates and 3 with pleural effusions occurred in HIV-infected children. Conclusion Frequent air space consolidation complicates radiological distinction between TB and bacterial pneumonia in young children, underscoring the need for epidemiological contextualization and consideration of all relevant signs and symptoms.


Visual interneurones with projections into the median protocerebrum of the honeybee brain were characterized by electrophysiological and neuroanatomical methods. Extrinsic medulla neurones with wide ramifications in the medulla and terminations in the median posterior protocerebrum show spatial opponency in their tonic responses to stationary light.

Wide-field lobula neurones projecting into the dorsal lobe code the direction of movement of visual stimuli by changing the sign of their tonic response. Lobula neurones, with two branches ipsi- and contralateral to the oesophagus, are binocularly sensitive. A moving stimulus in either direction causes excitation or inhibition of these neurones, the sign of the response being dependent on the side of stimulation.

The presumed dendrites of an extrinsic lobula neurone, showing combined spectral and spatial opponency, differ markedly in shape from those of lobula movement-detecting neurones.

Neurones that connect the optic tubercle with the contralateral dorsal lobe are characterized. They show a non-directionally selective movement sensitivity within a binocular receptive field.

Note:

Present address: B A M, FG 5.1; Unter den Eichen 87, D-1000 Berlin 45, FRG.


Variable selection is widely utilized in spectral data analysis. However, for the quantitative analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), conventional variable selection methods could be inapplicable due to too many dense and informative variables leading to unreliable modeling and a bad explanation effect. To solve this problem, we propose a fast variable selection method combining interval partial least squares (iPLS) and modified iterative predictor weighting-partial least squares (mIPW-PLS) and apply it to the LIBS quantitative analysis of soils. Our method is validated by detecting the concentrations of Cu, Ba, Cr, Mg and Ca in different kinds of soil samples. The results demonstrate that variables with maximal relevance were selected effectively and efficiently. Compared with other methods, our method establishes a more simplified model with high accuracy and robustness as well as improved predictive ability. The number of variables used for calculation was reduced significantly. The root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and the R2 of prediction showed more satisfactory results compared with conventional methods. The limits of detection (LODs) obtained for Cu, Ba, Cr, Mg and Ca were 11.4, 4.3, 3.6, 529.5 and 307.6 mg kg−1.


As currently available chronic pain medication is associated with undesirable side effects and suboptimal efficacy, the improvement of treatment options is a major task in the pain research community. The basis for the latter is an advanced understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying chronic pain states. The approach to target molecules that are specifically involved in the pathological form of pain is highly important in order to maintain an individual's ability to process acute nociceptive pain. Such a strategy ideally allows for novel drug target identification, and thereby decreased side effects and enhanced therapeutic outcomes. Here, an uncharacterized mitochondrial transmembrane protein (TM) was investigated with regard to its role in chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain. In a previous quantitative proteomics study, TM and other mitochondrial proteins showed differential expression in two mouse models of chronic pain. This finding was in line with the growing evidence for the connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and diverse chronic pain conditions.
TM was characterized in vivo by generating knock out (KO) mice with the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Effective gene ablation was confirmed by, genomic sequencing, quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. Neuropathic pain was induced by a spared nerve injury (SNI-model) and the intraplantar injection of CFA (Complete Freund's Adjuvant) that causes inflammatory pain. Sham operated/vehicle injected mice served as controls. Subsequently, a battery of behavioral paradigms including measures of stimulus-evoked and spontaneous pain was performed. Strikingly, a specific attenuation of mechanical hypersensitivity upon induction of inflammatory pain and in the initial stage of neuropathic pain (7 days post surgery, marked by pronounced inflammation) was shown in TM KO mice. However, later neuropathic pain phases were not affected. Moreover, other investigated pain modalities such as heat hypersensitivity, NEP and movement-evoked pain were unaltered in TM-deficient mice. Besides, several in vitro techniques were applied to study the molecular basis for the behavioral phenotype. They revealed altered mRNA levels of several prototypic inflammatory mediators and components implicated in mitochondrial function in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and sciatic nerves (SN) of TM KO mice. Mitochondrial dysfunction and potential alteration of neuronal excitability could not be approved with the applied methods. However, decreased activation of a specific nociceptor subpopulation was shown in sensory neurons upon TM ablation, which could be rescued by application of the cytokine TNFα (downregulated mRNA level).
Further research is needed to understand the molecular mechanism underlying the specific alleviation of mechanical hypersensitivity during the early inflammatory stage of neuropathic pain and CFA-evoked inflammatory pain in TM KO mice. Yet, these results propose a novel and pivotal implication for TM in modality-specific pain signaling.


Concept exploration, requirement specification and analysis are activities of utmost importance in the development life-cycle of complex systems especially when the business domain is unfamiliar to the designers and many partners are jointly involved in a project, as in industrial research project funded by government institutions. A critical role is then played by the characteristics of the methods, notations and tools adopted for carrying out these activities. This paper proposes a goal-oriented methodology for addressing both early and late requirement engineering phases which is lean, easy to master and apply and, at the same time, clear and rigorous. The methodology is not the result of a pure speculative process but has been concretely shaped in the context of a real large research project where it is showing its effectiveness in fostering cooperation and clean project evolution.


In this study 27 transbronchial biopsy specimens obtained from patients with clinical and/or laboratory features suggestive for sarcoidosis were analysed with conventional morphology and immunohistochemistry comparing the sensitivity and reproducibility of the two methods. A limited panel of monoclonal antibodies recognizing epitopes resistant to conventional fixation and embedment procedures were used (CD45R0, CD68, anti-cheratin, anti-collagen IV). All specimens were independently observed by two different pathologists. On the basis of the recognition of bona-fide noncaseating granulomas, 9 cases were uniformly judged as positive, 10 cases as negative, but 8 cases were considered doubtful. Immunohistochemical analysis reliably demonstrated the presence of epithelioid cells in 3 of these cases and absence in 5. These data suggest that the use of a limited immunohistochemical analysis can significantly improve histological diagnosis of sarcoidosis on small transbronchial biopsies using conventional routine material.


A bipedal architecture is highly suitable for a robot built to work in human environments since such a robot will find avoiding obstacles a relatively easy task. However, the complex dynamics involved in the walking mechanism make the control of such a robot a challenging task. The zero-moment point (ZMP) trajectory in the robot's foot is a significant criterion for the robot's stability during walking. If the ZMP could be measured on-line then it becomes possible to create stable walking conditions for the robot and here also stably control the robot by using the measured ZMP, values. ZMP data is measured in real-time situations using a biped walking robot and this ZMP data is then modelled using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy system (ANFS). Natural walking motions on flat level surfaces and up and down a 10/spl deg/ slope are measured. The modelling performance of the ANFS is optimized by changing the membership functions and the consequent part of the fuzzy rules. The excellent performance demonstrated by the ANFS means that it can not only be used to model robot movements but also to control actual robots.


The reformulation of military explosives and solid propellants into commercial explosives offers a unique solution to the problem of disposing of high energy materials with essentially zero environmental impact at a low cost and with a salable product. Studies using the insensitive PBX, PBXN-4 have been completed through the pilot plant stage and have been successfully tested as a mining explosive. A number of other military explosives have been examined and their VODs and heats of explosions determined and in some instances tested in field operations. The equipment and unit operations required for reformulation are simple and inexpensive. The total market potential is far larger than the available supply of PBXs and other military explosives. The extension of the reformulation approach to 1.1 solid rocket propellants is in progress. Initial studies indicate that the method is viable. The quantities involved have the potential of impacting less than 1% of the very large US explosives market. The products available from reformulation are in part a function of the means of removal of the 1.1 propellants from the cases. With dry methods, a range of products from super blasting gelatins to materials comparable to ANFO are available in the form of drymore » or slurried explosives. With wet methods, the range is narrower with VODs of ca. 5 km/sec and heats of explosion of ca. 1000 cal/g at a density of 1.25 g/cc being easily attainable in the form of slurries and sticks. With both HE and 1.1 propellant streams it is possible to tailor the power of the resultant explosives to reach a desired set of properties. This permits the handling of a variable stream of redundant materials and the furnishing of a constant product to the customer. The technology involved has essentially no waste stream and very closely meets the goals of the US Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.« less


Domino liver transplantation (DLT) using grafts from patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is an established procedure at many transplantation centers. However, data evaluating the long‐term outcome of DLT are limited. The aim of the present study was to analyze the risk of de novo polyneuropathy, possibly because of amyloidosis, and the patient survival after DLT. At our department, 28 DLT using FAP grafts were conducted between January 1997 and December 2005. One patient was twice subjected to DLT. Postoperative neurological monitoring of peripheral nerve function was performed with electroneurography (ENeG) in 20 cases. An ENeG index based on 12 parameters was calculated and correlated to age and/or height. Three patients developed ENeG signs of polyneuropathy 2–5 years after the DLT, but with no clinical symptoms. The 1‐, 3‐ and 5‐year actuarial patient survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients (n = 12) and non‐HCC patients (n = 15) was 67%, 15%, 15% and 93%, 93%, 80%, respectively (P = 0.001). Development of impaired nerve conduction in a proportion of patients may indicate that de novo amyloidosis occurs earlier than previously expected. Survival after DLT was excellent except in patients with advanced HCC.


The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the political administration body of the de facto State located in the eastern portion of the island of Cyprus, presents itself today as one of the key points of the trilateral relationship between Turkey, Cyprus, and the European Union, also serving as an obstacle to the Turkish admission to the European bloc as a Member State. This article, therefore, analyses the normative, geopolitical, and migration aspects of the relations between the three actors based on a bibliographic and documentary research and a qualitative approach. The article is divided into five sections which, in addition to the introduction and final considerations, aim to contextualize Northern Cyprus historically and politically, analyse the geopolitical and regional aspects of Cyprus, and debate the normative issues of the Brussels-Nicosia-Ankara relations. Considering the unprecedented nature of the theme in the Brazilian academia, the results are expected to contribute to new understandings about this important Mediterranean region and its impacts on European and Turkish international relations, in an environment of increasing securitization and geopolitical instabilities.


: Purpose: The objective of the article is to present research results on the interdependencies between the World Bank (WB) and the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) in the area of economic security of the countries. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Three Seas Initiative (3SI) was launched in 2015 in New York during the United Nations General Assembly, and it officially started operating in 2016. The World Bank is a global financial institution seated in 1944 and its constant objective is to support member states in order to create conditions for safe and long-term development. Mainly historical and current analysis source documents, including the WB and 3SI reports and strategies, are the research methods and materials used for this paper. They have been utilised as the theoretical foundations for this discussion. These have been complemented with additional references in order to deepen the theoretical considerations contained herein. Additionally, the paper considers sources related to current problems and the WB's theoretical approach to COVID-19. Other research methods include a comparative analysis of statistical data, the inductive method for general statements development, and the study of cause-and-effect relationships between the discussed phenomena. Findings: The 3SI countries are not high-ranked by the WB. Greater opportunities to influence the WB policy are related to the fact that these countries belong to the European Union. The WB has already been involved in financing investment projects in the countries of this region, in most cases since the 1990s. This activity has been designed to improve the economic security of the countries and their population. Practical implications: The paper presents possibilities of cooperation of both parties – the 3SI countries and the WB in the area of economic security, both in the times of stable economic situation and in economic crises such the global pandemic SARS-CoV-2.


INTRODUCTION
This study characterizes the overall survival (OS) and cause specific survival (CSS) of patients with thoracic malignant solitary fibrous tumors.

METHODS
Eighty-two patients with malignant solitary fibrous tumors of the lung, pleura or mediastinum, diagnosed from 2001-2007, were retrospectively analyzed using the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

RESULTS
Among 77 patients with available staging information, 42% (n=32) had localized disease, 31% (n=24) had regional disease extension (without nodal involvement) and 27% had regional-nodal (n=2) or distant (n=19) metastases. Cancer-directed surgery was performed in 85%; radiation was performed in 16%. The 1-year, 5-year and median OS were 87%, 49% and 4.6 years respectively. The 1-year, 5-year and median CSS were 89%, 61% and 5.7 years respectively. Less advanced stage and undergoing cancer-directed surgery were favorable prognostic factors. For localized, regional and distant stage the median OS was: not reached at 6.3 years, 4.4 years and 2.0 years respectively (P=0.021); the median CSS was not reached at 6.3 years, 5.0 years and 2.4 years (P=0.068). For patients undergoing versus not undergoing surgery, the median OS was 4.9 vs 0.9 years (P=0.053) and median CSS was 5.7 vs 0.9 years (P=0.011). Tumor size was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS
From a population-based analysis of patients with thoracic malignant solitary fibrous tumors, stage and cancer-directed surgery had the greatest impact on OS and CSS. While being amenable to surgery likely reflects more indolent disease and/or better performance status and cardiopulmonary function, the significantly favorable impact of surgery also likely reflects a therapeutic benefit.


This study identified the nursing diagnoses of patients in the perioperative period of cardiac surgeries and verified the existence or not of agreement between the first author and other nurses in the identification of these diagnoses. Seventeen patients admitted for cardiac surgery were submitted to evaluation using instruments for the perioperative period. In the pre-operative, out of the 9 diagnosis categories identified by the first author, three agreed with the nurses (example: Activity intolerance). In the trans-operative, seven categories showed agreement among the nurses and the first author (example: Risk for infection). In the post-operative, 11 categories showed agreement among the nurses and the first author (example: Risk for peripheral neurovascular dysfunction).


Objective: With a life course perspective, we have identified the diverse pathways in which cumulative adversity in childhood and adolescence lead to detrimental outcomes: psychopathology and suicide. This study's design allowed us to address some major, controversial developmental issues surrounding the contribution of multiple forms of adversity (victimization events versus non-victimization events) to negative outcomes, specifically mental health disorders and suicide.
Method: We combined three statistical analyses: discrete time survival (DTS), latent class growth analysis (LCGA) and path analysis to identify the sequence of events and conditions that contribute to the development of psychopathology and suicide.
Results: Our results show that the process implicates early childhood adversities that act in a cascading manner and are cumulative in two ways: quantitatively and qualitatively. Therefore, pathways with more severe adverse experiences in childhood (victimization such as abuse or neglect) or with a greater number of adversity events (non-victimization) both tend to produce mental health problems and suicidal behavior early in life, contrary to pathways with fewer or less severe adversities.


This study was conducted in Tehsil Murree area of Rawalpindi District. Data was collected from around 450 participants in order to assess the factors of migration from the area. Descriptive analysis of the results showed that agriculture is not the primary source of income for the people of Murree area and they have shifted to off farm activities. The results showed 23.07% of the people have already migrated from the Tehsil. The Logit model was used, both to estimate the impact of the independent variables on declining agriculture due to increasing migration in the area and to predict probabilities of changes in migration pattern. The analysis in the study area establishes the fact that migration in Tehsil Murree is due to many factors that includes age, education, family members, number of children, education in the area, land area and percent contribution of agriculture in total income. The study has shown that ignorance from farming system and out migration from the area, are altering the natural environment leading to the disappearance of natural habitat, flora and fauna which has critical implications on rural livelihoods.


BACKGROUND
There is evidence of relationships among serotonin, aggressive behavior, and a childhood history of socially adverse-rearing conditions. This study examines the prolactin response to fenfluramine hydrochloride challenge in young boys who show clinically significant aggressive behavior or who are raised in a social environment that is conducive to the development of chronic aggression.

METHODS
A series of 34 younger brothers of convicted delinquents underwent standardized psychiatric and observation-based assessments of their social-rearing environments that were conducted during home visits. Approximately 2 years later, these boys underwent a reassessment of psychiatric status and an assessment of central serotonergic activity using the fenfluramine challenge procedure.

RESULTS
Increasing degrees of aggressive behavior at either assessment were positively correlated with the prolactin response to fenfluramine challenge. Furthermore, adverse-rearing circumstances that were conducive to the development of aggressive behavior also exhibited positive correlations with the prolactin response. This association between adverse rearing and the prolactin response was statistically independent of that between aggression and the prolactin response.

CONCLUSION
In young boys, aggressive behavior and social circumstances that are conducive to the development of aggressive behavior are positively correlated with a marker of central serotonergic activity.


A highly sensitive uric acid molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor was prepared by using graphene doped chitosan as the functional matrix and uric acid as the template molecule; a electrodeposition technique was used to form a controllable graphene–chitosan–uric acid composited film on glassy carbon electrode whose uric acid was removed via electrochemical induce elution. Under the optimized preparation and detection conditions, the detection sensitivity of uric acid at graphene doped molecularly imprinted sensor was improved significantly compared with the undoped molecularly imprinted sensor. The mechanisms of sensitivity enhancement were studied by a.c. electrochemical impedance, adsorption model, and chronocoulometry. The observations suggest the effect of sensitivity enhancement resulted from magnified surface area and good electronic conduction of graphene. Additionally, the developed sensor exhibited specific recognition to uric acid against the competitors which consisted of structure liked substances and coexisting interference in blood serum.


Most universities still consider the principles of environmental ethics and sustainable development on an academic level addressed at specific courses of studies or as part of research. Practical approaches to encourage individuals in a university community to accept responsibility for environmental improvements are rare. Implementation and maintenance of a standard environmental management system (EMS), however, may be useful not only to improve environmental protection but also to outline a university safe-guarding a vision of the future. Structured environmental management systems must provide a defined and organised approach to the relevant activities such as clearly defined policy and objectives, clear-cut responsibilities, documented systems, ongoing training, record, document control, internal audits, management reviews, and continual improvement. The Hochschule Zittau/GoÈrlitz ± University of Applied Sciences is the first German institution of its kind having in its entirety successfully undergone the full cycle of EMS requirements including validation and registration specified in the EC regulation 1836/93 (EMAS) which is the European equivalent of the international ISO 14001 standard. Particular concern is shown for active involvement and participation of students and employees during all individual phases of the environmental management system.


ABSTRACT Examinations of substate security and everyday peace in hybrid political orders are mostly limited to single-case studies or statistical analyses. Seldom are qualitative methods applied with a comparative aim that can unveil patterns of security production. I attempt such an approach by studying 12 cases across the Central African Republic, Haiti, Somaliland, and South Sudan. I investigate (1) where hybrid interactions take place, (2) how they happen and (3) what this means for people's security. I argue, first, that hybrid ordering shapes socio-geography by separating a rigorously controlled inner from a securitised outer circle. Second, I find that actors clash over the use of contrasting ordering principles on a spectrum from stable to fluid. Third, measured security indices, paradoxically, often diverge from how safe people feel depending on public support for the socio-geographical shape and ordering principles applied. These cross-case patterns of hybrid political orders underscore the importance of comparing political ordering processes.


While everyone's attention is fixed on Microsoft versus DOJ, the really important contest is taking place amongst the telco, telecommunications and software giants. Because most IP data travels over long-haul lines, the Internet is actually the telephone companies. Who owns the telephone companies? The Telecommunications Act of 1996 actually puts ownership of the Internet up for grabs. The paper considers how the Act has put traditional telephone companies in danger of extinction. Powerful US computer companies continue to buy up the main hardware and software lines connecting countries and continents to the emergent private Internet. Most telecom companies throughout the world have reacted too slowly to IP. Their sluggishness will be their ruin.


Atom-centered neural network (ANN) potentials have shown promise in computational simulations and are recognized as both efficient and sufficiently accurate to describe systems involving bond formation and breaking. A key step in the development of ANN potentials is to represent atomic coordinates as suitable inputs for a neural network, commonly described as fingerprints. The accuracy and efficiency of the ANN potentials depend strongly on the selection of these fingerprints. Here, we propose an optimization strategy of atomic fingerprints to improve the performance of ANN potentials. Specifically, a set of fingerprints is optimized to fit a set of pre-selected template functions in the f*g space, where f and g are the fingerprint and the pair distribution function for each type of interatomic interaction (e.g., a pair or 3-body). With such an optimization strategy, we have developed an ANN potential for the Pd13H2 nanoparticle system that exhibits a significant improvement to the one based upon standard template functions. We further demonstrate that the ANN potential can be used with the adaptive kinetic Monte Carlo method, which has strict requirements for the smoothness of the potential. The algorithm proposed here facilitates the development of better ANN potentials, which can broaden their application in computational simulations.


In this article we argue that an exclusive focus on the generalised aspect of prejudice limits the understanding of the structure and genesis of prejudice towards particular out-groups. In order to conceptualize the specific nature of particular prejudices, we propose the differentiated threat approach. This framework postulates that different out-groups challenge diverse economic and cultural interests, and that these out-group specific threats affect various socio-economic strata and cultural groups differentially. The differentiated threat approach is applied to analyse majority-group Belgians' attitudes towards immigrants, Muslims, Jews and homosexuals. The results show that a common denominator of prejudice can be distinguished, but that the prejudices towards the various out-groups contain substantively relevant unique components that are influenced by socio-demographic and attitudinal predictors in diverging ways. Gender traditionalism is found to reinforce homonegativity and temper Islamophobia at the same time. Feelings of relative deprivation are more strongly related to Islamophobia than to other forms of prejudice, and are unrelated to homonegativity. Religious involvement plays a more decisive role in the formation of anti-Semitism and homonegativity than it does in the other forms of prejudice. Anti-immigration attitudes show a class gradient that is absent in attitudes towards other out-groups. Our results evidence that the concrete realisation of attitudes towards a specific out-group cannot be understood without paying attention to structural and contextual factors, such as social positions, the nature of inter-group relations, power balances and elite discourses.


Confusion in the Karnatic Capital: Fusion in Chennai, India Niko Higgins This dissertation examines how a contested musical practice makes the problems of modernity in India audible. In particular, I look at the relationship between South Indian "fusion" musicians and India's recent economic and cultural growth attributed to the economic reforms of 1991. Fusion is the local name for a musical practice that combines South Indian classical music with elements from rock, jazz, and world music. During thirteen months of ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the South Indian city of Chennai between 2006-8, I attended countless concerts, interviewed dozens of people involved with musical production, and performed with musicians. I observed how musicians and audiences perpetuated the idea that fusion was contested and I documented the local debates that often expressed a deep uncertainty and ambiguity about the legitimacy of fusion. What can a contested musical practice reveal about the recent economic and cultural changes in contemporary urban India? Fusion is contested because its multiple and contradicting histories, definitions, and opinions make it a unique musical problem in Chennai. This problem is further complicated when the explicit intension of fusion as musical mixing is also understood as an example of persistent debates of cultural mixing that are so crucial to India's colonial history and postcolonial present. In this dissertation, I show how fusion triggers debates that provide a unique constellation of irresolvable tensions that help situate contemporary, urban, South Indian musicians within the changing relations between India and the West. The contestation about fusion has led to a lacuna of critical scholarship that this dissertation remedies. I argue that rather than being a reason to overlook fusion, fusion's contestation loads it with meaning and makes it a rich, unexamined site of expressive culture. It provides a unique domain to understand how musicians in Chennai represent the always-changing relations of India and the West through their discourse about music and musical sound.


Genetic studies have provided novel insights of appetite regulation and pathophysiology of obesity. The adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ secreting several hormones contributing to insulin resistance and the development of the comorbidities of obesity, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Herein, we report on a patient with severe obesity and mild learning disability with a 750 kb de novo deletion of chromosome 19. The deletion encompasses several genes, including resistin and the first part of the insulin receptor, genes that are relevant for obesity. This novel deletion may therefore represent a region for obesity research. Plasma analyses and gene expression demonstrated that the deletion resulted in haploinsufficiency for resistin and insulin receptor in the patient compared to controls. We then studied the biochemical and adipocytokine profile in these subjects. We observed no differences in glucose and lipid parameters between the patient and the controls. Thus, haploinsufficiency of insulin receptor and resistin does not appear to influence glucose and lipid metabolism. However, the patient had considerably higher values of adiponectin and TNFα than controls. In conclusion, we identified a 19p13.2 microdeletion encompassing the insulin receptor and resistin genes resulting in haploinsufficiency in an obese, but otherwise healthy patient. No firm conclusions could be drawn regarding the potential effect of the microdeletion on adipokine profile. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


A new algorithm that synthesises multiplier blocks with low hardware requirement suitable for implementation as part of full-parallel finite impulse response (FIR) filters is presented. Although the techniques in use are applicable to implementation on application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and Structured ASIC technologies, analysis is performed using field programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware. Fully pipelined, full-parallel transposed-form FIR filters with multiplier block were generated using the new and previous algorithms, implemented on an FPGA target and the results compared. Previous research in this field has concentrated on minimising multiplier block adder cost but the results presented here demonstrate that this optimisation goal does not minimise FPGA hardware. Minimising multiplier block logic depth and pipeline registers is shown to have the greatest influence in reducing FPGA area cost. In addition to providing lower area solutions than existing algorithms, comparisons with equivalent filters generated using the distributed arithmetic technique demonstrate further area advantages of the new algorithm.


Above- and belowground net primary production (ANPP and BNPP) were compared between a 30-year-old crested wheatgrass site and an adjacent native shortgrass prairie. ANPP was estimated using successive harvests in May, June, July, and October 1985. BNPP was estimated using soil cores to a depth of 100 cm at the same time that aboveground harvests were made. ANPP was significantly greater in the crested wheatgrass site compared to the native site, but belowground and total net primary production were not different. The native shortgrass system, however, had greater live root biomass early in the growing season. The crested wheatgrass system had a high accumulation of aboveground dead material at the start of the growing season, which was followed by a significant decline in June and an increase in July and October. The native shortgrass system, however, had significantly lower accumulations of aboveground dead material. Approximately 92% of the fixed carbon in the native site was allocated belowground, while crested wheatgrass allocated about 85% of its fixed carbon belowground.


Abstract Neuroplasticity in the amygdala, a brain center for emotions, leads to increased neuronal activity and output that can generate emotional-affective behaviors and modulate nocifensive responses. Mechanisms of increased activity in the amygdala output region (central nucleus, CeA) include increased reactive oxygen species, and so we explored beneficial effects of monomethyl fumarate (MMF), which can have neuroprotective effects through the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) antioxidant response pathway. Systemic (intraperitoneal) MMF dose-dependently inhibited vocalizations and mechanosensitivity (hindlimb withdrawal reflexes) of rats in an arthritis pain model (kaolin-carrageenan-induced monoarthritis in the knee). Stereotaxic administration of MMF into the CeA by microdialysis also inhibited vocalizations but had a limited effect on mechanosensitivity, suggesting a differential contribution to emotional-affective vs sensory pain aspects. Extracellular single-unit recordings of CeA neurons in anesthetized rats showed that stereotaxic administration of MMF into the CeA by microdialysis inhibited background activity and responses of CeA neurons to knee joint stimulation in the arthritis pain model. Monomethyl fumarate had no effect on behaviors and neuronal activity under normal conditions. The results suggest that MMF can inhibit emotional-affective responses in an arthritis pain model through an action that involves the amygdala (CeA).


The augmented UD identification (AUDI) is a family of new identification algorithms that are based on some well-known matrix decomposition and updating techniques. Compared with conventional least-squares methods, the AUDI methods are conceptually more concise, computationally more efficient, numerically more robust and application-wise more complete. As a result, AUDI is recommended as a complete replacements for conventional recursive least-squares in all parameter estimation and system identification applications. This tutorial paper presents an overview of the AUDI concept, implementation and applications. The multiple model least-squares (MMLS) method, which is a fundamental reformulation and an efficient implementation of the basic least-squares method, is discussed first. Some application examples of the MMLS/AUDI are presented to demonstrate the versatility and reliability of this type of algorithms.


To have general validity, empirical results must converge. To be credible, an experimental science must understand the limitations and be able to explain the disagreements of empirical results. We describe an experiment to replicate previous studies which claim that estimation by analogy outperforms regression models. In the experiment, 68 experienced practitioners each estimated a project from a dataset of 48 industrial COTS projects. We applied two treatments, an analogy tool and a regression model, and we used the estimating performance when aided by the historical data as the control. We found that our results do not converge with previous results. The reason is that previous studies have used other datasets and partially different data analysis methods, and last but not least, the tools have been validated in isolation from the tool users. This implies that the results are sensitive to the experimental design: the characteristics of the dataset, the norms for removing outliers and other data points from the original dataset, the test metrics, significance levels, and the use of human subjects and their level of expertise. Thus, neither our results nor previous results are robust enough to claim any general validity.


In the past two decades, nearly every state has expanded its authority and simplified its procedures to transfer adolescent offenders from juvenile to criminal (adult) courts. As a result, the use of jurisdictional transfer has grown steadily. These developments reflect popular and political concerns that punishment in juvenile courts is too lenient for serious crimes committed by adolescents. Yet there is mixed evidence that expanded transfer authority has produced more certain or severe punishments for adolescents prosecuted in criminal courts. Some empirical studies show that adolescents transferred to criminal court are more likely to be convicted, sentenced to prison, and serve longer sentences, compared to similar cases that remain in the juvenile court. Other studies show that transferred cases receive similar sentences or receive less severe punishments. In this article, we report the results of a natural experiment comparing detention, disposition and custodial sentence lengths for matched groups of adolescents charged with serious felony offenses in juvenile or criminal courts. We report that adolescents prosecuted as adults are at a greater risk of detention and incarceration, and if incarcerated, sentenced to longer sentences than adolescents in juvenile courts. Yet the disparity between outcomes in juvenile and criminal courts is not as large as the rhetoric surrounding this issue would lead one to believe. The resilience of common law doctrine of diminished culpability of adolescents is evident in the limited effects of expanded jurisdictional transfer activity on sentencing and punishment of adolescents in criminal court. We discuss the jurisprudential and social policy implications of denying adolescents the latitude of a traditionally more rehabilitative and lenient juvenile court.


Working with the Philadelphia-based Institute of Interactive Management, several teams at Jackson Community College (JCC), in Michigan, set out in 1994 to learn and apply an interactive design methodology to selected college subsystems. Interactive design begins with understanding problems faced by the system as a whole, which in the case of JCC included concerns related to increasingly obsolescent equipment, a lack of curriculum updates, and declining enrollment. It was recognized that the entire campus community would have to work together to solve these issues, but obstacles existed related to funding shortages and the interdependencies of increasingly complex systems. In assessing the environmental and systems conditions, four compelling issues emerged: quality and financial conditions, uncertainty about the future, empowerment and information dissemination, and trust and confidence. The next step in the interactive design process was to assume that the original system was completely demolished and design a new system from scratch. The first set of goals developed at JCC included employee participation, continued operation within the principles of continuous quality improvement, an emphasis on creating capacity rather than downsizing, and the initiation of a campus-wide visioning process. As a result of this process, JCC has been able to create a community of learners for students, faculty, departments, administration, and the community. In addition, the college community has been learning about learning itself and has recognized that learning, and institutional transformation, never end. (HAA) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Emerging Models of the New Paradigm


Background: Herpes simplex virus type 1 causes recurrent herpes labialis, a common disease afflicting up to 40% of adults worldwide. A randomized, double–blind trial was conducted to compare the effectiveness & the patient tolerance of topically applied 0.5% zinc sulphate suspension with those of a placebo in the treatment of herpes simplex lesion.
Patients & Methods: Sixty patients were enrolled in this study. The effectiveness & symptomatic relief of pain were recorded and Fisher exact test were used.
Results: The zinc sulphate group showed significantly complete healing (p=0.001) than the placebo group & pain free during the follow-up period. The zinc sulphate group showed significantly better than the placebo group during the follow-up period. The safety that has been recorded of the drug were satisfactory, there is no pain with zinc sulphate group, no side effects.
Conclusion: Topically applied 0.5% zinc sulphate suspension is an effective drug for the treatment of herpes simplex lesion in a short period with pain less.


This paper sketches the approach of design-based research in mathematics education with results of two innovation-oriented projects. The projects investigated how students can be involved in the development of mathematical concepts and skills by using design tools related to guided reinvention and emergent modelling. Both studies combine design-based research with a prominent role for the hypothetical learning trajectory as a research instrument in the three phases of design research (design, teaching experiment, retrospective analysis). Each of the phases of the research cycles is addressed: the preliminary phase in which a hypothetical learning trajectory and instructional activities are designed, the teaching experiment phase and the phase of the retrospective analysis. We conclude with a reflection on design-based research as an approach to study innovative teaching approaches that offers researchers to take into account contextual factors and that create opportunities for others to adapt the results to their research or teaching practice.


The demand for fuel-efficient and cheap but reliable vehicles has forced the automotive industry
to introduce new materials and to improve the accuracy of the metal forming process.
A solution has been found in the application of advanced high strength steels in the massproducing
roll forming process.
To improve the accuracy of roll formed products made from advanced high strength steels with
improved high quality standards, a main objective has been formulated, which is to analyse
the formability of the DP1000 and CP800 advanced high strength steels in the roll forming
manufacturing process. In general, an accurate Finite Element Model (FEM) is needed in
which the manufacturing process can be optimized. In turn, an accurate FE model demands
an accurate material model characterization.
Therefore the first sub-objective was to characterize a Dual-Phase (DP) steel. The characterization
included an analysis of the microstructure and chemical composition, a quasi-static
tensile test to determine the tensile properties in a uni-axial state, a bending test to analyse
the bending behavior of the DP sheet metal, a bending-unbending test to determine the
hardening model and a loading-unloading test to analyse the elastic behavior of the material
during elastic recovery.
The second sub-objective was to validate the formability of the before mentioned DP steel and
a Complex-Phase (CP) steel in the roll forming process. The materials have been roll formed
into a U-shaped profile. The longitudinal strains near the strips edge have been measured.
Common shape deviations such as the bow and springback in the final profile have been measured
as well. The size of these shape deviations indicate the formability of these materials.
Next to the roll forming trials, the minimum bend radius of the Dual-Phase steel has been
determined.
The third sub-objective was to improve the predictability of the material behavior of the DP
and CP steel grades in the roll forming production process by improving the numerical models.
This is still an ongoing project and is not completed yet.


Introduction. Residents of Appalachian Kentucky experiences significant cancer disparities. The population is characterized, in general, as largely rural with high poverty rates, high unemployment and limited access to health care. Lung and colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates in this area are among the highest in the nation and although cervical cancer mortality has decreased over recent decades, data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program reveals that mortality rates in Kentucky are substantially higher than the national average. In 2003, when this project began, the US cervical cancer mortality rate was 2.7 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval = 2.6-2.7). During the same period, the rate in Kentucky was 3.2 per 100,000 (2.9-3.6). In the 54 Appalachian counties in the state, the rate was even higher, 3.7 per 100,000 (3.5-4.0). Death from cervical cancer is preventable in nearly all cases with screening by the Pap test and adherence with recommendations to obtain follow-up care when abnormalities are detected. Methods. To address the problem of elevated cervical cancer incidence and mortality experienced by rural Appalachian women, a patient navigation intervention program was developed with the goal of increasing adherence with recommendations for follow-up for women with abnormal Pap test results. The intervention was implemented in partnership with county health departments. Intervention effectiveness was evaluated in a quasi-experimental trial that included intervention county health departments (n=13) that provided patient navigation services and a comparison group of county health departments (n=13) that provided usual care. Women with abnormal Pap test results were enrolled in the intervention group county health departments and patient navigation was tailored to the type of follow-up care recommended. Study outcome data were collected from medical records. Participants were enrolled from September 2008 through July 2010. A total of 774 medical record reviews are included in the analysis (230 women in intervention and 544 women in comparison county health departments). Recommendations for follow-up, which were based on the type of abnormality and the age of the patient, included returning to the health department to obtain a repeat Pap test or making an appointment with a community gynecologist under contract with the health department. Key Findings. The proportion of participants that received their recommended follow-up care was greater in the intervention group (91.6%) than in the comparison group (80.8%) (p=.01). The effect of the patient navigation intervention was strongest among women who received follow-up care from the health department as opposed to community gynecologists under contract with the health departments. Conclusions. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the patient navigation intervention and also provide evidence suggesting that development of policy to promote integration of navigation with rural health care delivery systems has great potential to improve patient outcomes. Citation Format: Mark Dignan, Brent Shelton, Nancy E. Schoenberg, Carol R. White, Stacey A. Slone, Emily Van Meter, Frances J. Feltner, Gretchen Ely, Christopher DeSimone. Effectiveness of patient navigation for follow-up for abnormal pap tests in Appalachian Kentucky. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr B14.


This model demonstrates the spread of collapse through a network. The model is abstract but has many applications in various fields. One such application is based on the interpretation that each node represents a firm, and we are modeling the progress of collapse of a firm and its partners represented by link in this network. Each node may be in one of three states: stable, unstable, or collapsed. This model was originally developed by one of the authors (AC) name below, and the model is called Institutional Bundle Theory.


With the recent technological advances in wide field survey astronomy and the implementation of several large scale astronomical survey proposals, celestial spectra are becoming very rich and the study of automated processing methods is attracting more and more attention. In the present work, the authors pointed out that it is necessary to investigate supervised feature extraction by analyzing the characteristics of the spectra classification research in literature and the limitations of unsupervised feature extraction methods. And the authors studied supervised feature extraction based on Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) and its application in galaxy spectra classification. FDA could effectively reduce dimension and extract the features based on the classifying capability by fusing information in training data. Experiments show its superior performance in dimensional reduction for galaxy spectra classification.


We present a very simple selective search algorithm for two-player games. It always expands next the frontier node that determines the minimax value of the root. The algorithm requires no information other than a static evaluation function, and its time overhead per node is similar to that of alpha-beta minimax. We also present an implementation of the algorithm that reduces its space complexity from exponential to linear in the search depth, at the cost of increased time complexity. In the game of Othello, using the evaluation function from Bill (Lee & Mahajan 1990), best-first minimax outplays alpha-beta at moderate depths. A hybrid best-first extension algorithm, which combines alpha-beta and best-first minimax, performs significantly better than either pure algorithm even at greater depths. Similar results were also obtained for a class of random game trees.