A 63 year-old gentleman with a history of mitral valve repair and recent travel to the Philippines presented to our hospital with complaints of dry cough for three days. His clinical exam was remarkable for diffuse rhonchi. Initial chest radiograph was nonrevealing. The patient clinical condition deteriorated in the emergency department (ED) with rapidly progressive respiratory insufficiency and interval development of radiographic infiltrates (Figure 1). The patient was then admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and broad-spectrum antibiotics started. As the patients' symptoms and radiological findings worsened bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage were emergently performed. The later yielded no organisms. A transbronchial biopsy was non diagnostic. An open lung biopsy was performed and consistent with bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). Again, all cultures were negative and no organisms seen. The patient was started on intravenous corticosteroids with and excellent clinical response and two days later was extubated.


Self-related constructs feature prominently in cognitive models of both social anxiety and depression. However, few studies have simultaneously investigated the unique relationship between self-related constructs and social anxiety and depression, while also controlling for the association between the two variables. In the present study, 522 undergraduate students completed measures of maladaptive self-beliefs, self-esteem, self-criticism, self-focused attention, self-concept clarity, social comparison, and social anxiety and depression. Bivariate correlations demonstrated that self-related constructs not only significantly correlated with social anxiety but also with depression and other self-variables. When entered simultaneously, multiple regression analyses indicated that maladaptive self-beliefs were uniquely and positively associated with social anxiety and depression, while self-esteem and self-concept clarity were uniquely and negatively associated with social anxiety and depression. A unique positive association between private self-consciousness and depression was also found. Maladaptive self-beliefs and self-esteem were the constructs most strongly associated with social anxiety and depression respectively. These findings underscore the importance of a negative self-concept even in subclinical presentations and suggest that several key self-related constructs may represent transdiagnostic vulnerability factors linking social anxiety and depression. Future research should continue to uncover unique relationships between self-related variables and social anxiety and depression in both clinical and non-clinical samples.


Diarrhoea is a condition that involves frequent passing of loose or watery stools. According to the Who, approximately 3.5million deaths each year are attributable to diarrhoea. Medicinal plants have been used as traditional remedy for diarrhoea for years long and there is renewed interest from the discovery of novel compounds from plants to fight against diarrhoea that also encourages studies on diarrhoea which include research on traditional herbs. The present study was designed to investigate antidiarrhoeal potential of combined 70% hydro ethanolic extract of Morinda citrifolia. Castor oil introduced diarrhoea in wister rats. Phytochemical screening of the plant extract for their active constituents was also carried out using standard procedures. Oral administration of combined hydro ethanolic extract of Morinda citrifolia significantly, and dose dependently delayed the onset of diarrhoea induced by castor oil and also significantly reduced the number of diarrhoeal episodes and number of animals exhibiting diarrhoea. The results were comparable with standard synthetic antidiarrhoeal drug, loperamide. Phytochemical screening also revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, carbohydrates as the major constituents. The results point out the presence of active principles in Morinda citrifolia possessing a promising antidiarrhoeal effect substantiate the use of herb non specific treatment of diarrhoea in folk medicine.


AIMS
To evaluate the effectiveness of a two-session multicomponent family strengths- oriented therapeutic conversation intervention among family caregivers of an individual with advanced/final stage cancer during ongoing palliative home-care.

BACKGROUND
Family caregivers of patients in the advanced/final phases of cancer, experience multifaceted psychological distress and morbidity. Psychosocial interventions improve the well-being of family members who are caring for their close relative.

DESIGN
A pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-test/posttests measurements.

METHODS
Forty-eight family caregivers were assigned to receive two 60-90 min sessions of the intervention. The primary outcome was perceived emotional and cognitive support and psychological well-being, measured at baseline (T1). Then the participants were offered the first session of the intervention. About one week later, the second session was administered. The participants answered the same questionnaires again (T2) and then 2-4 weeks later (T3). The guideline; Criteria for Reporting Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions 2, guided the reporting of the study.

RESULTS
Family caregivers reported significantly higher emotional and cognitive support post-intervention (T2) and (T3). They also reported significantly reduced stress symptoms at (T3) and reduced caregiver burden post-intervention (T2) and at (T3).

CONCLUSION
The provision of the intervention contributed to extending knowledge about the usefulness of family conversations in the context of advanced/final stage cancer care.

IMPACT
There is a lack of knowledge regarding the benefit of therapeutic conversations interventions for family caregivers. The therapeutic conversation intervention offered, resulted in perceived support, decreased stress and decreased caregiving demands among caregivers in palliative home-care. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Experiments were conducted during a 4-yr period between 1991 and 1994 to quantify the relationship between field isolation (defined as the distance between a potato planting and the location of all potato fields grown the previous season) and Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), initial immigration density. Our objectives were to determine how far beetles could disperse to colonize new host fields and to develop a method for determining infestation risk associated with potential new potato planting sites. In total, 22 fields were monitored during the 4-yr period for beetle infestation. The location of these fields and all fields grown across the floor of an agricultural valley the previous season were recorded. These data were used to model the effects of distance on beetle dispersion and colonization. Large differences in infestation pressure existed among fields and years. These differences were well explained by summing the influence of all previous potato locations using a linear decrease with distance and a maximum dispersal distance of 1,449 m. This model was used to generate a risk map to evaluate potential potato growing areas.


MOTIVATION
New high-throughput technologies have accelerated the accumulation of knowledge about genes and proteins. However, much knowledge is still stored as written natural language text. Therefore, we have developed a new method, GAPSCORE, to identify gene and protein names in text. GAPSCORE scores words based on a statistical model of gene names that quantifies their appearance, morphology and context.

RESULTS
We evaluated GAPSCORE against the Yapex data set and achieved an F-score of 82.5% (83.3% recall, 81.5% precision) for partial matches and 57.6% (58.5% recall, 56.7% precision) for exact matches. Since the method is statistical, users can choose score cutoffs that adjust the performance according to their needs.

AVAILABILITY
GAPSCORE is available at http://bionlp.stanford.edu/gapscore/


The metal microstructure of a product formed by cross wedge rolling (CWR) has much effect on the comprehensive properties of the final product. The microstructure model of GH4169 alloy was programmed into the rigid-plastic finite element software DEFORM-3D by the secondary development in this paper, so the microstructure evolution during the CWR process can be simulated. The finite element model (FEM) that coupled deformation, heat transfer and microstructure evolution was established. Based on the model, the evolution of microstructure of GH4169 alloy in the process of CWR was realized with the simulation. The strain, strain rate, temperature and the distribution of grain size of the part were obtained in the whole process of CWR. The simulation results show that the dynamic recrystallization is the main grain refinement mechanism for the CWR process and the grain refining effect of the workpiece during the CWR process is remarkably.


We introduce a new model for over-the-cell channel routing with three layers. The model consists of two channels and the routing area over a cell row between them. Three and two layers are available for routing in the channels and the over-the-cell routing area, respectively. We formulate the problem of over-the-cell routing as that of channel routing with additional constraints. Based on this formulation, we present an efficient over-the-cell routing algorithm that attempts to minimize the sum of channel densities of the trunks that remain in the channel. The effectiveness of our model and algorithm is demonstrated by our experimental results on industrial sea-of-gates array chips and a well-known benchmark circuit. >


Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP), a catastrophic illness for both the mother and the unborn offspring, develops in the last trimester of pregnancy with significant maternal and perinatal mortality. AFLP is also recognized as an obstetric and medical emergency. Maternal AFLP is highly associated with a fetal homozygous mutation (1528G>C) in the gene that encodes for mitochondrial long-chain hydroxy acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD). The mutation in LCHAD results in the accumulation of 3-hydroxy fatty acids, such as 3-hydroxy myristic acid, 3-hydroxy palmitic acid and 3-hydroxy dicarboxylic acid in the placenta, which are then shunted to the maternal circulation leading to the development of acute liver injury observed in patients with AFLP. In this review, we will discuss the mechanistic role of increased 3-hydroxy fatty acid in causing lipotoxicity to the liver and in inducing oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and hepatocyte lipoapoptosis. Further, we also review the role of 3-hydroxy fatty acids in causing placental damage, pancreatic islet β-cell glucolipotoxicity, brain damage, and retinal epithelial cells lipoapoptosis in patients with LCHAD deficiency.


We examined dorsal pigments and ventral patterns in the Florida Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti, in the Alapahoochee watershed, Lowndes County, Georgia. Cottonmouths darken as they age; but the process has not been quantified in the literature. Thus, we examined both graphically and statistically changes in dorsal color pattern that occurs when snout vent length (SVL) increases as well as discrete patterns involving splotching and block-like patterns, and cream to white coloration on the ventral surface, which indicate underlying genetic factors. Snakes with SVLs between approximately 26.8 and 120.3 cm possessed an array of dorsal colors involving white, tan, dark brown and black. Snakes greater than 60 cm SVL had fewer dorsal white and tan colors with dark brown and black being the primary remaining colors in snakes up to 120 cm. Nonparametric regression analysis provided graphic representation of the process, which is confirmed by correlation analyses. Ventral color patterns show discrete relationships involving the occurrence of all white coloration and splotch and block patterns involving dark pigments. If a block pattern was present, then a splotch pattern was less likely to be present and vice versa regardless of SVL. Correlation analysis supports the observed ventral patterns. Possible genetic explanations would be a single locus with incomplete dominance expressed by one allele resulting in all white or no dark blocked pattern, another allele resulting in incomplete dark bars, and heterozygotes showing only partial bars or blotches primarily on the rear location anterior to the vent.


: An indigenous and appropriate method of personal protection was developed and tested in rural areas. It consists of an ordinary kerosene lamp made of tin with a regulator to adjust the wick. Different concentrations of esbiothrin, a synthetic pyrethroid, were mixed in kerosene and allowed to burn in living rooms and cattlesheds from dusk to dawn to observe hourly entry of mosquitoes. The tin lamp (100 ml capacity) without chimney provided the most efficient protection from mosquito bites. The protection varied from 84.2 +/- 8.2 to 97.8 +/- 2.8. Maximum protection was observed against An. culicifacies. Esbiothrin kerosene lamp (0.01%) lighted in living room provided 99.7% protection to exposed human baits seated at a distance of 1 m from the lamp. The technique is simple, cost-effective and does not require electricity and can be used both for illumination and repelling mosquitoes in remote and inaccesible areas.


Aims: An implicit rationale for anti-doping legislation is that doping damages the public image of sport and that this, in turn, has serious consequences for the sporting industry. However, there is scant evidence that doping impacts on public opinion, and even less so that it has dire consequences for sports consumerism. This study sought to fill a void in public policy debate by canvassing public opinion on a range of anti-doping policies and practices. Methods: A representative sample of the Australian public (n = 2520) responded to a telephone survey with questions on performance enhancing and illicit drug use. Findings: The majority agreed that clubs should be penalized if athletes were found to use drugs and that companies and government should stop sponsoring athletes who have been using drugs. Opinion was split on the issue of whether performance-enhancing drug use should be criminalized (slight majority in favour). Conclusions: These results show that the Australian public support anti-doping measures. As anti-doping initiatives become more widespread, invasive and costly, policy makers will need to ensure that anti-doping legislation maintains strong public support.


Objective: Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) can be used to resect gastrointestinal diseases, but ESD costs long procedure time. It was reported that the rulers can serve as an ancillary device for shortening the procedure time. Thus, we aimed to identify a ruler assisted method performed by endoscopic nurses to shorten ESD procedure time and improve safety.
Methods: A total of 30 patients indicated for ESD in our hospital from January 2016 to May 2016 were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into control and experimental group, which received routine and ruler assisted intervention, respectively. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics, procedure time and perioperative complications between two groups, analyzed the application of ancillary device assisted ESD.
Results: There were 12 male and 3 female patients in control group. The diameter of the resected lesions was over 2.5 cm, and the maximal circumference was 9 cm. In experimental group, there were 6 male and 9 female patients. The diameter of the resected lesions was also over 2.5 cm, and the maximal circumference was 11 cm. The procedure time ranged from 45 to 90 min in control group, which ranged from 30 to 80 min in experimental group. There were no significantly statistical differences on the size of the resected specimen between the two groups. No obvious bleeding and perforation were observed.
Conclusions: Our prospective data proved that the ruler assisted endoscopic device for ESD is safe and effective in shortening procedure time and avoiding mucosal injuries and complications.


The consecutive photoexcitation of perylene diimide (PDI) produces the excited doublet state of its radical anion (PDI˙−*), which is demonstrated to be a strong photoreductant for difficult-to-reduce substrates, such as aryl halides. Reported herein is a molecular structural modification of perylene diimides (PDIs) by the introduction of two electron-withdrawing nitro groups (PDI 2) as well as two and four electron-donating 4-tert-butylphenoxyl groups (PDI 3 and PDI 4) at the bay positions to explore the substituent effects on their photocatalytic performances. Similar to bay-unsubstituted PDI 1, all bay-substituted PDIs are easily photoreduced to their radical anions (PDIs˙−). However, the subsequent photoexcitation of these obtained PDIs˙− leads to remarkable substituent-dependent activities for the reductive dehalogenations of aryl halides: higher conversion efficiencies for PDI 3 with electron-donating substituents at the bay positions (e.g., from 74% for PDI 1 to 95% for PDI 3) but almost no conversions for PDI 2 with electron-withdrawing groups, which are supposed to be controlled by their excited-state reduction potentials and SOMO−1 energies. The structure–property relationships established here will guide the applications of bay-substituted PDIs for photoredox aryl halide reduction and other small molecule transformations.


The portal hyperperfusion, or small‐for‐size syndrome (SFSS), is a widely recognized clinical complication that may occur after segmental liver transplantation. Several surgical strategies have been proposed to reduce portal blood inflow and portal pressure after partial liver transplantation. In particular, splenic artery ligation and splenectomy have been used without a firm hemodynamic basis for these procedures. Our group recently demonstrated that, in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, the occlusion of the splenic artery causes a significant reduction in the portal pressure gradient, which is directly related to the spleen volume and indirectly related to the liver volume. This concept is at the center of our strategy for performing early splenic artery embolization (SAE) for the treatment of SFSS after living‐related liver transplantation (LRLT). Six patients developed small‐for‐size syndrome, defined as: onset within the first week after LRLT of progressive hyperbilirubinemia without mechanical cause; marked cholestasis; centrilobular sinusoidal dilatation and hepatocyte atrophy at liver biopsy; and refractory ascites in the absence of vascular complications. All six patients who underwent SAE rapidly improved their clinical condition, with an evident decrease in the value of bilirubin in the serum, in the production of ascites, and improvement in condition of pancytopenia. Coagulopathy expressed by the international normalized ratio value (INR) was not a reliable early marker of SFSS in this series; in fact a slight improvement in the result of this test was already present immediately after LRLT and before SAE. Because splenic flow clearly contributes to portal hyperperfusion, an early SAE can relieve the partial graft from the deleterious effect of this portal overflow.


T heating value of sludge is an important index for the combustion characteristic and energy utilization value of sludge. However, current detection methods for heating value generally require complicated apparatus, complicated measurement steps and long detection time, making them difficult to be practically applied in wastewater treatment plants. In the present study, a novel detection system based on microbial fuel cells was established to determine the heating value of sludge. Four sludges from different wastewater treatment plants were employed to investigate the feasibility of the detection system for heating value measurement. Results showed that the MFC functioned well when using sludge as the substrate. High power outputs were obtained under the optimal external resistance (300 Ω). The MFC can start-up quickly (within 2~14 h) and run steadily for over 56 h with a maximum currentoutput. The heating value of sludge showed a significant linear correlation with thecurrentoutput of MFC. According to this relationship, an estimation formula for the heating value of sludge was established, so the heating value of sludge can be predicated accurately. The detection system developed in this work has the advantages of easy operation, low cost and short detection time, thus is promising to be applied in wastewater treatment plants for the detection of sludge heating value.


Given past estimates of wage increases associated with workplace computer use and higher usage rates among more skilled workers, the diffusion of computers has been interpreted as a mechanism for skill-biased technological change and consequent widening of the earnings distribution. I investigate this link by testing for direct effects of rising computer use on the distribution of wages in the United States. Analysis of data from the periodic CPS computer use supplements over the years 1984-2003 reveals that the positive association between workplace computer use and wages declines at higher skill levels, with the notable exception of a higher return to computer use for highly educated workers that emerged after 1997. Over my complete sample frame, however, the net association between rising computer use and the distribution of wages was quite limited. For broad groups defined by educational attainment, rising computer use was associated with rising between-group inequality that was offset by falling within-group inequality, suggesting that computers have exerted a "leveling" rather than a "polarizing" effect on wages.


The archives and library community has implemented linked data in recent years. Linked data empowers archivists to connect local data to a global audience using common identifiers and standards. However, due to the high level of institutional requirements that projects typically need with the high barrier of time and resources, many archivists have difficulty incorporating linked data practices into their daily descriptive work.The Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives at Illinois State University's Milner Library received the opportunity to digitize a segment of the expansive Ken-Way Studio Photograph Collection. The collection encompasses 120 linear feet and documents the history of Bloomington-Normal and the Central Illinois region. The Ken-Way Studio Digital Collection is a detailed photographic history of the development of national businesses in the Midwest. Many of the images in the digital collection feature the local and regional Central Illinois business community. Several companies held national significance, including Prairie Farms, Standard Oil, Admiral Corporation, and Nestle Beich.Because the collection was not physically processed, it allowed an opening to invest time to research and create original descriptive metadata, including linked data elements, to accompany individual images in the digital collection. To lower the barrier, Milner Library observed an incremental approach to contribute to the linked data environment and prepared descriptive metadata for future use/reuse.


The great transition from farm to city is filled with economic, social, and political promise. Cities are the product of a triad of forces. This economic premise explores how the three forces of spatial transformation- physical infrastructure, human interactions, and public policy- come together and shape cities. But too many cities in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to suffer from the oldest urban scourge- unclean water. Crime and murder turn many Latin American neighborhoods into places of terror rather than opportunity. Limited transport options can turn daily commutes in Asia's mega cities into arduous treks. Shantytowns are a regular sight in many of the world's burgeoning cities. So policy makers and city mayors need to tackle a wide range of problems, from debilitating conditions in urban slums to the lack of basic services such as clean water and sanitation, inadequate housing, the exclusion of the poor from the city's socioeconomic fabric, and the management of natural hazards and pollution. If these challenges are left unaddressed, cities can become a source of social and political instability. With the right policies, cities can become engines of transformative change toward inclusive, people-centered, and sustainable development. Urbanization now has the potential of transforming the developing world, and that's why getting urban policies right is important. There is no future in rural poverty- the path to prosperity inevitably runs through cities. The right approach is not to accept the urban failures that often exist now, but to rethink cities and try to imagine how to get to a brighter urban future.


Abstract Purpose: Ossification of ligamentum flavum (OLF) is an infrequent cause of thoracic spinal stenosis, mostly found in Japan and other East Asian countries, and uncommon in other populations. The incidence of dural ossification (DO) ranges from 11–62%. None of the previously described imaging findings can accurately diagnose DO preoperatively. Author reports outcomes of 15 cases of thoracic OLF from an Indian tertiary center, propose a new MRI finding to preoperatively diagnose DO and compare the various differences between subjects with and without DO. Methods: Three and half year retrospective analysis. Demographic, clinico-radiological and operative details, and outcome were analyzed. Correlation between new MRI finding and intraoperative DO was also noted. Results: Fifteen patients (10 males, 5 females) with mean age of 51.3 years were analyzed. Ten (66.6%) cases had DO and the new MRI finding (T2 ring sign) had high correlation with intraoperative DO (sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 100%). The T2 hypointense rim corresponds to the calcified/ossified dura present around the thecal sac. Important clinico-radiological differences were observed in patients with and without DO. Canal diameter was uniformly <5 mm in Nurick grade V cases and <9 mm in those with DO. Mean follow-up duration was 19.5 months (range 4–45 months). All, except one, had significant symptomatic improvement, however, only two patients with DO attained Nurick grade I, perhaps because of the poor preoperative Nurick grade in those patients. Conclusions: Decompressive laminectomy (till the normal interlaminar space caudally and cranially) with complete removal of flavum including ossified dura, if possible, is the ideal treatment. Even after significant improvement, patients with DO may have mild residual myelopathy. Presence of DO, CSF leak and myelomalacia are neither related to wound problems nor clinical improvement. Higher preoperative Nurick grade was consistently associated with good clinical recovery. T2 ring sign is of benefit to surgeons in preoperative diagnosis of DO.


Modern software applications are highly configurable, allowing
configuration options to be changed even during program
execution. When dynamic configuration updating is implemented
incorrectly, program errors can result. These program errors occur
primarily when stale data—computed from old configurations—or
inconsistent data—computed from different configurations—are used. We introduce Staccato, the first tool designed to detect these
errors. Staccato uses a dynamic analysis in the style of taint
analysis to find the use of stale configuration data in Java
programs. It supports concurrent programs running on commodity
JVMs. In some cases, Staccato can provide automatic bug avoidance and semi-automatic repair when errors occur.

We evaluated Staccato on 3 open-source applications that support
complex reconfigurability. Staccato found multiple errors in all of
them. Staccato requires only modest annotation overhead and has
moderate performance overhead.


Optimal transport aims to estimate a transportation plan that minimizes a displacement cost. This is realized by optimizing the scalar product between the sought plan and the given cost, over the space of doubly stochastic matrices. When the entropy regularization is added to the problem, the transportation plan can be efficiently computed with the Sinkhorn algorithm. Thanks to this breakthrough, optimal transport has been progressively extended to machine learning and statistical inference by introducing additional application-specific terms in the problem formulation. It is however challenging to design efficient optimization algorithms for optimal transport based extensions. To overcome this limitation, we devise a general forward-backward splitting algorithm based on Bregman distances for solving a wide range of optimization problems involving a differentiable function with Lipschitz-continuous gradient and a doubly stochastic constraint. We illustrate the efficiency of our approach in the context of continuous domain adaptation. Experiments show that the proposed method leads to a significant improvement in terms of speed and performance with respect to the state of the art for domain adaptation on a continually rotating distribution coming from the standard two moon dataset.


rsodiol was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1987 for the prevention and treatment of gallstones and for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis in adults. Although not approved by the FDA for use in pediatric patients, ursodiol has been used for two decades as adjunctive therapy in the management of children with hepatobiliary disease. Initially studied in adolescents with cystic fibrosis, ursodiol has also been found to be useful in the management of infants and children with hereditary cholestasis syndromes, biliary atresia, and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis. This issue of Pediatric Pharmacotherapy will provide an overview of recent studies conducted with ursodiol in infants and children with hepatobiliary diseases, as well as review its mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects.


Abstract The ever-growing industry of farmed warm-water shrimp in developing countries claims the continued expansion of export markets in developed countries, where they form a growing share of markets traditionally supplied by wild-caught shrimp. In this market transition, developing countries can benefit from knowledge regarding the consumer valuation of shrimp attributes to reasonably target product forms. In this article, the implicit price for the intrinsic and extrinsic product attributes of shrimp purchases from 2011–2015 scanner data is analyzed in Danish retail sales using a hedonic price model. For intrinsic attributes, the results show that a price premium exists for warm-water shrimp and has a larger impact on low-income households. Freshness creates a price premium for warm-water shrimp, but cold-water shrimp faces price discounts. For extrinsic attributes, private labels lead to a price premium for warm-water shrimp. This article shows that despite traditionally eating wild-caught cold-water shrimp, Danish consumers are willing to both purchase and pay a price premium for warm-water shrimp. The findings also indicate that exporters and supermarket chains together can benefit from using private labels. Therefore, the warm-water shrimp farmers have the potential to export to this market, which traditionally has been dominated by cold-water shrimp consumption.


Episodes of loss of consciousness and dizziness are frequent in children and adolescents. The causes are quite variable, most are harmless, some more worrisome. The correct diagnosis can most often be made by recognition of the characteristic sequence of the clinical symptoms and signs. History taking therefore is the most important diagnostic step, and additional work-up is only rarely required. We will review the clinical entities, whose knowledge is useful for pediatricians and general practitioners, since they belong, together with seizures, head injuries and headaches, to the neurological problems seen frequently in emergency consultations. They will be listed according to the age at which they are most often observed, and not according to frequency or severity. Seizure disorders have been excluded from the discussion, and only few and rare types of migraines have been included, since epilepsy and migraine are topics that will be discussed by other speakers during this symposium.


This paper focusses on the re-visiting and re-application of foundations year freehand drawing skills in the later curriculum. This year's NCBDS conference theme was TIME, and I have indeed clocked a lot of it in my twenty years teaching Architecture Foundations studio. teaching the same studio year-in, year-out might sound rather static: a professor 'going through the motions' for twenty years, but in truth I have witnessed much change: a changing student body, a change in the emphasis of digital technology (Fig. 0), an ever-evolving curriculum, and my own growth as a teacher


Recent methods for people detection in overhead, fisheye images either use radially-aligned bounding boxes to represent people, assuming people always appear along image radius or require significant pre-/post-processing which radically increases computational complexity. In this work, we develop an end-to-end rotation-aware people detection method, named RAPiD, that detects people using arbitrarily-oriented bounding boxes. Our fully-convolutional neural network directly regresses the angle of each bounding box using a periodic loss function, which accounts for angle periodicities. We have also created a new dataset1 with spatio-temporal annotations of rotated bounding boxes, for people detection as well as other vision tasks in overhead fisheye videos. We show that our simple, yet effective method outperforms state-of-the-art results on three fisheye-image datasets. The source code for RAPiD is publicly available2.


To the Editor: Dr Stulberg and colleagues examined the association between Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) adherence and postoperative infections. Given differences between the trial data cited and the observational data presented, additional clarification of patient exclusions and modeling may inform study interpretation. The authors did not present data describing the SCIP composition of S-INF adherent patients (ie, patients with at least 2 recorded SCIP infection-prevention measures), specifically which 2 reported measures were most common. In addition, 30% of all patients lacked data describing at least 2 reported SCIP infection-prevention measures and were excluded from the test of association between S-INF adherence (a composite measure) and postoperative infection. Patient characteristics may have differed between those with vs those without at least 2 reported measures, leading to a spurious result for the association between S-INF and postoperative infection. The authors did not report unadjusted odds ratios for SCIP measures INF-1, INF-2, INF-3, INF-4, S-INF-Core, or S-INF. In addition, the authors did not report which covariates were adjusted for or how the covariates were adjusted for (variable forms). Corresponding crude odds ratios (derived from Figure 1) appear to be clinically and statistically significant (ranging between 0.35 and 0.70, all P values less than .05.) Adjusted odds ratios were less extreme and were not statistically significant. Differences between crude and adjusted odds ratios may reflect appropriate adjustment or may reflect error from bias (such as differential exclusions) or confounding (such as overadjustment by a robust model). Interpretation of this adjustment to the null may be improved with reporting of covariates, their distributions by INF measures, and variable forms of covariates. The authors stated that "[u]nique models were developed to test the independent effect of each SCIP measure and each composite measure with postoperative infection using data from the entire timeframe studied." To test independent effects (Figure 1), each SCIP measure would be included in the same single model. If this were done, models could include only patients with complete SCIP data, and no patient has complete data because some measures are specific for cardiac or colorectal surgeries. If separate models were constructed for each SCIP measure, the associations would be independent of other covariates but not independent of other SCIP measures. Separate models for each INF measure would also include unique subgroups of patients because of exclusions from missing SCIP data, which would render direct comparisons difficult. Joseph A. Hyder, MD, PhD email@example.com Department of Anesthesiology Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota


Optical thermometers have been widely investigated. Here, the temperature behavior of second harmonic generation (SHG) in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) substrates is analyzed; indeed, the QPM tuning in PPLN devices and the obtained SHG efficiency depend on the crystal thermal expansion and dispersion, particularly in the case of guided propagation. Therefore, such devices are suitable to realize optical thermometers for demanding applications. This investigation originated with the request of a thermometer to be installed on the pantographs of high-speed trains. Therefore, it must be sturdy and reliable, but it has even to work in an EMD environment. The temperature behavior of the SHG was theoretically modeled and experimentally validated at 1550 nm, in both bulk propagation and APE channel waveguides. In the first case, by using a 10-mW source, which was obtained from a laser diode and a fiber amplifier, an accuracy of 0.3 degC was found. The pump power was about three orders of magnitude smaller in guided propagation. In view of testing on the trains, our investigation resulted in the design of a device without mechanical contacts with the input and output fibers. Since it works in free propagation, there are no serious alignment and packaging problems. The performances, which are expected to be the same of our tests, widely satisfy all the requirements for working effectively in a strongly hostile and EMD environment and for giving accurate measurements on a wide range of temperatures


In past decades, significant behavioural work has been done in economics contesting the human agency model known as Homo Economicus. These findings are, however, far from integrated in mainstream economic theory, which builds heavily on the neoclassical tradition. Beyond tracing the axiomatic foundations of mainstream economic agency, 1 I reconstruct the argument made by Bernard Mandeville and Adam Smith that human choice also depends on the desire for social approbation. The social approbation mechanism complements material self-interest and provides a more diverse toolset when explaining social preferences. 2 I begin by proposing that mainstream economic agency confines the study of human action, in particular large-scale collaboration, to an artificially-limited spectrum because it reduces society to atomistic individuals who maximise one all-purpose measure of value: utility, which is often instrumented with consumption. Collective action is therefore only sustainable when material incentives are in place, as the economic agent rides for free unless financially penalized. To explain pro-social behaviour from the standpoint of self-interest, Mandeville and Smith propositioned that agents also maximise social approbation, which conveys incentives to act pro-socially because the desire for others' approval encourages compliance with social norms. The upshot for collective action is that, assuming social norms represent common goals, approval from others provides an extrinsic motive for pro-social behaviour. I formalise the mechanism by proposing a simple utility function in which agents maximise social approbation as well as material self-interest. 1 An economic model of human behaviur. 2 Preferences to act pro-socially, in the sense of Ernst Fehr and others behavioural economists.


A 32-year-old male was admitted with a history of pain in the right iliac fossa of 4 days' duration. The pain had started rather suddenly when he was lifting a heavy object, although he did not believe this had caused the pain. He did not complain of nausea, vomiting, anorexia or change in bowel habit. On examination he was apyrexial. There was marked tenderness in the right iliac fossa with some guarding. A rectal examination


The 2014 Blake market began slowly. Through April, there were no rumors in the trade of anything substantial coming to market, much less actual sales of Blake's drawings, paintings, or illuminated books. The calm persisted until 7 May, when I learned from John Windle that Bonhams London auction scheduled for 18 June would include posthumous copy i of Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Estimated at £50,000-70,000, the forty-four unbound plates were quickly knocked down at the low estimate (£62,500 with the 25% buyer's premium) to the E. J. Pratt Library, Victoria University, Toronto, now the most active institutional collector of Blake and his circle.


Magnetization hysteresis loop provides important information about the magnetic properties of materials. In this study, by examining the magnetic properties of three paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials in the vicinity of the Consciousness Fields (three types 1,2 and 3), we have investigated the nature of the Consciousness Fields in comparison with magnetic field. The magnetic properties of the materials under the influence of three distinct Consciousness Fields have changed significantly. Furthermore, the Consciousness Field 1 of the present study (with originally named Faradarmani by Taheri) has changed the magnetic properties of materials toward their physically inherent state in standard laboratory conditions. Based on the conditions and the results of the present study, it can be concluded that the Consciousness Fields are inherently neither electric nor magnetite fields and have a completely different and distinct impact on materials and their properties.


Purpose: There has been a significant number of malocclusion patients who suffer from the osteoarthritis associated with TMJ, and acquired anterior open bites were reported as a representative example. Treatments for patients with malocclusion often prove difficult, as the condyle position is not stable. It remains unknown as to whether this is due to the disease or the condyle position. This case report documents a clinical application of a Digital Gothic Arch Tracer for occlusal diagnosis and subsequent management and treatment of malocclusion with osteoarthritis.Materials and methods: This case report presents the treatment process of a female patient (51 years, 6 months of age) with an acquired dual-bite malocclusion with severe osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The occlusal condition of the patient was examined by a Digital Gothic Arch Tracer (DGAT, Gothic Display: Shofu Inc.). The GDAT was used as it provides an extra-oral tracing of jaw movements. While it is simple and easy to use, the accuracy remains impressively high, as several jaw motions are included into the final calculation.Results: The ensuing treatment plan was as follows: Upon the first examination, the occlusal position was recorded with DGAT. The DGAT data was then evaluated for correlations between the terminal points of the rapid habitual opening-closing movements (tapping points), apex point and speaking position. The gothic arch figure revealed that when approaching the terminal points of the tapping points and the speaking position, there was a separation at the apex point. From this, we reached a conclusion on the new occlusal position for tapping points and the speaking position. Based on the DGAT results, via the occlusal adjustment method, we set the new occlusal position. On their final visit the patient received Prosthodontics treatment. The DGAT was able to provide an avenue of examination that maintained the original occlusal position without raising the vertical dimension. Therefore, it was rather simple and exact to compare the Tapping points and Apex points.Conclusion: Using a Digital Gothic Arch Tracer, we successfully carried out the occlusal examination and treatment of a patient with osteoarthritis and malocclusion.


Test coverage is an important indicator for unit test quality. Tools such as Clover compute coverage by first instrumenting the code with logging functionality, and then logging which parts are executed during unit test runs. Since computation of test coverage is a dynamic analysis, it presupposes a working installation of the software. In the context of software quality assessment by an independent third party, a working installation is often not available. The evaluator may not have access to the required libraries or hardware platform. The installation procedure may not be automated or documented. In this paper, we propose a technique for estimating test coverage at method level through static analysis only. The technique uses slicing of static call graphs to estimate the dynamic test coverage. We explain the technique and its implementation. We validate the results of the static estimation by statistical comparison to values obtained through dynamic analysis using Clover. We found high correlation between static coverage estimation and real coverage at system level but closer analysis on package and class level reveals opportunities for further improvement.


This Working Document complements the CEPS Policy Brief, Understanding India's climate agenda, and elaborates on three key issues related to the country's energy challenges: access to energy, the future emissions trajectory and energy subsidies. This study looks into the making and framing of the country's domestic climate agenda from a political economy perspective. As long as both GDP and primary energy demand keep growing at the current rates, it may be concluded that the country's future, absolute greenhouse-gas emissions are also likely to grow but remain relatively low. Moreover, India's emissions intensity is expected to continue declining in line with the recent voluntary pledge by the Indian government. The study takes note of the national action plan launched in India, and the adoption of a flexible approach in international negotiations while maintaining a preference for several core principles, including equity. Lastly, the study explores the possibility for addressing issues such as international and intra-national equity in the context of the long-term EU–Indian partnership.


The purpose of this study is to determine the opinions of teachers' regarding creativity and creative students. The data was collected through interview form prepared by researchers for this purpose. It was aimed to determine the teachers' views on creativity, creative student characteristics, activities that can be done in class to improve creativity, use of material in creativity and opinions about creative classroom environment. Qualitative research method was utilized using a semi-structured interview technique. Study group of the research consisted of 17 teachers working in both in the North Cyprus and in different regions of Turkey. Seven of them are classroom teachers, four are mathematics, three are science, two are electrical-electronics teachers and one of them is a biology teacher. The data obtained from the study were analysed through content analysis. As a result; teachers' creativity and creative student definitions focus on the concepts of 'difference' and 'originality' and there are many different methods that can be used to develop creativity in the classroom. It is important that the classroom environment that develops creativity is an environment where the student feels free and comfortable and material use is considered to be important


In real-world contexts, such as driving, a person's breadth of attention, or useful field of view (UFOV), can have life or death consequences, with a narrower UFOV associated with increased accident risk (e.g., Clay et al., 2005). However, existing measures of the UFOV have important limitations. Some cannot be used in dynamic viewing of real-world scenes, while others (e.g., peripheral detection tasks) do not control for retinal eccentricity or eccentricity-dependent contrast sensitivity. The current experiment aimed to develop a novel measure of the UFOV that overcomes these limitations. Our dependent measure was the detection of extrafoveal image blur in real-world scenes as a secondary task, while participants concurrently engaged in an attention-demanding primary task. The retinal eccentricity of the image blur was controlled through gaze-contingent presentation on occasional single fixations. Eccentricity-dependent contrast sensitivity was held constant in the following way. Blurred images contained a circular region of high resolution (3°, 6°, or 9° radius) centered on fixation, with a constant level of low-pass filtered imagery beyond that eccentricity. Each eccentricity was paired with a unique blur level such that, in a single-task blur detection task, blur detectability was held constant across eccentricities. Our first experiment, which disallowed eye movements, used a within-subjects design (n = 16) and occasional briefly flashed photographs of real-world scenes, half of which were blurred, while monitoring the viewer's eyes to ensure central fixation. To measure the effects of cognitive load on blur detection, participants concurrently did an auditory N-back task (with N = 0, 2, or 3). Results showed that as N-back level increased, blur detection significantly decreased, but did not interact with eccentricity—consistent with a general interference effect rather than tunnel vision (Crundall, Underwood & Chapman, 1999). Follow-up experiments will allow free viewing of scenes, and occasionally present blur for


Maternal chickenpox may result in one of the following two major clinical syndromes: early onset postnatal chickenpox or intrauterine infection.1-2Infection in the susceptible female early in gestation may rarely lead to severely affected infants who may display multiple congenital anomalies, as described in several similar case reports.3-5 Dermatomal localization, the sine qua non of shingles, has been a prominent feature of some of the case reports of the severely affected neonates as well as of a few cases of isolated disease early in life. This report documents the cases of two infants who had shingles during the first few months of life after intrauterine exposure to varicella-zoster virus. Materials and Methods.—Standard virological procedures were used for the identification and isolation of varicella-zoster virus. Levels of complement-fixing anti-body to varicella-zoster virus were determined by the methodology described by Brunell and Casey.6Immunofluorescence antibody was determined


The ionosphere (the ionised region of the atmosphere between about 60 km and 1000 km) affects all radio signals below ~5 GHz which pass through or travel via it. Some of the associated radio systems can only operate because of the ionosphere, but it can also degrade radio system operation. Sometimes the effects of the ionosphere are highly significant, sometimes they can all but be ignored. For high-frequency (HF) sky-wave propagation, the ionosphere is, of course, a prerequisite. If the ionosphere were stable in time and constant in space, it would be relatively easy to determine the effect of the ionisation on the radio propagation and hence on the radio system. Unfortunately, stability is not the norm, particularly in the high-latitude regions, and, as a consequence ionospheric, prediction methods and models are required to support system design, service planning and frequency management. These methods and models characterise the medium and estimate the system performance. Some operate in real (or close to real) time and they may even directly advise the radio operator on a course of action which would improve system performance.


Meditative dialogue is a mindfulness method through which families and their therapists are able to access the present moment and develop acceptance, non-judgmental attitudes and attunement with one another and with the music that is always present in their lives. This process can be used to deepen empathic connections, tap into creative forces and loosen and encourage embodied and flexible interactions that alter patterns and cultivate openness to possibility and to change.


The recent disaster in the Gulf has drawn attention to the longevity of the oil supply and what alternative to gasoline is the appropriate fuel to which we should turn. The suggestion of Methanol as a substitute for gasoline as been greatly strengthened by George Olah in his publication "Beyond Oil and Gas: The Methanol Economy". However, there remained the question of burning methanol without special attention to its method of synthesis which would not add to the CO2 content of the atmosphere. Hydrogen has often been suggested as an alternative fuel because it burns clean. A comparison is made of Hydrogen and Methanol synthesized with hydrogen and CO2 from the atmosphere or biomass. The cost of the methanol as prepared would be $28 to $31 per GJ. Development is needed in the method by which to obtain the CO2 from the atmosphere in a stream. Three possible methods are outlined. Only one has been subject to detailed system analysis. However, two independent calculations give highly similar costs. Water, air and wind to produce hydrogen for electrolysis of water, are the only resources necessary to make the methanol required. Changing over to any alternative fuel will impact the Oil companies. However, a change to methanol could be a long term solution for them; whereas a trend towards electricity as the overall medium of energy would not be.


Due to the increase in the easy accessibility of computers and mobile phones alike, routing has become indispensable in deciding how computes communicate especially modern computer communication networks. This paper presents performance analysis between EIGRP and OSPFP for real time applications using Optimized Network Engineering Tool (OPNET). In order to evaluate OSPF and EIGRP's performance, three network models were designed where 1st, 2nd and 3rd network models are configured respectively with OSPF, EIGRP and a combination of EIGRP and OSPF. Evaluation of the proposed routing protocols was performed based on quantitative metrics such as Convergence Time, Jitter, End-to-End delay, Throughput and Packet Loss through the simulated network models. The evaluation results showed that EIGRP protocol provides a better performance than OSPF routing protocol for real time applications. By examining the results (convergence times in particular), the results of simulating the various scenarios identified the routing protocol with the best performance for a large, realistic and scalable network.


The discovery of gas in infected tissues is usually very alarming, since gas gangrene is immediately suspected. However, on further clinical and laboratory investigation, it may be found that infection by virulent clostridial organisms has not occurred and that acute nonclostridial crepitant cellulitis is the real cause. Associated with cellulitis, subcutaneous emphysema may be caused by the following factors: I. Extrinsic factors A. Physical introduction of air by 1. Severe trauma (with partial avulsion) 2. Improper irrigation of wounds 3. Injuries involving the organs of respiration B. Chemical generation of gas II. Intrinsic factors A. Infection by aerogenic bacteria 1. Clostridial bacteria 2. Other bacteria The infected wound may possess gas introduced extrinsically by physical means, such as severe trauma, improper irrigation of wound, injuries involving respiratory organs, or chemical generation of gas by such agents as hydrogen peroxide. Examples of this type of infection have been reported by Rubenstein,


The polycrystallined LaB6-ZrB2 composites with different content of ZrB2 were fabricated by vacuum hot-pressed sintering technique in this paper. The effects of ZrB2 content on the microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. For the eutectic LaB6-ZrB2 (21wt%) composite, the hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness is of 93.0 (HRA), 330.0MPa and 3.70MPa·m1/2, respectively. The results showed the hardness and flexural strength of LaB6-ZrB2 polycrystalline have been enhanced with the increasing of ZrB2 content, but the fracture toughness increases first then arrives at peak value, which is corresponding to the ZrB2 content of 21wt%. The microstructure observation revealed an improved densification due to addition of ZrB2. The fracture morphology showed a tendency of the fracturing from intergranular to transgranular manner with increasing the ZrB2 content. The fracture behavior of the composites was analyzed in the paper


There is mixed evidence whether reflecting on an existential threat increases negative affect and thereby elicits subjective arousal and physiological activation. Additionally, it is debated whether different existential and non-existential threats elicit different arousal responses, although systematic comparisons are lacking. The current study explored affective, subjective, and physiological arousal responses while comparing several existential threats with a non-existential threat and with a control condition. One-hundred-and-seventy-one undergraduate students were randomly allocated to one of four existential threat conditions: mortality salience (MS), freedom restriction, uncontrollability, and uncertainty; or to the non-existential threat condition: social-evaluative threat (SET); or to a control condition (TV salience). Self-reported positive/negative affect was measured before and after reflection, while subjective arousal and physiological activation (electrodermal, cardiovascular, and respiratory) were measured on a high time-scale during baseline and reflection. Results showed larger increases in self-reported negative affect, as compared to the control condition, for all existential threat conditions, while there were no differences between the control condition and threat conditions regarding positive affect, subjective arousal, skin conductance, respiratory rate, and respiratory sinus arrythmia. There were subtle differences between existential and non-existential threat conditions, most notably in affective responses. Correlations showed positive associations between negative affect and subjective arousal and between trait avoidance and subjective arousal. This study is the first to systematically compare affective, subjective, and physiological changes in arousal due to reflecting on different existential threats, as well as one non-existential threat. We showed that, as compared to a control condition, reflecting on threats has a large impact on negative affect, but no significant impact on positive affect, subjective arousal, and physiological activation.


This paper presents a baseband complex bandpass filter for PHS applications with a new automatic tuning method. The full-CMOS PHS transceiver is implemented by adopting the Low-IF architecture to overcome the DC-offset problems. To meet the Adjacent Channel Selectivity (ACS) performance, the 3rd-order Chebyshev complex bandpass filter is designed as the baseband channel-select filter. The new comer frequency tuning method is proposed to compensate the process variation. This method can reduce the noise level due to MOS switches. The filter was fabricated using a 0.35㎛ CMOS process, and the power consumption is 12㎽.


Objectives: Participants will learn how art therapists can achieve individual or group goals through the use of art materials and processes. They will also learn how organizational goals can be incorporated into relevant art making experiences. The presentation begins with a brief overview of art therapy and the history of mandala making in community building. We will then review the mandala-making staff workshops. The discussion will close with an exploration of how this process may be applied to other work environments.Methods: These workshops were originally offered to our long-term care staff on eight different occasions during, "Planetree Month" in May of 2011, a month dedicated to staff self-care. The "Planetree Month" planning committee asked the art therapist to develop a team-building exercise that would be fun, creative and completed within 45 minutes. The committee also hoped that the workshop participants, who had little or no artistic experience or skill, would make a collective art work (within the time constraints,) that would be a source of pride for the participants and be good enough to be installed on the walls of the centre as a testament to the teamwork achieved.Results: The goals of the workshop were accomplished through the careful design of this workshop. More than 200 staff members participated, embraced the process and completed eight mandalas which are now permanently displayed on the walls of Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre. Creativity can bring out the best in people, creating synergy and positive community growth.


In this article there is analyzed one of the most important characteristics of two-coordinate drive systems, i.e. position absolute and repetition accuracy. The influence of control methods, that ensure optimum rapidity and increase durability of the system and power efficiency, on position repetition accuracy is evaluated. The experimental measurements were carried out using industrial drives. From experimental results and statistical evaluations it can be concluded that position absolute and repetition accuracy of two-coordinate drive system do not come worse using control methods, that ensure optimum rapidity and optimization of mechanical actions to the mechanical part of device and optimization of power consumption. Ill.10, bibl. 12 (in English; summaries in Lithuanian, English, Russian).


MWW-type zeolites with different textural properties, namely, MCM-22, MCM-36, MCM-56, and MCM-49, were synthesized and tested in the selective preparation of campholenic aldehyde by isomerization of α-pinene oxide. Commercial zeolites USY, Beta, and ZSM-5 were compared. The physico-chemical properties of the studied zeolites were correlated with their catalytic performance in the isomerization of α-pinene oxide carried out either in toluene as a solvent at 70 °C or in N,N-dimethylacetamide at 140 °C. α-Pinene oxide isomerizes easily in the presence of acids and therefore, high conversions were achieved over commercial as well as synthesized MWW catalysts. Higher selectivities to campholenic aldehyde were achieved over MWW catalysts in basic N,N-dimethylacetamide while non-basic toluene enhanced the formation of the desired aldehyde over all the commercial zeolites. The highest selectivity to the desired aldehyde was achieved over MCM-22 in the reaction performed in N,N-dimethylacetamide at 140 °C, being 83% at total conversion of α-pinene oxide. This is the best result achieved rivaling homogenous acids (ZnBr2) and metal–organic frameworks.


A key aspect of conversation is the interactive exchange of information and the cooperative discourse process that functions to bring about a mutually satisfactory sharing of information. The encountering of new information gives rise to emotional responses as well as on the certainty and degree of cognitive reorientation to the pre-existing knowledge state. In this study we present our results on prosody and contextual meaning of two feedback markers: "dui" and "oh", showing that the marker "dui" 'right', functions to mark the perceived status of lexical truth and degree of understanding, approval, or agreement, thus acting as an indicator of cognitive understanding to organize topic development through signals of a shared knowledge state, whereas the marker "oh" acts as an indicator of temporary cognitive difficulty or reorientation of cognitive states, thus providing the complementary function to "dui" with respect to certainty and uncertainty of information and knowledge states in discourse.


A novel phosphate bonded magnesia cement was developed recently, which sets quickly and develops high strength in the early ages. In the present research, the physical and mechanical properties, hydration products, and microstructure of the new cement were investigated. The new cement was mainly consists of dead burned magnesia, phosphate and fly ash. The results showed that it not only has high early strength, but also has high long-term strength. Interestingly, the strength of the cement increase with the content of fly ash, from 10 % - 40 % by weight. The hardened cement paste has a dense microstructure, low open porosity and water sorptivity due to the low water to binder ratio. The reaction products after hydration of the cement includes struvite mineral and amorphous species.


An effective-field method for calculation of thermodynamic properties of three-dimensional lattice spin models is developed. It is applied to the ANNNI model on the simple cubic lattice. The phase diagram of the model, consisting of a large number commensurate phases and of an incommensurate phase, is calculated, confirming the results of previous approaches. The phase transition lines for a number of commensurate structures are localized and a strong evidence for absence of the direct phase transition between commensurate phases and the disordered phase is found.


A result analysis of Weighted Guided Image Filtering, present days various image filtering method in computer vision and image dispensation that are helpful for some variety of noise, but they invariably put together certain supposition concerning the properties of the signal and/or noise to lack the generalization for different image noise reduction. This study explains an absolutely unique generalized guided image filtering methodology by means of the reference image create by signal sub-space projection (SSP) method. It adopts advanced parallel investigation with Monte Carlo simulations to pick out the dimensionality of signal subspace contained by the patch-based noisy images. The noiseless image is rebuilt as of the noisy image estimated onto the many Eigen images by element analysis. Training/test image is utilized to work out the relationship between the best possible parameter value and noise divergence that maximizes the output peak signal/noise ratio (PSNR). The best possible consideration of the estimated algorithmic rule are often by design chosen by means of noise deviation estimation based on the smallest singular value of the patch-based image by singular value decomposition (SVD). Lastly, we have a tendency to present a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the projected algorithmic rule with the traditional guided filter and different state-of-theart methods with respect to the choice of the image patch and neighbourhood window sizes.


Materials and methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 50 schools were selected by random sampling and the illuminance was measured using network method. In each place 2 to 10 measurements (between 8:00 AM and 14:00) were done using Lux meter (TES; A1336). Data was analyzed by GEE in SPSS V. 20. Results: The lighting intensity was measured in 306 places including 194 classrooms, 49 offices and 63 corridors. Our evaluation showed that 34% of the classrooms, 40.8% of the offices, and 33% of the corridors had appropriate standard illuminance. Conclusion: This research showed that incorrect layout of windows, the materials and colors of the walls and the material of the floors and curtain styles had significant effect on the lighting of the


Objectives - Precise, reliable blood pressure (BP) measurement, whether in clinical practice or in epidemiological research, is essential for diagnosis and data interpretation. The study objectives were to compare differences in the prevalence and control of hypertension among adults aged 18 years and older using two standard devices: the mercury sphygmomanometer and the Omron Digital Blood Pressure Monitor (HEM_907XL).

Methods - 5,185 individuals aged 18 years and older participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010 BP methodology study. Hypertension was defined as a mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg, or currently taking BP medication. Mean BP was the average of up to three readings for each device. Controlled Hypertension among hypertensives was defined as SBP <140 mmHg and DBP < 90 mmHg.

Results - Overall the age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension among adults was higher by mercury measurement (27.7%) than by Omron (26.4%, p <0.05). There were significant differences in hypertension prevalence between the two devices among men (mercury: 28.9% vs. Omron: 26.5%, p < 0.05) and Hispanics (mercury: 25.1% vs. Omron: 22.8%, p < 0.05). The overall hypertension control rate among hypertensives was significantly higher using Omron (64.6%) vs. mercury measurement (57.5%, p <0.05). In subgroup analyses, rates of hypertension control among hypertensives were systematically higher using Omron: for those 40-59 years (mercury: 60.0%; Omron: 67.9%); for those 60 years and older (mercury: 59.7%; Omron: 65.4%); for men (mercury: 54.9%; Omron: 63.9%); women (mercury: 61.5%; Omron: 66.1%,); non-Hispanic whites (mercury: 60.9%; Omron: 68.4%); non-Hispanic blacks(mercury: 48.8%; Omron: 54.3%); and Hispanics (mercury: 34.6%; Omron: 44.8%), ( p <0.05 for all groups).

Conclusion - Hypertension prevalence measured by mercury was significantly higher than that measured by the Omron device. Lower Omron readings resulted in apparently higher estimates for the rate of controlled hypertension.


To produce ceramics with high mechanical strength and bioactivity, we developed the little amount of nano-sized hydroxyapatite (HA)-doped zirconia composite ceramics (nanoHA-Z). The bioactivity of the nanoHA-Z was studied by in vitro estimation with simulated body fluid (SBF). Scanning electron microscopy observation showed deposited bone-like apatite layer entire covering the surface of nanoHA-Z ceramics in SBF. The enhanced apatite formability was attributed to higher Ca and PO4 concentrations in the vicinities of the nanoHA-Z surfaces due to the dissolution of the β-tricalcium phosphate decomposed from the added HA. Utilization of Chemicovector effect was proved to be one of the powerful approaches for improvement method of biomaterials.


BACKGROUND
A flow cytometric measurement (FCM) technique has been developed to size DNA fragments. Individual fragments of a restriction digest of genomic DNA, stained with an intercalating dye, are passed through an ultrasensitive cytometer. The measured fluorescence intensity from each fragment is proportional to the fragment length.

METHODS
The isolation of bacterial genomic DNA and digestion by restriction enzymes were performed inside an agarose plug. Rare cutting enzymes were employed to produce a manageable number of DNA fragments. Electroelution was used to move the DNA fragments from the agarose plug into a solution containing polyamines to protect the DNA from shear-induced breakage. The DNA was stained with the bisintercalating dye thiazole orange homodimer and introduced into our ultrasensitive flow cytometer. A histogram of the fluorescence intensities (fingerprint) was constructed.

RESULTS
Gram-positive Bacillus globigii and gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Erwinia herbicola were distinguished by the fingerprint pattern of restriction fragments of their genomic DNA. DNA sizes determined by FCM are in good agreement with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. Flow cytometry requires only picogram quantities of purified DNA and takes less than 10 min for data collection and analysis. When the total sample preparation time is included, the analysis times for PFGE and FCM are similar ( approximately 3 days).

CONCLUSIONS
FCM is an attractive technique for the identification of bacterial species. It is more sensitive and potentially much faster than PFGE.


Soybean is a major source of oil and proteins worldwide. The demand for soybean has increased in Africa, driven by the growing feed industry for poultry, aquaculture and home consumption in the form of processed milk, baked beans and for blending with maize and wheat flour. Soybean, in addition to being a major source of cooking oil, is also used in other industrial processes such as in the production of paints and candle wax. The demand for soybean in Africa so far outweighs the supply, hence the deficit is mainly covered through imports of soybean products such as soybean meal. The area under soybean production has increased in response to the growing demand, a trend that is expected to continue in the coming years. As the production area increases, diseases and insect pests, declining soil fertility and other abiotic factors pose a major challenge. Soybean rust disease, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, presents one of the major threats to soybean production in Africa due to its rapid spread as a result of the ease by which its spores are dispersed by the wind. Disease control by introducing resistant soybean varieties has been difficult due to the presence of different populations of the fungus that vary in pathogenicity, virulence and genetic composition. Improved understanding of the dynamics of rust ecology, epidemiology and population genetics will enhance the effectiveness of targeted interventions that, in turn, will safeguard soybean productivity.


The influence of DC steady magnetic field on dry-sliding friction and wear characteristics of friction pair of high-speed steel (HSS) ring / Ti6Al4V pin is studied by use of improved MPV-1500 type under normal temperature. It is shown that the wear loss of ferromagnetic materials can be decreased by applying a steady magnetic field. Under the load of 250N and the friction velocity of 0.6m/s, the wear loss of the sample HSS ring keeps decreasing along with the enhancement of magnetic field intensity, and in the scope of 64mT-160mT, the average friction coefficient becomes smaller and smaller. Magnetic field can accelerate debris refinement. The wear mechanism covers oxidative wear and adhesive wear mainly.


In order to control the sedimentation destructive consequents and to evaluate the erosion in the basin, it is of great importance to estimate the river sediment transport rates precisely. When there are several mathematical and experimental models with unacceptable accuracy or when there is deficiency in records of input variables to the classical equations, machine learning techniques are perfect completes. Multiple Additive Regression Trees or TreeNet is one of machine learning techniques, which has been applied limitedly in water engineering environment so far, as reports say; therefore, its efficiency in comparison with other common models in this field is not evident. In this context, this model was compared with ANN and ANFIS models and proved competitive results in two different conditions regarding the target variable coefficient of variation, without giving negative predictions like the other two models did. Also the other advantages which distinguish the TreeNet model from the other two are its running speed and not being parametric. In present research, the two Kareh Sang and Sira stations (located on Haraz and Karaj Rivers respectively) data have been utilized. In Kareh Sang station, a parameter named "day of the year" which simulates the periodic property of sediment transport was introduced to models as a predictor variable. Applying this parameter leaded to the considerable increase in models accuracy, particularly in that of TreeNet model, which indicates that there are different relations between sediment discharge and flow discharge in different time periods of the year.


In the introduction the reasons for importance of development of Polish road infrastructure were given. Afterwards, concepts and the present state of the program of motorways building in Poland were described. The possible options of financing motorways were also determined. The main part of the research paper presents factors which determine chances and hindrances for the realization of the program for building motorways in Poland. These enumerated synthetic factors are based on the up-to-now Polish experiences in building motorways. The paper is finished by Author's conclusions including propositions of modifications necessary for shorten time of duration of the road investment process in Poland.


Abstracts from AAIC 2016 will be published in a future issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association


ABSTRACT Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii is a bacterial pathogen of corn. Its pathogenicity depends on the translocation of effector proteins into host cells by the Hrp type III secretion system. We previously showed by genetic analysis that the HrpX sensor kinase and the HrpY response regulator are at the head of a complex cascade of regulators controlling hrp/hrc secretion and wts effector genes. This cascade also includes the HrpS response regulator and the HrpL alternative sigma factor. These regulators are shared among many important plant pathogens in the genera Pantoea, Erwinia, and Pseudomonas. In this study, we dissect the regulatory elements in the hrpS promoter region, using genetic and biochemical approaches, and show how it integrates various environmental signals, only some of which are dependent on phosphorylation of HrpY. Primer extension located the transcriptional start site of hrpS at a σ70 promoter 601 bp upstream of the open reading frame. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting analysis demonstrated that HrpY binds to conserved regulatory elements immediately adjacent to this promoter, and its binding affinity was increased by phosphorylation at D57. A consensus sequence for the two direct repeats bound by HrpY is proposed. Deletion analysis of the promoter region revealed that both the HrpY binding site and additional sequences farther upstream, including a putative integration host factor binding site, are required for hrpS expression. This finding suggests that other unknown regulatory proteins may act cooperatively with HrpY.


The effects of climate change and population growth in recent decades are leading us to consider their combined and potentially extreme consequences, particularly regarding hydrological processes, which can be modeled using a generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. Most of the GEV models were based on a stationary assumption for hydrological processes, in contrast to the nonstationary reality due to climate change and human activities. In this paper, we present the nonstationary generalized extreme value (NSGEV) distribution and use it to investigate the risk of Niangziguan Springs discharge decreasing to zero. Rather than assuming the location, scale, and shape parameters to be constant as one might do for a stationary GEV distribution analysis, the NSGEV approach can reflect the dynamic processes by defining the GEV parameters as functions of time. Because most of the GEV model is designed to evaluate maxima (e.g. flooding, represented by positive numbers), and spring discharge cessation is a 'minima', we deduced an NSGEV model for minima by applying opposite numbers, i.e. negative instead of positive numbers. The results of the model application to Niangziguan Springs showed that the probability of zero discharge at Niangziguan Springs will be 1/80 in 2025, and 1/10 in 2030. After 2025, the rate of decrease in spring discharge will accelerate, and the probability that Niangziguan Springs will cease flowing will dramatically increase. The NSGEV model is a robust method for analysing karst spring discharge. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This study examined the role of snail farming (Heliculture) as a potential tool for conservation and livelihood development in forest dependent communities around the Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP). The villages selected for this study were Mapanja, Bonjongo, Mokunda and Boana based on their proximity to forest resources. Since it was a pilot study, farmers were selected based on their prior knowledge on snail farming or were currently farming snails locally. A total of 38 questionnaires were distributed to snail farmers of which were 18 males and 20 females in the four villages and we recorded a hundred percent respondents. The questionnaires were based on forest related activities such as collection of non timber forest products, agricultural practices and Original Research Article Ndah et al.; ARJA, 6(4): 1-11, 2017; Article no.ARJA.35113 2 collection of woody products. Observations, monitoring and progressive evaluations were made overtime on some behavioural changes (frequency to the forest for hunting, harvesting of forest products and snail meat consumption). Observations were made on the number of snails stocked, number of dead snails, number of eggs, and number of baby snails. The data were entered into excel and analyzed descriptively. We noticed that after the establishment of snail farms in these communities overtime, individuals covered less distances into the forest 2hrs/week in Mapanja, and less than 1hr/week in Bonjongo, Mukunda and Boana. The number of traps set reduced from 80% in Mapanja and Mokunda to less than 20% and 60% in Bonjongo and Boana to less than 20%. It was noticed that snail meat consumption increased after snails farms were established, Mapanja 29%, Bonjongo 37.5%, Mokunda 33.3% and Boana 29.2% when compared with other protein sources. It was concluded that if proper management of the snail farms around the MCNP can provide a better alternative of bush meat hunting, provide income and reduced human influence on the forest.


Despite many advances in compiler research, traditional compilers continue to suffer from one significant limitation: they only recognize the low-level primitive constructs of their languages. In contrast, programmers increasingly benefit from higher level software components, which implement a variety of specialized domains—everything from basic file access to 3D graphics and parallel programming. The result is a marked difference between the level
In this thesis we present the Broadway compiler, which closes this gap. Broadway represents a new kind of compiler, called a library-level compiler, that supports domain-specific compilation by extending the benefits of compiler support to software libraries. The key to our approach is a separate annotation language that conveys domain-specific information about libraries to our compiler, allowing it to treat library routines more like built-in language operations. Using this information, the compiler can perform library-level program analysis and apply library-level optimizations.
We explore both the opportunities and challenges presented by library-level compilation. We show that library-level optimizations can increase the performance of several parallel programs written using a highly-tuned parallel linear algebra library. These high level optimizations are beyond the capabilities of a traditional compiler and even rival the performance of programs hand-coded by an expert. We also show that our compiler is an effective tool for detecting a range of library-level errors, including several significant security vulnerabilities. Finally, we present a new client-driven pointer analysis algorithm, which provides precise and scalable program analysis to meet the demanding requirements of library-level compilation.


This study examines coaching clients' metaphors for their experiences of coaching. Semistructured
interviews with a specific focus on metaphor were carried out with six participants
who had recently completed a cycle of coaching as a client. Interview material was analysed
using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings suggest that eliciting metaphors
is an effective, though problematic, means of generating experientially-rich research material.
Findings highlight the relationship between metaphor and embodied experience; the sense of
having grown as a result of the coaching; and the experience of time during the coaching
encounter. Implications for coaching theory, practice and research are considered.
Keywords: coaching; metaphor; experience; embodiment; space, time


Vitamin C is the major antioxidant molecule in the central nervous system (CNS), reaching concentrations of 10 mM in neurons and 400 μM in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Uptake of vitamin C by brain cells is performed through the co‐transporter of ascorbic acid and sodium isoform 2, SVCT2, which is expressed in cells from the choroid plexus, neurons, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells. SVCT2 expression has also been described in cells at the neurogenic niche, specifically in proliferative type C cells. In this chapter, we will describe recently published studies of SVCT2 expression during brain development and define its polarization in cells from the radial glia (neuronal precursors within the CNS) and vitamin C‐mediated effects in regulating genes associated with the mainte‐ nance of CNS stem cell pluripotency. We will discuss the differential biological effect that vitamin C generates in neurons versus astrocytes and how the oxidized form of vitamin C, dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), produced by neurons in conditions of oxidative stress must leave this cell to be incorporated by astrocytes. In this context, we will discuss recent literature, which shows that DHA regulates glycolytic metabolism in neurons. In parallel, we will analyze vitamin C recycling by astrocytes, which reduce DHA into ascorbic acid (AA), increasing the antioxidant potential of the brain. Data discussed in this chapter will provide an updated view of SVCT2 distribution in the brain and will also describe how vitamin C recycling participates in normal or pathological brain function.


Beamforming is a spatial filtering operation performed on data received by an array of sensors, such as antennas, microphones, or hydrophones. It provides a system with the ability to "listen" directionally even when the individual sensors in the array are omnidirectional. Over the past year we have been exploring the use of FPGA based custom computing machines for several sonar beamforming applications, including time domain beamforming (P. Graham nd B. Nelson, 1998), frequency domain beamforming, and matched field processing. In many ways sonar processing fits the criteria found by W. Mangione-Smith and B. Hutchings (1997) for good FPGA applications-the computations are data parallel, they require little control, the data sets are large (infinite streams), and the raw sensor data is at most 12 bits. However, they have three characteristics which make them challenging. First, they involve intensive arithmetic (multiply accumulates and trigonometric functions) on real and/or complex data. Second, they require significant memory support, far beyond that indicated in much previously published work. Third, the scale of the computation is large, requiring (possibly) hundreds of FPGAs and high bandwidth interconnections to meet real time constraints. We address the first issue.


Analyses of the relationships between cognitive ability, socioeconomic outcomes, and European ancestry were carried out at multiple levels in Argentina: individual (max. n = 5,920), district (n = 437), municipal (n = 299), and provincial (n = 24). Socioeconomic outcomes correlated in expected ways such that there was a general socioeconomic factor (S factor). The structure of this factor replicated across four levels of analysis, with a mean congruence coefficient of .96. Cognitive ability and S were moderately to strongly correlated at the four levels of analyses: individual r=.55 (.44 before disattenuation), district r=.52, municipal r=.66, and provincial r=.88. European biogeographic ancestry (BGA) for the provinces was estimated from 25 genomics papers. These estimates were validated against European ancestry estimated from self-identified race/ethnicity (SIRE; r=.67) and interviewer-rated skin brightness (r=.33). On the provincial level, European BGA correlated strongly with scholastic achievement-based cognitive ability and composite S-factor scores (r's .48 and .54, respectively). These relationships were not due to confounding with latitude or mean temperature when analyzed in multivariate analyses. There were no BGA data for the other levels, so we relied on %White, skin brightness, and SIRE-based ancestry estimates instead, all of which were related to cognitive ability and S at all levels of analysis. At the individual level, skin brightness was related to both cognitive ability and S. Regression analyses showed that SIRE had little detectable predictive validity when skin brightness was included in models. Similarly, the correlations between skin brightness, cognitive ability, and S were also found inside SIRE groups. The results were similar when analyzed within provinces. In general, results were congruent with a familial model of individual and regional outcome differences.


The assistance had not absorbed optimally yet for telematics MSMEs. One of the reasons was the data of telematics MSME which still separated in the several institutions. This research aimed to selection of assistance feasibility attributes using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) data.  This data attributes conformed to the criteria of assistance feasibility which was implemented among by Ministry of Cooperative, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and related institutions. The attributes involved the characteristic of technology, economics, human resources, partnerships, obstacles, prospect and other common conditions. The process of data preparation was needed involving cleaning, discretization, description and transformation of data. The AHP technique aimed to produce rankings and the value of attributes. The finding of this research showed that start-up essence and technology factors became the crucial attributes in the feasibility assessment. The other factors were the economy, human resources, partnerships and development planning. The findings of this research had given the new innovations; in addition of the scope of related substance Telematics Service MSMEs which was still studied limitedly, and the selection technique of assessment feasibility attributes based on Susenas data.


Background: The best method for nonsurgical treatment after primary dislocation of the shoulder is not clear. The efficacy of immobilization with the arm in external rotation (ER) compared with internal rotation (IR) remains controversial. Purpose: To determine the efficacy of ER immobilization versus IR immobilization on recurrence rate after primary dislocation of the shoulder from the evidence of randomized controlled trials. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Electronic databases (MEDLINE [Ovid SP], PubMed, Web of Science, EBM reviews, and CINAHL) and available proceedings according to the abstracts of major international meetings related to or including shoulder injuries and trauma were used to search for randomized controlled trials. Two independent investigators determined eligibility and carried out data extraction from the selected studies. Results: A total of 9 studies (817 patients) were selected for this meta-analysis. They included 668 male and 149 female patients, with a mean age ranging from 20.3 to 37.5 years. In the 9 pooled studies, the recurrence rate of shoulder dislocation was 21.5% (84/390) in the ER group versus 34.9% (130/373) in the IR group. ER immobilization significantly reduced the recurrence rate compared with IR immobilization (risk ratio, 0.56; P = .007). In the subgroup analysis of those immobilized full-time, ER immobilization was significantly more effective than IR immobilization in reducing the recurrence rate (risk ratio, 0.57; P = .01). In the subgroup analysis of age, ER immobilization was significantly more effective than IR immobilization in those aged 20 to 40 years but not in those younger than 20 years. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates that ER immobilization reduces the recurrence rate after primary shoulder dislocation compared with IR immobilization in patients older than 20 years. When treating a patient with primary shoulder dislocation, the clinician should provide this information to the patient before a treatment method is selected.


G.-N. Tseng. I(Kr): The hERG Channel. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2001) 33, 835-849. The rapid delayed rectifier (I(Kr)) channel is important for cardiac action potential repolarization. Suppressing I(Kr)function, due to either genetic defects in its pore-forming subunit (hERG) or adverse drug effects, can lead to long-QT (LQT) syndrome that carries increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias. The implication of I(Kr)in cardiac arrhythmias and in anti-arrhythmic/pro-arrhythmic actions of drugs has driven intensive research interests in its structure-function relationship, the linkage between LQT-associated mutations and changes in channel function, and the mechanism of drug actions. This review will cover the following topics: (1) heterogeneous contribution of I(Kr)to action potential repolarization in the heart, (2) structure-function relationship of I(Kr)/hERG channels, (3) role of regulatory & bgr; subunits in I(Kr)/hERG channel function, (4) structural basis for the unique pharmacological properties of I(Kr)/hERG channels, and (5) I(Kr)/hERG channel modulation by changes in cellular milieu under physiological and pathological conditions of the heart. It is anticipated that further advances in our understanding of I(Kr)/hERG, particularly in the areas of roles of different (& agr; and & bgr;) subunits in native I(Kr)function, alterations in I(Kr)function in diseased hearts, and the 3-dimensional structure of the I(Kr)/hERG pore based on homology modeling using the KcsA model, will help us better define the role of I(Kr)in arrhythmias and design therapeutic agents that can increase I(Kr)and are useful for LQT syndrome.


This letter presents an accurate support vector machine (SVM)-based hyperspectral image classification algorithm, which uses border training patterns that are close to the separating hyperplane. Border training patterns are obtained in two consecutive steps. In the first step, clustering is performed to training data of each class, and cluster centers are taken as initial training data for SVM. In the second step, the reduced-size training data composed of cluster centers are used in SVM training, and cluster centers obtained as support vectors at this step are regarded to be located close to the hyperplane border. Original training samples are contained in clusters for which the cluster centers are obtained to be close to the hyperplane border and the corresponding cluster centers are then together assigned as border training patterns. These border training patterns are then used in the training of the SVM classifier. Experimental results show that it is possible to significantly increase the classification accuracy of SVM using border training patterns obtained with the proposed approach.


This paper introduces a new estimation method for arbitrary temporal heterogeneity in panel data models. The paper provides a semiparametric method for estimating general patterns of cross-sectional specific time trends. The methods proposed in the paper are related to principal component analysis and estimate the time-varying trend effects using a small number of common functions calculated from the data. An important application for the new estimator is in the estimation of time-varying technical efficiency considered in the stochastic frontier literature. Finite sample performance of the estimators is examined via Monte Carlo simulations. We apply our methods to the analysis of productivity trends in the U.S. banking industry.


Chemical composition, total phenolic content, phenolic compounds, sugars, and L-ascorbic acid content of persimmon fruits of 6 different persimmon cultivars obtained from Ordu, Turkey, were evaluated in this study. Four astringent persimmon cultivars (Turkay, Hachiya, 07 TH 13, and Morali) and 2 nonastringent persimmon cultivars (Tozlayici and Fuyu) were used for analysis. In order to determine total phenolic content in persimmon fruits, the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method was used. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds, sugar, and L-ascorbic acid. Total phenolic content was higher in the astringent species than in the nonastringent species. Phenolic compounds identified and quantified in persimmons were gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and catechin. Total phenolic content and phenolic compound concentrations decreased during storage. The sugar compounds found in persimmon cultivars were fructose and glucose. L-ascorbic acid content for all cultivars varied between 14.9 and 15.8 mg 100 g-1. The study showed that persimmon fruits are a good source of phenolic compounds, which are nutritionally important for their antioxidant activities and protective functions against diseases caused by oxidative stress.