Buildings account for a significant part of the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore one has to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Concepts like passive houses and zero emission buildings are being introduced. Applying traditional techniques and materials in these buildings will significantly increase the amount of traditional thermal insulation, e.g. wall thicknesses up to about 400 mm are expected in passive houses. Such large thicknesses are not desirable due to several reasons, e.g. floor area considerations, efficient material use and need for new construction techniques. Hence, new highly thermal insulating materials and solutions are being sought. In this respect, vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) are regarded as one of the most promising existing high performance thermal insulation solutions on the market today. Thermal performance typically range 5 to 10 times better than traditional insulation materials (e.g. mineral wool), leading to substantial slimmer constructions. However, the VIPs have several disadvantages which have to be addressed. The robustness of VIPs in wall constructions is questioned, e.g. puncturing by penetration of nails. Moreover, the VIPs can not be cut or fitted at the construction site. Furthermore, thermal bridging due to the panel envelope and load-bearing elements may have a large effect on the overall thermal performance. Finally, degradation of thermal performance due to moisture and air diffusion through the panel envelope is also a crucial issue for VIPs. In this work, laboratory investigations have been carried out by hot box measurements. These experimental results have been compared with numerical simulations of several wall structure arrangements of vacuum insulation panels. Various VIP edge and overlap effects have been studied. Measured U-values from hot box VIP large scale experiments correspond quite well with numerical calculated U-values when realistic and measured values of the various parameters are used as input values in the numerical simulations.


Electrophysical properties of multicomponent system Zn2TiO4–Zn2ZrO4–ZnFe2O4 were investigated. The electrical conductivity, band gap, dielectric permittivity, and molar polarizability of formed solid solutions –Zn2-x(TiaZrb)1-xFe2xO4 (x = 0 - 1.0 are defined; Δх = 0.05; a + b = 1; a:b = 1:5; 1:4; 1:3; 1:2; 1:1; 2:1; 3:1; 4:1) were defined. Electrophysical properties of samples are in linear dependence on their composition. All the synthesized samples are semiconductors with high electrical resistivity. Was confirmed the formation of two phases of variable composition with a wide homogeneity range.


Author(s): Wong, Shirley Yu | Advisor(s): Kwon, Young J | Abstract: Gene therapy holds great promise for treating diseases that stem from genetic origin. Nevertheless, development of safe and efficient gene delivery vectors is still a major challenge. Multiple hurdles are encountered when nucleic acids are administered into the body; they must avoid nuclease degradation, bypass rapid clearance, limit immune responses, extravasate to desired tissues, get taken up by cells, and traffic to desired intracellular locations. Advances in biotechnology aim to develop nontoxic as well as smart nucleic acid delivery carriers with stimuli-responsive features to overcome these challenges. Peptide-based nanomaterials have become widely used in the field of biotechnology for gene and drug delivery due to their structural versatility and biomimetic properties. Particularly, polypeptide vectors that respond to biological stimuli, such as acidic intracellular environments, have great utility in mediating efficient endosomal escape and drug release. Unfortunately, synthesis strategies for efficient polymerization of acid-labile peptides has been minimal due to conditions that fail to preserve acid-degradable functional groups. In this dissertation, a practical polymerization method was first developed for the synthesis of high molecular weight acid-labile polypeptides. Stable urethane derivatives of acid-labile amino acid, ketalized serine (kSer), were synthesized and polymerized to high molecular weight under permissive conditions independent of elevated temperature, restrictive solvents, or inert atmosphere. The practicality in the synthesis method allows further advancement of acid-labile polypeptide vectors as novel and functional biomaterials. Consequently, a new formulation strategy utilizing solvent-assisted self-assembly of poly(kSer)-derived peptides with small interfering RNA (siRNA) was developed. The nanoparticles were highly monodisperse and precisely spherical in morphology which has significant clinical implications in definitive biodistribution, cellular internalization, and intracellular trafficking patterns. Cross-linked poly(kSer)/siRNA nanoparticles demonstrated efficient nucleic acid encapsulation, internalization, endosomal escape, and acid-triggered cargo release, which tackles multiple hurdles in siRNA delivery. In summary, this dissertation provides a full comprehensive study from synthesis to formulation of acid-responsive poly(kSer)-derived peptides for gene therapy applications.


Using 176 Japanese and 132 Indonesian university students as subjects, the author investigated the preference for light complexions and the cultural influence on it from the viewpoint of the psychological structure of the aesthetic preference for white. In the first survey, the subjects were asked to choose their preferred colors from a color chart in order to know their general preference for white. In the second survey, the subjects were asked to answer a questionnaire designed to discriminate personal images for the four stimuli of different complexion. The results showed that positive images were associated with a fair complexion in Japan. In Indonesia, on the other hand, the images associated with a fair complexion were rather negative although white itself was highly accepted. Association with images of rareness and scarcity for a fair complexion was, however, common to both countries. This may suggest that the preference for white and whiteness derives from images of something unique and special.


The aim of this integrative review was to update a mixed method systematic review by Skirton, O'Connor, and Humphreys (2012) that reported on nurses' levels of competence in using genetics in clinical practice. Three electronic databases were searched using selected key words. Research studies published in English between January 2011 and September 2017 reporting levels of nurse competence in genetics or genomics were eligible for inclusion. The selected studies were subjected to thematic analysis. Three main themes were identified: (i) genomic knowledge and utilization, (ii) perceived relevance to practice, and (iii) genomic education. While the reviewed papers produced varied findings, many nurses were shown to have poor genomic knowledge and/or competency, and yet there was a consensus that most nurses believe genomics is important to their practice. The present review indicated that in the past 5 years nurses have made minimal progress toward achieving the core genomic competencies appropriate for clinical practice.


ABSTRACT Using cathodoluminescence (CL) mode of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), radiation damage in quartz is made visible in uranium-vanadium-bearing sandstones located in the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation (Jurassic) from the Colorado Plateau (U.S.A.). Detrital quartz grains surrounded by uranium minerals display radiation-damage rims. Three concentric rims with thicknesses of 37 µm, 24 µm and 16 µm have been observed. The rims are similar to halos surrounding uranium- and thorium-rich accessory minerals observed by Owen (1988). They are due to alpha particles, which create damage when penetrating a medium. The width of the rims agrees well with the Bragg-Kleeman rule and corresponds to the most energetic alpha particles in the 238U decay series Sandstones entirely cemented by vanadium clays also exhibit radioactive rims, which demonstrates that uranium has been removed during diagenesis. These results have important implications for the uranium ore genesis in the Salt Wash sandstones, because they imply an ancient episode of uranium leaching prior to recent weathering. Therefore, cathodoluminescence in sandstones may be useful in recognizing ancient zones or episodes of accumulation and leaching of alpha-emitting nuclides from the uranium series.


This thesis discusses the performance of a solar-powered wireless visual sensor network and its visual applications. We examine the performance of a layered clustering model in sparing communication energy consumption and prolonging the system lifetime. The experimental result illustrates that the system can transmit the same amount of video packets with less energy consumption when video quality is at achievable minimum distortion rate. Therefore, the visual sensor network may achieve higher performance by applying rechargeable solar cell and layered clustering. After receiving all the video data, the sink may be applied with advanced post-processing techniques. We propose an innovative post-processing algorithm, Parallel Self-Organizing Tree Map (PSOTM) that can be implemented in the sink. By means of processing visual data in parallel, PSOTM may achieve faster image segmentation with insignificant impacts on the visual quality.


Corrosion defects are dreadfully damaging to the stability of pipelines. Using the finite element (FE) simulation method, a model of API 5L X65 steel pipeline is established in this work to study its buckling behavior subjected to axial compressive loading. The local buckling state of the pipe at the ultimate axial compressive capacity was captured. Compared with the global compressive strain capacity (CSCglobal), the local compressive strain capacity (CSClocal) is more conservative. Extensive parametric analysis, including approximately 115 FE cases, was conducted to study the influence of the corrosion defect sizes and internal pressure on the corroded pipe's compressive loading capacity (CLC) and CSC. Results show that the enlarged size of the corrosion defect decreases both the CLC and the CSC of the pipeline, but the CLC almost keeps unchanged as the length of corrosion defects increases. The CLC decreases with the increase of the length of corrosion defects when the length is less than 1.5Dt and greater than 0.7Dt. The CSC drops significantly until the length of the corrosion defect reached 1.8Dt. The deeper the corrosion defect, the smaller the CLC and the CSC. An increase in the width of corrosion defects tends to correspond to a decrease in the CLC and the CSC. With the increase of internal pressure, the CSC of the pipe gets greater while the CLC gets smaller. Based on the 115 FE results, a machine learning model based on support vector regression theory was developed to predict the pipe's CSC. The regression coefficient between SVR predicted value and FEM actual value is 98.87%, which proves that the SVR model can predict the CSC with high accuracy and efficiency.


Purpose Laparoscopic antireflux surgery is not widely used in Korea, but published data suggest that its results are comparable to those of Western countries. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics, medical utilization, and medical costs of antireflux surgery and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatments. Methods We used Korean patients who underwent fundoplication (n = 342, surgery group) and a 25% random sample of all patients diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who were prescribed PPIs for more than 12 weeks (n = 130,987, medication group) between 2007 to 2016. We compared medical costs and utilization between the 2 groups. Results The average cost of fundoplication was $4,631. The costs of GERD treatment in the first year after surgery and during the follow-up period were $78.1 and $50.1 per month, respectively. In the surgery group, the average monthly medical expenses decreased as the year progressed, but the average monthly medical expenses ($137.5 per month) did not decrease in the medication group. After stratifying by age group, the medical costs of the surgery group were lower than those of the medication group for all ages except for patients between the ages of 70 and 79. The cost difference between the 2 groups was prominent between the ages of 20 and 49. Conclusion This study showed that a significant decrease in cost was observed 1 year after surgery, and it was more apparent in younger patients. Further research is needed to determine the appropriateness of antireflux surgery for each group of patients.


Good clinical education underscores good nursing practice and is the avenue through which students develop clinical skills. Baccalaureate graduates have been perceived as less skilled professional nurses when compared with graduates from the diploma-based nursing programme. However, this assumption is based on a perceived deficiency of clinical education in the baccalaureate programme. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of baccalaureate graduates on their clinical education and the effectiveness of clinical education in their service delivery. This was a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, contextual study. Twenty-nine graduates from four different universities, who had worked for a minimum of two years post-graduation, were interviewed for a period of 45–90 minutes each. The graduates of the baccalaureate nursing programme indicated that their clinical education was adequate, despite limited time allocated for clinical education and challenges at the clinical placement site. From the study, the researchers recommended that the nursing curriculum be evaluated to balance the time allocated for the theoretical and clinical components of the programme, and to ensure that in future there is better theory-praxis articulation.


Growth; length-weight, standard-, fork-, and total length relationships; age composition; sex ratios; age at first maturity; and fecundity of the himri, Barbus luteus, from different sites along the middle reaches of the Euphrates River were investigated. Von Bertalanffy's growth models were Lt = 54.71 (1-e0.110 (t+0.163)), Wt = 1252.833 (1-e0.127 (t+1.825))2.454 in males, and Lt = 56.93 (1-e0.105 (t+0.377)), Wt = 1395.363 (1-e0.107 (t-1.81))2.545 in females. Isometric growth was identified from length-weight relationships. Younger age groups dominated the catches, with identifiable ages ranged from II to VII years. Sexual ratios were unbiased and did not deviate from 1:1. Most fish reached sexual maturity within the second year of age.


The success of small firms worldwide is determined by entrepreneurship and marketing (Hills, 1995). 95% of firms worldwide are small (less than 250 employees) – and often smaller than that. Marketing and entrepreneurship are not the same but they are interconnected. Consider Apple, the fabled 1970's 'garage' start-up by Wozniak and Jobs. Often great innovators but not always great entrepreneurs. That is until they revolutionised the music industry with iTunes, and in the future, may well revolutionise personal computing with the iPad.

This paper considers the authors' experience over the last decade in teaching what can be called entrepreneurial marketing. Given our belief, which is surprisingly common, that entrepreneurship is to some extent learnable and thus teachable – it is both 'nature and nurture' … we share our experience of our module – Marketing of Small Business. Our research interests both feed into, and draw from, our teaching on this final year module.


During the Joint Air-Sea Interaction Experiment (JASIN), mean flow and turbulent fluctuations were measured throughout the depth of the atmospheric boundary layer by shipborne surface instrumentation, multiple-instrument packages suspended from tethered balloons and research aircraft flying in low level formation. These enabled both individual localized events and representative area-average (70 km x 70 km) measurements to be investigated. The results are summarized and show that continuous small-scale turbulent mixing was generally confined to an Ekman layer a few hundred metres deep. The structure of this layer is examined in detail, particularly the momentum balance. Spectral analysis reveals two energy-containing regions, one of which, at higher wavenumbers, scales with the Ekman layer depth and carries most of the vertical fluxes. Direct coupling between the Ekman layer and the overlying atmosphere is weak and appears to be strongly dependent on cloud processes, which are intermittent and irregularly distributed on the scale of these measurements.


We explicitly prove that the Weyl conformal symmetry solves the black hole singularity problem, otherwise unavoidable in a generally covariant local or non-local gravitational theory. Moreover, we yield explicit examples of local and non-local theories enjoying Weyl and diffeomorphism symmetry (in short co-covariant theories). Following the seminal paper by Narlikar and Kembhavi, we provide an explicit construction of singularity-free spherically symmetric and axi-symmetric exact solutions for black hole spacetimes conformally equivalent to the Schwarzschild or the Kerr spacetime. We first check the absence of divergences in the Kretschmann invariant for the rescaled metrics. Afterwords, we show that the new types of black holes are geodesically complete and linked by a Newman-Janis transformation just as in standard general relativity (based on Einstein-Hilbert action). Furthermore, we argue that no massive or massless particles can reach the former Schwarzschild singularity or touch the former Kerr ring singularity in a finite amount of their proper time or of their affine parameter. Finally, we discuss the Raychaudhuri equation in a co-covariant theory and we show that the expansion parameter for congruences of both types of geodesics (for massless and massive particles) never reaches minus infinity. Actually, the null geodesics become parallel at the r=0 point in the Schwarzschild spacetime (the origin) and the focusing of geodesics is avoided. The arguments of regularity of curvature invariants, geodesic completeness, and finiteness of geodesics' expansion parameter ensure us that we are dealing with singularity-free and geodesically-complete black hole spacetimes.


The proton-translocating ATPase of the yeast vacuole is an enzyme complex consisting of a large peripheral membrane sector (V1) and an integral membrane sector (V0), each composed of multiple subunits. The V1 sector contains subunits that hydrolyze ATP, whereas the V0 sector contains subunits that translocate protons across the membrane. Additional subunits in both sectors couple these activities. Here we have continued our examination of intermediate subunits primarily associated with the V1 but also implicated in interactions with the V0. Interactions between Vma7p (F) and Vma8p (D) and between Vma4p (E) and Vma10p (G) are described. Although Vma7p and Vma10p have been observed to interact with the V0 sector, our results indicate that these subunits behave primarily as canonical V1 sector subunits. We categorize these four subunits as "stalk" subunits to distinguish them from the known catalytic (A and B) and proton-translocating (c, c′, and Vma16p) subunits and to highlight their intermediate nature. Furthermore, we show that the in vivo stability of Vma4p is dependent upon interaction with Vma10p. This may be important in the regulation of assembly, since these two subunits add to the V1 during later stages of V1 assembly. This is the first demonstration of interdependence between ATPase subunits for structural stability.


The provision of adequate healthcare nowadays has a global character, so the implementation of efficient andwell-formulated health reforms has become of serious importance. Among many contemporary trends in this area, there is a tendency of privatization of health care institutions and growth in private insurance premiums. This raises the necessity of developing a cooperation between private healthcare institutions and insurance companies in order to provide services of an improved quality. This paper emphasizes the extremes of their cooperation, moving from fully integrated systems towards competition over the market. The findings indicate that, due to the insufficient development of Serbian healthcare sector, their cooperation is so far not at a highlevel, which brings many issues into question and that should be legally better defined.


Information-Centric Networking (ICN) 1 is a significant networking paradigm for the Internet of Things, which is an information-centric network in essence. The ICN paradigm owns inherently some security features, but also brings several new vulnerabilities. The most significant one among them is Interest flooding, which is a new type of Denial of Service (DoS) attack, and has even more serious effects to the whole network in the ICN paradigm than in the traditional IP paradigm. In this paper, we suggest a new mechanism to mitigate Interest flooding attack. The detection of Interest flooding and the corresponding mitigation measures are implemented on the edge routers, which are directly connected with the attackers. By using statistics of Interest satisfaction rate on the incoming interface of some edge routers, malicious name-prefixes or interfaces can be discovered, and then dropped or slowed down accordingly. With the help of the network information, the detected malicious name-prefixes and interfaces can also be distributed to the whole network quickly, and the attack can be mitigated quickly. The simulation results show that the suggested mechanism can reduce the influence of the Interest flooding quickly, and the network performance can recover automatically to the normal state without hurting the legitimate users.


The concept of sexual pleasure while breastfeeding, still faintly scandalous in the twenty-first century, circulates in a variety of nineteenth-century French texts, from medical discourse to the fictional works of Balzac, Flaubert, and Zola. Although some medical authorities condemned sensual breastfeeding, or "mastomania," as a vice, others used the promise of sexual pleasure to entice recalcitrant mothers to breastfeed. In representations of maternal breastfeeding found in both literary and medical texts, it is often the male gaze that constructs meaning. The reciprocal desire of mother and infant shifts to include a third person, the narrator-spectator, whose own desire for the breast creates a fantasy of maternal erotic response that is then condemned as a vice. This confusion of subject and object of desire raises complex questions about the motivations of the male authors of these texts. This article uses psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Klein, and Kristeva to argue that the erotic dimension of the breastfeeding couple is tolerated, and even celebrated, in nineteenth-century literature but only if the male gaze constructs and controls the mother's desire.


Building object (or asset) security has always been a burning subject in all systems and regimes since ancient times, and will always be. The reason for this lies solely in the fact that these objects have a high material, historical, cultural and other value. Therefore, the owners of such buildings, regardless of whether they are the public, civic or some other social institutions, organizations or individuals, have always paid, more or less, attention to the issue of security of such objects. The amount of attention given to the security of these structures in general depends on the current situation of the external and internal environment of the object, relative to the degree of security threats to it. Certain organizational – technical activities are being performed with the aim to protect such objects. Up to which extent they will be used, depends on the level of risk assessment of those objects that will show the possibility that incidents might occur with harmful consequences. Poor risk assessment results in many unnecessary investments in the security, or lack of it, which does not offer the necessary optimum of security. Hence, risk assessment in building security is considered to be a highly significant and crucial matter. This paper presents a methodological approach to risk assessment in the overall process approach to risk management in order to provide security to the objects. It delivers a critical overview of the methodological steps of risk assessment with the intention to achieve the most realistic assessment.


Bacterial cultures, such as Pediococcus pentosaceus, are used to treat hay with the objective of preventing hay heating and moulding, and thus, the development of the microbial growth which causes farmer's lung. The aim of this study was to investigate whether such bacterial cultures have the potential to induce a pulmonary inflammatory response. Mice were instilled 3 days week-1 for 3 weeks with either saline or nonviable preparations of P. pentosaceus, Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula, Lactococcus lactis (control bacteria) or with the combinations of S. rectivirgula and P. pentosaceus. P. pentosaceus induced a significant inflammatory response in the lung which was similar to that produced by S. rectivirgula. L. lactis produced a response of a lower intensity. The total number of cells in bronchoalveolar lavage were: S. rectivirgula: 6.4 x 10(5) cells.mL-1; P. pentosaceus: 4.3 x 10(5) cells.mL-1; S. rectivirgula + P. pentosaceus: 5.4 x 10(5) cells.mL-1, L. lactis: 6.8 x 10(5) cells.mL-1 and saline group 3.7 x 10(4) cells.mL-1. The lung index was higher in S. rectivirgula+P. pentosaceus and P. pentosaceus groups than in S. rectivirgula, L. lactis and saline groups. The quantity of specific immunoglobulin G and A (IgG and IgA) to P. pentosaceus and L. lactis levels (in the blood and/or lavage fluid) were similar to those against S. rectivirgula. In mice, P. pentosaceus has the potential to induce a similar inflammatory response in the lung as S. rectivirgula, which is the most common antigen responsible for farmer's lung disease in Quebec. Further studies are needed to verify whether farmers can develop farmer's lung or other lung responses to this new potential antigen.


Abstract. Archive topographical maps are a key source of geographical information from past ages, which can be valuable for several science fields. Since manual digitization is usually slow and takes much human resource, automatic methods are preferred, such as deep learning algorithms. Although automatic vectorization is a common problem, there have been few approaches regarding point symbols. In this paper, a point symbol vectorization method is proposed, which was tested on Third Military Survey map sheets using a Mask Regional Convolutional Neural Network (MRCNN). The MRCNN implementation uses the ResNet101 network improved with the Feature Pyramid Network architecture and is developed in a Google Colab environment. The pretrained network was trained on four point symbol categories simultaneously. Results show 90% accuracy, while 94% of symbols detected for some categories on the complete test sheet.


The Existential Background of Human Dignity, by Gabriel Marcel. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1963. 178 pp. $4.50. This volume of William James Lectures delivered at Harvard by the famous French existentialist, Gabriel Marcel, takes the form of an autobiographical sketch of the development of his thought. All who are interested in his philosophical stance will find the study illuminating. He acknowledges his debt to Josiah Royce and W. E. Hocking, and certainly there are similarities between his own panentheism and that of the latter thinker. We have valuable insights into his ontologism and his existentialist analysis of man, illustrated from his many plays. Since the latter are not too well known in America and yet are full of philosophical existential insights, this aspect of the book calls for special notice. It is in his Journals and his Plays that Marcel's thought is developed, and they form valuable footnotes to his more formal studies. In this book he does such footnoting for us. The theme around which the lectures are developed is a personal pursuit of the problem of man i n the present situation, employing Marcel's own experience and existential decisions as guiding lines. His conclusion bears quotation: "We have to recollect with gratitude all that has been given us in our brief or long existence by a power which it seems to me unnecessary to name, as the token of a life worthy of the namethat is to say, a life both creative and fraternal." Such a life carries the promise of eternity, "the only eternity worthy of being hoped for and confirmed," Eric C. Rust


Risk factors for cardiovascular disease mediate their effects by altering the structure and function of wall and endothelial components of arterial blood vessels. A pathological change in the microcirculation plays a pivotal role in promoting end-organ dysfunction that not only predisposes to further organ damage, but also increases the risk for future macrovascular events. The microcirculation is recognized as the site where the earliest manifestations of cardiovascular disease, especially inflammatory responses, occur that may play a pivotal role in driving the atherosclerotic process in conduit vessels. Furthermore, the vast surface area of the endothelium compared with conduit vessels means that the vascular effects of endothelial dysfunction or activation will be most apparent in this section of the vasculature. Current techniques providing indices of vascular health focus on large arteries without providing insight into the structure and function of small vessels. Techniques capable of detecting microvascular damage and monitoring the response to therapeutic interventions, especially in vulnerable target organs of interest, may improve risk stratification and represent a valuable surrogate for future cardiovascular outcome.


This book analyzes the position of the ICC in relation to national court systems. The research illustrates that what seemed to be a straight forward relationship between the ICC and national courts under the complementarity mechanism, proves to be much more complex in practice. Using the referrals of Uganda and Darfur, the book demonstrates ways in which it might be possible to prosecute for crimes currently not prosecuted by the ICC and brings to light possible solutions to overcome the gaps in law and practice in the jurisdictional relation between the ICC and national systems. It will be of value to academics, students and policy-makers working in the area of international law, international organizations, and human rights.


Intergenerational relationships and gender roles in China are in transition because of ideational and structural changes resulting from social movements and policies in the past half a century. Using a mixed-methods design, we examine Shanghai fathers' involvement in their adolescent daughters' lives. In contrast to traditional stereotypes, Shanghai fathers are nurturing and highly involved in multiple domains of their daughters' lives. They also have very high aspirations for their daughters, regardless of their own socioeconomic background. Shanghai fathers see providing emotional and financial support, and helping their daughters to achieve success in education as their most important roles. The behavior of Shanghai fathers can be best understood in the unique Chinese contexts of one-child policy, transition to market economy, and increasing globalization.


Objective Neonatal recommendations include medical follow-up, metabolic screening, vitamin K, eye drops/ointment, and vaccinations. Most but not all parents follow these recommendations. This study aimed to characterise the non-compliant mothers in order to understand the reasons behind that non-compliance. Study design All mothers who refused any routine treatment of their infant or who asked for early discharge of their infant were included. They filled-in a questionnaire on socioeconomic items, previous births and those children's health status, current pregnancy and delivery, and their beliefs. Result Three non-compliant subgroups emerged according to the responses: Muslim mothers requesting early discharge to care for children at home, Jewish mothers requesting early discharge because they disliked hospital environment, Sabbath/holiday, and children at home, and Jewish mothers who rejected guidelines because they believed the treatments were unnecessary or possibly harmful to their infants. Conclusion Several interventions to enhance maternal compliance to medical recommendations are proposed, including more education, better quality of patient-staff interaction, understanding and encouraging social support, and awareness of patient's beliefs and attitudes, as well as renovation of the maternity department's physical structure, to make the stay more pleasant (quieter, more privacy), and to also make it possible to properly celebrate the Sabbath as well as holidays on the ward itself. Regarding the Islamic and Jewish mothers who asked for early discharge because of the other children at home, maybe we should try to understand the exact reason for this – perhaps the father works far away from home and there is nobody else to guard these children; and then we may be able to help these families find a better solution.


In the process of process industry production, once the failure will often bring heavy losses to the enterprise and the country in terms of human resources and financial resources, so it is very important to give early warning of the failure and take corresponding solutions. In this paper, a real-time fault prediction algorithm based on incremental model update is proposed for the continuous growth of industrial data flow, real-time update of objects, complex and variable attributes, and value attenuation with time. The algorithm consists of several steps, including data preprocessing, data flow clustering based on sliding window, abnormal data judgment, fault prediction and model prediction update. In each stage of the algorithm, Spark framework is used for parallel acceleration, so as to improve the efficiency of fault prediction.


For a given channel instance and a fixed LDPC ensemble, a stability outage event is defined by the density evolution being unstable at the origin. The probability of such an event, referred to as Stability Outage Probability, is a useful lower bound for the word error rate. We formulate the stability outage probability for block fading channels and we introduce the stability diversity order. As a direct application, we show how the class of capacity-achieving ensembles on the erasure channel is bounded away from the outage limit on a block fading channel.


A new, congenital anomaly of tooth form transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait was found in a father and two of his three sons. While the incisors appeared unchanged, the posterior teeth have characteristic massive globe-shaped crowns with irregularly arranged, rounded cusps. The occlusal surfaces resemble in their extreme form the underside of a tomato. The relation to the otodental syndrome is not clear as yet.


ABSTRACT Theory of Mind (ToM) is a crucial factor in the social integration of the elderly. Nonetheless, there has been a dearth of research into the relationship between ToM and presbycusis, even though presbycusis is a very common pathology among people over 65 years of age. The aim of this study is to analyze the functioning of the two types of ToM (affective and cognitive ToM) in aging populations, as well as to examine the components of ToM connected to ironic language, all in order to determine whether people with presbycusis show a similar ToM profile to those without any hearing loss. The sample consisted of 69 participants with a mean age of 75. Of the participants, 52 had some degree of hearing loss. Some participants with hearing loss used a hearing aid. All participants were asked to complete six ToM tasks. The results show that age influences ToM scores, especially for cognitive and irony recognition tasks. This decline in ToM was greater in participants experiencing mild cognitive impairment and also among those with hearing loss. Among participants with presbycusis, those who used a hearing aid obtained better results than those who did not. Gender and sociocultural background were not found to be significant variables. The results point to a need to monitor both hearing and cognitive abilities, especially those related to ToM, and to offer specific treatment whenever possible to avoid social alienation.


An inductorless low-noise amplifier (LNA) with active balun is proposed for multi-standard radio applications between 100 MHz and 6 GHz. It exploits a combination of a common-gate (CGH) stage and an admittance-scaled common-source (CS) stage with replica biasing to maximize balanced operation, while simultaneously canceling the noise and distortion of the CG-stage. In this way, a noise figure (NF) close to or below 3 dB can be achieved, while good linearity is possible when the CS-stage is carefully optimized. We show that a CS-stage with deep submicron transistors can have high IIP2, because the nugsldr nuds cross-term in a two-dimensional Taylor approximation of the IDS(VGS, VDS) characteristic can cancel the traditionally dominant square-law term in the IDS(VGS) relation at practical gain values. Using standard 65 nm transistors at 1.2 V supply voltage, we realize a balun-LNA with 15 dB gain, NF < 3.5 dB and IIP2 > +20 dBm, while simultaneously achieving an IIP3 > 0 dBm. The best performance of the balun is achieved between 300 MHz to 3.5 GHz with gain and phase errors below 0.3 dB and plusmn2 degrees. The total power consumption is 21 mW, while the active area is only 0.01 mm2.


Abstract Turbidites in lacustrine sediments are commonly used to assess the frequencies of flood events and/or earthquakes. Understanding the origin of those deposits is key to adequately assess the sources and triggers of such events in large lacustrine systems. Ca/Ti X-ray fluorescence core scanner and magnetic susceptibility values on sediment cores of the deep basin of Lake Geneva are used as a provenance indicator of the turbidites either from the Dranse or Rhone deltas or from the slopes not influenced by deltaic input. This tool is validated by mineralogical analyses (X-ray diffraction), major-, and trace-element geochemistry (X-ray fluorescence). Based on this discrimination method, the turbidites deposited in the central part of the deep basin can be classified regarding their origin. From all identified turbidites, four turbidites are chosen based on their large depositional area and volumes and are studied in more detail in order to better understand the processes leading to turbidite deposition in the deep basin. The age intervals of these turbidites were compared to the historical records of extreme events in the region of Lake Geneva. These turbidites can be related to extreme floods, earthquakes, and "spontaneous" delta collapses. The cause of two turbidites could not be identified precisely due to large dating intervals that did not allow attributing a specific historical event to the turbidite layer. Overall, this study provides a tool in classifying the turbidites in deep Lake Geneva and exemplifies that defining the cause of turbidites is complex although it remains a prerequisite for paleohydrology and paleoseismology studies.


This study investigates assessment within oral academic assessment tasks, specifically focusing on the criteria used by discipline specialists and comparing them with those used to assess performance on TOEFL iBTTM speaking tasks. Three pairs of tutors from three faculties took part in verbal report sessions where they watched, rated and discussed the performances of ten native and ten non-native students completing first-year university oral assessment tasks in their discipline. The verbal report sessions were audio recorded, transcribed and segmented into meaning-based units prior to thematic analysis. The features which emerged from the analysis were compared with those described within the TOEFL speaking rubrics. The analysis found that while there were some broad similarities in the focus there were also marked differences. Two of the three TOEFL strands (delivery and content) were well-represented in the academic tasks assessments rubrics and tutor discussion. However, the quality of the non-native students' language was only of concern when it was perceived as interfering with the student's ability to communicate. An additional focus in the assessment of university tasks was the use of academic skills, prompts and aids, non-verbal communication and engagement with the audience.


Violence is a serious public health problem in the United States, and a common risk factor for many forms of violence is the perpetrator9s motivation to achieve personal justice for past wrongs and injustices. Using a fictional transgression scenario to stimulate revenge feelings, we studied the preliminary efficacy of an intervention designed to mitigate revenge desires among victims of perceived injustice. The intervention consisted of a guided role-play of key figures in the justice system (e.g., victim, prosecutor, defendant, judge, etc.) in an imaginary mock trial of the offender. Study participants9 revenge desires toward the perpetrator decreased significantly immediately after the intervention and at a 2-week follow-up interview. Benevolence toward the offender increased immediately postintervention and at a 2-week follow-up interview. These results suggest that the intervention has promise to decrease revenge desires in people who have been victimized, and it potentially opens the door to behavioral health motive control approaches to violence prevention. Findings on the roles of vengeance and the desire for retaliation in relation to violent acts, as well as neuroscience research that suggests a connection between retaliatory aggression and the neural circuitry of anticipated reward and cravings, are discussed. Limitations of this pilot study are also discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.


The accuracy of hydrological model simulations is dependent on the reliability of model input data like, for example, meteorological information or land cover and soil information. Uncertainties of simulations of soil water fluxes are hereby directly related to the accuracy of available precipitation data. As precipitation is characterized by small temporal and spatial correlation lengths, the uncertainties in precipitation data increase with decreasing density of available precipitation gauges. As soil moisture directly depends on precipitation dynamics, its variation can be used as a proxy for precipitation variability. Remote sensing techniques allow for monitoring of surface soil moisture dynamics at different spatiotemporal scales. In particular, low-frequency microwave data are most sensitive to soil moisture dynamics. This paper investigates the potential of integrating L-band (1-2 GHz) microwave radiometer data into a simple model for soil wetness to compensate for uncertainties in a priori information of precipitation. The study is based on a short-term ground-based L-band radiometer data set over grassland. A high correlation between the microwave signature and surface soil moisture was found, which is consistent with previous findings. An analytical data assimilation scheme for the integration of that information into a soil wetness model, based on an antecedent precipitation index (API), was established. The results revealed that the data assimilation filter adds or removes an amount of water partially compensating for the actual precipitation error. The correlation coefficient between the filter update and the actual precipitation error was found to be 0.6 les r les 0.8, and the model simulations did show a better coincidence with in situ soil moisture records when integrating the microwave data. The results indicate high potential for use of L-band microwave data to compensate for uncertainties in precipitation data.


Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) films were pulsed laser deposited onto the Gd3Ga5O12(111) substrates. Processing conditions were optimized to obtain films with a narrow ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth: 0.9 Oe in 1.22 μm thick YIG at 9 GHz. Due to sharp film-to-substrate interface YIG films remain strained hence possess unusually high lattice mismatch induced uniaxial anisotropy Hu = - 880 Oe. We fabricated and tested magnetostatic surface wave (MSSW) band pass hybrid-type filters with YIG film lain on transducers alumina board. MSSW filter with antennas areal size of 2 mm2 at 7.5 GHz shows insertion loss – 9 dB and a resonant 3 dB bandwidth as narrow as 12.5 MHz.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the morbidity of the magnitip double-J stent (DJ), compare its morbidity to the standard stent, and evaluate the possibility of retrieving the magnetic tip of the DJ stent without cystoscopy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A total of 50 patients having a lower ureteric stone, who underwent uretroscopic stone retrieval and required the use of a DJ, were randomly assigned to 2 groups, each containing 25 patients. Patients in group A were subjected to exploration with a uretroscope and a magnitip DJ while those in group B received a uretroscope and a standard DJ. The morbidity of both types of DJs was assessed by the Arabic version of the ureteral stent symptom questionnaire (USSQ).

RESULTS
There was a high level of statistically significant differences between the two groups with regards to the total score of the USSQ, which were higher in group A as compared to group B (126.96±14.76 vs. 98.24±12.9) (p=0.001). Further, the cost of the total procedure was significantly higher in group B (9600±1456.59 vs. 8444±783.73) (p=0.001). No statistically significant difference was found between both groups regarding the application, retrieval accuracy, and discomfort caused by DJ removal.

CONCLUSION
The morbidity caused by the magnetic DJ was found to be higher. However, the removal of the magnetic DJ was less costly than the standard DJ.


The production and/or worldwide consumption of chicken at an industrial or domestic level lead to a considerable quantity of chicken feather residue as a waste by-product. Chicken feathers have a possible application in preparing lightweight composites. The use of chicken feathers as a constituent to prepare hybrid composites leads to a solution for disposal of the feathers. In this study, chicken feathers were used as filler material to prepare hybrid composites. Different varieties of composites were prepared by a chicken feather hand-layup technique, and by varying the percentage weight of the chicken feathers. Specimens were prepared and tested according to ASTM standards. The 10 wt. % chicken feather-filled hybrid composites indicated the maximum tensile strength (193 MPa), flexural strength (148 MPa) and impact strength (3.65 Joules). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis was carried out to find the fracture and interfacial characteristics of the composites. The results indicated that, these composites can be used in domestic, automobile and structural applications which carry nominal loads


The plasma position and shape on the COMPASS-D tokamak have been controlled simultaneously with a 75-kHz bandwidth, hard-wired, real-time neural network. The primary network operates with up to 48 selected magnetic inputs and has been used in the vertical position control loop to control the position of the upper edge of the plasma at the radius of a reciprocating Langmuir probe and to keep this constant during a programmed shape sequence. One of the main advantages of neural networks is their ability to combine signals from different types of diagnostics. Two coupled networks are now in use on COMPASS-D. A dedicated soft-X-ray network has been created with inputs from 16 vertical and 16 horizontal camera channels. With just four hidden units, it is able to accurately determine three output signals defining the plasma core radius, vertical position, and elongation. These signals are fed to the primary network along with selected magnetic inputs and four poloidal field coil control current inputs. The core data are expected to help characterize the equilibrium by providing information on the Shafranov shift and gradient of elongation, related to the equilibrium parameters β P and l i . This network, with 15 hidden units, is able to define 10 outputs capable of giving a parameterized display of the plasma boundary. This paper describes results from several networks trained on various combinations of inputs with (a) simulated inputs and output values, where the precision of the network can be tested; (b) experimental inputs and calculated output values, where operational precision can be tested; and (c) hardware networks, where real-time performance can be tested. The results confirm that the neural network method is capable ofgiving excellent precision in tokamak boundary reconstruction but that the necessary accuracy in the experimental inputs for this task is not easily achieved.


Dolichoectasia is a term used to describe marked widening, tortuosity and elongation of an artery. Intracranial vertebral and basilar arteries are most commonly involved. Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia is usually asymptomatic. Cranial nerve compression and cerebral ischemia findings are frequently seen in symptomatic patients. However, vertebrobasilar artery dolichoectasia with internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) clinical presentation has not been reported in literature yet. In our case, we report of a 67 year old female who had symptoms of diplopia, left abducens palsy and headache with no prior medical or family history of cerebrovascular disease. She has been presented with INO due to left vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia. Atypical presentation of INO is rare and vertebral artery dolichoectasia as the underlying aetiology, like in our case is even rarer and has not been seen in literature so far.


Climate change is expected to have an impact on various aspects of health, including mucosal areas involved in allergic inflammatory disorders that include asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and anaphylaxis. The evidence that links climate change to the exacerbation and the development of allergic disease is increasing and appears to be linked to changes in pollen seasons (duration, onset and intensity) and changes in allergen content of plants and their pollen as it relates to increased sensitization, allergenicity and exacerbations of allergic airway disease. This has significant implications for air quality and for the global food supply.


The Channel Tunnel Project is one of the largest ground engineering projects currently being undertaken in the world. The scheme is being designed and built by Transmanche Link (TML), a consortium of British and French contractors for the client Eurotunnel (ET) and will provide a complete transportation system linking the UK with Continental Europe. The rail link will be provided by two tunnels with their portals located at Castle Hill, north of Folkestone (UK) and Beussingue Farm, near Sangatte in France. Each tunnel is approximately 50 km long, of which 38 km is located under the seabed between Shakespeare Cliff and Sangatte (Fig. 1). The system comprises two 7.6 m diameter running tunnels, 30 m apart, with a 4.8 m diameter service tunnel located centrally between them. For operational and safety reasons all three tunnels are connected by 3.3 m diameter transverse cross passages located at intervals of 375 m throughout the drive. In addition, 2 m diameter piston relief ducts pass between the running tunnels every 250 m. These will allow dissipation of the air pressure pulse in front of the train and thereby reduce aerodynamic drag. At two points along the tunnel length i.e. km 27 and 45 approximately, there are large underground crossover chambers. These will allow trains to transfer between the running tunnels, for example whilst maintenance is being carried out in a particular section of tunnel. The construction of the tunnels, crossover caverns, pumping stations and all ancillary works, involves the excavation, lining and ventilation


Two new pyridine moiety-appended cavitands, CTC(Py)2(OH)2 and CTC(Py)3, were synthesized and characterized. The solid state structures of both cavitands were studied by single crystal X-ray diffraction. CTC(Py)2(OH)2 resulted in a hydrogen-bonded dimeric molecular capsule, entrapping two molecules of DMSO and intervening water molecules that formed hydrogen bonding to DMSO and CTC(Py)2(OH)2. When crystallized in the absence of water, it forms a 2D polymer by hydrogen bonding of pyridine nitrogen and phenolic hydrogen atoms. CTC(Py)3 forms no such capsule.


The pathways corresponding to the most energetically favorable decomposition reactions that can be envisaged for o-nitrotoluene (and 20 of its derivatives) have been studied, using density functional theory, in order to evaluate the influence of substituents' nature (nitro, methyl, amino, carboxylic acid, and hydroxyl) and position. The first mechanism consists of the direct dissociation (homolysis) of the carbon nitrogen bond (CH(3)C(6)H(4)NO(2) = CH(3)C(6)H(4) + NO(2)) whereas the second one is a more complex process initiated by C-H alpha attack and leading to the formation of anthranil and water (C(6)H(4)C(H)ON + H(2)O). For each compound, the initial step of this last channel is the rate limiting one, the Gibbs activation energy of all systems being very close, that is all in the 40-44 kcal/mol range. More important variations have been observed for the C-NO(2) homolysis Gibbs activation energies (46-60 kcal/mol). These variations have been related to electron donor-acceptor properties of substituents by considering significant correlations (R(2) > 0.9) with the Hammett parameters (sigma). Nevertheless, though the influence of substituents on the direct breaking of the C-NO(2) bond was important, the C-H alpha attack remained finally the major decomposition channel for the studied compounds. Our study underlines the complexity of the decomposition process in nitroaromatic compounds and casts some doubts on the characterization of the energetic properties of such molecules only on the basis of C-NO(2) homolysis.


The synthesis and photochemistry of a number of
arylidenecycloalkanone oxime ethers has been investigated . Irradiation of E,E- 2-benzylidenecyclopentanone oxime O-allyl ether results in rapid E-Z isomerisation around the carbon-nitrogen double bond accompanied by slower E-Z isomerisation around the carbon-carbon doub le bond, yielding four geometrical isomers which have been isolated and characterised . This indicates that isomerisation around the carbon-nitrogen double bond is the more facile process. Prolonged irradiation in methanol leads to the formation of 2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[b]quinoline, involving a 671-electron photocyclisation process via an unisolated dihydropyridine intermediate followed by elimination of allyl alcohol.

The scope of the cyclisation has been investig a ted with a series of arylidenecycloalkanone oxime O-methyl ethers. Substitution at the aromatic ring with a methyl or methoxy group a lso y ields the expectedphotocyc lised product on irradiation, whilst substitution with chloro or nitro groups does not. Irradiation of furylidene and 1-naphthylidene d erivatives yields new heterocyclic compounds and irradiation of the cyclohexanone derivative yields 1 ,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine.


We propose a new method to approximate stochastic solutions of uncertain PDEs using Polynomial Chaos expansions of their level sets. The method is non-intrusive and targets solutions with steep gradients with random locations. An adaptive choice of the level set is used to control the approximation error, ensuring high accuracy at a significantly lower cost compared to classical non-intrusive projection approach. We apply and validate the method on subsurface flows exhibiting steep fronts.


Background: Over the last decade, the Internet has become an important source of health-related information for a wide range of users worldwide. Yet, little is known about the personal characteristics of Egyptian Internet users who search for online health information (OHI). Objective: The aim of the study was to identify the personal characteristics of Egyptian OHI seekers and to determine any associations between their personal characteristics and their health information-seeking behavior. Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted from June to October 2015. A Web-based questionnaire was sent to Egyptian users aged 18 years and older (N=1400) of a popular Arabic-language health information website. The questionnaire included (1) demographic characteristics; (2) self-reported general health status; and (3) OHI-seeking behavior that included frequency of use, different topics sought, and self-reported impact of obtained OHI on health behaviors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results: A total of 490 participants completed the electronic questionnaire with a response rate equivalent to 35.0% (490/1400). Regarding personal characteristics, 57.1% (280/490) of participants were females, 63.4% (311/490) had a university level qualification, and 37.1% (182/490) had a chronic health problem. The most commonly sought OHI by the participants was nutrition-related. Results of the multiple regression analysis showed that 31.0% of the variance in frequency of seeking OHI among Egyptian adults can be predicted by personal characteristics. Participants who sought OHI more frequently were likely to be female, of younger age, had higher education levels, and good self-reported general health. Conclusions: Our results provide insights into personal characteristics and OHI-seeking behaviors of Egyptian OHI users. This will contribute to better recognize their needs, highlight ways to increase the availability of appropriate OHI, and may lead to the provision of tools allowing Egyptian OHI users to navigate to the highest-quality health information.


Maternal floor infarction/massive perivillous fibrin deposition (MFI/MPVFD) of the placenta has an unclear etiology. The placenta of an 8-month-old child diagnosed with long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency reportedly showed MFI, but no further evidence of a direct association between MFI/MPVFD and LCHAD deficiency has been documented. Three cases of MFI/MPVFD were studied. Paraffin blocks of placental tissue were retrieved, tissue scrolls were harvested, and DNA was extracted. The alpha-subunit of the mitochondrial trifunctional protein containing the LCHAD coding region (HADHA) was subsequently amplified using specific primer sets and directly sequenced by the dideoxy chain termination method. All 3 placentas demonstrated heterozygous mutations in the HADHA gene. A sample from a 25-4/7 week gestation growth-restricted female infant revealed a heterozygous mutation in exon 11, 1072C>A (glutamine to lysine, Qln358Lys) with a heterozygous sequence difference in the intron following exon 6 (insertion of a T at position +9, +9insT). The 2nd sample from a 32-4/7 week gestation stillborn fetus revealed a heterozygous mutation (+3A>G after exon 3) and a clear homozygous sequence difference in exon 17. The 3rd sample from a 31 weeks gestation infant revealed heterozygosity for the+3A>G mutation after exon 3. All 3 placentas with MFI/MPVFD demonstrated heterozygous mutations in the HADHA gene, and 2 of the 3 placentas had 2 DNA changes. Given a background incidence of heterozygosity for LCHAD mutations of approximately 1 in 220, these findings lend support to the hypothesis that LCHAD mutations may be directly associated with and potentially causative of MFI/MPVFD.


The first diffraction limited, 0705 resolution, images on the W. M. Keck Telescope have been obtained at a wavelength of 2.2/zm. These images were part of an experiment to test the suitability of the Keck Telescope for speckle imaging. In order to conduct this test, it was necessary to modify the pixel scale of the Keck facility Near Infrared Camera (NIRC) to optimally sample the spatial frequencies made available by the Keck telescope. The design and implementation of the external reimaging optics, which convert the standard fl25 beam from the secondary mirror to fl182, are described here. Techniques for reducing speckle data with field rotation on an alt-az telescope are also described. Three binary stars were observed in this experiment with separations as small as 0'.'05. With only 100 frames of data on each, a dynamic range of at least 3.5 mag was achieved in all cases. These observations imply that a companion as faint as 14.5 mag at 2.2/zm could be detected around an 1 lth magnitude point source.


Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in NPC1 or NPC2 genes. In 2009, the molecular characterization of 44 NPC Italian patients has been published. Here, we present an update of the genetic findings in 105 Italian NPC patients belonging to 83 unrelated families (77 NPC1 and 6 NPC2). NPC1 and NPC2 genes were studied following an algorithm recently published. Eighty-four different NPC1 and five NPC2 alleles were identified. Only two NPC1 alleles remained non detected. Sixty-two percent of NPC1 alleles were due to missense variants. The most frequent NPC1 mutation was the p.F284Lfs*26 (5.8% of the alleles). All NPC2 mutations were found in the homozygous state, and all but one was severe. Among newly diagnosed patients, 18 novel NPC1 mutations were identified. The pathogenic nature of 7/9 missense alleles and 3/4 intronic variants was confirmed by filipin staining and NPC1 protein analysis or mRNA expression in patient's fibroblasts. Taken together, our previous published data and new results provide an overall picture of the molecular characteristics of NPC patients diagnosed so far in Italy.


Background and Aims: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) has emerged as a major public problem in the western countries. But data on VTE burden in China mainland is seldom reported. Methods: We collected data on patients with principal diagnose of VTE, pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) using the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) from 90 hospitals across nearly whole China mainland. The trends in the hospitalization rate, mortality, length of stay (LOS) and comorbidities from 2007 to 2016 were analyzed. Results: Totally, 105, 723 cases with VTE were identified, consisting of 43, 589 cases as PE and 62,134 cases as DVT alone. For VTE patients, the age-sex adjusted hospitalization rate increased from 3.2 to 17.5 per 100,000 population and in-hospital mortality decreased from 4.7% to 2.1% (P < 0.001). In addition, the mean LOS declined from 14 days to 12 days (P < 0.001).We further analyzed the data in 2016 and found the hospitalization rate of VTE was higher in elderly male patients (male vs female, 155.3 vs 125.4 per 100,000 population in > = 85 years old, P < 0.001) and northern China (north vs south, 18.4 vs 13.4 per 100,000 population, P < 0.001). Higher mortality rates were found in patients with cancer and Charlson Comorbidity Index > 2. Similar trends were also observed in PE and DVT alone patients. Conclusion: The hospitalization rate and comorbidities burden of VTE increased steadily, while the mortality rate sustained a decline. As a recent nationwide epidemiology research of VTE in China, this study provides important information of VTE burden.


Spatial data is playing an emerging role in new technologies such as web and mobile mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Important decisions in political, social and many other aspects of modern human life are being made using location data. Decision makers in many countries are exploiting spatial databases for collecting information, analyzing them and planning for the future. In fact, not every spatial database is suitable for this type of application. Inaccuracy, imprecision and other deficiencies are present in location data just as any other type of data and may have a negative impact on credibility of any action taken based on unrefined information. So we need a method for evaluating the quality of spatial data and separating usable data from misleading data which leads to weak decisions. On the other hand, spatial databases are usually huge in size and therefore working with this type of data has a negative impact on efficiency. To improve the efficiency of working with spatial big data, we need a method for shrinking the volume of data. Sampling is one of these methods, but its negative effects on the quality of data are inevitable. In this paper we are trying to show and assess this change in quality of spatial data that is a consequence of sampling. We used this approach for evaluating the quality of sampled spatial data related to mobile user trajectories in China which are available in a well-known spatial database. The results show that sample-based control of data quality will increase the query performance significantly, without losing too much accuracy. Based on this results some future improvements are pointed out which will help to process location-based queries faster than before and to make more accurate location-based decisions in limited times.


Background A tool for estimating risk of febrile neutropenia (FN) after chemotherapy, namely the FEbrile Neutropenia after ChEmotherapy (FENCE) score, has been developed but has not been widely validated. This study aimed to validate the FENCE score as a tool for predicting granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) breakthrough FN among patients with lymphoma who underwent chemotherapy. Methods This was a prospective observational study of treatment-naive adult patients with lymphoma who underwent their first cycle of chemotherapy between 2020 and 2021. The patients were followed up until the next cycle of chemotherapy to identify any infection events. Results Among the 135 patients with lymphoma, 62 (50%) were men. In a comparison of the value of each FENCE parameter for predicting G-CSF breakthrough infection, the parameter of advanced-stage disease showed high sensitivity of 92.8%, and receipt of platinum chemotherapy showed high specificity of 95.33%. With a FENCE score of 12 as a cutoff for low risk, analysis across all patients with lymphoma resulted in a high AUROCC of 0.63 (95% CI = 0.5–0.74%; p = 0.059), and analysis across only patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) resulted in an AUROCC of 0.65 (95% CI = 0.51–0.79%; p = 0.046). With a cutoff point of 12, FENCE score can predict breakthrough infection events at 30.0% (95% CI = 17.8–47.4%). Conclusion This study divided patients with lymphoma into risk groups according to FENCE score, showing that this instrument has discriminatory ability in predicting FN events, these being more likely to occur in patients in the intermediate- and high-risk groups. Multicenter studies are needed to validate this clinical risk score.


Pressure maintenance support in mature fields where permeability heterogeneity is present requires proper distribution of injected water into the respective zones of interest. This process can be extremely challenging, if no method for allocating the proper amount of water into each zone is available. An operator in the South China Sea, who had initiated a water injection project using legacy single-string two-zone completion technology, found himself in this predicament since no selective control for pressure maintenance had been considered for the project.
During the past few years, the application of intelligent completion (IC) technology has increased rapidly. This acceptance has been due primarily to its proven capabilities for reservoir monitoring and corresponding optimization of well performance without well interventions. Historically, the majority of IC applications have been in production wells; however, an increasing number of operators have started adopting IC technology for their injector wells.
This paper presents a case study in which IC technology was successfully applied in an offshore field in the South China Sea to provide an efficient water-injection method for optimizing pressure support as well as sweep. The operator selected this technology, as it presented a solution for optimizing the water injection. In addition to eliminating problems experienced with the incapability of the legacy completion technology to monitor water allocation and pressure maintenance for each zone, the IC technology would allow selective well testing for each zone. By evaluating the reservoir properties and characteristics of each zone independently, an intelligent completion would provide another key benefit to the operator, since it would comply with the platform size restrictions for the pumping equipment.
The paper will discuss field objectives, the conceptual design, the design obstacles, and the operational challenges experienced during the job execution.


The spread of COVID‐19 has impacted every aspect of college and university operations — and life in general. As you look ahead, consider ways the pandemic could impact your current and potential international students so you can implement plans to address the challenges.


This explanatory mixed-methods study began with a quantitative survey to investigate counselor beliefs and implementation behaviors related to providing college and career planning services to high school students. Survey results informed the development and implementation of interview protocol designed to provide deeper insight into counselors' decision-making and implementation fidelity. Findings revealed that while counselors place substantial value in state and district policies, and believe their implementation decisions connect student interests and postsecondary goals to appropriate high school programs of study, they spend more time assisting students of higher socioeconomic status with college planning, resulting in less time for supporting students more likely to need their specialized assistance. Implications for educational leaders are discussed.


Perfluoroalkylated substances are a group of chemicals that have been largely employed during the last 60 years in several applications, widely spreading and accumulating in the environment due to their extreme resistance to degradation. As a consequence, they have been found also in various types of food as well as in drinking water, proving that they can easily reach humans through the diet. The available information concerning their adverse effects on health has recently increased the interest towards these contaminants and highlighted the importance of investigating all the potential sources of human exposure, among which diet was proved to be the most relevant. This need has been underlined by the European Union through Recommendation 2010/161/EU: in this document, Member States were called to monitor their presence of in food, producing accurate estimations of human exposure. The purpose of the research presented in this thesis, which is the result of a partnership between an Italian and a French laboratory, was to develop reliable tools for the analysis of these pollutants in food, to be used for generating data on potentially contaminated matrices. An efficient method based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the detection of 16 different perfluorinated compounds in milk has been validated in accordance with current European regulation guidelines (2002/657/EC) and is currently under evaluation for ISO 17025 accreditation. The proposed technique was applied to cow, powder and human breast milk samples from Italy and France to produce a preliminary monitoring on the presence of these contaminants. In accordance with the above mentioned European Recommendation, this project led also to the development of a promising technique for the quantification of some precursors of these substances in fish. This method showed extremely satisfying performances in terms of linearity and limits of detection, and will be useful for future surveys.


Horizontal-merger price simulations, which rely upon pre-merger data to predict post-merger prices, have been proposed and used in antitrust policymaking. However, a dearth of closely observed large mergers in differentiated-product industries makes empirical investigations of simulation performance extremely difficult, and raises many questions regarding the accuracy of simulation performance. Although a handful of previous studies exist, they focus on short-term simulation performances and ignore long-run effects of mergers. This research investigates the long-run simulation performance and long-run pricing effects of merger in the Korean automobile industry for the period 1991-2010. This period saw the merger of Hyundai and Kia Motors in 1998, a merger caused by the Asian economic crisis and which resulted in the conglomeration of 70 percent of the Korean automobile market. By taking Nevo's (2000, 2001) method as a base and measuring its performance against this real-world merger, I find that post-merger prices can be predicted reasonably well in the short term, but that large discrepancies appear in the long-run simulation. To account for this discrepancy, I confirm four further factors that appear essential to move toward a more accurate post-merger price simulation model: change in marginal costs, change in product lines, and change in consumer incomes and preferences. I counterfactually investigate each factor's contribution to price change, confirming their significance. In my investigation I estimate consumer preferences and substitution patterns leading up to the merger, then I calculate marginal costs, and simulate post-merger prices. In addition, I estimate automobile assembly plant-level production functions to evaluate merger synergy effects. By incorporating changes in the four factors I mention, I can account for 61 percent of the long-run price discrepancies.


Background: White coat hypertension (WCH) and masked hypertension (MH) can increase the risk of target organ damage. Home blood pressure monitoring is an important method for detecting WCH and MH. However, the prevalence and related factors of WCH and MH in China have been rarely reported. Objective: To explore the prevalence and related factors associated with white coat hypertension (WCH) and masked hypertension (MH) in Shunde District, Southern China. Methods: This study recruited subjects from the Physical Examination Center in Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University. Office blood pressure and home blood pressure values were collected using the home blood pressure monitor with telemedicine device and office blood pressure monitor, and the prevalence of WCH and MH was calculated by the values. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore the related factors for WCH and MH. Results: Four-hundred and sixty-one participants (61% male), with an average age of 49 years, were included. The prevalence of WCH and MH was 5.1 and 15.2%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that smoking (OR = 4.71, 95% CI = 1.05–21.15) and family history of coronary heart disease (OR = 4.51, 95% CI = 1.08–18.93) were associated with higher odds of WCH. The associated factors for higher odds of MH were smoking (OR = 2.83, 95% CI = 1.11–7.23), family history of hypertension (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.11–4.26) and family history of coronary heart disease (OR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.07–7.45). Conclusion: WCH and MH are highly prevalent in the Physical Examination Center in Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University. We found smoking and family history of coronary heart disease were related factors for WCH, and smoking, family history of hypertension and coronary heart disease were associated with the odds of MH. Home blood pressure monitoring with a telemedicine device should be recommended to identity abnormal BP phenotype.


'The Gothic Revival', writes Professor Michael Lewis, 'is more than a fashion craze for pointed arches and pinnacles. During its years of greatest influence, it subjected every aspect of art, belief, society and labour to intense intellectual scrutiny, using the Middle Ages as a platform from which to judge the modern world.' The craze for Gothic Revival architecture spread throughout continental Europe and the USA from the eighteenth century, and shaped the face of Victorian England. It soon outgrew its religious and historical beginnings and was adopted in many countries to serve political or nationalist purposes. Pugin and Barry were two of the many dazzling talents of the nineteenth century; they are associated with many of England's best-known buildings, most notably the Houses of Parliament. The Gothic style demonstrates energetically the confrontation of Western architecture with modernity, applying the inspiration of the medieval cathedral builders to the new engineering ideas of the industrial age. Professor Lewis's rich survey treats individual buildings and broad movements in England, Europe and the USA with fresh authority. This is an invaluable introduction to one of the most fascinating and colourful periods in the history of architecture.


Craig Somerton, Michigan State University CRAIG W. SOMERTON Craig W. Somerton is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. He teaches in the area of thermal engineering including thermodynamics, heat transfer, and thermal design. Dr. Somerton has research interests in computer design of thermal systems, transport phenomena in porous media, and application of continuous quality improvement principles to engineering education. He received his B.S. in 1976, his M.S. in 1979, and his Ph.D. in 1982, all in engineering from UCLA.


Hypertension is the most prevalent life-threatening disease worldwide and is frequently associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the molecular basis underlying hypertensive CKD is not fully understood. We sought to identify specific factors and signaling pathways that contribute to hypertensive CKD and thereby exacerbate disease progression. Using high throughput quantitative RT-PCR profiling, we discovered that the expression level of 5'-ectonucleotidase (CD73), a key enzyme that produces extracellular adenosine, was significantly increased in the kidneys of angiotensin II (Ang II)-infused mice, an animal model of hypertensive nephropathy. Using both CD73 and A2B adenosine receptor (ADORA2B)-deficient mice coupled with pharmacological studies, we found that elevated CD73-mediated excess renal adenosine preferentially induced the ADORA2B expression and enhanced kidney ADORA2B signaling contributes to Ang II-induced hypertension. Similarly, in humans, we found that both CD73 and ADORA2B levels were significantly elevated in the kidneys of CKD patients compared to normal individuals and further elevated in hypertensive CKD patients. These findings led us to further discover that elevated renal CD73 contributes to excess adenosine signaling via ADORA2B activation that directly stimulates endothelin-1 (ET-1) production in a hypoxia inducible factor-α (HIF-1α)-dependent manner and underlies the pathogenesis of the disease. Lastly, we revealed that HIF-1α is an important factor responsible for Ang II-induced CD73 and ADORA2B expression at the transcriptional level. Overall, our studies reveal that Ang II-induced renal CD73 promotes the production of renal adenosine that is a prominent driver of hypertensive CKD by enhanced ADORA2B signaling-mediated ET-1 induction in a HIF-1α dependent manner. The inhibition of excess adenosine-mediated ADORA2B signaling represents a novel therapeutic target for the disease.


Protein kinases are a superfamily involved in many crucial cellular processes, including signal transmission and regulation of cell cycle. As a consequence of this role, kinases have been reported to be associated with many types of cancer and are considered as potential therapeutic targets. We analyzed the distribution of pathogenic somatic point mutations (drivers) in the protein kinase superfamily with respect to their location in the protein, such as in structural, evolutionary, and functionally relevant regions. We find these driver mutations are more clearly associated with key protein features than other somatic mutations (passengers) that have not been directly linked to tumor progression. This observation fits well with the expected implication of the alterations in protein kinase function in cancer pathogenicity. To explain the relevance of the detected association of cancer driver mutations at the molecular level in the human kinome, we compare these with genetically inherited mutations (SNPs). We find that the subset of nonsynonymous SNPs that are associated to disease, but sufficiently mild to the point of being widespread in the population, tend to avoid those key protein regions, where they could be more detrimental for protein function. This tendency contrasts with the one detected for cancer associated‐driver‐mutations, which seems to be more directly implicated in the alteration of protein function. The detailed analysis of protein kinase groups and a number of relevant examples, confirm the relation between cancer associated‐driver‐mutations and key regions for protein kinase structure and function. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Cold expansion method retards the crack initiation due to the compressive residual stress developed on a hole surface. Most previous researches have shown only the beneficial distribution of residual stresses in the retardation of the crack initiation at the stress concentration area. Also, there have been only few studies on the relation between crack growth and residual stress around other adjacent holes. A few fastener holes of aircraft structures is a shot distance which is less than 20mm between holes. The purpose of this study is to provide better understanding of the residual stress effect around a hole in a structure as crack growth starts from another hole. By finite element method, this study showed that residual stress in a CT specimen is redistributed by cold expansion process and that tensile stress increases in proportion to the cold expansion ratio in the vicinity of the crack. Stress intensity factor increases as the cold expansion ratio increases.


Predicting Gene Knockout Phenotypes Maxat Kulmanov The amount of available protein sequences is rapidly increasing, mainly as a consequence of the development and application of high throughput sequencing technologies in the life sciences. It is a key question in the life sciences to identify the functions of proteins, and furthermore to identify the phenotypes that may be associated with a loss (or gain) of function in these proteins. Protein functions are generally determined experimentally, and it is clear that experimental determination of protein functions will not scale to the current – and rapidly increasing – amount of available protein sequences (over 300 million). Furthermore, identifying phenotypes resulting from loss of function is even more challenging as the phenotype is modified by whole organism interactions and environmental variables. It is clear that accurate computational prediction of protein functions and loss of function phenotypes would be of significant value both to academic research and to the biotechnology industry. We developed and expanded novel methods for representation learning, predicting protein functions and their loss of function phenotypes. We use deep neural network algorithm and combine them with symbolic inference into neural-symbolic algorithms. Our work significantly improves previously developed methods for predicting protein functions through methodological advances in machine learning, incorporation of broader data types that may be predictive of functions, and improved systems for neural-symbolic integration. The methods we developed are generic and can be applied to other domains in which similar types of structured and unstructured information exist. 5 In future, our methods can be applied to prediction of protein function for metagenomic samples in order to evaluate the potential for discovery of novel proteins of industrial value. Also our methods can be applied to the prediction of loss of function phenotypes in human genetics and incorporate the results in a variant prioritization tool that can be applied to diagnose patients with Mendelian disorders.


Abstract Between 2000 and 2010, digestive tracts collected from carnivore carcasses found in southern Brazil were analyzed to determine the frequency and proportion of items constituting the diets of each species. Material was collected and analyzed from 194 animals of 10 species: Cerdocyon thous, Lycalopex gymnocercus (Canidae), Procyon cancrivorus (Procyonidae), Galictis cuja (Mustelidae), Conepatus chinga (Mephitidae), Leopardus colocolo, Leopardus geoffroyi, Leopardus guttulus, Leopardus wiedii, and Puma yagouaroundi (Felidae). Most of these species are sympatric, which makes them potential competitors when sharing, to a greater or lesser degree, the same resources. The food niche breadth was relatively narrow, demonstrating that even generalist species, such as the crab-eating raccoon, used food resources rather unequally. An extensive overlap (>90%) in food niches was found among the cat species, the grison, and the Pampas fox, which had diets based on rodents. Crab-eating raccoons occupied a different food niche, based on aquatic or semiaquatic prey and fruits. Conepatus chinga was unique in exploiting arthropods and insect larvae as basic dietary items.


Vanishing fluid collections in interlobar fissures, associated with congestive cardiac failure, are uncommon but well-recognized. Previous studies have highlighted the occurrence of solitary vanishing 'tumours', but in the study reported here 7 out of 12 consecutive patients presented with more than one interlobar fluid collection simulating pulmonary tumours. In most cases a lateral radiograph confirmed the correct diagnosis and in all cases follow-up radiographs demonstrated resolution of all pleural fluid collections. In one case ultrasound was helpful. Making the correct diagnosis is very important in order to prevent inappropriate investigations and treatment such as biopsy or surgery. It is suggested that unusual pleural fluid collections may be more common in communities where pleural disease following stab wounds or tuberculosis are more prevalent.


Background: Despite the wide range of disease sequelae caused by Chlamydia trachomatis they are still not screened for in Nigerian routine hospitals with paucity of information on relative frequencies and possible risk exposure. Methods and Findings: This study evaluates the risk exposure of individuals coming up with related symptoms using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) with Human Chlamydia IgM. A total of 699 individuals were screened of which 91.2% were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis IgM Age group 21-30 years had the highest prevalence which was followed by 11-20 years. Sociodemographic characteristics show that Chlamydia trachomatis infection is associated with age, high sexual activity, multiple sex partners, low socioeconomic status, unprotected sex and sex orientation. Males and females had equal chances of contacting the infection. Conclusion: Screening of individuals in routine clinical environment should be made a policy especially with related symptoms and should be followed by education of the population on the risk as well as increased education on sexually transmitted infections.


It is shown that for the diluted magnetic semiconductors Sn1-xMnxTe a critical carrier density (pc approximately=3*1020 cm-3) can be found above which ferromagnetic behaviour is displayed. This behaviour can be explained with a two-band RKKY model. Preliminary experiments on the nature of the low-temperature phase are presented.


Understanding the skin mycobiome (fungal communities) is important because both commensal and pathogenic fungi can drive cutaneous disease depending on host status and body sites, including the scalp, feet, and groin. Interestingly, age may also affect skin fungal infections as certain dermatophytoses (i.e. tinea capitis) are more frequent in children than adults. We previously described the skin mycobiomes in healthy adults, showing lipophilic fungi Malassezia predominate in most skin sites. Since children have less sebaceous skin before puberty, we compared the fungal communities of primary clinical samples from healthy children and adults, based on sequencing of a fungal phylogenetic marker. While Malassezia predominated on trunk, head and arm skin of adults (age 20s-30s), children (age <14) had more diverse fungal communities, for example, Eurotiomycetes which includes common dermatophytes. Species-level classification showed M. globosa predominated in children. Collectively, our findings indicate that prepubertal skin is colonized by diverse fungi, whereas adult skin is predominantly obligatory lipophilic Malassezia, suggesting that fungal communities on skin profoundly shift during puberty. Mycobiome shifts during puberty are likely due to alterations in sebaceous gland activation and sebum composition. This study provides a foundational framework for studies investigating interactions between fungi, skin, and pediatric dermatophytosis. M AN US CR IP T AC CE PT ED ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT


Immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region (TH) gene segments located closest to the joining (JH) gene segments are preferentially rearranged during ontogeny, indicating that chromosomal position influences the frequency of rearrangement. In addition, certain VH gene segments are repeatedly rearranged, suggesting that the DNA sequence or structure surrounding these segments may increase the probability of rearrangement. To determine whether there is similar based rearrangement of kappa variable (V kappa) gene segments, 25 rearrangements were sequenced from murine fetal and neonatal B-cell hybridomas and from subclones of a pre-B cell line that rearranged V kappa genes during in vitro culture. Four gene segments were isolated twice and one gene segment was isolated three times, suggesting that the process that targets individual variable gene segments for repeated rearrangement operates on both the VH and V kappa loci. Based on a current map of the V kappa locus, the rearranged gene segments belong to nine families that are dispersed throughout the locus. Thus, in these cell types, V kappa rearrangements use germ-line gene segments located across the entire locus, whereas the corresponding VH rearrangements use gene segments proximal to the JH gene segments. Heterogeneity of V kappa rearrangements would add diversity to the biased pool of VH rearrangements, producing a broad repertoire of antibodies early in development.


Models for recommender systems use latent factors to explain the preferences and behaviors of users with respect to a set of items (e.g., movies, books, academic papers). Typically, the latent factors are assumed to be static and, given these factors, the observed pref- erences and behaviors of users are assumed to be generated without order. These assumptions limit the explorative and predictive capabilities of such models, since users' interests and item popularity may evolve over time. To address this, we propose dPF, a dynamic matrix factorization model based on the recent Poisson factorization model for recommendations. dPF models the time evolving latent factors with a Kalman filter and the actions with Poisson distributions. We derive a scalable variational inference algorithm to infer the latent factors. Finally, we demonstrate dPF on 10 years of user click data from arXiv.org, one of the largest repository of scientific papers and a formidable source of information about the behavior of scientists. Empirically we show performance improvement over both static and, more recently proposed, dynamic recommendation models. We also provide a thorough exploration of the inferred posteriors over the latent variables.


We report results from theoretical and experimental investigations of GaInNAs/GaAs quantum well structures. Optical transition energies for samples with different In and N concentrations were determined by photoluminescence measurements. The results show that the reduction of the ground-state transition energy by the introduction of N decreases with increasing In concentration. The experimental data are compared with calculations using the effective-mass approximation. Modifications of the band-gap energy due to N incorporation were accounted for using the two-level repulsion model. Proper effective-mass and band offset values, based on recent experimental work, were used. Calculated and measured transition energies show good agreement. The critical thickness, lattice constant, strain, and optical transition energies are discussed for GaInNAs/GaAs quantum well structures tuned for emission at 1.3 and 1.55 µm, in particular. Such a simple model, within the effective-mass approximation, is a very useful guide for device design.


Objectives
The objective was to report on the initial measurement properties of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Module in youth with SCI from the youth and parent perspectives.

Methods
PedsQL™ SCI Module and PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales SF15 were completed in a multisite national study by 166 youth ages 8 to 25 years and 128 parents of youth ages 5 to 23 years. Data from the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales were compared with an age- and sex-matched healthy control sample. Factor analysis was conducted to determine the factor structure of the items.

Results
In addition to a Total Scale Score, nine unidimensional scales were derived measuring daily activities, mobility, bladder function, bowel function, pressure injury, pain interference, social participation, worry bladder bowel, and worry social. The PedsQL™ SCI Module evidenced excellent reliability for Total Scale Scores (youth self-report, α = 0.93; parent proxy-report, α = 0.93) and acceptable reliability for the nine individual scales (youth self-report, α = 0.71-0.83; parent proxy-report, α = 0.67-0.87). Intercorrelations with the Generic Core Scales supported construct validity with medium to large effect sizes (most ps < .001). Factor analysis supported the unidimensionality of the nine individual scales. PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales comparisons to healthy controls demonstrated significantly impaired generic health-related quality of life in youth with SCI with large effect sizes.

Conclusion
The PedsQL™ SCI Module Scales demonstrated acceptable measurement properties and may be utilized as standardized scales to assess SCI-specific concerns and problems in clinical research and practice in youth with SCI.


There are few studies on the awareness and uptake of cervical cancer (Ca Cervix) screening services among Female Sex Workers (FSWs) in Nigeria despite the increased risk of Ca Cervix among FSWs and the potential benefit of early screening. The study aimed to assess the awareness, uptake, barriers to and predictors of uptake of Ca Cervix screening services among FSWs. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 165 female sex workers (FSWs) recruited via snowball sampling in Sokoto State, Nigeria. awareness, uptake, barriers to and predictors of uptake of Ca Cervix screening services The study aimed to assess the among FSWs. Participants were eligible for inclusion if they were brothel-based, had spent at least one year in the profession, and were at least 21 years old or had debuted in sexual intercourse not later than three years from when the study was conducted. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and a liquid-based cytology (LBC) test were used to obtain information. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 25. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of the Sokoto State Ministry of Health. Twenty (12.1%) and 11 (6.7%) of the respondents were aware of Ca Cervix and its screening services respectively. The commonest source of information was hospital/health workers 10 (50.0%). One (0.6%) of the respondents reported ever having been screened for cervical cancer in the past, while the highest proportion, 119 (72.1%), utilised the LBC test offered in this study. The commonest barriers to current uptake were lack of interest (93.5%) and invasion of privacy (73.9%). Consistent use of condoms with current partners was found to be a predictor of the uptake of LBC among the study participants, highlighting the need for health education and promotion interventions among FSWs by researchers, health workers, and non-governmental organizations to increase awareness of the disease and its screening tests.


Is the gravity model as applicable to trade in intermediate inputs as it is to trade in final goods? One of the contributions of this paper is that we explicitly account for the dual nature of products that can be used as either intermediate inputs or final goods. We find that the structural gravity model performs extremely well for describing bilateral trade in final goods and in intermediate inputs. Moreover, this continues to hold even when we focus on a subset of countries in which intermediate inputs trade accounts for a growing share of trade, namely 'Factory Asia'. However, the gravity model may perform poorly due to model misspecification (i.e., exclusion of intranational trade) and/or sample selection, even after the model considers the dual nature of products. We demonstrate that the poor performance of the gravity model is not attributable to the large trade flow of intermediate inputs, which supports the continued use of the model as these trade flows continue to grow in importance worldwide.