For craniofacial bone regeneration, shear-thinning injectable hydrogels are favored over conventional scaffolds because of their improved defect margin adaptability, easier handling, and ability to be injected manually into deeper tissues. The most accepted method, after autografting, is the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2); however, complications such as interindividual variations, edema, and poor cost-efficiency in supraphysiological doses have been reported. The endogenous synthesis of BMP-2 is desirable, and a molecule which induces this is fibroblast growth factor-18 (FGF-18) because it can upregulate the BMP-2 expression  by supressing noggin. We developed a chitin-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) composite hydrogel by regeneration chemistry and then incorporated CaSO4 and FGF-18 for this purpose. Rheologically, a 7-fold increase in the elastic modulus was observed in the CaSO4-incorporated chitin-PLGA hydrogels as compared to the chitin-PLGA hydrogel. Shear-thinning Herschel-Bulkley fluid nature was observed for both hydrogels. Chitin-PLGA/CaSO4 gel showed sustained release of FGF-18. In vitro osteogenic differentiation showed an enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression in the FGF-18-containing chitin-PLGA/CaSO4 gel when compared to cells alone. Further, it was confirmed by studying the expression of osteogenic genes [RUNX2, ALP, BMP-2, osteocalcin (OCN), and osteopontin (OPN)], immunofluorescence staining of BMP-2, OCN, and OPN, and alizarin red S staining. Incorporation of FGF-18 in the hydrogel increased the endothelial cell migration. Further, the regeneration potential of the prepared hydrogels was tested in vivo, and longitudinal live animal μ-CT was performed. FGF-18-loaded chitin-PLGA/CaSO4 showed early and almost complete bone healing in comparison with chitin-PLGA/CaSO4, chitin-PLGA/FGF-18, chitin-PLGA, and sham control systems, as confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin and osteoid tetrachrome stainings. This shows that the CaSO4 and FGF-18-incorporated hydrogel is a potential candidate for craniofacial bone defect regeneration.


Plant pathogens employ diverse secreted effector proteins to manipulate host physiology and defence in order to foster diseases. The destructive Phytophthora pathogens encode hundreds of cytoplasmic effectors, which are believed to function inside the plant cells. Many of these cytoplasmic effectors contain the conserved N-terminal RXLR motif. Understanding the virulence function of RXLR effectors will provide important knowledge of Phytophthora pathogenesis. Here, we report the characterization of a RXLR effector PcAvh1 from the broad-host-range pathogen P. capsici. Only expressed during infection, PcAvh1 is quickly induced at the early infection stages. CRISPR/Cas9-knockout of PcAvh1 in P. capsici severely impairs the virulence while overexpression enhances disease development in Nicotiana benthamiana and bell pepper, demonstrating that PcAvh1 is an essential virulence factor. Ectopic expression of PcAvh1 induces cell death in N. benthamiana, tomato and bell pepper. Using yeast two-hybrid screening, we found that PcAvh1 interacts with the scaffolding subunit of the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2Aa) in plant cells. Virus-induced gene silencing of PP2Aa in N. benthamiana attenuates resistance to P. capsici and results in dwarfism, suggesting that PP2Aa regulates plant immunity and growth. Collectively, these results suggest that PcAvh1 contributes to P. capsici infection, probably through its interaction with host PP2Aa.


This paper analyses Asia's growth experience in a broad historical and international context. East Asian countries grew faster than the rest of the world for four key reasons: they had substantial potential for catching up, their geography and structural characteristics were by- and large favorable, demographic changes worked in favor of more rapid growth, and their economic policies and strategy were conducive to sustained growth. Although the financial crisis of 1997 abruptly brought a halt to Asia's period of robust growth, there was little in Asia's fundamental growth strategy that inevitably led to the crisis. The key to the crisis was too much short-term capital flowing into weak and under-supervised financial systems. This suggests that with better financial management and a return to the core policies that resulted in rapid growth, the East Asian economies can again return to sustained growth. [O11, O40, O53]


ABSTRACT Patients (n = 409) with severe skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) were randomized to receive clinafloxacin or piperacillin-tazobactam (plus optional vancomycin for methicillin-resistant cocci), administered intravenously, with the option to switch to oral medication. Most patients had cellulitis, wound infections, or diabetic foot infections. Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common baseline pathogens. Fewer baseline pathogens were resistant to clinafloxacin (1.8%) than to piperacillin-tazobactam (6.2%) (P = 0.001). The clinafloxacin and piperacillin-tazobactam groups did not differ significantly in clinical cure rates (68.8 and 65.2%, respectively) or microbiologic eradication rates (61.5 and 57.2%). Clinafloxacin yielded higher eradication rates for all three of the most common pathogenic species, although no differences were statistically significant. Within the power of this study, the overall frequency of adverse events was similar (P = 0.577) in the two treatment groups. Drug-associated adverse events (P = 0.050) and treatment discontinuations (P = 0.052) were marginally more frequent in the clinafloxacin group, primarily due to phototoxicity in outpatients receiving clinafloxacin. Although most cases of phototoxicity were mild to moderate, four cases were reported as severe. In summary, clinafloxacin monotherapy was equivalent in effectiveness to therapy with piperacillin-tazobactam plus optional vancomycin in the treatment of hospitalized patients with severe SSTIs.


The field's knowledge of marketing-mix elasticities is largely restricted to developed countries in the North-Atlantic region, even though other parts of the world—especially the Indo-Pacific Rim region—have become economic powerhouses. To better allocate marketing budgets, firms need to have information about marketing-mix elasticities for countries outside the North-Atlantic region. The authors use data covering over 1,600 brands from 14 product categories collected in 7 developed and 7 emerging Indo-Pacific Rim countries across more than 10 years to estimate marketing elasticities for line length, price, and distribution and examine which brand, category, and country factors influence these elasticities. Averaged across brands, categories, and countries, line-length elasticity is .459, price elasticity is −.422, and distribution elasticity is .368, but with substantial variation across brands, categories, and countries. Contrary to what has been suggested in previous research, the authors find no systematic differences in marketing responsiveness between emerging and developed economies. Instead, the key country-level factor driving elasticities is societal stratification, with Hofstede's measure of power inequality (power distance) as its cultural manifestation and income inequality as its economic manifestation. As the effects of virtually all brand, category, and country factors differ across the three marketing-mix instruments, the field needs new theorizing that is contingent on the marketing-mix instrument studied.


Is there progress in philosophy? This question is addressed along the three sections of this article. In the introductory section a comparison with similar questions which may be posed in connection to the arts and the sciences is made. A preliminar result of such comparison is that the same as in science the notion of progress in philosophy should be understood in an epistemic sense. However, if a notion of epistemic progress useful in the case of science is applied, a negative conclusion concerning the existence of such progress in philosophy may be easily reached.. In fact, a usual way of arguing for such negative conclusion is to recall the lack of consensus around any proposed solution of main philosophical problems and, hence, the existence of seemingly endless controversies around them. But against such conclusion I argue that a particular notion of progress – involving conceptual or intellectual enlargement and articulation is more appropriate to the nature of philosophy. Once such notion is adopted, consensus ceases to be a necessary condition for progress. In the second section, after defining the notion of controversial field as a set of interrelated controversies, a classification of main positions vis-a-vis philosophical controversial fields is proposed. The main distinction is between the mainstream view according to which lack of consensus and endless controversies are, to use Kant s words, the "scandal of philosophy" and an alternative view, advocated by Russell and Rescher, who praise the controversial status of philosophy as a way of preserving the plurality of our basic value commitments. Though recognizing the merits of those views, a serious flaw affecting all of them is pointed out, namely, their lack of attention to the actual development of controversial fields. After introducing such historical focus, the differences between different types of controversial fields are described. In particular, the difference between progressive and regressive types. Moreover, the differences between different stages in the development of controversial fields such as refocusing and substitution are also described. In the last section the preceding conceptual scheme is illustrated by sketching the development of twenty century philosophy of science through its main stages and controversial fields. Finally, na answer to the question posed at the beginning is provided: it is possible to assert the existence of progress in philosophy, in the sense introduced above, but only within the limits of controversial fields. If there is also progress between controversial fields is a question that may be doubted. It is not, in any case, dealt with in this article.


Interaction nets are a graphical formalism inspired by Linear Logic proof-nets often used for studying higher order rewriting e.g. β -reduction. Traditional presentations of interaction nets are based on graph theory and rely on elementary properties of graph theory. We give here a more explicit presentation based on notions borrowed from Girard's Geometry of Interaction : interaction nets are presented as partial permutations and a composition of nets, the gluing , is derived from the execution formula. We then define contexts and reduction as the context closure of rules. We prove strong confluence of the reduction within our framework and show how interaction nets can be viewed as the quotient of some generalized proof-nets.


- Recent developments in building energy saving managements have led to considerable improvements in energy savings of building sector. Therefore looking at various optimization strategies to reduce the building energy consumptions. These measures include improving the building materials, energy conversion technologies, control strategies etc. But there is still a strong interest to reduce the energy use of buildings through reduction of heat losses. The largest source of energy Mineral wool (or rock wool) is a non-metallic, inorganic product manufactured using stone/rock. The Rockwool can be placed inside hollow concrete blocks and the insulation assessment of these materials can be examined based on the heat transfer rate. This study aims at the comparative study of Rockwool and Thermocol (Polystyrene) insulation used in concrete blocks. Cement-based composites are among the most widely-used construction materials due to their low cost, high compressive strength, high durability, versatility, and easy-handling. Unfortunately, cement-based composites are intrinsically porous and may deteriorate and be liable to rebar corrosion as a result of exposure to harsh environments or poor construction quality. In general, proper design procedures, adequate concrete cover depth, corrosion-inhibiting admixture, and low-permeability cement-based composites can be selected for corrosion prevention and control. There are three type of concrete blocks used for this analysis. The thermal properties of Rockwool-concrete composite and Thermocol-concrete composite will be analyzed and will be simulated in ANSYS. Thus we determine the effectiveness of insulation provided by the Rockwool material with the hollow concrete block. In conductivity is ASTM C518 test method (British analysis will help us to determine the efficient insulator and will help us reuse the Rockwool and Thermocol wastes generated in industries and commercial sites.


The persistent inequalities in urban public education in the U. S. that
 have left far too many Black and Hispanic male students behind with respect
 to academic skill development, high school graduation, and college success
 have led Catholic groups to provide alternative secondary school models to
 advance the academic and career success of urban students. One of these
 initiatives is the NativityMiguel model school, the first of which opened in
 New York City in 1971. The present study examines the lived experience, with
 respect to benefits of this education on the subsequent academic and career
 successes, of male graduates of two of these schools, one for African
 American, or Black, students and one for Mexican American students in
 different parts of the country. Analyses of interviews with 37 graduates
 showed that they benefitted from the schools' approach to academic skill
 development and the building of resilience, leadership, and a commitment to
 service in the context of a community that continued to support the
 development of resilience after middle school graduation. Differences in
 aspects of the two programs are examined along with the implications for
 making use of the schools' initiatives on a larger scale.


This paper briefly describes the philosophy of Ken Mills to give to industry recommended values for thermophysical properties at high temperatures with an indication of the uncertainty of measurement relevant to their processes. To achieve this Ken adopted what he called his three pronged attack: 1) Critically assess the data in the literature and attempt to recommend values for the properties. 2) Construct equipment to make the relevant measurements and perform experiments to understand inconsistencies in the literature values. 3) Investigate models of properties to aid understanding of the measurements and make realistic predictions of the properties. The paper outlines how his successors have attempted to continue in this tradition. Recent examples of work at the National Physical Laboratory are taken. These include the review of properties and the dissemination of the results to industry; the experimental facilities illustrated from the measurement of thermal diffusivity of iron; viscosity of metals; density and surface tension; and finally recent developments for modelling thermophysical properties.


Low temperature 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation over biosynthesized Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalysts annealed under different atmospheres (H2 and air) was compared in a fixed bed reactor, and the catalysts were prepared using a facile sol-immobilization method. The structural properties of the Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalysts in relation to their activities in 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction, thermogravimetry, transmission electron microscopy, CO chemisorption measurement techniques and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results of characterization revealed that the calcination atmosphere (H2 and air) exhibited a remarkable impact on the chemical state of Pd species and catalytic activity, and the coexistence of the metallic state and oxidation state of Pd was a key factor for higher catalytic activity and butene selectivity, while the catalyst with the existence of the metallic state only (H2–Pd/γ-Al2O3) showed lower butene selectivity, and the catalyst with the oxidation state alone (air–Pd/γ-Al2O3) hardly showed any activity in 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation. Therefore, the chemical state of Pd played an important role in the 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation reaction.


Abstract. This study evaluates the impact of potential future climate change on flood regimes, floodplain protection, and electricity infrastructures across the Conasauga River Watershed in the southeastern United States through ensemble hydrodynamic inundation modeling. The ensemble streamflow scenarios were simulated by the Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) driven by (1) 1981–2012 Daymet meteorological observations, and (2) eleven sets of downscaled global climate models (GCMs) during the 1966–2005 historical and 2011–2050 future periods. Surface inundation was simulated using a GPU-accelerated Two-dimensional Runoff Inundation Toolkit for Operational Needs (TRITON) hydrodynamic model. Nine out of the eleven GCMs exhibit an increase in the mean ensemble flood inundation areas. Moreover, at the 1 % annual exceedance probability level, the flood inundation frequency curves indicate a ~ 16 km2 increase in floodplain area. The assessment also shows that even after flood-proofing, four of the substations could still be affected in the projected future period. The increase in floodplain area and substation vulnerability highlights the need to account for climate change in floodplain management. Overall, this study provides a proof-of-concept demonstration of how the computationally intensive hydrodynamic inundation modeling can be used to enhance flood frequency maps and vulnerability assessment under the changing climatic conditions.


The X-ray findings in temporal bone anomalies are reviewed. Radiological procedure and examination technique are presented, as are symptoms of important anomalies. The methods available are plain film X-ray of temporal bone, multi-directional tomography, and high-resolution CT. Although some of the abnormalities are visible even in plain films, consistent use of conventional tomography or CT is necessary for correct diagnosis. This procedure is indicated not only when an abnormality is clinically obvious, but also in all cases of unexplained hearing loss without evidence of acquired disease. The advantage of CT over conventional tomography is that soft tissue anomalies, such as primary cholesteatoma or tumor simulating vascular abnormalities, can be demonstrated. In these cases CT is obligatory.


We argue that topological matrix models (matrix models of the Kontsevich type) are examples of exact open/closed duality. The duality works at finite N and for generic 't Hooft couplings. We consider in detail the paradigm of the Kontsevich matrix integral for two-dimensional topological gravity. We demonstrate that the Kontsevich model arises by topological localization of cubic open string field theory on N stable branes. Our analysis is based on standard worldsheet methods in the context of non-critical bosonic string theory. The stable branes have Neumann (FZZT) boundary conditions in the Liouville direction. Several generalizations are possible.


Transepithelial calcium uptake and transcellular calcium uptake mechanisms were compared in the proximal intestine of freshwater- and seawater-adapted tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus. Stripped intestinal epithelium of seawater fish showed a higher paracellular permeability to calcium in vitro. Net transepithelial calcium uptake was 71 % lower, reflecting a physiological response to the increased inward calcium gradient. Na+/K+-ATPase activity was significantly enhanced in enterocytes of seawater-adapted fish, in line with the water transport function of the intestine in seawater fish. The Vmax and the Km values for Ca2+ of the ATP-dependent Ca2+ pump in seawater fish enterocytes were 28 % and 27 %, respectively, lower than in freshwater fish. The Km for Ca2+ of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger was 22 % lower, and a 57 % decrease in the Vmax for Ca2+ of the exchanger was observed. Apparently, the density of exchanger molecules in the basolateral plasma membrane is reduced in seawater fish. From the correlation between the differences in net intestinal calcium uptake and Na+/Ca2+ exchange activity we conclude that Na+/Ca2+ exchange is the main basolateral effector of transcellular calcium uptake.


An efficiency calibration method has been developed to measure radioactivity of samples instantly with HPGe detectors without the continuous usage of standards sources. A co-axial HPGe detector was used for this experiment and the geometries of 17cm, 15cm and 2cm examined. Three fundamental techniques viz k0-IAEA, theoretical (fitted) and experimental measurements were used to examine and actualize this method known as effective solid angle derived efficiency technique within the energy range of 59.54 – 1408 keV. Plotted ratios of the k0-IAEA derived efficiency, theoretical (fitted) derived efficiency, and experimental full energy peak derived efficiency values over the instant effective solid angle derived efficiency values showed slight oscillations about unity at certain energies for 2cm and 17cm geometries attributed to the characteristics of the detector. The results of the ratio of k0-IAEA measurement, theoretical (fitted) derived efficiency data over the experimentally derived efficiency at 15cm showed an insignificant deviation of 0.2% at certain energy around the unity mark. Thus efficiency data obtained at this geometry were employed in the instant effective solid angle efficiency transfer technique and further determination of the instant efficiency at 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25cm were obtained.


Background: Concurrent depression has been mentioned as a possible factor which might reinforces relationship between OCD and sexual dysfunction. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate sexual function in OCD patients with and without depressive symptoms. Materials and Methods: subjects were 56 married OCD patients referred to outpatient clinic of Roozbeh psychiatric hospital and three private psychiatric clinics in Tehran from 2011 to 2013. Participants completed demographic questionnaire, OCI-R, MOCI, BDI-II, IIEF, FSFI. Results: 80.6% of women and 25% of men had sexual dysfunction and 82% of patients had depressive symptoms. Comparing sexual dysfunction in OCD patients with and without depressive symptoms demonstrated that mean index of IIEF in erection and satisfaction subscales of men without depressive symptoms (BDI-II index= < 15) is higher than those with depressive symptoms and the mean index of FSFI in women showed a marginal significance in pain subscale of FSFI. Conclusions: Regarding to possible role of depressive symptoms on sexual function, sexual assessment in all OCD patients should be considered.


Novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury and its long-term outcomes have been required and remain a challenge in critical care medicine. Therapeutic strategies using lipid mediators, such as aspirin-triggered resolvin D1 (ATRvD1), can contribute to the resolution of acute and chronic inflammation. In this study, we examined the potential effect of ATRvD1 on long-term kidney dysfunction after severe sepsis. Fifteen days after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), sepsis-surviving BALB/c mice were subjected to a tubulointerstitial injury through intraperitoneal injections of bovine serum albumin (BSA) for 7 days, called the subclinical acute kidney injury (subAKI) animal model. ATRvD1 treatment was performed right before BSA injections. On day 22 after CLP, the urinary protein/creatinine ratio (UPC), histologic parameters, fibrosis, cellular infiltration, apoptosis, inflammatory markers levels, and mRNA expression were determined. ATRvD1 treatment mitigated tubulointerstitial injury by reducing proteinuria excretion, the UPC ratio, the glomerular cell number, and extracellular matrix deposition. Pro-fibrotic markers, such as transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), type 3 collagen, and metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and -9 were reduced after ATRvD1 administration. Post-septic mice treated with ATRvD1 were protected from the recruitment of IBA1+ cells. The interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels were increased in the subAKI animal model, being attenuated by ATRvD1. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-10, and IL-4 mRNA expression were increased in the kidney of BSA-challenged post-septic mice, and it was also reduced after ATRvD1. These results suggest that ATRvD1 protects the kidney against a second insult such as BSA-induced tubulointerstitial injury and fibrosis by suppressing inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators in renal dysfunction after sepsis.


A cooperative study using 906 pigs was conducted to evaluate either mixing pigs or maintaining pen integrity during the move from nursery to finishing, and its effect on finishing space allowance. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial, with main effects of mixing or maintaining pen integrity as pigs were moved to finishing facilities (BW 54.9 lb) and providing either 6.0 or 8.0 ft per pig. There were 8 pens per block and 7 blocks. In 2 pens, when moving from nursery to finishing, pen integrity was maintained and pens were allocated either 6.0 or 8.0 ft per pig. For mixed treatments, pigs from 3 pens were mixed into 3 new pens and were assigned 6.0 ft per pig. Likewise, 3 more pens were mixed and were assigned 8.0 ft per pig. Individual pen was the experimental unit. From d 0 to 14, no treatment effects were observed (P>0.16). A mixing by space allocation interaction was observed (P<0.05) for overall ADG and F/G. The interactions were a result of mixed pigs at 6.0 ft having better ADG and F/G than unmixed pigs, whereas unmixed pigs had better ADG and F/G at 8.0 ft. Despite the interactions, the actual differences between treatment groups were relatively small. Overall (d 0 to 118), maintaining pen integrity did not affect ADG or ADFI, compared with mixing pigs (1.92 and 5.20 vs. 1.93 and 5.20 lb/d, respectively). But pigs provided 6.0 ft had decreased ADG (P<0.01) and ADFI (P<0.01), compared with those of pigs provided 8.0 ft (1.90 and 5.16 vs. 1.95 and 5.25 lb/d, respectively). These results confirm expected reductions in growth and feed intake of pigs restricted in space. In this study, maintaining pen integrity when moving pigs from nursery to finishing facilities had no beneficial effect on pig performance, compared with mixing pigs into new social groups.


This article aims to show that the concept of life-world (lebenswelt) in Jurgen Habermas, and the refutation of the dichotomy 'fact' v. 'value' in Hilary Putnam may account epistemologically for the evaluation process in social management, which consists of explicating facts, values and their respective meanings shared inter-subjectively. The article presents the Map of Public Goods and the Semantic Map of ENCIR (Expectations, Needs, Capabilities, Interests and Representations), which are instruments of evaluative experience, arguing on this instruments ability to communicatively explain the meanings/interpretations emanating from the life-world of Public Constituents. We argue with Habermas that life-world is an epistemological foundation of the evaluation procedures in social management that considers the dialogic relation between facts and values. With Putnam, we argue that these constituent elements are interwoven and subject to rational discussion. In this perspective, evaluative and communicative assessment processes must be built according to the capacities of the Public Constituents and co-produced by means of inclusive, dialogic and deliberative processes, validated inter-subjectively. This meets Habermas claims to truth, honesty/truthfulness and normative correction/legitimacy.


Abstract : I will review several recent new ideas in the field of nanoelectronics that may eventually revolutionize the semiconductor memory and data storage technologies.


In about 1934, several patients operated on for hallux valgus in the preceding few years began to appear with recurrence of deformity. The obvious common finding in all these patients was metatarsus primus varus. Other patients operated on during the same period and by the same method had satisfactory results. None of these had metatarsus primus varus. It was concluded that metatarsus primus varus was the primary deformity and that failure to evaluate its significance and to correct it was responsible for recurrence of hallux valgus. To verify the above conclusions an x-ray study of normal asymptomatic feet was made. A group of employees in a large industrial plant were asked if they had ever had any foot trouble. If their answer was "no," x-rays of their feet were made. On completion of the survey it was apparent that not all were strictly frank, since there were nine in the


This study presents a new software-based plug-in dead-time compensator for grid-connected pulsewidth modulated voltage-source inverters of single-stage photovoltaic (PV) systems using predictive current controllers (PCCs) to regulate phase currents. First, a nonlinear dead-time disturbance model is reviewed, which is then used for the generation of a feed-forward compensation signal that eliminates the current distortion associated with current clamping effects around zero-current crossing points. A novel closed-loop adaptive adjustment scheme is proposed for fine tuning in real time the compensation model parameters, thereby ensuring accurate results even under the highly varying operating conditions typically found in PV systems due to insolation, temperature, and shadowing effects, among others. The algorithm implementation is straightforward and computationally efficient, and can be easily attached to an existent PCC to enhance its dead-time rejection capability without modifying its internal structure. Experimental results with a 5-kW PV system prototype are presented.


A recent advancement in the domain of biomedical Entity Linking is the development of powerful two-stage algorithms – an initial candidate retrieval stage that generates a shortlist of entities for each mention, followed by a candidate ranking stage. However, the effectiveness of both stages are inextricably dependent on computationally expensive components. Specifically, in candidate retrieval via dense representation retrieval it is important to have hard negative samples, which require repeated forward passes and nearest neighbour searches across the entire entity label set throughout training. In this work, we show that pairing a proxy-based metric learning loss with an adversarial regularizer provides an efficient alternative to hard negative sampling in the candidate retrieval stage. In particular, we show competitive performance on the recall@1 metric, thereby providing the option to leave out the expensive candidate ranking step. Finally, we demonstrate how the model can be used in a zero-shot setting to discover out of knowledge base biomedical entities.


This study attempts to find out Bangla and English medium students' and teacher perception on errors in English writing class and the reasons behind commiting those errors in writing.Around 120 Bangla medium students , 120 English medium students and 8 teachers were the participants in the survey.The researcher employed a mixed method of analyzing data consisting of qualitative and quantitative data analysing methods.Corders' (1974) error analysis model has been followed for error analysis in this study.The result suggests that L1 interference ,carelessness ,ignorance of rules ,lack of motivation all are sources of errors in writing. It is also suggested that Bangla medium students have more errors rather than English medium students. From the findings ,it was observed that many students had errors in sentence construction, subject Verb Agreement ,article, verb, preposition, tense ,spelling error and they use of capital letters instead of small letters. Basically,this research will help English teachers to know why the writing errors occur and also help them to improve their teaching material and design lesson plans according to the students' needs.


As a countermeasure to the greenhouse gas problem, the world is focusing on alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). The most prominent alternatives are battery electric vehicles (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). This study examines FCEVs, especially considering hydrogen refueling stations to fill the gap in the research. Many studies suggest the important impact that infrastructure has on the diffusion of AFVs, but they do not provide quantitative preferences for the design of hydrogen refueling stations. This study analyzes and presents a consumer preference structure for hydrogen refueling stations, considering the production method, distance, probability of failure to refuel, number of dispensers, and fuel costs as core attributes. For the analysis, stated preference data are applied to choice experiments, and mixed logit is used for the estimation. Results indicate that the supply stability of hydrogen refueling stations is the second most important attribute following fuel price. Consumers are willing to pay more for green hydrogen compared to gray hydrogen, which is hydrogen produced by fossil fuels. Driver fuel type and perception of hydrogen energy influence structure preference. Our results suggest a specific design for hydrogen refueling stations based on the characteristics of user groups.


Bile obtained from the gall bladder of Salamander necturus was investigated for the presence of bile alcohols by a combined technique of Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Dried bile salts were hydrolysed with 2.5N KOH in an autoclave at 121 degrees C. Unsaponifiable matter was extracted with ethyl acetate, three times, washed with distilled water, dried with anhydrous sodium sulphate,evaporated to dryness and analysed for its bile alcohols. Analytical GLC revealed the presence of at least thirteen bile alcohols in the mixture. Two major bile alcohols, i.e. 5alpha-anhydrocyprinol and 5alpha-cyprinol constituted about 73% of the total unsaponifiable matter. Others were identified as 3alpha, 7alpha, 12alpha,trihdroxy-5beta-delta23-homocholene,3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-trihydroxy-5alpha-delta24-nor-27-cholestene,3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-rihydroxy-5alpha-delta24-cholestene,5alpha-bufol and 5alpha-dermophol.


Monodisperse FePt nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)5 and reduction of Pt(acac)2 at low temperature of 160–180 °C by using kerosene as a solvent. The average sizes of the synthesized particles ranged from 2.2 to 4.4 nm. Thermal annealing of the as-prepared FePt particles at 700 °C for 1 h transformed the crystalline structure of the particles from a disordered face-centered cubic to an ordered face-centered tetragonal. This change led to a significant increase in coercivity from 153.37 to 2273.22 Oe and in saturated magnetization from 26.86 to 41.21 emu/g.


Photoelectrochemical degradation of cyanuric acid occurred when the applied potential exceeded 2 V by using Ti electrodes and TiO2 suspension in 0.3 M NaCl solution. The removal increased drastically when the applied potential was more than 5 V. The addition of HCO3- ion could accelerate photoelectrochemical degradation of cyanuric acid. An optimum removal of 85% was achieved when HCO3- ion concentration increased to 0.05 M. Further increase of HCO3- ion led to the decrease of removal, due to consumption of hydroxyl radicals and other oxidizing species by excessive bicarbonate. Photocatalytic oxidation had no capacity on degrading cyanuric acid whether in NaHCO3 aqueous solution or in the solution containing both Cl- and HCO3- ions.


Social robots, also known as service or assistant robots, have been developed to improve the quality of human life in recent years. Socially assistive robots (SAR) are a special type of social robots that focus on providing support through social interaction. The design of socially capable and intelligent robots can vary, depending on the target user groups. In this work, I assess the effect of socially assistive robots' roles, functions, and communication approaches in the context of a social agent providing service or companionship to users with developmental disabilities. In this thesis, I describe an exploratory study of interaction design for a socially assistive robot that supports people suffering from developmental disabilities. While exploring the impacts of visual elements to robot's visual interface and different aspects of robot's social dimension, I developed a series of prototypes and tested them through three user studies that included three residents with various function levels at a local group home for people with developmental disabilities. All user studies had been recorded for the following qualitative data analysis. Results show that each design factor played a different role in delivering information and in increasing engagement, and there are more aspects of HRI to consider besides robot's graphical user interface and speech, such as proxemics and robot's physical appearance and dimensions. I also note that some fundamental design principles that would work for ordinary users did not apply to our target user group. I conclude that socially assistive robots could benefit our target users and acknowledge that these robots were not suitable for certain scenarios based on the feedback from our users.


A battery of psychological tests has been used to study the psychic state and quality of life in 75 patients with mild and moderate arterial hypertension (AH) with or without (controls) different metabolic disturbances (diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, obesity). Comparing to controls, the AH patients with metabolic disturbances suffered more frequently from different psychic disorders of neurotic register and their quality of life, general condition, activity and mood proved to be significantly worse. The authors conclude that psychological testing may be an important diagnostic tool in general hospital. It allows identification of the borderline mental disorders features, the correction of which appears to be of great importance for basic disease course and its therapy.


BACKGROUND
Genetic defects in the oocyte can lead to female infertility due to failures in early embryogenesis. NLRP5 (NLR family, Pyrin domain containing 5) is a maternal effect factor required for early embryo development beyond the 2-cell stage in mice. The NLRP5 gene is conserved in mammals. Applying RNA interference (RNAi) technique in the macaque oocyte, we studied the in vitro effect of NLRP5 in preimplantation embryo development in rhesus macaques.

METHODS
Macaque MII oocytes were collected and subjected to NLRP5 long double-stranded (ds) RNA microinjection, followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro embryo culture. NLRP5 mRNA and protein expression were examined, and the progress of preimplantation embryo development was monitored until the blastocyst stage.

RESULT
While 46.7 and 41.4% of embryos derived from uninjected and EGFP (Enhanced Green Fluorescence Protein) dsRNA-injected oocytes (control) reached the blastocyst stage within 10 days of culture, respectively, only 7.0% of the NLRP5 knockdown embryos developed to term. The majority of NLRP5 knockdown embryos were arrested between the 8-cell and the 16-cell stages.

CONCLUSIONS
The work provides the first evidence that long dsRNA-mediated RNAi can be applied to specific gene silencing in rhesus macaque oocytes, and demonstrates that maternal NLRP5 plays an important role in preimplantation embryogenesis in non-human primates.


We are living in the era of digital transformation. Computers are rapidly becoming the most important tool for companies, science, society, and indeed our everyday life. We all need a basic understanding of Computer Science to make sense of the world, to make decisions, and to improve our lives. Yet there are many misunderstandings about Computer Science. The reason is that it is a nascent discipline that has evolved rapidly and had to reinvent itself several times over the last 100 years – from the beginnings of scientific computing to the modern era of smartphones and the cloud. This book gives an intuitive introduction to the foundations and main concepts of Computer Science. It describes the basic ideas of solving problems with algorithms, modern data-driven approaches, and artificial intelligence (AI). It also provides many examples that require no background in technology. This book is directed toward teenagers who may wonder whether they should major in Computer Science, though it will also appeal to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the art of Computer Science and modern information technology. Of course, not everyone must become a computer expert, but everyone should take advantage of and understand the innovations and advances of modern technology.


This paper presents Adomian Decomposition based analysis of regeneration time constant of CMOS dynamic cross-coupled latch. A CMOS dynamic cross-coupled latch, which is a nonlinear system, is typically analyzed by linearizing it around an operating point to arrive at regeneration time constant. However, the time domain behavior obtained using the linear analysis deviates from the actual behavior of the latch. Thus, circuit simulators like SPICE and Spectre solve the nonlinear differential equations numerically to obtain the time domain behavior. These numerical solutions neither give a closed form expression of the regeneration time-constant nor do they give an expression of time domain behavior in closed form. Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM), however, can be used to obtain the complete time-domain behavior and the regeneration time-constant. ADM expresses the solution of a nonlinear differential equation in a manner similar to Taylor series approximation of a polynomial. The paper first introduces the concept of ADM and then applies it to RC linear circuits. c. Simulations show good agreement between Cadence based and ADM based time domain behavior.


It has been recently highlighted the link between vitamin D and metabolic and immunological processes, which established its role as an essential component of human health preservation. Vitamin D has been defined as natural immune modulators, and through the activation of its receptors (VDRs), it regulates calcium metabolism, cellular growth, proliferation and apoptosis, and other immunological functions. In this setting, vitamin D has also been reported to influence glucose regulation via effects on insulin secretion and action. Vitamin D deficiency is strongly associated with obesity mostly due to the storage of vitamin D in adipose tissue because of its lipophilic properties. The decrease in vitamin D levels may occur through several mechanisms such as a decrease in the calcium concentration, an increase in PTH, or a direct effect of vitamin D on worsening insulin resistance and secretion, augmenting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, retrospective analysis and observational studies demonstrated high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with type 1 diabetes  and suggested a contributory role in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, specially with certain allelic variations of the VDR.  Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and early childhood decreased the risk of autoimmune diabetes and perhaps, even after the onset of diabetes, it may improve glycemic control. In addition, in subjects that are affected by a high risk of developing diabetes (impaired fasting glucose and/or glucose tolerance, possibly without obesity) vitamin D supplementation could be helpful on the prevention of type 2 diabetes.


The oil shocks of the 1970s, which quadrupled the price of petroleum, marked the end of an abnormal period of price stability and renewed interest in predicting the evolution of commodity prices. But most subsequent studies have focused on the short-run effects of price fluctuations, mainly because they greatly affect the foreign trade of developing countries. Sophisticated compensation mechanisms, such as commodity funds, have been introduced to counterbalance the transitory effects of price shocks. But the long-term evolution of prices also affects policy design and development strategies and may have a more important role in fostering long-run growth. The evidence presented by Prebisch (1950) and Singer (1950) of a secular negative trend in the price of commodities in 1870-1945 implies an increasingly weak position for developing countries relative to industrial economies. This hypothesis by Prebisch and Singer has been strongly debated, both theoretically and empirically, during the past four decades. Using recent advances in econometric theory, the authors analyze the long-run dynamics of the price of the 24 most-traded commodities in 1900-92. The method they use tests for nonstationarity (unit roots) in the series with a technique that allows structural breaks to be endogenously determined. The results show that 15 of the 24 commodity prices present negative trends, six are trendless, and three exhibit positive trends. Thus, the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis though not universal, holds for most commodities. This evidence rejects, to some extent, previous evidence by Cuddington (1992) and others. The authors extend the econometric analysis to determine the persistence of shocks to commodity prices. Knowledge of the persistence of shocks is important when designing counterbalancing policies such as commodity funds. The authors use a nonparametric estimator of persistence (the multiple variance ratio) and find that 19 of the 24 commodity prices present persistence levels substantially lower than previous estimates. This evidence suggests that there may be substantial room for stabilization and price support mechanisms for most commodities.


During the 1995-96 period, there was a noticeable increase in arson to churches whose congregations are predominately African American. The U.S. Justice Department reported 28 incidents in the 17 months before May 1996 (Fletcher, 1996b). Most of the fires occurred in isolated areas of the South and Southwest, including the states of Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, and Oklahoma. Several churches dated back to the beginning of the century. The Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Alabama, for example, was 100 years old and the Matthews-Murkland Presbyterian Church of North Carolina was 93 years of age (Associated Press, 1996). Although the deliberate burning of a church is generally abhorred, for many African Americans church arson suggests more than destruction of a place of worship. Church burning brings to mind earlier periods in U.S. history when bombings, burnings, and other destructive acts to black churches were common. An example is the well-publicized incident of 1963, in which four African American girls were killed in a fire bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church of Alabama (Smith & Peyser, 1996). The burning of black churches is also associated with lynchings, segregated facilities, and other indignities (Gates & West, 1996; Nixon, 1996). Church arson is a vivid reminder to some African Americans of the limited resources within their communities, particularly funds to rebuild churches. Even when sufficient resources are available for rebuilding projects, church burning can be devastating to black communities. The church is in many ways a focal point of African American communities and a major source of support to black families. When church arson occurs, a vital coping mechanism (Johnson & Barer, 1990) is suddenly and tragically lost. Communities can find themselves in crisis. In the absence of a familiar stress management strategy, residents sometimes feel disempowered and turn to community organizers for assistance. As community organizers, social workers are in key positions to help client systems address many of the empowerment issues related to church burnings. This article identifies church burnings as a major threat to the integrity of African American communities and discusses the conservative political context within which church arsons occur, the vital role of the church in African American communities, and the responses of African American communities to church burnings. Because social workers have not played an active role in addressing church burning and because it is important that the profession respond to church arson in ways that mobilize strengths within black communities, the article stresses the value of empowerment practice. Empowerment practice, unlike strategies aimed at helping client systems adjust to or cope with problems, is concerned with increasing clients' personal, social, or political power so that they are enabled to change their situations and prevent the reoccurrence of problems (Gutierrez, GlenMaye, & DeLois, 1995). Political Context Researchers have documented a resurgence of conservative attitudes in the United States. They cite as examples attacks on affirmative action, court reversals of decisions on redistricting, and increases in hate speech and hate crimes (Smith & Peyser, 1996; White, 1996a). Activities such as the U.S. Department of the Treasury (1996) Good O' Boy Roundup, the opening of a South Carolina Ku Klux Klan memorabilia store during a period of increased church burnings in the area, and refusal of the state of Alabama to remove the confederate flag from the state house (Fletcher, 1996c) tend to further exacerbate racial hostility. As a white resident of Lane, South Carolina, stated when a black church was burned in his neighborhood, "People are acting differently, talking differently. You can't pinpoint it, but you can tell the good relations are dwindling away" (Fletcher, 1996c, p. …


BACKGROUND
Despite a major reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) do not always return to functional New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). We hypothesized that residual abnormal compliance (Cp) after PEA is associated with incomplete functional recovery despite major improvement in PVR.

METHODS
The Cp of 34 consecutive patients with CTEPH was assessed before and after PEA. Cp was defined as stroke volume over pulse pressure and was divided into three groups: < 2.0 mL/mm Hg, 2.0 to 3.9 mL/mm Hg, and ≥ 4 mL/mm Hg. To establish predicted Cp after PEA, we collected an age- and gender-matched control group.

RESULTS
Before PEA, Cp was < 2.0 mL/mm Hg in 82% (n = 28) of the patients. After PEA, Cp improved to 2.0 to 3.9 mL/mm Hg in 11 patients and to ≥ 4.0 mL/mm Hg in 14 patients. Residual Cp < 2.0 mL/mm Hg was associated with delayed extubation and prolonged hospital stay. At 3 months' follow-up, 13 patients (93%) with postoperative Cp ≥ 4.0 mL/mm Hg returned to NYHA class I, whereas 45% with Cp of 2.0 to 3.9 mL/mm Hg and 25% with Cp < 2.0 mL/mm Hg returned to NYHA class I. In multivariate analysis, postoperative Cp ≥ 4.0 mL/mm Hg was the only predictor of functional recovery to NYHA class I. The group of patients with postoperative Cp ≥ 4.0 mL/mm Hg was also the only group to achieve hemodynamic parameters similar to those of their matched control subjects.

CONCLUSIONS
Postoperative Cp is an important predictor of recovery after PEA. Residual vascular stiffness after PEA can be associated with persistent functional limitation and lack of complete remodeling of the right ventricle.


Group Model Building (GMB) is a type of facilitated modeling, in which the input of the participants to structuring a complex problem is crucial. There is a high level of participant interaction and involvement. The method focuses on open communication between participants to gain insight in complex problem and to foster consensus. Herewith the facilitators aim to create commitment to the results and proposed leverages for change. However, GMB was developed in the Netherlands and the United States, and therefore also mainly implemented there. These countries are characterized by a small power distance and a large acceptance of participative ways of working. The question is whether the GMB method also works in contexts with a large power distance and where participative ways of working are less common. This paper aims to contribute to knowledge about the role of power distance as cultural context in the efficiency of GMB, by comparing the results of GMB interventions in various countries which differ in terms of national power distance. Our results show that the GMB effects on communication, learning and consensus are comparable in different cultural contexts. Participants from countries characterized by high power distance experience strongest contributions of the intervention to commitment.


This is a review of the growing scientific interest in the developmental plasticity and therapeutic potential of stromal cells isolated from adipose tissue. Adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) are multipotent somatic stem cells that are abundant in fat tissue. It has been shown that ASCs can differentiate into several lineages, including adipose cells, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, neuronal cells, endothelial cells, and cardiomyocytes. At the same time, adipose tissue can be harvested by a minimally invasive procedure, which makes it a promising source of adult stem cells. Therefore, it is believed that ASCs may become an alternative to the currently available adult stem cells (e.g. bone marrow stromal cells) for potential use in regenerative medicine. In this review, we present the basic information about the field of adipose-derived stem cells and their potential use in various applications.


ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans, a basidiomycetous fungal pathogen, infects hosts through inhalation and can cause fatal meningoencephalitis in individuals if untreated. This fungus undergoes a dimorphic transition from yeast to filamentous growth during mating and monokaryotic fruiting, which leads to the production of hyphae and airborne infectious basidiospores. Here we characterized a novel morphological feature associated with the filamentous stages of the life cycle of C. neoformans which resembles resting or survival structures known as chlamydospores in other fungi. The C. neoformans chlamydospore-like structure is rich in glycogen, suggesting that it might have a role as an energy store. However, characterization of mutants with decreased or increased levels of glycogen production showed that glycogen levels have little effect on filamentous growth, sporulation, or chlamydospore formation. These results suggest that the formation of chlamydospores is independent of glycogen accumulation level. We also show that chlamydospore formation does not require successful sporulation and that the presence of chlamydospores is not sufficient for sporulation. Although the biological functions of chlamydospores remain to be established for this pathogenic fungus, their formation appears to be an integral part of the filamentation process, suggesting that they could be necessary to support sexual sporulation under adverse conditions and thereby facilitate the production of infectious basidiospores or long-term survival propagules in harsh environments.


Increasing evidence on the significance of nutrition in reproduction is emerging from both animal and human studies, suggesting a mutual association between nutrition and female fertility. Different "fertile" dietary patterns have been studied; however, in humans, conflicting results or weak correlations are often reported, probably because of the individual variations in genome, proteome, metabolome, and microbiome and the extent of exposure to different environmental conditions. In this scenario, "precision nutrition", namely personalized dietary patterns based on deep phenotyping and on metabolomics, microbiome, and nutrigenetics of each case, might be more efficient for infertile patients than applying a generic nutritional approach. In this review, we report on new insights into the nutritional management of infertile patients, discussing the main nutrigenetic, nutrigenomic, and microbiomic aspects that should be investigated to achieve effective personalized nutritional interventions. Specifically, we will focus on the management of low-grade chronic inflammation, which is associated with several infertility-related diseases.


British artists such as Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley have transformed the art world with their visually volatile investigations into contemporary states of being. This stimulating book--whose title takes its name from a work by Hirst--draws from an important private collection to highlight the best of today's art from Britain. The volume focuses on sixteen major works by the Young British Artists, a dynamic association of painters, sculptors, video artists, and photographers whose irreverent and genre-bending art first took London by storm in the late 1980s. Additional works by artists who influenced or were influenced by this movement are also included. Featuring six masterpieces by Hirst, including multimedia constructions that confront the fragility of life and the certainty of death; Rachel Whiteread's Untitled (Fire Escape), a monumental and ghostly negative stairway cast in plaster; and stills from Sam Taylor-Woods's haunting video A Little Death, the book also includes a selection of provocative works by Gormley (Feeling Material XXVII) and other established figures as well as emerging artists.


In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that cancer was the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths in 2012. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cancer ranks second among all causes of death in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 1,685,210 new cases of cancer in 2016, and 595,690 cancer related deaths.14 Cancer chemotherapy is an established adjuvant to surgery and radiation to treat successfully solid tumors, lymphomas, and leukemias. Although many anticancer drugs are approved and clinically available, the problems of resistance to and toxicity of existing agents necessitates the discovery of new drug leads.
For decades, secondary metabolites from plants, fungi and bacteria have been found to exhibit potent anticancer activity. Natural products are selected by evolution to reach their molecular target within cells and to interact with biologically active protein folds. Secondary metabolites may serve their producing organisms by improving their competitive strength. Natural products have been essential components of drug discovery and are direct sources of small molecule therapies and scaffolds for semisynthesis. Driven by the need for new anticancer targets, this thesis focuses on exploring new molecules for the novel regulation in cell death to find compounds with good specificity and potency against cancer cells without altering normal cells.
Silvestrol is a cyclopenta[b]benzofuran that was isolated from the fruits and twigs of Aglaia foveolata, which is indigenous to the island states of Southeast Asia. Previous testing of silvestrol revealed that it is a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis and hascytotoxic activity similar to or more potent than many Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved anticancer agents. Silvestrol treatment of cultured human cell lines derived from melanoma (MDA-MB-435) or colon cancer (HT-29) induced cell cycle arrest at the G2 stage. Silvestrol treatment also induced caspase-3 activation and apoptotic cell death in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Treatment of ATG7-null mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells with silvestrol resulted in impaired transformation of LC3-I to LC3-II. This suggests that silvestrol caused a conventional autophagy response that ultimately progressed to apoptosis.
Strebloside was isolated from the stem bark of Streblus asper in Southeast Asia, and its chemical structure shares a common cardiac glycoside structural motif. Strebloside was studied in a hollow fiber assay to determine if it had any potency in vivo. Strebloside was able to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cell model OVCAR3 and also triple negative breast cancer cell model MDA-MB-231. From these data, ovarian cancer models were chosen due to its high sensitivity to strebloside. Strebloside was active in OVSAHO, OVCAR4 and OVCAR5, but was most potent in OVCAR3. Furthermore, strebloside blocked cell cycle progression at the G2-phase in OVCAR3 cells after 72 h treatment at 100 nM. Strebloside treatment also induced PARP cleavage indicating apoptosis activation in OVCAR3 after 72 h at 100 nM. Strebloside potently inhibited cell growth and induced cell death in human ovarian cancer cells through induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis. Strebloside also behaved in a manner consistent with being a cardiac glycoside, which might limit its clinical use.
Natural products have been essential components of anticancer drug discovery; they serve both as a direct source of small molecule therapies and as an inspiration for the semisynthesis of novel, biologically active derivatives. Bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation provide the screening platform to identify unique chemical structures. Extracts and fractions from collected plants, fungi, cyanobacteria and actinomycetes were screened in a panel of cancer cell lines derived from melanoma, colon cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Several potential drug leads have been isolated and their structures elucidated. Among these potential drug leads, phyllanthusmin and verticillin A showed potent anticancer activity. However, their mechanisms of action require further investigation.
The mechanism by which silvestrol and strebloside block cell proliferation and induce apoptosis deserves further study. The targets of both silvestol and strebloside are different from conventional chemotherapeutic agents. The possibility of use new targets for anticancer therapies can decrease drug resistance, providing better healthcare to human beings. Based on the cytotoxic potential of these drug leads, they may provide a novel and promising strategy to improve cancer therapy. Structurally complex natural products are being isolated from diverse biological organisms living in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem all over the world. Overall, anticancer drug discovery from natural sources remains an important approach for novel drug development.


An electronic sensor coil failed continuity testing, indicating that a break was present in the polymer-coated wire. An area of the wire showed a green discoloration and the break in the wire was located in this same region. The discoloration was suspected to be an indicator of what caused the failure. SEM/EDS and FTIR results showed the break in the coil wire was associated with corrosion. The corrosion debris contained relatively high levels of sodium and chlorine, which were likely in the form of salt. Some salt deposits were noted also in other areas along the wire surface. The findings suggested salt or salt water had leaked into the sensor and caused localized corrosion to the wire, possibly at an area where preexisting damage was present in the coating. Separation occurred in the wire when the current density at the reduced cross section caused excessive localized heating, which led to melting of the wire.


The article explores the representation of deafness, and in particular the deaf character Madonna/Mary, in Wilkie Collins's nineteenth-century novel Hide and Seek. The argument is that Madonna's rescue from a circus and adoption into the safety of a middle-class home transforms her from "freak show" into "charity case" through a discourse of paternalism. This process of containment parallels wider transitions in how deafness was understood socially in the late nineteenth century. Drawing on the history of deaf education and using Foucault's concepts of emergence and confinement, the article argues that this mirrors the transition from manual to oralist approaches to deaf education in this period.


This thesis, by prior publication, encompasses an overview and critical analysis of 6 publications on aspheric intraocular lenses (IOLs) carried out at St. Thomas' Hospital, Guy's & St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London between 2006 2012. The focus is on two areas: the visual and optical performance of aspheric IOLs with different values of asphericity, and their effect on posterior capsule opacification (PCO). Chapter 1 describes the history of IOLs and the evolution of aspheric IOLs. It also presents relevant optical concepts.
The three publications presented in Chapter 2 compare aspheric IOLs with spherical IOLs. The results come from two prospective, randomised, fellow-eye comparison studies: one comparing a spherical Alcon AcrySof SN60AT versus the aspheric Alcon AcrySof SN60WF (with negative asphericity), which partially corrects corneal spherical aberrations, and the other comparing the Zeiss AcriSmart 36A (with negative asphericity), which partially corrects corneal spherical aberrations, and the Bausch & Lomb Akreos MI60 (with neutral asphericity), which has zero spherical aberration. The third publication reports changes in vertical coma after implantation of all
the above lenses and additionally includes data on two spherical IOLs from a previous study by our group (the three piece Alcon MA60AC IOL and the plate haptic HumanOptic MC611MI IOL). For this study, the data were divided according to their asphericity and not design. To avoid confounding from aberrometric differences due to astigmatism and surgical techniques, standard incision sizes of 2.75 mm and 2.4 mm were used in the two felloweye, randomised studies and a single surgeon performed all the surgeries using same incision size for each study. Results demonstrated that the aspheric IOLs significantly reduced spherical aberration, improved mesopic contrast sensitivity and reduced depth-of-focus. Asphericity differences up to 20 μm were not associated with depth-of-focus and the degree of asphericity was not associated with best-corrected distance visual acuity. The vertical coma varied within IOL groups of the same asphericity but there was no statistically significant difference between the two spherical IOLs (AcrySof SN60AT and AcrySof MA60AC). Further critical analysis of our data already published showed no statistically significant difference in mean vertical coma between the AcrySof MA60AC (-0.060 ± 0.211μm) with that of Akreos MI60 (- 0.042 ± 0.148μm) (p=0.70) and AcriSmart 36A (-0.034 ± 0.141μm) (p=0.58) even though the AcrySof MA60AC, Akreos MI60 and AcriSmart 36A IOLs had different asphericity. This may be due to the difference in the IOL designs, decentration and difference in the sample sizes between groups.
Chapter 3 discusses the findings of three publications related to posterior capsule opacification (PCO). The first publication is an in vitro study assessing posterior optic square edges of various commercially available spherical and aspherical IOLs. Results demonstrated hydrophilic IOLs had less sharp square edges compared to hydrophobic IOLs. Although these in vitro results are potentially significant, there are currently no in vivo studies on the lenses used to compare our results with. The other two publications are based on the PCO outcomes from the prospective, randomised, fellow-eye studies described above. There was no difference in the PCO rates between hydrophobic spherical AcrySof SN60AT and aspheric AcrySof SN60WF IOLs of the same design at 2 years. In contrast, we found a significant increase in the PCO with both the hydrophilic acrylic AcriSmart 36A and Akreos MI60 IOLs (one with negative asphericity and one with neutral asphericity). Variation in asphericity did not appear to be an important factor contributing to the PCO but it was apparent that the edge design and material of the IOL were important with regards to the PCO formation.
Finally, since these publications, some of manufacturers have changed their IOL models and today a majority of the IOLs have are aspheric and have a sharp edge profile. The overall, benefit of using aspheric IOLs seems to be limited as it is dependent on the natural pupil size.


The investigation herein described was undertaken to determine the performance characteristics of the oscillating vane-type fan. The fan was the invention of Mr. Van Dorn and Mr. Cornwell, primarily for use in circulating air in railroad refrigerator cars. In the present system of railroad refrigeration for the transportation of perishable foodstuffs, the refrigerator car is a heat insulated car, with bunkers at each end for the cakes of ice. When the car is loaded and the doors shut, cooling is obtained only due to the natural circulation of air in the car, caused by the difference in temperature between the ice in the bunker and the fruit. This circulation has not been found sufficient, in that there is a large temperature difference between the top and bottom fruit (see Appendix B) and the top half is too warm, often spoiling during transportation. Also, because of this, the car cannot be filled to its volumetric capacity. Therefore the requirements which led to the invention of this type of fan were as follows:

1. To provide a sufficient volume of air, against the resistance developed in passing through the fruit, to obtain the cooling characteristics required.

2. To provide a fan which would not require major changes in the structural design of the car, or lessen the amount of fruit which could be carried.

3. To provide a fan, simple in construction and installation, and in its drive mechanism from the car axle. The oscillating vane-type fan met conditions 2 and 3 in that it could be situated in the four and one half inch space between the floor racks and the floor of the car, through which the air naturally circulated, and in that it could be driven by a simple wheel and crank drive directly off the axle. This thesis presents the results of the investigation of the first condition.


Novel single-crystalline SnO2 zigzag nanoribbons have been successfully synthesized by chemical vapour deposition. Sn powder in a ceramic boat covered with Si plates was heated at 1100°C in a flowing argon atmosphere to get deposits on a Si wafers. The main part of deposits is SnO2 zigzag nanoribbons. They were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). SEM observations reveal that the SnO2 zigzag nanoribbons are almost uniform, with lengths near to several hundred micrometers and have a good periodically tuned microstructure as the same zigzag angle and growth directions. Possible growth mechanism of these zigzag nanoribbons was discussed. A room temperature PL spectrum of the zigzag nanoribbons shows three peaks at 373nm, 421nm and 477nm.The novel zigzag microstructures will provide a new candidate for potential application.


The aim of this work is to analyze the assembly of selected component using Cyber Glove II data glove and CATIA V5 program using Rapid Upper Limb Assemssment analysis (RULA). The RULA analysis is mainly used in the evaluation of work positions performed by workers in manual work such as assembly and disassembly. The RULA analysis assesses the individual states of posture, strength and muscle activity that have been proven to contribute to re-stressing the spine. The continuous advancement of computer technology also causes its participation in other industries. The purpose of this work is to analyze the selected assembly process in virtual reality, CAD program and using data gloves to capture process trajectories and propose corrective action using RULA analysis, which will eliminate shortcomings resulting from the previous state.


The paper is concerned with a study of age variants of depersonalizational disturbances in schizophrenia children of early preschool age and preschool age. Depersonalizational disorders proper were found in 25 cases, disturbance of the self-conscious and its deterioration in 59, retardation in the development of the self-conscious formation--in 32 cases. Depersonalizational disturbances appear in children over 3 years, i.e. following the first physiological age crises. The following types of depersonalizational disturbances were distinquished: 1) moderately expressed loss of the self-conscious with disorders in the differentiation of the "I" from the associates; 2) a deeper disorder of the "I" with a substitution of the personal "I", by another "I"; 3) phenomena of estrangement of the self-conscious with a state similar to the splitting of the self-conscious, up to the appearance of the phenomena of a twin; 4) a change of the self-conscious expressed in a pathological play transformation and a substitution of the "I" by another "I", or a splitting of the self-conscious into the syndrome of play transformation near to a delusional; 5) derealization; 6) loss of the conscious of personal sex; 7) estrangement of the conscious of personal actions; 8) disturbance of self-conscious of a physical whole; 9) disturbance of the self-conscious in a deep depression with a loss of "I-vitality" appearance near to "anaesthesia psychica dolorosa" and "nihilistic delusions"; 10) loss of "I" conscious and regress of speech, motor activity, behaviour; 11) retardation in the formation of "I" conscious.


An expression is derived for the error variance of transfer function of a two-dimensional (2-D) system. The optimal realization problem is then formulated by minimizing this variance with respect to all possible realizations of the system. This problem is shown to be equivalent to the minimization of a pure L/sub 2/ norm based sensitivity measure. It is shown that the problem can be solved using any standard minimization algorithm.


Wood products, especially those used in outdoor conditions, can be damaged by dimensional changes and decay fungi. It is therefore advised to use impregnation treatments to mitigate these hazards. While the potency of the chemicals employed in the treatments is important, characterization of the treatments is also crucial to ensure deep and durable protection. In this study, eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) were impregnated with propiconazole and 3-iodo-2-propynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) through diffusion. Instead of using pressure treatments, the samples were dipped in solutions containing amine oxides, which can diffuse into the wood. The treatments were characterized by the mass of fungicide impregnated, fungicide leaching, and the impregnation depths of both the fungicides and the amine oxides. It was found that the treatment impregnated slightly more than 0.040 kg/m3 of both fungicides, meeting EU standards. It was also shown that the presence of amine oxides slightly prevented the leaching of the fungicides in white pine. The penetration of the amine oxides was several millimeters deep in all directions, but the penetrations of the fungicides were much shorter and only longitudinal.


RATIONALE
Mitochondria produce ATP, especially critical for survival of highly aerobic cells, such as cardiac myocytes. Conversely, opening of mitochondrial high-conductance and long-lasting permeability transition pores (mPTP) causes respiratory uncoupling, mitochondrial injury, and cell death. However, low conductance and transient mPTP openings (tPTP) might limit mitochondrial Ca(2+) load and be cardioprotective, but direct evidence for tPTP in cells is limited.

OBJECTIVE
To directly characterize tPTP occurrence during sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release in adult cardiac myocytes.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Here, we measured tPTP directly as transient drops in mitochondrial [Ca(2+)] ([Ca(2+)]mito) and membrane potential (ΔΨm) in adult cardiac myocytes during cyclic sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca release, by simultaneous live imaging of 500 to 1000 individual mitochondria. The frequency of tPTPs rose at higher [Ca(2+)]mito, [Ca(2+)]i, with 1 μmol/L peroxide exposure and in myocyte from failing hearts. The tPTPs were suppressed by preventing mitochondrial Ca(2+) influx, by mPTP inhibitor cyclosporine A, sanglifehrin, and in cyclophilin D knockout mice. These tPTP events were 57±5 s in duration, but were rare (occurring in <0.1% of myocyte mitochondria at any moment) such that the overall energetic cost to the cell is minimal. The tPTP pore size is much smaller than for permanent mPTP, as neither Rhod-2 nor calcein (600 Da) were lost. Thus, proteins and even molecules the size of NADH (663 Da) will be retained during these tPTP.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that tPTP openings (MitoWinks) may be molecularly related to pathological mPTP, but are likely to be normal physiological manifestation that benefits mitochondrial (and cell) survival by allowing individual mitochondria to reset themselves with little overall energetic cost.


Previous studies have highlighted inequalities and gender differences in the transport system. Some factors or fairness characteristics (FCs) strongly influence gender fairness in the transport system. The difference with previous studies, which focus on general concepts, is the incorporation of level 3 FCs, which are more detailed aspects or measures that can be implemented by companies or infrastructure managers and operators in order to increase fairness and inclusion in each use case. The aim of this paper is to find computational solutions, Bayesian networks, and analytic hierarchy processes capable of hierarchizing level 3 FCs and to predict by simulation their values in the case of applying some improvements. This methodology was applied to data from women in four use cases: railway transport, autonomous vehicles, bicycle sharing stations, and transport employment. The results showed that fairer railway transport requires increased personal space, hospitality rooms, help points, and helpline numbers. For autonomous vehicles, the perception of safety, security, and sustainability should be increased. The priorities for bicycle sharing stations are safer cycling paths avoiding hilly terrains and introducing electric bicycles, child seats, or trailers to carry cargo. In transport employment, the priorities are fair recruitment and promotion processes and the development of family-friendly policies.


BACKGROUND
Critical access hospitals represent 61% of hospitals in the rural United States, and 68% of hospitals in Iowa. The role of small hospitals, such as critical access hospitals, in providing interventional chronic pain procedures is unknown.

OBJECTIVES
We evaluated whether: a) the diversity of interventional pain procedures offered by hospitals is related to their size and is attributable principally to lumbosacral epidural injections; b) critical access hospitals contribute substantively to the count and diversity of pain procedures; and c) whether most interventional pain procedures performed at hospitals' facilities are performed by relatively few proceduralists or by the cumulative activity of many clinicians.

STUDY DESIGN
This research involved an observational cohort design with a sample size of n = 283,940 interventional pain procedures.

SETTING
Data were collected from hospital-owned facilities in the state of Iowa from July 2012 through September 2017.

METHODS
The diversity of types of interventional pain procedures performed statewide was quantified in terms of the relative proportions of procedures at each hospital using the Herfindahl index. Bilinear weighted least squares regression quantified the relationship between the inverse of the Herfindahl and the percentage of procedures that were lumbar or caudal epidural. Kendall tau concordances quantified the relationship between counts of interventional pain procedures and hospital size. Using a blinded version of the National Provider Identifier of the clinician with primary responsibility for performing the principal procedure of the ambulatory visit, we calculated the percentage shares of interventional pain procedures performed by the 1% and 5% of proceduralists who performed the most procedures.

RESULTS
The diversity of types of procedures substantively differentiated among hospitals. Heterogeneity among hospitals in the proportion of procedures that were lumbar or caudal epidural injections substantively contributed to the heterogeneity among hospitals (P < .001). Hospitals performing more procedures tended to have greater diversity of types of procedures (P < .001). However, the strength of the concordance was small (Kendall tau b = 0.332), showing substantial heterogeneity among hospitals. The 82 critical access hospitals statewide cumulatively accounted for 23.9% of interventional pain procedures. The critical access hospitals' procedures were mostly (67.7%) lumbar or caudal epidural injections (P < .001), greater than the 48.9% of the other 41 hospitals (P < .001). Procedures were concentrated among proceduralists. The 1.0% of the proceduralists performing the most procedures performed 64.8% of procedures. The 5.0% of proceduralists performing the most procedures performed 87.7% of procedures.

LIMITATIONS
The data are procedures were performed in hospital-owned facilities of Iowa.

CONCLUSIONS
Although busier pain programs, based on procedures per week, generally performed more types of procedures, the variability was so large that the number of procedures a pain program performs per week cannot validly be used to infer the diversity of the hospital's pain medicine practice. Hospitals with pain medicine programs that lack diversity in the types of procedures performed may provide limited options for patients and be susceptible to changes in payment for individual procedures. Relatively few proceduralists performed the vast majority of the procedures.

KEY WORDS
Critical access hospitals, Herfindahl, interventional pain procedures, managerial epidemiology, pain medicine, state outpatient procedure database, lumbar epidural.


This study aims to propose actions to improve the implementation of sustainable public procurement by identifying the problems perceived by public servants and social economy entities. Two types of questionnaires were sent to organizations in Spain and Europe and 217 complete answers were received (152 from the public sector and 65 from the social entities). In addition, 20 semi-structured personal interviews were conducted by phone with managers of social enterprises and four interviews, also by phone, were carried out with relevant people from the public sector. The results of the surveys and the interviews were structured using the analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), which was considered consistent with the strategic nature of public procurement. The perceived opportunities for the public sector focus on more efficient use of public resources and improvement of reputation and social equality. For the social entities, more participation in procurement could lead to less dependency on public funds and more visibility. The obstacles for the public sector are related to lack of training and internal resistance to change, as well as, in the case of social entities, to their small size and the tensions with their social object that might derive from bigger competition. The proposed activities focus on two objectives, more training to increase knowledge from the public sector and the readiness of social entities. It is concluded that it is necessary to establish channels of communications between the two groups to avoid possible inefficiencies.


Grass and broad-leaved weeds can reduce both yields and product marketability of desmanthus (Desmanthus virgatus) seed crops, even when cultural control strategies are used. Selective herbicides might economically control these weeds, but, prior to this study, the few herbicides tolerated by desmanthus did not control key weed contaminants of desmanthus seed crops. In this study, the tolerance of desmanthus cv. Marc to 55 herbicides used for selective weed control in other leguminous crops was assessed in 1 pot trial and 3 Queensland field trials. One field trial assessed the tolerance of desmanthus seedlings to combinations of the most promising pre-emergent and post emergent herbicides. The pre-emergent herbicides, imazaquin, imazethapyr, pendimethalin, oryzalin and trifluralin, gave useful weed control with very little crop damage. The post-emergent herbicides, haloxyfop, clethodim, propyzamide, carbetamide and dalapon, were safe for controlling grass weeds in desmanthus. Selective post-emergence control of broad-leaved weeds was achieved using bentazone, bromoxynil and imazethapyr. One trial investigated salvaging second-year desmanthus crops from mature perennial weeds, and atrazine, terbacil and hexazinone showed some potential in this role.

Overall, our results show that desmanthus tolerates herbicides which collectively control a wide range of weeds encountered in Queensland. These, in combination with cultural weed control strategies, should control most weeds in desmanthus seed crops.


Abstract : The frequency characteristics of two dimensional planar MMIC transmission lines and circuits, three dimensional electronic packaging circuits, and cavity backed aperture and microstrip antennas loaded with dielectric and/or magnetized ferrite materials were analyzed using advanced full wave analytical and numerical techniques, such as the Finite Element Method (FEM) and Method of Moments / Spectral Domain Approach (MoM/SDA). For the two dimensional planar transmission lines the propagation characteristics examined included the effective dielectric constant, attenuation constant, and characteristic impedance. Anisotropic materials, such as sapphires, PTFE cloth, and ferrites were also modeled and analyzed. Substrate compensation was used in multilayer, multiconductor lines to minimize coupling and pulse distortion. A three dimensional vector finite element code was developed to simulate practical electronic packaging circuits, including microstrip / coplanar discontinuities, spiral inductors, filters, conducting vias, etc. A hybrid FEM/MoM approach was used in the analysis and design of cavity backed aperture and microstrip antennas loaded with dielectric and/or magnetized ferrite materials. The magnetization of the ferrite was used to tune the cavity over an extended bandwidth. In addition, analytical techniques were developed to evaluate efficiently and accurately the asymptotic matrix elements using the MoM/SDA. The computational efficiency was improved, in some cases, by a factor of 50 compared to conventional methods.


In the last two decades, corporate governance has had its "shining era of research", especially in developed countries, where good management, transparency, and reaching the investors' basis meant a huge deal for big corporations. Without reducing the importance of the subject, such issues have reached the developing countries a bit later in time, and investigation on the matter has been not so extensive, especially due to the lack of proper legal framework and real data. Yet corporate governance is reaching an interest lately in emerging markets, like Albania which aspires to be in the Union, and due to the "new normality" in the management style, which requires a re-adjustment of business structures. This paper attempts to determine the role that board size and board independence as corporate governance variables have in a company's performance, measured by the board of directors' characteristics. Even though at a very initial stage of its development, the insurance industry in Albania has applied certain corporate governance structures, mainly because insurance companies are part of international groups. As the insurance industry is integrated into the wider financial services and nowadays is getting more important in the local service-based financial market, understanding the factors affecting its profitability becomes important too. The results of this study show that there is a negative relationship between board size and corporate performance, while there is a positive relationship between board independence and corporate performance.


Today there is more concern for the teaching of science than ever before in the history of education. This concern is not without cause. In the last twenty years civilization has progressed from an electrical age into an atomic age. National power rests upon science and technology, while millions of dollars support the scientific enterprise. Life as we now know it rests upon the foundation of science. It is therefore obvious that a modern science education is required for both the specialist and the layman.


We devise a payment protocol that can be securely used on mobile devices, even infected by malicious applications. Our protocol only requires a light use of Secure Elements, which significantly simplify certification procedures and protocol maintenance. It is also fully compatible with the EMV-SDA protocol and allows off-line payments for the users. We provide a formal model and full security proofs of our protocol using the TAMARIN prover.


ABSTRACT Plant development depends on the perception of external cues, such as light, gravity, touch, wind or nutrients, among others. Nevertheless, little is known regarding signal transduction pathways integrating these stimuli. Recently, we have reported the involvement of a rice E3-ubiquitin ligase (OsHOS1, HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE1), previously associated with abiotic stress response, in root responses to mechanical stimuli. We showed that OsHOS1 is involved in the regulation of root curling after mechanosensing and that RNAi::OsHOS1 plants failed to exhibit the root curling phenotype observed in WT. Interestingly, the straight root phenotype of these transgenics correlated with the up-regulation of rice ROOT MEANDER CURLING (OsRMC, a negative regulator of rice root curling) and was reverted by the exogenous application of jasmonic acid. Altogether, our results highlight the role of the proteasome modulating plant responses to mechanical stimuli and suggest that OsHOS1 is a hub integrating environmental and hormonal signaling into plant growth and development.


The absence of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) causes lethal infection by Leishmania major in normally resistant C57BL/6J (B6.WT) mice. The underlying pathogenic mechanism of this fatal disease has so far remained elusive. We found that B6.WT mice deficient for the tnf gene (B6.TNF−/−) displayed not only a non-healing cutaneous lesion but also a serious infection of the liver upon L. major inoculation. Infected B6.TNF−/− mice developed an enlarged liver that showed increased inflammation. Furthermore, we detected an accumulating monocyte-derived macrophage population (CD45+F4/80+CD11bhiLy6Clow) that displayed a M2 macrophage phenotype with high expression of CD206, arginase-1, and IL-6, supporting the notion that IL-6 could be involved in M2 differentiation. In in vitro experiments, we demonstrated that IL-6 upregulated M-CSF receptor expression and skewed monocyte differentiation from dendritic cells to macrophages. This was countered by the addition of TNF. Furthermore, TNF interfered with the activation of IL-6-induced gp130-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 and IL-4-STAT6 signaling, thereby abrogating IL-6-facilitated M2 macrophage polarization. Therefore, our results support the notion of a general role of TNF in the inflammatory activation of macrophages and define a new role of IL-6 signaling in macrophage polarization downstream of TNF.


Pain management after total knee replacement is a challenging and an integral part in the postoperative care. In order to recover fast and accomplish good outcomes pain should be managed adequately thus sufficient postoperative pain management skills provide a foundation to manage the pain. The aim of the study was to find out the various postoperative pain management methods and the nursing role in the care of total knee replacement patients. The purposes of the study were to offer research findings to increase nursing knowledge which may aid to improve successful pain management care. The study was conducted based on literature review, the data of the subjects were obtained from PubMed, EBSCO, CINALH databases considering exclusion and inclusion criteria. The selected articles were published between the year 2008 and 2015. All the chosen 12 articles were examined using content data analyzing method. The outcomes of the studies are discussed in three different themes that were pharmacological method, nonpharmacological method and nursing role. The findings of this study describe about a multimodal drug treatment and successfulness of both combinations of pharmacological and non-pharmacological method. Additionally, nurses are more responsible for assessing the pain effectively and adjust the treatment, according to a patient's individual needs as well as nurses should have a new knowledge and evidence based data to provide total knee replacement patients a pain relief and recover within a short period. Keywords/tags: Pain management, Post-operative pain, Nursing pain assessment, Total knee replacement/Arthroplasty


This new book will be of use to students, clinicians, and researchers who want to understand the mood, behavior, and physical symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle. Although premenstrual syndrome (PMS) requires further research, women need treatment now. There is a clear association between PMS and ovarian sex steroids (estrogen and progesterone), yet a simple hormonal etiology has not been found. The first half of the book addresses empirical issues such as diagnosis, biological factors, and treatment, while the second half deals with sociocultural issues, such as the patriarchal myth of women's subordination to men. We need this book because, although it has been about 15 years since PMS became popularly known and women began demanding attention for it, most physicians understand little about premenstrual problems. In fact, many physicians believe that PMS does not exist and that it is all in a woman's head. The last comprehensive scholarly book


This study considers 28 geomagnetic storms with Dst ≤−50 nT driven by high‐speed streams (HSSs) and associated stream interaction regions (SIRs) during 2010–2017. Their impact on ionospheric horizontal and field‐aligned currents (FACs) have been investigated using superposed epoch analysis of SuperMAG and AMPERE data, respectively. The zero epoch ( t0 ) was set to the onset of the storm main phase. Storms begin in the SIR with enhanced solar wind density and compressed southward oriented magnetic field. The integrated FAC and equivalent currents maximize 40 and 58 min after t0 , respectively, followed by a small peak in the middle of the main phase ( t0 + 4 hr), and a slightly larger peak just before the Dst minimum ( t0 + 5.3 hr). The currents are strongly driven by the solar wind, and the correlation between the Akasofu ε and integrated FAC is 0.90. The number of substorm onsets maximizes near t0 . The storms were also separated into two groups based on the solar wind dynamic pressure pdyn in the vicinity of the SIR. High pdyn storms reach solar wind velocity maxima earlier and have shorter lead times from the HSS arrival to storm onset compared with low pdyn events. The high pdyn events also have sudden storm commencements, stronger solar wind driving and ionospheric response at t0 , and are primarily responsible for the first peak in the currents after t0 . After t0+2 days, the currents and number of substorm onsets become higher for low compared with high pdyn events, which may be related to higher solar wind speed.


Strategic growth can be delivered through Innovative Compliance a process through which conformity with requirements - compliance - drives improvements in quality, productivity and competitiveness. In this process GRC is an engine for growth by facilitating commercialisation of knowledge and business sustainability. The integration of Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) with Innovation activities and business strategy is what we mean by strategic growth. Maintaining attention and focus on growth is a challenge for business in the face of increasing demands on Boards and Directors to address not only considerably more but increasingly complex types of risks. At the same time, capacity to adapt and reconfigure resources in response to market challenges, regulatory reform and complex stakeholder influences and expectations is necessary to achieve the strategic growth businesses need. Innovation can be driven by a company's GRC orientation in the context of its corporate GRC memory as well as its business strategy supported appropriately with technology. We term this orientation Innovative Compliance. One vital element for Innovative Compliance is access to timely regulatory-compliance data structured in line with a business's product, market and geography focus: decision makers need actionable information. Modern IT makes this increasingly possible which is particularly welcome since much of the regulation aimed at business is not provided in a format or through channels or in a timely fashion to meet businesses' information needs. A further necessity for Innovative Compliance is the ability of business to assimilate and transform regulatory and compliance data so that it can be exploited for commercial ends. This depends on an organisation's Absorptive Capacity. In specifically GRC terms Absorptive Capacity gets at the ability to nail the various intersections of three fast moving business targets i.e. (i) new regulations (ii) product evolution (new & improved) and (iii) intra-organisational strategic imperatives. IT must simultaneously support all three aspects. Knowledge integration is the basis of modern competitive advantage and the strategic growth orientation of the business is the governing force for such integration. Modern Compliance Knowledge Management Systems can support this imperative. To operationalize Innovative Compliance executives must bring together teams of knowledge workers who are differentiated by their knowledge bases and support them to integrate the knowledge across the bases. The nature and extent of integration must resonate with the business reality of growth-oriented GRC functional experts, whatever their title, domain or expertise. In the absence of such integration - GRC, Innovation, IT and Strategy - productive growth opportunities are being missed.