Summary
1.
Isohemagglutinins were demonstrated in the plasmas or sera of 24 out of 32 chickens which had been immunized with nonparasitized or parasitized chicken erythrocytes, but were evident in the plasma of only one out of 14 chickens which had recovered from P. lophurae infections induced with parasitized duck erythrocytes and had never been injected with chicken erythrocytes. Such antibodies were demonstrated also in plasma from one of seven normal chickens tested.
2.
Freezing and thawing markedly enhanced the agglutinating powers of 16 out of 18 isoagglutinating chicken plasmas tested and slightly enhanced the agglutinating power of one of the other two.
3.
Supplements of previously frozen plasmas from other chickens enhanced agglutination by unfrozen chicken isoagglutinating plasmas in 19 out of 22 tests. Supplements of unfrozen plasmas enhanced such agglutination in only eight of 23 tests. Frozen supplements, then, were more effective.
4.
Supplements of previously frozen plasmas from other chickens inhibited agglutination by previously frozen chicken isoagglutinating plasmas in 13 out of 19 tests. Supplements of unfrozen plasmas similarly inhibited agglutination in 13 of 16 tests. Frozen and unfrozen supplements were equally effective.
5.
Chicken isoagglutinating plasmas agglutinated both nonparasitized and parasitized erythrocytes. Absorption with nonparasitized erythrocytes rendered such plasmas incapable of agglutinating either parasitized or nonparasitized erythrocytes.
6.
Passive protection against P. lophurae was effected with plasmas from chickens which had been immunized against erythrocytes from other chickens, but had never been infected with malaria. Such plasmas were fully as effective as plasmas from chickens which had been immunized against both P. lophurae and erythrocytes from other chickens. The latter chickens were inoculated with chicken erythrocytes after recovering from P. lophurae infections induced with parasitized duck erythrocytes, or were infected and superinfected with P. lophurae by inoculation with parasitized chicken erythrocytes. Some protection was obtained with plasmas from chickens immunized against P. lophurae but not against chicken erythrocytes, but it was of a lower magnitude than that conferred by plasmas containing anti-erythrocytic antibodies.
7.
In one experiment, absorption with residues from lysed nonparasitized erythrocytes and with intact nonparasitized erythrocytes resulted in loss of protective power of plasma from chickens infected and superinfected with P. lophurae by inoculation with parasitized chicken erythrocytes. Chicks receiving the plasma absorbed with the residues from the lysed erythrocytes actually showed higher parasitemias during the first few days of the infection than did the control chicks. In a second experiment, absorption with residues from lysed nonparasitized erythrocytes did not alter the protective effect of a similar plasma.
8.
Passive protection was obtained when administration of plasma was begun two days after inoculation, as well as when plasma injections were begun prior to inoculation. No significant protection was evident when plasma was administered for only two days.
9.
Comparable protection was afforded by unfrozen and previously frozen plasmas from chickens immunized against chicken erythrocytes but not against malaria.


Many have noted the need for software to assist people in locating information on the World Wide Web. Although effective tools exist, they typically rely on brute-force scanning and indexing of Web pages for later keyword-based retrieval. Such tools ignore at least two sources of knowledge which might prove useful in navigation and retrieval: (1) the structure of the Web as a graph, and (2) the sequence in which human users search the web. We describe a learning apprentice system, called WebWatcher, which both performs the kind of indexing used by Web catalogers like Lycos, and attempts to exploit the two sources of knowledge listed above.


PURPOSE
We aimed to evaluate whether bronchial artery can supply a percutaneously inoculated canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) in a lung tumor model.

METHODS
Fresh CTVT tissue blocks were percutaneously inoculated into unilateral or bilateral lungs of six immunosuppressed dogs at the mid zone of the middle or lower lobe. Tumor growth was monitored by computed tomography (CT). Ten weeks after inoculation, pulmonary arterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA), bronchial arterial DSA, transpulmonary arterial contrast-enhanced multislice CT, transbronchial arterial contrast-enhanced multislice CT (BA-MSCT), and transpulmonary arterial lipiodol multislice CT were performed.

RESULTS
Tumor growth was seen in all 10 inoculated sites, with a maximum diameter of 2.734±0.138 cm at 10th week. Bronchial arterial blood supply was evident in 9 nodules on DSA, and was equivocal in one which was later demonstrated on BA-MSCT. No obvious pulmonary arterial blood supply was observed in any of the nodules. Lipiodol deposition was displayed in two of the small distant metastases, which indicated that pulmonary artery was involved in the supply of the metastases.

CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrated bronchial arterial blood supply in this new lung cancer model. This model may be used in further research on transbronchial arterial intervention for lung cancer.


The study examines the control algorithm of a three-dimensional attitude and position of a free-floating rigid body with three thruster forces in which the force directions are fixed with respect to the body. This study provides a theory to develop a control method of an underactuated satellite with the minimum thruster number. In the procedure, three switching controllers are used in conjunction with motion planning in the final angular-rate deceleration phase to individually control the six state variables to the target values. The switching controllers have a hierarchical structure by using invariant manifolds as switching surfaces. The state variables in higher class manifolds that include lower class ones are adjusted by repeatedly adding intentional disturbances while the lower class state variables are returned to the original values by using lower class invariant manifolds. This study describes methods to define the invariant manifolds and also the intentional disturbance for achieving the forementioned control strategy. Finally, the motion planning in the angular-rate deceleration phase from a remained single-axis rotation finalizes the six state values of the body to the target values. Numerical simulations verify the proposed method.


Modeling chemical reaction systems is an important but complex task. The identified kinetic model must be able to explain all the underlying rate processes such as chemical reactions and heat and mass transfers. Traditionally, the modeling task is carried out using a simultaneous approach, which, for model prediction, requires having model candidates for all rate processes. The simultaneous approach leads to optimal parameter estimates, but it can be computationally expensive due to its combinatorial nature. The incremental approach, via either rates or extents, was introduced as an alternative to the simultaneous approach. It is characterized by the fact that each rate process can be modeled individually, that is, independently of the other rate processes. Hence, the incremental approach is computationally more attractive, however at the price of not guaranteeing bias-free estimates. This paper proposes a novel sequential approach that combines the advantages of the incremental and simultaneous approaches.


In general, educators or instructors, are educational staff who organize the administration of education with specific tasks as a teaching profession. Educators have other designations according to their specificities, namely teachers, lecturers, counselors, tutors, widyaiswara, tutors, instructors, facilitators. School principals, supervisors of education units, administrative staff, library staff, laboratory personnel, technicians, study group managers, study leaders and sanitation workers. The administrative process of educators and education staff completes the provision of educators and education staff, placement of educators and education staff, organizes educators and education staff.


This study expands the traditional TAM by considering two mediators between innovation characteristics and the adoption of online payment services: perceived use efficiency and perceived use effectiveness. It also proposes the influential paths from innovation design characteristics to innovation adoption through user perceptions and experience in order to better understand how to design an acceptable innovation and identify the targeted consumer segments. This study developed experimental websites and simulated innovation characteristics to test the hypotheses. The results indicate significant mediating effects of perceived use efficiency and perceived use effectiveness on the relationship between innovation characteristics of the online payment websites and the adoption intention to use the new service. These results of the experiments support the expanded conceptual framework for TAM with two pathways—one innovation characteristics-based and the other user perceptions-based—connecting to the acceptance of new technologies. Collectively, for predicting the adoption of online payment services, the mediating model is more effective than the direct effect model of innovation characteristics in a traditional TAM.


Neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by progressive loss of neurons, share common mechanisms such as apoptotic cell death, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Genus Boswellia is a genus in the Burseraceae family. It comprises several species traditionally used for treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, cerebral edema, chronic pain syndrome, gastrointestinal diseases, tumors, as well as enhancing intelligence. Many studies have been carried out to discover therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's diseases, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, and concomitant cognitive deficits. However, no curative treatment has been developed. This paper provides an overview of evidence about the potential of the Boswellia species and their main constituents, boswellic acids, as modulators of several mechanisms involved in the pathology of the neurodegenerative diseases. In vitro, animal, and clinical studies have confirmed that Boswellia species contain bioactive components that may enhance cognitive activity and protect against neurodegeneration. They exert the beneficial effects via targeting multiple pathological causes by antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antiamyloidogenic, and anti-apoptotic properties. The Boswellia species, having neuroprotective potential, makes them a promising candidate to cure or prevent the neurodegenerative disorders.


Presented during Session 7: Cracking and IRI Measurements, moderated by Andrew Williams, at the 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets (ICMPA9) in Alexandria, VA


In order to support a large number of mobile stations (MSs) with statistical multiplexing in cellular networks, a random access scheme is widely used for uplink (UL) bandwidth request (BR). In the design of a random access based BR scheme, there are two important requirements: short connection delay and diverse Quality of Services (QoSs) support. Such requirements are crucial for IMT-Advanced systems like IEEE 802.16m to provide various types of fourth generation (4G) data services. IEEE 802.16m provides advanced UL BR schemes for non-real time polling service (nrtPS) and best-effort (BE) service to meet the requirements of short connection time and multiple QoS level support. In order to provide short connection time and multiple QoS support, three-step and differentiated BR procedures are adopted. In this paper, a novel modelling of IEEE 802.16m contention based BR scheme is proposed that uses a 2-dimensional discrete time Markov chain. Both the short access delay three-step BR procedures and normal five-step BR procedure are considered in the model. Our proposed model also incorporates the IEEE 802.16m differentiated BR procedure. With the proposed model, we extensively evaluate the performance of IEEE 802.16m BR for two different service classes by changing QoS parameters, such as backoff window size and BR timer. Computer simulations are performed to corroborate the accuracy of the proposed model for various operation scenarios. With the proposed model, accurate QoS parameter values can be derived for the IEEE 802.16m contention-based BR scheme.


Aspartame is widely used artificial sweeteners as food additives. Several researchers have pointed that the controversial report on the use of aspartame over more than decades. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential and unsaturated fatty acids, and it plays a remarkable role in vision, intelligence, neural development, and metabolism of neurotransmitters. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on aspartame treated renal cells. Experimental groups were divided into three such as sham control, aspartame treated, and aspartame with omega-3 fatty acids. Cell viability was determined by sulforhodamine-b assay and flow cytometric analysis. The experimental results showed that the aspartame induced altered cell viability were reduced following treatment of aspartame with omega-3 fatty acids. Altered cell morphology was recovered by omega-3 fatty acids. DNA damage appeared in the highest concentration of aspartame used in this study. DNA damage characteristics such as comet tail and tiny head sections did not appear in the omega-3 fatty acids treated cells. Several microvilli and vesicular structures were found in aspartame treated cells. Altered morphology such as rounding, microvilli, and formation of dome-like structures did not appear in the omega-3 fatty acids with aspartame treated cells. Caspase-3 mRNA and protein expression were increased in aspartame treated cells, and these levels were reduced following omega-3 fatty acids treatment. Taking all these data together, it is suggested that the omega-3 fatty acids may be a therapeutic agent to reduce the aspartame induced biochemical and morphological alterations in normal renal cells. © 2017 BioFactors, 43(6):847-857, 2017.


A difference in data collection is particularly important in the context of supervised machine learning involving two or more classes. Imbalanced means the number of available data points for different groups varies. Imbalanced sets are a special case for problem categorization where ad-measurement classes are not compatible between classes. Unbalanced groups are a common issue in classifying machine learning where a class has a disproportionate observer ratio. In several different fields, Imbalanced groups can be identified, including medical diagnosis, spam filtering, and fraud detection. Usually they consist of two classes, the class of majority and the class of minorities. These types of data sets are usually found on websites that gather and compile data sets. These aggregators tend to provide data sets with several sources, without much remedy. That's a good thing in this case-too much curation makes us too tidy data sets that are difficult to mark. Active learning is no doubt successful, but several recent studies have shown that active learning declines when applied on the outcomes. Human Annotator will gather data from the target in our project. See post information about laboratory experiments and different data sets, labelled and unlabelled. Users need to register their information to see their learning materials. Keywords— Active learning, class, imbalance, Human Annotator.


In fission yeast, the conserved proteins, MO25/Pmo25, GC kinase/Nak1, Furry/Mor2, NDR kinase/Orb6, and Mob2, constitute the morphogenesis Orb6 network (MOR). Previously we showed that Pmo25 functions as an upstream component of MOR and that it plays a connecting role between the septation initiation network (SIN) and MOR. Here we establish a Pmo25-associated kinase assay and show that the activity is dependent on Nak1/MOR and Sid1/SIN.


The article presents the study aimed at improvement of the efficiency of flotation by sonication of the process flows. We performed experiments on the influence of ultrasonic radiation in laboratory conditions using the ultrasonic device IL 100-6 and fluidized bed flotation machine 237 FL. We exposed to sonication the rough sylvinite flotation product, the rough sylvinite flotation feed, and the rough sludge flotation feed. We stated the possibility of using ultrasound in the process of sylvinite ore flotation at the cleaner stage, rough sylvinite and sludge flotation. Cleaner flotation of tailings of the rough sylvinite flotation with preliminary sonication increases the recovery of valuable components by reducing the loss of potassium chloride in sludge. It is shown that to improve the efficiency of the sylvinite ore dressing during the rough sylvinite flotation, the duration of the ultrasound exposure should not exceed 2 minutes, and the insoluble residue content in the sylvinite flotation feed should be as low as possible. We found out that sonication of moderate intensity (5.82 W/ cm2) at the stage of sludge flotation reduces the loss of potassium chloride in the sludge froth and increase the weight fraction of the insoluble residue in the froth product. During the research of the ultrasonic treatment of the sludge flotation feed, we noted that sonication should be performed prior to the supply of flotation reagents. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the ultrasonic treatment significantly decreases.


One of the main streams of traditional medicine is herbal medicine; a wide range of medicinal plants and their individual parts are used for therapy. Though not scientifi cally validated, this traditional medicine practice is much popular in countries such as India, China and Sri Lanka and in many other countries in South, Southeast and Eastern Asia due mainly to its healing capabilities. More recently, scientists initiated the chemical analyses of these medicinal plants, obtaining invaluable results. The latest addition to such investigations is studies on effects of herbal extracts on different types of stem cells. An extensive summary of such reported studies is presented in this chapter, mainly cate gorizing these into proliferation stimulatory effects on stem cells and inhibitory effects on cancer stem cells (CSCs), where both properties are beneficial in cell therapy procedures. At present, standardizing the products and limited knowledge on the mechanisms of action and pathways of these have critically limited the use of herbal extracts in therapeu -tics. However, we believe that in the near future scientists would be focusing on herbal remedies to replace the use of synthetic stimulants and cancer drugs to overcome the disadvantages of these, such as toxicity, side effects and exorbitant costs.


The Bummock is the large part of an iceberg hidden beneath the surface of the sea. This is a metaphor for our project, where our processes allow underexplored aspects of an archive to be brought into public view; for it to become the 'tip'. Our paper will present the results of a research residency in the Lace Archive, Nottingham that used the unseen parts of the archive as catalysts for the creation of new artworks. Three artists, Andrew Bracey, Danica Maier and Lucy Renton spent two years rummaging, exploring and making. The artworks created have recently been exhibited alongside the archival material that was used as the starting point for the artists' research.We sought to explore and expose often tangential aspects to lace process or materiality in order to unearth hidden narratives within the history of Nottingham's industrial past. The city was once the heart of the lace industry during the heyday of the British Empire. The Lace Archive housed at Nottingham Trent University, holds 75,000 items of lace, which have been acquired from bequests by local companies and the Nottingham Lace Federation. Its growth and continued use, gives a unique opportunity to scrutinise aspects of lace history, such as technical proficiency and innovation. The essence and potential of textiles can often be found in the material itself when used by artists, however the creative possibilities of the peripheral information and items collected in an archive can allow alternative and rich catalysts for new artwork and understandings. The paper will reveal the working processes and outcomes of the artists involved who all responded to lace as subject, but did not use lace or textiles directly within their outcomes. Furthermore, each artist sort peripheral aspects of lace, namely factory ledgers, technical drawings, uncatalogued samples and interior design books. We seek to present how our findings, through working with underexplored areas of the Lace Archive and using alternative research methods to standard archival practice, allowed new possibilities for working with lace as subject, rather than material/object.


Purpose: Cancer/testis (CT) genes predominantly expressed in the testis (germ cells) and generally not in other normal tissues are aberrantly expressed in human cancers. This highly restricted expression provides a unique opportunity to use these CT genes for diagnostics, immunotherapeutic, or other targeted therapies. The purpose of this study was to identify those CT genes with the greatest incidence of expression in uterine cancers. Experimental Design: We queried the expression of known and putative CT gene transcripts (representing 79 gene loci) using whole genome gene expression arrays. Specifically, the global gene expressions of uterine cancers (n = 122) and normal uteri (n = 10) were determined using expression data from the Affymetrix HG-U133A and HG-U133B chips. Additionally, we also examined the brother of the regulator of imprinted sites (BORIS) transcript by reverse transcription-PCR and quantitative PCR because its transcript was not represented on the array. Results: Global microarray analysis detected many CT genes expressed in various uterine cancers; however, no individual CT gene was expressed in more than 25% of all cancers. The expression of the two most commonly expressed CT genes on the arrays, MAGEA9 (24 of 122 cancers and 0 of 10 normal tissues) and Down syndrome critical region 8 (DSCR8)/MMA1 (16 if 122 cancers and 0 of 10 normal tissues), was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR methods, validating the array screening approach. In contrast to the relatively low incidence of expression of the other CT genes, BORIS expression was detected in 73 of 95 (77%) endometrial cancers and 24 of 31 (77%) uterine mixed mesodermal tumors. Conclusions: These data provide the first extensive survey of multiple CT genes in uterine cancers. Importantly, we detected a high frequency of BORIS expression in uterine cancers, suggesting its potential as an immunologic or diagnostic target for these cancers. Given the high incidence of BORIS expression and its possible regulatory role, an examination of BORIS function in the etiology of these cancers is warranted.


The idea that test anxiety hurts performance is deeply ingrained in American culture and schools. However, researchers have found that it is actually worry about performance and anxiety—not bodily feelings of anxiety (emotionality)—that impairs performance. Drawing on this insight, anxiety reappraisal interventions encourage the view that anxiety can be neutral or even helpful. Initial evidence—largely from laboratory studies—suggests that these kinds of reappraisal interventions can improve student performance in mathematics. But can they do so in other domains and within the constraints of everyday classroom activities? If so, for whom and how? In an intervention study, we tested whether a minimal reappraisal message embedded in an email from course instructors could improve students' academic experience and performance in an introductory college course. The night before their first exam, students received an e-mail that either did or did not include a paragraph designed to lead them to interpret exam anxiety as beneficial or at least neutral. First-year students, who experience greater test anxiety and are less certain about how to perform well, benefited from the reappraisal message, showing decreased worry and increased performance on the exam the next day as well as increased performance in the course overall. Mediation analyses revealed that the effect on overall course performance for first-year students was partially mediated by reduced exam worry and enhanced performance on the first exam. The message did not affect the performance of upper year students.


Abstract Among the explanations for minimizing the effects of extraneous variation has been canalization and developmental stability. However, there is little agreement as to whether these two processes reflect a common set of mechanisms. This confusion is inflated due to the lack of consensus as to a precise definition of canalization. In this study, canalization in the sternopleural bristle system is used to investigate the relationships between measures of canalization and developmental stability by comparing how a panel of naturally derived lines responds to both genetic and environmental perturbations. No evidence for a common mechanism between the different measures of canalization was observed. Furthermore, a hypothesis regarding a common mechanism for environmental and genetic canalization was tested, and no evidence was found to support it. However, there is evidence for a relationship between at least one form of canalization and developmental stability.


The project aims to promote a better understanding of the value of ecosystem services and to offer economic tools that take proper account of this value. It was designed around three interlinked activity areas which build on previous phases of the TEEB initiative, namely: i) advance natural capital accounting by undertaking country assessments and assessments in 'externalities heavy' industry sectors; ii) deepen the analysis on specific 'biomes' and 'sectors'; iii) support in-depth examinations to identify ways to 'work with nature' to meet country-specific policy priorities, with an initial focus on five pilot countries. The evaluation findings are presented in two volumes: Volume I is the main report and Volume II contains material specific to the ENRTP-funded component.


As ancient Korean and Chinese dynasties held close relationships in politics and culture throughout history, the medicine of the two nations were developed in mutual influence. For instance, the current version of Lingshu, the second half of the Huangdineijing, was transcribed from The Bible of Acupuncture, which was brought to the Chinese Song dynasty from the Korean Koryo dynasty in 1092. While maintained a close relationship with traditional Chinese medicine, Korean medicine had continued to develop unique systems on its own over the history and established typical types of acupuncture methods, which are different from those of traditional Chinese medicine [1]. In the 17th century, a royal physician by the name of Dr. Heo Jun wrote Donguibogam, the first encyclopedia of Korean medicine in Korea. It remained to be a book of instruction for Korean Medicine Doctors. Another book called Donguisusebowon was published in 1901 on the basis of the theory of four constitutions by Dr. Lee Je-Ma at the end of the Chosun dynasty [2]. There were two other representative Korean acupuncture methods: Saam acupuncture and Constitutional acupuncture (Taeguek acupuncture). Theories of Korean acupuncture applied a summarized framework for each individual to diagnose a physical condition, explaining the biologic phenomena within the concept of constitutional medicine [1]. The diagnosis systems of several Korean acupuncture styles were focused on simplifying the understanding of the body's core imbalances, and the resulting diagnosis enabled practitioners to devise therapeutic strategies that were based on constitutional energy traits. Saam acupuncture used 12 energy (or Qi) traits, mainly controlled by the 12 corresponding Meridians, that underlie diverse superficial biologic phenomena [2] [3]. It was suggested that these 12 energies determined the inclinations of the whole body, and they were targeted to recover the balance of the body's constancy. Taegeuk acupuncture was identified by Sasang constitutional medicine according to the patient's innate constitution. Sasang constitutional medicine identified four constitutions according to the individual's inherent disparities among major Organ energies, expressed as the size of the Organs, all of which determined the physiologic characteristics of the individual patient and served as a major imbalance succeeding diverse pathologic processes. These constitutional traits were suggested to be the source of individual differences in apparently similar physiologic or pathologic reactions [2]. As Meridian theory is based on the Qi thesis of Yin-Yang and Five Elements among Organs, acupuncture treatment couldn't be separated from these viewpoints. Saam acupuncture was based on the control of Qi and Blood among Organs and channels, and thus the clinical use of Saam acupuncture treatments seemed to be core to oriental medicine [4]. As the creation of Blood originates from Qi, one could argue that Qi included Blood, thereby stating that the effect of Saam acupuncture was achieved by harmonizing the function and flow of Qi. The treatment protocol of Saam acupuncture mainly focused on tonification and sedation of the Five Shu points ("five transport points"), firmly based on regular pattern. It had a strong effect on imbalances of the Five Organs, but on the other hand could be said to have little effect on disease of interruption such as stagnation and irregularities in Meridian networks. Thus, acupoints other than the Five Shu points were used as well.


We select a large volume-limited sample of low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs, 2021) to investigate in detail their statistical properties and their differences from high surface brightness galaxies (HSBGs, 3639). The distributions of stellar masses of LSBGs and HSBGs are nearly the same and they have the same median values. Thus this volume-limited sample has good completeness and is further removed from the effect of stellar masses on their other properties when we compare LSBGs to HSBGs. We found that LSBGs tend to have lower stellar metallicities and lower effective dust attenuations, indicating that they have lower dust than HSBGs. The LSBGs have relatively higher stellar mass-to-light ratios, higher gas fractions, lower star forming rates (SFRs), and lower specific SFRs than HSBGs. Moreover, with the decreasing surface brightness, gas fraction increases, but the SFRs and specific SFRs decrease rapidly for the sample galaxies. This could mean that the star formation histories between LSBGs and HSBGs are different, and HSBGs may have stronger star forming activities than LSBGs.


The benefits derived from the forest estate in Ghana include Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). NTFPs such as vegetable oil produced from seed of forest trees have been used for centuries. The oil from the seed kernel of Allanblackia parviflora (Allanblackia) is investigated for differences in the yield and quality between accessions. Vegetable oil from twenty (20) accessions of Allanblackia were extracted and characterized. The oil yields from the different accessions were all above 60% and no significant differences were detected amongst the accessions. The iodine value was very low indicating a very saturated oil whilst the refractive index, specific gravity and acid values were all within the range of most edible oils. The vegetable oil contains over 60% saturated fatty acids in the form of stearic acid (C18:0) and over 30% unsaturated fatty acid in the form of oleic acid (C18:1), and this may be the reason for the oil been solid at ambient room temperature.


A multiscale method coupled molecular dynamics simulation and finite element method is used to investigate two dimensional nanoscale sliding contacts between a rigid cylindrical tip and an elastic face centered cubic copper substrate with textured surface, in which adhesive effects are considered. Two series of nanoscale surface textures with different asperity shape, different asperity heights and different spacing between asperities are designed. Through the friction forces comparisons between smooth surface and textured surfaces, a better shape is advised to indicate that asperity shape plays an important role in friction force reduction. With proper asperity height and proper spacing between asperities, surface textures can reduce friction forces effectively.


Many real-world structured prediction problems need machine learning to capture data distribution and constraint reasoning to ensure structure validity. Nevertheless, constrained structured prediction is still limited in real-world applications because of the lack of tools to bridge constraint satisfaction and machine learning. In this paper, we propose CO nstraint RE asoning embedded S tructured P rediction ( Core-Sp ), a scalable constraint reasoning and machine learning integrated approach for learning over structured domains. We propose to embed decision diagrams, a popular constraint reasoning tool, as a fully-differentiable module into deep neural networks for structured prediction. We also propose an iterative search algorithm to automate the searching process of the best Core-Sp structure. We evaluate Core-Sp on three applications: vehicle dispatching service planning, if-then program synthesis, and text2SQL generation. The proposed Core-Sp module demonstrates superior performance over state-of-the-art approaches in all three applications. The structures generated with Core-Sp satisfy 100% of the constraints when using exact decision diagrams. In addition, Core-Sp boosts learning performance by reducing the modeling space via constraint satisfaction.


ABSTRACT Immediate early proteins of human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) are expressed at the outset of lytic infection and thereby regulate viral gene expression. Immediate early protein 2 (IE2) of HHV-6A is a transactivator that drives a variety of promoters. The C-terminal region of HHV-6A IE2 is shared among IE2 homologs in betaherpesviruses and is involved in dimerization, DNA binding, and transcription factor binding. In this study, the structure of the IE2 C-terminal domain (IE2-CTD) was determined by X-ray crystallography at a resolution of 2.5 Å. IE2-CTD forms a homodimer stabilized by a β-barrel core with two interchanging long loops. Unexpectedly, the core structure resembles those of the gammaherpesvirus factors EBNA1 of Epstein-Barr virus and LANA of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, but the interchanging loops are longer in IE2-CTD and form helix-turn-helix (HTH)-like motifs at their tips. The HTH and surrounding α-helices form a structural feature specific to the IE2 group. The apparent DNA-binding site (based on structural similarity with EBNA1 and LANA) resides on the opposite side of the HTH-like motifs, surrounded by positive electrostatic potential. Mapping analysis of conserved residues on the three-dimensional structure delineated a potential factor-binding site adjacent to the expected DNA-binding site. The predicted bi- or tripartite functional sites indicate a role for IE2-CTD as an adapter connecting the promoter and transcriptional factors that drive gene expression. IMPORTANCE Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and HHV-6B belong to betaherpesvirus subfamily. Both viruses establish lifelong latency after primary infection, and their reactivation poses a significant risk to immunocompromised patients. Immediate early protein 2 (IE2) of HHV-6A and HHV-6B is a transactivator that triggers viral replication and contains a DNA-binding domain shared with other betaherpesviruses such as human herpesvirus 7 and human cytomegalovirus. In this study, an atomic structure of the DNA-binding domain of HHV-6A IE2 was determined and analyzed, enabling a structure-based understanding of the functions of IE2, specifically DNA recognition and interaction with transcription factors. Unexpectedly, the dimeric core resembles the DNA-binding domain of transcription regulators from gammaherpesviruses, showing structural conservation as a DNA-binding domain but with its own unique structural features. These findings facilitate further characterization of this key viral transactivator.


Apical sealing efficacy of the bioceramic cements Bio Root and MTA Fillapex: an ex vivo study. ABSTRACT: The aim of this ex vivo study was to compare the ability of the apical sealing bioceramic cements BioRoot"˚RCS (Septodont) and MTA-Fillapex (Angelus). One hundred and eighty-four vestibular canals were selected from ninety-two recently extracted maxillary molars. Canals were instrumented with the mechanized system ProTaper Next and obturated using the single cone technique. The sample was randomly divided into two groups (92): Group 1 was obturated with BioRoot " RCS, and Group 2 with MTA-Fillapex. Samples were processed for the leakage test by dye penetration and later cut longitudinally. The data obtained were tabulated and analyzed using Stata 15.0. The degree of leakage from BioRoot " RCS was 0.03 mm, and MTA-Fillapex was 0.31 mm p (0.00). BioRoot " bioceramic presented an adequate apical sealing, while MTA-Fillapex showed an accentuated leakage.


The creation of three dimensional functional graded materials by powder processing methods requires the capability to arrange a sequence of two dimensional images that can be presented to a solid freeforming device. Planar stacking methods can only achieve a one dimensional gradient. We describe the acoustic control of powder metering and dispensing valves in which the flow rate and switching of powders from a capillary can be controlled using the frequency and amplitude of acoustic vibration from a computer sound card. An orchestra of such valves can be used to pattern layers of powder on the building platform which forms part of a 3-axis table in the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process. Patterns and gradients were prepared using copper and steel powders.


In last decades with an increase in the number of terrorist attacks and other unintentional explosions, the study of blast loading and response of infrastructures have gained much importance. Elevated liquid storage tanks are one of the major infrastructures that play important role in industries. Liquid storage structures can use for the storage of water, milk, liquid petroleum and chemicals in industries. Blast loading on liquid storage structures may lead to disaster due to water crisis. Hence, understanding the dynamic behavior of liquid storage structures under blast loading through numerical simulations is of utmost importance. In the present study, three dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) simulations of a steel water storage elevated tank with annular baffle that put in the specific height of tank' s wall subjected to blast loading is investigated using the FE software ABAQUS. The coupled Euler–Lagrange (CEL) formulation in ABAQUS has been adopted herein which has the advantage of considering the coupling of structural mechanics and fluid mechanics fundamental equations. Three different aspect ratio (H/R) are considered in the present study and two different water levels, i.e., full tank and half full tank are considered. Obtained results show that baffle reduces overturning moments and sloshing in both cases of full and half full tanks.


The electrocardiogram (ECG) is an important measurement for diagnosing heart disease. Transmission of continuous ECG over a wireless network can be taxing; therefore, compressing the ECG can reduce the load on wireless networks. On the other hand, reconstructing the ECG for analysis can be computationally intensive. As such, diagnosing heart diseases from compressed ECG is desired. Abnormal beat detection using machine learning in the compressed domain is proposed. The ECG was compressed using a wavelet-based morphological feature preserving compression algorithm The compression algorithm was applied on 84 ECG records available in Long Term Atrial Fibrillation Database (LTAFDB) achieving an average compression rate of 4.17:1. Abnormal beats in the compressed signals were classified using a Random Forest trained using a randomly under-sampled training set. The achieved true positive rate was 69.5% and the false positive rate was 32.8%. The results indicate that identification of abnormal beats in compressed ECGs is possible. Future work will explore detection of abnormal beats in compressively sensed ECG.


Kedang Ipil Village is one of the villages in Kota Bangun Subdistrict, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province which has regional tourism potential which still needs tourism development to increase regional income. The problem is the readiness of the village community to accept tourists or tourists from inside and outside the country so that they need to prepare Human Resources to support tourism activities. The trick is to provide management training so that they can manage tourist attractions and improve the quality of human resources. The ability to allocate and utilize these resources will be largely determined by the capacity and availability of resources referred to in other words, inventory (in quantitative aspects) and quality of resources (in qualitative aspects) which includes the quality of human resources, natural resources, social resources, and renewable resources. A partner village is a form of concern for the academic field with the regions that can be developed to be able to increase the potential in partner village areas. This program is a form of concern for the situation and life of people at the village level which actually has various potentials through nature tourism, cultural tourism, and creative economy, cannot be managed and developed, due to lack of resources and capacity building. Expected output in community assistance has the ability to manage every product produced and the development of centres in the village community, as well as the establishment of a tourism program in the village of Kedang Ipil.


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate complications and safety of preconception low-dose aspirin in 1,228 U.S. women (2007–2011). METHODS: Evaluation of the safety of low-dose aspirin in the participants and their fetuses was a planned secondary analysis of the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction trial, a multicenter, block-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effect of low-dose aspirin on the incidence of live birth. Women aged 18–40 years with a history of one to two pregnancy losses trying to conceive were randomized to daily low-dose aspirin (81 mg, n=615) or placebo (n=613) and were followed for up to six menstrual cycles or through gestation if they became pregnant. Emergency care visits and possible aspirin-related symptoms were assessed at each study follow-up using standardized safety interviews. In addition, complications for both the participant and her fetus or neonate were captured prospectively using case report forms, interviews conducted during pregnancy and postpartum, and medical records. RESULTS: The proportion of women with at least one possible aspirin-related symptom during the trial was similar between treatment arms (456 [74%] low-dose aspirin compared with 447 [73%] placebo, P=.65) as was the proportion with at least one emergency care visit (104 [17%] low-dose aspirin compared with 99 [16%] placebo, P=.76). Maternal complications were evenly distributed by treatment arm with the exception of vaginal bleeding, which was more commonly reported in the low-dose aspirin arm (22% compared with 17%, P=.02). The distribution of fetal and neonatal complications—which included three stillbirths, three neonatal deaths, and 10 neonates with birth defect(s)—was similar between treatment arms. CONCLUSION: Although rare but serious complications resulting from low-dose aspirin cannot be ruled out, preconception low-dose aspirin appears to be well tolerated by women trying to conceive, women who become pregnant, and by their fetuses and neonates.


INTRODUCTION: Currently students grow up in a world of digital tools that allow you to connect instantly with the world. At the same time, teachers face several challenges to increase student interest and learning efficiency. One such challenge is the pedagogical commitment of the density of biochemistry and cell biology contents, producing a conflict scenario, between meeting content and maintain the class quality. OBJECTIVES: From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the learning biochemistry and cell biology contents in high school classes of IFRN, using collaborative and digital tools in the Moodle. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The contents were offered using various tools such as video lectures, forums, questionnaires, portfolios, glossaries and electronic books. Then these tools were evaluated using an electronic form.  In addition to the tools, we evaluated the platform interaction, the performance of activities and the content gamification. RESULTS: The quantitative results revealed directly proportional relationship of the interaction of Moodle with the performance of activities. The content gamification was also assessed positively, with 61% of students considered good, very good or excellent. The best evaluated tools were video lectures, with 31% preference, and questionnaires, with 24%; followed by electronic book, with 10%, and portfolio, with 5.5%. The other tools totaled 30% of the preference. Qualitative results revealed an educational gain of content, because the student lived the experience of teaching and learning collaboratively. In addition, these tools decreased conflicts between content and schedule. CONCLUSION: Thus, the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in a collaborative learning provides relevant results, bringing the reality of the world connected to the classroom. In addition, it assists in defining the content and creative development of a strategy for the construction of the concepts applied to biochemistry and cell biology teaching.


Recurrent capital inflows pose important challenges for authorities in emerging market economies seeking to preserve financial stability. Raising interest rates to dampen imbalances that could arise from capital flows can also attract more capital inflows and accentuate appreciation pressures. For this reason authorities have used a number of instruments to mitigate the effects of capital flows, all with financial stability implications. Many of these instruments (eg reserve requirements) may have been used for other purposes but the global financial crisis has raised interest in examining them from a financial stability, or "macroprudential" perspective. This paper reviews some of these instruments, drawing in part on material provided by central banks to the BIS. The instruments include foreign exchange market intervention and foreign reserve accumulation; measures to strengthen bank balance sheets and capital and measures to maintain the quality of credit or to ifnluence credit growth or allocation, and capital controls. Certain implementation issues are also discussed, including signals to respond to, timing of prudential measures and procyclicality and effectiveness and calibration. An unresolved question is how the instruments described are to be used in conjunction with interest rate policy. Over the medium term, these instruments raise concerns because they may impair the development of the financial system.


Is there a particular set of rights that can be regarded as "populist" in the same sense that we speak about liberal democratic rights and, if so, what are these rights and how do they relate to populism? There is a long list of arguments against any notion of populist rightsThe purpose of the paper is to discuss a theoretical framework for the conceptualisation of populist rights. In doing so, I argue that (democratic) populism can be associated to a notion of rights normatively centred in the exercise of sovereignty and empirically centred in the denunciation of asymmetries of power embedded in liberal democratic institutions. I conclude that populism's antagonistic divide between the people and its Other presents significant challenges to notions of democratic populist rights that, in order to be truly democratic, would require the incorporation of some notion of citizenship to populism's people – centred appeal.


Chemokines, a variety of chemotactic cytokines, play a pivotal part in the control of leukocyte trafficking. Because chemokines and their receptors were intimately involved in the orchestration of inflammatory responses and inducibly expressed, the initial researches were confined to the immune system. However, recent intriguing findings revealed the constructive expression of chemokines under some physiological conditions such as nerve cellular maturation and development. This review article summarizes the recent advances in the role of chemokines and their receptors in the development of nervous system and the mechanisms concerned, which will administer to penetrating understand the relationship of chemokines and the development of nervous system and will provide evidence for further research.


During cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), chest compression quality is the key for patient survival. However, several studies have shown that both professionals and laypeople often apply CPR at improper rates and depths. The use of real-time feedback devices increases adherence to CPR quality guidelines. This chapter explores new alternatives to provide feedback on the quality of chest compressions during CPR. First, we describe and evaluate three methods to compute chest compression depth and rate using exclusively the chest acceleration. To evaluate the accuracy of the methods, we used episodes of simulated cardiac arrest acquired in a manikin model. One of the methods, based on the spectral analysis of the acceleration, was particularly accurate in a wide range of conditions. Then, we assessed the feasibility of using the transthoracic impedance (TI) signal acquired through defibrillation pads to provide feedback on chest compression depth and rate. For that purpose, we retrospectively analyzed three databases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest episodes. When a wide variety of patients and rescuers were included, TI could not be used to reliably estimate the compression depth. However, compression rate could be accurately estimated. Development of simpler methods to provide feedback on CPR quality could contribute to the widespread of these devices.


Abstract Additional witnesses containing fragments of Martin Hundsfeld and Andre Lignitzer's dagger teachings were located. These teachings were part of other anonymous dagger texts. Five of Lignitzer's plays and three Hundsfeld's can be found in the works of Gregor Erhart (MS E.1939.65.354), Lienhart Sollinger (Cgm 3712) and Paulus Hector Mair (C.94, Codex 10825). A synoptic comparison of these witnesses with other representatives points to the existence of at least two other manuscripts – one that was base for Erhart and Sollinger, and the other being the base for Paulus Hector Mair's works. Additionally, the analysis seems to suggest that the Proto-Erhart was based on the original proto-manuscript, not transmitted through other known sources. Interestingly, Erhart seems to be a faithful copy of its progenitor, even though it contains a very disorganized text, where dagger techniques are mixed with other weapons. The article contains transcriptions as well as updated stemmae codicum for these traditions.


This paper is a literature study of daylight transport systems aiming at selecting the most appropriate ones for application at high latitudes. It is limited to the systems that transport light at a long distance from the façade and distribute it either in the building core or at a rear place in a room adjacent to the façade. The literature is spanning from the 80s' to the present. It covers the theoretical background and development of the systems from their infancy, through technical development of the design elements and to the adaptation of the systems to different climatic conditions. Since the most literature comes from equatorial and tropical climate, a short contextualization with high latitudes climate is included. Findings are systematized and presented in tables for easier comparison of efficiency, visual comfort, design efficacy, maintenance need, cost and/or availability on the market, and energy-saving potential in different climates. Conclusions confirm that the daylight condition at the location is the main prerequisite when deciding on the type of collector while the building structure and room functionality are the basis for choosing the type of the transport element. Finally, the distribution element showed to be the key factor when discussing applicability in a functional space where the final success depends on human acceptance. This paper can be useful to get an overview of performance characteristics and application preferences of different daylight transport systems or just their components in daylight conditions at high latitudes. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by solarlits.com. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).


Objective To assess the effect of volume-targeted ventilation (VTV) compared with pressure-limited ventilation (PLV) in preterm infants. Method We searched the Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2013), PubMed (1966 to 5 March 2013), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and periodical databases (1979 to 5 March 2013). We selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs of VTV versus PLV as active interventions in preterm infants. We performed meta-analyses using the Cochrane statistical package RevMan 5.0. Results Eighteen trials met our inclusion criteria. There was no evidence that VTV modes reduced the incidence of death (relative risk (RR) 0.73, 95% CI 0.51 to 1.05). The use of VTV modes resulted in a reduction in the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.82) and duration of mechanical ventilation (mean difference (MD) −2.0 days, 95% CI −3.14 to −0.86). VTV modes also resulted in reductions in intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.99), grade 3/4 IVH (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.79), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.72), pneumothorax (RR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.93), failure of primary mode of ventilation (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.94), hypocarbia (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.96), mean airway pressure (MD −0.54 cmH2O, 95% CI −1.05 to −0.02) and days of supplemental oxygen administration (MD −1.68 days, 95% CI −2.47 to −0.88). Conclusions Preterm infants ventilated using VTV modes had reduced duration of mechanical ventilation, incidence of BPD, failure of primary mode of ventilation, hypocarbia, grade 3/4 IVH, pneumothorax and PVL compared with preterm infants ventilated using PLV modes. There was no evidence that infants ventilated with VTV modes had reduced death compared to infants ventilated using PLV modes.


Background & Aim : Clinical practice is an important part of the educational curriculum of nursing students. Effective and dynamic interactions among the students, health care providers, instructors, and the clinical environment and its elements affect their professional development. The aim of this report as a part of a more extensive research is describing the negative experiences of nursing students in the clinical environment. Material & Methods : It was a qualitative study. Data was collected by purposeful sampling from two new graduated staff nurses and 12 undergraduate nursing students in two large nursing and midwifery schools through in-depth semi-structured individual interviews during their clinical placements and after graduation. The data was analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin version (1998) of grounded theory method. Results : Vertical violence was emerged as one of the significant findings of the study. Its manifestations included humiliation, blaming, not being accepted, exploitation, discrimination, bullying, limited learning opportunities and lack of support in the clinical environment. The main origin of these behaviors was mostly nurses and clinical instructors. Conclusion : The findings revealed the non-supportive climate of clinical settings. Nursing students were vulnerable during learning in the clinical setting. Identification and proper management of the issues and challenges faced by nursing students in the clinical environment can provide a welcoming climate for younger colleagues of the profession.


Background Risk charts are used to estimate the risk of cardiovascular diseases; however, most have been developed in Western countries. In Japan, currently available risk charts are based on mortality data. Using data on cardiovascular disease incidence from the JMS Cohort Study, we developed charts that illustrated the risk of stroke. Methods and Results The JMS Cohort Study is a community-based cohort study of cardiovascular disease. Baseline data were obtained between 1992 and 1995. In the present analysis, the participants were 12 276 subjects without a history of stroke; the follow-up period was 10.7 years. Color-coded risk charts were created by using Cox's proportional hazards models to calculate 10-year absolute risks associated with sex, age, smoking status, diabetes status, and systolic blood pressure. The risks of stroke and cerebral infarction rose as age and systolic blood pressure increased. Although the risk of cerebral hemorrhage were generally lower than that of cerebral infarction, the patterns of association with risk factors were similar. Conclusion These risk charts should prove useful for clinicians and other health professionals who are required to estimate an individual's risk for stroke.


Nowadays, the increase of fossil fuel consumption intensifies the crucial role of architects. As buildings consume over one-third of the used energy, the society of architects is held responsible for this consumption. Therefore, the amount of energy used by a building is directly related to its design; meaning that reduction of energy consumption should be targeted at the design stage. In this research, the proper building form with the lowest energy consumption for heating, cooling, and lighting was obtained after studying different shapes in Design Builder Software, and it was concluded that the building form has a significant impact on energy consumption. After the parametric studies, the best building orientation of 60 degrees north-east and a window-wall ratio (WWR) of 40% was obtained. Moreover, the building considered for this study had annual CO2 emissions of 30 tons, which was reduced to around 15 tons of CO2 emissions in a year at the optimum degree and WWR, i.e. a reduction of CO2 emissions to half of its previous amount.


New Kodak RP 'X-OMAT' Processor Unique Diagnostic Set Specially selected opthalmic and aural diagnostic instruments have been brought together in one set which will be ideal for general practitioners, hospital doctors, and medical students. The set contains the Keeler Pocket Ophthalmoscope, Keeler Pocket Otoscope, and Littman Combination Stethoscope and a thermometer. Produced jointly by Keeler and 3M United Kingdom Ltd, it will be available through general medical dealers. A unique opportunity, the set offers these leading instruments at a lower price than if they were to be purchased separately; and it presents them in a neat, compact case which has been custom-made. The Keeler pocket otoscope produces an homogeneous light patch with low central shadow. Five sterilisable black specula are included in the set, also ten disposable ones . The convenient presentation of Trlsquens as continuous 28 day therapy promotes excellent patient compliance.


The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region can be considered as the most water‐scarce region of the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects strong changes in climate across MENA, further exacerbating pressure on available water resources. The objective of this study is to undertake a climate change assessment for 22 MENA countries in order to quantify the problems these countries may encounter up to 2050. To evaluate climate change in MENA, nine global circulation models representing two future periods (2020–2030 and 2040–2050) were statistically downscaled and compared with a current climate, defined as the period 2000–2009. Besides precipitation only this study also focuses on change in water demand by vegetation reference evapotranspiration (ETref). It was found that for both future periods the annual precipitation sum will decrease for the majority of countries, with decreases of 15–20% for the latter period. For some countries, e.g. Djibouti and Yemen, an increase in annual precipitation of 15–20% was found. The annual ETref shows an increase for all countries for both future periods, with the strongest increases for the latter period. For the extreme situation, it was found that the minimum monthly and annual precipitation sum does not become smaller in the future climate. It in fact increases. In contrast, the maximum monthly and annual ETref increases for all countries. This indicates that projected changes in demand are likely to have a more adverse effect than changes in supply. Spatial analysis showed that the largest precipitation decreases are to be found in southern Egypt, Morocco, central and coastal Algeria, Tunisia, central Libya, Syria, and central and eastern Iran. A case study for Morocco revealed that the potential water deficit, which is already apparent for the current climate, becomes even larger for the future climate.


Background: Bereavement by suicide is associated with a number of consequences including poor mental health outcomes and increased suicide risk. Despite this, the bereaved by suicide may be reluctant to seek help from friends, family, and professionals. Internet forums and social networking sites are a popular avenue of support for the bereaved, but to date there is a lack of research into their use and efficacy. Aims: To survey users of suicide bereavement Internet forums and Facebook groups regarding their help-seeking behaviors, use of forums, and perceived benefits and limitations of such use. Method: This study employed a cross-sectional design in which users of suicide bereavement Internet forums and Facebook groups completed an anonymous online survey. Results: Participants were 222 users of suicide bereavement Internet forums. Most participants (93.2%) had sought face-to-face help from sources other than Internet forums, but were more likely to seek help in the near future from informal rather than formal sources. Forums were perceived as highly beneficial and there were few limitations. Limitations: The generalizability of these results to other internet forums may be limited. Additionally, we were not able to examine differences between forums in terms of quality or user-reported efficacy. Finally, the data reflects the subjective views of forum users, which may differ from the views of moderators or experts. Conclusion: Internet forums, including Facebook groups, appear to be a useful adjunct to face-to-face help-seeking for supporting those who have been bereaved by suicide.


We study the SU(3) AVE graphs, which appear in the classification of modular in variant partition functions from numerous viewpoints, including determination of their Boltzmann weights, representations of Hecke algebras, a new notion of A2 planar algebras and their modules, various Hilbert series of dimensions and spectral measures, and the K-theory of associated Cuntz-Krieger algebras. We compute the K-theory of the of the Cuntz-Krieger algebras associated to the SU(3) AVE graphs. We compute the numerical values of the Ocneanu cells, and consequently representations of the Hecke algebra, for the AVE graphs. Some such representations have appeared in the literature and we compare our results. We use these cells to define an SU(3) analogue of the Goodman-de la Harpe-Jones construction of a subfactor, where we embed the j42-Temperley-Lieb algebra in an AF path-algebra of the SU(3) AVE graphs. Using this construction, we realize all SU(3) modular invariants by subfactors previously announced by Ocneanu. We give a diagrammatic representation of the i42-Temperley-Lieb algebra, and show that it is isomorphic to Wenzl's representation of a Hecke algebra. Generalizing Jones's notion of a planar algebra, we construct an 42-planar algebra which captures the structure contained in the SU(3) AVE subfactors. We show that the subfactor for an AVE graph with a flat connection has a description as a flat >12-planar algebra. We introduce the notion of modules over an 42-planar algebra, and describe certain irreducible Hilbert A2- Temperley-Lieb-modules. A partial decomposition of the ,42-planar algebras for the AVE graphs is achieved. We compare various Hilbert series of dimensions associated to ADE models for SU(2), and the Hilbert series of certain Calabi-Yau algebras of dimension 3. We also consider spectral measures for the ADE graphs and generalize to SU(3), and in particular obtain spectral measures for the infinite SU(3) graphs.


Background: Acute bronchiolitis is leading cause of hospitalization in infants below 2 years of age. Bronchiolitis being a viral disease, there is no effective treatment. 3% nebulized hypertonic saline and 0.9% nebulized normal saline are often used, although there is disagreement over their efficacy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 3% hypertonic saline in children with acute bronchiolitis in reducing clinical severity and length of hospital stay.
Methodology: A randomized control trial carried out in the Department of Pediatrics, Dhaka Medical College Hospital from January 2013 to December 2013.Ninty children from 1 month to 2 years of age hospitalized with clinical bronchiolitis were randomized to receive 3% nebulized hypertonic saline(Group-I) or 0.9% nebulized normal saline (Group-II). Nebulization was done 8 hourly until discharge. Outcome variable were clinical severity score, duration of oxygen therapy and length of hospital stay.
Results: Baseline clinical severity score and O2 saturation were in group-I 9.0±1.0 and 94.9±1.7 and in group- II 9.3±1.8 and 94.6±2.6 respectively (p>0.05). At 72 hours, the mean severity score for the group-I was 1.64±0.99 and that for the group-II was 3.0 ± 1.48 (95% CI -2.17 to - 0.53, p=0.002). The cases of group-I required a shorter duration of oxygen therapy compared to those of group-II (15.0±6.0 hours vs 26.4±5.37 hours, 95% CI -20.35 to -2.44, p<0.05). Forty two (93.3%) of the group-I children recovered by the end of72 hours and discharged whereas 26 (57.8%) of the group-II children recovered during the same period (p<0.05). Length of hospital stay was shorter in group-I compared to group-II (58.1±22.0 hours vs 74.7±27.2 hours, 95% CI -26.89 to- 6.17, p=0.002). None of the cases encountered any side-effects.
Conclusion: Nebulization with 3% hypertonic saline significantly reduced clinical severity, length of hospital stay and duration of oxygen therapy in case of acute bronchiolitis in comparison to 0.9% normal saline and was safe.
Bangladesh J Child Health 2018; VOL 42 (3) :130-137


This two-way gastrostomy tube has several advantages over the original naso-gastric twoway tube. In the first place the convalescence of the patient is without any doubt smoother. He can move about more freely in bed; in fact I make it a rule to have the patient out of bed the next day after his operation, and he is given a cup of tea to drink-this, of course, being aspirated immediately after he has. drunk it. But the psychological effect of this on the patient is tremendous. Again, this two-way gastrostomy tube allows the patient to cough freely and to breathe more easily, thus diminishing the risk of lung collapse or lung infection. In addition there is no risk, however remote, of the patient developing a stricture of the oesophagus from the use of a naso-gastric tube. To sum up, therefore, the advantages of the new gastrostomy two-way tube are as follows: (1) A flange has been introduced between the aspirating tube and the feeding tube. This flange allows the surgeon to fix the tube inside the stomach at exactly the right position he needs the tube to be sited. (2) A broad band is marked on the tube, so making absolutely sure that all the aspirating holes are inside the cavity of the stomach. (3) The flange is fixed to the skin by a silk stitch at the end of the operation, so doing away with a stitch encircling the tube, which was the method previously used; this was often too tightly secured, thus obstructing the tube.-I am, etc., London W. 1. MAURICE LEE.


Analysis of the induced stress on undoped and boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin films by confocal Raman microscopy is performed in this study to investigate its correlation with sample chemical composition and the substrate used during fabrication. Knowledge of this nature is very important to the issue of long-term stability of BDD coated neurosurgical electrodes that will be used in fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, as potential occurrence of film delaminations and dislocations during their surgical implantation can have unwanted consequences for the reliability of BDD-based biosensing electrodes. To achieve a more uniform deposition of the films on cylindrically-shaped tungsten rods, substrate rotation was employed in a custom-built chemical vapor deposition reactor. In addition to visibly preferential boron incorporation into the diamond lattice and columnar growth, the results also reveal a direct correlation between regions of pure diamond and enhanced stress. Definite stress release throughout entire film thicknesses was found in the current Raman mapping images for higher amounts of boron addition. There is also a possible contribution to the high values of compressive stress from sp2 type carbon impurities, besides that of the expected lattice mismatch between film and substrate.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Botulinum toxin injection into the lower esophageal sphincter of patients with achalasia results in effective short-term relief of symptoms. The aims of this study were to examine the long-term outcome of these patients and to determine the predictors of response to this therapy.

METHODS
Thirty-one patients with achalasia treated with botulinum toxin were followed up prospectively for a median duration of 890 days.

RESULTS
Twenty-eight patients improved initially, but only 20 patients had sustained improvement beyond 3 months; the latter patients were classified as responders. The response rate was greater in patients older than 50 years of age (82% vs. 43% in younger patients; P = 0.03) and in patients with vigorous achalasia (100% vs. 52% with classic achalasia; P = 0.03). Duration of illness, previous dilation, and baseline radiological characteristics did not influence outcome. Nineteen responders eventually had relapse after a median duration of 468 days (range, 153 - 840 days). Fifteen of these patients received a second injection with satisfactory results obtained in the majority of patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Botulinum toxin is an effective treatment for achalasia in about two thirds of patients, with a duration of response averaging 1.3 years. Age and type of achalasia seem to be important predictors of response.


An efficient and general framework for the incorporation of statistical prior information, based on a wide variety of detectable point features, into level set based object tracking is presented. Level set evolution is based on the maximisation of a set of likelihoods on mesh values at features, which are located using a stochastic sampling process. This evolution is based on the interpolation of likelihood gradients using kernels centred at the features. Feature detectors implemented are based on moments of colour histogram segmented images and learned image patches located using normalised correlation, although a wide variety of feature detectors could be used. A computationally efficient level set implementation is presented along with a method for the incorporation of a motion model into the scheme.


Abstract Although sport has traditionally been a toxic environment for sexual minorities, recent research has shown greater levels of inclusivity. Building on a growth of recent research on typically marginalized groups of sports fans – including women, racial minorities, and some sexual minorities – this research examines the experiences of English bisexual soccer fans. To do so, I draw on semi-structured interviews with 25 bisexual fans (14 cisgender men and 11 cisgender women) of a range of English soccer clubs. Findings indicate that English soccer stadia have become a more inclusive climate for bisexual fans. This was best evidenced by a growth of LGBT visibility through the formation of dedicated fan groups, as well as the general decline of anti-LGBT chanting. Despite the decline of abuse inside stadia, however, these fans spoke of how the proliferation of social media has provided an alternative platform for discrimination. Accordingly, these fans' experiences of consuming soccer through social media differ significantly from their experiences inside sports stadia.


The complex interactions between plant roots and soil microbes enable a range of beneficial functions such as nutrient acquisition, defense against pathogens and production of plant growth hormones. The role of soil type and plant genotype in shaping rhizosphere communities has been explored in the past, but often without spatial context. The spatial resolution of rhizosphere processes enables us to observe pattern formation in the rhizosphere and investigate how spatial soil organization is shaped through soil–plant–microbiome interactions.

We applied spatial sampling in a standardized soil column experiment with two maize genotypes (wildtype vs. roothairless3) and two different soil textures (loam vs. sand) in order to investigate how in particular functions of the maize roots relating to nutrient/water uptake, immunity/defense, stress and exudation are affected. RNA sequencing and differential gene expression analysis were used to dissect impact of soil texture, root genotype and sampling depth. Our results indicate that variance in gene expression is predominantly explained by soil texture as well as sampling depth, whereas genotype appears to play a less pronounced role at the analyzed depths. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes between soil textures revealed several functional categories and pathways relating to phytohormone-mediated signaling, cell growth, secondary metabolism, and water homeostasis. Community analysis of rhizosphere derived ACC deaminase active (acdS gene including) plant beneficial bacteria, which suppress the phytohormone ethylene production, suggests that soil texture and column depth are the major factors that affect acdS community composition.

From the comprehensive gene expression analyses we aim to identify maize marker genes from the relevant core functional groups. These marker genes will be potentially useful for future experiments; such as field plot experiments for investigation of later-emerging plant properties.

This research was conducted within the research program “Rhizosphere Spatiotemporal Organisation – a Key to Rhizosphere Functions” of the German Science Foundation (TA 290/5-1).


Effective process validation contributes significantly to assuring drug quality. The FDA defines process validation "as the collection and evaluation of data, from the process design stage through commercial production, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently delivering quality product". Process validation establishes the elasticity and restrictions within the manufacturing process controls to deliver upon the specified attributes of the dosage form while preventing undesirable out-of-specification results.


The major soluble protein of the isolated brush-border of the intestinal epithelium has a molecular weight and net charge indistinguishable from those of skeletal-muscle actin, as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, this protein, isolated from acetone powders of the purified brush-border, undergoes a G to F transformation in the presence of Mg(++). The filaments have a substructure indistinguishable from muscle actin, as seen by the negative-staining technique, and bind heavy meromyosin with the arrowhead configuration characteristic of actin. The filaments in the microvilli of the intact bruch-border also bind heavy meromyosin. Thus, actin seems to be present in intestinal epithelial cells.


PURPOSE
To characterize within human age-related nuclear cataracts rare spherical objects covered by multiple membranes, termed multilamellar bodies (MLBs).

METHODS
Adult human normal, transparent lenses were obtained from eye bank donors and age-related nuclear cataracts were obtained immediately after extracapsular extraction. Each sample was Vibratome sectioned fresh into 200 microm thick sections that were fixed and embedded for light or electron microscopy. Confocal images were recorded from sections stained with the lipid soluble dye, DiI.

RESULTS
Light micrograph montages of the equatorial plane containing the fetal and embryonic nuclei were examined. Rare, but distinct, circular 1-3 microm diameter objects were observed consistently in the cataracts. These objects did not appear to be components of the complex intercellular interfaces. Serial sections indicated that the objects were spherical, or contained a spherical component. For about 20,000 fiber cell cross-sections in each lens, the frequency of MLBs was 10 times higher in cataracts than in the normal lens nuclei. Although extensive searching with the electron microscope was necessary, the size, circular profile and multiple layers of thin (5 nm) membranes easily identified the MLBs. Interiors of the MLBs displayed variable textures. Confocal images indicated that the coverings were enriched in lipid compared to the adjacent plasma membranes. The calculated density of the MLBs in the cataractous nuclei was about 3800/mm3, which represents a volume fraction of 0.00003.

CONCLUSIONS
Because the MLBs are large compared to the wavelength of light, display interiors with variable staining textures and have lipid-rich coverings, they appear to be ideal candidates for large scattering particles that may contribute to the forward light scattering in nuclear cataracts.


The present PhD thesis studied under-expanded gaseous fuel jets, in-cylinder flow, in-cylinder mixture formation and spark ignition combustion with emphasis on their applications in advanced direct injection spark ignition gaseous-fuelled internal combustion engines particularly with hydrogen fuelling. Open-source and commercial computational fluid dynamics frameworks based on OpenFOAM® and STAR-CCM+® were developed, validated and employed. A fourth-order accurate Runge-Kutta solver specifically for modelling shock-containing compressible flows including underexpanded jets was developed using OpenFOAM® C++ libraries. An adaptive mesh refinement technique was created for STAR-CCM+® and employed to study highly turbulent under-expanded jets. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes and Large Eddy Simulation techniques were employed to investigate sonic and mixing characteristics and also three-dimensional structures of various underexpanded jets including air, nitrogen, methane and hydrogen. Various nozzle profiles, ambient thermodynamics, injection pressures and nozzle pressure ratios were also examined. Additionally, a new methodology was developed within the STAR-CCM+® framework using its JAVA™ scripting capability in order to simulate the in-cylinder flow, mixture formation and combustion in advanced hydrogen engines with complex geometries. It was noticed that the compressible in-nozzle flow in high pressure gaseous injection from a millimetre-size nozzle exhibited a significant transient behaviour, finished by the formation of an under-expanded jet with a nozzle exit Mach number higher than unity. Existence of a strong transient vortex ring in hydrogen jets (unlike those of nitrogen and methane jets) was found to be a contributing factor to the flow instabilities in the vicinity of the intercepting shock that promoted airhydrogen mixing before the Mach reflection. It was noticed that increasing the injection pressure did not necessarily increase the penetration length of under-expanded gaseous fuel jets significantly and there would be an optimum injection pressure which could provide desirable mixing characteristics while maintaining manufacturing and safety-related costs at a reasonable level. It was confirmed that the azimuthal star-shape (petal) structure is a natural characteristic of under-expanded jets which through a vortex merging process promotes mixing at the boundary of gaseous jets. It was noticed that a cylindrical nozzle with lower length to diameter ratio would result in a relatively higher jet penetration. It was found that with a conical nozzle profile, if an under-expanded jet formed, a higher penetration length was obtained compared to that of a simple orifice nozzle. It was shown that flow around the intake valves and its associated vortical structures had significant effect on the formation and evolution of the in-cylinder flow and its tumbling motion. It was found that higher level of turbulent kinetic energy could be obtained by retarding end of injection timing. It was concluded that a double pulse injection strategy could provide desirable level of mixture richness, fuel stratification and turbulence around the spark location. Finally, by applying a detailed kinetic combustion model it was found that the impact of the fuel stratification was less dominant on the hydrogen flame propagation characteristics compared to that imposed by the velocity field.


A particular focus of water-quality monitoring is the concentrations of sediments and nutrients in rivers, constituents that can smother biota and cause eutrophication. However, the physical and economic constraints of manual sampling prohibit data collection at the frequency required to capture adequately the variation in concentrations through time. Here, we developed models to predict total suspended solids (TSS) and oxidized nitrogen (NOx) concentrations based on high-frequency time series of turbidity, conductivity and river level data from low-cost in situ sensors in rivers flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. We fit generalized least squares linear mixed effects models with a continuous first-order autoregressive correlation to data collected traditionally by manual sampling for subsequent analysis in the laboratory, then used these models to predict TSS or NOx from in situ sensor water-quality surrogate data, at two freshwater sites and one estuarine site. These models accounted for both temporal autocorrelation and unevenly time-spaced observations in the data. Turbidity proved a useful surrogate of TSS, with high predictive ability at both freshwater and estuarine sites. NOx models had much poorer fits, even when additional covariates of conductivity and river level were included along with turbidity. Furthermore, the relative influence of covariates in the NOx models was not consistent across sites. Our findings likely reflect the complexity of dissolved nutrient dynamics in rivers, which are influenced by multiple and interacting factors including physical, chemical and biological processes, and the need for greater and better incorporation of spatial and temporal components within models.


PAGE On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down one of its most important decisions in the twentieth century. Brown v. Board of Education ordered twenty-one U.S. states, including Virginia, to end racial segregation in their public schools. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a nationally-known African American civil rights organization, had led the legal campaign to bring about the Brown decision. After its victory, the organization focused on how to bring about the implementation of the decision in the South in order to effectuate school desegregation. In the later 1950s, the NAACP filed lawsuits in many southern states, including Virginia, where school boards had been unable, or unwilling, to comply. As the possibility of school desegregation grew, white southerners bitterly attacked the NAACP and proponents of integration. In Virginia this led to state-sanctioned investigations of the organization, among other things. Utilizing legislation passed by the state legislature, the governor of Virginia also closed public schools in several Virginia communities in the fall of 1958 to avoid desegregation. The following January, state and federal courts overturned the state's school closing laws, and in February 1959 initial school desegregation began in Virginia. Afterward, the state allowed token, or minimal, school desegregation in an attempt to both avoid judicial scrutiny but also maintain as much segregation as possible. In the 1960s the federal government demonstrated a renewed commitment to school desegregation, and both legislative and executive action pressured the southern states, including Virginia, to increase the amount of school desegregation taking place within their borders. In the late 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a series of new school desegregation decisions, starting with Green v. New Kent County (Virginia) in 1968, which sped up the desegregation process in the South. This dissertation examines the NAACP, Virginia's political leaders, white liberals and moderates, and segregationists during this tumultuous time in Virginia's history. Outside of the desegregation of public education, the manuscript also considers the desegregation of higher education, public transportation and accommodations, the expansion of black voting rights and political activity, racial violence, and related civil rights issues. Blending social, legal, political, and African-American history, this dissertation seeks to shed new light on the Civil Rights Movement and white resistance to civil rights in Virginia and the South.


Reduction of LNG prices has thrown up a very serious challenge for the Refining Industry as it is rapidly replacing the demand of the Fuel Oil. Refiners need to find a way for a suitable upgrade of the Residual Fuel Oil from the Crude Distillation Units (CDU). One of the most economical and attractive ways to do this is to process the surplus Fuel Oil in the Resid Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (RFCC). These days, higher amount of surplus Fuel Oil is resulting in Higher capacity RFCCs. However, does it come without any challenges? Certainly No. As we all know that the current market scenarios discourage production of Gasoline while emphasizing on maximizing Poly Propylene and Para Xylene. However conventional RFCCs are considered for producing Gasoline. So, we are left with a challenging question. How to minimize Gasoline from RFCC while increasing its capacity? It is rarely possible to reduce Gasoline production while increasing RFCC capacity. Sounds Impossible but this is made possible by an innovative Process Unit Reconfiguration in KIPIC. This article will highlight the various challenges associated with the increased RFCC capacity. This will discuss in detail how the optimum configuration is achieved for minimizing the Gasoline production and maximizing the feed stocks to downstream Poly Propylene and Aromatics complex to produce the valuable Polypropylene and Para Xylene. The paper will conclude that by an innovative Process Unit Configuration, the overall Gasoline quantity can be reduced by 15% even by almost doubling the RFCC capacity. It will also elaborate how the optimum configuration helps in reducing the overall CAPEX / OPEX of the units, increases the overall reliability, eliminates the dependence on the imported feed stocks and helps in value maximization of the intermediate streams. The paper will be of interest to anyone who is involved in carrying out the Configuration study for the secondary processing units of the Refinery and looking for optimum solution to the surplus Fuel Oil. It will provide an insight to the latest options available for upgrading the fuel oil to various products meeting the current market demands with minimum CAPEX and OPEX. The paper also focusses on how RFCC overall Reliability is increased and how yields of high value products is maximized from the unit.


Transcriptional repression may cause transcriptional noise by a competition between repressor and RNA polymerase binding. Although promoter activity is often governed by a single limiting step, we argue here that the size of the noise strongly depends on whether this step is the initial equilibrium binding or one of the subsequent uni-directional steps. Overall, we show that non-equilibrium steps of transcription initiation systematically increase the cell to cell heterogeneity in bacterial populations. In particular, this allows also weak promoters to give substantial transcriptional noise.


In this paper we use a unique dataset from eastern Ethiopia to explore the role of crop genetic resources in attaining household food security. The study area is a center of origin and domestication for sorghum, and about three quarters of the farms are growing land race varieties of sorghum rather than improved varieties; while about three quarters of farms grow improved varieties of wheat rather than land races. Our analysis has indicated that there is an important link between crop genetic diversity and the choice of coping mechanism households adopt in the face of a production shock from drought.


Bone is a dynamic tissue that is constantly renewed by the coordinated action of two cell types, i.e., the bone-resorbing osteoclasts and the bone-forming osteoblasts. However, in some circumstances, bone regeneration exceeds bone self repair capacities. This is notably often the case after bone fractures, osteolytic bone tumor surgery, or osteonecrosis. In this regard,bone tissue engineering with autologous or allogenic mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) is been widely developed. MSCs can be isolated from bone marrow or other tissues such as adipose tissue or umbilical cord, and can be implanted in bone defects with or without prior amplification and stimulation. However, the outcome of most pre-clinical studies remains relatively disappointing. A better understanding of the successive steps and molecular mechanisms involved in MSC-osteoblastic differentiation appears to be crucial to optimize MSC-bone therapy. In this review, we first present the important growth factors that stimulate osteoblastogenesis. Then we review the main transcription factors that modulate osteoblast differentiation, and the microRNAs(miRs)that inhibit their expression. Finally, we also discuss articles dealing with the use of these factors and miRs in the development of new bone MSC therapy strategies. We particularly focus on the studies using human MSCs, since significant differences exist between osteoblast differentiation mechanisms in humans and mice for instance.


: Distribution of marked preganglionic neurons over spinal nuclei and segments was studied in cats with the aid of microinjections of the horse-radish peroxidase into the cranial cervical ganglion. The major part of these neurons were revealed in the main part of the intermediolateral nucleus. A somewhat lesser number of the cells were found in the funicular part of the nucleus. In the T1 segment they constituted about 90% of cells containing the peroxidase. Other neurons were localized in the paraependymal and intercalative nuclei. In longitudinal sections of the spinal cord, the preganglionic sympathetic neurons projecting their axons into the cranial cervical ganglion, form a rostro-caudal chain made of small ensembles of cells.


This study aimed to compare the performance of two monofocal Intraocular Lenses (IOL) platforms.

 The Clareon® Intraocular Lens (IOL) is a relatively new monofocal lens platform designed to improve postoperative results compared to other monofocal platforms.

 This study aimed to assess and compare the visual and refractive outcomes, and incidence of YAG capsulotomy of the Clareon® IOL and a standard non-preloaded AcrySof® monofocal IOL following contralateral implantation in patients undergoing cataract surgery.

 A total of 20 patients (40 eyes; 12 female, average age 72.8±6.4 years) who had undergone contralateral implantation of an AcrySof® IQ monofocal lens (SN60WF or SN6AT; Alcon; Texas, USA) and a Clareon®monofocal lens (CNAOT0; Alcon; Texas, USA) were selected. Uncorrected Distance Visual Acuity (UDVA), Contrast Sensitivity (CS), kinetic perimetry, and refraction were measured 1 month following the second surgery and subjective vision was measured 6 months following the second surgery using a quality-of-life questionnaire.

 There was no difference in postoperative UDVA (P=0.94), CS (P>0.05), or refraction (P=0.64) between eyes that received the Clareon® and AcrySof® IQ lenses. Clareon® eyes had a higher incidence of glare/haloes and positive dysphotopsia while AcrySof® IQ eyes had a higher incidence of negative dysphotopsia. Patient satisfaction was similar between the groups (P=0.86), although 25% of patients reported more clarity in the eye that received the Clareon® lens. The incidence of posterior capsular opacification was low for both groups.

 Clareon® and AcrySof® IQ lenses perform similarly, providing good refractive, visual, and subjective outcomes. Clareon® is available as a preloaded lens option and may reduce PCO and the need for Nd: YAG capsulotomy.


Unexpected HIV infections (not from sex, mother-to-child, or injection drug use) are common in Africa's generalized epidemics. A 2011-2015 randomized controlled trial of cash transfers conditioned on high school attendance to reduce HIV incidence in young women in South Africa had no impact on HIV incidence but could nevertheless lead to more effective HIV prevention messages and programs. The study team has provided enough information on women's self-reported sexual behaviour to estimate sex accounts for only a small minority of their HIV infections. At baseline 7.5% of 2,533 women aged 13-20 years reported unprotected sex in the previous three months. During 1-3 years of follow-up, women reported unprotected sex in the previous three months at 9% of annual visits. From published accounts of women's self-reported sexual behaviour, with some (intended high) estimates to fill in for collected but unreported data, we estimate sex accounts for 7.6 (4.0%) of 188 HIV infections recognized during the trial, including 2.2 (2.7%) of 81 prevalent infections at baseline and 5.4 (5.0%) of 107 incident infections during follow-up. This conclusion challenges researchers to improve their efforts to find the sources of women's infections, including tracing and testing partners and asking about blood exposures. This conclusion also challenges the Government of South Africa to investigate unexpected infections to find and stop their sources.


In order to assess the efficacy and toxicity of ceftazidime as a substitute for aminoglycosides in the treatment of intra-abdominal sepsis, a prospective randomized trial was conducted. Ninety-four patients (49% trauma) were randomized to receive ceftazidime/clindamycin (CAZ/C) (n = 47) or tobramycin/clindamycin (T/C) (n = 47). CAZ (2.0 gm) and C (0.9 gm) were administered intravenously every 8 hours while T dosage was adjusted to maintain peak (5-8 mg/L) and trough (less than 2 mg/L) concentrations. Age, sex, baseline serum creatinine, and etiology of infection were comparable in the two groups. Clinical cure was similar in culture-positive and culture-negative patients who received CAZ/C (94% vs 88%). The clinical cure rate however was significantly lower in the T/C culture positive (73%) than in the culture negative patients (100%) (P = 0.016). Pathogenic organisms were eradicated in 100% (30/30) and 76% (13/17) of CAZ/C and T/C patients, respectively (P = 0.0006). Nephrotoxicity Nephrotoxicity or ototoxicity was observed in none of the CAZ/C patients and in one and two T/C patients, respectively. CAZ/C more effectively eradicated the bacteria isolated from these patients and no significant difference in clinical response was observed in culture-positive patients. These findings plus the lack of toxicity suggest that CAZ/C is an effective alternative for treatment of IAI.


We address the issue of the suboptimality in the p-version discontinuous Galerkin (dG) methods for first order hyperbolic problems. The convergence rate is derived for the upwind dG scheme on tensor product meshes in any dimension. The standard proof in seminal work [14] leads to suboptimal convergence in terms of the polynomial degree by 3/2 order for general convection fields, with the exception of piecewise multi-linear convection fields, which rather yield optimal convergence. Such suboptimality is not observed numerically. Thus, it might be caused by a limitation of the analysis, which we partially overcome: for a special class of convection fields, we shall show that the dG method has a p-convergence rate suboptimal by 1/2 order only.