IN A PREVIOUS paper1we reported that triethylene melamine, a substance which was developed for the crease-proofing of cloth, and which showed growthinhibitory properties in tumors in animals, had beneficial effects in the treatment of 14 human beings suffering from lymphosarcoma, Hodgkin's disease, chronic myelogenous leukemia, fibrosarcoma, reticulum-cell sarcoma, and mycosis fungoides. We observed during that investigation no improvement in patients with anaplastic sarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma, and carcinoma. These findings have been substantially confirmed by the report of Karnofsky and associates.2 PRESENT STUDY At this time we wish to report on the use of this chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of an additional 28 adults with neoplastic diseases, and follow-up observations on 6 previously reported patients, who were still under study at the time of publication. Table 1 shows the classification and number of patients having each type of disease treated in the present and in the previously


5 I.min-' from a circle system. Over a period of approximately 2 min the Spo, rose to 96%, and the patient became lucid. There was no worsening of her stridor during this time. A tracheostomy was performed uneventfully using local anaesthesia. This case demonstrates that there is no point in giving helium to patients with airway obstruction unless it can be given in conjunction with an appropriately high no,. This patient would have benefited more from a high concentration of oxygen, easily administered from either the ward piped oxygen supply, or from a standard cylinder as found on operating theatre trolleys, while awaiting transfer to the operating theatre. The administration of helium, although well-intentioned and following standard teaching, was inappropriate.


In this paper, we present areaand power-efficient architectures for the implementation of integer discrete cosine transform (DCT) of different lengths to be used in High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). We show that an efficient constant matrix-multiplication scheme can be used to derive parallel architectures for 1-D integer DCT of different lengths. We also show that the proposed structure could be reusable for DCT of lengths 4, 8, 16, and 32 with a throughput of 32 DCT coefficients per cycle irrespective of the transform size. Moreover, the proposed architecture could be pruned to reduce the complexity of implementation substantially with only a marginal affect on the coding performance. We propose power-efficient structures for folded and fullparallel implementations of 2-D DCT. From the synthesis result, it is found that the proposed architecture involves nearly 14% less area-delay product (ADP) and 19% less energy per sample (EPS) compared to the direct implementation of the reference algorithm, on average, for integer DCT of lengths 4, 8, 16, and 32. Also, an additional 19% saving in ADP and 20% saving in EPS can be achieved by the proposed pruning algorithm with nearly the same throughput rate. The proposed architecture is found to support ultrahigh definition 7680×4320 at 60 frames/s video, which is one of the applications of HEVC.


The TiO2 nanopowder was prepared with TiOSO4 as raw material at low temperature by hydrolysis method, and microspheres coated polyethylene and TiO2 were then fabricated on titanium by layer-by-layer self-assembly technology. Using ultraviolet irradiation of titanium coating in distilled water for some time, titanium with enhanced bioactivity was achieved when immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The morphology, size and crystal shape before and after ultraviolet irradiation were characterized by scanning electron microcopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). UV irradiation of titanium results in the conversion of Ti4+ to Ti3+ and the generation of oxygen vacancies, which could react with the absorbed water to form basic Ti–OH groups. Compared with the coating non-UV irradiation, the UV-irradiated coatings do not present any obvious differences in morphology, surface roughness, grain size and phase component; however, they have more abundant basic Ti–OH groups thus the water contact angle decreases greatly so the surface become much more hydrophilic.


We consider the problem of counting the number of DAGs which are Markov-equivalent, i.e., which encode the same conditional independencies between random variables. The problem has been studied, among others, in the context of causal discovery, and it is known that it reduces to counting the number of so-called moral acyclic orientations of certain undirected graphs, notably chordal graphs.Our main empirical contribution is a new algorithm which outperforms previously known exact algorithms for the considered problem by a significant margin. On the theoretical side, we show that our algorithm is guaranteed to run in polynomial time on a broad class of chordal graphs, including interval graphs.


While research on the environmental impacts of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is growing, the potential for them to be chemically transformed in the atmosphere has been largely ignored. The overall objective of this work was to assess the atmospheric transformation of carbonaceous nanoparticles (CNPs). The research focuses on C60 fullerene because it is an important member of the carbonaceous nanoparticle (CNP) family and is used in a wide variety of applications. The first specific objective was to review the potential of atmospheric transformations to alter the environmental impacts of CNPs. We described atmospheric processes that were likely to physically or chemically alter aerosolized CNPs and demonstrated their relevance to CNP behavior and toxicity in the aqueous and terrestrial environment. In order to investigate the transformations of CNP aerosols under controlled conditions, we developed an aerosolization technique that produces nano-scale aerosols without using solvents, which can alter the surface chemistry of the aerosols. We demonstrated the technique with carbonaceous (C60) and metal oxide (TiO2, CeO2) nanoparticle powders. All resulting aerosols exhibited unimodal size distributions and mode particle diameters below 100 nm. We used the new aerosolization technique to investigate the reaction between aerosolized C60 and atmospherically realistic levels of ozone (O3) in terms of reaction products, reaction rate, and oxidative stress potential. We identified C60O, C60O2, and C60O3 as products of the C60-O3 reaction. We demonstrated that the oxidative stress potential of C60 may be enhanced by exposure to O3. We found the pseudo-first order reaction rate to be 9 × 10 to 2 × 10 s, which is several orders of magnitude lower than the rate for several PAH species under comparable conditions. This research has demonstrated that a thorough understanding of atmospheric chemistry of ENPs is critical for accurate prediction of their environmental impacts. It has also enabled future research in that vein by developing a novel technique to produce nanoscale aerosols from nanoparticle powders. Results of this research will help guide the formulation of appropriate environmental policy concerning the regulation of ENPs.


Objective. To assess how the longterm outcomes have changed over the past decades in Chinese patients with lupus nephritis (LN). The trends in patient manifestation at presentation, treatment pattern, and therapeutic effects were evaluated. Methods. A cohort of biopsy-proven patients with LN (n = 1945) from January 1994 to December 2010 was analyzed. Treatment regimens, treatment response, renal relapse, and renal outcome were compared at different time periods (1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010). Results. Patients in the later periods had shorter duration of disease, lower serum creatinine value and chronicity at biopsy, and more frequent followup. They were more likely to receive standard-of-care therapies, which included cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, and combination therapy. Patients in the later periods had higher probabilities of achieving remission (p < 0.001) and lower probabilities of experiencing renal flare (p = 0.007). The 5-year renal survival rates were 92.6%, 90.6%, and 94.3% in 1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010, respectively. The 5-year risk of endstage renal disease (ESRD) did not differ between 1994–1998 and 1999–2004, but was significantly lower in 2005–2010 (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19–0.85 vs 1999–2004). In multivariable Cox analysis, standard therapy was independently associated with lower risk of ESRD (adjusted HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.52–0.98, p = 0.04). Variables of renal damage at biopsy (renal function, activity index, and chronicity index) were independently associated with poor outcome. Conclusion. The outcomes of Chinese patients with LN have improved from 1994 to 2010. With the increased use of standard therapies, the remission rates have increased and renal relapse has decreased.


Objectives: The objective is to identify weakest buses using L-index method and to reduce the maximum value of L-index using Genetic Algorithm so as to maintain the voltage profile. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Among the various existing voltage stability indices, L-index is implemented in this paper since it involves simple calculation with high accuracy and reliability. Hence on identifying buses with maximum L-index, it becomes essential to minimize the L-index to maintain the system stability. Genetic Algorithm is chosen since it is faster and more accurate when implemented for power system problems in particular to optimize the voltage. Findings: The variations to be adopted for the control variables which are thus obtained for IEEE 30 bus system by using Genetic Algorithm are highly important to reduce L-index value. The voltage profile is improved better when Static Var Compensator is placed at the first weakest bus rather than the improvement in the voltage profile on employing a compensator in the next weakest buses which indicates the importance in identification of weakest buses. The significance of weakest buses are still emphasised on considering normal condition and contingency condition which shows that under contingency it is the weakest buses which is much more affected and hence driving the entire system towards voltage collapse. Application/Improvements: Hence by identifying the weakest buses using L-index and by minimizing the maximum value of L-index using Genetic Algorithm along with reactive power compensator improves the voltage profile better.


Background Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease affecting the world population for thousands of years. Aim The aim was to study and compare the pattern of TB in Suez and Damietta Chest Hospitals through the period from 2007 to 2016. Patients and methods This is a retrospective study that was carried out at Damietta and Suez Chest Hospitals and dispensaries and included all cases of TB from January 2007 to December 2016. Data were collected from TB registration units. Direct observed therapies strategy in chest hospitals and dispensaries started since January 1999. Results A total of 1208 (62.3%) cases were men and 732 (37.7%) were women. The highest rate of infection was reported in age group of 20–29 years (45.7%); the lowest affected age group was that greater than 60 years (5.1%). Type of TB was pulmonary in 76.1% and extrapulmonary in 23.9%. The main presenting symptom was cough presented in 50.8%, hemoptysis in 20.3%, chest pain in 14.7%, and fever in 14.2%. The sputum smear was positive in 89.3% and negative in 10.7%; and there was significant increase of positive smear in Damietta when compared with Suez Governorates (92.1 vs. 86.2%, respectively). The most common extrapulmonary lesion was pleural effusion (40.5%); then lymph node (19.4%) and the least was cold abscess (2.6%). Diabetes was reported in 11.5% and prolonged corticosteroid therapy in 6.5%. The condition at discharge was improvement in 85.5%, failure in 6.6%, relapse in 4.8%, and death in 3.1%. Both groups were comparable as regards the studied variables. Conclusion There was progressive decrease of total TB cases in both Damietta and Suez Governorate from 2007 to 2016 and both governorates were comparable.


Three photographs of Ms. Joyce Shoop wearing a Hanae Mori evening gown (TFC Inventory (2015.002.001). One photo of Ms. Shoop wearing the gown while working at the 14th Annual Tokyo Motor Show, October 25-November 8, 1967, in Tokyo, Japan. Ms. Shoop had bought the dress in 1967 in Tokyo. Two photographs are her publicity shots from her work as a model for the Kim Dawson Agency.


fore seems odd that laboratory work constitutes the poorest branch of medicine. I am a " laboratory doctor " because I find the work as interesting as the clinician finds his patient, but I object strenuously to a system which demands of me the highest efficiency in specialized work on the one hand, and on the other gives the practising clinician a compahatively comfortable life while forcing me literally to watch every penny. Such luxuries as a home of his own or a car are as a rule unknown to the laboratory doctor, while the activities of his wife and family are restricted in a way not usually associated with a specialist in Our profession. I should like to ask a question: Could the clinician and laboratory doctor change places ? Well, in emergencies I have seen many laboratory doctors carry on medical practices and conduct them to the satisfaction of all concerned. I regret I have not witnessed the spectacle of a clinician or general practitioner faced with the histological diagnosis of a tumour, or the performance of a routine Wassermann test. In other words. is the laboratory doctor a specialist in the real sense of the word ? If the answer is "Yes" then we have the strange position of a specialist receiving a salary about one quarter that earned by the non-specialist. I regret, Sir, that for obvious reasons I must sign myself LABORATORY DOCTOR.


Barra Bonita reservoir is located in the Tiete River Basin – Sao Paulo state – 22° 29" to 22° 44" S and 48° 10° W and it is the first of a series of six large reservoirs in this river. Built up in 1963 with the aim to produce hydroelectricity this reservoir is utilized for several activities such as fish production, irrigation, navigation, tourism and recreation, besides hydroelectricity production. The seasonal cycle of events in this reservoir is driven by the hydrological features of the basin with consequences on the retention time and on the limnological functions of this artificial ecosystem. The reservoir is polymitic with short periods of stability. Hydrology of the basin, retention time of the reservoir and cold fronts have an impact in the vertical and horizontal structure of the system promoting rapid changes in the planktonic community and in the succession of species. Blooms of Microcystis sp. are common during periods of stability. Superimposed to the climatological and hydrological forcing functions the human activities in the watershed produce considerable impact such as the discharge of untreated wastewater, the high suspended material contributions and fertilizers from the sugar cane plantations. The fish fauna of the reservoir has been changed extent due to the introduction of exotic fish species that exploit the pelagic zone of the reservoir. Changes in the primary productivity of phytoplankton in this reservoir, in the zooplankton community in the diversity and organization of trophic structure are a consequence of eutrophication and its increase during the last 20 years. Control of eutrophication by treating wastewater from urban sources, adequate agricultural practices in order to diminish the suspended particulate matter contribution, revegetation of the watershed and riparian forests along the tributaries are some possible restoration measures. Another action that can be effective is the protection of wetlands in the main tributaries as an effort to control eutrophication and particulate material load. Hydrology, climatic forcing and retention time are major forcing functions that promote the circulation (vertical and horizontal) in the reservoir and probably have a strong effect on dissolved and particulate material distribution. The 114 tributaries are systems that enhance spatial heterogeneity promoting diversity throughout ecological niches. Switches of control systems of this artificial ecosystem seems to be related with physical – physical forces; physical – biological forces during short periods of time, and biological – biological interactions at varying degrees during the seasonal cycle.


Adipose tissue is widely studied for its central role in regulating systemic metabolism and contribution to obesity-related diseases; however, skin resident dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) also contributes to many aspects of skin function. Skin-resident mature adipocytes are thought to prevent hair growth activation through the secretion of BMP molecules (1). Furthermore, following S. aureus infection, adipose tissue in the skin expands and produces an antibacterial peptide (2). During wound healing, defects in adipogenesis can abrogate fibroblast recruitment into wound beds, leading to defects in extracellular matrix deposition and tissue repair (3). Migration of adipocyte precursors into the wounded area might also contribute to the mesenchymal repopulation of the wounded site (4) and in wounds where hair follicle neogenesis is observed fully functional adipocyte precursors are present (5). These findings highlight the breadth of the role of adipose tissue in the skin.


The book contains a selection of papers presented at the Conference on Democracy, Market Economy, and Development, whose objective was to examine the extent of which democracy is important to the achievement of sustainable development. While it is widely accepted that economic freedom, as ensured broadly by the operation of the economy according to market, or laissez-faire principles, is a critical determinant of development, the role of political freedom, as ensured broadly by the practice of democracy, is less well understood. The papers focus largely on the experience of East Asia in recent years, featuring: democracy and the market economy, emphasizing both politics, and economics as essential to improve the lives of citizens; democracy and social justice, as intrinsic to development, arguing that rights and liberties are best conveyed by the democratic system of governance; participation, as fundamental to democracy and development, for it is the practice of democracy that is most critical to the long-term sustainability of development; liberal participatory democracy, as instrumental to prod sustainable economic reforms, by ensuring the legitimacy of reform efforts. Notably, the preconditions that participatory democracy requires in order to fully support reforms, are discussed, with supporting evidence from experiences in Latin America, and Asia; and, political and economic institutions of Asia, and the West, as set to converge, despite inconclusive debates on Asian values.


Analysis of data of 6298 patients with cutaneous melanoma seen at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich between 1977 and 1998 identified 31 patients who first experienced metastatic disease 10 or more years after surgical treatment of the primary melanoma. The mean tumor thickness in patients with late progression of disease was 1.4 mm. There was no sex predominance. Of 31 patients, 15 (48. 3%) were female and included both premenopausal and postmenopausal women at the time of initial diagnosis without any predominance. Sixteen of the 31 patients (51.6%) with late onset of progression had primary tumors located on the trunk. The prognosis after relapse was related to the site of recurrence; survival after local or regional node recurrence was often prolonged, whereas survival after distant metastases usually was limited. Survival after late recurrence did not correlate with disease-free survival. A high-risk group for late recurrence could not be identified. The data emphasize the value of continued clinical follow-up and self-examination for early detection of regional recurrences. We advocate a lifelong follow-up, also to identify other melanocytic lesions at risk (eg, dysplastic nevi, secondary or multiple melanomas).


The betain-like carbodiphosphorane CS2 adduct S2CC(PPh3)2 (1) reacts with Ag(I) salts which contain weakly coordinating anions such as [BF4]- or [Al{OC(CF3)3}4]- to produce the cluster compounds [Ag6{S2CC(PPh3)2}4][BF4]6 (2) and [Ag4{S2CC(PPh3)2}4][Al{OC(CF3)3}4]4 (3), respectively, as orange yellow crystals containing solvent molecules. In the solid state the Ag4 unit in 3 forms a tetrahedron, and in the Ag6 core of 2 two of the opposite edges of the tetrahedron are bridged by Ag+ ions. The clusters are held together by argentophilic interactions, and each sulfur atom of 1 is coordinated to four (as in 2) or three (as in 3) silver atoms. The compounds are characterized by IR and 31P NMR spectroscopic studies and by X-ray diffraction analyses.


We present a technique for automatically labeling segmented hyperspectral imagery with semantically meaningful material labels. The technique compares the mean signatures of each image segment to a spectral library of known materials, and material labels are assigned to image segments according to the most similar library entry. The similarity between spectral signatures is evaluated using our recently proposed CICRd similarity measure designed specifically for hyperspectral imagery. This measure considers both the continuum-intact reflectance spectrum and its continuum-removed representation. We provide a thorough assessment of this measure by comparison to several commonly used similarity measures on a well-studied low-altitude Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer image of an urban area. We evaluate our results using both information-theoretic techniques and visual validation of the resulting spectral matches.


The Aínsa Basin of northern Spain contains a deep‐marine succession comprising up to 24 sandstone bodies separated by thick marl‐rich units. A detailed analysis of nine outcrops (>900 m of sediment profiles) from the Morillo Formation of the San Vicente Group, from the upper part of the basin succession, has enabled a reappraisal of the unit. Within the Morillo Formation, sediment transport was to the NW, and a range of environments are recognized including channels, lobes and pelagic deposits. The overlying Coscojuela Formation, which partly cuts into the Morillo Formation, shows W‐directed palaeocurrents in its proximal reaches, with flows being deflected to the N along an adjacent slope. Destabilization of the adjacent carbonate platform resulted in a significant input of carbonate material into the flow. The final phases of sedimentation within the Aínsa Basin were more complex than previously suspected, probably as a result of a combination of factors, including tectonic activity, resulting in basin narrowing due to anticlinal growth, as well as encroachment and/or destabilization of the adjacent regional carbonate platforms. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Delivery of multiple collinear payloads utilizing convection-enhanced delivery (CED) has historically been performed by retraction of a needle or catheter from the most distal delivery site. Few studies have addressed end-infusion morphology and associated payload reflux in stacked and collinear infusions, and studies comparing the advancement with the retraction mode are lacking. Objective: To compare advancement versus retraction mode infusion results. Methods: Infusion cloud pairs were created with the advancement and retraction technique in agarose gel using both open end-port SmartFlow™ (SF) and valve tip (VT) catheter infusion systems. Backflow, radius of infusion, and morphology were assessed. Results: Infusions with the SF catheter, in contrast to the VT catheter, exhibited significantly more backflow in retraction mode at the shallow infusion site. Infusion morphology differed with the second infusion after retraction: the infusate at the proximal site first filling the channel left by the retraction and then being convected into gel in a pronouncedly non-spherical shape during the second infusion. Conclusions: Significant differences in cloud morphology were noted with respect to external catheter geometry with retraction versus penetration between infusions in an agarose gel model of the brain. Further study is warranted to determine optimal protocols for human clinical trials employing CED with multiple collinear payloads.


We describe a learning-based method for recovering 3D human body pose from single images and monocular image sequences. Our approach requires neither an explicit body model nor prior labeling of body parts in the image. Instead, it recovers pose by direct nonlinear regression against shape descriptor vectors extracted automatically from image silhouettes. For robustness against local silhouette segmentation errors, silhouette shape is encoded by histogram-of-shape-contexts descriptors. We evaluate several different regression methods: ridge regression, Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) regression, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) regression over both linear and kernel bases. The RVMs provide much sparser regression without compromising performance, and kernel bases give a small but worthwhile improvement in performance. The loss of depth and limb labeling information often makes the recovery of 3D pose from single silhouettes ambiguous. To handle this, the method is embedded in a novel regressive tracking framework, using dynamics from the previous state estimate together with a learned regression value to disambiguate the pose. We show that the resulting system tracks long sequences stably. For realism and good generalization over a wide range of viewpoints, we train the regression on images re-synthesized from real human motion capture data. The method is demonstrated for several representations of full body pose, both quantitatively on independent but similar test data and qualitatively on real image sequences.


This thesis contains a study of improvement and application of strain measurement technique using neutron diffraction. A dedicated neutron strain scanner - ENGIN, funded by Ee. has been developed at ISIS. It has two radial collimators, allowing for the first time, measurements taken simultaneously at two orthogonal directions; uses Pawley refinement permitting both whole pattern and individual peak profile analysis and its positioner allow's specimens weighing 250 kg to be placed with an accuracy of 100 µm.

Strain measurement using neutron diffraction has been investigated under two extreme circumstances: very shallow (within 1 mm near surface) and very deep in materials (hundred of mm). Near-surface measurement requires both the accurate determination of the effective measurement position associated with precise location of specimen, calculation of centroid and correction for an anomalous near-surface effect. The strain measurements on a shot-peened surface in titanium alloy were carried out using the methodology mentioned above. The result is comparable to that obtained from X-ray diffraction.

The latter was exploited by studying the effect of wavelength-dependent attenuation in materials. Experiments and theoretical analysis on aluminium and iron show that the effect is small for a strain scanner using radial collimator and time-of-flight technique. However, the reduction of the diffraction peak intensity, as a function of the amount of material in the beam path, reveals that great care should be taken when measuring texture as a function of depth in materials.

The neutron diffraction technique was applied to several sets of engineering strain measurements. Firstly, 3-D residual stresses surrounding a cold expanded hole in a high strength aluminium alloy plate were measured. The result agrees well with that from modified Sachs' method after taking the effect of gauge volume averaging into account. Second, measurements of strain distributions in a Q-joint under zero and 30 kN load have been carried out, which provides a confirmation of the excellence of the joint design as the fastener system has completely shielded the fastener hole from deleterious tensile strains under operational loading. Finally, calibration strain measurement for an energy dispersive neutron transmission spectrometer was performed for the first time and it is found that the transmission spectrometer is feasible for strain and phase transformation measurement.


Background: Adenotonsillectomy is one of the most frequent operations performed in hospitals worldwide. The aim this study is to investigate further the impact of antibiotics on co-morbidities post tonsillectomy.
Methods: This prospective double blinded randomized controlled study was conducted at the department of otolaryngology in a ter-tiary care hospital where 300 tonsillectomy operations are performed each year. All Patients aged 2 years and older who were admitted for elective tonsillectomy from Janu-ary 2012 to December 2012 were included in this study.
Results: From the 128 patients enrolled in the study, 70 belonged to Group A (Intervention) and 50 to Group 2 (Control). There was no sta-tistically significant difference in the post-operative oral intake, fever in the first post op-erative day, degree of stress, secondary bleed-ing, otalgia, fever at home, and day of return to regular diet between the two groups.
Conclusion: Although some studies showed that an-tibiotic use was beneficial in reducing morbidities post tonsillectomy, it is advisable for otolaryngolo-gist to re- evaluate current practice taking into con-sideration bacterial resistance to antibiotics, ad-verse effects and cost benefit ratios. The use of an-tibiotics in post tonsillectomy patients will remain crucial in some selected cases.


In this paper we shall derive asymptotic expansions of the Green function and the transition probabilities of Markov additive (MA) processes (ξ n ,S n ) whose first component satisfies Doeblin's condition and the second one
takes valued in Z d . The derivation is based on a certain perturbation argument that has been used in previous works in the same context. In our asymptotic expansions, however, not only the principal term but also the second order term are expressed explicitly in terms of a few basic functions that are characteristics of the expansion. The second order term will be important for instance in computation of the harmonic measures of a half space for certain models.
We introduce
a certain aperiodicity condition, named Condition (AP), that seems a minimal one under which the Fourier analysis can be applied straightforwardly. In the case when Condition (AP) is violated the structure of MA processes will be
clarified and it will be shown that in a simple manner the process, if not degenerate, are transformed to another one that satisfies Condition (AP)
so that from it we derive either directly or indirectly (depending on purpose) the asymptotic expansions for the original process. It in particular is shown that if the MA processes is irreducible as a Markov process, then the Green function is expanded quite similarly to that of a classical random walk on Z d


CAWTAR is an international NGO based in Tunis that implements projects and programs in the Arab world, in cooperation with local NGOs. The main goal of CAWTAR is to eradicate discrimination against Arab women and to reduce inequalities through the promotion of research, education and training. During this internship, I became aware of the crucial role NGOs play in women's empowerment, especially in countries where the States fail to guarantee gender equality and a decent life to all citizens. In fact, women's empowerment became very popular in the last decade and NGOs proved being an efficient actor in this field, helping States to eradicate poverty and guarantee gender equality. In this report, an attempt has been made to define empowerment in the general context, and to present it in the Tunisian one through examples of programs that have been carried out by three NGOs: CAWTAR, LET and TAHADI.


With the population growth in cities, urban green corridors are positioned to be one of the most in-demand green spaces, acting as recreation areas and as alternative paths for bicyclecommuters or walkers and posing new management challenges for the development of an adequate public use of these sites. However, most studies of outdoor recreation have been pursued in natural protected areas where visitors mainly develop educational/interpretative activities. In addition, little is known regarding why people use suburban green corridors and their motivations and attitudes. The initial outcomes of this research indicate that visitors of these areas primarily engage in leisure/entertainment activities and sport activities, with their primary motivations being the practice of outdoor activities and relaxation and contact with nature: they visit these places searching for an outdoor setting to pursue different activities. Therefore, these visitors could be named 'users of nature' (natusers) more than 'visitors of nature', whose traditional primary motivation was 'to know the site'.


This study reexamines the relationship between exports and economic growth in ten East Asian and Pacific economies by building upon Verdoorn's [1941] idea. The cointegration tests indicate the existence of long-run and stable relationships between economic growth, exports, imports, capital, and labor in each economy. Granger-causality tests indicate short-run in causality (either export-led growth or growth-driven exports) in most economies. Besides, among the long-run estimated coefficients between exports and imports, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines satisfy the intertemporal budget constraint—that is, these economies have an effective international trade policy to balance their trade position. The findings are in line with traditional trade theories and some recently developed endogenous growth theories.


The spatiotemporal distribution of neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) in the retinotectal system of adult goldfish was assessed by immunofluorescence using the monoclonal antibody (Mab) D3 against chick N-CAM. In immunoblots with extracts of cell surface membranes of fish brains, Mab D3 recognized a prominent band at 170K and a weak band at 130K (K = 10(3) Mr). N-CAM immunofluorescence on cells was restricted to the marginal growth zones of the retina and the tectum and, in normal fish, to the youngest axons from the new ganglion cells of the peripheral retinal margin. In fish with previously transected optic nerves (ONS), Mab D3 staining was found transiently on all axons from the site of the cut into the retinorecipient layers of the tectum, but disappeared from these axons 450 days after ONS. Growing retinal axons in vitro exhibited N-CAM immunofluorescence throughout their entire extent, including their growth cones. Glial cells cultured from regenerating optic nerves were, however, unlabeled. These data are consistent with the idea that N-CAM is involved in adhesive interactions of growing axons. The temporally regulated expression of N-CAM on the new retinal axons may contribute to the creation of the age-related organization of the axons in the retinotectal pathway of fish.


This paper considers a networked control loop, where the plant is a "slave" part, and the remote controller and observer constitute the "master". Since the performance of networked control systems (NCS) depends on the quality of service (QoS) available from the network, it is worth to design a controller that takes into account qualitative information on the QoS in realtime. The goal of the design is to provide a controller that guarantees the following two things: 1) high performances (here expressed by exponential decay rates) when the QoS remains globally the same and 2) global stability when the QoS changes. In order to guarantee the global stability, the controller will switch by respecting a dwell time constraint. The dwell time parameters are obtained by using the switched system theories and the obtained conditions are linear matrix inequalities. An experiment illustrates how the controller can be implemented for a control over Internet application (remote control of a small robot).


Component-based software engineering provides for developers the ability to easily reuse and assemble software entities to build complex software. Component-based specification of software functional characteristics has been and is largely addressed, however this is not yet the case for what concerns software non-functional characteristics. In this paper, we propose a new way to express component-based software non-functional documentation, and we will focus more specifically on architecture constraints which formalize parts of architecture decisions, as executable, customizable, reusable and composable building blocks represented by components. Checking of architecture constraints is provided via service invocation through ports of a special kind of components, called constraint-components. The signatures of these checking services can be defined in required interfaces of business components, to document decisions taken while designing their architecture. They can also be part of other required interfaces of constraint components, making it possible to build higher-level or more complex constraints while reusing existing ones. We present an example of implementation of constraint components using, an ADL which is introduced in this paper. Architecture constraints can then be checked on the architecture of business components at design-time using the CLACS tool support, which has been implemented as an Eclipse plugin.


Eight grasses were oversown on steep north and south aspects at Hunua, North Canterbury, either initially with clovers or three years after oversowing clovers. On the north aspect, cocksfoot established and persisted best but ryegrasses were superior on the south aspect. Here the later sowing was much superior, as by then the original dense cover had disappeared, but on the north aspect time of grass introduction made little difference. Clover introduction resulted in a threefold increase in dry matter production on the south aspect, which produced double that of the north aspect. Ryegrasses raised yields still further, but depressed resident grass production.


We describe three new species of the genus Coletinia Wygodzinsky, 1980, the most diverse of the family Nicoletiidae (order Zygentoma = Thysanura s. str.) in Europe: C. dalmatica Molero-Baltanás, Fišer, Bach de Roca & Gaju-Ricart sp. nov. from Croatia, C. dextra Molero-Baltanás, Bach de Roca & Gaju-Ricart sp. nov. from Spain and C. serrata Mendes, Molero-Baltanás, Bach de Roca & Gaju-Ricart sp. nov. from Portugal. Coletinia dalmatica sp. nov. seems to be related with C. maggi (Grassi, 1887) and both Iberian species belong to the asymetrica species group. New material of some previously recognized species (C. diania Molero, Bach & Gaju, 2013, C. intermedia Molero, Bach & Gaju, 2013, C. mendesi Wygodzinsky, 1980, C. redetecta Molero, Bach & Gaju, 2013 and C. tinauti Molero-Baltanás, Gaju-Ricart & Bach de Roca, 1997) is reported, enlarging in most cases their geographic distribution, and including some new data on their intraspecific variability. Finally, an updated identification key to all known species of the genus Coletinia is given.


This work proposes a junction-temperature sensing method for silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFETs with minimal calibration effort. The method utilizes the time delay between the gate-voltage and the device-current rise as a temperaturesensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) that exhibits two unique features: The time delay depends linearly on the junction temperature and shows nearly no sensitivity to the device current. Both features combined yield junction-temperature sensing with minimized calibration effort that is crucial for practical applications. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that the specific temperature dependence of the charge carrier mobility of SiC devices renders the sensing method particularly suitable for the application on SiC MOSFETs. This paper first defines the considered TSEP and describes the corresponding junction-temperature sensing method. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the influences on the considered time delay and to analyze the differences in the behavior of the TSEP for Si and SiC devices. Lastly, the method is validated by measurements on an SiC power module.


Objective: To understand the variability and nature of shared decision making (SDM) regarding a uniform type of serious medical decision, and to make normative judgments about how these conversations might be improved. Methods: This was a mixed-methods sub-analysis of the Improving Patient Outcomes with Respect and Trust (IMPORT) study. We used the Braddock framework to identify and describe seven elements of SDM in audio-recorded encounters regarding initiation of hydroxyurea, and used data from medical records and patient questionnaires to understand whether and how these tasks were achieved. Results: Physicians covered a spectrum of SDM behaviors: all dialogues contained discussion regarding the clinical issue and the pros and cons of treatment; the patient's understanding and role were not explicitly assessed or stated in any encounter. Yet no patient agreed to start hydroxyurea who did not already prefer it. There was no uniform approach to how physicians presented risk; many concerns expressed by patients in a pre-visit questionnaire were not discussed. Conclusion: In this analysis, patients seemed to understand their role in the decision-making process, suggesting that a patient's role may not always need to be explicitly stated. However, shared decision making might be improved with more routine assessment of patient understanding and concerns. Standardized decision aids might help fully inform patients of risks and benefits.


As the concluding part of a series of essays on theories of humanity in the Zhuangzi , this essay aims at describing the theme of qing 情 (emotion) as a dual-directional attitude towards qing as a partner to xing 性 (nature) and the influence of this domain of thought on later generations and their continued discussion of it. Faced with a forcible divorce of qing and xing at the hand of Han Dynasty Ruists, which would lock perceptions into a rigid dualist framework, the Wei and Jin period saw authors such as Wang Bi and Ji Kang return to a more faithful rendering of the theme of qing in the classics, the Laozi and Zhuangzi , seeing it become an ever more explicit philosophical topic and beginning a lengthy period of discussion of the theme of qing . In the Northern Song period, representative thinkers Zhang Zai and Wang Anshi The Northern Song tradition constitute a continuance of Pre-Qin Daoist philosophical ideas, providing a logical reinterpretation of the indivisibility of qing and xing from a syncretist approach to the Daoist and Ruist traditions, in a way that drastically differs from the Southern Song preference for xing at the cost of qing , as represented by thinkers such as the Brothers Cheng and Zhu Xi. At the bottom of it, this continued tradition draws from themes that appear in the Zhuangzi , a holistic approach to life and the relationship between humanity and nature, an important and continuous thread in the fabric of human civilisation.


This paper deals with a LQR problem for 2D (2-dimensional) systems in the case that one independent variable is bounded but the other is unbounded. First, we formulate the 2D LQR problem for Roesser model. Then it is shown that the problem can be reduced to an equivalent LQR problem for 1D systems, and thus, can be solved by 1D theory. The obtained controller has one direction causality. The relationship between the solvability conditions obtained for the equivalent 1D system and the practical stabilizability and detectability of the original 2D plant is clarified. Based on these results, its application to the design of an iterative learning control system is shown. Finally, a numerical example is also given to verify the effectiveness.


Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract (GI). Although positive immunohistochemistry for c-kit protein (CD117) and CD34 is critical in establishing diagnosis, the clinicopathologic features of CD117-positive mesenchymal tumors without obvious connection to the GI tract are not well documented. We describe the clinicopathologic features of two cases of extra-GIST. Case 1 was a 42-year-old woman who presented with a submucosal tumor located in the posterior vaginal wall. Case 2 was a 66-year-old woman who presented with a mass that bulged from the right side of the middle vaginal wall. Both tumors were excised locally. The results of microscopic examination and immunohistochemistry for both cases indicated the diagnosis of GIST. Case 2, in addition, showed oncogenic mutation in KIT exon 11. Case 1 is healthy without evidence of recurrence 4 years after surgery. Case 2 started imatinib therapy after resection of a recurrent mass. Gynecologists as well as diagnostic pathologists should be aware of GIST manifesting as a vaginal mass. Recognition of microscopic patterns and characteristic immunohistochemical phenotype, plus genetic study, is mandatory for establishing the correct diagnosis of GIST.


Relation discovery for multi-dimensional temporal point processes (MTPP) has received increasing interest for its importance in prediction and interpretability of the underlying dynamics. Traditional statistical MTPP models like Hawkes Process have difficulty in capturing complex relation due to their limited parametric form of the intensity function. While recent neural-network-based models suffer poor interpretability. In this paper, we propose a neural relation inference model namely TPP-NRI. Given MTPP data, it adopts a variational inference framework to model the posterior relation of MTPP data for probabilistic estimation. Specifically, assuming the prior of the relation is known, the conditional probability of the MTPP conditional on a sampled relation is captured by a message passing graph neural network (GNN) based MTPP model. A variational distribution is introduced to approximate the true posterior. Experiments on synthetic and real-world data show that our model outperforms baseline methods on both inference capability and scalability for high-dimensional data.


Stochastic dual coordinate ascent (SDCA) is an effective technique for solving regularized loss minimization problems in machine learning. This paper considers an extension of SDCA under the mini-batch setting that is often used in practice. Our main contribution is to introduce an accelerated mini-batch version of SDCA and prove a fast convergence rate for this method. We discuss an implementation of our method over a parallel computing system, and compare the results to both the vanilla stochastic dual coordinate ascent and to the accelerated deterministic gradient descent method of Nesterov [2007].


Abstract While body-worn cameras (BWCs) are increasingly becoming commonplace in police organizations, researchers and policymakers still know little about their implementation in the field and the factors related to their actual use. Using data collected from 146,601 incidents in Phoenix, Arizona, the present study examines the prevalence and correlates of BWC activation. In doing so, we examine the impact of incident-level factors, officer characteristics, neighborhood context, and changes in BWC activation policy on whether an officer who is assigned to wear a BWC activates their camera during a police-citizen contact. Cross-classified models are used to simultaneously assess the influence of factors at multiple levels of explanation. Our analysis suggests that a wide variety of individual, situational, organizational, and neighborhood factors are related to an officer's decision to activate their camera. BWC policy that confines, structures, and checks officer activation has a robust impact on an officer's decision to activate their BWC.


Only later in life have some women voiced their Holocaust experiences. One example is Ruth Klüger's acclaimed German autobiography, weiter leben-eine Jugend (1992). The Holocaust has also influenced female fiction writers. American-born Sherri Szeman wrote the Auschwitz novel The Kommandant's Mistress (1993). Both engaging texts consist of non-chronological memory fragments.Szeman's two narrators, a female Jewish concentration camp inmate and a Nazi camp commander, strive for hegemony as they reveal their common sexual encounters in the concentrationary world. For Szeman, the Holocaust, despite its magnitude and impersonality, provides a symbolic language and a framework in which to express individual victimization of women, and crucially, the possibility of survival. A juxtaposition of autobiographical and fictional memoirs reveals a contrasting depiction of remembered history, especially with regard to women. Good intentions and literary talent aside, the dilemma of fictional representation of the Holocaust arises, and questions of verisimilitude and author's responsibility demand response. Critics continue to grapple with these issues.


This paper proposes a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT)-based cooperative device-to-device (D2D) network, where the D2D pairs are distributed in a circular area. Such networks are particularly helpful in public safety scenarios, where battery constraints signify the need for a resource efficient communication protocol. The node distribution in the circular area is modeled through a homogeneous Poisson point process (PPP), where a central node is responsible for intra-region signaling. Expressions for the ergodic rates of single-hop and dual-hop scenarios are derived, assuming a Rayleigh fading channel with path loss. A transmission flow mechanism encompassing energy harvesting and decode-and-forward nodes is devised for end-to-end transmission. Performance analysis of the proposed technique reveals the impact of different network parameters on the magnitude of energy harvested and outage capacity.


We investigate the manner in which lenticular galaxies are formed by studying their stellar kinematics: an S0 formed from a fading spiral galaxy should display similar cold outer disc kinematics to its progenitor, while an S0 formed in a minor merger should be more dominated by random motions. In a pilot study, an attempt to distinguish between these scenarios, we have measured the planetary nebula (PN) kinematics of the nearby S0 system NGC 1023. Using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph, we have detected and measured the line-of-sight velocities of 204 candidate planetary nebulae (PNe) in the field of this galaxy. Out to intermediate radii, the system displays the kinematics of a normal rotationally supported disc system. After correction of its rotational velocities for asymmetric drift, the galaxy lies just below the spiral galaxy Tully–Fisher relation, as one would expect for a fading system. However, at larger radii the kinematics undergo a gradual but major transition to random motion with little rotation. This transition does not seem to reflect a change in the viewing geometry or the presence of a distinct halo component, since the number counts of PNe follow the same simple exponential decline as the stellar continuum with the same projected disc ellipticity out to large radii. The galaxy's small companion, NGC 1023A, does not seem to be large enough to have caused the observed modification either. This combination of properties would seem to indicate a complex evolutionary history in either the transition to form an S0 or in the past life of the spiral galaxy from which the S0 formed. More data sets of this type from both spirals and S0s are needed in order to definitively determine the relationship between these types of system.


Murals are a highly prominent aspect of Los Angeles present day. The purpose of this study is to investigate the history and cultural production of early murals in greater Los Angeles, many of which still exist within interiors of old commercial and public buildings, together with a few external political murals from the 1930's. Little of this
period has been previously documented and the scope of the study includes a short general history of American mural painting preceding the main period of focus which presents a survey of mural painting in the city from origin c.1900, and develops on the patrons and artists aligned with the city's history and political unrest prevalent in the
United States throughout this period. My main conclusions revealed that unlike other cities in the U.S., Los Angeles does not have a history of Beaux-Arts murals; rather the
mural movement sprang from the rapid development, commercialization and capitalization of the city from c.1900 to the late 1920's. During the Great Depression, the federal government took over sponsorship of the arts, and because capitalism as an economic system appeared to have failed, many artists became politicized; furthermore
Mexican artists Rivera, Siqueiros and Orozco strongly influenced many American artists during the 1920s and 30s, aesthetically and politically.
Among the issues the thesis examines in some depth includes the development over these Los Angeles years of the methods by which mural art was integrated into particular locations and the identities of public and private architectural formations.
This establishes the collaboration between artists and architects and the way that some architects decided to push hard for its continuation, with artists devising a wealth of
contrasting images. There is the expansion of urbanism, together with huge commercialization and the examination of creative street art. With the roots of the Depression the role of the state is identified and discussed, together with its major effects on Los Angeles mural artists, the role of various artists also identified together with a deep exploration of political convictions and their problematic outcomes. This is a marker on the way this inner city and its suburbs formed, and is original in displaying the visual terms of Greater Los Angeles and its mural outcomes in the first half of the twentieth century.


Clinical definitions of melioidosis and inhalation-acquired melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei infection) are described together with the evidence used to develop these definitions. Such definitions support accurate public health reporting, preparedness planning for deliberate B. pseudomallei release, design of experimental models, and categorization of naturally acquired melioidosis.


Aim: The current study was designed to investigate total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), radical scavenging activity and antimicrobial profile of the aqueous, methanolic, ethanolic, and acetone leaf extract of Pittosporum eriocarpum. Materials and Methods: TPC was performed by the Folin–Ciocalteu method and TFC was measured by aluminum chloride assay. The free radical scavenging activity of leaf extracts of P. eriocarpum was ascertained by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay and antimicrobial activity were studied by agar well diffusion method and were measured on the basis of the zone of inhibition (ZI) in millimeters. Results and Discussion: Screening of phytochemicals is a basic step in the investigation of the new potent bioactive component before huge extraction. P. eriocarpum leaf extracts possess significant results in terms of TPC and TFC, maximum value of TPC (544.60 ± 28.70 gallic acid equivalent [GAE] mg/g) was recorded in acetone extract while the minimum value of TPC (352.01 ± 32.4 GAE mg/g) was recorded in aqueous extract. The maximum (786.00 ± 13.75 QE mg/g) and minimum (493.30 ± 33.02 QE mg/g) values for TFC were recorded in methanolic and aqueous extracts, respectively. Radical scavenging activity was recorded to be maximum in the methanolic extract (66.91 ± 0.60%), whereas, lowest scavenging activity was recorded for aqueous extract (45.99 ± 0.7%), respectively. P. eriocarpum leaves extracts showed significant antimicrobial potential against three yeast strains (Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Candida tropicalis) and three bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The maximum ZI was recorded in the methanolic extract (19.03 ± 0.47 mm) against Candida glabrata while minimum ZI 11.53 ± 0.41 mm for C. tropicalis was recorded. Methanolic extract showed maximum ZI of 14.67 ± 00.30 mm against P. aeruginosa while aqueous extract showed minimum ZI of 11.60 ± 00.65 mm for P. aeruginosa, respectively. Fluconazole (for fungal strains), ampicillin (for bacterial strains) and DMSO were used as a positive and negative control. Conclusion: These results may serve as the basic footsteps in the field of biomedical research, and further studies can be directed toward the investigation of novel molecules associated with its antioxidants, phytochemical properties, and antimicrobial properties.


Various mechanisms have been proposed for the dynamic cause and kinematic development of gneiss domes. They include (1) diapiric fl ow induced by density inversion, (2) buckling under horizontal constriction (i.e., extension perpendicular to compression), (3) coeval orthogonal contraction or superposition of multiple phases of folding in different orientations, (4) instability induced by vertical variation of viscosity, (5) arching of corrugated detachment faults by extension-induced isostatic rebound, and (6) formation of doubly plunging antiforms induced by thrust-duplex development. Despite proliferation of models for gneiss-dome formation, a diagnostic link between the observed geological setting of a gneiss dome and the associated deformational processes remains poorly understood. This is because gneiss domes refl ect fi nite-strain patterns that can be reached through different strain paths or superposition of multiple mechanisms. To better differentiate the competing mechanisms and to assist the clarity of future discussion, a classifi cation scheme of individual gneiss domes and gneiss-dome systems is proposed. The scheme expands the traditional defi nition of mantled gneiss domes, which emphasizes the spatial association with synkinematic migmatite and a supracrustal cover, by including those associated with faults. To illustrate possible kinematic interactions between faulting and gneiss-dome development, major geologic properties of two end-member fault-related gneiss domes are discussed: one produced by the development of North American Cordilleran-style extensional detachment faults and the other by passive-roof thrusts in crustal-scale fault-bend folds. Distinguishing the two has become a critical issue in the Himalayan orogen and the western U.S. Cordilleran where emplacement and exhumation of gneiss domes have been variably interpreted to be detachment or thrust related. A systematic examination of gneiss domes related to contractional versus extensional faults indicates that a detachment-related gneiss dome is characterized by the presence of a breakaway system in the footwall, rapid footwall denudation by normal faulting, and coeval development of supradetachment basins in the hanging wall. In contrast, a gneiss dome related to passive-roof faulting is commonly associated with rapid denudation of both hanging-wall and footwall rocks by erosion and the lack of coeval supradetachment basins. The most important aspect of a gneiss-dome system is the spacing between individual domes. The evenly spaced gneiss-dome systems tend to be associated with instabilities induced by density inversion, vertical viscosity variation, or horizontal contraction in a laterally homogenous medium. In contrast, unevenly spaced gneiss-dome systems may be associated with fault development, superposition of multiple folding events, or laterally inhomogeneous properties of rocks comprising the gneiss-dome systems. In nature, gneiss domes are often produced by superposition 1 Yin, A., 2004, Gneiss domes and gneiss dome systems, in Whitney, D.L., Teyssier, C., and Siddoway, C.S., eds., Gneiss domes in orogeny: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Special Paper 380, p. 1–14. For permission to copy, contact email@example.com. © 2004 Geological Society of America


Spirometra larvae are etiological agents of human sparganosis. However, the systematics of spirometrid cestodes has long been controversial. In order to determine the current knowledge on the evolution and genetic structure of Spirometra, an exhaustive population diversity analysis of spirometrid cestodes using the mitochondrial gene: cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) was performed. All publicly available cox1 sequences available in the GenBank and 127 new sequencing genes from China were used as the dataset. The haplotype identify, network, genetic differentiation and phylogenetic analysis were conducted successively. A total of 488 sequences from 20 host species, representing four spirometrid tapeworms (S. decipiens, S. ranarum, S. erinaceieuropaei and Sparganum proliferum) and several unclassified American and African isolates from 113 geographical locations in 17 countries, identified 45 haplotypes. The genetic analysis revealed that there are four clades of spirometrid cestodes: Clade 1 (Brazil + USA) and Clade 2 (Argentina + Venezuela) included isolates from America, Clade 3 contained African isolates and one Korean sample, and the remainders from Asia and Australia belonged to Clade 4; unclassified Spirometra from America and Africa should be considered the separate species within the genus; and the taxonomy of two Korea isolates (S. erinaceieuropaei KJ599680 and S. decipiens KJ599679) was still ambiguous and needs to be further identified. In addition, the demographical analyses supported population expansion for the total spirometrid population. In summary, four lineages were found in the spirometrid tapeworm, and further investigation with deeper sampling is needed to elucidate the population structure.


The design of a 4*4-bit multiplier using the modified Booth's algorithm in 2- mu m NMOS technology is discussed. The main features of this chip are its 62.5-MHz operating frequency and 31.5-mW power dissipation. The chip occupies an area of 1.37 mm/sup 2/. A novel adder-cum-subtractor circuit was designed to realize the arithmetic processing part. >


Globalization has resulted in many negative effects in the developing countries. It has contributed to a decline in household income, widespread poverty, and unemployment. The objectives of the study were to determine the hospitals' expectations of quality of service offered by NHIF. Establish the hospitals' perceptions of the quality of service rendered by NHIF. Also to establish whether there are differences in hospital's expectations and perceptions on the quality of service rendered by NHIF. The research design that was used was descriptive in nature. The population of interest included all the hospitals that offer inpatient cover within Nairobi and are accredited by NHIF. A census study was conducted because the sample frame was of only sixty-four hospitals in Nairobi but only fifty-four hospitals responded. Primary data was collected through using structured questionnaires which were administered through the use of the drop and pick later method. Data collected was analyzed using proportions, percentages, means, standard deviations and co-efficient of variations. Graphical displays were used to amplify the comparative analysis. Results indicate that the hospitals expectation on the ten service dimensions is quite high, compared to their perception. The hospital administrators have high expectations on the service dimensions of tangibility, understanding/ knowing the customer and credibility and low expectations on courtesy and access. Limitations of the study arose mainly due to the lack of commitment from respondents who were unwilling to respond to the questionnaire because of time and awareness. Recommendations stipulate the key areas that need improvement is that of understanding / knowing the customer through appropriate research on what the customer needs.


Thin layer chromatographic studies of amino acids were performed on three differentially charged surfaces of silica gel, alumina and cellulose with 40% aqueous solution of five carbohydrates namely dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose and sucrose. 40% dextrose-alumina and 40% dextrose-cellulose TLC systems were identified as most favorable for selective separation of glutamic acid and tryptophan from the mixture of other amino acids. In addition to this, several combinations of amino acids have been resolved on silica gel and alumina layers with 40% dextrose as eluent. The lowest detectable limit of glutamic acid and tryptophan, stability of mixtures of amino acids and reproducibility of RF values were determined. The proposed method is environmentally acceptable because of the use of non-toxic nature of eluents used.


Introduction and purpose To assess the feasibility and safety of carotid revascularization in subacute conditions, using a flow reversal system. Materials and method A total of five patients presenting with subacute carotid occlusion and non-disabling neurologic deficits underwent endovascular revascularization of their occluded vessel by using a flow reversal system as a protection device against embolic phenomena. In two cases, in addition to the flow reversal system a protective filter has been added on prior to completion of revascularization. All patients underwent the intervention under general anesthesia. After revascularization, all patients underwent placement of stents at the locations presumed responsible for their occlusions. All patients were managed immediately in the neurointensive care unit under strict blood pressure control. Results Technically, all of the procedures were successful with no embolic phenomena. In patients where a filter device was used in addition to the flow reversal system, the filter was inspected visually after removal and no clots or debris were identified. There were no neurological deficits associated with the procedure. There were no systemic or local complications associated. In one patient a 6 month clinic and angiographic follow-up was obtained. This demonstrated patency of the stent. The patient did not develop any additional neurological deficits. Conclusion Preliminary results of using a flow reversal system in carotid artery subacute revascularization suggest that this technique is feasible and effective. A larger patient cohort would be necessary to further address the safety of the procedure, indications and long term results.


Peripheral blood T lymphocytes from healthy donors were stimulated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro and afterward analyzed phenotypically. Marked expansion of the gamma/delta T cell population (3- to 21-fold) was observed in 15/21 donors 7 to 10 days after stimulation. In addition to M. tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae (six of eight) as well as the gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (two of six), group A streptococci (seven of nine), and Listeria monocytogenes (four of eight) augmented gamma/delta TCR expression in peripheral blood T cells of many donors. gamma/delta T lymphocytes expressed IL-2R and secreted IL-2 upon restimulation with M. tuberculosis. Stimulation with M. tuberculosis evoked specific cytolytic activities in gamma/delta T lymphocytes because: gamma/delta T cells lysed M. tuberculosis pulsed but not unpulsed targets; high concentrations of TCR delta 1 mAb facilitated killing of unpulsed target cells; and low doses of anti-TCR delta 1 mAb blocked killing of pulsed targets. Furthermore, gamma/delta T cells from four donors, after activation with M. tuberculosis or with group A streptococci, respectively, only lysed targets pulsed with the homologous agents, whereas in other donors some cross-reactivity was observed. We conclude that, upon contact with mycobacteria and perhaps other microorganisms, gamma/delta T cells are activated which contribute to immunity against infection via IL-2 secretion and specific target cell lysis.


Background HSV infections during pregnancy are generally asymptomatic and associated with high rate of neonatal morbidity and death. Differential serologic diagnosis of HSV infections in pregnancy is important for the correct assessment of the infection status. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Roche Elecsys® assays for the type specific determination of HSV-1 and HSV-2 IgG antibodies. Methods A total of 800 samples obtained from sexually active adults (n = 300), pregnant women (n = 400) and herpes infection suspected patients(n = 100) were analysed using Roche Elecsys® HSV-1 and HSV-2 assays and commercially available Focus Diagnostics HerpeSelect, Radim HERPES S.V and Diasorin LIAISON type specific ELISA assays. A commercially available Western Blot assay was used for the resolution of the discrepant results. For further confirmation of the type specific detection performance of the Elecsys® HSV-1 and HSV-2 assays 310 potentially cross reactive samples for HSV-2 and 123 samples for HSV-1 were analysed. Results The Elecsys® HSV-1 IgG assay showed a relative sensitivity of 95.6 to 100%. The relative specificity was between 97.6 and 100%. The Elecsys® HSV-2 IgG assay showed a relative sensitivity of 92.6 to 100%. The relative specificity was between 98.7 and 100%. These assays exhibits excellent differentiation between HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections with no cross reactivity to other herpes viruses like CMV, VZV or EBV. Conclusion The results obtained with the type specific Roche Elecsys® HSV-1 and HSV-2 assays indicate that these assays are useful, specific and sensitive for the differential determination of HSV-1 and HSV-2 IgG antibodies in serum or plasma samples. The advantage of the Roche Elecsys® assays compared to ELISA based assays, is that these assays are rapid and can be performed in a fully automated process.


Neurotypical observers show large and reliable individual differences in gaze behavior along several semantic object dimensions. Individual gaze behavior toward faces has been linked to face identity processing, including that of neurotypical observers. Here, we investigated potential gaze biases in Super-Recognizers (SRs), individuals with exceptional face identity processing skills. Ten SRs, identified with a novel conservative diagnostic framework, and 43 controls freely viewed 700 complex scenes depicting more than 5000 objects. First, we tested whether SRs and controls differ in fixation biases along four semantic dimensions: faces, text, objects being touched, and bodies. Second, we tested potential group differences in fixation biases toward eyes and mouths. Finally, we tested whether SRs fixate closer to the theoretical optimal fixation point for face identification. SRs showed a stronger gaze bias toward faces and away from text and touched objects, starting from the first fixation onward. Further, SRs spent a significantly smaller proportion of first fixations and dwell time toward faces on mouths but did not differ in dwell time or first fixations devoted to eyes. Face fixation of SRs also fell significantly closer to the theoretical optimal fixation point for identification, just below the eyes. Our findings suggest that reliable superiority for face identity processing is accompanied by early fixation biases toward faces and preferred saccadic landing positions close to the theoretical optimum for face identification. We discuss future directions to investigate the functional basis of individual fixation behavior and face identity processing ability.


THE ADVISABILITY of operation in many patients is based on an assessment of the cardiac status. 1-3 If operation is directed at the heart itself, preoperative study of the patient often includes a detailed hemodynamic evaluation by cardiac catheterization. On the other hand, evaluation of general surgical patients rarely includes cardiac catheterization; considerable reliance is placed on an estimate of exercise tolerance and the presence or absence of overt cardiac failure. Since pulmonary disease or disturbance in many other organ systems may impair exercise capacity when the heart appears to be functioning normally, we need criteria more specific than simple exercise tolerance to estimate reserve capacity of the heart. How can we quantitate the pumping capability of the heart and relate this to the probability of survival in the face of anticipated operative stress? Techniques for such assessment, previously confined to the experimental laboratory, are now applicable to patients in


For chemical hydrogen storage, capacity is one key criterion that has spurred intense efforts to investigate compounds with high hydrogen content. The guanidinium cation and the octahydrotriborate anion possess 6 H+ and 8 H−, respectively. The combination of these two ions yields guanidinium octahydrotriborate with 13.8 wt% hydrogen. This paper presents its facile synthesis, as confirmed by 11B and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results show that guanidinium octahydrotriborate is an ionic liquid with a melting point below −10 °C, which makes it a possible injectable/pumpable hydrogen carrier. It decomposes selectively to hydrogen, in stark contrast to the formation of various boranes from related solid octahydrotriborates. The much improved H2 purity can be ascribed to the more effective combination of H+ and H−, and the higher H+/H− ratio in liquid guanidinium octahydrotriborate.


First published in 1973, Rules and Meanings is an anthology of works that form part of Mary Douglas' struggle to devise an anthropological modernism conducive to her opposition to reputedly modernizing trends in contemporary society. The collection contains works by Wittgenstein, Schutz, Husserl, Hertz and other continentals. The underlying themes of the anthology are the construction of meaning, the force of hidden background assumptions, tacit conventions and the power of spatial organization to reinforce words. The work serves to complement the philosophers' work on everyday language with the anthropologists' theory of everyday knowledge.


This paper considers the velocity control problem of nonlinear hydraulic servo systems subjected to unknown and time-varying external load disturbances. Hydraulically operated processes are usually represented by a hydraulic actuator-load system whose dynamic characteristics are complex and highly nonlinear, owing either to the flow-pressure relationships of the hydraulic system or to a load system motion itself. Furthermore, these characteristics are sometimes unknown owing to the uncertainty in external load disturbances to the processes. Therefore, the conventional approach to the controller design of these systems may not assure satisfactory control performance. To obtain better performance an adaptive model following control scheme was derived based upon Lyapunov's direct method [8]. In order to deal with the uncertainties that are associated with the plant dynamics and the unknown disturbances, this method uses a small ultimate bound of the state error as an adaptation criterion. A series of simulation studies were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this controller. The results show that the proposed AMFC is fairly robust to unknown and timevarying external load disturbances, yielding improved performance characteristics when compared with a suboptimal PID controller with constant feedback gain.


Information technology (IT) is central in providing Telerehabilitation (TR), which enables people with disabilities access to limited number of qualified practitioners with specialty expertise, especially at rural areas. Prior to 2008, most TR utilized non-integrated IT systems to provide its basic infrastructure. Using this approach, data management has to be done manually over multiple non-integrated systems, increasing the possibility of outdated or missing data. An integrated system that is open, flexible, extensible, and cost-effective was designed and developed as a solution to mitigate this problem. The work described in this dissertation elaborates the process of developing such system, called the Versatile and Integrated System for Telerehabilitation (VISYTER). VISYTER was intended to become a platform that is capable of delivering any TR, and was first used to support Remote Wheelchair Prescription (RWP), a TR effort to support clinicians in rural Pennsylvania to prescribe wheeled mobility and seating devices.
The development process of VISYTER consisted of three main phases: identification and verification of requirements, validation, and evaluation. The requirement identification and verification phase involved a group of expert clinicians from RWP with the purpose of identifying the requirement of the system to support RWP: a system that can provide real-time teleconsultation and documentation support for prescribing a wheeled mobility intervention. Validation studies were conducted with help from ten individuals, including physicians, clinicians, and suppliers participated to validate VISYTER in their workplaces. All participants agreed that VISYTER can be used to properly support both the teleconsultation and documentation phase of RWP. Afterward, the usability of VISYTER was evaluated through a comparison study with a commonly utilized videoconferencing system in TR, POLYCOM. Twenty-six clinicians participated in a counterbalanced experimental study to measure the difference in usability for completing client assessment tasks using both systems. The study found VISYTER to be more efficient and less prone to error when compared to POLYCOM. Based on these findings, the study concluded that an integrated system could improve the usability TR delivery when compared to non-integrated systems approach.


Unskilled Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) is prevalent in rural Nigeria due to communal culture and traditions, their compassionate attitude, and non-availability of appropriate health facilities within the communities. Yet, there is no clear framework defining their roles, locations and practices. This study aimed to identify the pattern and practices of TBA in Nsukka area of Enugu State, and evaluate their roles in rural maternity services in Enugu state of Nigeria. This was a mixed method cross sectional study involving a questionnaire-based survey and Focus group discussions (FGD). Seventy-eight TBAs, were recruited for this study. Structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and a semi-structured discussion guide was used for the FGD – one FGD for each development center. SPSS version 25 was used for statistical analysis. Records of FGD sessions were transcribed, condensed into themes, and analyzed. A total of 78 TBAs were interviewed, 26 from each of the three development areas. Majority (66.0%) completed primary education while 9.0% did not have any formal education. Almost two-third (65.4%) uses exclusively traditional methods in their practice, whereas 34.5% combined orthodox method. Three focused group discussions showed almost all the TBAs in the study could neither identify different complications and when to refer nor signs separating different stages of labour. Poorly educated TBA in the Nsukka area of Enugu State combines orthodox medicine with herbs and traditional healing methods. Their appreciation and management of danger pregnancy signs and referral system are lacking.

 Key words: Traditional birth attendants, healthcare, Nsukka, informal health, Labor.


Tragopogon mirus Ownbey and T. miscellus Ownbey are allopolyploids that formed repeatedly during the past 80 years following the introduction of three diploids (T. dubius Scop., T. pratensis L. and T. porrifolius L.) from Europe to western North America. These polyploid species of known parentage are useful for studying the consequences of recent and recurrent polyploidization. We summarize recent analyses of the cytogenetic, genomic and genetic consequences of polyploidy in Tragopogon. Analyses of rDNA ITS (internal transcribed spacer) + ETS (external transcribed spacer) sequence data indicate that the parental diploids are phylogenetically well separated within Tragopogon (a genus of perhaps 150 species), in agreement with isozymic and cpDNA data. Using Southern blot and cloning experiments on tissue from early herbarium collections of T. mirus and T. miscellus (from 1949) to represent the rDNA repeat condition closer to the time of polyploidization than samples collected today, we have demonstrated concerted evolution of rDNA. Concerted evolution is ongoing, but has not proceeded to completion in any polyploid population examined; rDNA repeats of the diploid T. dubius are typically lost or converted in both allopolyploids, including populations of independent origin. Molecular cytogenetic studies employing rDNA probes, as well as centromeric and subtelomeric repeats isolated from Tragopogon, distinguished all chromosomes among the diploid progenitors (2n = 12). The diploid chromosome complements are additive in both allopolyploids (2n = 24); there is no evidence of major chromosomal rearrangements in populations of either T. mirus or T. miscellus. cDNA-AFLP display revealed differences in gene expression between T. miscellus and its diploid parents, as well as between populations of T. miscellus of reciprocal origin. Approximately 5% of the genes examined in the allopolyploid populations have been silenced, and an additional 4% exhibit novel gene expression relative to their diploid parents. Some of the differences in gene expression represent maternal or paternal effects. Multiple origins of a polyploid species not only affect patterns of genetic variation in natural populations, but also contribute to differential patterns of gene expression and may therefore play a major role in the long-term evolution of polyploids. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 82, 485–501.


To determine the extent of health counseling received by college freshmen from their primary health care providers, 362 students answered questions regarding 15 health topics. Internists provided more counseling than pediatricians and family/general practitioners about smoking and alcohol use, more than pediatricians about drug use and heart disease prevention, and more than family/general practitioners about weight control and nutrition. Pediatricians exceeded family/general practitioners in counseling about weight control and nutrition but did not exceed internists in any areas. For 11 of 15 topics, more than 75% of students reported receiving no counseling. Women were counseled for stress and contraception more frequently than men. Overall, topics most often discussed by physicians were exercise, nutrition, and breast self-examination. The topics most frequently requested by students were exercise, stress (women), depression, weight control (women) and sexually transmitted diseases (men). These data suggest that adolescents receive little health counseling from personal physicians, especially regarding topics leading to great morbidity and mortality for this age group. Pediatricians, especially, must increase the extent of counseling if they are to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics' goal of providing care to adolescents and young adults.


Perceived organizational support (POS) is commonly treated as a consequence of perceived psychological contract breach (PCB). However, because both concepts assume a mutual exchange relationship in which each party makes assessments of, and then decides how to reciprocate, the other party's contributions, this article propounds that the PCB–POS relationship is recursive. By drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, the authors argue that following an initial PCB, low levels of POS may then increase the likelihood of perceiving further PCBs through reduced management trust, thus generating a resource loss spiral. By estimating a two-level time-lagged mediation model on weekly data from 338 Canadian employees (1215 observations), the findings support the reciprocal PCB–POS relationship, and show that POS and PCB form a vicious cycle of resource loss. The authors suggest avenues for future research and practical implications relating to the role of time and resources in preventing further exchange deterioration.


BACKGROUND
The call for evidence-based practice presents numerous challenges to nurses who are responsible for developing interventions and expanding the associated knowledge base. The challenge is compounded because there is limited literature concerning development of interventions and their evidence base.

AIM
The purpose of this article is to present a model that has been successfully used to guide the process of developing and testing complex nursing interventions, especially those in which the experience of the client plays an important role.

DISCUSSION
The model consists of four stages: problem definition, accumulation of building blocks for intervention design, intervention design and intervention validation. Each stage is described and examples from research studies are presented. Specific attention is given to the manner in which the model allows for the accumulation of empirical evidence and theory development during the development process.

CONCLUSIONS
Use of the model could facilitate effective communication among nurses, researchers and educators when discussing the development and testing of nursing interventions.


The rollout of smart meters raises the prospect that domestic customer electrical demand can be responsive to changes in supply capacity. Such responsive demand will become increasingly relevant in electrical power systems, as the proportion of weather-dependent renewable generation increases, due to the difficulty and expense of storing electrical energy. One method of providing response is to allow direct control of customer devices by network operators, as in the UK `Economy 7` and `White Meter` schemes used to control domestic electrical heating. However, such direct control is much less acceptable for loads such as washing machines, lighting and televisions. This study instead examines the use of real-time pricing of electricity in the domestic sector. This allows customers to be flexible but, importantly, to retain overall control. A simulation methodology for highlighting the potential effects of, and possible problems with, a national implementation of real-time pricing in the UK domestic electricity market is presented. This is done by disaggregating domestic load profiles and then simulating price-based elastic and load-shifting responses. Analysis of a future UK scenario with 15 GW wind penetration shows that during low-wind events, UK peak demand could be reduced by 8-11 GW. This could remove the requirement for 8-11 GW of standby generation with a capital cost of £2.6 to £3.6 billion. Recommended further work is the investigation of improved demand-forecasting and the price-setting strategies. This is a fine balance between giving customers access to plentiful, cheap energy when it is available, but increasing prices just enough to reduce demand to meet the supply capacity when this capacity is limited.


Knowledge distillation (KD) is an efficient approach to transfer the knowledge from a large"teacher"network to a smaller"student"network. Traditional KD methods require lots of labeled training samples and a white-box teacher (parameters are accessible) to train a good student. However, these resources are not always available in real-world applications. The distillation process often happens at an external party side where we do not have access to much data, and the teacher does not disclose its parameters due to security and privacy concerns. To overcome these challenges, we propose a black-box few-shot KD method to train the student with few unlabeled training samples and a black-box teacher. Our main idea is to expand the training set by generating a diverse set of out-of-distribution synthetic images using MixUp and a conditional variational auto-encoder. These synthetic images along with their labels obtained from the teacher are used to train the student. We conduct extensive experiments to show that our method significantly outperforms recent SOTA few/zero-shot KD methods on image classification tasks. The code and models are available at: https://github.com/nphdang/FS-BBT


CONTEXT
Alcohol misuse is more common in rural areas, and rural problem drinkers are less likely to seek alcohol treatment services. Rural clinics face unique challenges to implementing routine alcohol screening and intervention.

PURPOSE
To assess the feasibility of using the single alcohol screening question (SASQ) during routine nursing vital signs in a rural clinic, and to determine its effect on alcohol screening and intervention rates.

METHODS
Patient exit interviews were used to identify alcohol misuse and to measure changes in screening and intervention rates. Chi-square tests were used to compare rates of screening across study phases, while odds ratios from logistic regression analyses were used to quantify association between nurse screening and clinician intervention.

FINDINGS
Exit interviews were completed by 126 current drinkers (41 before vital signs screening implementation and 85 afterward). Screening rates for alcohol misuse rose from 14.6% at baseline to 20.0% (P = .027) after screening implementation. Clinician intervention rates among alcohol misusers rose from 6.3% to 11.8% (P = .039). Nurse screening increased the odds of clinician intervention (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.10-1.95).

CONCLUSIONS
Vital signs screening proved to be feasible in this rural clinic and produced modest but significant increases in alcohol screening by nurses and brief interventions by clinicians. Additional studies are needed to define effective strategies for further increasing these rates.


A novel arylsulfonamide derivative of aryloxy(propyl)piperidine PZ-1433, has been proved to possess a preclinical activity profile appropriate for the treatment of depression and memory impairments. In the present study its pharmacological activity toward anxiety symptoms as well as its anxiolytic properties have been examined in mouse and rat models. PZ-1433 significantly increased the number of punished crossings and decreased the number of buried marbles in two tests conducted in mice. Moreover, PZ-1433 evoked anxiolytic-like activity in "conditional" anxiety paradigm in rats, meaningly increasing the number of accepted shocks in the Vogel conflict drinking test. However, it did not produce a significant anxiolytic-like effect in "unconditional" anxiety model, i.e. the elevated plus-maze test. From these results, it is likely that direct antagonism toward serotonin 5-HT7 receptors may be involved in the anxiolytic action of PZ-1433. However, inhibition of serotonin transporter evoked by PZ-1433 and detected in vitro, might also contribute to this effect.


A review is given of recent angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments and analyses on a series of layered charge density wave materials. Important aspects of ARPES are recalled in view of its capability for bulk band, Fermi surface and spectral function mapping despite its surface sensitivity. Discussed are TaS2, TaSe2, NbTe2, TiSe2 and TiTe2 with structures related to the so-called 1T polytype. Many of them undergo charge density wave transitions or exist with a distorted lattice structure. Attempts to explain the mechanism behind the structural reconstruction are given. Depending on the filling of the lowest occupied band a drastically different behaviour is observed. Whereas density functional calculations of the electronic energy and momentum distribution reproduce well the experimental spectral weight distribution at the Fermi energy, the ARPES energy distribution curves reveal that for some of the compounds the Fermi surface is pseudo-gapped. Two different explanations are given, the first based on density functional calculations accounting for the charge-density-wave-induced lattice distortion and the second relying on many-body physics and polaron formation. Qualitatively, both describe the observations well. However, in the future, in order to be selective, quantitative modelling will be necessary, including the photoemission matrix elements.


Motivation Ischemic stroke, triggered by an obstruction in the cerebral blood supply, leads to infarction of the affected brain tissue. An accurate and reproducible automatic segmentation is of high interest, since the lesion volume is an important end-point for clinical trials. However, various factors, such as the high variance in lesion shape, location and appearance, render it a difficult task. Methods In this article, nine classification methods (e.g. Generalized Linear Models, Random Decision Forests and Convolutional Neural Networks) are evaluated and compared with each other using 37 multiparametric MRI datasets of ischemic stroke patients in the sub-acute phase in terms of their accuracy and reliability for ischemic stroke lesion segmentation. Within this context, a multi-spectral classification approach is compared against mono-spectral classification performance using only FLAIR MRI datasets and two sets of expert segmentations are used for inter-observer agreement evaluation. Results and Conclusion The results of this study reveal that high-level machine learning methods lead to significantly better segmentation results compared to the rather simple classification methods, pointing towards a difficult non-linear problem. The overall best segmentation results were achieved by a Random Decision Forest and a Convolutional Neural Networks classification approach, even outperforming all previously published results. However, none of the methods tested in this work are capable of achieving results in the range of the human observer agreement and the automatic ischemic stroke lesion segmentation remains a complicated problem that needs to be explored in more detail to improve the segmentation results.


Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a vast family divided into four major classes: class I (1, 2, 3, and 8), class II (4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10), class III (sirtuin family) and class IV (HDAC11). HDAC inhibition attenuates cardiac hypertrophy through suppression of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex1 (mTORC1) signaling. HDAC inhibitors upregulate the expression of tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2), an mTORC1 inhibitor. However, the molecular mechanism underlying HDAC inhibitor‐mediated upregulation of TSC2 is unclear. We hypothesized that an HDAC inhibitor, CG200745 (CG), ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy through the inhibition of mTORC1 signaling by upregulating of the CCAAT/enhancer‐binding protein‐β (C/EBP‐β)/TSC2 pathway. To establish a cardiac hypertrophy model, deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA, 40 mg/kg/wk) was subcutaneously injected for 4 weeks into Sprague‐Dawley rats. All rats were unilaterally nephrectomized and had free access to drinking water containing 1% NaCl with or without CG of different concentrations. The expression level of TSC2 and C/EBP‐β was measured by quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) and western blot analysis. Acetylation of C/EBP‐β was analyzed by immunoprecipitation. The recruitment of C/EBP‐β and polymerase II (Pol II) on TSC2 promoter region was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). CG treatment increased the expression of TSC2. In addition, CG treated rats showed an increased in the expression and acetylation of C/EBP‐β, owing to the increase in the recruitment of C/EBP‐β and Pol II at Tsc2 gene promoter. Thus, CG ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy through the inhibition of mTORC1 signaling via upregulation of the C/EBP‐β/TSC2 pathway in DOCA‐induced hypertensive rats.


This study examines the use of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) as a machine learning technique in the prediction of the impact size of uncertainty events on construction cost of highway projects and whether this technique is more accurate than the classical statistical methods. The rationale for the study stems from the availability of several techniques such as regression analysis and machine learning for developing predictive models of relationships of various variables in the construction industry. However, there has been limited research undertaken to compare the accuracy of the available techniques. The success or failure of prediction depends on the credibility of the prediction method. In this study, the predicted impact size of 76 uncertain events on the construction of highway projects using ANFIS as an intelligence machine learning method and Stepwise Regression Analysis (SRA) as a classical statistical method were compared to delineate the ability and accuracy of the ANFIS prediction technique. The comparison of calculated R-Value and two error tests for ANFIS and SRA show that the constructed ANFIS model has a higher performance than the SRA method in both fitness and reliability of the prediction model. Also, the performance comparison showed that ANFIS is a good tool for predicting the impact of uncertainty events on construction project cost. Based on these findings, the study concludes that the use of intelligent methods such as ANFIS will minimise the potential inconsistency of correlations in construction cost and time prediction. The model developed enables cost engineers to estimate the construction cost with a higher degree of accuracy.