Non-B DNA structures represent intriguing and challenging targets for small molecules. For example, the promoter of the HRAS oncogene contains multiple G-quadruplex and i-motif structures, atypical globular folds that serve as molecular switches for gene expression. Of the two, i-motif structures are far less studied. Here, we report the first example of small organic compounds that directly interact with the hras-1Y i-motif. We use a small molecule microarray screen to identify drug-like small molecules that bind to the hras-1Y i-motif but not to several other DNA or RNA secondary structures. Two different lead compounds, 1 and 2, were discovered to have 7.4 ± 5.3 μM and 5.9 ± 3.7 μM binding affinity by surface plasmon resonance and similar affinity by fluorescence titration. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) was developed and two improved analogues of 2 demonstrated submicromolar binding affinities. Both compounds display pH-dependent binding, indicating that they interact with the DNA only when the i-motif is properly folded. Chemical shift perturbation shows that 1 alters the structure of the i-motif, while 2 has no effect on the i-motif conformation, indicating different modes of interaction.


Abstract In recent years, China has enacted export restrictions on a range of minerals and other raw materials. They include export quotas, export duties, export licenses, and other administrative actions. Although such export restrictions have already been found to be inconsistent with China's WTO obligations, the practice persists. This article advances an explanation for why this is the case. It argues that the problem lies with the lack of retrospective remedies in WTO dispute settlement. Consequently, China is able to breach its WTO obligations temporarily with minimal consequence. Although such restrictions may have negative consequences for upstream extraction firms, China is able to implement the restrictions because several upstream firms are state-owned enterprises. As a result, China is able to utilize export restrictions on minerals and other raw materials effectively to foster the development of strategic emerging industries downstream. Given existing negotiating standoffs and domestic political constraints, this article suggests that it is unlikely that any potential WTO legal reforms will be enacted any time soon to address this problem.


Three types of scanning strategies, including the chessboard scanning strategy, the zigzag scanning strategy and the remelting scanning strategy, were conducted to study the effects of scanning strategies on surface morphology, microstructure, mechanical properties and the grain orientation of selective laser melted pure tungsten. The results showed that the pores and cracks were main defects in SLM-processed tungsten parts. The pores could be eliminated using the remelting scanning strategy. However, the cracks seemed to be inevitable regardless of the applied scanning strategies. The microstructures of SLM-processed tungsten were columnar grains and showed strong epitaxial growth along the building direction. A compressive strength of 923 MPa with an elongation of 7.7% was obtained when the zigzag scanning strategy was applied, which was the highest among the three scanning strategies. By changing the scanning strategies, the texture of SLM-processed tungsten in the direction of processing could be changed.


In processing of multichannel remote sensing data, there is a need in automation of basic operations as filtering and compression. Automation presumes undertaking a decision on expedience of image filtering. Automation also deals with obtaining of information based on which certain decisions can be undertaken or parameters of processing algorithms can be chosen. For the considered operations of denoising and lossy compression, it is shown that their basic performance characteristics can be quite easily predicted based on easily calculated local statistics in discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain. The described meth‐ odology of prediction is shown to be general and applicable to different types of noise under condition that its basic characteristics are known in advance or pre-estimated accu‐ rately.


The influence of accurate reproduction of inharmonicity on the perceived quality of piano tones is investigated. Acoustic piano tones were resynthesized by changing the bandwidth of correct positioning of partials. Cutoff frequencies of inharmonicity for different pitches have been established by psychoacoustic experimentation. The results are applicable to the design of dispersive resonators in sound synthesis by physical modeling.


It is important to improve special education assessment and placement for learners with hearing impairment. It should be characterized by its effectiveness in quality and relevance for meeting the challenges of education for our new generations in this new millennium. This study focused on the effectiveness of assessment for placement decisions of learners with hearing impairment in learning institutions in Kajiado North subcounty, Kajiado County, Kenya. The study specifically examined placement options for learners with hearing impairment, factors influencing placement of learners with hearing impairment, qualifications of the assessors and equipment and tools used in the assessment for placement decisions of learners with hearing impairment. A descriptive study design was used. Random sampling technique was used for sampling the special trained teachers and learners with hearing impairment. Purposive sampling technique was used in sampling the 2 educational assessors and 10 headteachers whereas convenient sampling technique was used to select parents/guardians of learners with hearing impairment who were directly involved in the assessment for placement decisions of learners with hearing impairment. The target population was 257 whereas a total sample size of 78 respondents was used, that is, 30% of the target population. Data were collected using questionnaires, and observation checklist with particular respondents being the two Special Needs Education assessment personnel, headteachers from regular primary schools with special units, and the two special schools, trained special teachers from regular primary schools and special units, parents of learners with hearing impairment. Piloting was done in ILBislli School in Kajiado Central Sub-County. To enhance the reliability and validity of the study instruments, test-retest technique was employed and Spearman-Brown formula used to compute the reliability coefficient which was 0.75 therefore the results were considered reliable. Validity Items were sampled from all the domains by consulting experts to ensure that content area was adequately sampled for determination whether co-variation existed between cause and effect variables. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively thematically according to the objectives. The results were presented using simple statistics like; frequency tables, pie charts and bar graphs. The study revealed that there was only one special unit as a placement institution for learners with hearing impairment. Others were private integrated special institutions. Factors such as; parental preference, availability/locality of the school, cost, communication barrier and lack of special trained personnel for learners with hearing impairment influenced placement of learners with hearing impairment. The study further found that there were no personnel in the Educational Assessment Resource Centre (EARC) who were trained in audiological assessment, or specialized in the area of hearing impairment, a situation that greatly undermined their effectiveness in the assessment for placement decisions. In terms of policy, this study recommends for the training of more specialized in the respective fields of special education, establishment of well-equipped EARCs, as well the establishment of multi-disciplinary teams to spearhead the assessment of learners with disabilities and special needs.


Aluminum silicon hexagonal boron nitride abradable seal coatings were deposited using the atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) process under several processing conditions. In the present study, the effects of process parameters, such as spray power, feed rate, and spray distance, on the microstructure and properties of coatings have been investigated. The microstructure, hardness, bonding strength, chemical composition, and online monitoring of these coatings and flying particles process of the powers were characterized. The results showed that the temperature and speed of the flying particles increased with the increase of power, and the porosity and BN content of the coating were reduced, Therefore, the hardness and bonding strength were improved. Compared with the spraying power, the effect of the feed rate was opposite. With the increase of spraying distance, the influence of particle flight velocity was greater than that of temperature, which resulted in the porosity of the coating and the increase of BN content. The hardness and bonding strength of the coatings were consequently reduced.


Behavioral contracts have long been heralded as a transparent mechanism which can only affect the semantics of programs by detecting contract violations. This claim persists despite several results going back at least five years that point out to the "effectful" nature of contracts. Indeed, in a typical contract system, the predicates embedded in contracts are sliced and diced and scattered around the program to be enforced or not depending on various, apparently unrelated, control and data flow decisions. In addition, practical contract systems allow the contract writer to execute code and explore data structures that would not have otherwise been executed or explored. Previous attempts to address this problem have focused on devising restrictions on contracts to tame their effects. In this paper, we explore an alternative approach that accepts current implementations of practical contract systems "as is." Technically, we design and implement a contract system in which contracts specify, not just what predicate to check, but also how to check it, along with a type system that tracks which checks have been performed and which have been deferred. The system unifies and subsumes various previous approaches and explains the semantics of realistic contract systems that employ various strategies for enforcing contracts.


Previously, we have shown that anti‐DNA can bind to heparan sulphate (HS). a constituent of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). We hypothesized that binding of anti‐DNA to HS in the GBM plays a role in the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) nephritis. To test this hypothesis we measured the anti‐HS reactivity in cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies of SLE patients with or without nephritis. In the transverse serum study single serum samples from 26 SLE patients were studied. We found no correlation between anti‐HS reactivity and previous development of nephritis (anti‐HS positive: seven out of 16 with history of nephritis, two out of 10 without nephritis). However, six of the seven anti‐HS positive sera in the nephritis group were obtained within 1 month of the onset of nephritis, suggesting a temporal relationship between anti‐HS reactivity and onset of nephritis. In the longitudinal serum study between six and 16 serum samples were studied from each of 10 SLE‐patients. In five out of five episodes of nephritis we found anti‐HS reactivity before the onset or exacerbation of the nephritis. In four non‐renal manifestations anti‐HS reactivity was found in only one episode; in none of the three patients who remained clinically stable did scrum samples show anti‐HS reactivity. Anti‐HS reactivity was only found in sera positive for anti‐DNA by Farr assay but the anti‐HS titre was not a mere reflection of the reactivity measured in the Farr assay. This indicates that only a subpopulation of anti‐DNA can bind to HS. We found a high correlation (r=0.99) between anti‐HS reactivities in plasma and serum and we conclude that anti‐HS reactivity in scrum samples from SLE patients is not due to in vitro complex formation during clotting. Although further prospective analysis is necessary, our data suggest that measurement of anti‐HS reactivity in SLE patients might identify patients at risk for the development of nephritis.


This research is ratio analysis APBD modeling by comparing / attainment result of comparability   (outcome) every periodisation of exercise of APBD the Government of regency and the Government of city in East Java, so that trends of standard performance knowable of its the area and influence to Invests and Gross Regional Domestic Product (PDRB). Step research and Process   result of analysis and statistic model SPSS of 12 for windows solution based calculation discriminant analysis, of financial performance analysis 38 (thirty  eight) the Government of regency and the Government of city  in East Java in time line the year 2001-2005 obtained result that from in general covering growth APBD, Independency,  Effectivity, Routine Expenditure activity and development expenditure activity, what has good standard performance there is fourth  the Government of regency and the Government of city. Parsial Least Square (PLS) express, hence growth of Invests does  have an effect  on doesn't have significant influence to growth PDRB, this thing is caused by  the investment data is acceptance data / recommendation of appproved Domestic Investment (PMDN) and approved Foreign  Investment data (PMA), mean investment recommended has not entirely having operational or is not able yet to realized by some things,  for example delaying it investors enthusiasm to inculcate its the legal capital in East Java, so well as invesment of  capital with the low labour absorbtion, so   Investment contribution has not given positive impact to earnings of public or multiplier effect investment has not been realized so that investment to PDRB declines / decreases. Key word : Financial performance, Investment,Gross  Regional  Domestic Product


Honey hunting is the general term given to the collection of honey from wild honey bee colonies. Traditional honey hunting is an important element in the life of a number of groups including the Rajis in Nepal, and Kurumbas in south India.4,6 In the Hindu Kush Himalayan region more than 50% of total honey yield is collected mainly by honey hunters from wild honey bees.1 In Nepal, honey hunting is practised not only for economic gains but it also has spiritual, cultural and social significance. Nowadays, the spiritual, cultural and social values however are declining.


The fabrication of conducting polymer films by a screen-printing method and characterization of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) implemented using these films as an anode on plastic substrates are reported. Organic transparent electrode materials containing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS) (PEDOT:PSS) were used after the modification by a unique nanoparticle binder design. The electro-optical properties as well as mechanical stabilities of these films were measured. The OLED performances when employing these films were comparable to that of OLEDs using indium tin oxide (ITO) despite their relatively poor conductivity. An external quantum efficiency of the OLED using this anode is ∼3.5%, which is about twice as that of OLEDs using ITO. These results show that the organic transparent electrode of a conducting polymer film patterned by the screen-printing method is a potential candidate for an electrode of the flexible OLED.


The renegotiation of NAFTA was surrounded by a dramatic atmosphere, just as Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland predicted. The negotiations took place against a backdrop of unilateral trade measures, President Trump's mercantilist approach to trade policy, and the United States' specified preference for bilateral trade deals. This article argues that, for the most part, economic, political and cultural relations in the NAFTA countries are bilateral in nature, but with important trilateral production chains in specific sectors, most notably in the automotive sector. Beyond these trilateral sectors, the relationship between Canada and Mexico plays a relatively minor role. However, replacing NAFTA with bilateral agreements would have placed Canada and Mexico at a disadvantage, relative to the United States, in terms of attracting foreign direct investment. Nevertheless, Canadian and Mexican interests do not always coincide, nor do their negotiating positions. For example, Mexico was willing to give up Chapter 19 dispute settlement for trade remedies, whereas Canada insisted on keeping it in place. In end, USMCA Chapter 10 preserves this dispute settlement mechanism for all three parties. Canada was willing to give up NAFTA Chapter 11 on foreign investment disputes, whereas Mexico accepted a modified version. The result is a trilateral agreement with significant bilateral elements, as well as global elements that will serve as a possible model in future megaregional and multilateral negotiations.


The contribution aims at determining the added value, if any, of Article 4(2) Treaty on European Union (TEU) in the prevention and solution of constitutional conflicts related to the alleged violation of national identity. To that end, the article considers the growing tensions in the dialogue between constitutional courts and the European Court of Justice (ECJ), in particular those emerging from the Gauweiler and M.A.S. and M.B. cases, and examines how the Luxembourg judges have interpreted and applied the identity clause vis à vis challenges based on the need to protect national prerogatives. The contribution thus dwells on the nature and scope of Article 4(2), TEU in light of the principles of conferral, loyal cooperation, subsidiarity and proportionality. Based on the case law following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, and the recent disquietude manifested by the German and Italian constitutional courts, the article finally advocates the elaboration of a more restrictive notion of national identity by the ECJ, as well as the development of clearer rules of conflict when the constitutional specificities of the Member States are (allegedly) on a collision course with EU law.


Following the 2011 moment magnitude, M 5.7 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake, we conducted a search for paleoliquefaction features and found 41 sand dikes, sand sills, and soft-sediment deformation features at 24 sites exposed in cutbanks along several rivers: (1) the South Anna River, where paleoliquefaction features were found in the epicentral area of the Mineral earthquake and farther downstream to the southeast; (2) the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers east of the Fall Line, where liquefiable sediments are more common than in the epicentral area; and (3) the James River and Rivanna River–Stigger Creek, where a few sand dikes were found in the 1990s. Liquefaction features are grouped into two age categories based on dating of host sediment in which they occur and weathering characteristics of the features. A younger generation of features that formed during the past 350 yr are small, few in number, and appear to be limited to the James and Pamunkey Rivers. Though there are large uncertainties in their locations and magnitudes, one or more preinstrumental earthquakes, including the 1758, 1774, and 1875 events, likely caused these features. An older generation of liquefaction features that formed between 350 and 2800 yr ago are larger, more numerous, and more broadly distributed than the younger generation of features. Several earthquakes could account for the regional distribution of paleoliquefaction features, including one event of M 6.25–6.5 near Holly Grove, or two events of M 6.0 near Mineral and M 6.25 near Ashland. Amplification of ground motions in Coastal Plain sediment might have contributed to liquefaction along the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers.


The purpose of this study were to determine the students' satisfaction level, their achievement level, and test whether or not was there any a relationship between students' satisfaction and students' achievement at Kant Kaw Education Center, Yangon, Myanmar. The supportive theories used in this study were Effective School Indicator Theory, Student Achievement and Variables related to student achievement. The revised "High School Satisfaction Questionnaire" (2006) from Arkansas department of higher education in USA were used as a research tool in this investigation and they were distributed to all the current students from Kant Kaw Education Center, Yangon in July 2014. In this study, Means, Standard Deviation and Pearson Product Moment of Correlation were applied to describe and test the hypotheses of this study. The research results revealed that students were most satisfied with school instruction, and students were least satisfied with school library. Besides, the students' achievement as represented by their GPA were on "high" level. Furthermore, the correlation analysis found that there were positive relationships between the levels of students' satisfaction and achievement at Kant Kaw Education Center, Yangon, Myanmar. The study recommended the center's leaders to develop and initiate their leadership skills to create a better administrative system. The results also recommended that the center administrators to maintain the management in the focus of eight areas including instruction, courses, grading, testing, guidance, rules, library and school assistance. So as to keep the students satisfaction highly, and to convince more future students and parents to trust and come to study in the center.


Autism is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication and social behavior.  To reduce the social deficits characteristic of autism, the compounds oxytocin, arginine vasopressin, D-cycloserine, and D-cycloserine + oxytocin were explored as therapeutic agents.  Twenty-one Long Evans Hooded rats underwent a bilateral amygdala lesion, which reduced the time of social interactions between the pairs of animals.  Upon administration of D-cycloserine, the social deficits induced by the lesions were significantly reversed in both sexes.  In addition, it was observed that the efficacy of the treatments was affected by the sex of the subjects.  Male rats had the largest increase in social behavior when given D-cycloserine.  However, female rats experienced the largest reduction in social impairment when administered oxytocin.  Thus, sexually dimorphic treatments should be further investigated for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.


A high-speed image compression VLSI processor based on the systolic architecture of difference-codebook binary tree-searched vector quantization has been developed to meet the increasing demands on large-volume data communication and storage requirements. Simulation results show that this design is applicable to many types of image data and capable of producing good reconstructed data quality at high compression ratios. Various design aspects of the binary tree-searched vector quantizer including the algorithm, architecture, and detailed functional design are thoroughly investigated for VLSI implementation. An 8-level difference-codebook binary tree-searched vector quantizer can be implemented on a custom VLSI chip that includes a systolic array of eight identical processors and a hierarchical memory of eight subcodebook memory banks. The total transistor count is about 300000 and the die size is about 8.67/spl times/7.72 mm/sup 2/ in a 1.0 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. The throughput rate of this high-speed VLSI compression system is approximately 25 Mpixels per second and its equivalent computation power is 600 million instructions per second. >


This report seeks to inform the on-going debate over high school graduation rates with particular attention to the ways in which No Child Left Behind has effectively both redirected attention toward graduation rates and reshaped the contours of that debate. We begin by briefly introducing the provisions of NCLB that pertain to high school graduation and discussing their implications from a measurement perspective. Next we present several distinctive strategies for developing a high school graduation indicator that are broadly consistent with the new federal requirements for accountability. In the empirical portion of this study we construct these proposed high school graduation indicators using information from the U.S. Department of Education's census of local educational agencies and schools and systematically compare the results generated by the respective measures. We conclude by discussing several lessons this study may offer for future research and the policy implications for measuring graduation rates under conditions of high-stakes accountability.


Introduction Toxicological studies have shown potential health effects related to nanoscale particles (NP). These particles could be emitted unintentionally from usual work-processes ("ultrafine particles") or produced intentionally for commercial purpose ("manufactured NP") at workplace. Thus, associated exposure might concerned many workers. However, in the absence of NP strategy measurement consensus, occupational exposure is poorly monitored. Aim In this context, the ExproPNano project aims at make operational existing NP exposure assessment recommendations, combine them with work activity analysis and test the developed strategy in French and Canadian industries involving both unintentional and manufactured NP. Methods The first year, in 2015, was dedicated to the implementation of the project (method, team training, equipment and industries selection) with partner institutions (INRS, INERIS, LEPI, InVS, Aquitaine CARSAT, and University of Montreal – DSEST). Campaigns in different industries (aeronautics, rubber and composite, construction, mines…) will be conducted in 2016–2017 following two main steps: (1) pre-visit: prevention system analysis, process understanding, interviews and preliminary measures; (2) NP measurement and work observation: video recording synchronised with real-time measures and air sampling for physic-chemical characterisation; (3) results analysis and presentation in companies. Expected results and conclusion Work task analysis combined with NP measurement must ensure a better understanding of the NP exposure determinants and result in recommendations of adapted prevention which may be extended to various workplaces. The tested exposure assessment method must be operational and thus easily used by all actors involved in unintentional and manufactured NP risk management. Therefore, relevant NP occupational exposure data could be produced, recording them in specific database such as Evalutil or NECID-PEROSH, it will contribute to knowledge improvement of NP exposure levels and associated health effects by public health professionals such as epidemiologists.


Macrophages have been found to both promote liver fibrosis and contribute to its resolution by acquiring different phenotypes based on signals from the micro-environment. The best-characterized phenotypes in the macrophage spectrum are labeled M1 (classically activated) and M2 (alternatively activated). Until now the in situ localization of these phenotypes in diseased livers is poorly described. In this study, we therefore aimed to localize and quantify M1- and M2-dominant macrophages in diseased mouse and human livers. The scarred collagen-rich areas in cirrhotic human livers and in CCl4-damaged mouse livers contained many macrophages. Though total numbers of macrophages were higher in fibrotic livers, the number of parenchymal CD68-positive macrophages was significantly lower as compared to normal. Scar-associated macrophages were further characterized as either M1-dominant (IRF-5 and interleukin-12) or M2-dominant (CD206, transglutaminase-2, and YM-1) and significantly higher numbers of both of these were detected in diseased livers as compared to healthy human and mouse livers. Interestingly, in mouse, livers undergoing resolution of fibrosis, the total number of CD68+ macrophages was significantly lower compared to their fibrotic counterparts. M2-dominant (YM-1) macrophages were almost completely gone in livers undergoing resolution, while numbers of M1-dominant (IRF-5) macrophages were almost unchanged and the proteolytic activity (MMP9) increased. In conclusion, this study shows the distribution of macrophage subsets in livers of both human and murine origin. The presence of M1- and M2-dominant macrophages side by side in fibrotic lesions suggests that both are involved in fibrotic responses, while the persistence of M1-dominant macrophages during resolution may indicate their importance in regression of fibrosis. This study emphasizes that immunohistochemical detection of M1/M2-dominant macrophages provides valuable information in addition to widely used flow cytometry and gene analysis.


Governments in Europe, Canada and the USA have expressed an ambition to stimulate education of older. In this paper, we analyse if there are effects on annual earnings of formal education for participants aged 42–55 at the time of enrolment in 1994–95. The analysis explores longitudinal population register data stretching from 1982 to 2007. The method used is difference-in-differences propensity score matching based on a rich set of covariates, including indicators of health and labor market marginalization. Our findings underline the importance of long follow up periods and imply positive effects for women, especially so for women with children, and no significant average earnings effects for men. These results differ from earlier studies but are stable to several alternative assumptions regarding unobservable characteristics. Data further indicate that the gender gap in our estimates may stem from differences in underlying reasons for enrolment.


This contribution discusses the philosophical meaning of Martin Heidegger's Rectoral address. Firstly, Heidegger's philosophical basic experience (Grunderfahrung) is sketched as providing the background of his Rectoral address: the being-historical concept of beginning (Anfang). Next, the philosophical question of the Rectoral address is discussed. It is shown that Die Selbstbehauptung der deutschen Universit&aumlt is inquiring into the identity of human being (Dasein) in connection with the question about das Eigene (the Germans) and das Fremde (the Greeks). This opposition structures the confrontation with the beginning of philosophical thinking in the Rectoral address. When read against the philosophical background sustaining the Rectoral address, words that appear in it, such as "Kampf," "Macht," "Volk," and "Marsch" have nothing in common with the same words as used by the Nazis. It is shown that the Rectoral address is an extremely ambiguous text, because it claims a transformation of human Dasein. Although Heidegger's view on National Socialism is distinguished from Nazi ideology, it is clear that he made a mistake about Hitler. The article explores how Heidegger later changed his mind and vocabulary, and in what way this kind of mistakes and changes of mind are inherent to philosophical empiricism.


Time-series microarray techniques are newly used to monitor large-scale gene expression profiles for studying biological systems. Previous studies have discovered novel regulatory relations among genes by analyzing time-series microarray data. In this study, we investigate the problem of mining similar subsequences in time-series microarray data so as to discover novel gene relations. A functional relationship among genes often presents itself by locally similar and potentially time-shifted patterns in their expression profiles. Although a number of studies have been done on time-series data analysis, they are insufficient in handling four important issues for time-series microarray data analysis, namely scaling, offset, shift, and noise. We proposed a novel method to address the four issues simultaneously, which consists of three phase, namely angular transformation, symbolic transformation and suffix-tree-based similar subsequences searching. Through experimental evaluation, it is shown that our method can effectively discover biological relations among genes by identifying the similar subsequences. Moreover, the execution efficiency of our method is much better than other approaches


We analyze the effects of networks offering and charging for premium transmission service, which is central to the net neutrality debate. We find that when a network provider optimally charges for and provides premium transmission for content providers, innovation is stimulated on the edges of the network and smaller content providers benefit more than do larger content providers. Furthermore, we show that the network provider increases its investment in network capacity when it offers premium transmission without degrading service for content providers that do not purchase the premium service. Also the number of network subscribers increases.


Analysing the tune meaning is often equivalent to analysing the meaning contribution of the "nucleus" (the intonation region starting from the last pitch accented syllable until the end of the intonation phrase). In this paper we report results from an identification task in Cosenza Italian, suggesting that listeners are able to identify the contrast between questions and statements by exploiting phonetic differences in the implementation of the rise-fall prenuclear contour. Such results mirror previous studies on Neapolitan and German and raise questions on the contribution of prenuclear f0 details to tune meaning.


Soil degradation by metal and metalloid (metal[loid]) contamination represents a widespread environmental threat. Most studies investigating soil metal(loid) contamination have disregarded the soil quality concept. Enzyme activities (EAs) are good soil quality indicators due to their direct connection to functions related to C, N, P, and S cycles and their sensitivity to metal(loid) contamination. This review (a) provides an overview of the development of soil quality indices (SQIs) based on EAs in metal(loid) contaminated soils, and (b) evaluates the effects of individual metal(loid)s and their combinations on the activities of the most common enzymes involved in the C, N, P, and S cycles. Four intracellular mechanisms dominate the inhibition of EAs by metal(loid)s: (a) transcription inhibition, (b) protein denaturation, (c) cell division inhibition, (d) cell membrane disruption. These mechanisms can also be further exacerbated in soil by nonspecific exoenzyme inhibition. The main EAs used as indicators for metal(loid) contaminated soils are dehydrogenase (DHA), arylsulfatase (ARY), urease (UA), acid phosphatase (Pacid), alkaline phosphatase (Palk), and catalase (CAT). These enzymes are sensitive to metal(loid) contamination, with DHA and ARY being the most sensitive indicators (62 and 56% inhibition, respectively, when averaged over all metal[loid] contamination levels). Other enzymes are inhibited by 32% (UA), 23% (Palk), 18% (Pacid), and 18% (CAT). We suggest principles for the development of SQIs considering biotic soil functions via the use of EAs. This review is the first presenting SQIs based on EAs for metal(loid) contaminated soils, and represents the first quantitative analysis of metal(loid) effects on EAs.


Perfusion computed tomography (PCT) is increasingly used to diagnose ischemic stroke (IS), as well as to identify candidates for thrombolytic therapy (TLT). The feasibility of using this technique in all patients within the therapeutic window has not yet been established. Objective: to investigate cerebral blood flow according to PCT findings and its relationship to clinical and instrumental indicators and functional status of patients who had received TLT in the acute period of IS. Patients and methods. 62 patients with acute IS who had received TLT were examined. All the patients underwent clinical, laboratory, and instrumental examinations and PCT, by assessing cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and mean transit time (MTT) in 10 brain regions in accordance with the Alberta Score Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS). The total result of perfusion ASPECTS was calculated separately for CBV, CBF and MTT, as well as combinations of these parameters. The penumbra size was calculated as CBV minus MTT (CBV - MTT) ASPECTS, the infarct core size was measured as CBV + MTT ASPECTS. Results. There was an increase in MTT in most regions of interest of the affected hemisphere as compared to the intact one and a predominance of reversible perfusion disorders. The averaged penumbra size constituted three zones according to ASPECTS. No relationship was found between ASPECTS scores and time after the onset of symptoms prior to hospital admission. Perfusion parameters, particularly penumbra size (CBV - MTT), were associated with the degree of stenosis in the contralateral common carotid artery, body mass index, and blood triglyceride level. Cerebral blood flow indices were also influenced by red blood cell counts and heart ejection fraction. The scores of the perfusion scales were correlated with those of the non-contrast scale. The data of the investigated ASPECTS variants correlated with the level of neurological deficit in patients, its course, and the functional outcome of acute IS. Conclusion. The perfusion variants of ASPECTS have a high predictive value for patients' neurologic and functional status upon completion of the first treatment stage. The penumbra size (CBV - MTT ASPECTS) is a marker for the expected regression of neurological impairment during TLT. The infarct core size (CBV + MTT ASPECTS) determines the degree of neurologic deficit at a patient's discharge.


In the last few decades there has been an exponential growth in the field of Herbal medicine. It is getting popularized in developing and developed countries owing to its natural origin and lesser side effects. One such medicinal plant is Ziziphus jujuba Mill, a member of the family Rhamnaceae, commonly known as Bor, grows mostly in Europe, southern and eastern Asia, and Australia, especially the inland region of northern China. Jujuba has a long history of usage as a fruit and remedy. The main biologically active components are vitamin C, phenolics, flavonoids, triterpenic acids, and polysaccharides. It is used traditionally as tonic and aphrodisiac and sometimes as Hypnotic-sedative and Anxiolytic, anticancer (Melanoma cells), Antifungal, Antibacterial, Antiulcer, Anti-inflammatory, Cognitive, Antispastic, Antifertility/contraception, Hypotensive and Antinephritic, Cardiotonic, Antioxidant, Immunostimulant, and Wound healing properties. The aim of this paper is to scrutinize the available literature related to the restorative activity of the ber plant as a herbal medicine on mammalian physiology and to accumulate


OBJECTIVE
The etiology of rheumatic diseases is unclear, but it is thought that environmental factors added to immunogenetic mechanisms in chronic inflammatory diseases play a role. Many inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases, and painful conditions have been shown to be associated with the psychological trauma of childhood. The aim of the present study was to investigate childhood psychological trauma that is considered to be one of the environmental factors that initiate inflammation on patients with rheumatic diseases.

METHODS
In our study, a total of 440 patients (220 patients who have rheumatic diseases as the case group and 220 patients who have no rheumatic disease as the control group) were examined. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-28 (CTQ-28) was administered and was completed by the patients. This was a cross-sectional study design.

RESULTS
No statistically significant differences were found between the case and control groups with respect to age, gender, marital status, and educational level. The CTQ-28 scale was found to be significantly higher in patients with rheumatic diseases (ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and connective tissue disease) in our study.

CONCLUSION
We think that childhood psychiatric traumas are effective in the etiopathogenesis of rheumatic diseases. To make this relationship more understandable, multidisciplinary research and long-term follow-up studies are needed to examine neuroendocrine, genetic, and epidemiological factors.


As the scalability of implementation of expedited forwarding per hop behavior (EF PHB) becomes a crucial problem in DiffServ framework, the simple FIFO packet scheduling algorithms have been attracting more attention recently. However, the worst end-to-end delay of the FIFO algorithm is proportional to the maximum hop counts of flows. In our study, the hop counts based relative or absolute priority scheduling (HBRP/HBAP) algorithms have been proposed to balance the difference of end-to-end delay of flows that traverse paths of different hop counts, which decrease the worst end-to-end delay bound of the whole domain and improve the maximum allowable network utilization level accordingly. It is too simple for the HBAP algorithm to improve the delay performance perfectly and it is too complex for the HBRP to deploy. In this paper, we propose new dynamic hop counts based absolute priority scheduling algorithms (DHBAP) with similar delay performance to the HRBP while the computational complexity DHBAP is decreased to O(1). The performances of the DHBAP are compared with those of FIFO, HBAP and HBRP algorithms by theoretic analyses and simulation experiments.


BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY
Recent studies have shown that, after heart valve surgery, patients may require a more precise warfarin dosage than their non-surgical counterparts. The study aim was to analyze the influence of certain clinical factors and CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphisms on the efficacy of initiation of warfarin treatment in patients after cardiac valve surgery.

METHODS
Following heart valve surgery, a total of 185 patients was genotyped for the CYP2C9*1, *2, *3 alleles and for VKORC1 (G-1639A) gene promoter polymorphism.

RESULTS
A hierarchical stepwise multivariate linear regression model was used to evaluate factors affecting the optimal warfarin dosage. Patient age and body weight, together with hepatic malfunction in the cohort population, accounted for 12% of the variation in warfarin dosage (R2 = 0.119). The introduction of concomitant medications, more than doubled (R2 = 0.316) the accuracy of the dosage algorithm. Medications such as cephalosporin, amiodarone, loop diuretics, ibuprofen or diclofenac, omeprazole and beta-blockers had significant effects on the warfarin daily dosage in this model. However, the greatest accuracy was obtained when the patient's CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotype was introduced into the formula as the critical factor (R2 = 0.429).

CONCLUSION
The study results suggested that, after cardiac valve surgery, by combining the clinical, genetic and anthropometric data of a patient, the warfarin dose may be estimated to 43% accuracy at the initiation of anticoagulant therapy.


The purpose of the investigation was to study some indices of the immune system of patients with diffuse toxic goiter (DTG) before multimodality thyrostatic therapy and after achieving clinical remission. A total of 30 DTG patients with an average severity of disease were examined. The immune status was evaluated according to the content of T-lymphocytes, T-suppressors, Fc gamma-lymphocytes and antigen-binding lymphocytes (ABL) responsive to thyroglobulin. Conservative therapy included mercazolyl, beta-adrenergic blockers, sedative and cardiac drugs. A drop of T1T gamma and Fc gamma-lymphocytes was revealed in the period of the manifestation of the clinical signs of disease. The indices of ABL responsive to thyroglobulin significantly exceeded the relative and absolute indices of the control group. Multimodality drug therapy resulted in the deepening of T-lymphocyte deficiency, a significant rise of T gamma 1 and T gamma 2 as compared to the initial levels. A tendency to a decrease in the level of Fc gamma-lumphocytes was noted after the therapy. The relative and absolute values of the ABL indices significantly decreased, however a significant increase in these indices compared to the control ones maintained.


The paper aims to carry out a spatial analysis of the changes in selected demographic characteristics of the Cres-Lošinj area using the GIS model. For this purpose, data from all censuses carried out so far (1857−2021) were used, which were primarily analyzed cartographically by using Mean Center and the Standard Deviational Ellipse (Directional Distribution) spatial analysis methods, which are an integral part of the basic software package ArcGIS Desktop version 10.0 produced by ESRI. Tabular and graphical appendices were used to additionally complement the analyses. The analyses were carried out on three levels: the level of the Cres-Lošinj area as a whole, the individual level of the Town of Cres and the Town of Mali Lošinj, and the level of settlements. For the area of Cres-Lošinj as a whole, the results showed a tendency of the mean center of the population moving towards the north in the 1857−1948 period, then towards the southwest in the 1948−1991 period, while in subsequent censuses the tendency was again towards the north. Among the local self-government units, a common feature of the movement of the mean center of the population is that in the observed period (1857−2021), and particularly the last observed year (2021), the mean centers of the population are very close to the center of the town/municipality. Using the standard deviational ellipse (directional distribution) method, it was determined that larger settlements (Mali Lošinj, Cres and Veli Lošinj) have an increasing influence on the population direction, and it was determined that the population is concentrated closer to the larger settlements, i.e. to the centers of local self-government, while at the same time the influence on the directional distribution of the population of a large number of small settlements in the northern part of the research area decreased due to an increasing reduction in the number of inhabitants. The GIS model used in this study is suitable for researching the complexity of the demographic dynamics of the so-called of small populations because it enables an analysis at multiple spatial levels and contains methods of spatial analysis that use absolute numbers.


We report a case of a 15-year-old boy who developed multiple organ failure secondary to a sport injury leading to infection with a Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) secreting Community-Acquired Methicillin Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus (CA MSSA). Aggressive antibiotic therapy eventually led to recovery.


The impacts of climate change (CC) on natural and cultural resources are far‐reaching and complex. A major challenge facing resource managers is not knowing the exact timing and nature of those impacts. To confront this problem, scientists, adaptation specialists, and resource managers have begun to use scenario planning (SP). This structured process identifies a small set of scenarios—descriptions of potential future conditions that encompass the range of critical uncertainties—and uses them to inform planning. We reflect on a series of five recent participatory CC SP projects at four US National Park Service units and derive guidelines for using CC SP to support natural and cultural resource conservation. Specifically, we describe how these engagements affected management, present a generalized CC SP approach grounded in management priorities, and share key insights and innovations that (1) fostered participant confidence and deep engagement in the participatory CC SP process, (2) shared technical information in a way that encouraged informed, effective participation, (3) contextualized CC SP in the broader picture of relevant longstanding or emerging nonclimate stressors, (4) incorporated quantitative approaches to expand analytical capacity and assess qualitative findings, and (5) translated scenarios and all their complexity into strategic action.


The child's right to participate is a fundamental right outlined in the UN convention on the rights of the child. Canada signed and ratified this convention in 1991. Through secondary literature and the author's personal experience this paper explores the child's right to participate in the context of canadian pediatric medicine. In particular, this paper examines if and how a child is encouraged to participate in their health care, and which members of the health care team facilitate this participation. The paper also outlines a number of factors that limit or enhance child participation. Recommendations and next steps are included in the paper with the purpose of enhancing the quality and amount of participation that is offered to pediatric patients within hospital settings. One recommendation that is developed and discussed is the increased role of the child life profession as a tool for enabling child participation.


The Double Skin Composite (DSC) or Steel-Concrete-Steel (SCS) elements (beams, slabs and columns) have been subjected to intensive studies during the last three decades. Member beam, column and slab have been studied under monotonic, cyclic and fatigue loading, and there are also a few studies on impact loading to assess the structural response of such constructions.
Validating connectivity between the DSC beam and DSC columns is behind the usage of such constructional systems since all the present studies focus on individual members. The main objective of this thesis was to introduce the Double Skin Composite (DSC) beam-column joint as a new structural element. Experimental investigation and Nonlinear Finite Element Modelling (FEM) of the structural behaviour of the DSC joint subjected to monotonic and quasi-static loading was introduced.
Five DSC joints have been tested to assess the efficiency of the DSC beam-column joint in its basic design and to identify the most efficient strengthening method. Further, six DSC beam-column joints were tested to study the effect of steel fibre (SF) and the effect of high-strength concrete (HSC) on the behaviour of the joint under monotonic loading and under cyclic loading.
The general FE Package ABAQUS 6.10 was used to model the nonlinear behaviour of the DSC joint. The Concrete Damage Plasticity Model (CDPM) was used to model the concrete in tension and compression, and the steel elements of the composite were modelled using the elastic-plastic model. The model was validated against the experimental result and showed good agreement in predicting the maximum load and the general behaviour with a deviation of 10% or less.
The examined strengthening methods showed improvement in the ultimate load capacity of between 517% and 871%. SFC and HSC provided the best performance in increasing the ultimate load and moving the location of the plastic hinge away from the face of the column.
The validated FE model was used to conduct a parametric study to investigate the effect of the concrete compressive strength, shear stud connector spacing to steel plate thickness ratio, and the stud diameter to steel plate thickness ratio. The parametric study findings were in good agreement with experimental observations such as that the concrete compressive strength had a significant effect on the joint shear resistance and ultimate load.


There is only one restriction upon the character of medicines supplied to the public, to be expected at the hands of the law-makers in the period now before us, namely: restriction, with the intent to put a stop to concealment of composition and identity. That legal restriction to this effect may be instituted in some of the States at any time, and is likely to become prevalent, appears manifest from the temper of the law-making mind, shown in various ways, especially in the scope of the enactments against adulterations. Any alteration of composition is prohibited if it be not made known to the purchaser (or consumer), but is allowed if it be so made known. Various irregular admixtures are specifically authorized upon the one condition that they shall be explicitly announced on the label. On the other hand, various colorings and facings of food, which are harmless in themselves, are


Recent works put much effort into tensor network structure search (TN-SS), aiming to select suitable tensor network (TN) structures, involving the TN-ranks, formats, and so on, for the decomposition or learning tasks. In this paper, we consider a practical variant of TN-SS, dubbed TN permutation search (TN-PS), in which we search for good mappings from tensor modes onto TN vertices (core tensors) for compact TN representations. We conduct a theoretical investigation of TN-PS and propose a practically-efficient algorithm to resolve the problem. Theoretically, we prove the counting and metric properties of search spaces of TN-PS, analyzing for the first time the impact of TN structures on these unique properties. Numerically, we propose a novel meta-heuristic algorithm, in which the searching is done by randomly sampling in a neighborhood established in our theory, and then recurrently updating the neighborhood until convergence. Numerical results demonstrate that the new algorithm can reduce the required model size of TNs in extensive benchmarks, implying the improvement in the expressive power of TNs. Furthermore, the computational cost for the new algorithm is significantly less than that in~\cite{li2020evolutionary}.


UNLABELLED
Paclitaxel is one of the most common antitumour agents paclitaxel for the treatment of primary and relapsed ovarian cancer. Based on a German multicentre observational study, this article reflects the use of paclitaxel in German daily clinical practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Data for a total of 541 patients in Germany were analysed, including 315 patients with primary ovarian cancer and 226 patients treated with paclitaxel with relapsed ovarian cancer.

RESULTS
The mean age was 61.2 years, ranging from 22 to 85 years. No unexpected toxicities were ascertained. In general, grade III/IV haematological toxicities were rare. Only 15% of the patients suffered from grade III/IV leucopenia and 5% from thrombocytopenia. Alopecia and polyneuropathy were the most frequent non-haematological side-effects noticed. Response evaluation was provided in 183 patients with primary ovarian cancer (CR 39.8%, of these achieved a complete response (CR), and 27.9% a partial response (PR), resulting in an overall response rate (ORR) of 67.7%. In 13.7%, stable disease (SD) and in 19.7%, tumour progression (PD) were documented. In 196 patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, response evaluation was provided. A total of 28.6% of the patients achieved a CR, and 31.6% a PR, which produced an ORR of 60.2%. In 33.2%, SD and in 6.6%, PD were documented.

CONCLUSION
Paclitaxel is broadly used in the management of patients with primary and relapsed ovarian cancer. The toxicity profile observed seems to be within the range of the results of clinical phase-III studies. The doses applied and the schedules based on the official recommendation of the working groups seem to have been influenced by international studies.


The prevalence of kidney disease is increasing rapidly worldwide, reflecting rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and associated metabolic syndrome (MetS). Chronic kidney disease and related comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension place a significant financial burden on healthcare systems. Despite the widespread use of RAAS inhibitors, intensive blood pressure and glycemic control, and newer therapeutic options consisting of sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors or glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, a significant risk of progression to end-stage renal disease remains in the high-risk obese and diabetic population. The MetS is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors that adversely affect the development and progression of chronic kidney failure. According to the criteria of the World Health Organization, it is defined by visceral adiposity, impaired glucose tolerance or insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, raised blood pressure, and microalbuminuria with a albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g. At molecular level MetS is marked by a proinflammatory state and increased oxidative stress leading to various pathophysiological changes causing endothelial dysfunction and a hypercoagulable state. Because the kidney is a highly vascularized organ, it is especially susceptible for those microvascular changes. Therefore, the MetS and its individual components are associated with the premature development, acceleration, and progression of chronic kidney disease. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of MetS-associated chronic kidney disease in order to develop new strategies for preventing and slowing the progression of renal disease. In this review, we will elucidate (i) the renal structural, hemodynamic, and metabolic changes that occur in obesity and obesity-related kidney injury; (ii) the clinicopathological characteristics of obesity-related kidney injury, primarily focusing on obesity-associated glomerulopathy; (iii) the potential additional factors or predisposing factors that may turn patients more susceptible to renal structural or functional compensatory failure and subsequent injury.


The biophysical basis of repetitive action potential firing can be understood in terms of the opposing positive and negative feedback processes that generate the repetitive activity. The relative time scales of these processes, which can include ion channel activation and inactivation as well as ion accumulation within a cell, are a key factor in the generation of repetitive single-spike firing, intrinsic burst firing and network burst firing.

Keywords:

oscillation;
bursting;
pacemaker;
bifurcation;
spontaneous activity;
nonlinear dynamics


Background:  There is currently much interest in the role of probiotics in the modulation of colonic microflora to improve host health (Parvez, 2006) The probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis (B. animalis) DN-173010 contained in a leading brand probiotic yogurt, claims to exert health benefits with the daily consumption of this product over 2 weeks. The aims of this study are to confirm results of previous studies showing consumption of B. animalis reduces oro-caecal transit time (OCTT) (Agrawal et al., 2008). Secondly to determine whether any change in OCTT occurs during the 3 week consumption of yogurt containing B. animalis.

Methods:  This study was a randomised, controlled, unblinded parallel trial. Participants were recruited via e-mail using convenience sampling. Participants (n = 9) consumed either Activia containing B. animalis (n = 5) or a non-probiotic yogurt (n = 4) for 3 weeks. OCTT was measured using a hydrogen breath analyser. Fibre intake, gastrointestinal habits such as stool type and frequency were collected through participant self reporting. Data was analysed using a Mann–Whitney U-test and Paired T-test, possible correlations were investigated using a Spearmans rho test.

Results:  The control group had a higher mean OCTT (127.5 min) compared with the probiotic group with a mean OCTT of (97.0 min) however this was not a significant difference (P = 0.381) The control group on average had a higher fibre intake (181 ± 92 g per week) compared with the probiotic group consuming (148.6 ± 32 g per week) however this difference was not significant (P = 1.000). No correlations were found between OCTT and fibre intake (P = 0.370) or stool type (P = 0.310) and frequency (P = 0.780). No significant change in symptoms between the groups was observed.

Discussion:  The findings suggest consumption of B. animalis within this brand of yoghurt had no significant impact on OCTT therefore this study did not confirm findings from other studies. Nonetheless the impact of any probiotic strain on OCTT is still unknown as the microbiota within the caecum is different compared to the colon where the majority of probiotic research is conducted. This study cannot comment into the impact of B. animalis on other transit time parameters.

Conclusion:  These findings suggest the consumption of B. animalis had no impact on OCTT or any other GI parameter. This study was conducted using a small sample however much of the evidence conducted investigating OCTT used a small sample size, therefore more evidence is required.

References:  Agrawal, A., et al. (2008) Clinical trial: the effects of a fermented milk product containing Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 on abdominal distension and gastrointestinal transit in irritable bowel syndrome with Constipation. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 29, 104–114.

Parvez, S., Malik, K.A., Ah Kang, S. & Kim, H.-Y. (2006) Probiotics and their fermented food products are beneficial for health. J. Appl. Microbiol. 100, 1171–1185.


Abstract. This study focuses on a single Mediterranean hurricane (hereafter medicane), to investigate its response to global warming during the middle of the 21st century and assesses the effects of a warmer ocean and a warmer
atmosphere on its development. Our investigation uses the state-of-the-art
regional climate model WRF to produce the six-member, multi-physics ensembles. Results show that our model setup simulates a realistic cyclone track and the transition from an initial disturbance to a tropical-like cyclone with a deep warm core. However, the simulated transition occurs earlier than for the observed medicane. The response of the medicane to future climate change is investigated with a pseudo global warming (PGW) approach. This is the first application of the PGW framework to medicanes. The PGW approach adds a climate change delta (defined as difference between future and present climate) to WRF's boundary conditions which is obtained for all prognostic variables using the mean change in an ensemble of CMIP5 simulations. A PGW simulation where the climate change delta is added to all prognostic variables (PGWALL) shows that most of the medicane characteristics moderately intensify, e.g. surface wind speed, uptake of water vapour, and precipitation. However, the minimum sea level pressure (SLP) is almost identical to that under present climate conditions. Two additional PGW simulations were undertaken; One simulation adds the projected change in sea surface and skin temperature only (PGWSST) while the second simulation adds the PGW changes to only atmospheric variables (PGWATMS); i.e. we use present-day sea surface temperatures. These simulations show opposing responses of the medicane. In PGWSST, the medicane is more intense than
PGWALL as indicated by lower SLP values, the stronger surface wind, and the more intense evaporation and precipitation. In contrast, the
medicane in PGWATMS still transitions into a tropical-like cyclone with a deep warm core, but the PGWATMS medicane weakens considerably (SLP, surface wind, and rainfall decrease). This difference can be explained by an increase in water vapour driven by the warmer ocean surface (favourable for cumulus convection). The warmer and drier atmosphere in PGWATMS tends to inhibit condensation (unfavourable for cumulus convection). The warmer ocean and warmer atmosphere have counteracting effects which leads to only a modest enhancement of the medicane by global warming. The novel approach in this study provides new insights into the different roles of warming of the ocean and atmosphere in medicane development.


The purpose of this study was a histomorphometric comparison of vital bone formation following maxillary sinus augmentation with two different particle sizes of anorganic bovine bone matrix (ABBM). Bilateral sinus floor augmentations were performed in 13 patients. Trephine bone cores were taken from the lateral window areas of 11 patients 6 to 8 months after augmentation for histologic and histomorphometric analysis. Bone samples from both the large and small particle size groups showed evidence of vital bone formation similar to that seen in previous studies, confirming the osteoconductivity of ABBM. Significant bone bridging was seen creating new trabeculae composed of the newly formed bone and residual ABBM particles. Histologic evaluation revealed the newly formed bone to be mostly woven bone with some remodeling to lamellar bone. Osteocytes were seen within the newly formed bone as well as osteoblast seams with recently formed osteoid. Isolated osteoclasts were observed on the ABBM surfaces. Vital bone formation (primary outcome measure) was more extensive in the large particle grafts compared with the small particle grafts (26.77% ± 9.63% vs 18.77% ± 4.74%, respectively). The histologic results reaffirm the osteoconductive ability of ABBM when used as the sole grafting material in maxillary sinus augmentation. The histomorphometric results at 6 to 8 months revealed a statistically significant increase (P = .02) in vital bone formation when the larger particle size was used. Additional studies should be performed to confirm these results.


CONTEXT
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), common in southern China and North Africa, has a complex etiology involving interplay between viral, environmental, and hereditary factors and is almost constantly associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. Since the prognosis of locally advanced and metastatic diseases is poor, increased understanding of the pathogenesis of NPC would be important for discovering novel markers for patients' management.

OBJECTIVES
To compare the proteomic expression profile between an Epstein-Barr virus-associated NPC cell line (C666-1) and a normal NP cell line (NP69). The proteins with differential expression were analyzed in 40 undifferentiated NPC paraffin-embedded specimens.

DESIGN
Differentially expressed proteins discovered between the two cell lines were identified by mass spectrometry. After confirmation by immunocytochemical staining, their expression in patient samples was measured using 40 pairs of undifferentiated NPCs together with their adjacent normal epithelia.

RESULTS
Proteomic findings indicated that adenosine triphosphate synthase alpha chain was up-regulated, whereas annexin II, annexin V, beta(2)-tubulin, and profilin 1 were down-regulated. After confirming the results in agar-processed cell lines, annexin II and beta(2)-tubulin expression were found to be lower in tumor cells than in adjacent normal epithelial cells in 100% and 90% of the patients' specimens, respectively. Finally, annexin II down-regulation was positively associated with lymph node metastasis, suggesting that it may be a prognostic factor in NPC.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that annexin II and beta(2)-tubulin down-regulation is important in NPC formation and may represent potential targets for further investigations.


The north-eastern Aegean Sea (NEA) is a marine system of high hydrological complexity, principally induced by the inflow and subsequent advection of the low salinity (<30) Black Sea water (BSW). This water mass occupies the upper layer (~0–20 m) of the NEA and plays a key role in the determination of circulation patterns and the generation of various frontal and eddy structures. Here we are concerned with the examination of mesozooplankton assemblages in the NEA during the thermal stratification period (July 2004) in two discrete sampling layers: (a) Layer 1 (from the base of halocline to the surface: ~0–20 m) which is directly influenced by BSW; and (b) the deeper ~20–50 m layer (Layer 2). Our main objective was to assess the response of mesozooplankton to the BSW and the associated hydrological structures. In July 2004, the BSW was mainly restricted in the eastern part of the NEA where it was entrapped in a ~50-km wide anticyclonic gyre (Samothraki gyre). A marked spatial differentiation in mesozooplankton assemblage structure, significantly related to this hydrodynamic partitioning, was detected in Layer 1. Sampling sites under the direct influence of low salinity–high temperature gyre waters were characterized by a considerably higher mesozooplankton stock than the remaining area, mainly due to the outstanding numerical dominance of the cladoceran species Penilia avirostris. Copepods displayed notably low densities within the gyre and low species diversity, the calanoid Temora stylifera was the only abundant species. The mesozooplankton community outside the gyre zone shifted towards lower levels of total abundance, with a lesser contribution of cladocerans and an increase in the importance of small-sized copepods (e.g. Acartia clausi, Paracalanus parvus, copepodites of Oithona spp. and Clausocalanus spp.). In the subsurface layer (Layer 2), the mesozooplankton community also exhibited spatial heterogeneity which could be hardly explained by variability in environmental parameters. The periphery of the anticyclone below the halocline was distinguished from the remaining neritic area, presenting markedly high mesozooplankton productivity and distinct group composition. An inverse pattern in the mesozooplankton stock vertical distribution was observed at the periphery of the gyre (Layer 2> Layer 1) comparative to the remaining sites (Layer 1 > Layer 2), which was mainly due to unusually high concentrations of surface-living zooplankters below the halocline. The latter could be explained in terms of expected water flow patterns in an anticyclonic eddy.


In the current climate of increasingly competitive, marketised higher education, many institutions have placed retention and progression high on their agenda. Student withdrawal is not only financially costly for all involved, but also adversely affects admissions targets and causes students undue stress and anxiety.

Many authors have identified higher than average drop-out rates amongst so-called 'non-traditional' students who now often represent the majority in those mainly post-1992 institutions that focus strongly in this area. In an attempt to understand and cope with this issue researchers have attempted to classify both the students and the reasons that may cause them to leave higher education (HE). The picture is one of extreme diversity and complexity, with a range of views about the main cause of withdrawal and therefore about potential solutions for overcoming it, many suggesting that we must somehow help the student to adapt to the unfamiliar university environment.

Given the current context of increased national student participation levels and widening participation this approach alone is perhaps insufficient. Universities that are serious about addressing retention and progression must become more customer-focused; instead of trying to adapt students to fit HE, it is they that must adapt to fit the needs all including the new, majority, 'non-traditional' students.

This paper presents a case study of a new university with high levels of non-traditional students and on-going retention and progression issues. We provide an example of how realigning key processes in relation to teaching, learning and student support with identified student needs can improve retention and progression. We specifically address the need for sensitivity to individual requirements, managed through flexibility and the integration of information systems with a customer-focused mind-set. For the future, a holistic approach is recommended which focuses on changing the university environment – both structurally and culturally – to meet the needs of all our students and to help them thrive, whatever their circumstances.


We experimentally investigate filamentation and supercontinuum generation in a birefringent medium (BBO crystal), in the self-focusing regime where intrinsic cubic nonlinearity is either enhanced or reduced by the second-order cascading due to phase-mismatched second harmonic generation. We demonstrate that the supercontinuum spectral extent is efficiently controlled by varying the phase mismatch parameter. In the range of negative phase mismatch, we achieve full control of the blue-shifted spectral broadening, which is very robust and independent on the input pulse energy. In the range of positive phase mismatch, both the blue-shifted and the red-shifted spectral broadenings are controlled simultaneously, however showing a certain dependence on the input pulse energy. The results are interpreted in terms of complex interplay between the self-phase-matched second harmonic generation, which is a process inherent to narrow ultrashort pulsed laser beams and concurrent self-steepening processes which arise from cubic and cascaded-quadratic nonlinearities.


Context. The form and evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) at high redshifts provide crucial information on star formation history and mass assembly in the young Universe, close or even prior to the epoch of reionization.

Aims. We used the unique combination of deep optical/near-infrared/mid-infrared imaging provided by HST, Spitzer, and the VLT in the CANDELS-UDS, GOODS-South, and HUDF fields to determine the GSMF over the redshift range 3.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5.

Methods. We used the HST WFC3/IR near-infrared imaging from CANDELS and HUDF09, reaching H ≃ 27 − 28.5 over a total area of 369 arcmin^2, in combination with associated deep HST ACS optical data, deep Spitzer IRAC imaging from the SEDS programme, and deep Y and K-band VLT Hawk-I images from the HUGS programme, to select a galaxy sample with high-quality photometric redshifts. These have been calibrated with more than 150 spectroscopic redshifts in the range 3.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5, resulting in an overall precision of σ_z/ (1 + z) ~ 0.037. With this database we have determined the low-mass end of the high-redshift GSMF with unprecedented precision, reaching down to masses as low as M^∗ ~ 10^9 M_⊙ at z = 4 and ~6 × 10^9 M_⊙ at z = 7.

Results. We find that the GSMF at 3.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5 depends only slightly on the recipes adopted to measure the stellar masses, namely the photometric redshifts, the star formation histories, the nebular contribution, or the presence of AGN in the parent sample. The low-mass end of the GSMF is steeper than has been found at lower redshifts, but appears to be unchanged over the redshift range probed here. Meanwhile the high-mass end of the GSMF appears to evolve primarily in density, although there is also some evidence of evolution in characteristic mass. Our results are very different from previous mass function estimates based on converting UV galaxy luminosity functions into mass functions via tight mass-to-light relations. Integrating our evolving GSMF over mass, we find that the growth of stellar mass density is barely consistent with the time-integral of the star formation rate density over cosmic time at z> 4.

Conclusions. These results confirm the unique synergy of the CANDELS+HUDF, HUGS, and SEDS surveys for the discovery and study of moderate/low-mass galaxies at high redshifts, and reaffirm the importance of space-based infrared selection for the unbiased measurement of the evolving GSMF in the young Universe.


A new superplastic Al-Mg-high Mn alloy called a high-Mn alloy in the present paper was developed. The superplastic properties of the high-Mn alloy were evaluated in comparison with a conventional superplastic 5083 alloy which was manufactured under the same industrial mass production process. The high-Mn alloy sheet of a middle thickness shows a lager elongation to failure at temperatures below 783K, and show better superplastic formability and less cavitation volume than the 5083 alloy. These superior characters of the high-Mn alloy may be ascribable to finer grain structure formed in the alloy.


With an incidence rate of 15-20%, meningiomas are one of the most common brain tumors among benign intracranial tumors. They are distributed as follows in intracranial localizations: parasagittal and falx (25%), convexity (18%), sphenoid wing (18%), parasellar (12%), posterior fossa (10%), intraventricular (2%), intraorbital (1%), and extracranial (1%). The most common extradural localizations are the paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, skin, neck, glands, and intraosseous space. Intradiploic meningiomas are generally localized in the frontoparietal and orbital regions. Due to their low incidence and lack of adequate preoperative diagnostic testing, intradiploic meningiomas are generally mistaken for primary calvarial bone tumors and en plaque meningiomas. Our case was discussed here with literature findings since primary intradiploic meningioma is uncommon and poses diagnostic challenges. KEyw Ords: Meningioma, Intraosseous, Hyperostosis


Virtual world or environment such as MOO (MUD- Multi-User Domain,Object Oriented) is one of the predominantly text-based synchronous Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) tools. Since early 1990s, MOO has generated much interest among second language researchers. However, to date, not many studies have focused on the impact of using MOO on face-to-face communication skills. For the purpose of this research, in UTM, a full-fledged virtual university
called UniTekMOO, was developed and regularly updated to benefit the students in their English communication skills and specific areas of study. With the construction
of the virtual campus of UnitekMOO, this study began investigating on the effects of MOO on learners' communication skills and on their attitudes towards English
language learning. Data were gathered through participant observation (done virtually), classroom observation, questionnaire and online interview. Content and
conversational analysis were also done on the MOO chatlogs. Through interviews and questionnaires, learners believed that their interaction experiences within the MOO had improved their communication skills. In particular, more than half of the students felt that their interactions within the MOO environment have i) boosted their
interest in learning English, ii) helped improve their spelling, and iii) increased their confidence in face-to-face interactions in English. We would recommend that the
UnitekMOO be made available to students to practice using the target language as activities to complement their regular English proficiency classes.


The aim of our project is to significantly increase 1st and 2nd year retention rates and graduation rates in engineering and computer science at our institution. Our work has sought to re-form the undergraduate student experience in our college into one with a more welcoming climate, promoting strong faculty-student interactions and best practices in engineering education. In particular, we have focused on a multi-pronged approach to improving the quality of instruction and academic advising through a synergistic series of activities including: a well-supported faculty development program in teaching; the redesign of gateway courses and implementation of innovative and active learning pedagogies; guidance for faculty in their advising practice; and extension of previously tested first year academic support into the second year. Over the course of this project, the two-year retention rate in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University has increased from 63% to 80%. The four and six-year graduation rates have also increased by 10 percentage points each. Student performance has improved significantly in gateway courses taught by faculty who have participated in more intensive faculty development programs (e.g. multi-day workshops). Successful academic support services, such as our Academic Excellence Workshop (AEW) courses, have been extended to almost all 2nd year courses in the college and students who participate in two or more AEW courses are retained in the college at a rate of nearly 100%.


The plane problem for an infinite strip with two edge cracks under a given state of residual stress is considered. The residual stress is compressive near and at the surfaces and tensile in the interior of the strip. If the crack is deep enough to penetrate into the tensile zone, then the problem is one of crack-contact problem in which the depth of the contact area is an unknown which depends on the crack depth and the residual stress profile. The problem has applications to the static fatigue of glass plates and is solved for three typical residual stress profiles. In the limiting case of the crack crossing the entire plate thickness, the problem becomes a stress-free end problem for a semi-infinite strip under a given residual stress state away from the end. This is a typical stress diffusion problem in which decay behavior of the residual stress near and the nature of the normal displacement at the end of the semi-infinite strip are of special interest. For two typical residual stress states the solution is obtained, and some numerical results are given.


Kanda, E.K., T. Mabhaudhi and A. Senzanje, 2018. Coupling hydrological and crop models for improved agricultural water management – A review. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 24 (3): 380–390 Understanding the relationships among plant, soil, and water is important in agricultural water management practices. Simulation of the soil water balance is central to improving crop water productivity. Individual crop or hydrological models have shortcomings due to the simplifi cation of the surface or subsurface processes. Coupling of crop and hydrological models helps in understanding the complex processes involved in crop production. This review highlights the application of coupled crop and hydrological models in simulation of crop response to water availability. The hydrological models considered are CHAIN-2D, HYDRUS-1D, HYDRUS 2D/3D, and MODFLOW. The crop growth models considered are the water-driven model (AquaCrop), solar-radiation driven model (EPIC), and the carbon-driven models (WOFOST and DSSAT). HYDRUS2D is the successor to CHAIN-2D. MODFLOW is a popular model especially in simulating groundwater fl ow while HYDRUS is satisfactory in the simulation of water dynamics in the vadose zone. From the review, it can be deduced that HYDRUS-1D has been coupled with all the crop models considered except DSSAT. EPIC – CHAIN-2D and MODFLOW-DSSAT were the other applications. Further research needs to consider linking 2D soil water models with any of the crop growth models for a better representation of the soil water dynamics and therefore accurate simulation of the soil water balance.


supplcnicntcd with midazolani sedation was used.' We have commented on this finding in that study. In our study 0.5% isoflurane was used because it could easily bc compared with an equipotcnt concentration of nitrous oxide and provided reliable sedation when compared with oxygen. As Dr Parbrook quite rightly points out. in clinical use the Concentration nccdcd may be less and it would be preferable to start inhalation with a low concentration. Reference


In non-commutative probability theories, many different notions of independence arise in various contexts. According to the early classification work, there are only five such notions that are universal/natural in the sense of Speicher and Muraki, with free independence playing a prominent role. This thesis follows Voiculescu's recent generalization of free independence to bi-free independence to allow the simultanous study of left and right non-commutative random variables. We consider similar generalizations of other types of independence in the literature and show that many of the important concepts such as cumulants, convolutions, transforms, limit theorems, and infinite divisibility have counterparts in the new setting. While many of the results in this thesis were to be expected, some peculiarities and difficulties do occur in this left-right framework as things become much more complicated.


On-farm water management problems often are not
recognized, but are very common on most irrigated
projects. Crop prodution reduced by disease or insect
damage is recognized and describable. Consequently, and
understandably, research on disease or pest control is
often given a higher priority than research on water
management problems. Similarly, research results that
produce distinct and obvious benefits under existing
farming practices, such as new crop varieties, are easy to
transfer as are research techniques necessary to adapt a
new variety to a new environment or to change its
resistance to local diseases or pests over a few years.
Production limited by water management problems is
often more difficult to comprehend and describe. Water
affects the entire crop-soil-climate system, and water-related
problems are not always readily discernable.
Problems that seem too complex, or cannot be visualized,
generally are not given a high priority by policy makers
and funding organizations. A large amount of water
management research exists, which, if applied, could
increase food production substantially. These research
results seem to go unused because we apparently have not
developed adequate adaptive research techniques necessary
to produce site-specific information, and we have not
developed acceptable techniques to apply new technology.
This situation is not unique to developing
countries but is commonplace even in highly developed
countries. Why? There are several key reasons. General
solutions to problems will not be applied if the problems
are not apparent, and site-specific solutions will not be
applied if they are not economical and practical. There
must be an incentive to apply a new practice. These are
some of the specific major issues addressed in this paper as
part of the assignment related to the overall goal, purpose.
and objectives of this Symposium.


In this paper we present a model of self-interested agents acting in an open environment, which captures the most relevant elements of agents' behaviour related to negotiation with other agents. The agent behaviour is mainly motivated by the gain they may obtain while fulfilling their goals and negotiating. Sometimes, the agents are also motivated by the necessity to cooperate with other agents for achieving their goals. The key element in the agent behaviour is their capability to develop a set of negotiation profiles: the preference profile, the partner cooperation profile and the group-of-partners negotiation profile; these profiles help the agents to conduct their negotiation.


This paper seeks to understand reasons for men's underutilization of counseling through the theoretical lens of Connell's (1995) hegemonic masculinity. My hypothesis is that due to the adherence to Western society's dominant masculine traits, men avoid seeking psychotherapeutic help for fear of threatening their masculinity. Following an exploration of key definitions associated with masculinity and a review of existing literature on the relationship between masculinity and mental health help-seeking attitudes/behaviour, I will present a research proposal for a quasi-experimental study using brochures that appeal to men that could be a possible strategy to increase men's participation in therapy. Suggestions for further study will


Radiation-induced colon perforation is a rare adverse effect caused by vascular and connective tissue injury to the rectosigmoid colon. It usually occurs a few months to years after radiotherapy for gynecological cancer. Herein, we present a patient who developed sigmoid colon perforation during concurrent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer. The patient was a 64-year-old clinical stage IIB woman who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy as a standard treatment. The chemotherapeutic protocol was cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) and 5-fluorouracil 4000 mg, starting together with radiotherapy. After the completion of external beam radiation for 4500 cGy, the patient developed sigmoid colon perforation presenting with fecal peritoneum and sepsis. An emergency end ileostomy with resection of entire sigmoid colon was performed and the patient was discharged 3 months later in good condition. Clinicians must be highly suspicious of serious bowel perforation, even if the full dose of radiation has not been completed. Whether or not the chemotherapy was the trigger factor is in need of further clarification.


2',3'-Cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP) is found mainly in the central nervous system of vertebrates and catalyzes the hydrolysis of 2',3'-cyclic nucleotides to produce 2'-nucleotides in vitro. Recently, CNP has been identified as a member of the 2H phosphoesterase superfamily. Here we have determined the crystal structure of the catalytic fragment of human CNP (hCNP-CF) at 1.3 A resolution.


Gastric cancer remains the second most frequent cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. Screening programs in some Asian countries are impractical in the majority of other countries worldwide. Therefore, follow-up of precancerous lesions is advisable for secondary gastric cancer prevention. Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is recognized as a precancerous lesion for gastric cancer, increasing the risk by 6-fold. IM is highly prevalent in the general population, being detected in nearly 1 of every 4 patients undergoing upper endoscopy. The IM prevalence rate is significantly higher in patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, in first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients, in smokers and it increases with patient age. IM is the 'breaking point' in the gastric carcinogenesis cascade and does not appear to regress following H. pylori eradication, although the cure of infection may slow its progression. Gastric cancer risk is higher in patients with incomplete-type IM, in those with both antral and gastric body involvement, and the risk significantly increases with IM extension over 20% of the gastric mucosa. Scheduled endoscopic control could be cost-effective in IM patients, depending on the yearly incidence of gastric cancer in IM patients, the stage of gastric cancer at diagnosis discovered at surveillance, and the cost of endoscopy. As a pragmatic behavior, yearly endoscopic control would appear justified in all IM patients with at least one of these conditions: (1) IM extension > 20%; (2) the presence of incomplete type IM; (3) first-degree relative of gastric cancer patients; and (4) smokers. In the remaining IM patients, a less intensive (2-3 years) could be proposed.


Fusarium virguliforme is a soil borne root pathogen that causes sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]. Once the fungus invades the root xylem tissues, the pathogen secretes toxins that cause chlorosis and necrosis in foliar tissues leading to defoliation, flower and pod drop and eventually death of plants. Resistance to F. virguliforme in soybean is partial and governed by over 80 quantitative trait loci (QTL). We have conducted genome-wide association study (GWAS) for a group of 254 plant introductions lines using a panel of approximately 30,000 SNPs and identified 19 single nucleotide polymorphic loci (SNPL) that are associated with 14 genomic regions encoding foliar SDS and eight SNPL associated with seven genomic regions for root rot resistance. Of the identified 27 SNPL, six SNPL for foliar SDS resistance and two SNPL for root rot resistance co-mapped to previously identified QTL for SDS resistance. This study identified 13 SNPL associated with eight novel genomic regions containing foliar SDS resistance genes and six SNPL with five novel regions for root-rot resistance. This study identified five genes carrying nonsynonymous mutations: (i) three of which mapped to previously identified QTL for foliar SDS resistance and (ii) two mapped to two novel regions containing root rot resistance genes. Of the three genes mapped to QTL for foliar SDS resistance genes, two encode LRR-receptors and third one encodes a novel protein with unknown function. Of the two genes governing root rot resistance, Glyma.01g222900.1 encodes a soybean-specific LEA protein and Glyma.10g058700.1 encodes a heparan-alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase. In the LEA protein, a conserved serine residue was substituted with asparagine; and in the heparan-alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase, a conserved histidine residue was substituted with an arginine residue. Such changes are expected to alter functions of these two proteins regulated through phosphorylation. The five genes with nonsynonymous mutations could be considered candidate SDS resistance genes and should be suitable molecular markers for breeding SDS resistance in soybean. The study also reports desirable plant introduction lines and novel genomic regions for enhancing SDS resistance in soybean.


This article analyzes concerns about market power and inequality in a model with multiple sectors, heterogeneous abilities, endogenous labor supply, and nonlinear income taxation. Proportional markups with no profit dissipation have no effect on the economy, and a policy that reduces a nonproportional markup raises (lowers) welfare when it is higher (lower) than a weighted average of other markups. With proportional (partial or full) profit dissipation, proportional markups are equivalent to a downward shift of the distribution of abilities, and the optimal policy rule with nonproportional markups maximizes consumer plus producer surplus despite concerns for distribution and labor supply distortion. (JEL D43, D61, H21, H23, H24, K21, L13, L40)


English and Cantonese are the main two languages in contact in Hong Kong, together with some other minority Sinitic languages and a variety of Austronesian languages spoken by domestic helpers. Cantonese and English are typologically dissimilar in terms of word order, tense, mood and aspect marking, noun phrase structure, relative clause formation, the formation of interrogatives, and argument structure. Yet there is no work which systematically explores how these morphosyntactic typological differences are revealed in Hong Kong English (HKE). This paper explores how a typological perspective facilitates an analysis of the expression of finiteness in HKE, a significant feature because it subsumes a number of other typological facts. The analysis claims that HKE is a new English variety where the typology of the substrate is more directly responsible for the morphosyntactic features under analysis than the typology of the lexifier


The bench-scale experiments were investigated to optimize chloramines disinfection for Copepod removal by response surface methodology (RSM). Independent variables were chloramines dosage, exposure time and organic matter concentrations. The results showed that the body surface structure provided Copepod with strong protection against disinfection. The independent variables of dosage and exposure time significantly influenced the disinfection rate of Copepod. The disinfection rate was remarkably increased with the increasing chloramines dosage and exposure time. Organic matter concentrations had a less influence on Copepod inactivation. The ANOVA (analysis of variance) data showed that the F-value of 79.99 implied the model significance and the P-value less than 0.0001 indicated its good fit to use in the matrix. The polynomial equation was established by the model coefficient with R2 value of 0.9863. The evaluation proved that the model had a suitable predication for the actual application in waterworks.


The aim: to assess the clinical effect of HFCWO (Vest System) during acute pulmonary exacerbation in adult CF patients . Materials and methods .31 CF patients admitted for acute pulmonary exacerbation were randomly allocated to receive HFCWO (Vest Hill-RomServices, USA) or conventional physiotherapy (CPT). 15 adult CF patients were in the study group, 16 patients in the comparison group. Clinical, anthropometric, microbiological and functional characteristics in the HFCC group were comparable with CPT group. C-reactive protein (CRP), respiratory function (FVC, FEV 1 , PEF), SpO2, height and weight, exercise tolerance (6-minute walk test) and dyspnoe (MRC scale) were measured. Courses duration were 12-14 days. HFCWO was performed for 15 min. twice a day with 9-12 Hz frequency and amplitude 6-9 bar. CPT was airway clearance technique used by the patient routinely: Active Cycle of Breathing Technique, Flutter, or PEP. Results. Significant improvement was seen in both groups. CRP decreased: -15,4±7,3 mg/l vs -11,0±6,9 mg/l, p=0,10, BMI increase in group1: 0,29±0,25 kg/m 2 , did not differ (p=0,74) from group 2 – 0,32±0,28 kg/m 2 . The dyspnoe scale changes and 6-minute walk test changes were equal in the two groups, SpO2 changes were: 3,0±1,0 % vs 3,2±1,2 %, p=0,88. Significant difference could be seen in FEV 1 changes: 10,0±4,6 % vs 6,9±3,6 % (p= 0,04) and FVC: 9,5±4,8 % vs 5,9±3,8 % (p=0,03) for the study group and comparison group respectively. HFCWO showed no side-effects. Conclusion. The study shows that the addition of HFCWO to medical treatment decreases airway obstruction and can benefit CF adults during acute respiratory exacerbation.


E-channel has advantages over traditional market channels. This paper employed event study methodology to discover the effect of the e-channel strategy on firm's value by the data from e-channel announcements from 2008 to 2010. We developed a research model to study the stock market reaction to e-channel investment, and to verify whether the e-channel type, product type, firm already has e-channel or not, network type, can moderate the relationship between e-channel announcement and firm market value. the details of event methodology and the research design were introduced in detail. Finally, we concluded this paper with the expected results.


To achieve scalable wireless design utilizing Ultra- Wide-Band (UWB), cognitive radio, and hybrid network (ad-hoc with infrastructure such as AP, access point), we propose a cooperative interference adaptation method, where a node by sensing the frequency spectrum, can adapt its transmit power to maximize its throughput capacity under the aggregate interference constraint. By developing an AP-assisted percolation model from a hierarchy of hexagons, we analyzed the asymptotic per-node throughput and per- packet delay of this method, as the density of randomly distributed nodes in a unit disk grows. We find that a throughput-optimum density exists for a given fading coefficient and maximum transmit power, a result applicable to wireless Internet and sensor networks.