This work presents the product object model developed in the context of the EU-funded FP6-IST project named PROduct lifecycle Management and Information tracking using Smart Embedded systems (PROMISE), aiming at the closure of the whole set of information loops throughout the product lifecycle. The ultimate goals of the project are indeed to integrate product data from the entire lifecycle via different sources, to support comprehensive analysis on this data and to enhance by this the enterprise operational businesses. To achieve these goals, a set of hardware and software tools were developed. This paper presents the conceptual model behind one of the software components of this infrastructure, called the Product Data and Knowledge Management (PDKM) system, which is responsible for the integration and management of both product data and knowledge from all lifecycle phases, on a logically consistent basis. The same model also became the foundation for the proposal of a closed loop PLM standard.


The complexity of care of some patients in an allergy-immunology practice may be increased by behavioral abnormalities of the patients. Facilitating adherence through the use of social support may be the most effective treatment strategy for some of the most difficult of these patients. We report three patients whose medical management problems were alleviated largely because of the participation of their support system. All three patients were stabilized because of the acceptance of responsibility and support of the physician by the designated member of the patient's support system. The range of social support used to manage nonadherent patients ranged from directly providing instructions to a family member to the consistent presence of a spouse or companion at multiple clinical visits. In all cases, the success in management was attributed largely to the presence of a support system.


What makes our lungs look red? This seems to be a naÏve and trivial question. Indeed, all the textbooks tell us that what makes our body red is the presence of blood, or more precisely the red blood cells (RBC). Here we provide some experimental evidence as well arguments to prove that this belief is wrong, or only partially true. In fact, we identified an important population of red cells located outside of the blood vessels as highly compacted clusters, in the connection tissues of the lungs of several species of animals including rat and human being. These red cells possessed each a nucleus, expressing several biomarkers of different cell types such as PF4, vWF, SCF-1R, CD200R, TGF-b, etc… Interestingly, being morphologically heterogeneous, they react collectively to certain stimuli. For example, they aggregated on collagen fibers forming clusters of cells resembling that observed in vivo. The red cells may have some features of Hematopoietic Stem Cells, since they were capable of differentiating into other cell types such as alveolar macrophages. In nasal polyps, these cells formed vessel-like structures, confined within a CD31-positive tubes. Upon exposure to toxic chemicals, they formed dense networks, suggesting a possible role in coagulation. Furthermore, the number of these red cells was greatly increased in the lungs of diseased donors, especially in the lungs of CF patients. Instead of being secreted as what happens in normal red cells, vWF proteins were tethered on the cytoplasmic membrane of the red cells isolated from the lungs of CF donors, which may explain at least partially the fibrotic nature of the CF lungs. Taken together, we conclude that what makes the lungs look red is not the red blood cells, rather a distinct population of red cells, we call them Red Soma Cells (RSC). We believe that the discovery and characterization of this important population of cells will have profound theoretic as well as therapeutic implications.


Background Yolk sac tumors (YST) are malignant neoplasms. They are a subtype of germ cell tumors and typically originate in the gonads although extragonadal origins of such tumors have been described. Yolk sac tumors are commonly found in the gonads of infants and children and are extremely rare in adults. The goal of this case report is to describe the clinical presentation of a rare case of metastatic extragonadal yolk sac tumor originating from the medi-astinum and causing an acute conus medullaris syndrome in an adult male. Methods A 47-year old male presented to our emergency department with a one-day history of bilateral lower extremity weakness, urinary retention and bowel incontinence. Imaging revealed a destructive lesion and a burst fracture of the first lumbar vertebral body (L1) with severe spinal canal stenosis. An urgent spinal decompression and fusion was performed. Oncologic workup revealed a yolk sac tumor originating from the mediastinum. Results His neurologic function, including motor strength, bowel and bladder function improved in the postoperative period. Chemotherapy regimen of ifosfamide, etoposide and cisplatin was administered and radiation therapy was administered to the spine tumor bed. Conclusions Yolk sac tumors, although rare, should be considered in the long list differential diagnosis of an otherwise healthy male presenting with conus medullaris or spinal cord compression from metastatic disease without evidence of a testicular mass. Prompt diagnosis with urgent decompression of neural structures and stabilization of the spine may result in improvement in neurological function.


This book describes the science, development, properties and application of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) used in artificial joints. This material is currently used in 1.4 million patients around the world every year for use in the hip, knee, upper extremities, and spine. Since the publication of the 1st edition there have been major advances in the development and clinical adoption of highly crosslinked UHMWPE for hip and knee replacement. There has also been a major international effort to introduce Vitamin E stabilized UHMWPE for patients. The accumulated knowledge on these two classes of materials are a key feature of the 2nd edition, along with an additional 19 additional chapters providing coverage of the key engineering aspects (biomechanical and materials science) and clinical/biological performance of UHMWPE, providing a more complete reference for industrial and academic materials specialists, and for surgeons and clinicians who require an understanding of the biomaterials properties of UHMWPE to work successfully on patient applications. The UHMWPE Handbook is the comprehensive reference for professionals, researchers, and clinicians working with biomaterials technologies for joint replacement. New to this edition: 19 new chapters keep readers up to date with this fast moving topic, including a new section on UHMWPE biomaterials; highly crosslinked UHMWPE for hip and knee replacement; Vitamin E stabilized UHMWPE for patients; clinical performance, tribology an biologic interaction of UHMWPE. State-of-the-art coverage of UHMWPE technology, orthopedic applications, biomaterial characterisation and engineering aspects from recognised leaders in the field.


Invisibility has been a tantalizing concept for mankind over several centuries. With recent developments in metamaterial science and nanotechnology, the possibility of cloaking objects to incoming electromagnetic radiation has been escaping the realm of science fiction to become a technological reality. In this article, we review the state-of-the-art in the science of invisibility for electromagnetic waves, and examine the different available technical concepts and experimental investigations, focusing on the underlying physics and the basic scientific concepts. We discuss the available cloaking methods, including transformation optics, plasmonic and mantle cloaking, transmission-line networks, parallel-plate cloaking, anomalous resonance methods, hybrid methods and active schemes, and give our perspective on the subject and its future. We also draw a parallel with cloaking research for acoustic and elastodynamic waves, liquid waves, matter waves and thermal flux, demonstrating how ideas initiated in the field of electromagnetism have been able to open ground breaking venues in a variety of other scientific fields. Finally, applications of cloaking to non-invasive sensing are discussed and reviewed.


During the first four months of 2011 Italian courts referred an extraordinary number of requests for preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the interpretation of the Return Directive. The Court ruled on the first of these references on 28 April 2011, when decided on the case of El Dridi. This judgment found Italian criminal provisions on undocumented migrants inconsistent with European standards and pressured the Italian government to reform the Italian Alien Law. To be sure, there are studies on the case of El Dridi and its impact on the protection of undocumented migrants' rights. However, legal scholarship has given scant attention to the reasons that may explain the emergence of the many concurrent preliminary references. Moreover, given the preferred focus on the role of the Court of Justice in studies on preliminary rulings, the societal roots of supranational litigation have been largely overlooked. With the aim of filling these gaps, this paper investigates into factors that led several Italian courts to request a decision from the Court of Justice and argues that this cannot be explained with a centralized and institutional focus. Instead, what is needed is a bottom-up approach that investigates what happened at the national level, looks at the political situation at that time and at the social actors involved. The paper argues that the preliminary references of 2011 are an example of supranational legal mobilization: a network of civil society actors, judges, legal scholars and lawyers used the Court of Justice to achieve a change within the national migration legal framework. In so doing, the paper provides new insights into the political role of litigation before the Court of Justice and in the field of European migration law. ......................................................................................................................


The main historical branches, technological peculiarities and meaningful aspects of the activity of psycho-pedagogical advising centers at Greek and Catholic churches of Lviv are analyzed in the article. These institutions are the regenerated experience of the Ukrainian society. Under the nowadays conditions, concerning the affiliation of such institution to church, Ukrainian people trust them more than state organisations of the same direction. The specific technological approaches concerning the organisation of advising are worked out in these centers. The bunch of problems which are being solved is also determined. Taking into account the foreign works in the sphere of advising, the professionals of the church advising centers achieve a great success in giving a consultative help and support to those who need it.


Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Minnesota shifted to a virtual graduate student recruitment weekend. Herein we report on a method to conduct a virtual recruitment weekend using the business communication tool Slack. We discuss our strategy to share both research culture and the departmental culture at the University of Minnesota with prospective students. Content creation, Slack channel curation, and a schedule of events is discussed. Additionally, comparisons to previous years acceptance rates demonstrated that the virtual recruitment weekend acceptance rates were statistically unchanged from previous years, indicating that a virtual recruitment weekend on Slack is as effective as an in-person recruitment weekend. Further advantages for using Slack for increasing diversity and decreasing environmental impacts of graduate recruitment weekends are discussed.


Introduction: Palmaris longus, one of the superficial flexor muscles of the anterior compartment of the forearm is
the most variable muscle of the upper limb. Purpose: To note the variations of palmaris longus for tendon grafts. Methods:
Forty formalin-fixed upper limb specimens of South Indian population were dissected to note the variations of Palmaris
longus muscle. Results: Out of the forty upper limb specimens, two variants of the palmaris longus were noted. In one
specimen, a reversed palmaris longus was noted. It had a long tendinous origin with a muscle belly and a short flat tendon at insertion. The tendon inserted partly into the flexor retinaculum and partly into palmar aponeurosis. In another
specimen, apart from the normal palmaris longus muscle, an additional smaller muscle was noted. It was the Palmaris profundus. This muscle took origin in the form of a tendon from the middle of the shaft of the radius, continued as a
muscle belly and then terminated as a tendon which later inserted into the flexor retinaculum, close to the tendon of palmaris longus muscle. At its insertion, the superficial palmar branch of radial artery hooked it. The anterior interosseous nerve supplied the Palmaris profundus. Conclusion: These variations are worthy to be noted for tendon grafts.


Cracks in the concrete slab of continuous composite bridges are common due to the tensile stresses at the supports. These bridges are allowed to crack as long as the cracking is controlled and not exceeding the design crack width (according to Bro 94 the crack should be injected if they are bigger than 0.2 mm). The Angermanalven Bridge (railway bridge part of the Bothnia line project) was designed with big edge beams of width 1.2 m, 40 % of the total area of the concrete deck cross-section. During the final inspection cracks larger than the design crack width (0.3 mm according to Bro 94) were observed over the supports.In this thesis the design and the construction procedure of the bridge is studied to clarify the causes of the cracking in the edge beam. The objectives of this thesis were addressed through a literature study of the different types of cracks and the Swedish bridge codes. The expected crack width was calculate according to the same code, using a 2-D FEM model for the moment calculation, and compared with the crack width measured at the bridge.The result of the calculations shows that tensile stress due to ballast and only restraining moment due to shrinkage is not big enough to cause the measured crack width. Shrinkage force and temperature variation effects may have contributed to the concrete cracking in the edge beams. The large cross-section area of the edge beams indicates that it should be designed as part of the slab, taking that into consideration, 1.1 % reinforcement ratio in the edge beams is believed to limit the crack width to the code limits (0.3 mm).


The aim of this study was to predict the optimal depth for insertion of a left‐sided central venous catheter in children. Using 3D chest computed tomography angiography, we measured the distance from a point where the internal jugular vein is at the superior border of the clavicle, and from a point where the subclavian vein is inferior to the anterior border of the clavicle, to the junction of the superior vena cava and the right atrium in 257 children. Linear regression analysis revealed that the distances correlated with age, weight and height. Simple formulae for the depth of a central venous catheter via the left internal jugular vein (0.07 × height (cm)) and the left subclavian vein (0.08 × height (cm)) were developed to predict placement of the central venous catheter tip at the junction of the superior vena cava with the right atrium. Using these fomulae, the proportion of catheter tips predicted to be correctly located was 98.5% (95% CI 96.8–100%) and 94.0% (95% CI 90.8–97.3%), respectively.


Although genome duplication is widespread in wild and crop plants, little is known about genome-wide selection due to the complexity of polyploid genomes. In allopolyploid species, the patterns of purifying selection and adaptive substitutions would be affected by masking owing to duplicated genes or 'homeologs' as well as by effective population size. We resequenced 25 distribution-wide accessions of the allotetraploid Arabidopsis kamchatica, which has a relatively small genome size (450 Mb) derived from the diploid species A. halleri and A. lyrata. The level of nucleotide polymorphism and linkage disequilibrium decay were comparable to A. thaliana, indicating the feasibility of association studies. A reduction in purifying selection compared with parental species was observed. Interestingly, the proportion of adaptive substitutions (α) was significantly positive in contrast to the majority of plant species. A recurrent pattern observed in both frequency and divergence-based neutrality tests is that the genome-wide distributions of both subgenomes were similar, but the correlation between homeologous pairs was low. This may increase the opportunity of different evolutionary trajectories such as in the HMA4 gene involved in heavy metal hyperaccumulation.


Two-dimensional spatiotemporal power spectra of shadow patterns associated with stellar light scintillation has been determined experimentally by optical filtering of the spatial frequencies. The results show evidence for a multilayer structure of the air turbulence in the upper troposphere. Altitude and wind speed can be deduced for each layer. They are in good agreement with wind profiles from meteorological data.


The shear buckling of web plates and lateral–torsional buckling are among the major failure modes of plate girders. The importance of the lateral–torsional buckling capacity of plate girders was further evidenced when several plate girders of a bridge in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada failed in 2015, because insufficient bracing led to the lateral buckling of the plate girders. In this study, we focus on the optimisation of the cross-sections of plate girders using a well-known and extremely efficient meta-heuristic optimisation algorithm called the harmony search algorithm. The objective of this optimisation is to design the cross-sections of the plate girders with the minimum area that satisfies requirements, such as the lateral–torsional buckling load and ultimate shear stress. The base geometry, material properties, applied load and boundary conditions were taken from an experimental study and optimised. It was revealed that the same amount of load-carrying capacity demonstrated by this model can be achieved with a cross-sectional area 16% smaller than that of the original specimen. Furthermore, the slenderness of the web plate was found to have a decisive effect on the cost-efficiency of the plate girder design.