An anonymous questionnaire‐based study was devised to examine the role of preoperative assessment of patients by pre‐registration surgical house officers. One hundred and eight patients awaiting elective surgery were entered into the study. The main outcome measures were the proportion of patients who felt they had received a satisfactory explanation concerning the risks and benefits of their intended operation at a preoperative assessment clinic (PAC). Of the patients who believed that details of their operations had been explained to them, more than one‐quarter cited the PAC as the source. More than 25% of patients who stated that the benefits of their operation had been explained cited the PAC as the source; 45% of patients who believed the risks of their surgery had been provided felt the PAC had been the only source of this explanation. It was concluded that preoperative assessment clinics are an efficient and effective means of providing patients with valuable information about their operation.


ulators for cancer treatment remains a challenge, as models require both, engraftment of human tumor cells and a compatible human immune cells. In previous experiments, we have demonstrated, that we can use either peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) to establish a humanized immune system with functional T-, B-, and NK cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells. However these models are limited by rarely matching HLA isotypes between tumor and immune cells. In this case study, we established a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model from a patient with Head and Neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). After engraftment of HNSCC PDX, patients PBMC were used to humanize mice. By this procedure we successfully generated a patient-specific human tumor-immune cell model in mice with 100% HLA-match. Model development included the comparison of PDX engraftment on mice with either HLA-matching or non HLA-matching PBMC's and purified T cells from different donors. Furthermore, these effects were investigated on humanized mice generated with HSC. Finally, we further validated the model by comparing treatment effects with the checkpoint inhibitor Nivolumab in the autologous immune cell PDX model with heterologous models. Methods The HNSCC PDX was transplanted on NOG mice. After tumor engraftment mice were randomized in 6 groups, receiving PBMCs by i.v. transplantation either from the patient or from 5 well characterized donors (PDX patient PBMCs 100% HLA matching, 5 donors with different HLA matching). In the last step, PDX were transplanted on humanized mice generated from 5 different HSC donors. Blood and tumor samples were analysed by FACS and IHC for immune cell infiltration and activation. Results In the autologous huPBMC model, no interference with the proliferation of HNSCC PDX was seen. However, on mice humanized with donor PBMC's with a high HLA match, a strong stimulation of tumor proliferation compared to non-humanized mice was observed. On humanized mice, generated from 5 different HSC donors, HLA-matching seem to have a lower influence on engraftment. On mice humanized with PBMC from different donors, we observed a correlation of treatment effects with HLA match, with strong tumor growth inhibition in the mice with the best match. In the PDX tumors, infiltrating immune cells were detected by FACS and IHC analyses. Conclusions We developed a humanized immune-PDX model enabling appropriate preclinical translational research on tumor immune biology and the evaluation of new therapies and combinations, as well as the identification and validation of biomarkers for immune therapy. Furthermore, results showed a correlation between immune therapy effects and HLA matching in preclinical models. Disclosure Information M. Stecklum: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; EPO Experimental Pharmacology & Oncology Berlin-Buch GmbH. K. Klinghammer: None. A. Wulf-Goldenberg: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; EPO Experimental Pharmacology & Oncology Berlin-Buch GmbH. B. Brzezicha: A. Employment (full or parttime); Significant; EPO Experimental Pharmacology & Oncology Berlin-Buch GmbH. K. Jöhrens: None. J. Hoffmann: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; EPO Experimental Pharmacology & Oncology Berlin-Buch GmbH. P03.15 SITE-SPECIFIC IMMUNE EVASION AND SUBSTANTIAL HETEROGENEITY WITHIN ENTITIES PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR PERSONALIZED IMMUNOTHERAPY


Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) process is extensively used in tool and die making industry for accurate machining of internal profiles in hardened materials. Surface alloying by EDM process has emerged as a major research area in the field of non-traditional machining processes. As the dissolution of the tool electrode takes place during the process, the constituents of the electrode material may be deposited on the machined surface. Some additive powders in the dielectric medium may also form part of the plasma channel in the molten state and alloy with the recast layer under appropriate machining conditions. In this experimental work, Oil-Hardening Non-Shrinkable (OHNS type 'O2') die steel was machined with tungsten powder suspended in the dielectric medium. L9 orthogonal array of Taguchi approach to design of experiments was used for setting input process parameters. The machined surfaces were subjected to micro-hardness testing, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and XRD (X-ray Diffraction) analysis. The results show the presence of additional elements in the surface in the form of tungsten and tungsten carbide (WC) and improvement in micro-hardness by more than 100 %. Chemical composition of the machined surface was further checked on an optical emission spectrometer to verify the results.


Neutropenic enterocolitis (NE) is a serious complication in neutropenic patients. Once exclusively thought to be found in patients with leukemia and lymphoma, it is now being seen with increased frequency during bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy for solid tumors, and in patients suffering from acquired immune deficiency syndrome and cyclic neutropenia. The pathophysiology of NE is not completely understood, but unquestionably involves neutropenia, mucosal barrier damage, and infection resulting in a necrotizing process of the bowel wall. The cecum, ileus, and ascending colon are most commonly involved. Initial symptoms are usually nonspecific abdominal pain and fever. Localized, severe right lower quadrant pain, sepsis, and bowel perforation may rapidly develop. Once considered a fatal complication, the outcome for the child with NE has improved with better diagnostic imaging techniques and antibiotics. Most children can be successfully managed conservatively with early introduction of broadspectrum antibiotics and supportive care. However, a significant number will need surgical intervention. Nursing care of these children requires knowledge of the disease process, excellent clinical assessment skills, and a compassionate, family-centered approach. © 2002 by Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses


In this paper an approach is presented that obtains virtual models from sequences of images. The system can deal with uncalibrated image sequences acquired with a hand held camera. Based on tracked or matched features the relations between multiple views are computed. From this both the structure of the scene and the motion of the camera are retrieved. The ambiguity on the reconstruction is restricted from projective to metric through auto-calibration. A flexible multi-view stereo matching scheme is used to obtain a dense estimation of the surface geometry. From the computed data virtual models can be constructed or, inversely, virtual models can be included in the original images.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common type of chronic liver disease in children. The mechanisms that drive NAFLD disease progression in this specific patient population remain poorly defined. In this study, we obtained liver biopsy samples from a multiethnic cohort of pediatric patients with NAFLD (n = 52, mean age = 13.6 years) and healthy liver controls (n = 5). We analyzed transcriptomic changes associated with NAFLD stages using high‐throughput RNA sequencing. Unsupervised clustering as well as pairwise transcriptome comparison distinguished NAFLD from healthy livers. We identified perturbations in pathways including calcium and insulin/glucose signaling occurring early in NAFLD disease, before the presence of histopathologic evidence of advanced disease. Transcriptomic comparisons identified a 25‐gene signature associated with the degree of liver fibrosis. We also identified expression of the insulin‐like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) gene family (1/2/3/7) as correlating with disease stages, and it has the potential to be used as a peripheral biomarker in NAFLD. Comparing our data set with publicly available adult and adolescent transcriptomic data, we identified similarities and differences in pathway enrichment and gene‐expression profiles between adult and pediatric patients with NAFLD. Regulation of genes including interleukin‐32, IGFBP1, IGFBP2, and IGFBP7 was consistently found in both NAFLD populations, whereas IGFBP3 was specific to pediatric NAFLD. Conclusion: This paper expands our knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying pediatric NAFLD. It identifies potential biomarkers and directs us toward new therapies in this population.


The development of simple and efficient methods for construction of substituted γ-lactams is an important synthetic goal because such ring skeletons are present in numerous natural compounds that display diverse biological activities. Intramolecular cyclization of N-allyl propiolamides is an efficient, economic, and operationally simple strategy for the synthesis of the titled compounds. In the present review we will discuss recent advances in the synthesis of functionalized γ-lactam derivatives from these easily accessible and versatile building blocks with the emphasis on the mechanistic aspects of the reactions.


How much sex should a person have? With whom? What do we make of people who choose not to have sex at all? As present as these questions are today, they were subjects of intense debate in the early American republic. In this richly textured history, Kara French investigates ideas about, and practices of, sexual restraint to better understand the sexual dimensions of American identity in the antebellum United States. French considers three groups of Americans—Shakers, Catholic priests and nuns, and followers of sexual reformer Sylvester Graham—whose sexual abstinence provoked almost as much social, moral, and political concern as the idea of sexual excess. Examining private diaries and letters, visual culture and material artifacts, and a range of published works, French reveals how people practicing sexual restraint became objects of fascination, ridicule, and even violence in nineteenth-century American culture.


Active mid-infrared spectroscopy with tunable lasers is a leading technology for standoff detection and identification of trace chemicals. Information-theoretic optimal selection of the laser wavelength offers the promise of increased detection confidence at lower abundances and with fewer wavelengths. Reducing the number of wavelengths required enables faster detections and lowers sensor power consumption while keeping the optical power under eye safety limits. This paper presents an approximation to the mutual information which operates ~40000x faster than traditional techniques, thereby making near-optimal real-time sensor control computationally feasible. Application of this technique to synthetic data suggests it can reduce the number of wavelengths needed by a factor of two relative to an evenly-spaced grid, with even higher gains for chemicals with weak signatures.


Biodegradable elastomeric network polyesters were prepared from multifunctional aliphatic carboxylic acids such as tricarballylic acid (Yt) or meso-1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (Xb) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) diols with molecular weights of 530, 1,250 and 2,000 g.mol-1. Prepolymers prepared by a melt polycondensation were cast from DMF solution and postpolymerized at 280 degrees C for various periods of times to form a network. The resultant films were transparent, flexible and insoluble in organic solvents. The network polyesters obtained were characterized by IR absorption spectra, WAXS, density measurement, DSC, and tensile test. YtPCL1250, and XbPCL1250 network polyester films showed good elastomeric properties with high ultimate elongation (540-590%), and low Young's modulus (2.5-3.3 MPa). The enzymatic degradation was estimated by the weight loss of network films in a buffer solution with Rhizopus delemar lipase at 37 degrees C. The degree and rate of degradation were significantly affected by the molecular weight of PCL diol, chemical structures of multifunctional aliphatic carboxylic acids and the morphology of network films. The changes in the solid states of network films during the degradation were also estimated by the results of DSC and WAXS. [see text]


CuGaTe2 based chalcopyrite materials have attracted intense research interest due to their high power factor. However, it is difficult to substantially improve the thermoelectric performance because of their high thermal conductivity. Here we simultaneously optimize their thermoelectric and mechanical properties by introducing carbon particles (CPs) into the CuGaTe2 matrix. Firstly, as electron localization centers, the introduced carbon particles can enhance their electrical conductivity and thereby the power factor by adjusting the electrical transport properties. Secondly, the interfaces between carbon particles and the matrix can strongly scatter the heat carrying phonons and suppress their thermal conductivity, leading to ∼41% decrease in lattice thermal conductivity at 873 K. The highest ZT value (∼1.0@873 K) is obtained for CuGaTe2 + 0.5 wt.% CPs, which is ∼28% larger than that of pure CuGaTe2. Thirdly, the softer carbon particles can simultaneously optimize the hardness and fracture toughness of the composites, which is beneficial for the techniques used in the processing of thermoelectric devices. The hardness is decreased from 4.45 to 3.82 GPa and the fracture toughness is increased from 0.80 to 1.10 MPa m1/2 after introducing 0.5 wt.% CPs into the CuGaTe2 matrix, respectively. All results indicate that the incorporation of carbon particles is a very promising approach for improving the thermoelectric and mechanical properties of CuGaTe2.


Radiation is one of the causative agents for the induction of DNA damage in biological systems. There is various possibility of radiation exposure that might be natural, man-made, intentional, or non-intentional. Published literature indicates that radiation mediated cell death is primarily due to DNA damage that could be a single-strand break, double-strand breaks, base modification, DNA protein cross-links. The double-strand breaks are lethal damage due to the breakage of both strands of DNA. Mammalian cells are equipped with strong DNA repair pathways that cover all types of DNA damage. One of the predominant pathways that operate DNA repair is a non-homologous end-joining pathway (NHEJ) that has various integrated molecules that sense, detect, mediate, and repair the double-strand breaks. Even after a well-coordinated mechanism, there is a strong possibility of mutation due to the flexible nature in joining the DNA strands. There are alternatives to NHEJ pathways that can repair DNA damage. These pathways are alternative NHEJ pathways and single-strand annealing pathways that also displayed a role in DNA repair. These pathways are not studied extensively, and many reports are showing the relevance of these pathways in human diseases. The chapter will very briefly cover the radiation, DNA repair, and Alternative repair pathways in the mammalian system. The chapter will help the readers to understand the basic and applied knowledge of radiation mediated DNA damage and its repair in the context of extensively studied NHEJ pathways and unexplored alternative NHEJ pathways.


Using some adaptations of the adjacency decomposition method [ChRe96] and the program cdd ( [Fu95]), we compute the first computationally difficult cases of convex cones of m-ary and oriented analogs of semi-metrics and cut semi-metrics, which were introduced in [DeRo02] and [DePa99]. We considered also the more general notion of (m, s)-super-metric and corresponding cones. The data on related cones the number of facets, of extreme rays, of their orbits and diameters are collected in Table 1. We study also criterions of adjacency for skeletons of those cones and their duals. Some families of extreme rays and operations on them are found also.


This paper documents a computer program that constructs discourse representation structures (DRSes) from ordinary English input. A source listing of the program is included. This program is a much extended version of the one developed by Johnson and Klein (1986) and was built to serve as a basis for other research. It is implemented in Prolog using GULP, a locally developed system for translating featurestructure notation into Prolog terms. The reader of this paper is expected to be familiar with discourse representation theory, Prolog, and GULP.


Spectrum sensing is one of the major elements of cognitive radio applications. A single secondary user (SU) usually cannot provide robust sensing capability due to channel effects. In order to overcome this problem, cooperative spectrum sensing techniques have been proposed. Because conventional cooperative spectrum sensing schemes assumed that all sensing nodes have the same sensing reliability, the SUs were assigned identical false-alarm probability even though some of them suffer deep fading, which may degrade their detection performance. In this study, we propose an adaptive credibility-based cooperative spectrum sensing technique, which evaluates the sensing reliability of SUs based on previous sensing performance, and adjusts the probability of false alarm of each SU individually. Assigning a higher false alarm probability for a more reliable SU can result in better detection performance. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed cooperative spectrum sensing technique, both the false alarm probability and the detection probability are simulated under Rayleigh fading channels, and the results show that the proposed approach outperforms any conventional detection method in terms of detection performance.


The genus Cerapanorpa Gao, Ma & Hua, 2016 is taxonomically revised. Cerapanorpa is confirmed to be endemic to the mountain regions in central China. Nineteen species are recognized in the genus, including four new species: Cerapanorpa baimaensis sp. nov., Cerapanorpa xuebaodinga sp. nov., and Cerapanorpa yanggashana sp. nov. from the Minshan Mountains, and Cerapanorpa taizishana sp. nov. from the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Six species are transferred from Cerapanorpa back to Panorpa Linnaeus, 1758. An updated key to species is presented.


In the South China Sea Arbitration between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on 29 October 2015 issued its Award on Jurisdiction and Admissibility. The Tribunal rejected China's objection that the disputes presented by the Philippines concerned, in essence, the extent of China's territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea and were thus outside the Tribunal's jurisdiction. The Tribunal found, inter alia, that the Philippines' submissions reflected disputes between the parties concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention, that there was no other State indispensable to the proceedings, and that the Philippines had met the requirement under Article 283 of the Convention that the parties exchange views regarding the settlement of their disputes. This paper examines the Tribunal's findings with regard to each and every of the Philippines' 15 final submissions and demonstrates that some of its findings on the Tribunal's jurisdiction and the admissibility of the Philippines' claims are seriously flawed and based on procedural irregularities.


Ink tack is a term used by printers to describe the force required to split an ink
film. Such film splitting is influenced by rheological and adhesive properties as well
as the internal cohesion of ink. Furthermore, the concept of ink tack in printing is
associated with the forces or energy developed in the splitting of ink film at the exit
of a printing nip.
Stefan studied the forces required to split a thin film. He found that the force
required to split a thin film is inversely proportional to the cube of the thickness of
that film. This association between the film thickness and film splitting force has
been questioned in the literature and by this study.
In printing, the practical condition related to ink film splitting forces might be
revealed by measurement on the Inkometer ( Inkometer response), paper picking,
and ink trapping. This study used these responses.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship (not
mathematical) between ink film thickness (0.6 to 5.4 pm) that should include the
film thicknesses found on presses.
Experiment one was accomplished on the Inkometer with the two black
vegetable-oil-based inks to obtain the Inkometer response under the proposed three
way factorial experimental design ( inks, ink film thicknesses, and time.) Experiment
two made use of the IGT Printability Tester with the same inks, the IGT oil, and one
of the paper samples to find the critical picking velocity under the proposed two way
factorial experimental design ( fluids, ink film thicknesses.) Experiment three was
accomplished with the IGT Printability Tester, the same inks, and two substrates
including a second paper sample and a plastic film. The response is gravimetric
trapping under the proposed three way factorial experimental design ( inks,
substrates, and ink film thicknesses.) Inkometer response, picking velocity, and
gravimetric trapping are not direct measurements of film splitting force. They are
related to film splitting force. The greater the Inkometer response, the more tacky the
ink. The higher the picking velocity the lower the splitting force. With increased
gravimetric trapping of the second-down inks, the more tacky the first-down inks.
The data was analyzed by ANOVA at a level of significance equal to 0.05
( two-sided ) to test the null hypotheses. The null hypotheses are the following:
Hq^: There is no significant effect due to vegetable-oil-based ink film
thickness on ink tack as measured by an Inkometer.
Hq2: There is no significant effect due to film thickness of vegetable-oilbased
fluid on picking velocity under the proposed experimental design on the IGT
Printability Tester.
H.Q3: There is no significant effect due to the first down vegetable-oil-based
ink film thickness on ink trapping capability under the proposed experimental design
on the IGT Printability Tester.
An overview of the results show that the ink film thickness could affect the
Inkometer response and gravimetric trapping, and the oil-based
fluids' film
thicknesses could affect the picking velocity within the…


This thesis concerns the asymptotic growth of solutions to nonlinear functional differential equations, both random and deterministic. How quickly do solutions grow? How do growth rates of solutions depend on the memory and the nonlinearity of the system? What is the effect of randomness on the growth rates of solutions? We address these questions for classes of nonlinear functional differential equations, principally convolution Volterra equations of the second kind.
We first study deterministic equations with sublinear nonlinearity and integrable kernels. For such systems, we prove that the growth rates of solutions are independent of the distribution of the memory. Hence we conjecture that stronger memory dependence is needed to generate growth rates which depend meaningfully on the delay structure. Using the theory of regular variation, we then demonstrate that solutions to a class of sublinear Volterra equations with non–integrable kernels grow at a memory dependent rate.
We complete our treatment of sublinear equations by examining the impact of stochastic perturbations on our previous results; we consider the illustrative and important cases of Brownian and alpha–stable Levy noise. In summary, if an appropriate functional of the forcing term has a limit L at infinity, solutions behave asymptotically like the underlying unforced equation when L = 0 and like the forcing term when L is infinite.
Solutions inherit properties of both the forcing term and underlying unforced equation for finite and positive L. Similarly, we prove linear discrete Volterra equations with summable kernels inherit the behaviour of unbounded perturbations, random or deterministic.
Finally, we consider Volterra integro–differential equations with superlinear nonlinearity and nonsingular kernels. We provide sharp estimates on the rate of blow–up if solutions are explosive, or unbounded growth if solutions are global. We also recover well–known necessary and sufficient conditions for finite–time blow–up via new methods.


Light clients, also known as Simple Payment Verification (SPV) clients, are nodes which only download a small portion of the data in a blockchain, and use indirect means to verify that a given chain is valid. Typically, instead of validating block data, they assume that the chain favoured by the blockchain's consensus algorithm only contains valid blocks, and that the majority of block producers are honest. By allowing such clients to receive fraud proofs generated by fully validating nodes that show that a block violates the protocol rules, and combining this with probabilistic sampling techniques to verify that all of the data in a block actually is available to be downloaded, we can eliminate the honest-majority assumption, and instead make much weaker assumptions about a minimum number of honest nodes that rebroadcast data. Fraud and data availability proofs are key to enabling on-chain scaling of blockchains (e.g. via sharding or bigger blocks) while maintaining a strong assurance that on-chain data is available and valid. We present, implement, and evaluate a novel fraud and data availability proof system.


"I love scandals about other people, but scandals about myself don't interest me. They have not got the charm of novelty", one of Oscar Wilde's characters says. Another remarks, "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train". Before Wilde himself was brought down in one of the most sensational scandals of his time, he was sought after for his flamboyant personality, his scintillating conversation and his sophisticated wit. "I Can Resist Everything Except Temptation" captures the best of those witicisms at which Oscar Wilde excelled. Naturally aphoristic, his remarks are among some of the most familiar in the English language, encompassing a wide range of subjects and people; there is hardly a topic for which he didn't have a witty comment, from pleasure ("Pleasure is what we take from others, duty what we expect from others, and genius what we deny to others") to dying ("I an dying, as I have lived, beyond my means"), from fiction ("Anyone can write a three-volumed novel. It merely requires a complete ignorance of both life and literature") to sentimentality ("One must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing"). This book also contains selections from personal letters - letters filled with poignant remarks on his life and on the human condition. Karl Beckson has selected more than 1,000 quotations on subjects from absinthe to Zola. With its comprehensive citation of source material, "I Can Resist Everything Except Temptation" is not only a boon to writers, but a lovingly crafted portrait of one of history's most quotable figures.


This paper presents a novel method to selectively detect hydrogen peroxide using a chemiresistive polyaniline nanowire network. The polyaniline nanowires modified with silver catalytic nanoparticles were demonstrated to give selective responses to hydrogen peroxide by changing the conductivity of the polyaniline. The proposed mechanism for the selectivity in the H2O2 sensing is based on a catalytic reaction between the silver nanoparticles and the hydrogen peroxide which generates hydroxide ions and water to influence the conductivity of polyaniline. The catalytic effect of the silver nanoparticles was confirmed by characterizing the relationship between the amount of catalysts and the current response. The results indicate that the rate of the catalytic reaction is proportional to the number of silver nanoparticles attached on the surfaces of polyaniline. By observing the conductance change, the developed chemiresistive sensor was able to selectively detect H2O2 while exhibiting minimal response to other chemical species. The objective of this paper is to address the selectivity issue of a chemiresistor by suggesting a catalyst-based selective detection of an analyte for a polyaniline-based chemiresistive sensor. This technology may have potential applications in microscale or microfluidic chemical and biological sensors requiring a selective detection of hydrogen peroxide concentrations.


Reproduction in the blue-footed booby was examined for evidence of parent-offspring conflict over infanticidal reduction of the brood. Parental investment was analysed by measuring dutch characteristics, and chick growth and mortality in four seasons. Direct observations were made of behavioral development to determine the social roles of family members. The modal clutch was two similar-sized eggs, which hatched 4.0 days apart due to a 5.1-day laying interval and immediate incubation of the first egg. On average, senior chicks grew faster than their sibs in years of good or poor growth (Fig. 2), maintaining the initial size disparity for at least 65 days (Fig. 1). Differential mortality of junior chicks was associated not with poor personal growth, but with a 20-25% weight deficiency of the senior sib, implying siblicidal brood reduction triggered at a weight threshold. Senior chicks established behavioral dominance through low-frequency pecking, but ordinarily did not eliminate their sibs nor substantially suppress their begging (Fig. 3), even when their own growth was 16% below potential. Parents fed dominant chicks more frequently than subordinates, but did not intervene in inter-sib aggression, even when it reached a siblicidal level. The weight and possibly the dominance relation between sibs was inverted in 12% of pairs. The theoretical prediction of conflict over elimination of the junior chick was not supported; rather, parents and senior chick cooperate, as if their fitness interests were congruent. Further, provisional tolerance of the junior chick by its underweight senior sib is consistent with "self-sacrifice" to increase the latter's inclusive fitness.


Halloysite clay nanotubes were used as a support for the immobilization of the enzyme peroxidase from clover sprouts (Trifolium), and employed together with platinum nanoparticles in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid (Pt-BMI·PF(6)) in the development of a new biosensor for the determination of catecholamines by square-wave voltammetry. Under optimized conditions, the analytical curves showed detection limits of 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.12 μM for dopamine, isoproterenol, dobutamine and epinephrine, respectively. The biosensor demonstrated high sensitivity, good repeatability and reproducibility, and long-term stability (18% decrease in response over 150 days). A recovery study of dopamine in pharmaceutical samples gave values from 97.5 to 101.4%. The proposed biosensor was successfully applied to the determination of dopamine in pharmaceutical samples, with a maximum relative error of ±1.0% in relation to the standard (spectrophotometric) method. The good analytical performance of the proposed method can be attributed to the efficient immobilization of the peroxidase in the nanoclay, and the facilitation of electron transfer between the protein and the electrode surface due to the presence of the Pt nanoparticles and ionic liquid.


Polycrystalline samples of La0.67Ba0.33(Mn1-xRux)O3 with x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2 have been prepared using solid state reaction. The effects of doping of Ru at Mn site on La-Ba-Mn- O ceramics, the characteristics and magnetotransport properties of CMR materials are investigated. The magnetoresistance (MR) effect is measured using the four point probe technique. The magnetoresistance defined as MR% = (Ro – RH)/RH x 100% was measured at a magnetic field of H ≤ 1T at 90K, 100K, 150K, 200K, 250K, 270K and 300K for the sample of doping x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2. Overall, MR drops slowly when temperature rises. All doping concentration gives small variation range (~2.7% to ~26.78%). The electrical property has determined by using standard four-point probe resistivity measurement in a temperature range of 30 K to 300 K. Metalinsulator transition temperature (Tp) shifted to lower temperatures as Ru doping is increased. In this paper the structural pattern and microstructure property have investigated via XRD. XRD patterns show that these systems are in orthorhombic distorted perovskite structures.


... As a symbol for political action, a place of spiritual plentitude, or as a challenge to transcend ethnic borders, Aztlan emerges throughout these essays as one of the Chicano Movement's fundamental ideological constructs. This volume will be of interest to students and critics concerned with the understanding and comprehensive reconstruction of one of the Chicano cultural emblems of the late 1960s. Given the present emphasis in Chicano studies on discourse analysis and critique of ideologies, this volume is a contribution to Chicano cultural criticism.Roberto Cantu, California State University


While the economic approach to the politics of regulation emphasizes the importance of organized economic interests in shaping policies, political institutions in which regulatory agencies are embedded may also have significant effects. By including both economic influences and characteristics of political institutions in a model of price setting by state regulators, this paper demonstrates that both shape regulatory behavior in the telecommunications industry. Whether commissioners are elected or appointed, whether they face confirmation by a legislature, and whether a single party controls both executive and legislative branches of state governments influence the level of prices charged for basic services. Copyright 1994 by MIT Press.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this activity is to model the expansion of the universe by investigating the behavior of water waves. It is designed for students in the upper grades of physics and physical science who are learning about the wave nature of light and are ready to discover such important questions about science. The article explains first the Doppler effect through water waves and then extends to how to interpret light waves coming from other galaxies. Therefore, in addition to raising the scientific curiosity of the students, this activity also gives them an understanding of the hypothesis–evidence relation and the interpretation of data.


Patients who require cardiac surgery or heart-lung transplantation may have been previously sensitized to drugs and blood products to which they may be reexposed during their current surgery. Reexposure may produce an anaphylactic reaction, a life-threatening allergic response. The presence of immunospecific immunoglobulin (Ig)E antibodies and, perhaps, certain classes of IgG antibodies may increase the risk of anaphylaxis. The substances that most commonly lead to anaphylaxis during cardiac surgery include antibiotics, blood products, colloid volume expanders, cyclosporine, and protamine. The anaphylactic potentials of several drugs commonly given in the perioperative setting are well known. Unlike oral cyclosporine for example, the intravenous form is solubilized in cremophor, a fatty-acid derivative that can directly activate the complement cascade. Protamine, whose anaphylactic potential during cardiac surgery is best understood, has been the subject of two studies in which risk of anaphylaxis was evaluated in approximately 5000 patients who received protamine reversal of systemic heparinization after cardiac surgery. This agent is a small polypeptide, derived from a fish source, with a molecular weight of approximately 5000; it is not particularly immunogenic, perhaps because it resembles human histone proteins. The risk of anaphylaxis after protamine administration is much higher among neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin-dependent diabetic patients (0.6% to 2%) than among non-neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin-dependent diabetic patients (0.06%). However, patients with pulmonary hypertension or prior exposure to protamine from previous cardiac surgery were not at an increased risk for anaphylaxis after protamine exposure. The presence of preexisting IgE antibodies has been shown to be highly predictive of the development of anaphylaxis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


AIM
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is an under diagnosed condition with significant consequences on health. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of symptoms and key features of OSAS in a rural population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
254 subjects were enrolled. We measured height (H) and weight (W), calculated body mass index (BMI) and determined glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Information about age, gender, medical history (diabetes, hypertension) was collected. All the participants filled in the Berlin questionnaire, which has separate questions regarding the symptoms of OSAS.

RESULTS
Snoring was reported by 44.1% of the subjects, observed apneas by 6.7% and excessive daytime sleepiness by 36.6%. All symptoms were more frequently reported by women. A higher percentage of obese, hypertensive and diabetics reported snoring (p < 0.001). When analyzing gender differences, the significance was maintained, except for diabetic men. Witnessed apneas were more prevalent in hypertensive subjects (p = 0.034), but were significantly associated with hypertension only in (p = 0.003). No correlation was found regarding excessive daytime sleepiness and the risk factors studied.

CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of OSAS symptoms and risk factors in this rural population was noticeable and efforts for early diagnosis and treatment are recommended.


The Raf/ERK (Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase) signal transduction pathway controls numerous cellular processes, including growth, differentiation, cellular transformation and senescence. ERK activation is thought to involve complex spatial and temporal regulation, to achieve a high degree of specificity, though precisely how this is achieved remains to be confirmed. We report here that prolonged activation of a conditional form of c-Raf-1 (BXB-ER) leads to profound changes in the level and distribution of a heterochromatic histone mark. In mouse fibroblasts, the heterochromatic trimethylation of lysine 9 in histone H3 (H3K9Me3) is normally confined to pericentromeric regions. However, following ERK activation a genome-wide redistribution of H3K9Me3 correlates with loss of the histone modification from chromocentres and the appearance of numerous punctuate sites throughout the interphase nucleus. These epigenetic changes during interphase correlate with altered chromosome structure during mitosis, where robust H3K9Me3 signals appear within telomeric heterochromatin. This pattern of heterochromatinization is distinct from previously described oncogene induced senescence associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF), which are excluded from telomeres. The H3K9Me3 histone mark is known to bind the major heterochromatin protein HP1 and we show that the alterations in the distribution of this histone epistate correlate with redistribution of HP1β throughout the nucleus. Interestingly while ERK activation is fully reversible, the observed chromatin changes induced by epigenetic modifications are not reversible once established. We describe for the first time a link from prolonged ERK activation to stable changes in genome organization through redistribution of heterochromatic domains involving the telomeres. These epigenetic changes provide a possible mechanism through which prolonged activation of Raf/ERK can lead to growth arrest or the induction of differentiation, senescence and cancer.


OBJECTIVE
To update recommendations for the surgical treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

DATA SOURCES
Literature reviews and personal files.

STUDY SELECTION
Panelists selected relevant articles to make arguments for and against current recommendations for the surgical treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

OUTCOMES
Four aspects of surgical treatment were considered: (a) the extent of surgical resection, (b) the definition and utilization of high- and low-risk patient groups, (c) who should perform thyroid surgery and (d) the use of radioactive iodine.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Total thyroidectomy is not the treatment of choice for all well-differentiated thyroid cancers. The use of risk factors help select those patients in whom a total thyroidectomy would be of benefit. High-risk patients are those who are considered at high risk according to the AGES and AMES classifications or who have lymph-node metastases, aggressive variants of their disease, multifocal cancer or disease in the contralateral thyroid lobe and a history of radiation to the neck. Those at low-risk are those previously described as being at low risk according to the AGES and AMES classifications. General surgery training programs across Canada need to ensure that their residents obtain enough experience in thyroid surgery that as general surgeons they can perform this type of surgery with low morbidity.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this consensus conference were supported by those of several review articles and by the arguments put forward by the panelists. These findings are only guidelines as to the surgical approach to well-differentiated thyroid cancer.


With information technology developing rapidly, variety and quantity of image data is increasing fast. How to retrieve desired images among massive images storage is getting to be an urgent problem. In this paper, we established a Distributed Image Retrieval System (DIRS), in which images are retrieved in a content-based way, and the retrieval among massive image data storage is speeded up by utilizing MapReduce distributed computing model. Moreover, fault tolerance, ability to run in a heterogeneous environment and scalability are supported in our system. Experiments are carried out to verify the improvement of performance when MapReduce model is utilized. Results have shown that image storage and image retrieval based on MapReduce outperform that in centralized way greatly when total number of images is large.


The purpose of the study was to compare the instructional strategies used by experienced band and orchestra teachers when teaching a first-year class an unfamiliar music excerpt. Twelve teacher behaviors were identified and operationally defined: echoing technique, question and answer, verbal instruction, co-verbal instruction, modeling with instrument, modeling with instrument during student performance, modeling without instrument, modeling without instrument during student performance, conducting, student performance, pedagogical touch, and classroom management. Significant differences were found for nine out of the twelve behaviors. In general, band teachers used verbal instruction, conducting, question and answer techniques, and student performance with greater frequency than orchestra teachers, while orchestra teachers used echoing technique, co-verbal instruction, modeling, modeling with instrument during student performance, and pedagogical touch with greater frequency. No significant difference was observed between the two groups for classroom management, modeling without an instrument, and modeling without an instrument during student performance.


Damage often occurs on the surface of railway wheels due to wheel-rail contact fatigue. Since the wheel failure can cause derailment causing the loss of life and property, it should be removed prior to the wheel failure. The effect of surface removal on contact fatigue life has been investigated by many researchers, however, the effects of residual stress and traction force have not been reported yet. The railway wheel reserves the initial residual stress due to the manufacturing process, and this residual stress is changed by the thermal stress induced by braking. Also, the traction force is usually applied along with residual stress on wheels of locomotive and electric motor vehicle. In this study, the effect of surface removal on the contact fatigue life for a railway wheel has been evaluated by applying the rolling contact fatigue test. Also, the effect of traction force and change of residual stress on the contact fatigue life has been estimated by applying finite element analysis. It is found that the residual stress is a dominant factor determining the surface removal depth as far as the traction coefficient is less than 0.15. If the traction coefficient is greater than 0.2, however, the surface removal depth is observed to be independent on the residual stress.


Diagnosing dementia is difficult for various reasons and on a number of levels (ethical, medical, interpersonal). Historically, negative impact on the patient (e.g., creating anxiety), caregiver (longer time in a stressful role), and services (overloading of specialist services) has been emphasized. More recently, however, the benefits of 'timely' diagnosis have been stressed, and, it has been argued, 'catastrophic' reactions are relatively uncommon. Existing research focused on the delivery of dementia diagnosis has observed a lack of usage of explicit dementia-related terminology, which is positioned as problematic. In this talk, I take a more neutral stance on interaction in this context through applying discursive and conversation analytic insight to a (small) corpus of naturally-occurring UK memory clinic interactions. These interactions are drawn from eighteen memory clinic appointments (including three home visits) that were video-recorded with fifteen patients (mean age 76.66 years, range 55-92 years) and fourteen accompanying persons (thirteen relatives and one neighbour) as part of the British Academy funded Dementia Talking project. I relate these data to the broader literature on breaking bad news in medical encounters. I suggest that, contrary to euphemistic language - or the patient themselves not always being the primary interlocutor - being viewed as inherently problematic, conformity to intersubjective norms of minimizing catastrophic reactions in medical communication demonstrates sensitivity to patients and families. Moreover, diagnostic communication with this group of vulnerable people is managing problems associated with 'insight' in terms of delivery and receipt, or indeed non-receipt, of diagnosis.


Biological and physical systems often exhibit distinct structures at different spatial/temporal scales. Persistent homology is an algebraic tool that provides a mathematical framework for analyzing the multi-scale structures frequently observed in nature. In this paper a theoretical framework for the algorithmic computation of an arbitrarily good approximation of the persistent homology is developed. We study the filtrations generated by sub-level sets of a function $f : X \to \mathbb{R}$, where $X$ is a CW-complex. In the special case $X = [0,1]^N$, $N \in \mathbb{N}$ we discuss implementation of the proposed algorithms. We also investigate a priori and a posteriori bounds of the approximation error introduced by our method.


A new series of noncyclic ionophores containing two to four furan units (Ia to IIIb) i.e. 1,1-difurylethane (Ia), 2,5-bis(methylfurfuryl)furan (IIa) and 1,1' ethyledenebis[5-(methylfurfuryl)furan] (IIIa), 2,2-difurylpropane (Ib), 2,5-bis (dimethylfurfuryl)furan(IIb), 2,2'-isopropylidenebis[5-(dimethylfurfuryl)furan] (IIIb) have been synthesized by the condensation of furan with acetaldehyde and acetone in ethanol separately in the presence of concentrated hydrochloric acid. These ionophores were used for the extraction of alkali metal ions from aqueous to organic phase in chloroform membrane using picrate, dinitrophenolate and orthonitrophenolate salts. All ionophores of series (a) and (b) extract K + selectively over Na + and ligands IIa and IIb show the best extraction efficiency for K + among these series. Among anions, orthonitrophenolate is found to be the best in comparison to dinitrophenolate and picrate during extraction. Thus, we can control the extraction of cations by altering anion.


[1] The dynamics of the May 18, 1980 lateral blast at Mount St. Helens, Washington (USA), were studied by means of a three-dimensional multiphase flow model. Numerical simulations describe the blast flow as a high-velocity pyroclastic density current generated by a rapid expansion (burst phase, lasting less than 20 s) of a pressurized polydisperse mixture of gas and particles and its subsequent gravitational collapse and propagation over a rugged topography. Model results show good agreement with the observed large-scale behavior of the blast and, in particular, reproduce reasonably well the front advancement velocity and the extent of the inundated area. Detailed analysis of modeled transient and local flow properties supports the view of a blast flow led by a high-speed front (with velocities between 100 and 170 m/s), with a turbulent head relatively depleted in fine particles, and a trailing, sedimenting body. In valleys and topographic lows, pyroclasts accumulate progressively at the base of the current body after the passage of the head, forming a dense basal flow depleted in fines (less than 5 wt.%) with total particle volume fraction exceeding 10−1 in most of the sampled locations. Blocking and diversion of this basal flow by topographic ridges provides the mechanism for progressive current unloading. On ridges, sedimentation occurs in the flow body just behind the current head, but the sedimenting, basal flow is progressively more dilute and enriched in fine particles (up to 40 wt.% in most of the sampled locations). In the regions of intense sedimentation, topographic blocking triggers the elutriation of fine particles through the rise of convective instabilities. Although the model formulation and the numerical vertical accuracy do not allow the direct simulation of the actual deposit compaction, present results provide a consistent, quantitative model able to interpret the observed stratigraphic sequence.


In Central Kalimantan, cajuput (Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. cumingiana) mostly can be found in the riptide swamp area. The present research was intended to determine the distribution of biomass based on the part of tree, position to the ground surface, growing stage, and allometric equation models to estimate the prospective of biomass in 2 different locations (A and B).  The A and B locations were characterized by type B riptide peat swamp forest (high tide effected with peat thickness of 51-100 cm) and type C riptide peat swamp forest (tide unaffected shallow soil of < 50 cm with peat thickness of 101-200 cm), respectively.  The distribution of cajuput biomass based on the part of tree, position to the ground surface, and growing stage in both locations indicated a similar pattern. Stem contained the highest biomass followed successively by that of root, branch, leave, fruit, and flower.  Biomass above the ground was also higher than that of below the ground.  Furthermore, biomass content of poles was the highest, followed successively by that of sapling, tree, and seedling.  Allometric equation models used to estimate biomass of the A location in the state of  green, air dry, and oven dry were 0.335D2,35, 0.143D2,42, and 0.128D2,41, respectively. While those in the B location for green, air dry, and oven dry state were 0.279D2,48, 0.127D2,58, and 0.114D2,56, respectively. The potential of biomass in the A and B location were 144,100 and 127,212 ton ha-1, respectively.


The impact of health library information has been studied in a number of settings and populations. This review examines both the methods employed and the outcomes reported in a series of impact studies conducted in four countries since the late 1980's. It demonstrates that health library information can affect patient care outcomes in various ways and has high cognitive and clinical value in diagnosing and treating patients. But there remains no agreed technique or methodology for determining the level of this impact. In many cases evaluation of the health library's impact will be located within a central process of evaluation of the greater organization to which the library belongs. Consequently, local ad hoc evaluation is rarely reported outside an organization. The author considers the question of whether it is worthwhile doing an impact study and what form it might take. The author concludes by identifying seminal papers on the topic.


This work aims at investigating the protective effects of the mitochondria-targeted peptide SS31, on mitochondria function, preventing human retinal pigment epithelial cell-19 (ARPE-19) cell apoptosis. The ARPE-19 cells were subjected to 24 h of intervention with H2O2 of various concentrations (0, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, and 500 μmol/L). Various concentrations of SS31 (10 nM, 100 nM, and 1 μmol/L) pretreated the cells for 2 h. The MTT assay determined cell viability. ARPE-19 cell apoptosis was observed by 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining under fluorescence microscope and detected by Annexin-V/PI staining under flow cytometry. The measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) release level used MitoSOX Red (a mitochondrial superoxide indicator) and the probe 2′-7′dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA). And with the use of a JC-1 probe, the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP; ΔΨm) was analyzed. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR were responsible for measuring the levels of apoptosis related genes (Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase-3). The cell viability increased significantly with SS31 pretreated (P < 0.05). In the SS31 + H2O2 group, the fluorescence of the cell nuclei with DAPI staining was weaker than H2O2 along group accordance with the decreased ratio of apoptotic cells (P < 0.05). The ROS generation decreased in SS31 pretreated group, with the increased ΔΨm. The RT-PCR result showed decreased Bax gene and Caspase-3 gene expression with SS31 pretreatment, while increased antiapoptotic gene Bcl-2 (P < 0.05). We provide evidence that SS31 promotes resilience of RPE cells to oxidative stress by stabilizing mitochondrial function.


Catamnestic studies ware performed on 15 subjects (13 female und 2 male) who were treated individually with Leonhard's method for puberal emaciation between 1960 and 1970. 14 of the patients, then children, now have a good physical status with normal weight, are coping well with life and are most cases married. One female patient died at age 31 years; when accepted for treatment 15 years ago there was some doubt regarding the diagnosis of a genuine puberal emaciation, and this doubt grew in the subsequent course of events. No connection could be found between her death and emaciation. We can thus consider that the success of individual treatment with Leonhard's method has been confirmed.


The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will leverage on wireless network technologies to integrate in a seamless manner Cyber-Physical Systems into existing information systems. In this context, the 6TiSCH architecture, proposed by IETF, represents the current leading standardization effort to enable timed and reliable data communication within IPv6 networks for industrial applications. In wireless networks, Link Quality Estimation (LQE) is a crucial task to select the best routes for data forwarding, regardless of unpredictable time varying conditions. Although, many solutions for LQE have been proposed in literature, the majority of them are not designed specifically for 6TiSCH networks. In this paper, we analyze the performance of existing LQE strategies on 6TiSCH networks. First, we run a set of simulations to measure the performance of one existing LQE strategy in 6TiSCH. Our simulations show that such strategy can result in measurements with low accuracy due to the 6TiSCH default timeslot allocation strategy. Consequently, we propose an extension of the 6TiSCH Minimal Configuration that allocates specific timeslots for the transmission of probing messages to mitigate the problem. The proposed methodology is demonstrated to effectively reduce the LQE error.


This innovative ethnography takes a new approach to the study of Philippine sugar. For much of the late colonial history of the Philippines, sugar was its most lucrative export, the biggest employer, and the greatest source of political influence. The socalled "Sugar Barons" - wealthy hacendero planters located mainly in Central Luzon and on the Visayan island of Negros - gained the reputation as kingmakers and became noted for their lavish lifestyles and the quasi-feudal nature of their estates. But Philippine sugar gradually declined into obsolescence; today it is regarded as a "sunset industry" that can barely satisfy domestic demand. While planters continue to think of themselves as wielding considerable power and influence, they are more often seen as vestiges of a bygone era. Michael Bilig examines sugar's decline within both the dynamic context of contemporary Philippine society and the global context of the international sugar market. His multi-sited ethnographic analysis focuses mainly on conflicts among the various elite sectors (planters, millers, traders, commercial buyers, politicians) and concludes that the most salient political, economic, and cultural trend in the Philippines today is the decline of rural, agrarian elite power and the rise of urban industrial, commercial, and financial power. His reflections on his relationships with informants in the midst of the politically charged atmosphere that surrounds the sugar industry provide a candid look at the role of the observer who, try as he might to remain impartial, finds himself swept into the vortex of policy debates and power plays.


Social service providers in a variety of sectors have struggled to consistently engage nonresident fathers in service provision. A growing body of research indicates that practitioner characteristics and attitudes may help increase retention and engagement among this group of men. These findings coincide with recent mandates from federal policy makers to increase engagement of nonresident fathers in family-centered practice approaches. A central tenet of interest within this framework is the family–professional relationship. Using a collaborative competencies model, the current study seeks to advance this line of research by investigating practitioners' perceptions of their preparedness to engage nonresident fathers. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed with 20 social service practitioners who have experience working with nonresident fathers. A directed content analysis revealed key aspects of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and professional collaborative competencies that practitioners believe are important to facilitate meaningful father engagement. Implications for practice and future research regarding effective social work practice with nonresident fathers are discussed.


OBJECTIVES
This study was designed to reach many segments of the diverse HIV/AIDS community and broaden understanding of how information can better assist people living with HIV/AIDS.

METHODS
Data were collected through a self-administered mail survey distributed nationwide at clinics, drug treatment centers, and other AIDS service organizations.

RESULTS
The 662 respondents preferred getting information from people--including health professionals, family, and friends--and considered people the most trustworthy, useful, understandable, and available information sources. Forty-three percent selected doctors as their most preferred source. The Internet was not rated highly overall but was preferred by those with more education or living in metropolitan areas. Seventy-two percent said they actively search for HIV/AIDS-related information, and 80% said they give advice or tell others where to get such information. However, 71% agreed that it is easy to feel overwhelmed by information, and 31% agreed that not seeking information can be beneficial.

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, information seeking is an important activity for this sample of people living with HIV/AIDS. Many sources are widely available to them but, together, can be overwhelming. They rely on health professionals far more than print or media sources and receive encouragement and support from family and friends.


As the volume of long-form spoken-word content such as podcasts explodes, many platforms desire to present short, meaningful, and logically coherent segments extracted from the full content. Such segments can be consumed by users to sample content before diving in, as well as used by the platform to promote and recommend content. However, little published work is focused on the segmentation of spoken-word content, where the errors (noise) in transcripts generated by automatic speech recognition (ASR) services poses many challenges. Here we build a novel dataset of complete transcriptions of over 400 podcast episodes, in which we label the position of introductions in each episode. These introductions contain information about the episodes' topics, hosts, and guests, providing a valuable summary of the episode content, as it is created by the authors. We further augment our dataset with word substitutions to increase the amount of available training data. We train three Transformer models based on the pre-trained BERT and different augmentation strategies, which achieve significantly better performance compared with a static embedding model, showing that it is possible to capture generalized, larger-scale structural information from noisy, loosely-organized speech data. This is further demonstrated through an analysis of the models' inner architecture. Our methods and dataset can be used to facilitate future work on the structure-based segmentation of spoken-word content.


ABSTRACT The line blot assay, a gene amplification method that combines PCR with nonisotopic detection of amplified DNA, was evaluated for its ability to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in genital specimens. Processed samples were amplified with biotin-labeled primers for HPV detection (primers MY09, MY11, and HMB01) and for β-globin detection (primers PC03 and PC04). Amplified DNA products were hybridized by a reverse blot method with oligonucleotide probe mixtures fixed on a strip that allowed the identification of 27 HPV genotypes. The line blot assay was compared to a standard consensus PCR test in which HPV amplicons were detected with radiolabeled probes in a dot blot assay. Two hundred fifty-five cervicovaginal lavage specimens and cervical scrapings were tested in parallel by both PCR tests. The line blot assay consistently detected 25 copies of HPV type 18 per run. The overall positivity for the DNA of HPV types detectable by both methods was 37.7% (96 of 255 samples) by the line blot assay, whereas it was 43.5% (111 of 255 samples) by the standard consensus PCR assay. The sensitivity and specificity of the line blot assay reached 84.7% (94 of 111 samples) and 98.6% (142 of 144 samples), respectively. The agreement for HPV typing between the two PCR assays reached 83.9% (214 of 255 samples). Of the 37 samples with discrepant results, 33 (89%) were resolved by avoiding coamplification of β-globin and modifying the amplification parameters. With these modifications, the line blot assay compared favorably to an assay that used radiolabeled probes. Its convenience allows the faster analysis of samples for large-scale epidemiological studies. Also, the increased probe spectrum in this single hybridization assay permits more complete type discrimination.


Edited by Peter Sturmey Wiley-Blackwell, 2009 Clinical Case Formulation is an impressive collection of case studies gathered in a volume coordinated and edited by Peter Sturmey. The book provides an overview of the general features of case formulation and how it can drive treatment. Featuring clinical cases from a variety of populations and focusing on a range of different problems, the volume covers all the major theoretical perspectives in clinical practice -behavioral, cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, medical and eclectic. Each chapter describes a case, presenting two contrasting formulations and a commentary from a different perspective. These examples not only provide the reader with clear models of case formulations, they also highlight the different constructs and world views that characterize alternative theoretical approaches to case formulation.


Labs form a central component especially in engineering education. The objective of our current work is to enhance the possibility of teaching, learning and experiencing engineering lab targeted towards teachers and students of various disciplines in engineering. This is achieved by developing virtual computer based lab environments. The experience of these environments is enriched with touch based technology. This paper talks about creation of virtual soldering environment. We have successfully implemented a working prototype which would enable the end user to get a feel for real time soldering. This approach of 'virtual' computer based training environment has great potential that stimulates self-learning process of soldering.


personal communication). Not onlyedoes DF-2 infection have similar transmission and clinical expression to P multocida infection but the organism is also sensitive to penicillin. I wonder whether yet other domestic zoonoses will come to light, initially in more susceptible and investigated subjects, and later in non-immunocompromised subjects, who might anvway be treated blindly with penicillin or even recover spontaneously; such an illness could easily be attributed to a "virus."


A technique for determining the distortion parameters (location and orientation) of general three-dimensional objects from a single range image view is introduced. The technique is based on an extension of the straight-line Hough transform to three-dimensional space. It is very efficient and robust, since the dimensionality of the feature space is low and since it uses range images directly (with no preprocessing such as segmentation and edge or gradient detection). Because the feature space separates the translation and rotation effects, a hierarchical algorithm to detect object rotation and translation is possible. The new Hough space can also be used as a feature space for discriminating among three-dimensional objects. >


Experimental economics is the application of experimental methods to study economic questions. Data collected in experiments are used to estimate effect size, test the validity of economic theories, and illuminate market mechanisms. Economic experiments usually use cash to motivate subjects, in order to mimic real-world incentives. Experiments are used to help understand how and why markets and other exchange systems function as they do. A fundamental aspect of the subject is design of experiments. Experiments may be conducted in the field or in laboratory settings, whether of individual or group behavior. Variants of the subject outside such formal confines include natural and quasi-natural experiments.


The MIR396 family, composed of ath-miR396a and ath-miR396b in Arabidopsis, is conserved among plant species and is known to target the Growth-Regulating Factor (GRF) gene family. ath-miR396 overexpressors or grf mutants are characterised by small and narrow leaves and show embryogenic defects such as cotyledon fusion. Heterologous expression of ath-miR396a has been reported in tobacco and resulted in reduction of the expression of three NtGRF genes. In this study, the precursor of the Populus trichocarpa ptc-miR396c, with a mature sequence identical to ath-miR396b, was expressed under control of the CaMV35S promoter in tobacco. Typical phenotypes of GRF down-regulation were observed, including cotyledon fusion and lack of shoot apical meristem (SAM). At later stage of growth, transgenic plants had delayed development and altered specification of organ type during flower development. The third and fourth whorls of floral organs were modified into stigmatoid anthers and fasciated carpels, respectively. Several NtGRF genes containing a miR396 binding site were found to be down-regulated, and the cleavage of their corresponding mRNA at the miR396 binding site was confirmed for two of them using RACE-PCR analysis. The data obtained agree with the functional conservation of the miR396 family in plants and suggest a role for the miR396/GRF network in determination of floral organ specification.


Late onset Huntington's disease is characterised by onset of symptoms after the age of 50 and is usually associated with a milder course. We have analysed the CAG trinucleotide repeat within the HD gene in 133 late onset patients from 107 extended families. The median upper allele size for the CAG repeat was 42 with a range of 38 to 48 repeats. A significant negative correlation (r = -0.29, p = 0.001) was found between the length of repeat and age of onset for the total cohort. However, for persons with age of onset greater than 60, no significant correlation was found. In addition, no significant correlation was found between age of onset and size of the lower allele and the sex of the affected parent or grandparent. There was no preponderance of maternal descent for late onset cases in this series. This study shows that variation in repeat length only accounts for approximately 7% of the variation in age of onset for persons beyond the age of 50 and clearly shows how with increasing onset age the effect of the repeat length on this onset age seems to diminish.


Background. Recent studies have reported an increase in the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. However, few have focused how diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome together in parents can influence on obesity and metabolic disturbances in offspring. Objective. To know the risk obesity and metabolic disturbance in children, adolescents, and young adults whose parents have diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Methods. A comparative survey was made in healthy children of parents with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome compared with offspring of healthy parents. We performed anthropometry and evaluated blood pressure, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides levels in plasma. We registered parent antecedents to diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome and investigated the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and metabolic disturbances in offspring. Results. We studied 259 subjects of 7 to 20 years of age. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 27% and 37%, respectively. The highest proportion of BMI >95th of the entire group was found in offspring with both diabetic parents. Glucose and total cholesterol levels were lower in the group with healthy parents compared with the group with diabetic mother and metabolic syndrome but with healthy father. HDL cholesterol was higher in the group with both healthy parents than in the group with diabetic mother and metabolic syndrome but healthy father. Conclusions. The offspring of parents with diabetes plus metabolic syndrome showed higher proportion of variables related to metabolic syndrome compared with healthy parents.


Recent years have shown the tremendous damage and loss of life that can be caused by Atlantic Basin hurricanes. The majority of these hurricanes start as African easterly waves (AEWs) over the African continent. In this paper we provide evidence showing the connection between lightning activity over eastern Africa, and the AEWs that leave the west coast of Africa, some of which develop into hurricanes. We have analyzed the 2005 and 2006 hurricane seasons, one a very active hurricane year (2005), and the other a very quiet year (2006). More than 90% of the tropical storms and hurricanes during these 2 years were preceded by periods of above average thunderstorm activity in eastern Africa. During the 2006 season not only was the east African lightning activity 23% lower than during 2005, but there was 36% less lightning activity over the entire African continent during 2006. We suggest the possibility that lightning activity in tropical Africa may represent an important precursor of Atlantic hurricane formation.


Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to discuss the clinical management of children with pediatric rheumatic disease (PRD) during the Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the unique role of the pediatric rheumatologist during a time of emerging post-COVID inflammatory sequelae including, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Recent findings To date, there has been little evidence to suggest that children with PRD, including those on immunomodulatory therapies, are at increased risk for severe COVID-19. Clinical guidance statements have been created to support clinical providers in providing care to children with PRD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatric rheumatologists have also been called upon to assist in the identification and management of post-COVID sequelae, including the rapidly emerging inflammatory illness, MIS-C. Summary The COVID-19 era has been defined by a rapid expansion in scientific knowledge and a time of extraordinary local and worldwide collaboration, both within the pediatric rheumatology community, as well as across multiple disciplines. Through collective efforts, we have learned that children with PRD, including those on immunomodulatory therapies, are not at increased risk for severe COVID-19. Pediatric rheumatologists have also worked alongside other disciplines to develop guidance for the management of MIS-C, with the majority of patients experiencing excellent clinical outcomes.


Abstract. Local-scale advection of energy from warm snow-free surfaces to cold
snow-covered surfaces is an important component of the energy balance during
snow-cover depletion. Unfortunately, this process is difficult to quantify in
one-dimensional snowmelt models. This paper proposes a simple sensible and
latent heat advection model for snowmelt situations that can be readily
coupled to one-dimensional energy balance snowmelt models. An existing
advection parameterization was coupled to a conceptual frozen soil
infiltration surface water retention model to estimate the areal average
sensible and latent heat advection contributions to snowmelt. The proposed
model compared well with observations of latent and sensible heat advection,
providing confidence in the process parameterizations and the assumptions
applied. Snow-covered area observations from unmanned aerial vehicle imagery
were used to update and evaluate the scaling properties of snow patch area
distribution and lengths. Model dynamics and snowmelt implications were
explored within an idealized modelling experiment, by coupling to a
one-dimensional energy balance snowmelt model. Dry, snow-free surfaces were
associated with advection of dry air that compensated for positive sensible
heat advection fluxes and so limited the net influence of advection on
snowmelt. Latent and sensible heat advection fluxes both contributed positive
fluxes to snow when snow-free surfaces were wet and enhanced net advection
contributions to snowmelt. The increased net advection fluxes from wet
surfaces typically develop towards the end of snowmelt and offset decreases
in the one-dimensional areal average melt energy that declines with
snow-covered area. The new model can be readily incorporated into existing
one-dimensional snowmelt hydrology and land surface scheme models and will
foster improvements in snowmelt understanding and predictions.


Objective: Few studies have investigated the efficacy of subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ-SC) on ultrasound-detected inflammation. This study aimed to explore the clinical efficacy of TCZ-SC treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to evaluate the response by ultrasound compared to Composite Disease Activity Scores (CDAS). Method: This open-label, single-arm study enrolled RA patients with inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs initiating TCZ-SC 162 mg once weekly for 24 weeks, with clinical assessments at baseline, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks. Ultrasound examinations [semi-quantitative score (0–3) of 36 joints and four tendons] were performed at baseline, 4, 12, and 24 weeks. CDAS and American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) response, and sum scores of ultrasound grey scale/Doppler were calculated. Changes during follow-up were explored by the Mann–Whitney test and correlations by Spearman's rho. Results: In total, 133 patients (mean ± sd age 55.9 ± 12.0 years) were assessed clinically and 110 patients were also examined with ultrasound. All clinical and ultrasound scores decreased significantly after 4 weeks (p < 0.001). At 24 weeks there was EULAR good response in 87.7% and ACR 70% response in 47.4%. Ultrasound scores had no or low correlations with patient-reported outcomes. At 24 weeks, CDAS remission was achieved in 27.4–83.5% and a sum score Doppler of 0 was found in 53.3%. Conclusions: Clinical and ultrasound scores decreased rapidly. Ultrasound scores were not associated with patient-reported variables. Half of the patients reached ultrasound remission, while there were large discrepancies in the percentage of patients reaching remission based on different CDAS. Trial registration: Study ML28691, registered 28 January 2014, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02046616


Recent observational studies form oligotrophic waters provide ample evidence that mixotrophic flagellates often account for the bulk of bacterivory. However, we lack a general framework that allows a mechanistic understanding of success of mixotrophs in the competition with heterotrophic bacterivores. This is especially needed for integrating mixotrophy in models of the microbial loop. Based on general tradeoffs linked to the combined resource use in mixotrophs (generalist versus specialist), we propose a concept where mixotrophs are favored by conditions of high light – low losses, corresponding to the situation found in the surface waters of oligotrophic oceans. Under such conditions, they can achieve positive net growth at very low resource levels, allowing simultaneous competition with specialized protists. Conversely, heterotrophic bacterivores and photoautotrophs should be especially favored in more productive and low-light conditions. We show experimentally that the combined effect of light and loss rates (dilution) predicts the success of mixotrophic bacterivorous flagellates. Moreover, our results suggest that total bacterivory, contrary as seen in the traditional microbial loop concept, has a more intricate coupling to light.

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Abstract.
 Two new species of Kalligrammula Handlirsch, 1919 (Insecta, Neuroptera, Kalligrammatidae) are described as K. lata n. sp. and K. karatensis n. sp. based on two nearly complete hindwings respectively from the Middle—Upper Jurassic of Daohugou, China and the Upper Jurassic of Karatau, Kazakhstan. Limnogramma Ren, 2003 is considered to be a junior synonym of Kalligrammula based on the hindwing venation. The distribution of kalligrammatid genera is discussed.


Source separation is a problem in which signals are mixed together. It is becoming a tedious task to recuperate original components signal from the signal mixture. Blind Source Separation (BSS) is suggested as a key to the problem aiming at finding the linear representation in such a way that the components are statistically (stochastically) independent. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is an approach that attained a wider attention and a growing significance in a diverse range of research fields for accomplishing Blind Source Separation. This paper includes preface of ICA, its variants and their list of applications in brief.


Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) are key enablers for industrial and economic growth. The introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) in industrial processes represents a new revolution towards the Smart Manufacturing oncept and is usually designated as the 4th Industrial Revolution. Despite the huge interest from the industry to innovate their production systems, in order to increase revenues at lower costs, the IoT concept is still immature and fuzzy, which increases security related risks in industrial systems. Facing this paradigm and, since CPPS have reached a level of complexity, where the human intervention for operation and control is becoming increasingly difficult, Smart Factories require autonomic methodologies for security management and self-healing. This paper presents an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) approach for CPPS, based on the deterministic Dendritic Cell Algorithm (dDCA). To evaluate the dDCA effectiveness, a testing dataset was generated, by implementing and injecting various attacks on a OPC UA based CPPS testbed. The results show that these attacks can be successfully detected using the dDCA.


The concept of framing is used to describe how a "Quality of Earnings" theme was constructed and implemented in Intermediate‐level Financial Accounting. Specific curriculum tactics, including student‐generated definitions of quality of earnings and a variety of cases are described as part of a framing strategy at the start of the course and subsequent reinforcement of such a strategy throughout. The complexity and central importance in accounting and accounting education of quality of earnings make this construct especially valuable in conceptualizing, designing, and implementing accounting curriculum.


On-line solid phase extraction with C-18 cartridges provided a reliable method for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil column effluents. The on-line extraction was compared to the common off-line extraction of effluent fractions with respect to the mass recoveries of an internal standard. The effluent was obtained from a water unsaturated soil column under steady state water flow conditions. The column was packed with an artificially anthracene-contaminated soil material. Our results showed superior and more reproducible PAH trapping when the on-line extraction was used. The PAH mass recoveries were unaffected by the range of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations covered in the experiment. This held true over a range of pHs and water unsaturated conditions of the C-18 material. By using the on-line extraction procedure, losses of PAHs due to sorption to the surfaces of collection vessels were avoided. The combination with a fraction collector allowed for the extraction of very small sample volumes. Thus, the method is suitable for an unbiased evaluation of PAH mobility in soil column experiments.


Bitterness is an ongoing taste problem for both the pharmaceutical and food industries. This paper reports on how salts (NaCl, NaAcetate, NaGluconate, LiCl, KCl) and bitter compounds (urea, quinine-HCö, caffeine, amiloride-HCö, magnesium sulfate, KCl) interact to influence bitter perception. Sodium salts differentially suppress bitterness of these compounds; for example urea bitterness was suppressed by over 70% by sodium salts, while MgSO4 bitterness was not reduced. This study indicated that lithium ions had the same bitter suppressing ability as sodium ions, however the potassium cation had no bitter suppression ability. Changing the anion attached to the sodium did not affect bitter suppression, however, as the anion increased in size, perceived saltiness decreased. This indicates that sodium's mode of action is at the peripheral taste level, rather than a cognitive affect.A second experiment revealed that suppressing bitterness with a sodium salt in a bitter/sweet mixture causes an increase in sweetness. This suggests adding salt to a food matrix will not only increase salt perception, but also potentiate flavor by differential suppression of undesirable tastes such as bitter, while increasing more desirable tastes such as sweet.


I hypothesize that it is the feeling that sources the middle term that allows exploration into Kant's synthetic (an avenue Hegel and Husserl pursued), and this exploration is done by noting the intuitionist connections to deduction and induction. The deductive process goes through two Hegelian negations before returning itself to source. Otherwise, the principle of excluded middle cannot be justified as Husserl noted. Deduction and induction are two aspects of the same middle term, and their feelings can best be described as an oscillation: from crude to subtle. Newly cultivated feelings draw us into the synthetic as we discover deeper laws that are built from prior discoveries; this builds a spiral of understanding from the evidence compiled by our vast plurality, and permitting a spectacular celebration of the many as one. The oscillation become more subtle as feeling self cultivate.


List of Figures List of Maps Preface to the Revised Edition 1. The Aboriginal Waterscape: Manipulation and Near Harmony The Waterscape Waterways and Lifeways Agriculture and Cultural Patterns Symbiosis and Community 2. Hispanic Patterns: Community and Authority "Apportion Water Justly and Fairly" Lessons in Survival Misjudgments Royal Authority and Community Rights Community Obligations Community Rights and Private Rights When Rights Collide: Bien Procumunal The Darker Side 3. The American Takeover: Laissez-Faire, Localism, and Monopoly American Political Culture "First in Time, First in Right" Hydraulicking and Environmental Destruction The Politics of Flood Control Riparian Rights Monopoly and a Clash of Rights Lux v. Haggin and the California Doctrine The Irrigation District and the Persistence of Monopoly Localism and the Search for Alternatives The Rainmakers The Progressive Impulse: From Laissez-Faire to Centralized Planning Toward the Reclamation Act 4. Urban Imperialism: A Tale of Two Cities Los Angeles: From Hispanic Village to American City Legerdemain and the Pueblo Water Right Girding for Expansion: Municipal Control The Owens Valley Caper An Aqueduct for the Future The San Fernando Valley: Insider Information for Private Gain Los Angeles' Water Colonies The Tragedy and Legacy of the Expert: William Muholland San Francisco: Instant City with an Instant Water Problem Hetch Hetchy Predicaments: The Federal Government and Boss Ruef Hetch Hetchy Embattled Toward a Utilitarian Triumph The Ironies of Victory A Comparison of Two Cities 5. Hydraulic Society Triumphant: The Great Projects The Boulder Canyon Project The Imperial Valley Impulse The Colorado River Compact New Players and New Battles Compromises and Enactment The Imperial Valley and the Betrayal of Reclamation Law New Water and Accelerated Urbanization The Central Valley Project Progressive Era Promise and Disappointment Toward a State Plan American Political Culture and the Central Valley Project From State to Federal Project A Project at Last The Battle over Acreage Limitation "Technical Compliance": A Bipartisan Legacy Public versus Private Power The State Water Project A State Plan Fragmentation, Compromise and Confusion New Water, Growth, and Inequities 6. Hydraulic Society on the Defensive Arizona v. California The Environmental Movement The Peripheral Canal Fight: Round One The Peripheral Canal Fight: Round Two The Pueblo Water Right Challenged Mono Lake and the Public Trust Doctrine Owens Valley War: Renewed and Cooled But Not Over The Fight for the Right to Instream Use An Increasingly Vulnerable Southland 7. Water Policy at a Crossroads Tradition versus Reform: The Fate of the Stanislaus River New and Old Challenges to Dams and Levees Dams at Risk The Impermanence of Dams: Earthquakes, Silt, Neglect, and Flawed Planning Los Angeles: A Vexing in Dams, Levees, Floods and Public Policy Vulnerable Levees and the Delta Environmental Crisis: Bay, Delta, and CALFED Environmental Crisis: Central Valley Environmental Crisis: Southern California Subsidized Agriculture and Social Inequity Water Marketing: Hope, Threat, and Challenge The Imperial Valley, MWD, and the Market The Imperial Valley, MWD, San Diego and the Market The Wheeling-Rate War: MWD and San Diego The Government Intercedes One War Down, Another to Go The Central Valley Project, "Reform," and the Market MWD, the San Joaquin Valley, and the Market The Quest for Security and Equity Open Spaces and Farmland: Going, Going... A Confusion of Laws Chaotic Management Calls for Reform, Fanciful and Otherwise 8. Reflections Notes Bibliography Index


A teratoma of the mediastinum is an uncommon germ cell tumor. Five percent of germ cell tumors are extragonadally located and men are affected more than women .Most mediastinal teratoma produce no symptoms, but we are presenting a case which was present with respiratory distress in early childhood. Classical wilm's tumor usually found within the kidney but rarely it can occur in extra renal situations. Combination of these two is not reported until today we have searched extensively. We are presenting a 26 month old boy with mediastinal cystic teratoma with right sided extra renal wilms' tumor which may be the first reported case. Combined effort of various concern departments ensures the diagnosis and management of such a rare case.
Bangladesh J Child Health 2018; VOL 42 (3) :155-158


Purpose

Extreme hot environments are prevalent in many occupational settings, and facilities management workers are no exception. Wearing suitable cooling garment is a useful means to alleviate heat strain and improving performance at heat exposure. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of the cooling vest across four selected fields (i.e. construction, outdoor cleaning and horticulture, kitchen work and work involved manual handling at the airport) and identify the shortcomings of the cooling vest used by the participating workers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a two-phase design: a quantitative questionnaire survey followed by qualitative in-depth interviews.

Findings

A remarkable physical strain alleviation (PSA) of 21.1 per cent (14.8 per cent in construction, 18.8 per cent in horticulture and cleaning, 27.4 per cent in kitchen and catering and 26.5 per cent in airport apron service) is achieved by the use of cooling vest in four industries. Despite the success of PSA, several shortcomings of the cooling vest were identified: easily stained color, heavy weight, short cooling time, inflexibility that presents a hazard around moving equipment, lack of industry-specific design, nondurable and thick fabric with poor permeability.

Originality/value

The findings of the current study do not only confirm the effectiveness of the cooling vest in alleviating heat strain and physical strain but also identify the major shortcomings upon which further improvements can be made.


This thesis addresses how ontology-driven applications can be designed and developed to support distributed clinical knowledge management in oral medicine, where geographically dispersed practitioners need to share practical clinical knowledge. A step in developing tools for knowledge management is representing knowledge in a machine-processable and sharable manner. We investigate the use of the World Wide Web Consortium's recommendations of the Web Ontology Language (OWL) and Resource Description Framework (RDF) to describe clinical knowledge in oral medicine. The MedView project, a cooperation between clinicians in oral medicine and computer scientists, provides a basis for this work. Limitations of MedView's original knowledge model are identified, together with a list of requirements for a new model.

In this new model, OWL and RDF are used for representing examination templates, value lists, aggregates of values, and individual examination records. Further, we give a description of how the ISO/IEC 15288 system life cycle processes can be used to structure the ontology development process. To support distributed knowledge management in oral medicine, an online community for sharing and discussing difficult and interesting cases was built, which uses OWL and RDF for representing examinations, users, meetings, news, and case meta-data. OWL and RDF were found to support the requirements of making ontology reuse possible, and different language versions and meta-data are more easily represented than in the original model. One of the requirements not readily provided for is capturing interactions between different parts of templates, for which the Semantic Web Rule Language could be used. In practice, we found it hard to find ontologies to reuse. Further, there are differing opinions on the appropriate use of constructs, and OWL doesn't directly provide the expected validation facilities. Also, we found a lack of guidance for developing OWL ontologies at different levels of sophistication.


In Working Women, Working Men , Joel Wolfe traces the complex historical development of the working class in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Latin America's largest industrial center. He studies the way in which Sao Paulo's working men and women experienced Brazil's industrialization, their struggles to gain control over their lives within a highly authoritarian political system, and their rise to political prominence in the first half of the twentieth century.

Drawing on a diverse range of sources—oral histories along with union, industry, and government archival materials—Wolfe's account focuses not only on labor leaders and formal Left groups, but considers the impact of grassroots workers' movements as well. He pays particular attention to the role of gender in the often-contested relations between leadership groups and thee rank and file. Wolfe's analysis illuminates how various class and gender ideologies influenced the development of unions, industrialists' strategies, and rank-and-file organizing and protest activities.

This study reveals how workers in Sao Paulo maintained a local grassroots social movement that, by the mid–1950s, succeeded in seizing control of Brazil's state-run official unions. By examining the actions of these workers in their rise to political prominence in the 1940s and 1950s, this book provides a new understanding of the sources and development of populist politics in Brazil.


Fifteen abscesses following various types of gastric surgery in 14 patients were treated by three different methods: 1. Multiple puncture under sonographic control, with complete drainage of the abscess. 2. The introduction of a catheter. 3. In the presence of a fistula, introduction of a catheter into the abscess through the fistula. Amongst the 14 patients, one had to undergo further surgery because of intestinal bleeding. In the other patients, there was complete healing without any complications or further surgery.


In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), the accuracy of sensor readings is without a doubt one of the most important measures to evaluate the quality of a sensor and its network. For this case, the task amounts to create a useful model based on KPCA to recognize data as normal or outliers. Over the last years, Principal component analysis (PCA) has shown to be a good unsupervised feature extraction. But, this method only focuses on second orders statistics. Recently, Kernel Principal component analysis (KPCA) has used for nonlinear case which can extract higher order statistics. Kernel PCA (KPCA) mapping the data onto another feature space and using nonlinear function. So, we propose an improved KPCA method based on Mahalanobis kernel as a preprocessing step to extract relevant feature for classification and to prevent from the abnormal events. All computation are done in the original space, thus saving computing time using Mahalanobis Kernel (MKPCA). Then the classification was done on real hyperspectral Intel Berkeley data from urban area. Results were positively compared to a version of a standard KPCA specially designed to be use with wireless sensor networks (WSNs).