Material culture-based goods have become, in many developing countries, an example of sustainable and endogenous growth based on small and micro cultural firms. After a brief discussion on the definition of material culture - the special area bordering intangible-oral and tangible-natural cultural heritage - and an historical overview on the sector's evolution, quantitative data on the economic importance of artisanal goods on national and international markets will be analysed. Finally a new model based on the transition from traditional handicraft production to soft industrial design - based on high quality and high quantity production - will be discussed, addressing both the economic advantages of this transformation and the policy strategies needed for its implementation.


This article is about democratic accountability and a Europe struggling to find viable answers to the questions of who and what shall constitute "Europe" and how to develop legitimate political institutions for governing it. The article is, nevertheless, first and foremost about political order and change, rules for living together, the role of democratic politics in society and the relations between political organization and civilized coexistence, and the study of the political. Modern democracies live with unresolved conflict, and accountability regimes are part of an institutional arrangement for preserving order and continuity and also for creating dynamics and change. Accountability processes take place within settled and unsettled orders, and they affect and are affected by existing orders. Without denying the importance of contending interests, power struggles, strategic behaviour, non‐cooperative games, and (re)distributional battles, attention is directed towards the search for unity, political cohesion and solidarity based upon the informed voluntary consent of the people through reflection and reasoned deliberation among individuals with different values, interests, understandings and resources.


The study was aimed to explore the relationship between parental attachment and identity styles among adolescents. Furthermore, gender differences were also investigated for both constructs. The study was done in two phases. The first, try-out phase was aimed to explore language and cultural appropriateness of the Identity Styles Inventory-4 (Berzonsky et a!., 2011) and Parental Attachment Questionnaire (Kenny, 1987). The second phase of the study was designed to fulfill the research objectives. The try-out phase indicated that instruments were culturally and lingnistically appropriate. The main study was carri ed out with a sample of 252 adolescents. The results showed that instruments were internally consistent and reliable. The results yielded that parental attachment was positively related with informational style, normative style, and commitment but was negatively correlated with diffuse avoidant style. For gender differences, girls scored higher on parental attachment as compared to boys. For identity styles, girls scored higher as compared to boys on informational, normative, and diffuse-avoidant style but for commitment differences were nonsignificant. When moderating role of gender was explored, significant moderation was seen ouly for emotional support to informational style link where boys were more inclined to share to show the trend.


BACKGROUND: Metformin can result in vitamin B12 deficiency, potentially leading to complications such as neuropathy. Annual monitoring of vitamin B12 has been suggested; however, it is unknown whether current practice reflects this recommendation. OBJECTIVE: To identify vitamin B12 monitoring patterns in patients on long-term, high-dose metformin. Secondary objective was to determine the frequency of new vitamin B12 deficiency, anemia, and neuropathy documented after initiation of high-dose metformin. METHODS: Electronic medical records of veterans treated at the Veterans Affairs Maryland Healthcare System with high-dose metformin (≥2000 mg/day) as of November 1, 2010, were reviewed. Data regarding metformin treatment, vitamin B12 measurements, and documentation of vitamin B12 deficiency, cyanocobalamin supplementation, anemia, and neuropathy were collected. Subjects treated with metformin for less than 1 year or those with documented peripheral neuropathy, megaloblastic anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, or a condition associated with vitamin B12 malabsorption prior to metformin initiation were excluded. RESULTS: Subjects (N = 235) had a mean metformin dose of 2050 mg/day and mean duration of treatment of 5.2 years. Sixty percent did not have vitamin B12 measured. Of subjects receiving metformin for 10 years or more, nearly half (46%) never had vitamin B12 measured. New documentation of vitamin B12 deficiency or cyanocobalamin supplementation was found in 5.5% of the population, and anemia was found in 12%. Of the 14% with new neuropathy, 42% did not have vitamin B12 measured. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin B12 was not routinely monitored in patients on high-dose metformin, even in those at highest risk (≥10 years of therapy), or in those with potential manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency (neuropathy). Cases of vitamin B12 deficiency and resulting anemia or neuropathy may be undiagnosed and untreated because of lack of monitoring. Prospective studies examining the effect of increased vitamin B12 monitoring on identification and treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients on metformin are warranted.


Technological advances in health care have been shown to yield large average health benefits for the U.S. elderly population. However, less is known about the marginal or incremental benefits of health care spending. We use geographical variations in health care spending to measure the marginal value of greater health care intensity among the elderly Medicare population. To correct for the reverse causation problem -- that sicker areas tend to require more health care -- we use regional averages of physician visits in the last six months of life as a natural randomization for health care intensity. Using linear and semiparametric instrumental variables, we find that a large component of Medicare expenditures -- $26 billion in 1996 dollars, or nearly 20 percent of total Medicare expenditures -- appears to provide no benefit in terms of survival, nor is it likely that this extra spending improves the quality of life. While secular trends in health care technology have delivered large health benefits, variation in health care intensity at a point in time have not.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the burden of disease for external causes of injury in the department of Casanare during the 2008-2012 period.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Retrospective descriptive study on the records of the events grouped as external causes of injury notified to SIVIGILA and the events reported to the Epidemiological Surveillance System of External Causes (SIVELCE). Analysis of time, place, and person variables through descriptive statistics, using templates available via WHO in Microsoft Office® Excel 2013 and Epi-Info® 7.1.3.

RESULTS
Between 2008 and 2012, 5 829 cases grouped as external causes of injury were notified to SIVIGILA: 751 ophidic accidents (12.9%), 3 774 rabies attacks (64.7%), 1 231 poisoning cases (21.1%), 32 gunpowder injuries (0.5%), and 41 cases of violence (0.7%), with a male/female ratio of 1:1, average age of 25±19,3 (r=0.01-92), and 821 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (2. 5 years per 1 000 inhabitants). In turn, SIVELCE received 15 539 reports: 12 834 intentional injuries (82.6%) and 2 704 unintentional injuries (17.4%), with a male/female ratio of 1:1, average age of 28±14.1 (r=0.03-90), correlation between dying by intentional injuries vs. unintentional injuries with an odds ratio of OR=0.12 (X2=1 060.56 1 g.l; p value=0.0), and DALY of 18 179 (55.8/1 000).

CONCLUSIONS
The external causes of injury affect men and women equally; DALYs occur at the expense of morbidity. All external causes of injury are preventable; therefore, it is necessary to strengthen surveillance, prevention and control actions.


Abstract Dark pyroxene crystals found in a calcite vein cutting across marbles and skarns at Andranondambo, southern Madagascar, were investigated with various techniques in order to characterize and identify the mineral phase. Methods applied include powder X-ray diffraction, thinsection microscopy, electron-microprobe analysis, densimetry, and thermogravimetry coupled to mass spectrometry (TGA-MS), FTIR, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The chemical composition of the mineral phase was determined as {Ca0.98,Na0.03}[Mg0.68,Fe2+0.07Fe3+0.03,Al0.16,Ti0.04](Si1.77,Al0.23)O6. The refined unit-cell parameters are: a = 9.719(2) Å, b = 8.838(2) Å, c = 5.287(1) Å, β = 106.05(2)°, and V = 436.33(6) Å3. The refractive indices are: α = 1.690 ± 0.002, β = 1.700 ± 0.002, and γ = 1.712 ± 0.002. The density is 3.370 (55) g/cm3. The mean refractive index calculated from the chemical composition yields a Mandarino compatibility index of K = -0.0167. From the various analytical data, we were able to conclude that the mineral corresponds to Fe- and Ti-bearing aluminian diopside. TGA-MS data suggest the presence of calcite solid inclusions and minor H2O and CO2 fluid inclusions. Chemical analyses of the calcite host matrix revealed clear rare earth element enrichment. Mössbauer spectra obtained at varying temperatures show the presence of Fe2+ and Fe3+. Both exhibit broad quadrupole-splitting distributions, indicating widely fluctuating chemical and structural environments for the probe Fe nuclei. The broad temperature range (80-470 K) over which the spectra were collected resulted in a precise determination of the Fe2+/Fetot ratio as 0.68, which is consistent with the chemical composition as determined from the microprobe analyses. For comparison, the Mössbauer spectra of two specimens of the type locality of aluminian diopside (the mineral formerly named "fassaite") were analyzed as well and found to be consistent with those obtained for the Madagascar crystals. The relation between mineral paragenesis and local geological features is briefly discussed.


Occlusion is one of the most significant challenges encountered by object detectors or trackers. While object detection in videos has received a lot of attention in the past few years, most existing methods in this domain do not target detecting objects when they are occluded. However, being able to detect or track an object of interest through occlusion has been a long standing challenge for different autonomous tasks. Traditional methods that employ visual object trackers with explicit occlusion modeling experience drift and (or) make several fundamental assumptions about the data. We propose to address this with an end-to-end method that builds upon the success of region based video object detectors which aims to learn to model occlusion in a data-driven way. Finally, we show that our method is able to achieve superior performance with respect to state-of-the-art video object detectors on a dataset of furniture assembly videos collected from the internet, where small objects like screws, nuts, and bolts often get occluded from the camera viewpoint.


Monitoring the oxygenation of skeletal muscle tissues during rest to work transient provides valuable information about the performance of a particular tissue in adapting to aerobic glycolysis. In this paper we analyze the temporal relation of O2 consumption with deoxy-hemoglobin (Hb) signals measured by functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique during moderate isotonic forearm finger joint flexion exercise under ischemic conditions and model it with a mono exponential equation with delay. The time constants of fitting equation are questioned under two different work loads and among subjects differing in gender. Ten (6 men and 4 women) subjects performed isotonic forearm finger joint flexion exercise with two different loads. It is shown that under the same load, men and women subjects generate similar time constants and time delays. However, apparent change in time constants and time delays were observed when exercise was performed under different loads. When t-test is applied to compare the outputs for time constants between 0.41202 Watts and 0.90252 Watts, P value of 9.3445x10-4 < 0.05 is observed which implies that the differences between the time constants are statistically significant. When the same procedure is applied for the time delay comparison, P value of 0.027<0.05 is observed which implies that also the differences between the time delays are statistically significant.


Since, the incident of 9/11, the identity of the Muslims across the globe have gone through serious misrepresentations by the western media. This paper provides the insights that how the Muslims have been treated as suspected ones by the westerns. The loyalties of the Muslims were suspected and doubted in America in response to the incident of 9/11. Muslims were victimized on account of their negatively perceived identity. In-Home Boy the Muslim immigrants consistently attempt to re-write and negotiate their identity in response to their misrepresentations of identity. For thematic analysis, theoretical insights have been taken from Almond's The New Orientalists: Postmodern Representations of Islam from Foucault to Baudrillard. The textual analysis of the novel reveals that the Muslims in the western world were already suspected due to the orientalist mind-set of the American society but the incident of 9/11 aggravated this situation in practical social settings. Naqvi speaks for the voiceless Muslims of the third world whose identities had been erased by blowing discursive discourse of 9/11. Naqvi provides readers the sufferings of the Muslims and extends the relevance of 9/11 from Euro-American context to the non-western i.e. the Asians.


ABSTRACT The rapidity with which changes in legal, social, and medical attitudes toward abortion have occurred can only be described as incredible. Ten years ago therapeutic abortions in hospitals with private service were rare and on clinic services they were almost unknown. In contrast, during the first 18 months of New York's new abortion law (July 1,1970, to Dec 31, 1971), 278,122 legal abortions were performed in New York City alone. Responding to the need to gather and consolidate the increasing legal and medical information concerning abortion, the editors of Abortion, Society and the Law have collected exceptionally well-written, scholarly contributions from diverse sources including medicine, law, religion, and philosophy. Unfortunately, rapid accumulation of new medical information and legal interpretation makes it really impossible for a book to be strictly current in the field of abortion. The chapters of Abortion, Society and the Law that include legal views on the rights


Over the last decade significant developments in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have emerged as innovative tools have been developed based on the application of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in the transport sector. There is agreement in the transport research and practice communities that the main functions of ITS and related services include increasing efficiency in transport, improving traffic safety, increasing transport comfort and improving environmental performance of transport. However, it is widely acknowledged that deployment of ITS services is fragmented and slow, as there are several barriers hampering successful implementation of these services. They range from technical barriers (e.g. lack of interoperability of services) to institutional (e.g. lack of robust legislative framework), economic (e.g. high investment costs) and social/organisational (e.g. lack of cooperation between stakeholders) ones. Furthermore, a set of ITS service performance measures which can be widely accepted by all relevant stakeholders is still required. As part of a wider research initiative, this research builds on the need for a better understanding of the barriers hampering ITS services deployment and the set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) currently used for ITS services. The main objective is to identify the main barriers and KPIs for both different market segments and types of ITS services, based on a systematic review of the relevant literature, complemented by a series of interviews with participants from a number of ITS service initiatives. This research makes a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge on barriers hampering ITS service deployment and measuring success of ITS services. In doing so, it helps transport research and practice in their efforts to develop and deploy service initiatives that successfully meet the expectations of their key stakeholders.


Redefinition of the Business Trends in the IT Infrastructure Solutions industry took place in the last few years with the incorporation of SMAC stack as the major constituent of the major IT Business Model that led to Digitalization of the IT Business Solutions. The SMAC architecture is quite good but it lacks two major aspects namely the Semantics of the Web and Web Optimizations and the usage of Internet of Things (IOT) as its primary technology. A new technology stack SWIMAC for enhancing the IT business trends is proposed and analyzed. The Technology- Impact Distribution of the constituent technologies in the SWIMAC architecture is studied. Also a survey is conducted for the technologies in SWIMAC and the results are studied. Finally empirical justifications for SWIMAC as a separate architecture is put forth for incorporation of Web Semantics and IOT in the SWIMAC architecture.


OBJECTIVES
Ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are increasingly used imaging techniques for visualising entheses, however few studies have made a direct comparison of each. This study aimed to compare each technique for the detection of enthesitis in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) related knee swelling in order to make a lesion by lesion comparison.

METHODS
Consecutive SpA patients with knee synovitis were recruited: each had clinical assessment for enthesitis at 8 sites in the involved knee joint followed by US and MRI examinations. Inflammatory and structural changes at tendon and ligament insertions were scored and a lesion by lesion comparison was made.

RESULTS
21 patients were recruited. Clinically defined involved knee joint enthesitis was evident in 18 of 21 (86%) patients in 61 of 168 (36%) evaluated sites. Clinical enthesitis was associated with more hypoechogenicity (16 vs. 4%, p=0.007) and thickening (16 vs. 6%, p=0.03) by US compared to non-tender sites. Considering all MRI findings only increased signal in the surrounding tissues was higher at tender sites (41 vs. 20%, p=0.01) and the insertions points themselves showed little abnormality. The positive agreements between individual lesions by both methods was very low (10-26%) with low kappa values (0.06-0.18) with no correlations between the MRI and US scores (r²= 0.059).

CONCLUSIONS
The difficulty in procuring 'gold standard' histological validation is synovial joints makes the assessment of enthesitis using clinical and current imaging protocols of limited utility for diagnostic purposes.


Objective: US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based its benzene carcinogenicity assessment on the Pliofilm cohort. We evaluated associations between benzene exposure and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) and acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) risks using this cohort's updated exposure estimates and mortality data. Methods: We calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for ANLL/AML using lifetable analyses, with various exposure quantile categories and lag times. Results: Workers in the highest exposure categories had significantly elevated risks of ANLL and AML; no leukemia cases occurred in lower exposure categories. Exposure within 10 years of cancer onset appears most relevant for leukemia induction. Conclusions: Our results confirmed the association between high-level benzene exposures and leukemia risks, and provided further evidence of a threshold effect and relevant exposure window. Our findings call for an updated risk assessment for benzene carcinogenicity using updated exposure estimates and mortality data.


Semantic Web technologies have been applied to many aspects of learning content authoring including annotation, dynamic assembly, and personalization of learning content as well as authors' collaborative activities. Whether Semantic Web technologies improved the authoring process and to what extend they make authors' life easier, however, remains an open question that we try to address in this paper. We report on the results of an empirical study based on the experiments that we conducted with the prototype of a novel document architecture called SDArch. Semantic Web technologies and social networking are two pillars of SDArch, thus potential benefits of SDArch naturally extend to them. Results of the study show that the utilization of SDArch in authoring improves user' performances compared to the authoring with conventional tools. In addition, the users' satisfaction collected from their subjective feedback was also highly positive.


New imperial history has fundamentally transformed our understanding of empires and questioned established certainties with regard to paths of state building and state formation. This challenge has proved fruitful for historians of Austria-Hungary, as it has led to a new perception of the Dual Monarchy as a sometimes innovative and in certain regards even progressive polity. The observation that nature and environment became more closely entangled with imperial rule and politics in the nineteenth century and had an impact on common notions of what modern empire actually was serves as a starting point for this study. Along three representative repositories of imperial knowledge—Czoernig's Ethnographische Karte (1857), the Hungarian Czigányösszeirás eredményei (1893), and the catalogue accompanying one part (the Austrian) of the Habsburg contribution to the 1900 exposition universelle—it shows how new spheres of the non-human became entangled with imperial polities and were transformed into resources with which to further the imperial project. These three examples, I argue, are just three minor elements against a larger discursive backdrop that slowly furthered the embodiment of a notion of modern empire, which featured the improvement of the natural environment as a constitutive aspect of its exercise of power. Consequentially, this raises the question of a cui bono, placing the focus on a considerably large body of imperial civil service, not only in charge of this operation but also functioning as the driving force behind it. I understand the middle-class officials who made up the administration as the imperial intermediaries identified by new imperial history, and I shed light on the diversity of this increasingly important social class, a diversity which resulted from the ongoing engagement and subtle participation of middle-class civil-servants in the imperial project. I also keep a close eye on the resources they could mobilize, particularly expert knowledge. I seek to further a more nuanced understanding of the social transformation that Austria-Hungary's imperial project underwent in the long nineteenth century as this distinctive polity (Austria-Hungary) relied on the middle classes as central imperial intermediaries who furthered the modernization of the Dual Monarchy by fostering specific sets of values and furthering the use of resources the appropriation and exploitation of which have left lasting marks in Central European mentalities.


Even though most data races are harmless, the harmful ones are at the heart of some of the worst concurrency bugs. Eliminating all data races from programs is impractical (e.g., system performance could suffer severely), yet spotting just the harmful ones is like finding a needle in a haystack: state-of-the-art data race detectors and classifiers suffer from high false positive rates of 37%–84%. We present Portend, a technique and system for automatically triaging suspect data races based on their potential consequences: Could they lead to crashes or hangs? Alter system state? Could their effects be externalized? Or are they harmless? Our proposed technique achieves very high accuracy by efficiently analyzing multiple paths and multiple thread schedules in combination, and by performing symbolic comparison between program states. We ran Portend on several dozen data races from real-world applications, and it correctly classified all of them, with no human effort. It also produced easy-to-understand evidence of the consequences of harmful races, thus proving their harmfulness and making debugging easier. We envision using Portend for testing and debugging, as well as for automatically triaging bug reports.


The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) has been recommended to validate illness perception. Nevertheless, this measurement has yet to be validated with an assessment of the construct and convergent validities and reliability in Indonesia. Our study aimed to psychometrically test the 8-item B-IPQ among Indonesians with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Data included 294 patients with T2DM with stratified multistage clustering. The 36-item Short Form Survey, 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were used to examine convergence and divergence. The validity analysis included the construct and convergent validities with significant person correlations. Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE) were used to assess reliability. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses indicated a multidimensional structure, including cognitive with a five-item structure and emotional illness representation with a three-item structure, with an acceptable goodness of model fit. The tool revealed good internal consistency for the cognitive, emotional, and overall domains and was positively moderately correlated with FBG, stress, anxiety, and depression but negatively correlated with the overall quality of life and mental and physical component scores. Findings provide empirical evidence that the Bahasa version of the B-IPQ showed adequate internal consistency, exploratory and confirmatory, and thus is valid and reliable for illness perception assessments among Indonesians with T2DM.


The propionyl‐CoA dehydrogenase (PACD) gene was cloned from Candida rugosa by the cDNA RACE technique. The full cDNA of the PACD gene has a length of 1408 bp, which contains a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 1329 bp, coding for 442 amino acids. The cDNA of PACD was cloned into the expression plasmid pPIC9K and transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115. The recombinant protein was purified by Ni‐NTA affinity chromatography, and its size was observed to be approximately 49 kDa as estimated by SDS‐PAGE. Anti‐His antibodies were used to characterise the recombinant PACD by western‐blot analysis. The recombinant protein retained the activity of catalysing propionyl‐CoA to acryloyl‐CoA. The results of dot‐blotting hybridisation using a PACD cDNA probe indicated that the PACD mRNA level was modified at different stages: mRNA levels were low for the first 36 h, then increased through 48 h and eventually reached a stable level. These results indicate that propionate induction could significantly activate PACD mRNA expression. Information from this study will be helpful in elucidating the metabolic pathway for 3‐hydroxypropionic acid production in C. rugosa. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


What factors lead to success in the development of new businesses services? By synthesising the literature on new goods development and services marketing, the results of a major empirical investigation of new service development in the business‐to‐business services sector are reported. A set of factors that describe new service projects is identified and which factors are responsible for accomplishing different forms of success are shown. Further, the findings speak to managers about how the features that distinguish services from physical goods impact on the successful development of new services. Developing new services that provide clients improved functional and experiential quality, that are innovative and truly superior to competitive offerings, and that benefit from a proficient new service development process, as well as from the unique strengths of the firm are key requirements for creating and marketing winning new services.


The ability of the South African government to provide antiretroviral medication to those in need will be determined by the ability of the public health services sector to efficiently provide that medication. If the delivery of other health services can be used as a guide, the goals of the anti-retroviral rollout will not be met. The research presented in this paper provides a preliminary analysis of the delivery of a few health care services by the public sector in Gauteng, South Africa. The data for the study was especially difficult to collect, suggesting the need for hospital level data information systems, as well as staff trained to analyse the information collected. The empirical results from the analysis suggest that services provided by small-scale medical facilities waste fewer resources, while medical centres offering more technical services, such as surgeries, also appear to deliver medical services more efficiently.


PURPOSE
Human parechoviruses (HPeVs), particularly type 3, can cause severe neurological disease and neonatal sepsis in infants. HPeV3 lacks the receptor-binding motif arginine-glycine aspartic acid (RGD), and is proposed to use a different receptor associated with severe disease. In contrast, HPeV1, which contains the RGD motif, is associated with mild disease. Rapid characterization of the presence/absence of this motif is essential for understanding their epidemiology and differential disease profiles. Current HPeV typing assays are based on partial capsid genes and often do not encompass the C-terminus where the RGD region is localized/absent. In addition, these assays lack sensitivity to enable characterization within low viral-load samples, such as cerebral spinal fluid.

METHODOLOGY
We developed a highly sensitive HPeV CODEHOP PCR, which enables typing of parechoviruses directly from clinical samples while generating a complete VP1 gene, including the C-terminus.

RESULTS
The assay was HPeV-specific and has a sensitivity of 6.3 TCID50 ml-1 for HPeV1 and 0.63 TCID50 ml-1 for HPeV3. Analysis of the complete VP1 gene in comparison to partial VP1 fragments generated by previously published PCRs showed homologous clustering for most types. However, phylogenetic analysis of partial VP1 fragments showed incongruent typing based on the 75  % homology classification rule. In particular, the strains designated as type 17 were found to be either type 3 or 4 when using the (near-) complete VP1 fragment.

CONCLUSION
While enabling sensitive characterization of HPeVs directly from clinical samples, the HPeV CODEHOP PCR enables the characterization of RGD and non-RGD strains and correct HPeV typing based on the complete VP1.


Background: Volunteers make a major contribution to palliative care but little is known specifically about hospital palliative care volunteers. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the role and experience of hospital palliative care volunteers. Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis. Data sources: CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed and three dissertation databases were searched from inception to June 2019. A forward and backward search of included papers in key journals was also undertaken. Records were independently assessed against inclusion criteria by authors. Included papers were assessed for quality, but none were excluded. Results: In total, 14 papers were included. Hospital palliative care volunteers were mostly female, aged above 40 years, and training varied considerably. Volunteers faced unique challenges in supporting dying patients due to the nature of hospital care, rapid patient turnover and the once-off nature of support. Volunteer roles were diverse, with some providing hands-on care, but most focused on 'being with' the dying patient. Volunteers were appreciated for providing psychosocial support, seen as complementary to, rather than replacing the work of health professionals. Given volunteers were often required to work across multiple wards, establishing positive work relationships with health professionals was challenging. Divergent views about whether the volunteer was part of or external to the team impacted volunteers' experience and perceptions of the value of their contribution. Conclusion: Hospital palliative care volunteers face unique challenges in supporting terminally ill patients. Volunteer support in hospital settings is possible and appropriate, if sufficient support is available to mitigate the challenges associated with complex, high-acuity care.


Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health problem particularly severe in parts of Asia and Africa, where often it is present in HIV-AIDS patients. Although rifampicin-resistant (RIFr) TB is slow to emerge due to the low rate of mutation of its target leading to RIFE being a marker of TB that is already resistant to other anti-TB drugs, and such cases are prone to treatment failure. More than 95% of rifampicin resistance is associated with mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) rpoB, with 97% of mutations occurring within the 81 bp rifampicin-resistant determining region (RRDR) of this gene. In this study, we employed pyrosequencing technique to identify mutations in RRDR and 5 codons beyond of 39 MTB strains, comprising of 14 multi-drug resistance TB (MDRTB) and 3 RIF susceptible (RIFs) MTB from the Center of Disease Control (CDC), Ratchaburi Province, and 19 mono RIFr MTB, 1 MDRTB and 2 poly-drug resistant MTB from the Chest Institute, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Mu- tations in 8/22 samples from the Chest Institute and 13/14 from CDC were able to be identified. Six point mutations were detected, with Ser531Leu mutation accounting for 13, the silent mutation at Gly536 for 4, deletion of Gly523 for 2, combination of His526Cys and novel Leu533Arg for 1, and a novel Leu538Arg for 1. Mutation analysis of the 81 bp fragment and 5 codons beyond in MTB rpoB using pyrosequencing provides a useful approach in predicting RIFr phenotype allowing early diagnosis and appropriate drug therapy.


[From the introduction]. The EU today is one of the most unusual and widest-ranging political actors in the international system. Since the 1950s, this capacity has gradually expanded to encompass foreign policy initiatives towards nearly every corner of the globe, using a range of foreign policy tools: diplomatic, economic, and now limited military operations. This capacity, however, was neither included in the original Treaty of Rome, nor was it expected by many knowledgeable observers of European integration. On both sides of the functional-intergovernmental spectrum we find skepticism about the EU's prospects as a global actor: Ernst Haas (1961) explicitly excluded foreign and security policy from his neo-functional logic of regional integration, which stresses spillover processes in socio-economic affairs, while Stanley Hoffmann (2000) argued that political cooperation in the EU would remain very difficult owing to concerns over national sovereignty. Even after the Cold War, when the EU continued to expand its foreign policy cooperation, many observers (particularly those influenced by realism) made somewhat outlandish predictions that Germany would attempt to acquire nuclear weapons, that the EU (and even NATO) would deteriorate, and that the EU would never be able to organize its own security/defense cooperation (Mearsheimer 1991; Waltz 1993; Art 1996; Gordon 1997-98). Others with little or no experience with European integration studies, such as Robert Kagan (2003), argued that the EU has secured its own corner of the world through economic integration and it can now simply enjoy the fruits of its efforts while the U.S. continues to play the tough role of world policeman. Whether ignoring or belittling the EU as a global actor, these predictions turned out to be incorrect. While the EU certainly has had its share of difficulties, setbacks, and failures in the area of foreign policy, the same holds true of any other global actor, including the U.S. And in the face of such skepticism the EU has engaged in a continual process of institutional growth in this domain, produced regular foreign policy "outputs," and positively influenced various global problems. The EU's shift in terminology from "external relations" to "foreign/security policy" since the 1990s also speaks volumes about the change in the EU members' own understanding of, and preference for, the EU's role in the world. Usage of the term "European foreign policy" (EFP), which is now becoming commonplace, denotes all of the global behaviors of the EU: the foreign economic policy and diplomacy of pillar one (the European Community or EC); the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) of pillar two, and the police cooperation and anti-crime/anti-terror work of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) in pillar three. This chapter analyzes EFP to better understand why the EU defied the predictions of many skeptics and grew into a true global political actor rather than remaining a regional economic power. Specifically, it examines two related strands of research into this topic: first, the gradual emergence of the EU's institutional capacities in this realm despite their conspicuous absence in the Treaty of Rome; and second, the extent to which the EU actually influences non-member states and other actors, thus helping to narrow the so-called "capability-expectations gap" in EFP posited by Christopher Hill (1993). We are particularly interested in how historical institutionalist theory sheds light on the growth of EFP as a process of increasingly coherent and centralized – though not necessarily supranational – international cooperation, involving both EU member states and EU institutional actors (chiefly the Commission). Institutional theory is also helpful in illuminating why and how EU member states have exploited economics and politics of scale in the conduct of their foreign/security policies under conditions of regional interdependence, globalization, and transatlantic competition.


Abstract. When debris flow discharges into the main river, the deposition of debris raises the river bed, occupies the path of water conveyance and damages or even destroys buildings, resulting in considerable economic loss and possibly fatalities. Mathematical models are normally employed to compute debris flow. However, most of these models employ empirical formulae and coefficients and their results are seldom reliable. On the other hand, scale model tests associated with debris flow have seldom been conducted due to the lack of corresponding similarity laws and the difficulty of achieving the grain diameter scale. Focusing on pseudo-one-phase flow, this paper discusses the laws of similarity for the confluence of debris flow and main river and conducts a case study of the debris flow that occurred on 13 August 2010, in the Wenjia Gully, China. After satisfying the roughness scale, the kinematic viscosity coefficient scale, and the momentum ratio scale, it was found that the deposition terrain in the model test is consistent with the one in the prototype.


Cloud migration is concerned with moving an on-premise software system into the cloud. In this paper, we focus on software producers adopting the cloud to provide their solutions to enterprise customers. Their challenge is to migrate a software product, developed in-house and traditionally delivered on-premise, to an Infrastructure-as-a-Service or Platform-as-a-Service solution, while also mapping an existing traditional licensing model on to a cloud monetization model. The analysis of relevant cost types and factors of cloud computing generate relevant information for the software producers when deciding to adopt cloud computing, and defining software pricing. We present an integrated framework for informing cloud monetization based on operational cost factors for migrating to the cloud and test it in a real-life case study. Differences between basic virtualization of the software product and using fully cloud-native platform services for re-architecting the product in question are discussed.


Migraine headaches are a common neurological condition, negatively impacting health and quality of life. Among potential risk factors for migraine headache, risk of migraine headaches was elevated in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The association between migraines and SCI is intriguing to consider from the perspective that migraine headaches may be acquired in response to damage in the spinal cord. The primary objective of this study was to further examine the association between SCI and migraine headache, controlling for potential confounding variables. A secondary objective was to determine the impact of migraine headaches on self-perceived health. Data from a sample of 61,047 participants were obtained from the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the association between SCI and migraine headache using probability weights and adjusting for confounders. The multivariable age- and sex-adjusted model revealed a strong association between SCI and migraine headache, with an adjusted odds ratio for migraine of 4.82 (95% confidence interval [3.02, 7.67]) among those with SCI compared to those without SCI. Further, individuals who experienced both SCI and migraine tended to report poorer perceived general health compared with the other groups (i.e., SCI and no migraine). In conclusion, this study established a strong association between SCI and migraine headache. Further research is needed to explore the possible mechanisms underlying this relationship. Improvements in clinical practice to minimize this issue could result in significant improvements in quality of life.


Collective measurements on large quantum systems together with a majority voting strategy can lead to a violation of the CHSH Bell inequality. In presence of many entangled pairs, this violation decreases quickly with the number of pairs, and vanishes for some critical pair number that is a function of the noise present in the system. Here, we show that a different binning strategy can lead to a more substantial Bell violation when the noise is sufficiently small. Given the relation between the critical pair number and the source noise, we then present an experiment where the critical pair number is used to quantify the quality of a high visibility photon pair source. Our results demonstrate nonlocal correlations using collective measurements operating on clusters of more than 40 photon pairs.


We studied the cases of 353 patients with lymphoma involving the ocular adnexa diagnosed at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 1974 and 2005. The patients included 153 males and 200 females, aged 7 to 95 years, with a mean age of 64 years. In 277 cases, there was no known history of lymphoma. Seventy-six patients had a history of lymphoma, with the ocular adnexa being involved at relapse or with progression of the previously diagnosed lymphoma. The patients had marginal zone lymphoma (182 cases), follicular lymphoma (80 cases), mantle cell lymphoma (18 cases), small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (13 cases), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (4 cases), splenic marginal zone lymphoma (2 cases), low-grade B cell, not subclassified (19 cases), precursor B lymphoblastic lymphoma (3 cases), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (26 cases), and 1 case each of high-grade B-cell lymphoma, not subclassified, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified type, extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, and Hodgkin lymphoma, nodular sclerosis type. Almost all marginal zone lymphoma patients (168 of 182, 92%) had primary ocular adnexal lymphoma. Fourteen marginal zone lymphoma patients (8%) had a prior history of lymphoma, usually arising in another extranodal site. Twenty-five of 80 (31%) follicular lymphoma patients had a prior history of lymphoma, usually arising in lymph nodes. Patients with mantle cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, and splenic marginal zone lymphoma almost always had a prior history of lymphoma or were known to have widespread disease at the time of diagnosis of ocular adnexal lymphoma. A subset of the diffuse large B-cell lymphomas were associated with large destructive masses involving adjacent structures such as paranasal sinuses, raising the possibility that they may have arisen from one of the adjacent structures and involved the ocular adnexa by direct extension. The relatively high proportion of low-grade lymphoma, not subclassified, highlights the difficulty that may arise in distinguishing different types of low-grade lymphoma, particularly when biopsies are small and artifactually distorted. Ocular adnexal lymphoma is primarily a disease of older adults, with a slight female preponderance. Most lymphomas are low-grade B-cell lymphomas, with marginal zone lymphoma being by far the most common type. Marginal zone lymphoma typically involves the ocular adnexa primarily, whereas other types of low-grade B-cell lymphoma often involve the ocular adnexa secondarily. High-grade B-cell lymphomas only occasionally involve the ocular adnexa, and T-cell lymphoma, NK-cell lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma are only rarely encountered in this site.


Termites are known for their ability to digest high lignocellulolytic
compounds, such as wood and fiber materials. Ruminants with the aid of their
microorganisms are able to digest fiber materials, however the percentage of
digestion is not so high. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to
isolate and identify cellulolytic bacteria from the termites gut and to
determine the ability of these bacteria to improve the digestibility of fibrous
feed materials by the rumen microflora using the in-vitro gas production
technique. In this study, cellulolytic bacteria isolated from the gut of termites
were used to mix with the rumen microflora on fiber material digestion.
Termites were obtained from decayed plant materials and nests from different
locations in the vicinity of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). They were
identified as the lower termite Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren) and the
higher termite Macrotermes gilvus (Hagen). Cellulolytic bacteria from the gut
of the lower termite; Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren) was isolated. The isolates were cultured aerobically in a medium containing carboxymethylcellulose
(CMC) at temperature of 30°C. The five isolates obtained were
identified based on the Biolog reader chemical test, Bergy' s Manual and 1 6S
rRNA sequence homology. The species were identified as: Bacillus cereus
(isolate 1), Acinetobacter baumanni (isolate 5), Enterobacter aerogenes
(isolate 2), Enterobacter cloacae (isolate 3) and Chryseobacterium
kwangyangense (isolate 4). The Gene Bank NCBI/EMBL accession numbers
for the bacterial isolates are EU294508, EU332791, EU305608, EU305609,
and EU 169201 respectively. Acinetobacter baumanni isolate 5 is an aerobic
bacterium, while the other four species are facultative anaerobes. The first invitro
experiment by the gas production technique was conducted to examine
the digestion and volatile fatty acid production by the five bacterial species
grown in the rice straw medium. There were significant differences (P<0.05)
in dry matter loss (DM) of rice straw and acetic acid concentration among the
five bacterial species. A cinetobacter baumanni isolate 5 showed the highest
fermentation activity (7.76 mM). The second in-vitro experiment also by gas
production technique, which was conducted to determine the effect of adding
rumen fluid microflora on rice straw digestion. The bacterial cultures were
standardized to an OD of 0.5 (108 CFU/ml) before adding to the rumen fluid
micro flora. Rumen fluid was obtained from a fistulated cattle maintained on a
grass diet. The facultative bacteria tested were C. kwangyangense isolate 4, E.
cloacae isolate 3 and E. aerogenes isolate 2. Digestion of rice straw by rumen
fluid microflora was determined with or without adding individual cultures of
termites gut bacterial species.


The aim of the present trial was to investigate the efficacy of Virbamix PE (Virbac SA, France) an appetite enhancer and feed flavouring material containing plant extracts of Origanum vulgaris and Allium sativum, added to the feed at one single dose in the control of proliferative enteropathy (PE) in weaning pigs, in comparison to reference treatment with tiamulin (Tiamutine 6.5 Premix/Ceva Animal Health) group and a negative control group. The trial was conducted on a farm with a previous history of ileitis outbreaks. At weaning day (25 +/- 3 days old / day 0 of the trial) a total of 288 (144 male + 144 female) piglets were selected and allocated into three experimental groups, each group comprising of four pens with 24 piglets in each pen. Group 1 (T1 group) served as negative control group (unmedicated), group T2 received medication in feed at the dose of 1 kg Virbamix PE per tonne of feed and T3 group received 32 ppm of tiamulin. Treatments lasted for six weeks (up to the age of 67 +/- 3 days), and no other antibacterial or growth promoter was added to the feed or drinking water in the same period. Administration of Virbamix PE was found to be effective for the control of PE, as shown by the reduction of prevalence of Lawsonia intracellularis in the intestine at the end of the treatment period, as determined by PCR method comparatively with the T1 group, while no significant difference was found between T2 and T3 groups. The diarrhoea score (DS) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the control group in comparison with T2 and T3 groups. However, no significant differences were noticed between T2 and T3 groups during the treatment period (P > 0.05). Treatment of piglets with Virbamix PE and Tiamutine 6.5 Premix resulted in significantly higher body weight and average daily gain (ADG) than in T1 group for the total treatment period (P < 0.05). Conclusively, the results of present study indicate that the use of Virbamix PE, could be an alternative and economic method for the control of PE. Moreover, the use of this product is in accordance with the contemporary consumer demands for more environmentally friendly pig production, satisfying at the same time the producer needs for increased and cost-effective performance.


Abstract. The Gulf of Ulloa, a highly productive area off the western coast of the Baja California Peninsula, is examined for five successive years (2003–2007) by using satellite data and seasonal net primary productivity (NPP) estimates obtained from a vertical generalised production model. The results identify that northwestern winds blow parallel to the coast throughout the year. However, highest NPP occurs from March to June. During this period, an equatorward coastal current transports water from neighbouring upwelling areas to the northern Gulf of Ulloa and in combination with local upwelling, which injects nutrients into the euphotic zone, produce the observed increase in NPP. The opposite situation occurs in late summer when a warm poleward current of tropical characteristics arrives and inhibits the productivity in the whole region and generates the yearly lowest NPP levels. Our findings reveal the importance of lateral advection in the modulation of the primary productivity in this subtropical upwelling region.


ABSTRACT A "ONE-STOP SHOP where you can get all the information you need about the heart" is being visualized by some forward-looking cardiologists. The medium for this noninvasive message is magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, said speakers at the 66th annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA), held in Atlanta, Ga.A dozen years after the enormous potential of MR in many areas of medicine began to be forecast (JAMA. 1982;247: 151-159 and 1984;251:869-877), Gerald M. Pohost, MD, director, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, says the now widely distributed $2-million imaging systems are living up to their advance billing. Not very long ago, their efficacy in diagnosing heart disease was in serious question; now, says Pohost, once the magnets are able to be used to their full potential, they will provide not only superior images but substantial cost savings.The reduction in imaging time


The effect of sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) on the electrochemical behaviour of Ce3+/Ce4+ redox couple was studied using voltammetry at stationary electrode and rotating disc electrode (RDE). When the SSA was added to the Ce3+/Ce4+ electrolyte there was change to the peak current and peak potential, i.e. the increase of peak current and the decrease of peak potential difference. The diffusion coefficient of Ce3+ is 6.5 × 10-6 cm2 s-1 and the standard rate constant of the Ce3+/Ce4+ redox reaction is 3.2 × 10-4 cm s-1 in the presence of SSA, which are all larger than that in the absence of SSA (3.6 × 10-6 cm2 s-1, 2.0 × 10-4 cm s-1). Therefore, the SSA as the additive in the supporting electrolyte for a cerium redox flow battery (RFB) application will result in a high voltage efficiency and will satisfy an important requirement for a RFB electrolyte.


We propose a novel cement additive made of graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) for improved hydraulic isolation and durability of oil and gas wells. The primary role of the cement sheath, which is zonal isolation, can be significantly affected by the permeability of set cement (hardened cement slurry). On one hand, it is the inherent microstructural defects of cement, including pores and microcracks, that results in the intrinsic permeability of cement, and on the other hand, cracking, micro-annuli, or other flow paths developed through the disturbed cement by connecting the pre-existing microstructural defects determine the equivalent permeability of set cement. The purpose of this research is containing or at least minimizing the intrinsic and developed flow paths through the cementitious matrix with the help of surface-modified GNPs. GNPs possess high surface area to volume ratios. In this study, we focus on the effect of surface-modified GNPs on the overall mechanical properties of both cement slurry and hardened cement slurry affecting the permeability of cement. We present two dispersion methods on the basis of physical and chemical treatments of the surface properties of GNPs. The efficiency of proposed methods on the overall properties of the cement is examined before and after its setting. To mimic downhole conditions, cement slurries are cured at 3,000 psi and 190°F for 24 hours. Also, some experiments were repeated under the pressure and temperature conditions up to 5,160 psi and 126°F, respectively, to examine pumpability and behavior of cement slurry at bottomhole conditions. To examine the role of spatial distribution of GNPs on the hardened cement nanocomposite, samples with different concentrations of GNPs were tested. We investigated the effect of modified GNPs on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), shear bond strength, thickening time, rheological characteristics, and the free fluid content. We measured zero free fluid at room temperature for different concentrations of GNPs, demonstrating uniform dispersion of nanoparticles within the cement matrix. On the other hand, the squeeze of water out of the lower parts of the cement slurry and its upward migration can develop preferential paths for oil and gas migration. Therefore, eliminating the above-mentioned water separation can enhance cement sealing properties. We found that an optimum 0.2 vol% concentration of acid-functionalized GNPs improves the compressive and the shear bond strength of the prepared cement by approximately 42 and 175% as compared to the plain cement, respectively.


AIM Graduate attributes describe the comprehensive portfolio of qualities, skills, knowledge and abilities to be developed by students during their studies in a programme. UCD aims to map both these attributes and the domains outlined by the Irish Medical Council to the undergraduate and graduate entry Medicine programmes. The outcome of this project is a series of maps that clearly demonstrate how the programme's educational experiences, learning outcomes and assessments support the acquisition of our graduate attributes. METHOD Development of a cyclical curriculum review based on four phases: curriculum visioning, mapping the current programme, review of the mapping outcomes, planning curriculum revision. PHASE1: CURRICULUM VISIONING Through a review of international frameworks for core competencies and graduate attributes and in parallel with internal school workshops, programme learning outcomes are derived from the graduate attributes. PHASE2: MAPPING THE CURRENT PROGRAMME A curriculum mapping team collates the structure, learning outcomes and teaching and assessment activities for all core programme modules. Using a series of templates the team then: a. Map the programme learning outcomes to the graduate attributes and the 'eight domains' b. Develop a matrix to record relationship between learning outcomes and 'taught' and 'assessed' module curricula. Learning taxonomies or scales may be used to determine acquisition of outcomes c. Programme graduates of the programme invited to review the 'learned curriculum' d. Data is pivoted to identify where/how achievement of learning outcomes was supported in the programme PHASE3: REVIEW OF THE MAPPING OUTCOMES Learning outcomes are grouped under a number of themes and experts appointed to review the curriculum map completed during Phase 2. During this process they identify gaps/overlaps in a) how programme learning outcomes are addressed and b) the relationship between module learning outcomes and programme learning outcomes PHASE4: PLAN FOR REVISION OF MODULES Following feedback from theme experts, module coordinators are invited to revise their modules in terms of four key areas: Syllabus review, Revision of the module learning outcomes, Review of the assessment strategy, Review of those learning activities which students will engage in on this module CONCLUSION We present this plan in order to expose the concept to those who are currently undergoing curriculum mapping and in order to enhance the UCD plan and share best practice.


Linear pyroelectric arrays of up to 64 elements have been available for some time. Individual array elements are defined by photolithographic electrode patterning on the pyroelectric ceramic, and absorption of radiation is maximised across the wavelength range of interest by electrodeposition of 'platinum black on to the active element electrodes. Direct thermal conduction paths between adjacent elements in a monolithic array produce significant amounts of thermal crosstalk, decreasing the image resolution. Reticulation techniques have therefore been developed to isolate the elements thermally and hence decrease the crosstalk. Detector elements are individually compensated by large non-blacked areas connected in series opposition with the active element. This provides cancellation of common mode signals such as those produced by temperature drift and vibration. Discrete JFET chips have traditionally been used as buffer amplifiers, but MOSFET arrays have now been developed, giving a significant simplification in assembly. In its simplest form the MOSFET array consists of 32 transistors integrated onto a single chip; two of these chips are used to provide the 64 source followers for a 64 element linear pyroelectric array. A major advantage of MOSFET arrays is the lower gate leakage current than that obtainable with JFETs. This results in a lower current noise, which is manifested as an improvement in D* at low frequencies. The advantage of the MOSFET buffers is even more marked at elevated temperatures, because the leakage current of a JFET is strongly temperature dependent. As the element count of linear arrays increases so do the problems of interfacing the array to the following electronics; packages with more than 68 leads are very bulky. One solution to this problem is to incorporate multiplexers into the package, thus reducing the number of connections needed. To this end, multiplexed MOSFET arrays have been developed. The disadvantage of multiplexing immediately after the source follower is that no noise bandwidth limiting can be incorporated before the multiplexer, and the high frequency noise is aliased into the base band. This leads to a deterioration in the achievable signal to noise ratio. In order to improve on this, an integrated circuit has been developed which consists of 16 rising gain amplifiers and band limiting filters followed by a 16 way multiplexer. Eight of these integrated circuits have been incorporated into a single hybrid with a 128 element pyroelectric array.


Purpose To construct a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) topology network of RNA-seq data and micro RNA-seq (miRNA-seq) data to identify key prognostic long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) in luminal breast cancer, and validate the results by human luminal breast cancer samples. Materials and Methods The RNA-seq data and miRNA-seq data of luminal A breast cancer in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were downloaded and compared with those in the miRcode database to obtain lncRNA–miRNA relationship pairs. Final target genes were predicted by all three databases (miRDB, miRTarBase, and TargetScan), thereby obtaining the miRNA-messenger RNA (miRNA-mRNA) relationship pairs and a ceRNA topology network was constructed, then mRNA enrichment analysis, ceRNA topological and stability analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed. Overall survival (OS) was evaluated and the key prognostic RNAs were identified. The expression difference between normal and tumor, as well as the correlation of high expression in tumor with pathological parameters (Ki-67, Grade, tumor diameter) were validated by human breast cancer specimens. Results A ceRNA topology network was constructed and six lncRNAs were finally identified (The higher expression of PART1, IGF2.AS, WT1.AS, OIP5.AS1, and SLC25A5.AS1 was associated with poor prognosis while AL035706.1 was adverse) and the poor prognostic ones were higher expressed in tumor tissue and correlated with a higher Ki-67 (>10%), tumor grades (II, III) and tumor diameters (>1.5 cm). Using six lncRNAs, we constructed a prognostic model, which performed well for the classification of prognosis in the module. Conclusion We identified and verified six biomarkers (OS-predicting) in luminal breast cancer, which significantly enriched the prediction and potential targets of this subtype.


Amplitude versus offset (AVO) has become an important interpretation tool for the detection of hydrocarbons and reservoir description. It is important to remember when interpreting AVO data the limitations and assumptions behind the approach. This paper explores some of these assumptions and limitations. Further, in interpreting AVO data to make predictions about the geology, it is important to remember there are two inversions or mappings being done. The first inversion is predicting the elastic parameters from the prestack seismic. The second is predicting the rock and fluid properties from the elastic parameter estimates. Each mapping has its own issues of reliability and uniqueness. Often a linearized approximation of the Zoeppritz equation is used as the model to predict the elastic parameters from prestack seismic. This imposes certain restrictive assumptions. To meet these assumptions the seismic data must be properly processed. Failing to do so will result in AVO anomalies not related to the geology. The elastic parameters that are estimated are bandlimited. This further complicates the analysis of the data and creates a number of pitfalls. In the literature there are a variety of AVO techniques, which make assumptions about the rock physics and the relationship between the reservoir and the surrounding materials. If these assumptions are incorrect, this can lead to erroneous interpretations. The rock physics of the play must be understood to make reasonable predictions. Because of these issues, this paper advocates interpreting AVO at various stages; the prestack gathers, the reflectivity sections, and inversions based on the reflectivity sections. This approach includes both forward modeling and inversion.


This empirical investigation was aimed to determine the pattern of the  relationships between the perceived presence of quality of worklife (QWL) factors and organizational commitment using samples from professional engineers in Malaysia. Engineers in private sector were selected to participate in this study. A total of 250 sets of questionnaires were sent to the selected organizations, and 152 useable questionnaire representing a response rate of 60.8% were used for statistical analysis. A QWL measure consisting of seven factors: growth and development, participation, physical environment, supervision, pay and benefit, social relevance, and workplace integration was developed based on Walton's (1974) conception. The three-component model and measure of organizational commitment developed by Allen and Meyer (1990) was adopted in this study. Results of regression analysis indicated that only two QWL factors, growth and development and pay and benefit, were significant in explaining organizational commitment. Implication and suggestions for further research are also discussed.


Lifestyle television provides a dramatic space in popular culture where the values of neoliberalism are articulated, enacted and sometimes contested. The ideological reliance of this consumer-driven form of television on financial markets and economic growth has posed a significant challenge for programme-makers in the post-crisis recessionary era. This article explores the myriad ways in which British property television has responded to the global financial crisis, particularly as it has been framed discursively as a new age of austerity. Austerity is understood here as an ideological formation that mobilises a selective version of 20th-century British history in order to establish continuity of national values of thrift, poverty and collective stoicism that are seen to characterise a cohesive, British response to a crisis that emerges from external forces. The article charts the contradictions that become evident when the financial and ideological system upon which the property TV genre is reliant are being undermined. Although UK consumers' access to mortgages has been a casualty of the crisis, the aspiration to home-ownership in Britain has survived relatively unscathed. This article illustrates how these contradictions are played out on-screen in diverse iterations of the property TV genre transmitted by British public service broadcasters, including new domestic craft series presented by property gurus. It argues that the genre, as a cultural and industrial artefact, is remarkably adaptable to new economic and ideological circumstances.


Mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus is a major problem for some dairy herds. It causes high Somatic Cell Counts (SCC), reduces milk quality, and may cause a loss of milk market. It limits milk production for the herd, reduces efficiency, and continues to spread to other cows. Most herds have some Staph infected cows. But the Staph infection tends to spread and become much worse with poor milking-preparation procedures, frozen teats, severe malfunction of the milking machine, and deficiency of vitamin E or selenium. It is probably not possible to eradicate this organism from a herd, but it is extremely important to keep it under control. Staph is the most common form of contagious mastitis. The reservoir of infection is the udder of infected cows, and the organism is spread from infected to clean cows, primarily during milking preparation and the milking process. It is easily carried on hands or equipment from one udder to another. Cows infected with Staph are often not evident and special testing is needed to identify them. Not all will have a high SCC (30% may be below 300,000). There is great variation from herd to herd in the severity of mastitis, response to treatment, and benefit of vaccination.


Abstract. The following work proposes a model of quality assurance, specific for geospatial information, developed in the Aerophotogrametric Service of the Chilean Air Force, based on international standards such as ISO 9001 and TC/ 211 standards, statistical tools, technology and the tools that will allow manage, evaluate and make better use of geospatial information at the corporate, national or regional level for decision making. The following model, proposes a scheme for the implementation of an integrated Quality Management System, specific for geospatial information, based on international standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO TC/211. This management system is implemented within the life cycle of a cartographic product (planning, production, operation and publication). This document only includes the regulations used in the Aerial Photogrammetric Service of the Chilean Air Force, but the model can be adapted to any organization and include other standards. To implement the model, first, the standards will be classified according to the life cycle of a product, depending on how they relate to the production process in the planning stages or design of the product, in the production, control of quality, generation of metadata or in its publication as a web service.


The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of agricultural machinery passes on soil infiltration rate. The experiment was conducted in a large covered area (Soil Hall) with the sandy loam soil type. Four compactions levels were applied: control, one, two and three tractor passes. The infiltration measurements were conducted using two methods: Simplified Falling-Head (SFH) and Mini Disk (MD). The other supporting measurements were disturbed soil samples and cone index measurements. Based on the SFH method it was observed that as the number of passes increased from 0 to 3 the infiltration rate decreased. The MD results also decreased with the increase in the number of passes. The bulk densities (at 0-0.07 m depth) increased with the number of tractor passes, under the conditions of soil gravimetric moisture content ranging between 14 and 18% vol. The cone index values at the depth of 0-0.05 m increased with the number of passes. When comparing the results obtained using the MD and SFH, a strong relationship was not found. It could be concluded that the SFH method might be more robust and appropriate for determining the effect of the number of tractor passes on the soil water infiltration in these conditions.


: An attenuated bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) live-virus vaccine, produced in a continuous porcine cell line, evoked an immune response which produced a protective level of serum antibodies in vaccinated cattle. Post-vaccinal reactions to the vaccinal virus were not observed in cattle vaccinated at 5 feedlots or in cattle vaccinated in experimental tests. The vaccinal virus did not produce demonstrable viremia or detectable excretion of virus from the respiratory or digestive tracts. Leukopenia or abnormality in differential leukocyte values did not occur as with virulent BVD viral infection. Transmission of vaccinal virus from vaccinated cattle to susceptible controls did not occur under conditions in which vaccinated and nonvaccinated cattle were in constant contact for 28 days.


Two varieties of local rice in paddy form were used for this study. The rice were collected from local farmers at Okemesi Ekiti in Ekiti State of Nigeria (western Nigeria). The rice were divided into halves, one half was processed by Parboiling, Drying and Milling, the other half was processed by Drying and Milling only.
The result from the study showed that parboiling affected the physico-chemical qualities of the rice varieties. There were differences in the physical dimension, appearance, colour, water absorption, cooking time, amylose, protein, fat and carbohydrate contents of the parboiled and non-parboiled rice samples. Varietal differences also exist between the rice samples.
Parboiling reduced the breakage, fat, protein and amylose content of the rice while the cooking time, water uptake and thiamine contents were increased. It can therefore be inferred that parboiling which has been the means of processing rice in Nigeria can be a way of improving vitamin content and milling properties of rice and should attract the interest of food technologists and food processors to develop the rice industry. The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Volume 6 No.4, 2001, pp. 130-132


The paper described how to use the OpenGL 3D graphics library achieving the simulation of the virtual battlefield environment under the C++Builder software development environment, and how to achieve the simulation of antiaircraft artillery shooting amending process in the virtual battlefield environment. About creating the virtual battlefield environment, the paper elaborated 3DS model's transfer method and display method, virtual scene mapping and romancing method and coordinates transformation method under the virtual environment. About simulation of antiaircraft artillery shooting amending, this paper described the design ideas and implementation process of shooting amending simulation, especially researched the method of building target flight route mode based on actual conditions, introduced the shooting error's simulation realization, explicated the calculation process including the projectile flight time, target's ahead point coordinates and miss distance, and finally studied that how to use the miss distance to amend the firing data. The experiments prove that the simulation of shooting amending is correct and feasible. The simulation provides a basis for shooting amending.


Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is one of many fetal abnormalities, which has high contribution on maternal mortality rate and perinatal mortality rate in Indonesia. Apparently, IUGR impact can be reduced if only the symptoms are detected earlier and the correct treatment is applied. However, fetal growth detection and monitoring process in Indonesia is obstructed because the number of physicians is very limited and ultrasonography (USG) devices are expensive. Moreover, both the physicians and USG devices are only available in big cities. To answer those problems, this research proposed an intelligent system that can provide fetal growth telemonitoring in rural areas. This system consists of three components: portable USG device, mobile application which is developed using Android operating system, and server application which is developed using Django. The main feature of this system is automatic fetal head parameter detection and its ability to operate in the limited internet access environment. In this system, automatic fetal head parameter detection uses RHT method to approximate fetal head's ellipse shape. Experiment result shows that RHT detection ability with ∆ellipse average of 79.564 and running time average of 0.373 second.


Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is commonly used as a chemical inducer of experimental liver injury. Several compounds have been demonstrated to attenuate the hepatic damage caused by sublethal doses of CCl4. However, rescue from lethal toxicity of CCl4 has not been reported. In the present study, we evaluated the protective effect of metallothionein (MT), an endogenous scavenger of free radicals, on CCl4-induced lethal toxicity of mice. To induce MT production in male ddY mice, we administered Zn (as ZnSO4) at 50 mg/kg as a once-daily subcutaneous injection for 3 days prior to a single intraperitoneal administration of 4 g/kg CCl4. Animals were observed for mortality every 3 hr for 24 hr after CCl4 injection. Liver damage was assessed by determining (in a subset of these mice) blood levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT; a marker of liver injury) and liver histopathology at 6 hr after CCl4 injection. Our results showed that three times pretreatment with Zn yielded > 40-fold induction of hepatic MT protein levels compared to control group. Zn pretreatment completely abolished the CCl4-induced mortality of mice. We also found that pretreatment of mice with Zn significantly decreased the ALT levels and reduced the histological liver damage as assessed at 6 hr post-CCl4. These findings suggest that prophylaxis with Zn protects mice from CCl4-induced acute hepatic toxicity and mortality, presumably by induction of radical-scavenging MT.


We present simple methods for out-of-distribution detection using a trained generative model. These techniques, based on classical statistical tests, are model-agnostic in the sense that they can be applied to any differentiable generative model. The idea is to combine a classical parametric test (Rao's score test) with the recently introduced typicality test. These two test statistics are both theoretically well-founded and exploit different sources of information based on the likelihood for the typicality test and its gradient for the score test. We show that combining them using Fisher's method overall leads to a more accurate out-of-distribution test. We also discuss the benefits of casting out-of-distribution detection as a statistical testing problem, noting in particular that false positive rate control can be valuable for practical out-of-distribution detection. Despite their simplicity and generality, these methods can be competitive with model-specific out-of-distribution detection algorithms without any assumptions on the out-distribution.


As increasing amounts and types of speech data become accessible, health care and technology industries increasingly demand quantitative insight into speech content. The potential for speech data to provide insight into cognitive, affective, and psychological health states and behavior crucially depends on the ability to integrate speech data into the scientific process. Current engineering methods for acquiring, analyzing, and modeling speech data present the opportunity to integrate speech data into the scientific process. Additionally, machine learning systems recognize patterns in data that can facilitate hypothesis generation, data analysis, and statistical modeling. The goals of the present article are (a) to review developments across these domains that have allowed real-time magnetic resonance imaging to shed light on aspects of atypical speech articulation; (b) in a parallel vein, to discuss how advancements in signal processing have allowed for an improved understanding of communication markers associated with autism spectrum disorder; and (c) to highlight the clinical significance and implications of the application of these technological advancements to each of these areas.

 The collaboration of engineers, speech scientists, and clinicians has resulted in (a) the development of biologically inspired technology that has been proven useful for both small- and large-scale analyses, (b) a deepened practical and theoretical understanding of both typical and impaired speech production, and (c) the establishment and enhancement of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, all having far-reaching, interdisciplinary significance.

 https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7740191


In the light of Agenda 2030 awareness of sustainability is steadily growing all over the world. Devastating phenomena like pandemics (Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDGs—Agenda 2030)), poverty (Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDGs—Agenda 2030)) as well as climate change (Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDGs—Agenda 2030)) threaten humanity, calling for more sustainable solutions. Although economic growth (Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDGs—Agenda 2030)) is one of the principal goals for a sustainable future, little research has been devoted to the interface of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability and their contribution to the financial sector, in view of sustainable banking. Even fewer are the studies concerning sustainable banking in Greece. This paper attempts a comparative overview of sustainability integration into businesses, focusing on the banking industry. The current theoretical analysis initially provides an extended review of the CSR and sustainability concepts, which is followed by a comprehensive analysis of non-financial disclosures (NFDs) and their business value, providing some evidence from Greece. The following sections refer to the performance implications and sustainability integration in the banking industry. Eventually, sustainable banking seems to enhance banking performance in a national business system. This is a very important deduction for sustainability to be both the cause and effect of corporate banking. Along with the discussion, some avenues for future research are highlighted.


The World Summit for Social Development (WSSD), which was held in Copenhagen from 6-12 March 1995, brought together over 118 world leaders to agree on a political Declaration and Programme of Action to alleviate and reduce poverty, expand productive employment and enhance social integration. The Summit consisted of three parts: a Plenary from 6-10 March for statements of high-level representatives; a Main Committee from 6-10 March for final negotiations of the Declaration and Programme of Action; and the Summit of Heads of State or Government on 11-12 March. Statements during the Plenary were organized around suggested daily themes: "enabling environment" on 6 March; "eradication of poverty" on 7 March; "gender and participation of women" on 8 March; "employment and problems of unemployment" on 9 March; and "social integration" and "implementation and follow-up" on 10 March. The Main Committee and its subsidiary contact groups negotiated the outstanding issues in Declaration and Programme of Action that were left bracketed at PrepCom III. In the Declaration, the outstanding issues to be resolved included: debt cancellation; new and additional financial resources; increased ODA; respect for ILO conventions and workers' rights; human rights and national sovereignty; access to health care services; and countries with economies in transition. A new commitment on health and education was also negotiated in a separate working group. In the Programme of Action, the outstanding issues to be resolved included: reorientation of agricultural policies; debt elimination; increased ODA; speculative gains; collective bargaining rights; self-determination; poverty vulnerability indicators; traditional rights to resources; health care access for low-income communities; social safety nets; ratification of ILO conventions; employment needs of indigenous people; social integration of migrants; arms trade; ratification of human rights treaties; impact of structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) on vulnerable groups; new and additional financial resources; the 20:20 compact; and countries with economies in transition. Despite difficult debates and some delegates' desire to reassess agreements reached during the Earth Summit in Rio, the Human Rights Conference in Vienna and the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, delegates managed to reach agreement on all these issues, some of which represented new approaches to the problems before the Social Summit. For example, this is the first time that the international community has expressed a clear commitment to eradicate absolute poverty. In addition, UN documents have not previously addressed the need for socially-responsible structural adjustment and greater accountability by the Bretton Woods institutions to the UN system. Despite qualifying language, there also was movement on the debt question and on the 20:20 initiative. Finally, where the Earth Summit legitimated the participation of NGOs in UN negotiating processes, the WSSD highlighted the fact that the empowerment of civil society is a sine qua non for sound social development policy.


The characteristics of electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence (PL) emission from GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on (112¯2) semipolar plane and (0001) polar plane have been comparatively investigated. Through different bias-dependent shifting trends observed from the PL and time-resolved PL spectra (TRPL) for the two types of LEDs, the carrier dynamics within the multiple quantum wells (MQWs) region is systematically analyzed and the distinct field-dependent emission kinetics are revealed. Moreover, the polarization induced internal electric field has been deduced for each of the LEDs. The relatively stable emission behavior observed in the semipolar LED is attributed to the smaller polarization induced internal electric field. The study provides meaningful insight for the design of quantum well (QW) structures with high radiative recombination rates.


In this paper, the stabilization problem is considered for a class of nonlinear continuous stochastic systems with state delays. The purpose of this problem is to design a state feedback controller such that the closedloop system is exponentially stable (or exponentially ultimately bounded) in the mean square, for all admissible nonlinearities and time-delays. We first investigate the sufficient conditions for the nonlinear stochastic time-delay systems to be stable, and then derive the explicit expression of the desired controller gains. A numerical simulation example is provided to show the usefulness of the proposed design method.


AIM: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombosis (BDT) is a rare event. The prognosis of this type of patients is very dismal. The aim of this study was to share the experience in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC with BDT, to further improve the prognosis of these patients.METHODS: Thirty-four patients of HCC with BDT received surgical treatment in authors' institute from July 1987 to January 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. The experience in the diagnosis and treatment, and the outcome of this type of HCC patients were summarized.RESULTS: Thirty of the 34 patients (88.2%) were positive for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (>20 μg/L), and 12 patients (35.3%) were found having obstructive jaundice before operation, 18 cases were suspected of "obstruction of bile duct" preoperatively. The primary tumors were frequently located at the left medial (13 cases) or right anterior lobe(14 cases). Thirty-one patients received liver resections and removal of BDT, while the other 3 patients received removal of BDT combined with hepatic artery ligation and cannulation(HAL+HAI), or only removal of BDT because their liver function reservation and general condition could not tolerate the primary tumor resection. The 1-year survival rate was 71.4%(20/28). The longest disease-free survival was over 15 years. The intrahepatic tumor recurrence within 1 year after operation was found in 14 patients (14/28, 50.0%).CONCLUSION: Surgical removal of primary tumors and BDT is safe and beneficial to the HCC patients with BDT. Early detection, diagnosis, and surgical treatment are the key points to prolong the survival time of patients.


Landslides have been predominantly studied in Sri Lanka in the category of natural phenomena, highlighting geological, geomorphologic and meteorological attributes. Although improper land use practices are identified as a contributing factor for landslides, the larger political and ecological context that leads to such improper land use practices have not been, both empirically and theoretically, adequately dealt with. The objective of this study is to analyze the phenomenon of landslides as socially constructed. In order to understand landslides as socially constructed, this study focuses on the recent landslide of Elangipitiya from the political ecology approach which is presumed upon a relationship between politics and natural environment. In this study, we applied Paul Robins approach to political ecology which focuses on knowledge, power and practices as contributing elements towards environmental degradation, operating at macro to micro levels. This study reveals that land use practices in Elangipitiya have evolved from an undisturbed forest to a tea plantation and then to a colony settlement under land reforms of the modern state. Tea and rubber plantations have later been parceled out as well as encroached into resulting in more settlements in the 1960s and 1980s. With the settlements, a new road has been developed to the upper area where the current landslide has actually occurred. This is clear evidence as to how political decision making process can induce environmental changes and such politics teamed up with limited environmental knowledge and practices of the community itself have adversely affected the area. This study concludes that understanding landslides as socially constructed transcending its narrow designation as natural disasters, especially revealing the relationship between politics and environment would enlighten us, at least in reducing the impact, if not to avert such disasters.


Drylands comprise 40% of Earth's land mass and are critical to food security, carbon sequestration, and threatened and endangered wildlife. Exotic weed invasions, overgrazing, energy extraction, and other factors have degraded many drylands, and this has placed an increased emphasis on dryland restoration. The increased restoration focus has generated a wealth of experience, innovations and empirical data, yet the goal of restoring diverse, native, dryland plant assemblages composed of grasses, forbs, and shrubs has generally proven beyond reach. Of particular concern are shrubs, which often fail to establish or establish at trivially low densities. We used data from two Great Plains, USA coal mines to explore factors regulating shrub establishment. Our predictor data related to weather and restoration (e.g., seed rates, rock cover) variables, and our response data described shrub abundances on fields of the mines. We found that seeded non-shrubs, especially grasses, formed an important competitive barrier to shrub establishment: With every one standard deviation increase in non-shrub seed rate, the probability shrubs were present decreased ~0.1 and shrub cover decreased ~35%. Since new fields were seeded almost every year for > 20 years, the data also provided a unique opportunity to explore effects of stochastic drivers (i.e., precipitation, year effects). With every one standard deviation increase in precipitation the first growing season following seeding, the probability shrubs were present decreased ~0.07 and shrub cover decreased ~47%. High precipitation appeared to harm shrubs by increasing grass growth/competition. Also, weak evidence suggested shrub establishment was better in rockier fields where grass abundance/competition was lower. Multiple lines of evidence suggest reducing grass seed rates below levels typically used in Great Plains restoration would benefit shrubs without substantially impacting grass stand development over the long term. We used Bayesian statistics to estimate effects of seed rates and other restoration predictors probabilistically to allow knowledge of the predictors' effects to be refined through time in an adaptive management framework. We believe this framework could improve restoration planning in a variety of systems where restoration outcomes remain highly uncertain and ongoing restoration efforts are continually providing new data of value for reducing the uncertainty.


Geophysicists examine and document the repercussions for the earth's climate induced by alternative emission scenarios and model specifications. Using simplified approximations, they produce tractable characterizations of the associated uncertainty. Meanwhile, economists write highly stylized damage functions to speculate about how climate change alters macroeconomic and growth opportunities. How can we assess both climate and emissions impacts, as well as uncertainty in the broadest sense, in social decision-making? We provide a framework for answering this question by embracing recent decision theory and tools from asset pricing, and we apply this structure with its interacting components in a revealing quantitative illustration.


The most common type of stroke, ischemic stroke, affects nearly 700,000 people per year, or 1 person every 45 seconds. Because stroke is notoriously difficult to treat, a sought-after approach is to find ways to avoid stroke before it can happen. To this end, the FDA recently approved the first blood test designed to predict a patient's risk of ischemic stroke.

The new test, called the PLAC test, can help identify at-risk patients so that preventative measures, such as lifestyle modification and treatment with daily aspirin and statins, can be taken.

The ability to forecast stroke is critical but has been challenging. The vascular changes that precede it develop stealthily and are not evident for a long time. "Stroke is by nature unpredictable," says Mark Fisher, chair of the Department of Neurology at University of California, Irvine.

And despite years of intense research, treatment for a person who has had a stroke is extremely limited.

"Stroke is hard to treat because we don't have any treatment," says Patrick Lyden, director of the Stroke Center at University of California, San Diego. "The other issue is that too few patients recognize stroke."

The only approved therapy for stroke is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which must be administered within a few hours and is considered controversial since it increases the risk of neuronal toxicity and bleeding in the brain when given improperly. Patients often don't get to the hospital in time for the currently recommended 3-hour window for tPA. The need for prompt treatment, Fisher notes, has led to the phrase "time is brain."

In fact, tPA only reaches 3% of stroke patients and is successful in only 10% of those recipients.

The PLAC blood test measures levels of an enzyme called lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), previously found to be predictive of coronary artery disease, which is associated with artery hardening and atherosclerosis and causes blockage of blood vessels, which can lead to stroke. Results from a large study by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, showed that people with elevated levels of Lp-PLA2 have twice the risk of ischemic stroke over 6 to 8 years.

Traditional risk factors for stroke include diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, atherosclerosis, and age. All of these can facilitate clot production in the blood vessels or support the growing thrombus once it is logged in the brain artery, says Berislav Zlokovic, associate chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Rochester. Lp-PLA2 predicts stroke independently of these factors.

Some question the utility of the test in light of previous findings showing that levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which increase upon inflammation of blood vessels, are elevated many years before stroke. A test for CRP levels has already been shown to predict stroke risk independently of other traditional risk factors.

Eng Lo, director of the Neuroprotection Research Laboratory at Harvard, points out that basic biochemistry suggests that CRP and Lp-PLA2 are independent risk factors indicative of different arms of the inflammatory cascade. Despite lack of overlap, both tests would lead to the same outcome, he says, in terms of modifying behavior or taking pills. "So is there really a lot of added value with PLAC? How does the test relate to nonhemodynamic embolic strokes or hemorrhagic strokes?" Lo asks.

"There are not that many studies that have looked at Lp-PLA2 in stroke," Fisher says, and this is another limiting factor in the PLAC test. As for clinical utility, it is still too soon to tell.


The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of Jewish sacred writings) is of great importance in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. The first translation of the books of the Hebrew Bible (plus additions) into the common language of the ancient Mediterranean world made the Jewish scriptures accessible to many outside Judaism. Not only did the Septuagint become Holy Writ to Greek speaking Jews but it was also the Bible of the early Christian communities: the scripture they cited and the textual foundation of the early Christian movement. Translated from Hebrew (and Aramaic) originals in the two centuries before Jesus, the Septuagint provides important information about the history of the text of the Bible. For centuries, scholars have looked to the Septuagint for information about the nature of the text and of how passages and specific words were understood. For students of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, the study of the Septuagint's influence is a vital part of the history of interpretation. But until now, the Septuagint has not been available to English readers in a modern and accurate translation. The New English Translation of the Septuagint fills this gap.


Based on the idea of inputting more available useful information for evaluation to gain less uncertainty, this study focuses on how well the uncertainty can be reduced by considering the baseflow estimation information obtained from the smoothed minima method (SMM). The Xinanjiang model and the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) method with the shuffled complex evolution Metropolis (SCEM-UA) sampling algorithm were used for hydrological modeling and uncertainty analysis, respectively. The Jiangkou basin, located in the upper of the Hanjiang River, was selected as case study. It was found that the number and standard deviation of behavioral parameter sets both decreased when the threshold value for the baseflow efficiency index increased, and the high Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients correspond well with the high baseflow efficiency coefficients. The results also showed that uncertainty interval width decreased significantly, while containing ratio did not decrease by much and the simulated runoff with the behavioral parameter sets can fit better to the observed runoff, when threshold for the baseflow efficiency index was taken into consideration. These implied that using the baseflow estimation information can reduce the uncertainty in hydrological modeling to some degree and gain more reasonable prediction bounds.