BACKGROUND
The legal rights of patients include civil rights for patients and the duties of healthcare professionals. Knowledge of legislation and the ability to put juridical norms into practice are among the main aspects of professionals.

AIM
The aim of the study was to describe the level of healthcare professionals' knowledge about patients' legal rights and to describe background variables associated with the knowledge. The legal rights are based on the Finnish Act on the Status and Rights of Patients.

METHOD
The data were collected from healthcare professionals (nurses and physicians) in public health care in Finland (recruited N = 290, responded n = 191) with a questionnaire designed for the study. The response rate was 66%. The data were analysed statistically.

RESULTS
Healthcare professionals were partially familiar with patients' legal rights. The right to good health care, treatment and access to care and right to self-determination were the best-known areas. The respondents lacked knowledge on the right to information and the right to use the services of patient ombudsman. Based on self-evaluation, half of the respondents thought that they had weak knowledge of the legislation on patients' rights. However, they perceived knowledge about patients' rights as being important. There was no correlation between respondents' self-evaluated knowledge and actual scoring on the knowledge test.

CONCLUSION
These results implicate a need for further education aimed at healthcare professionals and development of professional training about patients' legal rights.


Around the mid-16th century, in Italy, a group of anonymous humanists - courtiers versed in the arts of music, letters, and theatre - created a set of songs that depicts African slaves and freedmen singing and playing in an Italian town, probably Naples. While serenading their girls, the African characters in this song cycle cherish to to be freed by their masters. While singing, courting, and quarrelling, they speak an Afro-Neapolitan pidgin that combines the mispronounced local dialect with authentic African words and sentences in Kanuri -- an Afro-Nilotic language still in use in the Bornu region (North-East Nigeria). The songs are known as 'canzoni moresche', meaning Moorish (i.e. black African) songs. Although the 'moresche' were intermittently studied by a handful of European musicologists since the late 19th century, nobody had recognized yet that the most obscure sections in the lyrics were not a zany made-up of African speech, but a true language. Talking Kanuri, moresche's characters utter conventional greeting formulas and idiomatic expressions of racial pride, summon the black slaves in the neighbourhood, and make reference to song and dance as traditional ways to celebrate and communicate. For a long time, the first known evidence of written Kanuri have been considered those founded in scattered European manuscripts and documents dating around late 18th-early 19th century. Only the 'canzoni moresche' offer earlier traces of written Kanuri. They are also powerful cultural effect of African diaspora. A whole microcosm of African tradition, customs, feelings - and probably also shreds of original melodies and rhythms - appear to be featured in the Italian Renaissance.


An ultra-compact dual-polarised ultra-wideband multi-input multi-output antenna made with a single-shared-radiating element and two meandered feeding lines are proposed. Miniaturisation is achieved by using a combination of techniques, including a resonant stub connected to the ground through which shorts the excessive coupled energy before it reaches the other port and minimises coupling, slots etched in the radiator that also help minimise mutual coupling, while the meandered lines allow to bring the antenna closer to the greatly reduce the overall size of the antenna. Slots etched in the radiator and the use of a stub connected to the ground through, help to minimise the mutual coupling. The formation of orthogonal surface currents provides the necessary dual polarisation. Simulated and measured results demonstrate the wideband impedance matching, low mutual coupling and low envelope correlation coefficient. This antenna has an extremely compact size (22 × 24.3 mm2, including the ground plane) that makes it an excellent candidate for portable and handheld devices.


This study was designed to evaluate the transferosomal gel of leaf extract of Argemone mexicana. Because of smaller size transferosomes can penetrate across the pores of stratum corneum and enters the underlying viable skin in intact form. Different formulations of transferosomal gel were prepared and assessed for their antibacterial activity. The extract has been standardized for its alkaloid content using berberine as biomarker. Transferosomes were prepared using phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and edge activator like sodium cholate by thin film hydration method using rotary evaporator and evaluated for various parameters. Later transferosomes were added to Carbopol934 gel and consequently evaluated for their physicochemical properties. Gels were found to be smooth, homogenous and pH lying in the normal skin pH range and easily spreadable. The size of transferosomes was in the range of 236.86to397.78 nm whereas entrapment efficiency was found between 49.84 to 68.23%. Amongst the prepared formulations of Argemone mexicana, B4 (20% sodium cholate) was found to possess significant drug content and encapsulation efficiency. From the study, it can be concluded that transferosomal gel served as an efficient drug delivery system for herbal extract with potential antibacterial activity.


The C terminus of the beta(2)-adrenoceptor (AR) interacts with G protein-coupled receptor kinases and arrestins in an agonist-dependent manner, suggesting that conformational changes induced by ligands in the transmembrane domains are transmitted to the C terminus. We used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to examine ligand-induced structural changes in the distance between two positions on the beta(2)-AR C terminus and cysteine 265 (Cys-265) at the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane domain 6. The donor fluorophore FlAsH (Fluorescein Arsenical Helix binder) was attached to a CCPGCC motif introduced at position 351-356 in the proximal C terminus or at the distal C terminus. An acceptor fluorophore, Alexa Fluor 568, was attached to Cys-265. FRET analyses revealed that the average distances between Cys-265 and the proximal and distal FlAsH sites were 57 and 62A(,) respectively. These relatively large distances suggest that the C terminus is in an extended, relatively unstructured conformation. Nevertheless, we observed ligand-specific changes in FRET. All ligands induced an increase in FRET between the proximal C-terminal FlAsH site and Cys-265. Ligands that have been shown to induce arrestin-dependent ERK activation, including the catecholamine agonists and the inverse agonist ICI118551, led to a decrease in FRET between the distal FlAsH site and Cys-265, whereas other ligands had no effect or induced a small increase in FRET. Taken together the results provide new insight into the structure of the C terminus of the beta(2)-AR as well as ligand-induced conformational changes that may be relevant to arrestin-dependent regulation and signaling.


The efficacy of orally administered flumequine in the treatment of experimentally induced vibriosis in Atlantic cod Gadus morhua was investigated. Cod (mean +/- SD, 120 +/- 30 g) were randomly distributed to twelve tanks and bath challenged for 1 h with Listonella anguillarum serotype O2alpha, strain HI-610, using a dose of 9.2 x 10(6) CFU ml(-1). At 3 d post-challenge, medication was introduced in 10 of the groups at doses of 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 25 mg flumequine kg(-1) body weight d(-1) in duplicate. The medication was administered on Days 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 after the initiation of treatment. In challenged unmedicated fish, mortality started on Day 4 post-challenge, reaching a final cumulative mortality of 82% at Day 18. In the medicated groups, mortality started on Days 3 to 5 post-challenge, reaching final cumulative mortalities of 42, 49, 37, 37 and 23% respectively for the fish treated with 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 25 mg flumequine kg(-1) body weight d(-1). Survival of medicated fish in all groups was significantly greater than in challenged unmedicated fish (p < 0.001). Twenty-four h following the final medication, HPLC analysis found a linear relationship between doses and mean concentrations of the drug in plasma, muscle and liver.


This study aimed to evaluate the effects of replacement of soybean meal (SBM) with soybean meal treated with tannin (SBMT) on the intake, digestibility, performance and characteristics of the carcasses of young cattle fed a high-concentrate diet. Forty-two Nellore bulls with body weight of 244.5 ± 4.99 kg were used. Diets had the inclusion of 7.5% SBM, with a proportion of that SBM (0, 33, 66 or 100%) replaced for SBMT; and other treatment (SBMT + urea) just with 2.5% of SBM which was treated with tannins. Seven animals were randomly selected and slaughtered, and the remaining animals were distributed on treatments and remained for 112 days. After, all animals were slaughtered. There was a linear decline in dry matter intake (P = 0.026) when SBM was replaced with SBMT. No decrease in carcass weight (P > 0.05) was observed. The efficiency of carcass weight gain showed a quadratic function effect (P = 0.049). There were changes in carcass gain composition when SBMT was added (P < 0.05), with an increase in muscle and reduction in fat deposition. The use of SBMT in place of SBM causes changes in body gain composition in animals and reduces DM intake by the animals, achieving a better feed conversion efficiency.


Abstract. This paper reports the variation in rainfall characteristics associated with debris flows in the Chenyulan watershed, central Taiwan, between 1963 and 2009. The maximum hourly rainfall Im, the maximum 24 h rainfall Rd, and the rainfall index RI (defined as the product RdIm) were analysed for each rainfall event that triggered a debris flow within the watershed. The corresponding number of debris flows initiated by each rainfall event (N) was also investigated via image analysis and/or field investigation. The relationship between N and RI was analysed. Higher RI of a rainfall event would trigger a larger number of debris flows. This paper also discusses the effects of the Chi-Chi earthquake (CCE) on this relationship and on debris flow initiation. The results showed that the critical RI for debris flow initiation had significant variations and was significantly lower in the years immediately following the CCE of 1999, but appeared to revert to the pre-earthquake condition about five years later. Under the same extreme rainfall event of RI = 365 cm2 h−1, the value of N in the CCE-affected period could be six times larger than that in the non-CCE-affected periods.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To assess the proportion of patients with suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) who reported the reactions to their healthcare providers and the factors associated with the reporting. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study was conducted in the US President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) clinic at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City. The study population consisted of adult HIV infection patients receiving HAART at the clinic, who had suspected ADRs (SADRs). Using a systematic random sampling technique, patients were selected and interviewed with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The outcome measure was whether or not a SADR was reported to a healthcare provider. RESULTS The study participants totalled 233, 171 (73.4%) of whom reported SADRs to their healthcare providers. Statistically significant difference was demonstrated with following higher-than-mean proportions of participants that reported SADRs: 100% (13/13) of respondents who experienced a SADR perceived to be life-threatening, (p=0.02; OR=0.00, 95%CI=0.00-0.87); 88.6% (31/35) of those who regarded their SADRs as severe (p=0.01; OR=4.02, 95%CI=1.28-16.63); and 95.2% (20/21) of those who had skin eruptions (p=0.02; OR=0.12, 95%CI=0.00-0.81). CONCLUSIONS The finding that a high proportion of patients reported SADRs suggests that majority of patients contribute to pharmacovigilance and that they constitute opportunities for direct reporting of HAART-related ADRs to pharmacovilance centres. Facility-based pharmacovigilance desks should be set up and access should be created for patients to report SADRs directly. Healthcare providers should educate patients to report SADRs.


We present a detailed characterization of instruction cache performance for IBM's J2EE-enabled Web server, WebSphere Application Server (WAS). When running two J2EE benchmarks on WebSphere, we find that instruction cache misses cause a 12% performance penalty on current-generation Power5-based multiprocessor systems. To mitigate this performance loss, we describe a new call-chain based algorithm for inserting software prefetch instructions, and evaluate its potential for improved instruction cache performance. The performance of this algorithm depends on the selection of several independent parameters which control the distance and number of prefetches inserted for a particular method. We select these parameters through characterization of the WebSphere applications, and ultimately find that our call-chain based insertion algorithm achieves significant reduction in instruction cache miss rate for Java methods.


Due to their potential instabilities, deploying personnel onto icebergs to make direct in-situ measurement is hazardous. The preliminary results from an investigation into the usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for surveying and monitoring icebergs are presented. The project had four objectives: (i) acquisition of imagery for the generation of iceberg topside reconstructions using photogrammetry; (ii) development of a GPS tracking device and a deployment mechanism to place it onto an iceberg; (iii) development of a motion sensor to record the motion of an iceberg and a deployment mechanism to deliver it onto an iceberg; and (iv) iceberg draft measurements from a UAV-mounted ice penetrating radar.
 The project has used both commercially available and custom-built UAVs. The sensor packages (cameras, tracking devices, accelerometers and ground penetrating radar) were commercial products that have been modified for this study and, when required, mountings and delivery mechanisms have been designed and manufactured to integrate the system together.
 Fieldwork was performed during the 2017 iceberg season in a near-shore environment (Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) aboard a survey vessel and, in 2018, from an operational supply vessel offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. The field campaigns were conducted in parallel with an iceberg profiling system that uses an integrated multibeam sonar and LiDAR system to generate composite (topside and subsurface) iceberg reconstructions. These reconstructions can be compared with the results obtained from the photogrammetry and the radar survey.
 During the 2017 program, iceberg imagery for photogrammetry was acquired and GPS tracking devices were deployed onto icebergs and sea-ice. The longest iceberg track obtained was 21 days. For the 2018 campaign, further photogrammetric data was collected and ground penetrating radar surveys of icebergs were performed. The photogrammetry topside reconstructions and the draft estimates from the ground penetrating radar produced results comparable to measurements from the iceberg profiling system.
 This project has explored the capability of UAVs to deliver sensor packages onto icebergs, and to take aerial measurements over and around them. They are an emerging technology that, although challenging to work with in the harsh North Atlantic environment, have proved useful.


This paper presents a new approach of control algorithm for single phase inverter with minimum harmonics values. Minimum harmonics is based on elimination of selected low order harmonics. The calculated switching angles are utilized in the control algorithm which is simply written in matlab using m-file to finally generate inverter switches pulses. The code is very simple and it is written in C-language very close to that written in the experimental results. The low order harmonics up to the 21 are eliminated. An LC filter with low size is utilized leading to full elimination of low and high order harmonics. Implementation of the system is carried out and an inexpensive dspic30F2010 microcontroller is used resulting in extremely reduction in hardware complexity. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed inverter and they are very close to simulation results. Keywords— Harmonics Elimination, Switching Angles, Filter.


Clinical-psychologic study, spectral analysis of heart rate variability, 24-h monitoring of arterial pressure (AP) were performed in 20 patients with chronic constitutional arterial hypotension and in 18 patients with neurogenic syncopal states. Both groups were characterised by considerable manifestations of the syndrome of autonomic dystonia, by emotional-personal disorders that correlated with elevated level of slow-waves of the second order in heart rhythms' spectrum. That testified activation of supersegmental sympathetic-adrenal systems. Disorders in sympathetic-parasympathetic correlations were specific in each group. In patients with arterial hypotension disorder of circadian rhythm was observed in the form of superfluous decrease of diastolic AP during sleep. Circadian rhythms in patients with neurogenic syncopes have parameters characteristic for normals showing a preverved chronobiologic AP regulation. A role of the alterations revealed in pathogenesis of arterial hypotensionis discussed.


Finding the exact location of a fault in a large distributed microservices application running in containerized cloud environments can be very difficult and time-consuming. We present a novel approach that uses distributed tracing to automatically detect, localize and aid in explaining application-level faults. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach by injecting faults into a well-known microservice-based benchmark application. Our experiments demonstrated that the proposed fault localization algorithm correctly detects and localize the microservice with the injected fault. We also compare our approach with other fault localization methods. In particular, we empirically show that our method outperforms methods in which a graph model of error propagation is used for inferring fault locations using error logs. Our work illustrates the value added by distributed tracing for localizing and explaining faults in microservices.


One of the main environmental challenges of the 21st century is to face the increase in soil degradation. Nowadays, there is evidence that sustainable orchard management practices can contribute to increasing the SOC, reducing soil CO(2) emissions, recovering soil fertility and increasing yields. The main objective of this research was to improve the mineral nutrition management, considering soil fertility parameters and N mineralization, in a peach orchard managed under alternative agricultural practices. One of the most important agronomic practices is irrigation, which is essential for plant production and can increase nutrients availability through soil N and C mineralization, with a direct effect on soil quality. The monitoring of soil nitrates and soil quality index (Nc/Nk ratio) along the row (R), wetted and along the inter-row (I), rain-fed, in the orchard under localized irrigation was performed. The results revealed spatial (R, I) and seasonal variability of soil nitrates and soil quality. This study shows that the long-term adoption of localized irrigation and of sustainable agricultural practices has positive effects on soil quality, with benefits to the stability of the whole agro-ecosystem.


Objective: to determine the outcome of patients with minor strokes who receive intravenous thrombolysis in a telestroke network. Background: The Arkansas SAVES (Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support) telestroke network provided emergency evaluation and therapy for acute stroke to 22 spoke sites statewide between November 2008 and May 2011. While there is little question regarding safety of IV thrombolysis in minor strokes, its impact on long-term outcome is equivocal. Few studies, yet with methodological problems attempted to answer this question. Methods: Institutional IRB approval was obtained to review the prospective database of the Arkansas SAVES program. We included patients with admission NIHSS ≤ 4. They were divided into two groups based on whether or not they received IV thrombolysis. Baseline characteristics, risk factors, laboratory data and outcomes were compared between the two groups. Good outcome was defined as mRS Results: The cohort included 562 patients receiving a teleconsultation between November 2008 and May 2011, of whom 116 underwent IV thrombolysis. Sixty patients with admission NIHSS ≤ 4 were included in this analysis. Patients who received IV thrombolysis had a trend towards a higher mean admission NIHSS (3.5 ± 0.7 vs. 3.9 ± 1.0, p = 0.085). There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of good (76.7% vs. 73.3%, p = NS) or excellent outcome (60.0% vs. 56.7%, p = NS) between the two groups. The mean admission NIHSS was similar in patients with mRS 1 (3.6 ± 0.9 vs. 3.7 ± 0.9, p = NS), possibly indicating a disconnect between stroke severity, when mild, and overall outcome. Conclusion: Intravenous thrombolysis did not improve outcomes in patients with minimal deficits. The use of IV thrombolytics in patients with minor strokes should be individualized depending on the type of deficits and potential disability. A larger randomized trial is needed to confirm those results.


This paper studies the performance of two-way reinforced concrete slabs with different sizesand shapes of cavities numerically under uniform load. Nineteen simply supported slab models were modeled with dimensions of (1060 1060  70) mm. One of them wasthe reference model which was solid slab and the others were with different shapes, sizes and numbers of cavities.The slab models with cavities divided into three groupsaccording to the shape of the cavities, each group contained six slab models, first group contained slab models with square shape of cavities while the second group contained the models with diamond cavities and third group contained models with circular cavities.In each group there were different numbers of cavities (9, 16 and 25), and the thickness was either 2 cm or 4 cm.
The numerical results show that, when the percentage reduction of models weight was (14 %) which is corresponding to the cavities thickness of (2 cm), for this case the ultimate load capacity reduced by (3.40 - 13.61)%. While when the percentage reduction in weight was (28 %) which is corresponding with the cavities thickness of (2 cm), the ultimate load capacity reduced by (14.97 - 24.49) %.


The Criminal Justice System Efficiency Program aims to deal 'promptly and efficiently' with 'low-level, straightforward cases' in order to dispense 'swift and sure justice'. To meet these objectives, the Ministry of Justice places a duty on defence solicitors to reduce the 'costs and delay associated with forensic evidence'. It justifies its requirements with reference to the Criminal Procedure Rules, highlighting the need for solicitors to actively manage criminal cases, to take part in pre-trial hearings and to engage with forensic evidence through a new form of discourse: Streamlined Forensic Reporting (SFR). The SFR scheme operates 'by taking a more proportionate approach to forensic evidence through the early preparation of a short report that details the key forensic evidence the prosecution intends to rely upon'. The aim is to avoid the costs associated with thorough forensic analysis by encouraging an early guilty plea. In circumstances where such a plea cannot be elicited, the scheme aims to secure agreement on forensic issues at the earliest stage. It places an obligation on the defence to identify these problematic areas. Drawing on comparative ethnographic research within the forensic science and criminal justice sectors, this article questions the safety or utility of these attenuated and instrumental forms of 'efficient' forensic discourse. It demonstrates that streamlined reports are often compiled by non-expert administrators, lack contextual evaluation or technical explanation and are frequently inaccurate or misleading. It asks whether the veiled and incremental approach to the issue of disclosure forms an adequate basis for proper scrutiny or legal challenge, and questions whether this scheme, which exhibits a marked ambivalence towards forensic expertise, may ultimately subvert the duty placed on the courts to place forensic evidence in its proper context.


BACKGROUND
The association among asthma, hiatus hernia, oesophagitis and gastro-oesophageal reflux has been reported as etiologic factor that alters the clinical evolution of the asthma.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Prospective, longitudinal and comparative study was developed. 90 patients were incoming with persistent light and moderate asthma, of allergic etiology. By the 6 months of immune-allergic treatment the clinical answer was valued being classified in two groups: Group A: 40 patients with intermittent light asthma and group B: 50 patients with persistent severe moderate asthma. In both groups they were submitted to an endoscopy for the diagnosis of esophageal pathology, with biopsies in the 3 esophageal thirds. They registered symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux.

RESULTS
72 women and 28 men, age average 35.9 years. There was hiatus hernia in 33 patients, 12 of the group A and 21 of the B. Upper oesophagitis in 21 patients, 8 of the group A and 13 of the B. Symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux in 71 patients, 29 of the group A and 42 of the B. The association among hiatus hernia, oesophagitis and gastro-oesophageal reflux was observed in 12 patients, 2 of the group A and 10 of the B (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The association of symptoms among gastro-oesophageal reflux, hiatus hernia and upper oesophagitis, is bigger in the patients with bad answer to the anti-asthmatic treatment; they are justified to endoscopy study and biopsies of the upper oesophagus (in the group of patients with bad response and symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux) when 24 hours pH-monitoring is not available.


The primal-dual schema has been employed to provide approximation algorithms for a large variety of combinatorial optimization problems. This technique relies upon simultaneously constructing a primal integer solution that is feasible for the minimization problem of interest, as well as a dual solution whose objective function value serves as a lower bound. By operating in this framework, the advantages of using an LP-based method are obtained, such as generating an instance-dependent approximation ratio that may greatly improve on the theoretical worst-case, while obviating the need to actually solve an LP.
In this thesis, we focus on the application of the simple dual-ascent method, where the feasible dual solution is modified by increasing only a single dual variable at a time, and obtain approximation algorithms for the following problems: capacitated covering problems with lot-sizing applications, the location routing problem with a global limit on locations, and a variant of the generalized assignment problem. For each of these areas, we introduce an exponential number of valid inequalities to strengthen the LP-relaxation, thereby decreasing the integrality gap. As we are only increasing a single dual variable at a time, each of the primal constraints is effectively providing the mechanism by which both the primal and dual solutions can be modified at any given time.


The general techniques for using external fixators are demanding, regardless of the specific fixator selected. Attention to detail is absolutely essential if maximum advantage of the device is to be gained and potentially serious complications are to be minimized. The initial treatment of the condition for which the external fixator is chosen must be considered first: irrigation, debridement, and reduction of the severe, open fracture; drainage, debridement, and sequestrectomy of the infected fracture or nonunion; removal of the components and cement in the infected failed arthroplasty, etc. Primary treatment in these and other conditions must be appropriately administered prior to fixator application. Fixator type, frame and pin configuration and application, care of the fracture, and maintenance of the fixation appliance are discussed.


Every year thousands of returning military, state, and local police officers and civilians of every description suffer from the intrusive symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current treatments rooted largely in extinction protocols require extensive commitments of time and money and are often ineffective. This study reviews several theories of PTSD and two important mechanisms that explain when treatment does and doesn't work: extinction and reconsolidation. It then reviews the research about and suggests an explanatory mechanism for the visual-kinesthetic dissociation protocol (V/KD), also known as the rewind technique. The technique is notable for its lack of discomfort to the client, the possibility of being executed as a content-free intervention, its speed of operation, and its long-term, if largely anecdotal, efficacy. A case study, specific diagnostics for extinction, and reconsolidative mechanisms and suggestions for future research are provided.


Major advances have taken place in the study of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the past several decades. Future trends in research will likely be based on these advances and will span a wide spectrum of activities including further refinement of disease definition and particularly disease pattern. More precise definitions for axial and peripheral disease and in particular arthritis mutilans will be necessary for further genetic and biomarker studies. Early definition of PsA is crucial. Future research will concentrate on identifying genetic and other biomarkers for early diagnosis, disease expression, disease progression, and comorbidities. Newer therapies will be developed as well.


Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is the causative agent of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Understanding the immune response that provides specific immunity but may also lead to immunopathology is crucial for the design of potential preventive and therapeutic strategies. Here, we characterized and quantified SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific immune responses in patients with different clinical courses. Compared to individuals with a mild clinical presentation, CD4+ T‐cell responses were qualitatively impaired in critically ill patients. Strikingly, however, in these patients the specific IgG antibody response was remarkably strong. Furthermore, in these critically ill patients, a massive influx of circulating T cells into the lungs was observed, overwhelming the local T‐cell compartment, and indicative of vascular leakage. The observed disparate T‐ and B‐cell responses could be indicative of a deregulated immune response in critically ill COVID‐19 patients.


BACKGROUND
Reducing pauses during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compressions result in better outcomes in cardiac arrest. Artefact filtering technology (AFT) gives rescuers the opportunity to visualize the underlying electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythm during chest compressions, and reduces the pauses that occur before and after delivering a shock. We conducted a simulation study to measure the reduction of peri-shock pause and impact on chest compression fraction (CCF) through AFT.

METHODS
In a simulator setting, participants were given a standardized cardiac arrest scenario and were randomly assigned to perform CPR/defibrillation using the protocol from one of three experimental arms: 1) Standard of Care (pauses for rhythm analysis and shock delivery); 2) AFT (no pauses for rhythm analysis, but a pause for defibrillation); or 3) AFT with hands-on defibrillation (no pauses for rhythm analysis or defibrillation). The primary outcomes were CCF and peri-shock pause duration, with secondary outcomes of pre- and post-shock pause duration.

RESULTS
AFT with hands-on defibrillation was found to have the highest CCF (86.4%), as compared to AFT alone (83.8%, p<0.001), and both groups significantly improved CCF in comparison with the Standard of Care (76.7%, p<0.001). AFT with hands-on defibrillation was associated with a reduced peri-shock pause (2.6 seconds) as compared to AFT alone (5.3 seconds, p<0.001), and the Standard of Care (7.4 seconds, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
In this cardiac arrest model, AFT results in a greater CCF by reducing peri-shock pause duration. There is also a small but detectable improvement in CCF with the addition of hands-on defibrillation.


Policy-oriented research has tended to focus on objective dimensions of the refugee adaptation process (such as economic "self-sufficiency", employment, and welfare dependency rates) than on subjective factors that are not only more difficult to measure but more often than not are seen as epiphenomenal (such as migration motives, acculturative attitudes, and mental health). Yet refugee "mental health" is no mere epiphenomenon: it both shapes and is shaped by those objective realities and as such, needs to be taken seriously into account by refugee policy. This paper seeks to contribute to our understanding of subjective aspects of the Southeast Asian refugee experience and of their import for refugee policy. Specifically, the paper reports on findings from a longitudinal survey (IHARP) of a representative sample of Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian men and women in the San Diego metropolitan area, site of one of the largest Indochinese refugee concentrations in the United States. A general model of migration, adaptation, and mental health is proposed and tested with the survey data. A typology of motives is developed empirically from a diverse set of open-ended responses, distinguishing between "targets," "rebels," "victims," and seekers." Rates of psychological well-being and distress were measured at two points in time. The paper examines the varying effects of a wide range of pre-arrival and post-arrival factors on their adaptive responses over time. The refugees' changing levels of psychological distress and of satisfaction with various areas of their lives in the United States – which serve, respectively, as affective and cognitive indicators of their "mental health" – are analyzed as principal outcome variables in this study. Adult mental health outcomes, in turn, are shown to be independent variables in their own right, affecting other aspects of the refugee adaptation process – from their economic self-sufficiency, to pregnancy outcomes of refugee mothers, and even the educational attainment of their children several years later – and thus medical, educational and economic policy goals.


Two professors, one from the School of Education (SOE) and the other from the Master's of Teaching English as a Second Language (MA/TESL) program on a university campus constructed a syllabus to include English language learner (ELL) instruction and assignments.  Inherent within the syllabus was a qualitative study with fifty-five pre-candidate teachers enrolled in an initial teaching course within the SOE.  All students were given an overview of ELL theory and data were collected from consenting participants in the form of guided, written reflections done after hands-on practice with international students from the Intensive English Language program on the same campus.  Observations from data suggested both internal changes within participants as well as increased awareness and use of ELL strategies.  Inter-departmental collaboration created strategies for addressing state requirements on the inclusion of cultural competency legislation for all pre-candidate teachers in an accessible and practical manner.


Large-scale scientific experiments produce vast volumes of data. These data are stored, processed and analyzed in a distributed computing environment. The life cycle of experiment is managed by specialized software like Distributed Data Management and Workload Management Systems. In order to be interpreted and mined, experimental data must be accompanied by auxiliary metadata, which are recorded at each data processing step. Metadata describes scientific data and represent scientific objects or results of scientific experiments, allowing them to be shared by various applications, to be recorded in databases or published via Web. Processing and analysis of constantly growing volume of auxiliary metadata is a challenging task, not simpler than the management and processing of experimental data itself. Furthermore, metadata sources are often loosely coupled and potentially may lead to an end-user inconsistency in combined information queries. To aggregate and synthesize a range of primary metadata sources, and enhance them with flexible schema-less addition of aggregated data, we are developing the Data Knowledge Base architecture serving as the intelligence behind GUIs and APIs.


This paper proposes a numerical modelling scheme for surface roughness prediction. The approach is premised on the use of 3D difference analysis method enhanced with the use of feedback control loop where a set of adaptive weights are generated. The surface roughness values utilized in this paper were adapted from [1]. Their experiments were carried out using S55C high carbon steel. A comparison was further carried out between the proposed technique and those utilized in [1]. The experimental design has three cutting parameters namely: depth of cut, feed rate and cutting speed with twenty-seven experimental sample-space. The simulation trials conducted using Matlab software is of two sub-classes namely: prediction of the surface roughness readings for the non-boundary cutting combinations (NBCC) with the aid of the known surface roughness readings of the boundary cutting combinations (BCC). The following simulation involved the use of the predicted outputs from the NBCC to recover the surface roughness readings for the boundary cutting combinations (BCC). The simulation trial for the NBCC attained a state of total stability in the 7th iteration i.e. a point where the actual and desired roughness readings are equal such that error is minimized to zero by using a set of dynamic weights generated in every following simulation trial. A comparative study among the three methods showed that the proposed difference analysis technique with adaptive weight from feedback control produced a much accurate output as against the abductive and regression analysis techniques presented in [1].Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Background: Age of first marijuana use is a key predictor of later educational outcomes, but limited work has identified demographic factors that impact this association across continuous ages of first use. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to identify the age-varying prevalence of later college degree attainment as a function of age of first marijuana use; (2) to examine the age-varying association of gender and college degree attainment as a function of age of first use; and (3) to examine the age-varying association of parent education and college degree attainment as a function of age of first use. Methods: Data were from the panel portion of the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, an ongoing longitudinal study of adolescents and young adults. Those who used marijuana by age 22 were included in analyses. Among these participants (N = 2134), 47.0% were male, 67.5% were white, 53.2% reported having at least one parent with a bachelor's degree or higher, and 44.1% attained a bachelor's degree or higher by age 25/26. Results: Intercept-only and logistic time-varying effect models (TVEMs) modeled prevalences and associations as functions of age of first marijuana use. Prevalence of college degree completion was relatively linear across age of first use; such that college degree attainment increased as age of first use increased. Results indicated that college degree attainment varied across age of first use similarly for men and women. Degree attainment differences existed based on parent education. Parental education and degree attainment were most strongly linked at an age of first use between 16 and 19 years. Conclusions: Findings suggest that age of first marijuana use has an association with academic achievement such that earlier ages of first use are associated with lower academic achievement later in adulthood. Parental education serves as a protective factor against college degree attainment in late adolescence.


Egocentric activity recognition is one of the most challenging tasks in video analysis. It requires a fine-grained discrimination of small objects and their manipulation. While some methods base on strong supervision and attention mechanisms, they are either annotation consuming or do not take spatio-temporal patterns into account. In this paper we propose LSTA as a mechanism to focus on features from spatial relevant parts while attention is being tracked smoothly across the video sequence. We demonstrate the effectiveness of LSTA on egocentric activity recognition with an end-to-end trainable two-stream architecture, achieving state-of-the-art performance on four standard benchmarks.


This paper examines accidental humor as it manifests itself in international public notices displayed in English. It shows that accidental humor, just like intentional humor, essentially stems from script opposition and script overlap (Raskin, 1985). However, it lacks intentionality, which plays a key role in contrived humor. In this way, accidental humor is based on the interaction between the text and the receiver, apart from the producer. In particular, accidental humor in interlingual communication is the output of the producer's language incompetence in the target language, whereas it is the result of the producer's landing in unintended ambiguity in intralingual communication. In such humor, therefore, the initiator infringes one or more maxims of conversation (Grice, 1975), unlike intentional humor, where the joke teller exploits conversational maxims for communicative purposes, in order to generate conversational implicature and, subsequently, laughter. Keywords: accidental humor; intentionality; implicature; script opposition; flouting a maxim; infringing a maxim; interlingual communication.


To the Editor: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an endemic flavivirus disease in Asia. The JE virus (JEV) is one of the leading causes of viral encephalitis: 35,000–50,000 cases occur every year (1). While most infections are subclinical, the disease has a high case-fatality rate (≈25%) and considerable incidence of serious neurologic sequelae with the development of overt meningoencephalitis (1).

JEV is transmitted principally by Culex tritaeniorhynchus and less frequently by Cx. vishnui and Cx. gelidus, which breed in flooded rice fields. The virus circulates in waterfowl such as herons and egrets, and pigs serve as amplifying hosts. Hence, the distribution of JEV is significantly linked to irrigated rice production and pig rearing (2).

JEV was previously endemic in Singapore, but since the phasing out of pig farming (completed in 1992), the incidence of reported disease has become very low. Routine serologic testing for JEV has correspondingly been dropped from local hospital microbiology laboratories. We describe an indigenous case of JEV meningoencephalitis in Singapore.

In May 2005, a 53-year-old previously healthy man of Chinese ethnicity was seen at Singapore General Hospital with a 1-week history of fever and abdominal pain. Altered mental status had developed shortly after the onset of fever. He had worked in the western part of Singapore as a lifeguard at a community swimming pool and had not traveled, even to offshore islands, for the past year.

On examination, he was febrile with a temperature of 39.3°C and disoriented to time and place. Nuchal rigidity was present, and hyperreflexia was demonstrated in both upper limbs, although lower limb reflexes were normal. The rest of the initial physical examination was unremarkable.

Laboratory studies showed a leukocyte count of 4.91 × 109/L, hemoglobin concentration of 14.3 g/dL, and platelet count of 171 × 109/L. Serum and liver biochemistry results were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed mild leptomeningeal enhancement. An electroencephalogram showed generalized slow waves, consistent with severe diffuse encephalopathy. A lumbar puncture was performed. The opening pressure was elevated at 24 cm/H2O; cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocyte count was 192/mm3, consisting mostly of lymphocytes; CSF glucose was 2.4 mmol/L (44% of serum glucose concentration); and CSF total protein was elevated at 1.5 g/L. CSF and blood cultures for bacteria, fungi, and mycobacteria were negative, as were CSF isolates for enteroviruses and herpes simplex virus.

Results of paired acute- and convalescent-phase serologic testing for dengue immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG were negative, as were the microscopic agglutination test for leptospirosis and the Widal test for typhoid. Subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of serum and CSF on day 10 of illness yielded negative results for Nipah/Hendra virus, West Nile virus, enterovirus, herpesviruses, measles virus, and alphaviruses.

However, the patient's serum but not CSF tested positive for flavivirus RNA when a universal flavivirus reverse transcription (RT)–PCR assay that targets the conserved sequence of the NS5 region was used (3). JEV was definitively identified as the etiologic agent when the serum sample tested positive with a second RT-PCR specific to the conserved sequences in the NS3 region of the JEV genome, modified to a real-time platform (4). Comparison of the 197-nt sequence of this JEV-specific RT-PCR product with the library of human, mouse, and viral genome databases managed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information site using the BLASTN program (available from http://www.abcc.ncifcrf.gov/app/htdocs/appdb/appinfo.php?appname) showed 93% homology with reported JEV sequences.

The patient had a prolonged and complicated hospital stay. He became comatose and went into type 2 respiratory failure within 72 hours of hospitalization; pinpoint pupils, bradycardia, and hypothermia developed. These developments necessitated mechanical ventilation at the medical intensive care unit, where the patient subsequently improved after 6 days of supportive care and was extubated. Flaccid paraparesis with urinary retention developed at this point, and magnetic resonance imaging of the spine demonstrated signal enhancement at the level of the conus medullaris. Motor power gradually improved with intensive rehabilitation and was normal by the time of the patient's discharge 2 months after admission. However, intermittent self-catheterization was still required for detrusor hyperreflexia.

This is the sixth case of JE reported in Singapore from 1991 to July 2005. Three imported cases were reported from 1991 to 2000. Two patients whose cases were reported in 2001 had no substantial travel history and likely acquired the infection within Singapore, as our patient did. However, the lack of diagnostic testing by local service microbiology laboratories has possibly led to underdiagnoses of this disease.

While abolishment of pig farming in Singapore has greatly reduced the risk for epidemic transmission of JEV, a seroepidemiologic study on the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to JEV in local animals (including dogs, cattle, goats, imported pigs, chickens, and crows) showed a JEV antibody prevalence of 46.5% in working dogs and 60% in chickens. These findings suggest that JEV remains active in Singapore (5). The virus reservoir is likely to be aquatic birds. The threat of JE remains, and public health vigilance for this vectorborne disease should not diminish.

The infrequent incidence of JE in Singapore is insufficient to justify routine vaccination for travelers to this country. However, JE remains a rare differential diagnosis for travelers from or passing through Singapore.


Severity of burning can influence multiple aspects of forest composition, carbon cycling, and climate forcing. We quantified how burn severity affected vegetation recovery and albedo change during early succession in Canadian boreal regions by combining satellite observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Canadian Large Fire Database. We used the MODIS-derived difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and initial changes in spring albedo as measures of burn severity. We found that the most severe burns had the greatest reduction in summer MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) in the first year after fire, indicating greater loss of vegetation cover. By 5–8 years after fire, summer EVI for all severity classes had recovered to within 90%–108% of prefire levels. Spring and summer albedo progressively increased during the first 7 years after fire, with more severely burned areas showing considerably larger postfire albedo increases during spring and more rapid increases during summer as compared with moderate- and low-severity burns. After 5–7 years, increases in spring albedo above prefire levels were considerably larger in high-severity burns (0.20 ± 0.06; defined by dNBR percentiles greater than 75%) as compared to changes observed in moderate- (0.16 ± 0.06; for dNBR percentiles between 45% and 75%) or low-severity burns (0.13 ± 0.06; for dNBR percentiles between 20% and 45%). The sensitivity of spring albedo to dNBR was similar in all ecozones and for all vegetation types along gradients of burn severity. These results suggest carbon losses associated with increases in burn severity observed in some areas of boreal forests may be at least partly offset, in terms of climate impacts, by increases in negative forcing associated with changes in surface albedo.


Purpose
It has been established that values, beliefs and norms are good predictors of pro-environmental behaviour; however, it is less explored how these constructs can be influenced. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the COVID-19 pandemic, as a shock event, was a "game changer" or it had limited impacts on deep-rooted travel patterns.

Design/methodology/approach
To understand whether the pandemic has influenced people's value orientations with regards to sustainable travel, the authors have made use of the value–belief–norm (VBN)theory of environmentalism and conducted a large-scale survey in Germany, Italy, France, The Netherlands and UK (N = 1545).

Findings
The findings showed that the pandemic caused only temporary change in deep-rooted travel patterns as (self-reported) pre-pandemic behaviour of respondents align with their value orientations and proved to be a good predictor of projected travel behaviour. Based on projected travel behaviour and value orientations, four market segments were identified – Frontrunners, Laggards, Comfortable Crowd and Entitled Stewards. While all segments showed willingness to adapt, the authors found variations in the extent of adaption and in the phases of the customer journey where travellers are likely to make changes.

Originality/value
According to our knowledge, using the VBN theory of environmentalism to understand the impact of shock events on deep-rooted travel patterns represents a new perspective. Moreover, to the best of authors' knowledge, this study is one of the first, written in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which looks at the impact of the health crisis on deep-rooted travel patterns, instead of the commonly studied risk perception.


: We assessed the coverage of medical issues in six Norwegian newspapers during the period January - March 1995. A majority of the articles and a minority of the letters presented neutral information about the national health system. 13% of the articles and 61% of the letters were, in our opinion, critical. Only 2% and 5%, respectively, conveyed unequivocally positive attitudes. In at least three out of 11 incidents, the journalists violated the ethical rules commonly accepted by members of the press for criticism of named health workers. In 503 major articles overall correctness of the medical information, as judged by the authors, was 85% and varied between newspapers (top 98%, bottom 70%). We conclude that health workers are more likely to be criticised than praised. The credibility of the medical information varied from one newspaper to another.


Almost all engineering geological publications in the United Kingdom date from the 20th and 21st centuries. However, a long forgotten Memoir of the then Geological Survey of the United Kingdom described the soils and subsoils of London and the surrounding area in terms of foundation conditions associated with natural and artificial soils, geological hazards and groundwater pollution. This Memoir was first published in 1897 and was accompanied by a simple form of engineering geological map, in colour, based on lithological units rather than stratigraphical ones. The Memoir sold out but was revised and republished as a second edition in 1906. Nothing similar was published by the Survey until the 1970's and a modern engineering geological description of the London area was not published until 1997.


Summary In the present study newly calved cows were tentatively classified as moderate and severe responders to experimentally induced Escherichia coli mastitis based upon the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating capacity of their blood neutrophils before infection. The groups differed in blood and milk composition prior to infection. This initial classification was supported by the corresponding variation in clinical symptoms and in the changes in milk production and composition measured during mastitis. Responses of newly calved cows to Esch. coli challenge varied from mild to severe symptoms of inflammation in infected glands and differed in the intensity of systemic disturbances and general illness. Losses in milk yield and compositional changes were most pronounced in inflamed glands and in severe responders. In inflamed glands milk yield and composition did not return to preinfection level in either moderate or severe responders. The yields of lactose, α-lactalbumin, casein and fat followed the same pattern as milk yield. It is concluded that the severe and long lasting systemic disturbances observed in severe responders can be ascribed to absorption of endotoxin from infected glands into circulation, indicating the important role of endotoxin in the pathology of coliform mastitis in periparturient cows. Evaluation of the ROS-generating capacity of blood neutrophils and blood and milk composition before infection might help to predict the cow's sensitivity to Esch. coli mastitis.


An English bulldog was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital-University of Wisconsin (VMTH-UW) for re-evaluation of an 8-year history of chronic, recurrent prostatitis and cystitis. The patient was first referred to the VMTH-UW at 11 months of age with a history of antibiotic-responsive hematuria and stranguria. Four urinary tract contrast studies were performed during the 8-year time span; however, a rectourethral fistula was not diagnosed until the fourth study. The article presents a literature review of rectourethral fistula, describes the case management of the dog in this study, and provides an explanation as to the potential reasons the fistula was not diagnosed on the three previous imaging studies.


We study the morphological content of a large sample of high-redshift clusters to determine its dependence on cluster mass and redshift. Quantitative morphologies are based on PSF-convolved, 2D bulge+disk decompositions of cluster and field galaxies on deep Very Large Telescope FORS2 images of eighteen, optically-selected galaxy clusters at 0.45 < z < 0.80 observed as part of the ESO Distant Cluster Survey ("EDisCS"). Morphological content is characterized by the early-type galaxy fraction f_(et) , and early-type galaxies are objectively selected based on their bulge fraction and image smoothness. This quantitative selection is equivalent to selecting galaxies visually classified as E or S0. Changes in early-type fractions as a function of cluster velocity dispersion, redshift and star-formation activity are studied. A set of 158 clusters extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey is analyzed exactly as the distant EDisCS sample to provide a robust local comparison. We also compare our results to a set of clusters from the Millennium Simulation. Our main results are: (1) the early-type fractions of the SDSS and EDisCS clusters exhibit no clear trend as a function of cluster velocity dispersion. (2) Mid-z EDisCS clusters around σ = 500 km s^(-1) have f_(et) ≃ 0.5 whereas high-z EDisCS clusters have f_(et) ≃ 0.4. This represents a ~25% increase over a time interval of 2 Gyr. (3) There is a marked difference in the morphological content of EDisCS and SDSS clusters. None of the EDisCS clusters have early-type galaxy fractions greater than 0.6 whereas half of the SDSS clusters lie above this value. This difference is seen in clusters of all velocity dispersions. (4) There is a strong and clear correlation between morphology and star formation activity in SDSS and EDisCS clusters in the sense that decreasing fractions of [OII] emitters are tracked by increasing early-type fractions. This correlation holds independent of cluster velocity dispersion and redshift even though the fraction of [OII] emitters decreases from z ~ 0.8 to z ~ 0.06 in all environments. Our results pose an interesting challenge to structural transformation and star formation quenching processes that strongly depend on the global cluster environment (e.g., a dense ICM) and suggest that cluster membership may be of lesser importance than other variables in determining galaxy properties.


Poultry production in Nigeria depend largely on the use of synthetic drugs to prevent or control disease in flocks; these drugs often deposit some chemical residues in their carcasses which when consumed are subsequently deposited into man and pose health risks. These have led to a global campaign by many nations against their use to protect the health of their people, and promotion given to organically produced poultry products. Some of the herb used by man for curing different ailments is the Ocimum gratissimum (OCG) which could be adapted as an alternative to drugs in poultry management. One hundred and eighty, 3 weeks old broilers were randomly divided into five dietary treatments with three replicate each at twelve birds per replicate. Different levels of OCG leaf supplementation were investigated and compared with Coccidiostat addition and a control in finisher feeds for broilers. The performance parameters investigated were feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, and mortality. A completely randomized design was used for the experiment that lasted for 12 weeks. Results showed that the supplementation of OCG leaves at the levels used significantly reduced feed intake of broilers, they were however observed to utilize nutrients in their feed better than the other treatments (p<0.05). OCG supplemented feed significantly reduced mortality due to coccidiosis (p<0.05). This suggests an efficiency of OCG leaves in the suppression or control of some diseases in poultry such as Coccidiosis. Small-scale poultry farmers in rural or suburban areas are advised to pursue intensive cultivation of OCG for the purpose of using its leaves as an alternative to the use of synthetic drugs in organic poultry production in Nigeria.


for Cystic Fibrosis A new combination of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators, tezacaftor and ivacaftor, proved effective and safe in treating patients 12 years or older with CFTR gene mutations, according to 2 trials recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Tezacaftor, an investigational CFTR corrector, increases CFTR cell surface expression. Ivacaftor, an FDA-approved CFTR potentiator, enhances CFTR channel function. In the first trial, 509 patients homozygous for the most common CFTR mutation that impairs CFTR cell surface expression, Phe508del, were randomly assigned to receive a combination of tezacaftor plus ivacaftor (100 mg of tezacaftor once daily and 150 mg of ivacaftor twice daily) or placebo. Throughout the 24-week trial, the tezacaftorivacaftor group had significant improvement in the primary outcome measure of lung function compared with the placebo group (3.4 vs −0.6 percentage points mean absolute change from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]). Pulmonary exacerbation was 35% lower in the tezacaftorivacaftor group than in the placebo group. The rate of serious adverse events was lower with tezacaftor-ivacaftor than with placebo (12.4% vs 18.2%). The companion trial randomly assigned 248patientsheterozygousforthePhe508del deletion and a residual-function CFTR gene mutation to receive tezacaftor-ivacaftor therapy, ivacaftor monotherapy, or placebo. The residual-function mutation, present in approximately 5% of patients with cystic fibrosis, causes slower disease progression than does the Phe508del CFTR mutation. Relative to the placebo group, the tezacaftor-ivacaftor group and ivacaftor-alone group had significant improvement in the primary outcome measure of lung function (6.8 vs 4.7 percentage points absolute change in the percentage of predicted FEV1). The difference in the primary outcome measure betweentezacaftor-ivacaftorandivacaftoralone significantlyfavoredtezacaftor-ivacaftor.Rates of adverse events, which were mild or moderate, were similar in both intervention groups. According to the authors, tezacaftorivacaftor therapy could offer an alternative to lumacaftor-ivacaftor therapy, which can cause adverse respiratory effects.


Objectives The PIPAH Study, a new prospective study of professional pesticide applicators in Great Britain is being established. The objectives of the study will be to monitor the long-term health of these pesticide applicators and to investigate associations between health outcomes and occupational exposure to pesticides. Methods The 21,000 members of two national registers of professional pesticide applicators will be invited to participate in the study. The schedule of reminders includes a postcard sent to all potential participants shortly after the initial invitation, an article in the trade journal for pesticide applicators, and a full study pack sent to non-responders. Those who agree to participate will complete a general questionnaire covering their work history, previous pesticide usage, personal and family medical history, signs/symptoms of neurological disease, socioeconomic factors, diet and lifestyle. This can be completed using the paper questionnaire sent to them or online. New members of the two registers will be invited to participate in the study in a rolling recruitment programme. Participants will be flagged for notification of all cancer and death registrations, and hospital episode statistics for particular health conditions. More detailed pesticide exposure data will be collected annually, beginning in December 2013. Results The baseline data will be analysed to provide summary data describing the characteristics of the new cohort. Descriptive statistics will include basic demographics, regional distribution, and summaries of pesticide exposures and lifestyle factors. Response rates, the effect of reminders, the proportion responding online, and factors associated with online response will be presented. Conclusions This cohort study will play an important role in the post-marketing surveillance of ill-health among professional pesticide applicators in Britain. It will also provide a resource for more detailed investigation of specific health outcomes and exposures.


A general method for automatically reducing detailed kinetic mechanisms for complex fuels is applied. The method is based on the simultaneous use of sensitivity, reaction-flow, and extended lifetime analyses. The sensitivity analysis detects species to which the overall combustion process is sensitive. Small inaccuracies in calculating these species result in large errors in the characteristic behavior of the chemical scheme. Redundant species are detected by applying a simultaneous reaction-flow and sensitivity analyses. The sensitivities are transported through the reacting flow and each species is assigned an importance according to the importance of the species itself and the flow of atoms to and from the important species. The redundant species are removed from the detailed mechanism (74 species and 510 reactions) resulting in a skeleton mechanism (63 species and 386 reactions). The skeleton mechanism is in turn the object for a further reduction by applying extended species sensitivity and lifetime analyses. These analyses are the basis for a reduction by means of a quasi-steady-state assumption. By introducing the quasi-steady-state assumption, the skeleton mechanism is reduced further to 19 species and 16 global reactions. The skeleton and reduced mechanisms generated using different cutoff levels of "relative species importance" and "lifetime," respectively, are validated against the detailed mechanism to find the final skeleton and reduced mechanisms. Gradually increasing cutoff levels results in a correspondingly gradual increase in the difference between reduced, skeleton, and detailed mechanisms. The skeleton and reduced mechanisms are valid for the predetermined parameter ranges of initial and boundary conditions, depending on experimental conditions to be modeled.


This study analyses entrepreneurship education and especially the role of principals affecting the practices used in schools. Particularly, we will analyse the relationship between principals' development activities and entrepreneurship education practices. In this study, we argue that school principals have a central role in managing and guiding the development of schools to establish new entrepreneurial practices. Various tools have been provided to assist schools and their management in undertaking development processes to promote entrepreneurship education. As school leaders are in significant role by accepting, enabling and promoting the entrepreneurship education practises in their schools, the analysis focuses on 153 principals working in Finnish general education. We will conduct a survey and make an analysis of the answers. We employ ANOVA and linear regression analysis to study the principals' impact on entrepreneurship education
The study results suggest that schools' entrepreneurship practices are affected by the principals' entrepreneurship education development work. This, on the other hand, is strongly affected by the enterprise-related training afforded to teachers and principals. It seems that school size also matters, as the largest schools implement more entrepreneurship education activities than the smaller ones.


AIM
To explore intra-professional collaboration amongst nursing leadership teams at a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney.

BACKGROUND
Effective working within a wide network of alliances is critical to patient outcomes. An understanding of collaboration amongst nursing leadership teams is essential within this context.

METHODS
A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used. The Collaborative Behaviour scale was sent to 106 Nurse Unit Managers, Nurse Educators and Clinical Nurse Consultants to measure pairwise collaborative behaviours; two follow-up focus groups with 15 participants were conducted. Data were collected between May 2012 and May 2013. A thematic analysis of focus group data provided a detailed explanation of the questionnaire findings.

RESULTS
The findings identified high collaboration between dyad groups. Two themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (1) professional role and expectations; with sub-themes of transparency and clarity of individual roles; and intra/interpersonal aspects of role functioning; and (2) organisational infrastructure and governance.

CONCLUSION
These leadership teams can be effective and powerful vehicles for change and are central to optimum patient outcomes. Organisational strategic planning and evaluation can benefit from understanding how to promote collaborative behaviours in these nurse leaders.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
To date, little research has explored collaboration amongst nursing leadership teams. Successful collaboration may contribute to the efficient use of nursing resources; improve patient outcomes, and ultimately, nurse satisfaction and retention.


This paper presents the static balancing design of a special reconfigurable linkage that can switch between two one-degree-of-freedom (DoF) working configurations. We will show that the studied dual-mode linkage only requires one mechanical spring or one counterweight for completely balancing its gravitational effect in theory at both modes. First, the theoretical models of the spring-based and the counterweight-based designs are derived. The proposed design concepts were then demonstrated by a numerical example and validated by software simulation. Experimental tests on both designs were also performed. The result of this study shows that a reconfigurable mechanism with N working configurations can be completely statically balanced by using less than N passive energy elements.


Current methods for winter maintenance of pavement surfaces consist of plowing and application of corrosive deicing agents. These chemicals are hazardous to the environment and hence, their use needs to be minimized. Over 20 years ago, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) investigated the use of 300 psi pressurized salt brine jets to enhance the deicing performance. Despite promising results from several field trials, technical difficulties led to abandonment of this technology in the early 80's. Recent advances in high pressure jetting technology suggest that the use of high pressure jets in conjunction with improved chemical agents for pavement deicing may now be practical. In this study, the application of modern high pressure jetting technology as a means of pavement deicing is explored. The proposed system removes ice and snow through the combined action of mechanical jetting forces and controlled use of deicing chemicals. Appropriate operating parameters and consumption rates are identified and compared to the ConnDOT system developed in the 1970's.


Recent advances in therapies have yielded notable success in terms of improved survival in several cancers. However, such treatments have failed to improve outcome in patients with gliomas for whom surgery followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy with alkylating agents remain the standard of care. Genetic and epigenetic studies have helped identify several alterations specific to gliomas. Attempts to target these altered pathways have been unsuccessful due to various factors, including tumor heterogeneity, adaptive resistance of tumor cells, and limitations of access across the blood-brain barrier. Novel therapies that circumvent such limitations have been the focus of intense study and include approaches such as immunotherapy, targeting of signaling hubs and metabolic pathways, and use of biologic agents. Immunotherapeutic approaches including tumor-targeted vaccines, immune checkpoint blockade, antibody-drug conjugates, and chimeric antigen receptor-expressing cell therapies are in various stages of clinical trials. Similarly, identification of key metabolic pathways or converging hubs of signaling pathways that are tumor specific have yielded novel targets for therapy of gliomas. In addition, the failure of conventional therapies against gliomas has led to a growing interest among patients in the use of alternative therapies, which in turn has necessitated developing evidence-based approaches to the application of such therapies in clinical studies. The development of these novel approaches bears potential for providing breakthroughs in treatment of more meaningful and improved outcomes for patients with gliomas.


This paper reports findings from a project undertaken for the Joint Information Services Committee (JISC) in the UK which explored the Economic Implications of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models [1]. The aim of the project was to examine the costs and potential benefits of the major emerging models for scholarly publishing, including subscription publishing, open access publishing and selfarchiving. To ensure that cost-benefit comparisons can be made, analysis focuses on self-archiving models that include the certification and quality control functions necessary for formal scholarly publishing, namely (i) 'Green OA' self-archiving in parallel with subscription publishing and (ii) the deconstructed or overlay journals model in which self-archiving provides the foundation for overlay journal services. Adopting a formal approach to modelling the process and identifying activity costs, this paper examines scholarly communication life-cycle costs per article. It concludes that different scholarly publishing models can make a material difference to returns to R&D expenditure as well as the costs faced by various stakeholders. It seems likely that more open access would have substantial net benefits in the longer term and, while net benefits may be lower during a transitional period, they are likely to be positive for both open access publishing and self-archiving alternatives.


'C-Aza-2-deoxy-L-lyxonucleosides' in which a sugar ring oxygen is replaced with a nitrogen atom are synthesized from 2-deoxy-3,5-O-(tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl)-D-erythro-pentofuranose via a sequential procedure of the addition of lithium salts of aromatic heterocycles, Swern oxidation and reductive aminocyclization. Their structures are determined mainly by X-ray crystallography and NMR measurements. Their bioassay is also described.


We present a new method to estimate the fraction of stars with chemical composition of first and second(s) generation(s) currently hosted in Galactic globular clusters (GCs). We compare cluster and field stars of similar metallicity in the [Fe/H]-[Na/H] plane. Since the phenomenon of multiple populations is only restricted to the cluster environment, the number of GC stars whose location coincides with that of field stars provides the fraction of first generation stars in that cluster. By exclusion, the fraction of second generation stars is derived. We assembled a dataset of 1891 field stars of the thin disk, thick disk, and halo of the Milky Way in the metallicity range -3.15 <= [Fe/H] <= +0.48 dex and with Na abundance from high resolution spectra. They are mostly dwarfs, but include also giants. Considering only the range in metallicity spanned by most GCs extensively studied for the Na-O anticorrelation (-2.36 <= [Fe/H] <= -0.33 dex), we have 804 stars. The total sample is homogeneized by offsets in [Fe/H] and [Na/H] with respect to a reference sample using the same line list and NLTE correction for Na adopted in a recent extensive survey of GC stars. This fully accounts for offsets among analyses due to different temperature scales, line lists, adopted (or neglected) corrections for departures from LTE. We illustrate our method estimating the fraction of first and second generation stars in the well studied GC NGC 6752. As a by-product, the comparison of [Na/H] values in GC and field stars suggests that at least two classes of old stellar systems probably contributed to the halo assembly: one group with characteristics similar to the currently existing GCs, and the other more similar to the present-day dwarf satellite galaxies.


Optimal management of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) requires the accurate assessment of disease activity. Endoscopic evaluation is considered the gold standard approach, but it is invasive. We aimed to determine how strong patient reported outcomes, clinical scores and symptoms correlate with endoscopy for assessment of disease activity in UC patients.

 171 patients were included prospectively and consecutively (age: 49 (IQR: 38-61) years, duration 12 (4-19)years, 79 females (46.2%), 57.3% extensive disease, 42.7% on biologicals) at the time of the colonoscopy. The 2 item patient reported outcome (PRO), partial MAYO, Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI), Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES), Baron and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS) scores were calculated. C reactive Protein (CRP) and fecal calprotectin (FCAL) was available in 83 and 45.6% of patients. 17.0% had clinical flare, treatment was escalated in 14.6% of patients. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV values were calculated, ROC analysis and K-statistics were performed.

 Rectal bleeding (RBS), stool frequency (SF) subscore of 0, or total PRO2 remission (RBS 0 and SF ≤1), partial MAYO (≤2) and SCCAI (≤2.5) remission were similarly associated to mucosal healing defined by MES (0 or ≤1) or Baron (0 or ≤1) scores (Table 1).
 PRO2 (AUCMES0/Baron0: 0.770/0.740, AUCMES0-1/Baron0-1: 0.868/0.858), SF (AUCMES0/Baron0:0.751/0.724, AUCMES0-1/Baron0-1:0842/0.820), RBS (AUCMES0/Baron0: 0.718/0.698, AUCMES0-1/Baron0-1: 0.814/0.845) partial Mayo (AUCMES0/Baron0: 0.823/0.788, AUCMES0-1/Baron0-1: 0.927/0.902) and SCCAI (AUCMES0/Baron0: 0.767/0.752, AUCMES0-1/Baron0-1:0.888/0.867) were similarly associated with mucosal healing in a ROC analysis.
 There was a strict association between MES 0 and Baron 0 (k=0.917) and UCEIS <4 and MES 0-1 (k=0.813), while moderate to fair agreement between UCEIS <4 and MES 0 (K=0.471) or Baron 0 (K=0.414)/Baron 0-1 (K=0.353), and between MES 0-1 and Baron 0-1 (K= 0.350) scores.
 Agreement between CRP and clinical remission or endoscopic healing (MES/Baron) was poor (K~0.2), while agreement between FCAL (>100 or >250) and RBS-PRO2 remission (K>100 or >250: 0.44-0.60) or pMAYO (K>100 or >250: 0.41-0.59) or MES/Baron 0 was moderate to good (K>100:0.53-0.52 and K>250:0.57-0.53).

 We found no difference across accuracy of RBS, SF, PRO2, partial Mayo and SCCAI in predicting endoscopic healing. A strong association was found with high PPV for MES/Baron ≤1 and high NPV for MES/Baron 0. FCAL, but not CRP was associated to clinical and endoscopic remission.


Thick film circuits produced by screen printing and firing circuit component materials in paste form on refractory non-conducting substrates are widely used in the electronics industry. The electrical properties of the components should be reproducible to within narrow limits, and to achieve this the rheological properties of the pastes and the parameters of the printing process are controlled to standardise deposit thickness. In the case of resistor pastes of the palladiumsilver type, comprising palladium, silver and glass frit powders dispersed in organic media, chemical changes occur when the pastes are fired which necessitate rigid control of firing conditions to achieve reproducible results. Thermogravimetric studies to elucidate the mechanism of reactions occurring in several Du Pont palladium-silver pastes have been carried out by P. H. Krahl and A. F. Bogenschutz, of the Research Institute of Allgemienen Electricitatgesellschaft, AEGTelefunken, Ulm (Metall, 1968, 22, (10), 988). The authors used powder material for the gravimetric work, obtained by evaporating the liquid constituents from resistor pastes, and printed films for the electrical measurements. The powders were heated in stages to goo"C, and test values obtained by removing samples, cooling and weighing. Resistivities under parallel conditions were determined on printed specimens on alumina substrates. The results show that a progressive increase in weight and resistivity occurs up to 600°C due to oxidation of palladium, and a reduction in weight and resistivity at higher temperatures due to reduction of palladium oxide. However, neither reaction seems to proceed to completion, nor do weight and resistivity entirely synchronise at above 400°C. Resistivity increases occur, particularly on prolonged heating, with no corresponding increase in weight. Some explanation for these anomalies may be found in the authors' conclusion that protection of some of the palladium and palladium oxide particles by sintering frit retards or inhibits chemical change and reduces electrical continuity. There is little evidence, however, to support the suggestion that palladium oxide assumes a more stoichiometric composition at the higher firing temperatures, or that significant amounts of palladium or palladium oxide dissolve in the zinc borosilicate frit. No weight changes occur in the silver and frit constituents of the pastes, but silver is shown to have some effect on the palladium reactions. The evidence supports the authors' contention that this is due to a catalytic effect resulting from the formation and immediate decomposition of silver oxide, and not to the formation of a surface palladium-silver alloy as postulated by other workers. The particle size of the frit is stated to affect the reactions. It seems likely that the particle size of the palladium and silver powders could also have some effect, and in addition that carbon derived from decomposition of the organic paste constituents could be retained in the film at 300" to 400°C long enough to retard the oxidation of palladium, but these possibilities do not seem to have been investigated. This work has shed some light on the reactions that occur when palladium-silver resistor pastes are fired, although more experimental evidence would be desirable to support some of the conclusions that have been drawn. Because the reactions do not reach completion, it is evident that unless the time and temperature of the firing operation is rigidly controlled, variations will occur in the chemical composition and physical form, and hence the electrical properties, of the resistor elements. F. E. I<.


The work presents a computer simulation realized with the ADINA program concerning nanoindendation test. A shape of nanoindenter was proposed to be similar to the real surgical tools. The theoretical model was used to predict phenomena which would appear in practice. The contribution of the TiN coating thickness to the implant rigid properties was simulated. Three types of extortion conditions could be considered, i.e., short contact with surgery tool (i); long continuous contact with natural tissue (ii); long cyclic contact with natural tissue (iii). In the first part of the work, the authors focused on the first type of extortion (i). The second part of the work is dedicated to the calculations of temperature impact to layer behaviour. Two layer thicknesses are considered i.e., 250 nm and 50 nm. The examined coatings find serious practical applications as a blood-contacting material in medicine. The coatings were subjected to transmission electron microscopy investigations. Columnar mechanism of film growth controlled by kinetic process is stated to operate for the considered range of layer thickness. Plasma temperature is observed to influence the substrate behaviour. Examinations of thinner layers, i.e. under 100nm, revealed higher degree of smoothness and uniformity, which could be related to the operation of the surface diffusion mechanism at the early stage of deposition. The physical explanation of TEM images was based on the finite element calculations of the temperature distribution using the ADINA program .


Postoperative alopecia is the temporary or permanent loss of hair that occurs following prolonged immobilization during general anesthesia and intubation. The clinical and histopathologic aspects of a typical case are described and the literature reviewed. Localized pressure-induced ischemia is the likely cause. Patients at highest risk for permanent hair loss include those subject to cardiac or gynecologic surgical procedures where the combined intraoperative and postoperative intubation time exceeds twenty-four hours. Frequent intraoperative and postoperative head repositioning provides excellent prophylaxis.


Background The highest incidence of injury is seen in adolescent playing pivoting sports such as soccer, basketball, and handball. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of a neuromuscular prevention program in reducing knee and ankle injuries in adolescent male soccer players. Methods Fifty Malaysian boys [25 experimental (EXP); or a 25 control (CON)] adolescent male soccer players (age 13.3 ± 0.4 yr; BMI 20.9 ± 1.5 kg/m2; stature: 160 ± 0.1 cm) from two sport schools, with 4.4 ± 0.5 years playing experience participated. The EXP group followed neuromuscular prevention program 5 days per week, for 12 weeks. The CON group was instructed to continue training and warm-up as usual. A neuromuscular exercise programme designed exclusively for adolescent soccer players was including jumping, eccentric strength, agility, balance, dynamic stretching and speed. Over 1 year all injuries were documented monthly by physiotherapist. Complete monthly injury reports were available for 50 players. Results Eight lower limb injuries [Knee 3, (0.12 ± 0.32); Ankle 5, (0.19 ± 0.38)] occurred in the EXP group, and 11 lower limb injuries [Knee 1, (0.03 ± 0.12); Ankle 10, (0.40 ± 0.50)] occurred in the CON group. The incidence of injuries per 1000 player- hours of training and playing soccer was 1.7 in the EXP group, and in the CON group 2.4 injuries per 1000 player-hours, which equates to 29% fewer injuries in the EXP group. Significance of difference between the EXP and CON groups was p < 0.05. Conclusions Effective implementation of neuromuscular injury prevention program can reduce lower extremity injury incidence in adolescent male soccer players. Adolescent players need better education regarding injury prevention strategies and should include such interventions as part of their regular training.


In thin film deposition by pulsed laser ablation (PLD), the mass ablation rate depends on laser energy, on the pulse duration and on the thermodynamic properties of the ablated materials. In order to optimize the PLD technique and the films quality, the evolution of the amount of the ejected materials with laser irradiance, the SEM images of the laser impacts on the target and the ion yield in the vapour plume, were used. This allows us to predict the different mechanisms that are responsible to mass ablation according to laser irradiance which was ranging from 1.5108W/cm2 to 5.51010 W/cm2. Three diagnostics devices have been used: A quartz microbalance placed in front of the target, where the maximum of materials ejection occurs, a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to show the impact morphology evolution with the laser irradiance and a charge collector, biased at negative voltage, was used to measure the ions yield and ions kinetic energy. The results show the evolution from normal evaporation mechanism at moderate laser irradiance to phase explosion mechanism at higher laser irradiance. Laser irradiance threshold for phase explosion onset is well determined by microbalance measurement, SEM micrographic pictures and the laser breakdown in the vapour plume was determined by the charge collector.


Wireless sensor network (WSN) is a system composed of a large number of low-cost micro-sensors. This network is used to collect and send various kinds of messages to a base station (BS). WSN consists of low-cost nodes with limited battery power, and the battery replacement is not easy for WSN with thousands of physically embedded nodes, which means energy efficient routing protocol should be employed to offer a long-life work time. To achieve the aim, we need not only to minimize total energy consumption but also to balance WSN load. Researchers have proposed many protocols such as LEACH, HEED, PEGASIS, TBC and PEDAP. In this paper, we propose a General Self-Organized Tree-Based Energy-Balance routing protocol (GSTEB) which builds a routing tree using a process where, for each round, BS assigns a root node and broadcasts this selection to all sensor nodes. Subsequently, each node selects its parent by considering only itself and its neighbors' information, thus making GSTEB a dynamic protocol. Simulation results show that GSTEB has a better performance than other protocols in balancing energy consumption, thus prolonging the lifetime of WSN.


Abstract : This report describes the proceedings and outcomes of an Army-sponsored workshop that brought together a diverse group of intellectual leaders to envision the future of the tactical ground battlefield. The group identified and discussed the following 7 interrelated future capabilities that they felt would differentiate the battlefield of the future from current capabilities and engagements: augmented humans; automated decision making and autonomous processes; misinformation as a weapon; micro-targeting; large-scale self-organization and collective decision making; cognitive modeling of the opponent; and the ability to understand and cope in a contested, imperfect information environment. The workshop concluded that a critical challenge of the mid-21st century will involve successfully managing and integrating the collections, teams, and swarms of robots that would act independently or collaboratively as they undertook a variety of missions including the management and protection of communications and information networks and the provision of decision quality information to humans. Success in this aspect of command and control (C2) would depend upon developing new C2 concepts and approaches.


One important property of Kohn–Sham (KS) density functional theory is the exact equality of the energy of the highest occupied KS orbital (HOMO) with the negative ionization potential of the system. This exact feature is out of reach for standard density‐dependent semilocal functionals. Conversely, accurate results can be obtained using orbital‐dependent functionals in the optimized effective potential (OEP) approach. In this article, we investigate the performance, in this context, of some advanced OEP methods, with special emphasis on the recently proposed scaled‐opposite‐spin OEP functional. Moreover, we analyze the impact of the so‐called HOMO condition on the final quality of the HOMO energy. Results are compared to reference data obtained at the CCSD(T) level of theory. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


PURPOSE
Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a matricellular protein presumed to be involved in the pathobiology of various fibrotic diseases, including glaucoma. We investigated the effects of Rho GTPase-dependent actin cytoskeletal integrity on CTGF expression and CTGF-induced changes in gene expression profile in human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells.

METHODS
CTGF levels were quantified by immunoblotting and ELISA. CTGF-induced changes in gene expression, actin cytoskeleton, myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins were evaluated in trabecular meshwork (TM) cells by cDNA microarray, q-PCR, fluorescence microscopy, and immunoblot analyses. The effects of neuromedin U (NMU) on aqueous humor (AH) outflow were determined in enucleated porcine eyes.

RESULTS
Expression of a constitutively active form of RhoA (RhoAV14), activation of Rho GTPase by bacterial toxin, or inhibition of Rho kinase by Y-27632 in HTM cells led to significant but contrasting changes in CTGF protein levels that were detectable in cell lysates and cell culture medium. Stimulation of HTM cells with CTGF for 24 hours induced actin stress fiber formation, and increased MLC phosphorylation, fibronectin, and laminin levels, and NMU expression. NMU independently induced actin stress fibers and MLC phosphorylation in TM cells, and decreased AH outflow facility in perfused porcine eyes.

CONCLUSIONS
These data revealed that CTGF influences ECM synthesis, actin cytoskeletal dynamics, and contractile properties in TM cells, and that the expression of CTGF is regulated closely by Rho GTPase. Moreover, NMU, whose expression is induced in response to CTGF, partially mimics the effects of CTGF on actomyosin organization in TM cells, and decreases AH outflow facility, revealing a potentially important role for this neuropeptide in the homeostasis of AH drainage.


Energy prices and environmental policies influence more than ever employment trends across the world. The purpose of this paper is to develop a control strategy to enhance the employability of French graduates in a field that is both a key driver and a significant target of these new trends, namely Earth Sciences. The aim is to provide French universities with a predictive tool to adjust efficiently their skills' supply capacity with the demand forecasts at the European level. This task is treated as a tracking problem from the viewpoint of the control theory. The reference trajectory is obtained via a labour market forecasting model. For the first time, an econometric model and a predictive control strategy are combined. Simulations illustrate the feasibility and potentials of the proposed approach.


We investigated the function of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in 16 patients with active psoriasis, in 15 patients with static psoriasis and in 27 healthy volunteers, by examining in vitro proliferation and antigen- and mitogen-stimulated production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4. Plasma levels of the neuropeptide substance P were also determined. Defective alloantigen (ALLO)- and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated IL-2 production was detected in 42% and in 45% of psoriatic patients, respectively. The number of defective IL-2 responders was higher in static (60%) than in active (25%) psoriasis. The reduction of IL-2 responses in the former group was associated with an increase of IL-4 production. Thus PBMC of 66% of patients with static psoriasis but none of the patients with active psoriasis produced elevated amounts of PHA-stimulated IL-4. Variations of plasma substance P levels followed the same pattern of IL-4, being higher in static than in active psoriasis. These observations suggest a co-ordinated action of IL-4 and substance P as modulators of the clinical course of psoriasis. Our data show a possible correlation between the clinical evolution of psoriasis and the production of type-1 and type-2 cytokines, suggesting that the former may have a prominent role in the activation of psoriasis, while the latter may play a protective role.


In this paper, we investigate methods for enabling a human operator and an automatic motion planner to cooperatively solve a motion planning query. Our work is motivated by our experience that automatic motion planners sometimes fail due to the difficulty of discovering 'critical' configurations of the robot that are often naturally apparent to a human observer.Our goal is to develop techniques by which the automatic planner can utilize (easily generated) user-input, and determine 'natural' ways to inform the user of the progress made by the motion planner. We show that simple randomized techniques inspired by probabilistic roadmap methods are quite useful for transforming approximate, user-generated paths into collision-free paths, and describe an iterative transformation method which enables one to transform a solution for an easier version of the problem into a solution for the original problem. We also illustrate that simple visualization techniques can provide meaningful representations of the planner's progress in a 6-dimensional C-space. We illustrate the utility of our methods on difficult problems involving complex 3D CAD Models.


Congestion is a major problem in most metropolitan areas. Systems that can in a timely manner inform drivers about relevant, current or predicted traffic congestion are paramount for effective traffic management. Without loss of generality, this paper proposes such a system that by adopting a grid-based discretization of space, can flexibly scale the computation cost and the geographic level of detail of traffic information that it provides. From the continuous stream of grid-based position and speed reports from vehicles, the system incrementally derives 1) statistics for detecting directional traffic congestions and 2) model parameters for a time-inhomogeneous, Markov jump process that is used to predict the likelihood that a given vehicle will encounter a detected directional congestion within the notification horizon. A simple but efficient SQL-based prototype implementation of the system that can naturally be ported to Big Data processing frameworks is also explained in detail. Empirical evaluations on millions of object trajectories show that 1) the proposed movement model captures the topology of the underlying road network space and the directional aspects of movement on it, 2) the congestion notification accuracy of the system is superior to a linear movement model based system, and 3) the prototype implementation of the system (i) scales linearly with its input load, notification horizon and spatio-temporal resolution and (ii) can in real-time process 1.14 million object trajectories.