To explain the reactions of the building occupants to their acoustical environments, meetings with the designers, walk-through surveys, and detailed acoustical measurements were done. The objective was to determine how design decisions affect offi ce acoustical environments, and how to improve the acoustical design of 'green' offi ce buildings. Design-performance criteria were established. Measurements were made of noise level, reverberation time, speechintelligibility index (SII), and noise isolation. Noise levels were atypically low in unoccupied buildings with no mechanical ventilation, but excessive in areas near external walls next to noisy external noise sources—especially with windows open for ventilation—and in occupied buildings. Reverberation times were excessive in areas with large volumes and insuffi cient sound absorption. Speech intelligibility was generally adequate, but speech privacy was inadequate in shared and open-offi ce areas, and into private offi ces with the doors open for ventilation. Improvement of the acoustical design of 'green' buildings must include increasing the external-internal noise isolation and that between workplaces, and the use of adequate sound absorption to control reverberation and noise.


An ideal DNA polymerase for chain-terminating DNA sequencing should possess the following features: (1) incorporate dideoxy- and other modified nucleotides at an efficiency similar to that of the cognate deoxynucleotides; (2) high processivity; (3) high fidelity in the absence of proofreading/exonuclease activity; and (4) production of clear and uniform signals for detection. The DNA polymerase encoded by bacteriophage T7 is naturally endowed with or can be engineered to have all these characteristics. The chemically or genetically modified enzyme (Sequenase) expedited significantly the development of DNA sequencing technology. This article reviews the history of studies on T7 DNA polymerase with emphasis on the serial key steps leading to its use in DNA sequencing. Lessons from the study and development of T7 DNA polymerase have and will continue to enlighten the characterization of novel DNA polymerases from newly discovered microbes and their modification for use in biotechnology.


In spite of their putative relevance to host functioning, in‐depth knowledge of sponge microbiome stability over time is scarce. This study tackles the temporal maintenance of bacterial and archaeal assemblages in the model host Sarcotragus spinosulus along three successive years. Prokaryotic communities were profiled by polymerase chain reaction‐denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR‐DGGE) and 454‐pyrosequencing of S. spinosulus‐derived 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Prevailing bacterial phyla were Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Poribacteria, PAUC34f, Chloroflexi and Bacteroidetes, with Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi and Poribacteria showing different abundances over the years. At the approximate species level (operational taxonomic units, OTUs, defined at 97% sequence similarity), no major changes in bacterial richness and composition were found through time. Nearly 50% of all detected bacterial symbionts (96 in 205 OTUs) were recovered from all sampling years, whereas a taxonomically equivalent community of less dominant bacteria characterized the transient sponge microbiota. Despite the evidence for temporal symbiont maintenance, an intriguing cumulative degree of variation between individuals was unravelled, with all the surveyed sponge specimens sharing only 27 bacterial OTUs. Archaeal communities were dominated by one single symbiont of the candidate genus Nitrosopumilus (Thaumarchaeota), known for its ability to aerobically oxidize ammonia to nitrite. Only few bacterial ammonia oxidizers consistently occurred in S. spinosulus across the years as documented by PCR‐DGGE fingerprinting. In conclusion, prokaryotic symbionts of S. spinosulus display a state of dynamic stability shaped by the interplay between the maintenance of dominant players and turnover of less prevalent community members, in time and across host individuals, with no apparent consequences to holobiont functioning.


Campylobacteriosis is the most reported foodborne gastroenteritic disease and poses a serious health burden in industrialized countries. Disease in humans is mainly caused by the zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. Due to its wide-spread occurrence in the environment, the epidemiology of Campylobacter remains poorly understood. It is generally accepted, however, that chickens are a natural host for Campylobacter jejuni, and for Campylobacter spp. in general, and that colonized broiler chicks are the primary vector for transmitting this pathogen to humans. Several potential sources and vectors for transmitting C. jejuni to broiler flocks have been identified. Initially, one or a few broilers can become colonized at an age of >2 weeks until the end of rearing, after which the infection will rapidly spread throughout the entire flock. Such a flock is generally colonized until slaughter and infected birds carry a very high C. jejuni load in their gastrointestinal tract, especially the ceca. This eventually results in contaminated carcasses during processing, which can transmit this pathogen to humans. Recent genetic typing studies showed that chicken isolates can frequently be linked to human clinical cases of Campylobacter enteritis. However, despite the increasing evidence that the chicken reservoir is the number one risk factor for disease in humans, no effective strategy exists to reduce Campylobachter prevalence in poultry flocks, which can in part be explained by the incomplete understanding of the epidemiology of C. jejuni in broiler flocks. As a result, the number of human campylobacteriosis cases associated with the chicken vector remains strikingly high.


We propose HyperShield, which is a hypervisor that can be inserted into and removed from a running operating system, for improving security. While many existing security-oriented hypervisors require modifying or rebooting an overlying operating system, HyperShield does not require this. HyperShield is intended to be a general framework for various security mechanisms. The current implementation provides two mechanisms for preventing kernel-level buffer overflow. One detects the execution of user code with the kernel privilege, and the other detects malicious modification of a return address in a control stack. HyperShield is implemented on Linux as a loadable kernel module. When the module is inserted, it places itself under the operating system and executes as a hypervisor. The operating system is migrated into a virtual machine and managed by the hypervisor. HyperShield detects attacks by combining virtualization of memory management with a hardware-assisted execution-bit feature. We have confirmed through experiments that HyperShield successfully prevented kernel-level buffer overflow attacks.


Large-scale brain networks undergo widespread changes with older age and in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Research in young adults (YA) suggest that the underlying functional architecture of brain networks remains relatively consistent between rest and task states. However, it remains unclear whether the same is true in aging and to what extent any changes may be related to accumulation of AD pathology such as β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau. Here, we examined age-related differences in functional connectivity (FC) between rest and an object-scene mnemonic discrimination task using fMRI in young and older adults (OA; both females and males). We used an a priori episodic memory network (EMN) parcellation scheme associated with object and scene processing, that included anterior-temporal regions and posterior-medial regions. We also used positron emission topography to measure Aβ and tau in older adults. The correlation between rest and task FC (i.e., FC similarity) was reduced in older compared with younger adults. Older adults with lower FC similarity in EMN had higher levels of tau in the same EMN regions and performed worse during object, but not scene, trials during the fMRI task. These findings link AD pathology, particularly tau, to a less stable functional architecture in memory networks. They also suggest that smaller changes in FC organization between rest and task states may facilitate better performance in older age. Interpretations are limited by methodological factors related to different acquisition directions and durations between rest and task scans. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The brain's large-scale network organization is relatively consistent between rest and task states in young adults (YA). We found that memory networks in older adults (OA) were less correlated between rest and (memory) task states compared with young adults. Older adults with less correlated brain networks also had higher levels of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in the same regions, suggesting that a less stable network architecture may reflect the early evolution of AD. Older adults with less correlated brain networks also performed worse during the memory task suggesting that more similar network organization between rest and task states may facilitate better performance in older age.


We recently experienced a global financial crisis so severe that only massive rescue operations by governments around the world prevented a total financial market meltdown and perhaps another global Great Depression. One necessary precondition for the crisis was the perverse, bonus-driven compensation structure employed in important financial institutions such as investment banks. This structure provided the rational incentive for key decision makers in these firms (who I call "rainmakers") to take the excessive risk and employ the excessive leverage in the bubble that created the preconditions for the crisis. This paper presents and evaluates extensive data on compensation practices in investment banks and other important financial institutions. These data show that rainmaker compensation has been rising rapidly, is very large, and has asymmetric properties that induce reckless risk-taking. Since boom-period bonuses do not have to be returned if rainmaker decisions eventually lead to losses for their firms, and since large bonuses continue to be paid even when firms in fact suffer large losses, it is rational for rainmakers to use unsustainable leverage to invest in recklessly risky assets in the bubble. A review of the modest literature on financial firm compensation practices in general and those of investment banks in particular demonstrates that the giant bonuses of the recent past are not efficient returns to human capital – they are unjustified rents. The paper discusses possible answers to the challenging questions: what is the source of rainmaker rents and how are they sustained over time? Answers to these questions can help guide debates over the appropriate regulation of financial markets. They are also necessary inputs to the development of an adequate theory of the "rainmaker" financial firm that can help us understand how these firms were able to maximize the compensation of their key employees through policies that destroyed shareholder value and created systemic financial fragility. To my knowledge, no such theory currently exists. JEL Categories: G01; G24; G10


Over the next eight years, employment in Australia will grow to almost 14 million jobs, a net increase of some 1.6 million jobs. In which industries and regions will these jobs be? What occupations will the workers perform? The labour market in Australia is constantly changing. It is unlikely that these questions will have the same answers in 2025 that they have today. The Victoria University Employment Forecasting (VUEF) project attempts to address these questions, in the context of a macroeconomic model that has the capacity to incorporate detailed structural and demographic change. As a generation of baby-boomers retires and a new generation – many with degree-level qualifications in management and commerce, society and culture, health and other fields – enters the workforce, the service industries will continue to dominate. The modelling finds that just three industry divisions – health care and social assistance, professional services, and education and training – will account for more than half of employment growth over the next eight years. Accordingly, employment in the professional occupations will continue to grow strongly, adding almost 600,000 jobs to employ 3.4 million people, or a quarter of the workforce, by 2025. A gradual reversal of some of the adverse conditions affecting employment in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors will see a return to positive, albeit modest, growth rates in these sectors. High urban population growth forecasts and the dominance of growth in the service industries mean that more than 75 per cent of employment growth, or a net increase of 1.2 million jobs, will be in the capital cities. Melbourne and Sydney will account for just over half of the forecast growth in national employment. Full or partial subscriptions to the 2017 edition of the detailed VUEF database are now available from the Centre of Policy Studies at Victoria University.


: 1. N-(2-Benzhydryl-ethyl)-N-(1-phenyl-ethyl)-amine hydrochloride (fendiline, Sensit) -- in accordance with its characteristics as a Ca++-antagonist -- shows a strong cardioprotective effect in rats against isoproterenol-induced myocardial necroses. 2. Fendiline is effective via oral administration. 3. The protective effect of fendiline on the myocardium is demonstrated by means of histopathological and histoenzymatic techniques. 4. A particularly reliable method of quantifying the cardio-protective effect of a drug has proven to be the measurement of mitochondrial enzyme activity (cytochrome oxidase, succinate dehydrogenase) using histoenzymatic microphotometry.


ABSTRACT Thermoacoustic instability (TAI) is a critical issue in modern lean-burn gas-turbine combustors, which is induced by a strong coupling between the resonant combustor acoustics and fluctuations in the heat release rate. This instability may lead to high-amplitude pressure waves that generate undesirable noise levels as well as fatigue stresses in mechanical structures of the combustor. The intense pressure fluctuations due to TAI may also cause large flow perturbations and possibly flow reversal that may lead to flame oscillations, flame liftoff, and even flame blow-out. Hence, there is a strong need for exercising control actions in a timely fashion to mitigate the TAI phenomena. Anomaly detection is an essential prerequisite to the design of a good controller and such a detector must be able to reliably predict a forthcoming TAI. To detect and predict the onset of a TAI from an ensemble of pressure time series, this paper investigates three data-driven methods: Fast Fourier transform (FFT), symbolic time series analysis (STSA), and hidden Markov modeling (HMM). The main focus of the paper is to make a comparative evaluation of these three anomaly detection methods for classification of the current regime of operation into stable and unstable categories as well as for real-time identification of precursors to impending instabilities with short-length time series of measured variables (e.g., pressure oscillations). The results, generated on experimental data from a multi-nozzle combustor apparatus, have been compared to evaluate the performance of FFT, STSA, and HMM methods for TAI analysis.


Endovascular repair of pararenal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms with fenestrated and branched stent grafts has been increasingly utilized with high technical success and low morbidity and mortality. Freedom from branch-related events has been reported at 89% in 5 years, including any branch-related endoleak, stenosis, kink, disconnection, or occlusion. Patient-specific stent grafts have the advantage of fitting patients' anatomy, but require a 6- to 8-week period for customization. Off-the-shelf stent grafts have been developed based on a relative predictability of renal-mesenteric vessels. Advantages of an off-the-shelf design are elimination of treatment delays and standardization of manufacturing, planning, and implantation techniques. Nevertheless, these devices have significant anatomic constraints that limit their application to all patients. In addition, it is critical that long-term durability of branches either matches or surpasses what has already been reported for patient-specific designs. This article summarizes the state of the art for off-the-shelf fenestrated and branched stent grafts, with emphasis in anatomic feasibility, limitations, and preliminary clinical results.


Nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) is an autosomal recessive disorder of glycine metabolism caused by a defect in the glycine cleavage system and characterized by neurological disease. Severity of presentation varies considerably and, to date, prognosis is entirely based on extent of symptoms. We present a molecular study of 35 patients diagnosed with NKH. Mutations in either the glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) or the aminotransferase (AMT) protein of the cleavage system were identified in all 35 patients, many of which were novel mutations. We propose here that prognostic outcome in NKH patients is rooted in the nature of the mutations in two key genes. Through molecular analysis of the AMT and GLDC genes in both patients and parents, we can utilize genotypic information to help predict severity of outcome. In concordance with this goal, we have also designed a method of deletion detection for exon 3 of GLDC. Deletions encompassing in this exon have been identified in many NKH patients. However, compound heterozygosity precludes these deletions from detection by direct sequencing. Our detection system is based on real-time, quantitative PCR and utilizes the pseudogene to GLDC as an internal control. This technique has allowed identification of 8 individuals possessing a large deletion in GLDC. Pedigree and Southern blot analysis verify these results. An increased ability to detect mutation and predict phenotype will aid in identifying patients who would benefit from available treatment. Since decisions to abort or continue pregnancy may depend on predicted severity, molecular analysis will greatly aid in prenatal testing options as well.


The error accumulation in a digital filter employing floatingpoint arithmetic is studied. Sources of errors are considered to originate from 1) roundoff in the arithmetic operations, 2) quantization of both the input and the initial states, and 3) effects of coefficient inaccuracies. Existing methods of analysis for the case of deterministic input (case A) and the case of stochastic input (case B) are reviewed and presented in the context of the canonical realization of a digital filter. A unified treatment of all these sources of errors is indicated, and results complementary to the existing results on the direct realization are thus obtained. A comparison is made of the roundoff error accumulation of the canonical realization with that of the direct realization, with the general conclusion that both realizations of any filter exhibit the same roundoff error distortion for any arbitrary wide-sense-stationary stochastic input.


Because of the gradually increasing gap between supply and demand of oil and more attention paid to the environment, the pace of Electric Vehicle investment is gradually increasing, and the problem of investment risk comes into focus. This paper studies the Investment Risk of widespread manufactory of Electric Vehicles, which is in Problem C of ICM (The Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling) in 2011. In order to give a rough estimate, we establish an investment risk model, using Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Evaluation to evaluate the investment risk. Finally, we will provide reasonable opinions to vehicle manufacturers.


Knowledge and insight in women's knowledge regarding breast cancer recommendations and the possible influence of this knowledge on women's actual and future behavior are still lacking. A survey was performed in Lugano, the major city of the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, and Amsterdam, the major city of Holland. In Switzerland opportunistic mammography screening is the rule in most cantons, whereas in Holland, as part of a nationwide mammography-screening programme, women aged 50-75 are invited to a mammography every second year. Data collection was done by means of a face-to-face written questionnaire. No significant differences between Lugano and Amsterdam were found regarding general knowledge, but Amsterdam women show better specific knowledge of the age groups for whom screening is recommended. Lugano women are more concerned about breast cancer, use more information sources, have a higher intention to go for a mammography, practice more breast selfinvestigation, have had more mammograms in the past, whereas the Amsterdam women claim to have more experience with breast cancer among their families and friends. As knowledge of the recommendations seems to play a role in women's proper future behavior regarding screening, efforts should be made to improve women's knowledge, especially in Ticino.


3H-Neurokinin A (3H-NKA) with high specific activity (75 Ci/mmol) was synthesized to study NKA (NK-2)-binding sites on membrane preparations of various tissues in the rat, including brain, spinal cord, duodenum, vas deferens, and ileum. The binding capacity of 3H-NKA (0.9 nM) was very low in membrane preparations of different central nervous system regions and the ileum smooth muscle (0.2-2 fmol/mg of protein). In contrast, relatively high specific binding was found in membrane suspensions of the rat duodenal smooth muscle (18 fmol/mg of protein) and the vas deferens (8 fmol/mg of protein). 3H-NKA-binding sites were further characterized on the rat duodenal smooth muscle. The specific binding of 3H-NKA was shown to be temperature dependent, saturable, reversible, and increased in parallel with the protein concentration. Scatchard analyses and Hill plots of equilibrium binding studies in the concentration range of 0.40-30 nM revealed that 3H-NKA bound to a single class of noninteracting binding sites (Bmax = 270 fmol/mg of protein, KD = 13.3 nM). Displacement of 3H-NKA with different tachykinin-related peptides gave the following rank order of potencies: NKA greater than NKA (4-10) greater than kassinin greater than eledoisin greater than NKB much greater than substance P greater than physalaemin, which suggests that the binding site labeled by 3H-NKA is different from substance P (NK-1)-and NKB (NK-3)-binding sites. The biological activities of tachykinins and related peptides were tested by measuring their contractile effects on the rat duodenum and rabbit pulmonary artery, two tissues known to be sensitive for NKA. Ki values were correlated with the EC50 obtained in biological assays. The results revealed a significant correlation (r = 0.86, p less than 0.01) between Ki and EC50 values obtained in the isolated rabbit pulmonary artery, whereas there was no significant correlation between binding affinities and biological responses on the rat duodenum (r = 0.62, p greater than 0.05).


Sexual education is
crucial for reducing sexual risk behaviors (or at least not to enable their increase).
The goal of this study was to evaluate the implementation of sexual education
in schools. For the quantitative study, all schools (clustered in Schools
Organic Units—SOUs) in mainland Portugal were invited to participate. Study 1—A
total of 428 school principals, 424 coordinating teachers of health education,
belonging to 428 Organic Units (OU), which correspond to 53% of the Portuguese
public SOU, corresponding to 617,701 students and 60,595 teachers participated
in the quantitative study. Study 2—For the qualitative study, interviews were
conducted. Analysis of the results of both studies emphasized that Law n.° 60/2009 (6th August) is being fulfilled with regard to the
implementation of sexual education as well as the number of hours established
for its implementation. In general the SOUs organized an office that provides
information and support for students and manages its functioning. The
implementation of the Law is, overall, ranked as good/very good (83.7%).
However, during the qualitative study, school principals and teachers emphasize
that SOUs are making a huge effort to implement the Law, some of them
questioning their ability to continue this process due to the present
conditions. Principals and teachers reported the need to "revitalize" this
area, underlining the need to maintain the Law and one annual "Call" from which
the Ministry of Education and Science receives proposals for funding schools
for projects in the area of health promotion, and teacher training.


We report the monolithic integration of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with curved dielectric mirrors. The laser structure has an InGaAs/GaAs gain region and incorporates a photoresist pattern fabricated on the substrate side. A dielectric distributed Bragg reflector is applied on the curved photoresist surface which provides sufficient optical feedback for laser operation. On-wafer measurements at room temperature show single transverse mode output powers up to 15.0 mW under continuous wave operation.


Purpose: The article discusses the expectations and plans of Polish managers from small, medium, and large sector enterprises in Opole Voivodeship related to the possibility of more effective cooperation with the Chinese side. Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey was carried out among Polish managers who represent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large businesses in Opole Voivodeship to learn their perceptions of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as the plans and expectations that entrepreneurs have of the initiative. Findings: The main conclusions drawn involve, among others, the observation that entrepreneurs have very similar views on BRI. Insufficient information provided to the local business community on the Initiative was noted, which results in them not fully realizing what the Initiative actually is. Consequently, they do not know how they can participate in it or where they can obtain answers to questions about potential cooperation with the Chinese side. Moreover, most of the information about the Initiative that they have received so far does not come from the business or scientific community but the media. Practical Implications: The presented results are important for the European and Chinese sides. Among others, for institutions piloting individual projects operating under the auspices of OBOR, organizations operating in Opole Voivodeship, and for universities teaching in the area of economic and legal science. Originality/value: Research results can contribute to how the BRI is currently perceived by the Polish, who represent the SME and large enterprise sectors, how it impacts the practical effects of economic cooperation, and what steps should be taken make these effects acceptable.


Algorithmic recourse provides explanations that help users overturn an unfavorable decision by a machine learning system. But so far very little attention has been paid to whether providing recourse is beneficial or not. We introduce an abstract learning-theoretic framework that compares the risks (i.e. expected losses) for classification with and without algorithmic recourse. This allows us to answer the question of when providing recourse is beneficial or harmful at the population level. Surprisingly, we find that there are many plausible scenarios in which providing recourse turns out to be harmful, because it pushes users to regions of higher class uncertainty and therefore leads to more mistakes. We further study whether the party deploying the classifier has an incentive to strategize in anticipation of having to provide recourse, and we find that sometimes they do, to the detriment of their users. Providing algorithmic recourse may therefore also be harmful at the systemic level. We confirm our theoretical findings in experiments on simulated and real-world data. All in all, we conclude that the current concept of algorithmic recourse is not reliably beneficial, and therefore requires rethinking.


An approximate net slip for the No. 3 Vein fault at Opemiska Copper Mines (Que.) Ltd. property, in northwestern Quebec, has been obtained by comparing ore widths with the potential dilation from several possible fault movements. A reference plane of 096 °strike, 71 °north dip, has been chosen as a compromise between the two common attitudes of the vein. The ore stays close to the footwall of the fault, so that footwall topography has been used to calculate dilation. The zero dilation contours for 10 rectilinear movements and one rotation have been constructed, and their correspondence with the boundary between ore and waste used to choose a net slip of 41 m (135 ft) downward for the footwall, along a line pitching 50° in the reference plane, as the best solution. A close match between ore widths and more detailed dilation contours confirms this choice.


A case study of open-source (OS) development of the computational research software MFIX, used for multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulations, is presented here. The verification and validation steps required for constructing modern computational software and the advantages of OS development in those steps are discussed. The infrastructure used for enabling the OS development of MFIX is described. The impact of OS development on computational research and education in gas-solids flow, as well as the dissemination of information to other areas such as geophysical and volcanology research, is demonstrated. This study shows that the advantages of OS development were realized in the case of MFIX: verification by many users, which enhances software quality; the use of software as a means for accumulating and exchanging information; the facilitation of peer review of the results of computational research.


Background Clinicians and athletes do not always agree when return to play (RTP) is advisable. A better understanding of how RTP decisions are made could help prevent re injury. Objective To describe and compare risk assessments from sport medicine physicians, physiotherapists and athletes during routine care of injured athletes, and to elicit if there were factors that influenced their risk tolerance. Design Feasibility study to establish this method of examining the way athletes and clinicians make RTP decisions. Setting Specialized orthopedic and sports medicine hospital in Doha, Qatar. Patients We recruited the physician, the physiotherapist, and the athlete they were caring for ("triplet") to participate. Triplets were recruited from an acute groin injury study and an acute hamstring injury study. Of the 15 athletes approached, 5 were excluded because we obtained risk estimates from only 1 stakeholder. Of the remaining 10 cases, we obtained risk estimates from 7 triplets and 3 doublets. Outcome measures Participants provided their own estimated probability distribution for risk of re-injury within the subsequent 2 months after RTP, based on the available knowledge. In addition, we asked participants about factors that influenced their risk tolerance for the particular case. Results The figure shows the risk estimations in 2 of the 10 cases, illustrating that there were clear and considerable differences in risk estimates. Figure 1 Factors that modified risk tolerance in at least three participants were "timing and season", "pressure from athlete" and "external pressure". Overall, risk modifiers influenced the decision in 13 of 27 possible cases. Conclusion Clinicians and athletes with access to the same information can have considerably different estimates for the risk of reinjury. Risk tolerance in the real world is sometimes modified by external factors.


Objective To report the results of a single-centre in the treatment of extensive aorto-iliac occlusive disease (AIOD) by the covered endovascular reconstruction of aortic bifurcation (CERAB) technique. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on data obtained from the review of medical charts of all consecutive patients treated with CERAB technique for AIOD between January 2016 and December 2019 in San Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital (Rome, Italy). Clinical examination, duplex ultrasound with ankle-brachial index measurement and contrast-enhanced computed tomography angiography were performed preoperatively. A clinical and ultrasound follow-up was carried out at one month and then half yearly after the intervention to evaluate patients' clinical status, limb salvage, target lesion revascularization rate, primary and secondary patency rate. Results During the study period, 24 patients (14 men, 58.3%; 10 women, 41.7%; median age 59 years, range 37–79 years) underwent CERAB for AIOD (TASC II C 29.2%, TASC II D 70.8%). Indications for treatment were: intermittent claudication in 18 patients (75%) and critical limb ischemia in 6 (25%). Technical success was achieved in all cases. Perioperative minor complications occurred in three cases (12.5%). One patient reported an intraoperative iliac rupture requiring adjunctive covered stenting. Median hospital length of stay was two days (range 1–9). No patient died perioperatively nor at the last follow-up. At a median follow-up of 18 months (range 6–48 months), mean ankle-brachial index increased significantly (from 0.62 ± 0.15 before the procedure to 0.84 ± 0.18) (P < 0.001) and target lesion revascularization rate was 12.5%. At two years, the limb salvage rate was 100%, and primary and secondary patency rates were 87.5% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion CERAB technique demonstrated to be effective at the mid-term follow-up with low rate of complications and short length of stay. Long-term results and more robust data are needed to affirm this technique as the first-line treatment for extensive AIOD. However, it could become the preferred option especially in fragile patients and during contemporary COVID-19 pandemic due to the current limitations in vascular and critical care bed capacity.


The chapter examines the exploration of the formation of Transnational and Transcultural identity in Black-British Wrting focussing on Bernadine Evarito's novel Lara.

Book synopsis:

This volume defines versions of the transnational in their historical and cultural specificity. By "locating," the contributors contextualize historical and contemporary understandings of the fluid term "transnational," which vary in relation to the disciplines involved. This kind of historical and geographical "locating" implicitly turns against forms of contemporary transnational euphoria which, inspired by poststructural models of all-encompassing semiospheres, on the one hand, and by visions of the utopian communicative potential of new media like the internet, on the other, see national and ethnic paradigms as easily superseded by transnational agendas. By differentiating between various forms of transnational ideals and ideas in historical and geographical perspective since the Renaissance, the contributors aim to rediscover distinctions -- for instance between transnationalisms and cosmopolitanisms -- which neo-liberal transnational euphoria has tended to erase.


Purpose: To investigate how personality traits and professional experience of interventional radiologists affect outcome and complications in computed-tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) of pulmonary nodules.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective database search retrieved 1,056 PTNBs carried out by 38 interventional radiologists from 2006 through 2014, and 445 interventions performed by 14 radiologists were included in the study (exclusion criteria: lack of consent by radiologist, less than 20 PTNBs performed by the radiologist, and PTNB with incomplete data). Interventions were evaluated with regard to the occurrence of complications, technical success, and intervention-related predictors. Personality traits of interventionalists were assessed using the NEO-FFI-30 (questionnaire measuring the "Big Five") and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Outcome of PTNB was adjusted for intervention-related predictors and matched with factors describing the personality and experience of each of the 14 radiologists.

Results: There were no significant differences among the 14 radiologists in terms of technical success (range: 75.0-95.5%, P=0.406) and overall complication rate (range: 44.7-85.7%, P=0.088) or major (range: 15.6- J Radiol Clin Imaging 2019; 2 (3): 034-044 DOI: 10.26502/jrci.2809012 Journal of Radiology and Clinical Imaging 35 40.9%, P=0.679) and minor complications (range: 31.6-71.4%, P=0.074). Personality traits had no effect on technical success and complication rates, and there was likewise no effect of years of practical experience on technical success (P=0.254) or complications (P=0.470).

Conclusion: Personality traits and practical experience of the interventional radiologist have no impact on the technical success or complication rate of PTNB.


A global increase in older people will also mean an increase in the numbers of lesbian, gay and bisexual people requiring residential support. All health practitioners working with older people need to be aware of the existence of older lesbian, gay and bisexual people in order to provide health care that is appropriate. This study describes lesbian, gay and bisexual people's accommodation plans for old age through a cross-sectional quantitative survey design. Participants were recruited through mainstream and lesbian, gay and bisexual media and venues. A total of 2269 participants completed the 133-item survey. When asked about what accommodation plans they had for their older years lesbian, gay and bisexual people identified that they were least likely to choose living in a retirement community/facility. However, if unable to live independently the majority of respondents identified they would prefer to live in a retirement facility that specifically catered for people who did not identify as heterosexual. This study has found that the residential support sector needs to be prepared to provide a health service that is person-centred, free from discriminatory practices and meets the needs of all health consumers regardless of sexual orientation.


This guide aims to support staff and students in sourcing and using high quality still and moving images for teaching, learning and research.


While the popularity of the usage of room temperature microfluidic systems is booming in different technologies such as bio-technology, micro-scale chemistry, micro-printing and many others, systems applicable under high temperature and pressure are still remarkably under-developed. The main drawback of the existing systems is the inadequate quality of the available construction materials. In this work, extrusion of metal-oxo-alkoxide sol–gel precursors through the nozzle is utilized to produce the liquid thread that is allowed to self-transform into ceramic microtubes by a chemical curing process. The focus is on YSZ (8% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2), which exhibits a stable 100% tetragonal phase nanocrystalline structure up to 1000 °C. These tubes have excellent mechanical characteristics and can withstand 1000 atm pressure inside the tubes. Owing to these and other physical, chemical and mechanical properties, there are many potential applications for these tubes, one example being that the high optical quality of the YSZ tubes could be useful for guiding of light. Ionic conductivity with no electronic component makes these tubes suitable for ionic membrane applications like solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) or corresponding gas sensors. Finally, we demonstrate a single-tube-based miniature plasma jet device potentially applicable as an ion source for local surface treatment or possibly as a micro plasma propulsion device for space applications.


Surveys of adult dental health in recent years have shown that more than one third of the United Kingdom population over the age of sixteen years is edentulous. In spite of this, surprisingly little research work has been carried out into the nature of oral mucosa in the edentulous mouth. The initial part of this work was to devise a method for the quantitative evaluation of oral mucosa. This was achieved by modifying the techniques of stereology described by Warnakulasuriya (1976). In addition, descriptive analysis was carried out on the stratum corneum to assess the type and degree of keratinisation. These techniques were used to evaluate the differences between mucosa on the crest of the ridge in the maxillary first molar and mandibular anterior regions in post-mortem material. Intact edentulous palates were obtained post-mortem and cross-sections were prepared in the first molar region. These enabled an assessment to be made of the regional variations in the tissues across the palate from the surface layer to the periosteum. In order to determine the effects of complete dentures on oral mucosa, it is necessary to have detailed information on the structure of normal oral mucosa. Quantitative and descriptive analyses were therefore undertaken on a number of patients to provide baseline data. Having established this information, the study was extended to include patients who had been wearing dentures for a number of years and whose oral mucosa was clinically normal. These results enabled conclusions to be drawn on the effects of complete dentures on oral mucosa. Throughout this work the effects of the age and the sex of the individuals on the mucosa were evaluated. In addition, in the clinical studies, the influence of the number of hours of denture-wearing per day, the length of denture experience and the smoking habits of the individuals were assessed.


Learning to read Chinese is a complex task that draws on a range of executive function (EF) skills since early development. However, no studies have examined EF as a potential contributing factor to early reading problems among Chinese children. The present longitudinal study identified 48 poor readers and 48 normal readers among a sample of 190 Chinese children at the end of kindergarten. Measures of EF skills (working memory, inhibition control, and cognitive flexibility) and reading outcomes (word reading, sentence reading fluency, and sentence reading comprehension) were administered to the children. The two groups were retrospectively compared on the EF measures after age and nonverbal IQ were considered. Poor readers were found to perform significantly worse than normal readers in all the examined EF skills. Correlation and regression results revealed a relatively different nature of the relationship between EF and reading in poor readers as compared with normal readers. Inhibition control predicted reading outcomes in poor readers only, while cognitive flexibility predicted reading outcomes in normal readers only. Working memory was significantly correlated to word reading in poor readers and to reading comprehension in normal readers. The results are discussed in terms of the special characteristics of the Chinese language.


Introduction: Study of bilingualism will enhance the understanding of the cognitive and neural mechanisms responsible for learning. Cognitive correlates of bilingualism such as enhancement of attention control, problem solving and working memory would be worth studying especially among young children to improve their future performances. Among the wide range of advantages of bilingualism, working memory enhancement was the focus of this study. The positive impact of working memory on mathematical skills has been highlighted in previous surveys. Hence, the present study intended to investigate the potential relation between second language acquisition (becoming bilingual) and mathematics achievement. Correspondence: Afsson Piroozan, MA. Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Medicine. Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. Bandar Abbas, Iran Tel:+98 917 3378828 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Methods: In this correlational study, 31 bilingual second graders who were selected randomly participated in the experimental group after a placement test that homogenized their second language learning background. The controls were also selected randomly from among the peers with no second language learning background. After eliminating the potentially influencing factor of intelligence, using Ravenrs test, a standardized math test was administered to the groups. The data was analyzed using SPSS program version 17. An independent t-test was applied to compare the results of the two groups. Results: The experimental group (with a mean of 7.3529) outperformed on the Mathematics test than did the control group (with a mean of 7.0000). Yet the difference between the performance results was statistically insignificant (P>0.05) Conclusion: Since the finding of this study was contrary to the literature regarding the outperformance of bilingual children, the reason of such result would be worth seeking in further studies.


Two of the important defenses to the enforcement of contracts are impracticability and frustration of purpose. In the American law of contracts, the general rule is that the promisor bears the risk that the contract may become more burdensome or less desirable to her, as a result of changes in circumstances for which she did not plan. In traditional terms, pacta sunt servanda: contracts are to be performed, come what may. The theory underlying the two defenses is that when an extraordinary circumstance renders a promised performance so vitally different from what was to be expected that it changes the essential nature of that performance, justice requires a departure from the general rule. In this article it is submitted that the law of impracticability and frustration, as it has evolved under the Second Restatement and Section 2-615 of the Uniform Commercial Code, is more confusing and uncertain than it has to be, and that it frequently and unnecessarily fails of its purpose. Modest changes in the rules that define those defenses will render outcomes in the cases in which the defenses are claimed significantly more predictable and more fair.


ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile produces two major virulence toxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB). Antitoxin antibodies, especially neutralizing antibodies, have been shown to be associated with a lower incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) recurrence, and antibody levels are predictive of asymptomatic colonization. The development of an assay to detect the presence of neutralizing antibodies in animal and human sera for the evaluation of vaccine efficacy is highly desired. We have developed such an assay, which allows for the quantification of the effect of toxins on eukaryotic cells in an automated manner. We describe here the optimization of this assay to measure toxin potency as well as neutralizing antibody (NAb) activity against C. difficile toxins using a design-of-experiment (DOE) methodology. Toxin concentration and source, cell seeding density, and serum-toxin preincubation time were optimized in the assay using Vero cells. The assay was shown to be robust and to produce linear results across a range of antibody concentrations. It can be used to quantify neutralizing antibodies in sera of monkeys and hamsters immunized with C. difficile toxoid vaccines. This assay was shown to correlate strongly with traditional assays which rely on labor-intensive methods of determining neutralizing antibody titers by visual microscopic inspection of intoxicated-cell monolayers. This assay has utility for the selection and optimization of C. difficile vaccine candidates.


LEED-NC is a green building rating system for new construction developed by USGBC. Since it's born in1998, LEED-NC has become the most famous green building rating system and made a big success in market expanding. Many other countries, including China, not only use experience of LEED-NC for reference to their own green building rating criterions construction, but also participate in the LEED-NC certification directly. But, as a green building rating system, one of it's primary objective is to make clear what is the biggest problem in sustainable process. Since 1970's oil crisis, resource shortage has become a common problem hindering the social and economic development of all countries and districts. Any green building rating system can't avoid this reality. Using method of "example points+baseline point", this article makes points statistics of "Energy & Atmosphere" category and it's inner credits relevant to building energy saving. Finally, we verify LEED-NC's performance in energy saving is not so good as people's expectation. When using experience of LEED-NC for reference to our own green building rating criterion construction, we must be very cautiously. And when participating in LEED-NC certification directly, we must keep a conscious mind.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

629

Natural killer (NK) cells and nitric oxide (NO) are both important components of the natural or innate immune response. Natural killer (NK) cell cytolysis is associated with synthesis of NO, and this NO can affect cellular iron metabolism. Iron has been reported to promote carcinogenesis and neoplastic cell growth. In the present study, we investigated the role of iron in NO-mediated cytotoxicity and NK cell cytolysis. MCF-7 breast cancer cells were treated with S-nitroso-N-acetyl- penicillamine (SNAP), a NO donor, or SNAP plus ferric chloride. MCF-7 cells and NK-92MI human NK cells were co-incubated for 4 hours in media in the absence or presence of ferric chloride. Cell proliferation was determined by 3[H]-thymidine incorporation. NK-92MI lysis of MCF-7 cells was assessed with a 51Cr-release assay. NO concentration was measured with the Griess Reagent System. Cell transferrin receptor, ferritin and intracellular iron were also quantatively measured. We found that SNAP significantly suppressed the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 of 50μm, 3 days of incubation). NO up-regulated the expression of the transferrin receptor and depleted intracellular iron in MCF-7 cells. The addition of ferric chloride significantly decreased the SNAP-induced cytotoxicity to the MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The 51Cr-release assay showed that NK-92MI cells lysed MCF-7 cells (10.9+4.5% and 5.0+1.8% specific lysis of MCF-7 cells at NK-92MI to MCF-7 ratios of 10:1 and 2.5:1, respectively). Exogenous 400μm of FeCl3 significantly decreased the cytotoxic activity with 7.5+4.4% (p<0.05) and 2.0+2.1% (p<0.05) specific lysis at NK-92MI to MCF-7 ratios of 10:1 and 2.5:1, respectively. Nitrite, a stable and nonvolatile breakdown products of NO, was also found in the NK-92MI culture supernatants. The concentration of nitrite was dramatically increased when the MCF-7 target cells were co-incubated with the NK-92MI cells, and the formation of NO by NK-92MI was not inhibited by the addition of iron. We conclude that one mechanism of NO-mediated cytotoxicity is by depletion of intracellular iron, and NK-92MI cytolysis is associated with the production of NO. Therefore, iron not only protects tumor cells from exogenous NO cytotoxicity, but also prevent NK cells cytolysis of tumor cells by inhibiting the cytotoxicity of the NO produced by the NK cells. This is the first time that iron has been shown to decrease NK cell cytolysis of tumor cells.


A novel Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain D94-1(T), was isolated from soil collected in Liancheng county, Fujian province, PR China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain D94-1(T) was a member of the genus Nocardioides and was most closely related to Nocardioides salarius DSM 18239(T) (98.54% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Nocardioides marinisabuli DSM 18965(T) (98.30%), Nocardioides basaltis KCTC 19365(T) (98.10%) and Nocardioides dokdonensis KCTC 19309(T) (97.76%). Phenotypic characteristics and DNA-DNA relatedness data served to distinguish strain D94-1(T) from N. salarius, N. marinisabuli, N. basaltis and N. dokdonensis. The chemotaxonomic properties of strain D94-1(T) were consistent with those of the genus Nocardioides: the cell-wall peptidoglycan type was based on ll-diaminopimelic acid, the predominant menaquinone was MK-8(H(4)) and the major fatty acids were iso-C(16:0) (29.15%) and anteiso-C(17:0) (21.0%). The DNA G+C content was 71.8 mol%. On the basis of the evidence presented in this study, strain D94-1(T) represents a novel species of the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides lianchengensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is D94-1(T) (=DSM 24663(T)=CGMCC 4.6858(T)).


The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment provides the opportunity of measuring elemental abundances for C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni in vast numbers of stars. We analyze thechemical-abundance patterns of these elements for 158 red giant stars belonging to the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy (Sgr). This is the largest sample of Sgr stars with detailed chemical abundances, and it is the first time that C, N, P, K, V, Cr, Co, and Ni have been studied at high resolution in this galaxy. We find that the Sgr stars with [Fe/H] ≳ −0.8 are deficient in all elemental abundance ratios (expressed as [X/Fe]) relative to the Milky Way, suggesting that the Sgr stars observed today were formed from gas that was less enriched by Type II SNe than stars formed in the Milky Way. By examining the relative deficiencies of the hydrostatic (O, Na, Mg, and Al) and explosive (Si, P, K, and Mn) elements, our analysis supports the argument that previous generations of Sgr stars were formed with a top-light initial mass function, one lacking the most massive stars that would normally pollute the interstellar medium with the hydrostatic elements. We use a simple chemical-evolution model, flexCE, to further support our claim and conclude that recent stellar generations of Fornax and the Large Magellanic Cloud could also have formed according to a top-light initial mass function.


Consider a logical structure S constructed over a given network G and possessing certain properties specified by a requirement predicate V{S, G). Consider a failure event involving a set F of disconnected edges or crashed vertices. The paper deals with making S fault-tolerant, i.e., ensuring that after the failure event, the surviving structure S' = S\F continues to satisfy V. This requirement for fault-tolerance can be interpreted in two different ways. Rigid fault-tolerance means that after the failure event F, we insist on imposing on the surviving structure S' the requirements of V with respect to the original network G, i.e., demanding that S' satisfies the predicate V(S', G). Alternatively, competitive fault tolerance involves evaluating the performance of the surviving S' with respect to the surviving network G' = G \ F, i.e., requiring that subsequent to the failure event F, the surviving S' satisfies V(S', G'). The paper introduces the distinction between rigid and competitive fault tolerance in network structures, and explores this distinction through studying MST structures, connectivity structures and flow structures. In particular, necessary and sufficient conditions are established for the existence of rigid fault tolerant structures, and constructions are presented for both types of structures.


The annual incidence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome is 1.5 per 100,000. The mortality rate is about 5%, and 10% of patients remain severely disabled one year after neurological onset. Specialist teams, intensive care and rehabilitation are essential for patient management and should be provided in appropriate hospital units. Neither oral nor intravenous corticosteroids are beneficial. Plasma exchange (PE) is the first-line treatment, improving outcome in several randomised, controlled clinical trials. The indications for treatment have been clarified. Two PE sessions are recommended for patients who are able to walk (mild forms), with two additional sessions if they deteriorate. Four sessions are sufficient for patients who are unable to walk unaided (moderate) or who require mechanical ventilation (severe). Further PE sessions are not helpful for patients with more severe disease, or if there is no response. High-dose intravenous immunoglobulins (0.4 g/kg daily for 5 days) and PE are equally effective in patients with intermediate and severe forms. The choice between the two treatments depends on their respective contraindications and local availability. A trial is underway to determine the indications and optimal dose of IVIg and the optimal number of PE sessions in the different disease severities.


The biotechnology used in tendon, bone and joint recoveries in Equine Medicine has improved in recent years. The most used are platelet rich plasma and stem cells from adipose tissue and bone marrow. However, recent studies have shown that stem cells can be found in the bloodstream, also named peripheral blood progenitor cells (CPP). This note aims at reporting the feasibility of automated collection of CPP in horses. The procedure was conducted in an equine, female, Quarter Horses, 2 years old, 385kg. The automated collection of CPP was conducted using apheresis equipment Fresenius- Kabi coupled to C4Y kit. The procedure lasted two hours and 30 minutes without complications, processing 5054mL of whole blood and obtaining 351mL of CPP. Upon completion of the collection, the content of CPP was separated into 10 ml aliquots and immediately stored at -18°C. The automated technique proved to be feasible for horses, but needs improvement in order to achieve greater efficiency and reduce procedure time.


The NEMO basic support specification is not limited to a single level
of mobile networks attaching to the stationary Internet. Rather,
arbitrary levels of nested mobile networks are supported, employing
for each level of nesting the same attachment, encapsulation and
tunnelling mechanisms. With arbitrarily deep nested mobile networks,
paths taken by data traffic can be extremely sub-optimal both inside
the nested topology through successive mobile routers, and outside the
nested topology, through successive Home Agents over the Internet.
Moreover, the overhead incurred through tunnelling and encapsulation
of data traffic can become prohibitively large. This document analyses
the scenarios in which these problems are particularly acute.


Background Dexamethasone has a prophylactic effect on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and perioperative hydration is believed to play a role in PONV prophylaxis. This study was performed to examine the combined effects of pre-induction dexamethasone plus super-hydration on PONV and pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Methods A total of 100 female patients undergoing LC were enrolled and randomized equally into two groups. Group DF received 5 mg dexamethasone (pre-induction) plus 30 ml/kg Ringer's lactate (intraoperative) and group D received 5 mg dexamethasone (pre-induction) alone. Anesthetic and surgical managements were standardized for all patients. The incidence and severity of PONV, and intra and post-operative analgesic and postoperative antiemetic consumption, were assessed during the first 24 h postoperatively. Post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) stay and aggregated 24 h pain scores were calculated. Results Group DF had significantly lower PONV than group D (P = 0.03). The number of patients with the lowest PONV score was significantly increased in group DF (P = 0.03). Ondansetron consumption was significantly lower in group DF (P < 0.0001). The mean accumulated 24 h pain scores were significantly lower in group DF compared to group D (P < 0.0001). The time to first analgesic request was significantly longer in group DF than group D (P < 0.0001). In addition, total meperidine consumption during the first postoperative 24 h was significantly lower in group DF than group D (P = 0.002). Conclusions In female patients undergoing LC, pre-induction with 5 mg dexamethasone plus intraoperative 30 ml/kg Ringer's lactate solution decreased PONV and pain during the first 24 h postoperatively compared to 5 mg dexamethasone alone.


Prostaglandins (PG) of the E series are synthesized throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and their elevated levels have been reported in many diarrheal states, including inflammatory bowel disease. It is already known that PGE2 has region-specific and muscle layer-specific effects in different areas of the intestine. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible dose-related motor effects of PGE2 on rabbit proximal and distal colon both in vivo and in vitro. We found that, in the proximal colon in vivo, PGE2 caused inhibition of myoelectric and mechanical activity at low doses but at higher doses caused marked excitation. Under the same experimental conditions, PGE2 caused only excitation in the distal colon, a phenomenon associated with an increase in antegrade contractions and diarrhea. In vitro, PGE2 caused excitation of both proximal and distal colonic longitudinal muscle and relaxation of the circular muscle. Its actions, however, were much more pronounced in the distal region. It is concluded that PGE2 has profound effects on colonic motility that are concentration dependent and that differ with the region of the colon under study. Furthermore, the evidence also suggests that elevated PGE2 levels in disease states may play a significant role in abnormal colonic motility and may facilitate the onset of diarrhea.


In the aftermath of a school shooting in Florida, the New York State bank regulator urged banks to manage the "reputation risk" posed by doing business with the National Rifle Association (a gun rights advocacy group). As part of Operation Choke Point, a federal regulator told banks to end relationships with payday lenders be-cause those activities posed "reputation risk." Another federal regulator warns banks their reputations might be damaged by lending to oil and gas companies that are perceived to cause environmental harm. Reputation risk is the risk that bank stakeholders will negatively change their perception of the bank. It was almost unmentioned in banking regulation until the mid-1990s, but as these examples illustrate, it is now ubiquitous.

This Article surveys reputation risk guidance and enforcement efforts. It shows reputation risk regulation is usually an ancillary consideration to credit risk, operational risk, or other primary risk. In these instances, reputation risk adds little because regulators have strong tools to address the root problems. Sometimes, however, regulators justify guidance or enforcement primarily in terms of con-trolling reputation risk. Regulators use reputation risk to weigh in on hot-button political topics afield from bank safety and soundness like gun rights, payday lending, and fossil fuels. Because regulators believe reputation risk is present in every facet of banking, little prevents them from using it to address other controversies.

This Article argues expansive regulation of reputation risk is harmful. There is little evidence that regulators can accurately predict and prevent bank reputational losses. Moreover, because reputation risk is largely subjective, regulators can use it to further political agendas apart from bank safety and soundness. Unnecessary politicization of banking regulation undermines faith in the regulatory system and correspondingly erodes trust in banks.


AIM
To compare the effect of nimesulide or/and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on tumor growth inhibition and apoptosis in mice with the implanted hepatoma and to observe their possible interactions.

METHODS
The inhibitory effects on tumor growth was evaluated by inhibition rate. Apoptosis was assessed by the ultrastructural, flow cytometry features and the DNA ladder demonstrated by agarose gel electrophoresis. PGE(2) level was determined by radioimmunoassay. Expression levels of c-jun, c-fos and p53 were evaluated by western blotting.

RESULTS
Nimesulide or 5-FU alone inhibited the growth of hepatoma, while a synergistic effect was observed for a combined use of both. More pronounced morphologic changes for tumor cell apoptosis and the DNA ladder were found for the latter treatment. Expression levels of c-jun and p53 were found to be elevated for the tumors from mice treated with nimesulide and 5-FU comparing to those with either of them, but a reduced PGE(2) level was observed only for the treatment with nimesulide. No change was detected on c-fos expression.

CONCLUSION
Nimesulide and 5-FU appear to have synergistic effects for the growth inhibition and apoptosis induction. Both were found to be overexpressed in p53 and c-jun proteins, rather than that of c-fos, associations with the resulted apoptosis.


Background Data: Selection of stabilization procedures for treating thoracolumbar burst fractures remains controversial. Both long-segment and short-segment pedicle screw fixation including the fractured vertebral body have been used widely with no consensus on the better method.Purpose: To compare between the long segment and short-segment with intermediate screw (s) fixation of thoracolumbar junction burst fractures in terms of radiological and clinical outcomes.Study Design: Prospective randomized controlled trial.Patients and Methods: Fifty consecutive patients (32 males and 18 females, mean age 33.6±14.6 years) with thoracolumbar burst fractures presenting during the period between October 2015 and December 2016 to Assiut University hospital were randomized into one of two groups. Group A (25 patients) was treated by long segment pedicle screw fixation, i.e., fixation of 2 levels above and below the fractured vertebra. Group B (25 patients) was treated by short segment fixation, i.e., 1 level above and 1 level below the fractured vertebra, with one or 2 intermediate screws in the fractured vertebra itself. The study protocol was approved by our institution review board and all patients signed an informed consent. The inclusion criteria were single level Type A3 and A4 fracture at thoracolumbar junction, regardless of their neurological status. All patients were treated within 48 hours from the injury. Monoaxial screws were used in all patients. Assessment of kyphosis correction by using the Cobb method and restoration of the anterior vertebral body height was performed radiologically postoperatively and at 3 and 6 months follow up. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the modified Macnab criteria in the last follow-up. Radiological and clinical assessment was made by an independent observer.Results: Demographic data of both groups were quite comparable. The mean operative time in Group B was significantly shorter than in group A (85±28 min. and 110±0.59 min. respectively). The mean operative blood loss was also significantly lower in Group B than in Group A (476±133.2cc and 656±195.9cc respectively). There was no significant difference between both groups as regards the degree of local kyphosis angle correction and anterior vertebral body height restoration or the correction loss observed during the follow up. Neurological recovery was observed in all patients. Clinically, 14 (56%) patients  in Group A and 21 (84%) patients in group B were within the Excellent/Good categories according to Macnab Criteria, whereas 11 (44%) patients in group A and 4 (16%) patients in Group B (16%) were in Fair/poor Group (P=0.064). No perioperative complications were recorded in either group. Conclusion: Short-segment fixation using monoaxial pedicle screws and including the fractured vertebral body is as effective as long-segment pedicle screw fixation for treating A3 and A4 thoracolumbar burst fractures. It preserves motion segments and reduces the costs of surgery and seems to result in a better clinical outcome. (2017ESJ131)


This article compares distinct signal-based and knowledge-based approaches often applied to process and detect events in vast amounts of data collected by phasor measurement units (PMU). The computation times and the accuracy of correct event detections are tested and evaluated in a 1 − hour data file from the UT-Austin Independent Texas Synchrophasor Network with phasor quantities plus an additive noise gathered at different PMU substations. A sliding time window is considered to build a representative model of the system operating conditions on the fly and search for power system phenomena as soon as new data are available.


Background : Prevalence of coronary artery disease and its death rate is increasing in Iran. Appropriate health behaviors and life style can prevent the disease in the first place and also its reoccurrence . Objective : To identify changes in patients' health behaviors 4-6 months after myocardial infarction (MI). Design : A cross- sectional design was employed to measure dietary regiment, cigarettes smoking, exercise and stress- coping behaviors pre and post (4-6 months) MI using a self administered questionnaire. Samples : 89 patients were selected by stratified random sampling 4-6 months after their first MI attach. Results : Considering cigarette smoking behavior most of the patients were nor smoking before MI and remained unchanged (84%). Regarding dietary regiment most of the patients had unhealthy behavior before MI and remained unchanged afterwards (68.5%). Exercise behavior in 36% of the subjects was appropriate and remained unchanged, while 34.8% were unappropriate and also unchanged. More than 50% of the patients had healthy behavior in regard to coping with stress at both pre and post stages. Conclusion : Nurses should reinforce health education particularly the appropriate health behaviors. Follow up of the patients is recommended in order to maintain healthy behaviors or to change unhealthy ones' after MI. :


intermediate crack-induced debondingis one of the most dominant failure modes in FRP-strengthened RC beams. Different code models or provisions have been proposed to mitigateintermediate crack-induced debondingfailure.However, these code models or provisions cannot mitigate this failure mode properly. Recently, mew models have been proposed.Out of all the existing proposed models, five typical ones are investigated in the current study. These main available proposed models for mitigating debonding failure of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer composites appliedto concrete is evaluated based on data obtained from experimental programs. It is shown that all the evaluated proposed models exhibit a high level of dispersion, they are not suitable for limiting the allowable tensile strain at the initiation of debondingof FRP laminates.


This paper proposes an approach for integrating social networks into intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), especially for predicting student performance (PSP). Firstly, we review the main concepts of the ITS as well as matrix factorization technique and social matrix factorization in Recommender Systems (RS). Next, this work introduces how to map the ITS data into the context of user, item and rating in the RS, and shows how to convert social networks to relationships matrix. Then, the prediction model, which is integrated social networks, is proposed for building the ITS. Experimental results on two real datasets show that integrating social relationships of students can be able to increase the accuracy of the prediction models.


Objective: To study the usefulness of platelet-rich plasma in patients of androgenetic alopecia at the Dermatology Department of Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Study Design: Case series.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Dermatology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Dec 2018 to Jan 2020.
Methodology: A total of 50 patients with androgenetic alopecia diagnosed by the consultant dermatologist were included in this study. Patients were administered platelet-rich plasma every four weeks for three sessions. Hair pull test and subjective improvement of patients (0-10) were used to see the treatment response.
Results: Out of 50 patients with androgenetic alopecia, 36 (72%) had satisfactory responses while 14 (28%) had not achieved the satisfactory response after the twelve-weeks treatment comprising of three sessions. The absence of comorbid medical illness and less age of the patients had a statistically significant relationship with the presence of satisfactory response in the study population (p-value 0.010 and 0.001).
Conclusion: A significant number of patients with androgenetic alopecia responded very well to platelet-rich plasma. Chances of achieving a satisfactory response increase if the patient is not having any comorbid medical illness and is less than the age of 40 years at the time of treatment.


1. To realize the potential of citizens to contribute to conservation efforts through the acquisition of data for broad-scale species distribution models, scientists need to understand and minimize the influences of commonly observed sample selection bias on model performance. Yet evaluating these data with independent, planned surveys is rare, even though such evaluation is necessary for understanding and applying data to conservation decisions. 2. We used the state-listed fox squirrel Sciurus niger in Florida, USA, to interpret the performance of models created with opportunistic observations from citizens and professionals by validating models with independent, planned surveys. 3. Data from both citizens and professionals showed sample selection bias with more observations within 50 m of a road. While these groups showed similar sample selection bias in reference to roads, there were clear differences in the spatial coverage of the groups, with citizens observing fox squirrels more frequently in developed areas. 4. Based on predictions at planned field surveys sites, models developed from citizens generally performed similarly to those developed with data collected by professionals. Accounting for potential sample selection bias in models, either through the use of covariates or via aggregating data into home range size grids, provided only slight increases in model performance. 5. Synthesis and applications. Despite sample selection biases, over a broad spatial scale opportunistic citizen data provided reliable predictions and estimates of habitat relationships needed to advance conservation efforts. Our results suggest that the use of professionals may not be needed in volunteer programmes used to determine the distribution of species of conservation interest across broad spatial scales.


We analyze doubly magic trapping of Cs hyperfine transitions including previously neglected contributions from the ground state hyperpolarizability and the interaction of the laser light and a static magnetic field. Extensive numerical searches do not reveal any doubly magic trapping conditions for any pair of hyperfine states. However, including the hyperpolarizability reveals light intensity insensitive traps for a wide range of wavelengths at specific intensities. We then investigate the use of bichromatic trapping light fields. Deploying a bichromatic scheme, we demonstrate doubly magic red and blue detuned traps for pairs of states separated by one or two single photon transitions.


The complex valorification of seaweed biomass represents a highly important resource for the pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic industry, supplying raw material for the extraction of bioactive substances such as, polysaccharides, vitamins, sterols, aminoacids, polyphenols and minerals. Marine algae represent an indefatigability resource of therapeutic active principles for diseases treatment of magnesium deficiency. The presence of chlorophyll pigments in the green algae confirms the magnesium existence, as central element in molecular structures. The main green algae, as Ulva lactuca and Enteromorpha intestinalis present on the Romanian Black Sea Coast, belong to Chlorophyta sp. In this paper we present a study of antioxidant activity correlated with magnesium content and chlorophyll pigments of the green algae Enteromorpha intestinalis and Ulva rigida (syn. Ulva lactuca) hydroalcoholic extracts. For chlorophyll pigments determination, the UV-Vis spectrometry was used. Magnesium content had been determined by absorption atomic spectrometry method, using HR-CS- AAS ContraA 700 apparatus, Analytik Jena and for total antioxidant capacity of green algae extracts, the photochemiluminescence method had been applied, using Photochem Analytik Jena apparatus. The comparative studies on two marine green algae extracts confirm the high magnesium content correlated with a high level of total antioxidant capacity for both species. The results obtained emphasize the possibility to enlarge the options to use these natural vegetal resources from Black Sea Coast, in different degenerative diseases therapy.


Background: Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer related death in women worldwide. Molecular diagnostic markers that are detectable in early-stage breast cancer can aid in effective clinical intervention. Circular RNAs are a recently identified group of non-coding RNA with potential role in cancer development and progression. In this study, we aimed to identify circular RNAs specific for early stage breast cancer. Method: Circular RNA expression profile was analyzed in early-stage breast cancer tissues (N=5), matched normal counterparts (N=5) and absolute normal samples (N=5) by RNA-sequencing that enables a comprehensive analysis of RNA expression across the transcriptome. Two different algorithms, find_circ and DCC were used to identify the differentially expressed circular RNAs. Results: A total of 58 and 87 circular RNAs were found to be differentially expressed by find_circ and DCC algorithms, respectively, among which 26 circular RNAs were common. Hsa_circ_0001946 (CDR1-as) was found to be upregulated in early stage breast cancer along with other novel circular RNAs (hsa_circ_0008225, hsa_circ_0007766, hsa_circ_0016601). We also found that a few of the identified circular RNAs harbor microRNA binding sites which can lead to microRNA sponging activity and pre-microRNA sequences which can generate mature microRNAs. The identified circular RNAs that are differentially regulated in early stage breast cancer can be of potential diagnostic/prognostic importance. Conclusion: Circular RNA are differentially expressed in the early-stage breast cancer with potential application in early diagnosis and prognosis. The differentially expressed circular RNA can sequester microRNA and can act as microRNA precursor as well.


According to the American Cancer Society, over 1.5 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed this year, a figure that is expected to rise with the aging population. Chemotherapy and radiation are the current "gold standards" for cancer treatment, but these therapies are marginally effective, toxic, and serve to diminish the quality of life for cancer patients. Immunotherapy represents an attractive alternative to these traditional treatment regimens. Despite overwhelming evidence that the immune system is capable of recognizing and eliminating tumors, both spontaneously and in response to immune-based therapy, such protection is abrogated in the face of compensatory immunosuppressive events characteristic of progressive disease. Thus, a major goal of novel immune-based therapies is the coordinate silencing of regulatory circuits and amplification of protective T cell function.While immune modulating reagents that trigger the T cell costimulatory molecules OX40 and GITR are currently being evaluated in early-phase clinical trials, little pre-clinical information is available regarding the efficacy and mechanism(s) of action for these agents in the setting of advanced, well-established disease. To further characterize the molecular, cellular, and treatment-associated consequences of OX40 and GITR engagement, novel agonistic reagents directed against murine OX40 and GITR (ligand-Fc fusion proteins) were recently constructed and characterized in vitro. We now show that the growth of well-established, day 17 sarcomas is significantly inhibited or ablated by a short course of either treatment, with OX40L-Fc demonstrating superior anti-tumor efficacy over GITRL-Fc at comparable dosing. Both treatments were capable of eliminating regulatory T cells within tumors, inducing profound proliferation of T effector cells in the tumor-draining lymph node, and promoting the recruitment of these expanded effector cells to the tumor microenvironment. However, OX40L-Fc therapy mediated additional, T cell-independent effects, including the activation of tumor-localized dendritic and endothelial cell subsets. These changes rendered the tumor microenvironment more immunogenic and permissive to the infiltration of treatment-induced, protective immune cells. The pleiotropic anti-tumor effects demonstrated in this model by OX40L-Fc, and to a lesser extent GITRL-Fc, strongly supports the further translation of such modalities into human clinical trials, either as single agents or in the context of combinational immunotherapy.


Collecting information on multiple pathophysiological parameters is essential for understanding complex pathologies, especially given the large interindividual variability. We report here multifunctional nanoparticles which are luminescent probes, oxidant sensors, and contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Eu(3+) ions in an yttrium vanadate matrix have been demonstrated to emit strong, nonblinking, and stable luminescence. Time- and space-resolved optical oxidant detection is feasible after reversible photoreduction of Eu(3+) to Eu(2+) and reoxidation by oxidants, such as H2O2, leading to a modulation of the luminescence emission. The incorporation of paramagnetic Gd(3+) confers in addition proton relaxation enhancing properties to the system. We synthesized and characterized nanoparticles of either 5 or 30 nm diameter with compositions of GdVO4 and Gd0.6Eu0.4VO4. These particles retain the luminescence and oxidant detection properties of YVO4:Eu. Moreover, the proton relaxivity of GdVO4 and Gd0.6Eu0.4VO4 nanoparticles of 5 nm diameter is higher than that of the commercial Gd(3+) chelate compound Dotarem at 20 MHz. Nuclear magnetic resonance dispersion spectroscopy showed a relaxivity increase above 10 MHz. Complexometric titration indicated that rare-earth leaching is negligible. The 5 nm nanoparticles injected in mice were observed with MRI to concentrate in the liver and the bladder after 30 min. Thus, these multifunctional rare-earth vanadate nanoparticles pave the way for simultaneous optical and magnetic resonance detection, in particular, for in vivo localization evolution and reactive oxygen species detection in a broad range of physiological and pathophysiological conditions.


Short‐term in vitro incubation of hypothalamo‐hypophyseal tissue from young rats was undertaken to discern more clearly the functional relationship between putative dopaminergic neural projections in the pars intermedia and the secretory activity of melanophore stimulating hormone (MSH). This explant consisted of a portion of the mediobasal hypothalamus containing the dopamine neurone cell bodies of interest, with the attached pituitary neuro‐intermediate lobe (n.i.l.). The n.i.l. was inserted into the end of a 1 mm diameter tube attached to a perfusion pump which allowed uninterrupted sampling of medium neighbouring the n.i.l. A 'real‐time' analysis of hormone secretion was obtained by immediately and continuously bioassaying for MSH. A bipolar stimulating electrode was placed on the ventral floor of the mediobasal hypothalamus either directly on the arcuate nucleus, median eminence or infundibular stalk. Electrical stimulation for 5 min (0.1‐20.0 Hz) caused a transient inhibition of basal MSH secretion, while continuous stimulation (0.1‐5.0 Hz) led to a much greater, long‐term, reversible inhibition. In the latter, the degree of inhibition was generally dependent on stimulation rate up to a maximum at 5 Hz. Application of the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, 1‐sulpiride (0.001‐0.1 microM) to the perfusion medium not only completely and reversibly blocked the stimulus‐induced inhibition of MSH release but by itself, significantly increased the basal secretion rate. Applied to the isolated n.i.l., 1‐sulpiride did not alter release but did prevent the inhibitory response caused by exogenously applied dopamine (0.1 microM). The gamma‐aminobutyric acid receptor antagonist, bicuculline (0.01‐1.0 microM), had no effect on any of the parameters studied. In explants, cutting the infundibular stalk linking the mediobasal hypothalamus with the n.i.l., mimicked the effects of 1‐sulpiride by interrupting impulse flow to the gland. Thus, electrical stimulation of hypothalamic neurones in these explants apparently causes a release of dopamine from nerve terminals in the pars intermedia to inhibit MSH secretion and perhaps other pro‐opiomelanocortin‐derived peptides as well.


Brand equity is one of the significant categories in the international competition field, through which we can decrease the rate of immigration from cities and protect urban human resources. The purpose of this text is to find an organized and a coherent answer in regards to reasons of reduction of immigration of specialists who are post graduated in Mashhad and their sense of belonging to their own city as well. There are numbers of reasons for promotion of sense of attachment, so city identity shall be deemed as an important topic in this regard. However, branding topic in this area is what has been underestimated in former researches. Now the question is how an urban brand can leave an impression on the immigration of experts who are post graduated. Therefore, the current Manuscript presents a creative real model for explanation of the city brand role on reduction of specialists' immigration rate from Mashhad, emphasizing the role of identity as a mediator. The data being required for this research have been collected by questionnaires, through an accessible targeted non-random sampling from specialists from Mashhad who are post graduated. This research is an applied-surveying type in which the structural equations method is used by use of Smart PLS software for data analysis. The results show that the city brand is effective on identification and reduction of rate of immigration from Mashhad. The role of identity as a mediator in impression of city brand on reduction of rate of immigration from Mashhad has been proved in review of indirect effect of this study.


Abstract The aim of this paper is to appraise if there is any improvement subtracting the effects of outliers from existing heteroscedastic models and whether this improvement makes difference with the existing models in achieving efficiency in capturing excess kurtosis in the returns series. The study employed both existing and outlier modified autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (ARCH), generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (GARCH), exponential GARCH (EGARCH), Glosten, Jagnnathan and Runkle GARCH (GJR-GARCH) models with respect to normal and student-t distributions to assess the portion of excess kurtosis of the returns series expressed compare to the theoretical value of kurtosis. The data applied were the share prices of Union bank of Nigeria and Unity bank from January 3, 2006 to November 24, 2016, comprising 2690 observations and were obtained from Nigerian Stock Exchange. The results obtained revealed that the Outlier Modified GARCH-type models chosen were adequate and sufficiently reducing the value of excess kurtosis in close proximity to the theoretical value. Therefore, the modification of existing GARCH-type models by subtracting the effects of outliers seems to show a substantive improvement in the portion of excess kurtosis captured and thus proves that the Outlier Modified GARCH-type models make difference with the existing ones.


Application Platforms and related APIs are becoming the foundations for emerging eco-systems of online applications/services. End-users are more and more choosing devices and services based on the available offers in the respective eco-system. Attracting and retaining application developers and end-users to a networked platform is nowadays more and more depending on the features available to developers in the form of APIs and (e.g. cloud-based) execution environments rather than on the actual portfolio of services. The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Next Generation Service Interfaces (NGSI) is one cornerstone of evolving a network operator towards an application platform provider with open APIs. Within NGSI, the Context API enables access to a plethora of rich information about users, places, events, and things - all made available by or brokered through the network operator. This paper explains the OMA NGSI Context API and its rationale, describes the operations, and discusses typical use cases and benefits it can bring to operators and application developers.


Effectively mapping tasks of High Performance Computing (HPC) applications on parallel systems is crucial to assure substantial performance gains. As platforms and applications grow, load imbalance becomes a priority issue. Even though centralized rescheduling has been a viable solution to mitigate this problem, its efficiency is not able to keep up with the increasing size of shared memory platforms. To efficiently solve load imbalance today, and in the years to come, we should prioritize decentralized strategies developed for large scale platforms. In this paper, we propose our Batch Task Migration approach to improve decentralized global rescheduling, ultimately reducing communication costs and preserving task locality. We implemented and evaluated our approach in two different parallel platforms, using both synthetic workloads and a molecular dynamics (MD) benchmark. Our solution was able to achieve speedups of up to 3.75 and 1.15 on rescheduling time, when compared to other centralized and distributed approaches, respectively. Moreover, it improved the execution time of MD by factors up to 1.34 and 1.22 when compared to a scenario without load balancing on two different platforms.


In this study, 208 young adults completed questionnaires measuring their perceptions of and responses to their favorite fictional television characters, both male and female. Measures included perceived attitude similarity, perceived character attributes (smart, successful, attractive, funny, violent, admired), and wishful identification with the characters. Wishful identification was defined as the desire to be like or act like the character. Respondents reported greater wishful identification with same-gender characters and with characters who seemed more similar in attitudes. Both men and women identified more strongly with successful and admired characters of the other gender, but they differed in the attributes that predicted their wishful identification with same-gender characters. Men identified with male characters whom they perceived as successful, intelligent, and violent, whereas women identified with female characters whom they perceived as successful, intelligent, attractive, and admired. Humor was the only attribute that was not related to wishful identification. Interpretations of the findings, and implications for understanding the social impact of television, are discussed.


Aims: This study aimed to determine the effect of newly introduced 0.020" slot size brackets on dimensional positions and space closure ratio of mandibular canine. Material and Methods: The study includes six groups according to slot sizes (0.018", 0.020" and 0.022") and materials of canine retraction (elastomeric power chain and closed coil spring). A 200 gm of retraction force was used on 0.017" X 0.025" stainless steel wire ligated to brackets by elastomeric ligatures along 13 mm available space. After immersion of the typodont in water bath with (50-55) C for 5 minutes, the rate of space closure were measured in millimeter using vernier (from the distal wings of canine bracket and the mesial wings of the second premolar), In both vertical and horizontal directions, digital images were taken by camera and the angle between canine extension bar )C B) and bite plane extension bar (BPB) was measured by protractor to determine tipping and rotation. Results: The results showed that 0.022" slot bracket groups had highest amount of rate of space closure tipping and rotation, while 0.020" slot brackets groups had higher space closure rate than 0.018" slot brackets groups. Conclusions: bracket slot 0.022" groups showed higher tipping, rotation and space closure rate, while 0.020" slot brackets groups had higher rate of space closure with same or better rotation and tipping control in comparison with 0.018" slot bracket groups.


This article focuses on my own practice and experience of teaching in the performing arts to examine how reflection could be used as a tool for facilitating learning in a way that does not construct practice and theory as distinct or opposing binaries. In it I argue that the superficial nature of the boundary between practice and theory often traps creative and performing arts students in a mindset that militates against critical and analytic writing as they struggle to make connections between their studio practice and wider theoretical contexts. Consequently, the article draws primarily on Maziar Raein's argument for a 'cohesive framework for knowledge' that recognizes the inter-relatedness of theory and practice in knowledge formation to argue that practice and theory operate along a continuum of knowledge. The article equally considers Paul Kleiman's argument about the centrality of the creative process in bridging the perceived gap between practice and theory within the creative and performing arts. Finally, I discuss the use of 'reflective breaks' in my teaching on the performing arts programme at Swansea Metropolitan University as a way of deconstructing the artificial boundaries between practice and theory.


Shortening lifecycles and increasing complexity make product and production lifecycle processes more challenging than ever for manufacturing enterprises. Virtual Prototyping (VP) technologies promise a viable solution to handle such challenges in reducing time and physical builds as well as increasing quality. In previous studies, the Digital Twin (DT) based Virtual Factory (VF) concept showed significant potential to handle co-evolution by integrating 3D factory and product models with immersive and interactive 3D Virtual Reality (VR) simulation technology as well as real-time bidirectional data synchronisation between virtual and physical production systems. In this article, we present an extension to the paper "Demonstrating and Evaluating the Digital Twin Based Virtual Factory for Virtual Prototyping" presented at CARV2021. The study presents an evaluation by industry experts of the DT based VF concept for VP in the context of New Product Introduction (NPI) processes. The concept is demonstrated in two cases: wind turbine blade manufacturing and nacelle assembly operations at Vestas Wind Systems A/S. The study shows that the VF provides an immersive virtual environment, which allows the users to reduce the time needed for prototyping. The industry experts propose several business cases for the introduced solution and find that the phases that would have the most gain are the later ones (production) where the product design is more mature.


In fall of 2007, a survey was administered to the membership of the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) to evaluate member perspectives on scholarly standards as they relate to the International Journal of Construction Education and Research ("Journal"). The objectives of this study were to 1) survey respondent understanding of Journal aims and scope, 2) assess respondent interpretations of scholarly work, and 3) survey respondent attitudes on the overall effectiveness of the Journal submission and peer-review process. Of 106 respondents, 74% had previously published or reviewed for the Journal. While 65% of respondents indicated that the aim of the Journal was to publish scholarly works in both construction education and research, respondents were near equally divided on whether non-original research constitutes scholarly work. Respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Journal topics (87%), title (93%), and assessment criteria (83%) were appropriate. Ninety-four percent of peer reviewers felt the Journal review process was timely and efficient, compared with 78% of authors. Only 66% of authors felt peer reviewers had the knowledge necessary to effectively review their manuscripts. More than three in four (76%) reviewers stated that they relied more on their own intuition than Journal guidelines when conducting peer reviews. Of all respondents, two-thirds (66%) consider the Journal to be a "top tier" publication.


In this paper, the pre-tightening force on piezoelectric multi-dimensional force sensor is researched. Structure of multi-dimensional force sensor and piezoelectric quartz crystals are introduced and analyzed. The relationship between pre-tightening force and measuring range of force sensor is researched. Structural model of multi-dimensional force sensor is built and analyzed by FEM. Horizontal linearity in horizontal direction with different preloads is obtained. In order to verify FEM analysis, a reduced prototype of piezoelectric multi-dimensional force sensor is fabricated. Verification test is designed and made. The research will provide certain reference value for development of piezoelectric multi-dimensional force sensor.


: Magnetic resonance tomographic findings and clinical symptoms were compared by using the results of 596 studies. The clinical diagnoses and types of Arnold-Chiari's anomaly, which were revealed by magnetic resonance tomography as groups I, II, and III were also evaluated. A contribution of fluid dynamic disorders, including intracranial hypertension and hydrocephalus, was assessed. No relationship was found between the clinical manifestations and the ascending degree of cerebellar tonsils. The combination of Arnold-Chiari's anomaly with syringomyelia and osteochondrosis and a role of magnetic resonance tomography in the identification of the anomaly for correct choice of therapy in spinal pathology were shown. It was concluded that magnetic resonance tomography should be used in all cases of spinal diseases or suspected diseases of the craniospinal transition.