The article, based on the analysis of the Internet sites giving information on halal restaurant services in Kazan, statistical and other sources, presents an estimation of their advertising. The comparative analysis is carried out of cafes' and restaurants' advertisements in seven Russian cities, the conclusion is made about the leading role of Kazan in the studied segment of the growing halal market by its saturation with this kind of services. Based on the estimation of certification agencies' activity for compliance with the "Halal" standard, the general and specific features of certification systems are included of the regions where the studied cities are located. The specific features include different extent of the state participation in the certification procedure. Recommendations have been elaborated. The administrators of the Internet sites giving information on halal cafes and restaurants should maximally control its reliability. Efforts should be made to certify producers for compliance of their services with the "Halal" standard, and to advertise the certified restaurant business entities. It is appropriate to disseminate the experience of the Republic of Tatarstan in joint certification by a specialised division of a centralised Muslim organisation and an authorised state agency.


Heterogeneous photocatalysts have recently been widely applied in selective organic synthesis due to their eco-friendliness, sustainable energy and facile recycling. However, unsatisfactory conversion and product selectivity present challenges when deriving extensive strategies for developing high-efficiency photocatalysts. This review enumerates recent achievements related to heterogeneous photocatalysts in organic synthesis, including the selective oxidation of alcohols, hydrocarbons, and amines and the selective reduction of nitro compounds; it also discusses the roles of various active species. Herein, a concept is proposed that the performance of these catalysts is directly determined by the degrees of participation of various photo-induced active species, which can be selectively controlled by modifying the compositions, crystalline structures, electronic structures and surface structures of the photocatalysts. We wish to offer readers inspiring comprehension and enlightenment with general applicability for better understanding these modification strategies and guiding future investigations.


This paper describes an experiment to build a space for affect within school. Through artistic activities, such space permits to deal with losses and share secrets, dreams, and desires. This locus thus allows the construction of a sensible look on each one's story and on collective memories. The dynamics within our proposal expresses a dimension of the current view on art education as an acting space combining objective and subjective aspects of our work with students. This interplay in the art classes focused here allowed to weave participants' stories into the threads of the aesthetic experience, interlacing references of African and Native cultures with the tradition of local embroiderers, who weave their stories with threads and cloths. The composition of all these elements created a shelter for individualities, for each one's subjectivity, for our hidden treasures, in our school.


An exploration of sociological research that is neither "detached" nor "engaged"; a new approach to sociological knowledge production, with examples from health care. In this book, Teun Zuiderent-Jerak considers how the direct involvement of social scientists in the practices they study can lead to the production of sociological knowledge. Neither "detached" sociological scholarship nor "engaged" social science, this new approach to sociological research brings together two activities often viewed as belonging to different realms: intervening in practices and furthering scholarly understanding of them. Just as the natural sciences benefited from broadening their scholarship from theorizing to experiment, so too could the social sciences. Additionally, Zuiderent-Jerak points out, rather than proceeding from a pre-set normative agenda, scholarly intervention allows for the experimental production of normativity. Scholars are far from detached, but still may be surprised by the normative outcomes of the interactions within the experiment. Zuiderent-Jerak illustrates situated intervention research with a series of examples drawn from health care. Among the topics addressed are patient compliance in hemophilia home care, the organization of oncology care and the value of situated standardization, the relationship between standardization and patient centeredness, the development of patient-centered pathways, value-driven and savings-driven approaches to the construction of health care markets, and multiple ontologies of safety in care for older adults. Finally, returning to the question of normativity in sociological research, Zuiderent-Jerak proposes an ethics of specificity according to which research adapts its sociological responses to the practices studied. Sociology not only has more to offer to the practices it studies; it also has more to learn from them.


The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between strategic orientation and organizational ambidexterity practices of mobile communication firms in Port Harcourt. One research question was asked deemed very important and one hypothesis was also tested. A sample size of 112 was used from a population of 162 employees which consisted of 4 top level managers, 37 middle level managers and 121 supervisors in the regional offices of four mobile communication firms in Port Harcourt. A cross-sectional survey technique was adopted, questionnaire distributed and data generated were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Result revealed that strategic orientation has significant relationship with organisational ambidexterity. It was therefore recommended that strategic orientation of the firms should be predicted on the dynamics of market competitiveness and the environment to effectively influence organizational ambidexterity.


One eye of each of 27 patients suffering from preproliferative diabetic changes in the periphery of the retina was treated by panretinal photocoagulation; in the fellow eye photocoagulation was only performed in the peripheral zones of the fundus. Follow-up observations over an average period of 1.5 years showed a centripetal progression of capillary obliterations in only 5 eyes after peripheral photocoagulation and a less pronounced tendency to development of a diabetic maculopathy as compared to eyes treated by panretinal photocoagulation.


Background Uncertainty about the origin of symptoms is a frequent challenge faced by health professionals working in general practice. This uncertainty is caused by a complex interaction of factors related to the use and interpretation of diagnostic information triggering overdiagnosis and subsequently overprescription of antibiotics. Unnecessary use of antibiotics is the main driver for development of antimicrobial resistance; hence it is crucial to identify and understand the determinants for overdiagnosis if we are to curb the overprescription of antibiotics in patients seeking care in general practice. Aim To facilitate discussion and advance understanding of the determinants for overdiagnosis in patients seeking care in general practice with suspected respiratory and urinary tract infection. Methodology The didactic methods used in the workshop will be Case-based learning and the fish bowl technique to promote discussion and gradual participation of all attendees. Program: Lecture: Welcome and explanation of key concepts of the diagnostic process in respiratory and urinary tract infections in general practice – 15 min. Clinical cases: this part will be divided into three sessions, in which a clinical case is presented, afterwards the fish–bowl technique is used to facilitate discussion – 60 min. Two moderators will guide the discussion to secure that at least the following three key question are debated for each case: What are the determinants of overdiagnosis or misdiagnosis in this case? Can we find a solution? Which knowledge is missing in order to find a solution to reduce overdiagnosis and the subsequent overtreatment? Cases: Diagnosis of urinary tract infections in the elderly Diagnosis of acute lower respiratory tract infections Diagnosis of sore throat as the main motive of consultation Plenary: Summary and final discussion – 15 min. Outcome After this workshop the participants will be able to identify: The challenges of the diagnostic process in the most common infectious diseases managed in general practice. The drivers for overdiagnosis and subsequent overtreatment. The potential solutions for reducing overdiagnosis.


The free-surface flow past a semi-infinite horizontal plate in a finite-depth fluid is considered. It is assumed that the fluid is incompressible and inviscid and that the flow approaches a uniform shear flow downstream. Exact relations are derived using conservation of mass and momentum for the case where the downstream free surface is flat. The complete nonlinear problem is solved numerically using a boundary-integral method and these waveless solutions are shown to exist only when the height of the plate above the bottom is greater than the height of the uniform shear flow. Interesting results are found for various values of the constant vorticity. Solutions with downstream surface waves are also considered, and nonlinear results of this type are compared with linear results found previously. These solutions can be used to model the flow near the stern of a (two-dimensional) ship.


The aim of this study is to shed light on the movements of the mark-up rate for the case of Turkey following trade liberalization. For this purpose, first the relationship between labor and non-labor costs that lies behind the movements of the mark-up rates is analyzed, and second, the effect of trade liberalization on mark-up rates is tested. The trade-off between labor and non-labor costs is analyzed based on a model, which assumes that prices are set by a mark-up over average variable costs. The paper also tests the effect of international trade on the mark-up rate and the effect of the exchange rate via its effect on competitiveness and input costs using the panel data for the sub-sectors of private manufacturing industry. The most striking result of this analysis is the absence of any strong link between foreign trade and mark-up rates.


THO/TREX complex plays an important role in transcriptional elongation, mRNA processing, nuclear RNA export, and genome stability. A fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, SPBC577.04 gene encoding the ortholog of THOC5, a component of THO/TREX complex, was identified and characterized. The S. pombe thoc5 (spthoc5) is not essential for both growth and mRNA export, but deletion of the spthoc5 gene caused growth defect and slight accumulation of poly(A)+ RNA in the nucleus. And the functional spThoc5-GFP protein is localized mainly in the nucleus. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis showed that the Hpr1(THOC1) protein, an evolutionally well-conserved component of THO/TREX complex, interacted with spThoc5 as well as Tho2(THOC2), another subunit of THO complex. These results suggest that S. pombe Thoc5 as a component of THO/TREX complex is also involved in mRNA export from the nucleus.


Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) after stroke is a national priority. AF-related strokes typically cost twice as much to manage as non-AF related strokes (Miller et al, 2005). If diagnosed with AF, further stroke can be reduced by 60% by taking medications such as anticoagulants. Because AF can be paroxysmal- that is the heart can go in and out of AF- it is not always detected during hospitalisation for stroke. If there is a reasonable suspicion that stroke may have resulted from undetected AF, guidelines recommend screening with a Holter monitor - an ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) applied in a hospital clinic for 72 hours. A 'Test of Change' within one local hospital in Scotland (NHS Lanarkshire) was conducted during 2019 where a new managed service involving devices (applied to n=64 patients) were considered for AF screening that would allow for up to 14 days of continuous monitoring in the home setting. This new technology enabled service also included reporting conducted by the company providing the service as a proposed alternative to clinicians inside the NHS doing all the report reading and analysis. Clinicians and other key implementers involved in the planning, set up, delivery, and evaluation of this service innovation were interviewed throughout the project to gather qualitative data on the potential barriers and facilitators to this type of service working longer term locally for them and or potentially scaling nationally. Patient experience was also captured through interviews with a sample of patients who received the new service (8/64; 12.5%) to capture acceptability of the new device and resulting service within this NHS setting. Findings revealed that patients found the new monitoring device acceptable. Stroke clinicians and nurses invested additional time in training (4 half days) to use the software, apply the devices and in home-visits to apply devices but also highly valued the availability of 14 days of continuous data. For further adoption of this type of service, it is critical to explore whether clinicians would adopt a system or service that produces the reports for them or whether they would prefer to have the reports generated by NHS staff (trust and control versus cost and capacity for reporting). It is anticipated that this report will benefit policy makers in government, operational managers, clinical leads, service managers and digital and IT managers and leads and many others by providing key barriers and facilitators and therefore a realistic checklist of what must be considered in planning for implementation of new technology enabled services to monitor for intermittent AF within a care pathway.


NEUROSCIENCE
It has been thought that the relevant code the brain uses to store and process information is the rate at which neurons fire action potentials, or spike. Recently, this idea has been challenged by suggestions that information also may be encoded in the synchronous discharge of assemblies of neurons. Baker et al. simultaneously recorded action potential trains from a large number of neurons in the primate motor cortex during a complex movement task that required precise finger coordination interspersed with hold periods. Using the novel statistical technique of time-resolved cross-correlation, they could distinguish genuine changes in synchronization from others that arose from simple co-activation of neurons during the task. They found that synchrony among neurons was maximal during the hold period of the task and that synchrony between trains of action potentials had both oscillatory and nonoscillatory components. Thus, synchrony on a moderate timescale (10 milliseconds) may offer an important mechanism for motor control. — PRS

J. Neurophysiol. 85 , 869 (2001).


A clinical and entomological investigation was performed to identify flavivirus infections in humans and mosquitoes in impoverished areas of Guerrero, a coastal state in southwestern Mexico. A total of 639 patients with acute febrile illness and 830 resting female mosquitoes in low-income communities of Guerrero in 2019 were tested for evidence of flavivirus infection. Sera were collected from all patients and screened at a dilution of 1:20 by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) using dengue virus (DENV)2. A total of 431 (67.4%) patients were seropositive. Sera from a subset of seropositive patients (n = 263) were tested for flavivirus NS1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Forty-eight (18.3%) sera contained viral antigen. All NS1-positive sera were titrated and further tested by PRNT using DENV-1 to -4, St. Louis encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, and Zika virus (ZIKV). Seven patients were seropositive for DENV-1, five patients were seropositive for DENV-2, one patient was seropositive for DENV-3, and two patients each were seropositive for DENV-4 and ZIKV. The remainder had secondary flavivirus infections or antibodies to an undetermined flavivirus. Comparative PRNTs were also performed on 60 randomly selected NS1-negative sera, identifying patients seropositive for DENV-2, DENV-3, and ZIKV. The entomological investigation yielded 736 Aedes aegypti and 94 Culex quinquefasciatus that were sorted into 183 pools and 20 pools, respectively. Mosquitoes were assayed for flavivirus RNA by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. DENV-2 RNA was detected in three pools of A. aegypti. In summary, we provide evidence for the concurrent circulation of all four DENVs and ZIKV in Guerrero, Mexico. The public health authorities reported no cases of DENV-3, DENV-4, and ZIKV in Guerrero in 2019 and thus, we provide evidence of under-reporting in the region.


To the Editor:— I wish to call attention to a problem in having blood available for elective operations. In most elective operations of our experience, blood needs are determined at least a few days before the patient goes to the operating room. In most cases, the determination of the patient's blood group is not made until the afternoon before the scheduled operation and then stat orders are sent to the blood bank for the required number of blood units of the patient's specific blood group. In cases of a rare blood group, in some instances it is necessary to postpone operations because blood of that specific group was not available. This problem could be greatly minimized if the blood bank were given notice by the surgeon at least two days prior to the date of operation. The procurement of a sufficient amount of the specific group is one of the


YBa2Cu3O7-δ coatings were deposited by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) onto Ni substrates. Particles of different sizes and shapes were used in order to study the influence of the powder microstructure on the film density. Texturation of the thick films was induced by application of a magnetic field during the electrophoretic deposition. X-ray diffraction analysis has clearly shown preferred c-axis alignment of the YBa2Cu3O7-δ films along the direction normal to the substrate surface. Scanning electron microscopy and optical polarised light microscopy were used to characterise the microstructure of the coatings, revealing a nonrandom platelets organisation.


The EvA study is a European Union-funded project under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which aims at defining new markers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its subtypes. The acronym is derived from emphysema versus airway disease, indicating that the project targets these two main phenotypes of the disease. The EvA study is based on the concept that emphysema and airway disease are governed by different pathophysiological processes, are driven by different genes and have differential gene expression in the lung. To define these genes, patients and non-COPD controls are recruited for clinical examination, lung function analysis and computed tomography (CT) of the lung. CT scans are used to define the phenotypes based on lung density and airway wall thickness. This is followed by bronchoscopy in order to obtain samples from the airways and the alveoli. These tissue samples, along with blood samples, are then subjected to genome-wide expression and association analysis and markers linked to the phenotypes are identified. The population of the EvA study is different from other COPD study populations, since patients with current oral glucocorticoids, antibiotics and exacerbations or current smokers are excluded, such that the signals detected in the molecular analysis are due to the distinct inflammatory process of emphysema and airway disease in COPD.


ABSTRACT Acute isolated optic neuritis can be the initial presentation of demyelinating inflammatory central nervous system disease related to multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica (NMO) or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOG-AD). In addition to the well-characterized brain and spinal cord imaging features, important and characteristic differences in the radiologic appearance of the optic nerves in these disorders are being described, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the optic nerves is becoming an essential tool in the differential diagnosis of optic neuritis. Whereas typical demyelinating optic neuritis is a relatively mild and self-limited disease, atypical optic neuritis in NMO and MOG-AD is potentially much more vision-threatening and merits a different treatment approach. Thus, differentiation based on MRI features may be particularly important during the first attack of optic neuritis, when antibody status is not yet known. This review discusses the optic nerve imaging in the major demyelinating disorders with an emphasis on clinically relevant differences that can help clinicians assess and manage these important neuro-ophthalmic disorders. It also reviews the utility of optic nerve MRI as a prognostic indicator in acute optic neuritis.


The recently-developed synthetic pyrethroid insecticides appear to have a potential for widespread use in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Thus, their persistence and movement under field conditions should be evaluated to identify any possible environmental hazards. Permethrin (3-phenoxybenzyl [±]-cis, trans-3-[2,2-dichlorovinyl]-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate) (1:1 cis/trans) was applied to cotton at a rate of 0.112 kg/ha on 10 separate dates each year in August and September of 1976 and 1977. Concentration measurements of the cis and trans isomers on cotton plants and leaf litter, and in soil and runoff (sediment + water) indicated that permethrin disappeared about 3–6 months after the last application, confirming permethrin's relatively short persistence compared with organochlorine insecticides. The ratios of the cis and trans isomers of permethrin on plants and leaf litter were near unity, but the concentration of the cis isomer usually was greater than the trans isomer in soil. Under a wide range of rainfall and runoff conditions, permethrin concentrations and losses in runoff were low. In 1976, concentrations in runoff did not exceed 0.20 ppb and the total amount recovered in runoff (water + sediment) was <0.01% of the amount applied. In 1977, an abnormally high rainfall year, concentrations in runoff were generally < 1 ppb, and the total amount recovered in runoff (water + sediment) was < 1% of that applied. Thus, even under severe runoff conditions permethrin concentrations generally were not great enough to be harmful to aquatic species.


Linear modulation techniques (LMTs) of an asymmetrical six-phase machine (ASPM) with two isolated neutral points synthesize the desired voltage vectors by applying at least five switching states. Different choices of applied voltage vectors, sequences in which they are used, distribution of dwell-times among the redundant switching states give rise to a large number of possible LMTs. It is desirable that these LMTs avoid more than two transitions of a particular inverter leg within a carrier period. Only a subset of existing LMTs of ASPM follows this rule. Through an innovative approach, this article finds a way to account for all possible infinitely many LMTs that follow the rule of at most two transitions per leg. Another important criterion for the selection of an LMT is its current-ripple performance. Therefore, through numerical optimization, this article finds optimal LMTs among the above infinite possible LMTs for all reference voltage vectors in the linear range and for the whole feasible range of a machine parameter. This parameter is related to the leakage inductance of the machine and impacts the current ripple performance of ASPM. An optimal hybrid strategy is proposed with these optimal techniques, which outperforms all existing techniques in terms of the current ripple. The theoretical analysis is validated through simulation in MATLAB and experiments performed up to 3.5 kW on a hardware prototype.


Although the simulation and gaming techniques presented here are aimed at the public school teacher, the concepts and many of the techniques are relevant to the adult educator. The need for, and the advantages of, this new technique are discussed, and various types of simulation are described and analyzed. The authors discuss computer use to add flexibility, rapid calculation, and assessment for complex situations.


Electroporation is the creation of transient pores in a membrane by the application of an external electric field. When using microelectrodes, which can be used to electroporate single-cells, for applying an electric field to the cell, there is a question of how much voltage to apply. Unlike in bulk electroporation where hundreds of volts may be applied between electrodes, a rather small voltage is applied to a microelectrode in single-cell electroporation. In the single-cell experiment with microelectrodes, a substantial fraction of the voltage does not exist in solution because it is lost at the microelectrode/solution interface. This problem is the same as the classical electrochemist's problem of knowing the 'iR' drop in solution and correcting for it to obtain true interfacial potential differences. Therefore, we have used current interruption experiments to determine the iR drop in solution near microelectrodes. Because the electric field produced by microelectrodes is inhomogeneous, computer simulations were preformed to understand the electric field distribution. Results of the current interruption are validated by comparing two independent measurements of the resistance in solution: one value results from the measured iR drop in conjunction with the known applied current. The other value results from a measured solution conductivity and a computer simulated cell constant. This paper shows how to calculate the approximate current required to electroporate a cell with a microelectrode of a particular size, shape and distance from the cell. Carbon fiber microelectrodes were used to electroporate single A549 cells using the current calculated.


The well-known Jeans criterion describes the onset of instabilities in an infinite, homogeneous, self-gravitating medium supported by pressure. Most realistic astrophysical systems, however, are not isolated - instead they are under the influence of an external field such as the tidal field due to a neighbour. Here, we do a linear perturbation analysis for a system in an external field and obtain a generalized dispersion relation that depends on the wavenumber, the sound speed and also the magnitude of the tidal field. A typical, disruptive tidal field is shown to make the system more stable against perturbations, and results in a higher effective Jeans wavelength. The minimum mass that can become unstable is then higher (super-Jeans) than the usual Jeans mass. Conversely, in a compressive tidal field, perturbations can grow even when the mass is lower (sub-Jeans). This approach involving the inclusion of tidal field opens up a new way of looking at instabilities in gravitating systems. The treatment is general and the simple analytical form of the modified Jeans criterion obtained makes it easily accessible.


Background and Objectives To determine risk factors associated with clinical relapses and development of chronic epilepsy in patients with anti–leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) immunoglobulin G encephalitis. Methods Patients with seizures related to LGI1-antibody encephalitis with ≥24 months of follow-up from disease onset were identified in the Mayo Clinic electronic medical record and neuroimmunology laboratory records. Charts were reviewed to determine clinical factors, seizure types, imaging, treatment, occurrence of relapse, and outcome. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of the development of chronic epilepsy. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the influence of baseline characteristics on relapse risk. Results Forty-nine patients with LGI1-antibody encephalitis and acute symptomatic seizures were identified. Almost all patients (n = 48, 98%) were treated with immunotherapy. Eight had definite and 2 had possible chronic epilepsy at the last follow-up (10 of 49, 20.4%). Female sex (p = 0.048) and younger age at disease onset (p = 0.02) were associated with development of chronic epilepsy. Relapses occurred in 20 (40.8%), with a median time to first relapse of 7.5 months (range 3–94 months). Initial treatment with long-term steroid-sparing immunotherapy was associated with reduced risk of relapse (hazard ratio 0.28, 95% confidence interval 0.11–0.73, p = 0.009). Discussion Chronic epilepsy occurred in 20.4% of our patients with LGI1-antibody encephalitis despite aggressive immunotherapy. Risk factors for chronic epilepsy were female sex and earlier age at onset. Relapses occurred in 40.8% of patients with prolonged follow-up, and long-term steroid-sparing immunotherapy was associated with a lower relapse rate.


The ubiquitous bacterium P. aeruginosa is an important human pathogen that causes devastating infections in immunocompromised patients and chronic infections in cystic fibrosis patients. The ability of P. aeruginosa to cause such debilitating infections is in part due to its three known cell-to-cell signals. The Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone) is one of these intercellular signals and is required for virulence in multiple models of infection. The pathway needed for biosynthesis of PQS is also responsible for the production of at least 56 other 4-quinolone molecules. The synthesis of PQS as well as the other 4-quinolone molecules requires the condensation of anthranilate and a β-keto fatty acid. The precursor anthranilate is an important branch point molecule as it can be converted into PQS (or other metabolites) used for tryptophan synthesis or catabolized as a carbon and nitrogen source. In P. aeruginosa anthranilate is synthesized by either the breakdown of tryptophan through the kynurenine pathway or the conversion of chorismate via one of the two anthranilate synthases TrpEG and PhnAB. The kynurenine pathway and the secondary anthranilate synthase PhnAB have been shown to provide anthranilate for the production of PQS. Our laboratory previously showed that the kynurenine pathway is the main source of anthranilate for PQS production in the presence of tryptophan while PhnAB provides anthranilate under nutrient limiting conditions. In this work we aimed to gain a better understanding of the regulation of each of these metabolic routes to anthranilate. We described the transcriptional regulator KynR that is responsible for the upregulation of the kynurenine pathway genes in the presence of kynurenine. We also discovered that a single nucleotide change at nucleotide 1041 in pqsC resulted in a new transcript and the upregulation of pqsD pqsE and phnAB transcripts. This work provides insight into the regulation of anthranilate synthesis and the production of PQS.


The impacts produced by cavitation bubble collapses can be used for surface modification to improve fatigue strength in stead of shot peeing. The cavitation impacts also improve corrosion resistance. In case of cavitation around a high-speed submerged water jet, i.e., a cavitating jet, the cavitating region and cavitation intensity can be controlled by hydraulic parameters such as upstream-and downstream-pressure of a nozzle. It can be said that a cavitating jet is very useful for practical application. In the present paper, examples of the surface modification such as the improvement of the fatigue strength and corrosion resistance by using a cavitating jet were shown, including the explanation of a cavitating jet flow.


In this research carbothermal reduction of mechanical activated hematite (Fe2O3), anatase (TiO2) and graphite (C) mixture was investigated. Mixture of raw materials with composition of Fe-20vol%TiC was mechanically activated in a planetary ball mill with different milling time (0h-60h) in argon atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed the intensity of Fe2O3 reduced with milling time. The activated powders were pressed using cold pressing under a constant pressure (100MPa) and heat treated at 1100°C for sintering in a vacuum furnace. The increase in milling time resulted in the formation of iron (Fe) and titanium carbide (TiC) phase as confirmed by XRD result.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the survival of implants and abutments and the incidence of mechanical complications of single posterior implant-supported restorations using prefabricated titanium abutments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This retrospective clinical study analyzed 172 Astra Tech OsseoSpeed internal hexagon implants (Dentsply Sirona) placed in 85 patients with a follow-up between January 2009 and January 2019. All implants were restored with prefabricated titanium abutments and cement-retained metal-ceramic crowns. The clinical outcomes recorded were implant and abutment survival rates and mechanical complications (abutment/implant fractures, screw loosening/fracture, decementation of the superstructure, veneer chipping/fractures) and were analyzed according to age, sex, implant length/diameter, bone graft, arch, implant position, parafunctional habit or dental status, and opposite arch. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to determine whether the distribution of time to event/failure differed based on implant position (premolar or molar), implant diameter, or abutment angulation.

RESULTS
During the observation period (mean: 108 months), implant and abutment cumulative survival rates were 97.7% and 98.3%, respectively, with no statistically significant differences between implant positions (molar/premolar), implant diameters (3.5 vs 4 mm), or abutment angles (straight vs 15 degrees). Of the 172 single posterior implant-supported restorations, 14 mechanical complications (8.2%) were recorded. In particular, 3 abutment fractures (1.7%), 2 screw loosenings (1.2%), 2 screw fractures (1.2%), 1 implant fracture (0.6%), 2 chipping/fractures of veneering materials (1.2%), and 4 decementations of the superstructure (2.3%) occurred.

CONCLUSION
The single posterior implant-supported restorations using prefabricated titanium abutments remain a clinically acceptable treatment in terms of prosthetic procedure and cost-effectiveness.


Abstract Coupled dual-beam focused ion beam electron microscopy (FIB-EM) has gained popularity across multiple disciplines over the past decade. Widely utilized as a stand-alone instrument for micromachining and metal or insulator deposition in numerous industries, the submicron-scale ion milling and cutting capabilities of FIB-EM systems have been well documented in the materials science literature. These capacities make FIB-EM a powerful tool for in situ, site-specific transmission electron microscopy (TEM) ultrathin foil preparation. Recent advancements in the field-emission guns (FEGs) of FIB-EM systems have provided spatial resolution comparable to that of many high-end scanning electron microscopes (SEM), thus providing enhanced imaging capacities with material deposition and material removal capabilities. More recently, FIB-EM preparation techniques have been applied to geological samples to characterize mineral inclusions, grain boundaries, and microfossils. Here, we demonstrate a novel method for analyzing three-dimensional (3-D) ultrastructures of microfossils using FIB-EM. Our method, FIB-EM nanotomography, consists of sequential ion milling, or cross sectioning, and concurrent SEM imaging. This technique with coupled dual-beam systems allows for real-time, 3-D ultrastructural analysis and compositional mapping with precise site selectivity and may provide new insights in fossil ultrastructures. Using the FIB-EM nanotomography method, we investigated herkomorphic and acanthomorphic acritarchs (organic-walled microfossils) extracted from the ≥999 Ma Mesoproterozoic Ruyang Group of North China. The 3-D characteristics of such important but controversial acritarch features as processes and vesicularly enclosed central bodies are described. Through these case studies, we demonstrate that FIB-EM nanotomography is a powerful and useful tool for investigating the three-dimensionality of microfossil ultra- and nanostructures.


Sn-filled and Fe-doped CoSb3 skutterudites were synthesized by encapsulated induction melting. A single δ-phase was obtained by subsequent annealing, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The as-solidified ingot consisted of mixed phases of -CoSb, -CoSb2, δ-CoSb3 and elemental Sb. The phases could be transformed by annealing, and the phases of the as-solidified ingot annealed at 773 K for 24 h transformed to δ-CoSb3. The temperature dependence of the Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity were examined from 300 K to 700 K. The positive Seebeck coefficient confirmed p-type conduction. The electrical resistivity increased with increasing temperature, which showed that the SnzCo3FeSb12 skutterudite is highly degenerate. The thermal conductivity was reduced by Sn-filling because the filler atoms acted as phonon scattering centers in the skutterudite lattice. The thermoelectric figure of merit was enhanced by Sn filling and its optimum composition was considered to be Sn0.3Co3FeSb12.


This paper aims to further the understanding about the relationship between work–life conflict and possible barriers to career progression due to the perception of anticipated work–life conflict, considering the unbounded nature of academic work through features such as its intensity, flexibility and perception of organizational support.,The model was tested using survey data from academics in a public university in the south of Spain. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses.,The results reveal that current work–life conflict, job intensity and perception of support have a direct effect on the anticipation of work–life conflict in the event of progression in academic careers. The flexibility that academics enjoy is not sufficient to prevent the expected conflict. Academics' age is relevant, but gender or having childcare responsibilities have no significant effect of the anticipation of conflict.,This study addresses the gap in the literature on anticipated work–life conflict, expanding the focus to nonfamily commitments in unbounded jobs such as academic posts. The authors are not aware of any other study that focuses on the anticipation of work–life conflict in the case of career advancement among current employees with professional experience or accurate knowledge of what job they will be doing instead of students. Work–life balance should not be restricted to women with caring responsibilities, as conflict is no longer only related to gender roles.,This paper not only explores existing work–life conflict but also empirically analyzes anticipated work–life conflict in unbounded careers such as academia. It represents a significant contribution in an underresearched field and may lead to future research in other settings.


The occurrence of disruptive innovations tends to challenge the fabric, structure and capability that define firms facing their threat. Prior research indicates that the capacity of a firm to restructure and reconfigure its resources to face/leverage such turbulent situations is dependent on how well it can orchestrate its capabilities. Although IT capability has been identified as one of the essential capability of today's organisations, managers as well as researchers are yet to uncover the dynamics through which an organisation's IT capability can be leveraged in disruptive innovation situations. This paper contributes to our understanding in this direction by conceptually exploring the different roles of an organisation's IT capabilitiy in disruptive innovation scenarios. The paper provides a synthesis of the current state of knowledge about both concepts and extends this to highlight the different dimensions through which prior IT capability research could contribute to our knowledge of disruptive innovations. We advance the theoretical concepts of "disrupt-ability and disruptability" as dual dimensions of IT capability in disruptive innovation scenarios, that underscore the capacity of an organization's IT capability to serve as an enabler, a sustainer or a barrier.


Fever with generalised lymphadenopathy is a common presentation in clinical practice. A degree of lymphadenopathy is frequently a characteristic of established systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but it is rarely the primary presenting feature. A 25-year-old man presented with night sweats, weight loss and generalised lymphadenopathy. A chest computed tomography scan confirmed the presence of mediastinal, hilar and axillary lymphadenopathy, with bilateral pleural effusions. The double stranded DNA antibody (anti-dsDNA) was absent. Subsequently, there was mild renal impairment and a renal biopsy showed lupus nephritis. Anti-dsDNA was positive using an alternative assay. Treatment with prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil led to considerable clinical improvement. Extensive lymphadenopathy as the first clinical manifestation of SLE is rare and this case also illustrates the variable results obtained from different anti-dsDNA antibody assays.


The objective of the paper is to present a method for structural damage presence detection from the time-varying modal parameters identified from the seismic response records in great earthquake. The time-domain system identification method RARX (Recursive Auto-Regression with exogenous variables) model is adopted to identify the time-varying parameters including modal frequencies and damping ratios from the seismic response data. Then the damage presence is detected from the change of parameters during earthquake. A 7-story reinforced concrete building, which had suffered moderate damage and recorded seismic response in Chi-Chi Earthquake, is used for the analysis. It is found that the damage presence can be determined from the decrease of the modal frequencies or the increase of damping ratios, and the time at which the building is damaged can also be detected from the time-varying modal frequencies. The results can be considered as the supplement materials for structural safety evaluation, structural damage investigation and related works.


Background and aims Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is one of the serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We will show a representative case of SLE to suggest that the delay in the initial treatment will bring aftereffects. Methods We described a 31-year-old Japanese female patient who was diagnosed with SLE at age 16 y/o. SLE has been treated with prednisone for 14 years. The patient with dysarthria, double vision and vertigo visited a nearby hospital. The first brain MRI scan revealed the absence of infarction. She received administration of intravenous immunoglobulin with a primary diagnosis of Fisher syndrome. One day later, she developed facial nerve palsy, truncal ataxia and lower-extremity weakness. The second brain MRI scan revealed the presence of pontine infarction and she was transferred to our hospital. Anti-Sm antibody and anti-ribosomal-P antibody in sera were positive. On the other hand, lupus anticoagulant and B2GPI cardiolipin antibody were negative. Anti-neuronal antibody in CSF was positive. For such occasions, the chief pathogenesis of this case is considered thrombosis of cerebral artery than CNS angiitis. Treatment was started with pulses of methylprednisolone and pulses of cyclophosphamide, followed by oral prednisone. Results After intensive medical therapy, dysarthria and facial nerve palsy were improved. However, double vision and truncal ataxia has remained. Conclusions If effective treatment has not been performed early like this case, it is likely to leave physical impairment. Although oculomotor disturbance is rare complication of SLE, SLE patients must be examined and treated considering that this complication will develop as a part of neuropsychiatric-SLE.


Sulfated titania (SO42-/TiO2) was prepared and used for catalytic fast pyrolysis of cellulose to produce levoglucosenone (LGO), a valuable anhydrosugar product. Analytical pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) technique was employed in this study to achieve the catalytic fast pyrolysis of cellulose and on-line analysis of the pyrolysis vapors. Experiments were performed to investigate the effects of several factors on the LGO production, i.e. pyrolysis temperature, cellulose/catalyst ratio, TiO2 crystal type, and pyrolysis time. The results indicated that the SO42-/TiO2 catalyst lowered the initial cellulose decomposition temperature and altered the pyrolytic product significantly. Levoglucosan (LG) was the most abundant product in the non-catalytic process, while levoglucosenone (LGO) was the major product in the catalytic process. The maximal LGO yield was obtained at the set pyrolysis temperature of 400 °C, while the highest LGO content was obtained at 350 °C, with the peak area% over 50%. In addition, the SO42-/TiO2 (anatase) was confirmed the best catalyst for the LGO production.


The motion equation of nonlinear flexural wave in large-deflection beam is derived from Hamilton's variational principle using the coupling of flexural deformation and midplane stretching as key source of nonlinearity and taking into account transverse, axial and rotary inertia effects. The system has homoclinic or heteroclinic orbit under certain conditions, the exact periodic solutions of nonlinear wave equation are obtained by means of Jacobi elliptic function expansion. The solitary wave solution and shock wave solution is given when the modulus of Jacobi elliptic function in the degenerate case. It is easily thought that the introduction of damping and external load can result in break of homoclinic (or heteroclinic) orbit and appearance of transverse homoclinic point. The threshold condition of the existence of transverse homoclinic point is given by help of Melnikov function. It shows that the system has chaos property under Smale horseshoe meaning.


Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chain related (MIC) molecules show homology with classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules, but they do not combine with beta2 microglobulin, do not bind peptide and are not expressed on normal circulating lymphocytes. In response to stress, MIC proteins are expressed on the cell surface of freshly isolated gastric epithelium, endothelial cells and fibroblasts and engage the activating natural killer cell receptor NKG2D, which is found on many cells within the immune system. Despite the highly polymorphic nature of MIC genes, only one polymorphic position has been identified that appears to affect the binding of NKG2D. Alleles with a methionine at codon 129 have a 10-50-fold greater capacity to complex NKG2D than alleles with a valine at this position. Renal and pancreatic grafts with evidence of both acute and chronic rejection have been shown to express MIC proteins, and anti-MIC antibodies have been identified in the serum of these patients. Some MIC molecules which are expressed by tumours appear to shed and solubilize in plasma. This soluble form of MIC engages cells expressing NKG2D, rendering them inactive, and impairs tumour cytolysis. Similarly, a protein encoded by human cytomegalovirus (CMV) prevents MICB surface expression and subsequent NKG2D interaction. Whereas the benefit of solid organ transplantation may be hindered by the expression of MIC molecules on grafts, tumours and viruses may take advantage of the expression of MIC molecules on transformed and virus-infected cells in order to evade this recognition pathway.


This is one in a series of papers being published by IISD's Global Connectivity team to inform and stimulate discussion and debate on the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICTs), the Internet and sustainability, surrounding the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 (Rio+20), the UN Internet Governance Forum in Baku in November 2012 and the International Telecommunication Union World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai in December 2012 (WCIT-12).


Approximately 40 km of late Pleistocene marine terrace exposures on the coasts of Oregon and Washington were surveyed for evidence of coseismic paleoliquefaction. Clastic dikes and sills and other fluidization features are reported from 25 localities that are screened for likely seismic origins of fluidization. At least 11 of the localities demonstrate erosional truncation and burial of the fluidization features, implying that corresponding paleoliquefaction was syndepositional with the marine highstands. Features interpreted to reflect strong shaking include cobble plumes (2 sites), lateral spreads (2 sites), and large clastic dikes at least 20 cm wide (10 sites). Inland from the coast, late Holocene deposits of the upper Columbia River valley (Portland to Bonneville) were surveyed for paleoliquefaction evidence that might correspond to the proposed A.D. 1700 Cascadia earthquake records reported for the lower Columbia River valley. About 1 km of cutbank exposures from eight islands was examined for evidence of late prehistoric and/or historic liquefaction in the upper Columbia River valley. All but one island locality showed evidence of small clastic dikes (generally 3-6 cm maximum width) in late prehistoric deposits but n.o apparent fluidization in surficial "historic" deposits. The age of the fluidization event(s) in the upper river valley is bounded by upper radiocarbon dates from two islands (250±70 and 260±50 RCYBP [radiocarbon years before present]) and by lower, dike-intruded "tephra" layers (41O±70 RCYBP). These fluidization features are tentatively correlated to paleoliquefaction in the lower Columbia River that has been attributed to the last Cascadia earthquake, circa A.D. 1700. Ifverified, these correlations would extend the known liquefaction from a Cascadia subductionzone earthquake to a distance of at least 150 km due east from the coast, along the Columbia River.


Faculty mentoring is relatively new in health sciences literature. Faculty mentors are considered to have multiple roles including being a supervisor, teacher, or a coach. Little or no attention to formal mentoring of faculty allows faculty to seek informal mentoring, creating a risk of unexpected outcome. There is dearth of literature with respect to formal mentoring programs from the subcontinent. Although, informal faculty mentoring has been in place but there is no standard faculty mentorship model to be followed at Aga Khan University Medical College (AKU-MC). An observational study was conducted in September 2021 at AKU MC with convenient sampling to share the perceptions of the AKU-MC faculty mentors in a faculty mentorship workshop so that further advanced level faculty development workshops could be planned in this area. Twenty-two faculty mentors participated to share their perspectives on the responsibilities of faculty mentor, faculty mentee and the institution to see faculty grow and to have a sustainable mentorship programme. Challenges faced by the faculty mentors during the process of mentorship were also discussed. Majority of the participants emphasized on the role of the faculty mentor to be supportive, guiding, reflective and formative (respond to the emotional needs, encourage, effective communication, know own limitations, observe, provide feedback). Faculty mentor role modeling, ability to maintain confidentiality, creating and maintaining mentor-mentee relationship, availability of framework of formal mentoring in an academic institution and opportunities within the academic setting to learn mentorship were the main challenges of being a faculty mentor. The process provided valuable training and education to the faculty for the development and strengthening of formal mentoring program. Faculty recommended that institutions should provide the opportunity for development of junior faculty mentors by organizing capacity building activities.


This overview of the intifada gives special attention to the intra-Palestinian dimension, notably the rise of the tanzim that preceded the uprising and, once the uprising began, the evolving inner dyna mics of the Fatah movement and the Palestinian Authority (PA) under the impact of the crushing Israeli assault, international pressures, and so on. The author shows how, as the intifada enters its third year, the national movement is essentially split into three wings——the PA leadership, the young and still emergent Fatah leadership, and the armed resistance led by Hamas and Fatah offshoots——all following mutually incompatible strategies. In the author's view, democratic elections, if allowed, could provide one way out of the impasse.


A cell viability assay was applied to measure bacterial enteric pathogens in a river in southern Ontario, Canada that is used as a source of drinking water. Pathogen concentrations were measured using both propidium monoazide (PMA)-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) without PMA pretreatment to compare viable and total (live and dead) cells. The pathogens evaluated were Salmonella enterica , thermophilic Campylobacter , and Escherichia coli O157:H7, and the suspected enteric pathogen Arcobacter butzleri was also investigated. Results showed that for all strains dead cells were detected in few river water samples, and the difference between total and viable cell concentrations for each pathogen group was always less than 0.5 log. A. butzleri was detected at concentrations 2–3 log higher than the other pathogens. S. enterica , Campylobacter , and E. coli O157:H7 were detected at low concentrations at one sample location and at higher concentrations at a second sampling location. Results from this study show qPCR with PMA pretreatment can provide reliable enumeration of viable pathogens in surface water, and that dead cells were rarely present in water used as a source for drinking water treatment.


The current work addresses cubic–quartic solitons to compensate for the low count of the chromatic dispersion that is one of the major hindrances of soliton transmission through optical fibers. Thus, the present paper handles the cubic–quartic version of the perturbed Fokas–Lenells equation that governs soliton communications across trans-oceanic and trans-continental distances. The model is also considered with the power-law form of nonlinear refractive index that is a sequel to the previously reported result. This is a tremendous advancement to the previously known result that was only with the Kerr-law form of nonlinear refractive index. The present paper mainly contributes by generalizing the Kerr law of nonlinearity to the power law of nonlinearity. The prior results therefore fall back as a special case to the results of this paper. The semi-inverse variational principle yields a bright 1-soliton solution that is imperative for the telecommunication engineers to carry out experimental investigation before the rubber meets the road. Hamiltonian perturbation terms are included that come with maximum intensity. The soliton amplitude–width relation is retrievable from a polynomial equation with arbitrary degree. The parameter constraints are also identified for the soliton to exist.


Humans are continuously exposed to hazardous chemicals in the environment. These chemicals or their electrophilic metabolites can form adducts with genomic DNA, which can lead to mutations and the initiation of cancer. The identification of DNA adducts is required for understanding exposure and the etiological role of a genotoxic chemical in cancer risk. The analytical chemist is confronted with a great challenge because the levels of DNA adducts generally occur at <1 adduct per 107 nucleotides, and the amount of tissue available for measurement is limited. Ion trap mass spectrometry has emerged as an important technique to screen for DNA adducts because of the high level sensitivity and selectivity, particularly when employing multi‐stage scanning (MSn). The product ion spectra provide rich structural information and corroborate the adduct identities even at trace levels in human tissues. Ion trap technology represents a significant advance in measuring DNA adducts in humans. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Global trends are shifting towards environmental friendly materials and manufacturing methods. Therefore, natural fiber applications are gaining traction globally. Silk, a natural protein fiber is one of the textile fibers that have recently received more attention due to the new frontiers brought about by technological advancement that has expanded the use of silk fiber beyond the conventional textile industry. The simple and versatile nature of silk fibroin process-ability has made silk appealing in wide range of applications. Silk is biocompatible, biodegradable, easy to functionalize and has excellent mechanical properties, in addition to optical transparency. This review chapter explores the use of silk in biomedical applications and healthcare textiles. Future trends in silk applications are also highlighted.


Abstract. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the anxiety, distress, and turnover intention (likelihood to leave their current job) of healthcare workers in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results reported that 21.7% healthcare workers in Peru experienced severe anxiety, whereas 26.1% of them experienced severe mental distress. A higher level of education related with a lower level of anxiety. Younger workers had a higher level of turnover intention than their older colleagues did. Healthcare workers in the private sector had a higher turnover intention than those in the public sector. Most importantly, people who were geographically far from Lima, the epicenter in Peru, during the outbreak experienced less anxiety and mental distress, corroborating the ripple effect and disconfirming the typhoon eye theory. However, the direction of these relationships can change depending on the type of institutions (public versus private) and the type of employees' contract (full time versus part time). Our research helps provide insights for clinical professionals in identifying the vulnerable groups to mental disorders in Peru. This is the first study to assess anxiety, mental distress, and turnover intention in healthcare workers in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability and death worldwide. Despite the importance of medical treatment, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. A critical factor of ischemic stroke is hypoxia, leading to hypoxia-induced spreading depression (HSD) in the affected brain tissue. HSD is characterized by strong cell depolarization and disrupted ion homeostasis, which shuts down neuronal function and can cause severe cell damage. Importantly, two DLG-MAGUKs (Discs large membrane-associated guanylate kinases), namely PSD-95 and PSD-93, have been implicated in NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated excitotoxicity processes contributing to stroke pathology. Both proteins are important players in the core organization of the postsynaptic density and exhibit opposing roles in experience-dependent synapse maturation during early development and in synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. The present study aimed at further investigating the role of PSD-95 and PSD-93 in synaptic transmission and excitotoxicity processes using a model of transient hypoxia in acute hippocampal slices of adult PSD-95 knockout (KO), PSD-93 KO and PSD-93/95 double knockout (DKO) mice.
The strength of basal synaptic transmission was substantially reduced in PSD-95 KO and PSD-93/95 DKO, but not in PSD-93 KO mice. Diminished synaptic function of PSD-95 KO mice is consistent with the previous finding that they maintain high levels of silent synapses into adulthood. Silent synapses lack functional AMPARs and therefore do not transmit at resting potential. Normally, such silent synapses undergo experience-dependent maturation into AMPAR-transmitting synapses during early development, thereby consolidating pre-existing wiring patterns. In contrast to PSD-95 KO, silent synapses in PSD-93 KO mice mature faster during development than in wildtype (WT) mice. Despite silent synapse number in younger DKO mice has been reported to be unchanged, the present results strongly indicate impaired excitatory transmission in adult DKO mice.
Differential effects of MAGUK KO were further seen in HSD. Importantly, the absence of PSD-95 provided protection against hypoxia-induced metabolic compromise of neuronal function. Indeed, PSD-95 KO mice exhibited reduced HSD effects as demonstrated by multiple parameters including delayed onset of HSD, attenuated change of intrinsic optical signals and improved recovery of synaptic function. By contrast, single KO of PSD-93 had no effect on the susceptibility to hypoxia. Interestingly, the protective effects in PSD-95 KO mice were consistently abolished by additional KO of PSD-93, except for improved synaptic recovery. Given its interaction with NMDARs, PSD-95 might couple the massive hypoxia-induced calcium influx to downstream signaling cascades involved in excitotoxicity processes such as toxic nitric oxide production. Toxic signal transduction mainly occurs at extrasynaptic sites involving GluN2B-containing NMDARs. Notably, further biochemical analysis of brain homogenates revealed an impaired switch from GluN2B- to GluN2A-NMDARs in PSD-95 KO mice, which normally occurs at synaptic sites during early development. Thus, silent synapses might mainly contain synaptic GluN2B-NMDARs, rather than extrasynaptic ones mediating excitotoxicity, therefore providing protection. Another important aspect of high silent synapse levels in PSD-95 KO mice is the increased potential for synaptic plasticity, maintaining the brain in a partly premature state. Since stroke is highly influenced by aging, which is associated with low silent synapse levels, increased levels of silent synapses may represent an important substrate for the reduced hypoxia-susceptibility in PSD-95 KO mice. Silent synapses provide opportunities of reorganization and refinement of neuronal networks and might therefore be particularly beneficial for synaptic recovery, which is consistent with the improved recovery in the absence of PSD-95.
Taken together, my data reveals that the KO of PSD-95 provides protection against hypoxia, which is likely due to high levels of silent synapses.


We are hopeful that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) will lead to powerful drug discovery platforms based on their ability to model disease at the cellular level and will serve as a reservoir of transplantable tissues for many diseases. Dr Mordwinkin and colleagues1 highlighted these aspects to assert that iPSC technology may reduce preclinical drug development times and more accurately predict efficacy and toxicity of novel or off-label therapeutic agents in human cardiomyocytes. However, iPSC-based technology is not the ideal platform for drug and toxicity screening or for the derivation of transplantable tissues.


Military and civilian agencies confront a number of challenges in harnessing the power of modern large-scale information networks. These challenges include the need to identify relevant information and exploit that information in the context of specific knowledge processing tasks. Our work in the SEMIOTIKS component of the UK Data and Information Fusion Defence Technology Centre (DIFDTC) research programme aims to support military and civilian agencies in leveraging the latent potential of large-scale information networks to enhance situation awareness and improve knowledge processing efficiency. The SEMIOTIKS system, described in this paper, comprises a number of technology components that support the user in a variety of knowledge-based activities. These include the discovery and organization of information resources; the extraction of task-relevant information using information harvesting and knowledge editing techniques; the retrieval, integration and transformation of domain-relevant knowledge using semantic query capabilities; the monitoring of large-scale information repositories for specific events and contingencies; and the use of semantic reasoning techniques to support domain-relevant decision-making. In addition to a technical description of SEMIOTIKS system components, this paper describes a demonstration scenario that highlights the way in which SEMIOTIKS technologies might be used to support advanced modes of information exploitation in multi-agency collaborative situations.


THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF GENDER AND OCCUPATION ON AGE DISCRIMINATION IN HIRING by Rachel Windsor Over the years, ageism in the workplace has become an important topic. However, it remains unclear whether and how gender and occupation relate to age discrimination in hiring decisions. The current study addresses this issue by investigating job suitability ratings and selection decisions by comparing two hypothetical job applicants who differ in age (younger vs. older) and gender (male vs. female) for two occupations (software engineer vs. nurse) in two industries (high-tech and healthcare). This study employed a 2 x 2 x 2 incomplete mixed-factorial design, in which age was a within-subjects factor, and gender and occupation were betweensubjects factors. A total of 309 adults participated in the study via Amazon MTurk, and the final sample consisted of 250 participants after data cleaning. Among several findings, the most important results were that when a younger man competed against an older woman as software engineer applicants, he was rated as more suitable for the position, selected more often for the job, and more likely to be hired as a full-time employee. Conversely, when a younger woman competed against an older man for a nursing position, she received more favorable ratings (i.e., job suitability, interpersonal skills, and hiring selections) than him. These results suggest that hiring decisions may be jointly determined by age, gender, and occupation. For example, older female job applicants may be discriminatory targets as software engineers, whereas older male job applicants may be discriminated against as nurses. Organizations should make an effort to reduce biases in hiring decision making.


Domain-Driven Solver (DDS) is a MATLAB-based software package for convex optimization problems in Domain-Driven form [Karimi and Tun\c{c}el, arXiv:1804.06925]. The current version of DDS accepts every combination of the following function/set constraints: (1) symmetric cones (LP, SOCP, and SDP); (2) quadratic constraints; (3) direct sums of an arbitrary collection of 2-dimensional convex sets defined as the epigraphs of univariate convex functions (including as special cases, geometric programming and entropy programming); (4) epigraph of a matrix norm (including as a special case, minimization of nuclear norm over a linear subspace); (5) epigraph of quantum entropy; and (6) constraints involving Hyperbolic polynomials. DDS is a practical implementation of the infeasible-start primal-dual algorithm designed and analyzed in [Karimi and Tun\c{c}el, arXiv:1804.06925]. This manuscript contains the installation method of DDS and the input format for different types of constraints. To help the users in using DDS, we include some examples to illustrate the coding. We also discuss some implementation details and techniques we used to improve the efficiency.


OBJECTIVE
To present nationally representative data on the lifetime prevalence and comorbidity of 8 specific drug use disorders, separately for abuse and dependence, and mood and anxiety disorders.

METHOD
Data come from a representative sample (N=43,093) of the United States civilian, noninstitutional population 18 years and older. Diagnoses of mood, anxiety, and drug use disorders were based upon face-to-face personal interviews using the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV Version (AUDADIS-IV).

RESULTS
Associations between specific mood and anxiety disorders and specific drug use disorders were virtually all positive and statistically significant (p<.05). In general, associations were greater for dependence than abuse, greater for mood than anxiety disorders, and in some instances stronger among women than men (p<.05). Large odds ratios also were observed for individuals with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders.

CONCLUSION
The comorbidity between specific mood and anxiety disorders and specific drug use disorders is pervasive in the U.S. population. Findings suggest that comorbid psychiatric disorders may increase the risk of greater involvement in more serious illicit drug use disorders and that the greater comorbidity between mood and anxiety and drug use disorders among women may reflect greater deviance and psychopathology among drug-using women than men. Findings also suggest that drug abuse prevention and intervention efforts should address other psychiatric conditions. Further, definitions of drug use disorder phenotypes should give careful consideration to other psychiatric conditions as meaningful characteristics of case heterogeneity.


The idea of a postmodern citizenship involves complex political framework, which includes a wide range of social relations and subject positions, and it poses a challenge to participatory democracy and current understanding of political activism, as well as the understanding of the public sphere. Postmodern citizenship involves a nexus of responsibilities and duties of citizens, responding to various challenges, regardless of whether they have the support of state institutions. Exploring the notion of postmodern citizenship is necessary in order to deconstruct traditional concepts of "citizenship", "democracy", "border" and so on. The greatest significance of postmodern theory in the broader observation of equality which is no longer perceived as synonymous with identity, as well as in the new understanding of the difference, which is no longer determined as a deviation and an attack on the established order of values. Keywords : postmodern, citizenship, discourse, culture, identity.


Fly ash from Tapada do Outeiro, a coal power plant in the north of Portugal, has been processed by a powder technology route in order to obtain durable and mechanical resistant ceramics. Dolomite (CaCO3.MgCO3) was added in different proportions to the waste material, from zero up to 10 wt%, and the effect of this addition on the densification behaviour of the fired samples was investigated by measuring the apparent density, the open porosity and the linear shrinkage. The powder mixtures were uniaxially dry pressed in a steel die and fired at temperatures ranging from 950 to 1150°C. XRD and SEM were used to identify the phases present in the sintered materials and the degree of densification. The results revealed that added dolomite was responsible for the appearance of anorthite, an extra phase besides mullite and quartz, for an increase in the amount of liquid phase and for the swelling of closed pores at the highest firing temperatures. Significant morphological changes and phase transformations occurred during sintering and their effects on the physical-mechanical and leaching characteristics of the sintered materials were analyzed.


Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can utilize proline as a single nitrogen source. We have found that the strains with mutations in gene PH085, a structural gene encoding cyclin-dependent phosphoprotein kinase, cannot grow on the proline-containing media. The ability to utilize proline is restored in strains of the pho85pho4 genotype. We suggest that phosphoprotein kinase Pho85p is involved in either phosphorylation of a highly specific proline permease, Put4p, or in signaling proline concentration. The Pho4p protein that activates transcription of the PH05 gene, a structural gene of acid phosphatase, seems to participate in the negative regulation of the PUT1 and PUT2 genes encoding enzymes of proline catabolism, proline oxidase and delta-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase. Thus, regulation of phosphorus and nitrogen metabolism have common elements.


Background— The effect of prearrest left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on outcome after cardiac arrest is unknown. Methods and Results— During a 26-month period, Utstein-style data were prospectively collected on 800 consecutive inpatient adult index cardiac arrests in an observational, single-center study at a tertiary cardiac care hospital. Prearrest echocardiograms were performed on 613 patients (77%) at 11±14 days before the cardiac arrest. Outcomes among patients with normal or nearly normal prearrest LVEF (≥45%) were compared with those of patients with moderate or severe dysfunction (LVEF <45%) by &khgr;2 and logistic regression analyses. Survival to discharge was 19% in patients with normal or nearly normal LVEF compared with 8% in those with moderate or severe dysfunction (adjusted odds ratio, 4.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 9.9; P<0.001) but did not differ with regard to sustained return of spontaneous circulation (59% versus 56%; P=0.468) or 24-hour survival (39% versus 36%; P=0.550). Postarrest echocardiograms were performed on 84 patients within 72 hours after the index cardiac arrest; the LVEF decreased 25% in those with normal or nearly normal prearrest LVEF (60±9% to 45±14%; P<0.001) and decreased 26% in those with moderate or severe dysfunction (31±7% to 23±6%, P<0.001). For all patients, prearrest &bgr;-blocker treatment was associated with higher survival to discharge (33% versus 8%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 8.2; P<0.001). Conclusions— Moderate and severe prearrest left ventricular systolic dysfunction was associated with substantially lower rates of survival to hospital discharge compared with normal or nearly normal function.


With the development of modern industry, the consciousness of quality monitoring increases rapidly. The requirements to the dimensional control and profile monitoring of the products including the mechanical, optical and electric ones become higher and higher. New, non-contact and convenient instruments are needed to enable people to evaluate their products. A new type of dynamic active confocal probe is developed in this paper. The key point of this new method is that the displacement measurement of the vibrating lens located on the tuning fork is converted to time difference measurement, which is much simpler and assures higher accuracy in measurement. System structure and improvement, electric circuit and signal processing system are discussed. Experimental studies of the probe performance and analyses of the experimental results are presented.


For optimal physical and cognitive development to occur, a child requires adequate nutrition, but this should occur in addition to physical and emotional stimulation from a caregiver. Programmes, in which interventions for nutrition, maternal mental health and psychosocial stimulation are integrated, provide much wider benefits to a child's psychical and cognitive development than stand alone nutritional responses. With this in mind, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) prioritised the integration of psychosocial stimulation, within their nutrition response, during the West Africa Sahel food crisis. Brief trainings were organised within five West African countries in order to strengthen the capacity of UNICEF and partner organisations to initiate psychosocial activities within their nutritional programmes.


The agricultural policies shift gradually from EU-level organised market interventions to local organised environmental policies. This paper explores the growth possibilities of the Flemish dairy sector with the outlook of a quota abolishment as a case study of this policy shift. The dairy quota policy seems very restrictive for the highly profitable Flemish dairy sector, but the environmental restrictions from the manure regulation can limit the growth of the dairy sector as well. The paper uses a spatial multi-agent simulation model applied to a sample of 40.000 farms to estimate price development of emission rights and their possible impact on the growth of the dairy production. The results show that a higher milk production leads to higher prices for emission rights. However, the increased cost of manure emission rights is not expected to impede dairy farm growth because the current milk quota rent estimates go far beyond the cost of manure emission rights.


The development of China Quasi-Municipal bonds began in 1994 with China's tax system reform which determines the current tax-sharing fiscal system of "primary finance, first-level authority". Under this fiscal system, local governments often face the embarrassing situation that their responsibility is greater than financial power. Therefore, the local government has to solve the shortage of local construction funds by setting up a city investment company to issue city bonds. From the perspective of implicit guarantee of local government, this paper constructs the theoretical analysis framework of government implicit guarantee. Based on the cross-sectional data of China's inter-bank Quasi-Municipal bonds in 2009-2017, through mixed regression, we can verify whether the implicit guarantee level of the government exists and its impact on bond issuing spread. In addition, the paper also introduced factors such as the underwriting reputation index and the financial indicators of the issuing entity, examining the reputation mechanism of the underwriter and the market positioning of the city investment company. Through empirical analysis, this paper has the following findings: First, the financial situation of local governments can significantly reduce the issuing spread of Quasi-Municipal bonds, indicating the existence of government implicit guarantees in the bond market. Second, the urban investment company's factors often have no significant impact on the issuing spread, reflecting its market position is mainly the role of "financing tools" not a traditional enterprise. Third, outstanding underwriters can significantly reduce the issuing spread of Quasi-Municipal bond, which verifies the existence of reputation mechanism in the bond market.


For the task of entity disambiguation, mention contexts and entity descriptions both contain various kinds of information content while only a subset of them are helpful for disambiguation. In this paper, we propose a type-aware co-attention model for entity disambiguation, which tries to identify the most discriminative words from mention contexts and most relevant sentences from corresponding entity descriptions simultaneously. To bridge the semantic gap between mention contexts and entity descriptions, we further incorporate entity type information to enhance the co-attention mechanism. Our evaluation shows that the proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-arts on three public datasets. Further analysis also confirms that both the co-attention mechanism and the type-aware mechanism are effective.


The rise of China as an economic and political 'driver' of the global economy is likely to be one of the defining moments of world history. Its dynamism and international expansion are on the verge of creating a 'critical disruption' in the global order that has held sway for over 60 years. As such, China is beginning to reshape the world, presaging a new phase of globalization: a 'global-Asian era'. This new era is likely to be distinct from any of the earlier phases of globalization and China's global footprint, in terms of its business, economic and political actions and their geopolitical implications, is likely to be markedly different from what has gone before. This paper offers a framework by which we can begin to understand the coming global-Asian era (GAE) and some of its consequences, particularly as the latter are surfacing in the developing world. Having discussed the nature and dynamics of the GAE, the paper turns to sketch a series of vectors (trade, aid and energy security) along which the GAE is beginning to impact on developing countries. The paper argues that, at least for these vectors, the Chinese-driven GAE is providing opportunities as well as dangers for national development projects. It concludes by briefly speculating on the viability of the GAE.


OBJECTIVE To evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of six commercially available techniques in the measurement of microalbuminuria in diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Timed overnight urine samples from 75 patients in our diabetic clinic were tested with 2 qualitative tests (Micral-Test and Microbumintest) and assayed with 4 quantitative tests, which used different methodologies: double-antibody RIA, RID, IT, and NEPH. All tests were commercially available. The double-antibody RIA was taken as the golden standard. All urine samples were either negative or trace by Albustix (Ames, Elkhart, IN). Interobserver variation for the 2 qualitative tests was assessed by asking 12 experienced nurses to read the color changes on the dipsticks and the tablets simultaneously, using test solutions with albumin concentrations of 16, 32, and 64 mg/L. RESULTS The 75 urine samples contained 0–154.2 mg/L of albumin. Correlation coefficients of RID, NEPH, and IT with RIA were 0.970, 0.975, and 0.974, respectively. Intra-assay and interassay CVs ranged from 1.36–11.5%. Microbumintest had a higher sensitivity (100 vs. 75%), but lower specificity (82.5 vs. 87.3%) than Micral-Test. Considerable interobserver variation existed in the matching of colors for both tests. Discrepancies were especially significant with Microbumintest, with 8 of 12 nurses misreading the 32 mg/L level. CONCLUSIONS Correlations of the 3 quantitative methods with RIA were all >0.970. Choice of test may depend more on considerations such as time, space, number of specimens to be handled, and availability of instruments. Both qualitative tests showed a relatively low specificity. Positive tests must be confirmed with quantitative assays before microalbuminuria is diagnosed. Microbumintest had a higher sensitivity, but its unacceptably high interobserver variation and lower specificity were serious drawbacks.


Currently, Hubble's law is often considered as the observational evidence of an expanding universe. It is shown that Hubble's Law need not be related to the notion of Doppler redshifts of the light from receding Galaxies. In the derivation of the receding velocity, an implicit assumption, which implies no expansion, must be used. Moreover, the notion of receding velocity is incompatible with the local light speeds used in deriving the light bending. The notion of an expanding universe is based on an unverified assumption that a local distance in a physical space is similar to that of a mathematical Riemannian space embedded in a higher dimensional flat space, and thus the physical meaning of coordinates would necessarily depend on the metric. However, this assumption has been proven as theoretically invalid. In fact, a physical space necessarily has a frame of reference, which has a Euclidean-like structure that is independent of the yet to be determined physical metric and thus cannot be such an embedded space. In conclusion, the notion of an expanding universe could be just a mathematical illusion.


In this document, we explore how semantic technologies can be brought to email addressing. We introduce the notion of semantic email addressing (SEA). SEA allows emails to be sent to a semantically specified recipient of group of recipients, which may be dynamically changing over time. We give some applications of SEA and describe our prototype imple-


Abstract. Like almost all measurement datasets, wind energy siting data are subject to data gaps that can for instance originate from a failure of the measurement devices or data loggers. This is in particular true for offshore wind energy sites where the harsh climate can restrict the accessibility of the measurement platform, which can also lead to much longer gaps than onshore. In this study, we investigate the impact of data gaps and its mitigation by correlation and filling with mesoscale model data. Investigations are performed for three offshore sites in Europe, considering two years of parallel measurement data at the sites, and based on typical wind energy siting statistics. We find a mitigation of the data gaps' impact by a factor of ten on mean wind speed, direction and Weibull scale parameter, and a factor of three on Weibull shape parameter. With increasing gap length, the gaps' impact increases linearly for the overall measurement period while this behaviour is more complex when investigated in terms of seasons. This considerable reduction of the impact of the gaps found for the statistics of the measurement time series almost vanishes when considering long-term corrected data, for which we refer to 30 years of reanalysis data.


Chromium is a human carcinogen primarily by inhalation exposure in occupational settings. Although lung cancer has been established as a consequence of hexavalent chromium exposure in smokers and nonsmokers, some cancers of other tissues of the gastrointestinal and central nervous systems have also been noted. Except for a few reports from China, little is known about the health risks of environmental exposures to chromium. Likewise, there has been a lack of epidemiological studies of human exposure to hexavalent Cr by drinking water or ingestion, and it has been suggested that humans can perhaps tolerate hexavalent Cr at higher levels than the current drinking water standard of 50 ppb. This review highlights the most recent data on the induction of skin tumors in mice by chronic drinking-water exposure to hexavalent chromium in combination with solar ultraviolet light. This experimental system represents an important new animal model for chromate-induced cancers by ingestion of drinking water, and it suggests by extrapolation that chromate can likely be considered a human carcinogen by ingestion as well. The potential use of this animal model for future risk assessment is discussed.


In this study, we draw on the resource-based view of the firm and on value-based models of strategy to examine when firms appropriate value from their superior resources. We argue for the need to take into account the role of the resource gap between competitors rather than the absolute resource stock of the focal firm when examining the resource-performance relationship. In particular, we investigate whether the ability of a reputable seller to command a price premium is influenced by the reputation gap (i.e., the reputation differences between the focal seller and its closest competitor standardized by the reputation stock of both sellers). We test our hypotheses on 72 matched pairs of online transactions screened from more than 2,000 auctions of new mobile phones on the Polish Internet auction site Allegro. We find that the ability of a reputable seller to command a price premium (1) increases with the size of the reputation gap between the focal seller and its matched competitor, and (2) becomes increasingly smaller for each additional unit of the seller reputation gap. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this study a type of polymeric composites from melting poly Unsaturated polyester as a basic substance with powdered sawdust was prepared, studying some of it is mechanical properties, which was included: Impact Strength (I.), Yong modulus (E), hardness (B.) and compression Strength (C.). Polymeric composites before and after reinforcing were studied by comparison between them. It was noticed increasing resistance of Yong modulus (E), Impact Strength (I.), hardness (B.) and compression Strength (C.). Also, It is studied the effect of some acids like (, H2SO4, HNO3) with concentrations (0.5 N; 1N and 1.5N) respectively. Some physical properties were studied as absorbance and poly 's diffusion coefficient before and after reinforcing. The results showed increases in values of these properties with increasing concentration of acid and time of polymer's immersion in the acidic solution.


Background In the UK, two studies have reported discordant findings in predicting the impact of International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria on the number of GDM cases (3% vs. 114% increase). This disparity warrants further evaluation. Our unit offers a 3 point GTT utilising the WHO thresholds for fasting and 2 hrs, American Diabetes Association (ADA) threshold for 1 hr and like the IADPSG requires only one criterion for a positive diagnosis. Our unique access to this type of OGTT data makes us well placed to forecast the minimum impact on services. Aims To ascertain the number of women diagnosed as GDM using WHO, WHO/ADA and IADPSG criteria. To determine the resource implications of IADPSG criteria. Methods A retrospective study of 2905 OGTT results of women delivered in our unit between 1st January 2009 and 31st December 2011. Results The numbers of women diagnosed with GDM were 327, 454 and 528 using WHO, WHO/ADA and IADPSG criteria respectively. This shows IADPSG criteria would lead to a 16.3% increase in our number of GDM cases equating to 25 extra cases/year. Had we been reliant on just WHO criteria, adopting IADPSG criteria would lead to a 61.4% increase, equating to 67 extra cases/year. Conclusions UK units offering a 2 point WHO GTT should expect a > 60% increase in GDM numbers with IADPSG implementation. On the contrary, units already offering a 3 point WHO/ADA hybrid should anticipate a less drastic 16% increase.


This composition project aims to devise resources for a learning model within drum kit performance in Higher Popular Music Education (HPME), with instructional compositions embodying a collaborative approach to Higher Instrumental Popular Music Education (HIPME). The project begins from the premise that despite growing investigations into collaborative approaches of delivery within HPME and HIPME, in the author's experience, consisting of professional popular music performance and HIPME across a range of institutions, instrumental tuition is still dominated by a 'master apprentice' approach,often delivered by tutors who do not have an awareness of educational research. As a result, their pedagogic approach is unable to benefit from it.

This practice-led research project explores a number of research questions: 1. How can the composition of new HE repertoire be used to transmit educational theory into HIPME practices? 2. What theories can be used to enrich compositional activity? 3. Does the use of such repertoire benefits one-to-one practices? The project presents scores for drum kit, bass and guitar, although the latter two instruments are not discussed in detail.As well as accompanying audio recordings that exemplify how educational theory can be embedded within HIPME repertoire, this portfolio of new compositions is enriched with pedagogical content drawn from research into relevant educational theories, an examination of existing HIPME repertoire,and an assessment of today's HIPME environment, carried out through interviews and questionnaires focused on current educators, students and a wider sample group. Original compositions integrate one of five relevant pedagogic approaches, self-learning, peer learning, master apprentice learning, instrument specific learning and multi-instrumental learning. This project concludes that popular music repertoire that overtly integrates educational theories benefits HIPME by encouraging the application by instrumental tutors of a broader range of teaching and learning approaches, propagating a wider understanding of their benefits, and enriching students' educational experiences. It provides a set of exemplar compositions that will hereby offer a methodology with which to contextualise the general performance literature,and offer a new model of approach to repertoire, suggesting that pieces written to explore specific learning and teaching methods can provide complimentary options to studying performance of commercial popular music works.


PROBLEMS OF DRUG TESTING IN CHILDREN Children obviously need medicines, medical health professionals agree, but they are considered "therapeutic orphans" when it comes to drug development.1 Most drugs are studied, approved, and labeled for use in adults. To use one of these approved drugs for the same disease in children, it is important to know which doses work best in children and which kinds of adverse reactions are likely to occur.1 Other drugs are used for diseases specific to children, and adequate and well-controlled studies of their effectiveness and safety are needed. The physician labeling on the product normally includes a disclaimer that safety and effectiveness have not been established for use in children. That is the usual procedure with most of today's drugs. Even morphine, which is a standard, necessary pain medication, has not included explicit labeling for use in children. Pharmaceutical firms have had little incentive to study drugs for use in children because the population—and therefore the financial return—is likely to be small.2 Moreover, drug testing in children is more complicated than testing in adults. Pediatric drug trials are often performed in children's hospitals and can be more involved because great effort is made to ensure that parents and children understand the consequences of taking medications. Children are less likely than adults to be used as control subjects in clinical trials; most children in trials have the disease being studied. There is greater reluctance on the part of the medical community to use drugs in children for whom there would be no potential benefit. It is naïve to believe that the solution to this problem is to simply give children lower doses of the required drugs. Young children sometimes metabolize or absorb drugs at different rates than adults do, and therefore it is difficult to estimate a suitable dose from a child's size.3 The same holds true for older adults, when compared with younger adults. In recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has paid more attention to establishing specific dosages for elderly patients, and the same kind of attention is needed for children. At present, fewer than 25% of all FDA-approved drugs include an indication for use in children.4 Nevertheless, nearly all drugs currently on the market in the U.S. have been used in patients younger than 18 years of age.4 It is legal for physicians to prescribe a pediatric drug that is currently on the market but that has no labeling for children. Physicians may legally prescribe approved drugs for whatever uses they deem appropriate, according to their medical judgment. The question is, how do pediatricians know the proper dose of a drug if it is not specifically labeled for children? The answer is, there is no standard source of information. Textbooks on pediatrics usually mention drug dosages, but the source of the information is seldom specified and the reliability is questionable. In addition, therapeutic regimens for children are often based on individual case reports, case series, and small or limited studies published in medical journals or based on past experiences of pediatric clinicians.


A double data rate (DDR) SRAM bus architecture which can eliminate any speed penalty for doubling the I/O frequency and support single data rate (SDR) compatibility has been proposed. A method to guarantee data coherency for both DDR and SDR has also been described. With this architecture, we developed a 4.5 Mb DDR SRAM. Under the typical 2.5 V condition, a 600 MHz I/O frequency was achieved.


of time. I have no idea of the patient's condition beforehand, and the clinic's time has to be allocated no matter whether I can do something for the patient in the end or not. I get people to certify who have glasses on'order with which their vision is fair, and people who are about to enter hospital for operation in the very near future. Could they not wait till treatment is finished, so that I have not to decertify them afterwards again, while children's eyes go blind through neglect ? Finally a point of a different kind. Why was " place of examination " omitted in the new B.D.8s ? Is it not most important for the validity of the certificate whether the examination was made in a decent clinic or an improvised clinic without proper light and space, or in the patient's home, as was the rule in the good old days ?-I am, etc., SCHOOL OCULIS'1.