Background Perceived discrimination is an acculturative stressor that negatively predicts psychological and socio-cultural adaptation, partially mediated by the individual's acculturation attitudes. However, despite being under similar conditions of high perceived discrimination, some African immigrants in Russia appear to adapt more successfully than others. Why the individual differences? Neuroticism is a trait that intensifies the experience of negative emotions and sensitivity to stress. Perhaps it amplifies the reaction to acculturative stressors (e.g., perceived discrimination) in terms of acculturation attitudes, with significant implications for adaptation. Objective This study sought to determine whether the personality trait of neuroticism influences how African immigrants in Russia react to perceived discrimination in terms of their acculturation attitudes and how this may relate to adaptation. Design A moderated mediation analysis was carried out, investigating neuroticism as a moderator in the relationship between perceived discrimination, acculturation attitudes, and adaptation of African immigrants in Russia (N = 157). Results Perceived discrimination was found to be strongly associated with poor psychological and sociocultural adaptation, which was partially mediated by the integration attitude; neuroticism strengthened this indirect negative association. Conclusion When highly neurotic African immigrants perceived elevated levels of discrimination, they were more averse to adopting a positive attitude toward integration, and as a result, were more maladapted. This result suggests that the differences in the levels of adaptation among African immigrants in Russia under similar conditions of high perceived discrimination may be partially due to their levels of neuroticism.


Introduction. Dynamic tests for predicting fluid responsiveness have generated increased interest in recent years. One of these tests, pulse pressure variation (PPV), is a parameter calculated from respiratory variations of pulse pressure. Another test, pleth variability index (PVI), is based on respiratory variations of the perfusion index and can be measured non-invasively by pulse oximeter. Previous studies have shown that both tests are valuable in determining fluid responsiveness. Methods. In this observational prospective study, our aim was to compare the PVI and PPV in order to identify a convenient tool for determining fluid responsiveness. Our study was performed in a surgical and reanimation intensive care unit. We enrolled one hundred mechanically ventilated adult patients diagnosed with sepsis. Exclusion criteria included brain death, spontaneous breathing, cardiac arrhythmia, and impaired peripheral circulation. We measured the PPV by arterial monitorization and the PVI by using Masimo Radical 7 in the 45° semi-recumbent position (SP) and then 15° Trendelenbug position (TP). We performed correlation and ROC analysis using a >13% fluid responsiveness cut-off value for the PPV and >14% for the PVI. Results. Between the SP and the TP, we did not observe significant decreases in PPV (from 14.17 ± 10.57 to 12.66 ± 9.64; p > 0.05), while we did observe significant decreases in PVI (from 21.91 ± 13.99 to 20.46 ± 14.12; p < 0.05). The PPV fluid responsiveness cut-off value in the SP and TP was 20% (78.95% sensitivity, 77.05% specificity) and 18% (76.67% sensitivity, 72.46% specificity), respectively. The PVI fluid responsiveness cut-off value in the SP and TP was 20% (80.49% sensitivity, 81.03% specificity) and 16% (81.25% sensitivity, 62.69% specificity), respectively. The area under the ROC of the PPV and PVI was 0.843 and 0.858 in the SP, respectively, and 0.760 and 0.747 in the TP, respectively. The PPV and PVI were correlated in the SP (r = 0.578; p = 0.001) and the TP (r = 0.517; p = 0.001). Conclusions. Our results showed that the PPV and PVI were correlated independent of position change in sepsis patients. Both tests appear to be equivalently reliable. However, the ability of the PPV and PVI to predict fluid responsiveness decreased in the TP in our study.


In the following pages, I wish to present some preliminary reflections and some relevant documentation, upon attempting to understand the grammatical phenomenology of cohesion or linkage. This, I believe, is of the most fascinating, perhaps the most fascinating topic of syntax, for here is something close to the very quintessence of textuality – hence, of grammaticality itself, bearing in mind Louis Hjelmslev's opening words in his Prolegomena: "The object of interest for linguistic science are texts" (not "languages" or "a language" – which is only a seeming paradox). My corpus for the following observations is triple: some of Kate Roberts's short stories, and two novels (I am engaged in work on a comprehensive syntax of the corpus of K. R.'s fiction, on the basis of her editions and MSS, for which a pilot work, incorporating three monographic studies, appeared in 1998. The present paper may be seen as a cluster of preliminary worknotes to a chapter on juncture and textuality within this projected work). A second source is John Emyr's collection of short stories, Mynydd Gwaith a storiau eraill (Denbych, 1984). A third source are some numbers of the defunct weekly magazine Y Faner.


Aseptic loosening of the femoral implant (ALFI) was diagnosed in 10 dogs that had undergone cemented total hip arthroplasty (THA). One dog had bilateral ALFI. Loosening developed at the stem-cement interface a mean of 30 months after THA. The most common clinical sign was intermittent subtle or non-weight-bearing lameness. On radiographs obtained after THA, the distal stem tip was in contact with the cortical endosteum in all dogs. Radiographic changes at the time of diagnosis of ALFI included asymmetric periosteal reaction along the femoral diaphysis (n = 11), radiolucent zone at the stem-cement interface (6), altered implant position (4), and femur fracture (1). Surgical revision resulted in a good or excellent outcome in 9 dogs. In 1 dog, the implant became infected. In another, aseptic loosening recurred. Aseptic loosening of the femoral implant was significantly more common when initial positioning of the implant resulted in contact between the distal tip of the implant and cortical endosteum than when there was no contact.


Abstract A recent investigation of sphalerite from Akoluk deposit, Ordu, NE Turkey, revealed the possible presence of a new activator element in the sphalerite structure. The sample was studied under a reflected light microscope coupled with a cold-stage cathodoluminescence (CL) system which revealed a unique banding in the sphalerite. The same sample was subsequently examined using the back-scattered electron and luminescence modes in an electron microscope, the results of which were later confirmed in terms of chemical composition by electron probe microanalyses (EPMA). Detailed evaluation of the EPMA data indicated the presence of a new CL activator element in the sphalerite structure. The data also indicate that Hg2+ in the sphalerite crystal structure substitutes for Zn in a simple manner and for Cd and Cu in a coupled manner. Spectral analysis indicated a bright yellow and orange-red blend (more like brown) CL colour with λmax centred at 580 nm, probably due to Cd and Mn ions, and relatively broad emission bands ranging from 525 to 690 nm with λmax centred at 580 and 700, due probably to Cu, Cd and Hg. This study reports that Hg in the sphalerite crystal lattice behaves as an activator and/or co-activator element resulting in emissions of CL colours that range from yellow with purple shades to shades of brown, based on their varying contents.


Background Hip fracture is one of the major risk factors of global mortality and disability. The aim of this study was to map the pattern of intertrochanteric femoral fractures in China, providing a pilot national dataset and basis for medical policy proposals. Methods A multistage probability sampling strategy was applied in the national baseline survey. Thirty provinces in mainland China were included in this survey. A standardized questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information about basic characteristics such as age, working seniority, hospital level, and residence, with two other parts including perioperative and postoperative treatment parameters. Odds ratios and 95% confidence interval were used to determine essential statistical differences. The proportion of the options in each region was compared using the chi-square (χ2) test. The histogram and choropleth map of the monthly number of admissions were created using Excel 2016 to show the distribution characteristics. Results In total, 1065 valid responses were included, representing a 96.7% survey capture rate. Perioperative treatment and postoperative care distinctly varied across regions and hospital levels. The monthly number of admissions was relatively lower in the Northern region, with higher proportion of hospitalizations to secondary hospitals compared with the Eastern region. The patients in the Eastern region or tertiary hospitals had shorter preoperative waiting time and hospitalization period. Conclusions We found apparent geographic variations in intertrochanteric femoral fractures in this study, and the data can be used for drafting national healthcare plans and medical policies.


Machine learning techniques are powerful tools for the classification of unidentified gamma-ray sources. We present a new approach based on dense and recurrent deep neural networks to classify unidentified or unassociated gamma-ray sources in the last release of the Fermi-LAT catalog (4FGL-DR2). Our method uses the actual measurements of the photon energy spectrum and time series as input for the classification, instead of specific, hand-crafted features. We focus on different classification tasks: the separation between extragalactic sources, i.e. Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and Galactic pulsars, the further classification of pulsars into young and millisecond pulsars and the sub-classification of AGN into different types. Since our method is very flexible, we generalise it to account for uncertainties in the predicted classes. Our list of high-confidence candidate sources labelled by the neural networks provides targets for further multiwavelength observations to identify their nature, as well as for population studies, and is available at https://github.com/manconi/agn-psr-nn-classification.


Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains are a common cause of infantile diarrhoea but do not produce recognised enterotoxins. Three strains of proven virulence were examined for toxins which may be missed in conventional tests. Cell lysates and concentrated culture supernates of organisms grown in five different media gave negative results when examined for adenylcyclase stimulating activity. The additions of zinc ions or lincomycin to these media or the use of iron-depleted media also gave negative results. The significance of these findings and the possible role of other toxins in diarrhoea due to enteropathogenic E. coli are discussed.


A method of performing space based Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) using radar interferometric processing is presented. The algorithm, referred to as Scanned Pattern Interferometric Radar (SPIR), uses the high angular variability of a sparse array Point Spread Function (PSF) to collect sufficient data from the signal return that the clutter and targets can be separated without an a priori assumption of the clutter statistics. It is shown that clutter within the main lobe of the individual aperture pattern can indeed be separated from the targets, using the deterministic geometric relationship between observation direction and clutter Doppler shift. If the computational domain is extended to the side lobes of the gain pattern, clutter entering through these lobes can also be extracted. Constraints on the cluster geometry are derived from the invertibility of the PSF matrix.


This article provides information on the background and development of "sleep disorders medicine" and sleep disorders centers and a discussion of obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, sleep-related periodic leg movements, and the use and misuse of hypnotic medication.


A comprehensive introduction to the technology, development and management of business information systems. The book assumes no prior knowledge of IS or IT, so that new concepts and terms are defined as clearly as possible, with explanations in the text, and definitions at the margin. In this fast-moving area, the book covers both the crucial underpinnings of the subject as well as the most recent business and technology applications. It is written for students on any IS, BIS or MIS course from undergraduate to postgraduate and MBA level within a Business or Computer Science Department.


The dynamics of play during professional soccer matches are complex phenomena that traditional approaches to the quantification of team sports are not fully able to identify. The aim of this study was to detect such dynamics through an analysis of temporal patterns. In particular, the objective was to reveal the hidden yet stable structures which underlie the interactive situations that determine the attack actions of play in soccer. The methodological approach is based on observational design, supported by digital recordings and computer analysis. Data were analyzed with Theme 6 beta software, which detects the temporal and sequential structure of data sets, revealing repeated patterns that may regularly or irregularly occur within a period of observation. Theme detected many temporal patterns (T-patterns) in the soccer matches analyzed. Striking differences were found when won and lost matches were compared. The number of pattern occurrences and the number of different T-patterns detected was greater for lost matches and lower for the won matches, whereas the number of events coded was similar. Theme software and T-pattern enhance research opportunities by moving further than frequency-based analysis of performance, making this method an effective research and support tool for sports analysis. Our results indicate a need for further investigation upon the possible links between temporal structure detection and human observations in soccer performance. This approach could assist both soccer teams' staff and coaches in obtaining a greater understanding of game dynamics, providing information that current methods may overlook or not detect at all.


A 39-year-old African American man presented with a progressive eruption of fleshy papules on his neck, axillae, groin, and abdomen. The lesions first developed on his neck in his mid-20s and slowly progressed to involve other sites. They occasionally bled when traumatized. His more recent medical history was remarkable for multigland parathyroid hyperplasia, pituitary microadenoma, and neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors. Physical examination revealed dozens of 2to 10mm, flesh-colored to brown, pedunculated, verrucous papules located circumferentially around the neck (Figure 1), extending down to the anterior aspect of the chest, and in the axillae and bilateral groin folds. Scattered across the lower area of the abdomen, there were numerous hypopigmented to flesh-colored 4to 10-mm dome-shaped firmer papules (Figure 2). A 2-cm lightbrown patch was observed on the left upper arm area. There was also mild freckling around the posterior axillary folds. Punch biopsy specimens were obtained from a pedunculated papule on the neck and a dome-shaped papule on the abdomen. What is your diagnosis?


Mediterranean-type streams are characterized by great seasonal and annual variation in flow. We studied the biology of the freshwater mussel Unio tumidiformis in such a stream, the Vascao River in southern Portugal, during a period of great interannual variation in hydrology. We studied growth patterns of the mussels between 2002–2008, and the reproductive cycle between 2005–2006. Life-history parameters were calculated and related to environmental variables and fish community patterns. Mark–recapture growth data confirmed that observed annuli were formed annually and are therefore reliable for use in growth studies of U. tumidiformis. The von Bertalanffy growth constant K and the asymptotic length L∞ were negatively correlated. K varied between 0.20 and 0.58 and was positively correlated with factors related to eutrophication. The maximum observed age was 7 years, and the maximum observed length was 52 mm. There was no apparent sexual dimorphism, and sexual maturity was reached at the age of 2 years. Fecundity was low, between 1500–15000 glochidia per female, and positively correlated with body length. Only one annual gametogenic cycle was identified, leading to a short-term reproductive period in spring (tachyticity). The reproductive cycle was similar in the two years sampled, between which hydrology and water quality differed greatly. The presence of glochidia was synchronized with the period when the proportion of fish hosts (genus Squalius) was higher in the fish community. Unio tumidiformis seems to be well adapted to the natural variability in flow in temporary Mediterranean-type streams. Modifications of the natural flow regime caused by climate change or increased water exploitation may lead to rapid declines in mussel populations.


In preindustrial society, the loss of a spouse usually impelled the surviving party to adapt quickly by choosing between certain strategies: to remain the head of the household, to remarry, to enter a household headed by a child or the spouse of child, to dissolve the household and enter into an unrelated person's household, or to migrate out of the parish. The use of competing-risk hazard models and longitudinal microlevel data shows that demographic, socioeconomic, and gender-related factors interacted in determining the choice of strategy in a rural area of southern Sweden during the nineteenth century.


Several bone grafting materials have been used in sinus augmentation procedures. Bio-Oss (deproteinized and sterilized bovine bone) has shown to have osteoconductive properties and no inflammatory or adverse responses have been published. In spite of these successful results, histologic data regarding bone augmentation using Bio-Oss in humans is scarce. The purpose of this study was to analyse the amount of Bio-Oss ossification in a case of maxillary sinus augmentation, recording and comparing histomorphometric data 8 months, 2 and 10 years after surgery. This long-term histologic evaluation of retrieved specimens has been performed, comparing histomorfometric measures at different times. Eight months after surgery we observed in 20 different thin sections of the specimen a mean amount of bone tissue (including medullar spaces) of 29.8% (and 70.2% of Bio-Oss) +/- 2.6. At 2 years the bone tissue increased to 69.7% + 2.7 and 10 years after surgery it was 86.7% +/- 2.8. The comparison of the means for each time has shown a highly significant increasing trend in bone formation associated with Bio-oss resorption: at 8 months, 2 and 10 years.


Background: Enhancer of zeste homolog 1 (EZH1) and EZH2 are alternative subunits of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), and catalyze tri-methylation of the 27th lysine residue of histone H3 (H3K27). This tri-methylated H3K27 (H3K27me3) is epigenetically important for downregulating genes associated with tumor suppression and cell differentiation. DS-3201b is a potent inhibitor with high specificity for EZH1 and EZH2 that has demonstrated anti-tumor activity against various hematological malignancies in preclinical studies (S. Fujita, et al. Blood 2015 126: 457) (D. Honma, et al. Cancer Sci. 2017). This Phase I study explored safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD) and preliminary anti-tumor activity of DS-3201b in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs), including adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type I. Methods: This dose escalation study of DS-3201b as an oral single agent started at a dose of 150 mg and escalated through 200 mg and 300 mg dose levels guided by a modified continual reassessment method using a Bayesian logistic regression model with overdose control. The drug was administered orally once daily (QD) over 28-days (1 cycle) continuously until disease progression. Dose limiting toxicity (DLT) was evaluated during the 1st cycle. Results: Fifteen patients (10 females) with median age of 64 (range 44-75) have been enrolled as of the data cut-off date of 11 July 2017. Histopathologic types of NHLs were follicular lymphoma (FL) (5), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (3), and extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) (2) for B-cell lymphomas, and ATL (2), angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) (2) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) (1) for T-cell lymphomas. Four DLTs in three patients at 200 mg QD and 300 mg QD were observed: three grade 4 platelet count decreased and one grade 3 anemia requiring transfusion. Dose de-escalation to 200 mg QD cohort is on-going, and a conclusive MTD has not yet been reached. PK data indicated that the plasma DS-3201a (free form of DS-3201b) concentration increased with dose from 150 mg to 300 mg. Robust inhibition of H3K27me3 in normal granulocytes was detected in all patients in response to DS-3201b, irrespective of the dosage. Drug related adverse events included mainly transit hematological toxicities: platelet count decreased (73%), anemia (47%), lymphocyte count decreased (40%), or neutrophil count decreased (40%). There was one serious adverse event of grade 3 pneumonia leading to discontinuation from this study. The common (≥20%) non-hematological treatment emergent adverse events of any grade regardless of drug-relatedness were dysgeusia (47%), diarrhea (27%), nasopharyngitis (27%), alopecia (27%), rash maculo-papular (20%), decreased appetite (20%), and dry skin (20%). Preliminary efficacy based on international consensus criteria (Cheson BD, et al [JCO 2007] for NHLs or Tsukasaki K, et al [JCO 2009] for ATL) by investigator9s assessment were 1 complete response/complete remission (CR), 7 partial response/partial remission (PR), and 5 stable disease (SD) of 15 patients (objective response rate [ORR]=53%) and 8 patients have achieved more than 24 weeks DS-3201b treatment with tumor shrinkage. Focusing on T-cell lymphoma, ORR was 80% (1 CR and 3 PR out of 5 patients). Conclusions: These preliminary results of the phase I study show that the EZH1/2 dual inhibitor DS-3201b has demonstrated early clinical activity and has the potential to be an orally available, novel therapeutic option for B-cell and T-cell lymphomas, though further evaluation is warranted for optimal dosing regimen. Clinical trial information: NCT02732275 Disclosures Maruyama: Chugai, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ono, Celgene, Janssen, Eisai, Mundipharma, Takeda: Honoraria; Dai-ichi Sankyo, Chugai, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ono, Celgene, Janssen, GSK, Eisai, Mundipharma, Takeda, AbbVie, MSD, Sanofi, Pfizer, Otsuka, Novartis, Solasia, Zenyaku: Research Funding. Tobinai: Servier: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Honoraria, Research Funding; Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; HUYA Bioscience: Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Research Funding; Mundipharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Zenyaku Kogyo: Honoraria. Makita: Celgene, Chugai: Honoraria. Ishida: Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. Celgene K.K. Bayer Pharma AG: Honoraria, Research Funding. Kusumoto: Chugai: Honoraria, Other: GALLIUM and GOYA are sponsored by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Third-party medical writing support, under the direction of Shigeru Kusumoto, was provided by Cheryl Wright of Gardiner-Caldwell Communications, and was funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Research Funding. Ishitsuka: Celgene Kyowa Hakko Kirin Bristol-Myers Squibb Chugai Pharmaceutical Takeda Pharmaceutical mundiharma Taiho Daiichi Sankyo Janssen Novartis Pfizer Astellas sanofi Genzyme Alexion Sumitomo Dainippon Eisai Mochida Shire Otsuka Ono Teijin: Honoraria, Research Funding. Yoshimitsu: Shire Sanofi Celgene Chugai: Speakers Bureau. Utsunomiya: Japan Blood Products Organization, Roche Diagnostics, Daiichi Sankyo, Siemens, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Astellas Pharma, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Novartis Pharma, HUYA Bioscience International, Nippon Shinyaku, Chugai Pharma, and Celgene,: Honoraria, Research Funding. Tsukasaki: Chugai/Roche: Honoraria; DaiichiSankyo: Consultancy; Kyowa-Kirin: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Mundypharma: Research Funding; Zenyaku Kogyo: Honoraria; HUYA: Honoraria. Fujitani: DaiichiSankyo: Employment. Araki: Daiichi Sankyo: Employment.


OBJECTIVE
Case reports have described an association between idiopathic CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia (ICL) and non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma (NHML), and both entities have an increased prevalence in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We investigated lymphocyte subset counts in patients with primary SS to determine if presence of different autoantibodies is associated with ICL and hence may represent an increased risk for development of NHML.

METHODS
A total of 80 patients with primary SS according to the American-European Consensus Classification Criteria (AECC) and 37 non-AECC sicca patients were studied for presence of different autoantibodies, and lymphocyte subsets were investigated by flow cytometry.

RESULTS
Absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts were significantly lower among anti-SSA antibody seropositive SS patients compared to correlating seronegatives and non-AECC sicca patients (601/microl vs 956/microl and 1087/microl; p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). ICL was found in 16% of anti-SSA seropositive patients.

CONCLUSION
ICL, a proposed risk factor for development of NHML, occurs frequently and presumably exclusively in patients with primary SS who are anti-SSA antibody seropositive. These findings support that this group comprises patients at risk for development of NHML.


Almost all circles of society in the world today are shadowed by an extraordinary fear of the plague that hits the world or the so-called the pandemic. In early 2020, Indonesia even also felt the same thing, and this has an implication for the issuance of several government policies in an effort to minimize the spread of the covid-19 outbreak by giving an appeal to the community to limit gatherings including school activities by switching them to the application of work from home (WFH) learning. In response to these conditions, many problems will arise and be faced by teachers, students, and parents. Departing from this phenomenon, this study aimed to find out the details of online learning at home undertaken by SMK IT Rabbi Radhiyya's students using a qualitative approach. The data of this study were collected through observation, interview, and documentation techniques which were then analyzed to obtain a depiction of the online learning. This study concluded that the application of work from home (WFH) online learning during the covid-19 pandemic as a learning medium in SMK IT Rabbi Radhiyya ran smoothly. The depiction of learning was such as: The teacher gave assignments to students, and students worked on them via WhatsApp application and Google Classroom followed by collecting assignments in due course; Students memorized Al-Quran and Hadith and then sent the memorization videos with eyes closed to the teacher; the teacher gave an assignment for students to make videos about their busy routines during staying at home; and students made reports insofar as they were carrying out online learning at home. Keywords: Online Learning, Learning Media, Covid-19 Pandemic


An experimental model of human onchocercal keratitis was produced by injecting guinea pigs subconjunctivally with microfilariae (Mf) of Onchocerca lienalis. Actively motile O lienalis Mf spontaneously penetrated the central cornea and produced gray-white midstromal opacities, 0.2 to 0.4 mm in diameter, resembling those of human onchocercal punctate keratitis. Histologically, small foci of eosinophil and mononuclear cell infiltration associated with small pockets of interstitial edema were present in the central corneal stroma, with eosinophil infiltrates in the conjunctiva, episclera, limbus, and ciliary body. The severity of the punctate keratitis was increased by repeated subconjunctival inoculations of Mf. Punctate lesions were not seen following subconjunctival injection of Mf in animals previously hyperimmunized by three subcutaneous injections of Mf. Hyperimmunization may produce an immune response capable of destroying the subconjunctivally injected Mf and preventing their migration into the central cornea.


An integral part of all debugging activities is the task of diagnosing the cause of an error. Most existing fault diagnosis techniques rely on the availability of high quality test suites because they work by comparing failing and passing runs to identify the error cause. This limits their applicability. One alternative are techniques that statically analyze an error trace of the program without relying on additional passing runs to compare against. Particularly promising are novel proof-based approaches that leverage the advances in automated theorem proving to obtain an abstraction of the program that aids fault diagnostics. However, existing proof-based approaches still have practical limitations such as reduced scalability and dependence on complex mathematical models of programs. Such models are notoriously difficult to develop for real-world programs. Inspired by concolic testing, we propose a novel algorithm that integrates concrete execution and symbolic reasoning about the error trace to address these challenges. Specifically, we execute the error trace to obtain intermediate program states that allow us to split the trace into smaller fragments, each of which can be analyzed in isolation using an automated theorem prover. Moreover, we show how this approach can avoid complex logical encodings when reasoning about traces in low-level C programs. We have conducted an experiment where we applied our new algorithm to error traces generated from faulty versions of UNIX utils such as gzip and sed. Our experiment indicates that our concolic fault abstraction scales to real-world error traces and generates useful error diagnoses.


Background The prevalence of gambling disorder (GD) in women has increased, but, to date, few studies have explored the features of clinical GD subtypes in female samples. Aims The aim of this study is to identify empirical clusters based on clinical/sociodemographic variables in a sample of treatment-seeking women with GD. Methods Agglomerative hierarchical clustering was applied to a sample of n = 280 patients, using sociodemographic variables, psychopathology, and personality traits as indicators for the grouping procedure. Results Three mutually exclusive groups were obtained: (a) Cluster 1 (highly dysfunctional; n = 82, 29.3%) endorsed the highest levels in gambling severity, comorbid psychopathology, novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and self-transcendence, and the lowest scores in self-directedness and cooperativeness; (b) Cluster 2 (dysfunctional; n = 142, 50.7%) achieved medium mean scores in gambling severity and psychopathological symptoms; and (c) Cluster 3 (functional; n = 56, 20.0%) obtained the lowest mean scores in gambling severity and in psychopathology, and a personality profile characterized by low levels in novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and self-transcendence, and the highest levels in self-directedness and cooperativeness. Discussion and conclusions This study sheds light on the clinical heterogeneity of women suffering from GD. Identifying the differing features of women with GD is vital to developing prevention programs and personalized treatment protocols for this overlooked population.


This study was undertaken to characterise the biological activities of
Garcinia atroviridis, a food plant and traditional vegetable, as well as to
isolate and identify its bioactive constituents Ethnobotanical reports on
the use of G atroviridis as an anti-infective agent and biopreservative,
coupled with the paucity of scientific reports on the biological activities of
G atroviridis were the basis for selecting this plant as the subject of this
study Crude extracts (methanol dimethyl sulfmade-91) of various parts of
this plant were screened for antimicrobial (disc diffusion method), Cytotoxic
(microtitration method), brine shrimp toxic, antitumour-promoting (Epstem
Barr Virus activation assay) and antioxidant (ferric thiocyanate and
thiobarbitunc assays) activities. The crude extracts exhibited
predominantly antibacterial activity with the roots showing the strongest
inhibition against the test bacteria at the minimum inhibitory dose (MID) of
156µg/disc. Although all the extracts failed to inhibit the growth of most
of the test fungi, significant antifungal activity against Cladosporium
herbarum was exhibited by most notably the fruit extract (MID 100 µg),
and the leaf extract (MID 400 µg) None of the extracts were Significantly cytotoxic and lethal towards brine shrimps. The root, leaf, trunk and stem
bark extracts (except for the fruits) showed strong antioxidant activity
exceeding that of the standard antioxidant, α-tocopherol. Antitumour promoting
activity (> 95% inhibition) was shown by the fruit, leaf, stem and
trunk bark extracts.


In recent years, technological improvements have provided a variety of new opportunities for insurance companies to adopt telematics devices in line with usage-based insurance models. This paper sheds new light on the application of big data analytics for car insurance companies that may help to estimate the risks associated with individual policyholders based on complex driving patterns. We propose a conceptual framework that describes the structural design of a risk predictor model for insurance customers and combines the value of telematics data with deep learning algorithms. The model's components consist of data transformation, criteria mining, risk modelling, driving style detection, and risk prediction. The expected outcome is our methodology that generates more accurate results than other methods in this area.


We have seen in recent years a significant growth in investment products aimed at investors who are worried about downside potential in the financial markets. One response is a dynamic stochastic optimization model for managing products with nominal or real guarantees. An optimal dynamic portfolio allocation strategy combined with risk management allows an institution to provide the best possible portfolio returns commensurate with clients' risk aversion. Implementation of such an investment strategy is illustrated using real market data and backtested through 1999–2004.


A 100 Mb/s (1,7) MDFE (multi-level decision feedback equalization) read channel has been designed, prototyped, and tested on a spinstand. It is made up of an analog forward equalizer consisting of two biquads, a comparator, a feedback equalizer consisting of 6 taps plus an analog exponential decay circuit, timing/gain/dc-offset control circuits, an analog PLL and VCO, and VGA. An analytical technique has been developed for equalizer design. It incorporates certain key constraints for reducing hardware complexity as well as error propagation. The measured bit-error-rate and off-track performance demonstrate the robustness of the equalizer over a broad range of user densities. The experimental results confirm that MDFE is a viable signal detection technique for achieving high density and high data rate magnetic recording.


Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (CAN) is a disease that involves nerve damage leading to abnormal control of heart rate. CAN affects the correct operation of the heart and in turn leads to associated arrhythmias and heart attack. An open question is to what extent this condition is detectable by the measurement of Heart Rate Variability (HRV). An even more desirable option is to detect CAN in its early, preclinical stage, to improve treatment and outcomes. In previous work we have shown a difference in the Renyi spectrum between participants identified with well-defined CAN and controls. In this work we applied the multi-scale Renyi entropy for identification of early CAN in diabetes patients. Results suggest that Renyi entropy derived from a 20 minute, Lead-II ECG recording, forms a useful contribution to the detection of CAN even in the early stages of the disease. The positive α parameters (1 ≤ α ≤ 5) associated with the Renyi distribution indicated a significant difference (p <; 0.00004) between controls and early CAN as well as definite CAN. This is a significant achievement given the simple nature of the information collected, and raises prospects of a simple screening test and improved outcomes of patients.


Author(s): Wellman, David | Abstract: One of the memorable features of 1984 will be the political language that passed for an analysis of Presidential elections. Professors and pundits were particularly resourceful in their use of political language: The only group to vote solidly Democratic was held responsible for the Party's failure. The Democratic Party's overwhelming defeat was attributed to its enormous success with black people. This political feat was made plausible by the simple expedient of linguistic reclassification. Black people ceased to be a cultural or "interest group" in 1984. They became, instead, a "special interest."The new political language of racial politics communicates two seemingly contradictory messages in one language: The black community is told its salient issues are low priority items. The language used to say it, however, enables the speaker to sound neither racist nor conservative. Democratic Party spokespeople are therefore able to keep a straight face when they tell their most loyal constituency to lay low, lay off, or take a back seat to party defectors. Thus, at the very moment when black people are positioned to demand their share of center stage in American politics, sociologists and political scientists are helping to develop a rationale for keeping them backstage, or in the wings.This essay explores the intellectual activities that contribute to the new political language. It focuses on two questions: 1) How and why black people became a special interest and what difference it makes? 2) What is the sociological analysis that reclassifies affirmative action as "reverse discrimination"? Together, these two activities provide the formula for minimizing priority items on the black political agenda with a language that sounds neither racist nor neo-conservative.Note: This working paper was originally published by the Institute for the Study of Social Change, now the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues. It was subsequently published in Socialist Review, vol. 16, no. 3 a 4, May-August 1986.


As the learners have their own preference in learning, trainers should customise their training programmes and training methods to maximize the outcome of the training. This paper analyses the major theories on learning styles and applies one of them to the students in Dubai to understand their various learning styles. The research applied Fleming's VARK theory through survey conducted among 106 students and the result shows that there are variations in learning preference. Most of the students fall within reader or writer and kinaesthetic categories. The research also confirmed that the students could possibly have more than one learning styles. Thus the research in theory confirmed the earlier research findings that learning styles must be taken into consideration for better learning outcome. The practical implication is that the trainers should adopt various learning strategies to achieve the learning objective.


Exposure keratopathy (EK) is a frequently overlooked complication seen in nearly 60% of sedated or intubated intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Signs and symptoms of EK often start as mild subjective complaints of eye pain and irritation, but can progress to vision loss in the most severe cases. For many critically ill patients, the presence of sedation effectively precludes their ability to communicate clinical complaints typically associated with EK. This, combined with the potentially severe sequelae, makes EK a potentially preventable complication and a patient safety issue. Clinical management of EK can be challenging for both providers and patients due to the nature of treatment with eye drops and ointments as well as the burden and expense of associated procedural interventions. Risk factors for EK have been extensively described in the literature, and wider dissemi-nation of this knowledge should facilitate education of physicians and nurses regarding EK prevention. The most common risk factors include lagophthalmos, chemosis, Bell's palsy, and congenital deformities. Additionally, critically ill patients are less likely to be promptly diagnosed due to the focus of staff on life-threatening problems over ocular prophylaxis. However, the potential severity of complications associated with EK man- dates that prevention remains a crucial component of the care of at-risk patients. The reader will explore the broad category of adverse medical occurrences included under the umbrella term, "errors of omission" (EOO): an error category that is most likely to culminate in EK. The most critical preventive measure is education of health care provid- ers, although this may not be enough by itself. To this end, universal precautions against EK in combination with education may be used to help combat the relatively high inci- dence of this easily preventable ocular pathology.


Odontologists play a primary duty in the identification of individuals or missing persons in a scenario of a mass disaster, violent crime, child abuse, and elder abuse. When it comes to the identification of the victim or the suspect, their dental traits could turn out to a compelling proof and can help in slimming down the result of the investigating welfare work. Typically, it becomes necessary to use some least known and fewer widespread techniques in identification procedure such as lip prints, rugae patterns, and willing odontometrics can provide relatively valid conclusions referring to a person's identification. This review elucidates the importance of cheiloscopy, palatoscopy, and canine odontometry in a person's identification in relation to sex prediction and discrimination. This review article provides the newest information about the recent major advances and discoveries related to the classical and modern developed methods of dental identification that would enhance the knowledge and awareness among the professionals examining the youth victims of sex trafficking in urban and rural communities or identification of the rape or sexual abuse victims and the convicts, particularly in the Indian subcontinent when the rate of raped or sexually abused victims has risen. Various search engines such as Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Web of Science were explored for scientific articles (original clinical research findings, case reports, and review articles) in the present subject area. A manual search strategy was adopted to obtain relevant literature on human trafficking, sexual violence, dental identification, and forensic odontology. There were no fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria before and after the literature search. Thus, the articles and items reviewed in this article were picked based on their relevance to the present topic, and an attempt was made to understand the application of various available methods of dental identification all over the world and its applicability to the forensic odontologists in the Indian subcontinent. The dental professionals who operate on the potential victims of human trafficking in secondary care units usually lack data and confidence. Coaching is required significantly for the dental employees who are involved in the identification of the victims and answering their demands, along with creating safe referrals.


In this paper, we demonstrate a new type of threat that leverages machine learning techniques to maximize its impact. We use the Raven-II surgical robot and its haptic feedback rendering algorithm as an application. We exploit ROS vulnerabilities and implement smart self-learning malware that can track the movements of the robot's arms and trigger the attack payload when the robot is in a critical stage of a (hypothetical) surgical procedure. By keeping the learning procedure internal to the malicious node that runs outside the physical components of the robotic application, an adversary can hide most of the malicious activities from security monitors that might be deployed in the system. Also, if an attack payload mimics an accidental failure, it is likely that the system administrator will fail to identify the malicious intention and will treat the attack as an accidental failure. After demonstrating the security threats, we devise methods (i.e., a safety engine) to protect the robotic system against the identified risk.


Understanding the interface between DNA and nanomaterials is crucial for rational design and optimization of biosensors and drug delivery systems. For detection and delivery into cells, where high concentrations of cellular proteins are present, another layer of complexity is added. In this context, we employ polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a model polymer to mimic the excluded volume effect of cellular proteins and to test its effects on DNA adsorption and hybridization on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and graphene oxide (GO), both of which show great promise for designing intracellular biosensors and drug delivery systems. We show that PEG 20000 (e.g., 4%) accelerates DNA hybridization to DNA-functionalized AuNPs by 50-100%, but this enhanced hybridization kinetics has not been observed with free DNA. Therefore, this rate enhancement is attributed to the surface blocking effect by PEG instead of the macromolecular crowding effect. On the other hand, DNA adsorption on citrate-capped AuNP surfaces is impeded even in the presence of a trace level (i.e., parts per billion) of PEG, confirming PEG competes with DNA for surface binding sites. Additional insights have been obtained by studying the adsorption of a thiolated DNA and a peptide nucleic acid. In these cases, the steric effects of PEG to impede adsorption are observed. Similar observations have also been made with GO. Therefore, PEG may be used as an effective blocking agent for both hydrophilic AuNP and for GO that also contains hydrophobic domains.


Green ambitious people have impressive potential to contribute to mastering the squeezing ecological issues of our time through the presentation of new, ecologically well disposed items (Schaper, 2005) and through catalyzing an general shift of business techniques towards more maintainable items and methods (York and Venkataraman, 2010). The present study amplifies the current information on roadblocks and triggers to green enterprise, which will be one of the various crucial fields in the space of green business that right now stays under-inquired about and is ruled by subjective studies. The review has particularly been channeled to look at SMEs' green exercises and takes into consideration a special measure of beginning green business enterprise. This is, the information takes into consideration contrasting beginning green business visionaries, i.e. business people who are wanting to present green items or administrations, with business visionaries that are not wanting to make strides in regards to green item or administration offerings. For the reason of producing experimentally determined suggestions in regards to boundaries, triggers and blends of obstructions and triggers saw by incipient green business people, clear and econometric systems are connected. Specific consideration is paid to hindrances and triggers in span of strategy activity, so that results may not just structure a significant beginning stage for further research, additionally give profitable experiences for strategy creators. Results recommend that there are two obstructions that are particularly saw by early green ambitious people and that few triggers are seen as profitable as for presenting green items or administrations. Besides, mixes of triggers seem to assume a part, which does not appear to hold for hindrances. Finally, comes about show that concerning both triggers and the conceivable evacuation of hindrances there appears to be space for arrangement activity.


Composites of Ni–Mn–Ga particles in a polyurethane matrix can be made by mixing the particles with the polymer, and allowing them to cure under a magnetic field to texture the composites. These composites show large hysteresis and mechanical losses, when subjected to a cyclic stress, that were far larger than the matrix polymer ones. The additional losses are attributed to the motion of twin boundaries in the filler particles and provide a way for obtaining mechanical energy absorption in a wide frequency range. By means of X-ray and neutron diffraction we present evidence that confirms that twins are present in the particles and that they do move when mechanically loading the composite


This book offers a gentle introduction to the mathematics of both sides of game theory: combinatorial and classical. The combination allows for a dynamic and rich tour of the subject united by a common theme of strategic reasoning. Designed as a textbook for an undergraduate mathematics class and with ample material and limited dependencies between the chapters, the book is adaptable to a variety of situations and a range of audiences. Instructors, students, and independent readers alike will appreciate the flexibility in content choices as well as the generous sets of exercises at various levels.


The Mitf-Tfe family of basic helix–loop–helix-leucine zipper (bHLH-Zip) transcription factors encodes four family members: Mitf, Tfe3, Tfeb, and Tfec. In vitro, each protein in the family can bind DNA as a homo- or heterodimer with other family members. Mutational studies in mice have shown that Mitf is essential for melanocyte and eye development, whereas Tfeb is required for placental vascularization. Here, we uncover a role for Tfe3 in osteoclast development, a role that is functionally redundant with Mitf. Although osteoclasts seem normal in Mitf or Tfe3 null mice, the combined loss of the two genes results in severe osteopetrosis. We also show that Tfec mutant mice are phenotypically normal, and that the Tfec mutation does not alter the phenotype of Mitf, Tfeb, or Tfe3 mutant mice. Surprisingly, our studies failed to identify any phenotypic overlap between the different Mitf–Tfe mutations. These results suggest that heterodimeric interactions are not essential for Mitf-Tfe function in contrast to other bHLH-Zip families like Myc/Max/Mad, where heterodimeric interactions seem to be essential.


The field of management has struggled with fundamental questions in regards to the subject's
nature and purpose – to whom and for what means are educational agendas ultimately directed;
these question have become of central importance to policy makers, practitioners and academics
alike in the context of the dynamic nature of the business world. Concerns have been expressed
about University Business schools engaging more critically with the lived experiences of practicing
managers through alternative pedagogical approaches and methods, seeking to account for and
highlighting the social, political and moral aspect of management practice. In the UK where funding
in higher education has become increasingly dependent on student fees there are renewed
pressures to educate students for management practice as opposed to educate them about
management and what it does. This latter point will be the main focus of this workshop and one
which demands the inclusion of critique. Government and EU policies are calling on Business Schools
to develop and enhance management skill sets, in order to meet these challenges management
education programs must be more proactive in providing innovative educational practices that helps
and facilitates new technologies, life experiences, and experiential learning. The workshop would
seek to explore the role of critical reflexive methods (reflection, action learning, network learning,
hetertopian spaces etc) in management pedagogical approaches based on both context (curriculum
design) and process (delivery methods).


NASA-ISC requires avionics platforms capable of serving a wide range of applications in a cost-effective manner. In part, making the avionics platform cost effective means adhering to open standards and supporting the integration of COTS products with custom products. Inherently, operation in space requires low power, mass, and volume while retaining high performance, reconfigurability, scalability, and upgradability. The Universal Mini-Controller (UMC) project is based on a modified PC/104-Plus architecture while maintaining full compatibility with standard COTS PC/104 products. The architecture consists of a library of stackable building block modules, which can be mixed and matched to meet a specific application. A set of NASA developed core building blocks, (e.g. processor card, analog input/output card, high level analog card, and a Mil-Std-1553 card) were constructed to meet critical functions and unique interfaces.


Case: Spinal fractures are rare in young children. Because spinal anatomy and biomechanics differ in children and adults, knowledge of the deviations of the juvenile spine is necessary for adequate treatment. We present the case of a young girl with an unusual C2 fracture that included rupture of both of the neurocentral and lateral dental synchondroses, with an opening of the synchondroses and a caudal dislocation of both vertebral arches following a head-on motor vehicle collision. The whole body and apex of the dens was displaced anteriorly and cranially with a kyphotic angulation of 34°. We describe the treatment and clinical and radiographic outcome after 1 year. Conclusion: Using passive hyperextension and distraction of the head, a closed open-mouth digital reduction was performed under continuous fluoroscopy. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient had full range of motion of the head without pain or neurologic dysfunction.


Achieving the Nash equilibria for single objective games is known to be a computationally difficult problem. However there is a special class of equilibria called evolutionary robust equilibria which can be obtained through a special type of evolutionary dynamics called the replicator dynamics. This dynamics has special properties over the simplex, which has been studied in optimization theory to solve several combinatorial problems. In this work, we consider the essentially hard combinatorial optimization problem of computing the equilibria in games with multiple objectives. We extend the notion of replicator dynamics to handle such games. We establish proofs of dynamic stability of this modified replicator dynamics and present their relation to the Pareto Nash equilibria in multi-objective games.


Background/Objective:While the Cox-Maze procedure remains the gold standard for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), the use of ablation technology has revolutionized the field. To simplify the procedure, our group has replaced most of the incisions with bipolar radiofrequency ablation lines. The purpose of this study was to examine results using bipolar radiofrequency in 130 patients undergoing a full Cox-Maze procedure, a limited Cox-Maze procedure, or pulmonary vein isolation alone. Methods:A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent a Cox-Maze procedure (n = 100), utilizing bipolar radiofrequency ablation, a limited Cox-Maze procedure (n = 7), or pulmonary vein isolation alone (n = 23). Follow-up was available on 129 of 130 patients (99%). Results:Pulmonary vein isolation was confirmed by intraoperative pacing in all patients. Cross-clamp time in the lone Cox-Maze procedure patients was 44 ± 21 minutes, and 104 ± 42 minutes for the Cox-Maze procedure with a concomitant procedure, which was shortened considerably from our traditional cut-and-sew Cox-Maze procedure times (P < 0.05). There were 4 postoperative deaths in the Cox-Maze procedure group and 1 in the pulmonary vein isolation group. The mean follow-up was 13 ± 10, 23 ± 15, and 9 ± 10 months for the Cox-Maze IV, the pulmonary vein isolation, and the limited Cox-Maze procedure groups, respectively. At last follow-up, freedom from AF was 90% (85 of 94), 86% (6 of 7), and 59% (10 of 17) in the in the Cox-Maze procedure group, limited Cox-Maze procedure group, and pulmonary vein isolation alone group, respectively. Conclusions:The use of bipolar radiofrequency ablation to replace Cox-Maze incisions was safe and effective at controlling AF. Pulmonary vein isolation alone was much less effective, and should be used cautiously in this population.


The existing support for WebDAV-based (protocol for Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) authoring is currently limited to authoring file systems because the WebDAV methods are mostly intended to operate on files and directories. We have proposed an extensible framework for WebDAV-based authoring of databases to address this open problem. This paper reports on WebDAD; the introduction and realization of our concepts based on the WebDAV protocol. WebDAD utilizes not only the WebDAV methods, but also SQL as database query language and the Jakarta Slide package as a WebDAV support environment besides a relational database to deal with the data. We have developed a taxonomy of WebDAV methods for primitive SQL statements that can be shown to be relatively complete in the context of the WebDAD framework.


Ixodes ricinus imagoes were caught using a flannel flag in the April to October of 2011 to 2013. There were two seasons when these stages were numerous, namely: spring and autumn. The physiological age of 506 hungry I. ricinus imagoes was determined from their outward signs: the shape of their rear body, the surface of the cuticle, and visibility of the internals through the latter. The change in the age composition suggests that an autumn imago cohort consists of specimens that emerged from nymphs in summer.


The aim of the study is to find possible solutions to represent earthquake catalogue data and design maps which can help non-professionals to identify those places where earthquakes occurred frequently. The goal is to visualize all available catalogue data sets in a complex way on a single map, displaying the long-term recurrence times of earthquakes. Therefore, raw data and aggregated data were combined with different cartographic visualization techniques to test the applicability of earthquake maps. Preliminary research demonstrates that aggregation can improve the process of retrieving information from earthquake maps and 3D visualization is useful to find the places of earthquakes of highest magnitude. A second result is that 3D visualization is not effective in the comparison of quantities of released energy and the number of earthquakes.


We present an updated taxonomic account of a few of the large branchiopod species present in the collections of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Our study shows that the Artemia species in the collections is not Artemia salina given the presence of spines at the base of the penis and its frontal knob morphology. This population cannot be assigned to any particular species due to lack of comparative material of other Artemia species and therefore, now reduces the authentic distribution record of Artemia salina to just one in the subcontinent. The morphology of eggs taken from the Streptocephalus longimanus allotype is distinct from what has been described later by having lower number of polygons on the egg surface. The gross morphology of the Triops cancriformis from Punjab, Pakistan resembles those of the Kashmir population from India except for its larger size. Based on the morphological comparison, we show that Eocyzicus deterrana is indeed synonymous to E. hutchinsoni. This work further changes the total species tally of large branchiopods from 44 of the Indian subcontinent to 45.


Diode laser absorption experiments have been performed on atmospheric microwave induced argon plasmas produced by the `Torche a Injection Axiale' in order to study the 4s 3P2 metastable densities and deduce plasma properties. It is found that the density is maximal in the active plasma zone (~1.5×1018 m−3) and rapidly decreases in the recombining plasma zone. In strongly ionizing atmospheric plasmas the 4s population can be used to estimate the electron temperature. The obtained value (1.3 eV) is considerably lower than the temperature found with Thomson scattering in a previous study (~2.0 eV). The very strong scattering of the laser spot on the plasma in the expansion zone just above the nozzle suggests that in this region the plasma is filamentary. Above this zone lateral measurements have been Abel-inverted. Hollow profiles, like those determined for the electron density in previous studies, have not been observed for the 4s distribution. It is found that the plasma zone with high 4s density is extended further downstream with increasing gas flow whereas the introduction of typically a few per cent of CO2 already results in a significant quenching of the metastables. The width of the absorption profile varies from typically 10 GHz in the active zone, where Van der Waals broadening is dominant, to 4 GHz in the recombining zone, where Doppler broadening becomes significant. The position of the central absorption frequency is found to be dependent on among other things the position in the plasma. If this shift is attributed to the Stark effect it is obtained that the maximum electron density is within (2–4)×1021 m−3. Since this latter value is rather high, it must be concluded that the Van der Waals effect induces a shift as well. The width and shift have been used to study trends in plasma properties (i.e. gas temperature and electron density) as a function of various parameters (i.e. position in the plasma, gas flow and gas composition). The observed tendencies are in agreement with findings in previous studies.


We recently identified a gene that is induced by lymphocyte activation (ILA). The sequence of the full-length 1.4-kb cDNA characterized ILA as a new member of the nerve growth factor/tumor necrosis factor (NGF/TNF) receptor family and the human homologue of the murine T-cell-specific receptor 4-1BB. The present study demonstrates ILA mRNA isoforms at 4.4, 4.0, and 1.8 kb in poly-A+ RNA from activated, but not from resting human peripheral blood T lymphocytes. A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used to study tissue distribution and regulation of ILA expression. The gene was induced in T lymphocytes by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), and antibody to CD3, in B lymphocytes by PMA and antibodies to cell surface Ig, and in blood monocytes by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and PMA. In T lymphocytes, ILA mRNA was detectable 1.5 hours after stimulation, reached maximal levels at 8 hours, and declined to background levels by 48 hours. Induction of ILA mRNA required protein synthesis and was primarily due to increased transcription. Actinomycin D reduced ILA mRNA levels in activated lymphocytes 50% within 30 minutes, demonstrating a relatively short half-life of this mRNA. Analysis of nonlymphoid cells showed that ILA mRNA was not detectable in resting cells. However, in contrast to the lymphoid-specific expression of the murine 4-1BB gene, ILA was detected in nonlymphoid cells, including epithelial and hepatoma cells after stimulation with IL-1 beta. ILA was not detectable in several brain derived cell lines. The ILA cDNA encodes a 30-kD protein as demonstrated by in vitro translation, and this protein is immunoprecipitated by antisera that were raised against ILA peptides or a glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein. Flow cytometry showed expression of ILA protein on a subset of activated T or B lymphocytes. In conclusion, activation-dependent expression of ILA is found not only in T lymphocytes, but also in B lymphocytes, monocytes, and diverse nonlymphoid cell types.


Most Americans recognize that smoking causes serious diseases, yet many Americans continue to smoke. One possible explanation for this paradox is that perhaps Americans do not accurately perceive the extent to which smoking increases the probability of adverse health outcomes. This paper examines the accuracy of Americans' perceptions of the absolute risk, attributable risk, and relative risk of lung cancer, and assesses which of these beliefs drive Americans' smoking behavior. Using data from three national surveys, statistical analyses were performed by comparing means, medians, and distributions, and by employing Generalized Additive Models. Perceptions of relative risk were associated as expected with smoking onset and smoking cessation, whereas perceptions of absolute risk and attributable risk were not. Additionally, the relation of relative risk with smoking status was stronger among people who held their risk perceptions with more certainty. Most current smokers, former smokers, and never-smokers considerably underestimated the relative risk of smoking. If, as this paper suggests, people naturally think about the health consequences of smoking in terms of relative risk, smoking rates might be reduced if public understanding of the relative risks of smoking were more accurate and people held those beliefs with more confidence.


Diverticular inflammation and complication assessment (DICA) endoscopic classification has been recently developed for patients suffering from diverticulosis and diverticular disease. Its predictive value in those patients was recently retrospectively assessed. For each patient, the following parameters were recorded: age, severity of DICA, presence of abdominal pain, C-reactive protein, fecal calprotectin test (if available) at the time of diagnosis, months of follow-up, therapy taken during the follow-up to maintain remission (if any), occurrence/recurrence of diverticulitis, and need of surgery. A total of 1651 patients (793 male, 858 female, mean age 66.6±11.1 y) were enrolled: 939 (56.9%) classified as DICA 1, 501 (30.3%) as DICA 2, and 211 (12.8%) as DICA 3. The median follow-up was 24 (9 to 138) months. Acute diverticulitis (AD) occurred/recurred in 263 (15.9%) patients, and surgery was necessary in 57 (21.7%) cases. DICA was the only factor significantly associated with the occurrence/recurrence of diverticulitis and surgery either at univariate (&khgr;2=405.029; P<0.0001) or multivariate analysis (hazard ratio=4.319; 95% CI, 3.639-5.126; P<0.0001). Only in DICA 2 patients scheduled therapy was effective for prevention of AD occurrence/recurrence with a hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.598 (0.391-0.914) (P=0.006, log-rank test). Mesalazine-based therapies reduced the risk of AD occurrence/recurrence and need of surgery with a hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.2103 (0.122-0.364) and 0.459 (0.258-0.818), respectively. DICA classification seems to be a valid parameter to predict the risk of diverticulitis occurrence/recurrence in patients suffering from diverticular disease of the colon.


History has provided a site of theoretical inquiry for scholars of International Relations since the discipline's inception. However, serious and sustained historical inquiry has only returned to the foreground of international studies in the last two decades or so, after a prolonged period of postwar uninterest. How can scholars identify moments or processes of systematic change? Does history have a long run structure or trajectory? Moreover, scholars have begun to take seriously the epistemological problem of historicism. International relations scholarship on history during this period addresses the intersection of theory and history in four broad ways. The first encompasses substantive historical studies that take history as a site of theory building about world politics. Here, accounts of early modern Europe, ancient China, precolonial South Asia, European colonial expansion, and other settings have challenged previous historical narratives that assert or assume linear progress or realist cyclicality alike. A second category follows on the first, comprising a plurality of methodological turns. Here, scholars have developed ways of inquiring into history, ranging across macrohistorical or structural analysis, rationalist accounts of international-system building, relational accounts of international hierarchies, discursive accounts of colonialism and resistance, and others. A third focuses directly on theoretical questions drawn from philosophy of history. These works aim to provide not methods of historical inquiry so much as theoretical tools for thinking philosophically about the historical long run itself. Fourth and finally, scholars of the history of international thought have developed contextualist accounts of the intellectual history of international theory. These approaches rethink how theory interfaces with history by interrogating international thought itself.


The last 20 years have witnessed a tremendous explosion in the number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as well as the introduction of AEDS developed for specific epilepsy syndromes. The study of the efficacy and side effect profile of AEDs for unique epilepsy syndromes has allowed neurologists to utilize evidence-based medicine when treating patients. In late 2008, the Food and Drug Administration approved rufinamide for adjunctive use in the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome. This unique chemical compound is also the first new AED to reach the market in the United States having a pediatric indication prior to approval for adults. Rufinamide appears to have a broad spectrum of efficacy, is well tolerated, and may be rapidly initiated—properties that will likely extend its use outside of Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome.


Attention coefficient and propagation speed of intercostal tissues were estimated from chest walls removed postmortem (pm) from 15 5.3 /spl plusmn/ 2.3-day-old, 19 31 /spl plusmn/ 6-day-old, and 15 61 /spl plusmn/ 3-day-old crossbred pigs. These ultrasonic propagation properties were determined from measurements through the intercostal tissues, from the surface of the skin to the parietal pleura. The chest walls were placed in a 0.9% sodium chloride solution, sealed in freezer bags, and stored at -15/spl deg/C prior to measurements. When evaluated, chest-wall storage time ranged between 1 and 477 days pm. All chest walls were allowed to equilibrate to 22/spl deg/C in a water bath prior to evaluation. There was an age dependency of the intercostal tissue propagation speed, with the speed increasing with increasing age. The attenuation coefficient of intercostal tissue was shown to be independent of the age of the pig at the discrete frequencies of 3.1 and 6.2 MHz. For pig intercostal tissues, the estimated attenuation coefficient over the 3.1-9.2 MHz frequency range was A = 1.94f/sup 0.90/ where A is in decibels per centimeter (dB/cm) and f is the ultrasonic frequency in megahertz. In order to determine if there was an effect of storage time pm on estimates of attenuation coefficient, a second experiment was conducted. Five of the youngest pig chest walls measured on day 1 pm in the first experiment were stored at 4/spl deg/C prior to the first evaluation then stored at -15/spl deg/C before being measured again at 108 days pm. There was no difference in the estimated intercostal tissue attenuation coefficient as a function of storage time pm.


Animal experiments are necessary for a better understanding of diseases and for developing new therapeutic strategies. The mouse (Mus musculus) is currently the most popular laboratory animal in biomedical research. Mice imaging procedures are increasingly used in preclinical research because they allow in vivo monitoring and they are readily available for longitudinal and noninvasive studies as well as investigations into the evolution of diseases and the effects of new therapies. New imaging techniques and sophisticated laboratory animal imaging tools are currently producing a large body of evidence about the possible interference of anesthesia with different imaging methods that have the potential to compromise the results of in vivo studies. The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature on molecular imaging studies in mice, to describe the effects of different anesthetic protocols on their outcome, and to report our own experience with such studies.


This research was carried out over two years to determine the quality changes in fresh-cut apple slices processed after hot water, 1-methylcyclopropene 1-MCP , and lovastatin treatments followed by controlled atmosphere CA storage. Apples harvested at the optimum stage were immediately transferred to the postharvest laboratory by a refrigerated vehicle. Intact apples were exposed to three treatments: dipping into hot water 50 °C for 60 s , treating with lovastatin 1.25 mmol L-1 , and treating with 1-MCP 1 µL L-1 . Treated apples and the control group were stored in CA storage 2% O2 + 2% CO2 for 10 months. After long-term storage, the apples, sliced and packaged in plastic boxes, were stored at 0 °C and 90 ± 5% relative humidity RH for 14 days. Weight loss, soluble solid content, flesh firmness and color, titratable acidity, respiration rate, microbial count, and ethylene synthesis were determined during storage. As a result, a global beneficial effect of 1-MCP on sliced apples was observed, although its affirmative effect on ethylene synthesis and respiration rate vanished after 10 months of storage. 1-MCP-treated slices had better results in terms of microbial count, flesh firmness, external appearance, and weight loss compared to other applications. Lovastatin decreased the ethylene synthesis and respiration rate and was the best treatment to maintain the flavor of apple slices. Hot water and control treatments gave similar results for fruit quality and microbial activity. After long-term cold storage 10 months in CA, fresh-cut apple slices could be stored for 7 days with good quality at 0 °C and 90 ± 5% RH.


Allicin compound (2-propene-1- sulphinothioat acid S-2-propenyl ester) is known to have potential as antiplasmodium in vitro. However, the inhibitory activity mechanism of Allicin to plasmodium is still unknown. In this research, we determined the inhibitory activity of Allicin in silico. Identification of physicochemical properties of Allicin compound and two Allicin derivatives, Alc1, Alc2 and Ac2Alc3 were also conducted.. Furthermore, analysis of drug-likeness and adsorption-distribution-metabolism-excretion (ADME) were carried out on the Allicin compound and its derivatives to find the potential of these compounds as drug candidates. In determining the specific interaction, we utilized molecular docking analysis between Allicin and its derivatives against a protein target Cysteine Protease (SP). Molecular  docking results showed that Allicin derivative, Alc2 (S-prop-2-en-1-yl 3-methylbut-2-ene-1-sulfinothioate, C 10 H 18 OS 2 ) has better potential as inhibitors than Allicin, based on the lower bond energies and the inhibition constants, thus Alc2 can be used as an antiplasmodium agent candidate. Keywords: Allicin, Allicin derivatives, drug likeness, ADME, molecular docking


1. This randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study compared the relative effectiveness of gamma-L-glutamyl-5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (glu-5-HTP) and gamma-L-glutamyl-L-tryptophan (glu-TRP) in terms of their ability to act as substrates for renal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) synthesis and their actions on urinary sodium excretion. 2. Urinary excretion of 5-HT and sodium were determined before, during and after 1 h intravenous infusion of an equimolar amount (45 nmol kg-1 min-1) of glu-5-HTP or glu-TRP or placebo in nine healthy male subjects. 3. Cumulative urinary 5-HT excretion over the 4 h after the start of glu-5-HTP infusion was 350-fold greater than that after placebo, and this was associated with a reduction in the urinary excretion of sodium. 4. In contrast, the urinary excretion values of 5-HT and sodium after administration of glu-TRP were not significantly different from those observed on the placebo day. 5. The marked increase in urinary 5-HT excretion and the retention of sodium after administration of glu-5-HTP have been demonstrated in previous studies and result from increased intrarenal generation of 5-HT. The absence of a rise in urinary excretion of 5-HT after glu-TRP infusion suggests that there was no significant conversion of this glutamyl compound to 5-HT within the kidney. As a result, there was no effect on urinary sodium excretion.


The most salient feature of financial dollarization, and the one that causes more concern to policymakers, is its persistence: even after successful macroeconomic stabilizations, dollarization ratios often remain high. In this paper we claim that this persistence is connected to the fact that the participants in the dollar deposit market are fairly heterogenous, and so is the way they form their optimal currency portfolio. We develop a simple model when agents differ in their ability to process information, which turns out to be enough to generate persistence upon aggregation. We find empirical support for this claim with data from three Latin American countries and Poland.


Transcutaneous PCO2 electrodes are noninvasive, reliable, and accurate indicators of the trend in arterial PCO2. Their combination with occasional arterial sampling allows them to be calibrated in vivo for use in a wide range of patients, even in the presence of a severely compromised haemodynamic state. Their role in the ITU as monitors of continuous ventilation and during weaning has been established. However, their potential for use during anaesthesia, acute asthma, exacerbations of chronic airflow limitation, and in studies into the normal and abnormal mechanisms of ventilation during sleep has yet to be realized.


The practice of conventional medicine is rooted in the ability of a patient to effectively communicate with their physician, and for the physician to comprehend the patient's story and perceive it through the lens of evidence-based practice. In reality, the differences in environmental backgrounds hinders this exchange of information and prevents a shared understanding and strategy. Narrative medicine provides a framework in which this divide can be bridged by encouraging the clinician to develop an appreciation of cultural nuances that drive a patient's decision making. The importance of this practice is highlighted with four stories in which the only path to competent patient management was through the utilization of narrative medicine.


The standard expected utility model is augmented by allowing individuals to receive additional utility in states in which they consider themselves victorious and to lose a utility increment in which they consider themselves defeated. The resulting event-dependent expected utility model is used to explain behavior in games and toward risk. In games, players consider themselves defeated when their monetary payoffs are low compared to their opponents' payoffs, and they consider themselves victorious when their payoffs are high, but not too high, compared to their opponents' payoffs. Under these conditions the model can accommodate behavior that has been interpreted elsewhere as inequity aversion, as well as cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma and in public good provision games. In situations of risk, individuals consider themselves victorious (defeated) when they receive an unlikely, avoidable, high (low) outcome. Under these conditions the model can accommodate such behavior as the Allais paradox, boundary effects, and simultaneous gambling and insurance. Consequently, the model uses a single framework to discuss evidence from two distinct branches of the literature.


INTRODUCTION
Poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We evaluated trends in outcomes and treatment of poor-grade aSAH and performed a meta-analysis evaluating outcomes by treatment modality.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
We performed a literature search for studies on surgical and endovascular treatment of poor-grade aSAH. We performed a random effects meta-analysis evaluating long-term good neurological outcome, long-term poor neurological outcome and mortality, comparing rates between endovascular and surgical treatments. We performed a subgroup analysis of outcome by treatment timing relative to the aSAH separating treatment timing into three categories: 1) ultra-early (within 48 hours of aSAH); 2) early (between 48 hours-1 week post-aSAH); and 3) delayed (>1 week post-aSAH). We also evaluated trends in treatment modalities and good neurological outcome.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Eighty-five non-comparative studies with 4506 patients with poor-grade aSAH were included. The proportion of patients receiving endovascular treatment increased from 10.0% to 62.0% between 1990-2000 and 2010-2014. The rate of good neurological outcome increased from 37.0% to 44.0% over this time period. Long-term good neurological outcome was 38% (95% CI=33-43%) in the endovascular group and 39% (95% CI=34-44%) in the surgical group (P=0.74). Mortality rates were higher in the endovascular group compared to the surgical group (41% versus 31%, P=0.01). Overall, patients receiving ultra-early treatment had the highest rates of good neurological outcome (61% compared to 40% for early and 47% for delayed, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Good neurological outcome rates are similar between surgery and endovascular treatment of poor grade aSAH. Ultra-early treatment is associated with improved clinical outcomes.


Understanding of the triboelectric charge accumulation from the view of microcapacitor formation plays a critical role in boosting the output performance of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). Here, an electrospun nanofiber-based TENG (EN-TENG) using a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE)/MXene nanocomposite material with superior dielectric constant and high surface charge density is reported. The influence of dielectric properties on the output performance of the EN-TENG is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The fabricated EN-TENG exhibited a maximum power density of 4.02 W/m2 at a matching external load resistance of 4 MΩ. The PVDF-TrFE/MXene nanocomposite improved the output performance of the EN-TENG fourfold. The EN-TENG successfully powered an electronic stopwatch and thermo-hygrometer by harvesting energy from human finger tapping. Moreover, it was utilized in smart home applications as a self-powered switch for controlling electrical home appliances, including fire alarms, fans, and smart doors. This work presents an effective and innovative approach toward self-powered systems, human-machine interfaces, and smart home applications.


Catalytically active porous and hollow titania nanofibers encapsulating gold nanoparticles were fabricated using a combination of sol–gel chemistry and coaxial electrospinning technique. We report the fabrication of catalytically active porous and hollow titania nanofibers encapsulating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using a combination of sol–gel chemistry and coaxial electrospinning technique. The coaxial electrospinning involved the use of a mixture of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and titania sol as the shell forming component, whereas a mixture of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) and pre-synthesized AuNPs constituted the core forming component. The core–shell nanofibers were calcined stepwise up to 600 °C which resulted in decomposition and removal of the organic constituents of the nanofibers. This led to the formation of porous and hollow titania nanofibers, where the catalytic AuNPs were embedded in the inner wall of the titania shell. The catalytic activity of the prepared Au@TiO2 porous nanofibers was investigated using a model reaction of catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and Congo red dye in the presence of NaBH4. The Au@TiO2 porous and hollow nanofibers exhibited excellent catalytic activity and recyclability, and the morphology of the nanofibers remained intact after repeated usage. The presented approach could be a promising route for immobilizing various nanosized catalysts in hollow titania supports for the design of stable catalytic systems where the added photocatalytic activity of titania could further be of significance.


We consider robust relative homoclinic trajectories (RHTs) for G-equivariant vector fields. We give some conditions on the group and representation that imply existence of equivariant vector fields with such trajectories. Using these results we show very simply that abelian groups cannot exhibit relative homoclinic trajectories. Examining a set of group theoretic conditions that imply existence of RHTs, we construct some new examples of robust relative homoclinic trajectories. We also classify RHTs of the dihedral and low order symmetric groups by means of their symmetries.


We report on the experimental verification of isotropy and polarization properties of high-permittivity metamaterial composed of cubic ferroelectric resonators. Barium strontium titanate (BST) with permittivity as high as 850 is used as ferroelectrics material so that the metamaterial condition is fulfilled. The isotropy was investigated via the scattering of an electromagnetic wave under tilted incidence. From the experimental data, we observed that the magnetic resonance, at 8.6 GHz for a millimeter cube size, is independent of the incidence angle for the TM and TE polarizations. For the latter, however, an extra dip in the transmittance at higher frequency (10.7 GHz for a period of 1.2 mm), not evident under normal incidence, is found. By comparing the full wave simulations of microstructured and homogenous metamaterial slabs it is shown that the electromagnetic response is independent of the underlying structuring technique. On this basis, we verified that this extra dip, theoretically predicted by [Koschny et al., Phys. Rev. B 71, 121103(R) (2005)] for a three-dimensional split ring resonator technology, results from the permeability dispersion characteristics of BST cubes, with zero transmittance at the magnetic plasma frequency.


Time series analysis with delay differential equations (DDEs) reveals non-linear properties of the underlying dynamical system and can serve as a non-linear time-domain classification tool. Here global DDE models were used to analyze short segments of simulated time series from a known dynamical system, the Rössler system, in high noise regimes. In a companion paper, we apply the DDE model developed here to classify short segments of encephalographic (EEG) data recorded from patients with Parkinson's disease and healthy subjects. Nine simulated subjects in each of two distinct classes were generated by varying the bifurcation parameter b and keeping the other two parameters (a and c) of the Rössler system fixed. All choices of b were in the chaotic parameter range. We diluted the simulated data using white noise ranging from 10 to −30 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Structure selection was supervised by selecting the number of terms, delays, and order of non-linearity of the model DDE model that best linearly separated the two classes of data. The distances d from the linear dividing hyperplane was then used to assess the classification performance by computing the area A′ under the ROC curve. The selected model was tested on untrained data using repeated random sub-sampling validation. DDEs were able to accurately distinguish the two dynamical conditions, and moreover, to quantify the changes in the dynamics. There was a significant correlation between the dynamical bifurcation parameter b of the simulated data and the classification parameter d from our analysis. This correlation still held for new simulated subjects with new dynamical parameters selected from each of the two dynamical regimes. Furthermore, the correlation was robust to added noise, being significant even when the noise was greater than the signal. We conclude that DDE models may be used as a generalizable and reliable classification tool for even small segments of noisy data.


Integrins link the cell's cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix, as well as to receptors on other cells. These links occur not only at focal contacts but also at smaller integrin-containing protein complexes outside of focal contacts. We previously demonstrated the importance of focal contact-independent integrin-cytoskeleton interactions of beta(2) integrins: activation of adhesion resulted from a release of integrins from cytoskeletal constraints. To determine whether changes in integrin-cytoskeleton interactions were related to activation of the integrin, we used single particle tracking to examine focal contact-independent cytoskeletal associations of alpha(IIb)beta(3)-integrin, in which activation results in a large conformational change. Direct activation of alpha(IIb)beta(3) by mutation did not mimic activation of lymphocytes with phorbol ester, because it enhanced integrin-cytoskeleton interactions, whereas activation of lymphocytes decreased them. Using additional integrin mutants, we found that both alpha- and beta-cytoplasmic domains were required for these links. This suggests that 1) both beta(2)- and beta(3)-integrins interact with the cytoskeleton outside of focal contacts; 2) activation of a cell and activation of an integrin are distinct processes, and both can affect integrin-cytoskeleton interactions; and 3) the role of the alpha-subunit in integrin-cytoskeleton interactions in at least some circumstances is more direct than generally supposed.


Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation plays an important role in acute and chronic disorders of the central nervous system. Correction of impaired CSF circulation by medical or surgical means carries important risks as well as lifesaving benefits. CSF circulation is intimately associated with intracranial pressure, cerebral edema, cerebral perfusion pressure, and cerebral blood flow. Clinical and experimental aspects of the CSF circulation are examined to provide insight into the often subtle physiological interactions that must be considered when treating patients with altered CSF circulation.


Aim of the study -to determine the indices of local immunity in patients who had combined dental pathology (caries) and gastroesophageal reflux disease. In total were exanimated 33 patients with dental caries in age from 18 to 25 years, including 21 men and 12 women. The main group consisted of 17 patients who had a combined dental pathology (caries) and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The comparison group consisted of 16 people who had dental caries without other systemic diseases.  All patients, who were included in the study was carried out the following researches: a study of the dental status, an immunological study for all patients with the determination of a quantitative assessment of the main populations and subpopulations of lymphocytes, determination of their functional activity, determination of level of serum immunoglobulins, determination of the concentration of circulating immune complexes of various molecular sizes, phagocytic activity of neutrophils and cytokine status in serum and oral fluid, as well as assessment of the course of gastroesophageal reflux disease with questionnaires. The results of the values of the resistance of hard tissues to the effects of cariogenic factors had a high positive correlation with the intensity of dental caries lesions. That confirms the presence of a relationship between manifestations of systemic diseases together with the development of dental caries, especially against the background of a decrease in caries resistance. In the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients dental caries detected spontaneous activation of lymphocyte proliferation by 25.8%, an increasing of the phagocytic activity of neutrophils, detected significantly higher indicators of the phagocytic number and phagocytic index, increased content of medium and small molecular circulating immune complexes with pathogenic properties. Detected significantly higher content of pro-inflammatory cytokines - tumor necrosis factor-α, an increased concentration of IgG as a result of antigenic stimulation, and also a significantly lower concentration of secretory IgA. It has been established that in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease combined with dental caries observing changes in the immune system, which bear the features of subclinical immune inflammation. The study revealed a higher intensity of the carious process in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is associated with permanent acid damage of the oral mucosa. Furthermore, it was found violation in terms of concentration with increasing local immunity oral liquid proinflammatory factors and a reduced concentration of secretory IgA namely with concomitant pathologies of the gastroesophageal reflux disease.


Why do some negotiations end in agreement and some do not? Are there lessons that can be learned from studying negotiations that did not end in agreement? In this paper, I examine the history of 19th century Belgium and the events that led up to the negotiations over its future in 1830, which ended without agreement. The Kingdom of the Netherlands which consisted of Belgium, Luxembourg and northern Netherlands was formed at the Vienna Congress in 1815 with a specific purpose of serving as a buttress against French expansion. In 1830, due to unfavorable treatment by the Dutch, the Belgians rebelled and declared independence. This paper analyzes reasons for the lack of agreement in the negotiations that took place at the London Conference between the Dutch and the Belgians with the great powers of Europe (Russia, Prussia, Austria and Great Britain) acting as mediator. The reasons that contributed to lack of agreement in negotiations were the following: the actors all had perceived power asymmetry; the great powers were ineffective in their role as a mediator due to their own strategic interests; there was a lack of trust between the negotiators as well as towards the mediator; King William I could not see benefits of Forward-Looking Outcomes that the neutrality of Belgium could bring to his country; finally, during the course of negotiations the mediator neither created nor provided opportunities for Mutually Hurting Stalemates or Mutually Enticing Opportunities. As a result of these different factors, the negotiations between the Dutch and Belgium did not reach agreement. These reasons can be used to understand the outcomes of other negotiations as well as to provide guidelines for effective negotiations.


Sixty-five 5-year old children participated in 4 experimental tasks of word learning that varied systematically in the amounts of phonological and nonphonological learning required. Measures of the children's performances on 2 measures of phonological memory (digit span and nonword repetition), vocabulary knowledge, and nonverbal ability were also obtained. Learning of the sound structures of new words was significantly, and to some degree independently, associated with aspects of both phonological memory skill and vocabulary knowledge. Learning of pairs of familiar words was linked with current vocabulary knowledge, although not with phonological memory scores. The findings suggest that both existing lexical knowledge and phonological short-term memory play significant roles in the long-term learning of the sounds of new words. The study also provides evidence of both shared and distinct processes contributing to nonword repetition and digit span tasks.