Estimation of the covariance matrix and its inverse, the precision matrix, in high-dimensional situations is of great interest in many applications. In this paper, we focus on the estimation of a class of sparse precision matrices which are assumed to be approximately inversely closed for the case that the dimensionality p can be much larger than the sample size n, which is fundamentally different from the classical case that p <; n. Different in nature from state-of-the-art methods that are based on penalized likelihood maximization or constrained error minimization, based on the truncated Neumann series representation, we propose a computationally efficient precision matrix estimator that has a computational complexity of O (p3). We prove that the proposed estimator is consistent in probability and in L2 under the spectral norm. Moreover, its convergence is shown to be rate-optimal in the sense of minimax risk. We further prove that the proposed estimator is model selection consistent by establishing a convergence result under the entry-wise ∞-norm. Simulations demonstrate the encouraging finite sample size performance and computational advantage of the proposed estimator. The proposed estimator is also applied to a real breast cancer data and shown to outperform existing precision matrix estimators.


— Arnold's redefinition of human motives can sustain a psychology of education which emphasizes the beauty of knowledge and the exercise of intellectual functions. Thus, education instead of focusing on skills and learning by doing would be centered on 'the widest reaches of the human spirit'. One way to attain it is by developing children's inherent interest. Arnold takes into account the fact that the desire to know is the inherent interest which leads students to explore and learn. She also emphasizes the need of exercising human functions as thinking, judging and reasoning. According to Arnold, the influence of psychological theories of motivation in education has derived in considering that all learning and school tasks should derive from children's needs and impulses. The desire to know and the curiosity have not been considered as basic and active as any instinctive drive or basic need, so there has been an attempt to justify and understand how biological drives guide student's learning. However, understanding motives and motivation not as a drive, an instinct or an impulse guided by our basic needs, but as a want that leads to action can help to understand, from a psychological perspective, how teachers can motivate students to learn, strengthening their desire and interest to reason and discover the whole new world of knowledge.


FROM the recent worldwide conflict approximately 2,000 persons returned to this country with severe injuries to the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Of these, some 600 have been under our care for varying periods. Recent years have brought the wholesale discard of older concepts of paraplegic care, and the life expectancy of the average patient with severe injury of the spinal cord has been lengthened from about eighteen months to perhaps a normal one. In consequence of the renewed hope for this type of patient, the administration of drugs which produce addiction for the relief of pain can no longer be countenanced. It is our firm belief that pain can kill, if not outright as in a case recorded by Tinsley, 1 then at least insidiously through its continued action in bringing about starvation. For the purpose of simplification, pain in the paraplegic patient can be classified into three types.


s. Detailed directions for the preparation of abstracts are given in the Gazette sent to all members of the Society. Further copies may be obtained from the Editorial Office. Authors must include in the text of their abstract sufficient information to justify its use as a scientific reference and to make it informative for those not able to attend the meeting. Papers by non-members must be introduced by members of the Society. Authors are reminded that all abstracts shall be approved for publication in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society by a vote of members at the meeting. Authors who wish to have original communications, read by them before The Nutrition Society, recorded in the Proceedings must submit them in a final form. Only minor amendments to the precirculated copy will be allowed. References. References should be given in the text thus: Sebrell & Harris (1967), (Wallace & West, 1982); where a paper to be cited has more than two authors, citations should appear thus (Peto et al. 1981). Where more than one paper has appeared in one year for which the first name in a group of three or more authors is the same, the reference should be given as follows: Adams et a!. (1962a,b,c); or (Adams et al. 1962a,b,c; Ablett & McCance, 1971). In the text, references should be given in chronological order. At the end of the paper, on a page(s) separate from the text, references should be listed in alphabetical order according to the name of the first author of the publication quoted, names with prefixes being entered under the prefix, and should include the author's initials. Names and initials of authors of unpublished work should be given in the text and not included in the References. Titles of journals should appear in full. References to books and monographs should include the town of publication and the number of the edition to which reference is made. Thus: Ablett, J. G. & McCance, R. A. (1971). Energy expenditure of children with kwashiorkor. Lancet ii, 517-519. Adams, R . L., Andrews, F. N., Gardiner, E. E., Fontaine, W. E. & Carrick, C. W. ( 1 9 6 2 ~ ) . The effects of environmental temperature on the growth and nutritional requirements of the chick. Poultry Science 41, Adams, R. L., Andrews, F. N., Rogler, J. C. & Carrick, C. W. (19626). The protein requirement of 4-week-old chicks as affected by temperature. Journal of Nutrition 77, 121-126. Adams, R. L., Andrews, F. N., Rogler, J. C. & Carrick, C. W. ( 1 9 6 2 ~ ) . The sulfur amino acid requirement of the chick from 4 to 8 weeks as affected by temperature. Poultry Science 41, 1801-1806. Agricultural Research Council (1981). The Nutrient Requirements of Pigs. Slough: Commonwealth Agriculture Bureaux. Hegsted, D. M. (1963). Variation in requirements of nutrients-amino acids. Federation Proceedings 22,14241430. Louis-Sylvestre, J. (1987). Adaptation de l'ingestion alimentaire aux dCpenses energetiques (Adaptation of food intake to energy expenditure). Reproduction Nutrition Diveloppement 27, 171-188. 588-594. Martens, H. & Rayssiguier, Y. (1980). Magnesium metabolism and hypomagnesaemia. In Digestive Physiology and Metabolism in Ruminants, pp. 447466 [Y. Ruckebusch and P. Thivend, editors]. Lancaster: MTP Press Ltd. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1977). Energy Allowances and Feeding Systems for Ruminants. Technical Bulletin no. 33. London: H.M. Stationery Office. Peto, R., Doll, R., Buckly, J. D. & Sporn, M. B. (1981). Can dietary beta-carotene materially reduce human cancer rates? Nature 290,201-208. Sebrell, W. H. Jr & Harris, R. S . (1987). The Vitamins, 2nd ed., vol. 1. London: Academic Press. Technicon Instruments Co. Ltd. (1967). Technicon Methodology Sheet N-36. Basingstoke: Technicon Instrument Co. Ltd. Van Dokkum, W., Wesstra, A. & Schippers, F. (1982). Physiological effects of fibre-rich types of bread. 1. The effect of dietary fibre from bread on the mineral balance of young men. British Journal of Nutrition 47,4511160. Wallace, R. J. & West, A. A. (1982). Adenosine 5' triphosphate and adenylate energy charge in sheep digesta. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98, Wilson, J. (1965). Leber's disease. PhD Thesis, University of London. World Health Organization (1965). Physiology of Lactation. Technical Report Series no. 305. Geneva: WHO. Units. Results should be presented in metric units according to the International System of Units (see Quantities, Units, and Symbols. London: The Royal Society, 1971, and Metric Units, Conversion Factors and Nomenclature in Nutritional and Food Sciences. London: The Royal Society, 1972-reproduced in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society ( 1972) 31,239-247). Energy measurements should be expressed in joules. For substances of known molecular weight, e.g. glucose, urea, Ca, Na, Fe, K, P, values should be expressed as moV1: for substances of indeterminate molecular weights, e.g. phospholipids, proteins, and for trace elements, e.g. Cu, Zn, g/l should be used. Time. The 24 h clock should be used, e.g. 15.00 hours. Statistical Treatment of Results. The experimental design and method of analysis should be described in sufficient detail to permit anyone wishing to reproduce the experiment and its analysis to do so. In general, it is not necessary to publish the individual results of replicated tests and statistical details, such as analysis of variance tables, should be given only if they are relevant to the discussion. A statement of the number of replicates, their average value and some appropriate measure of variability is usually sufficient. Where means are quoted, the most appropriate measure of variability is usually the standard error (SE) of the mean although when there is specific interest in the distribution of the individual values in the sample the standard deviation (SD) is more useful. In either case, the measure adopted and number of values on which it is based must be clearly stated. The notation 'k' should not be used when presenting SE or SD; forms such as 'mean 3.51 (SE 0.67) Wmol' are suitable. A statement that the difference between the means for two groups of values is statistically significant should include the level of significance attained and, where a pooled estimate of variance has been used, the corresponding degrees of freedom should be quoted. Figures. These include graphs, histograms, complex formulas, metabolic pathways. Provide figures without 523-528. wording or numbers, but supply the text and numbering separately on a flyleaf. Supply legends for figures on separate sheets. Legends, text and numbering will be inserted by the Printer. The quality of figures should be suitable for direct photographic copying; laser-printed figures and matt photographic copies of figures are appropriate. Originals and one photocopy should be submitted, each on a separate sheet, not larger overall than the sheets on which the paper itself is typed, and packed flat. Mounting on heavy cardboard is undesirable. Photographs of line drawings are acceptable if printed on matt paper. In curves presenting experimental results, the determined points should be clearly shown, the symbols used being, in order of preference, 0, 0, A , A , 0, W, X, +. Curves and symbols should be drawn with a mechanical aid and not free-hand, and should not extend beyond the experimental points. Scale-marks on the axes should be on the inner side of each axis and should extend beyond the last experimental point. Each figure, with its legend, should be comprehensible without reference to the text. The approximate position of each should be indicated in the margin of the text thus: 'Fig. 1 near here'. Plates. Glossy photographs are required, and should be accompanied by a legend prepared as above. The size of photomicrographs may have to be altered in printing. To avoid mistakes, the magnification will be shown by a scale on the photograph itself, e.g. thus: I 1 pm I. The scale with the appropriate unit should be drawn by the author on the flyleaf together with any lettering and will be inserted by the Press. Do not write details on the back of prints, bend, use paper-clips or mark in any way. The plate number, title of the paper and authors' names should be typed on a label and pasted on to the back of the print. Tables. Tables should carry headings describing their content and should be comprehensible without reference to the text. The dimensions of the values, e.g. mgkg, should be given at the top of each column and not repeated on each line of the table. Tables should not normally be included in the body of the text, but should be typed on separate sheets. Tables should not be subdivided by ruled lines. Abbreviations in tables must be defined in footnotes. Signs for footnotes should be used in the sequence: *t$$llq, then ** etc. (omit * or t , or both, from the sequence if they are used to indicate levels of significance). The approximate position should be indicated in the margin of the text thus: 'Table 1 near here'.


The use of alcohol--one of the oldest drugs of mankind--has positive and negative effects in our societies which are related to the psychotropic actions of this substance. Alcohol exhibits an astonishingly broad spectrum of psychopharmacological effects, including anxiolytic, sedative hypnotic and stimulating euphoric components. Accordingly, alcohol affects all major neurobiological systems. Nevertheless, the psychopharmacological action varies from one individual to another. With biological markers, the recognition of differences in susceptibility to alcohol, such as a genetic predisposition to alcoholism, is attempted or indicators of abusive alcohol consumption are sought. Existing biological markers, however, are not yet specific for certain psychopharmacological actions sought by patients in a self medication process. Some possible implications of new biomedical findings for alcohol policy are discussed.


The Gorgan Bay is an important ecosystem receiving discharge from their tributaries. In this study, concentration of Pb, Zn, Ni, Fe, Al, Cu and As was seasonally determined at 22 sampling points during 2012-2013.Sediment samples were collected using a Van Veen grab. The levels of heavy metals were determined by ICP-AES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry) and AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer). The percentages of sand, silt, clay and TOM (Total Organic Matter) in the sediment samples were determined (44.4± 15, 53.4 ± 14, and 2.2 ±2.2 and 7.2% ± 1.6, respectively). The results showed that range of Al, As, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn in the sediment samples were 0.4-2%, 2.68.6 ppm, 8.1-12.4 ppm, 0.9 – 1.2 % , 11.5-16.8 ppm, 5.9-13.6 ppm and 21.8-28.8 ppm, respectively. In spring, both Al and Ni were higher than the guideline level. In the event that arsenic was exceeds the guidelines in summer. In general, according to the results of EF (Enrichment Factor) and PLI (Pollution Load Index) can be concluded, Gorgan Bay is low risk and not contaminated. According to the results of the nmMDS (non-metric Multidimensional Scaling), PCA (Principal Components Analysis) and the map of distribution of heavy metals, it seems Gorgan Bay are divided into two separate zones (the eastern and the western parts).


A Thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Art in Textile Design, April-2013


The redox behavior and surface characterization of manganese dioxide (MnO2) containing titanium boride (TiB2) as a cathode and Zn as an anode have been investigated in aqueous saturated lithium hydroxide (LiOH) electrolyte battery. The electrode reaction of MnO2 with TiB2 in this aqueous electrolyte is shown to be lithium insertion rather than the usual protonation. The influence of TiB2 additive (1, 3 and 5 wt. %) on the performance of MnO2 as a cathode and its cycling ability have been determined.


A study was conducted to determine the artisanal fishers association in Ilaje Local Government area, Ondo State, Nigeria. Multistaged random sampling technique was used to select three hundred and twenty four artisanal fishers" association members from the study area. Structured questionnaire and in-depth guided interview were used as instrument for data collection. Data collected were analyzed through descriptive statistic. The study showed that 69.8% had association memberships of more than fifty. Outboard engine 26.9% and boat 21.6% were enjoyed at subsidized rates while only 8.3% each indicated training on outboard engine repair and gear construction and mending. It is recommended that Government at various levels and non- Governmental organizations should assist fishermen associations in the procurement of fishing inputs and organization of different trainings on fishing to boost the local supply from artisanal fisheries.Keywords: Association, artisanal, servicing facilities, membership, training


BACKGROUND
Boarding of patients in hospital emergency departments (EDs) occurs routinely across the U.S. ED patients with behavioral health conditions are more likely to be boarded than other patients. However, the existing literature on ED boarding of psychiatric patients remains largely descriptive and has not empirically related mental health system capacity to psychiatric boarding. Nor does it show how the mental health system could better address the needs of populations at the highest risk of ED boarding.

AIMS OF THE STUDY
We examined extent and determinants of "boarding" of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) in hospital emergency departments (ED) and tested whether greater mental health system capacity may mitigate the degree of ED boarding.

METHODS
We linked Oregon's ED Information Exchange, hospital discharge, and Medicaid data to analyze encounters in Oregon hospital EDs from October 2014 through September 2015 by 7,103 persons aged 15 to 64 with SMI (N = 34,207). We additionally utilized Medicaid claims for years 2010-2015 to identify Medicaid beneficiaries with SMI. Boarding was defined as an ED stay over six hours. We estimated a recursive simultaneous-equation model to test the pathway that mental health system capacity affects ED boarding via psychiatric visits.

RESULTS
Psychiatric visits were more likely to be boarded than non-psychiatric visits (30.2% vs. 7.4%). Severe psychiatric visits were 1.4 times more likely to be boarded than non-severe psychiatric visits. Thirty-four percent of psychiatric visits by children were boarded compared to 29.6% for adults. Statistical analysis found that psychiatric visit, substance abuse, younger age, black race and urban residence corresponded with an elevated risk of boarding. Discharge destinations such as psychiatric facility and acute care hospitals also corresponded with a higher probability of ED boarding. Greater supply of mental health resources in a county, both inpatient and intensive community-based, corresponded with a reduced risk of ED boarding via fewer psychiatric ED visits.

DISCUSSION
Psychiatric visit, severity of psychiatric diagnosis, substance abuse, and discharge destinations are among important predictors of psychiatric ED boarding by persons with SMI. A greater capacity of inpatient and intensive community mental health systems may lead to a reduction in psychiatric ED visits by persons with SMI and thereby decrease the extent of psychiatric ED boarding.

IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICIES
Continued investment in mental health system resources may reduce psychiatric ED visits and mitigate the psychiatric ED boarding problem.


In this paper, a quasi-resonant (QR) flyback dual-output LED driver with current-sharing transformer (CST) is analyzed thoroughly. Although the CST is utilized to balance the currents in two LED strings, from the theoretical analysis, it shows that the parasitic capacitance of CST and its magnetizing inductance have a significant effect on the output current deviation and diode's voltage stress. In order to achieve the optimal current sharing ability between two outputs with minimum auxiliary components, a design guideline for the CST in QR flyback is proposed according to the theoretical analysis. A 100-W dual-output dc-dc prototype is built up to verify the theoretical analysis.


Abstract. The processes leading to a glacier instability depend on the thermal properties of the contact between the glacier and its bedrock. Assessing the stability of temperate glacier (i.e. the glacier can slide on its bedrock) remains problematic. In order to scrutinize in more detail the processes governing such "sliding" instabilities, a numerical model designed to investigate gravitational instabilities in heterogeneous media was further developed to account for the presence of water at the interface between the bedrock and the glacier for Allalingletscher. This model made it possible to account for various geometric configurations, interaction between sliding and tension cracking and water flow at the bedrock. We could show that both a critical geometrical configuration of the glacier tongue and the existence of a distributed subglacial drainage network were the main causes of the Allalingletscher catastrophic break-off. Moreover, the analysis of the modelling results diagnosed the phenomenon of recoupling of the glacier to its bed followed by a pulse of subglacial water flow as a potential new precursory sign of the final break-off in 1965. This model casts a gleam of hope for a better understanding of the ultimate rupture process resulting from such glacier sliding instabilities.


A low-temperature chemical vapor growth of Ge nanowires using Ga as seed material is demonstrated. The structural and chemical analysis reveals the homogeneous incorporation of ∼3.5 at. % Ga in the Ge nanowires. The Ga-containing Ge nanowires behave like metallic conductors with a resistivity of about ∼300 μΩcm due to Ga hyperdoping with electronic contributions of one-third of the incorporated Ga atoms. This is the highest conduction value observed by in situ doping of group IV nanowires reported to date. This work demonstrates that Ga is both an efficient seed material at low temperatures for Ge nanowire growth and an effective dopant changing the semiconductor into a metal-like conductor.


Sine is dedicated to Heywood "Woody" McGriff, a colleague and Sharir dancer whose life was cut short by AIDS on May 8, 1994. "To Woody for your courage." IPeople was made possible by a Choreographer Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Sine 0.00; Triptych 21.39; Hollow Ground 32.30; ipeople 43.48; P1.10.00. Choreography: Yacov Sharir (Sine); Jose Luis Bustamante (Triptych, IPeople); Yacov Sharir and Andrea Beckham (Hollow Ground: Part II). Dance Company: Sharir Dance Company. Dancers: Stephen Brown, Bryan Green, Carolyn Pavlik, Yacov Sharir, Teresa Tipping, Liza Travis (Sine, section 1: Optimism); Stephen Brown, Carolyn Pavlik (Sine, section 2: Adversity); Bryan Green, Liza Travis (section 3: Serenity); Stephen Brown, Bryan Green, Carolyn Pavlik, Teresa Tipping, Liza Travis (section 4: Energy); Jose Luis Bustamante (Triptych); Andrea Beckham, Valarie Williams (Hollow Ground: Part II); Stephen Brown, Jose Luis Bustamante, Bryan Green, Luis Narvaez, Carolyn Pavlik, Teresa Tipping, Liza Travis (IPeople). Music: Michael Kapoulas (Sine); John Adams (Triptych); Tom Lopez (Hollow Ground: Part II); Michael Kapoulas, "Una Furtiva Lagrima" from L'Elisir d'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti (IPeople). Lighting: Amarante L. Lucero. Sculpture: John Christensen (Sine). Videographer: Jay Ashcraft (Hollow Ground: Part II). Video Equipment: Courtesy of ProLine Video (Hollow Ground: Part II). Multimedia Collaborators: Andy Dillon, Nate Pagel, Kati Salen, Paulus Trisnadi (Hollow Ground: Part II) . Costumes: Andrea Beckham (Hollow Ground: Part II); Kari Perkins, Patrick Wadley (IPeople). Text: "IPeople" by Toby Lurie, read by Bill Jeffers (Text).


Abstract This study aimed to investigate: i) how Small-Sided and Conditioned Games based on different representation and exaggeration modification strategies, from the Teaching Games for Understanding pedagogical principles, affected team performance and exploratory behaviour; and ii) how teams and players of different ages and skill levels were affected by the use of these different modification strategies. In total, forty-eight youth male soccer players participated in the study (U15, n = 24 mean age = 13.06 ± 1.53 years; U17, n = 24 mean age = 16.89 ± 0.11 years). In both categories, players were organized into three groups according to their tactical efficiency level (Group 01 = High Skilled Players (HSP), Group 02 = Intermediate Skilled Players (ISP), and Group 03 = Low Skilled Players (LSP)). The HSP and LSP groups performed two types of Gk+4vs4+Gk Small-Sided and Conditioned Games (SSCGs) based on different representation and exaggeration modification strategies. The first type of SSCGs was modified by structural constraints (Structural SSCG) and the second type was modified by rule manipulation (Manipulation SSCG). Team performance and exploratory behaviour were analysed through the Offensive Sequences Characterization System and Lag Sequential Analysis, respectively. SSCG modification strategies affected differently tactical performance and exploratory behaviour of teams composed of players of different skill levels. It was found that SSCG modification strategy through rule manipulation provided players and teams with a higher level of difficulty, compromising their performance and inhibiting exploratory behaviour. This information is crucial to practitioners wishing to apply more appropriate pedagogical strategies to improve a specific tactical problem using a player-centred and game-based approach.


The managed care revolution has crippled the ability of medical schools and their affiliated hospitals to accomplish their traditional goals of education, research, specialized clinical service, and innovation in clinical care. As academic health practice has had to become cost competitive, little time is left for teaching and research. Other factors, including the increasing focus on outpatient care, dropping numbers of residents, and the increasingly complex patient mix in academic health centers (AHCs), have contributed to the degradation of the surgical learning environment. In response, AHCs must develop mechanisms to adapt while at the same time preserving their core missions. Examples of adaptive mechanisms include remaining cost-effective, moving training to the outpatient setting, protecting teaching and scholarly activities of faculty by creating new mechanisms of funding, and training future sur


PUBLIC HEALTHKOLTSOVO, RUSSIA-- Smallpox, humankind's greatest scourge, was banished from the wild decades ago. New fears that bioterrorists may try to resurrect the virus have thrown two controversial research programs--at the two places on Earth where it is permitted to keep live smallpox virus, one in the United States and one in Russia--into high gear. The researchers are in a hurry, because although the executive board of the World Health Organization recommended in January giving smallpox--which had been slated for destruction several times before--another stay of execution to allow researchers more time to study it, pressure is mounting to get rid of it once and for all ([see sidebar][1]).

 [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/295/5562/2005


The need for fast and accurate predictors of pharmaceutically important properties has been increasing due to pressure from high-throughput screening, in-silico screening, and the need to more rapidly identify potential pharmacokinetic issues before drugs advance to the more expensive clinical development stages. A novel method for making predictive models based on decomposing 2D structure into component structural fragments is used to model logP, water solubility, and melting point. The fragment orientation of the method facilitates understanding of how molecules might be altered to improve the desired properties. The 2D structure-based descriptor is computed by analysis of the target molecules with a substructure searching algorithm and a set of fragments selected for chemical and pharmaceutical relevance. These are combined with partial least squares to create predictive models. The correlation coefficients achieved are 0.86 for logP (SE = 0.68), 0.73 for logS (SE = 0.89), and 0.64 (SE = 48.9 degrees) for melting point over diverse data sets of 11,447, 2427, and 5598 molecules, respectively. The models were verified via test sets of compounds not included in the training set.


One of the most important decisions a president will make soon after an election is what kind of relationship he/she will have with cabinet secretaries and agency heads. Will the president control weaker secretaries and agency supervisors or will the president give them greater autonomy, making them in effect policy entrepreneurs? For example, George H. W. Bush created a contractor presidency, one that subcontracted management to important officials, giving them considerable freedom. Yet when it came time to support initiatives, Bush did not spend any political capital in backing his policy entrepreneurs, which ultimately led to policy failure. Bush's approach to government is informative because of its similarities with Donald J. Trump's strategy in policy-making. Trump also created a contractor presidency, which handed over major policy making to important officials in his cabinet. Yet, at the same time, Trump prevented those same executives from building their own teams and further gave equivocal or even contradictory responses to their policy initiatives. Just as Bush's unsupportive relationship with his policy entrepreneurs led to policy defeat, Trump's contradicting connection with his policy entrepreneurs also resulted in policy failure.


Vaccinia virus NPH-II is an essential nucleic acid-dependent nucleoside triphosphate that catalyzes unidirectional unwinding of duplex RNA containing a 3' tail. NPH-II is the prototypal RNA helicase of the DExH box protein family, which is defined by several shared sequence motifs. The contribution of the conserved QRKGRVGRVNPG region to enzyme activity was assessed by alanine-scanning mutagenesis. Ten mutated versions of NPH-II were expressed in vaccinia virus-infected BSC-40 cells and purified by nickel affinity chromatography and glycerol gradient sedimentation. The mutated proteins were characterized with respect to RNA helicase, nucleic acid-dependent ATPase, and RNA binding functions. Individual alanine substitutions at invariant residues Q-491, G-494, R-495, G-497, R-498, and G-502 caused severe defects in RNA unwinding that correlated with reduced rates of ATP hydrolysis. None of these mutations affected the binding of NPH-II to single-strand RNA or to the tailed duplex RNA used as a helicase substrate. Mutation of the strictly conserved position R-492 inhibited ATPase and helicase activities and also caused a modest decrement in RNA binding. Alanine mutations at the nonconserved position N-500 and the weakly conserved residue P-501 had no apparent effect on any activity associated with NPH-II, whereas a mutation at the weakly conserved position K-493 reduced helicase to one-third and ATPase to two-thirds of the activity of wild-type required for ATP hydrolysis and RNA unwinding but not for RNA binding. Because mutations in the HRxGRxxR motif of the prototypal DEAD box RNA helicase eIF-4A abolish or severely inhibit RNA binding, we surmise that the contribution of conserved helicase motifs to overall protein function is context dependent.


Economically, the most efficient way for a city to grow is by high-density infill where maximum advantage is taken of existing infrastructure, short travd distances, and the energy benefits of common walls. In spite of Tucson's having an exceptionally high proportion of internal undeveloped land, however, growth is occurring predominantly by low-density expansion into rural areas in single-family detached homes. Nine hundred Tucson, Arizona area households responded to a survey assessing characteristics, attitudes, and perceptions that might reflect on their decision to locate in a more urban (higher density) or a more rural (lower density) setting. Census tracts were chosen to obtain a sizable sample of urban, suburban, and rural respondents. Rural respondents reported a higher overall satisfaction with where they live, as well as a strong tendency for their satisfaction to increase with time. All three categories of respondents favored a move to a more rural (lower density) setting if forced to move. All strongly preferred detached single-family housing over attached housing, yards or outdoor space to do with as they please, and a view of desert or mountains. Advantages of location and better public services for urban dwellers and the disadvantages of location for rural respondents seem to be relatively unimportant in influencing satisfaction with present housing or desires for new housing.


ABSTRACT

Signal enhancement technology (sub-pixel interpolation) is used to obtain SO2 column concentrations for Guangdong Province in China from 2005 to 2016. The high resolution (2 km × 2 km) data used was obtained via a remote sensing satellite (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) and verified by comparing it with average annual SO2 data recorded in ground monitoring stations. The correlation was found to be up to 0.95. Moreover, the data was cross-correlated with national and regional inventories of pollution sources. The results show that the regional characteristics of the spatial distribution obtained are consistent and the detailed characteristics are highly coincidental. Based on this, the new and detailed spatiotemporal variation was analyzed and the effect of emission reduction in urban agglomerations on the SO2 concentration in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of China investigated. The results demonstrate that the distribution of SO2 pollution in the PRD has been transformed over the period studied. In the early stages, it had a traditional high-concentration type of distribution (with agglomeration areas like Guangzhou and Foshan as high-concentration pollution centers) and this has changed to the currently-observed low-concentration decentralized type of distribution (mainly distributed along administrative boundaries). In the last 10 years, significant SO2 emission reduction has occurred in prefecture-level cities, e.g., Foshan, Zhongshan, and Guangzhou (with emission-reduction amplitudes of 71%, 65%, and 57%, respectively). Foshan and Zhongshan are the top two prefecture-level cities in the PRD region in terms of significant reduction in rate of SO2 contribution. The SO2 contribution rate fell from 17% to 13% in Foshan and from 16% to 10% in Zhongshan. However, the relative contribution rates in Zhaoqing and Huizhou increased from 7% to 11% and from 6% to 10%, respectively. The size of the emission reduction and changes in SO2 contribution rates in the prefecture-level cities in the PRD region show that the government's efforts to improve air quality have had a significant effect.


Rural areas in the United States, like in other OECD countries, rely heavily on manufacturing as a source of income. Taking stock of previous studies on the impact of trade and FDI liberalization on manufacturing industries, this study presents a model with heterogeneous firms in the context of a country consisting of an urban and a rural regions. We examine how a manufacturing industry responds differently in the urban and the rural regions when the domestic economy becomes open to trade and investment with a foreign partner.


Placed within the people-park debates, the authors explore the complexities in defining protected area success. It is argued the selective focus on biodiversity as the only criterion for success often found in the broader literature has limited current discussions. The authors suggest the framing of protected area success should be seen as more multifaceted. Multiple perspectives and actors exist representing a number of interests at various scales across such domains as politics, economics, social legitimacy, scientific (ecological) knowledge. Each actor tends to highlight its own set of rationales. To illustrate their points, the authors present a case study from Quintana Roo, Mexico. They conclude by underscoring that it is the socio-political process of pursuing conservation itself that is likely more valuable to the efforts than a universally established notion of protected area success.


Many children have undetected vision problems or insufficient visual information processing that may be a factor in lower academic outcomes. The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the importance of vision screening for school-aged children, and to investigate the possibilities of how eye-tracking (ET) technologies can support this. While there are indications that these technologies can support vision screening, a broad understanding of how to apply them and by whom, and if it is possible to utilize them at schools, is lacking. We review interdisciplinary research on performing vision investigations, and discuss current challenges for technology support. The focus is on exploring the possibilities of ET technologies to better support screening and handling of vision disorders, especially by non-vision experts. The data orginate from a literature survey of peer-reviewed journals and conference articles complemented by secondary sources, following a rapid review methodology. We highlight current trends in supportive technologies for vision screening, and identify the involved stakeholders and the research studies that discuss how to develop more supportive ET technologies for vision screening and training by non-experts.


In this work, optimization of selective epitaxy growth (SEG) of SiGe layers on source/drain (S/D) areas in 14nm node FinFETs with high-k & metal gate has been presented. The Ge content in epilayers was in range of 30%-40% with boron concentration of 1-3 × 1020 cm−3. The strain distribution in the transistor structure due to SiGe as stressor material in S/D was simulated and these results were used as feedback to design the layer profile. The epitaxy parameters were optimized to improve the layer quality and strain amount of SiGe layers. The in-situ cleaning of Si fins was crucial to grow high quality layers and a series of experiments were performed in range of 760-825 °C. The results demonstrated that the thermal budget has to be within 780-800 °C in order to remove the native oxide but also to avoid any harm to the shape of Si fins. The Ge content in SiGe layers was directly determined from the misfit parameters obtained from reciprocal space mappings using synchrotron radiation. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique was used to deposit HfO2 as high-k dielectric and B-doped W layer as metal gate to fill the gate trench. This type of ALD metal gate has decent growth rate, low resistivity and excellent capability to fill the gate trench with high aspect-ratio. Finally, the electrical characteristics of fabricated FinFETs were demonstrated and discussed.


Abstract Differential stresses are expected to influence the properties of minerals. The structural and Raman vibrational properties of calcite under hydrostatic and differential stresses were studied using a first-principles method based on density functional theory. Our results show that the density of calcite increases or decreases under different differential stress, relative to its value under hydrostatic pressure. The calculated effects of differential stress on bond lengths are nominal. As pressure increases, the frequencies of all Raman modes increase, with their pressure derivatives slightly depending on the differential stress. The state of stress influences the Raman modes by shifting their frequencies to either higher or lower values relative to the corresponding hydrostatic results. In particular, the largest and smallest frequency shifts were predicted for Eg-156 and A1g-1086 modes, respectively, when the additional stress was applied along the a-axis. Visualization of atomic motions associated with Raman modes suggests that the differential stress-induced shifts in Raman frequencies are controlled by out-of-plane vibrations of atoms. The stress estimated on the basis of the experimentally measured shift of the Raman frequency of calcite sample gathered from the Wuchuan earthquake fault by applying our calculated dνi/dP value of A1g-1085 mode is 785 MPa, which appears to be comparable to the stress inferred at the Wuchuan earthquake focus. Thus, the first-principles simulations and Raman spectroscopy experiments together may help us in elucidating the state of stress in the Earth's interior.


The phase and microstructure of four kinds of plasma sprayed TiO2 coatings (P25, ST, NK, KT) were characterized by XRD (X-ray Diffraction), FE-SEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope) and TEM ( Transmission Electron Microscopy). Their photocatalytic properties were discussed in relation to phase composition and microstructure. The FE-SEM observation results reveal that there are quite a number of nanoparticles on the surfaces of all four kinds of plasma sprayed TiO2 coatings, which provide photocatalytic reactive sites. Based on the observation results of FE-SEM and TEM, the microstructure schematic of plasma sprayed TiO2 coatings using nanoparticles as feedstock is suggested. The best photocatalytic property of P25 coating among the four plasma sprayed TiO2 coatings is attributed to the combination of its fine "cauliflower" structure and the highest anatase content.


Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in two groups of primer was performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded kidney and liver tissues from 11 autopsies of HBV infected patients for HBV DNA detection. DNA sequence representing HBV infection was detected in all the 11 liver tissue specimens (100%) and in 8 kidney tissue specimens (72.7%). DNA sequence representing HBV replication was detected in only 5 liver tissue specimens. The PCR findings correspond with those obtained in immunohistochemistry studies and in situ hybridization, suggesting that HBV can infect the kidney but does not replicate in this organ and that the kidney pathology in HBV infected patients may be the result of immuno-intermediate injury from immunocomplex deposited in glomeruli.


In recent years, plasma technology has found its way into a wide and diveme array of manufacturing techniques and facilities, ranging from biomedical applications to microprocessor fabrication. In all cases, greater overall efficiency and usefulness can be improved by understanding the fundamentals of how and why plasmas behave the way they do. In order to achieve this understanding, we use a wide variety of plasma diagnostics to perform measurements of all the Important plasma parameters. The work presented in this thesis is focused on electrostatic probes, in particular, the Langmuir probe, which is arguably the most common diagnostic in the world of experimental plasma physics.

Eventhough the Langmuir probe was invented over 80 years ago and was the first diagnostic tool used for studying plasmas in detail, it is still widely used today. The reason it has survived, even in the presence of more accurate and advanced methods, is because no other diagnostic can obtain so many of the important parameters in such a relatively simple way. However, in many cases the Langmuir probe can only be used as an estimator of plasma parameters, as its accuracy is questionable, particularly in radio frequency(rf) discharges. The inaccuracies are caused by the non-linear dynamics of the plasma sheath, which result in an extra dc current component being measured. This extra component, AI, results in a difference between the time average I-V characteristic and the effective dc I-V characteristic. In 'normal' operation, the Langmuir probe only measures time averaged values, and so, errors result, such as, over-estimation of electron temperature, Te.

Compensated Langmuir probes have been developed to try and eliminate the distortion effect of the plasma potential oscillation on the probe measurements RF compensation usually involves high impedance inductors placed near the tip and a large compensation electrode, both des~gnedt o make the probe tip follow the plasma voltage oscillation, thus reducing it impact on the measurements.

Many semiconductor processing tools use capacitively coupled plasma discharges (CCP's) for etching, deposition and sputtering. CCP's generally have a large voltage oscillation so the ability to accurately measure the plasma parameters under these conditions is highly desirable. Unfortunately, even highly compensated probes have difficulty in providing accurate measurements under most CCP conditions. This 1s because, in practice, it is very difficult to achieve sufficient probe impedance relative to the sheath impedance and also probe construction can be difficult, especially for commercial discharges. For these reasons, and others, even compensated probes do not give reliable results in plasmas with large voltage oscillations.

This was the main motivation for the work presented in this thesis - to design a probe capable of accurately measuring the I-V characteristics and plasma potential oscillations without the need for complex compensation techniques. To achieve this goal, a simple uncompensated Langmuir probe was mvestigated. A computer model was constructed in MatLab to aid in the understanding. A technique was developed in which the dzstortzon-free I-V characteristic is obtained from the time-averaged (distorted) I-V trace by utilizing the rf data measured through a capacitively-coupled, synchronized rf current sensor. This allows phase dependant characteristics to be obtained and also allows reconstruction of the plasma potential oscillation, complex sheath Impedance and other important properties.

The probe deslgn and circu~try are relatively simple, thus providing a useful diagnostic for probing radio-frequency plasmas.


Contributing to conversation analytic research into 'atypical interaction' (i.e. naturally-occurring interactions involving one or more participants with a communication disorder), this paper focuses on talk by individuals who present with both aphasic (language) impairments and other communicative impairments (motor, motor programming or cognitive in nature). It shows how, in three such cases, the co-occurring impairments may each contribute to turns at talk by the atypical speaker which are particularly problematic in terms of their understandability. In each case these trouble source turns result in (1) the production of other-initiations of repair by the recipient which are 'off track', and (2) repair sequences which are notably prolonged. This type of investigation fills a gap in existing atypical interaction research where most analysis has focused on the impact of individual communicative impairments on talk-in-interaction.


Diabetes mellitus is a disorder occurs due to metabolic problems is most frequent globally. The main indication of diabetes mellitus is a hyperglycemia in blood which is due to inappropriate pancreatic insulin secretion or low insulin-directed fostering of glucose by target cells. Diabetes mellitus can be assorted into several types but the two major types are type 1 and type 2. For type 1 diabetes patients Insulin renewal therapy is the backbone, for patient with type 2 diabetes there must be a control diet and lifestyle modification. In type 2 Insulin is vital when blood glucose are unable to control by nutritional therapy, physical activity and other medication. For the cure of type 2 DM oral hypoglycemic agents are preferred. In type 1 novel approaches like Islet transplantation and artificial pancreas were developed. By using the pathophysiology of type 2 DM there has been developing of novel medications like glucagon-like peptide 1 analogoues: Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors, inhibitors of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2. Due to some complications some drugs were removed from the market.


BACKGROUND Frequent ventilator circuit changes are expensive and sometimes unnecessary. Following the worldwide trend to lengthen the intervals for ventilator circuit change from 2 days to 1 week, this study aims to assure that low rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) can be maintained with cost containment. METHODS Ventilator circuits were routinely changed every 7 days in the study period for 2 years and every 2 days during the historical control period of another 2 years. Pediatric patients (age less than 15 years) were not included. Nosocomial pneumonia was diagnosed by the criteria of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States (US). VAP was identified by combining and comparing 2 databases from the Respiratory Therapy Department and the Infection Control Unit of our hospital. RESULTS In the study group, 225 episodes of pneumonias were observed in 7,068 patients and 87,338 ventilator days. The rate of VAP was 2.58 per 1,000 ventilator days. There were 174 episodes of pneumonia in 6,213 patients and 65,467 ventilator days of the control group. The rate of VAP was 2.66 per 1,000 ventilator days. The difference between both groups was not significant (p = 0.803). Yet, the cost curbed was around 80,000 US dollars per year. CONCLUSIONS Extending ventilator circuit change interval from 2 days to 7 days do not increase the risk for VAP, but the cost savings for labor and supply are substantial.


The purpose of this study was to determine whether the brown seaweed Padina sanctae-crucis might be used as a biomonitor organism to determine the location, distribution, and type of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) present along a contaminated tropical coastline. Polychlorinated biphenyls were detected in P. sanctae-crucis collected from near-shore waters along a 4-km stretch of coastline. The profile of PCB levels from samples obtained at 13 sites along the coastline demonstrated a positive concentration gradient as sample locations progressed toward the dump site. Sample locations nearest the dump site revealed PCB levels twofold higher than background levels for P. sanctae-crucis. Chromatograms of samples obtained nearest the dump site indicated a similarity to the Aroclor 1260 fingerprint. The P. sanctae-crucis frond trimmings used for laboratory analysis were approximately 3–5 wk old. This study was conducted 8 mo following the completion of the removal actions at the dump site. Data suggest a release of Aroclor 1260 into the marine environment approximately 7 mo following the completion of removal actions at the dump site.


When faced with a regulatory constraint, firms can either comply, bribe the regulator to get around the rule, or lobby the government to relax it. We analyze this choice, and its consequences, in a simple dynamic model. In equilibrium, when the level of development is low, firms are more inclined to bend the rule through bribery but they tend to switch to lobbying when the level of development is sufficiently high. Bribery, however, is associated with holdup problems, which discourage firms from investing. If the holdup problems are severe, firms will never invest enough to make lobbying worthwhile. The country may then be stuck in a poverty trap with bribery forever. The model can account for the common perception that bribery is relatively more common in poor countries, whereas lobbying is relatively more common in rich ones.


The truth commissions which were authorized to operate in Timor-Leste and Haiti edited final reports whose recommendations included among others a set of reparations proposals for the victims of the human rights violations. We will analyze in what way reparations contributed to the rehabilitation of women survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. To this end, we will look at how both Timor-Leste and Haiti designed and implemented programs in accordance with the reparations proposals included in the truth commissions' reports. The comparative analysis will look at the differences and similarities regarding the manner in which the two countries approached the issue of women survivors of sexual violence in the elaboration of the truth commissions' reports, in the proposed reparations and in their implementation. The societal resources invested by Timor-Leste and Haiti in supporting and promoting reparations programs will also be assessed. The comparative method will rely upon the content analysis of truth commissions' reports, of official and unofficial documents, of government officials' statements, and of several interviews conducted with representatives of NGOs that deal with the implementation of reparations programs in Timor-Leste and Haiti. We will emphasize the potential, but also the limits of reparations programs in addressing the issue of conflict-related sexual violence against women and to the extent to which they have been tailored to their needs.


It is common cause that insolvency law consists of laws that regulate debtors who are unable to pay their debts (Duns Insolvency Law and Policy (2002) 1). It provides the procedures for distributing the assets or proceeds of the assets of a debtor who is unable to pay his debts in favour of his creditors. Unlike other debt collection laws, insolvency law is designed to ensure that the inadequate assets of the debtor are fairly distributed amongst his creditors, hence the saying that insolvency law involves a contest among creditors all of whom are staking claims to an inadequate pie, rather than a contest between debtors and creditors (see Duns supra at 1).


Our understanding of each of the biological sciences becomes heightened by the study of biochemistry and molecular biology. In the last few decades, advances in laboratory techniques for the study of these microscopic sciences have led us to a greater understanding of the central dogma of molecular biology – that DNA transcribes RNA which then gets translated into protein. Understanding protein synthesis is paramount in studying various medical fields, from the molecular basis of genetic diseases through antibiotic development to expressing recombinant proteins as drugs or clinical laboratory reagents. As one of the foundational concepts in biology, protein synthesis is sufficiently complex that many believe it evolved once, giving the protein synthetic machinery in all organisms on the planet a common ancestry. Despite having certain underlying similarities in their mechanism, protein synthesis in the three major lines of descent (bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes) has diverged to the point that substantive mechanistic differences have arisen. These differences have been exploited in nature as organisms produce compounds targeting the protein synthetic machinery of competitors as they vie for limited resources. Science has modified many of these compounds that target the machinery for protein synthesis in pathogenic microbes for use in the clinic as antibiotics. As our understanding of the mechanisms of protein synthesis continues to grow, there will likely be countless additional applications for this knowledge in medicine, research, and industry.


Objectives To compare (1) Short Form-36 (SF-36) Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS), scale scores and Short Form-6 dimensions (SF-6D) between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and Norwegian general population controls and (2) improvements in these measures between patients with RA and PsA. Methods Analyses of covariance were performed to compare SF-36 measures between first-time enrolled patients with RA (n=3898) and PsA (n=1515) from the prospective observational multicentre NORwegian-Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug study (6 months follow-up) and general population controls (n=2323). Results In age and gender-adjusted analyses, patients with PsA compared with patients with RA had similar PCS, MCS and SF-6D (p≥0.14), worse vitality and general health, but better physical functioning at 0/6 months (p≤0.03). With additional 28-joint disease activity scores adjustment as a proxy for joint inflammation, PCS, most scale scores and SF-6D were worse in patients with PsA than patients with RA at 0/3/6 months (p≤0.01). PCS was more impaired than MCS both in RA and PsA compared with general population controls (p≤0.001). Mean 3-month and 6-month improvements after disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug treatment were larger in patients with RA than patients with PsA for bodily pain, vitality and mental health (p≤0.02). Conclusions Health-related quality of life was overall similar in patients with RA and patients with PsA—with a tendency to worse scores in PsA—and worse compared with Norwegian general population controls.


The author discusses a jitter model and signal processing techniques for data recovery in pulse width modulation (PWM) optical recording. A high-speed counter clock is used to convert time marks to amplitude marks, and signal processing techniques are used to minimize jitter according to the jitter model. The jitter model considered takes into account jitter from both the write and read processes, and the signal processing techniques include: velocity and intersymbol interference equalization; differential interleaving detection (DID); additive interleaving detection (AID); differential interleaving modulation (DIM); and additive interleaving modulation (AIM). These techniques are found to be effective in reducing the mark error rate (MER). Various modulation codes can be used in addition to the signal processing techniques to achieve better modulation efficiency. >


Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs) are wetlands completely surrounded by uplands. While common throughout the United States (U.S.), there have heretofore been no nationally available, spatially explicit estimates of GIW extent, complicating efforts to understand the myriad biogeochemical, hydrological, and habitat functions of GIWs and hampering conservation and management efforts at local, state, and national scales. We used a 10‐m geospatial buffer as a proxy for hydrological or ecological connectivity of National Wetlands Inventory palustrine and lacustrine wetland systems to nationally mapped and available stream, river, and lake data. We identified over 8.3 million putative GIWs across the conterminous U.S., encompassing nearly 6.5 million hectares of wetland resources (average size 0.79 ± 4.81 ha, median size 0.19 ha). Putative GIWs thus represent approximately 16% of the freshwater wetlands of the conterminous U.S. The water regime for the majority of the putative GIWs was temporarily or seasonally flooded, suggesting a vulnerability to ditching or hydrologic abstraction, sedimentation, or alterations in precipitation patterns. Additional analytical applications of this readily available geospatially explicit mapping product (e.g., hydrological modeling, amphibian metapopulation, or landscape ecological analyses) will improve our understanding of the abundance and extent, effect, connectivity, and relative importance of GIWs to other aquatic systems of the conterminous U.S.


In recent years, the number of mathematical modelling studies has increased steeply. Many of the questions addressed in these studies are relevant to the development of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, but modelling studies are rarely formally included as part of the body of evidence. An expert consultation hosted by WHO, a survey of modellers and users of modelling studies, and literature reviews informed the development of recommendations on when and how to incorporate the results of modelling studies into WHO guidelines. In this article, we argue that modelling studies should routinely be considered in the process of developing WHO guidelines, but particularly in the evaluation of public health programmes, long-term effectiveness or comparative effectiveness. There should be a systematic and transparent approach to identifying relevant published models, and to commissioning new models. We believe that the inclusion of evidence from modelling studies into the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) process is possible and desirable, with relatively few adaptations. No single "one-size-fits-all" approach is appropriate to assess the quality of modelling studies. The concept of the 'credibility' of the model, which takes the conceptualization of the problem, model structure, input data, different dimensions of uncertainty, as well as transparency and validation into account, is more appropriate than 'risk of bias'.


We present a second order approximation for the robust counterpart of general uncertain nonlinear programs with state equation given by a partial di erential equation.We show how the approximated worst-case functions, which are the essential part of the approximated robust counterpart, can be formulated as trust-region problems that can be solved effciently using adjoint techniques. Further, we describe how the gradients of the worst-case functions can be computed analytically combining a sensitivity and an adjoint approach. This methodis applied to shape optimization in structural mechanics in order to obtain optimal solutions that are robust with respect to uncertainty in acting forces. Numerical results are presented.


radical hysterectomy. More than 2 cycles of Paclitaxel 135mg/m2, followed by carboplatin with AUC of 4.5mg/ml min were administered intravaenously with an interval of at least 4 weeks. Results: Granulocytopenia was the most common toxicity and grade 3 or 4 granulocytopenia were observed in 13 patients (26.5%). Neurotoxicity of grade 1 and 2 was observed in 14 patients (28.6%). In primary concurrent chemoradiatherapy group, overall response rate was 76.2% (CR: 61.9%, PR: 14.3%) and 5 of the patients had a progressive disease, all of whom had systemic failure and received additional combination chemotherapy. There was no expired case during the follow-up period ranged from 8 to 27 months (median: 15 months). In adjuvant therapy group, none of the patients had a progressive or recurrent disease during the follow-up period ranged from 6 to 33 months (median: 12.5 months). Conclusions: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin seems to be well-tolerated and effective for the primary or adjuvant treatment of cervical cancer.


Direct thermochemical liquefaction of microcrystalline cellulose was investigated in sub- and supercritical solvents in a batch reactor. The liquefaction efficiency of hydrogen donor solvents (tetralin and decalin) was compared to that of m-xylene. Tetralin was the most effective solvent with respect to the conversion at every tested condition starting from 350 °C. At 400 °C, the total conversion of cellulose in tetralin approached 96.8–98.3% with a negligible amount of char formation. The pressure of hydrogen had little effect on conversion for any solvent, while the addition of iron oxide catalyst (Fe3O4) led to improved conversion and liquid yield from the reaction compared to reactions without the catalyst at temperatures higher than 350 °C. Hydrogen pressure in the presence of iron oxide catalyst significantly suppressed the char formation and improved liquid production. The thermal-treated chars collected after liquefaction reactions showed a fair adsorption capacity of CO2 compared to activated carbon.


Living shorelines, defined in this study as narrow marsh fringes with adjacent sills, have been gaining traction as the preferred management strategy to mitigate shoreline erosion. These nature-based features provide the same ecosystem services as natural marshes while protecting coastlines. However, they also are threatened by the same environmental changes (sea-level rise, changing sediment supply) as natural marshes and may change characteristics of adjacent subtidal sediments. This study evaluates the role of plants in both the created marshes of living shorelines and, where present, beds of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the adjacent subtidal in the effectiveness, impacts, and resiliency of living shorelines over ~10 years in mesohaline Chesapeake Bay. At study sites, there is a net seaward movement of shorelines with living shoreline installation due to construction technique. This movement replaces shallow-water habitat immediately adjacent to the pre-existing shoreline; farther offshore, sedimentological changes vary among sites but do not appear to drive changes in the presence/absence of subtidal SAV. While current accretion rates in the created marshes are greater than local relative sea-level rise, there is evidence that accretion rates increase with marsh age, suggesting that living shorelines are most vulnerable in the first few years after installation. Because nutrient burial is maximized when SAV occur next to living shorelines, a management strategy that considers the subtidal and intertidal as integrated components of the coastal system is needed to optimize co-benefits of coastal protection.


The study was conducted to understand the small ruminants' production systems in the Abu-Dhabi Emirate of the United Arab Emirates and investigate information about utilization, management practices, opportunity and challenges, using a survey. Stratified random samples of 326 farmers from all regions of the Abu-Dhabi Emirate were interviewed. Among these, only 18.7% of the breeders were females. Emirati farmers were keeping small ruminants mainly for home consumption while less than 5% were keeping them as a business. The main purpose for keeping small ruminants in the Abu-Dhabi Emirate was meat production as 97% and 94% for sheep and goat production, respectively, while milk production was of less concern. Farmers were mostly keeping mixed flocks of 16 sheep and 18 goat breeds, in addition to different crossbreds. The major sheep breeds in the Emirate were Najdi, Awassi (Nuaimi) and Orb whiles the major goat breeds were Local goats, Ardi, Salali, Pakistani and Omani. Differences exist among most studied variables due to different regions, property types, flock size and type. Although, most farmers do not interfere with the daily care of their flocks, the satisfactory proportion of farms were applying many advised management practices. Though, still some good practices are needed to be applied in farmers flocks. The findings of this study create a baseline for understanding the production system of small ruminants in Abu-Dhabi Emirate as the first step in a sustainable production improvement and execution of effective extension program to farmers and labor to improve productivity. * Corresponding author KEYWORDS


Cryostructured gels, better known as cryogels, are a very important emerging class of biomaterials that have diverse applications in food preservation. This work shows a novel alternative to prepare a cryostructured composite coating made from a blend of xanthan, bovine collagen, and oregano essential oil. The composite coating was suitably applied onto the surface of preservative-free biscuits which were stored for 15 days at 25 ± 2°C and 52% ± 1% relative humidity. The evaluation focused mainly on the changes in the physicochemical, textural, and microbiological characteristics of the biscuits. It was found that the coated samples significantly (p < 0.05) decreased moisture absorption, water activity, and fungal growth. However, the composite coating minimally impacted the quality of biscuits in terms of color, texture profile, and surface microstructure. Overall, the cryostructured composite coating constitutes an advance in technological strategies aimed at the preservation of baked products. This will allow, in the future, the development of novel coatings on bakery products to generate new trends in the conservation of their properties and extension of shelf life. This could be achieved through the implementation of new technologies in the food industry, with the aim of making them more environmentally friendly and contributing to the generation of less plastic waste. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The study and application of cryogels, as innovative systems in the food industry, allow to expand and diversify the materials that can function as coatings to maintain some quality characteristics, in this case in bakery products, so it is important to analyze their effects and consider them to improve conservation processes.


The theoretical and experimental study of an Yb-doped double clad large mode area photonic crystal fiber laser is reported. This fiber laser system uses one facet of the fiber directly as a cavity mirror, which is fine-polished to 0° angle after collapsing. Lasing is obtained with the feedback of this facet, and mode-locking is achieved by using a semiconductor saturable absorber as another cavity mirror and adding a grating-pair as the spectral filter. By adjusting the filtering conditions, continuous tuning from wide filtering condition to narrow filtering condition is achieved. Under the wide filtering condition, the system generates femtosecond pulses, the highest average power of which is 2.2 W, corresponding to 29.3 nJ pulse energy and 367 fs pulse duration; under the narrow filtering condition, it generates picosecond pulses, the highest average power of which is 4 W, corresponding to 53.3 nJ pulse energy and 1.14 ps pulse duration. In numerical simulation, the evolution and cavity-position-related characteristics of pulses are studied by using split-step Fourier method.


This study focuses on the possible use of spent corncob substrate (SCS), an agricultural waste utilized after the cultivation of white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus, to adsorb the hazardous dye Neutral Red (NR) from aqueous solutions. Natural SCS was initially characterized by using a combination of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques. A batch adsorption study was carried out with varied solution pH, adsorption time, temperature, and initial NR concentration. It was found that NR uptake was favorable over a pH range of 4.0 to 7.0, and the equilibrium adsorption capacity can be reached within about 180 min. The biosorption data were also calculated by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity was 139.1, 140.0, and 143.3 mg g-1 at 20, 30, and 40 °C, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The study highlighted a new pathway to develop potential low-cost biosorbent for the removal of dye pollutants from wastewater.


The combination of individual judgments on logically interconnected propositions into a collective decision on the same propositions is called judgment aggregation. Literature in social choice and political theory has claimed that judgment aggregation raises serious concerns. For example, consider a set of premises and a conclusion in which the latter is logically equivalent to the former. When majority voting is applied to some propositions (the premises) it may give a different outcome than majority voting applied to another set of propositions (the conclusion). This problem is known as the doctrinal paradox. The doctrinal paradox is a serious problem since it is not clear whether a collective outcome exists in these cases, and if it does, what it is like. Moreover, the two suggested escape-routes from the paradox the so-called premise-based procedure and the conclusion-based procedure are not, as I will show, satisfactory methods for group decision-making. In this paper I introduce a new aggregation procedure inspired by an operator defined in artificial intelligence in order to merge knowledge bases. The result is that we do not need to worry about paradoxical outcomes, since these arise only when inconsistent collective judgments are not ruled out from the set of possible solutions.


Ray-finned fish swim by flapping their fins, which are composed of bony rays connected by an inextensible membrane. Throughout the flapping cycle, the fins typically undergo both 'passive' deformation due to hydrodynamic loading, and 'active' deformation arising from internal musculature deforming the fin against the flow. To systematically analyze the impact of fin shape on hydrodynamic performance, a parametric definition of the fin geometry and its modes of deformation is required, consistent with the fin's material and mechanical properties. In this paper we present a model and algorithm to determine the fin shape corresponding to an arbitrary out-of-plane curvature distribution for each ray. The shape is computed by iteratively enforcing constraints corresponding to membrane inextensibility, and negligible torsional stiffness of the rays. Based on this model, we present a low-order parametrization of fin shapes that capture the predominant deformation modes due to combined hydrodynamic loading and intrinsic actuation, as compared to experimental observations. To demonstrate the model's ability to provide insight into the effect of curvature on hydrodynamic fin performance, we integrate our algorithm into a 3D Navier-Stokes solver Using this framework, we present initial results on the cycle-averaged thrust coefficient of a passively and actively deforming generalized trapezoidal caudal fin model at Reynolds number 1500 and Strouhal number 0.3. The results demonstrate that our model, algorithm, and integration with the flow solver form a useful framework to understand the effect of 3D curvature on hydrodynamic performance of flapping fins.


Objectives Interventions to prevent postpartum common mental disorders (PCMD) among unselected populations of women have had limited success. The aim was to determine whether What Were We Thinking (WWWT) a gender-informed, psychoeducational programme for couples and babies can prevent PCMD among primiparous women 6 months postpartum. Design Cluster-randomised controlled trial. Setting 48 Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) from 6 Local Government Areas in Melbourne, Australia were allocated randomly to usual care (24) or usual care plus WWWT (24). Participants English-speaking primiparous women receiving primary care at trial MCHCs were recruited to the intervention (204) and control (196) conditions. Of these, 187 (91.7%) and 177 (90.3%) provided complete data. Intervention WWWT is a manualised programme comprising primary care from a trained nurse, print materials and a face-to-face seminar. Main outcome measures Data sources were standardised and study-specific measures collected in blinded computer-assisted telephone interviews at 6 and 26 weeks postpartum. The primary outcome was PCMD assessed by Composite International Diagnostic Interviews and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) Depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder modules. Results In intention-to-treat analyses the adjusted OR (AOR) of PCMD in the intervention compared to the usual care group was 0.78 (95% CI 0.38 to 1.63, ns), but mild to moderate anxiety symptoms (AOR 0.58, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.97) and poor self-rated health (AOR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.97) were significantly lower. In a per protocol analysis, comparing the full (three component) intervention and usual care groups, the AOR of PCMD was 0.36, (95% CI 0.14 to 0.95). The WWWT seminar was appraised as salient, comprehensible and useful by >85% participants. No harms were detected. Conclusions WWWT is readily integrated into primary care, enables inclusion of fathers and addresses modifiable risks for PCMD directly. The full intervention appears a promising programme for preventing PCMD, optimising family functioning, and as the first component of a stepped approach to mental healthcare. Trial registration number ACTRN12613000506796; Results.


In this brief, we present a parametric controller design for thermo-acoustic combustion instabilities in a propulsion system. A generalized wave equation describes the dynamic behavior of second-order nonlinear oscillations. The control algorithm is developed based on the first two modes using the time-averaged simplification of the governing coupled nonlinear system equations. The closed-loop control law design is based on finding an optimal phase angle such that the heat release produced by secondary oscillatory fuel injection is out of phase with the mode's pressure oscillations, and on finding the limits on the controller gain, to ensure the system stability. These gains are then optimized using three different performance indices, namely, integral of the time absolute error (ITAE), integral of the absolute error (IAE), and finally, integral of square of the error (ISE). Simulations illustrate that the proposed techniques are able to effectively attenuate the unwanted oscillations.


Commitments provide a flexible means for specifying the business relationships among autonomous and heterogeneous agents, and lead to a natural way of enacting such relationships. However, current formalizations of commitments incorporate conditions expressed as propositions, but disregard (1) temporal regulations and (2) an agent's control over such regulations. Thus, they cannot handle realistic application scenarios where time and control are often central because of domain conventions or other requirements.

We propose a new formalization of commitments that builds on an existing representation of events in which we can naturally express temporal regulations as well as what an agent can control, including indirectly as based on the commitments and capabilities of other agents. Our formalization supports a notion of commitment safety. A benefit of our consolidated approach is that by incorporating these considerations into commitments we enable agents to reason about and flexibly enact the regulations.

The main contributions of this paper include (1) a formal semantics of commitments that accommodates temporal regulations; (2) a formal semantics of the notions of innate and social control; and (3) a formalization of when a temporal commitment is safe for its debtor. We evaluate our contributions using an extensive case study.


The purpose of this paper is to provide quick and accurate methods of determining the change in heat rate, nonextraction steam rate, or turbine capability, resulting from changes in the exhaust pressure of condensing turbines. The methods are applicable for turbines from 25,000 kw to the maximum size built by the authors' company. It is believed that these data will be useful to the power-station designer in selecting between alternative turbine designs with different last-stage-bucket annulus areas available in the larger ratings, and also helpful in the selection of condenser size. It also will be useful to the operating engineer in determining when condenser maintenance is advisable, for correcting test data to base exhaust pressure for comparison with guarantee or expected information, and showing the desirability of operation with less than maximum condenser circulating-water pump capacity in cold weather.


During normal vision, when subjects attempt to fix their gaze on a small stimulus feature, small fixational eye movements persist. We have recorded the impulse activity of single neurons in primary visual cortex (V1) of macaque monkeys while their fixational eye movements moved the receptive-field activating region (AR) over and around a stationary stimulus. Three types of eye movement activation were found. (1) Saccade cells discharged when a fixational saccade moved the AR onto the stimulus, off the stimulus, or across the stimulus. (2) Position/drift cells discharged during the intersaccadic (drift) intervals and were not activated by saccades that swept the AR across the stimulus without remaining on it. To activate these neurons, it was essential that the AR be placed on the stimulus and many of these cells were selective for the sign of contrast. They had smaller ARs than the other cell types. (3) Mixed cells fired bursts of activity immediately following saccades and continued to fire at a lower rate during intersaccadic intervals. The tendency of each neuron to fire transient bursts or sustained trains of impulses following saccades was strongly correlated with the transiency of its response to stationary flashed stimuli. For one monkey, an extraretinal influence accompanying fixational saccades was identified. During natural viewing, the different eye movement classes probably make different contributions to visual processing. Position/drift neurons are well suited for coding spatial details of the visual scene because of their small AR size and their selectivity for sign of contrast and retinal position. However, saccade neurons transmit information that is ambiguous with respect to the spatial details of the retinal image because they are activated whether the AR lands on a stimulus contour, or the AR leaves or crosses the contour and lands in another location. Saccade neurons may be involved in constructing a stable world in spite of incessant retinal image motion, as well as in suppressing potentially confusing input associated with saccades.


Due to the flexibility and cost effectiveness the high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray process has been widely adopted by many industries. Though there are different types of flame spraying processes, the HVOF thermal spray process utilises only powder as the coating material rather than wire or rod. Carbon-hydrogen group of gases like propane, propylene, acetylene or even just pure hydrogen can be used as fuel gas in the HVOF process. In the Sulzer Metco Diamond Jet HVOF thermal spraying process powder material is melted by the use of combustion of oxygen and propylene gas and accelerated through a series of nozzles and deposited onto a work-piece. When the gun is in operation, air is used as the main cooling agent. The molten or semi molten particles are propelled out of the gun nozzle at supersonic velocities towards the substrate or forming die. By changing the propylene and oxygen ratio influences both the temperature and the velocity of the particles. HVOF has the potential to produce Hydroxyapatite HA (Bio-ceramic) coatings based on its experience with other sprayed materials, this technique should offer mechanical and biological results compared to other thermal spraying process such as plasma spray. Deposition of HA via HVOF is a new venture especially using the Diamond Jet, and the aim is for HVOF to provide superior coating results compared to Plasma spray, the process currently used in orthopaedic implants.

In this research Design of Experiment (DOE) models were developed to optimise the HVOF process for the deposition of HA through an optimised screening set of experiments. A preliminary process investigation was carried out before beginning the Design of Experiment study. In order to select suitable ranges for the production of HA coatings the parameters were first investigated. Currently five parameters (factors) were researched over two levels (maximum and minimum values for each factor) for Oxygen flow rate, Propylene flow rate, Air flow rate, Spray distance and Powder flow rate. Coating crystallinity and coating purity were measured as the responses to the factors used. The research showed that Propylene, Air Flow Rate, Spray Distance and Powder Feed Rate had the largest effect on the responses and current studies are now aiming to find the desired optimised settings to achieve high Crystallinity and Purity greater than 95%. This research found crystallinity and purity values of 93.81 % and 99.84 % respectively for a set of HVOF parameters which was even better than that achieved by the FDA approved plasma spray. Hence a new technique for HA deposition exist. The coating will allow bone within the femur to attach (graft) onto the implant using the HA material. HA is synthetic bone and turns to natural bone once in contact with living cells such as blood and human bone. HA does not cause any side effects in the human body.


Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) are involved in trans-splicing processing of pre-mRNA in Trypanosoma cruzi. To clone T. cruzi snRNPs we screened an epimastigote cDNA library with a purified antibody raised against the Sm-binding site of a yeast sequence. A clone was obtained containing a 507 bp-insert with an ORF of 399 bp and coding for a protein of 133 amino acids. Sequence analysis revealed high identity with the L27 ribosomal proteins from different species including: Canis familiaris, Homo sapiens, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This protein has not been previously described in the literature and seems to be a new ribosomal protein in T. cruzi and was given the code TcrL27. To express this recombinant T. cruzi L27 ribosomal protein in E. coli, the insert was subcloned into the pET32a vector and a 26 kDa recombinant protein was purified. Immunoblotting studies demonstrated that this purified recombinant protein was recognized by the same anti-Sm serum used in the library screening as well as by chagasic and systemic lupus erythemathosus (SLE) sera. Our results suggest that the T. cruzi L27 ribosomal protein may be involved in autoimmunity of Chagas disease.


A method is suggested to isolate and purify glycosaminoglycans forming elements of a joint from different kinds of connective tissue. The suggested method has been used to study the amount and composition of glucosaminoglycans in the knee joint tissues of people who had died from different accidents. The cartilage of patella and medial condyle of the femur, synovial membrane, medial meniscus and medial tendon of musculus quadriceps femoris are studied. Differences in the amount and composition of glucosaminoglycans in adults are shown.


FGM thermodynamics has been mostly based on adaptation of classical Gibbs-Helmholtz approach for infinite systems to locally "homogeneous" zones. A statistical sum calculation in this theory cannot predict inhomogeneous distributions. A new approach to the statistical description of solid solutions is suggested, which takes into account possible formation of spatially inhomogeneous simultaneous particle and field distributions in finite space domains. The formation of new periodical or gradated structure in binary system is described. The effective free energy of system was determined and the condition of formation of such spatially inhomogeneous distribution of interacting particles was obtained. New method may be applied to FGM to calculate ab initio free energy of these systems without usual limitations of classical theory.


Responses to vasopressin were studied in human platelets loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, quin2. In the presence of 1 mM external Ca2+, vasopressin caused a transient rise in [Ca2+]i from the basal level near 100nM to about 700 nM; peak [Ca2+]i was reached in a few seconds and the level then declined towards resting over several minutes. In the absence of external Ca2+ there was a much smaller rise of similar time-course, suggesting that vasopressin increases [Ca2+]i mainly by stimulated-influx across the plasma membrane but also by partly releasing internal Ca2+. Inhibition of thromboxane A2 formation somewhat reduced the peak [Ca2+]i in the presence of external Ca2+, but had no effect on the response attributed to release of internal Ca2+. With external Ca2+, vasopressin stimulated shape-change, secretion and aggregation. Secretion and aggregation were decreased by about half following blockage of thromboxane production. The ability of vasopressin to induce shape-change and secretion even at near basal [Ca2+]i suggests that activators other than Ca2+ are involved.


In nineteenth century Great Britain, Thomas Henry Huxley [3] proposed connections between the development of organisms and their evolutionary histories, critiqued previously held concepts of homology, and promoted Charles Darwin's theory of evolution [4]. Many called him Darwin's Bulldog. Huxley helped professionalize and redefine British science. He wrote about philosophy, religion, and social issues, and researched and theorized in many biological fields. Huxley made several methodological contributions to both invertebrate and vertebrate embryology [5] and development, and he helped shape the extra-scientific discourse for these fields.


Variations in candidate and donor acceptance criteria may influence access and mortality for liver transplantation. We sought to understand how recipient and donor characteristics vary across centers and how patients interpret this information, and we used these data to develop a tool to provide tailored information to candidates seeking a center (www.transplantcentersearch.org). We analyzed liver recipient data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients to determine how recipient and donor characteristics (eg, age, Medicaid use, and human immunodeficiency virus status) varied across programs. Data included recipients and donors at each US program between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017. The variation in characteristics was plotted with centers stratified by total transplant volume and by volume of each characteristic. A subset of characteristics was plotted to show variation over 3 years. We created mockups of potential reports displaying recipient characteristics alongside pretransplant and posttransplant outcomes and solicited feedback at patient and family interviews and focus groups, which included 39 individuals: 10 pilot interviews with candidates seeking liver transplant at the University of Minnesota‐Fairview (UMNF) and 5 focus groups with 13 UMNF candidates, 6 UMNF family members, and 10 national recipients. Transcripts were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Several themes emerged: (1) Candidates experience gaps in existing education about center options; (2) patients requested information about how selection criteria might impact access to transplant; and (3) information tailored to a candidate's medical characteristics can inform decisions. Characteristics shown on mockups varied across centers (P < 0.01). Variation was widespread for small and large centers. In conclusion, variation exists in recipient and donor characteristics across centers. Liver transplant patients provide positive feedback upon viewing patient‐specific search tools.


Since a photon carries both energy and momentum, when it interacts with a particle, photon-particle energy and momentum transfer occur, resulting in mechanical forces acting on the particle. In this paper we report our theoretical study on the use of a laser beam to manipulate and control the flow of nanofluids in a micro-channel. We calculate the velocity induced by a laser beam for TiO2, Fe2O3, Al2O3 MgO, and SiO2 nanoparticles with water as the base fluid. The particle diameter is 50 nm and the laser beam is a 4 W continuous beam of 6 mm diameter and 532 nm wavelength. The results indicate that, as the particle moves, a significant volume of the surrounding water (up to about 8 particle diameters away from the particle surface) is disturbed and dragged along with the moving particle. The results also show the effect of the particle refractive index on the particle velocity and the induced volume flow rate. The velocity and the volume flowrate induced by the TiO2 nanoparticle (refractive index n = 2.82) are about 0.552 mm/s and 9.86 fL, respectively, while those induced by SiO2 (n = 1.46) are only about 7.569 μm/s and 0.135, respectively.


PURPOSE
To establish the predictive potential of 2-18fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) for detecting viable tumor tissue in residual postchemotherapy masses of seminoma patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
In this prospective multicenter trial, results of FDG PET studies in seminoma patients with postchemotherapy masses > or = 1 cm were correlated with either the histology of the resected lesion or the clinical outcome on follow-up without resection. Negative PET scans of residual lesions that were devoid of viable tumor tissue on resection or disappeared, shrunk, or remained stable in size for at least 2 years were rated as true-negative (TN). Positive scans without histologic or clinical evidence of tumor tissue were classified as false-positive. In patients with histologically positive or progressive lesions, positive PET scans were defined as true-positive (TP) and negative scans, false-negative (FN).

RESULTS
Thirty-seven PET scans of 33 patients were assessable at a median follow-up time of 23 months (range, 2 to 46 months). Histologic data were available from nine patients who had undergone resection. Twenty-eight patients were followed-up clinically and radiologically. Twenty-eight scans were TN, eight were TP, and one was FN. All 14 residual lesions more than 3 cm and 22 (96%) of the 23 < or = 3 cm were correctly predicted by FDG PET. The specificity (100%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 87.7% to 100%), sensitivity (89%; 95% CI, 51.7% to 99.7%), positive predictive value (100%), and the negative predictive value (97%) of FDG PET were superior to data obtained by assessing residual tumor size (< or = or > 3 cm).

CONCLUSION
FDG PET is a clinically useful predictor of viable tumor in postchemotherapy residuals of pure seminoma, especially those greater than 3 cm.


Machine Learning has many tools, techniques, and algorithms for data science. In this project, machine learning is applied to the Wind and Solar Power Forecasting and Foreign Exchange Markets. We use feature engineering to find correlations between the two domains. These are then applied to representative data, which is used with classification schemes, such as linear regression, and artificial neural networks. The focus is Wind and Solar power prediction in the context of international economics. The research goal is to find the best combination of features and classifier for an interdisciplinary model.


Background: The EMPOWER-LUNG 3 clinical trial has shown that cemiplimab plus chemotherapy (CCT) significantly extended overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with advanced non-small cell cancer (NSCLC) compared to placebo plus chemotherapy (PCT). However, the cost-effectiveness of this new treatment option remains unknown. Thus, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of CCT versus (vs.) PCT as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Methods: We constructed a Markov model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of CCT as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC. The transition probabilities were extracted from the survival data of the EMPOWER-LUNG 3 trial. The drugs' costs were referred from national tender prices, while other model input parameters were derived from the EMPOWER-LUNG 3 trial and published literature. The outcome parameters mainly included quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to evaluate the robustness of the model outcomes. Results: Compared to PCT, in the CCT regimen, an additional $79,667 was spent in terms of the total cost and with an additional 0.31 QALYs, resulting in an ICER value of $253,148/QALY. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the hazard ratio (HR) of OS, the cost of cemiplimab (100 mg), and the HR of PFS, all significantly impacted the model's results. The probability of CCT (vs. PCT) being cost-effective was 0% at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $38,201/QALYs in China. The scenario analysis showed that when the price of cemiplimab was reduced to less than $184.09/100 mg, the CCT regimen could be considered cost-effective as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC compared to the PCT. Conclusion: In China, the CCT was not cost-effective as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC.


ABSTRACT Drawing upon a unique large-scale data source (n=5,004) and motivated by the time allocation model of consumer demand in economics, this paper critically analyses the relationship between the expenditure from, and duration of, same-day visits that comprise a large component of the domestic tourism market in England. It focusses on the contribution of activity sports tourism as a component of same-day visits. Three-stage least squares (3SLS) instrumental variable estimation is employed to account for the simultaneous determination of duration and expenditure as implied by economic theory. Controlling for socio-economic characteristics and general trip behaviours, the research identifies that although total expenditures and trip durations are positively related, there are trade-offs between these when focussing on the direct effects of the activities undertaken. However, accounting for the interrelationship between the duration of visits and the expenditures on them, it is found that walking reduces the expenditures on trips and their duration. Field sports increase them both. No effects are identified for running and cycling, as land-based activity sports tourism, or swimming and water sports, as water-based activity sports tourism. The key drivers of expenditure, which also increase the duration of trips, are visiting attractions and hospitality. The research provides a theoretically informed and empirically robust foundation for a more nuanced and targeted activity sports tourism strategy, which might have implications for how activity sports tourism may contribute to health and well-being and local economic development to better inform tourism planning and policy.