The need for table motion in multi-detector CT causes image volumes acquired for whole organ motion and perfusion studies to lack temporal uniformity. The next revolution in clinical CT, dynamic volume CT, mitigates this limitation by providing the ability to acquire an entire organ with isotropic resolution in a single gantry rotation with no table movement. The first dynamic volume CT scanner has recently been introduced and comprises 320 detector rows of 0.5mm channel thickness, covering 16cm of anatomy in one rotation of 0.35sec. This scanner offers many advancements in terms of temporal uniformity, reconstruction, and radiation dose. This system significantly reduces motion artifact and eliminates contrast phase differences within the volume. Because this scanner does not require helical acquisition for volumetric imaging, it delivers significantly less dose for applications such as CT coronary angiography exams as well as reduced dose in most other applications. Furthermore, by eliminating table motion, the need for complex interpolation methods that can distort cardiac images is removed. Image quality is not sacrificed compared with standard 64-row CT scanners, as demonstrated via low contrast, resolution, and accuracy measurements presented in this work. By capturing the entire brain in one rotation, brain perfusion, bone subtraction, and quantitative perfusion analysis are now possible with a single low dose exam. Dynamic volume CT offers to change the way medicine approaches stroke patients, myocardial perfusion studies, and imaging of other moving body parts such as the lung and joints.


Localisation errors have a great impact on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) as search agents. Different approaches for solving the localisation problem can be used and combined together for greater accuracy in estimating AUVs' locations. The effect of localisation errors on locating a target can be lightened by designing a search algorithm that avoids extensive use of exact lo-cation information. In this paper, two cooperative search algorithms are proposed and evaluated. In these algorithms, a high-level mechanism is employed for building a global view of the search space using minimum possible search information. These algorithms rely on low-level search algorithms with exploring roles. Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) and all-to-one Self-Organising Migrating Algorithm (SOMA) are selected as high-level mechanisms. The conducted experiments demonstrate that both algorithms show a robust behaviour within a range of localisation errors.


Zooplankton biomass and abundance estimation, based on surveys or time-series, is carried out routinely. Automated or semi-automated image analysis processes, combined with machine-learning techniques for the identification of plankton, have been proposed to assist in sample analysis. A difficulty in automated plankton recognition and classification systems is the selection of the number of classes. This selection can be formulated as a balance between the number of classes identified (zooplankton taxa) and performance (accuracy; correctly classified individuals). Here, a method is proposed to evaluate the impact of the number of selected classes, in terms of classification performance. On the basis of a data set of classified zooplankton images, a machine-learning method suggests groupings that improve the performance of the automated classification. The end-user can accept or reject these mergers, depending on their ecological value and the objectives of the research. This method permits both objectives to be equally balanced: (i) maximization of the number of classes and (ii) performance, guided by the end-user.


UNLABELLED
Dimethacrylate dental composite resins exhibit inherently low toughness. Toughening of these materials may reduce the incidence of marginal and bulk fracture of composite restorations.

OBJECTIVE
To determine if dimethacrylate dental restorative materials can be rubber-toughened, and if so, to identify a possible mechanism.

METHODS
A filler composed of aggregates of polybutadiene/silica as well as irregularly-shaped silica slabs was produced by mixing silica with polybutadiene in dichloromethane. The dried filler was subsequently ground and sieved to < 25 microm. Polybutadiene/silica ratios were varied from 0:1 (control) to 0.5:1. EDAX analysis verified the composition of the complex filler. Filler was added to a bis-GMA/bis-EMA/TEGDMA resin system and fractured in three-point bend test mode at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. In addition, 1 bar was fractured at a crosshead speed of 0.001 mm/min to identify a possible mechanism for toughening.

RESULTS
In specimens fractured at 1 mm/min, flexural modulus is increased or maintained and flexural strength and energy to break increase as the amount of polybutadiene in the aggregates increases. Cavitation of high-rubber-containing aggregates is demonstrated. In the one specimen fractured at 0.001 mm/min, a marked increase in size of high-rubber-containing aggregates along with severe shear damage in the surrounding matrix is shown, suggesting that cavitation with subsequent absorption of energy during shear yielding is the likely mechanism behind the increase in energy to break in bars fractured at 1 mm/min.

SIGNIFICANCE
These results indicate that dimethacrylate dental composite materials can be rubber toughened, which may potentially reduce marginal and bulk fractures of composite restorations, and consequently extend their service lifetime.


Abstract In mid 2003 a diverse floral resource was planted in a small urban residential plot at the University of California, Berkeley Oxford Tract with the goal of attracting local native California bee species to assess emerging patterns of diversity and seasonality. A standard procedure was then used in 2004 to sample the bees and monitor their host flowers. Pollen and nectar resources were abundant and consistently available during spring, summer, and early fall months of that year. Thirty-two bee species representing 17 genera, and five families used these resources through the 2004 season. Urban bees were categorized into three seasonalities: early season, late season, and full season represented by seven, eight, and 17 species respectively. Results of this study indicate that newly-planted urban gardens, which are designed for bees, have the potential to attract diverse seasonal bee taxa if diverse floral resources are provided throughout the growing season. Implications of these finding are discussed in terms of managing and conserving local bees in new and more developed urban gardens. Long-term monitoring continues at this site.


A step horn structure is presented that yields about 90% aperture efficiency with low cross-polar radiation. It is found that for obtaining high aperture efficiency, the horn aperture should consist of only the TE/sub z/ type of modes in appropriate amplitudes and phases. The desired TE/sub z/ modes are produced using multiple steps in the horn walls. The distances between the steps are critical to suppress the undesired TM/sub z/ modes. Radiation characteristics of high efficiency circular and square horns are presented and potential applications of such high efficiency horns are discussed.


The authors apply principal components analysis to groups of fixed-income hedge funds to extract common sources of risk and return. These common sources of risk are related to market risk factors, such as changes in interest rate spreads and options on interest rate spreads, or asset-based style factors (ABS). The conclusion is that fixed-income hedge funds tend to be exposed to a common ABS factor, credit spreads.


An event-detection pitch detector based on the dyadic wavelet transform is described. The proposed pitch detector is suitable for both low-pitched and high-pitched speakers and is robust to noise. Examples are provided that demonstrate the superior performance of the pitch detector in comparison with classical pitch detectors that use the autocorrelation and the cepstrum methods to estimate the pitch period. >


The ITS sequences of Morus were analyzed in this study, which have an average length of 576 bp and a GC content of 59.55%. There are many mutations in the ITS sequences, and a total of 166 variants are identified (100 in ITS1, 60 in ITS2, and 0 in 5.8S). The systematic location of Morus is between Milicia excelsa (MEU93585) and Streblus heterophyllus (DQ499105), and much closer to the former one based on the maximum parsimony (MP) analysis. Under Bayesian analysis, Xinjiang M. nigra and North America M. murrayana (FJ605515) were firstly separated in cladogram as the most primitive species with the time of origin at about 55 mya, while other species were divided into three branches: (1) Lichuan M. wittiorum and Xianfeng M. wittiorum with a time of origin at about 2 mya; (2) M. cathayana related species with a time of origin at about 15 mya; (3) species that morphology related to M. alba with a time of origin at about 28 mya. Morus was originated from the high latitude regions in Laurasia and then migrated from north to south. The mountains between 20-40°N latitudes in East Asia are the secondary origin centers of Morus.


Numerical simulation exercises to analyze the impacts of potential changes in non-tariff policies commonly use ad valorem equivalent tariff treatment even though estimated impacts using explicit model representation and ad valorem equivalent treatments will differ. The difficulty for modellers is that the detail and subtlety embodied in a wide array of policy interventions means that some simplification is appealing, but no meaningful general propositions exist in the theoretical literature as to the sign or size of the differences in predicted effects. All that can seemingly be done is to investigate the differences case by case, but even here the findings are sensitive both to the particular form of model used as well as the model parameterization employed. As a result, there is relatively little in the literature that provides guidance as to how serious the pitfalls may be, and how misleading ad valorem tariff equivalent treatment is. Here I draw on three examples of numerical modelling where explicit representation of policy interventions are used. The picture that emerges is one of large quantitative and even qualitative differences in predicted impacts. These examples suggest that where interventions differ from a tariff, ad valorem representation should be undertaken in numerical trade modelling only with substantial caveats.


Six new phenolic compounds, named smiglabrone A (1), smiglabrone B (2), smilachromanone (3), smiglastilbene (4), smiglactone (5), smiglabrol (6), together with fifty-seven known ones 7–63were isolated from the rhizomes of Smilax glabra. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses, as well as by comparison with literature data. Twenty-seven of these compounds were obtained from and identified in the genus Smilax for the first time. The absolute configuration of (2S)-1,2-O-di-trans-p-coumaroylglycerol (43) was determined for the first time using the exciton-coupled circular dichroism (ECCD) method. Thirty isolated compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against three Gram-negative bacteria, three Gram-positive bacteria and one fungus, and the corresponding structure-activity relationships were also discussed. Eighteen compounds were found to be antimicrobial against the microorganisms tested and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were in the range of 0.0794–3.09 mM. Among them, compound 1 showed antimicrobial activity against Canidia albicans with MIC value of 0.146 mM, which was stronger than cinchonain Ia with an MIC of 0.332 mM. Compounds 3 and 4 exhibited inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values of 0.303 and 0.205 mM, respectively. The results indicated that these antimicrobial constituents of this crude drug might be responsible for its clinical antimicrobial effect.


This paper examines the oxidation behaviour of CoNiCrAlY coatings manufactured by APS, HVOF and CGDS deposition techniques when subjected to isothermal heat treatments. Comparison of the as-deposited coating microstructures is achieved by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Investigation of the oxide compositions and growth dynamics is achieved by SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Oxide growth rates were determined by a series of mass gain measurements. Results from this study demonstrate that lower coating porosity and oxide contents lead to lower oxide growth rates. Results also demonstrate that low-temperature processing of CoNiCrAlY bond coats is beneficial to their oxidation behaviour as it favours the formation of alumina in preference to other detrimental fast-growing mixed oxides.


Ice-cream is generally considered as a nutritive food, representing an interesting vehicle for delivering beneficial microorganisms to consumers. Many ice-cream makers use industrial dry bases for its preparation. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of producing spray-dried probiotic formulations to be used for partial substitution of the commercial ice-cream bases. A commercial cream base was selected for the study and, according to its composition and literature, two different formulations (FA and FB) were investigated. FA consisted in 46 % commercial skim milk powder, 24 % anhydrous glucose, 28 % maltodextrin (Maltrin® 40) and 2 % sodium alginate. FB contained prebiotic inulin fiber (Fibruline® instant) instead of Maltrin®. Powders were obtained with a lab-scale spray dryer dissolving each formulation in water at a 10 % w/v, with a 6 mL/min flow rate, 150 °C inlet temperature and increasing feed volume (100, 200, 300, 400 mL). The process gave a total dry solids yield ranging from 62.07 % (with 100 mL feed volume) to 58.14 % (with 400 mL) for FA, and from 65.55 % to 59.46 % for FB. Powder aw was always < 0.3. Probiotic-enriched bases were obtained using FA and FB for encapsulation of a strain of Lactobacillus paracasei. Considering a recommended probiotics minimum daily intake of 10 9 CFU, a 100 g ice-cream serving, a 5 % substitution of the commercial base with the probiotic-enriched base and supposing no vital loss during the process, the cellular feed concentration for the spray-drying trials was calculated. However, in the presence of probiotics, FA could not be spray dried, while encapsulation with FB gave a 50.89 % yield, 0.42 aw and 82 % cell mortality. Ice-cream was finally prepared in a domestic ice-cream maker using the probiotic-enriched FB after the pasteurization step and before the 12 h maturation step which caused limited additional mortality.


The liver can be affected by a wide range of therapeutic and environmental chemicals and here we want to provide a summary of the complex effects of alcohol, cannabinoids and nicotine on liver function. Alcohol is the most important agent that produces liver injury, manifesting as alcoholic fatty liver disease. In addition, it is one of the main etiologic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma development. Studies reviewed in this article regarding cannabinoids, show that ∆9-THC does not produce any harmful effects on the liver, while cannabidiol has hepatoprotective effects in ischemia/reperfusion and alcohol-induced liver injuries. The liver is negatively affected by nicotine exposure, but surprisingly nicotine was shown to have a positive effect on the liver in the diet-induced obese animal model, which should be confirmed by future research.


Alternative metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of testosterone from pregnenolone exist in mammalian testes. The following experiments were designed to identify the preferred testosterone biosynthetic pathway in rat and rabbit testes. The experimental protocol included the infusion of steroidogenic reaction inhibitors and testosterone biosynthetic intermediates into testes perfused in vitro. Under these conditions, the testicular steroid secretions were a measure of specific reaction activities. Infusion of medrogestone (6,17-dimethyl-4,6-pregnadiene-3,20-dione, Ayerst), an inhibitor of delta5-4isomerization, permitted the reactions converting pregnenolone to androstenediol to be studied separately from those converting progesterone to testosterone. For example, the activity of the pregnenolone vector 17alpha-hydroxypregnenolone reaction was measured as the total of the 17alpha-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and androstenediol secreted by medrogestone-inhibited testes. The reactions convering delta5-3beta-hydroxysteroids to delta4-3-ketosteroids were studied in testes infused with SU-10603 (7-chloro-3,4-dihydro-2-[3-pyridyl]-1(2H)-naphthalenone. Ciba-Geigy), an inhibitor of 17alpha-hydroxylation and C-17, C-20 cleavage reactions. The results indicated that preferred testosterone biosynthetic pathways are present and different in rat and rabbit testes.


Very little has been written about skin tears. A common taxonomy and definition for each type of skin tear can organize teaching, practice, and research in the field. In 1990, Payne and Martin published the results of a descriptive clinical nursing research study on the epidemiology and management of skin tears in older adults. The Payne-Martin Classification System for Skin Tears, definitions, and characteristics of skin tears were presented. The purpose of this article is to critique their classification system and definitions. Criteria for evaluating taxonomies, internal validity, external validity, and utility, are used for the critique. A revision based upon continuing research and work with the classification system is presented. Further testing and modification will refine the classification and advance the science of wound care.


A three-dimensional Monte Carlo computer simulation technique has been applied to the problem of normal grain growth. A continuum system is modelled employing a discrete lattice. In this paper we investigate the connectivity of the points that represent the discretized microstructure. The lattice can have a strong influence on the result of the simulation. Only the BCC lattice with 14 neighbours gives similar results than the traditional simple cubic model with 26 neighbours. If we consider the computing time and the required computer memory, the BCC-14 model is a good alternative to the SC-26 model for simulating normal grain growth.


An overview is given of high-energy gamma-ray and neutrino astronomy, emphasizing the links between the two fields. With several new large detectors just becoming operational, the TeV gamma-ray and neutrino sky will soon be surveyed with unprecedented sensitivity.


Stomach Specific Floating Tablets (SSFT) with a combination of Amoxicillin-Trihydrate (AT) and Ranitidine Hydrochloride (RH) were developed by using different grades of Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMCK) (i.e.HPMCK 100M, HPMCK4M and HPMCK15M), to treat patients with H. pylori-infected duodenal ulcer. Floating tablets were prepared by direct compression method, developed formulations were evaluated for different pre-compression and post-compression parameters like angle of repose, compressibility index, hardness, weight variation, floating lag time, content uniformity, and in-vitro drug release. In-Vitro release of two drugs (Amoxicillin-Trihydrate and Ranitidine hydrochloride) from the developed formulation was estimated by the Simultaneous Estimation method (Vierordt's Method). The optimized formulation was subjected to Radio graphical evaluation by incorporating the BaSO4, a radio-opaque substance by replacing a part of the drug from the optimized formulation of into the formulation and then it was administered to the healthy human volunteers to find out the in-vivo residence time. In-vivo X-ray studies were conducted both in fed condition, as well as fasted condition the optimized formulation showed a gastric residence time of more in fed state than that of fasting state. From these studies it was clearly observed that the floating tablets should be given to patients after a standard food and with frequent intake of water.


Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting neurons are located periventricularly or inside the brain ventricles; they contact the CSF via their dendrites, perikarya or axons. Most of the CSF-contacting nerve cells send dendritic processes into the ventricular cavity where they form ciliated terminals. These ciliated dendritic endings resemble those of known sensory cells, yet their role is still unknown. There are two types of CSF-contacting dendritic terminals. One bears solitary 9 X 2 + 0 cilia; it is present in different hypothalamic regions such as the paraventricular organ and the vascular sac. The magnocellular neurosecretory nuclei also contain CSF-contacting neurons, which probably furnish information about the parameters of the CSF for the regulatory function of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal system. CSF-contacting nerve cells of the parvocellular hypothalamic nuclei are suspected to participate in hypothalamo-adenohypophyseal regulation. A second type of CSF-contacting dendritic terminal bears many stereocilia and is found in the central canal of the spinal cord. This type of terminal is also supplied with a 9 X 2 + 2 kinocilium that may contact Reissner's fiber, the secretory material of the subcommissural organ. Resembling mainly mechanoreceptors, these spinal CSF-contacting neurons appear to form axon terminals of the neurosecretory type at the external circumference of the spinal cord. Developing and/or regressing photoreceptor cells of the retina and pineal complex may display a similar dendritic structure characteristic of hypothalamic CSF-contacting neurons. Axons penetrating into the ventricles innervate the apical surface of the ependyma and/or the CSF-contacting dendritic terminals. Some bipolar neurons of the retina form so-called Landolt's clubs; these may be considered as the retinal component of the CSF-contacting neuronal system. Since in the lancelet nearly all nerve cells contact the CSF, the CSF-contacting neurons represent a specialized, but phylogenetically old cell type, a "protoneuron" in the vertebrate brain. They may be derived phylogenetically by inversion of the ciliated neurons found in the plate-like nervous system of more primitive deuterostomians.


We report on a multiwavelength observational campaign of the black hole (BH) X-ray binary Swift J1753.5–0127 that consists of an ESO/X-shooter spectrum supported by contemporaneous Swift/X-ray Telescope+Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) and Australia Telescope Compact Array data. Interstellar medium absorption lines in the X-shooter spectrum allow us to determine E ( B − V ) = 0.45 ± 0.02 ?> along the line of sight to the source. We also report detection of emission signatures of He ii λ 4686 ?> , Hα, and, for the first time, H i λ 10906 ?> and Paβ. The double-peaked morphology of these four lines is typical of the chromosphere of a rotating accretion disk. Nonetheless, the paucity of disk features points toward a low level of irradiation in the system. This is confirmed through spectral energy distribution modeling, and we find that the UVOT+X-shooter continuum mostly stems from the thermal emission of a viscous disk. We speculate that the absence of reprocessing is due to the compactness of an illumination-induced envelope that fails to reflect enough incoming hard X-ray photons back to the outer regions. The disk also marginally contributes to the Compton-dominated X-ray emission and is strongly truncated, with an inner radius about 1000 times larger than the BH's gravitational radius. A near-infrared excess is present, and we associate it with synchrotron radiation from a compact jet. However, the measured X-ray flux is significantly higher than what can be explained by the optically thin synchrotron jet component. We discuss these findings in the framework of the radio-quiet versus X-ray-bright hypothesis, favoring the presence of a residual disk, predicted by evaporation models, that contributes to the X-ray emission without enhancing the radio flux.


In the days although exposure to stress is common among children and their parents, longitudinal research on the effects of perceived stress on child obesity risk is lacking. This study examined the 3�?�year longitudinal associations of children and mothers' perceived stress with children's


The ability of German regional climate Model (REMO) to simulate the near surface air temperature and total precipitation over China in 1989-2008 were assessed with the use of Taylor diagrams and bias analysis. Comparing the simulated near surface air temperature with a 20-year observational dataset from China, the spatial correlation coefficient was relatively high (0.94). However, the spatial correlation coefficient for total precipitation was relatively low (about 0.42). The near surface air temperature simulated by REMO was higher than the observed values in most part of China, showing a bias range within 4 C. Significant cold bias of about -4 to -2 C occurred over most of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In terms of total precipitation, the simulated values were higher than the observed ones, with biases evenly distributed. The annual mean bias in most part of China was within 300 mm. Except for the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, South China and Southwest China, REMO accurately reflected the distribution of near surface air temperature and total precipitation. REMO represented the temperature and total precipitation well in North China and Northeast China. REMO simulations were quite close to observations for near surface air temperature in summer and total precipitation in winter. REMO still needs to be improved in complex terrain areas.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocomposites have been successfully fabricated by a novel method for the biomedical applications, which is in situ growing CNTs in HA matrix in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system. The results show that it is feasible to in situ grow CNTs in HA matrix by CVD for the fabrication of CNTs/HA nanocomposites. Multi-walled CNTs with 50-80 nm in diameter have been grown in situ from HA matrix with the pretreatment of sintering at 1473K in air. The nanocomposites are composed with carbon crystals in CNTs form, HA crystallites and calcium phosphate crystallites, one of most important CaP bioceramics. And the CNTs content is about 1% proportion by weight among the composites in our experiments, which can enhance the HA mechanical properties and the CNTs content does not affect the HA performances. These CNTs/HA nanocomposites have the potential application in the biomedical fields.


Objective: The incidence of foetal loss and/or adverse foetal outcomes, including congenital heart block (CHB), has been investigated in mothers with anti‐SSA antibody detected by immunodiffusion or counter‐immunoelectrophoresis methods. We investigated the relationship between several serum parameters (such as autoantibodies and immunoglobulins) and foetal loss in patients with anti‐SSA antibody, measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Material and methods: Thirty‐seven women who showed positivity for anti‐SSA antibody and had a history of pregnancy were included in this study. Immunoglobulins and several autoantibodies were assayed by routine laboratory methods at our hospital. Results: Our data indicated that immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were significantly higher in the anti‐SSA antibody positive women with foetal loss than in those without, and that a strong positive correlation between IgE and anti‐SSA antibody levels was observed in the former group, but not in the latter. Conclusion: The serum IgE level seems to be an important factor in the occurrence of foetal loss in mothers with anti‐SSA antibody detected by ELISA.


Background Percutaneous microballoon compression (PMC) for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a well-established technique. However, complications from cannulating the foramen ovale (FO) have been reported because direct puncture of the FO is sometimes difficult. Here we report our experience with Dyna-CT-assisted PMC for TN in cannulating the FO and determining the position and volume of the balloon. Methods Dyna-CT-assisted PMC was performed for image reconstruction in 16 cases. The optimal working projection was generated and further fluoroscopic data were used to determine the relationship of the needle with the FO during puncture. The balloon position and three-dimensional shape were verified with Dyna-CT during balloon compression and the balloon volume and puncture angle were also calculated. Patients' prognosis is discussed. Results Dyna-CT allows quick, safe and easy cannulation of the FO. It provided three-dimensional images which were more elaborate than the classic 'pear shape' images for determining correct positioning in 16 cases. The volume of the inflated balloon ranged from 568.2 mm3 to 891.4 mm3 (average 769.5 mm3). The angle of introducing the cannula ranged from 15.32° to 35.48° rotation to the midline (average 25.18°) and 38.47°–51.89° angulation to the Reid line (average 46.17°). All the patients were pain-free after PMC. Four patients had resolvable masseter weakness and fine touch loss. No recurrence of TN was reported on follow-up. Conclusions Dyna-CT performed by digital subtraction angiography assists PMC in three ways: (1) the FO can be better visualized independent of the patient's position; (2) needle correction or insertion can be performed much more easily because of the direct fluoroscopic control; and (3) the needle position, balloon position, balloon configuration and the volume of the inflated balloon is more reliably determined. The use of Dyna-CT-assisted PMC has a low incidence of complications and a good prognosis.


Previous work has demonstrated that plants can be used as production platforms for molecules used in health, medicine, and agriculture. Production has been exemplified in both stable transgenic plants and using transient expression strategies. In particular, species of Nicotiana have been engineered to produce a range of useful molecules, including insect sex pheromones, which are valued for species-specific control of agricultural pests. To date, most studies have relied on strong constitutive expression of all pathway genes. However, work in microbes has demonstrated that yields can be improved by controlling and balancing gene expression. Synthetic regulatory elements that provide control over the timing and levels of gene expression are therefore useful for maximizing yields from heterologous biosynthetic pathways. In this study, we demonstrate the use of pathway engineering and synthetic genetic elements for controlling the timing and levels of production of Lepidopteran sex pheromones in Nicotiana benthamiana. We demonstrate that copper can be used as a low-cost molecule for tightly regulated inducible expression. Further, we show how construct architecture influences relative gene expression and, consequently, product yields in multigene constructs. We compare a number of synthetic orthogonal regulatory elements and demonstrate maximal yields from constructs in which expression is mediated by dCas9-based synthetic transcriptional activators. The approaches demonstrated here provide new insights into the heterologous reconstruction of metabolic pathways in plants.


This document constitutes the generic health and safety plan for the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). It addresses the health and safety requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.120 standard; and EG G Idaho, Inc. This plan is a guide to individuals who must complete a health and safety plan for a task performed for the ERP. It contains a task specific addendum that, when completed, specifically addresses task specific health and safety issues. This health and safety plan reduces the time it takes to write a task specific health and safety plan by providing discussions of requirements, guidance on where specific information is located, and specific topics in the Addendum that must be discussed at a task level. This format encourages a complete task specific health and safety plan and a standard for all health and safety plans written for ERP.


Various methods for solving the inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) problem have been developed independently in machine learning and economics. In particular, the method of Maximum Causal Entropy IRL is based on the perspective of entropy maximization, while related advances in the field of economics instead assume the existence of unobserved action shocks to explain expert behavior (Nested Fixed Point Algorithm, Conditional Choice Probability method, Nested Pseudo-Likelihood Algorithm). In this work, we make previously unknown connections between these related methods from both fields. We achieve this by showing that they all belong to a class of optimization problems, characterized by a common form of the objective, the associated policy and the objective gradient. We demonstrate key computational and algorithmic differences which arise between the methods due to an approximation of the optimal soft value function, and describe how this leads to more efficient algorithms. Using insights which emerge from our study of this class of optimization problems, we identify various problem scenarios and investigate each method's suitability for these problems.


This article ponders writing and art that leverage the written script in Sinitic contexts, specifically where Sinographs are fetishized for creative and/or critical purposes—that is to say, they are turned into a spectacle as well as a method. The article analyzes various "technologies of orthography" pivoting on the Sinograph across three modalities of Sinophone expression: Taiwanese concrete poetry, transnational Chinese text-based art, and ludic mediatizations of the written script. It then speculates on the social psychological meaning of the spectacularized Sinograph as a creative-critical nexus by thinking it through the Bakhtinian carnivalesque, arguing that the Sinograph as a grotesque figure embodies contradictory impulses immanent in the regeneration of Chinese culture by fracturing it from within.


Abstract:This essay uses the collections of two artists formerly associated with the Cockettes—a 1970s queer, handcrafting, theatrical troupe—to propose a method of critical archival research that explores the possibilities and limitations of queer archival recovery acts within institutional settings. Combining sound, performance, material, and visual studies, the author analyzes the "sonic materiality" of these collections. This practice demonstrates how close reading the material condition of documents sharpens the researcher's receptivity to embedded traces of past sounds, making the documents capable of relaying histories of queer performance that would otherwise go unnoticed through archival research methods centering on visual empiricism. Resisting common narratives of synced archival bodies and the silencing imperatives of institutional accessioning, reading the sonic materiality of these collections alongside one another reveals archival remixes wherein persisting traces of the informal artist-archivists cut up and through the meanings that the documents and archives' infrastructures generate. Traversing disciplinary borders between humanities and archival studies, this method of critical archival research provokes ongoing collaborations among artists, archivists, and researchers to formulate new models of documentation and archiving that more fully account for queer histories within institutional repositories.


Electricity is one of the most reliable energy sources because it can be converted into any form of energy and can easily be transmitted from one place to another. For transmission purpose we use Alternating current because producing the AC current is much more efficient than DC. The problem occurs when we want to transmit the electric energy to long distance AC current causes more transmission loss then DC current. That is why, for a long transmission line we use HVDC Transmission where AC voltage is converted in DC and after transmitting to other end DC is again converted into AC for distribution purpose. Another reason for HVDC concept is that renewable energy sources such as solar grid are placed at remote places and they produce a DC current. To transmit them to the end user we have to convert them into AC current. In our research we have simulated a three phase dual converter. In a dual converter, a single circuit can be used as a rectifier and inverter by changing the firing angle of conducting device. We have used a three phase source along with controlled full bridge rectifier consisting SCR. SCRs can be switched on or off using a gate pulse and controlling the time delay of SCR we can control the output. After simulating the circuit and observing the output we found that it is possible to use a controlled three phase rectifier as an inverter by changing the firing angle of SCR Table of


Formaldehyde reacts with amino acids in living organisms to form toxic intermediates that cause epithelial cell damage. In past epidemiological studies, a statistically significant relationship was found between FA and leukemia risks and occupational inhalation exposure. As a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) technique or alternative medicine, shark cartilage (SC) and shark liver oil (SLO) are presented as a new and different alternative source in this study. In this study, the toxic effects of formaldehyde (FA) on lung and the protective effects of SC and SLO against these toxins have been investigated. For the experiment, 40 rats were classified as follows: 4, control group (experiment control); 6, the group that received FA but was not treated (treatment control); 15, the group that was given FA and SC for treatment; and the last 15 were the group that was given FA and SLO for treatment. Negative effects of FA on lung were evaluated biochemically, genetically and pathologically. In terms of therapeutic efficacy, SLO appears to be more effective in improving lung injury on the basis of genetic, pathological and biochemical findings, against to FA administration. The toxic effect of FA in lung and the therapeutic effect of SLO and SC were determined and we believe that our experimental model provided the desired goal and success on the basis of our work.


We consider Continuous Ordinary Differential Equations (CODE) y'=f(y), where f is a continuous function. They are known to always have solutions for a given initial condition y(0)=y0, these solutions being possibly non unique. We restrict to our attention to a class of continuous functions, that we call greedy: they always admit unique greedy solutions, i.e. going in greedy way in some fixed direction.
We prove that they can be seen as models of computation over the ordinals and conversely in a very strong sense.
In particular, for such ODEs, to a greedy trajectory can be associated some ordinal corresponding to some time of computation, and conversely models of computation over the ordinals can be associated to some CODE. In particular, analyzing reachability for one or the other concept with respect to greedy trajectories has the same hardness. This also brings new perspectives on analysis in Mathematics, by providing ways to translate results for ITTMs to CODEs. This also extends some recent results about the relations between ordinary differential equations and Turing machines, and more widely with (generalized) computability theory.


Salmonella species found to have a great potential of causing a variety of diseases ranging from gastroenteritis to enteric fever. Salmonella have been isolated from all food, animals and also found in the vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach etc. Several out breaks of Salmonellosis have been associated with the consumption of raw tomatoes. This is because of the fact that Salmonella attaches to the surface of tomatoes and also present in the interior part due to geotropic transmission via contaminated soil irrigated with contaminated water. .During the life cycle, Salmonella encounters the various environments such as acidic environment (low pH). To overcome such factors, Salmonella has certain adaptable mechanisms. In present 'study total 200 samples of tomatoes were analyzed out of which 10 samples were found to contain Salmonella. All the 10 isolates were then subjected to the antibiotic susceptibility testing and were found to be resistant against several antibiotics. These were subjected to acid resistant tolerance study.


A number of different chromatin remodelling complexes in mammalian cells are implicated in the control of gene expression. The genetic requirements for many such complex components have been described, and the biochemical activities of complex components characterised in vitro, yet the molecular mechanisms by which these biochemical activities impact transcriptional regulation in vivo remain ill-defined. Using an inducible system with fine temporal resolution, we show that the Nucleosome Remodelling and Deacetylation (NuRD) complex directly regulates chromatin architecture at enhancer regions in ES cells, in turn influencing the activity of RNA polymerase II via Mediator. Through this mechanism NuRD restricts Mediator access to enhancer chromatin during lineage commitment, thereby enabling appropriate transcriptional regulation. In contrast, acetylation levels of histone H3 lysine 27 are not immediately impacted by NuRD activity, correlating with transcriptional response only after expression levels have changed. These findings provide a detailed, molecular picture of genome-wide modulation of lineage-specific transcription by an abundant chromatin remodelling complex.


The inactivation of spores of Penicillium oxalicum by supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) was optimized by response surface methodology. The optimal inactivation conditions of 16.8 MPa, 49 o C, and 20 min were determined using ridge analysis, at which the predicted and experimental log10 reductions were obtained as 5.74 and 6.12, respectively. The synergistic effect of a cosolvent (ethanol), which was used to modify SC-CO2, on the inactivation of the fungal spores was investigated. At less severe conditions of 10 MPa and 40 o C, P. oxalicum spores of 10 7 CFU/ml were completely inactivated within 45 min by SC-CO2 modified with ethanol.


The Taoyuan terrace was a very dry region before the building of the Taoyuan Great Dam, but the sacrificial activities related to irrigation were relatively rare. The only sacrificial ritual to the dam founders was in Shezi Stream Basin as in babenbu Opera, a kind of Peace Opera popular in Taoyuan. Its close relation with irrigation reveals local people's collective historical memory of the irrigation, and their interactive relationships derived from water control in early days. This essay shows that the interactive networks and the babenbu sacrificial activities arising from the Sanqi Dam construction and management extended beyond the south dam and villages south to the river, to include both south and north villages on both sides of the river. However those in the northwest and southwest not included in the babenbu sacrifice formed another sacrificial circle. It shows that the irrigation facility as a social space has its own nature and experiences. Meanwhile it is influenced by other social factors such as cultivation, ethnicity, and state power. Therefore, only when the irrigation space is viewed in an integral social-historical context, can we grasp the territoriality of an irrigation society and the hydraulic spatiality of a territorial society. This essay investigates, by the case of a traditional water dam in Taoyuan terrace, the multi-layered social relationships through the lens of irrigation in the context of village development. This essay attempts to point out that the social groups (ethnic groups) in Taoyuan constantly define the ethnic relations and territorial boundaries through the representation of dam construction and related rituals.


Abstract A single stocking of 611 wild flannelmouth suckers Catostomus latipinnis in 1976 represented the first successful reintroduction of a native fish in the lower Colorado River. Flannelmouth suckers ranging in age from young of the year to 24 years were captured during 1999–2001; their population was estimated as at least 2,286 (95% confidence interval, 1,847–2,998). Recruitment appeared sporadic, consisting of consecutive years of low recruitment (<10%) supplemented by a stronger (31%) year-class. Historically, this native fish was rare and was believed extirpated from the lower river by 1975, but it now reproduces naturally in a reach dramatically altered by water development. This successful reintroduction indicates that one native fish can successfully tolerate environmental alterations whereas another, the razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus, apparently cannot. Other opportunities may exist in altered rivers to benefit native fishes where they were absent or historically rare.


Acid sensing ion channels (ASICs) are members of the diverse family of degenerin/epithelial sodium channels (DEG/ENaCs). They perform a wide range of physiological roles in healthy organisms, including in gut function and synaptic transmission, but also play important roles in disease, as acidosis is a hallmark of painful inflammatory and ischaemic conditions. We performed a screen for acid-sensitivity on all 30 subunits of the C. elegans DEG/ENaC family using Two-Electrode Voltage Clamp (TEVC) in Xenopus oocytes. We found two groups of acid-sensing DEG/ENaCs characterised by being inhibited or activated by increasing proton concentrations. Three of these acid-sensitive C. elegans DEG/ENaCs were activated by acidic pH, making them functionally similar to the vertebrate ASICs. We also identified four new members of the acid-inhibited DEG/ENaC group, giving a total of seven additional acid-sensitive channels. We observed sensitivity to the anti-hypertensive drug amiloride as well as modulation by the trace element zinc. Acid-sensitive DEG/ENaCs were found to be expressed in both neurons and non-neuronal tissue, highlighting the likely functional diversity of these channels. Our findings provide a framework to exploit the C. elegans channels as models to study the function of these acid-sensing channels in vivo, as well as to study them as potential targets for anti-helminthic drugs.


1. Casein phosphorus does not completely prevent the development of rickets when substituted in Diet 84 in amount equivalent to a protective dose of basic potassium phosphate. 2. The protection given by lecithin is equivalent to its phosphorus content. 3. The protection given by yeast is at least proportional to its phosphorus content. An amount carrying sufficient vitamine B to promote growth, but insufficient to provide adequate phosphorus, does not prevent rickets. 4. Vitamine A, in the form of butter or butter fat to the amount of 10 per cent of the diet, neither prevents nor cures rickets. 5. The substitution of 10 per cent of egg albumin in Diet 84 improves the nutrition, but does not prevent rickets. 6. The addition of meat to Diet 84, thereby supplying an abundance of phosphorus, promotes normal growth and normal bone formation. A diet consisting solely of meat and flour is inadequate for proper growth, and leads to changes in the bones comparable with those observed on a diet low in calcium, but rich in phosphorus. 7. A diet has been found which contains the necessary food elements for approximately normal growth, and in which the only known deficiency is phosphorus. This leads regularly to the production of rickets.


In this working paper, we analyze the long-term economic effects of financing a large and permanent increase in government expenditures of 5 percent to 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) annually. This paper does not assess the economic effects of the increased government spending and focuses solely on the effects of their financing. The first part of the paper reviews the channels through which different financing mechanisms affect the economy. Specifically, the review focuses on how taxes on labor income, capital income, and consumption affect how much people work and save. The general finding is that increasing taxes leads to lower GDP and personal consumption. Of the different tax policies examined, consumption taxes are likely to have the smallest effects on saving and work decisions and hence the smallest negative consequences on future economic growth. Finally, deficit financing leads to higher interest rates, a lower capital stock, lower GDP, and a greater risk of a fiscal crisis. In practice, the Congressional Budget Office uses a suite of models to assess the economic effects of fiscal policy. The second part of the paper uses one of CBO's modeling frameworks— the life-cycle growth model—to illustrate the economic and distributional implications of raising revenues to finance a targeted amount of government spending (either 5 percent or 10 percent of GDP) through three different tax policies: a flat labor tax, a flat income tax, and a progressive income tax. To maintain deficit neutrality, tax rates for all three tax policies must rise over time to offset behavioral responses that result in smaller tax bases. After 10 years, the level of GDP by 2030 is between 3 percent and 10 percent lower than it would be without the increase in expenditures and revenues. In those scenarios, younger households experience greater loss in lifetime consumption and hours worked than older households. Additionally, the fall in lifetime consumption and hours worked is largest for higher-income households and smallest for lowerincome households when a progressive income tax is used. A progressive income tax generates the largest decline in total output. It also generates the smallest decline in consumption among the bottom two-thirds of the income distribution.


Tungsten was injected by means of laser ablation in both ohmic and additionally heated plasmas of the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak experiment. Spectroscopic investigations were performed in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength region, 4 to 140 nm. Besides the quasi-continuum structure at ≈ 5 nm emitted by tungsten ions around W27+, isolated lines of tungsten were observed in the same spectral region and also in the range from 12 to 14 nm. By comparison with calculations from the HULLAC and RELAC codes, these lines could be identified as transitions of bromine to nickel-like tungsten ions. The concentration cW of tungsten after laser ablation was determined from comparisons between the total tungsten radiation PW and the calculated radiation losses. Calibration of the quasi-continuum intensity with the help of the PW measurements allows the tungsten concentration to be determined from spectroscopic observations, which are more sensitive. Both concentration measurements (quasi-continuum, PW) agree well in discharges with laser ablation. From a comparison of the intensity of the isolated lines with code results, cW could be estimated in the central region of hot, additionally heated plasmas. The lower detection limit of the spectroscopic method allows the extraction of cW during the tungsten divertor experiment of ASDEX Upgrade.


We investigate foreign banks' interest in financing small and medium sized enterprises in Ukraine, a country where massive foreign bank entry took place in a late stage of transition. We use unique, self-collected bank-level data on banks' involvement with SMEs in 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2010. We find that initially foreign banks were neither less nor more interested in financing SMEs than domestic banks. However, with the surge in foreign-bank presence in 2005-2006, acquired foreign banks started demonstrating a higher involvement with SMEs relative to not only domestic banks, but also to greenfield foreign banks. The mode of entry of foreign banks thus clearly matters. And so does their country of origin: acquired banks from long-standing market economies are more inclined to offer SME-specific products in general, whereas their counterparts from post-socialist countries are more likely to provide loans to SMEs and run SME promotion activities. Overall, our findings are consistent with the recent literature that challenges the conventional wisdom that foreign banks are not interested in lending to SMEs.


The present study focused on evaluating the impact of Covid-19 lockdown on the agriculture system in India. A telephonic interview was conducted with farmers among various states between April to May 2020. A total of 494 farmers participated in the survey identifying the challenges they faced during the lockdown. First, the study has outlined the knowledge and perception of respondents on the Covid-19 virus and second the impact of Covid 19 induced restrictions on the agricultural system and food prices in India has been analyzed. The study classified the impact of lockdown on the agriculture system into four broad classifications - Farm Inputs, Farm Produce and Supply Chain, Agriculture and Allied Activities, Pandemic and Food prices. The detailed analysis across these four dimensions is discussed. Due to the shutdown of many supply routes, the availability of agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and seeds was disrupted, which jeopardized farmers' investment planning. Furthermore, the seasonal migrants who would work in urban areas enter off-season and return to their native villages for farming could not carry it on. Such a rapid chain of events created massive short-run income shortages for small and marginalized farmers across the country. The special economic package for agriculture empowerment announced by the Government of India in the tune of two lakh crore rupees, equivalent to ten per cent of India's GDP, has been the government's first response to deal with this agricultural crisis. Finally, the chapter puts forward policy suggestions to strengthen resource-poor farmers' capabilities plagued with a low-income-low-yield vicious cycle.


John William Watson Stephens was born at Ferryside, near Carmarthen, on 2 March 1865, the second of three sons of John Stephens, barrister-at-law, and Martha, daughter of Captain David Davies, R.M., Transmawr, Carmarthenshire. The family was an old Carmarthenshire one with many branches living in the neighbourhood, and Stephens after retirement lived and died in the house in which he was born. His early boyhood was spent at Ferryside where he went to a small preparatory school. Later he was sent for a term to Christ's College, Brecon, and then to Dulwich College, where he distinguished himself by winning prizes in successive years for mathematics and Greek in 1879, chemistry 1880-1882, as also two prizes in this subject in 1883, together with one in physics and one in physiology in the same year. Having decided to embark on a medical career, he entered Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, in October 1884, taking his B.A. and Natural Science Tripos in 1887. He received his medical education at St Bartholomew's Hospital, taking his M.B., B.C. in 1893, followed by the D.P.H. in 1894. After qualifying he continued to work during 1895 and 1896 at St Bartholomew's as Sir Trevor Lawrence Research Student in Pathology and Bacteriology, publishing several papers on bacteriological Subjects. He was President of the Abernethian Society in 1896. His main recreation at this time was Rugby football and he played forward for Barts when they won the Hospital Cup. He also played at times for Carmarthen. In 1896-1897 he continued to work on pathology at Cambridge as John Lucas Walker Student in Pathology under A. A. Kanthack, then Professor of Pathology, Cambridge University. He used frequently to refer to Kanthack for whom he evidently had a high respect and affection, and whose influence in turning his attention to research he often acknowledged. At this time he was greatly interested in the study of snake venoms and on the testing of the isotonic point, now usually referred to as the fragility test, of the red blood corpuscles, a technique he later applied to the investigation of blackwater fever.


Kids today can do anything! Look at Greta Thunberg being the youth voice of climate change, Malala the youngest to win the Nobel Peace prize for her efforts, Caroline and Isabel Bercaw who created a $20M business bath products, Kelvin Doe of Sierra Leone who at 13 built a radio station out of recycled parts for his village, Easton LaChappelle who created a 3D printed prosthetic arm and shares his design with the world, Alina Morse who created a healthy lolly pop that is good for your teeth and has sold millions of dollars' worth, or Gitanjali Rao who at 11 years invented a device to detect lead in water for $20. There are many, many more examples of youth across the world who have and are doing amazing things. With technology and advances across all areas of our society, many kids today don't know what career or field that they will go into because it hasn't been created or invented yet. The speed of change has been and continues to accelerate affecting all aspects of our lives. As they say the only thing permanent is change and this has never been truer than today. Entrepreneurship is all about dealing with ideas, challenges and change. Youth around the world need be shown, taught and encouraged to embrace entrepreneurship. Whether they become entrepreneurs or not these traits are essential for their success and our future. Youth, Teenagers, Entrepreneurship, Future, Startups, Inspiration


The article focuses on the origins and further evolution of the Church Schism in Russia as well as on the legal status of the representatives of the Old Believers in Russia. Church reforms initiated by patriarch Nikon and the local Church Council in 1666-1667 banned all elements of the old Russian church tradition and outlawed Old Believers. Russian legislation viewed Old Believers as church and state criminals. However, in spite of strong discrimination from state and official church, Old Believers remained mostly loyal to Russian state. Gradual improvement of the legal status of the Old Believers started in XVIII century. Decree on religious tolerance issued by the emperor Nikolas II on 17 April, 1905, proclaimed Old Believers as legally recognized church organization.


In this paper we investigated the relevance of a robotic implementation in the development and validation of a neurophysiological model of the generation of saccadic eye movements. To this aim, a well-characterized model of the brainstem saccadic circuitry was implemented on a humanoid robot head with 7 degrees of freedom (DOFs), which was designed to mimic the human head in terms of the physical dimensions (i.e. geometry and masses), the kinematics (i.e. number of DOFs and ranges of motion), the dynamics (i.e. velocities and accelerations), and the functionality (i.e. the ocular movements of vergence, smooth pursuit and saccades). Our implementation makes the robot head execute saccadic eye movements upon a visual stimulus appearing in the periphery of the robot visual field, by reproducing the following steps: projection or the camera images onto collicular images, according to the modeled mapping between the retina and the superior colliculus (SC); transformation of the retinotopic coordinates of the stimulus obtained in the camera reference frame into their corresponding projections on the SC; spatio-temporal transformation of these coordinates according to what is known to happen in the brainstem saccade burst generator of primates; and execution of the eye movement by controlling one eye motor of the robot, in velocity. The capabilities of the robot head to execute saccadic movements have been tested with respect to the neurophysiological model implemented, in view of the use of this robotic implementation for validating and tuning the model itself, in further focused experimental trials


A hybrid h- and p-Type multiplicative Schwarz (h-p-MUS) preconditioned algorithm is proposed to improve efficiency of higher-order finite element-boundary integral-multilevel fast multipole algorithm (FE-BI-MLFMA) for 3D scattering in this paper. An h-p-MUS precondtioner is first constructed for the FEM matrix obtained by using vector higher-order hierarchical basis functions. Numerical experiments show that this preconditioner can offer a better efficiency both in CPU time and memory requirement than the h-MUS and the p-MUS preconditioners. Then this h-p-MUS preconditioner for the FEM matrix is applied to different algorithms of FE-BI-MLMFA. Analysis and Numerical results show that the h-p-MUS preconditioned conventional algorithm (h-p-MUS-CA) has a better efficiency over other h-p-MUS preconditioned algorithms. A variety of numerical experiments are performed for large objects in this paper, demonstrating that this h-p-MUS-CA exhibits superior efficiency in the CPU time and memory, and greatly improves the capability of the higher-order FE-BI-MLFMA.


The corrosion is one kind of major damage mechanisms of airplane structure and is also one of the primary causes resulting in flight failure and disaster .The aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of corrosion time on denudation depth, mass loss and the total depth of corrosion damage. Meanwhile, the three parameters have significant influence on residual fatigue life of aluminum alloy, the residual fatigue life of the aluminum alloy is of great difference between shot peening and without shot peening aluminum alloy. Then residual fatigue life tests are carried on Instron 8801 for the shot peening and without shot peening aluminum alloy. Based on contrast analysis of the experimental results, valuable conclusions are obtained: with the increase of the denudation depth, mass loss and the total depth of corrosion damage, fatigue life reduce continuously respectively; Fatigue life decreases rapidly when the denudation depth is in the range of 0.12~0.17mm.


Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grazing systems with variable planting dates and cattle pull-off dates were grown with limited furrow irrigation at Bushland, TX. Grain yields averaged 40.4, 53.1, and 66.6 bulac for non-grazed check plots with mean planting dates of Aug.24, Sept. 11, and Oct. 2, respectively. Moderate grazing increased grain yield of wheat planted in August or September. Grain yield averaged 50.9, 55.7, and 46.3 bulac for non-grazed, early pull-off, and late pull-off, respective ly.  However, early-planted, properly grazed wheat still yielded less than a later planted non-grazed control. Adjusted gross return using prevailing costs and returns was maximized with a mean planting date of Sept. 12 and pull-off of Mar. 25. These dates are slightly later than expected. Delaying planting of grazed wheat from late August to mid-September increases grain yield and gross return but reduces total grazing and shifts some grazing from fall to spring.


Erythrocyte distribution in the vascular bed according to their maturation rate has been studied. A relative content of young erythrocytes was shown to be higher in cerebral arterial than in peripheral blood. Such distribution is believed to be physiologically important, as young erythrocytes are capable of more effective oxygen exchange for carbon dioxide.


With the increased interest in the possible adverse health effects attributed to inhalation of fine particle matter, this study was conducted to gather preliminary information about workplace exposures at coal- and gas-fired power plants to fine particles (PM(1); i.e. <1 μm) and ultrafine particles (i.e. <0.1 μm). Combustion of fossil fuel is known to produce fine particles, and due to their proximity and durations of exposure, power plant workers could be a group of individuals who experience high chronic exposures to these types of particles. The results of a series of real-time instrument measurements showed that concentrations of PM(1) were elevated in some locations in power plants. The highest concentrations were in locations near combustion sources, indicating that combustion materials were leaking from conventional fossil fuel-fired boilers or it was associated with emission plume downwash. Concentrations were the lowest inside air-conditioned control rooms where PM(1) were present at levels similar to or lower than upwind concentrations. Microscopic examinations indicate that PM(1) at the coal-fired plants are dominated by vitrified spheres, although there were also unusual elongated particles. Most of the PM(1) were attached to larger coal fly ash particles that may affect where and how they could be deposited in the lung.


This study initially aims to draw up a plan for the implementation of the concept of translation strategies in translation training. It presents a new method to improve translation competence in an educational context. Moreover, it is an attempt to determine how the application of different facets of the concept of competence can lead us to establish an effective plan for translation training courses in any environment. This will be sought for through the analysis of more significant strategies in terms of educational value and through a novel methodology.

The scope of the concept of strategies for pedagogical purposes is initially identified, while various considerations of the same term within the discipline are examined. As an important related notion, the issue of translation universals and their link to corpus-based translation studies are presented before introducing and developing a strategy-based translation training model.

In order to recognise the educational significance of strategies, i.e. to find and classify the degree of the importance of translational solutions for any language pair, an analytical paradigm is proposed. The paradigm is based on the relation between the frequency of the occurrence of each strategy, on the one hand, and the average scores which are given to that strategy by the raters, on the other and examined through English-into-Persian translation practice in an academic setting. As the theoretical framework of the study, the main categorisation of translation problems proposed by Baker (1992/2011) and slightly revised by Gonzalez Davies (2004) is analysed and modified based on different theoretical discussions as well as the findings of the mentioned paradigm.

Though, the ultimate goal of this study has not been confined to the two languages involved, the researcher has reached some important findings for English-Persian pair through such an exposure. Baker's primary categorisation that sees translation problems 'at word level' and 'above word level' is extended by adding a new category, 'at the level of non-lexical items', by considering difference and less popularity of using punctuation marks in languages like Persian as the target language. In the second degree, and according to the analysis of academic translation data, new subcategories are added to her list, while the importance of some of her subcategories is not observed in reality of current students' works. Therefore, by introducing and testing a problem-strategy paradigm, the areas of educational significance of translation strategies are demonstrated, not only by re-defining the Baker-Davies' model but also by proving the practicality of the methodology. On the whole, the research has aided to explore a developed strategy-based translation training model by linking the principal concepts categorized as: 'translation strategies', 'translation competence' and 'paradigm of educational significance'.


Recently, much focus has been given to a new type of chemical production plant, with the aim of a much faster time-to-market ("50% idea") and better cash-flow revenue. The main enabling technology is to have the plants pre-manufactured and assembled by a modular construction and to use innovative, smart-scale processing and apparatus technology, in order to achieve a compact overall plant footprint. Focal points in such technology are on the one hand, flow processing, with micro process technology as a cutting-edge cornerstone, and on the other hand, the container framework. Yet, other process-intensified technologies are suitable as well such as milli-flow or upgraded batch technologies. Finally, process robustness and short-time applicability make the decision. In this paper, for the first time, a CAPEX and OPEX analysis of the new plant technology is done, at the example of the Evotrainer production platform. This platform is pre-manufactured in serial and provides all the utilities needed around the reactor and e.g., separator to be tailored and inserted. The unit-operational modularization, with respective definition of interfaces, was developed further to a so-called functional modularization, where different cabinets with pre-defined functions and equipment are proposed. Three virtual microreactor applications were used and stand as model-based scenarios for market applications in bulk chemistry, fine chemistry and pharmacy. It is shown, in many facets, that the Evotrainer infrastructure based plants indeed have a faster payback and higher earnings as compared to conventional technology, particularly when serving high-priced markets such as pharmaceutical applications. Further, the combination with novel chemical routes or novel processing (Novel Process Windows) is advantageous. Micro process technology is one of the key enablers and was taken here, since the dataset of such technology was readily available to the authors due to past research efforts and there is some general belief in the combination to the so-called "Future Factories". Yet, it stands also for any other process intensification technology which can achieve the same performance level and which is able to satisfy the needs of a producing industry.


This paper investigates the dynamic causal linkages in the daily returns among four conventional and three Shariah compliant indices (such as, Financial Times Stock Exchange Shariah China Index, Asia Shariah Index, Malaysia EMAS Shariah Index, China Shanghai Stock Exchange [SSE] Composite Index, Hang Seng Index, Nikkei 225 and KOSPI) in Asia region through the application of the standard time series techniques. Essentially, the purpose of this research is to identify the extent of influence of conventional and Islamic, regional and international equity markets on Shariah compliant equity investment in China. Our study is focused on investigating the following empirical questions: (i) Which indices do the ShariahChina Index commove with? (ii) Which indices is the Shariah China Index Granger-causally related with? and (iii) Which major stock index was driving the selective conventional and Shariah compliant stock indices? Our findings tend to suggest: (i) The Shariah China Index appears to have a theoretical and long-run comovement with all the select conventional and Shariah compliant stock indices (as evidenced in the Cointegration and LRSM tests) (ii) The Shariah China Index is Granger-caused by all the conventional and Shariah compliant stock indices (as evidenced in the vector error correction modelling tests) (iii) Finally, what stands out is the leadership of the China conventional SSE market followed by the Malaysia Shariahmarket in driving all indices including the Shariah China Index (as evidenced in the VDCs tests)


Cadmium is not an essential element for life. It is geologically marginal but anthropogenic activities have contributed significantly to its dispersion in the environment and to cadmium exposure of living species. The natural speciation of the divalent cation Cd2+ is dominated by its high propensity to bind to sulfur ligands, but Cd2+ may also occupy sites providing imidazole and carboxylate ligands. It binds to cell walls by passive adsorption (bio-sorption) and it may interact with surface receptors. Cellular uptake can occur by ion mimicry through a variety of transporters of essential divalent cations, but not always. Once inside cells, Cd2+ preferentially binds to thiol-rich molecules. It can accumulate in intracellular vesicles. It may also be transported over long distances within multicellular organisms and be trapped in locations devoid of efficient excretion systems. These locations include the renal cortex of animals and the leaves of hyper-accumulating plants. No specific regulatory mechanism monitors Cd2+ cellular concentrations. Thiol recruitment by cadmium is a major interference mechanism with many signalling pathways that rely on thiolate-disulfide equilibria and other redox-related processes. Cadmium thus compromises the antioxidant intracellular response that relies heavily on molecules with reactive thiolates. These biochemical features dominate cadmium toxicity, which is complex because of the diversity of the biological targets and the consequent pleiotropic effects. This chapter compares the cadmium-handling systems known throughout phylogeny and highlights the basic principles underlying the impact of cadmium in biology.


In order to restrain the regenerative chatter and improve the processing efficiency of thin-walled parts, stability analysis for the milling of thin-walled parts should be the critical element in the whole process of analysis for thin-walled parts. This paper mainly introduces the stability analysis for the milling of thin-walled plates. The two-dimensional stability lobes of milling of plate plotted, the effect of different modal parameters on the stability of milling of plate is investigated. It is shown that single mode will reduce the range of stability zone of main mode if the stability lobes of single mode are intersectant with that of main mode and the range of stability zone will be larger and the stability lobes will be regular on condition that the mode is symmetrical.


Introduction ERCP has become a well established therapeutic intervention. Indications and practice of ERCP have changed over the years due to advent of new imaging modalities. Our aim was to evaluate the ERCP indications, diagnosis and complications over 12month period, a decade apart. Methods Retrospective observational audit, data extracted from endoscopy reporting system and electronic patient's records. Consecutive patients undergoing ERCP over 12 months in 2002 and 2012. Results Total number of ERCP's performed was 233 and 212 in the year 2012 and 2002. Median age was 73 and 69 with IQR (58–82) and (56–80) years respectively. Gender ratio in 2012 of 1:1.1 and 1:1.5 in 2002. Diagnosis: in year 2012: stone disease 109 (46%). Pancreatic Cancer 31 (13.7%). Normal biliary tree 22(9%)whilst in the year In the year 2002 stone disease 90(42%). Pancreatic Cancer 16(7.5%). Normal Biliarytree 60(28%). Interventions: Year 2012: stent insertion 72(30.9%) and sphincterotomy 155(66.5%). year 2002 stent insertion 39(18.3%) and sphincterotomies 86(40.6%). Technical success rate in both the years was 95%. Complications: 30 day mortality in 2012 was 22(9.4%)and 12(5.7%) in 2002. There was one procedure related death in year 2012 (0.4%), none in 2002. Bleeding requiring transfusion : 14(6%) in 2012 6(2.6%) in 2002. Pancreatitis 6(2.6%) and 6(3.3%) in 2012 and 2002. Seven patients required sedation reversal in year 2002 as opposed to 0 in 2012. Reflecting the significantly reduced doses being used in the latter year. Conclusion 1) Work load remained the same. 2) Less number of normal ERCP'S 3) More pancreatic malignancies identified 4) More therapeutic procedures undertaken. Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


Purpose Interprofessional education (IPE) has been shown to improve collaboration in the workforce, ultimately improving patient care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate physician assistant (PA) educators' attitudes toward IPE and interprofessional (IP) health care teams. Methods An online survey was sent to 1198 PA educators. The survey assessed 3 domains: attitudes toward IPE, attitudes toward IP health care teams, and attitudes toward IP learning in the academic setting. Results Most participants were involved in some form of IPE. Faculty attitudes were positive in all 3 domains but were more favorable toward IPE. Conclusions The positive attitudes held by PA faculty members may change the way in which curricula are conceived and delivered, influencing IP collaboration of future health care providers.


It is easy to be preoccupied with our domestic information privacy laws to the exclusion of the international context in which they operate and the international forces on their formation and implementation. In this paper I provide a brief survey of the main international agreements and institutions currently influencing the development and operation of information privacy laws in Asia-Pacific countries. I suggest that Asia-Pacific Privacy Commissioners are yet to achieve a significant enough collective role; that the UN is largely irrelevant to the future of privacy protection; that the APEC Privacy Framework is a missed opportunity for a meaningful regional privacy agreement; and that it is now potentially useful for less developed countries provided a careful eye is kept on the role of the US and its privacy allies; that we need to better understand the interpretation of privacy principles by Courts, Tribunals and Commissioners so as to develop an Asia-Pacific privacy jurisprudence, and that our best hope for some type of meaningful international standard may be (strange as it seems) for Asia-Pacific countries to join the Council of Europe privacy Convention.


This is the first monograph on Catalan writer Imma MonsA³ (1959), one of the most solid and innovative names in contemporary Hispanic narrative. It studies her novels and short stories published between 1996 and 2004 from a theory-orientated perspective. It contextualizes culturally and historically her literary production, considers conflictive aspects of the national/male Catalan canonical tradition, and suggests alternative tactics to inscribe female literary genealogies. Intertextual connections with other Catalan and European writers (mostly French, MonsA³â€™s second language) are also thoroughly examined. The title of the book indicates the two main characteristics that define MonsA³â€™s writing: a subtle but implacable ironic discourse with social and cultural undertones, and an inclusive representation of difference that questions the despotic duality of the hierarchical binaries which engender the figure of the Other. Imma MonsA³â€™s fiction transforms female otherness into a space of resistance to hegemonic discourses and proposes new configurations of female subjectivity which reject the traditional victim mentality. Her topics include the feminist re-writing of canonical literary topics (such as female adultery, with a twist in the construction of the narrative voice), the mother-daughter relationship (representing, against tradition, the mother figure as a historical subject), the conflicts between remembering and forgetting (following Deleuze and Guattari's radical anti-Oedipal viewpoint) or the textualisation of female cancer (with a pro-Sontag angle that fights against the cultural taboos around the illness). Lunati's critical approach to MonsA³â€™s pragmatic irony draws on those feminist thinkers who establish complicities with postmodern strategies within a poststructuralist conception of language, identity and subjectivity.


Differentiation of T helper 17 cells (Th17) is a multistep process that involves the cytokines IL-6, TGF-β, and IL-23 as well as IL-1β, IL-21, and TNF-α. Thereby, robust induction of the capacity to produce IL-17 involves epigenetic modifications of the syntenic Il17a/f locus. Using inbred mouse strains, we identified co-regulation of gene transcription at the Il17a/f locus with the nearby microRNAs miR-133b and miR-206 that are clustered approximately 45 kb upstream of Il17a/f. Expression of these microRNAs was specific for Th17 as compared to other CD4+ T cell subsets and this was equally valid for in vitro polarized and ex vivo derived cells. From all factors analyzed, IL-23 was the most important cytokine for the in vitro induction of miR-133b and miR-206 in naive CD4+ T cells of wild type mice. However, analysis of IL-23R deficient mice revealed that IL-23R signaling was not essential for the induction of miR-133b and miR-206. Importantly, we found a similar co-regulation in CCR6+ and other γδ T cell subsets that are predisposed to production of IL-17. Taken together, we discovered a novel feature of T cell differentiation towards an IL-17-producing phenotype that is shared between αβ and γδ T cells. Notably, the specific co-regulation of miR-133b and miR-206 with the Il17a/f locus also extended to human Th17 cells. This qualifies expression of miR-133b and miR-206 in T cells as novel biomarkers for Th17-type immune reactions.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the prevalence of stroke among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS
A multicentric retrospective study was carried out from May 2021 to August 2022 on 4 dialysis centers in Taif, Saudi Arabia. With a total of 1857 CKD patients (aged ≥18 years old) participated in this study. Data were collected by reviewing patients' files.

RESULTS
Approximately 98.3% of the participants had severely decreased glomerular filtration rate. Approximately 49.1% of them were on dialysis; the majority of them (87.2%) underwent hemodialysis. The prevalence of stroke in these CKD patients was 8.3%. Ischemic stroke was the most frequently reported issue (81.2%). Ischemic stroke was comparatively more frequently observed in peritoneal dialysis patients (12.1%); whereas hemorrhagic stroke was more on hemodialysis patients with statistically significant association (p=0.029). However, there was no significant association between the prevalence of stroke and stages of CKD.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of stroke in our cohort was 8.3%, and the majority of cases were ischemic strokes. Furthermore, ischemic strokes were more frequent in peritoneal dialysis patients, whereas hemorrhagic strokes occurred more frequently in hemodialysis patients with a statistically significant association.


Context: HIV infection causes significant health and economic burdens in communities throughout the United States. Despite the large number of research studies focusing on the effectiveness of HIV screening and treatment, little is known about the role that local health departments (LHDs) play in community-based HIV screening and treatment. Objective: In order to better understand HIV screening and treatment activities of LHDs in the US, we examined the structural characteristics of LHDs that do and do not provide these services. Design: This was a cross-sectional study using data from the 2010 National Profile of Local Health Departments. Using regression modeling, we examined the relationship between the provision of HIV screening and/or treatment and various structural characteristics of LHDs. Results: Over two-thirds of LHDs that responded to the survey reported providing HIV screening, and just under one-third (33%) of LHDs provided HIV treatment. LHDs that provided HIV screening and treatment were more likely to be engaged in other community-based activities and provide a broad range of services. In addition, they were significantly more likely to have public practitioners such as public health managers, physicians, epidemiologists, health educators, behavioral health specialists, and public health nurses. These LHDs were also more likely to employ a full time CEO and have a local board of health. Results also indicate that the provision of HIV screening and treatment is likely a function of funding level and size of the population served. Conclusions: HIV screening and treatment services can have a significant impact on community health and overall healthcare expenditures by reducing infection rates and linking the infected to care. Many LHDs are well positioned to provide these needed services and thus, play a major role in sustaining community health; however, the organizational capacity of LHDs to provide these services must be improved.


Hyperparameter selection generally relies on running multiple full training trials, with selection based on validation set performance. We propose a gradient-based approach for locally adjusting hyperparameters during training of the model. Hyperparameters are adjusted so as to make the model parameter gradients, and hence updates, more advantageous for the validation cost. We explore the approach for tuning regularization hyperparameters and find that in experiments on MNIST, SVHN and CIFAR-10, the resulting regularization levels are within the optimal regions. The additional computational cost depends on how frequently the hyperparameters are trained, but the tested scheme adds only 30% computational overhead regardless of the model size. Since the method is significantly less computationally demanding compared to similar gradient-based approaches to hyperparameter optimization, and consistently finds good hyperparameter values, it can be a useful tool for training neural network models.


We show that magnetoresistance of Bernal-stacked graphite (with the magnetic field ${\bf B}$ parallel to the c-axis and the current in the ab plane) scales linearly with the magnetic field over an interval of classically weak fields. The linearity is related to the presence of extremely light, Dirac-like carriers near the $H$ ($H^{\prime}$)- points of the Brillouin zone. The Hall resistivity in this interval also shows a non-analytic, $B\ln |B|$ behavior, and is dominated by holes.


Most readers know Antonin Artaud as a theorist of the theatre and as a playwright, director and actor "manque." Now, John C. Stout s highly original study installs Artaud as a writer and theorist of biography. In "Alternate Genealogies" Stout analyzes two separate but interrelated preoccupations central to Artaud s work: the self-portrait and the family romance. He shows how Artaud, in several important but relatively neglected texts, rewrites the life stories of historical and literary figures with whom he identifies (for example, Paolo Ucello, Abelard, Van Gogh and Shelley s Francesco Cenci) in an attempt to reinvent himself through the image, or life, of another. Throughout the book Stout focusses on Artaud s struggles to recover the sense of self that eludes him and to master the reproductive process by recreating the family in and as his own fantasies of it. With this research John C. Stout has added considerably to our understanding of Artaud. His book will be much appreciated by theatre scholars, Artaud specialists, Freudians, Lacanians and both theorists and practitioners of life writing. "


The role of Ag in the recruitment and localization of naive, acutely activated, and memory CD8+ T cells to the lung during influenza infection was explored using TCR-transgenic (Tg) mice. Naive, Thy1.2+CD8+ OT-I TCR-Tg cells were primed and recruited to the lung after transfer into congenic Thy1.1+ recipients challenged with a genetically engineered influenza virus (influenza A/WSN/33 (WSN)-OVAI) containing the Kb restricted OVA257–264 epitope (siinfekl) in the viral neuraminidase stalk. However, if the transferred animals were infected with a similar influenza virus that expressed an irrelevant Kb epitope (WSN-PEPII), no TCR-Tg T cells were detectable in the lung, although they were easily visible in the lymphoid organs. Conversely, there were substantial numbers of OT-I cells found in the lungs of WSN-PEPII-infected mice when the animals had been previously, or were concurrently, infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing OVA. Similar results were obtained with nontransgenic populations of memory CD8+ T cells reactive to a murine γ-herpesvirus-68 Ag. Interestingly, the primary host response to the immunodominant influenza nucleoprotein epitope was not affected by the presence of memory or recently activated OT-I T cells. Thus, although Ag is required to activate the T cells, the subsequent localization of T cells to the lung during a virus infection is a property of recently activated and memory T cells and is not necessarily driven by Ag in the lung.


Abstract : The thesis develops a FY 95 manday rate for a Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity (SIMA) using Department of Defense Financial Management Regulations (DoD FMR) for Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF) Operations in support of Regional Maintenance goals. The manday rate calculated, $694.64, is compared with Naval Shipyard (NSY) composite manday rates for FY 95. The NSY manday rates ranged from a high of $661.80 to a low of $408.83 with an average of $513.35. The comparison is of the costs associated with levels of effort, without adjustments for differing productivities or efficiencies. Some deviations from DoD FMR and adjustments to NSY manday rates were required in order to make SIMA and NSY manday rates directly comparable. The thesis also shows that the majority of the costs associated with the operation of a SIMA are fixed; $76,324,797 of the $116,288,974 in total operating costs were fixed costs. Of the $39,964,177 identified as variable costs, $36,255,321 are unavoidable cost--the costs of materials and services to complete necessary repairs or maintenance which would be incurred by the Navy regardless of where the work was performed. The fixed cost nature of operating a SIMA contributes to the higher manday rate. Computations using hourly labor costs for production efforts resulted in a manday rate of $572.15 and identified $14,922,797 as the cost of maintaining a fixed production labor force. Using hourly labor costs for support efforts should provide additional reductions in the manday rate.


Colloidal particulate carrier systems are the systems which carry particulates in a nanometre size. These systems are substantially effective for transportation and distribution of variety of loaded drugs to desired site and increase efficacy and decrease toxicity, to provide therapeutic activity in a controlled manner for a prolonged period of time. One such new emerging colloidal systems is proniosomes which has capacity to improve the bioavailability and also permeation of drugs across the stratum corneum to provide a controlled release action and reduce toxic effects associated with drugs. These are the dry formulations of water-soluble non-ionic surfactant coated carrier systems which immediately on hydration form niosomes. They have the capacity to overcome the various problems associated with niosomes and liposomes, like instability, transportation, distribution, storage and dosing. They offer versatile drug delivery concept for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. They have the capacity to deliver drugs effectively through different routes at specific site to achieve controlled release action. This review concentrates on preparation, characterization, components, structure, types, evaluation parameters, proniosomes in drug delivery and targeting, toxicities associated with proniosomes, proniosomes versus niosomes, clinical applications, mechanism of vesicle formation in proniosomes and future trends associated with it. Also, drug delivery via different routes, such as oral, parenteral, topical and transdermal, ocular, vaginal, mucosal, pulmonary and intranasal were discussed.


Following the financial crisis, a voluminous literature has developed that aims to shed light on the endogenous relationship between mortgage default risk and house prices. In this paper we contribute to this literature by using measures of mortgage default risk reflecting different stages of the household default decision: from early online searches to actual default, to the resale of the foreclosed home. We use a Panel Vector Autoregressive (PVAR) model to examine the impact of these default risk measures on two segments of residential real estate markets (top and bottom price tiers) from 92 metropolitan areas in 25 US states. We find that the default risk derived from households' Google searches has the strongest negative impact on high value homes while the percentage of home foreclosed and the foreclosure resales have the strongest negative impact on the prices of low value homes. These results hold for both judicial and non-judicial foreclosure states as well as 'recourse' states. In 'non-recourse' states the number of homes foreclosed has the strongest negative impact on high value homes, which we interpret as evidence in support of the "double trigger hypothesis." That is, households default not only because they are in financial distress but also because they end up with a negative equity in their homes considering current house prices.


Iron overload toxicity is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in thalassaemia patients. The complete elimination and prevention of iron overload is the main aim of chelation therapy, which can be achieved by chelation protocols that can effectively remove excess iron load and maintain body iron at normal levels. Deferiprone and selected combinations with deferoxamine can be designed, adjusted and used effectively for removing all excess stored iron and for maintaining normal iron stores (NIS) in different categories of thalassaemia patients. High doses of deferiprone (75-100 mg/kg/day) and deferoxamine (50-60 mg/kg, 1-7 days/week) combinations can be used for achieving and maintaining NIS in heavily iron loaded transfused patients. In contrast, deferiprone (75-100 mg/kg/day) can be used effectively and sometimes intermittently for maintaining NIS in non heavily transfused patients. Deferasirox can in particular be used in patients not tolerating deferoxamine and deferiprone. The design of tailored made personalised protocols using deferiprone and selected combinations with deferoxamine should be considered as optimum chelation therapies for the complete treatment and the prevention of iron overload in thalassaemia.


Background The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional resident recruitment practices, requiring virtual interviews and new forms of outreach. Social media, such as Twitter, is one tool programs can use to connect with applicants. This study sought to assess changes in Twitter use during the COVID-19 pandemic among general surgery programs. Methods Twitter and residency program websites were queried for public Twitter accounts related to general surgery residency programs. Publicly available tweets for available accounts were reviewed for all posts for the period March 15, 2019-November 25, 2020. Thematic analysis of each tweet was performed, and engagement was determined by likes and retweets on each tweet. Results The number of programs with active Twitter accounts increased after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, as did the number of tweets, likes-, and retweets-per-tweet. There was a significant increase in the number of tweets regarding resident promotion, program promotion, and virtual event promotion. Tweets received more likes-per-tweet if the subject was program promotion and resident promotion than tweets regarding virtual events. All results were statistically significant (P < .05). Discussion Twitter use and engagement with residency programs have increased significantly since pandemic onset. Engagement is highest for tweets regarding program and resident promotion as measured by likes-per-tweet and highest for program promotion and virtual events as measured by retweets-per-tweet. Given the nearly nationwide increase in Twitter engagement after pandemic onset, programs should consider the impact of Twitter as a means of communication with applicants and program branding.


A stock-adjustment model is applied to monthly retail food store inventory data from 1968 through 1988. Estimates of the speed-of-adjustment coefficient (.34 to .75) are higher than estimates from previous research, indicating that periods of inventory disequilibrium in food retailing are short-lived. The results indicate that inventories are insensitive to financial carrying costs. The hypothesis that parameters of the model are constant over the sample period cannot be rejected, indicating that changes in food retailing (e.g., electronic scanning and diversification of product mixes) have not affected inventory behavior.


A new method involving rapid flow of ligand solutions through a cartridge loaded with crystalline sodium diethylzinc hydride and subsequent isolation of three Zn-hydroxyquinoline complexes is described. The rapid-flow approach allowed the pyrophoric starting material to be used outside of the glovebox atmosphere and enabled fast mixing with ligand solutions for zinc complexation in seconds. The identity of all complexes was established by proton (1H) and carbon (13C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction.


Soft ferromagnetic materials have an important role in technology, for increasing magnetic field in specific regions, as in the core of transformers, and for properly modifying the magnetic field in particular shapes. Here we develop a numerical model that allows study of the response of a soft ferromagnet bar with arbitrary cross section and infinite susceptibility when a magnetic field with translational symmetry is applied. This theoretical tool will enable us to analyze the shape and position of the soft ferromagnet to properly modify the magnetic field in the areas of interest. The model can also simulate hybrid systems that contain a superconducting bar as well, considering the mutual interaction between the soft ferromagnetic and the superconducting materials. In particular, we analyze the levitation force of a superconducting bar immersed in the magnetic field created by a guideway of two permanent magnet bars with uniform horizontal magnetization and a soft ferromagnet bar in between. The results...