Antitumor benzothiazoles, including 2-(4-amino-3-methylphenyl)-5-fluoro-benzothiazole (5F 203; NSC 703786), non-fluorinated parent compound DF 203 (NSC 674495), and Phortress (NSC 710305), the lysyl amide prodrug of 5F 203, are experimental anticancer agents with activity in ovarian and breast cancer models in vitro and in vivo . These compounds require (and induce their own) metabolism by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes (e.g., CYP1A1) for antitumor action. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is the main transcriptional regulator of CYP1A1, and we have previously demonstrated that DF 203 and 5F 203 are potent AhR ligands and trigger activation of AhR signaling in sensitive breast and ovarian cancer cells, causing nuclear translocation of AhR. We propose that AhR may represent a new molecular target in the treatment of ovarian tumors, and 5F 203 may exemplify a potential novel treatment. Furthermore, putative biomarkers of sensitivity to this agent have been identified.


In this paper, a combined trellis coded quantization/modulation (TCQ/TCM) scheme is introduced for the wireless local-loop environment modelled with realizable and practical medium parameters. The performance analysis of the combined system is carried out through the evaluation of signal-to-quantization noise ratio (SQNR) versus signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) curves and bit error probability upper bounds. Simulation studies confirm the analytical results. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


BACKGROUND Guidelines for asthma management focus on treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and on home recording of peak expiratory flow (PEF). The effect of maintenance treatment with inhaled corticosteroids on PEF variation and its relation to other parameters of disease activity were examined in 102 asthmatic children aged 7–14 years. METHODS During 20 months of treatment with inhaled salbutamol, with or without inhaled budesonide (600 μg daily), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), the dose of histamine required to provoke a fall in FEV1 of more than 20% (PD20), the percentage of symptom free days, and PEF variation were assessed bimonthly. PEF variation was computed as the lowest PEF as a percentage of the highest PEF occurring over 14 days, the usual way of expressing PEF variation in asthma self-management plans. For each patient using inhaled corticosteroids within subject correlation coefficients (ρ) were computed of PEF variation to the percentage of symptom free days, FEV1, and PD20. RESULTS PEF variation decreased significantly during the first two months of treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and then remained stable. The same pattern was observed for symptoms and FEV1. In contrast, PD20 histamine continued to improve throughout the whole follow up period. In individual patients predominantly positive associations of PEF variation with symptoms, FEV1, and PD20 were found, but the ranges of these associations were wide. CONCLUSIONS During treatment with inhaled corticosteroids the changes in PEF variation over time show poor concordance with changes in other parameters of asthma severity. When only PEF is monitored, clinically relevant deteriorations in symptoms, FEV1, or PD20 may be missed. This suggests that home recording of PEF alone may not be sufficient to monitor asthma severity reliably in children.


The bone marrow (BM) niche of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is critical for maintaining homeostasis of the hematopoietic system in vivo. It also plays a critical role in many diseases, from cancer metastases to immune dysfunctions. While this microenvironment is well studied, we still do not have a full understanding of bone marrow functions and the HSPC niche. Reconstructing the bone marrow microenvironment in vitro using biomaterials has the potential to further our understanding of the complex HSPC niche, provide new insights on how various cells function within these niches, how complex disease processes happens within the BM, and also serve as a tool for more efficient generation of high quality, therapeutic hematopoietic and mesenchymal cells. Many synthetic and natural materials have been used to replicate the known physical and biochemical properties of bone marrow. Here we review key components and considerations for designing materials to engineer bone marrow niches and study HSPC behavior and disease pathologies. We also provide future perspectives on areas where new knowledge must be gained to achieve the scientific and clinical potential of materials-driven bone marrow niche development.


Abstract The main elements of U.S. immigration policy date back to the early Cold War. One such element is a screening process initially designed to prevent infiltration by Communist agents posing as migrants from East-Central Europe. The development of these measures was driven by geopolitical concerns, resulting in vetting criteria that favored the admission of hardline nationalists and anti-Communists. The argument proceeds in two steps. First, the article demonstrates that geopolitics influenced immigration policy, resulting in the admission of extremist individuals. Second, it documents how geopolitical concerns and the openness of U.S. institutions provided exiles with the opportunity to mobilize politically. Although there is little evidence that the vetting system succeeded in preventing the entry of Communist subversives into the United States, it did help to create a highly mobilized anti-Communist ethnic lobby that supported extremist policies vis-à-vis the Soviet Union during the early Cold War.


Political campaign scholars have been concerned about the nature and effects of negative messages. Although much research has examined attack advertisements in broadcast media, more research is needed to understand attack messaging on social media. We conducted a content analysis of campaign tweets generated by candidates who ran for governor in 2014 in the United States. We examine the variables that relate to campaign attack message posting and predict its spread. Analysis suggests challengers are more likely to attack, but incumbent-generated messages are more likely to spread. We also found that attack messages are more likely than advocacy messages to be retweeted.


Osteosarcomas are rare, highly malignant, bone tumors deined by the presence of malignant mesenchymal cells producing osteoid or immature bone. Osteosarcomas of the jaws are extremely rare, representing about 7% of all osteosarcomas and 1% of all head and neck malignancies. An accurate diagnosis, usually facilitated by chemotherapy (CT), MRI and biopsy, is required in order to deine the stage of the disease and plane the adequate treatment. Aggressive surgical resection and advanced technique reconstruction are the mainstay of treatment, as the single most important factor for cure is radical resection. Clinical outcomes can be improved by a multimodal strategy combining surgery with neo-adjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in selected cases, and adjuvant radiotherapy in the absence of clear margins.


Rapid-cycle real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods may revolutionize the manner in which plant pathogens are identified and diseases are diagnosed. As the genomics age progresses and more and more DNA sequence data become available, highly specific primers and fluorescent probe sequences can be designed to yield target amplicons to unique regions of a pathogen's genome. Portable real-time PCR instruments described here are now allowing for diagnostic assays to be run directly in the field or at remote locations other than the standard diagnostic laboratory. Rapid real-time PCR diagnosis can result in appropriate control measures and (or) eradication procedures more quickly and accurately than traditional methods of pathogen isolation. Disease losses are minimized and control costs reduced. Advantages and disadvantages of rapid real-time PCR for the detection of bacterial, fungal, and viral plant pathogens are described.


Today, differential geographical position system and total station devices are improving the accuracy of positioning information, but in critical locations such as steep slopes and closed canopy cover, the device accuracy is limited. Moreover, field surveying in this technique is time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, remote sensing technique such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR) laser scanner should be used in field measurements. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare precision and time expenditure of total station and airborne LiDAR in producing horizontal and vertical alignments and estimating earthwork volume of two proposed forest roads in a deciduous forest of Iran. To investigate this task, the geographical position of proposed forest roads were detected by differential geographical position system and then marked on land. Mentioned roads were taken again with Leica Total Station (LTS) on control points with same 5 m intervals from start point. Recent data served as a reference value for comparison with LiDAR measurements. The data were processed in Civil 3D, Fusion and Leica geo office software. Results showed that in comparison to field-surveyed routes by LTS, the LiDAR-derived routes exhibited a horizontal accuracy of 0.23 and 0.47 m and vertical accuracy of 0.31 and 0.66 m for road 1 and road 2, respectively. The LiDAR-derived sections every 1 m exhibited cut and fill accuracy of 2.39 and 3.18 m3 for road 1 and 2.98 and 5.60 m3 road 2, respectively. In this study, it was proved that the road project can be prepared faster by LiDAR than that of LTS. Therefore, high accuracy of road projection by LiDAR is useful for terrain analysis without the need for field reconnaissance.


This paper proposes a hierarchical active power management strategy for a medium voltage (MV) islanded microgrid including a multihybrid power conversion system (MHPCS). To guarantee excellent power management, a modular power conversion system is realized by parallel connection of small MHPCS units. The hybrid system includes fuel cells (FC) as main and supercapacitors (SC) as complementary power sources. The SC energy storage compensates the slow transient response of the FC stack and supports the FC to meet the grid power demand. The proposed control strategy of the MHPCS comprises three control loops; dc-link voltage controller, power management controller, and load current sharing controller. Each distributed generation (DG) unit uses an adaptive proportional resonance (PR) controller for regulating the load voltage, and a droop control strategy for average power sharing among the DG units. The performance of the proposed control strategy is verified by using digital time-domain simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment.


Marine current turbine (MCT) have been widely used nowadays, it is important to monitor their health state. Unnecessary marine biological growth or marine pollutants attached to the moving parts will affect the operation of the system by introducing imbalance. The imbalance, regarded as faults, would change the performance of turbine and lead to progressively increasing damages. In this paper, a marine current turbine prototype with permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) has been studied. An innovative imbalance fault detection method is proposed for marine current turbines under the condition of wave and turbulence. In the proposed method, the average frequency of current is calculated through synchronous sampling. Meanwhile, current fluctuation influence is reduced during one revolution. The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and spectrum analysis are used to achieve fault characteristics. Theoretical analysis, simulation and experimental results under different conditions validate the proposed method. Moreover the proposed method could be used for long-term marine current turbine monitoring in respect to its simplicity and low time cost.


Scarcity of the antisolvent polymer dielectrics and their poor stability have significantly prevented solution-processed ultraflexible organic transistors from low-temperature, large-scale production for applications in low-cost skin-inspired electronics. Here, we present a novel low-temperature solution-processed PEI-EP polymer dielectric with dramatically enhanced thermal stability, humidity stability, and frequency stability compared with the conventional PVA/c-PVA and c-PVP dielectrics, by incorporating polyethyleneimine PEI as crosslinking sites in nonhydroxyl epoxy EP. The PEI-EP dielectric requires a very low process temperature as low as 70°C and simultaneously possesses the high initial decomposition temperature (340°C) and glass transition temperature (230°C), humidity-resistant dielectric properties, and frequency-independent capacitance. Integrated into the solution-processed C8-BTBT thin-film transistors, the PEI-EP dielectric enables the device stable operation in air within 2 months and in high-humidity environment from 20 to 100% without significant performance degradation. The PEI-EP dielectric transistor array also presents weak hysteresis transfer characteristics, excellent electrical performance with 100% operation rate, high mobility up to 7.98 cmV s (1Hz) and average mobility as high as 5.3 cmV s (1Hz), excellent flexibility with the normal operation at the bending radius down to 0.003mm, and foldable and crumpling-resistant capability. These results reveal the great potential of PEI-EP polymer as dielectric of low-temperature solution-processed ultraflexible organic transistors and open a new strategy for the development and applications of next-generation low-cost skin electronics.


Background: Coenzyme Q 10 is a well-known cofactor in the mitochondrial electron transport chain required for ATP production. Coenzyme Q 10 is recognized as an intracellular antioxidant that protects cell membrane phospholipids, mitochondrial membrane protein, and plasma low-density lipoprotein against oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Diabetes and its complications have been related to increased levels of free radicals and systemic proinflammatory cytokines and to an abnormal lipid profile. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of coenzyme Q 10 supplementation on some cytokine levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Materials, Methods & Results: In this study, 38 healthy, adult male rats were used. The rats were divided into 5 groups. All animals were housed in separated cages during the four weeks. The animals in group 1 was fed standard rat pellets for 4 weeks. It was administered at 0.3 mL corn oil intraperitoneally daily for four weeks in group 2 animals. The animals in group 3 was injected intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg CoQ 10 daily for 4 weeks. Group 4 was made diabetic by subcutaneous injections of streptozotocin at dose of 40 mg/kg in 0.1 M citrate buffer (pH 4.5) single daily dose for two days and group 5 was made diabetic by subcutaneous injections of streptozotocin at dose of 40 mg/kg in 0.1 M citrate buffer (pH 4.5) single daily dose for two days and then was injected intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg CoQ 10 daily for 4 weeks. During the experiment, three animals from group 4 and one animals from group 5 were died due to streptozotocin-induced hypoglycemia. At the end of the study, blood samples were taken from all animals. In these blood samples, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α plasma levels were determined with ELISA using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent method via commercial kits. In this study, IL-4 level as an anti-inflammatory cytokine significantly decreased (P < 0.05) with diabetes induction compared to control group level. IL-10 level in diabetic group was statistically different (P < 0.05) from control group level. CoQ 10 application to diabetic animals improved the falling in IL-10 level of diabetic group (P < 0.05). IL-6 and TNF-α levels in diabetic group significantly increased (P < 0.05) in parallel with each other compared to control group levels. The same parameters were reduced (P < 0.05) by CoQ 10 application in diabetic animals. Discussion: In this study, the occurred changes in proand anti-inflammatory cytokines with experimentally induced diabetes are expected results and these results are consistent with some studies related diabetes. These results may be considered to hazardous effects and inflammation caused by diabetes on liver, pancreas and other tissues. CoQ 10 suppressed the increments in plasma pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, whereas it restored the reducing in anti-inflammatory cytokine levels arising due to diabetes. The obtained results from this study after CoQ 10 application supported similar studies used CoQ 10 application against deleterious effects of diabetes in animals and humans. Therefore, it is possible to say that CoQ 10 may play important role in regulation of imbalance between inflammation markers in diabetes conditions and further studies are needed to clear the beneficial effects of CoQ 10 treatment on the other inflammation markers in diabetes status.


Customer satisfaction and relationship is complex, demanding, and yet crucial to an organization success and its competitive position in the marketplace. Due to rapid changes in emerging technologies there is a need for constant improvement and adjustment of product and services offered using e-commerce systems. Customer satisfaction is dependent on a large number of organizational as well as product and services attributes. These attributes require continuous development, improvement and monitoring. The interdependencies of these attributes make it very difficult for managers and product and services development teams to comprehend and be aware of effect (Pires et al 2004, Rohm et al 2004, Sirdeshmukh et al 2002, Yang 2007) of inefficiencies that may exist in development and offering of their products and services. This paper considers the implementation of an intelligent decision making system using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) to provide facilities to capture and represent complex relationships in a customer satisfaction management and modelling to improve the understanding of managers and product developers about their customers and associated risks related to products and services that are offered online using e-commerce sites. By using FCMs, customer satisfactions can regularly be reviewed and improved. Managers can perform what-if analyses to better understand vulnerabilities and pitfalls in the way their product and services are provided to customers. Intelligent Decision Making and Risk Analysis of B2c E-Commerce Customer Satisfaction


We study phase transitions in the colossal-magnetoresistive manganites by using a mean-field theory both at zero and non-zero temperatures. Our Hamiltonian includes double-exchange, superexchange, and Hubbard terms with on-site and nearest-neighbour Coulomb interaction, with the parameters estimated from earlier density-functional calculations. The phase diagrams show magnetic and charge-ordered (or charge-disordered) phases as a result of the competition between the double-exchange, superexchange, and Hubbard terms, the relative effects of which are sensitively dependent on parameters such as doping, bandwidth, and temperature. In accord with the experimental observations, several important features are reproduced from our model, namely, (i) a phase transition from an insulating, charge-ordered antiferromagnetic to a metallic, charge-disordered ferromagnetic state near dopant concentration x = 1/2, (ii) the reduction of the transition temperature TAF F by the application of a magnetic field, (iii) melting of the charge order by a magnetic field, and (iv) phase coexistence for certain values of temperature and doping. An important feature, not reproduced in our model, is the antiferromagnetism in the electron-doped systems, e.g., La1-xCaxMnO3 over the entire range of 0.5 x1, and we suggest that a multi-band model which includes the unoccupied t2g orbitals might be an important ingredient for describing this feature.


Abstract. We report the results of Raman measurements on some common military explosives and explosives precursors deposited on clothing fabrics, both synthetic and natural, in concentration comparable to those obtained from a single fingerprint or mixed with similar harmless substances to detect illegal compounds for smuggling activities. Raman spectra were obtained using an integrated portable Raman system equipped with an optical microscope and a 785-nm laser in an analysis of <1  min. The spectral features of each illicit substance have been identified and distinguished from those belonging to the substrate fabric or from the interfering compound. Our results show that the application of Raman spectroscopy (RS) with a microscope-based portable apparatus can provide interpretable Raman spectra for a fast, in-situ analysis, directly from explosive particles of some μm3, despite the contribution of the substrate, leaving the sample completely unaltered for further, more specific, and propedeutic laboratory analysis. We also show how the RS is suitable for detecting illegal compounds mixed with harmless substances for smuggling purposes or for counterfeiting activities.


Background Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of chronic childhood disability. Caregivers often provide prolonged care over patients' life span, thus measuring the impact of the disease and its treatments on caregivers has become a recent focus in research. The current study aims to present an evaluation of the reliability and responsiveness of assessment of caregiver experience with neuromuscular disease (ACEND) following botulinum toxin injection to relieve spasticity in children with CP. Methods Patients with baseline ACEND scores and at least one assessment following botulinum toxin injection were enrolled. Data on their gender, age, diagnoses, and functional levels (according to The Gross Motor Function Classification System, GMFCS), and ACEND scores were analyzed. Statistical analyses performed included paired t-test and linear regression. Results Baseline ACEND scores (117.7±47.7) were strongly correlated with follow-up scores (120.4±49.5) with a coefficient of 0.929 (P<0.001), suggesting the high reliability of the questionnaire. Paired-sample t-test revealed an insignificant average improvement in ACEND of 2.7 (P=0.352). The ICD-10 code and the GMFCS level were found to be significant predictors for baseline (P=0.043, P<0.001) and follow-up ACEND scores (P=0.025, P<0.001). Male gender was a significant predictor for improvement in ACEND scores. Conclusions We demonstrated the reliability of ACEND through strong correlations of scores before and after botulinum toxin injection. In terms of responsiveness, while the burden of care is largely determined by ICD-10 diagnosis and the GMFCS level, changes in care burden are only related to the gender of the patient and the follow-up time interval.


Introduction - Based on the growing focus on how best to train, educate and prepare all types of entrepreneurs (Fayolle, 2013, Nabi et al., 2016, Thrane et al., 2016) this development paper seeks to extend the psychological dimensions of entrepreneurship through the development of a model of entrepreneurial psychological capital (EPC). EPC attempts to identify those psychological resources which are open to development, and which help potential, nascent and early stage entrepreneurs achieve positive outcomes. Limited attempts have been made to apply the organisation-employee model of psychological capital to entrepreneurship (Hmieleski and Carr, 2008b, Baron et al., 2013) but to date no one has developed a model of entrepreneurial psychological capital built up from the entrepreneurship psychology literature.
Entrepreneurship Psychology Models: Source of Construct
The entrepreneurship psychology literature is reviewed using the framework developed by Acs and Audretsch (2006) and updated by Omorede et al. (2015) which divides the literature into the subareas of personality, cognition, emotion, attitude and self. Each section is analysed through the lens of the search for potential psychological resource constructs, which could be open to development, and could therefore be included in our model.
Entrepreneurial Psychological Capital: What is it?
Our working definition of entrepreneurial psychological capital is, "the psychological resources which entrepreneurs need to pursue and sustain their entrepreneurial ambition". The organisation-employee model of psychological capital (Luthans et al., 2007) is explained and the existing studies which have applied this model to entrepreneurship are reviewed.

Research Approach and Methodology - The constructs to be included in this initial and ongoing study are discussed and the proposed methodology for developing and validating a tool to define and measure entrepreneurial psychological capital is set out. Initial results of the iterative and ongoing and face and content validity results are discussed.

Contribution - This study will make two contributions: firstly, the theoretical development of entrepreneurial psychological capital from the entrepreneurship literature, which will provide a resource based perspective for entrepreneurship psychology, and secondly the development of a tool which can be used to validate and operationalise the construct.


Mature and dense populations of the tropical hydroid species Sertulariamarginata were detected in the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) and in the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar. Until now, it had only been recorded in the eastern basin within the Mediterranean Sea.This species has previously been recorded in estuaries and anthropogenichabitats but, in the area studied here, we only found it in natural zones. These observations could indicate an early expansion and naturalization in the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its limited dispersion capacity by its own natural means and the history of its records, the observations provided here support the hypothesis of an arrival and a spread by anthropogenic vectors.A pathway of arrival and dispersion of alien species into the Mediterranean Sea is proposed for future monitoring: from Macaronesia (particularly Canary Islands) to the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar and from here into the Mediterranean.


Nanoscale BaTiO3 powders were prepared by hydro-thermal synthesis as a function of solvent conditions. The size of the BaTiO3 powders was in the range of 20 ~ 100 nm. The variation in the relative volume fraction of the tetragonal phase was analyzed quantitatively by means of XRD and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the maximum volume fraction of the tetragonal phase was ~ 29 %; this was obtained when the synthesis was performed at a solvent condition R (H2O/(H2O + EtOH)) = 0.25.


There is growing interest in the physiological functions of soy isoflavones, especially in whether they affect cognitive function and have beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases. Here we review the recent evidence from clinical and experimental studies supporting a role for soy isoflavones in cognitive function. Soy isoflavones may mimic the actions and functions of estrogens on brain, and they have been shown to have positive effects on the cognitive function in females; however, studies on their effects on spatial memory have not provided consistent results in males. Although data from humans, cultures, and animal models are currently insufficient for elucidating the metabolism of soy isoflavone actions on cognitive function and the nervous system, we suggest two putative pathways; (1) an estrogen receptor-mediated pathway and (2) via the inhibition of tyrosine kinase, in particular by genistein, which is one of the soy isoflavones. Although soy isoflavones appear to have a positive effect on brain function, further research is needed to determine not only the efficacy but also the safety of soy isoflavones on the nervous system and cognitive function.


In immunosuppressed or autoimmune disease states, disordered immune responses may lead to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). In a US population-based case-control study of NHL (1998-2000), the authors collected personal histories of immune-related conditions and use of immune-modulating therapies as well as family histories of autoimmune conditions. The study included 1,321 NHL cases and 1,057 controls; only half received some questionnaire components. NHL was associated with Sjögren's syndrome (odds ratio (OR) = 13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.7, 100) and lupus (OR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.2, 15). Two specific NHL subtypes were strongly associated with Sjögren's syndrome: salivary gland (OR = 290, 95% CI: 33, 2600) and marginal zone (OR = 75, 95% CI: 9.1, 610). NHL was less convincingly associated with receipt of an organ transplant (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 0.4, 11). Other autoimmune conditions were too rare to evaluate or not associated with NHL. Corticosteroid use was unrelated to NHL (OR = 1.0, 95% CI: 0.8, 1.2), but methotrexate use was marginally associated (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 0.7, 7.5). Family history of dermatomyositis was associated with NHL (7 cases vs. 0 controls, OR = infinite; two-sided p = 0.02), but dermatomyositis was absent in cases themselves. Family history of remaining conditions was unrelated to NHL. Results suggest that disordered immunity in some immune-related conditions can lead to NHL.


Background: Short stature has an impact on children's physical and mental health. Data on the prevalence of short stature in Libyan children are limited. Objectives: We aimed to ascertain the prevalence of short stature among school children in Tripoli, Libya. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 419 school children (235 boys and184 girls) selected from different primary and preparatory schools in the City of Tripoli. The study was conducted between April 2009 and October 2010. Trained pediatricians took their anthropometric measurements (i.e., height and weight). The WHO-2007 Z-score charts and UK-WHO growth charts were used to calculate the prevalence of short stature (defined as standard deviation score of height <2 in same gender and age). Results: The overall prevalence of short stature using WHO-2007 Z-score and UK-WHO growth charts were 5.0% and 5.7%, respectively. (4.3% was moderate and 0.7% was severe). Boys and girls had no significant difference in the prevalence of short stature using 2007 WHO reference data (5.5% vs. 4.3%; P = 0.656). Similarly, there was no difference between the prevalence of short stature between boys and girls when applying UK-WHO growth charts (6.8% vs. 4.3%; P = 0.3). There is a statistically significant relationship between the prevalence of short stature (increase) and students' increasing age. Conclusions: Short stature is not an uncommon problem in children; they need early assessment because intervention time is crucial in this condition.


The role of private non-state actors in global governance has focused largely on western actors, notably firms and non-governmental organizations. The rise of new economic powers presents us with an opportunity to consider whether and how the place of non-state actors might evolve. This is particularly true where emerging market firms are concerned, as they are the most obvious manifestation of the shift in economic power away from the developed West and Japan. The article suggests, however, that the current international system satisfies most of the demands that firms from rising powers might make, so they have little incentive to define their policy preferences in opposition to established powers. They can conduct political activity across a range of avenues, from multilateral institutions to regulatory bodies overseeing technical aspects of business operations. Indeed, the disaggregation of modern capitalism makes the last route particularly important and attractive for firms. As such, they do not need to frame their policy demands solely—or even mainly—in terms of balancing against western economic dominance. For non-governmental organizations, the emerging power structure has eroded their previous role of advocates for developing economies. The economic growth of emerging markets has, however, given NGOs an opportunity to work with multinationals in the provision of public goods.


We study the electronic and magnetic properties of the quaternary AuMnSn1−xSbx Heusler alloys using first principles calculations. We determine their magnetic phase diagram and show that they present a phase transition from a ferromagnetic (FM) to an antiferromagnetic (AFM) state with increasing Sb concentration. For large Sb concentrations the AFM superexchange coupling dominates over the FM RKKY-like exchange mechanism. This behaviour is similar to that demonstrated by the isovalent Ni1−xCuxMnSb alloy studied recently by the authors (Galanakis et al 2008 Phys. Rev. B 77 214417). Thus the variation of the concentration of the sp-electrons (Sn and Sb atoms) in the AuMnSn1−xSbx compound and the variation of the concentration of the non-magnetic 3d atoms (Cu) in Ni1−xCuxMnSb lead to a similar tuning of the magnetic properties of the two Heusler alloys. We show that the inclusion of correlation effects does not alter the phase diagram of the AuMnSn1−xSbx compound. The calculated results are in good agreement with the available experimental data.


Purpose: The recurrence of a lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common cause of poor outcome following lumbar discectomy. The aim of this study was to assess a potential relationship between the incidence of recurrent LDH and the surgical technique used. Furthermore, we tried to define the best surgical technique for the treatment of recurrent LDH to limit subsequent recurrences. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 979 consecutive patients treated for LDH. A multivariate analysis tried to identify a possible correlation between (1) the surgical technique used to treat the primary LDH and its recurrence; (2) technique used to treat the recurrence of LDH and the second recurrence; and (3) incidence of recurrence and clinical outcome. Data were analyzed with the Pearson's Chi-square test for its significance. Results: In 582 cases (59.4%), a discectomy was performed, while in 381 (40.6%), a herniectomy was undertaken. In 16 cases, a procedure marked as "other" was performed. Among all patients, 110 (11.2%) had a recurrence. Recurrent LDH was observed in 55 patients following discectomy (9.45%), in 45 following herniectomy (11.8%), and in 10 (62.5%) following other surgery. Our data showed that 90.5% of discectomies and 88.2% of the herniectomies had a good clinical outcome, whereas other surgeries presented a recurrence rate of 62.5% (Pearson's χ2 < 0.001). No statistical differences were observed between discectomy or herniectomy, for the treatment of the recurrence, and the incidence for the second recurrences (P > 0.05). A significant statistical correlation emerged between the use of other techniques and the incidence for the second recurrences (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The recurrence of an LDH is one of the most feared complications following surgery. Although the standard discectomy has been considered more protective toward the recurrence compared to herniectomy, our data suggest that there is no significant correlation between the surgical technique and the risk of LDH recurrence.


A natural experiment is a type of observational study in which treatment assignment, though not randomized by the investigator, is plausibly close to random. A process that assigns treatments in a highly nonrandom, inequitable manner may, in rare and brief moments, assign aspects of treatments at random or nearly so. Isolating those moments and aspects may extract a natural experiment from a setting in which treatment assignment is otherwise quite biased, far from random. Isolation is a tool that focuses on those rare, brief instances, extracting a small natural experiment from otherwise useless data. We discuss the theory behind isolation and illustrate its use in a reanalysis of a well-known study of the effects of fertility on workforce participation. Whether a woman becomes pregnant at a certain moment in her life and whether she brings that pregnancy to term may reflect her aspirations for family, education and career, the degree of control she exerts over her fertility, and the quality of her relationship with the father; moreover, these aspirations and relationships are unlikely to be recorded with precision in surveys and censuses, and they may confound studies of workforce participation. However, given that a women is pregnant and will bring the pregnancy to term, whether she will have twins or a single child is, to a large extent, simply luck. Given that a woman is pregnant at a certain moment, the differential comparison of two types of pregnancies on workforce participation, twins or a single child, may be close to randomized, not biased by unmeasured aspirations. In this comparison, we find in our case study that mothers of twins had more children but only slightly reduced workforce participation, approximately 5% less time at work for an additional child.


ABSTRACT Dysregulation of hormone metabolism is implicated in human breast cancer. 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 4 (HSD17B4) catalyzes the conversion of estradiol (E2) to estrone (E1), and is associated with the pathogenesis and development of various cancers. Here we show that E1 upregulates HSD17B4 acetylation at lysine 669 (K669) and thereby promotes HSD17B4 degradation via chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), while a single mutation at K669 reverses the degradation and confers migratory and invasive properties to MCF7 cells upon E1 treatment. CREBBP and SIRT3 dynamically control K669 acetylation level of HSD17B4 in response to E1. More importantly, K669 acetylation is inversely correlated with HSD17B4 in human breast cancer tissues. Our study reveals a crosstalk between acetylation and CMA degradation in HSD17B4 regulation, and a critical role of the regulation in the malignant progression of breast cancer.


The topic of sustainable rehabilitation of historic buildings is currently really important in the town of L'Aquila. After the earthquake of 2009, the project aims in the field of energy efficiency and the use of innovative technologies and materials are integrated with the necessary reconstruction interventions and with the refurbishment of the heritage buildings. The transition from a "traditional" to an eco-efficient building takes place more easily and with greater emphasis in the planning of new buildings, through the introduction of a high potential in terms of experimentation and applied research on building systems and components. The refurbishment of existing buildings raises several questions and presents considerable difficulties, especially when the intervention involves a building bearer of intrinsic meaning and historical, constructive and cultural values. The former hospital of San Salvatore is a building complex located in the historic center of L'Aquila. It has been left devoid of any function since the end of the twentieth century, so it has undergone a gradual degradation, aggravated by the earthquake damage. The refurbishment of the building has affected the functional-spatial, figurative, energetic and structural aspects. The intervention mainly consists of the reuse of the building in order to create a university campus, in the extension of it through new elements that respect the original system, in the replacement of building elements affected by technological problems and in the integration of new elements in the pre-existing building, cooperating with it in terms of structural and energetic performance. The main purpose of this paper is to define a methodological approach for the sustainable rehabilitation of the historic buildings, by retracing the steps of


In materials consisting of several thin layers, multiple reflections within the structure give rise to received ultrasonic signals composed of overlapping echoes. In this paper we present a parametric model that can be used to decompose such signals into the individual reflections. We derive a maximum likelihood estimator for the the model parameters, which are then used in a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) to detect flaws in multi-layered structures. We show with simulations how the presence of a thin bonding layer in a three-layer structure can be detected. The probability of detection is shown to be ap96%, for a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 15 dB and a probability of false alarm of 5 %


Lentigo maligna may not progress to invasive disease for many decades.  We present the unusual case of a woman who underwent well documented periodic evaluations and occasional biopsies of a nasal lesion that gradually progressed from lentigo, to melanoma in situ of lentigo maligna type, to invasive disease, and finally to fatal metastatic melanoma.  She had declined curative resection of her tumor for cosmetic reasons.  Her clinical course is unusual in that photographs and biopsies document the progression from solar lentigo to fatal disease. [N A J Med Sci. 2020;1(1):028-031.   DOI:  10.7156/najms.2020.1301028] Key Words : melanoma; lentigo maligna; metastasis; squamous cell carcinoma; solar lentigo; unstable lentigo *Corresponding Author: Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Department of Dermatology HU14, 500 University Drive, Suite 100, Hershey, PA 17033. Tel: 717-531-6820, Fax: 717-531-4702. (Email: email@example.com)


While audio-visual speech models can yield superior performance and robustness compared to audio-only models, their development and adoption are hindered by the lack of labeled and unlabeled audio-visual data and the cost to deploy one model per modality. In this paper, we present u-HuBERT, a self-supervised pre-training framework that can leverage both multimodal and unimodal speech with a unified masked cluster prediction objective. By utilizing modality dropout during pre-training, we demonstrate that a single fine-tuned model can achieve performance on par or better than the state-of-the-art modality-specific models. Moreover, our model fine-tuned only on audio can perform well with audio-visual and visual speech input, achieving zero-shot modality generalization for multiple speech processing tasks. In particular, our single model yields 1.2%/1.4%/27.2% speech recognition word error rate on LRS3 with audio-visual/audio/visual input. Codes and models are available at https://github.com/facebookresearch/av_hubert


Macromolecular complexes of proteins and RNAs are essential building blocks of cells. These stable supramolecular particles can be viewed as minimal biochemical units whose structural organization, i.e., the way the RNA and the protein interact with each other, is directly linked to their biological function. Whether those are dynamic regulatory ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) or integrated molecular machines involved in gene expression, the comprehensive knowledge of these units is critical to our understanding of key molecular mechanisms and cell physiology phenomena. Such is the goal of diverse complexomic approaches and in particular of the recently developed gradient profiling by sequencing (Grad-seq). By separating cellular protein and RNA complexes on a density gradient and quantifying their distributions genome-wide by mass spectrometry and deep sequencing, Grad-seq charts global landscapes of native macromolecular assemblies. In this review, we propose a function-based ontology of stable RNPs and discuss how Grad-seq and related approaches transformed our perspective of bacterial and eukaryotic ribonucleoproteins by guiding the discovery of new RNA-binding proteins and unusual classes of noncoding RNAs. We highlight some methodological aspects and developments that permit to further boost the power of this technique and to look for exciting new biology in understudied and challenging biological models.


A sequence of loess-mantled sediments exposed along Clanton Creek provides the first evidence of fluvial, pedologic, and biotic environments before the last glacial maximum in south-central Iowa. Two fining-upward fluvial sequences, one inset into the other, are exposed. Radiocarbon ages indicate that the alluvial fills are about 34,000 yr old.

Basal gravel in the oldest fill contains well-preserved mammoth ( Mammuthus ) bones. Sparse seeds from this horizon suggest weedy flood-plain conditions. The younger alluvial fill contains well-preserved pollen, plant macrofossils, and insects. The pollen is dominated by nonarboreal taxa and Pinus , suggesting a prairie border or savanna environment. Vascular-plant and bryophyte macofossils indicate a variety of aquatic and marsh environments on the flood plain. Insects are mostly sympatric in mixed conifer and hardwood forest that extends along latitude 47° to 49° between eastern North Dakota and New England, but forest beetles are rare, and the fauna is dominated by openground forms. The site is interpreted as an open flood plain dotted with marshes and oxbow lakes; it was surrounded by open woodland or savanna similar to that in north-eastern North Dakota at present. July temperatures at the St. Charles site were probably 3 to 5 C° cooler than those at present.

The pre-loess stratigraphy of the site differs markedly from that of upland sites and demonstrates that correlation between upland and lowland sequences cannot be done without adequate dating.


The paper investigates the computational complexity of a fundamental problem in multi-agent systems: given an environment together with a specification of some task, can we construct an agent that will successfully achieve the task in the environment? We refer to this problem as agent design. Using an abstract formal model of agents and their environments, we begin by investigating various possible ways of specifying tasks for agents, and identify two important classes of such tasks. Achievement tasks are those in which an agent is required to bring about one of a specified set of goal states, and maintenance tasks are those in which an agent is required to avoid some specified set of states. We prove that in the most general case the agent design problem is PSPACE-complete for both achievement and maintenance tasks. We briefly discuss the automatic synthesis of agents from task environment specifications, and conclude by discussing related work and presenting some conclusions.


Summary form only given. Electrical engineers have learned how to build amazingly complex systems by assembling transistors, wires, and passive components into intricate networks. While solidly founded in semiconductor physics, pure engineering has made possible the design of multi-billion transistor chips in a repetitive, reliable and cost-effective way. A comprehensive "design methodology" was developed based on modularization, hierarchy and abstraction. Today this story is repeating itself. Physicists, chemists and biologists are exploring entirely different components such as molecules, atoms, and enzymes. Systems built from those will most probably impact our lives and society in a profound way. Outcomes will influence the ways we build mechanical structures, do computing, make drugs, generate energy and take care of our environment. Yet, while the basic components are dramatically different from our silicon devices, the basic strategy for building very complex systems from them remains unchanged. The art of design, as was developed in the silicon era, is just as applicable to these nano- or bio-constructions. Design methodology is a legacy that will live long after Moore's law has come to a halt. To quote the late Richard Newton, "The Future is BDA (Bio Design Automation) ".


The Limpopo mobile belt is an east-northeast-trending zone of high-grade Archaean rocks, 700 km in length and 250 km wide, situated between the Zimbabwean and Kaapvaal cratons of southern Africa. The origin of the Limpopo belt is currently the subject of much debate, although there is a growing consensus that the geology of this region is best explained in terms of some type of Archaean continental collision (Shackleton 1986). A three-fold subdivision is recognized within the mobile belt, with similar north and south marginal zones flanking a wider and geologically distinct central zone (Fig. 1, inset). The rocks of the north and south marginal zones are predominantly igneous in origin and comprise a diorite to granodiorite suite, with minor supra-crustal remnants, metamorphosed to granulite grade and with dominantly east-northeast-trending structures. Preliminary unpublished geochemistry shows that the igneous rocks are of calc-alkaline affinity. In contrast, the lithologies of the central zone are predominantly supracrustal and have mainly north-trending structures. McCourt & Verncombe (1987) have suggested that the central zone is an alloch-thonous thrust sheet bounded by shear zones and emplaced from the east. There is a marked contrast in both structural style and metamorphic grade between the rocks of the cratons and those of the mobile belt. This contrast is most obvious in southern Zimbabwe at the junction between the Zimbabwean craton and the north marginal zone (NMZ) of the mobile belt. Here there is a rapid change of metamorphic grade southwards from the greenschist-facies rocks of the granite—greenstone terrain, through


The Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) was launched on 1 November 2021 in China. This article provides a state-of-the-art review of PIPL through a policy analysis. This paper aims to compare the three main worldwide data privacy paradigms that exist at present: (i) the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the E.U., (ii) the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the U.S., and (iii) PIPL in China. The research question is twofold: (i) how will PIPL affect the data privacy of Chinese citizens and consequently, (ii) how will PIPL influence the global digital order, particularly paralleling the existing GDPR and CCPA? In the first section, this article introduces the topic of data privacy as a global concern, followed in the second section by an in-depth policy context analysis of PIPL and a literature review on privacy that elucidates in particular the impact of the Social Credit System (SCS). In the third section, a comparative benchmarking is carried out between the GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Methodologically, policy documents around PIPL will be analyzed. In the fourth section, the case study of Shenzhen will be examined by undertaking a multi-stakeholder analysis following the Penta Helix framework. The article concludes by responding to the research questions, acknowledging limitations, and presenting future research avenues.


Introduction: Recent studies have revealed the possibility of learning skills through alternative methods and repetitive tactile stimulation without explicit training. This study aimed to examine the effect of involuntary tactile stimulation on the memory and creativity of healthy participants. Methods: A group of 92 right-handed students participated in this study voluntarily. They were assigned to the experimental (n=45) and control (n=47) groups. The participants performed two creativity tests (divergent and convergent thinking) and a verbal memory task as the pretest. Then, the experimental group received 30-min involuntary tactile stimulation on the right index finger, and the control group did not. In the posttest, both groups were asked to perform the creativity and verbal memory tasks again. Results: The learning score and speed of the Rey auditory-verbal learning test in the stimulation group significantly increased (P=0.02). Moreover, in the creativity-related tests, there was a significant effect of the intervention on convergent thinking, i.e., the remote association task (P=0.03), but not for the divergent thinking, i.e., the alternative uses test (P>0.05). Conclusion: Using involuntary tactile stimulation on the index finger of the right hand of individuals could enhance their performance in verbal memory and creativity-convergent thinking.


We introduce a new framework to model interactions among agents which seek to trade to minimize their risk with respect to some future outcome. We quantify this risk using the concept of risk measures from finance, and introduce a class of trade dynamics which allow agents to trade contracts contingent upon the future outcome. We then show that these trade dynamics exactly correspond to a variant of randomized coordinate descent. By extending the analysis of these coordinate descent methods to account for our more organic setting, we are able to show convergence rates for very general trade dynamics, showing that the market or network converges to a unique steady state. Applying these results to prediction markets, we expand on recent results by adding convergence rates and general aggregation properties. Finally, we illustrate the generality of our framework by applying it to agent interactions on a scale-free network.


Environmental justice (EJ), in the form of distributional justice, is mandated by a 1994 Executive Order. However, EJ is not easily achieved. EJ research can be divided into identification and mitigation strategies. EJ mitigation strategies intersect with public involvement, which in transportation has a long, and often controversial, history. This paper examines how a philosophy based on John Rawls' theories of procedural justice and access to justice can address the need to achieve distributional justice. To improve procedural justice, the authors examine how effective large-group processes can deliver high-performance public involvement. Methodological barriers and the role of technologies such as electronic polling and visualization are discussed. The authors propose four process metrics for public involvement. On the basis of data on structured public involvement projects, the authors argue that such processes enhance procedural justice and thereby address specific EJ aims. These data illustrate that realizing this potential improvement will require a philosophical shift to a higher Arnstein ladder level, the identification and use of appropriate methodologies for involving large groups, and the integration of their valuations into effective decision support systems.


This article spotlights the power of pushing limits and boundaries through emergent curriculum and process drama as told through the story of a preschool class's exploration of the topics of paths, maps, and pirates. The story is framed in terms of the three phases of the class's project adapted from the Project Approach (Katz et al., 2014), which started prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, but continued and concluded in the midst of it. Reflections and insight are provided by the classroom teacher including as she drew inspiration from the Reggio Emilia Approach and other professional development and experience.


This article is part of a more comprehensive qualitative study which used grounded theory and symbolic interactionism as theoretical and methodological frameworks, resulting in the theoretical model entitled, Between suffering and hope: rehabilitation of urinary incontinence as an intervenient component. In order to communicate all the knowledge produced, part of this model is presented, and it refers to the process of coping with urinary incontinence by women without perspectives of access to surgical treatment after failure of conservative procedures. When interrelating the components (categories and subcategories) of these women's experience in order to compare and analyze them to understand their interaction, moral and psychosocial vulnerability were noticed within the experience of the group, which makes them susceptible to health risks and to compromise of their quality of life, observed in the movement of the group's experience. Research is needed to further understand experiences in which there are barriers to surgical treatment due to physicians' disbelief in its effectiveness.


The first total synthesis of halichondrin C has been completed, highlighted by development of the synthetic method to construct the C8-C14 polycycle. Cr-mediated coupling reactions are used seven times to form a new C-C bond. The acid stability of halichondrin C is studied, demonstrating that the macrolactone stabilizes the C8-C14 polycycle, relative to the one present in the C1-C16 model.


Background and Aims: It is well-known that diabetes self-management is important for glycemic outcome, also among insulin pump users. We aimed to explore which factors were independently associated with HbA1c.
 Methods: Adult insulin pump users (18+) with type 1 diabetes from the Capital Region of Denmark completed an online questionnaire covering aspects of insulin pump self-management. HbA1c and demographics were collected from medical records and national registries. Backward selected linear regression models were used to investigate associations between HbA1c and each aspect of self-management, adjusted for one another, CGM/isCGM, sex, age, marital status and educational level.
 Results: In total, 770 individuals responded; 60% were female, median age was 49 (p25-p75: 36-60) and ranged from 18-86 years, median HbA1c was 56mmol/mol (p25-p75: 50-62) and ranged from 25-135, and 93% used bolus calculator for meal bolus and/or correction. Self-adjustment of pump settings showed the strongest association with lower HbA1c. Avoiding missed boluses, timing of bolus insulin before meals, and timely infusion set change were also associated with a lower HbA1c. No statistically significant associations were found for HbA1c and use of advanced pump features.
 Conclusion: Self-adjusting insulin pump settings, low frequency of missed meal boluses, optimal timing of meal bolus and timely change of infusion set are associated with lower HbA1c.

 K.Rytter: Other Relationship; Medtronic, Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk A/S. K.P.Madsen: None. H.U.Andersen: Advisory Panel; Abbott Diabetes, Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk A/S. E.Hommel: Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk A/S. U.Pedersen-bjergaard: Advisory Panel; Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi. S.Schmidt: None. K.Nørgaard: Advisory Panel; Medtronic, Novo Nordisk A/S, Consultant; Novo Nordisk A/S, Research Support; Dexcom, Inc., Medtronic, Novo Nordisk A/S, Zealand Pharma A/S, Speaker's Bureau; Medtronic, Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk A/S.


The long-terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposon Ty1 is a mobile genetic element that replicates through an RNA intermediate. Retroelement genomic transcripts contain internal structures fundamental to gene expression and propagation. In addition, long non-coding antisense RNAs overlap the 5′-terminal region of the genomic RNA and confer post-translational copy number control. Although LTR- retrotransposons are functionally related to retroviruses, little is known about the structural determinants required for genomic RNA packaging or reverse transcription. This commentary summarizes two recent papers that provide the first snapshot of genomic RNA structures from the retrotransposon Ty1 involved in transposition. We combined structural approaches with functional and genetic assays to determine if antisense RNAs anneal with the genomic RNA. Analysis of various steps in the Ty1 life cycle showed that a novel RNA pseudoknot contributes to retrotransposon function. Comparing different RNA states provides additional information about regions potentially involved in Ty1 RNA dimerization or packaging.


Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is a manufacturing process which has emerged from
numerous other technologies as the leading process considered viable for Rapid
Manufacturing. SLS of polymers has found use in a wide range of industries ranging
from aerospace to medicine. The ability to easily manufacture previously difficult or
impossible to produce parts, without tooling, has proved invaluable. This industry
backed manufacturing engineering PhD investigation examined material properties of
Nylon-12 parts produced by the SLS process.
Crystallinity relates to and determines mechanical properties in traditionally processed
polymers. The nature of crystallinity in SLS processed Nylon-12 has been examined
in this study and shown to be fundamentally different to that of traditionally processed
polymers. Rather than depending primarily upon crystallisation factors such as
cooling rate, it was shown to depend on the degree of particle melt (DPM). DPM was
shown to be quantifiable by DSC measurements (by the degree of crystallinity and
Core Peak Height) and distinct relationships between the quantified DPM and mechanical properties were found. Additionally, this study showed for the first time
that parts remain above the crystallisation onset temperature even after build
completion. This work has expanded the knowledge base of SLS by shedding light on critical aspects of the process. The ability to quantify the degree to which particles melt (DPM) provides a new level of understanding into the causes of changes in
mechanical properties with changes in process parameters. This new understanding
can lead to improved process modelling and could aid in the development of new
processes and materials. DPM could be implemented into new quality control
methods and the knowledge of post build crystallisation shows that post build cool
down is an aspect of the build process that requires control for improved consistency
of properties.


The susceptibility of 76 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae to ampicillin, piperacillin and gentamicin was assessed by ATP bioluminescence in a 4-h test. For most organisms tested (Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Serratia), there was good correlation with traditional MIC values estimated on 18-h cultures. However strains of Proteus mirabilis showed false resistance to the beta-lactam agents with the ATP method; and concordance was achieved only after manipulation of the growth conditions. Our method is simpler than those described previously, though currently it is still labour-intensive and expensive.


Cooperative driving enables a more efficient use of existing infrastructure which reduces the expenditures and land use for new roads. Cooperative driving is based on intelligent communication between vehicles and between vehicles and their environment. Vehicles can drive closer to each other due to the capability of forming a platoon with cooperative driving technology. Human reaction times are too large to drive closely behind another vehicle and today's advanced cruise control systems have their own problems. The Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge (GCDC), organized by TNO, aims at accelerating the development and implementation of cooperative driving technologies. The first finals will be in May 2011, where teams have to negotiate their vehicles as efficiently as possible through a range of predetermined traffic scenarios on public roads. In the Swedish CoAct project students and researchers from Chalmers will develop a platform that will be installed in a Volvo S60. This platform is divided in different modules, hence this report represents the work on the Rules and Logic. The goal of this part of the project is to determine the state of the cooperative driving platform, by means of communication between vehicles and the environment, and pass this information through to the controller module, and other vehicles on the road. The joining process is essential for the Rules and Logic, therefore every step of the joining scenario's are explained in detail. Together with the platooning operations and its definitions the functions of the Rules and Logic module are determined. This module is implemented in a stateflow chart based on the state diagram of the GCDC. In order to validate the Rules and Logic and the Controller modules, simulations should be performed. Stability and safety aspects must be proved before implementing the system in the Volvo S60. Tests on the Volvo S60 must be performed to validate if the behavior of the vehicle is as expected, matching the results of the simulations. The Rules & Logic module is proved working, with respect to the scope of this project, in the tested simulations. The final version it needs to be improved with more knowledge of the controller. The performance of the joining algorithm is influenced by the following part of the controller and therefore it is important to give this issue sufficient attention. This together with the vehicle to infrastructure communication part on the Rules and Logic Module is for future work.


Emotion-memory effects occur when emotion words are more frequently recalled than neutral words. Bilingual speakers report that taboo terms and emotional phrases generate a stronger emotional response when heard or spoken in their first language. This suggests that the basic emotion-memory will be stronger for words presented in a first language. Turkish–English bilinguals performed a deep processing task (emotional-intensity rating) or shallow processing task (counting letter features) and two additional deep processing tasks (translation and word association) on five categories of words (taboo words, reprimands, positive words, negative words, and neutral words), followed by a surprise recall task. Reprimands had the highest recall in English (L2), which may be a novelty effect. If reprimands are set aside, then overall emotion-memory effects were similar in the two languages, with taboo words having the highest recall, followed by positive words. Negative words had no recall advantage over neutral words, an unexpected finding. Results indicate that emotional attributes of words are equally available to boost memory in a first and second language in both shallow and deep processing tasks, athough some task-specific effects did occur.


Abstract The article presents a mathematical model describing the operation of a piston pneumatic air engine. Compressed air engines are an alternative to classic combustion solutions as they do not directly emit toxic exhaust components. In the study, a modified internal combustion piston engine was adopted as pneumatic engine. The mathematical model was divided on the two subsystems, that is, mechanical and pneumatic. The mechanical subsystem describes a transformation of compressed air supply process parameters to energy transferred to the piston and further the conversion of the translational to rotary motion; in turn, in the pneumatic part, the lumped elements method was used. Calculations were carried out using the Matlab-Simulink software, resulting in the characteristics of external and economic indicators. The presented mathematical model can be ultimately developed with additional elements, such as the intake or exhaust system, as well as timing system control.


PURPOSE
To compare stereoscopic digital mammography (DM) with standard DM for the rate of patient recall and the detection of cancer in a screening population at elevated risk for breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Starting in September 2004 and ending in December 2007, this prospective HIPAA-compliant, institutional review board-approved screening trial, with written informed consent, recruited female patients at elevated risk for breast cancer (eg, personal history of breast cancer or breast cancer in a close relative). A total of 1298 examinations from 779 patients (mean age, 58.6 years; range, 32-91 years) comprised the analyzable data set. A paired study design was used, with each enrolled patient serving as her own control. Patients underwent both DM and stereoscopic DM examinations in a single visit, findings of which were interpreted independently by two experienced radiologists, each using a Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) assessment (BI-RADS category 0, 1, or 2). All patients determined to have one or more findings with either or both modalities were recalled for standard diagnostic evaluation. The results of 1-year follow-up or biopsy were used to determine case truth.

RESULTS
Compared with DM, stereoscopic DM showed significantly higher specificity (91.2% [1167 of 1279] vs 87.8% [1123 of 1279]; P = .0024) and accuracy (90.9% [1180 of 1298] vs 87.4% [1135 of 1298]; P = .0023) for detection of cancer. Sensitivity for detection of cancer was not significantly different for stereoscopic DM (68.4% [13 of 19]) compared with DM (63.2% [12 of 19], P .99). The recall rate for stereoscopic DM was 9.6% (125 of 1298) and that for DM was 12.9% (168 of 1298) (P = .0018).

CONCLUSION
Compared with DM, stereoscopic DM significantly improved specificity for detection of cancer, while maintaining comparable sensitivity. The recall rate was significantly reduced with stereoscopic DM compared with DM.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.12120382/-/DC1.


Consumer electronic products revolve around digital content. Every aspect of the consumer market requires digital storage to keep this content. Many consumers use digital storage on flash memory cards built into smartphones to capture still and moving images. Flash memory is used in most smart mobile devices (e.g., tablet computers and smartphones) for video and music playout.


When high electrical fields are applied, and especially above the glass transition temperature, ion transport through the epoxy molding compounds that encapsulate the integrated circuit (die) strongly increases, leading to the accumulation of charge at the passivation-epoxy interface, and possibly to leakage currents because of the formation of parasitic transistors. Recovery from this failure mechanism is possible after annealing the package in the absence of the applied voltage, at sufficiently high temperature. The high electrical fields originate either from within the package due to high-voltage bondpads,1 or are due to an external high-voltage source. We have developed a numerical transport model that is able to describe ion transport through IC packages including the formation of 'ionic diffuse layers', or 'polarisation layers,' at the passivation-epoxy interface.3 In these layers the ion concentration strongly increases, leading to a modification of the electrostatic boundary conditions (Gauss' law), as well as to a voltage step over the passivation-epoxy interface. The exact distribution of the ions in this diffuse layer is a very important quantity as it strongly influences the voltage profiles in the bulk of the material via the boundary conditions, and therefore the ion transport rates. We will briefly outline how the relation between charge and voltage (integral capacitance) can be obtained experimentally from the dielectric response when a DC voltage is applied across a thin polymer sample. The data that are obtained can be used to derive realistic microscopic models for the ion distribution in the diffuse layer formed within an epoxy resin next to electrodes and passivation layers.


During biodegradation processes in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP), bacteria play an important role, and associations of bacteria with microalgae have the potential to remediate wastewater by reducing pollutants. This work aimed to identify bacteria present in wastewater and to analyze their interaction with C. vulgaris to favor their phytoremediation. The physicochemical and microbiological characterization of the wastewater from the Alseseca-Sur WWTP was carried out, identifying the bacterial isolates, a phytoremediation treatment was performed with C. vulgaris and wastewater as a culture medium, quantifying the proliferation of C. vulgaris in the supplemented culture medium and the wastewater. The physicochemical parameters decreased after phytoremediation, the algae-bacteria system caused a decrease in COD due to its application in symbiosis; Pseudomonas sp. prevailed with 75%; C. vulgaris showed optimal growth when wastewater was used as culture medium, inoculating C. vulgaris in wastewater at 100%, 174 cells/mL were quantified compared to 24 cells/mL of C. vulgaris with bold medium plus drinking water. The phytoremediation process in conjunction with the bacterial load effluent from the Alseseca-Sur WWTP showed a decrease in the values of physicochemical parameters; in addition to increasing the number of cells/mL of C. vulgaris using water from the effluent of the Alseseca-Sur WWTP as a culture medium.


The AWAKE experiment will use a \SI{400}{GeV/c} proton beam with a longitudinal bunch length of $\sigma_z = 12\,\rm{cm}$ to create and sustain GV/m plasma wakefields over 10 meters . A 12 cm long bunch can only drive strong wakefields in a plasma with $n_{pe} = 7 \times 10^{14}\,\rm{electrons/cm}^3$ after the self-modulation instability (SMI) developed and microbunches formed, spaced at the plasma wavelength. The fields present during SMI focus and defocus the protons in the transverse plane \cite{SMI}. We show that by inserting two imaging screens downstream the plasma, we can measure the maximum defocusing angle of the defocused protons for plasma densities above $n_{pe} = 5 \times 10^{14}\,\rm{electrons/cm}^{-3}$. Measuring maximum defocusing angles around 1 mrad indirectly proves that SMI developed successfully and that GV/m plasma wakefields were created. In this paper we present numerical studies on how and when the wakefields defocus protons in plasma, the expected measurement results of the two screen diagnostics and the physics we can deduce from it.


Complex relations link climate change and agriculture. The vast majority of the studies that are looking into the quantification of the climate impacts use the Global Warming Potential (GWP) for a 100-year time horizon (GWP100) as the default metrics. The GWP, including the Bern Carbon Cycle Model (BCCM), was proposed as an alternative method to take into consideration the amount and time of emission, and the fraction of emissions that remained in the atmosphere from previous emission periods. Thus, this study aims to compare two methods for GHG emission accounting from the agriculture sector: the constant GWP100 and the time dynamic GWP100 horizon obtained by using the BCCM to find whether the obtained results will lead to similar or contradicting conclusions. Also, the effect of global temperature potential (GTP) of the studied system is summarized. The results show that the application of the BCCM would facilitate finding more efficient mitigation options for various pollutants and analyze various parts of the climate response system at a specific time in the future (amount of particular pollutants, temperature change potential). Moreover, analyze different solutions for reaching the emission mitigation targets at regional, national, or global levels.


Abstract. This paper describes the application of spaceborne and Ground Based radar interferometry as a tool for assisting the management of emergencies related to land movements. The support of the two techniques is carried out integrating some products, using tools available from a software and hardware architecture specifically developed within HEIMDALL, a H2020 project, devoted to providing a multi-hazard Cooperative Management, for Data Exchange, Response Planning and Scenario Building. Deformation maps obtained processing Sentinel-1 SAR images, updated every six days, can provide information over a large area, to be used during the preparedness and recovery phases. Data acquired through a Ground Based SAR system installed in-situ, provide a continuous and discontinuous (periodical) monitoring, aiming at supporting response and recovery phases. The products, in both cases, consist of deformation maps and temporal series, velocity of displacement, obtained through the application of Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI).


Alkalinity or pH buffering capacity in anaerobic digesters is chiefly a function of bicarbonate levels, and should be within 10 to 50 mM for stable operation. A novel on-line instrument for measuring bicarbonate alkalinity has been developed, independent of titration techniques.

Using a 10 litre anaerobic filter digester operating on ice-cream wastewater, on-line measurements were made of bicarbonate alkalinity, pH, gas production and % CO2 and hydrogen concentration in the biogas during periods of organic overload. The bicarbonate alkalinity monitor was shown to be an effective instrument for monitoring instability of anaerobic digestion, and a useful tool for early warning of overloading. Moreover, in digesters fed with wastewaters containing low potential alkalinity, it allows indirect on-line determination of variations in volatile fatty acid concentration. Finally, used in conjunction with a sensor that measures CO2 in the gas, it allows an indirect but accurate determination of pH in those solutions where fouling of electrodes is severe.


This study was conducted to assess the growth, nodulation and nitrogen fixing potential of some native multipurpose trees and shrubs. A total of fourteen species of indigenous leguminous trees and shrubs were initially screened for nodulation in three Ghanaian soils (Toje, Hatso and Alajo soil series), after 8 weeks of growth in nursery bags. The experiment was repeated with nine species of the tree/shrub legumes, this time under two levels of phosphorus (0 and 60 mg P/kg soil). The final study involved four of the tree/shrub legume species, which were assessed for both inoculation and phosphorus responses, and abilities to fix nitrogen as assessed by the 1 Isotope dilution method. Nodulation of the tree/shrub legumes by native rhizobia was highly variable, with five of the tree/shrub species, namely, Albizia lebbek, Sesbania aculiata, Pithecelobium spp, Tephrosia spp and Acacia farresiana being nodulated by native rhizobia in all three soils. In contrast, the following six tree legumes, Acacia adianthifolia, Albizia zygia, Acacia mangium, Senna occidentalis, Cassia occidentalis and Tamarindus indica did not form any nodule in any of the three soils. The presence of indigenous Rhizobium in all three soils, capable of nodulating A. lebbek, Pithecelobium spp, and Tephrosia spp was confirmed in a final study with four leguminous trees and shrubs; unioculated Leucaena spp however nodulated only in Toje soil. The number of rhizobia counted by the most probable number (MPN) method for the four legumes in the three soils ranged from 31/g soil to 1700/g soil. The populations of native Rhizobium/g soil capable of nodulating each of these four legumes were found to be highest in Alajo soil (mean 9.95 xlO2) while the least Rhizobium counts occurred in Hatso soil (mean 1.10 xlO2). iv Rhizobium isolates obtained from Tephrosia spp were found to be most promiscuous, and except for Leucaena spp, isolates from Tephrosia spp nodulated the two other tree species (i. e. A. lebbek,and Pithecelobium spp ), in contrast to isolates from A. lebbek and Pithecelobium spp which were found to be specific only for their respective host plants. Phosphorus application alone resulted in significantly improved nodulation (on average about 63%). Sesbania specioca, S. Aculiata and A. farresiana did not nodulate with the indigenous rhizobia without phosphorus in Toje soil but did nodulate after phosphorus application. Similarly, S. rostrata and Leucaena spp nodulated in Hatso and Alajo soils, only after phosphorus application. Despite the general response by the trees to phosphorus, some species, like A. lebbek, S. aculiata and Tephrosia spp did not respond significantly to phosphorus application on Alajo soil. Phosphorus application, however did not result in significant increase in both %N fixed (about 38%) and total N (about 44 mg) fixed. Also, with the exception of Tephrosia spp, P application did not result in significant increase in total dry matter yield of the tree legumes. Although inoculation resulted in more than double nodule numbers of the tree species, it did not result in significant increase in both total N fixed and %N fixed. It also did not significantly increase total dry matter yield except in the case of Tephrosia spp. Leucaena responded highest to inoculation with an increase of over 123% total N fixed. In general however, Tephrosia spp gave the highest Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) followed by Pithecelobium spp and A. lebbek with the lowest being Leucaena in terms of both percent and total N fixed. These studies therefore identified Tephrosia spp as having high potential for both dry matter yield and nitrogen fixation. Because of the high numbers of native rhizobia present in the soils studied, Tephrosia spp stands a good chance of being used for nitrogen recycling.


Automatic identification of function clones on cross‐platform aims at determining whether two functions are identical or not without access to the source code, which is a fundamental challenge in vulnerability search, code plagiarism detection, and malware classification. With the rapid development of deep neural network in program analysis, the state‐of‐the‐art neural network‐based function clone identification methods propose to represent functions as embeddings by graph neural network (GNN). However, such a novel representation of functions brings in two challenges. (1) The feature engineering that accurately maps the raw data of binary code to machine learning features is complicated. (2) A highly accurate embedding of functions requires a customized GNN to focus on the most critical features to identify binary code. To the best of our knowledge, currently, a comprehensive work that can overcome the above challenges is still missing. In this paper, we propose a novel prototype named as Focus, which is designed to accurately and efficiently identify similar functions. Specifically, inspired by natural language processing techniques which effectively learns text semantic across natural languages, Focus can learn representative semantic features of functions by a customized learning model. To address the second challenge, a multi‐head attention mechanism can be employed to capture the critical features of a function. Through extensive experiments, we demonstrate that Focus achieves high accuracy of function clone identification on a broad range of eight architectures. In particular, the identification performance (AUC value) of Focus is 97% and 99% for cross‐platform and single‐platform, respectively. Furthermore, the evaluation in real world applications shows that our Focus identifies 24 vulnerable functions among the top‐30 candidates, which is one time higher than the baseline approaches.


P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-associated multidrug resistance (MDR) is related to intrinsic and acquired cross resistance to anthracyclines, vinca alkaloids, and other antineoplastic antibiotics. Expression of MDR1 is widely considered to play an important role in conferring resistance to adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast tumor cells in women with disseminated disease, although data supporting this view is, at best, conflicting. The expression of MDR1 gene and its gene product, P-glycoprotein, was investigated in primary and advanced breast cancers (both previously untreated and previously treated on specific treatment protocols) to assess the role of P-glycoprotein in determining responsiveness to adjuvant chemotherapy. Expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), Northern Blot and Western Blot. MDR1 mRNA was detected in 40% of the breast cancers tested by RT-PCR with 40 cycles of PCR amplification. When reducing the PCR amplification cycles to 28, the MDR1 gene expression signal disappeared from breast cancers of the highest expressers; however, known MDR1 positive control normal tissues, such as adrenal, kidney, and liver continued to show an expression product. Western and Northern blots failed to demonstrate the MDR1 gene product, P-glycoprotein, in these breast cancers. In contrast, physiologic levels of P-glycoprotein was clearly detected in normal adrenal, kidney, and liver by these techniques. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that breast carcinoma cells lacked P-glycoprotein expression; however, interstitial mononuclear cells, morphologically consistent with lymphocytes or macrophages did show immunostaining in some of these breast tumors. MDR1 gene expression identified by RT-PCR was not correlated either with response to paclitaxel therapy (29 patients able to be evaluated, p = 0.34, Fisher Exact Test) or overall survival (32 breast cancer patients with clinical follow-up information, p = 0.336, log rank). In conclusion, P-glycoprotein was not expressed in breast carcinoma cells at significant levels, although it was expressed in stomal lymphocytes or macrophages. These results suggest that P-glycoprotein does not play a significant role in multidrug resistance of breast cancer.


IS value research focuses on the economic understanding of value as the contribution of IS to the financial performance of the organization. This narrow understanding of value may explain why, despite decades of IS value research, most IS deployments continue to underperform. This paper adopts a valuation lens to study the realization of IS value, examining value as action (valuation). The research plans to compare the valuation actions across two similar IS (course information visualization and selection tools) in two similar organizations (large European universities). The paper presents the tentative results following the analysis of one of the cases. The interim findings suggest that valuation actions are relative to alternatives and stakeholders' needs, and as such vary significantly across different organizational actors. The findings also point to the interaction between evaluation and valorization actions, both anchored in the material features of the technology. Finally, the research unearths the role that interactions across actors play in shaping valuations of IS. The research, while in progress, suggests valuation as a useful lens to understand how IS value emerges through the intersection of material features and the dynamics of human actions.


Study Design. In a study investigating the correlation between a set of designed criteria and judgments of surgical experience, 100 cervical magnetic resonance images from different patients were used. Objectives. To demonstrate reliable and reproducible anatomic measurements that can aid spine surgeons in selecting surgical approaches for anterior spine fusion in the cervicothoracic region. Summary of Background Data. Surgical approaches to the cervicothoracic junction vary among surgeons. Whereas sternotomy provides maximum exposure, less extensive approaches are preferred to minimize surgical trauma, provided surgical goals are not compromised. No quantitative criteria currently exist to determine before surgery the least invasive surgical approach for sufficiently exposing pertinent anatomy. Methods. Thirteen geometric variables designed to be clinically practical and to expose important anatomic relations were used to evaluate 100 sagittal scout cervical magnetic resonance image sequences. An experienced spine surgeon independently rated each image for the most appropriate surgical approach to the C5–T2 region. The ratings were tested for interrater reliability using a second spine surgeon. After testing for interrater and intrarater reliability, the geometric measurements were correlated with the surgeon's selected surgical approaches for each intervertebral segment (P < 0.05). Results. Instrument manubrial thoracic distances, reflecting standardized heights of intervertebral discs above or below the superior tip of the manubrium, were the most reliable, reproducible, and correlative with the choice of surgical approach. All the measurements but one, the instrument manubrial thoracic distance for T1/T2, demonstrated interrater and intrarater reliability, with an interclass correlation of at least 0.70. The primary surgeon-investigator indicated the anterior approach with sternotomy (n = 3) or the transverse cervical approach (n = 97) for the C7/T1 exposure, and the anterior approach with sternotomy (n = 43) or the transverse cervical approach (n = 57) for the T1/T2 exposure. The interrater questionnaire reliability results indicated statistical agreement between the primary surgeon-investigator and the second cervical spine surgeon at all vertebral segments evaluated. Instrument manubrial thoracic distances showed the strongest significant correlation with the surgical approach, demonstrating a statistical power of 1. For the C7/T1 exposure, the instrument manubrial thoracic distance for C7/T1 was 1.9 ± 2 cm (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41 to 2.22) for the transverse cervical approach, and −3.3 ± 1.3 cm (95% CI = −4.79 to −1.75)] for the anterior approach with sternotomy. The instrument manubrial thoracic distance measurements for C5/C6, C6/C7, and T1/T2 also showed nonoverlapping 95% confidence intervals for the transverse cervical versus the anterior approach with sternotomy for the C7/T1 exposure. For the T1/T2 exposure, all four instrument manubrial thoracic distance measurements again showed statistically significant differences between approaches, with nonoverlapping 95% confidence intervals and a statistical power of 1. In addition, the measurements elaborating the anterior-to-posterior distance of the thoracic outlet and the measurements of the angle between the planes of the intervertebral disc and the sternum also showed statistically significant differences between approaches for the T1/T2 segment, with a statistical power of at least 0.9. Conclusions. Strong correlations exist between objective measurements and the choice of surgical approach for anterior spine fusion. Among investigated anatomic relations, the instrument manubrial thoracic distance correlated most reliably with the surgeons' choice of the anterior approach. Such objective measurements represent tools that cervical spine surgeons can use to determine the surgical approach.


Swedish Match and the National Association of Tobacco Outlets launched a website in 2016 that encourages retailers and policy makers to oppose regulating the tobacco retail environment.1 2 T.O.T.A.L., an acronym for Tobacco Ordinances – Take Another Look, features talking points for defeating U.S. state and local efforts to restrict the sale of flavoured tobacco, regulate tobacco product displays in stores, restrict price discounting by eliminating coupon redemption and other discounts, increase the minimum package size of small cigars, and increase the minimum legal purchase age to 21. The industry website highlights U.S. cities where such restrictions are proposed and uses video testimonials to engage retailers in opposition.

T.O.T.A.L. employs many of the same arguments that the tobacco industry uses to influence marketing restrictions in other countries. Using a taxonomy of argument frames identified by Savell and her colleagues,3 table 1 lists the talking points from the website that illustrate industry claims about insufficient evidence (policy is not evidence-based), legal objections (policy is illegal), regulatory redundancy (policy is unnecessary) and negative unintended consequences (policy will incur unanticipated economic, health or other costs).

View this table:

Table 1
Tobacco industry arguments to oppose regulating the retail environment

Predictably, …


AIM: To investigate whether there is loss of the p27Kip1 protein in developing cervical cancer and whether p27Kip1 immunoreactivity has any relation to the proliferative indicator Ki-67. METHODS: The expression of p27Kip1 and Ki-67 was assessed by immunohistochemistry in serial sections from normal epithelium (13), low grade (27) and high grade (19) squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL, HSIL), and invasive cervical cancer (23). In the SIL cases the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genomic sequences was assessed by in situ hybridisation. The results were evaluated by image analysis, and reported as mean score of the percentage of p27Kip1 and of Ki-67 positive cells in each histological group. RESULTS: In general, p27Kip1 immunostaining was related to squamous differentation, and was intense in normal epithelium (47%), while it was reduced in SIL lesions as an effect of the decreased number of differentiating cells. However, decrease in the p27Kip1 expression was more evident in LSIL (36%) than in HSIL (39%); in the latter, p27Kip1 had a different intraepithelial distribution in that the staining extended to the basal cells. The average levels of p27Kip1 were similar in SIL lesions associated to low, intermediate, and high risk HPV types. Compared with normal epithelium and dysplasia, invasive cancer showed significantly lower p27Kip1 levels (23%). There was no relation between p27Kip1 and Ki-67 labelling indices in any of the histological groups examined. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in p27Kip1 protein occurs in cervical cancer independently of the proliferative status. The changes in p27Kip1 expression may be related to the unregulated kinetics of developing cervical cancer.


The inherited prion diseases (IPD) are a group of dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by mutation of the prion protein gene (PRNP). Although clinically heterogeneous, IPDs are generally associated with progressive dementia, ataxia and with characteristic pathology. Here we describe a quite distinct and consistent phenotype in nine patients from a family with a novel Y163X PRNP truncation mutation. The major clinical features consist of chronic diarrhoea, profound autonomic failure and a predominantly axonal sensory peripheral neuropathy in early adulthood. Prior to genetic analyses, the clinical diagnosis was hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN), which was followed by cognitive decline and seizures only much later, in the fifth to sixth decade. Neuropathological assessments reveal extensive central nervous system prion protein deposition including cerebral amyloid angiopathy and secondary tauopathy. Remarkably, abnormal prion protein deposition was also seen in the duodenum which may have contributed to presentation with diarrhoea. Molecular analysis of proteinase-resistant material from brain shows evidence of aggregation and covalent cross-linking of a misfolded and truncated prion protein entity. The association of autonomic failure, diarrhoea, and neuropathy should prompt PRNP testing and precautions for iatrogenic transmission. Abnormal anchorless PrP may deposit in peripheral tissues and be associated with nonneurological presentations.


Background U.S. natural gas production increased 40% from 2000 to 2015. This growth is largely related to technological advances in horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Environmental exposures upon impacted communities are a significant public health concern. Noise associated with natural gas compressor stations has been identified as a major concern for nearby residents, though limited studies exist. Objectives We conducted a pilot study to characterize noise levels in 11 homes located in Doddridge County, West Virginia, and determined whether these levels differed based on time of day, indoors vs. outdoors, and proximity of homes to natural gas compressor stations. We also compared noise levels at increasing distances from compressor stations to available noise guidelines, and evaluated low frequency noise presence. Methods We collected indoor and outdoor 24-hour measurements (Leq, 24hr) in eight homes located within 750 meters (m) of the nearest compressor station and three control homes located >1000m. We then evaluated how A-weighted decibel (dBA) exposure levels differed based on factors outlined above. Results The geometric mean (GM) for 24-hour outdoor noise levels at homes located <300m (Leq,24hr: 60.3 dBA; geometric standard deviation (GSD): 1.0) from the nearest compressor station was nearly 9 dBA higher than control homes (Leq,24hr: 51.6 dBA; GSD: 1.1). GM for 24 hour indoor noise for homes <300m (Leq,24hr: 53.4 dBA; GSD: 1.2) from the nearest compressor station was 11.2 dBA higher than control homes (Leq,24hr: 42.2 dBA; GSD: 1.1). Indoor average daytime noise for homes <300m of the nearest compressor stations were 13.1 dBA higher than control homes, while indoor nighttime readings were 9.4 dBA higher. Conclusions Findings indicate that living near a natural gas compressor station could potentially result in high environmental noise exposures. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate potential health impacts and protection measures.


INTRODUCTION
Cefixime, a third-generation cephalosporin, is commonly used in different infections. Tolerance is pretty good even if some side effects can be frequent like digestive disorders. Other effects, not mentioned in the Summary of Product Characteristics, can occur.

METHODS
We report a case of recurrent, acute oromandibular dystonia in a cefixime-treated adult.

CASE-REPORT
After the third dose of cefixime, prescribed for a bronchial infection, a patient experienced a first episode of oromandibular dystonia. Then, after each ingestion, the same effects appeared. After the discontinuation of cefixime, there was no recurrence. The diagnosis of acute oromandibular dystonia has been confirmed by a neurologist.

DISCUSSION
Some cases of dystonia have been published with other β-lactams antibiotics and with cefixime but they concerned children. Different mechanisms are proposed to explain the occurrence of dystonia during a treatment with cefixime. They involved certain neurotransmitters like dopamine, acetylcholine or GABA.

CONCLUSION
Even if dystonia is not a side effect mentioned in the SPC, the drug's potential causal role must always be considered in case of involuntary contraction of muscles in a patient treated with cefixime or any other β-lactam antibiotics.