The Internet is facing severe routing scalability problem. The Internet Service Providers cannot afford to upgrade their routers at the pace of routing table growth. Therefore, FIB aggregation has been proposed. However, current single-nexthop FIB aggregation solutions cannot provide a satisfactory performance. In this paper, we first propose the next hop of strict partial order (SPO next hop) to construct the Nexthop-Selectable FIB (NSFIB). The approach guarantees that NSFIB-based aggregation performs better than single-nexthop FIB aggregation, especially in larger and denser backbone networks. We then provide the NSFIB-based aggregation algorithms. According to our simulation, our algorithms can shrink the FIB to 5% and the aggregation performance does not degrade when the network density increases, both of which are a great improvement overhead single-nexthop FIB aggregation.


Compression therapy is the cornerstone in the prevention and treatment of leg ulcers related to chronic venous insufficiency. The application of optimal high pressure is essential for a successful outcome, but the literature has reported difficulty applying the intended pressure, even among highly skilled nurses. The PressCise bandage has a novel design, with both longitudinal and horizontal reference points for correct application. In the current experimental study, the results for the general linear model, where the data set is treated optimally, showed that all 95% confidence intervals of the expected values for pressure were, at most, 5 mmHg from the target value of 50 mmHg, independent of the position on the leg and the state of activity. Moreover, even nurses with limited experience were consistently able to reach the targeted pressure goal. Future studies are needed to determine how well the bandage works on legs of different shapes, the optimal way of using the bandage (day only or both day and night) and whether the bandage should be combined with an outer bandage layer. In addition, special attention should be paid to subjective patient experiences in relation to the treatment as pain, discomfort and bulk are factors that can compromise patients' willingness to adhere to the treatment protocol and thereby prolong the healing process.


Successful collective action is usually accompanied by explicit systems for punishing noncooperators. A simple model of collective action is presented in which such punishment opportunities are available, and some individuals have a taste for exercising them. The model suggests that many of the correlates of successful collective action in the commons management literature are endogenous, and it clarifies the channels through which others operate. It points to the importance of communication costs and asymmetries in power rather than wealth in explaining when collective action fails. Heterogeneity in the ability to inflict punishment or be hurt by it may result in collective action becoming infeasible, especially when there are increasing returns in the production of the public good, but there is a range of parameters in which heterogeneity is favorable to cooperation.


The increasing growth and development of communications technology has created a major change indifferent aspects of human life and organizational performance. New technologies have changed function and attitudes of individuals and organizations and have become an important aspect in creating new jobs and innovation in organizations. Development of new phenomena such as electronic business, electronic commerce and electronic banking has changed individuals' attitude toward organizations. All organizations look to attract customers and increase their satisfaction to sustain their productivity and efficiency. This issue is particularly important for the banks. New methods in providing banking services is one of the most important factors in creating competitive advantage for banks and attracting customers and satisfying them. Nowadays, Iranian banks have taken several steps in the field of electronic services. The main objective of this study is to investigate the degree of customer satisfaction of e-banking services as well as the factors influencing customer satisfaction. The population of the study consisted of all clients who referred to Isfahan banks. Since there is no definite statistics of individuals' presence in the banks, specific estimate of the total population cannot be provided and the questionnaires were randomly distributed among 200 customers of various branches of banks in the city. Based on the findings of this study, the highest degree of correlation was between the positive experience of electronic banking services and their satisfaction of electronic banking services with the correlation coefficient of 0.777 at the significance level of 0.000. In addition, there is a significant positive relationship between income level, service provided by personnel and education level with the dependent variable.


ABSTRACT Correlations between terrorism and the religious commitments of terrorist organizations and actors have been the subject of extensive scholarly investigation. 1 Whilst the focus has often been on extreme Jihadist terrorism, other terrorist groups and individuals with religious commitments have been widely discussed such as Baruch Goldstein's 1994 attack in Hebron, Christian Identity groups in the US, and Aum Shinrikyo in Japan. 2 A number of theories have been advanced to explain the relationships between religious commitment and terrorism. For example, Atran has argued that many terrorists are "devoted actors", and that members of deeply conservative religions are typically devoted actors. 3 Whilst not denying that these factors may be important, this article draws attention to a further significant impact of religion on terrorism: the surprising connection between religion and self-control. 4 Drawing on the large empirical literature establishing a link between religion (in particular deeply conservative religions) and self-control, it is hypothesized that the religious practices of religiously-inspired terrorists enhances their self-control and thus raises their efficacy, operationalized as casualties per attack. This hypothesis will be referred to as TERS (Terrorist Efficacy, Religion and Self-control). TERS predicts that highly conservative religious terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS will typically have higher levels of terrorist efficacy than non-religious or moderately religious groups, and the research of supports this hypothesis. 5 In addition, it is argued that TERS provides a crucial addition to Piazza's emphasis on "universal/abstract" ideologies. 6 Piazza remarks that left-wing terrorist groups can have universal/abstract ideologies. Case studies of atheist left-wing terrorist groups—specifically the Red Army Faction and the Red Brigades—reveal that such groups satisfy Piazza's characterization of universal/abstract groups but have casualty rates per attack very much lower than those of highly conservative religious groups such as Al Qaeda and its affiliates. It is argued that highly conservative religious convictions enhance the self-control of the latter groups, raising their efficacy relative to the former atheist groups.


Emma Nordin: Emilie Du Châtelets analys av lycka: Upplosning av polemiken mellan illusion och fornuft . Uppsala universitet: inst. for ide- och lardomshistoria, C-uppsats, hostterminen, 2012. The 18 th century is a time period known for its battle with superstition, illusion and falseness. With the Torch of Reason the philosophers of the time were set on vanquishing everything untrue and lead mankind into what they themselves called the Enlightenment. Happiness had moved from Heaven to Earth in science, truth and pleasure. But is it that simple? This essay will analyze and discuss the French philosopher Emilie Du Châtelet's concept "illusion", something she did not encourage people to vanquish, but to nourish and cherish. Her ideas of illusion did not only contradict the ideas of many of her contemporaries and predecessors, but the associations the word has today as well. Unlike many others she did not consider illusion as falseness that eliminated reason, on the contrary, only with the two combined could one be truly happy. Du Châtelet argued for the apparent oxymoron: conscious illusion. She showed how this worked in happy occasions such as love, hopes of glory and something as simple as a visit to the theatre. She did not construct these definitions and reasoning in a vacuum, but in constant debate with predecessors such as Spinoza and Hobbes and her contemporaries such as La Mettrie and Rousseau. This essay will show that the relationship between reason and illusion during the Enlightenment was more complicated than one might think and that Du Châtelet argues for a fully functioning and necessary combination of illusion, happiness and reason. Illusion was not necessarily something the philosophers of the Enlightenment saw as something oppose to, or even threatening to, their flickering Torch.


The focus of the article is the research of opportunities to improve the state support of the Russian Federation's modern agriculture. The purpose of the study is to choose the most effective options for providing financial aid according to the indicators of its social and economic development. Moreover, we aimed to select the best ways of this financial aid's distribution within areas and in the agricultural enterprises. The article highlights underestimated opportunities to increase the effectiveness of material and financial assistance to the agricultural sector. These opportunities do not consist uniquely in increasing financing but also in reasonable principles of using support funds by the agricultural enterprises. To this end, I propose to identify the directions of economic development, which are both profitable for an agricultural enterprise itself and meeting the goals of the overall social and economic development of the region and the interests of its population. Priority in obtaining state aid should be given to those enterprises whose production activities contribute to social and economic development of the region. The author's multi-years research together with the scientists of the institutes of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences have allowed to identify the main reasons for the delay in the development of Russian agriculture in 2005–2016. In addition to the well-known negative impact of the shortage of funds and unfavourable natural conditions on the economy of agricultural enterprises, I found other reasons such as a weak development of the labour market and technologies, neglect of social, physical and industrial infrastructure. At the same time, the negative influence of these reasons is noticeably stronger than the negative influence of traditional factors. In this regard, the article proposes to improve the practice of allocating support funds. Funding should be used not only for on-farm, purely industrial needs but also for these enterprises' social and economic development, as well as for the overall development of their region. I have applied the economic and statistical methods, analytic and computational algorithms processing a large amount of information on the development of agricultural production of the Russian Federation and foreign countries. As a result of the research, I propose areas for the improvement of state policy protecting agriculture. It will be useful to the regional authority and regional administrations, heads of the agricultural enterprises as well as scientific experts in the field of agricultural economics.


Background: Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully psychotherapy (CaLM) is an innovative approach aimed at reducing depression and demoralization in advanced cancer patients, while promoting meaning making processes and personal growth. These constructs are considered to be the principal components at the basis of existential distress or vice versa, of a sense of meaning and fulfillment at the end of life. The aim of this research was to investigate the acceptability and feasibility of CaLM within an Italian context, while evaluating its potentiality of reducing depression, demoralization, anxiety and other emotional distress as compared to controls treated with usual care (UC).
Materials and Methods: Advanced cancer patients were randomized to be allocated either in the experimental arm to receive a semi-structured intervention of 12 individual sessions delivered over 6 months; or in a control arm to receive UC at the hospital Oncology Service. Usual care included routine oncology clinic visits, during which distress screening was carried out. The primary expected outcomes were greater improvements of depression (at PHQ-9), and demoralization (at Demoralization Scale). Secondary outcomes included greater positive changhes anxiety (at DADDS), spiritual wellbeing (at FACIT), quality of life (at QUAL-EC) and posttraumatic growth (at PTGI).in experimental arm vs controls.
At 3 and 6 months CaLM participants were interviewed about their therapy experience and both CaLM and UC patients were administered a questionnaire assessing satisfaction with care.
Results: Statistical analysis indicated that experimental group patients had a significant improvement in important clinical aspects of existential distress, including depression, demoralization, and anxiety. Moreover they experienced a higher spiritual well-being and a post-traumatic growth as a result of CaLM therapy. UC patients did not present any statistically significant change. Qualitative analysis of the experimental group comments on the intervention underscored CaLM benefits, including an increased awareness and involvement in life.
Conclusions: The findings of our study demonstrated a full acceptability and feasibility of CaLM intervention, while indicating its effectiveness in reducing existential distress and promoting psychological and spiritual growth in advanced cancer patients.


Abstract Junglerice is one of the most serious grass weeds of rice in the tropics. Experiments were conducted in the laboratory and screenhouse to determine the influence of environmental factors on seed germination and seedling emergence of junglerice in the Philippines. In the laboratory, germination was stimulated by light, suggesting that seeds of this species are positively photoblastic. The tested temperatures (35/25, 30/20, and 25/15 C alternating day/night temperatures), however, did not influence germination. Germination in the laboratory was not affected by a soil pH range of 4 to 9, but was decreased by salinity (> 50 mM NaCl) and moisture stress (< −0.2 MPa osmotic potential). In the screenhouse, germination of junglerice was greatest (97%) for seeds at the soil surface, but emergence declined exponentially with increasing seed burial depth, and no seedlings emerged from seeds buried at 6 cm. In pots, seedling emergence declined markedly with the addition of rice residue to the soil surface at rates equivalent to 4 to 6 tonnes (t) ha−1. As germination of junglerice was strongly stimulated by light, and seedling emergence was optimal at shallow burial depths, this species is likely to be problematic in reduced tillage systems. Nomenclature: Junglerice, Echinochloa colona (L.) Link ECHCO; rice, Oryza sativa L.


The deadlock is one of the important problems in distributed systems and different solutions have been proposed for solving it. Among the many deadlock detection algorithms, Edge-chasing has been the most widely used. In Edge-chasing algorithm, a special message called probe is made and sent along dependency edges. When the initiator of a probe receives the probe back the existence of a deadlock is revealed. One of the problems associated with them is that they cannot detect some deadlocks and they even identify false deadlocks. A key point not mentioned in the literature is that when the process is waiting to obtain the required resources and its execution has been blocked, how it can actually respond to probe messages in the system. Also the question of 'which process should be victimized in order to achieve a better performance when multiple cycles exist within one single process in the system' has received little attention. Besides, before allocating one resources to a process waiting for it, a reasonable action is to In this paper, one of the basic concepts of the operating system - daemon - will be used to solve the problems mentioned. The proposed Algorithm becomes engaged in sending probe messages to the mandatory daemons and collects enough information to effectively identify and resolve multi-cycle deadlocks in distributed systems.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Ewing Sarcoma (ES) is the second most common bone cancer in children and adolescents with a high metastatic potential. Tumor development is driven by the specific t(11;22)(q24;q12) chromosomal translocation resulting in generation of the chimeric transcription factor EWS-FLI1.

Recently, ES has been reported to be exquisitely sensitive to inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1). This enzyme uses NAD+ as substrate and was demonstrated to regulate EWS-FLI1 in a feed-back mechanism. Another major mammalian NAD+ consumer is the deacetylase SIRT1 which we observed to be highly expressed in ES metastases, validated with immunohistochemistry of 250 primary tumors and 30 metastases. PARP1 and SIRT1 play pivotal roles in coupling cellular metabolism to transcriptional gene regulation as well as to stress response. Both of them regulate pro-apoptotic transcription factors that are suppressed in ES including p53, FOXO1 and 3, and NFκB. It has been demonstrated that PARP1 activity is at least partially dependent on acetylation which is counteracted by SIRT1 activity. Severe cell stress such as DNA damage leads to massive activation of PARP1, thus resulting in depletion of the cellular NAD+ pool and finally cell death. Usually, NAD+ is regenerated from nicotinamide via NAMPT or from the reduction of pyruvate via LDHA (Warburg effect), but can also be synthesized de novo from tryptophan. Interestingly, the knockdown of EWS-FLI1 in ES cells comes along with increased TDO and suppressed KMO expression, both being critical enzymes in tryptophan metabolism and NAD+ de novo synthesis. As a consequence, cellular tryptophan consumption drastically increases, which might indicate a regulatory function of EWS-FLI1 in maintaining the balance of the cellular NAD+ metabolism. In addition, we observed a striking sensitivity of ES cells to interferon gamma treatment at very low doses (5U/ml) resulting in the induction of the tryptophan metabolizing enzyme IDO and the production of the immune-suppressive metabolite kynurenine. We are currently studying how these changes in tryptophan metabolism affect cellular NAD+ pools and SIRT1 and PARP1 activities in ES. This study serves for a better understanding of EWS-FLI1 and of the microenvironment in the post-translational control of SIRT1 and PARP1 regulated gene transcription, and the consequences for PARP1 and/or SIRT1 directed therapies of ES.

Supported by the Austrian Science fund, grant I1225-B19.

Citation Format: Cornelia N. Mutz, Jozef Ban, Stephan Niedan, Maximilian O. Kauer, Dave N.T. Aryee, Dietmar Fuchs, Andreas Heitger, Heinrich Kovar. Investigating the NAD metabolome in Ewing sarcoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1436. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1436


Evolutionary psychology theories propose that contact with green, natural environments may benefit physical health, but little comparable evidence exists for brown, natural environments, such as the desert. In this study, we examined the association between "brownness" and "greenness" with fasting glucose among young residents of El Paso, Texas. We defined brownness as the surface not covered by vegetation or impervious land within Euclidian buffers around participants' homes. Fasting glucose along with demographic and behavioral data were obtained from the Nurse Engagement and Wellness Study (n = 517). We found that residential proximity to brownness was not associated with fasting glucose when modeled independently. In contrast, we found that residential greenness was associated with decreased levels of fasting glucose, despite the relatively low levels of greenness within the predominantly desert environment of El Paso. A difference between the top and bottom greenness exposure quartiles within a 250 m buffer was associated with a 3.5 mg/dL decrease in fasting glucose levels (95% confidence interval: −6.2, −0.8). Our results suggest that within the understudied context of the desert, green vegetation may be health promoting to a degree that is similar to other, non-desert locations in the world that have higher baselines levels of green.


Motion planning is important in a wide variety of applications such as robotic manipulation. However, it is still challenging to reliably find a collision-free path within a reasonable time. To address the issue, this paper proposes a novel framework which combines a sampling-based planner and deep learning for faster motion planning, focusing on heuristics. The proposed method extends Task-Space Rapidly-exploring Random Trees (TS-RRT) to guide the trees with a "heuristic map" where every voxel has a cost-to-go value toward the goal. It also utilizes fully convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for producing more appropriate heuristic maps, rather than manually-designed heuristics. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, experiments for motion planning using a real environment and mobile manipulator are carried out. The results indicate that it outperforms the existing planners, especially in terms of the average planning time with smaller variance.


Detection of fractures using geophysical methods has proven elusive. A significant amount of theory has been developed over the years; however, convincing applications of the theory to field data have been scarce. In this article, we show a clear example of seismic amplitude changes resulting from controlled fracturing from injection at the Alpine Field in Alaska. We use the ability of time-lapse seismic (4D) data to remove the background geology so that the seismic amplitude changes caused by the creation of fracture systems are clearly exposed around injectors.


ABSTRACT:Use of deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum L. [Ericaceae]) in native plant landscaping and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) for breeding have increased, but difficulties with vegetative propagation have presented problems for those who wish to use this species. We studied rooting success of deerberry softwood stem cuttings treated with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) in talc at concentrations of 0, 1000, 3000, or 8000 ppm. We also evaluated the influence of 100 mg/l (0.004 oz/qt) of Sequestrene 138 ethylenediamine Bis 2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid ferric-sodium salt or Sequestrene 330 sodium ferric diethylenetriaminepentaacetate on the growth of in vitro shoot cultures of deerberry cultured on woody plant medium (WPM) with 9 µM zeatin (E)-2-methyl-4-(7H-purin-6-ylamino) but-2-en-1-ol (ZT), 1% (w/v) agar, and 3% (w/v) sucrose. Exogenous IBA application to softwood stem cuttings failed to enhance rooting of deerberry, which averaged 30% across all IBA treatments. In vitro shoots of deerberry multiplied at a rate of 5 shoots per initial shoot explant when cultured on medium supplemented with Sequestrene 330 and on medium without additional iron. Deerberry cultivated on medium supplemented with Sequestrene 138 or 330 had greater quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and performance index (PI) values than did non-supplemented control medium. About 85% of the micropropagated shoots rooted, indicating that deer-berry can be efficiently propagated by micropropagation using WPM and ZT. Supplementation with Sequestrene 330 improved the photosynthetic capacity and visual appearance of shoot cultures. Those interested in clonally propagating superior deerberry genotypes can easily do so using micropropagation.


A direct and highly convenient organocatalytic method for the preparation of 1,5-dialdo-pyranosides and 1,4-dialdo-furanosides is presented. The method relies on the chemoselective properties of TEMPO in combination with trichloroisocyanuric acid under very mild, basic conditions. Unprotected glycosides are prepared in a single step in high yields and are efficiently purified with the use of solid-phase imine capture. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006).


We analyze the pricing behavior of firms when explicit partial cartels have formed in experimental markets through communication. Using a repeated, asymmetric capacity constraint price game, we show that, in line with theory, a partial cartel is sufficient to increase market prices for all firms. Moreover, we find that prices of cartel insiders and outsiders are not necessarily on the same level what contradicts common theoretical predictions. This is because communication allows cartel members to overcome a potential coordination problem and enables an equilibrium in (joint) mixed strategies to emerge. The results therefore underline the importance of communication in explicit cartels and the resulting market outcomes. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


ABSTRACT The idea that there exists a natural relationship between intellectual freedom, legitimate political authority and enjoyment of a dignified life was central to the European Enlightenment and to the radical social change it inspired. This normative claim was rooted in an epistemological proposition: truth is not revealed in private to a select few but discovered in public, through observation, dialogue and critique. Material transformations associated with that proposition have since literally changed the face of the earth. While the materially transformative potential of this proposition has been realized across the planet, its social justice implications have not. This leaves an underdetermined space in democratic discourse: fact claims are treated as apolitical, while the causes and consequences of the Anthropocene are uncertain and values regarding its importance polarised, rendering that status obsolete. In addition to contributing toward understanding human-environment relationships, fact now also serve to destabilize political discourse. Their instrumentalization exerts control in the absence of normative intention, 'untrol': truth claims matter not only because they call the moral subject to action but also because they can proffer political standing. Humbly embracing the epistemological complexity of the Anthropocene through Eagleton's posture of 'hope without optimism' is proposed as an antidote.


Transient stability is the ability of a power system to maintain synchronism subjected to large disturbances such as three phase fault, short circuit etc.. Present time power systems are being operated nearer to their stability limits due to economic and environmental reasons. Maintaining a stable and secure operation of a power system is therefore a very important and challenging issue. In this paper power flow and hence transient stability of a multi machine practical power system under northern side of Kerala is investigated. Actual data are collected from K.S.E.B is used for simulation. Also comparison of transient stability with and without SVC is done in this paper.


Job characteristics and procedural justice theories offer an avenue through which to better understand information systems planning effectiveness in multinational firms. The first theory suggests that greater autonomy leads to greater perceptions of fair treatment, and the second suggests that perceptions of fair treatment lead to greater commitment and performance. A postal survey of 131 chief information officers of U.S. subsidiaries of multinational firms collected data to test hypotheses based on the theory. Data analysis revealed that autonomy for IS planning significantly predicted feelings of procedural justice, and procedural justice predicted IS planning with greater effectiveness. These findings not only lend support to the theories but, more importantly, also suggest that parent managers consider delegating greater planning autonomy to the managers of their foreign subsidiaries.


This thesis is a feminist informed, discursive research project. Three studies are presented, each designed to explore reconstructions of sexual harassment incidents. The first and second studies were based upon a corpus of interview data, generated specifically for the research project. The author interviewed six women and encouraged detailed discussion about sexual harassment. The third study was conducted utilising media data. The data includes an initial allegation and description of an incident of sexual harassment, in the form of a magazine article, and a collection of published responses written by journalists, academics and members of the public. The data were analysed utilising a 'hybrid' discursive approach that combined the frameworks of conversation analysis and critical discourse analysis to deconstruct both the interactional and ideological components of the discourse. This thesis makes several distinctive contributions to existing literature. Firstly, whilst hybrid analysis has been advocated by others, it has rarely been applied and therefore this project contributes an example of its application. Secondly, the project offers as its focus a deconstruction of subject positions and the function they serve in the allocation of responsibility and accountability of sexual harassment. This is unique in the field. Thirdly, to feminist action and women's emancipation, the project contributes a knowledge and understanding of women's oppressive and constrained experiences. Through knowledge of oppression women's emancipation can be more easily achieved.


A study has been made to investigate the Hydrogen bond interaction between binary mixtures of 2-Butanol and water using Time Domain Reflectometry technique (TDR). Various volume concentrations of 2-Butanol-water have been used in the frequency range of 10MHz to 30GHz at 0 to 20 ° C. Complex permittivity spectra for 2- Butanol-water mixtures determined which shows a Debye type of behavior. Dielectric parameters i.e. dielectric constant (e o ), relaxation time (τ) obtained using least square fit method. Using the fundamental properties Kirkwood correlation factor, Bruggeman factor, excess dielectric properties and thermodynamic properties were also been determined to study the interaction between regular dipole interaction of hydrogen-Bonded (H-bonded) liquids the mixtures.


Dice are used in many games, and often in fairly complex ways that make it difficult to unambiguously describe the dice-roll mechanism in plain language. Many role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, use a formalised notation for some instances of dice-rolls. This notation, once explained, make dice-roll descriptions concise and unambiguous. Furthermore, the notation has been used in automated tools for pseudo-random dice-rolling (typically used when playing over the Internet). This notation is, however, fairly limited in the types of dice-rolls it can describe, so most games still use natural language to describe rolls. Even Dungeons & Dragons use formal notation only for some of the dice-roll methods used in the game. Hence, a more complete notation is in this paper proposed, and a tool for pseudo-random rolls and (nearly) exact probability calculations is described. The notation is called "Troll", combining the initial of the Danish word for dice ("terninger") with the English word "roll". It is a development of the language Roll described in an earlier paper. The present paper describes the most important features of Troll and its implementation.


This paper examines how the ideal of manhood is portrayed and constructed and how the participation of Swedish soldier volunteers are motivated and legitimatized. The purpose of this examination is to gain understanding and knowledge about the Swedish soldiers in the Swedish brigade, how they legitimatize and motivate their participation and how the ideal of manhood is portrayed and constructed. The study is based on material from the war archive in Stockholm. The empirical material is composed by letters and propaganda material. In the analysis of the empirical study, there have been two theories used which are Eric Hobsbawms historical method and theory about invented traditions and Peter Aronssons historical method and theory about 'historiebruk' and legitimacy. The method I used for analyzing my empirical material is the genetic-biography method which aims the interest to the text, language in the text, the words and the sentences. The field of research about the finish civil war in 1918 is very large and that is why I made a selection in order to choose which research should represent the rest of the field. The selection is based on the reasoning about the class conflict, eye witnesses and the picture of the finish civil war, the freedom war and the participation of the Swedish soldier volunteers.The result in this study and examination shows how the ideal of manhood is constructed usually by a soldier who often sacrifices his own life and becomes a hero, a freedom fighter that stands up against the violence from the east, the so called bolsjevikempire. The participation of the Swedish soldier volunteers is legitimatized through several ways. The legitimization is often connected to the past and the Swedish nation in order to accept the actions and the participation of the Swedish soldiers.


Constructions of square, maximum rate complex orthogonal space-time block codes (CO STBCs) are well known, however codes constructed via the known methods include numerous zeros, which impede their practical implementation. By modifying the Williamson and Wallis-Whiteman arrays to apply to complex matrices, we propose two methods of construction of square, order-4n CO STBCs from square, order-n codes which satisfy certain properties. Applying the proposed methods, we construct square, maximum rate, order-8 CO STBCs with no zeros, such that the transmitted symbols are equally dispersed through transmit antennas. Those codes, referred to as the improved square CO STBCs, have the advantages that the power is equally transmitted via each transmit antenna during every symbol time slot and that a lower peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) is required to achieve the same bit error rates as the conventional CO STBCs with zeros.


A 22 year old female came with clinical picture of left sided ureteric colic. On investigation she was found to have a left sided ureteric stone and multiple bladder stones. Xray KUB confirmed the diagnosis (Figure 1a). She was admitted and was started on tamsulosin 0.4 mg daily while she was planned for intravenous urography. On day 2 of admission she passed 2 stones of size 13 mm and one stone of size 15 mm. Thereafter conservative treatment was continued and on day 5 she passed two stones of 15 mm and a stone of 22 mm (Figure 1b and 1c). X-ray KUB was repeated which showed no radio opaque shadow (Figure 1d). As per the guidelines of American Urology Association [1], patients with ureteral stones >10 mm could be observed or treated with MET, in most cases such stones will require surgical treatment. No recommendation can be made for spontaneous passage (with or without medical therapy) for patients with large stones. For stones more than 10 mm conservative management alone is insufficient [2]. Several studies have studied the effects of medical expulsive therapy but in stones not larger than 15 mm [3]. We are astonished by the results of conservative management in this case and want to know the view of your readers for the likely reason and whether to give medical therapy in all patients with larger stones before planning for any surgical intervention.


In Euro NCAP standard, adult protection is one of the most important rating scores with 50% weight factor while child protection and pedestrian protection are accounted into consideration with 20% weight factor. For adult protection testing, three tests are required to perform: (1) side impact, (2) pole impact, (3) front impact. In the side impact test, dummy's head, chest, shoulder, thorax, ribs, abdomen, pelvic and femur must be studied to evaluate the rating score. Crashworthiness of a car during side impact can describe the score rated for that car. In this paper the goal is to determine the crashworthiness of side doors and B-pillar in side impact crash test by simulation using LS DYNA software in order to predict required changes to achieve 5 star rating. A model of car has been developed using Hypermesh and CATIA software. A mobile deformable barrier (MDB) model and its honey comp area have been prepared with respect to ECE R95 and Euro NCAP standard. Initial condition such as velocity has been assigned to MDB. Results show that improvement in design in order to increase absorbed energy can probably has positive effect on crash performance as good as using side air bag in order to achieve 5 star rating.


In practice, most inventory system accommodate more than one type of item.Under this situation the analysis of inventory problem is approached by treating each type of item independently.The problem becomes complicated when constrains are imposed in inventory system.Constrains normally arise because scarce of resources exist such as capital,storage space, and equipment capacities. This paper considered a multi item inventory system with 2 constrains: working capital  and storage space restrictions.The Lagrangian method and The LIMIT technique  is utilized to obtain optimal order quantity solution for constraining conditions.While The Lagrangian method transforms a constrained optimization problem into an unconstrained  problem for higher dimension,The LIMIT Technique determines the relation of agggregate EOQ requirements to the limited resource available and revises all the lot sizes by the same proportion to bring the aggregate EOQ resources requirements within the limit. A case study of a multi item inventory system with constrains at PD Taru Martani Yogyakarta has been presented in this paper.   Keywords : multi item inventory system, constrains, the Lagrangian method, the LIMIT technique, optimal (economic) order quantity.


Purpose: Salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs) are pathologically classified into several widely diverse subtypes, of which adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), and salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) are the most commonly encountered. A comparative genetic analysis of these subtypes provides detailed information on the genetic alterations that are associated with their tumorigenesis and may lead to the identification of biomarkers to guide tumor-specific clinical trials. Experimental Design: Whole-genome sequencing of 58 common SGCs (20 ACCs, 20 SDCs, and 18 MECs) was performed to catalog structural variations, copy number, rearrangements, and driver mutations. Data were bioinformatically analyzed and correlated with clinicopathologic parameters, and selected targets were validated. Results: Novel and recurrent type–specific and shared genetic alterations were identified within and among 3 subtypes. Mutually exclusive canonical fusion and nonfusion genomic alterations were identified in both ACC and MEC. In ACCs, loss of chromosome 12q was dominant in MYB or MYBL1 fusion–positive tumors and mutations of NOTCH pathway were more common in these fusion negatives. In MECs, CRTC1-MAML2 fusion–positive tumors showed frequent BAP1 mutation, and tumors lacking this fusion were enriched with LRFN1 mutation. SDCs displayed considerable genetic instability, lacked recurrent chromosomal rearrangements, and demonstrated nonoverlapping TP53 mutation and ERBB2 amplification in a subset of tumors. Limited genetic alterations, including focal amplifications of 8q21-q23, were shared by all subtypes and were associated with poor survival. Conclusions: This study delineates type-specific and shared genetic alterations that are associated with early phenotypic commitment and the biologic progression of common SGCs. These alterations, upon validation, could serve as biomarkers in tumor-specific clinical trials.


The cavernous nerves (CN) course along the prostate surface and are responsible for erectile function. Improved identification and preservation of the CN's is critical to maintaining sexual potency after prostate cancer surgery. Noncontact optical nerve stimulation (ONS) of the CN's was recently demonstrated in a rat model, in vivo, as a potential alternative to electrical nerve stimulation (ENS) for identification of the CN's during prostate surgery. However, the therapeutic window for ONS is narrow, so optimal design of the fiber optic delivery system is critical for safe, reproducible stimulation. This study describes modeling, assembly, and testing of an ONS probe for delivering a small, collimated, flat-top laser beam for uniform CN stimulation. A direct comparison of the magnitude and response time of the intracavernosal pressure (ICP) for both Gaussian and flat-top spatial beam profiles was performed. Thulium fiber laser radiation (λ=1870 nm) was delivered through a 200-μm fiber, with distal fiber tip chemically etched to convert a Gaussian to flat-top beam profile. The laser beam was collimated to a 1-mm-diameter spot using an aspheric lens. Computer simulations of light propagation were used to optimize the probe design. The 10-Fr (3.4-mm-OD) laparoscopic probe provided a constant radiant exposure at the nerve surface. The probe was tested in four rats, in vivo. ONS of the CN's was performed with a 1-mm-diameter spot, 5- ms pulse duration, and pulse rate of 20 Hz for a duration of 15-30 s. The flat-top laser beam profile consistently produced a faster and higher ICP response at a lower radiant exposure than the Gaussian beam profile due, in part, to easier alignment of the more uniform beam with nerve. With further development, ONS may be used as a diagnostic tool for identification of the CN's during laparoscopic and robotic nerve-sparing prostate cancer surgery.


Introduction: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has emerged as an important biomarker for developing the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases, as several studies have shown that serum levels of NT-proBNP elevate in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and coronary artery disease (CAD). We performed this study to find any possible correlation between serum levels of NT-proBNP and Gensini score in patients diagnosed with ACS. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 100 consecutive patients with ACS who were candidates of angiography were recruited and their serum levels of NT-proBNP, Gensini scores, lipid profiles and troponin I levels were measured. Results: Sixty six male and 34 female patients with a mean age of 57.5 years, including 44 with unstable angina, 33 with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 23 with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction were enrolled. The mean serum NT-proBNP level and the Gensini score were 1987.16 pg/mL (17.9-8841) and 31.09 (6-92.5), respectively. The serum NT-proBNP levels and Gensini scores were significantly correlated with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.953 (P < 0.001). Serum levels of NT-proBNP were not different in patients with single-vessel disease, 2-vessel disease and 3-vessel disease (P = 0.257). NT-Pro-BNP levels were also correlated positively with troponin I levels (correlation coefficient = 0.779) and negatively with left ventricular ejection fraction (correlation coefficient = -0.55). Smoker patients had higher NT-proBNP levels (P = 0.047). Neither Gensini scores nor NT-Pro-BNP levels had significant correlation with lipid profile or blood sugar. Conclusions: NT-proBNP is directly correlated with Gensini score in patients with ACS and might be used as an important marker for risk stratification in those patients.


In previous work, we have implemented spiking neuron models that use a biologically realistic action selection system to solve complex cognitive tasks, including the Tower of Hanoi and semantic memory search. However, such models often require the fine-tuning of multiple parameters so that the model can reach a desired level of performance. Recently, we demonstrated that a local, online learning rule, which only requires a single parameter, the learning rate, is sufficient for teaching our model how to solve a general cognitive sequencing task. Here, we refine our method by showing that adding adaptive learning is more robust regarding our choice of parameters, and will achieve better performance on all versions of the cognitive task that we tested. These results provide a foundation for building complex cognitive models that require no hand-tuning of parameters.


This work investigates the effects of using the independent Jeffreys prior for the degrees of freedom parameter of a t-student model in the asymmetric generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model. To capture asymmetry in the reaction to past shocks, smooth transition models are assumed for the variance. We adopt the fully Bayesian approach for inference, prediction and model selection We discuss problems related to the estimation of degrees of freedom in the Student-t model and propose a solution based on independent Jeffreys priors which correct problems in the likelihood function. A simulated study is presented to investigate how the estimation of model parameters in the t-student GARCH model are affected by small sample sizes, prior distributions and misspecification regarding the sampling distribution. An application to the Dow Jones stock market data illustrates the usefulness of the asymmetric GARCH model with t-student errors.


This paper presents a half-select free 9T SRAM to facilitate reliable SRAM operation in the near-threshold voltage region. In the proposed SRAM, the half-select disturbance, which results in instable operations in 6T SRAM cell, can be completely eliminated by adopting cross-access selection of row and column word-lines. To minimize the area overhead of the half-select free 9T SRAM cell, a bit-line and access transistors between the adjacent cells are shared using a symmetric shared node that connects two cells. In addition, a selective pre-charge scheme considering the preferably isolated unselected cells has also been proposed to reduce the dynamic power consumption. The simulation results with the most probable failure point method show that the proposed 9T SRAM cell has a minimum operating voltage (VMIN) of 0.45 V among the half-select free SRAM cells. The test chip with 65-nm CMOS technology shows that the proposed 9T SRAM is fully operated at 0.35 V and 25 °C condition. Under the supply voltages between 0.35 and 1.1 V, the 4-kb SRAM macro is operated between 640 kHz and 560 MHz, respectively. The proposed 9T SRAM shows the best voltage scalability without any assist circuit while maintaining small macro area and fast operation frequency.


Using a serial bilayer model we show that heterogeneous ferroelectric systems may exhibit substantial Maxwell-Wagner piezoelectric relaxation. The relaxation has its origin in the coupling of the dielectric and piezoelectric properties. The model predicts both retardation (positive phase angle and counterclockwise charge-pressure hysteresis) and relaxation (negative phase angle and clockwise charge-pressure hysteresis) of the longitudinal direct piezoelectric coefficient. The theoretical results are confirmed experimentally in ferroelectric ceramic-ceramic bilayers and in a single-phase ferroelectric Aurivillius compound ceramic in which neighboring grains with strongly anisotropic properties may behave as basic Maxwell-Wagner units. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.


Abstract This paper investigates the reasons why African farmers differ in storage behavior and estab- lishes a causal link between farmers' time and risk preferences and storage.We first provide a styl- ized onfarmstorage model inwhich impatience and risk aversion interact in the storage decision process. We show that impatience decreases grain storage whereas risk aversion may increase or decrease the quantity of grain stored from the harvest season to the lean season. We then test these propositions using original data on agricultural decisions, which we have collected from 1,500 farmers in two regions of Burkina Faso, who were also asked hypothetical questions about risk aversion and time discounting. Parameterized to our data, the model predicts that stored quantities decrease with impatience and increase with risk aversion. We then turn to an econo- metric analysis and provide an identification strategy which tackles a sample selection issue in our data. Consistently with the model, we find a negative impact of impatience and a positive impact of risk aversion on the storage level. The effects are statistically significant and robust to various measures of time and risk preferences. This paper provides one of the first set of field evi- dence that links risk aversion and time discounting to observed agricultural decisions.


Constructing a function that interpolates a set of values defined at vertices of a mesh is a fundamental operation in computer graphics. Such an interpolant has many uses in applications such as shading, parameterization and deformation. For closed polygons, mean value coordinates have been proven to be an excellent method for constructing such an interpolant. In this paper, we generalize mean value coordinates from closed 2D polygons to closed triangular meshes. Given such a mesh P, we show that these coordinates are continuous everywhere and smooth on the interior of P. The coordinates are linear on the triangles of P and can reproduce linear functions on the interior of P. To illustrate their usefulness, we conclude by considering several interesting applications including constructing volumetric textures and surface deformation.


This is the third in a continuing series of marine environment surveys conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game in cooperation with the State's Regional Water Quality Control Boards. During February and March, 1965, Department scuba diving biologists made an ecological investigation off the western shore of Point Loma, San Diego County (into water depths of 100 feet). Data from this study, conducted for the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (#9), are to be used in evaluating the effects of a submarine outfall discharge on the marine life in the area. Twenty diving and four intertidal stations were occupied along four transects run perpendicular to shore. A modified transect-quadrat method of survey was employed to sample the biota both quantitatively and qualitatively. In addition, three orange-peel grab samples were taken near the outfall terminus (200-foot depth) primarily to determine sludge build-up. The animal and plant assemblages were both lush and varied. The recorded species, numbers and diversities appeared typical for this general area, water depth, and bottom type. Bathymetrically, the greatest species diversity occurred in the 60to 80-foot depths—the least in the 20. Geographically, species diversity was greatest in the central portions of the study area, and the least diverse in the northern. This correlated with the height of the bottom relief. Although it is difficult to make comparisons with prior studies, because of different sampling techniques, the area's general biotic assemblages appeared similar, and except for the occurrence of Capitella capitata (a "pollution-tolerant" polychaete worm) at the outfall terminus, no adverse changes, directly attributable to outfall operations, were apparent in 1965. Five plants and 14 animals are deemed particularly hardy; these index species should be closely monitored in future studies to detect changes in their abundance relative to associated species. Similar ecological studies should be carried out at least annually to record biotic changes which may be relative to the outfall's operation.


Crosstalk is probably one of the main perceptual factors contributing to perceived image quality and visual comfort. The Video Quality Experts Group (VQEG) within their 3D video quality project is specifying a practical measurement procedure that will produce consistent results across laboratories. This paper is part of that effort. Two different method of measuring cross talk on shutter glasses stereo displays have been studied. One is based on time average luminance measurements and the other on temporal measurements. The results show that crosstalk is roughly 0.5% but that there are differences in the crosstalk between the two eyes in the shutter glasses.


Developmental effects on the response of cerebral blood flow (Qc) and cerebral O2 consumption (CMRO2) to changes in CO2 tension were assessed in unanesthetized fetal, newborn, and adult sheep. Blood flow was measured using the radioactive microsphere technique. CMRO2 was calculated as the product of Qc and the difference in O2 content between arterial and sagittal sinus blood (CaO2 -- CVO2). The response of Qc to changes in arterial CO2 tension increased from fetus [3.53 +/- 0.56 ml.100 g-1.min-1.mmHg PaCO2(-1) (SE)] to newborn (5.16 +/- 0.59) to adult (6.20 +/- 0.63). Only the fetal-adult difference was significant (P less than 0.05). It has been suggested that developmental differences in CO2 responsiveness of cerebral blood flow are the result of differences in CMRO2. We corrected for differences in CMRO2 by looking at the response to CO2 of the variable 1/(CaO2--CVO2). According to the Fick principle 1/(CaO2--CVO2) = Qc/CMRO2, i.e., blood flow per unit O2 consumption. The fetal response was not significantly different from the newborn, but the adult was significantly different from both (P less than 0.05). Thus the difference in CO2 response of cerebral blood flow between fetus and adult cannot be explained by differences in CMRO2.


It is now over a century since Sir William Osler first highlighted the fact that not all breathlessness and wheeze is caused by asthma; with a description that in some, … 'the laryngeal muscle can spasm during periods of stress' and as such act to mimic bronchoconstriction.1

Yet despite 100 years of medical progress, when a young individual presents with exertional breathlessness, all too often he or she will get promptly labelled as asthmatic.2 ,3 Indeed, we know from studies conducted in both the UK3 and USA,4 that when faced with this clinical presentation, primary care physicians have poor access to the most accurate diagnostic tools and a trial of inhaled asthma therapy is often, therefore, employed with 'diagnostic' intent. This is despite the countless number of studies indicating that clinical assessment in this capacity is at best imprecise and at worst no better than a coin toss.5–7 In other words, in young individuals objective testing is required to determine the cause of their exertional breathlessness.

But work, gathering pace over recent years, is now acting to shine a light on the importance of diagnostic precision in this area.2 ,8 It is on this basis we should welcome the study by Johansson et al 9 with the aim of evaluating the prevalence of the differential diagnoses for exertional breathlessness in adolescents.

A key condition addressed in this study is exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO); …


A considerable portion of epilepsy cannot be well treated by available therapies nowadays. Brain stimulation with closed-loop seizure control has recently been proposed as an innovative and effective alternative. A portable wireless online closed-loop seizure controller in freely moving rats was developed and shown with several aspects of advantages, including the following: 1) high accuracy of real-time seizure detection (92-99% during wake-sleep states); 2) low cost; and 3) low power consumption. The seizure detection latency was not greater than 0.6 s after seizure onset. A wireless communication feature also provided flexibility for subjects freeing from the hassle of wires. The observation showed that the stimulation elicited no abnormal behavior and had no sleep interruption to the subjects. The experiment data supported the functional possibility of a real-time closed-loop seizure controller.


Differentiating absolute iron deficiency from functional iron restriction is challenging in active Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Hepcidin, the systemic iron regulator, could be the key in the diagnosis and management of absolute iron deficiency. In this study, we assessed hepcidin as a diagnostic iron deficiency marker and we explored the relationship between hepcidin, inflammation, hypoxia, and iron deficiency in patients receiving induction therapy with infliximab (IFX) or vedolizumab (VEDO).

 130 patients with IBD, who received induction therapy with IFX or VEDO for active disease, were included in this study. Clinical and biochemical data were extracted from medical records. Serum samples at baseline and week 6 of induction therapy were retrieved from the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) biobank and analysed for: hepcidin, inflammation (e.g., interleukins [IL] 6, 10, and Tumour Necrosis Factor-α [TNFα]), oxidative stress (free thiols), and hypoxia (e.g., erythropoietin [EPO], Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-3α [MIP3α]). For comparison, serum samples from 50 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were obtained from pre-donation biobank at the UMCG. Response to therapy was defined by either General Physician's Assessment at week 14 of induction therapy, normalisation or at least a three-point decrease in clinical scores: Harvey-Bradshaw Index (HBI) for Crohn's Disease, Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) for ulcerative colitis.

 Hepcidin correlated with ferritin and sTfR/log ferritin index [ρ = 0.74 and ρ = -0.79, respectively; P<0.001 for both markers], while inflammation- and hypoxia-associated markers showed only marginal correlations. Hepcidin accurately identified absolute iron deficiency: AUC(hepcidin) = 0.89 [95% CI: 0.82–0.95; P<0.001]. Induction with either IFX or VEDO decreased hepcidin [13.5 ng/mL vs. 9.5 ng/mL; P<0.001], ferritin [45.5 ug/L vs. 37.0 ug/L, P<0.05], and inflammatory markers at week 6, while transferrin increased [2.4 g/L vs. 2.5 g/L, P<0.001]. In total, 75.4% of patients responded to the induction therapy. Hepcidin and ferritin decreased, while transferrin increased (P<0.001 for all changes) in patients who responded to the therapy. In addition, hypoxia (EPO and MIP3α) and inflammatory markers such as faecal calprotectin, IL-6, IL-22, and TNFα improved significantly. In contrast, none of these improvements were observed in patients who did not respond to the therapy.

 Hepcidin reflects iron deficiency in active IBD, but inflammation masks the severity of the deficiency. Induction therapy with either IFX or VEDO modulates hepcidin and iron indices, especially in patients who respond to the therapy.


Following psoralen photoactivation (PUVA) human dermal fibroblasts undergo long-term growth arrest as well as morphological and functional changes reminiscent of cellular senescence. In the absence of molecular data what constitutes normal senescence, it has been difficult to decide whether these PUVA-induced changes reflect cellular senescence or rather a mimic thereof. By contrast to replicative senescence, PUVA-induced growth arrest was reversible. Ninety to 120 days post PUVA treatment, cells start to regrow. As cellular senescence has been proposed to serve as a barrier for tumorigenesis, the escape from senescence was studied in regard to immortalization and transformation. Regrowing fibroblasts did not show telomerase activity which is a main way to ensure immortalization. Anchorage-independent growth, a hallmark of transformation, was not detected. In addition, the senescence control genes p53, p16 and p21 did not show obvious mutations. Together with the observation that regrowing fibroblasts underwent replicative senescence, these results indicate that regrowing fibroblasts were neither immortalized nor transformed. PUVA-induced senescence features were reversible. Enlarged cell morphology, expression of senescence-associated (SA) -galactosidase and matrix-metalloprotease-1 were lost when fibroblasts resumed growth. Senescence control genes p53 and p21 were maintained for 1 month, whereas upregulation of p16 was maintained during the whole growth arrest. ROS levels were elevated increasingly after PUVA treatment with a maximum of 20-fold at six weeks post PUVA, which is both due to mitochondria and NADPH oxidase. Scavenging of ROS by the antioxidant N-acetyl cystein (NAC) prevented PUVA-treated fibroblasts from cytoplasmic enlargement but not from SA--galactosidase expression suggesting a role of ROS in the induction of phenotypical but not of functional senescent changes. Interestingly, PUVA-treated fibroblasts cultured in their regrowing state reach the stationary phase at a much lower cumulative population doubling than control fibroblasts. The reduced total life-span was due to oxidative stress induced telomere erosion as scavenging of ROS by NAC rescued cell from telomere erosion and partly restored the life-span. These data support the view that the preceding damage affects a counting mechanism contributing to the overall proliferation potential. The initiation of the growth arrest was studied, and the amount of interstrand cross-links was not correlative. To further study whether damaged cytoplasts or damaged nuclear DNA are responsible for the growth arrest, nuclei and cytoplasts of PUVA-treated fibroblasts were fused with control cytoplasts or nuclei to reconstruct hybrids with either undamaged cytoplasts or undamaged nuclei. Fused cells with PUVA-cytoplasts, although growth arrested, start to regrow earlier post-PUVA at about day 40. Fused cells with PUVA-karyoplasts did not adopt a flattened phenotype and die after 2 weeks. These data indicate that PUVA-induced changes in the cytoplasts contribute to growth arrest, but may not be exclusively, while the contribution of the nuclear damage after PUVA cannot be fully evaluated by these experiments. Collectively, these data suggest that PUVA-induced changes do not fully reflect replicative senescence but rather represent a long-term transient phenocopy. The model reported here is particularly suited to elucidating mechanisms underlying long-term senescence-like growth arrest and related functional changes.


Three new PWM schemes are described for 3-phase dual inverter systems that allow a 3-limb coupled inductor to be used and produce 3/5 level pwm output voltages. A standard space vector pwm scheme is used to show that standard interleaved pwm techniques are not suitable to control the dual inverters: switching states exist that produce common-mode winding voltages. Special PWM techniques have to be used to align the inverter switching edges between phases. A useful rule to follow assumes that the sum of the winding voltages must sum to zero for all pwm switching states. Experimental and simulation results are used to compare the performance of the 3 schemes over the entire output voltage range and based upon the following performance criteria: average volt-seconds across the coupled inductor windings; average volt-seconds of the harmonics in the output line voltage PWM waveforms; inverter output current THD; inductor losses; common-mode inverter output voltage waveforms; inverter efficiencies.


Gel particles—a class of abundant transparent organic particles—have increasingly gathered attention in marine research. Field studies on the bacterial colonization of marine gels however are still scarce. So far, most studies on respective particles have focused on the upper ocean, while little is known on their occurrence in the deep sea. Here, we report on the vertical distribution of the two most common gel particle types, which are polysaccharide-containing transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and proteinaceous Coomassie stainable particles (CSP), as well as numbers of bacteria attached to gel particles throughout the water column, from the surface ocean down to the bathypelagial (< 3,000 m). Our study was conducted in the Arctic Fram Strait during northern hemispheres' summer in 2015. Besides data on the bacterial colonization of the two gel particle types (TEP and CSP), we present bacterial densities on different gel particle size classes according to 12 different sampling depths at four sampling locations. Gel particles were frequently abundant at all sampled depths, and their concentrations decreased from the euphotic zone to the dark ocean. They were colonized by bacteria at all sampled water depths with risen importance at the deepest water layers, where fractions of bacteria attached to gel particles (%) increased within the total bacterial community. Due to the omnipresent bacterial colonization of gel particles at all sampled depths in our study, we presume that euphotic production of this type of organic matter may affect microbial species distribution within the whole water column in the Fram Strait, down to the deep sea. Our results raise the question if changes in the bacterial community composition and functioning on gel particles occur over depth, which may affect microbial respiration and remineralization rates of respective particles in different water layers.


In this paper, we demonstrate the possibility of using a polarization optical time domain reflectometry (POTDR) system as an intrusion sensor. This system measures the evolution of the state of polarization (SOP) along the fiber length. In the typical application of fence monitoring, an intrusion leads to a modification of the SOP, which appears, after a temporal averaging, as a detectable flattening of the POTDR trace starting from the intrusion position. Experiments show that an intrusion leading to a 1.5 cm fiber displacement can be detected, using a 5 s averaging and 50 ns pulses with an error on the intrusion localization of the order of 5 m.


Background/Aims: Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play vital regulatory roles in many tumors. However, the functional roles of these transcripts responsible for their dysregulation in breast cancer (BC) are not thoroughly understood. Methods: We examined the expression of microRNA miR-1471 in BC specimens. Online analysis tools predicted that lncRNA LOC101930370 might act as an endogenous 'sponge' by competing for miR-1471 binding targets. Luciferase assays were used to prove the interaction of LOC101930370, miR-1471 and SHH. Edu, wound-healing and transwell assays were used to verify the contribution of miR-1471 and LOC101930370 on MCF-7 cells proliferation and metastasis. Gain and loss of function studies were performed to evaluate the relevance of Hedgehog pathway with LOC101930370/miR-1471 regulating axis in MCF-7 cells. Results: The expression of miR-1471 was markedly downregulated in BC. Inhibition of miR-1471 by LOC101930370 was proved by luciferase assay. Knockdown of LOC101930370 suppressed BC cells progression. MiR-1471 inhibitor resulted in a more aggressive metastasis of MCF-7 cells. Moreover, SHH and Gli-1 expression were significantly suppressed by LOC101930370 knockdown, and upregulated by miR-1471 inhibitor transfection. Conclusions: Collectively, our study reveals the interaction between LOC101930370 and miR-1471 for the first time. LOC101930370 positively regulates the expression of SHH by sponging miR-1471, which sheds new light on lncRNA-directed diagnostics and therapeutics in BC.


In Walter Chatton on Future Contingents, Jon Bornholdt presents the first full-length translation, commentary, and analysis of the various attempts by Chatton (14th century C.E.) to solve the ancient problem of the status and significance of statements about the future.


This essay lays out the historical and intellectual lineage of the idea behind the journal Feminist Dissent. As the "Rushdie Affair" was both the backdrop and the catalyst for a group such as Women Against Fundamentalism, the current conjuncture characterized by an exponential expansion of fundamentalism, neo-liberal austerity, rollback of the rights of women and sexual minorities, and racist control of borders and migration has necessitated a different kind of analysis, one that is absent from academic and popular discourse at the moment. This essay is an attempt to propose a new way of looking at the intersection of gender and fundamentalism, and underscores the importance of highlighting dissent as a crucial


Aim: To investigate correlations among learning styles, academic achievement and gender of medical students in preclinical years. Material and Method: All medical students in preclinical years at our institution were approached. The Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Styles Scale was used to define primary learning style of the participants in six categories (indepen dent, dependent, competitive, collaborative, avoidant, and participant). Academic achievement criteria included thematic block exam scores, final exam scores, and passing grades. Results: Competitive (34.8%) and collaborative (33.7%) were the most frequent learning styles among participants. Competitive learning style was associated with higher mean final exam scores and passing grades. Female students with competitive and collaborative learning styles scored significantly higher than male students. Discussion: Students with competitive learning styles had higher academic achievement than others. Among students with competitive and collaborative styles, there was a gender difference in favor of female students in terms of academic achievement.


Background
There is heterogeneity in the design of clinical trials (CT) for the treatment of keloid scars that compromises the validity of their results.

Objective
To assess the methodological quality of the CT published on keloid scars, mainly the outcomes used in them.

Method
Articles of CT for keloid scars were analyzed, their methodological quality was evaluated following the CONSORT guidelines and the risk of bias based on the Cochrane tool. All the clinical outcomes measured in CT were identified.

Results
Fifty-two full-text articles were evaluated, of which, only 3.84% of the CT mentioned important changes in the methodology after starting patient recruitment. Fifty-nine percent of the CT were assessed as high risk of performance bias due to mistakes in blinding participants and personnel. The most frequent outcome was the height or thickness of the keloids.

Conclusions
We recommend that participants with hypertrophic scars should be excluded from keloids' clinical trials, and that the main outcome must be the scar height and flattening. The pain and quality of life of patients should also be measured.


Protection against the effects of a quench is a crucial challenge for 16 T class superconducting dipole magnets for a future 100 TeV Hadron collider. To avoid damage due to overheating of the coil's hot-spot, the heat generated during the quench has to be homogeneously distributed in the winding pack by quickly and uniformly transferring to the normal state voluminous coil sections. Conventional protection systems rely on quench heaters placed on the outer surfaces of the coils. However, this technique has to confront significant challenges in order to achieve the fast transitions required by high magnetic-field magnets. The recently-developed Coupling-Loss-Induced Quench (CLIQ) utilizes inter-filament coupling loss as an effective intra-wire heat deposition mechanism, which in principle is faster than thermal diffusion. Furthermore, the CLIQ technology is based on simple and robust electrical components in contact with the coil only in a limited number of easily accessible and well-insulated points. Hence, expected occurrence of failure and electrical breakdown is significantly reduced. As a case study, the design of a CLIQ-based protection system for a 14 meter long, 16 T, Nb3Sn block-coil dipole magnet is demonstrated here. Various magnet design features can be adjusted for improving CLIQ performance and optimize its integration in the magnet system. CLIQ provides future magnet designers with a solution for a very effective, yet electrically robust, quench protection system, resulting in better magnet performance and lower cost than would be possible with a traditional approach to magnet protection.


This paper compares various methods for automated musical analysis, applying machine learning techniques to gain insight about the Lieder (art songs) of composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Known as a rule-breaking, individualistic, and adventurous composer, Schubert produced hundreds of emotionally-charged songs that have challenged music theorists to this day. The algorithms presented in this paper analyze the harmonies, melodies, and texts of these songs. This paper begins with an exploration of the relevant music theory and machine learning algorithms (Chapter 1), alongside a general discussion of the place Schubert holds within the world of music theory. The focus is then turned to automated harmonic analysis and hierarchical decomposition of MusicXML data, presenting new algorithms for phrase-based analysis in the context of past research (Chapter 2). Melodic analysis is then discussed (Chapter 3), using unsupervised clustering methods as a complement to harmonic analyses. This paper then seeks to analyze the texts Schubert chose for his songs in the context of the songs' relevant musical features (Chapter 4), combining natural language processing with feature extraction to pinpoint trends in Schubert's career.


Most fisheries select the size of fish to be caught (are size selective), and many factors, including gear, market
demands, species distributions, fishery laws, and the behavior of both fishermen and fish, can contribute to that selectivity. Most fishing gear is size-selective and some, such as gill nets, are more so than others. The targeting behavior of fishermen is another key reason commercial
and recreational fisheries tend to be size-selective. The more successful fishermen constantly seek areas and
methods that yield larger or more profitable sizes of fish. Fishery regulations, especially size limits, produce
size-selective harvests. Another factor with the potential to cause selectivity in a hook-and-line fishery is the different behavioral responses of fish to the bait or lure, whether the different responses arise among different fish
sizes or between the sexes.


This article reviews a voice interactive system design utilizing VoiceXML technology. Voice based web services can be used as an alternative to other existing forms of assistive technology for use by visually impaired or blind persons, as well as other people having a disability. For example, they can access news from a variety of local, regional or national newspapers and the only equipment necessary is a touch-tone telephone with no requisite knowledge of personal computers or specialized software required. VoiceXML standard is a tag based scripting language based on Extended Mark up Language (XML) and is used to design voice interactive information access systems supported by natural language and text to speech processing tools for interpretation and transcribing information. The voice based services are designed and hosted in a web server using server side technologies that generate VoiceXML scripts for the information to be delivered, while the VoiceXML interpreter platforms renders this information at a certain cost from anywhere by dialing a toll free telephone number.


ABSTRACT Surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) play an important role in the innate immune defenses of the respiratory tract. SP-A binds to the lipid A region of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and SP-D binds to the core oligosaccharide region. Both proteins induce aggregation, act as opsonins for neutrophils and macrophages, and have direct antimicrobial activity. Bordetella pertussis LPS has a branched core structure and a nonrepeating terminal trisaccharide. Bordetella bronchiseptica LPS has the same structure, but lipid A is palmitoylated and there is a repeating O-antigen polysaccharide. The ability of SP-A and SP-D to agglutinate and permeabilize wild-type and LPS mutants of B. pertussis and B. bronchiseptica was examined. Previously, wild-type B. pertussis was shown to resist the effects of SP-A; however, LPS mutants lacking the terminal trisaccharide were susceptible to SP-A. In this study, SP-A was found to aggregate and permeabilize a B. bronchiseptica mutant lacking the terminal trisaccharide, while wild-type B. bronchiseptica and mutants lacking only the palmitoyl transferase or O antigen were resistant to SP-A. Wild-type B. pertussis and B. bronchiseptica were both resistant to SP-D; however, LPS mutants of either strain lacking the terminal trisaccharide were aggregated and permeabilized by SP-D. We conclude that the terminal trisaccharide protects Bordetella species from the bactericidal functions of SP-A and SP-D. The O antigen and palmitoylated lipid A of B. bronchiseptica play no role in this resistance.


This paper describes the authors' development of software to use the WWW for controls education. A tutorial concept was developed for teaching controls to students through the use of Matlab, a popular computation and visualization software package. The Controls Tutorials for Matlab illustrate control system design and analysis and enable students to quickly use the knowledge presented to them. Currently this webbased tutorial concept is being extended to controls laboratory experiments and equipment. The goal of these Laboratory Web-assistants is to make students more self-reliant in the laboratory and to shift the role of instructors from lab technician to coach Both the Controls Tutorials and the Web-assistants provide students with useful information from diverse sources when and where they need it. This paper discusses the objectives, structure, implementation, and utility of the software and our experience with students.


Fifteen species of pelagic fishes were collected in 156 gill net sets at eight locations in the Sheepscot River-Back River estuary, Wiscasset, Maine, June 1970 through December 1971. Highest catches occurred June through August. Only the rainbow smelt is a year-round resident. Differences in abundance in space and time are apparently related to temperature. During the summer, alewives, blueback herring, and Atlantic menhaden were most abundant in the relatively warm Back River estuary, while Atlantic herring, Atlantic mackerel, and spiny dogfish were most abundant in the more oceanic Sheepscot River estuary. Prolonged near-freezing temperatures apparently limit the time pelagic fishes spend in the estuary and limit the number of species which can inhabit it. It is hypothesized that the distribution of pelagic species which exhibited preferences for colder water, such as Atlantic herring, would be most affected by artificial warming of the surface waters of the Back River estuary, if a new atomic powered generating plant were allowed to discharge heated effluent directly into it.


Electrorheological (ER) materials are suspensions of specialized, micron-sized particles in nonconducting oils. When electric fields are applied to ER materials, they exhibit dramatic changes (within milli-seconds) in material properties. Pre-yield, yielding, and post-yield mechanisms are all influenced by the electric field. Namely, an applied electric field dramatically increases the stiffness and energy dissipation properties of these materials. A previously known cubic equation which describes the flow of fluids with a yield stress through a rectangular duct can be applied to annular flow, provided that certain conditions on the material properties are satisfied. An analytic solution and a uniform approximation to the solution, for the rectangular duct Poiseuille flow case is presented. A numerical method is required to solve the flow in annular geometries. The approximation for rectangular ducts is extended to deal with the annular duct case.


Examinations of the relationship of queer sexuality and the hip-hop generation have recently emerged in academia. However, little or no work has been done that explores hip-hop's bisexual, independent poster child, Me'Shell Ndegeocello. Since her debut in 1993, Ndegeocello's relationship to hip-hop has been both a reflection of and influence upon understandings of race, gender, and sexuality for a generation of queer feminists of color. In this paper, I examine how her emergence and popularity mark an important political and ideological moment for queer Black women in the post-civil rights era. Grounded in the works of Patricia Hill Collins, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and Jewelle Gomez, I examine how media representations of Ndegeocello coupled with her lyrics and music demonstrate the complexities and contradictions of "hip-hop feminism." In particular, the 1990s represent a movement away from the Reagan/Bush era that characterized not only the teenage years of hip-hop culture, but important cultural and economic advances of the Black community. At the same time, this decade marks the shift to the more "liberal" Clinton administration, where the advances of previous generations began to decline. In this context I ask in what ways does Me'Shell Ndegeocello represent a generation of young queer women who were raised after (and sometimes on) early Black feminist critique? Further, how is her work emblematic of Black feminist understandings of gender and sexuality at the same time that she complicates this same discourse?


National and sub-national policy for Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) is one of the powerful instruments to influence sustainable consumption (SC) behaviour at both individual and organisational levels. This paper will address how to improve the capacity of policy makers and government officers in formulating ESC policy. It will also address the strategies governments can utilise to influence consumer behaviour. Despite diverse policy dialogues and many numbers of initiatives on SCP, there is still a lack of knowledge and experience on how we actually can educate nations and their citizens for sustainable consumption. Therefore this paper will provide an assessment of current governmental strategies for promoting SC, address the current capacity for implementing effective ESC, and provide recommendations for improving ESC policy and implementation. The main research was conducted through review of current policy frameworks and strategic plans, assessment of training materials/curriculums, survey and interviews with relevant government officers in China, Japan and Republic of Korea. The findings from this research identify key aspects of current governmental context for promoting SC and consumer awareness raising (including relevant policy frameworks, overall strategies, understandings of government officers, and barriers and obstacles to implementation). The analysis begins by identifying the current strengths and weaknesses in existing ESC knowledge held by relevant policy makers. The levers of change identified by UNDP for assessing capacity assets and needs: 1) institutional arrangements, 2) leadership, 3) knowledge, and 4) accountability are utilised to assess the capacity of governmental and institutional structures for ESC. The outputs give consideration to opportunities for better policy integration between wider SCP policies and specific ESC initiatives. The recommendations aim at five main targets: 1) addressing roles and responsibilities for promoting SC; 2) utilising multiple policy mechanisms and inter-ministerial cooperation to promote ESC; 3) defining policy priorities and target areas for sustainable consumption; 4) improving accountability as a means to strengthen the overall system; and, 5) addressing ESC as a thematic approach.


Background: The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of dual-energy computed tomography (DE-CT) of bone marrow edema and disc edema in spine injuries. In vertebral injuries, prompt diagnosis is essential to avoid any delays in treatment. Conventional radiography may only reveal indirect signs of fractures, such as when it is displaced. Therefore, to detect the presence of bone marrow or disc edemas, adjunctive tools are required, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or DE-CT. Methods: Search terms included ((DECT) OR (DE-CT) OR (dual-energy CT) OR ''Dual energy CT'' OR (dualenergy computed tomography) OR (dual energy computed tomography)) AND ((spine) OR (vertebral)), and the PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases and the Cochrane Library and Google were used. We found 1233 articles on our preliminary search, but only 13 articles met all criteria. Data were extracted to calculate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio for analysis using R software. Results: Within the 13 studies, 515 patients, 3335 vertebrae, and 926 acute fractures (27.8%) defined by MRI were included. The largest cohort included 76 patients with 774 vertebrae. In 12 publications, MRI was reported for comparison. For DE-CT, the overall sensitivity was 86.2% with a specificity of 91.2% and accuracy of 89.3%. Furthermore, 5 studies reported the accuracy of CT with an overall sensitivity of 81.3%, specificity of 80.7%, and accuracy with 80.9%. Significant differences were found for specificity (P , .001) and accuracy (P 1⁄4 .023). However, significant interobserver differences were reported. Conclusions: DE-CT seems to be a promising diagnostic tool to detect bone marrow and disc edemas, which can potentially replace the current gold standard, the MRI. Level of Evidence: 2. Clinical Relevance: This study shows that DE-CT seems to be a promising diagnostic tool with an accuracy of 89.3%.


In fast pyrolysis of cellulose, levoglucosan is often reported as the most abundant primary decomposition product. Char, the solid residue of pyrolysis is thought to catalyze secondary reactions that decompose levoglucosan into water and additional, secondary char. A CDS Analytical Pyroprobe 5200 was used to pyrolyze pure cellulose to levoglucosan and the generated vapors were passed through a temperature‐controlled tubular reactor filled with material to be tested for catalytic activity and then to a GC‐FID for analysis. Carbonaceous materials included as‐received and acid‐washed char derived from pyrolysis of red oak and, pure graphite. Acid‐washed red oak char and pure graphite had little effect on levoglucosan decomposition compared with the empty tubular reactor for the range of tubular reactor temperatures studied (200–400°C). In contrast, unwashed red oak char significantly reduced the amount of levoglucosan when the tubular reactor was operated above 300°C. These results suggest that metals—which are removed through the procedure of acid washing—rather than the fixed carbon in the char, catalyze the decomposition of levoglucosan in the vapor phase. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2012


Introduction: Alcoholism is a disorder of behavior manifested by an uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages. It interferes in mental, physical, social and/ or family health. Each year, there are 3.3 million deaths related to abuse and substance use, unfortunately, every day, it is used with more frequency in young people, 50% are 18 to 29 years old.
Objective: To determine the consumption of alcohol and knowledge of health risks and to implement a psych educational intervention in University Degree´s students of Nursing 2013, who enter to the university.
Methodology: A qualitative and quantitative study, correlational and longitudinal type, in 118 students of new admission to the Licenciatura en Enfermeria, from the Veracruzana University, with psych educational intervention.
Result: 38% of women consume alcohol, 62% do not, 45.2% of men are consumers, the rest do not (54.8%). 82.2%, without alcoholism, has no cure, 75.4% of people who do it come from the lower social classes, on the other hand, 78.0%, said that so much people consume the substance, shows that it is not harmful as it is said.
Conclusion: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15 for Windows was used for the analysis of the information, using frequency, percentages and measures of central tendency: mean median and mode. Test of Kolmogorov Sminorv, Pearson correlation and parametric test of t paired student. A large part of the population do not consume alcohol (77.1%), who do it are a small amounts, about the knowledge 66.5% was low, 12.4%, are not aware of the negative effects, therefore the will be a precursor to the substance abuse, so, the nursing professional, should direct activities to promote and prevent health in aim of addictions, the intervention had an impact on consumption (t1=5.905 and t2=3.853; <0.01) and knowledge (t1=9.367 and t2=3.015; <0.01), approving the hypothesis: a lower knowledge of the negative effects of alcohol consumption, higher consumption (r-0.280; <0.01).


We analyze photometry of the soft X-ray transient A0620 − 00 spanning nearly 30 years, including previously published and previously unpublished data. Previous attempts to determine the inclination of A0620 using subsets of these data have yielded a wide range of measured values of i. Differences in the measured value of i have been due to changes in the shape of the light curve and uncertainty regarding the contamination from the disk. We give a new technique for estimating the disk fraction and find that disk light is significant in all light curves, even in the infrared. We also find that all changes in the shape and normalization of the light curve originate in a variable disk component. After accounting for this disk component, we find that all the data, including light curves of significantly different shapes, point to a consistent value of i. Combining results from many separate data sets, we find i = 51.°0 ± 0.°9, implying M = 6.6 ± 0.25 M☉. Using our dynamical model and zero-disk stellar VIH magnitudes, we find d = 1.06 ± 0.12 kpc. Understanding the disk origin of nonellipsoidal variability may assist with making reliable determinations of i in other systems, and the fluctuations in disk light may provide a new observational tool for understanding the three-dimensional structure of the accretion disk.


Fully autonomous or "self-driving" vehicles are an emerging technology that may hold significant mobility potential for both disabled persons and for older adults unable to operate a conventional motor vehicle. It can be argued, however, that the needs, preferences and concerns of older adults and disabled persons regarding this technology have been insufficiently explored. Using focus group methodology, this study explores the sentiments of 39 older adults (55+) regarding self driving vehicle technology. Discussions from the focus groups revealed that although participants believed that self-driving vehicles can enhance their mobility and independence, they were concerned about their reliability and safety. Participants expressed additional concerns regarding their ability to purchase such a vehicle and the training required to operate it. Opinions were mixed regarding the consideration of older adults in the design of the technology.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Placement of a stent within a flow diverter has been described previously but its consequences have not been analyzed. We evaluated the clinical and angiographic results of stent placement within a flow diverter during the same treatment session. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients treated with a Surpass flow diverter were retrospectively evaluated. Patients with previously deployed stents and procedures in which scaffolding stents, a second flow diverter, or intrasaccular devices were used were excluded. Patient and aneurysm characteristics and clinical and imaging follow-up results were compared between stented and nonstented Surpass flow-diverter groups and stent assisted coiling. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (41 aneurysms) were treated with a Surpass flow diverter only (monotherapy group), and in 33 patients (35 aneurysms), a stent was placed within the Surpass flow diverter (stented group). Stents were placed inside the Surpass flow diverter for a variety of reasons at the operator's discretion. No statistical difference was noted between the 2 groups in age, body weight, sex, history of thromboembolic events, smoking, platelet inhibition levels, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, malignancy, and aneurysm location. Aneurysms in the stented group were larger than those in the monotherapy group (14.8 versus 9.1 mm, P < .001). The rate of clinically significant adverse events and complete aneurysm occlusion rates at 0–3 and 3–6 months (73.3% versus 61.3%, P = .31, and 84.8% versus 70.2%, P = .14) were similar. At 9–12 months, a significantly higher proportion of aneurysms in the stented group achieved complete occlusion (93.9% versus 73.2%, P = .019). There was a trend toward a higher obliteration rate on final follow-up in the stented group (93.9% versus 82.9%, P = .14). CONCLUSIONS: Placement of a stent within a flow diverter increases the rate of aneurysm occlusion. We propose that these results are from improved flow-diverter apposition due to the higher radial force of intracranial stents.


A lead free graphite conducting pastes were prepared by using graphite powder, lead free low-melting glass and terpineol ethyl cellulose solution. By analyzing the sheet resistance, Vickers hardness as well as the adhesion strength of the sintered film prepared by the pastes formulated with different composition, the composition of the paste with preferable properties was evaluated as in mass percent: organic vehicle 60, graphite powder 15~20, and low melting glass 20~25. The films, prepared by the pastes using the lead free glass with a glass transition temperature of 476°C, were perfectly flat and compact after fired at a peak temperature within the range from 520°C to 580°C. The sheet resistance of the fired film with glass content of 25wt% was 135Ω/mm2 when the thickness of the film was 25±3μm, while the Vickers hardness and the binder force between the sintered film and the substrate were favorable. In addition, the rheological behaviors of the typical paste were characterized by using an ARES (RFS-III) rheometer. It is found that a weak flocculated network structure is formed in the paste for the high solid filler.


Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a significant cause of community acquired pneumonia globally. Despite having a genome less than 1 Mb in size, M. pneumoniae presents a structurally sophisticated attachment organelle that (i) provides cell polarity, (ii) directs adherence to receptors presented on respiratory epithelium, and (iii) plays a major role in cell motility. The major adhesins, P1 (Mpn141) and P30 (Mpn453), are localised to the tip of the attachment organelle by the surface accessible cleavage fragments P90 and P40 derived from Mpn142. Two events play a defining role in the formation of P90 and P40; removal of a leader peptide at position 26 (23SLA↓NTY28) during secretion to the cell surface and cleavage at amino acid 455 (452GPL↓RAG457) generating P40 and P90. Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of tryptic peptides generated by digesting size-fractionated cell lysates of M. pneumoniae identified 15 cleavage fragments of Mpn142 ranging in mass from 9–84 kDa. Further evidence for the existence of cleavage fragments of Mpn142 was generated by mapping tryptic peptides to proteins recovered from size fractionated eluents from affinity columns loaded with heparin, fibronectin, fetuin, actin, plasminogen and A549 surface proteins as bait. To define the sites of cleavage in Mpn142, neo-N-termini in cell lysates of M. pneumoniae were dimethyl-labelled and characterised by LC-MS/MS. Our data suggests that Mpn142 is cleaved to generate adhesins that are auxiliary to P1 and P30.


Since 1984 two high-frequency short-focussed linear transducers have been used for breast sonography at Innsbruck University Gynaecological Clinic. In the study reported here 121 patients with pathologic change in the breast were examined. A significant improvement in diagnosis was achieved: on the one hand because of the improved resolution and distinction of the lesions, and on the other because of the manageability of the transducers and the individually adjustable breast compression. Both perforation of the physiological mammary strata as well as clearly distinguishable tumor ends without echoproof halos were considered reliable indicators of the malignancy of the respective changes.


Due to fortuitous circumstances, the two giant planets around Kepler-419 have well characterized three-dimensional orbits. They are nearly coplanar to each other; the inner one has a large eccentricity (≃0.82); and the apses of the two orbits librate around anti-alignment. Such a state defies available proposals for large eccentricities. We argue that it is instead uniquely produced by a decaying protoplanetary disk. When the disk was massive, its precessional effect on the planets forced the two apses to center around an anti-aligned state. And as the disk is gradually eroded, the pair of planets are adiabatically transported to a new state where most of the eccentricity (or rather, the angular momentum deficit) is transferred to the inner planet, and the two apses are largely anti-aligned. During this transport, any initial mutual inclination may be reduced or enhanced; either may be compatible with the current constraints. So a primordial disk can drive up planet eccentricities both in resonant planet pairs (as has been shown for GJ 876) and in secularly-interacting, non-resonant pairs. The mechanism discussed here may be relevant for forming hot Jupiters and for explaining the observed eccentricities of warm and cold giant planets.