ABSTRACT Background: Randomized controlled trials have investigated the effect of continuous glucose monitors on hemoglobin A1C; however, more evidence is needed to justify their use and expand insurance coverage. Additionally, there are few published studies investigating the A1C lowering effect of flash glucose monitors (FGMs) in broad diabetes populations with varying insulin requirements. This analysis aimed to help fill this gap in medical literature and help clinicians evaluate costs/benefits when considering FGMs for their patients with diabetes. Objectives: To determine the association between FGM use and A1C reduction in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus regardless of insulin dependence. Methods: Pharmacy dispensing records were used to identify patients for inclusion. Patients who received a FGM from a University of Utah pharmacy between July 7, 2018 and July 7, 2020 were included. Patients who did not receive at least an 84-day supply of FGM sensors or did not have a baseline or follow-up A1C were excluded. Baseline and follow-up A1Cs, defined as A1Cs that are within one year before and 3-12 months after the FGM dispense date, were collected for each patient. New diabetes medications within a six-month window of the initial FGM dispense date were also recorded. Outcome variables were collected before and after patients received their first FGM (pre-FGM vs. post-FGM, respectively). The primary outcome was the difference between baseline and follow-up A1C for each patient. Secondary outcomes were the difference in baseline and follow-up A1C for various clinical subgroups within the overall sample. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize baseline characteristics and outcome data. Paired Student's t-tests were used to evaluate outcome differences (α=0.05). Results: Fifty-seven patients (50.8% male; mean age: 49 years) were included. For the primary outcome, the average baseline and follow-up A1Cs were 9.33% and 8.32%, respectively for a difference of -1.01% ([95%CI -1.31:-0.72]; p<0.0001). Conclusions: The use of FGMs is associated with decreases in A1C within a cohort of patients at one health system. Further effort to determine impact of FGM on clinical and economic outcomes is warranted.


Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of chronic hepatitis in developing countries, with 5% to 15% of the population carrying virus. The high prevalence is due to failure to adopt appropriate measure to confine the spread of infection. Most hepatitis B patients present with advanced diseases. Although perinatal transmission is believed to be an important mode, most infections in the developing world occur in childhood and early adulthood. Factors in developing countries associated with the progression of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) include co-infections with human immunodeficiency virus, delta hepatitis virus, hepatitis C virus, alcohol intake and aflatoxin. Treatment protocols extrapolated from developed countries may need modifications according to the resources available. There is some controversy as to when to start treatment, with what medication and for how long? There is now enough evidence to support that hepatitis B patients should be considered for treatment if they show persistently elevated abnormal aminotransferase levels in the last 6 mo, checked on at least three separate occasions, and a serum hepatitis B virus DNA level of > 2000 IU/mL. Therapeutic agents that were approved by Pure Food and Drug Administration are now available in many developing countries. These include standard interferon (INF)-α, pegylated INF-α, lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir and telbivudine. Drug resistance has emerged as a major challenge in the management of patients with CHB. The role of the universal vaccination program for effective control of hepatitis B cannot be emphasized enough.


Despite the attention given to the Supreme Court's opinions in *Plessy v. Fergusson* and frequent quotation of Justice Harlan's dissenting opinion asking the Court to be color-blind, Homer Plessy's actual claim and his plea are largely forgotten. This forgetfulness is unfortunate, because Homer Plessy speaks to our time with surprising urgency. Plessy did not ask for blindness to the reality of color, he asked the Supreme Court to accept the reality of race and to insist on the inclusion in civil society of every citizen, taking the reality of race and race-prejudice into account.In the 1890s, when Plessy's suit was in preparation, the backlash against the first Reconstruction was thirty years old, and on the crest of success. Today, we are thirty years into the backlash against the Civil Rights jurisprudence of the Warren Court. The backlash of Homer Plessy's day created the Jim Crow regime, drawing a color-line around the formerly enslaved with a pretense of equal treatment. Today, the New Jim Crow is accomplished through mass incarceration and mass deportation; the color-line is a wall, and the imprisoned are invisible. We say "Black lives matter" to bring that reality into view, and ask again to erase the line of exclusion. Homer Plessy argued not for equality merely, but for inclusion. "Diversity and inclusion" is a motto for today's civil rights movement, and only changes in thought and language make it difficult for us to see that it could have been the motto of Homer Plessy's movement as well. He insisted on an inclusive citizenship for persons of all races; diversity and inclusion. Constitutional law should not be blind to individual circumstances, but it should reject arbitrary color-lines that separate and exclude under a pretense of equal treatment.


Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have the potential to be as efficient and as widespread as lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries, since sulfur electrode has high theoretical capacity (1672 mA h gsul−1) and this element is affordable. However, unlike their ubiquitous lithium ion (Li‐ion) counterparts, it is difficult to realize the commercialization of Li‐S battery. Because the shuttle effect of polysulfide inevitably results in the serious capacity degradation. Tremendous progress is devoted to approach this problem from the aspect of physical confinement and chemisorption of polysulfide. Owing to weak intermolecular interactions, physical confinement strategy, however is not effective when the battery is cycled long‐term. Chemisorption of polysulfide that derived from polar–polar interaction, Lewis acid–base interaction, and sulfur‐chain catenation, are proven to significantly suppress the shuttle effect of polysulfide. It is also discovered that the metal compounds have strong chemical interactions with polysulfide. Therefore, this review focuses on latest metal–organic frameworks metal sulfides, metal hydroxides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, and discusses how the chemical interactions couple with the unique properties of these metal compounds to tackle the problem of polysulfide shuttle effect.

publisher-specific, author manuscript: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#am


Cardiac pacemaker cells create rhythmic pulses that control heart rate; pacemaker dysfunction is a prevalent disorder in the elderly, but little is known about the underlying molecular causes. Popeye domain containing (Popdc) genes encode membrane proteins with high expression levels in cardiac myocytes and specifically in the cardiac pacemaking and conduction system. Here, we report the phenotypic analysis of mice deficient in Popdc1 or Popdc2. ECG analysis revealed severe sinus node dysfunction when freely roaming mutant animals were subjected to physical or mental stress. In both mutants, bradyarrhythmia developed in an age-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that the conserved Popeye domain functioned as a high-affinity cAMP-binding site. Popdc proteins interacted with the potassium channel TREK-1, which led to increased cell surface expression and enhanced current density, both of which were negatively modulated by cAMP. These data indicate that Popdc proteins have an important regulatory function in heart rate dynamics that is mediated, at least in part, through cAMP binding. Mice with mutant Popdc1 and Popdc2 alleles are therefore useful models for the dissection of the mechanisms causing pacemaker dysfunction and could aid in the development of strategies for therapeutic intervention.


Detecting and locating the fault of IGBT rapidly and accurately are the keys to ensuring the security and reliability of the active power filters (APF) system. A fault diagnosis algorithm based on the mathematical model of ac side output voltages for three-phase four-wire three-leg two-level shunt APF is proposed in this paper. According to the different relationships between the APF's ac side output voltages and turn-on duty cycle of the corresponding IGBT under normal condition and fault condition, the fault diagnosis algorithm can detect and locate the open-circuit (OC) faults with no additional hardware or sensors required. All the signals used in this algorithm have already been employed in the APF stem controller. All possible OC fault conditions can be detected and located quickly and reliably by the algorithm. In addition, the algorithm is highly free from the load changes and can be used during the dynamic process of load changes. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm, under single and multiple faults conditions, is verified by the simulation and experimental results.


Author(s): Haque, Md Rezuanul | Advisor(s): Park, B. H | Abstract: Current methods for investigating activity in neurons largely rely on different varieties of electrodes, which require direct or very close contact, or fluorescence-based techniques, which require chemical or genetic introduction of a voltage- or calcium-sensitive fluorophore. The primary motivation for this work was to develop an intensity (non-phase) based extension of optical coherence tomography (OCT), an optical technology capable of rapid imaging of subsurface tissue structure with micrometer resolution without the need for exogenous contrast agents, for in vitro detection of neural activity. First, a preliminary study of epileptiform activity in murine hippocampal brain slices was used as an assessment of OCT for in vitro detection of neural activity. Elevated potassium was used to induce seizure-like bursts of activity. Decreases in OCT light intensity were found to be correlated with the initial onset of large-scale activation using simultaneous electrophysiological detection with a multi-electrode array. These results motivated the development of a novel spatiotemporally co-registered OCT and fluorescence microscopy (FM) system capable of observing neural activity simultaneously with both modalities. The combined system was designed to provide sequential OCT volumetric imaging over an extended depth range with fluorescence imaging through a common objective. This allows for the results of analytical methods developed to endogenously detect neural activity based on OCT intensity to be correlated with changes in fluorescence. Finally, the system was used to observe neural circuitry in the brain of Drosophila pupae. The fluorescence response of GCaMP-3 labeled bursicon and kinin cells in response to presentation of ecdysis triggering hormone (ETH) is well-characterized. Time sequences of OCT volumetric data acquired over these neurons in in vitro adolescent Drosophila brain in response to presentation of ETH were analyzed and compared to simultaneously recorded fluorescence data. Changes in the backscattered OCT intensity in both cell types were found to correlate well with neural activity as identified by fluorescence. These results demonstrate the potential of OCT for in vitro detection of neural activity without the need for fluorescence contrast.


In response to the wealth destruction caused by the 2007/2008 global financial crisis, many developed economies have lowered their interest rates to improve their balance sheets (SARB, 2008-2012). However, in order for investors to sustain expected returns they will have to deviate from the traditional approach of investing in government bonds and consider investing in emerging markets, which are considered as potential drivers of global growth (Deloitte Consulting LLP, 2012). The goal of this paper is to establish the importance of considering South Africa as an emerging market investment opportunity, but also to acknowledge its ability of outperforming several other common emerging markets during the post-financial crisis period. This was done by means of a novel approach to the Omega ratio. The results from this paper confirms this, illustrating that the performance of the JSE Top 40 will compensate for the additional political risk that emerging market investments possess (Anshuman, 2010).


We investigate cooperative strategies for relay-aided multi-source multi-destination wireless networks with backhaul support. Each source multicasts information to all destinations using a shared relay. We study cooperative strategies based on different network coding (NC) schemes, namely, finite field NC (FNC), linear NC (LNC), and lattice coding. To further exploit the backhaul connection, we also propose NC-based beam-forming (NBF). We measure the performance in term of achievable rates over Gaussian channels and observe significant gains over a benchmark scheme. The benefit of using backhaul is also clearly demonstrated in most of scenarios.


Taiwan defense education teacher cultivates research of the system conception. Taiwan's Senior middle school or in university's school the military training and the national defense pass know the curriculum teacher are hold the post by the active duty officer, Master unit for Republic of China Ministry of Education. Recent years the domestic education environment tended to the serviceman to withdraw from the school edition curriculum, did not have the academic license serviceman status teacher, always shouldered the people to accuse it to not to have the card interferes the education according to the teacher and the serviceman, often directed the person question is the military officer is also teacher's this crowd of associations otherwise has the teacher specialized ability. The question lies in this group of military officer teacher not to have the further education to obtain the qualified teacher card, and before the present education system also does not have the defense education curriculum teacher duty, to train with the university which awards cultivates the unit. This research discussion's key is defense education teacher's essential ability and the teachers cultivates the system the relations. We watched proposed that more than school union-like teachers cultivate the organization plan the solution conception. Was the utilization already the qualified teacher, but not yet investigated teacher of the employment, gave the second specialty to give public notice of entrance examination receives training, opened the second specialty teachers to the common teacher to authenticate by the time supplements insufficiency of the teachers. The male even plan is gives comprehensive duty training to the military officer teacher to award the certificate of quality again


Please check your proof carefully and mark all corrections at the appropriate place in the proof (e.g., by using on-screen annotation in the PDF file compile them in a separate list. Note: if you opt to annotate the file with software other than Adobe Reader then please also highlight the appropriate p in the PDF file. To ensure fast publication of your paper please return your corrections within 48 hours.


Intensive and high-quality fruit production can not be realised without qualitative and well organized fruit trees production. Due to that fact, fruit trees production can be considered as the basis of fruit production. Within analised period (2002 - 2004) in fruit trees production unsatisfactory financial result had been realised (43.922 dinars). However, in spite of constant growth of production costs and insignificant growth of production value, in average, there had been realised economical production (economy coefficient 1,05). In average, it means that with 1 dinar of production costs there had been realised 1,05 dinars of production value.


Catechol-estrogens can cause genetic mutations and to counteract their oncogenicity, the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is capable of neutralizing these reactive compounds. In this study, we determined the functional effects and regulation of COMT in prostate cancer. Both the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and immunohistochemical analysis of clinical specimens demonstrated a reduction of COMT expression in prostate cancer. Also, western analyses of prostate cancer cell lines show COMT levels to be minimal in DuPro and DU145 and thus, these cells were used for further analyses. Re-expression of COMT led to suppressed migration ability (wound healing assay) and enhanced apoptosis (flow cytometric analyses), and when challenged with 4-hydroxyestradiol, a marked reduction of cell proliferation (MTT assay) was observed. Xenograft growth in athymic mice also resulted in inhibition due to COMT. As a mechanism, western analyses show cleaved CASP3 and BID were increased whereas XIAP and cIAP2 were reduced due to COMT. As COMT expression is low in prostate cancer, its regulation was determined. Databases identified several miRNAs capable of binding COMT and of these, miR-195 was observed to be increased in prostate cancer according to TCGA. Real-time PCR validated upregulation of miR-195 in clinical prostate cancer specimens as well as DuPro and DU145 and interestingly, luciferase reporter showed miR-195 capable of binding COMT and overexpressing miR-195 could reduce COMT in cells. These results demonstrate COMT to play a protective role by activating the apoptosis pathway and for miR-195 to regulate its expression. COMT may thus be a potential biomarker and gene of interest for therapeutic development for prostate cancer.


The toolkit for multivariate analysis, TMVA, provides a large set of advanced multivariate analysis techniques for signal/background classification. In addition, TMVA now also contains regression analysis, all embedded in a framework capable of handling the preprocessing of the data and the evaluation of the output, thus allowing a simple and convenient use of multivariate techniques. The analysis techniques implemented in TMVA can be invoked easily and the direct comparison of their performance allows the user to choose the most appropriate for a particular data analysis. This article gives an overview of the TMVA package and presents recently developed features.


Mutation screening by the chemical‐cleavage method is based on the fact that mismatched cytosine (C) and thymidine (T) are more reactive with the compounds hydroxylamine and osmium tetroxide, respectively, than are Watson and Crick‐paired cytosine and thymidine bases. In this protocol, an excess of unlabeled target DNA is hybridized with labeled wild‐type DNA probe and heteroduplexes are formed. One aliquot is treated with hydroxylamine, which reacts with mismatched C bases. Another aliquot is treated with osmium tetroxide, which reacts with mismatched T bases. The reactions are mixed with piperidine; the strands are then cleaved at the sites where hydroxylamine and osmium tetroxide react. Cleaved fragments are then electrophoresed and sized on polyacrylamide gels, identifying the point of cleavage (and hence the position of the mutation). Then only a small portion of the mutant gene needs to be sequenced to define a single change between two DNA sequences.


Every day, people take actions, trying to achieve their personal, high-order goals. People decide what actions to take based on their personal experience, knowledge and gut instinct. While this leads to positive outcomes for some people, many others do not have the necessary experience, knowledge and instinct to make good decisions. What if, rather than making decisions based solely on their own personal experience, people could take advantage of the reported experiences of hundreds of millions of other people? In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of mining the relationship between actions and their outcomes from the aggregated timelines of individuals posting experiential microblog reports. Our contributions include an architecture for extracting action-outcome relationships from social media data, techniques for identifying experiential social media messages and converting them to event timelines, and an analysis and evaluation of action-outcome extraction in case studies.


: There is a challenge in identifying problems in common to tackle them creatively and jointly in Mobility as a Service (MaaS) development. This all requires collaboration and commitment, which is a wicked problem and a novel perspective in transportation and MaaS development. Mess Map™ is a tool to aid in creating shared understanding in cross-border mobility in the Barents region. Mess Map™ is a giant map that aims to map the whole complexity through a dialogue among the relevant stakeholders involved. In this case study, there were five transportation and MaaS projects besides other relevant stakeholders involved. The meetings were facilitated and run from a service design perspective that has a co-creational and holistic aim. The objective was to understand how the tool can be used in a service design process and how it can help the stakeholders to engage and find common goals.


In my first paper on jagzlckte the primary lesions in apparently normal sheep from flocks in which the disease is endemic were described. 1 They develop through a local congestion of the alveolar capillaries, accompanied by the accumulation of macrophages and of lymphocytes in the interalveolar tissue, and the penetration of the former in large numbers into the alveolar lumina. I t is only in portions of the lungs modified in this way that the epithelial proliferations, which are so characteristic of jagziekte, arise. The proliferations develop in scattered island-like masses, as illustrated in Fig. 1. They soon become confluent, and large areas o f pulmonary tissue assume an adenomatous appearance (Fig. 2). In certain cases, on the other hand, growth takes place in the form of densely packed masses of cells (Fig. 3). Fibrosis occurs in the more central parts of the lesions, and the animals usually die from bronchopneumonia.


Two facile, convenient, and versatile synthetic approaches are used to covalently attach carbohydrate residues to conjugated poly(p-phenylene)s (PPPs) for highly water-soluble PPPs bearing alpha-mannopyranosyl and beta-glucopyranosyl pendants (polymers A and B), which highly fluoresce in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The post-polymerization functionalization approach is to treat bromo-bearing PPP (polymer 1) with 1-thiolethyl-alpha-D-mannose tetraacetate or 1-thiol-beta-D-glucose tetraacetate in THF solution in the presence of K(2)CO(3) at room temperature through formation of thioether bridges, affording polymer 2a or 2b. The prepolymerization functionalization approach is to polymerize a well-defined sugar-carrying monomer, affording polymer 2a. Polymers 2a and 2b were deacetylated under Zemplén conditions in methanol and methylene chloride containing sodium methoxide, affording polymers A and B, respectively. The multivalent display of carbohydrates on the fluorescent conjugated glycopolymer overcomes the characteristic low binding affinity of the individual carbohydrates to their receptor proteins. Titration of concanavalin A (Con A) to alpha-mannose-bearing polymer A resulted in significant fluorescent quenching of the polymer with Stern-Volmer quenching constant of 4.5 x 10(7). Incubation of polymer A with Escherichia coli (E. coli) lead to formation of fluorescently stained bacterial clusters. Beta-glucose-bearing polymer B displayed no response to Con A and E. coli.


: The activity of a new category of general practitioners and their role in the delivery of medical care for the population are analysed. The functional structure of the computer system for information supply of family doctor is considered. The flow chart of a unified primary information document of the given automated system is presented.


Economic theories of the family and gender discrimination within the family are examined in the context of Kondh dominated tribal villages in rural western Orissa, India, drawing on results from a survey of 106 wives. The survey involved direct interviews using a structured questionnaire. This article examines the relevance of economic unitary and bargaining theories of the family in this social context, drawing on background literature. Using the survey results, socioeconomic influences on the status of wives within their families are analysed and the entitlements of female and male children are compared and analysed. Because of cultural embedding, it is suggested that the relevance of economic theories of the family depend significantly on cultural context. In many cases, it seems that poverty has a negative influence on the social empowerment of females but it is not the only influence nor always a sufficient condition for discrimination against females.


This paper details the comprehensive software architecture and implementation of an onboard control system developed for a small-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) helicopter. A PC-104 computer stack is devoted to flight control as well as the interaction with other devices in the onboard system. The consideration to construct the software system is primarily focused on its real-time runtime environment and its competence of flexible reconfiguration. As a result, the system is developed under QNX Real-time Operating System (RTOS). The interaction function of the flight control computer with external devices is built in modules and processes running in a predefined order. The entire software system has been successfully tested in both actual field flights and a hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILs) environment. The flight results have shown that the software system is competent enough to go on with automatic flight of the UAV helicopter.


The aim of this PhD is to present works which examine the expression of human agency within electroacoustic music. 'The Voice', Noise and Metaphorh ave been used as chapter headings within which kinetic gesture, phonemic association, identity and gendered space are examined. Seven original works are presented: Moyle, Unconditional is the Dalvil, Dark Noise, Angel, Night Music for Radio, Glitch and the mixed clectroacoustic and instrumental works Red Ganies and Less. Angel was written as a work for film and clectroacoustic sound and also as a work for pure clectroacoustic sound. Both versions arc included within this portfolio. Chapter I (Voice) explores issues of 'voice" and 'the voice' within the works Woffle, Dark Noise and Angel. In this chapter is an exploration of Woulle and its relationship to the narrative of Red Riding Hood. The role of imaginary space, phonetic content and physical behaviour of an electroacoustic sound world are issues which are discussed in relation to Dark Noise. Chapter 2 (Noise) is a detailed examination of the methodology of my compositional approach towards the use of micro-sounds, and the poetic implication of the glitch and the digital click. In this chapter there is also a poetic examination of the approach towards the use of noise as a 'skin of sound' where musical expression is captured within 'fissures of glitch' which perforate the surface. Chapter 3 (Metaphor) presents an examination of how metaphor is used throughout my music. The works Woffle, Dark Noise and Angel are examined. A poetic exploration of Michel Chion's theory of 'synchresis' is presented in relation to the work Angel.


Dioxins are extremely toxic, and it is difficult to treat them with the conventional method. When irradiated by light, photocatalysts generate strong oxidative potential and decomposes almost all organic substances containing dioxins to water, carbon dioxide and others. Silica-gel has high adsorptive activity as well as large surface area, and it is transparent to ultraviolet light. Photocatalytic silica-gel was prepared by a dip coating method using TiO2 sol obtained by hydrolyzing titanium tetraisopropoxide on silica-gel bead (about 3mm in diameter) and heat-treated at 550°C. Since the surface area of the photocatalytic silica-gel is 300m2/g, the reaction area is large and allows the highly efficient decomposition of harmful organic substances, unpleasant odors and colored matters contained in waste water. The photocatalytic apparatus for decomposition of dioxins in emission gas from waste incinerators is composed of the catalyst layer consisting of 95dm3 photocatalytic silica-gel and 16 units of UV lamp. The photocatalytic apparatus was connected to the bypass line led from the outlet duct of cyclone, and the concentration of dioxins in the exhaust gas was measured. Decomposition test of dioxins in scrubber water was also performed using a photocatalytic apparatus with 150g photocatalytic silica-gel and 8 units of UV lamp. After 0.5dm3 of scrubber water containing dioxins was circulated in the photocatalytic apparatus for 1, 2 and 24 hour, each concentration of dioxins in the water was measured. As a result, the removal efficiency over 99% of dioxins in emission gas and scrubber water from waste incinerators has been obtained.


Aim: The present study aims to estimate the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors for health-related quality of life (HRQL) measured by the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Methods: The study was based on two Danish twin cohorts (46,417 twin individuals) originating from the nationwide, population-based Danish Twin Registry. The twins were approached by a mailed-out questionnaire in 2002. The questionnaire included the SF-12, information on demographic factors, and questions on a variety of specific diseases. Heritability of the SF-12 includes the physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary (MCS); and etiologically important variance components were estimated using multivariate biometric models. The respondents were stratified into six groups, based on age and sex. Results: A total of 33,794 (73%) individual twins responded to the survey. The SF-12 was completed by 29,619 individuals, which included 9,120 complete twin pairs. Overall, the best-fitting model explaining the variance of HRQL was the ACE model. The estimated heritability of the SF-12 was between 11% and 35%, whereas between 65% and 89% could be explained by unique environmental or stochastic factors in the different sex and age groups. The highest heritability was seen among older twins. In addition, the genetic correlation between MCS and PCS scores was low (0.07 and 0.23 for males and females, respectively) among younger and high (0.26 and 0.45 for males and females, respectively) in the oldest age group. Both the largest genetic influence on HRQL and the largest genetic overlap between the scores were seen in the oldest age group, which consisted of twins older than 55. The unique environmental correlation between MCS and PCS were generally negative. Conclusion: The heritability of HRQL differs between different age groups. In general, most of the variance in the SF-12 summary components was determined by unique environmental factors.


Protein-adsorptive properties are a key feature of membranes used for haemodialysis treatment. Protein adsorption is vital to the biocompatibility of a membrane material and influences membrane's performance. The object of the present study is to investigate membrane biocompatibility by correlating the adsorbed proteome repertoire with chemical feature of the membrane surfaces. Dialyzers composed of either cellulose triacetate (Sureflux 50 L, effective surface area 0.5 m(2); Nipro Corporation, Japan) or the polysulfone-based helixone (FX40, effective surface area 0.4 m(2); Fresenius Medical Care AG, Germany) materials were employed to develop an ex vivo apparatus to study protein adsorption. Adsorbed proteins were eluted by a strong chaotropic buffer condition and investigated by a proteomic approach. The profiling strategy was based on 2D-electrophoresis separation of desorbed protein coupled to MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis. The total protein adsorption was not significantly different between the two materials. An average of 179 protein spots was visualised for helixone membranes while a map of retained proteins of cellulose triacetate membranes was made up of 239 protein spots. The cellulose triacetate material showed a higher binding capacity for albumin and apolipoprotein. In fact, a number of different protein spots belonging to the gene transcript of albumin were visible in the cellulose triacetate map. In contrast, helixone bound only a small proportion of albumin, while proved to be particularly active in retaining protein associated with the coagulation cascade, such as the fibrinogen isoforms. Our data indicate that proteomic techniques are a useful approach for the investigation of proteins surface-adsorbed onto haemodialysis membranes, and may provide a molecular base for the interpretation of the efficacy and safety of anticoagulation treatment during renal replacement therapy.


Electronic publishing usually presents readers with book or e-book options for reading on paper or screen. In this paper, we introduce a third method of reading on paper-and-screen through the use of an augmented book ('a-book') with printed hotlinks than can be viewed on a nearby smartphone or other device. Two experimental versions of an augmented guide to Cornwall are shown using either optically recognised pages or embedded electronics making the book sensitive to light and touch. We refer to these as second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) paper respectively. A common architectural framework, authoring workflow and interaction model is used for both technologies, enabling the creation of two future generations of augmented books with interactive features and content. In the travel domain we use these features creatively to illustrate the printed book with local multimedia and updatable web media, to point to the printed pages from the digital content, and to record personal and web media into the book.


We show that financial reporting spurs consumer behavior. Using granular GPS data, we show that foot-traffic to firms' commerce locations significantly increases in the days following their earnings announcements. Foot-traffic increases more for announcements with extreme earnings surprises, that correspond to firms' fiscal year-ends, that occur outside of Fridays, and that elicit greater internet search volume, consistent with earnings announcements spurring consumer behavior by garnering attention. Consumer activity also rises with reductions in solvency risk among firms selling durable goods, consistent with consumers responding to information about firms' longevity conveyed by their earnings. Using demographic information, we show financial reporting disproportionately affects foot-traffic in populations more likely to consume financial news. Collectively, these results suggest earnings announcements serve a marketing function by drawing attention to firms, and that a byproduct of the financial reporting process is that it shapes consumer behavior.


Regarding the problem of automatically generating paraphrases with modified styles or attributes, the difficulty lies in the lack of parallel corpora. Numerous advances have been proposed for the generation. However, significant problems remain with the auto-evaluation of style transfer tasks. Based on the summary of Pang and Gimpel (2018) and Mir et al. (2019), style transfer evaluations rely on three metrics: post-transfer style classification accuracy, content or semantic similarity, and naturalness or fluency. We elucidate the dangerous current state of style transfer auto-evaluation research. Moreover, we propose ways to aggregate the three metrics into one evaluator. This abstract aims to bring researchers to think about the future of style transfer and style transfer evaluation research.


To the Editor: In response to the recent article in The Lancet describing the first published case of rare eye malformations in a baby born to a mother who used the topical retinoid adapalene gel in early pregnancy, 1 we draw your attention to a similar case published by the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee in 1993.2 We describe the neuropathology of this case (the first in Australia) of severe craniofacial and central nervous system (CNS) malformations in a baby girl, born at term, whose mother had been exposed to topical retinoic acid during pregnancy. The craniofacial and CNS abnormalities in this child are consistent with deranged cranial neural crest cell migration. Similar defects have been reported in cases where mothers were exposed to oral vitamin A. 3 The craniofacial malformations were cleft palate and harelip, fused palpebral fissures, hypertelorism, a depressed nasal bridge, and deficient left nares. The CNS malformations consisted of disorganised rudimentary optic cup derivatives with optic tract dysgenesis, arrhinencephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, fornices and cingulate gyri, cerebellar hypoplasia, and aqueduct stenosis with hydrocephalus. The only teratogen the mother was exposed to was topical Retin-A (tretinoin 0.05%) cream, an all-trans retinoic acid, for the treatment of severe facial acne vulgaris. She applied this cream to her face twice daily for two years, including the entire period of her pregnancy. The accumulated evidence from prospective studies and a retrospective cohort study' to date does not suggest that topical tretinoin is teratogenic in humans. However, animal studies have shown the potential for a teratogenic response after the application of topical vitamin A,5 and sporadic cases of congenital malformations in association with maternal exposure to topical retinoids continue to be reported.' Multiple abnormalities are rare and in many cases the cause is not known. It must


Abstract : Purpose of study was to recommend improvements in logistics support for Army intelligence and electronic warfare (IEW) equipment. Report analyzes existing sustainment system and recommends a number of systemic improvements to integrate and streamline the sustainment of IEW material. The recommended objective concept includes centralized control of regional sustainment assets (including contracts providing sustainment) under Army Material Command; organizational changes to integrate soldier, civilian, and contract resources; improved distribution and control of spares; improved deployment capability; and provisions to enhance technology transfer between contractors, civilians, and soldiers.


Flushing flows have been implemented in the lower Ebro River since 2003, with the principle objective of removing excess macrophytes. This paper describes the hydrology and sediment transport of these flushing flows in comparison with natural floods and discusses their effects in terms of riverbed adjustments. During flushing flows suspended sediment, concentration is more constant and double that of natural floods, although discharge is lower. Flashiness, measured as the rate of discharge increase per unit time, is an order of magnitude higher during flushing flows than during natural events. Consequently, flushing flows exhibit higher transport capacity than their natural counterparts despite their considerably lower magnitude and duration. Flushing flows remove up to 95% of macrophytes close to the dam, but their effectiveness reduces with distance downstream. Despite several constraints, flushing flows have significant potential to entrain and transport sediment and careful management of these releases may, therefore, play an important role in enhancing physical habitat in the river and supply sediment to the delta. The River Ebro case study shows that flushing flows are not incompatible with HEP production, and may actually result in a positive trade‐off due to reduced clogging of water intakes. Nevertheless, it remains important to reassess their effectiveness regularly and monitor adverse geomorphic effects such as riverbed degradation. In summary, flushing flows are an important instrument of river management, but one which must be employed as part of a spectrum of approaches to enhance physical habitat conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


2018 ACS Clinical Congress is held from Oct 21 to Oct 25 in Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. AME Publishing Company has participated in this Congress displaying our journals and books and meeting our editorial board members, authors and readers. The ACS Clinical Congress is the world's largest professional education and academic exchange for clinical surgery.


The aim of this research was to determine the digestibility value of protein in formula feed andits utilization by cat. Experimental animals used in this study were 18 cats. This research was conductedby providing various complete feed to experimental animals. The experimental design used was the completely randomized design with three treatments and ,six replications as time of collection feces. P0 was a control treatment while P1 and P2 used as complete feed with different formula. The target observation was to know the digestibility protein value of formula feeds for the cats. Result of research showed that protein digestibility value of P1 and P2 by cat were not significantly difference (p>0.05). But both were significant different from the control feed (p<0.05). The best result of protein digestibility was P1 as 65.78% and P2 as 71.55%, the lowest result was P0 as 49.3880%.


Hysteresis band control is one of the simplest and most popular techniques used in direct torque control (DTC) of induction machine drives. However the conventional fixed band hysteresis control has a variable switching frequency which causes serious problems in DTC. In this paper, the adaptive hysteresis band control strategy is proposed, where the hysteresis band is controlled in real time as variation of applied voltage vectors. Thereby reducing the torque ripple whilst maintaining a constant torque switching frequency. The proposed adaptive hysteresis band control technique is verified by simulations. The system is first simulated by MATLAB and tested by hardware in the loop. Then, it is implemented based on a TMS320C6711, 32-bit fixed point digital signal processor. Experimental results prove the feasibility of the proposed strategy as compared with the conventional method.


Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and can be increased further to more than 13.1 million people per year by 2030. Cancer occurs due to the continuous exposure of carcinogenic compounds under certain concentrations. A carcinogen is an agent that can cause mutation, leading to cancer. Therefore, mutations are indications of the presence of carcinogenic compounds. The mutation effects in biological organisms are various. They are chromosomal aberrations, growth inhibition and teratogenic effects. These effects can only be detected through the application of biological approaches. This review gives descriptions on the biological detection and measurement of carcinogens in wastewater and water estuaries. The biological procedures such as the chromosomal aberration (CA), Comet assay, Micronucleus (MN) assay SOS chromotest and organic extraction of XAD with blue rayon is discussed. These bioassays played an important role in the detection of carcinogens from waterborne contaminants in the environment such as pesticides, industrial pollution and heavy metals. The evaluations are based on advantages and disadvantages, accuracy, speed and time factor of methods and experimental procedures. As cancer is often linked to DNA damage, these assays are also time and cost effective to estimate the carcinogenic potential of a compound. Thus, the concept of carcinogenic compounds detection and measurement in wastewater is of great attention due to their toxic and non-biodegradable nature.


Blockchain is being praised as a technological innovation which allows to revolutionize how society trades and interacts. This reputation is in particular attributable to its properties of allowing mutually mistrusting entities to exchange financial value and interact without relying on a trusted third party. A blockchain moreover provides an integrity protected data storage and allows to provide process transparency. In this paper we critically analyze whether a blockchain is indeed the appropriate technical solution for a particular application scenario. We differentiate between permissionless (e.g., Bitcoin/Ethereum) and permissioned (e.g. Hyperledger/Corda) blockchains and contrast their properties to those of a centrally managed database. We provide a structured methodology to determine the appropriate technical solution to solve a particular application problem. Given our methodology, we analyze in depth three use cases - Supply Chain Management, Interbank and International Payments, and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations and conclude the article with an outlook for further opportunities.


Investigating deserted medieval castles and villages in remote rural areas paired with a scarcity of meaningful written sources is a challenging task that can be significantly enhanced by the use of non-invasive archaeological prospection methods. Furthermore, the interpolation of stratigraphic relationships among maps by analysing paths and field boundaries, as performed by Klaus Schwarz in the 1980s, can also contribute significantly. Thus, in order to resolve numerous unanswered questions, a multidisciplinary approach is required. In this paper we present preliminary archaeological prospection data using magnetics and airborne laser scanning (ALS) as well as methodological considerations on the systematic analysis of historical maps on the site of Dernberg, a medieval motte-and-bailey castle with an adjoining deserted village. The magnetic data and corresponding aerial images, although not providing decisive information on internal structures, show several historical roads that allow for the localisation of the village at the foot of the castle hill, as well as other pathways and defensive structures. Data derived from laser scanning surveys carried out by uncrewed aerial vehicles, respectively, drone flights allow for a significant gain in information compared to publicly available ALS data. In a methodological discussion on the systematic analysis of historical maps, the site of Dernberg is used to illustrate not only how such an analysis can determine chronological sequences with respect to the pattern of former agricultural field systems and road networks, but that these assumptions can be confirmed in part by geophysical surveys.


The experiment was carried out to produce hydrogen through steam reforming of glycerol over nano-sized Ni catalysts supported on alumina (Al2O3). The catalysts were characterized by BET surface area, metal dispersion, XRD, TPR, NH3-TPD and SEM. 15 wt% Ni/Al2O3 catalysts presented carbon nano fiber after the catalyst was used. However, when the Ni loading was higher than that of 15 wt%, the catalytic activity reduced, and the increase of the Ni particle size and the formation of graphitic carbon occurred. The Ni/SiO2(70)-Al2O3 with the high surface area and the small Ni particle size promoted the catalytic activity and could easily reduce from NiO to Ni, inhibiting the formation of NiAl2O4.


Challenges related to viewpoint registration in rough forest terrain can be quite different compared to those faced in structured environments. Maneuvring the sensor between measurement positions introduces large error into the a priori estimates of the registration coordinates. As a consequence, locally optimal registration methods may not work properly. Moreover, due to the clutter, the scene contents can change substantially even due to a relative small displacement of the sensor. Often, the sensor has to be moved to the other side of the target object, such as a group of trees, to get a good coverage of its geometry. In both cases, overlap between the two 3D data sets will be minimal ruling out conventional registration methods. In this paper, a feature-based method for registering 3D range scans for mapping natural outdoor environments is proposed. The method utilizes cylindrical, rotation symmetric features extracted from the 3D measurement data for viewpoint registration. The method is tested on real range images.


Herbivory by domestic and wild ungulates is a major driver of global vegetation dynamics. However, grazing is not considered in dynamic global vegetation models, or more generally in studies of the effects of environmental change on ecosystems at regional to global scale. An obstacle to this is a lack of empirical tests of several hypotheses linking plant traits with grazing. We, therefore, set out to test whether some widely recognized trait responses to grazing are consistent at the global level. We conducted a meta-analysis of plant trait responses to grazing, based on 197 studies from all major regions of the world, and using six major conceptual models of trait response to grazing as a framework. Data were available for seven plant traits: life history, canopy height, habit, architecture, growth form (forb, graminoid, herbaceous legume, woody), palatability, and geographic origin. Covariates were precipitation and evolutionary history of herbivory. Overall, grazing favoured annual over perennial plants, short plants over tall plants, prostrate over erect plants, and stoloniferous and rosette architecture over tussock architecture. There was no consistent effect of grazing on growth form. Some response patterns were modified by particular combinations of precipitation and history of herbivory. Climatic and historical contexts are therefore essential for understanding plant trait responses to grazing. Our study identifies some key traits to be incorporated into plant functional classifications for the explicit consideration of grazing into global vegetation models used in global change research. Importantly, our results suggest that plant functional type classifications and response rules need to be specific to regions with different climate and herbivory history.


administered by their local practitioners. Forty-seven percent of the patients were noncompliant and 53% were compliant. Compliance was significantly better in skilled workers than in semi-skilled workers (X P<0.05). Unexpectedly, those patients taking more than three drugs were more compliant than those taking fewer than three (X P<0.02). All the other factors studied played no apparent role in compliance. Recent studies carried out to assess patient compliance in other diseases indicate an average compliance of about 50%.34 This is also true of the present study, thereby suggesting some common factors which make a patient noncompliant. Factors which were not evaluated in the present study include inconvenience to the patient, expense, pain and discomfort. The patients' emotional make-up, social circumstances, illness of others in the family and the quality of the relationship between the physician and patient would also influence compliance in any programme. Some of these factors are difficult to quantify and only an intelligent guess can be made on the impact they may have on drug compliance. It is obvious that the factors determining patient participation in a long-term therapeutic programme are exceedingly complex. Like the iceberg, the largest part of the problem is out of sight of the physician, and hence the magnitude and its implications are frequently overlooked.


The deployment of leaves with plane surface and straight parallel folds, as observed in leaves of hornbeam and beech, was investigated by using numerical methods. In both species the veins are angled at 30° to 50° from the midrib, when the leaves are outstretched. Although a higher angle allows the leaf to be folded more compactly within the bud, it has very small leaf area in the early stage of unfolding. The midrib of leaf grows very slowly at first and then it does with an almost constant speed. From the numerical simulation, it was found that the midrib grows with the minimum unfolding energy. The deployment of flowers was also investigated from mechanical point of view. A potato flower has five or six petals with triangle gussets between petals. The bud volume becomes largest when the number of petals, N, is five. However, the energy for unfolding of the model with N = 5 or 6 is smaller than those of other models, if the energy can be represented by the total kinetic energy during unfolding.


A field experiment was conducted during June–December of 2009 and 2010 at Bamra, Sambalpur, Odisha, to study the effects of weed-management methods on the weeds of sisal (Agave sisalana Perrine ex Engelm.) nursery and their effect on the growth of sisal plants in nursery and also on soil microbes. The dominant grass weeds were Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) P. Beauv., and Digitaria sangunalis (L.) Scop. The important broad-leaf weeds were Solanum nigrum L., Amaranthus spinosus L., Physalis minima L. and Phyllanthus niruri L. The only sedge weed was Cyperus rotundus L. in the experimental plots. At 15 days after planting (DAP), the highest weed-control efficiency (WCE) of 89.2% was recorded with smetolachlor and at 30 DAP, the highest WCE was obtained from manual weeding (90–93%), followed by smetolachlor (87.1%). However, at 45 DAP and beyond only 2 manual weeding showed the highest WEC of 92.3 (45 DAP) and 71.8% (60 DAP). Hand-weeding twice produced the most robust type of sisal plantlets (13.9 g/plant), followed by sisal waste (13.3 g/plant). All the tested herbicides reduced the biomass production by sisal bulbils as compared to hand weeding in the order of trifluralin (14.7%) > pretilachlor (22.1%) > s-metolachlor (35.9%) > quizalofop ethyl (39.2%). At the maturity stage of sisal bulbils in the primary nursery, there was little effect of trifluralin and quizalofop ethyl on the total bacteria count. In contrast, the total bacteria population remained depressed in pretilachlor (41.7%) and s-metolachor (42.1%)-treated plots. The total actinomycetes population could not reach to the normal level (57.79 × 104 CFU/g) in case of s-metolachlor (–50.2%), pretilachlor (–46.1%) and quizalofop ethyl (–38.6%). At this stage, the total fungi population was more or less same in all the treatments except in quizalofop ethyl which increased the population by 2.5 folds.


Initiatives such as blockchains and decentralized storage networks are pushing for a decentralized Web3 to replace the current architecture. At the core of Web3 are network resource sharing services, which allow anyone to sell spare network capacity in return for rewards. These services require a way to establish trust, as parties are potentially malicious. This can be achieved by reputation systems. In this paper we make the case for using deep reinforcement learning in Web3 reputation calculation. More specifically, we propose a model which allows for decentralized calculation of scores with high personalization for the user.


This monograph presents three variants of the neoclassical investment model and characterizes the firm's optimal investment policy, equity value, and the desirable properties of accrual accounting rules in each setting. Two main questions are considered: (1) What accounting rules result in the most informative financial statements from the perspective of investors seeking to value the firm's equity? and (2) What accounting rules can be efficiently used by shareholders in evaluating the performance of better informed managers? One accounting treatment, referred to as replacement cost accounting, achieves efficiency along both dimensions. The notion of replacement cost studied in this monograph corresponds closely to that of fair value, as defined in IFRS 13, in that it is defined as either (i) the current price of the capital goods in a perfectly competitive market, if such a market is available, or (ii) the hypothetical amount that would have to be incurred today to replace the current and future capacity of the capital goods in question. While the replacement cost rule is, in many settings, unique in providing the firm's shareholders with sufficient information for precise equity valuation, the problem of efficient performance measurement is generally less informationally demanding. For example, under certain plausible conditions, the owners can incentivize a better informed manager to make efficient investment decisions using the straight-line depreciation method.


Q-enhanced LC filter technology offers a promising approach to remove the off-chip preselect filter still required in current transceivers. However, reported designs fail to meet stringent system specifications such as dynamic range and noise figure for existing wireless standards. The complexity and inaccuracy of frequency and Q tuning have also prevented acceptance in industry applications. This paper presents a low-power and high-performance design targeted at Bluetooth in a silicon-on-isolator (SOI) CMOS process. Drawing 5 mA from a 3-V supply, it achieves 23-dB voltage gain (14-dB power gain), approximately 6-dB noise figure, and a 153-dB/spl middot/Hz 1-dB compression point dynamic range, when operating with a 70-MHz bandwidth at 2.5 GHz. A simplified approach to frequency and Q tuning is also demonstrated, making Q-enhanced LC filtering feasible in industry application for the first time.


─Abstract ─ The majority of the heads of the contemporary enterprises realize the existence of the problems connected with the imperfect management system. This work classifies the acting approaches to the construction of the enterprise management system. The comparison of advantages and disadvantages of these approaches, evaluated from the point of their influence on the enterprise controllability was performed in the course of the classification. The work analyses the reason of appearing new approaches to the enterprise management system and special attention paid to the comparison of the functional and process structures of management and to the evolution of the latter one. The management system is considered to be controllable, if to every management action corresponds strictly determined state of the object parameters, and this system is considered to be uncontrollable or not enough controllable, if the management object changes its parameters spontaneously. Therefore, the task of the enterprise administration is to choose the management system that will take into account the enterprise specification and provide its best controllability.


Antenna-on-chip (AoC) and antenna-in-package (AiP) solutions are studied for highly integrated millimeter-wave (mmWave) devices in wireless communications. First, the background, regulations, standard, and applications of 60-GHz wireless communications are briefly introduced. Then, highly integrated 60-GHz radios are overviewed as a basis for the link budget analysis to derive the antenna gain requirement. Next, in order to have deep physical insight into the AoC solution, the silicon substrate's high permittivity and low resistivity effects on the AoC efficiency are examined. It is shown that the AoC solution has low efficiency, less than 12% due to large ohmic losses and surface waves, which requires the development of techniques to improve the AoC efficiency. After that, the AiP solution and associated challenges such as how to realize low-loss interconnection between the chip and antenna are addressed. It is shown that wire-bonding interconnects, although inferior to the flip-chip, are still feasible in the 60-GHz band if proper compensation schemes are utilized. An example of the AiP solution in a low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) process is presented in the 60-GHz band showing an efficiency better than 90%. A major concern with both AoC and AiP solutions is electromagnetic interference (EMI), which is also discussed. Finally, the systems level pros and cons of both AoC and AiP solutions are highlighted from the electrical and economic perspectives for system designers.


Water loss and the coincident increase in membrane resistance to proton conduction are significant barriers to high performance operation of traditional proton exchange membrane fuel cells at elevated temperatures where the relative humidity may be reduced. We report here approaches to the development of high temperature membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells; composite perfluorinated sulfonic acid membranes were prepared to improve water retention, and non-aqueous proton conducting membranes were prepared to circumvent the loss of water. Experimental results of composite membranes of Nafion and zirconium phosphate show improved operation at elevated temperatures. Imidazole impregnated membranes poisoned the electrocatalysts. Cesium hydrogen sulfate membranes were not able to produce appreciable current. A brief analysis of temperature requirements for CO tolerance and a framework for understanding water loss from fuel cell membranes are presented. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


OBJECTIVE
To describe and evaluate the factors associated with actions for the control of tuberculosis (TB) in primary care (PC) in the five Brazilian macroregions.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study was carried out with data from the second cycle of the National Program for Improving Access to and Quality of Primary Care. Theoutcome of the study was constructed based on a set of items that were considered essential for the treatment and control of tuberculosis in Primary Care Units (PCUs). Data were analyzed using the χ2 test and Poisson regression with robust variance.

RESULTS
The national prevalence of the set of items to control tuberculosis was 17.22%. TheNortheast (11.18%) and North (12.15%) had the worst performance. The main results indicate association with this outcome for PCUs performing educational actions for TB (PR = 1.53; 95%CI 1.45 - 1.62), those performing HIV serology (PR = 1.68; 95%CI 1.11 - 2.54), those that have a reception room (PR = 1.61; 95%CI 1.46 - 1.79) and those performing continuing education activities (PR = 1.73; 95%CI 1.54 - 1.95).

CONCLUSION
The results show a weakness in the structures and in the work process of PC in relation to the control of tuberculosis in all Brazilian regions.


A 28-d growth trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of different diet processing methods on growth performance of segregated early-weaned pigs. From d 0 to 14, pigs were fed diets processed by one of four different methods: meal, universal pellet cooker (UPC), expanded, or pelleted. Pigs fed pelleted or UPC diets had improved ADG and F/G, and pigs fed meal diets had the poorest ADG and F/G. From d 14 to 28, pigs were fed one of six diets consisting of complex meal and expanded diets and two (least cost and complex) UPC and pelleted diets. From d 14 to 28, pigs fed the complex pelleted diet had numerically the highest ADG and best F/G compared to pigs in the other treatments; however, ADG and F/G were not significantly different from those of pigs fed the meal diet. Complex pelleted or UPC diets improved growth performance compared to least cost diets. Thermal-processed, least-cost diets will not elicit similar or improved growth performance compared to complex diets. These data suggest that processing techniques influence growth performance more in the early nursery phases than in later phases, and that pigs fed UPC or pelleted diets have the best growth performance.


Aircraft wake vortex is a pair of intensive counter-rotating airflow generated by a flying aircraft. Wake vortex is one of the most dangerous hazards in aviation because it may cause a following aircraft to roll out of control, particularly during the taking off and landing phases. The real-time detection of wake vortex is a frontier scientific problem emerging from many fields like aviation safety and atmospheric physics, and the dynamics and scattering characteristics of it remain as key problems to develop corresponding detection technologies. This chapter aims at presenting a simulation scheme for the dynamics of wake vortex under different weather conditions. For wake vortex generated in clear air, changes of the atmospheric dielectric constant produced by the density variation and water vapour variation are analysed; for wake vortex generated in rainy condition, the raindrop distribution in the wake vortex is also analysed. Both of them are essential for further analysing the scattering characteristics and developing new detection algorithms.


BACKGROUND
Identification of Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) is a major challenge in modern molecular biology and biochemistry research, due to the unquestionable role of proteins in cells, biological process and pathological states. Over the past decade, the PPIs have evolved from being considered a highly challenging field of research to being investigated and examined as targets for pharmacological intervention.

OBJECTIVE
Comprehension of protein interactions is crucial to known how proteins come together to build signalling pathways, to carry out their functions, or to cause diseases, when deregulated. Multiplicity and great amount of PPIs structures offer a huge number of new and potential targets for the treatment of different diseases.

METHODS
Computational techniques are becoming predominant in PPIs studies for their effectiveness, flexibility, accuracy and cost. As a matter of fact, there are effective in silico approaches which are able to identify PPIs and PPI site. Such methods for computational target prediction have been developed through molecular descriptors and data-mining procedures.

RESULTS
In this review, we present different types of interactions between protein-protein and the application of in silico methods for design and development of drugs targeting PPIs. We described computational approaches for the identification of possible targets on protein surface and to detect of stimulator/ inhibitor molecules.

CONCLUSION
A deeper study of the most recent bioinformatics methodologies for PPIs studies is vital for a better understanding of protein complexes and for discover new potential PPI modulators in therapeutic intervention.


This paper presents aspects of promotion of rice (Oryza sativa) among markets and institutions as a key commodity for food security and poverty reduction. Rice is viewed as a central focus in all this. In fact, we are looking at rice as a driver of development in a broad sense. "Drivers of development" is an old concept and it goes back to a generation of development economists in the sixties. The publications of the U.S. based Agricultural Development Council and in particular Arthur Mosher raised the issue of drivers of development. Even Walter Rostow in his famous book on the "Five Stages of Economic Growth" discussed the drivers of development - the locomotive that will pull everything ahead - and concluded that agriculture under certain conditions could be a driver. This was against the popular conception of the 1950s with labour, surplus models ("development with unlimited supplies of labour") with agriculture as an unlimited pool of costless labour, waiting to be transferred to the industrial sector. Drivers of development are activities with large positive multiplier effects, producing a large value surplus, leading to a certain accumulation of wealth (savings) which can be the source of new investments, increasing (land and labour) productivities, with many forward and backward linkages throughout the economy, resulting in a continued process of positive cumulative changes in the economy and in people's living conditions. In this review article, issues of rural poverty, food security and agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa in general and how they relate to rice production and marketing are addressed.


Abstract The high-energy 14.7 MeV protons generated from the D-3He fusion reaction can be used to produce medical radioisotopes. Steady-state D-3He operation is possible using Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC); however, the location of the reactions must be known to use them effectively for isotope production. In the University of Wisconsin IEC Device, it has been found that as much as 2/3 of the total D-3He reaction rate can be due to embedded fusion reactions, reactions occurring within the cathode due to ion implantation. Therefore, the cathode surface sees a large, high-energy proton flux. Using a solid molybdenum cathode, and taking advantage of the embedded reactions, about 1 nCi of the medical isotope 94mTc was created via 94Mo(p,n)94mTc in a proof of principle experiment. This represents the first time the IEC concept has been used to produce a radioisotope using D-3He fusion.


PURPOSE
To report the finding of nasolacrimal drainage system obstruction associated with radio iodine therapy and to review clinical data and the surgical treatment outcome of this rare complication.

METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed ophthalmological data of patients with history of thyroid carcinoma that underwent radioactive iodine I-131 therapy and were referred to lacrimal surgery.

RESULTS
17 patients with thyroid cancer treated with thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine I-131 therapy presented symptomatic nasolacrimal duct obstruction after 13.2 months following cancer treatment. 11 patients presented bilateral epiphora, 8 had lacrimal sac mucocele. Age range was 30 to 80 years, 10 patients had less than or equal to 49 years. The mean cumulative dose of radioiodine was 571 mCi (range: 200-1200 mCi). Nasal obstruction symptoms and increased salivary glands were also present in 53% of patients. All subjects underwent dacryocystorhinostomy. Dilation of the lacrimal sac and increased intraoperative bleeding was also observed in 3 younger patients. Complete epiphora and dacryocystitis resolution after surgery occurred in 82.4%, and partial in 17.6% (3 patients that still presented unilateral relapse after correction of bilateral obstruction). Mean follow-up was 6 months (range: 2-24 months).

CONCLUSIONS
Cumulative high dose of radioiodine, nasal and salivary gland dysfunction are associated with lacrimal drainage obstruction. We observed a great percentage of younger patients presenting dacryocystitis when compared to the idiopathic dacryostenosis. Radioactive iodine uptake by nasolacrimal duct mucosa with subsequent inflammation, edema and fibrosis seems to have a relationship to lacrimal duct obstruction. The knowledge of this complication is important for the study and proper management of these patients.


Investment professionals are subject to varying standards of conduct when providing advice to clients. The standards range from providing advice which is suitable to acting consistently with a fiduciary standard.
The article provides a brief history of the applicable securities statutes governing investment advice. It discusses the differences in the enactment of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
Next, the article discusses how each statute has impacted the standards applicable to brokers and investment advisers. Investment advisers are deemed fiduciaries. Brokers are held to the "suitability" standard, unless the broker is exercising discretion over client funds or there exist other special circumstances. In those cases, brokers are considered fiduciaries as well. Finally, both investment advisers and brokers may be considered fiduciaries when providing investment advice in connection with retirement assets.


Lawful access is a carefully calculated legislation to validate existing state surveillance. Drawing on internal government records obtained using Canada's federal Access to Information Act, this thesis examines the rise of proactive, intelligence-led policing practices and explores the discursive enactments that reified lawful access (Bill C-13). Based on an investigation of documentary data between 2008 and 2014, I argue lawful access came into force to retroactively legitimize policing aspects of surveillance, which previously contravened Canadian law. Analysis of official (front stage) and unofficial (backstage) data is juxtaposed to explicate rehearsals and performances that constituted the positions of proponents and opponents to lawful access. Unexpected findings of this study include the scope of electronic surveillance that has taken place against Canadian citizens for non-criminal purposes and the common purchasing of user metadata held in telecommunication carrier servers by law enforcement and intelligence communities.


In this thesis we study market risk in turbulent markets over different risk horizons. We construct portfolios which represent possible investments for a life assurance fund. The portfolios consist of equities, fixed income instruments, cash positions and interest rate derivatives. Today, the most commonly used metrics for market risk are Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES), and they will be central. We introduce necessary theory from quantitative finance related to asset price dynamics and security pricing. Further, interest rate related instruments are handled by the LIBOR Market Model (LMM), while equity prices are modeled as geometric Brownian motions. We use implied volatilities for instruments where they are available, and historical for the rest. We implement a risk model and make daily and quarterly market risk estimates between 2000-2008 for the portfolios. We choose some central events from the last quarter of 2008, a critical phase of the ongoing financial crisis, and analyze how the portfolios and the corresponding risk estimates are affected. Comparison of the portfolio losses against risk estimates allows us to evaluate the reliability of the broadly adopted model.


The ―integrated evolutionary speed hypothesis‖ proposes that the rate of genetic evolution influences all major biogeographical patterns of diversity including those associated with temperature, water availability, productivity, spatial heterogeneity and area. Consistent with this theory, rates of genetic evolution correspond with patterns of diversity and diversification. Here we review the mechanisms that have been proposed to explain these biogeographic patterns in rates of genetic evolution. Tests of several proposed mechanisms have produced equivocal results, whereas others such as those invoking annual metabolic activity, or a ―Red Queen‖ effect, remain unexplored. However, rates of genetic evolution have been associated with both productivity mediated rates of germ cell division and active metabolic rates and these explanations therefore justify further empirical investigation.


In the paper, it makes 3-D (three dimensional) printing rapid prototyping bitmap data compression research based on bytes has been conducted, in the 3-D printing rapid prototyping system, where the bitmap data format is adopted, and related data storage space is very large. It firstly analyzes the bitmap data characteristics in 3-D printing rapid prototyping system and the commonly methods used in nondestructive bitmap compression, and it designs the bitmap data compression coding method based on bytes. The compression method has the characteristics such as high compression ratio, fast speed of compression and decompression, less time consuming, etc. Therefore, it can meet the increasing demand of data compression in the 3-D printing rapid prototyping system.


Objective Although Saskatchewan appears to have the greatest burden of work-related fatality (WRF) in Canada, it is unclear how WRF rates have varied over time. We investigated the WRF rate in Saskatchewan over the past decade and modeled potential risk factors for WRF, including economic indicators. Methods In this cross-sectional, population-based study, Saskatchewan workplace traumatic fatalities grouped by year, season, and worker characteristics (eg, age, industry) were used in addition to Statistics Canada labor force survey total employment, total labor force, and the number of unemployed workers by year and season. WRF rates were calculated as fatalities per total number of employed workers. A Poisson generalized additive model was employed to examine the association between WRF rates and personal characteristics, and economic indicators. Results The rate remained fairly stable between 2013–2014 and 2015–2017 but sharply increased from 2017 to 2018. On average, the highest rate was observed among workers aged ≥60 years (0.70 ± 0.21 per 100 000). Men had a more than 13-fold greater risk of WRF than women [relative risk (RR)13.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.48–17.9), with the highest RR of WRF observed in the construction industry (RR 9.2, 95% CI 6.1–13.8). The risk of mortality increased non-linearly with increasing unemployment rate, with instability as the unemployment rate reaches the highest modeled values. Conclusion Workplace fatality in the province has fluctuated over the past decade, with differential impact observed among industry groups. Furthermore, an increase in the unemployment rate was followed by an increase in mortality risk. Prioritizing and encouraging prevention strategies during periods of economic recessions could help address the incidence of fatalities at work.


Two-phase cooling of a square simulated electronic device surface of 21.3 mm side was successfully carried out without the need for a pump. This smart, passive cooling system incorporates a self-enhancing and self-sustaining mechanism, wherein the system inherently enhances its cooling capacity by increasing the velocity of the two-phase mixture along the boiling surface when an increase in heat flux is sensed. Other practical attributes of this pumpless loop are small liquid inventory requirements and absence of the incipient boiling temperature drop. It is shown small surface tension and contact angle render dielectric coolants such as FC-72 ideally suited for flow in narrow gaps. These unique properties are responsible for very small bubble size, precluding any appreciable blockage of the replenishment liquid flow even in narrow gaps. Critical heat flux (CHF) was found to generally increase with decreasing boiler gap. CHF for flat, micro-channel (with 0.2 mm rectangular fins) and mini-channel (with 1.98 mm rectangular fins) surfaces was 4.5, 5.9, and 5.7 times greater than for pool boiling from a flat surface for corresponding gaps. A pressure drop model was formulated to predict coolant mass flow rate, boiling surface inlet and exit velocities, and pressure drop components throughout the loop. The model predictions illustrate the pumpless loop's self-sustaining and self-enhancing attributes, and relate CHF trends to those of the two-phase mixture acceleration along the boiling surface.


ABSTRACT The developing convergence of Artificial Intelligence and GIScience has raised a concern on the emergence of deep fake geography and its potentials in transforming human perception of the geographic world. Situating fake geography under the context of modern cartography and GIScience, this paper presents an empirical study to dissect the algorithmic mechanism of falsifying satellite images with non-existent landscape features. To demonstrate our pioneering attempt at deep fake detection, a robust approach is then proposed and evaluated. Our proactive study warns of the emergence and proliferation of deep fakes in geography just as "lies" in maps. We suggest timely detections of deep fakes in geospatial data and proper coping strategies when necessary. More importantly, it is encouraged to cultivate a critical geospatial data literacy and thus to understand the multi-faceted impacts of deep fake geography on individuals and human society.


ABSTRACT
Introduction:  The introduction of low profile devices designed for Resuscitative
Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) after trauma has the potential to
change practice, outcomes and complication profiles related to this procedure.
Methods: The AAST Aortic Occlusion for Resuscitation in Trauma and Acute Care
Surgery (AORTA) registry was utilized to identify REBOA patients from 16 centers
-comparing presentation, intervention and outcome variables for those REBOA via
traditional 11-12 access platforms and trauma-specific devices requiring only 7 F access.
Results:From Nov 2013-Dec 2017, 242 patients with completed data were identified,
constituting 124 7F and 118 11-12F uses. Demographics of presentation were not
different between the two groups, except that the 7F patients had a higher mean ISS (39.2

34.1, p = 0.028). 7F device use was associated with a lower cut-down requirement for

access (22.6% vs. 37.3%, p = 0.049) and increased ultrasound guidance utilization (29.0%

23.7%, p = 0.049). 7F device afforded earlier aortic occlusion in the course of

resuscitation (median 25.0 mins vs. 30 mins, p = 0.010), and had lower median PRBC
(10.0 vs. 15.5 units, p = 0.006) and FFP requirements (7.5 vs. 14.0 units, p = 0.005). 7F
patients were more likely to survive 24 hrs (58.1% vs. 42.4%, p = 0.015) and less likely
to suffer in-hospital mortality (57.3% vs. 75.4%, p = 0.003). Finally, 7F device use was
associated with a 4X lower rate of distal extremity embolism (20.0% vs. 5.6%, p =
0.014;OR 95% CI 4.25 [1.25-14.45]) compared to 11-12F counterparts.
Conclusion: The introduction of trauma specific 7F REBOA devices appears to have
influenced REBOA practices, with earlier utilization in severely injured hypotensive
patients via less invasive means that are associated with lower transfusion requirements
fewer thrombotic complications and improved survival. Additional study is required to determine optimal REBOA
utilization.


Nathan Mentzer is an assistant professor in the College of Technology with a joint appointment in the College of Education at Purdue University. Hired as a part of the strategic P12 STEM initiative, he prepares Engineering/Technology candidates for teacher licensure. Dr. Mentzer's educational efforts in pedagogical content knowledge are guided by a research theme centered in student learning of engineering design thinking on the secondary level. Nathan was a former middle and high school technology educator in Montana prior to pursuing a doctoral degree. He was a National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) Fellow at Utah State University while pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. After graduation he completed a one year appointment with the Center as a postdoctoral researcher.


Purpose: The purpose of the present research was to the effect of camphor as a subliming agent on the mouth dissolving property of famotidine tablets. Method: Orodispersible tablets of famotidine were prepared using camphor as subliming agent and sodium starch glycollate together with crosscarmellose sodium as superdisintegrants. The formulations were evaluated for weight variation, hardness, friability, drug content, wetting time, in vitro and in-vivo dispersion, mouth feel and in vitro dissolution. Result: All the formulations showed low weight variation with dispersion time less than 30 seconds and rapid in vitro dissolution. The results revealed that the tablets containing subliming agent had a good dissolution profile. The drug content of all the formulations was within the acceptable limits of the United States Pharmacopoeia XXVII. The optimized formulation showed good release profile with maximum drug being released at all time intervals. Conclusion: This work helped in understanding the effect of formulation processing variables especially the subliming agent on the drug release profile. The present study demonstrated potentials for rapid absorption, improved bioavailability, effective therapy and patient compliance.


Teak (Tectona grandis Linn F.) produce one of the most desirable wood in the world. Nowadays, fast growing teak resulting from genetically engineered teak have been available. This study aims to look at the relationship between land charac- teristics and soil classification with vegetative growth of "Unggul Nusantara" varieties of teak. The study was conducted in Ciam- pea, Bogor Regency. Soil properties were analyzed from three profiles, while the vegetative growth of teak was measured from 2.5-3 years old teak planted on those land. The diversity of soil properties on the profiles were function of the difference of soil parent material as well as its position on the slopes. Three soil profiles of P-1, P-2, and P-3, lying from upslope to the downslope, were classified respectively as Typic Paleudalf, very fine, mix, active, isohipertermic; Typic Dystrudept, very fine, mix, active, isohipertermic; and Typic Hapludult, very fine, mix, semi-active, isohipertermic. Soil of the three profiles were capable of support- ing the growth of teak varieties of "Unggul Nusantara". The best grown plant was found on the profile P-1 in the upslope, followed by the plant on the profile P-3 in the downslope, and then the plants on land above the P-2 in the middle slope. Nevertheless, the quality of the teak harvest produced in the three profiles can be categorized as low category. Soil with lime sediment parent material that has a high pH and base saturation is able to provide better growth for plants teak varieties of "Unggul Nusantara".


This paper deals with the detailed analysis of frequency drift rates of solar "drift pair" (DP) bursts observed from 2015 July 10 to 12 during a type III burst storm. The observations were conducted by the UTR-2 radio telescope at 9–33 MHz with high frequency and time resolution. DPs were recorded drifting from higher to lower frequencies (forward DPs) as well as from lower to higher ones (reverse DPs). Patterns on their dynamic spectrum had various inclines and occupied different bandwidths. The frequency drift rate versus frequency dependence of these bursts has been studied. The fitting model to describe the peak evolution of these bursts in the frequency-time plane is presented. The relationship between DPs and type III solar bursts is discussed.


As mobile technologies become ever more pervasive in modern society, users find increasingly innovative methods to take advantage of the newest developments and mobile devices. Data mining, in particular, has seen a vast shift as a result of wireless technologies.Mobile Technologies for Active-Travel Data Collection and Analysis concentrates on one particular and fast-growing application of mobile technologies: data acquisition for the tourism industry. This critical reference source provides travel agents, visitors, and hosts with the most advanced data mining methods, empirical research findings, and computational analysis techniques necessary to compete effectively in the global tourism industry.


Concurrent Engineering (CE) is concerned with improving the product development process by the consideration, during the early stages of product design, of the disparate factors associated with the life cycle of the product. An extensive body of research has emerged in CE focused mainly on the internal operations of an enterprise. However, early participation of suppliers and customers in CE, in what may be termed integrated enterprise CE, is generally considered to be of significant benefit. While integrated enterprise CE may be of considerable advantage, there still remains the need for a methodology for modeling the integrated enterprise CE process, connecting suppliers, manufacturers and customers as a seamless network. Such a methodology for modeling the integrated enterprise CE process will give insights on how to improve the system performance. What is giving added urgency to the need for such a methodology are the recent developments in communications, primarily based on Internet technologies, that readily allow for the linking of information systems between organizations. This paper aims to address this need for a methodology by describing an approach to modeling integrated enterprise CE, called Trans-Nets, that allows for an abstraction of information, removing many of the complexities, while retaining the ability to analyze the more important characteristics of the system. The computer implementation of the Trans-Nets approach, in a system called Trans, is then described. Finally, an industry example is presented to illustrate how Trans-Nets can be applied to integrated enterprise CE.


Organic–inorganic halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted great attention as an alternative renewable photovoltaic technology with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) > 22%, which is on par with established technologies. The state-of-the-art spiro-OMeTAD (2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis-(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene) is the most successful hole-transport material (HTM) employed in PSCs. Recently, various types of spiro-linked organic small molecules have been reported to overcome the reported disadvantages of spiro-OMeTAD, such as a complex synthetic route, high synthetic cost, and requirement for hygroscopic dopants to improve the charge-carrier mobility and device performance, which significantly limits spiro-OMeTAD for large-scale application in the future. Herein, we provide an overview of recent developments in the design, synthesis, and characterization of spiro-linked organic small molecules as hole-transport materials (HTM) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs).


Abstract Background Observational studies have consistently reported that postmenopausal hormone therapy use is associated with lower colon cancer risk, but epidemiologic studies examining the associations between circulating concentrations of endogenous estrogens and colorectal cancer have reported inconsistent results. Methods We investigated the associations between circulating concentrations of estrone, estradiol, free estradiol, testosterone, free testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone, and sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) with colon cancer risk in a nested case-control study of 1028 postmenopausal European women (512 colon cancer cases, 516 matched controls) who were noncurrent users of exogenous hormones at blood collection. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to compute odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals to evaluate the association between circulating sex hormones and colon cancer risk. We also conducted a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies of circulating estrone and estradiol with colorectal, colon, and rectal cancer risk in postmenopausal women. All statistical tests were 2-sided. Results In the multivariable model, a nonstatistically significantly positive relationship was found between circulating estrone and colon cancer risk (odds ratio per log2 1-unit increment = 1.17 [95% confidence interval = 1.00 to 1.38]; odds ratioquartile4-quartile1 = 1.33 [95% confidence interval = 0.89 to 1.97], Ptrend = .20). Circulating concentrations of estradiol, free estradiol, testosterone, free testosterone, androstenedione, DHEA, progesterone, and SHBG were not associated with colon cancer risk. In the dose-response meta-analysis, no clear evidence of associations were found between circulating estradiol and estrone concentrations with colorectal, colon, and rectal cancer risk. Conclusion Our observational and meta-analysis results do not support an association between circulating concentrations of endogenous sex hormones and colon or rectal cancer in postmenopausal women.


We investigate the behavior of the snowline in a protoplanetary disk and the relationship between the radius of the snowline and properties of molecular cloud cores. In our disk model, we consider mass influx from the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud core, irradiation from the central star, and thermal radiation from the ambient molecular cloud gas. As the protoplanetary disk evolves, the radius of the snowline increases first to a maximum value Rmax, and then decreases in the late stage of evolution of the protoplanetary disk. The value of Rmax is dependent on the properties of molecular cloud cores (mass Mcore, angular velocity ω and temperature Tcore). Many previous works found that solid material tends to accumulate at the location of the snowline, which suggests that the snowline is the preferred location for giant planet formation. With these conclusions, we compare the values of Rmax with semimajor axes of giant planets in extrasolar systems, and find that Rmax may provide an upper limit for the locations of the formation of giant planets which are formed by the core accretion model.


In recent years, a subgroup of B‐cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP ALL) without an established abnormality ("B‐other") has been shown to be characterized by rearrangements of ABL1, ABL2, CSF1R, or PDGFRB (a.k.a. ABL‐class genes). Using FISH with probes for these genes, we screened 55 pediatric and 50 adult B‐other cases. Three (6%) of the adult but none of the childhood B‐other cases were positive for ABL‐class aberrations. RT‐PCR and sequencing confirmed a rare SFPQ‐ABL1 fusion in one adult B‐other case with t(1;9)(p34;q34). Only six SFPQ‐ABL1‐positive BCP ALLs have been reported, present case included. A review of these shows that all harbored fusions between exon 9 of SFPQ and exon 4 of ABL1, that the fusion is typically found in adolescents/younger adults without hyperleukocytosis, and that IKZF1 deletions are recurrent. The few patients not treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and/or allogeneic stem cell transplantation relapsed, strengthening the notion that TKI should be added to the therapy of SFPQ‐ABL1‐positive BCP ALL.


Contrary to reports in the literature, we found no statistical difference between the prevalence of atopic disorders (asthma, hayfever, and atopic dermatitis) in patients with sickle-cell anemia and their prevalence in nonsickle-cell reference populations. We examined this issue by determining the prevalence of atopy in a sickle-cell anemia population.


Stories have been the source of moral lessons and entertainment, as far as the humankind of all the time, is concerned. The use of story- telling existed from the time immemorial. Stories appeared in the form of ballads and epics, in the ancient time, but later it took the shape of short and long fictions. The long fictions or novels varied in its theme and size. They are divided into many genres according to its subject matter- Gothic, Picaresque, Historical etc. The Ballad is nothing but a short story in verse. Its subjects are simple and memorable like adventure, love, war and the life etc. An Epic is a long tale in verse with famous heroes for its main characters. Iliad and Odyssey are examples. These stories gave the reader enjoyment and certain life-related 'tips'. Hayden White, an American historian says, "the aim of the writer of a novel must be the same as that of the writer of the history". Historians and Novelists wish to provide a verbal image of 'reality'. A novelist may produce reality indirectly but this is meant to correspond to some sphere of human experience. He desires to pass the merits and demerits of such experience onto the readers, to enhance a better vision of life. Novelists are free to use fictitious characters and situations for the readers' entertainment. Stories took its present prose form later in the middle ages.  Decameron, a collection of stories by Boccaccio, was published in 1350. It deals with stories told by a group of people affected by Black Plague. They used these stories to get mental relief from the pandemic. 'Canterbury Tales' of Geoffrey Chaucer also, is telling the life-related stories by some pilgrims to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury. All these show that men were, from  the early ages itself, used to tell stories to recollect  the past and go forward with lessons of reality for a better life. Actually these stories are 'historical facts' blended with the imagination of the writers.


Abstract The Bioethics Research Library at Georgetown University and Georgetown's School of Foreign Service Library in Qatar are working together to establish an information resource covering Islamic thought on medical and scientific ethics. We plan to include both historical and contemporary writings in English and Arabic, as well as in other languages, when possible. Ultimately, we intend for this three-year initial project to produce not only an online database, but also to form a core collection within Qatar's Central Library and to enhance the Bioethics Research Library's collection in Washington. All of these efforts are focused on serving researchers and educators in the region and around the world. Staff members who are working on the project are fluent in Arabic or Farsi, and are educated in Islamic Studies, librarianship, and information technology. A variety of professional and organizational contacts are being pursued in order to identify and acquire relevant scholarly material. Although some of the foreign-language cataloging has commenced, we continue to explore database software appropriate for displaying accurately Arabic and Farsi characters as well as related transliteration. English-language cataloging and indexing is well underway using existing software. In the first year of the project, we identified 646 documents in English, Arabic and Farsi and began indexing them, using a specialized vocabulary to address new topics. "Keywords of Special Interest to Islamic Medical and Scientific Ethics (IMSE) Database Searchers" is available online. New terms have been integrated into the current "Bioethics Thesaurus," offered in full as an online thesaurus database at http://bioethics.georgetown.edu/databases/bt/index.htmlAdditional access terms are suggested in the Keywords list to help searchers. We invite you to explore the Islamic Medical and Scientific Ethics database at http://bioethics.georgetown.edu/collections/islamic/index.html and are eager for your feedback.