The utility model provides a light-adjusting device of electronic transformer for wireless remote control halogen lamp, which is characterized in that: when a starting message is received by a wireless receiving unit, the central processor of the adjusting unit outputs a negative voltage to the trigger component of trigger unit by message output cable, normal action is maintained by the halogen lamp arranged connectively at the transformation unit,, when a closing message is received, a positive voltage is outputted by the central processor of the adjusting unit to the trigger component through the message output cable, so as to form conduction state, at the time the current is not to flow into the bi-directional diode, so that the halogen lamp form close-off state, moreover the adjusting unit can also preset appropriate program to control the conduction trigger time of the bi-directional diode of the electronic transformer, the output energy of the halogen lamp can be changed according to the requirement, thereby reaching the control of brightness, so that the light-adjusting effect is variable.


Studies were made on the sylvatic occurrence and geographic distribution of Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1963, in the north central states. During the 1965-69 period, 7,898 mammals, representing 32 species, were examined for the parasite. The adult cestode was found in the coyote (new natural host record) and red fox, and its larva in the deer mouse, meadow vole, and feral house mouse with the latter rodent constituting a new natural host record for E. multilocularis in North America. Infected mammals were found in Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Iowa, Montana, and South Dakota constitute new locality records for the parasite, representing considerable extensions of the cestode's known geographic range in the continental United States. The epidemiological and epizootiological significance of these findings are reviewed. The examination of numerous species of mammals, mainly wildlife, disclosed an enzootic occurrence of the cestode, Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863, in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern Montana. That this medically important cestode occurs sylvatically over an extensive geographic area and develops normally in a wide range of hosts in the north central United States has been confirmed. The purpose of this paper is to summarize these findings, with remarks on their epidemiological significance. Some of the data presented herein have been reported in previous papers (Leiby, 1965; Carney and Leiby, 1968). These papers and other reports on the sylvatic occurrence of E. multilocularis in the conterminous United States and southern Canada are summarized in Table I. MATERIALS AND METHODS During 5 years, 1965-69, a total of 7,898 mammals, collected by the writers and personnel of various federal and state agencies in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, was examined for E. multilocularis. The following were represented: short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda (Say); coyote, Canis latrans Say; Richardson's ground squirrel, Citellus richardsonii (Sabine); thirteen-lined ground squirrel, C. tridecemlineatus (Mitchell); Gappers' red-backed mouse, Clethrionomys gapperi (Vigors); Ord's kangaroo rat, DipodReceived for publication 27 January 1970. * This work was supported by Public Health Service Grant 5 RO1 AI-06633, from the NIAID. t Present address: Department of Parasitology, Naval Medical Research Institute, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20014. omys ordii Woodhouse; porcupine, Erethrizon dorsatum (L.); least chipmunk, Eutamias minimus (Bachman); bobcat, Felis rufa Schreber; striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis (Schreber); prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner); meadow vole, M. pennsylvanicus Ord; house mouse, Mus musculus L.; ermine, Mustela erminea (Bonaparte); northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster (Wied-Neuwied); olive-backed pocket mouse, Perognathus fasciatus Wied-Neuwied; plains pocket mouse, P. flavescens Merriam; hispid pocket mouse, P. hispidus Baird; white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus (Fisher); deer mouse, P. maniculatus (Wagner); raccoon, Procyon lotor (L.); Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout); western harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis (Allen); arctic shrew, Sorex arcticus Kerr; badger, Taxidea taxus (Schreber); northern pocket gopher, Thomomys talpoides (Richardson); gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber); red fox, Vulpes vulpes L.; meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius ( Zimmerman); western jumping mouse, Z. princeps Allen; domestic dog and cat. Carnivores were examined for adult E. multilocularis with precautions taken to avoid contamination of personnel and the laboratory. Instrument and specimen containers were opened prior to necropsy. Disposable gloves were worn during necropsy and the small intestine carefully placed in the specimen container. Instruments were returned and gloves removed before closing the containers. Specimens were refrigerated in ice chests and taken to the laboratory where they were frozen until examined. The adult worms were obtained by scraping the contents and lining of the small intestine into tap water, after which the cestodes were washed and concentrated by decantation. Their presence was determined by the aid of a dissecting microscope or macroscopically with a high-intensity light against a black background. When present in small numbers, the cestodes were more readily detected by the latter method. The specimens were fixed in 10% formalin and stained with Mayer's carmalum.


Composite polymer particles with hydrophobic polystyrene (PSt) as the core and hydrophilic poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) as the shell were prepared through two-stage emulsion polymerization without any surfactant. In the first step, narrowly distributed PSt seed particles were prepared by surfactant-free emulsion polymerization with 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamide) dihydrochloride (AMPA) as the initiator. In the second step, hydrophilic PMAA shells were fabricated onto PSt seed particles through redox interfacial-initiated seeded emulsion polymerization with cumyl hydroperoxide (CHPO)/ferrous sulfate/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)/sodium formaldehydesulfoxylate (SFS), where the initiation took place mainly at the interface between PSt seed particles and the aqueous medium. The composite particles were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering, and the results show that a core/shell structure was successfully built. Hydrodynamic radius (Rh) of the composite particles increased with the amount of polymerized monomers in the seeded emulsion polymerization. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry


In order to measure a large size laser spot image,the diffuse laser spot image acquisition by using CCD camera method is studied.CCD camera is used to capture the laser spot image rdflected from the diffuse back plate.Spot image background is removed.The sport image is extracted according to the system noise property.And then the distortion of light spot image is corrected by using the principle of perspective projection.According to the characteristics of human eye sensitive to color image,the spot image is processed for pseudo cdor by using the grayscale-color transformation method.The resules show that the CCD diffuse reflection method can accurately measure the large size laser spot image.


Category: Diabetes Introduction/Purpose: With approximately 29.1 million diabetics in the United States and estimated total annual cost of $245 billion, diabetes and its associated complications continue to be an increasing burden on society. The management of diabetic foot ulcers accounts for a significant portion of those expenses. We propose a safe, efficacious and economically prudent model for the outpatient treatment of uncomplicated diabetic foot ulcers. Methods: Enrolled patients had initial sharp wound debridement by one of two foot and ankle fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeons. Patients were treated with total contact casting and subsequently evaluated every two weeks by nurses who utilized a clinical management algorithm and performed conservative sharp wound debridement (CSWD). Results of healing and complications were recorded. Digital photographs of the ulcers from each clinical encounter were retrospectively reviewed in a blinded fashion by two orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons and compared to the nursing decisions at the time of treatment. Financial calculations estimated the potential cost savings by having nurses perform CSWD. State boards of nursing were systematically surveyed to assess current policies related to CSWD. Results: Average time to clinical healing was 6.03 weeks. There were no identified complications of CSWD performed by nurses. The sensitivity for the timely identification of wound deterioration was 100%, specificity = 86.49%, PPV = 68.75% and NPV = 100% with an overall accuracy of 89.58%. Thirty-six of 51 (70.59%) state boards of nursing responded to the survey with 33 of 36 (91.67%) defining CSWD as within the nursing scope of practice. The estimated cost savings by having nurses perform CSWD over a 6 week treatment period, with all other factors being equal, was $774.60 per patient. When extrapolated to the estimated number of diabetic foot ulcers annually within the United States, this could approach $1.8 to $2.1 billion in potential annual healthcare savings. Conclusion: CSWD of diabetic foot ulcers and calluses by trained nurses is a safe, effective and fiscally responsible clinical practice supported by greater than 90% of state boards of nursing. Utilizing a clinical decision algorithm, nursing evaluation and appropriate referral of ulcers at risk demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 89.58% accuracy. There were no complications associated with nurses performing conservative sharp debridement. When considering the most recent CDC estimates of 29.1 million diabetics with an 8% annual incidence of DFU, implementation of this clinical model on a national scale could result in approximately $2 billion in annual healthcare savings.


4 Emma CUNNINGHAM, Yuen Ting CHAN, Adamma AGHAIZU, David F. BIBBY, 5 Gary MURPHY1, Jennifer TOSSWILL1, Ross J. HARRIS4, Richard MYERS1, Nigel 6 FIELD2, Valerie DELPECH2,3, Patricia A. CANE1,3, O. Noel GILL2,3 and Jean L. 7 MBISA1,3*. 8 1Virus Reference Department, National Infection Service, Public Health England, UK. 9 2HIV and STI Department, National Infection Service, Public Health England, UK. 10 National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in 11 Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, University College London, UK. 12 4Statistics, Modelling and Economics Department, National Infection Service, Public 13 Health England, UK. 14 *Corresponding author 15


In the manufacturing process beam pipes acquire a structure on their inner walls with a roughness depth in the order of typically 0.5 /spl mu/m rms. This surface structure is polarised by the beam and can be interpreted as an artificial dielectric. The thin dielectric layer model shows, that for rough tubes there is exactly one synchronous mode, the so called "rough tube mode" (normally in the THz region), which couples to the beam. The existence of this mode was proven by 2D and 3D simulations. In 2D the surface roughness is represented by irises. For a special kind of such 2D roughness, namely rectangular irises with random width and distance, there exists an easy way to explicitly calculate their equivalent dielectric properties. Equipped with these we calculate the wave number of the rough tube mode and contrast it to the wave number of the thin dielectric layer mode. In doing so, we present for this geometry a consistent mathematical formulation of rough surface wake fields. In 3D simulations the surface roughness is represented by randomly distributed obstacles. We show two simulations with few obstacles. In one case the wake field turns out to be mainly inductive, whereas in the other case we find again the rough tube mode.


We introduce and analyze an age-structured model with staged-progression. The results reveal that the disease-free equilibrium is globally stable if the basic reproductive number R0 < 1, and the disease is uniformly persistent for R0>1. Numerical simulations are performed based on hepatitis C, illustrating the effects of infection age on dynamical process.


Objective: To compare the physical and chemical properties of Hydroxyethyl celluloseabsorbable hemostatic gauze(HEC-AHG) and oxidized regenerated celluloseabsorbable hemostatic gauze(ORC-AHG) and provide support for clinical application. Methods: To test the solubility, dissolution rate, pH, conductivity and the degradation kinetics under cellulase enzyme. Results: The study shows that the solubility and dissolution rate of HEC-AHG(12%~15%, 6.5~7.2 mg·ml~(-1)·min~(-1)) are higher than that of ORC-AHG(0.08%~0.1%, 4×10~(-5)~64×10~(-5) mg·ml~(-1)·min~(-1)). The pH value of HEC-AHG is 6~7, and the conductivity of HEC-AHG is close to pure water(14 μS/cm). While ORC-AHG has the pH value of 2~3 and has higher conductivity(250~450 μS/cm). In the room temperature, the degradation rate of HEC-AHG is higher than that of ORC-AHG decomposed by cellulase enzyme. Conclusion: Compared to ORC-AHG., HEC-AHG has better solubility, dissolution rate, pH and degradation that indicated HEC-AHG's potential hemostatic materials.


In this paper, the author had done the fault analysis in the area of Power Transmission Line using Wavelet Multi-Resolution Technique. Different Realistic fault cases at different locations have been chosen for this fault investigation in the transmission lines. Adequate details and explanations are given for each assumption for more clarity and better understanding. The author with enough MATLAB simulation results explains various assumptions done by many different authors in their work. In this paper, a two terminal transmission line fed by two generators is used for the fault investigation. The author had compared the results obtained with travelling wave method. The author claims that the same technique can be used to determine fault in any multi terminal transmission line, if the voltage and current value at each bus is known, which is now readily available with the help of Phase Measurement.


This paper summarizes recent progress of the H-mode pedestal physics and its implication for ITER achieved in the world pedestal research community. The complex parameter linkages determining the pedestal structure and its dynamics have been identified. The pedestal width is determined by both plasma and neutral transport. The trigger of the type-I ELM has been explained successfully by the peeling-ballooning modes. The improved pedestal diagnostics revealed the evolution of the type I ELM cycle (crash and recovery). The measurements of the ELM crash show poloidal asymmetry of erosion inside the separatrix and helical filament structure expanding into the SOL. This nonlinear explosive evolution of the filaments has been predicted theoretically and reproduced numerically. A variety of small and no-ELM regimes have been reproduced in multiple devices by matching the non-dimensional parameters and the plasma shape, and accessibility to these regimes has been identified and categorized. In both type I and small/no ELM regimes, plasma rotation plays important roles in determining the pedestal width and ELM size and frequency. The modeling capability integrating the core, pedestal and SOL regions has also achieved remarkable progress. Based on these results, the pedestal height required for ITER has been evaluated, the ELMing ITER base line scenario has been simulated, type I ELM mitigation methods have been evaluated for ITER. 1. Introduction The standard and advanced ITER operation modes are envisaged to be based on the H-mode. The H-mode pedestal sets the boundary conditions for the core, SOL and divertor plasmas, and it plays a central role in achieving the desired integrated plasma performance. In particular, predicted fusion gain Q in ITER depends strongly on the pedestal temperature at the operational density. At the same time, the ELM heat load on to the divertor plates should be maintained at a tolerable level. The H-mode pedestal is a complex system determined by both plasma processes and atomic processes in a narrow layer. The pedestal evolves with multiple time scales from the growth time of ideal MHD instabilities to the wall saturation time of particles. The goals of pedestal research are to understand this complex system in order to improve predictive capability for ITER, and to develop control schemes for the pedestal parameters and ELMs. The critical issues [1] for achieving these goals are 1) identification of the processes determining the pedestal structure, 2) understanding and evaluation of the type I ELM trigger and energy losses, 3) …


The European Commission is at present considering the extension of Environmental Assessment ("EA") requirements to policies, plans, and programmes ("PPPs"), or strategic EA ("SEA"). Under the current EA Directive 85/337/ EEC Mem ber States need to perform EA only at the project level. The inclusion of PPPs in the current directive was hotly contested in the debates leading up to its adoption. Although PPPs were finally excluded from the Directive, the Commission has contemplated since the late 1970s that it would eventually be necessary to require SEA. Indeed, the very nature of environmental assessment makes such an extension crucial. Environmental assessment is a comprehensive process which seeks to provide decision-makers with information about the potential environmental consequences of proposed activities, and to ensure that environmental concerns are incorporated into decision. making. It must be emphasised that EA should intertwine with the planning process from beginningto end. Itis nota hurdle to bejumped at a specific point; rather, it is a continuous process which allows decision-makers to weigh environmental issues on a


— In the present-day context of political instability and growing fear of terrorism, renewed scholarly interest in aspects like nationalism, ethnic assertion, religious fundamentalism is clearly discernible. The rising xenophobia of West, especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, is not restricted to the white culture now, but has enormously inspired the jingoistic tendencies across the world. The belligerent nationalism that follows has seized the popular mind finding manifold expressions in forms of popular culture. Movies, music, television series, web series catering to the chauvinist taste of the audience not only has greater prospect of commercial success, but their role in the formation of the 'imagined communities' render them much more socially and politically influential than their counterparts. So far as India is concerned, the perpetual hostility between India and its neighbouring country Pakistan has provided thematic content for many genres of popular culture, particularly Bollywood movies, since Partition. Aditya Dhar's Uri: the Surgical Strike (2019) is such a movie, appealing to the nationalist sentiments of Indian audience of India and overseas, that has ranked fifth among the highest grossing Bollywood films of 2019 with its box office collection of over 49 million USD within seven weeks of its release. The fact that it is the dramatised version of a supposedly true event has evidently contributed to its immense popularity. This paper aims to critically analyze the movie as a cultural artefact and explore how contemporary Bollywood movies play a significant part in inculcating 'nationalism' in Indian audience by naturalizing the imagined commonalities among heterogeneous subjects through the projection of a common identifiable enemy. Reading the cinematic text as a cultural ISA, as Althusser has termed it, this paper is an attempt to decode this politics of nationalism in terms of contemporary Bollywood cinema.


92 Background: The advent of immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) has dramatically altered cancer care. There is increasing clinical evidence to support immunotherapy improving disease-free progression and survivorship. However, there is limited data on how this impacts healthcare in terms of service utilization. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on patients newly diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC at a tertiary referral hospital with a large catchment area in Australia. Data was collected for the years 2013 (pre-immunotherapy) and 2016 (immunotherapy in use) to investigate the impact of immunotherapy on treatment patterns, survivorship and healthcare service utilisation. A total of 62 patients were included in the study with equal numbers in both cohorts. Results: Preliminary analysis indicates that since the introduction of immunotherapy in NSCLC treatment protocols, there has been a trend towards improved survivorship. There was a 19% increase in the number of patients surviving to 12 months in the 2016 cohort compared with 2013 cohort patients. Median survival was 6 months and 8 months for 2013 and 2016 cohorts respectively. There was a significantly greater burden of visits to outpatient clinics and treatment day units in the 2016 cohort. We also found fewer Emergency Department presentations and hospital admissions in the 2016 cohort compared with their 2013 counterparts. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study demonstrates increasing healthcare utilisation in ambulatory cancer services with decreased Emergency presentations and hospital admissions following the introduction of immunotherapy for patients with advanced NSCLC. Although this preliminary study suggested important trends, our sample size was small and these effects need to be confirmed in a larger cohort. [Table: see text]


In Pru Kratium (PKM) highly viscous oil reservoir, the secondary recovery method such as waterflood can adversely affect production due to an unfavorable mobility ratio, resulting in viscous fingering and early water breakthrough. Although polymer flooding which usually mitigates unfavorable mobility ratio, this technique also faces a challenge due to the high salinity formation water which may lead to excessive polymer consumption. To improve recovery, a special polymer injection scheme was designed and the small-scale pilot was initiated.
 After one year of injection, the pilot demonstrated that the polymer improved the sweep efficiency of the flood in both vertical and horizontal directions. Ultimately, the increase in oil recovery factor gain was 2.41%.


There have been a nearly10-year his to ry for the development of IP phone in Chi -na.In the initial stage,manufacturers mainly paid atten tion to basic functions,interoperatabili-ty be tween dif ferent products and system pro-cessing capabili ty.In test,the most focused part is pro tocol flow as well as successful call rate,call drop rate,etc.With the development of IP phone,voice quality becomes an important spec ification.More and more people are focusing on the voice quali ty test of IP phone.The main fac tors that affect voice quality includes delay,jit ter,pack age -loss,signal edge -cut,channel SNR,signal level and the size of voice package.The Golden Voice software from Ameritec can obtain the above specifications through a call flow.


Arc and laser welding procedures are currently used in industrial production and their application covers a very wide field. Each process has its own applications, characterised by the physical heat-transfer processes to the material and the levels of energy reached. On a practical level, the transfer of energy between a laser beam and the material concerned happens because of coherent radiation. A welding arc supplies its energy via an electrical current flowing towards the part to be welded through conductive plasma called an arc column. Laser beams can be used for various techniques, meaning different materials can be welded. One feature of lasers is the ability to control the energy input to the workpiece during high-speed welding. During laser-beam welding this means a relatively narrow area is melted, giving a high ratio between the depth of penetration of the beam and the width of the joint (a deep penetration effect). The ability to fill the gap between the parts is restricted by the small diameter of the beam. Only small fitting tolerances can be allowed, in order to avoid welding faults such as sagging and incomplete fusion of the edges. The use of filler metal is very limited as it leads to a serious reduction in the welding speed with a process which is still delicate. The electrical efficiency of the procedure is generally less than 10%, which is, however, compensated for in many cases by a higher welding speed due to the concentration and control of the heat input. In electric arc welding, the lower energy density leads to lower welding speeds, as the arc has contact with a greater surface area than the laser beam. As a result, the welded joints are wider than for laser welding which means a greater heat input for an identical depth of molten area, and a greater ability to fill the gaps between edges of the workpieces. Using an arc means higher energy efficiency (around 80%) and low investment costs. But because penetration is limited, this type of welding is characterised by a low ratio between the depth of penetration and the width of the joint. However, the main characteristic is still the low welding speed which, combined with high levels of exposure of the welding to heat, limits the possibilities of using the process. The development of high-power sources using highquality laser beams means that over the last few years new possibilities have been made available for methods of production and for combining manufacturing procedures. This also applies to the development of sources of power for welding arcs, giving numerous control possibilities. Even taking these circumstances into account, the most recent developments have not managed to make up for the technological weaknesses of one or other of the procedures, but rather has created synergistic effects by implementing both processes jointly and increasing the number of levels of adaptation of welding techniques. Because of this, the work of two research institutes, ILT (Institut Fraunhofer for Laser Technology, Aachen) and ISF, has recently been dedicated to better understanding these processes, to adapting coupled or combined processes for welding new groups of materials, as well as combining equipment in the laboratory that is suitable for obtaining reproducible results.-


The beneficiability study was conducted because of the poor results of copper and molybdenum separation in actual practice of a low-grade refractory copper-molybdenum mine in Yunnan Province.The tests applied special separation process:copper-molybdenum bulk flotation,regrinding of bulk concentration,and then separation of copper and molybdenum.As a result,we had got better experimental index: copper recovery of 89.94%,copper concentrate grade of 23.04%,molybdenum recovery of 67.23% and molybdenum concentrate grade of 47.24%.


We present a study of emission lines of small hydrocarbons C2H and c-C3H2, and COMs precursors H2CO and CH3OH in order to better understand the possible chemical link between the molecular abundances and UV radiation field in photodissociation regions (PDRs). We study two PDRs around extended and compact H ii regions with G ≤ 50 Habings in the S235 star-forming complex. We find the highest abundances of both hydrocarbons on the edges of molecular clumps, while c-C3H2 is also abundant in the low-density expanding PDR around compact H ii region S235 A. We see the highest methanol column density towards the positions with the UV field G ≈ 20−30 Habings and explain them by reactive desorption from the dust grains. The $N_{\rm C_2H}/N_{\rm CH_3OH}$ ratio is lower by a factor of few or the order of magnitude in comparison with the Horsehead and Orion Bar PDRs. The ratio is similar to the value observed in hot corinos in the Perseus cloud. We conclude that ion-molecular and grain surface chemical routes rule the molecular abundances in the PDRs, and the PDRs inherit molecular abundances from the previous dark stage of molecular cloud evolution in spite of massive stars already emitting in optics.


Data of ram lambs of the breeds German Mutton Merino, German Longwool Merino and Merinolandsheep having passed the performance station-test between 1991 and 1999 were used for variance component and breeding values estimations. Systematic fixed effects of year, season and management and also as covariable age were included in the statistical models. From the variance component estimation could be the following heritability for all breeds calculate: live weight of test start and end 0.28 - 0.52, daily gain 0.46 - 0.50, carcasse conformation 0.49 - 0.52 and fatness 0.44 - 0.58. A very high degree (r p = 0.9) was found between the breeding values estimated with the Index and BLUP-method. For the top 10 of best rams was the correlation of the breeding values 1.0. Rank differences were obtained in the middle area of the toplists.


We compared DNA barcoding to "traditional" taxonomic tools in clarifying relationships in complexes of closely related, putative "species" of Elachistinae moths (Gelechioidea: Elachistidae) occurring in Australia. A 705 bp fragment of the 3'-end of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) was used. This mtDNA fragment did not differentiate between all species-level taxa that could be defined by morphological and/or ecological differences. Different evolutionary rates of COI among closely related lineages were observed. Although our findings are based on the variability of the 3' end of the COI gene and not the 5' end barcode fragment, we are convinced that thorough exploration of traditional morphology and ecology is a prerequisite for exploring insufficiently known taxonomies by the barcode approach. The sole use of COI barcoding, whether considering COI-5' or COI-3' fragment, may fail to recognize closely related species. Our results discourage this approach for delimitation of closely related species, but its use is encouraged as an additional tool for exploring little known taxonomies or as an identification tool for previously thoroughly studied species complexes.


Oil palm trunk is one of the promising biomass materials due to the high volume of unused waste components and increasing worldwide demand to replace conventional wood. This study investigated the feasibility of using ethanol as a drying agent for oil palm trunks with different dimensional surfaces (radial, tangential and longitudinal sections). The radial shrinkage percentage for the outer layer is 1.50% (untreated) and 1.22 % (treated). In comparison, the inner layer of the untreated sample was recorded at 2.54 % shrinkage and the treated sample was at 2.29%. The tangential sample for the inner untreated sample shows 2.60% and the treated sample shows 2.40%. The same pattern of shrinkage was shown for the tangential section on the outer layer as 1.81% and 1.10% of the untreated and treated sample respectively. For the longitudinal surface, the inner layer section of the untreated sample was recorded at 0.39% compared to the treated sample at 0.25%. In comparison, a longitudinal surface section for the outer layer of the untreated sample was recorded at 0.38%, while the treated sample was recorded at 0.33% shrinkage percentage. The effect of ethanol treatment on the shrinkage is significantly different between different sections (P-value: 0.01) and between the outer and inner layers (P-value: 0.02). The result suggested that ethanol treatment could be an option for the oil palm trunk drying process. Dried oil palm trunks can be utilized as a potential substitution for biomass and wood to produce various products.


Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by spontaneous chromosomal instability with predisposition to immunodeficiency and cancer. In order to assess the cellular basis of the compromised immune response of NBS patients, the distribution of functionally distinct lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood was evaluated by means of double‐colour flow cytometry. The study involved the 36 lymphopenic patients with a total lymphocyte count ≤1500 µl (group A) and seven patients (group B) having the absolute lymphocyte count comparable with the age‐matched controls (≥3000 µl). Regardless of the total lymphocyte count the NBS patients showed: (1) profound deficiency of CD4+ and CD3/CD8+ T cell subsets and up to fourfold increase in natural killer (NK) cells, almost lack of naive CD4+ T cells expressing CD45RA isoform, unchanged percentage of naive CD8+ cell subset (CD8/CD45RA+) but bearing the CD8 receptor of low density (CD8low); (2) normal expression of CD45RA isoform in the CD56+ lymphocyte subset, profound decrease in αβ but up to threefold increase in γδ‐T cell‐receptor (TCR)‐positive T cells; (3) shift towards the memory phenotype in both CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte subpopulations expressing CD45RO isoform (over‐expression of CD45RO in terms of both the fluorescence intensity for CD45RO isoform and the number of positive cells); and (4) an increase in fluorescence intensity for the CD45RA isoform in NK cells population. These results indicate either a failure in T cell regeneration in the thymic pathway (deficiency of naive CD4+ cells) and/or more dominant contribution of non‐thymic pathways in lymphocyte renewal reflected by an increase in the population of CD4+ and CD8+ memory cells, γδ‐TCR positive T as well as NK cell subsets.


It often takes much time and effort to synthesize the supervisory controller given an automated manufacturing system (AMS). Any modification may lead to another synthesis procedure from the scratch. This work is motivated by the problem of distributed supervisor synthesis for complex large scale models of real systems. Existing approaches generally require the enumeration of all the states or siphons. Based on them, a centralized supervisor can be synthesized to perform on-line control. In this paper, we provide an on-line and realtime predictive control solution in order to significantly mitigate the computational burden and reduce the supervisor size. Our approach can minimize the communication amount among different processes, tolerate many contingencies like resource failure and improve system performance like throughput. These promote its applicability to many practical large scale systems. The supervisor synthesis procedure can also be adapted to other event-driven systems like warehouse, transportation, and logistics systems, which require a distributed and networked supervisor.


Innovation is a key to the survival and growth of businesses in the present global competitive environment. Yet for many firms it remains a daunting challenge. Government today recognises that it must provide the conditions in which enterprises can flourish, and this includes provision of policies and support measures that help firms bring successful innovations to the market. Some policy measures in this area are longstanding, but the changing environment means that there is a need for constant review and adaptation to meet firms' current and future needs.


Globally, river systems have been extensively modified through alterations in riverscapes and flow regimes, reducing their capacity to absorb geophysical and environmental changes. In western North America and elsewhere, alterations in natural flow regimes and swimways through dams, levees, and floodplain development, work in concert with fire regime, forest management practices, as well as agriculture and urban development, to change recovery trajectories of river systems. Hydroregime scenarios for coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792), were investigated in Washington and Oregon, USA, where long‐term records of discharge, water temperature, and upstream fish passage are available. This novel approach combines hydrological and ecological data in a single visualization, providing empirical foundations for understanding upstream behavioural movement and tolerances of native fishes. The timing of coho salmon movement with respect to temperature and discharge were compared with scenarios representing possible future hydrological conditions associated with a changing climate. This approach provides a framework for the study of future hydrological alterations in other locations, and can inform local and regional conservation planning, particularly in view of water management policy. Management implications and recommendations for action that may expand the capacity of riverscapes to absorb perturbations are discussed.


A reliable instrumental method for assessing the effectiveness of the effect of drug therapy on the clinical course of myocardial infarction is precordial mapping (precordial electropolycardiography) in 35 chest leads.


The rapid growth in web technologies illustrates how global attitudes to paper are changing. The world of radiotherapy is responding to this by steadily replacing paper-based systems with digital equivalents. In this time when the world is swapping thousands of years of dependence on ink and paper for pixels and screens, representing professional development in a large file of paper may soon seem incongruous. This paper aims to introduce the concept of a "virtual portfolio" along with the rationale for using it. In the context of radiotherapy professional practice, the virtual portfolio's function mirrors that of a conventional portfolio, but uses electronic media to collate and present the evidence. Potential advantages and disadvantages of the virtual portfolio are presented, along with a brief overview of the software tools that can assist with the transition away from paper. Since a portfolio is ultimately a very individual expression of personal and professional development, it is obvious that the virtual portfolio will not be suitable for everyone. It can be seen that electronic media offer some useful tools to the portfolio developer, but ultimately it is the content and use of the portfolio rather than the format that is of importance.


Most complex networks evolve through time, yet up till now their analysis has mainly focused on static snapshots of these networks. Our goal is to provide a set of basic tools for the analysis of the dynamics of networks. These tools should be at the same time very general, in order be applicable to all networks, whatever field they are originated from, and yet be relevent, in order to be able to capture meaningful behaviours. We restricted ourselves to the case of growing networks (i.e. networks in which nodes and links appear but are never removed), but our tools can easily be adapted to general dynamic networks. Finally, we have applied our tools to two cases of growing networks, to illustrate their relevence.


Background: Increasing prevalence of thyroid dysfunction has been reported in human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. However, there is insufficient evidence to recommend routine thyroid screening of asymptomatic individuals. Hence, this study was undertaken in an attempt to resolve these issues. Objectives of this non-randomized, cross-sectional, single-center study was to study thyroid function in HIV positive patients at various stages of disease.
Methods: This single-center study was carried out at Al-Ameen Medical College Hospital and Government District Hospital Bijapur, Karnataka, India from December 2020 to December 2022. The final selected study population included newly diagnosed adult and adolescent (17-60 years) HIV+ patients was composed of 100 participants of either gender. Patients were interviewed and enrolled in the study after examining in detail according to the proforma and then by taking their written consent and explaining the purpose of the study. The thyroid hormone assays (S. TSH, FT3 and FT4) were done by chemiluminescence immuno assay (CLIA) using ADVIA Centaur-equipment.
Results: Overall mean age was 36 years (range in years: 17–66 years) and 66 patients (66%) were males. Male: female ratio of 1.94:1 was recorded. In the 50 patients having acquired immuno-deficiency virus (AIDS), FT3 levels ranged from 0.230 to 4.0 picogram/ml with a mean of 2.131+0.9826 picogram/ml. In 50 patients having AIDS, the FT4 levels ranged from 0.30 to 1.90 nanogram/dI with a mean 1.179±0.4484 nanogram/dl.
Conclusions: All forms of thyroid dysfunction were observed.


The Schizophrenia Exome Meta-Analysis (SCHEMA) consortium was formed in 2017 to aggregate and generate exome-sequencing data for the purposes of schizophrenia gene discovery. To expedite the scale-up of this global effort, our analysis incorporates existing sample collections that had been described and analyzed in earlier and current epidemiological and genetic studies of schizophrenia. Table S1 described contributing collections along with the number of samples sequenced, the number of samples retained in the final analysis, and the technological assays used to generate the sequencing data. For each collection, we referred to earlier publications that described the phenotypic ascertainment and analyzed these data for insights related to schizophrenia. In summary, 7,979 schizophrenia cases from four collections (Swedish schizophrenia study, UK10K schizophrenia study, Bulgarian trios study, Taiwanese trios study) had been exome sequenced and described in earlier publications1–4. The remaining 16,269 cases had been previously described in other genetic studies of schizophrenia, primarily through genotyping efforts such as the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium; however, the generation and analysis of their sequencing data are presented here for the first time (Ashkenazi Jewish schizophrenia study, Danish iPSYCH initiative, Genomic Psychiatry Cohort [GPC], Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Consortium (Pritzker NDRC), Mclean Psychosis study, and UK-Ireland collections)5–9. Combined, from these collections, 24,248 schizophrenia cases were included in the SCHEMA main analysis.


Abstract The paper is concerned with subsets I of the residue group Zd in which the difference of any two elements is not relatively prime to d. The class of such subsets is denoted by U(d), the class of sets from U(d) of cardinality r is denoted by U(d, r). The present paper gives formulas for evaluation or estimation of |U(d)| and |U(d, r)|.


The paper studied the the similarity and dissimilarity for stress pattern between Mandarin and dialect, focusing on pitch and duration pattern comparison. We analyzed the distribution, pitch pattern and duration pattern for stressed disyllabic words in Cantonese, Cantonese-spoken Mandarin and Standard Mandarin. For isolated disyllabic words, it was shown that it prefer to be stressed on the preceding word in Standard Mandarin while stressed on the posterior word in Cantonese-spoken Mandarin, and it is more easily to be lengthened in Cantonesespoken Mandarin than in Standard Mandarin. For disyllabic words in an utterance, they both prefer to stressed on the preceding word but it is more easily to be lengthened in Standard Mandarin than in Cantonese-spoken Mandarin. Such results are due to the impaction of Cantonese dialect. At the same time, we investigated the neutral tone realization in Cantonesespoken Mandarin utterance. It was found that 36:6% neutral tones were wrongly realized to others. It is an important reason for the difference of stress pattern in Standard Mandarin and Cantonese-spoken Mandarin. it is necessary to compare acoustic cues according to stress level. It is not enough for determining the similarity and dissimilarity for rhythmic pattern between two dialects or between Mandarin and accent Mandarin according to the basic two stress pattern (stress-unstressed and unstressed-stressed). Index Terms: prosodic word, stress, Cantonese, Mandarin


Beta-phase gallium oxide (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3) is an emerging ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor targeting next generation high power switching and high voltage RF electronics. <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3 possesses a bandgap (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\text{E}}_{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of approximately 4.9 eV and a theoretical critical field strength (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\text{E}}_{c}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of 8 MV/cm. The breakdown field for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3 is 2 - 3 times larger than that of silicon carbide (SiC) or gallium nitride (GaN). The Baliga figure of merit for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3 is at least three times GaN and eight times SiC making it a promising low-loss power switch material. Breakdown voltages of 1.6 kV and 740 V have been achieved for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3 Schottky diodes and MOSFETs respectively. Lateral device electric fields of 3.8 MV/cm have also been demonstrated. Critical to this performance realization are the availability of native <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3 substrates. <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3 single crystals are produced by crystallization from a melt utilizing high growth rate processes such as Czochralski (CZ) or Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) techniques. Through Air Force Research Laboratory support, Northrop-Grumman SYNOPTICS has successfully scaled the growth of unintentionally doped (UID), Mg-doped and Fe-doped <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\beta }}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-Ga2O3 crystals from self-nucleated polycrystalline grains on iridium wire to seeded (010) oriented 50-mm diameter boules. Efforts directed at establishing growth and fabrication processes will be reviewed.


In the paper, the differential equations of the controlled pneumatic actuators as a part of simulator for training drivers of freight vehicles based on 6-DOF Stewart Platform are presented. The sliding-mode control strategy is proposed and studied by simulations. The experimental results for the existing on-off logical control algorithm are given, showing potential advantage of the sliding-mode controller for tracking fast reference signals.


The article deals with the problem of the formation of professional competence of future specialists in economic specialties. The relevance of the presented research lies in the fact that the change of knowledge to competence-based methodological approach in higher education in accordance with global trends determines the need to develop the content of the concept of competence of future specialists in economic specialties. The purpose and objective of the article is to determine the structure of the professional competence of future specialists in economics, as well as the features of the formation of labor protection and legal competence of students of economic specialties as a component of their professional competence. To achieve the intended goal using such general research methods: generalization, comparison, systematization and abstraction. The structure of the professional competence of future specialists in economic specialties is substantiated, which contains the activity and personal components, and is determined by the requirements of employers for the qualifications of employees. The ways of improving the educational process in order to form the labor protection and legal competence of future specialists in economic specialties, as an important component of their professional competence, have been determined. In particular, such as: search and substantiation of theoretical and methodological foundations for the formation of legal and labor protection competence of future specialists-economists; motivation of students of economic specialties to study legal and security disciplines; study and adaptation of positive foreign experience, as well as the development of appropriate methodological support and the like. It was found that further research requires the definition and substantiation of psychological and pedagogical conditions for the implementation of the model of the formation of professional competence of students of economic specialties in vocational training in higher education institutions.


The structure and miscibility of polyimide PBPI-E/PTI-E blends were studied by wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering and dynamic mechanical analysis, where PBPI-E is a biphenyl-dianhydride-based polyimide, and PTI-E is a polyimide from 4,4'-thiodiphthalic anhydride and 4,4'-oxydianiline. The results obtained show that there exists a paracrystalline structure in the blends with high content of PBPI-E, but this does not affect the miscibility of the blends. The blends are miscible over the entire composition range, since only one T(g) was observed for each blend. Meanwhile, the segregation of PTI-E during crystallization of PBPI-E in the blends is interlamellar.


Background Polymyositis (PM) and Dermatomyositis (DM) are a multisystem disease characterised by acute and chronic nonsuppurative inflammation of striated muscle and skin. Objectives Objectives of this study is to describe the clinical profile, course and treatment of 47 cases of PM and DM observed over a period of 26 years. Methods Retrospective review of 47 cases with PM and DM. Results There were 36 women and 11 men with a mean age of 35 years. The classification showed: 21 cases of PM and 16 cases of DM, one case of DM was associated with a malignancy, one case of DM in children and 8 cases of an overlapping syndrome. Muscle weakness and myalgia were constant, non destructive arthritis or arthralgia were observed in 32 cases, calcinosis in 2 patients (1 DM in children and 1 overlapping syndrome with scleroderma). Results of biological tests, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum enzyme determination were abnormal in respectively 29 cases and 46 cases. The electromyogram was generally of a myogenic type with spontaneous activity (39/41). Steroïd therapy is prescribed in all cases and additional immunosuppressive drug (methotrexate, cyclophosphamide) is performed in 15 cases. Conclusion DM and PM are a multisystemic disease with good response to only steroïd therapy associated to immunosuppressive drugs.


It is widely accepted that the variation of ambient temperature has great influence on the battery model parameters and state-of-charge (SOC) estimation, and the accurate SOC estimation is a significant issue for developing the battery management system in electric vehicles. To address this problem, in this paper we propose an enhanced equivalent circuit model (ECM) considering the influence of different ambient temperatures on the open-circuit voltage for a lithium–ion battery. Based on this model, the exponential-function fitting method is adopted to identify the battery parameters according to the test data collected from the experimental platform. And then, the extended Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm is employed to estimate the battery SOC of this battery ECM. The performance of the proposed ECM is verified by using the test profiles of hybrid pulse power characterization (HPPC) and the standard US06 driving cycles (US06) at various ambient temperatures, and by comparing with the common ECM with a second-order resistance capacitor. The simulation and experimental results show that the enhanced battery ECM can improve the battery SOC estimation accuracy under different operating conditions.


Popular opinion suggests that education is the 'silver bullet' to end poverty, famine, and all the worlds' ills. The reality of education for women, however, is not as easily classified as transformative. This paper seeks to illuminate, through historical research and literary analysis, the connections between the charity education of Victorian Britain, a system examined in Jane Eyre, and the missionary education which comprised the majority of the educational systems in the British colonies, including Nigeria and Zimbabwe, the settings of Emecheta and Dangarembga's works.
Beginning with Charlotte Bronte's Victorian classic, Jane Eyre, and moving through time, space and situation to the colonial experience novels of Buchi Emecheta and Tsitsi Dangarembga, we find instead that education, particularly British philanthropic education, from charity schools for children without means in the 18th and 19th century to the mission schools that comprised the basis for British colonial education in Africa, produces women who benefit only in very limited ways. For Charlotte Bronte's title protagonist, as for many of the characters in Jane Eyre, Nervous Conditions, and The Joys of Motherhood, education represents a new life. Bronte, Dangarembga, and Emecheta all offer education as a possible escape for characters within their novels, but the length of and price for that escape differs based on a character's role within a colonial set of identities, whether the character in question is part of the colonizing power or one of its colonial victims.
When taken together, Jane Eyre and these two African experience novels demonstrate that British education is largely ineffectual in granting female characters the kind of freedom that education is supposed to instill. The price of the hybridity necessary to survive in the colonial situation could very well be the complete loss of self, a disintegration of identity, as it is for Nyasha, who is, according to her own analysis of her situation, neither Shona nor British and therefore is no one at all.


Pressurized package for dispensing product from upright or inverted position and having means providing vapor tap effect in either position while preventing premature propellant exhaustion, and valve assembly therefor.


Cells rely intimately on dinucleotide cofactors for metabolism. Various metabolic pathways elicited under certain environmental conditions may shift the redox balance of dinucleotide pools, necessitating mechanisms to restore balance. Bioluminescence in Vibrio species oxides NADH and NADPH, generating NAD+ and NADP+ for metabolism. This study aimed to test if bioluminescence maintains redox homeostasis under conditions of low oxygen and reductive stress. Methods I. Isolation and Identification of Bioluminescent Microbes
 Isolate 167 (Vibrio sp.) was purified on 'Seawater Complete' medium (SWC) at 30 oC from an environmental sample collected from a boat launch site in Woods Hole, MA. 16s rDNA was amplified using universal PCR primers. 16s rDNA amplificons were sequenced and compared to a non-redundant nucleotide database using BLAST. II. Growth of Strains
 Isolated strain 167 was maintained on SWC agar medium at room temperature. The Vibrio fischeri strains ES114 (WT), EVS102, and AMJ2 were obtained from Eric Stabb at the University of Georgia. V. fischeri strains were maintained on SWC agar at room temperature.
 For growth of strains, SWC liquid medium was inoculated from a single colony on agar, and grown overnight at 30 oC. Overnight liquid cultures were used to inoculate SWC medium (1:100), and the dilute cell suspension was aliquoted into multi-well plates for use in OD or luminescence measurements (96or 24-well plates). Mineral oil was applied over liquid in each well to prevent evaporation. Cell suspensions were harvested as needed from wells throughout experiments. III. Optical Density and Luminescence Measurements
 Optical density (OD) and luminescence were measured with a Promega plate reader. OD was measured by absorbance at 600 nm, and luminescence as total light emission with 200 ms integration, or with a 495 BP filter set. Measurements were recorded for 20 hours, at 10 minute resolution. Plates were shaken for 3 seconds prior to measurements with a 2 mm shaking radius. IV. Oxygen Electrode Measurements
 24-well plates were profiled for oxygen concentration as a function of depth. Briefly, a clark-type oxygen microelectode was used to probe the depth of wells containing SWC medium (inoculated or uninoculated) in 300 μm step size for a total depth of 8000 μm. V. NAD(P)(H) Measurements
 NAD+, NADH, NADP+, and NADPH measurements were performed according to the method detailed in Kern, Price-Whelan, and Newman (Springer Science, 2014). Briefly, cells were centrifuged, lysed in 0.2 M HCl or NaOH at 50 oC for 10 minutes, quenched on ice for 5 minutes, neutralized with 0.1 M NaOH or HCl, centrifuged,


Abstract In this study, mixed-mode stress intensity factor (MMSIF) and crack growth analysis in functionally graded materials (FGMs) with discontinuities (crack, inclusion and void) are presented. The extended finite element method (XFEM) based study with the partition of unity method is utilized under thermo-mechanical loadings. The effect of mechanical and thermal loadings acting individually and combined on cracked FGM plate with other discontinuities is carried out. In mechanical loading, uniform tensile, shear, combination (tensile and shear), point, uniformly varying, and exponential loading are considered, whereas in thermal loadings, isothermal and adiabatic loadings are utilized. The objective of this present study is to find the MMSIF and crack growth analysis of FGM plate with discontinuities under different thermo-mechanical loadings, where the interaction study of discontinuities and different thermo-mechanical loadings are investigated. The present problem is modeled in MATLAB (R 2015a) environment and the results of the present model are compared with the results from the literature.


Thin film functional hybrid materials composed of inorganic nanocrystals sequestered within a self-assembled template are important for a diverse range of applications, from sensors to device electronics. The properties of these materials can be "tailored" by control of composition over various length scales; the major processing challenges are associated with understanding and controlling external factors, such as confinement and interfacial interactions, that affect the self-organization process. Spin-cast polystyrene-b-poly(1,1',2,2'-tetrahydroperflurooctyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PFOMA) diblock copolymer films can form a micellar structure, with a PFOMA core (PS corona), and are induced to undergo a transition by annealing in supercritical CO2; consequently, the PS segments form the core with a PFOMA corona. We show that functionalized Au nanocrystals, initially dispersed within the corona (the PS phase) of the micelles, follow the morphological inversion and become sequestered within the core, now compos...


The chain segment structures and the pyrolysis mechanism of the VDF/CTFE(1∶4) copolymer were determined by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry(Py GC/MS).We found a set of suitable condition through experimental selecting,and under above condition very good reproducibility of pyrolysis diagram was gained.The disordered character of the chain segment structure was discussed.The pyrolysis mechanism of the copolymer is determined as depolymerization breaking,and monomers and low polymers are produced during the main chain breaking.


In this article, the feasibility of using artificial neural network (ANN) models for predicting deep body
temperature (DBT) responses of broilers to stressful step changes in ambient temperature was determined. Experiments
were carried out using three different birds exposed to five AT schedules. DBT responses were measured using telemetric
sensors. Various ANN architectures were tested and the Elman-Jordan was determined to be most suitable. A factor
analysis was conducted to determine input variables most appropriate for the prediction. Although relative humidity (RH)
was maintained almost constant, including it as an input to the network led to improved predictions. The ability of the
developed models to predict DBT responses to AT schedules not used in training and/or responses from a bird not used in
training was examined. The models performed reasonably well when predicting responses of a different bird to AT
schedules used in training. The models performed well when predicting responses of a bird used in training to new AT
schedules. However, predictions of the models were less accurate when dealing with a different AT schedule on a different
bird. This latter result is not surprising considering that the network had to adapt to two new conditions with training
based on a limited data set. Using a larger data set with more birds and more AT schedules would likely lead to improved
DBT predictions. Results of this study indicate that neural networks could potentially be used for predicting the impact of
heat stress conditions on bird physiology.


Background Early fluid resuscitation is vital to patients with sepsis. However, the choice of fluid has been a hot topic of discussion. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the use of albumin-containing fluids for resuscitation in patients with sepsis was associated with a decreased mortality rate. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to March 2014. The selection of eligible studies, assessment of methodological quality, and extraction of all relevant data were conducted by two authors independently. Results In total, 15 RCTs were eligible for analysis. After pooling the data, we found there was no significant effect of albumin-containing fluids on mortality in patients with sepsis of any severity (RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.02 and RD: –0.01, 95% CI: –0.03, 0.01). The results were robust to subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses and trial sequential analyses. Conclusion The present meta-analysis did not demonstrate significant advantage of using albumin-containing fluids for resuscitation in patients with sepsis of any severity. Given the cost-effectiveness of using albumin, crystalloids should be the first choice for fluid resuscitation in septic patients.


The current test method of heavy metals in edible alcohol is adopted colorimetric method using hydrogen sulphide saturated solution as colorific agent,this method is toxic,disagreeable odour,contaminated,overlaborated and time expended.A new method was introduced in this paper:the practability of adopting sodium sulphide instead of hydrogen sulphide for colorific agent has been studied and determinated the optium test condition.As compare to the current method,the new method decreases the toxic and contaminant enormoursly,and in addition,has the avantage of simple,rapid and easy to operate.This method is suitable for the test of heavy metals in the quality control of edible alcohol.


are proving to be one of the most innovative aspects of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPRs). For the first time, courts have the power, once proceedings have begun, to take into account pre-action conduct, including failure to comply with a relevant protocol. As Senior Queen's Bench Master Robert Turner aptly put it, 'The court has its tank on [litigants'] front lawns.' Claimant lawyers brought up on 'litigation by ambush' are realising that it is essential to put their main 'cards on the table' pre-action to avoid costs sanctions and judicial criticism if proceedings become necessary. Businesses, insurance companies and healthcare providers, accustomed to waiting for a Writ before investigating all but the most obvious liability winners, are introducing early incident reporting to ensure that they can keep up with the pace set by the claimant and by the court.


Carbon-based materials have many applications in energy storage devices, including batteries and electrochemical capacitors. These materials are sourced from a wide range of raw materials. This project focuses on finding and evaluating electrochemical applications for porous carbon-based materials made from domestic sources. This presentation will focus on our efforts to develop and characterize these porous (at different scales) carbon materials, and on several emerging energy storage applications being investigated at Ohio University. Comparisons with other porous energy storage materials will be made in consideration of process economics and performance.


In the three-dimensional path tracking of an autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV),we consider the external current disturbances and the nonlinear hydrodynamic damping effects of the AUV,and propose a robust neural network control based on Lyapunov stability theory for L-two disturbance attenuation.A neural network controller is designed to compensate for the nonlinear hydrodynamic damping and external currents disturbances,and the estimated error of neural network is eliminated as external disturbances in AUV system by the L-two disturbance attenuation controller.A three-dimensional path tracking simulation is carried out for an experimental AUV.The simulation results show that the designed controller suppresses the influence of time-varying nonlinear hydrodynamic damping to the AUV system,and attenuates the external currents disturbances as well.


In a recent Policy Forum, J. Liu reviewed "China's road to sustainability" (2 April, p. [50][1]). Liu focused on population growth and an increase in the number of households, but he failed to adequately address the most important socioeconomic driver behind environmental degradation in China:


At the "Age of Globalization", a worldwide phenomenon of anti-globalization consequently appears. Anti-globalization reveals people's resentment and assault of the world contradiction as well as the appalling problems. It also shows that there are serious international problems at the "Global Age". It warns us that the prosperity in many countries is only a rosy illusion. Although the economic globalization will bring international benefits of labor division, it will also bring great risk at the same time. However it is not fair to attribute to globalization all economic crisis and all kinds of economic conflicts. It is an undeniable fact that economic globalization is changing the style of human's life and production. China is faced with both chances and challenges at the critical moment of entering WTO. In order not to fall behind, China has to open its door to welcome anything that is favorable to its economic development and at the same time takes an active part in the international competition and cooperation.


Ultrasound imaging is a non-invasive, safe and low-cost technique for medical diagnosis and monitoring. As different tissues have different acoustic characteristics, ultrasound reflects and scatters at the interfaces. A clinical ultrasound device can position and image by extracting Time-of-Flights (TOFs). So presenting TOFs easily extracted is quite necessary. A high quality excitation signal makes the extraction of TOFs easy and accurate. The reflection case and transmission case were compared. Decrement signal and gauss signal were compared also in this paper and research target is a two-dimensional cross-section of human body model. The degree of difficulty of TOFs extraction and decay rates evaluate the signal quality. The ideal TOFs were calculated as a standard and the relative errors of the two signals were compared. Reflection case can indicate interface directly. Results demonstrate complex waveform affects the accuracy of TOFs extraction in decrement pattern.


Photolytic and photocatalytic degradation of phenols in aqueous solution were investigated under the UV irradiation of 254 nm light and VUV irradiation of 254 nm and 185 nm light. The decomposition and mineralization of 4-CP in UV/TiO2 process were both faster than in UV process. VUV irradiation led to the most efficient degradation of 4-CP. The initial concentration of 4-CP had little effect on the decomposition rate in UV and UV/TiO2 processes while in VUV and VUV/TiO2 processes the pseudo first-order rate constants decreased with the increase of the initial concentration. In UV/TiO2 process gas bubbling and liquid circulation could enhance the formation of oxidative species (HO2•) and mass transfer efficiency. The optimal air flow rate and liquid circulation flow rate were 300 mL/min and 1200 mL/min respectively in our reactor. Photocatalytic decomposition and mineralization of 4-CP were highly dependent on the nature of the organic substrate treated. Adding salt into aqueous solution could enhance photocatalytic degradation of phenols but after long operation with aqueous solution containing salt TiO2 catalyst would lose activity.


Author(s): Sizemore, Grant C.; Wallace, George E. | Abstract: The domestic cat is a charismatic and pervasive non-native predator whose population in the United States is an estimated 114-188 million. When permitted to roam outdoors, cats pose serious risks to the health and welfare of wildlife, people, and the cats themselves. Despite overwhelming evidence to support keeping cats indoors, many municipalities continue to endorse the maintenance of cats outdoors through Trap-Neuter-Release at the behest of feral cat advocacy programs and their vocal grassroots supporters. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) Cats Indoors program strives to raise awareness about the negative impacts of outdoor cats, to educate policy makers and the public, and to promote responsible pet ownership. We review the scientific evidence that necessitates keeping cats from roaming outdoors and how ABC's Cats Indoors program is working to protect wildlife, cats, and people.


The mechanisms of homocharge transport in non-polar polymer film electrets with gas-phase modified surface were investigated. A polymer surface was treated with phosphorus trichloride vapors by the technology based on the atomic layer epitaxy method. For the first time it was shown by the direct space charge profiling method that the homocharge transport in non-polar polymer film electrets with a gas-phase modified surface is limited by the rate of surface charge detrapping.


We investigate to what extent two trapped ions can be manipulated coherently when their coupling is mediated by a dipole-dipole interaction. We will show how the resulting level shift induced by this interaction can be used to create entanglement, while the decay of the states remains nearly negligible. This will allow us to implement conditional dynamics (a CNOT gate) and single qubit operations. We propose two different experimental realisations where a large level shift can be achieved and discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of this scheme from the point of view of a practical realization.


The development of grammar instruction and research has begun in the past two decades (Conrad, 2000). Teaching English grammar has been delivered via a traditional method. The present study provides a literature review of how grammar instruction has been influenced by corpus linguistic (CL). The review points out the benefits of implementing corpus-based approach in grammar instruction and some difficulties encountered both teachers and students when applying CL tools. The perceptions of students and teachers towards using CL in grammar instruction was also highlighted. The results of the review showed that corpus-based approach enhanced students grammar knowledge, fostered learning autonomy, and improved students scores in grammar tasks. The review also reported some challenges, such as technical difficulties and glitches, issues in designing corpus-based materials and conducting corpus-centered activities, and increased teachers workload. Overall, the participants in the reviewed studies reported positive perceptions towards using corpus-based approach in grammar instruction. Implementing this approach helps teachers design suitable materials and students gain grammar knowledge. It is suggested that further studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness of corpus-based approach in specific grammatical aspects.


Using a direct spraying test in the laboratory, nine Bt insecticides, a Beauveria bassiana insecticide, two IGRs (methoxyfenozide and chromafenozide), and a synthetic insecticide (pyridalyl) were determined to be harmless and a synthetic insecticide (dinotefuran) was determined to be slightly harmful to second instar Labidura riparia nymphs, which are regarded as an important natural mortality factor against insect pests in various crop fields. The use of these insecticides should be recommended in IPM programs to control cabbage insect pests, since they are regarded as being compatible with the conservation of L. riparia in the field.


Abstract Several issues related to the mode of expression of forecasts of rare events (RSEs) are addressed in this paper. These issues include the correspondence between forecasters' judgments and their forecasts, the problem of overforecasting, and the use of forecasts as a basis for rational decision making. Neither forecasters nor users are well served by current practices, according to which operational forecasts of RSEs are generally expressed in a categorical format. It is argued here that sound scientific and economic reasons exist for expressing forecasts of RSEs in terms of probabilities. Although quantification of uncertainty in forecasts of RSEs–-and the communication of such information to users–-presents some special problems, evidence accumulated from a multitude of operational and experimental probabilistic weather forecasting programs suggests that these problems involve no insurmountable difficulties. Moreover, when a probabilistic format is employed, forecasts of RSEs can correspond to f...


Electrocardiography (ECG) is a form of examination based on printing on millimetric paper the contraction and relaxation phases of the atria and ventricles of the heart, the electrical activity that occurs during the stimulation of the heart and the transmission of the stimulus. For the first diagnosis of diseases such as heart attacks, it is very important to make this preliminary impression and inform the doctor and patient as soon as possible.In this study, any arrhythmia risk can be determined by examining the heart rate and QRS width values calculated by graphing the signal value coming from the electrodes of the Electrocardiography monitor taken for heart rhythm monitoring in hospitals and by detecting the QRS points from the signal data with the Pan Tompkins algorithm and Hilbert Transform method. The image of the ECG graph and the signal analysis results, which are the result of the graphing of the data, can be sent via e-mail. In line with the values obtained in this study, it has been determined that the Pan Tompkins algorithm's signal detection accuracy, sensitivity and accurate prediction ratio gives better results than Hilbert Transform method during the detection of peaks from ECG signals.


The Galactic a While numer-ous models to explain its and dynamical nature intergalactic magnetic fields a misaligned infall of gas the influence of a satellite galaxy a torque from the dark matter halo of the Galaxy [5]), which mechanism is actually at work remains unclear. the unparalleled wealth of astrometric information from the Gaia satellite 7, 8, 9], stellar kinematics in the Galactic disc can be analysed, with the aim of constraining the warp's dynamical nature.


In previous work, the authors' showed that the administration of large doses of regular insulin to rabbits pretreated with cortisone or pituitary growth hormone caused a marked protracted hyperglycemia followed by the expected decline in the blood sugar level. This initial increased glycemia which greatly exceeded that occurring in untreated rabbits was shown to be due to a potentiation by cortisone of the hyper glycemic action of the small amounts of glucagon contained in commercial insulin. It was further shown that with mixtures of glucagon and insulin, the maximal hyperglycemia depended on the glucagon content of the mixture and was independent of its insulin content. These data suggested that the cortisone pretreated rabbit could be utilized for assay of the glucagon content of such glucagon-insulin mixtures. Other workers have reported that glucagon added to insulin does not affect the assay of insulin by either the mouse or rabbit method. However, our experiments indicated that this might not be true for cortisone pretreated animals because of their markedly greater response to glucagon. A study was therefore undertaken to determine whether either the mouse or rabbit insulin assay might be adaptable through cortisone pretreatment of the animals for the assay of glucagon when present in insulin.


Since the earlier edition on the geology of Kinta was written much fresh evidence has been brought to light on the subject of the origin of the clays and boulder-clays and the tin-bearing deposits showing bedding at Gopeng. The effect of this evidence has not been to lessen the objections to the glacial hypothesis put forward by myself, but at the same time it still remains the only explanation that meets the facts in a way that can be called at all satisfactory. It may be that long acquaintance with the subject has made me see difficulties in the way of other explanations where in fact no difficulties exist, and my position regarding the question is somewhat akin to that of a doctor versed in tropical medicine who once informed me that the result of many years study of the etiology of beri-beri was that he felt he could raise fatal objections to any theory that had been proposed. I have not seen sufficient reason as yet, however, to change my views on the subject of these clays and boulder-clays. Certain sections to be noted later militate against a glacial origin, but the evidence of these deposits, including those showing bedding at Gopeng, being older than the granite of the Main Range is stronger than it was before. In the following paragraphs I will attempt to give briefly a statement of the points for and against all possible explanations of the peculiarities observed in these important sources of tin-ore.


The authors consider a number of explicitly soluble models of a massless, non-conformally-coupled scalar quantum field propagating in certain special Robertson-Walker background space-times. Regularisation is effected using covariant point-splitting, and renormalised stress tensors are constructed according to the ansatz, described in a companion paper (ibid., vol.11, p.603 (1978)) based on the DeWitt-Schwinger expansion. The results are all finite, conserved and free of regularisation ambiguities. From these special cases a great deal is deduced about the structure of renormalised stress tensors in more general models in which computation-approximation techniques will be necessary.


PURPOSE: An optical fiber grating, a method for controlling an effective refractive index of the same and an optical fiber device by using the same are provided to obtain the spectrum which the various elements requires by easily controlling the refractive index. CONSTITUTION: An optical fiber grating includes an optical fiber(21), a coil heater(22), a connection part(24), a control unit(25) and a power supply(26). A plurality of gratings is periodically formed on the optical fiber(21). And, the optical fiber grating further includes a temperature controller to independently control the temperature by each section of the grating of the optical fiber(21).


OBJECTIVES
Oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) is caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and is often associated with HIV and other immunosuppressive conditions. It is rare in HIV-negative patients, but has been reported in patients who use immune-modulating medications (e.g., cyclosporine). The objectives of this study were to determine the occurrence of OHL in HIV-negative patients and report Langerhans cell counts in these lesions.

STUDY DESIGN
A series of 7 new cases of OHL among HIV-negative patients is described. Langerhans cells were counted using an immunoperoxidase stain for CD1a and light microscopy.

RESULTS
The 7 patients were male, ranging in age from 26 to 69 years. Clinically, all lesions were diagnosed as leukoplakia on the lateral border of the tongue. Microscopic examination revealed hyperparakeratosis and candidiasis in some cases, acanthosis and a band-like zone with clearing of cells in the upper spinous layer, which were EBV-positive by in-situ hybridization. There was a significant decrease in Langerhans cell counts in OHL patients.

CONCLUSION
OHL can occur in HIV-negative patients.


vention, when Aeneas realises that it is not just for his own sake, but also for his son's that he must seek Italy. The process is completed by the end of Book 6, when the vision Anchises presents to him makes him realise that the purpose of his journey transcends his immediate family to affect their descendants and all future Romans. F. stresses Anchises' emphasis on mixed ancestry in the Underworld, which is balanced by Evander as an example of a successfully integrated foreigner in Book 8, and which reaches its climax in Book 12 when Jupiter and Juno agree the terms of the reconciliation. Trojans and Latins will become a single Italian nation, and Aeneas' old patria, Troy, will be completely subsumed into his new one, Rome. The transformation of Aeneas' ships into nymphs in Book 10 signals the end of his travels, and concludes the identification of the Trojans with their fleet which runs throughout the poem, often coinciding with the motif of fatigue that characterises the travelling heroes. As F. points out, their wanderings are not unrealistic in the context of ancient travel, especially since the Trojans have no access to navigational aids of any kind (whether maps or travelogues such as periploi and itineraria), nor previous experience. At the same time, these wanderings contribute to the process of developing a new national identity, as they provide the necessary time for it to be understood and embraced. Finally, F. offers a new explanation of the presence of inconsistencies in the directions Aeneas receives through prophecies: they are both to be expected in real travel in the ancient world, and instrumental in conveying the development of Aeneas' knowledge of and feelings for his destination. But prophecies also fulfil a second, equally important role in the poem: they offer a view of Italy which resonates with Virgil's audience – alongside the shifting names of the Roman world, they cast it in a strange and yet familiar light. As Aeneas progressively falls in love with Italy, even before he has caught a glimpse of it, so the readers of the Aeneid are offered an outsider's perspective which enhances their own love for their all-encompassing Roman patria.


Mediation system of the Ancient China is a unique way of settling disputes. It is specifically divided into mediation of neighborhood relatives and friends,patriarchal clan mediation,the township governmental mediation,the proceedings mediation and so on. The reason for the existence of mediation system is the impact of non-disputing thought,the influence of culture and etiquette,limited lawsuit and forbidden litigation,and the existence of judicial own flaw.


This article addresses the problem of the representation of time in computer-assisted sound composition. We try to point out the specific temporal characteristics of sound synthesis processes, in order to propose solutions for a compositional approach using symbolic models and representations.


Beamforming of Ultrasound Signals from 1-D and 2-D Arrays under Challenging Imaging Conditions by Marko Jakovljevic Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University


The administration of 5-Aminolevunlinic acid (5-ALA) in the context of fluorescence-guided surgery is contingent on the highly selective accumulation of PpIX in tumor cells. PpIX is a precursor in the heme pathway that naturally exhibits fluorescent and phototoxic properties upon excitation. We have previously reported evidence of PpIX fluorescence in tumor-specific extracellular vesicles (EVs). Here, we explore the implications of exogenous 5-ALA on cellular function, EV characteristics, and gene expression.

 We have characterized a range of glioblastoma, meningioma, and healthy cell lines (Gli36 EGFRvIII, Gli36 EGFR WT, U87, CH-157, IOMM-Lee, and HBMVEC). At equal confluency, cells were dosed with 0.8 mM 5-ALA or mock dosed. Media was collected and processed to eliminate debris after 24 hours. Analysis of cells and EVs was conducted using Amnis ImageStream (IFC) and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis. EV subpopulations were analyzed with IFC following antibody staining. RNA was extracted using Qiagen exoRNeasy and RNeasy. Libraries were prepared via Qiagen UPX 3' Transcriptome kit and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Data analysis was carried out via GeneGlobe, CLC workbench, and MATLAB.

 Following 5-ALA dosing, all tumor cells and their derived EVs exhibit significant levels of fluorescence. Analysis of EV subpopulations demonstrated a general decrease in tetraspanin-positive EVs following 5-ALA dosing. At 24 hours, Gli36 cell lines exhibited increased EV release post 5-ALA whereas U87 and meningioma lines resulted in a decreased EV release rate. This clustering is also reflected in EV size distributions and in cellular and EV differential gene expression analysis. Gene ontology analysis of common genes from mock and dosed EVs demonstrated high counts of genes controlling biological regulation as well as cellular and metabolic processes.

 Collection and characterization of cancer specific EVs may be advantageous to liquid biopsy development.


This chapter describes the problem of combining multiple partitionings of a set of objects into a single consolidated clustering without accessing the features or algorithms that determine these partitionings – popularly known as the problem of "consensus clustering". We illustrate different algorithms for solving the consensus clustering problem. The notion of dissimilarity between a pair of clustering solutions plays a key role in designing any cluster ensemble algorithm and a summary of such dissimilarity measures is also provided. We also cover recent efforts on combining classifier and clustering ensembles, leading to new approaches for semi-supervised learning and transfer learning. Finally, we describe several applications of consensus clustering.


ABSTRACT:
Frequently we witness in our classrooms various conflicts, generators of quarrels,
disagreements, enmities and verbal or physical aggressions. This is because we are
talking about a space where many individuals and each one with their particularities,
beliefs and different tastes coexist, where many still can not respect the differences
of the other, thus generating what we have as problem that is the lack of interest in
studies And consequently indiscipline.
Faced with this, we need to immediately think of actions that aim to solve this
problem that both harms our pedagogical doing and so also the school learning. It is
a necessity to discuss indiscipline, lack of interest on the part of our students, taking
into account the causes for such problems where much of them are caused by family
cultural influence and others come from classrooms and can become the For future
disagreements in society. We need, as educators and as citizens, to recognize that
our fragility is really there: in human relationships.
Thinking about this problematic that has made it difficult to acquire the knowledge
that is so necessary for the construction of a society that is more enlightened and
aware of its rights and duties, I decided to address this theme, where it has as its
general objective: To analyze the role of the Pedagogical Coordinator in face of the
challenge of Overcoming indiscipline of students.
During the accomplishment of this work it was necessary several studies and studies
related to the subject, among the authors studied were: Celso Vasconcellos, Icami
Tiba, Dermeval Saviani among others, were also read the following documents LDB,
Ordinance CENP No 01/96; LC No 836/97 BRASIL, Political Pedagogical Project of
U.I. Prof. Anna Maria Patello Saldanha. The collection of information about the theme
was carried out through the application of questionnaires to teachers, students and
pedagogical coordinator of said school.
To obtain information about this research, questionnaires for teachers, students and
pedagogical coordinator of the UI Professor Anna Maria Patello Saldanha were
elaborated and applied, where after this application the tabulation of the results was
carried out, where the opinions of the interviewees could be verified In view of the
problem of school indiscipline, what are the obstacles to the learning of the students
of that school, how teachers deal with this problem and what actions pedagogical
coordination with all those involved can do to overcome it .


Jiang Zemin put forward the ideology of "managing state affairs by ethics", pointing out that managing state affairs within the framework of law should be combined with managing state affairs by ethics. Then what position does the united front leading by the Communist Party of China stand in managing state affairs by ethics? The writer has expounded the relations between the united front and managing state affairs by ethics from the nature and methodology of the united front.


Snake bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. is a leguminous plant that belongs to Fabaceae family. It is one of the most popular vegetables in many
countries. Snake bean is rich in important nutritional values like vitamins, fiber and minerals. Due to the importance of snake bean, its quality and quantity should be increased. Mass selection is one of the breeding techniques to improve this plant. The objective of the research was to improve the yield by increasing the pod length through mass selection. Seeds from previous generation (third generation) were selected and grown for the fourth generation. From this research, the pods length and yield of snake bean population showed an improvement since the mean of the pod length increased from 50.95cm (third generation) to 51.1 1cm in fourth generation.


This paper is in response to the article entitled "The process of designing for learning: understanding university teachers' design work" (Bennett, Agostinho and Lockyer, 2017). Design constitutes a fundamental part of what teachers do (Goodyear, 2015). However, it has received negligible attention in the research literature. Bennett et al. make a significant contribution to knowledge by identifying and illustrating how university teachers engage in educational design. In particular, the paper identifies key areas for further support and the professional development of university teachers, including in the use of systematic design models and tools. This will help university teachers significantly, especially during the current pandemic has increased the design workload of university teachers as they endeavour to migrate and transtion their teaching online. Our response discusses Bennett, Agostinho and Lockyer (2017) in the context of emergency remote teaching and the wholesale shift to new modalities of blended and online education. We also offer future suggestions arising from our review, including the importance of further international research on the topic.


Railway legislation thoughts had a great influence on the railway legislation and the railway enterprise in Late Qing. Of these thoughts,the proposition about railway management is an important aspect.People then advocated to keep railway in administration's own hands and to set up a specialized and integrated railway administrative organization. They demanded to pay more attention to railway legislation and to administer railway by law .They propsed to carry out railway accounting and to practise railway statistics. They also held to attach importance to railway interior service management. These above thoughts greatly influenced the railway legislation and railway enterprise in Late Qing.


Abstract Background We previously reported T-cell senescence to be similar in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) with suppressed viremia (predominantly men who have sex with men [MSM]) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative otherwise comparable controls but greater than in healthy blood donors. This led us to compare CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell counts and CD4+/CD8+ ratios between HIV-negative MSM and men who only have sex with women (MSW) and relate observed differences in behavioral factors and infectious exposures, including cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Methods In 368 HIV-negative MSM and 72 HIV-negative MSW, T lymphocyte phenotyping was performed 3 times biennially. Baseline CMV serology and sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence and/or STI seroprevalence, sexual, and substance-use behavior data were collected during study visits. Results Men who have sex with men, compared with MSW, had higher CD8+ counts (551 vs 437 cells/mm3, P < .001), similar CD4+ counts (864 vs 880 cells/mm3, P = .5), and lower CD4+/CD8+ ratios (1.84 vs 2.47, P < .001). Differences were most pronounced for MSM with >10 recent sex partners and partly explained by higher CMV seroprevalence in MSM. Conclusions These findings suggest that factors other than HIV may, in both PWH and certain HIV-negative MSM, contribute to a low CD4+/CD8+ ratio. Whether this, like in PWH, contributes to comorbidity risk in HIV-negative MSM requires further study.


Background:
Despite recent decline
in detection rates, leprosy remains endemic in Brazil
and
in others countries around the world. Frequently,
the
disease diagnosis is based only on
clinical aspects, although the bacteriological index in skin smears and histopathological
examination are used to support conclusions. In paucibacillary forms, ba
cilli are rarely
detected, and histopathological examination may not be conclusive. In this study, we analised
the clinics and histopathological aspects of patients suspected of paucibacillary leprosy and
try to
establish the contribution of PCR
to
the clinical management
of these cases.
Methods:
We evaluated 66 patients with single
-
plaque skin lesions who attended the Leprosy Outpatient
Unit of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 2008 and 2011.
Two
independent pathologists who
were blinded to the patients' clinical details performed
pathological reanalysis of slides.
Patients were classified as High (H), Medium (M), and Low
probability (L) for the diagnosis of leprosy or another dermatosis (O). DNA was extracted
from the fragmen
ts of skin biopsies, and the levels of
M. leprae
Ag85B and 16S rDNA were
estimated using qPCR amplification
.
Findings:
The qPCR was positive in 46/66 (69.7%) of
skin samples. Out of 66 patients, 57 (86.3%) received multidrug therapy (MDT) based on
clinical
and histopathological examination. The association between previous treatment and
qPCR results showed that among 19 patients classified as L+O, 2 qPCR
-
positive patients
were not treated, whereas 6 patients with negative qPCR results were treated with MDT
for 6
months.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, qPCR is a useful tool to diagnosis and clinical
management in suspected cases of paucibacilary leprosy in cases with inconclusive
histopathology.


ABSTRACT Introduction: In the 40–50% of advanced melanoma patients with tumors harboring BRAF V600E and V600 K mutations, BRAF inhibitors such as dabrafenib are a highly effective treatment. However, most patients develop resistance after several months on treatment. The addition of a MEK inhibitor, such as trametinib, to BRAF inhibition mitigates one key pathway of resistance, further increasing response rates and improving survival. Areas covered: This article summarizes the mechanism of action of the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib, its evolution through Phase I, II and III clinical trials and discusses its current use in the management of patients with advanced melanoma. Expert opinion: Combination therapy with dabrafenib and trametinib improves response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival when compared to dabrafenib or vemurafenib alone. The addition of trametinib to dabrafenib changes the adverse event profile, making hyperkeratosis and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas less common but side effects such as fever and nausea more common. How dabrafenib/trametinib is best sequenced with other effective treatments such as immune checkpoint blockade remains uncertain.