Background β-Glucans (BGs), a group of complex non-digestible polysaccharides, are considered to have beneficial health effects due to their immune modulatory properties and are considered as dietary supplements. However, the impact of oral administration of high-pure, well-defined BGs on gut inflammation, and the influence of intestinal microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) on the therapeutic effect are largely unknown. Objectives The aim of this study, using a mouse model of chemical induced colitis, was to investigate the impact of oral administration of high-pure yeast BG (YBG) on the susceptibility to colitis, gut immune function, and structure and function of microbiota. Methods To determine the impact of oral administration of YBG on colitis susceptibility, eight week old C57BL/6 (B6) mice were pre-treated with YBG (250 μg/mouse/day) and given dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water (2.5% w/v) and examined for the symptoms and features of colitis. To assess the effect of oral administration of YBG on gut mucosa and microbiota structure and function, and gut immune regulation, we determined the microbiota composition, fecal SCFA levels, and intestinal T cell phenotype and cytokine secretion. The role of gut microbiota in YBG treatment induced modulation of gut inflammation and immune function were determined in B6 mice treated with broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail (1 g/L ampicillin, 0.5 g/L vancomycin, 1 g/L neomycin, and 1 g/L metronidazole) in drinking water. Results Compared to untreated mice, B6 mice that received prolonged pre-treatment with YBG showed diminished severity of different features of DSS-induced colitis including overall loss of body weight (P<0.001), shortening of colon (P=0.016) and histopathology (P=0.01). However, high-pure YBG has no beneficial effect in terms of suppressing colitis severity when consumed only during the disease stage. Compared to untreated controls, YBG pre-treated mice showed higher regulatory T cell (Treg) frequencies (P=0.043) in the gut mucosa, a shift in the abundance of gut microbiota towards polysaccharide-fermenting bacterial phyla Bacteroides (P=0.049) and Verrucomicrobia (Mean±SD: control=13.0±0.33 vs YBG=10.9.7±0.69) and diminished Firmicutes (P<0.001) and Proteobacteria (P<0.001), and significantly higher production of SCFA such as acetic acid (P=0.016), propionic acid (P=0.026) and butyric acid (P=0.013). Depletion of gut microbiota in YBG-fed B6 mice using broad spectrum antibiotics caused not only elimination of YBG treatment associated SCFA production and Treg increase, but also profound aggravation of the pathological features of colitis such as loss of body weight (P<0.01) and colonic inflammation (P=0.04) compared to that of YBG treated control mice. Conclusions Oral consumption of high-pure BG promotes a healthy gut homeostasis and immune regulation, and minimizes susceptibility to DSS induced colitis in B6 mice in a microbiota (and microbial SCFA) - dependent manner. On the contrary, YBG consumption when gut mucosa and microbiota are compromised not only reverses this protection but also increases the susceptibility to gut inflammation and disease severity, perhaps through its direct interaction with gut immune cells. In conclusion, while YBG consumption may be beneficial for gut health and to prevent gut inflammation in healthy individuals and under intact microbiota, this immune stimulatory dietary supplement may not have any health benefits in individuals with active gut inflammation and could cause adverse effect in those who are on oral antibiotics.


A model of pore structure evolution has been developed for gas-solid reactions exhibiting pore closure behavior. A cylindrical pore network of constant coordination number is used to represent the porous medium, and both discrete and continuous distributions of pore size are considered. The mathematical model takes into consideration the effects of pore overlapping and nonuniform pore growth, and follows the formation of inaccessible volume in the interior of the reacting particles by use of percolation theory concepts. The model is applied, along with an appropriate diffusion and reaction model, to the investigation of the transient behavior of calcined limestone particles in an environment of sulfur dioxide.


This study is an experimental investigation to understand the electrical and mechanical properties of 3D-printed Polylactic Acid (PLA). These 3D-printed specimens will be printed layer by layer through the Finite Element Method. Quasistatic and Dynamic compression on the specimens will be tested and measured. Quasistatic compression will be tested using a Shimadzu AG-X, and Dynamic compression will come from the use of a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar. Conductive PLA within each specimen will act as a strain gauge to measure the electrical response. This occurs simultaneously as the mechanical response is being measured. These experiments were performed at the University of Rhode Island in the Dynamic Photomechanics Laboratory (DPML). The results provided numerous data surrounding the electrical and mechanical response of PLA. It was determined that the strain gauge factor of the PLA specimens with a 12.954-mm by 7.874-mm dimension was 0.072 when dealing with quasistatic compression and 0.22 when dealing with dynamic compression.


Conservation of crop germplasm diversity involves the establishment of in situ and ex situ genebanks. The major activities for ex situ genebanks include assembling, conserving, characterizing and providing easy access to germplasm for scientists. More than six million accessions are currently assembled in over 1300 genebanks worldwide. ICRISAT is one of the 15 CGIAR centres, with headquarters at Patancheru, India, and conserves genetic resources of sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, and six small millets. The ICRISAT genebank holds 114,870 accessions from 130 countries, including both archival materials from various organizations throughout the world, and from fresh collections resulting from 213 missions in 62 countries. The ICRISAT genebank supplies annually over 40,000 germplasm samples to scientists worldwide. Sixty-six varieties selected from the basic germplasm have been released for cultivation in 44 countries, and ICRISAT has restored/repatriated crop germplasm to eight countries. The research focus is on germplasm diversity assessment, developing core and mini-core collections, and using a molecular characterization approach to both enhance the utilization of germplasm in research and improve the efficiency of germplasm management. Following these approaches, we have been able to identify a significant number of accessions with traits potentially relevant for crop improvement.


Abstract Melanoma can spread to the bone by metastasis and is relevant to a poor outcome. However, because of the rarity of melanoma patients with bone metastasis, the prognostic postoperative survival factors of them have not been elucidated. The aim of this special population-based cohort was to elucidate the prognostic factors associated with postoperative survival. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was used to extract postoperative survival data relating to patients with melanoma and bone metastasis at diagnosis between 2010 and 2016, along with data on a range of potential postoperative prognostic factors. We then investigated the potential postoperative prognostic roles of these factors using a Cox regression model and the Kaplan-Meier analysis. In all, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database included 186 cases. Regarding overall survival, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates for the entire cohort were 36.2%, 15.4%, and 9.5%, respectively. Regarding cancer-specific survival, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival rates were 42.0%, 23.2%, and 16.6%, respectively. Within a cohort of melanoma patients with bone metastasis after surgery, our analysis showed that a smaller tumor size and the lack of metastases at other sites were predictors of survival.


Abstract This article explores the politics of reconstruction and the competing memorial practices that emerged after a devastating earthquake in western India during 2001. The material is drawn from extensive ethnographic research and analyses of the politics of rehabilitation in the "prememorial era," the period before an official memorial is erected when the gap between the signified (the earthquake) and the signifier (the memorial) is still wide open and meanings and narratives of the disaster are being created, rehearsed, and contested. Many of the reconstruction initiatives undertaken after the disaster are inseparable from the politics of contemporary Hindu nationalism. Consequently, the main sections of the article examine the political nature of memorial practices and ideas about reconstruction in relation to expressions of nationalism and regionalism.


A study to compare the indirect and direct measurements of microbial protein synthesis in Rusitec using stable isotope nitrogen (''N-urea with 95% enrichment) as a tracer have been conducted. Six types of ration containing 16% CP, 24 36% CF, 49 62% NDF and 27 41% ADF with gradual content of non protein nitrogen (NPN) have been put into nylon bag and fed daily to Rusitec fermentor for 15 days observation. Indirect microbial protein synthesis (MPS) estimated MPS from N-turoover of the anunonia pool, while direct method estimated MPS from microbial isolated. The direct measurement of microbial-N in bacterial isolates resulted in higher microbial protein synthesis compared to the indirect method based. The results obtained are compared and discussed in relation to theoretical stoichiometric data of rumen fermentation.


Interaction between pairs of Staphylococcus aureus replication proteins was detected in an Escherichia coli based two-hybrid analysis. A reverse two-hybrid system was constructed for selection of compounds that hindered interaction between interacting protein pairs. A number of cyclic peptides, from a library generated by the split intein-mediated circular ligation of peptides and proteins technology, were found to interfere with dimerization of the β-sliding clamp of the replisome. Two 8-mer peptides were analyzed in more detail. Both inhibited DNA replication, led to SOS induction, altered cell morphology and cell death. The peptides were active when added to bacterial cultures indicating that they could traverse the bacterial membrane to find their intracellular target. Peptide specificity was confirmed by overproduction of the putative target (DnaN) which resulted in resistance. The minimum inhibitory concentration was ∼50 μg/ml for S. aureus cells. These compounds may serve as lead candidates for future development into novel classes of antibiotics as well as provide information on the function of the S. aureus replication process.


The restoration of well-balanced, harmonious facial aesthetics is one of principal aim to be reached with orthodontic treatment. In some cases it is advisable to take into consideration the opportunity of resorting to alternative treatments, integrative or substitutive of orthodontics. In this work, the case presented is that of a young patient, affected by labial incompetence and a profile out of proportion, who underwent an operation for chin augmentation. The required diagnostics and clinical estimates that have supported this surgical indication in alternative to orthodontics are discussed. In conclusion, the postoperative results obtained are presented and the aesthetic and functional advantages attained by the operation are defined.


Abstract Background In October 2015, ACIP recommended that serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine may be administered to persons aged 16–23 years (age 16–18 preferentially) as Category B (individual clinical decision-making), in addition to the Category A recommendation made in June 2015 for at-risk individuals aged ≥10 years. Currently, MenB vaccine coverage among adolescents and young adults (AYAs), including whether disparities exist, is not well-described. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of claims data collected by IQVIA and linked to sociodemographic data collected by Experian to estimate overall and subpopulation-level uptake of MenB vaccine (≥1 dose) among AYAs aged 10–25 years as of May 31, 2017. Results Among 2,501,188 AYAs aged 10–25 years, MenB vaccine uptake was only 1.4% at the end of May 2017. MenB vaccination varied by age, with uptake of 0.2%, 2.5%, 1.6%, and 0.2% among individuals aged 10‒15, 16‒18, 19‒23, and 24‒25 years (P < 0.01), respectively. Lower uptake was observed for non-Hispanic blacks (1.0% vs. 1.4% among non-Hispanic whites, P < 0.01), AYAs in lower income households (1.0% vs. 2.2% among lowest vs. highest income deciles, P < 0.01), and those living in rural (0.6%) or urban/inner-city (0.9%) areas (vs. 1.5% in suburban areas, P < 0.01). The strongest predictors of MenB vaccination were previously receiving quadravalent meningococcal (MenACWY) or human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. These AYAs were 36.1 and 5.1 times more likely to have received MenB vaccine and had MenB uptake of 9.8% and 5.1%, respectively. Conclusion As of May 2017, MenB vaccine uptake among AYAs aged 10‒25 years was low (<2%). Even though absolute differences were small, significant disparities in MenB uptake existed. Uptake was notably higher for AYAs who had received ≥1 dose of MenACWY or HPV vaccine. This suggests MenB vaccination is occurring primarily among AYAs who have received other Category A vaccines, and that conversations between clinicians and patients about MenB vaccination—which are at the heart of a Category B recommendation—are limited outside of this context. Given the real-world inadequacies of a Category B recommendation highlighted by our study, future efforts should improve the AYA vaccination platform to ensure adequate immunization of AYAs, especially in underserved communities. Disclosures F. L. Khan, Pfizer, Inc.: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock and Stock Options. D. L. Swerdlow, Pfizer Inc.: Employee and Shareholder, Salary. L. J. York, Pfizer, Inc.: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock and Stock Options. P. Balmer, Pfizer, Inc.: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock and Stock Options. R. E. Isturiz, Pfizer, Inc.: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock and Stock Options. J. M. McLaughlin, Pfizer, Inc.: Employee and Shareholder, Salary and Stock and Stock Options.


Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components are increasingly being employed in embedded systems due to their high performance at low cost. With emerging reliability requirements, design of these components using traditional hardware redundancy incur large overheads, time-demanding re-design and validation. To reduce the design time with shorter time-to-market requirements, software-only reliable design techniques can provide with an effective and low-cost alternative. This paper presents a novel, architecture-independent software modification tool, SMART (Software Modification Aided transient eRror Tolerance) for effective error detection and tolerance. To detect transient errors in processor data path, control flow and memory at reasonable system overheads, the tool incorporates selective and non-intrusive data duplication and dynamic signature comparison. Also, to mitigate the impact of the detected errors, it facilitates further software modification implementing software-based check-pointing. Due to automatic software based source-to-source modification tailored to a given reliability requirement, the tool requires no re-design effort, hardware- or compiler-level intervention. We evaluate the effectiveness of the tool using a Xentium processor based system as a case study of COTS based systems. Using various benchmark applications with single-event upset (SEUs) based error model, we show that up to 91% of the errors can be detected or masked with reasonable performance, energy and memory footprint overheads.


We conducted a case-control study to assess the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) -634G/C, +936C/T, and +1612G/A genetic variations in the development of osteosarcoma in a Chinese population. This hospital-based case-control study examined 130 patients with osteosarcoma and 130 age- and gender-matched healthy controls from March 2011 and March 2013. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was applied to assess the VEGF -634G/C, +936C/T, and +1612G/A gene polymorphisms. Using conditional regression analysis, individuals carrying the TT genotype of VEGF +936C/T were found to be correlated with an elevated risk of osteosarcoma, with an adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 2.70 (1.02-8.28). In conclusion, our study suggests that the TT genotype of VEGF +936C/T genetic variants is associated with an increased risk of osteosarcoma.


Two-Phase Loops with Capillary Pump (Loop Heat Pipes (LHP) and Capillary Pumped Loops (CPL)) are currently among advanced thermal control technologies for aerospace applications. Large numbers of experimental and operational two-phase loops were successfully tested and used in several spacecraft in the past two decades. Novel technologies such as Advanced CPL-LHP, High Performance CPL, miniature LHPs, inversion (reversible, "Push-Pull") LHPs, ramified, multiple evaporator and condenser LHPs and CPLs, for complex thermal control systems are being proposed. This paper presents a state-of-the-art survey and analysis of these technologies. A classification of Two-Phase Loop with Capillary Pump designs is recommended. Basic principles, operational conditions and characteristics, temperature control and start-up initiation are discussed. The use of thermal control systems based on Two-Phase Loops with Capillary Pump for space applications is reviewed and summarized. The current and future trends of the technology for the aerospace sector are also discussed.


I t is shown that in connection with the globalization of the modern world, conditioned, first of all, by the rates of introduction of information technologies, in development of culture clearly lag of civilization progress appeared from scientific and technical. Civiliza- tion progress submits to other conformities to law, that is related not to dying off all tra- ditional, but with his cultivation. In this connection the problem of harmonization of in- novative and traditional forms of culture needs a study. One of variants of decision of this problem globalization of culture that understands as unity of variety would become plural- ism of cultural forms within the framework of single universal cultural space. Attention is accented on that development of technologies and forming of openness of access to different information allows to avoid temporal outage, that was peculiar to the processes that took place before. It assists creation of informative global society unreserved the scopes of the separate states. Information, knowledge become the major resource of globalization presently. Marked, that the process of globalization, sent to creation of the only, integrated so- ciety, that functions through general informatively-economic networks, is capable to decide many problems, that arise up on the way of development of humanity, and on the whole estimate this process positively. It is underlined that globalization of culture is a process of integration of separate national cultures in an only world culture on the basis of devel- opment of transport vehicles, economic connections and facilities of communication. Globalization of culture in the modern world – it dialectical contradictory process, in that tendencies of integration and differentiation, conflicts and collaboration, universal and particularly does not eliminate each other, but are mutually providing for progress trends. Globalization of culture and her contradiction it is suggested to examine in two measuring: in the scale of society, and also in the scale of the system of societies. Marked , that important for understanding of complication and contradiction of process of globalization of culture there are tendencies in the modern world, directions after that development of global public process comes true: cultural polarization, cultural assimila- tion, cultural hybridization and cultural isolation. Grounded, that the dialogue of cultures historically arises up in the process of communication of representatives of different cul- tures (national and ethnic) or between subcultures within the limits of clearly certain space-temporal continuum. Such co-operation takes place under right culture, what tra- ditional for subjects communications. These norms of culture, as a rule, have symbolic, sign character. In the process of globalization the methods of co-operation of different cultures are various enough. Exactly an analysis of methods of co-operation of cultures in the process of globalization, in opinion of authors of the article, is the most perspective approach, because allows to systematize all possible variants of dialogue of cultures, in- cluding those that were considered before. Draw n conclusion, that globalization of culture in the modern world is a difficult, dialectical contradictory process, in that tendencies of integration and differentiation, conflicts and collaboration, universalization and particularity does not eliminate each other, but are mutually providing for progress trends. Examining the problems of global- ization, it is necessary to remember, that a culture of any society is the difficult system the elements (by subsystems) of that are traditional and innovative cultural forms, subculture of different social associations, groups, religious confessions and others like that. Except the certain lines of unity, between the elements of the social and cultural system, and also betwee n cultures on the whole, there are certain differences that at co-operation of subjects in the process of globalization can acquire the different states: from integration (interpen- etration) to the conflict. I n the process of globalization, objectively there are communications between the representatives of different cultures (national and ethnic) or between subcultures. Research- ers distinguish, as a rule, a few basic methods co-operations of cultures, as a result of that or social and cultural experience of people and concords is enriched, or ethnic cultural contradictions become sharp. Basic among them are: actualization, cultural expansion, cultural diffusion, synthesis of cultures and others.


The Uterus, Stimulated Continually By Hormones, Denuded
Monthly Of Its Endometrial Mucosa, And Inhabited Periodically By
Fetuses Is Subject To A Variety Of Disorders. One Among Them Is Fibroid
(Leiomyoma) Uterus, Which Is The Benign Smooth Muscle Tumour Of The
Uterus And It Is The Most Common Of All Uterine Neoplasms. It Seems That
Myoma Are Dependent On Estrogen For Continued Growth, It Is Possible
That Estrogen Is Also A Factor In Endometrial Changes. Thus One Must
Anticipate The Association Of These Two. So Especially Interesting Is The
Condition Of The Endometrium In Association With Fibroid. It May Show
Little Or No Departure From The Normal And The Histologic Sequence Of
Cyclic Change May Occur Just As It Does In The Ovulatory Cycle Of Non
Myomatous Patients. On The Other Hand In A Considerable Proportion Of
Case One Finds An Association Of The Non Ovulatory Type Of Cycle With
Myoma With Frequently Hyperplasia Of The Endometrium Of More Or Less
Marked Degree. This Dissertation Deals With The Study Of Changes In
Endometrium Associated With Leiomyoma Uterus With Special Reference
To Submucous, Intramural And Subserous Fibroid In All Hysterectomy
Specimens From Govt. RSRM Hospital And Those Are Available In
Department Of Pathology, Stanley Medical College, Chennai For The
Period Of August 2003 To February 2006.


Social Bonding Theory, Model Minority Stereotype, and Differences in Drug Use between Whites and Asians Daniel Jang Director: Dr. Jerry Park, Sociology Although the concept of Asian Americans being "model minorities" has been referenced in relation to racial/ethnic differences in educational and socioeconomic achievement, criminologists have not explored whether the stereotype is relevant to the explanation of differences in delinquency and drug use between Asian and non-Asian adolescents. The model minority stereotype would have us expect Asian American adolescents to be "model" in their family relations and educational attainment in the way that whites are. However, continuing covert marginalization of Asians Americans questions the extent to which these "model" characteristics explain delinquency, such as substance use, between Asians and whites. Applying this to Hirschi's social bonding theory, I hypothesize that bonding variables of attachment, specifically, affection towards and communication with parents, are less likely to explain drug use among Asian American adolescents than the other bonding elements, that is, commitment to school, compared to their white peers. To test these hypotheses, I analyze the first two waves of restricted data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. APPROVED BY DIRECTOR OF HONORS THESIS: ______________________________________________ Dr. Jerry Park, Department of Sociology APPROVED BY THE HONORS PROGRAM: _____________________________________________ Dr. Andrew Wisely, Director DATE:___________________ Social Bonding Theory, Model Minority Stereotype, and Differences in Drug Use between Whites and Asians A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of


In the modern world where people are usually busier than ever, family members are geographically relocated due to globalization of companies and humans are inundated with more information than they can process, ambient communications through mobile media or internet based communication can provide rich social connections to friends and family. People can stay connected to their loving ones that they care about by sharing awareness information in a passive way and even simulate real-world living in virtual worlds. For users who wish to have a persistent existence in a virtual world – to let their friends know about their current activity or to inform their caretakers – new technology is needed. Research that aims to bridge real life and these virtual worlds to simulate virtual living, while challenging and promising, is currently rare. Most existing works focus on the dynamic representation of inanimate and passive objects (e.g., buildings, cars etc.) inside virtual worlds. Only very recently the mapping of real-world activities to virtual worlds has been attempted by processing multiple sensors data along with inference logic for real-world activities. Detecting or inferring human activity using such simple sensor data is often inaccurate and insufficient. Hence, this paper proposes to infer human activity from environmental sound cues and common sense knowledge, which is an inexpensive alternative to other sensors (e.g., accelerometers) based approach. Because of their ubiquity, we believe that mobile phones or handheld devices (HHD) are ideal channels to achieve a seamless integration between the physical and virtual worlds. Therefore, we present the approach of a prototype integrating mobile phone based computing and Second Life by inferring activities from environmental sound cues. To the best of our knowledge, this system pioneers the use of environmental sound based activity recognition in mobile computing to reflect one's real-world activity in virtual worlds.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to determine the mammographic appearance, detection method, and stage of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence in women treated with breast-conserving surgery and whole-breast radiation therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Following institutional review board approval, records of women treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy for DCIS who developed an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence from 1981 to 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. Multiinstitutional database records showed 513 women were treated, of whom 42 (8.2%) developed local recurrence. Study criteria were fulfilled and complete records were available for 32 women. Mean age at initial diagnosis was 49 years (range, 26-73 years).

RESULTS
Of the 32 patients included in our study, 31 (97%) recurrences were mammographically apparent. Twenty-nine (91%) of 32 were diagnosed exclusively by mammography. Mammographic findings at recurrence were calcifications in 24 (75%) of 32, mass in six (19%) of 32, and distortion in one (3%) of 32. The mean time to recurrence was 4.5 years. Twelve (40%) of 30 had the recurrence in a remote quadrant from the original cancer. Recurrences were DCIS in 17 (53%) of 32, DCIS with microinvasion in six (19%) of 32, invasive ductal cancer in three (9%) of 32, invasive lobular cancer in two (6%) of 32, and mixed DCIS and invasive cancer in four (13%) of 32. Six (67%) of nine patients with invasive cancer (excluding microinvasion) had tumors smaller than 1 cm. Ninety-one percent of recurrences were minimal cancers. All recurrences were stage 0 or 1.

CONCLUSION
Mammography successfully detected ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, predominantly as calcifications or masses, after breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy for DCIS in 97% of cases. The recurrences were located at variable distances from the lumpectomy site. Ninety-one percent of recurrences were minimal cancers and all were early stage, connoting excellent prognosis.


Background: Protecting households from risk of impoverishment due to out-of-pocket costs in health care is a major challenge for health systems. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating some health expenditure of inpatient and outpatient care as well as assessing the predictors of catastrophic costs for inpatient care in one of central provinces of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 760 household were selected by multistage sampling method in Markazi province of Iran and interviewed in order to complete a standard questionnaire. Catastrophic costs were evaluated in a scale that varied from 0 (no money for care) to 100 (spending all income and wealth). Patients who were paid over 20% of household financial sources or 40% of month income were regarded as being exposed to catastrophic costs. Negative binomial model with robust estimator logit function was used for prediction of catastrophic costs. Results: Based on data analysis, 42.6% of hospitalized subjects encountered catastrophic costs. Moreover, 11.2% households faced catastrophic cost among all participated households and 39.3% were reported to need inpatient need care. Multivariate regression model showed that age range 40-59 years and being in the lower levels of wealth index were significant predictors of facing catastrophic costs (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Lack of money is the most important cause of un-seeking care. Hospitalizations due to inpatient care needs, household members aged 40-59 years old, especially with chronic diseases and nonrich status of the household were the highest predictors of facing catastrophic costs. Reducing out-of-pocket costs can increase health care utilization.


The demand for miniaturization, increased functionality, better performance and lower cost has forced the electronics industry to shift from traditional packaging techniques to advanced high density packaging technologies. As the packaging density increases, the packaging reliability becomes more essential. In this paper, an accelerated reliability test method to evaluate the packaging reliability of high density packaging integrated circuits (ICs) is presented. Differing from the traditional reliability prediction methods, the technology of FIMV (Force current measure voltage) was applied during the reliability test which allowed the reliability performance of ICs to be assessed in real time. It was found that the voltage changed correspondingly for the different stress changing conditions. So it is validated that the use of FIMV technology as an indicator of degradation of packaging property is effective. The experimental results show that thermal cycling stress can affect the adhesion of the interfaces in plastic packaging ICs. Temperature change during the thermal cycling test and the mismatch between the CTEs of the encapsulant and the adjacent material of plastic packaging ICs can lead to thermo-mechancial stresses that can cause delamination or de-adhesion. Additionally it is found that unwanted Au-Al intermetallic compound may form at the bond interface because of the effect of high temperature. The formation of the unwanted Au-Al intermetallic compound will reduce the bond strength and lead to wire bond lift-off finally. At last future research work in this field is suggested.


We consider the class of SIS epidemic models in which a large population of individuals chooses whether to adopt protection or to remain unprotected as the epidemic evolves. For a susceptible individual, adopting protection reduces the probability of becoming infected but it comes with a cost that is weighed with the instantaneous risk of becoming infected. An infected individual adopting protection transmits a new infection with a smaller probability compared to an unprotected infected individual. We focus on the replicator evolutionary dynamics to model the evolution of protection decisions by susceptible and infected subpopulations. We completely characterize the existence and local stability of the equilibria of the resulting coupled epidemic and replicator dynamics. We further show how the stability of different equilibrium points gets exchanged as certain parameters change. Finally, we investigate the system behavior under timescale separation between the epidemic and the evolutionary dynamics.


We reviewed the clinical records of 37 patients who had been treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy + radical cystectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy. The patients were followed until they died and the survivors have a follow-up of 43 to 68 months. There were 28 deaths: 20 patients died within 24 months following treatment and 6 died after two years. Five patients were not submitted to surgery due to rapid tumor progression while they were receiving cytostatic therapy. Bladder removal was ruled out in 5 patients with important loco-regional spread demonstrated on laparotomy. The bladder was preserved in 12 patients. Eight patients had cRC: 1 died from causes unrelated to the disease; 1 was lost to follow-up at 16 months, with no evidence of bladder cancer or metastasis; 3 developed distant metastasis, and 3 are alive and tumor-free. One pCR died with evidence of metastasis; 1 cRP required radical cystectomy and died from metastasis. Of the patients classified as sRC, 1 subsequently underwent radical cystectomy and is disease-free and the other died from metastasis. Fifteen patients underwent radical cystectomy: 3 are alive and tumor-free, 2 were lost to follow-up and 10 patients died (3 from causes unrelated to the disease and 7 died from the disease). Lymph node invasion was observed in 54%. Metastasis was observed in 57.3% and local recurrence in 17.3%. The preoperative chemotherapy schedule under study did not prolong the metastasis-free period in this group of patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The experimental observations of nonlinear effects of the primary Lamb waves have been reported. Firstly, the brief descriptions have been made for the nonlinear acoustic measurement system developed by Ritec. The detailed considerations for the acoustic experiment system established for observing of the nonlinear effects of the primary Lamb waves have been carried out. Especially, the analysis focuses on the time-domain responses of second harmonics of the primary Lame waves by employing a straightforward model. Based on the existence conditions of strong nonlinearity of the primary Lamb waves, the wedge transducers are designed to generate and detect the primary and secondary waves on the surface of an aluminum sheet. For the different distances between the transmitting and receiving wedge transducers,the amplitudes of the primary waves and the second harmonics on the sheet surface have been measured within a specified frequency range. In the immediate vicinity of the driving frequency,where the primary and the double frequency Lamb waves have the same phase velocities, the quantitative relations of second-harmonic amplitudes with the propagation distance have been analyzed. It is experimentally verified that the second harmonics of the primary Lamb waves do have a cumulative growth effect along with the propagation distance.


This study uses novel data mining methods in order to observe students' personal information space organization strategies in the personal Web space allocated to them on the university servers. The study included 518 users with a personal information space of at least 10 files. Data regarding their personal information space was collected, and a clustering algorithm was applied in order to identify profiles of students' organization strategies. Four clusters were found, refining the classical piling/filing classification: piling, one folder filing, small folders filing and big folder filing. Also, association was found between these profiles and personal information space size. A discussion of these results is provided.


DEAR EDITOR, A 22-year-old white man was evaluated for a mildly pruritic scaly rash of 6 years' duration, which began on his chest and recently spread to the axillae and back. He initially presented to his primary doctor, who provided him with topical steroids without benefit. The eruption never ulcerated. Examination revealed pink annular and polycyclic patches on the chest, axillae and flanks without nodules, tumours or adenopathy. There was very faint scale at the borders of the lesions. A potassium hydroxide stain was negative for dermatophytes. Two biopsies revealed a CD8 predominant epidermotropic infiltrate of atypical lymphocytes with a clonal T-cell receptor rearrangement. Complete staging revealed stage IA disease. The indolent behaviour is consistent with mycosis fungoides with aberrant CD8+ phenotype. Current treatment includes a potent topical corticosteroid and close follow-up.


We demonstrate direct coupling between phonons and diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spins by driving spin transitions with mechanically generated harmonic strain at room temperature. The amplitude of the mechanically driven spin signal varies with the spatial periodicity of the stress standing wave within the diamond substrate, verifying that we drive NV center spins mechanically. These spin-phonon interactions could offer a route to quantum spin control of magnetically forbidden transitions, which would enhance NV-based quantum metrology, grant access to direct transitions between all of the spin-1 quantum states of the NV center, and provide a platform to study spin-phonon interactions at the level of a few interacting spins.


We know that pupil talk is an integral part of the learning process. Previous research has not viewed affective engagement in a music composing task as a vehicle for developing higher order discourse skills. The aim of this study is to evaluate the significance of teacher questioning in encouraging quality dialogue with children during music composing. This paper reports on an empirical study investigating dialogue with young children during an imaginative music composing task. Pairs of children aged 6 and 7 years were audio recorded as they talked to each other and the researcher about the task. The dialogues between the researcher and the pupils highlight the importance of teacher questioning in encouraging young children to engage in evaluative talk and problem solving, through discussion and musical experimentation. Significantly, the findings suggest that young children are able to reflect on the learning process through meta-cognitive thinking. The findings highlight the significance of the role of the teacher in scaffolding and encouraging children's thinking and learning through dialogue, and the importance of talk and evaluation as a part of reflective music composing activities.


Within the last decade much progress has been made in the understanding of renal physiology and disease due to the introduction of electron microscopy, and percutaneous renal biopsy. However, the clinician is still faced with the fact that he is generally unable to cure renal disease, or to effectively stay its progression. One exception is present—acute renal failure. Acute renal failure is a clinical syndrome which is characterized by oliguria-anuria and progressive azotemia with electrolyte imbalance. Diseases such as acute glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, or obstructive uropathies are excluded because the injury to the kidney in acute renal failure is confined chiefly to the tubular cells and the basement membrane. It is true that the aforementioned disease may produce acute renal insufficiency, but the term acute renal failure is reserved for those cases which result from acute tubular damage produced by either nephrotoxic agents or renal ischemia. Acute renal failure is synonymous


Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by continuous mucosal inflammation of the rectum, extending uninterrupted to a variable portion of the colon proximally. However, in some patients with distal colitis, a distinct pattern of skip inflammation (so-called patch) involves the cecum and/or appendiceal orifice, but data on this entity are contradictory, and its significance and prognosis are still debated. We identified 102 adult cases of left-sided UC with a cecal/periappendiceal patch and compared them to 102 controls (left-sided UC only) along clinicopathologic characteristics and disease outcomes. In multivariate analysis, patients with a patch were younger (median age: 31 vs. 41 y; P=0.004) and more likely to have rectosigmoid involvement only (58.8% vs. 28.4%; P<0.001), compared with patients without a patch. During follow-up, patients with a patch were more likely to be eventually diagnosed with Crohn disease (CD) (9.8% vs. 1.0%; P=0.022) and to show proximal extension of inflammation (35.6% vs. 10.0%; P=0.021), but showed no differences in rates of neoplasia, colectomy, or pharmacotherapy escalation. Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed that patients with a biopsy diagnosis of cecal/periappendiceal patch were more likely to show proximal disease extension (P<0.001) and to be diagnosed with CD (P=0.008). In conclusion, cecal/periappendiceal skip inflammation in left-sided UC occurs more often in younger patients and in those with rectosigmoid involvement and is associated with proximal disease extension and, in a small fraction of cases, change of diagnosis to CD. However, it does not portend increased risk of neoplasia, pharmacotherapy escalation, or subsequent colectomy, compared with patients with left-sided UC only.


Minimal-deviation endometrioid adenocarcinoma (MDEA) of the uterine cervix is a rare tumor that may be confused histologically with a number of benign lesions as well as other types of endocervical neoplasia. The histologic and immunohistochemical features of MDEA have been described in case reports and in small series, but correlation of these findings with ultrastructural examination has not been documented. Herein we report a 51-yr-old patient who underwent hysterectomy for menorrhagia and was found to have a clinically unsuspected, stage IB cervical MDEA. The light microscopic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic features of the tumor are described, with the most significant ultrastructural abnormality being the presence of abnormal cilia and ciliogenesis.


In 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to establish a Working Group to draft a treaty on business and human rights. In the aftermath of this resolution, much is being written on what such a treaty would cover. And in light of the very close vote approving the resolution — and the likelihood that few developed countries would ratify the treaty — a question may arise as to whether the effort to draft the treaty would be worth it. To answer this question, this paper examines the International Convention for the Protection of All Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families — which has only been ratified by a small number of states (and primarily by sending countries). This paper first summarizes the history of the efforts to address corporate accountability, and examines the current voluntary and mandatory international standards relevant to the human rights obligations of businesses. The paper then reviews the Convention on Migrant Workers and the Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) Concluding Observations on reports of the States Parties. These reports indicate that states have adopted legislation to both educate their own citizens who might emigrate to other countries as well as to provide some benefits to migrant workers in their own countries. Despite the small number of States Parties to the Convention, this legislation demonstrates what can be done to protect the rights of migrant workers both in sending and receiving countries, and it helps develop best practices to promote their rights. And while the CMW has raised concerns regarding the adequacy of this legislation, the laws have helped to develop the legal standards regarding the definition of migrant workers, and regarding the rights of those in irregular situations. The paper asserts that these benefits will clearly have an effect on the evolution of the law protecting migrant workers and their families. The Convention on Migrant Workers thus provides a good model for the possible benefits of a treaty on human rights, even if such a treaty is not widely ratified. First, the drafting of a binding document has helped develop the law on migrant workers. Second, the treaty has helped to promote and protect the rights of workers from sending states as well as migrants who live in the States Parties. The paper concludes that the drafting of a treaty on business and human rights could have a similar effect. Such a treaty could promote the development of international standards to address the topic at the international level, as well as the development of procedures at the national level. It could also provide a forum for addressing redress at the international level when the domestic procedures are not sufficient.


Historical reality TV, a subgenre of contemporary 'reality' programming, belongs to
the tradition and practice of documentary – this is the assertion of historical reality TV
makers, industry and government financiers, public and education broadcasters. This
belief in historical reality TV's documentary status has also has led to a decided
dissociation with any reference to 'reality TV', thus the adoption of more nebulous
terms like 'living history' or 'hands on history'. The rationale behind claims to
'documentary' practice is founded in the belief that by providing historical
information in an entertaining way, the form educates and illuminates in the
Griersonian tradition. To investigate this claim, this dissertation employs both a visual
and written thesis.
The film, The Making of 'The Colony', provides an audiovisual analysis of the
behind-the-scenes activities of one production company as it made a 'living history'
television series, The Colony (2005). Filmed over a period of six months, the 48-
minute documentary considers the process and principles behind The Colony, offering
an observed and interview based account of 'living history' television in production.
The written component of the thesis identifies the civic nature of the documentary
tradition, the purpose that motivated its practitioners and the integrity which
characterised the form. How this tradition has evolved within the institution of
television will be examined, as well as the forces influencing contemporary factual
programming. Drawing on some theoretical discussions surrounding documentary
film, such as notions of truth, integrity and intent, the written thesis investigates the impact that television has had upon the documentary community of practitioners and
on the nature of the form itself. Specifically, the procedural realities underpinning
historical reality TV production will be examined and in particular, the production of
The Colony.
Taken together, the two components (visual and written) of the case study offer an
examination into how contemporary television transforms conventional ideas of
'documentary'. My findings suggest that as documentary aligns with more ambiguous
and ambivalent forms of 'factual' television programming, the purpose and nature of
this once serious discourse becomes less about illuminating the world in which we
live, and more about diverting from and suppressing that which is real. The most
critical finding reveals that there is an urgent need to better define the documentary
form within the contemporary context of reality programming.
In reflecting upon the process of production in both the behind-the-scenes
documentary and the 'living history' program, this thesis proffers some
recommendations that may assist good documentary practice. These relate back to the
traditional integrity of the documentary form and the public service ethics that have
informed its development. My recommendations support the call for a clearer industry
distinction by which to distinguish civic and commercial practice in documentary
production. Most notably, what needs consideration in commissioning public work
from public funds is the documentarist's intention, their willingness to be transparent
about the production process, and the ultimate 'use value' of the documentary
outcome for the audience as a citizen, not as a consumer.


The world is witnessing series of repeated political, religious conflict and terrorism, particularly worrisome is the acts of terrorism, which is now prevalent across the world. The phenomenon of 9/11/2001 on U.S and the recent attack on June 7, 2005 in London and some other parts of the world revealed the devastation, pains and agony terrorism is creating. The question that comes to mind is that; why is the world becoming unsafe for people to live? Why must we be living in fear as a result of the activities of some people and hegemonic display of some nations? It was as a result of the fear, tension and agony created by terrorism that this paper was conceived. The paper examines the concept of terrorist attack across the world and their effects. The paper also discusses the theories in relation to the causes of terrorism, explains who and who is vulnerable to insurgent terrorism and proffers how terrorism can be stopped through citizenship, moral, civic, religious and peace education JORIND Vol. 4 (2) 2006: pp. 106-112


These two volumes, intended for students and practitioners, are up-to-date and international in content. The textual material (two thirds that of our popular textbooks) is supplemented by many charts, tables, and diagrams and by numerous splendid reproductions of roentgenograms and photographs. The presentations are concise and clear, and have a vividness reflecting the authors' experience as lecturers. Most of the sections, such as those on cardiovascular or digestive diseases, are written by only one of the 29 authors. This contributes to the critical choice of content and to the balance between basic and clinical sciences. The exellent printing, organization, format, and index invite continuous reading or quick reference. The 280-page section on neurology, exemplary in its succinct presentations and supported by 160 excellent diagrams and illustrations, answers the wants of students and clinicians. The newer fields of genetics, hereditary metabolic diseases, and drug-induced syndromes are well presented. The emphasis upon


By choosing an unconventional polarization of the connection phase space in (2 + 1)-gravity on the torus, a modular invariant quantum theory is constructed. Unitary equivalence to the ADM-quantization is shown.


The Limpopo Orogenic Belt is a linear zone of gneisses separating the adjacent granite-greenstone cratons of Rhodesia and the Transvaal. Previous age data suggested that the high-grade gneisses in the belt were formed 2,000 m.y. ago. In this Rb-Sr age study, three whole-rock isochrons and two mineral isochrons were obtained as well as 28 other isotope dilution analyses on minerals and whole rocks from scattered localities. A concordant isochron for the syngenetic Bulai and Singelele granites in the center of the belt yields an age of 2,690 ± 60 m.y. The age dates the formation of these rocks and, in addition to other evidence, indicates that the main folding and metamorphism dates back to 2,700 m.y. The average of 20 biotite and K-feldspar ages, however, confirms a strong thermal event at 2,000 ± 70 m.y. Equilibration of Sr isotopes at 2,000 m.y. in the Limpopo Belt can be related to intrusive and other contemporaneous events in southern Africa and may reflect the widespread "Eburnean" orogenic event in Africa. The formation of the Limpopo gneisses around 2,700 m.y. appears to be related to the widespread "Shamvaian" orogeny which strongly affected the Rhodesian and Transvaal cratons.


Multiple methods of finding the vertices belonging to a planted dense subgraph in a random dense G(n, p) graph have been proposed, with an emphasis on planted cliques. Such methods can identify the planted subgraph in polynomial time, but are all limited to several subgraph structures. Here, we present PYGON, a graph neural network-based algorithm, which is insensitive to the structure of the planted subgraph. This is the first algorithm that uses learning tools for recovering dense subgraphs. We show that PYGON can recover cliques of sizes Θ (√ n), where n is the size of the background graph, comparable with the state of the art. We also show that the same algorithm can recover multiple other planted subgraphs of size Θ (√ n), in both directed and undirected graphs. We suggest a conjecture that no polynomial time PAC-learning algorithm can detect planted dense subgraphs with size smaller than O ( √ n), even if in principle one could find dense subgraphs of logarithmic size.


The spin-polarized transport properties of a high-spin-state spin-crossover molecular junction with zigzag-edge graphene nanoribbon electrodes have been studied using density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's-function formalism. The molecular junction presents integrated spintronic functionalities such as negative differential resistance behavior, spin filter and the spin rectifying effect, associated with the giant magnetoresistance effect by tuning the external magnetic field. Furthermore, the transport properties are almost unaffected by the electrode temperature. The microscopic mechanism of these functionalities is discussed. These results represent a step toward multifunctional molecular spintronic devices on the level of the individual spin-crossover molecule.


Toddler growth disorders with indicators of relatively short heights are usually called stunting. This study aims to determine factors related to stunting in toddlers aged 24-59 months in Tambakbaya Village, Cibadak Public Health Center. A case-control method was used for this research. The population in this study were all mothers who had toddlers aged 24-59 months in Tambakbaya Village. The sample used was 44 mothers, where the case and control groups had a ratio of 1:1. The Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Statistical analysis found no association between maternal nutrition during pregnancy and child growth (height/weight) at 24–59 months (p = 0.472), birth weight (p = 0.488), birth length (p = 0.698), vaccination status (p = 0.412), growth (height/weight) at 24–59 months (p = 0.698). However, this study showed a potential risk of stunting as shown by the odds ratio (OR) value. This result was due to the high awareness of participation in the Integrated Health Center every month, which can detect stunting cases easily and quickly. This condition affects health workers' immediate action to prevent and address the issues by providing additional nutrition. Maternal nutrition needs to be considered through monitoring the mother's nutritional status during pregnancy through ANC and monitoring and improving child nutrition after birth, namely the first 1000 days of life.
Keywords: birth length, birth weight stunting, immunization, nutrition


The mechanism of exon skipping induced by nonsense mutations has not been well elucidated. We now report results of in vitro splicing studies which disclosed that a particular example of exon skipping is due to disruption of a splicing enhancer sequence located within the exon. A nonsense mutation (E1211X) due to a G to T transversion at the 28th nucleotide of exon 27 (G3839T) was identified in the dystrophin gene of a Japanese Becker muscular dystrophy case. Partial skipping of the exon resulted in the production of truncated dystrophin mRNA, although the consensus sequences for splicing at both ends of exon 27 were unaltered. To determine how E1211X induced exon 27 skipping, the splicing enhancer activity of purine-rich region within exon 27 was examined in an in vitro splicing system using chimeric doublesex gene pre-mRNA. The mutant sequence containing G3839T abolished splicing enhancer activity of the wild-type purine-rich sequence for the upstream intron in this chimeric pre-mRNA. An artificial polypurine oligonucleotide mimicking the purine-rich sequence of exon 27 also showed enhancer activity that was suppressed by the introduction of a T nucleotide. Furthermore, the splicing enhancer activity was more markedly inhibited when a nonsense codon was created by the inserted T residue. This is the first evidence that partial skipping of an exon harboring a nonsense mutation is due to disruption of a splicing enhancer sequence.


MacPhail is a name carried by four generations of baseball executives. As a member of one of the "first families" of baseball, Lee MacPhail here offers the reader a rare look at the inner sanctum of this popular game. Spanning a life-long involvement with the sport, MacPhail's autobiography takes us from the days when baseball was a laid-back gentleman's game, to the big-bucks entertainment industry that it is today.


Previous quantitative studies dealing with the origin of foreland basins have focused primarily either on the rheological basis of the lithosphere mechanical response or on the relationship between orogenic loading and sediment geometry. To link the evolution of the Guadalquivir foreland basin (South Iberia) with the thermomechanical stratification of the Iberian lithosphere, we combine quantitative approaches to deep and shallow processes: thrust loading, lithospheric flexure, thickness changes of the crust and the lithospheric mantle, and surface mass transport. A planform flexural analysis of the present‐day load distribution shows that basement subsidence is related not only to upper crustal thrusting but also to a deep‐seated additional load. On the basis of the observed gravity and geoid fields, we propose this additional load to be related to a lithospheric mantle thickening larger than the coeval crustal thickening. Further modeling of the evolution of a basin cross section reveals that the architecture of the sedimentary basin is additionally related to the lithosphere rheological response. The quantitative study of the evolution of basement faulting and the forebulge uplift of Sierra Morena leads us to conclude that viscous stress relaxation and/or plastic yielding within the lithosphere are key processes to explain the flexural evolution of the basin.


This paper presents a new class of Lyapunov functional to effectively analyze systems with hysteresis, which is a class of linear hybrid systems where the switching logic can be expressed as affine equalities of the continuous state. This class extends an existing piecewise quadratic Lyapunov functional in a way that the proposed Lyapunov function is an explicit function of the switching logic as well as the continuous state. Conservatism is thereby reduced in the new analysis approach using these Lyapunov functions because the analysis uses a more general class of Lyapunov functions than the previously published Popov/Yakubovich and piecewise quadratic Lyapunov functions. Furthermore, the derived analysis conditions can be cast as a semi-definite program (SDP), which can be efficiently solved using widely available software. Included are examples to show the effectiveness of this class of Lyapunov functional in analyzing relay control systems.


PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway has been validated as an effective targeting pathway for cancer therapy. However, no PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor has been approved by FDA yet. Therefore, it is still essential to discover a candidate with good efficacy and low toxicity. In our design, a series of imidazo[1,2-a] pyridine derivatives had been synthesized and subjected to activity assessment in vitro and in vivo. 15a was proved to be a potent PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor with excellent kinase selectivity, modest plasma clearance and acceptable oral bioavailability. Besides, 15a displayed significant inhibition of tumor growth in HCT116 and HT-29 xenografts without obvious effect on body weight.


Otolaryngology: A Surgical Notebook is a new publication edited by K. J. Lee and Elizabeth H. Toh. This is their first time as editors and authors. The editors present a broad range of commonly occurring surgical themes in 41 separate chapters. This "notebook" is a novel approach to a condensed textbook in which the editors present a precise and detailed technical manual for use as a quick reference. This text exceeds what is expected in a classic handbook yet is briefer than a reference work. Drs. Lee and Toh have authored many of the chapters. Where they believed others' opinions would be more constructive, they included contributions from well-known and widely respected authors. This method allows them to address the diverse nature of the commonly encountered surgical procedures by a practicing otolaryngologist. The chapters are presented in condensed form: a surgical procedure that is discussed from diagnosis to surgical technique to postoperative care. This method of presentation is succinct but not abbreviated. When the discussion of the technical aspects of a specific surgical procedure is insufficient for a thorough consideration of the issue, the editors provide additional information in a rigorous and detailed discussion of the disease state. This affords the reader a brief, but a wellbalanced, and concise summary of the disease state, diagnosis and surgical treatment. The chapters are presented in a concise and wellconsidered fashion. The technical elements of the surgical procedure, its planning, the review of the anatomy, and the steps in the actual surgical operation are unambiguous and lucid. The information is current, practical, and relevant. There is no consistent style to the illustrations because of the varied authorship. The graphic material consists of a mix of new work and reproductions from previously published textbook and manuals. I did not find this to be objectionable but rather reflects the diverse nature of the contributors. This "notebook" does not represent itself as a comprehensive, definitive, or fundamental textbook given to the scholarly study of a single subject or an encyclopedic coverage of otolaryngology. By intention, the book serves as a pocket guide, or digest, of a body of knowledge. If, as a resident, one were to have the time or foresight to distill each operation or every operating room experience into a notebook for future reference, one may have approximated this work. The coverage of the technical issues is to the point and complete. The editors have also successfully achieved a wonderful blend of diverse instructional styles. I would highly recommend this notebook to residents because it will provide them with immediate and helpful information. Medical students, in preparation for rotation to the otolaryngology service, should consider this text a must have. This text should also be a consideration for mid-level providers, both nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as a reference in discussions with patients and families prior to a surgical experience. This text would also be a welcome addition for the primary care provider as a reference for the understanding of a specific procedure. Finally, I recommend this text for the experienced practitioner's collection, where it will serve as a rapid reference for infrequently performed procedures.


Proteases can play essential roles in severe human pathology, ranging from degenerative and inflammatory illnesses to infectious diseases, with some, such as Taspase1, involved in growth and progression of tumors at primary and metastatic sites. Taspase1 is a N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn)-hydrolase overexpressed in primary human cancers, coordinating cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Loss of Taspase1 activity disrupts proliferation of human cancer cells in vitro and in mouse xenograft models of glioblastoma, thus this protein has the potential to become a novel anticancer drug target. It belongs to the family of Ntn-hydrolases, a unique family of proteins synthesized as enzymatically inactive proenzymes that become activated upon cleavage of the peptide bond on the N-terminal side of a threonine residue, which then becomes the catalytic site nucleophile. The activation process simultaneously changes the conformation of a long domain at the C-terminus of the alpha-subunit for which no full-length structural information exists and its function is poorly understood. Here we present a novel cloning strategy to generate a fully active, circularly permuted form of Taspase1 to determine the crystallographic structure of catalytically active human Taspase1 to 3.04Å. We discovered that this region forms a long helical domain and is indispensable for the catalytic activity of Taspase1. Together, our study highlights the importance of this element for the enzymatic activity of Ntn-hydrolases and suggests that this long domain could be a novel target for the design of inhibitors with the potential to be developed into anticancer therapeutics.


Ground water hydrochemical study in Yusufiyah depends upon (25) wells where major cations and anions were obtained as well as trace elements. The hydrochemical properties include the study of (pH, EC, TDS, and TH). The groundwater of the study area is odorless and colorless except the wells (13 and 16) with a salty taste due to the elevated (TDS) concentration in it, where the wells depth ranges between 7-20 meters. Depth of water in these wells was about 25-35 meters above sea level. Groundwater generally flows from east to west and from north east to south west. The resource of groundwater depends upon surface water. Physical specifications are measured in the water samples included temperature, color, taste, odor, pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS). The chemical specifications included major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+) and major anions (NO3, SO42- ,Cl-, and HCO3-) in addition to the trace elements (Fe, Ni, Co, Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn). The groundwater in the study area is polluted with some heavy elements like (Fe, Ni, Cd and Pb) because their concentrations are higher than the permissible limits according to WHO (2007) and IQS (2009).


For any discipline with a practice component, value priorities are a reflection of choices on what it means to be a member of the discipline. For the recipients of professional nursing services, values reflect owning individual priorities for what is most important in living health and quality of life. In the context of global healthcare, priority has been afforded to disciplinary practices whose values are consistent with those of normative, empirical science. This column begins a discussion of what values guide and ought to guide the discipline and practice of nursing from a nursing theoretical perspective.


One of the objectives of the undergraduate physics curriculum is for students to become aware of the connections between the fundamental principles of classical physics and their personal experience. Nonetheless, numerous studies have shown that students' awareness of such connections tends to deteriorate, sometimes substantially, following instruction. In this work, which constitutes the first analysis of the effects of contemplative practices on the learning experience in undergraduate physics courses, we present two practices aimed at integrating formal theory with students' personal, embodied experience: a sensory meditation and a contemplative videography. In written reflections on their experiences with the practices, the students expressed suddenly becoming aware of countless manifestations of formal physics principles in their surroundings, in an important step toward establishing firm connections between the abstract and the experiential. Furthermore, the students reported experiencing a sense of physical embodiment, heightened sensory awareness, somatic relaxation, and mental stillness, in significant contrast to their typical experience. Students also described experiencing insight about the essential role of observation in the scientific endeavor, a reawakened sense of curiosity, an intrinsic motivation to understand the observed physical phenomena, and a deepened awareness of their cognitive and emotional processes.


The article analyzes the views of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and M. Voloshin on the phenomenon of the Russian Revolution. Both authors see the triumph of atheism over religious and ethical foundations. It also deals with publicist works of Voloshin and Dostoevsky, showing not only the similarity of their moral philosophy, but also the continuity between the ideological and aesthetic programs of both thinkers. The article also describes the views of Dostoyevsky and M. Voloshin on the role of philosophy of nihilism in the formation of anarchist doctrines. It demonstrates the conviction of the great thinkers that revolutionary ideas could be defeated only with humanistic thinking, based on the strengthening of moral principles. It also cites the authors for the primarily peaceful and constructive nature of Russian nation.


Using density matrix renormalization group calculations, ground state properties of the spin–1 Heisenberg chain with exchange and quadratic single-ion anisotropies in an external field are studied, for special choices of the two kinds of anisotropies. In particular, the phase diagram includes antiferromagnetic, spin-liquid (or spin-flop), IS2, and supersolid (or biconical) phases. Especially, new features of the spin-liquid and supersolid phases are discussed. Properties of the quantum chains are compared to those of corresponding classical spin chains.


The coverage of  the disease based on the environment  among school children in Indonesia is still high, especially  the case of diarrhea. In Indonesia, the children suffering from diarrhea for more than 12 times per year, and this case causes 15-34% of death. The diarrhea incident of the students at Sukorejo elementary school was very high. It was supported by the data that shown 100% students of this school got diarrhea latest month. The aims of this research describe factors that influence to diarrhea incident on school age children in Sukorejo elementary school Blitar.The design used in this study was descriptive design. The population were all of the students in Sukorejo elementary school Blitar. Samples were gathered by using stratified sampling method consisted of 51 respondents of students, 51 respondents of parents and 10 respondents of teachers. The instrument of this study was arranged by researcher that base on Trias Epidemiology theory. Respondents were given several questions about factors were caused diarrhea consisted of close ended question and open ended question. The data that obtained was tabulated by frequency distribution and content analysis.The results showed that agent factors especially nutrition status of children 53% is very thin. Environment factors especially stool and waste disposal 45% are less than the standard. Host factors for hand washing 47% is enough and unhealthy snacking habit 75% is enough too.It can be concluded, the major contribution factors are agent factor (nutrition status) and environment factor (disposal of feces and disposal of wastewater).  The school and health care center should give health education about repairment of the disposal of feces and disposal of wastewater and also give health education about the effort to increase nutrition status of children.


Adenine base editors (ABEs) can correct gene mutations without creating double-strand breaks. However, in recent reports, these editors showed guide-independent RNA off-target activities. This work describes our development of a delivery method to minimize ABEs' RNA off-target activity. After discovering a RNA off-target hot spot for sensitive detection of RNA off-target activities, we found that delivering ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) by electroporation generated undetectable non-specific RNA editing, but on-target base editing activity was also relatively low. We then explored a lentivirus capsid-based delivery strategy to deliver ABE. We used aptamer/aptamer-binding protein (ABP) interactions to package ABE RNPs into lentiviral capsids. Capsid RNPs were delivered to human cells for highly efficient guided base editing. Importantly, RNA off-target activities from the capsid RNPs were undetectable. Our new lentiviral capsid-based ABE RNP delivery method with minimal RNA off-target activities makes ABE one step closer to possible therapeutic applications.


Tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce apoptosis in cancer cells while sparing normal cells, thereby leading to the development of TRAIL receptor agonists for cancer treatment. However, these agonist‐based therapeutics exhibit little clinical benefits due to the lack of biomarkers to predict whether patients are responsive to the treatment, as well as determine the resistance of cancer cells to TRAIL‐based agonists. Our previous study has demonstrated that ISG12a enhances TRAIL‐induced apoptosis and might serve as a biomarker to predict the TRAIL response. The downstream mechanism by which ISG12a augments TRAIL‐induced apoptosis remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that ISG12a was localized in the mitochondria and nucleus and augmented TRAIL‐induced apoptosis through intrinsic apoptotic pathway. In addition, ISG12a interacted with NR4A1 and promoted its nuclear‐to‐cytoplasm translocation. Upon translocate to cytoplasm, NR4A1 targeted mitochondria and induced Bcl2 conformational change, thereby exposing its BH3 domain. Moreover, TRAIL treatment can induce NR4A1 expression through the activation of NF‐κB in TRAIL‐resistant Huh7 hepatoma cells. Knockdown of NR4A1 could overcome TRAIL resistance. However, in TRAIL‐sensitive LH86 liver cancer cells, TRAIL activated the Jun N‐terminal kinases signalling pathway. Overall, these results showed that both ISG12a and its interaction partner NR4A1 are involved in TRAIL‐mediated apoptosis in hepatoma cells.


When developers commit software changes to a version control system, they often commit unrelated changes in a single transaction—simply because, while, say, fixing a bug in module A, they also came across a typo in module B, and updated a deprecated call in module C. When analyzing such archives later, the changes to A, B, and C are treated as being falsely related. In an evaluation of five Java projects, we found up to 15% of all fixes to consist of multiple unrelated changes, compromising the resulting analyses through noise and bias. We present the first approach to untangle such combined changes after the fact. By taking into account data dependencies, distance measures, change couplings, test impact couplings, and distances in call graphs, our approach is able to untangle tangled changes with a mean success rate of 63–75%. Our recommendation is that such untangling be considered as a mandatory step in mining software archives. Keywords-bias; mining software repositories; software change analysis; untangling changes;


The sexual and mate selection in guppies, Poecilia reticulata , are highly studied through numerous investigations to help scientist understand, "the ecological, evolutionary, physiological, and behavioral factors that shape the mating systems, strategies, and mate choices associated with fishes," (French, 2017). We are interested in investigating the different sizes of female guppies and seeing if a larger depth female effects male mating behaviors. During the experiment, we used 3D printed female guppies, Poecilia reticulata, and the CS3F computer system to analyze and record the mating behaviors displayed in each trial. Our results show that the male Poecilia reticulata showed more mating behaviors towards Figure 1, female fish model 115014


Value-informed pricing strategy, which focuses on determining the price level of products based on consumer value perception, is especially suitable to be applied in digital products rather than industrial ones. By carrying out 65 in-depth interviews with people involved in the Chinese Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) industry, this article explores the process through which a value-informed pricing strategy is applied to determine the price level of virtual in-game accessories—exploring pricing preference through interacting with game players, swaying pricing alternatives through managing the competitive environment, and manipulating value perception through shaping the virtual marketplace. Furthermore, this article constructs a theoretical framework of value-informed pricing, including the above process, and deciphers the linkage mechanism between different segments. The findings not only enrich the theory of value-informed pricing under the application context of virtual digital products but also have implications for the practitioners in the MMORPG industry.


Based on a large dataset of gold ETFs, we find arbitrage opportunities in the gold ETF market which can be exploited by high-frequency traders. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to study pairs trading of gold ETFs using tick data. Able to execute their orders with minimal delay and take advantage of potentially short-lived opportunities, high-frequency traders can make an excess return of 2.1% p.a. after including transaction costs. Consistent with Grossman and Stiglitz (1976) and Grossman and Stiglitz (1980), this profitability may be compensation for arbitrage efforts and incentivise arbitrageurs to eliminate mispricing. We also explain why the trade exit rule of full convergence used in previous studies may not be optimal and propose a rule based on partial convergence which outperforms the standard full-convergence rule. Specifically, changing the exit rule from full convergence to partial convergence can increase pairs trading returns to 3.38% p.a. and also enhance the risk-adjusted performance based on different risk adjustment methods. More importantly, the outperformance of partial convergence is consistent in both the whole sample and the sub-samples with the optimal convergence target being around 40%. Therefore, partial convergence enables better exploitation of arbitrage opportunities than full convergence. Finally, the pairs trading returns exceed compensation for risks, which suggests that the gold ETF market may be inefficient at ultra-high frequency.


Difficulties in emotional expression and emotion regulation are core features of many personality disorders (PDs); yet, we know relatively little about how individuals with PDs affectively respond to stressful situations. The present study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining how PD traits are associated with emotional responses to subjective daily stressors, while accounting for cognition and type of stressor experienced (interpersonal vs. noninterpersonal). PD features were measured with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-2 (SNAP-2) diagnostic scores. Participants (N = 77) completed a 1-week experience sampling procedure that measured affect and cognition related to a current stressor 5 times per day. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to examine whether and how baseline PD features, momentary cognitions, and type of stressor predicted level of affect. Results demonstrated that paranoid, borderline, and avoidant PD traits predicted negative affect beyond what could be accounted for by cognitions and type of stressor. No PD traits predicted positive affect after accounting for the effects of cognitive appraisals and type of stressor. Findings have implications for validating the role of affect in PDs and understanding how individuals with PDs react in the presence of daily hassles.


Local Anesthesia (LA) is the most important pain management process in oral and maxillofacial surger Safe and
 effective LA not only enable patients to obtain high-quality treatment but also relieve the anxiety of patients when
 they come to the clinic. At present, in most countries or regions, common local anesthetics used in oral and
 maxillofacial surgery belong to amides and they are injected into patients' body mainly through block orinfiltration
 anesthesia. Because of the presence of above elements, the overall achievement paces of LA in oral and maxillofacial
 medical procedure is totally different. There are no particular LA strategies that guarantee 100% fruitful LA rates.


In this piece, which was created from an interview, America Bracho describes some of the principles that inform the educational work of Latino Health Access - an institute of community participation in Santa Ana, California. The inspiring work of Latino Health Access has many influences. For the purposes of this publication, we specifically asked America to speak about the ways in which the work of Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, has influenced their community practice.


The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984 and transferred control of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China from the 1st July 1997. This sets the scene for the establishment of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) in Hong Kong, which has been at the heart of the civil unrest in 2019-2020, culminating in the National Security Law on 30 June 2020. In the 25th anniversary year of the handover of Hong Kong, C. L. Lim uses British archival sources to re-examine the Joint Declaration, the negotiations that led up to it, and its resounding significance that continues to the present day. Beginning with Margaret Thatcher's preparations for her Beijing trip, the book takes a chronological approach and offers a valuable, single-volume history of the Joint Declaration. In light of tumultuous current events in Hong Kong, Lim provides a vital, clear explanation of the legal complexities that have underpinned the relationships between China, Hong Kong and Britain since 1979.


The biopsychosocial model in Anglo-American psychiatry is appraised. Its content and history are described and its scientific and ethical strengths noted. approaches in the profession, especially an older but enduring biomedical model. The tensions provoked by the latter, in relation to 'anti-psychiatry', the users' movement and 'critical psychiatry' are explored, as a context in which the biopsychosocial model has both emerged and been constrained. At the end of the paper, reasons for the relative lack of success of the model are discussed and its future prospects assessed. It is situated in relation to competing


In this work, a sustainable method to prepare functional cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) using formic acid (FA) (a recoverable organic acid) was established. After FA hydrolysis, the obtained CNCs could be well dispersed in DMAC. Thus, the CNC products and fibrous cellulosic solid residue (FCSR) in DMAC could be easily separated by a conventional centrifugal process, and the collected FCSR could be further fibrillated to CNFs with relatively low-intensity mechanical fibrillation process. The isolated CNC products showed high crystallinity index (about 75%) and excellent thermal stability (with onset thermal degradation temperature of 325 oC). Both the resultant CNCs and CNFs showed better dispersibility in DMSO, DMF and DMAC respectively because of the introduction of ester groups on the surface of the products. The presence of surface ester groups could increase the interface compatibility of nanocelluloses with polymeric matrices and enable their application in reinforcing polymeric matrix materials (e.g. the composite films like PHVB+CNFs).


An experimental study of convective boiling heat transfer of water flowing in minichannels at low flow rate is carried out with pure de-ionised water and copper-water nanofluids. A low concentration of copper nanometer-sized particles was used to enhance the boiling heat transfer. The aim is to characterize the surface temperature as well as to estimate the local heat transfer coefficients by using the inverse heat conduction problem IHCP. The inlet water temperature is fixed at 60°C and mass fluxes operated in range of 212–573 kg/m2.s in minichannels of dimensions 500×2000 μm2. The maximum heat flux investigated in the tests is limited to 7000 W/m2. The results show that the surface temperature and the local heat transfer coefficient are dependent on the axial location and the adding of copper nanoparticles can significantly improve the heat transfer. Key word: Two-phase flow, cooling, boiling, local heat transfer coefficient, nano-fluid.


In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the analysis of the major active components of saffron owing to their significant role in various industries, such as food, medicine and perfume. In other words, analysis of the major active components of saffron can give complete information about its chemical composition, which can be used as a reliable index for the quality control of different saffron samples (i.e., natural and commercial). The aim of the present work was to develop a simple, low cost, efficient and comprehensive strategy for the extraction and analysis of the bioactive components of saffron. In this regard, ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction (UASE) combined with ultrasonic-assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME) is proposed for the extraction and preconcentration of the bioactive constituents of saffron. The extracted components are then analyzed using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (RP-HPLC-DAD). The effective parameters on the efficiency of extraction procedure are optimized using multivariate chemometric techniques. As a consequence, the optimum extraction parameters were 79.6 mg of a saffron sample, 1.1 mL of the extraction solvent (water), 62.7 μL of the preconcentration solvent (chloroform) and 18.6 min sonication time. In optimum extraction conditions, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were below 1.0% (n = 3) for all the components. Moreover, the enrichment factors were higher than 10 for most components. Finally, the developed analytical method is used as a reliable method for the quality control of fifteen commercial saffron samples purchased from different markets. To do this, two multivariate clustering methods, principal component analysis (PCA) and k-means, are used for determining similarities and dissimilarities between standard and commercial saffron samples, according to their HPLC fingerprints. It is concluded that the proposed method is a fast, simple, accurate and unbiased method for analyzing the bioactive components of saffron and fingerprinting commercial saffron samples, obtaining a more complete set of information from data than conventional methods.


This paper describes Nyakyusa, by examining the extent to which affixation is attested and making a distinction between inflection and derivation. Studies show that the distinction between them is not clear. There is a blurred distinction between derivation and inflection based on the morphology of the noun. The noun class prefixes are inflectional since they mark person and number contrast and the same prefixes are derivational since they derive new nouns with various degrees of semantic relationship to the original noun. Therefore, it seems to be difficult to draw a clear demarcation between derivational and inflectional affixes based on the morphology of noun in Nyakyusa. However, based on the morphology of the verb, several affixes can be analyzed as inflectional while others are derivational. The pre-root and some post-root affixes of the verb are inflectional since they mark tense/aspect and polarity while most post-root affixes in slot 7 are derivational.


The effects of the glycosylation inhibitor 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose on the formation of the lipid-linked oligosaccharides and monosaccharides that are involved in protein glycosylation were investigated. In chick embryo cells treated with fluoroglucose the formation of lipid-linked oligosaccharides cannot go to completion and oligosaccharides with decreased amounts of glucose and mannose can be detected. These oligosaccharides are probably biosynthetic intermediates and serve as acceptors of sugar residues while reversing fluoroglucose-inhibition by the addition of mannose and glucose to the culture medium. In contrast to deoxyglucose, fluoroglucose was not incorporated into lipid-linked oligosaccharides. Fluoroglucose inhibits the formation in vivo of dolichyl phosphate glucose and dolichyl phosphate mannose, but not the transfer of those sugar residues from the lipid monophosphate derivative to the lipid-linked oligosaccharides. The pool size of UDP-glucose, but not of GDP-mannose and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, was decreased. Also, the formation of lipid-linked N-acetylglucosamine was not affected by fluoroglucose. Fluoroglucose was applied to deplete cellular membranes of endogenous lipid-linked mannose and glucose, and can possibly be used to discern different pathways of glycosylation.


A sealing device in which gas leakage to a first sealing region in which liquid is sealed is prevented and liquid leakage to a second sealing region in which gas is sealed is more reliably prevented. In the sealing device (50), nitrogen gas leakage to the first sealing region (O) is prevented and oil leakage to the second sealing region (G) is prevented. The shape of the tip of a first seal lip (51) provided on the first sealing region (O) side and the shape of the tip of a second seal lip (52) provided on the second sealing region (G) are formed such that the thickness of an oil film formed at a sliding portion between the first seal lip (51) and the surface of a piston (32) when the former slides on the latter is less than the thickness of an oil film formed at a sliding portion between the second lip (52) and the surface of the piston (32) when the former slides on the latter.


This paper deals with the design and aerodynamic analysis of a so-called 'ring-type' impulse turbine for wave energy conversion. Numerical analysis was performed using the CFD cock, FLUENT. The main idea of the proposed turbine rotor was to minimize the adverse effect of tip clearance of the turbine blade; the design was borrowed from a ducted propeller with connected ring tip for special purpose marine vehicles. Results show that the efficiency increases up to , depending on flaw coefficient, with the higher flaw coefficient yielding better efficiency. Decrease of input coefficient CA was the main reason for higher efficiency. Performance of ring-type rotor at various design parameters, as well as flaw conditions, was investigated, and the advantages and the disadvantages of the present impulse turbine were also discussed.


At national level, a Liver disease has become a significant challenge for health care authorities. In population of 200 millions, 5% (10 million) are infected with hepatitis C virus, and more than     2 million are in need of liver transplantation to  save their life1. So sufferers with Hepatitis B    and C are around 0.7 million in Pakistan Army and around 8000 people are in need of Liver transplantation.
To address this emerging medical issue, it was decided to setup liver transplant services     in Pak Army and Army Liver Transplant Unit (ALTU) was established on 15th Jul 2015. Living donor liver transplantation is the only treatment option for patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) as deceased donors are not currently available in Pakistan. First living donor liver transplant (LDLT) surgery was carried out on 8th Jan 2016, in collaboration with team of experts from University Hospital Birmingham, UK.
Liver transplantation is a complex procedure involving multi-disciplinary approach during    all phases of assessment/management of a potential transplant case. Pertinent SP include Transplant surgery, Liver transplant Anesthesia, Hepatology, Intensive care, blood bank, patho-logy, immunology, microbiology, hematology, nephrology and chest medicine. Apart from developing a Infrastructure (Well equipped operation theaters (OTs), intensive care unit, Ward, Conference room and transplant Clinics), training of the human resource, in particular the core team (surgeons, hepatologist, anesthetists, intensivists, theatre staff and ITU staff) is the key to successful transplant program. ALTU is the third successful Liver transplant program in Pakistan after Shifa International and Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
Liver donor transplant surgery is more challenging and complex than deceased donor Liver transplant. Specific problems related to LDLT include a spectrum of complications that are still poorly understood. There has been a higher rate of bile duct complications in liver donor recipients compared with DD recipients (approximately 20% versus approximately 5%) but most of these complications have been resolved with nonsurgical management; these problems include bile leaks from the cut     surface of the transected liver, biliary strictures and anastomotic leaks. Hepatic artery thrombosis is also more common in LDLT, with rates of 1%      to 7%3. Small-for-size syndrome (SFSS) is an important entity with an unknown frequency  and clinical course in LDLT. Its mechanism is poorly understood because it can occur despite adequate volume calculations and body weight assessments pre-LT. Graft dysfunction of sub optimally drained segments (usually segments     5 and 8) can lead to congestion of undrained segments which contributed further to SFSS.    We prefer a graft-to-recipient ratio of greater   than   0.8 in all LDLT and believe that additional venous drainage through the middle hepatic  vein may alleviate congestion of the graft in the medial sector and lead to better function4.
Another challenge of LDLT is to perform the donor operation safely without compromising the recipient outcomes. The risk of donor death   is estimated to be 0.2% for left lateral segment donation and 0.5% for right lobe donation, so the emphasis on donor safety is of paramount importance in this procedure.
For Liver donation, a Living donor should fulfill following criteria;

Have a close relationship with the person who will receive part of their liver. A donor can be either a member of the patient's family, spouse, or close friend.
Be between the ages of 18 and 55.
Have a blood type that is compatible with the blood type of the person they are donating to. This does not always mean that they are the same blood type.
Be in very good physical and mental health.
Be of sufficient height and weight.
Not have had multiple abdominal surgeries, coronary heart disease, or severe obesity.

In regard to ethical issues, The Human Organ and Transplantation Authority (HOTA) regulates legal and ethical aspects of liver transplantation in Pakistan. The donor has to      be legally (spouse, brother/sister-in-law) or blood related to the patient to be eligible for donation. ALTU team working hard in collabo-ration with AFIU, to create awareness amongst masses regarding deceased donor organ trans-plant program in Pak Army.
Development of any successful liver trans-plant program involves trg and dev of core    team. The transfer of skills and develop-ment of local teams are on top priority as self-sufficiency will reduce the reliance on international collabo-rations while providing a continuity of care for the ever-increasing numbers of cirrhotic patients.


The entire set of message chains that form the blog text is presented in the form of certain rhetorical relationships, in which each message is an agreement / disagreement with the interlocutor's opinion, an affirmative statement or a denial. In the blog text rhetorical structure, the microtheme being discussed is represented in terms of combinations of affirmation and negation in stimulating and reacting messages (for example, negation – affirmation; negation – negation – negation, etc.). Such combinations embody the nature of the relationship of agreement and disagreement of the interlocutors with each other's opinions. In order to detail the pragmatic and cross-cultural specifics of rhetorical cause-and-effect relationships between different components of the blog text, we analyze individual statements as the basic units of the blog text. These statements are segmented into separate syntactic syntagmas, which are characterized by some propositional content. The blogger and respondent's dialogical moves often form a complete statement, the coherence of which is provided by one or another subordinate conjunction, introductory word or adverb. Rhetorical cause-and-effect relationships ensure the coherence of the blog text by: 1) modus-dictum and modus-modus coordination of the components of the corresponding syntactic construction; 2) structural and semantic coherence of the text generated jointly by the blogger and respondents; 3) programming the topic of computer-mediated communication, which is based on detailing the facts covered in the blog text and discussed by the interlocutors; 4)


In cells, phase-separated liquid condensates interact mechanically with surrounding elastic networks such as chromatin and cytoskeleton. By considering the trade-offs between elastic, wetting, and interfacial energies, we theoretically show that three droplet phases can be thermodynamically stable: macroscopic droplets that either cavitate or permeate the network, and mesh-size–limited microdroplets. We show that network strain stiffening further enhances this latter size-limitation effect. Our theory predicts the possibility of yet-unobserved droplet phases in the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm.