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

Axl is a member of the TAM tyrosine kinase family and is activated by products of Gas6 and Protein S genes. Axl is overexpressed or overactive in breast, renal, endometrial, ovarian, thyroid, non-small cell lung carcinoma, uveal melanoma as well as in myeloid leukemias. It has also been demonstrated that Axl expression is upregulated in drug-resistant cancer cells. Knock-down of Axl by RNAi repressed tumor formation in MDA-231 breast carcinoma model. Downregulation of Axl expression by RNAi led to a decrease of K562/ADR and MCF-7/ADR cells invasion, proliferation, and increased cell chemosensitivity in vitro. In a xenograft model of MDR cells, downregulation of Axl enhanced the anticancer activity of chemotherapeutic drugs. Therefore, Axl is a potential target for the development of chemotherapeutic agents for cancer therapy. During our endeavor of discovering and developing Axl kinase inhibitors for cancer therapy, we have discovered a series of potent and selective Axl inhibitors. These new compounds have demonstrated nM potency against Axl and good selectivity against other kinases in a selected panel of kinases. Many of these new compounds can reduce the pAkt levels in several cancer cell lines in a dose dependent manner and demonstrated inhibition of cell proliferation at sub-micromolar concentration in thymidine incorporation assay. Several selected compounds have demonstrated efficacy in colony formation assays. The most promising compounds are now being selected for in vivo proof-of-concept studies. The pharmaceutical properties of these compounds together with ADME profile were also evaluated and will be reported. These new Axl inhibitors represent a new approach for cancer therapy.

Citation Format: Zaihui Zhang, Rick Li, Erica Lee, Yuxiang Hu, Jun Yan, Jasbinder Sanghera. Novel and selective Axl inhibitors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1746. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1746


This guidance should be used as a complement to the Volume A Guidelines of the PDNA methodology. It is aimed to assist in carrying out a PDNA of culture sector in order to conduct an integrated assessment of the impacts of disaster effects on the sector, and to define the main lines of a recovery strategy that would incorporate DRR considerations. In the process, this guidance should enable the PDNA Culture Team to identify increased risks to culture that may arise from the effects of the disaster or from reconstruction of other sectors, as well as the opportunities associated with the sector for supporting the recovery process in general. The guidance assume that the Team will have good knowledge of the range of cultural properties and expressions (tangible and intangible) present in the area affected by the disaster, of the relationship between these assets and general livelihoods, as well as of the strong linkages between sustainable development and cultural diversity. The PDNA for culture sector aims to be a strategic rather than an exhaustive assessment, to be conducted in a timely fashion and in the short timeframe dictated by the overall PDNA process, closely coordinated with other sector analyses. Finally, it should be considered that implementation of PDNA for the culture sector is still in its infancy. When more PDNAs Culture will have been carried out, it is envisaged that this guidance will be significantly enriched through the experience accumulated. At the same time, it is expected that future versions of this guidance will benefit from a more consolidated and internationally accepted conceptual framework that defines the contribution of culture to human development, as well as from further knowledge, case studies and practical tools to express this in post-disaster situations.


Existing indoor semantic recognition schemes are capable of discovering patterns through smartphone sensing; however, there is a lack of a device-free indoor semantic recognition system. In this paper, we propose WiFiMap+, which is a first-ever automatical inference system using WiFi signals to recognize high-level indoor semantics from human activities and environments, where the high-level indoor semantics consist of indoor facilities and environments. To characterize the static indoor environments and dynamical human activities separately with channel state information (CSI), we propose a novel two-stream architecture to generate the spatial streams and the movement streams independently. Compared to the recent research on activity recognition, this two-stream architecture can make the content area of CSI samples extend from human activities to indoor environments. For obtaining accurate indoor environment detection, we propose a CSI-environment model with a spatial stream generation algorithm, which can reduce the effect of human activities on environment detection. For stable activity recognition, we also propose an environment-based testing sample representation method, which can utilize the environment knowledge to overcome the diversity of CSI caused by the environment changes. Finally, we implement WiFiMap+ using commercial WiFi devices and evaluate its performance for seven common semantic detection cases in six-room scenarios. The experimental results show that our proposed WiFiMap+ is robust to the multi-room scenario and can achieve the average accuracy of $\text{92.8}\%$ and the lowest accuracy of about $\text{82}\%$.


PURPOSE
SOX5 plays important roles in various kinds of cancers. However, the expression and roles of SOX5 in osteosarcoma (OS) have not been investigated well. In the present study we aimed to investigate the mechanism of SOX5 in OS.

METHODS
OS and adjacent non-cancerous specimens were obtained from patients with OS. PCR was applied to detect SOX5 mRNA. Then human OS cell lines (U2OS, SoSP-M, SoSP-9607, and MG-63) and one immortalized normal osteoblast hFOB1.19 were investigated. SOX5 knocking with shRNA in U2OS and SOX5 upregulation with recombinant plasmid in MG-63 were applied. Real-time cell monitoring system and invasion assay were used, and Western blot assay was performed to detect the protein level of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin and Snail, where Glyceraldehyde3- phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was presented as control. P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS
Significant upregulation of SOX5 in OS tissues and cell lines was identified. The gain- and loss-of-function studies suggested that OS cell migration and invasion were promoted significantly by SOX5. Additionally, SOX5 promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by regulation of Snail.

CONCLUSION
SOX5 is a novel regulator of EMT in OS, and is a potential target for OS.


Aims: To study the expression of versican, a large proteoglycan involved in repressing adhesion between cells and the extracellular matrix in pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC), and its relation to the expression of p53 and catenins, histological differentiation, clinical data, and prognosis. Methods: For the retrospective survey, primary tumours for analyses were obtained from 118 patients diagnosed with PSCC of the oropharynx or hypopharynx. The immunohistochemical expression of versican was studied and was related to the expression pattern of p53 and catenins, in addition to clinical data and survival. Results: In the primary tumours, strong stromal versican expression was graded as low in 59 (50%) and high in 59 (50%) cases. In addition, intracellular versican staining was seen in nine (8%) tumours. In local lymph node metastases, strong stromal versican staining was significantly more frequent compared with the primary tumours (p  =  0.018). Strong stromal versican staining was more frequently seen in less advanced tumours (p  =  0.015). There was no association between versican expression and the other investigated variables (p53, catenins, TNM status, and histological grade). Neither stromal nor intracellular versican expression predicted overall survival in these patients. Conclusions: Versican was more strongly expressed in the stroma of local metastases and in the earlier stages of disease in PSCC. However, versican expression was not an independent prognostic factor in this entity.


▪ Abstract This review summarizes recent experimental studies of instabilities in free-surface flows driven by thermocapillarity. Two broad classes are considered, depending upon whether the imposed temperature gradient is perpendicular (Marangoni-convection instability) or parallel (thermocapillary-convection instability) to the free surface. Both steady and time-dependent instabilites are reviewed in experiments employing both large- and small-aspect-ratio geometries of various symmetries.


In recent years, there has been an increasing public concern about fecal contamination of water, air and agricultural produce by pathogens residing in organic fertilizers such as manure, compost and agricultural by-products. Efforts are now being made to control or eliminate the pathogen populations at on-farm level. Development of efficient on-farm strategies to mitigate the potential risk posed by the pathogens requires data about how the pathogens prevail in livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers. Microbiological analysis of livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers obtained from 32 and 28 companies, respectively, were conducted to determine the total aerobic bacteria count, coliforms, Escherichia coli count and the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Cronobacter sakazakii. The total aerobic bacteria counts in the livestock manure composts and organic fertilizers were in the range of 7 to 9 log CFU g-1 and 4 to 6 log CFU g-1, respectively. In the livestock manure composts, coliforms and E. coli were detected in samples obtained from 4 and 2 companies, respectively, in the range of 2 to 5 log CFU g-1 and 2 log CFU g-1. In the organic fertilizers, coliforms and E. coli were detected in samples obtained from 4 and 1 companies, respectively, in the range of 1 to 3 log CFU g-1 and 2 log CFU g-1. In 3 out 32 compost samples, B. cereus was detected, while other pathogens were not detected. In 28 organic fertilizers, no pathogens were detected. The complete composting process can result in the elimination of pathogens in livestock manure compost and organic fertilizer. The results of this study could help to formulate microbiological guidelines for the use of compost in environmentalfriendly agriculture. This research provides information regarding microbiological quality of livestock manure compost and organic fertilizer.


Black diethyl glaucophanic enol crystals have a 'staircase' arrangement of molecules connected by self charge-transfer interactions and display semi-conductance: in dry less-polar solvents 1H n.m.r. and u.v. data support the unsymmetrical enol structure (1) but in polar solvents the structure is symmetrical (2): comment is made on other glaucyrones, one of which exists in the 7′-H-form in CDCl3.


Abstract The perspective of global climate change emerges as a significant political, economic, financial and social issue. Scientific researches show that the accumulated carbon dioxide (CO2), released by the industry and agriculture, together with the contribution of man-made greenhouse gases leads to a rise in the temperature of the earth's surface. Traditional sources of financing capital expenditure, such as own revenues and bank financing have proved to be extremely insufficient. At the same time, not only traditional municipal needs, such as costs for street, road, bridge, school construction etc., but also the need of investments related to climate change have been on the rise. The purpose of this article is to examine and analyze alternatives for financing climate change-related municipal investments. The subject of the research is green bonds and the so-called Subnational Pooled Financing Mechanisms, which have already gained popularity in Western Europe but are not yet well known in Eastern Europe. The positive aspects and opportunities that the green bond market reveals as well as the barriers to this type of financing are assessed and an analysis of the practice of bond financing in Europe is made.


Abstract Both Umberto Eco and Charles S. Peirce have been concerned with the notion of background knowledge. Eco refers to background knowledge as the encyclopedia; Peirce's term of reference is collateral experience. The aim of this article is to investigate the degree to which these two concepts are comparable. We focus on one major metaphysical issue, viz. the fact that Eco defines collateral experience, which is the first step in any process of cognition, as private, whereas Peirce, as a realist, would never accept the concept of private thoughts, feelings, etc. We suggest that freeing collateral experience from its nominalistic nomenclature makes possible a comparison and synthesis of Eco's and Peirce's conceptions when seen from the perspectives of their cognitive type, nuclear type, and molar content.


This article aims to describe the type of deixis and speech acts, as pragmatics studies aspects, found in a poem by Ali Ahmad Bakatsir, an Indonesian-born poet, on drama script entitled "Audatul Firdaus". Audatul Bakatsir tells about Indonesian Independence which was as the result of Indonesian people's fight not as the colonialists' gift. This research is a library research with qualitative method. The results shows that there are five types of deixis and six types of speech acts. The former one consists of persona, space, time, discourse, and social. Moreover, the later one include locutionary, perlocutionary, illocutionary, assertive, expressive, and commissive.


Oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) induced injury of endothelial cells is considered to be the first step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This study aimed to investigate some of the effects and mechanisms of puerarin on oxLDL-induced endothelial injuries. We measured cell viability, and the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), nitric oxide (NO), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) to evaluate the protective effects of puerarin. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). The expression of lectin-like low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), p38MAPK, and protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) nuclear translocation, and inhibitor of κB (IκB) degradation were detected using quantitative real-time PCR or Western blot. The results showed that oxLDL significantly decreased cell viability, increased LDH and IL-8 release, inhibited NO production, and induced COX-2 expression. Pretreatment with puerarin led to a strong inhibition of these effects. OxLDL stimulated the expression of LOX-1, the overproduction of ROS, the phosphorylation of p38MAPK, the dephosphorylation of PKB, activation of NF-κB, and the degradation of IκB. These oxLDL-induced effects were suppressed after puerarin pretreatment. These results suggest that puerarin inhibits oxLDL-induced endothelial cell injuries, at least in part, via inhibition of the LOX-1-mediated p38MAPK-NF-κB inflammatory and the PKB-eNOS signaling pathways.


We investigated the use of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminium, known as Alq3, as a selective contact for electrons in functional FAMAPIBr (formamidinium/methylammonium lead iodide bromide) solar cells. The solar cells with Alq3 interfacial layers show excellent photocurrent upon standard 1 sun illumination (100 mW cm−firstname.lastname@example.com AM G sun simulated light) due to efficient energy transfer from the selective contact layer to the perovskite.


Moringa has been becoming among vastly growing and trading commodities in different parts of Ethiopia for its multiple benefits. However, empirical researches analyzing its productivity at smallholder farmer level were missing. This study aimed to fill the existing gap with a cross-sectional survey study on sampled 117 Moringa producer farmers from southern Ethiopia. The Stochastic Frontier Model was used to estimate the level and factors determining the technical efficiency of Moringa production. The collected data fitted Cobb-Douglas production function with inputs, labor and the numbers of trees positively and significantly determined the output of Moringa. An estimated level of efficiency shows farmers have the possibility to increase Moringa output by 47.81% with existing inputs and technology. The land, off-farm activities, access to road, credit, and irrigation were significant factors affecting the technical efficiency of Moringa. It requires policies and development actions to perform on mechanisms to advance the production of Moringa. Hence, any development direction to enhance Moringa production should consider households with limited access to land and irrigation. Furthermore, the development of road infrastructure is required to increase agricultural productivity. In sum, modern credit institutions, as well as facilities, found essential to improve the livelihood of Moringa producers in the area.


Abstract The operational experience (OE) feedback provides improvements in all industrial activities. Identification of the most important and valuable groups of events within accumulated experience is important in order to focus on a detailed investigation of events. The paper describes the new ranking method and compares it with three others. Methods have been described and applied to OE events utilised by nuclear power plants in France and Germany for twenty years. The results show that different ranking methods only roughly agree on which of the event groups are the most important ones. In the new ranking method the analytical hierarchy process is applied in order to assure consistent and comprehensive weighting determination for ranking indexes. The proposed method allows a transparent and flexible event groups ranking and identification of the most important OE for further more detailed investigation in order to complete the feedback.


Junctions between a single layer of Poly[3-(2",5"-diheptyloxyphenyl)-2,2'-bithiophene] and aluminium are studied by means of current–voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics, and complex impedance spectroscopy. The results indicate the formation of a Schottky barrier type at Poly[3-(2",5"-diheptyloxyphenyl)-2,2'-bithiophene]/Al interface. Parameters such as the reverse saturation current, the barrier height and the ideality factor are extracted from the I-V curves. The Cole–Cole plots of complex impedance spectroscopy reveal part of a single semicircle, which can be modeled as a single parallel RC circuit. This suggests that the device is a metal-semiconductor (M-S) type. Capacitance per unit area as well as the width of the depletion layer are obtained from the complex impedance analysis. The built-in potential and the charge carrier concentration are also calculated from C-V curves. Keywords/phrases: Electronic properties, built-in potential, depletion width, impedance spectroscopy, Schottky barrier SINET: Ethiop. J. Sci Vol.26(1) 2003:11-16


The importance of caspase activation during apoptosis has become eminently apparent in the last few years. The caspases participate in a proteolytic cascade activated in response to various stimuli, including anticancer drugs, that results in the systematic and orderly eradication of the cell. The core machinery of caspase activation is now emerging and involves multiple molecular complexes. We describe the two best-studied models of caspase activation, the mitochondrial pathway and the cell death receptor pathway, and discuss their involvement in caspase activation induced by various anticancer drugs used in chemotherapy. Defective apoptosis contributes to tumor growth and drug resistance. Understanding the activation and role of caspases in apoptosis may help develop new therapeutic strategies to circumvent drug resistance. Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.


Selectins are cell adhesion molecules known to support the initial attachment of leukocytes to inflamed vascular endothelium through their recognition of carbohydrate ligands such as the tetrasaccharide sialyl Lewisx (Neu5Ac alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4(Fuc alpha 1-3)GlcNAc-). In the present study, we describe the inhibition of L- and P-selectin function by inositol polyanions, simple 6-carbon ring structures that have multiple ester-linked phosphate or sulfate groups. In a purified component competition assay, binding of L- and P-selectin-Ig fusion proteins to immobilized bovine serum albumin-sialyl Lewisx neoglycoprotein was inhibited by inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6, IC50 = 2.1 +/- 1.4 microM and 160 +/- 40 microM), by inositol pentakisphosphate (InsP5, IC50 = 1.4 +/- 0.2 and 260 +/- 40 microM), and by inositol hexakissulfate (InsS6, IC50 = 210 +/- 80 microM and 2.8 +/- 0.9 mM); E-selectin-Ig binding was unaffected. Inositol polyanions diminished the adhesion of LS180 colon carcinoma cells to plates coated with L- and P-selectin-Ig but not with E-selectin-Ig. Inositol polyanions blocked polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) adhesion to COS cells expressing recombinant transmembrane P-selectin but not to those expressing E-selectin. In addition, inositol polyanions diminished PMN adhesion to activated endothelial cells under rotation-induced shear stress, a process known to require L-selectin function. In vivo, the effects of inositol polyanions were studied in two murine models of acute inflammation. Intravenously administered InsP6 (two doses of 40 mumol/kg) inhibited PMN accumulation in thioglycolate-induced inflammation (55 +/- 10% inhibition) and in zymosan-induced inflammation (61 +/- 4% inhibition). InsP5 and InsS6 also inhibited inflammation in these models, although higher doses were required for InsS6. In conclusion, inositol polyanions are noncarbohydrate small molecules that inhibit L- and P-selectin function in vitro and inflammation in vivo.


In Indonesia, the incidence rate (IR) of dengue fever reported increase almost in every year since the first cases were found in 1968, from 0.05 to ~35–40 per 100,000 population in 2013, with superimposed epidemics demonstrating a similar increasing trend with the highest epidemic occurring in 2010 (IR 85.7). Most currently, about 80% of regencies/ cities had been infected and posed as very high vulnerability of spreading the disease. Increased incidence of dengue fever is associated with the increase of rainfall and tem perature in particular years. Up to the year of 2038, a climate model of Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency shows increasing trend of rainfall and tem perature. Along with its unsuccessful of Indonesia dengue fever control program will lead challenges to reduce dengue fever endemic in the future. Revitalization of dengue disease control program in every single stage with close monitoring implementation is urgently needed. Socialization, community capacity building, and participation could also be a joint sectoral action to enhance the dengue fever control program.


A major tool in the initial recognition and study of terrestrial impact craters, ∼20% of which are buried beneath postimpact sediments, is geophysics. The general geophysical character of terrestrial impact craters is compiled and outlined with emphasis on its relation to the impact process and as an aid to the recognition of additional impact craters. The most common and conspicuous geophysical signature is a circular gravity low. For simple bowl-shaped craters, gravity models indicate that the anomaly is largely due to the presence of an interior allochthonous breccia lens. In complex craters, modeling indicates that the main contribution to the gravity anomaly is from fractured parautochthonous target rocks in the floor of the crater. The gravity signature of both simple and complex crater forms can be modeled well, using known morphometric parameters of impact structures. The size of the gravity anomaly generally increases with increasing crater diameter reaching a maximum of ∼20–30 mGal at diameters D of ∼20–30 km. Further increases in D have a negligible effect on the magnitude of the gravity anomaly due to lithostatic effects on deep fractures. The general gravity signature of a simple low can be modified by target rock and erosional effects, and there is a tendency for larger complex structures ( D > 30 km) to exhibit a relative gravity high restricted to the crater center and extending out to 40 km) tend to exhibit central high-amplitude anomalies, with dimensions of <0.5D, due to remanently magnetized bodies in the target rocks. The sources of these bodies are wide ranging and include the effects of shock, heat, and chemical alteration. The few studies over craters involving electrical methods indicate resistivity lows coinciding with the extent of the potential field anomalies and related to fracturing. Seismic techniques, particularly reflection surveys, have provided details of the subsurface structure of craters. Incoherent reflections and reduced seismic velocities due to brecciation and fracturing are expected, the degree of coherency of reflections increasing away from and below the center of the structure. From the various geophysical techniques a set of general criteria can be established that correspond to the geophysical signature of impact craters. These criteria can be used to evaluate the hypothesis that any particular set of geophysical anomalies is due to impact. Confirmation of an impact origin, however, is based on geologic evidence.


Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are key regulators of basal ganglia functions. The axonal domain of these neurons is highly complex, with a large subset of non-synaptic release sites and a smaller subset of synaptic terminals from which glutamate or GABA are released. The molecular mechanisms regulating the connectivity of DA neurons and their neurochemical identity are unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that the trans-synaptic cell adhesion molecules neurexins (Nrxns) regulate DA neuron neurotransmission. Conditional deletion of all Nrxns in DA neurons (DAT::Nrxns KO) revealed that loss of Nrxns does not impair the basic development and ultrastructural characteristics of DA neuron terminals. However, loss of Nrxns caused an impairment of DA transmission revealed as a reduced rate of DA reuptake following activity-dependent DA release, decreased DA transporter levels, increased vesicular monoamine transporter expression and impaired amphetamine-induced locomotor activity. Strikingly, electrophysiological recording revealed an increase of GABA co-release from DA neuron axons in the striatum of the KO mice. These findings reveal that Nrxns act as key regulators of DA neuron connectivity and DA-mediated functions. Highlights The study provides the first direct evidence of the role of neurexins in dopaminergic neurons The synaptic adhesion molecules neurexins are not required for maintaining the structure of dopamine neuron release sites. Neurexins regulates dopaminergic neurotransmission through regulation of dopamine reuptake, impacting amphetamine-induced locomotion Dopamine neurons lacking neurexins show increased GABA co-release.


This paper proposes a class of algorithms for analyzing event count time series, based on state space modeling and Kalman filtering. While the dynamics of the state space model is kept Gaussian and linear, a nonlinear observation function is chosen. In order to estimate the states, an iterated extended Kalman filter is employed. Positive definiteness of covariance matrices is preserved by a square-root filtering approach, based on singular value decomposition. Non-negativity of the count data is ensured, either by an exponential observation function, or by a newly introduced "affinely distorted hyperbolic" observation function. The resulting algorithm is applied to time series of the daily number of seizures of drug-resistant epilepsy patients. This number may depend on dosages of simultaneously administered anti-epileptic drugs, their superposition effects, delay effects, and unknown factors, making the objective analysis of seizure counts time series arduous. For the purpose of validation, a simulation study is performed. The results of the time series analysis by state space modeling, using the dosages of the anti-epileptic drugs as external control inputs, provide a decision on the effect of the drugs in a particular patient, with respect to reducing or increasing the number of seizures.


Faced with the fact that no major literary figure has suffered more at the hands of his critics than Gower, Coffman suggests that "the social instead of the literary aspects of Gower's writings may form the basis for an interpretation of him in his most significant role" (52). Gower is "an advocate of moral order" (53), and while his "social gospel" (53) presupposes no social equality (he has no faith in the common people), he does preach about honesty and integrity for all members of society. When men are ruled by reason, the result will be an ordered universe of peace and harmony. This vision is at the heart of all three of Gower's major works, and it underlies the notion of man as microcosm, as well as the "doctrine of individual responsibility" (54). When man uses his reason to understand God's plan for the universe then he will live a virtuous life in order to avert God's punishment for sin. Coffman argues that "Gower's complete works are as much a justification of the ways of God to man as are Milton's. His most significant role is his explanation and illustration of the ethical basis of God's universe for this little world of man" (60). By recognizing God's plans and living accordingly, man can "recreate a paradise on earth" (54). This emphasis on personal responsibility also informs Gower's opinions about Richard II and Henry IV. Of note in this regard is a passage in the CT (3.486-87) which "echoes Wycliffe's doctrine that no man in mortal sin can hold dominion or lordship" (56). Similarly, in the CA Gower argues that the king who does not govern himself and lacks good judgment violates the law of reason and is not worthy to rule. The passage in question (CA 7.3071-83) uses phrasing "which might well have come from English puritans when they indicted Charles I over two centuries later" (57). Coffman further suggests that "In Praise of Peace" is based on the central theme of Marsiglio of Padua's Defensor Pacis, namely that the end of government is peace. The final part of the essay engages with C. S. Lewis' thoughts on courtly love, and suggests that Lewis failed to recognized that the CA was "at least in part a King's Courtesy Book" (60). As "a practical conservative-liberal" (61), Gower instructs the king and his readership in general in living a responsible life directed to "the welfare of England, his own dear land" (61). [CvD]


Aims
Diastolic dysfunction is frequent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and associated with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to describe diastolic function changes over time in DM2 patients and to identify predictive factors of diastolic function deterioration.

Methods and results
Diastolic function was assessed by echocardiography according to the EACVI/ASE recommendations at baseline and 3-year follow-up in a prospective cohort of 310 DM2 patients without overt heart disease. Predictors of diastolic function deterioration were identified using logistic regression analysis. During the 3-year follow-up, prevalence of diastolic dysfunction increased from 49% to 67% (P = 0.001). Only 32% of the patients had a normal diastolic function both at baseline and 3 years and 27% of the patients presented diastolic function deterioration. At multivariable analysis, age (OR = 1.05 [1.01-1.09], P < 0.01), retinopathy (OR = 2.00 [1.10-3.63], P = 0.02), and increase in systolic blood pressure during follow-up (OR = 1.03 [1.01-1.04], P < 0.01) were predictive of diastolic function deterioration.

Conclusion
Age, retinopathy, and increase in blood pressure over time are associated with an increased risk of diastolic function deterioration in DM2 patients. The presence of these co-factors might help to early identify patients at risk of heart failure.


Over the last two decades Ethiopia has been actively engaged in reforming its public sector in an attempt to make it more responsive, transparent, flexible, and compatible with the demand of its public and its constituencies to ensure good governance. Nevertheless, despite repeated comprehensive reform programs applied and acclaimed success stories by public authorities, the public outcry for responsive public service remains an outstanding challenge. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the application of the Balanced Score Card (BSC) using a blend of survey and case study methods in 12 organizations selected from three major sectors in four major cities. The study intends to draw lessons for policy implications and consultants who aspire to support the public sector reform efforts in least developed countries. The preliminary output that applied descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative analysis obtained from focus group discussions suggest that there is a strong desire from the public authorities to align public sector service delivery outcomes with strategic goals and public interest so as to make each job holder accountable for the intended result(s). Nevertheless, there were limitations in maintaining the momentum of the reform: both political and management support were erratic. Although the reform has resulted in a positive mental revolution with re spect to the use of BSC among the constituencies involved in the process, the realization of their intentions has remained more form than substance. Interestingly, the study has generated multiple cases that can provoke thinking and empirical lessons for policy makers, consultants and others.


The main task of this work is to study the tribological performance of nanolubricants formed by trimethylolpropane trioleate (TMPTO) base oil with magnetic nanoparticles coated with oleic acid: Fe3O4 of two sizes 6.3 nm and 10 nm, and Nd alloy compound of 19 nm. Coated nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via chemical co-precipitation or thermal decomposition by adsorption with oleic acid in the same step. Three nanodispersions of TMPTO of 0.015 wt% of each NP were prepared, which were stable for at least 11 months. Two different types of tribological tests were carried out: pure sliding conditions and rolling conditions (5% slide to roll ratio). With the aim of analyzing the wear by means of the wear scar diameter (WSD), the wear track depth and the volume of the wear track produced after the first type of the tribological tests, a 3D optical profiler was used. The best tribological performance was found for the Nd alloy compound nanodispersion, with reductions of 29% and 67% in friction and WSD, respectively, in comparison with TMPTO. On the other hand, rolling conditions tests were utilized to study friction and film thickness of nanolubricants, determining that Fe3O4 (6.3 nm) nanolubricant reduces friction in comparison to TMPTO.


We have previously reported the identification of cell surface glycoproteins in Pleurodeles waltlii gastrulae. In an attempt to study the expression of three of these cell surface glycoproteins (proteins referred to 1, 11 and 14), we have produced monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies by immunizing mice with the spots of the three selected glycoproteins excised from 2D‐gels. Expression of the three glycoproteins was detected on the surfaces of all cells during embryonic development. Before hatching, proteins 1, 11 and 14 become expressed in a limited number of tissues.


Abstract Polymer solidification under processing conditions is a complex phenomenon in which the kinetics of flow, high thermal gradients and high pressures determine the product morphology. The study of polymer structure formed under pressure has been mainly made using conventional techniques such as dilatometry and differential scanning calorimetry under isothermal conditions or non isothermal conditions but at cooling rates several orders of magnitude lower than those experienced in industrial processes. A new equipment has been recently developed and improved to study the crystallization of polypropylene when subjected to pressure and cooled rapidly. An experimental apparatus essentially constituted of a special injection mould has been employed. Polymer samples can be cooled at a known cooling rate and under a known pressure. Micro Hardness (MH), Wide angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD), Polarised Optical Microscopy (POM) and density measurements are then used to characterize the sample morphology. The results of rapid cooling experiments under pressure on an iPP sample display a lower density and a lower density dependence on cooling rate for increasing pressure. Micro hardness confirms the trend. A deconvolution technique of WAXD patterns is used to evaluate the final phase content of samples and to assess a crystallization kinetics behaviour. Phase distribution results indicate that the decrease of alpha phase with pressure is balanced by an increase of the mesomorphic phase leaving unaffected the amorphous phase content. This peculiar behaviour can be easily related to a negative influence of pressure on the kinetics of the crystallization of alpha phase.


In recent years, debate has intensified over whether to act now or delay actions that would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. In a recent contribution to this debate in Nature, Schlesinger and Jiang [1991] conclude that "the penalty is small for a 10-year delay in initiating the transition to a regime in which greenhouse-gas emissions are reduced." This conclusion is premature, since these authors did not consider a number of pertinent factors.

Schlesinger and Jiang used a simple energy- balance climate model with an upwelling- diffusion ocean to examine the surface temperature response to transitions between various Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [Houghton et al., 1990] trace gas scenarios. They found that "a delay of 10 years in initiating a 20-year transition from the IPCC [business as usual] scenario to any other IPCC scenario has only a small effect on the projected warming in 2100." From this they concluded that "the penalty for a 10-year delay is small." We offer several reasons why we think this is a non sequitur.


The structure and function of proteins are closely related, and protein structure decides its function, therefore protein structure prediction is quite important.β-turns are important components of protein secondary structure. So development of an accurate prediction method ofβ-turn types is very necessary. In this paper, we used the composite vector with position conservation scoring function, increment of diversity and predictive secondary structure information as the input parameter of support vector machine algorithm for predicting theβ-turn types in the database of 426 protein chains, obtained the overall prediction accuracy of 95.6%, 97.8%, 97.0%, 98.9%, 99.2%, 91.8%, 99.4% and 83.9% with the Matthews Correlation Coefficient values of 0.74, 0.68, 0.20, 0.49, 0.23, 0.47, 0.49 and 0.53 for types I, II, VIII, I', II', IV, VI and nonturn respectively, which is better than other prediction.


In this paper, some classical and modern spectral estimation algorithms are incorporated in the conventional spectral subtraction method for improving the performance of speech enhancement. There are three methods are proposed in this paper: the SSW method, the SSY method and the SSM method. Some typical environment noise signals are chosen from the common noise group. The noisy speech signals adopted in the experiments are the clean speech contaminated by the additive noise and the convolution noise at different signal-to-noise ratios respectively. The Itakura-Saito spectrum distance between the enhanced speech and the clean speech is served as the measurement of the quality of the speech enhancement system. Each type of the noisy speech signals will be enhanced by the conventional spectrum subtraction method and the three proposed methods respectively. Experimental results demonstrated the superior performance of the proposed methods over the conventional spectrum subtraction method. It is concluded that each of them is adept to manipulating different type of noises according to the corresponding characteristics.


This paper introduces a dynamic map for mobile robots that adapts continuously over time. It resolves the stability plasticity dilemma (the tradeoff between adaptation to new patterns and preservation of old patterns) by representing the environment over multiple time scales simultaneously (five in our experiments). A sample-based representation is proposed, where older memories fade at different rates depending on the time scale. Robust statistics are used to interpret the samples. It is shown that this approach can track both stationary and non-stationary elements of the environment, covering the full spectrum of variations from moving objects to structural changes. The method was evaluated in a five-week experiment in a real dynamic environment. Experimental results show that the resulting map is stable, improves its quality over time and adapts to changes.


Introduction:
The prediction of difficult intubation using simple bedside test is of great importance to prevent mismanagement of airway. This study was conducted to compare Upper Lip Bite Test (ULBT) with Modified Mallampati Test (MMT) and Thyromental Distance (TMD) for the prediction of difficult intubation.

 Method:
This was descriptive cross-sectional  study conducted in 121 patients of  American Society of Anaesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) I and II patients scheduled for elective surgery requiring general anaesthesia with endotracheal tube . The  airway assessment of the  patients was done one day prior to the surgery using Upper Lip Bite Test (ULBT), Modified Mallampati Test (MMT) and measurement of Thyromental Distance (TMD) . On the day of surgery during laryngoscopy ,Cormack-Lehane (CL) grading was recorded. The CL grading of III and IV was labeled as difficult intubation. The Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV), Likelihood Ratio (LR) of ULBT, MMT and TMD were calculated and compared.
Results:
The total percentage of difficult intubation, defined by Cormack-Lehane (CL) III and IV was 16.52 %. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of Upper Lip Bite Test (ULBT) was 50%, 100%, 100%, 91% and 91.74% respectively. ULBT had a significantly higher sensitivity, specificity and PPV when compared to MMT or  TMD or MMT and TMD when combined together.
Conclusions:
Upper Lip Bite Test (ULBT) is better   predictor of difficult intubation  and it should be used along with other test during airway assessment.


The paper refers to research and projects shared between Sardinian and Portuguese agricultural landscapes which, starting from the continuous investigation of this common cultural matrix, try to trace an evolutionary line of the historicized ways of co-evolutionary landscape construction and foreshadow some possible scenarios of continuity.In particular, the paper will focus on two projects by the Global Arquitectura Pajsagista studio in Alentejo, in which the approach to the study of the place can refer to a multi-scale methodology that links the study of the historical uses of agricultural landscapes, with the understanding of physical structures and evolution of vegetation cover foreshadowing a new idea of space starting from the interaction between man and these two dominant ones. With respect to these two topics declined in the "man-soil" and "man-living beings" relationship, it can be said that agricultural projects - and this is historically true, but even more so today - argued exactly the necessary meeting between utilitarian practices and symbolic of the primary productive activities of man with the "self poietic" and "ecological" regenerative dynamics of a specific way of organizing the terrestrial space. The presented cases, in fact, try to show the landscape design ability, into the rural Mediterranean areas, to activate co-evolution processes between the regeneration of agricultural soils and the human needs of inhabiting linked to leisure and refreshment.


We develop new blind and semi-blind data detectors and channel estimators for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Our data detectors require minimizing a complex, integer quadratic form in the data vector. The semi-blind detector uses both channel correlation and noise variance. The quadratic for the blind detector suffers from rank deficiency; for this, we give a low-complexity solution. Avoiding a computationally prohibitive exhaustive search, we solve our data detectors using sphere decoding (SD) and V-BLAST and provide simple adaptations of the SD algorithm. We consider how the blind detector performs under mismatch, generalize the basic data detectors to nonunitary constellations, and extend them to systems with pilots and virtual carriers. Simulations show that our data detectors perform well.


Mercury is a promising candidate for the optical lattice clock, due to its low sensitivity to the blackbody radiation. We develop a single folded beam magneto-optical trap for the neutral mercury optical lattice clock, with a 253.7nm frequency quadrupled laser. Up to 1.7 × 106 (202Hg) or 1.5 × 106 (199Hg) atoms can be captured, and the atom temperature is lowered to 170 μK (202Hg) or 50 μK (199Hg). The cold atom signals of all six rich abundant isotopes are observed in this system.


The use of plasmid vectors expressing the HBsAg, along with improved protocols for transfection of muscle fibers (Refs. 3-6 and Davis et al., this volume), have provided the reagents and methods with which to investigate the characteristics of the strong immune response given by this antigen after DNA-mediated immunization. Analysis of the fine specificity of the humoral response provides support for the idea that the HBsAg-bearing particles are formed such that the B and T epitopes are presented to the immune system in a way resembling that of the natural viral or subviral particles. As shown here and elsewhere, DNA-mediated immunization with the HBsAg-expressing plasmid vectors induces strong CTL responses as well as a dominant Th1 phenotype among the splenic lymphocytes of immunized mice. The Th1 cytokine profile can be obtained in two different strains of mice and with two types of proteins, HBsAg and beta-galactosidase. One important line of investigation in the future will be to determine the mechanism of this generic Th1 response to DNA-based immunization. Circumstantial evidence, discussed by Pisetsky et al. (this volume), suggests that the chemical nature of DNA may play a role as an adjuvant (see also Ref. 31), and this hypothesis to explain the cytokine profiles observed after DNA-mediated immunization must now be taken seriously. All the questions raised by this novel method of immunization are of interest for the design of future vaccines, even if DNA itself is ultimately not the vaccinating moiety. The question of antigen presentation is particularly intriguing, since the small amounts of protein produced by DNA-mediated immunization (on the order of nanograms) are capable of inducing strong immune responses at the level of B and T cells. Although initially it seemed obvious that endogenous protein synthesis in cells transfected with plasmid DNA would account for the observed induction of CTL activity, this idea must be examined in light of two well established sets of experimental results. First, the primary events in activation of CD8+ (as well as CD4+) T lymphocytes normally require professional APC capable of furnishing co-stimulatory signals to supplement the consequences of interaction of the T-cell receptor with MHC surface molecules. Second, endogenous synthesis and processing is not the only mechanism of class I epitope presentation, and numerous examples are now known whereby particulate exogenous proteins, such as HBsAg, can be taken up and processed in such a way as to allow class I presentation of peptides. Consideration of these two points suggests that a major contribution to the observed CTL induction afforded by DNA-mediated immunization could come from the sustained presence of the antigenic protein in interstitial spaces or in the circulation, coupled with the ability of the exogenous protein to be processed for class I presentation. This could be true for many other proteins in addition to the HBsAg. This hypothesis eliminates the inconvenient notion that muscle fibers (or other nonleukocyte cells) present antigen in a way compatible with primary activation of T cells. However, muscle tissue can be an important reservoir of the antigen because of the potential for prolonged synthesis of the protein; this could therefore explain the immune entrainment observed after DNA-mediated immunization. Muscle fibers or other cells could also serve to present class I epitopes for the purpose of restimulating and thus expanding the pool of activated CD8+ T lymphocytes. These explanations, though certainly plausible, will require experimental investigation. The small numbers of the transfected cells in vivo, as well as the potential mobility of transfected cells other than muscle fibers, may well render such experimentation difficult. DNA-mediated immunization clearly offers opportunities for obtaining novel insights into immunological mechanisms and immunization processes. It is also likely to promote vacc


The purpose of this study is to provide empirical basic data to develop public uniforms design, by understanding international universality and advanced design sense, through the analysis of public uniforms design at home and abroad. The theoretical study reviewed the character and area of public design, and the concepts and requirements of public uniforms. The empirical study analyzed public uniform design at home and abroad, focusing on typical public uniforms, such as police, fire fighter, and street cleaner. The results of this study were as follows. First, the police uniform has a standardized and formal suit style, which consists of a single-breasted dk-PB jacket with a notched collar and pants. It uses PB as the main color, to show their authority and role reliability. Epaulet or badge, which represents belonging and difference in rank, are attached to express the identity of an organization. Second, the fire fighter uniform consists of a hip length coat with a stand collar effective for heat shielding, and straight pants with flap pockets, in which it is easy to put things. Its main color is dkg-PB, to mitigate visual fatigue and enhance comfort, and an accent color scheme is used, to effectively raise visual attention and safety. Finally, the street cleaner uniform has a casual style, which consists of a jumper with a shirt collar and pants for high activity. v-YR and R with high chroma is mainly used, for increased attention during day and night work, to stress safety.


We derive new tests for fixed and random ANOVA based on a thresholded point estimate. The pivotal quantity is the threshold that sets all the coefficients of the null hypothesis to zero. Thresholding can be employed coordinatewise or blockwise, or both, which leads to tests with good power properties under alternative hypotheses that are either sparse or dense.


Background: Globally, in 2015 as result of complications related to pregnancy, childbirth, or the postnatal period, 303,000 women died. Among these mortality the lion share burden were in sub-Saharan and Southern Asian countries. To avert the preventable maternal mortality, providing the recommended pregnancy care, delivery and postnatal cares in a continuum manner is imperative. This study aims to assess the trajectories and determinants of maternal healthcare services utilization in four major regions of Ethiopia. Methods: Seven indicator variables were used to construct the maternal healthcare utilization variable. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of maternal healthcare utilization along the continuum of care. Further, ordinal logistic regression was utilized to identify the determinants of the trajectories of maternal healthcare utilization. STATA 14 was used for data management and analysis and 5% level of significance was used to declare statistical significance. Result: There were 590 mothers who delivered a live-birth in the 12 months period before the interview date. The result of latent class analysis indicates that a little more than two in five of the mothers (43.9%) did not attempt to visit a health facility during pregnancy or for delivery or for postnatal checkup. While women with a good practice of maternal healthcare accounted 6.1%, half (50%) of the women had an inadequate maternal healthcare practice. The trajectory of maternal healthcare utilization has shown a marked difference by region and religious affiliation of women. Whereas older women and women of lowest socio-economic status tend to be in the lowest classes of maternal healthcare utilization, educated women, women of highest socio-economic status and women having a better birth preparedness and complication readiness are found to be in the highest classes of maternal health care service utilization. Conclusions: Women of lower socio-economic status and women of below secondary level of education should be targeted to intensify awareness of the benefit of maternal healthcare services utilization and plan births and deal with complications that arise with pregnancy and childbirth.


Background. Food taboos have great effect on pregnant women through prohibited essential food and/or drinks. It is transferred from generation to generation and has negative effect on pregnant mothers' health. Objective. To assess magnitude of food taboo and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public health institutions in Awabel district, Northwest Ethiopia, 2016. Methods. Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted. Three hundred seven pregnant women were selected for the study. All governmental health institutions in the district were included for the study. Data were entered in to Epi-Data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of food taboo. Results. Twenty-seven percent of pregnant mother encountered food taboos. Avoided food items by pregnant mothers were linseed, coffee, tea, cabbage, porridge, wheat bread, banana, pimento, groundnut, salty diet, nug, sugarcane, pumpkin, and coca drinks. Reasons mentioned for avoidance of this food items were plastered on the fetal head, making fatty baby which is difficult for delivery, fear of abortion, and fetal abnormality. Age of the mother AOR= 2.97 (1.71-5.16), income AOR= 0.28 (0.11-0.72), and previous antenatal care AOR= 2.33 (1.89-5.47) were significantly associated with food taboo. Conclusion. Our study revealed that considerable proportion of food taboo exists during pregnancy in the study area. This can be improved by strengthening the nutrition counseling components of antenatal care follow-up.


Abstract Background : Diverticulitis can be complicated by a colovesical fistula (CVF). This phenomenon is relatively uncommon in surgical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic and surgical management of CVF at our medical centre. Material and Methods : In this retrospective study, details of 31 patients undergoing surgery for CVF between January 1998 and March 2010 were recorded. These patient records were analysed for presenting symptoms, diagnostic investigations and surgical procedures. Results : The most common presenting symptoms were pneumaturia, urinary tract infections, abdominal pain, and fecaluria. CT identified CVF in 28 patients (92.2%), cystoscopy in 4 patients (23.5%), and barium enema in 3 patients (13.6%). Surgical management was resection of the diseased colon segment with primary anastomosis in 29 of 31 patients. The bladder fistulae were oversewn and an omental plasty was placed between bowel anastomosis and bladder. There was only one postoperative leak and one case of mortality (3.2%). Conclusions : CT is the most sensitive test in identifying CVF. Resection of the diseased colon segment and primary anastomosis seems to be an effective and safe surgical method for treating CVF. This surgical treatment has an acceptable risk for anastomotic leak and mortality.


This study describes the synthesis, antimicrobial activity, and in silico assessment of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles from ethyl levulinate. For that, we prepared arylamidoximes and treated them with ethyl levulinate, obtaining the respective 1,2,4-oxadiazoles through a reaction sequence of O-acylation followed by cyclodehydration. Then, we assessed the antimicrobial activity of these compounds against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida utilis using the broth microdilution technique. We analyzed in silico studies using the online bioinformatics platforms SwissADME and PASS. We obtained arylamidoximes and 1,2,4-oxadiazoles in good yields. The 1,2,4-oxadiazoles showed moderate antimicrobial activity, inhibiting two microorganisms: the bacterium P. aeruginosa and the fungus C. utilis. In silico studies of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles have shown promising properties, such as good oral absorption, low probability of toxicity, good body distribution, and potential to develop metabolic and enzymatic activities. The investigation of the antimicrobial activity together with the in silico studies showed that the synthesized 1,2,4-oxadiazoles are promising structures for the development of new therapeutic agents.


The current study explored the relationship in a general population sample between problem gambling severity and cognitive distortions about gambling. A representative sample of problem gamblers (N = 766) was asked about cognitive distortions related to gambling. A positive association between gambling severity and cognitive distortions emerged, even when the variables associated with participants' demographic characteristics were accounted for. The current study demonstrates that the relationship between problem gambling severity and cognitive distortions does exist in the general population of problem gamblers. This finding emphasizes the key role that cognitive distortions may play in the development and maintenance of pathological gambling.


Peptide segments of multiple glycine and alanine residues prevent the proteolytic degradation of ubiquitinated proteins by the proteasome. The structure of a Gly/Ala-rich insert in IkappaB alpha was probed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, comparing IkappaB alpha samples with and without Gly/Ala-rich insert. Narrow 1H-NMR resonances at chemical shifts indicative of random coil conformations were observed in the difference spectrum. circular dichroism (CD) measurements further confirm that the mechanism of protection against proteolytic degradation is not based on structural transition or stabilization caused by the Gly/Ala-rich segment. In addition, most of the N- and C-terminal residues outside the ankyrin repeats in wild-type IkappaB alpha were found to be flexibly disordered.


Intake of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables (FVs) is a primary route of exposure to pesticide residues in the general population. While occupational exposure to pesticides used in agriculture is known to be carcinogenic, it is unclear whether exposure to residues of these pesticides through diet carries comparable risks. To address this question, we evaluated the relation of FV intake, classified according to their pesticide residue status, with risk of cancer.

 This prospective cohort study included 150,830 women (Nurses' Health Study, 1998–2012, and Nurses' Health Study II, 1999–2013) and 29,486 men (Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 1998–2012) who had no history of cancer. FV intake was ascertained using validated food frequency questionnaires. We categorized FVs as having high- or low-pesticide-residues using a validated scoring system based on pesticide surveillance data from the US Department of Agriculture. We used multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of total and site-specific cancer related to high- and low-pesticide-residue FV intake.

 A total of 18,969 incident cancer cases were documented during 1136,110 person-years of follow-up. In the pooled multivariable analysis, high-pesticide-residue FV intake was not significantly associated with cancer risk. The HR (95% CI) comparing individuals in increasing quintiles of high-residue FV intake to individuals in the lowest quintile were 0.99 (0.94, 1.04), 1.03 (0.98, 1.09), 0.98 (0.93, 1.04), and 1.00 (0.94, 1.06) (p, linear trend = 0.91). When specific sites were examined, we found no association between intake of high-pesticide-residue FVs and risk of any of the sites examined, including malignancies previously linked to occupational pesticide exposure. Similarly, intake of low-pesticide-residue FVs was unrelated to total or site-specific cancer risk.

 These findings suggest that exposure to pesticide residues through intake of FVs at usual levels in the United States is not related to cancer risk despite well documented carcinogenesis in occupational settings.

 National Institutes of Health.


There is no current consensus among published guidelines on whether noseclips are required during spirometry testing. This study investigated the effect of noseclips on spirometric measurements in patients with a range of disease. Fifty-two patients (30 male; mean age 58.0 years, range 19-78; mean FEV1 82.6% predicted, range 23.8-128.3%) performed measurements of VC, FVC and FEV1 according to ARTP/BTS guidelines (1994) using a wedge bellows spirometer (Vitalograph Model S, Bucks, UK). All patients performed two sets of measurements (with and without noseclips) in random order (Group 1 = noseclips first; n = 30; Group 2 (without noseclips first, n = 22). Tests were conducted by qualified physiologists. Measurements obtained with and without the use of noseclips were similar (mean differences FEV1 -0.030 L SD 0.210 and -0.005 L SD 0.093 for Groups 1 and 2 respectively; FVC -0.007 L SD 0.109 and -0.040 L SD 0.117; VC 0.036 L SD 0.137 and -0.040 L SD 0.150) and were not dependent on patient group or previous test experience. Four patients had differences outside the 95% confidence limits for each parameter. There were no significant correlations between the differences with and without noseclips and severity of lung disease, age, smoking history, BMI or lung volume (all P > 0.100). The within patient coefficient of variation did not depend on the testing method. Use of noseclips during spirometry does not systematically affect the results obtained or the within-subject repeatability. Marked individual differences highlight the importance of maintaining consistency in the method adopted for a particular patient.


Beach nourishment is commonly conducted to protect human infrastructure but rarely for the primary purpose of improving wildlife habitat. To improve horseshoe crab spawning and shorebird feeding habitat in the Delaware Bay, New Jersey (USA), we removed 2000 t of shoreline rubble and placed sand on 16 ha of degraded shoreline spanning 8 beaches. Horseshoe crab egg cluster abundance varied annually, seasonally and spatially. Beaches restored using sand with grain size fractions similar to native sand had horseshoe crab egg cluster abundances matching or exceeding those of high-quality reference beaches. Deeper sand with a higher coarse-grain fraction resulted in the highest egg cluster abundance across all sites and beaches, while finer-grained sand used on a subset of restored beaches was associated with lower egg cluster abundances. These patterns were also reflected in shallow egg availability for shorebirds, with egg cluster abundance correlating positively with shallow egg abundance. Over time, sand placed on beaches moved cross-shore and longshore, and overwashed into marshes. Longshore sand movement nourished adjacent beaches and ebb shoals at creek mouths. Such shoals attract spawning horseshoe crabs and have high densities of surface eggs available for shorebird feeding, but experience high attrition of egg clusters. This study demonstrates that investments in beach restoration provide important benefits for horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. Outcomes can be further improved by expanding project scope and integrating other coastal restoration strategies. Restoration will be critical for the conservation of coastal species as sea levels rise and current and past coastal management practices continue to degrade habitats.


The secessions of Slovenia and Croatia – two interrelated and interdependent processes – put an end to the existence of the socialist federal Yugoslavia. The article examines the mutual influence of the identity transformations of the Slovenes and Croats in the second half of the 1980s – early 1990s and the disintegration of the SFRY. Historical and cultural background, the influence of socio-political conditions and the purposeful efforts of key actors to transform identities are analyzed. It is shown that the main vector of changes in the identity of Slovenes and Croats in the second half of the 1980s – early 1990s favored secessions, but they were not predetermined. The influence of external factors was very strong, including, firstly, changes in the political landscape of Serbia and their echoes in the structures of power at the federal level, and, secondly, the approaching collapse of the political regime in the USSR and other countries of Eastern Europe, and also the end of the Cold War. The actions of political leaders were of particular importance for the transformations in the sphere of identity. Thanks to their efforts, the secessionist strategies strongly affected the identities of Slovenes and Croats. But in Croatia, with the coming to power of F. Tudjman and the Croatian Democratic Union, practically the entire system of government bodies began to function in the regime of a "nationalizing state" (R. Brubaker).


The friendly connection that existed between Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) and his learned friends in Augsburg comprised three periods in the life of the emperor's court physician. The close ties that must have connected Adolphus Occo II and III and Vesalius are expressed in a number of medals carrying their images.


Editors'Summary: In 2003, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) of California agreed to transfer water from rural Imperial County to urban southern California cities as part of a quantitative settlement agreement (QSA). The Colorado River water that the IID transferred to the wealthy coastal cities was held in trust for the residents of the Imperial Valley, the poorest county in the state. In this Article, Shannon Baker-Branstetter asserts that the IID Board of Directors breached its trust to the residents and farmers of Imperial County when it sold water rights to municipal districts in southern California. The IID leased the water for less-than-market price for an unreasonable length of time, and the IID Board of Directors did not insist on adequate compensation and a formalized plan to mitigate damage to the public health that will result when the reduced runoff from agriculture exposes the Salton Sea lakebed. Thus, the IID exacerbated the poor economic conditions of residents of the county.


In the face of sudden migration to online teaching due to Covid-19 pandemic, education is going under trying times globally, especially in the low resource contexts of the Global South. Little is, however, known about how this forced migration to and coping with emergency remote teaching (ERT) are happening in the low resource context of developing Bangladesh, particularly in the Higher Education (HE). This paper, therefore, aims to understand how virtual classrooms look like in the Higher Education context in Bangladesh through TESOL teachers' narratives from initial virtual classrooms imparting ERT. Employing narrative inquiry, four teachers from four different public and private universities in Bangladesh share their experiences of doing, undergoing and reflecting as they try to adopt, adapt and strive in imparting ERT and carrying out education in HE. Insights from these initial teacher narratives may inform higher education pedagogies, teacher development in distance education environments in Bangladesh and similar contexts in the Global South. As the paper addresses HE teachers' initial orientation to ERT without exclusively dealing with TESOL education, it has multidisciplinary approach to migration to and coping with ERT in HE in general.


2,3,5,6-Tetramethyl-1,4-diisocyanobenzene (1), 1,4-diisocyanobenzene (2), and 1,4-dicyanobenzene (3) were co-crystallized with 1,3,5-triiodotrifluorobenzene (1,3,5-FIB) to give three cocrystals, 1·1,3,5-FIB, 2·2(1,3,5-FIB), and 3·2(1,3,5-FIB), which were studied by X-ray diffraction. A common feature of the three structures is the presence of I···Cisocyanide or I···Nnitrile halogen bonds (HaBs), which occurs between an iodine σ-hole and the isocyanide C-(or the nitrile N-) atom. The diisocyanide and dinitrile cocrystals 2·2(1,3,5-FIB) and 3·2(1,3,5-FIB) are isostructural, thus providing a basis for accurate comparison of the two types of noncovalent linkages of C≡N/N≡C groups in the composition of structurally similar entities and in one crystal environment. The bonding situation was studied by a set of theoretical methods. Diisocyanides are more nucleophilic than the dinitrile and they exhibit stronger binding to 1,3,5-FIB. In all structures, the HaBs are mostly determined by the electrostatic interactions, but the dispersion and induction components also provide a noticeable contribution and make the HaBs attractive. Charge transfer has a small contribution (<5%) to the HaB and it is higher for the diisocyanide than for the dinitrile systems. At the same time, diisocyanide and dinitrile structures exhibit typical electron-donor and π-acceptor properties in relation to the HaB donor.


Context. The traditional knowledge of the mechanisms that brought to the formation and evolution of early type galaxies (ETG) in a hierarchical Universe was challenged by the unexpected finding by ATLAS(3D) that 86% ETGs show signs of a fast rotating disk at their interior, implying an origin common to most spiral galaxies, followed by a quenching phase, while only a minority of the most massive systems are slow rotators and were likely to be the products of merger events. Aims. Our aim is to improve our knowledge on the content and distribution of ionised hydrogen and their usage to form stars in a representative sample of ETGs for which the kinematics and detailed morphological classification were known from ATLAS(3D). Methods. Using narrow-band filters centered on the redshifted H-alpha line along with a broad-band (r-Gunn) filter to recover the stellar continuum, we observed or collected existing imaging observations for 147 ETG (including members of the Virgo cluster), representative of the whole ATLAS(3D) survey. Results. 55 ETGs (37%) were detected in the H alpha line above our detection threshold (H alpha EW <= -1 angstrom) and 21 harbour a strong source (H alpha EW <= -5 angstrom). Conclusions. The strong H alpha emitters appear associated with mostly low-mass (M-* similar to 10(10) M-circle dot) S0 galaxies which contain conspicuous stellar and gaseous disks, harbouring significant star formation at their interior, including their nuclei. The weak H alpha emitters are almost one order of magnitude more massive, contain gas-poor disks and harbour an AGN at their centers. Their emissivity is dominated by [NII] and does not imply star formation. The 92 undetected ETGs constitute the majority in our sample and are gas-free systems which lack a disk and exhibit passive spectra even in their nuclei. These pieces of evidence reinforce the conclusion of Cappellari (2016, ARA&A, 54, 597) that the evolution of ETGs followed the secular channel for the less massive systems and the dry merging channel for the most massive galaxies at the center of clusters of galaxies.


The research on supercapacitors (SCs) is one of the hot topics in the field of energy storage, and the intrinsic ageing mechanism of SCs is significant from both the economic and the scientific point of view. In this paper, the negative effects of decay of the key structural components on ageing of SCs were investigated by factorial design and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The ANOVA results showed that the degree of the negative influence on ageing of SCs could be ranked in descending order as anode > separator > cathode. The ageing would be accelerated due to the interaction between the electrode and separator, especially at a high charge-discharge current density. Further, the intrinsic chemical ageing mechanism of SCs was revealed by the morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition analyses of the fresh and aged key components (the electrode carbon materials, current collectors, and separators) with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), etc. Moreover, the minimum pore width of electrode carbon materials suitable for electrolyte ion diffusion was obtained by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which corroborated the assumption that the pore structure deterioration was one of the direct causes of capacitance loss for aged SCs. Generally, the ageing mechanism of key components of SCs could be a reference to develop advanced electrode materials and separators for SCs.


This paper presents results from the application of a portfolio selection model to Queensland data. The model presented here comprises two-regions, being Brisbane-Moreton and the Rest of Queensland. The reason for this choice of regional disaggregation rests on the recent policy discussion in Queensland, where concerns about congestion in the south-east of the state have resulted in the consideration of policies aimed at encouraging settlement outside this region. While such a policy may reduce population pressures in the south-east, there may be implications not only for regional, but also state economic growth. Traditional portfolio selection models allow the evaluation of regional development strategies, by simulating the impact of changes to the employment structure on regional growth and stability. The additional insight of the two-region formulation used here, is how the geographic location of activity affects overall state growth and stability.


We undertook a retrospective analysis of 112 patients admitted to Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, between 1983 and 1985 with corneal ulcers associated with the use of contact lenses to test the clinical impression that such ulcers are more common in summer. Over half of the admissions (51%) occurred between June and September. The seasonal variation of the ulcers was statistically significant (p less than 0.01). Possible factors predisposing to corneal ulcers in people who wear contact lenses in the summer include enhanced growth of bacteria at warmer temperatures and wearing the lenses while swimming.


Concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) as the standard treatment for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has reached a therapeutic plateau. Variations in the chemotherapy backbone and addition of consolidation chemotherapy have failed to improve survival (1). Attempts to escalate radiation dose have been met with failure as well (2). As a result, the 5-year overall survival of locally advanced NSCLC has stagnated at 30–40% over the past 10–15 years. While there has been an explosion of new therapeutic strategies for metastatic NSCLC in recent years, locally advanced NSCLC is very much in need of innovation.


Although much attention has been given to the embryonic development of blood corpuscles, the genesis of the coagulable constituents of the plasma has escaped notice. Knowledge of this subject appears to be limited to the observation of Boll (1) that the blood of chick embryos does not clot before the twelfth to fourteenth day of incubation; and of Emmel, Levison and Fisch (2) that the blood of late pig embryos clots more slowly than that of adult pigs. We shall describe the successive appearance in chick embryos of those constituents of the blood plasma which are associated respectively with the preservation of the fluidity of the blood and with its capacity to clot. We shall also briefly discuss the significance of the facts recorded.


We report herein a survey in which cultures of bovine reproductive tracts for Ureaplasma diversum and mycoplasmas were carried out in order to better understand the role of these organisms in granular vulvitis (GV). Samples cultured were vulvar swabs from clinically normal cows or ones with GV, preputial swabs or raw semen from bulls, and abomasal contents of aborted fetuses.Ureaplasma diversum was isolated from 104 (43.3%) of 240 dairy cows, 32 (27.1%) of 118 beef cows, 43 (47.2%) of 91 beef heifers, 23 (67.6%) of 34 beef bulls, and three (60%) of five dairy bulls. Mycoplasmas were isolated from 18 (7.5%) dairy cows, two (1.6%) beef cows, three (8.8%) beef bulls, and one dairy bull. No isolation was made from 97 aborted fetuses. For 65 dairy cows and 30 beef heifers with vulvar lesions, the isolation rates for ureaplasmas of 62.5% and 69.7%, respectively, were significantly higher (X(2)) than those for normal animals (37.5% and 30.3%). On immunofluorescent serotyping of 137 of the 205 isolates, there were 66 in serogroup C (strain T44), 18 in serogroup B (strain D48), eight in serogroup A (strain A417 or strain 2312), 14 cross-reacting, and 31 that were not identified. It was concluded that U. diversum is commonly present in the lower reproductive tract of beef/dairy cattle in Saskatchewan and is associated with granular vulvitis.


This chapter introduces the notion of civic culture as a frame for understanding political engagement and civic agency. In particular, the role of the media is underscored in shaping civic cultures; these include such dimensions as knowledge, values, practices and identities.


New perspectives in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis SUMMARY A best knowledge of etiopathogeny and prognosis of Multiple Sclerosis is allowing the development of new and more effective therapies. Current therapies are divided into three groups: treatments for the acute relapses, disease-modifying therapy and symptomatic treatment. There are six approved drugs available in Spain, also there are two oral new drugs (Cladribina and Fingolimod) and others designed for improving the quality of life of these patients (Frampidina and Sativex) waiting to be approved and some others in different stages of clinical trials that will offer encouraging perspectives in a near future.


This paper describes a fast procedure for identifying undetectable transition faults under functional broadside tests. By using reachable states as scan-in states, functional broadside tests avoid overtesting that may occur when scan-based tests are used for detecting delay faults. The proposed procedure is based only on logic simulation, and does not perform test generation of any type. In one of its variations, the procedure uses logic simulation of fully unspecified primary input vectors starting from a known initial state in order to identify a superset of broadside tests that covers all the functional broadside tests. It then uses this superset to identify undetectable transition faults. The procedure identifies large numbers of undetectable transition faults in certain benchmark circuits.


The use of networked organisational arrangements to conduct exchanges is one of the most distinctive features of high-tech research-intensive industries. Advances in biotechnology and genomics research have enabled a generic technology platform that has fuelled a more 'open' approach to innovation and learning. This relies on collaborations between networked partners and allows for the convergence and reorientation of traditional sectors. This paper lends support to the view that some technologies can trigger a higher system level innovation, that is, in addition to the inter-firm level, an inter-industrial and inter-institutional level convergence and re-orientation process. This paper explores how this phenomenon is being witnessed in the pharmaceutical and food sectors and fast becoming a dominant logic in the emerging nutraceuticals industry.


An analytical solution of the coupled Telegrapher's equations for the voltage and current on a homogeneous lossy transmission line is presented. The resulting expression is obtained in the form of an exact time-domain propagator operating on the line voltage and current. It is shown that an application of Simpson's rule yields a simple accurate numerical representation of the propagator that can be used to analyze both homogeneous and inhomogeneous transmission lines. Numerical dispersion in lossy media is examined proving that this method has no numerical dispersion.


We present a numerical scheme, implemented in the cosmological adaptive mesh refinement code enzo, to model the injection of cosmic ray (CR) particles at shocks, their advection and their dynamical feedback on thermal baryonic gas. We give a description of the algorithms and show their tests against analytical and idealized one-dimensional problems. Our implementation is able to track the injection of CR energy, the spatial advection of CR energy and its feedback on the thermal gas in run-time. This method is applied to study CR acceleration and evolution in cosmological volumes, with both fixed and variable mesh resolution. We compare the properties of galaxy clusters with and without CRs for a sample of high-resolution clusters with different dynamical states. At variance with similar simulations based on smoothed particles hydrodynamics, we report that the inclusion of CR feedback in our method decreases the central gas density in clusters, thus reducing the X-ray and Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect from the clusters centre, while enhancing the gas density and its related observables near the virial radius.


Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by dilatation and impaired systolic function of one or both ventricles. Five to eight people per 100,000 develop this disorder each year. It is more common in men. Malignant arrhythmias are the most common cause of death in DCM1. Around 50% of cases of nonischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy are idiopathic. Other causes are familial, infectious, infi ltrative and connective tissue diseases. Thi s is a report of successful anesthetic management of a patient with severe DCM undergoing a surgical procedure using combined thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and general anesthesia (GA).


This paper presents a method to accurately identify the yaw-dynamic model of an unmanned helicopter. First, the model's structure is established by dynamic analysis. Then the model is reconstructed into a combination of three second-order subsystems. As the distribution of the damp ratios and natural frequencies of a second-order subsystems is limited, the model can be accurately identified from real-flight-test data. Finally, experiments are carried out to identify the yaw dynamic model. Results shown the modeling accuracy is improved through this approach.


The continued scaling of device dimensions is leading toward devices where only a handful of dopant atoms or charges can make the difference between a one and a zero in the of state of represented bit, by enhancing or depleting channel conduction. Thus very minor static imperfections in dopant distribution, dielectric properties, or device geometry, and dynamic conditions associated with heat, radiation, or aging can perturb a device out of specification and cause electrical errors. Thus we might expect to soon see devices with millions of static defects and thousands of soft errors in very short time periods. Both static defects and dynamic faults at these scales present huge challenges. Classical methods for fault or defect tolerance at a higher level of architecture (eg. N-modular-redundancy) can be impractically expensive, and some approaches to diagnosis and reconfiguration require immense reliable memories or impractical test and reconfiguration times. Efficient and effective means are needed that exploit structure inherent in one layer of architecture to provide key properties to enable reliable execution at other levels.


A novel and efficient analysis technique for reflectarrays of variable element sizes was previously proposed by the authors. The technique relies on using the scaled version of a reference mesh for all elements and reusing the dominant characteristic mode of the resonant sized patch for all differently sized patches on the reflectarray. The number of unknowns is reduced to the number of elements by constructing a reduced matrix form through the use of the dominant characteristic mode as a macro basis function. In this study, an accurate and efficient method for the construction of this reduced MoM (Method of Moments) matrix is proposed. An entry of the reduced matrix corresponds to the interaction of two patches and it is a function of horizontal and vertical displacements and sizes of these patches. The efficiency of the proposed method is based on our observation that, except for near field interactions, the displacement and size dependencies are separable such that the matrix entries can be expressed as the product of two functions. Therefore it becomes sufficient to tabulate the reduced matrix entry for two cases, one for a fixed pair of source and observer patch sizes, whereas the other is for a fixed pair of horizontal and vertical displacements. When the tabulations are available, it takes 0.38 seconds to compute the current density on a reflectarray with 1000 elements, on a personal computer with 3.3 GHz clock speed.


FDA has issued a safety alert, warning patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals about the dangers of accidental exposure to and improper storage and disposal of fentanyl patches.


This study investigates the mediating effect of communication competence in the relationship between compassion and patient-centered care (PCC) in clinical nurses. We used a descriptive research approach, and our sample comprised nurses (n = 204) with more than one year of experience in patient nursing in a general hospital in South Korea. The data were collected between December 2020 and June 2021 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS 24.0. The Sobel test and PROCESS macro in SPSS were applied to verify the mediating effect. The mean scores for communication competence, compassion, and PCC were 3.67 ± 0.42, 64.04 ± 7.71, and 3.75 ± 0.46, respectively. Communication competence was found to partially mediate the relationship between compassion and PCC (z = 6.977, p < 0.001), and its explanatory power was 63.9%. To improve nurses' PCC, developing a step-by-step and differentiated PCC improvement program that includes communication competence and compassion is necessary.


Abstract Introduction: An anterior approach is most commonly used in procedures performed in cases of degenerative cervical spine disease (DCSD). Although generally considered safe, they are not free of complications that may result in the need for reoperation. The aim of the study is to analyse causes of reoperation via the same approach for DCSD in patients who have previously undergone one of the anterior cervical approaches. Materials and methods: Of the 2,794 patients managed with a surgical procedure performed from an anterior approach, a total of 38 were reoperated on via the same anterior route between year 2004–2019 at a single tertiary centre. Retrospective assessment was conducted based on medical records and radiological imaging. Subjects were grouped into 2 categories: early revision surgeries (within 90 days of the 1st procedure) and late revision surgeries (after 90 days). Results: The incidence of same-route reoperation was 1.36%. Late reoperations were over twice as frequent as early ones (n = 26 vs n = 12). The main cause for reoperation in the late group was adjacent segment disease (ASD; n = 25, 96.15%) whereas in the early group, persistent stenosis and implant dislocation were equally prevalent (each n = 3, 27.3%). The reoperations which were conducted earliest were due to emergent post-operative prevertebral hematomas (n = 2, 16.67%). Conclusion: The risk of needing a same-route reoperation after anterior approaches in DCSD is relatively low with late revisions being more prevalent. Adjacent segment disease is the most common cause. Implant dislocation as well as persistent spinal canal stenosis are the main causes behind early revisions.


While transgender and gender non-binary (trans/nb) individuals are disproportionately affected by HIV, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake remains low in this underserved population. We conducted four focus groups with 37 trans/nb individuals in San Diego and Los Angeles to assess barriers and facilitators of PrEP usage. Transcripts were coded for qualitative themes. Although overall PrEP awareness was high, participants reported limited knowledge and misinformation about PrEP. Barriers to PrEP use included: structural access (e.g., discrimination from health care providers, lack of trans-inclusive services, financial barriers), mental health struggles limiting ability to access PrEP, and concerns about potential side effects, drug-drug interactions with hormone therapy, and lack of other STI protection. Facilitators of PrEP usage included: increased PrEP availability, prior experience taking daily medications, and motivation to have active and healthy lives without fear of contracting HIV. Addressing both structural and psychosocial/behavioral factors in trans-affirming health care environments is crucial to designing inclusive, effective PrEP interventions.


"Reader, you must die… What will become of you?...what shall you be on the day after your death…your soul, whither shall it go?... That which was free within you…what shall become of it? Where shall that sensible, existing soul, which must survive the tomb, go to? What will it become, what shall you be, my reader, the day after your death?" Louis Figuier, The Day After Death. 1884, pp. 1-2. "Every age has its bogus prophets, who become famous or infamous if you prefer it." Elliott Coues, New york Sun, July 20, 1890. "The serious worker in science holds a high position among men, no matter what the great herd may say about him. They simply do not know their opinion is not worth considering." Edward D. Cope to Charles H. Sternberg, March 16, 1896.


Papillary and follicular thyroid cancers, together termed differentiated thyroid cancers (DTC), comprise the majority of thyroid carcinomas and have an optimal prognosis. Most DTCs appear as asymptomatic thyroid nodules. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is the first diagnostic test for a thyroid nodule in a euthyroid patient. Surgery is the primary treatment for thyroid cancers. Most clinicians recommend near-total or total thyroidectomy, and then 131I ablation therapy, since its consequences are minimal and follow-up is facilitated. A total body scan (TBS) is performed 4 to 7 days after 131I treatment. At a later stage, all patients should be treated with L-tiroxine so as to suppress TSH, and must undergo a periodic evaluation of TSH and thyroglobulin (Tg), the most sensitive and specific marker of DTC. After 6-12 months, TBS with 131I is performed, a technique complementary to serum Tg evaluation. For this technique, it is also necessary to have a high serum TSH concentration, obtained by withdrawing thyroxine therapy for 4 to 6 weeks. This standard method induces hypothyroidism. An alternative method to the withdrawal of thyroid hormones in the follow-up of DTC patients is to administer recombinant human TSH (rh-TSH). After the dose of rhTSH, 131I is administered, and then TBS can be performed 48-72 hours later. Currently, several authors have explored the possibility that rh-TSH-stimulated Tg levels may represent the only necessary test to differentiate patients with persistent disease from disease-free patients, without performing a diagnostic TBS.


This paper presents several new properties of biorthogonal cosine modulated filter banks (CMFBs) and efficient algorithms for designing CMFBs with a very large number of subbands and very long filters. For a biorthogonal CMFB, we find the periodicity and symmetry of its overall transfer function and aliasing transfer functions which can be efficiently computed based on a decimated uniform discrete Fourier transform (DFT) analysis filter bank. By exploiting gradient information and 2M th band conditions, efficient algorithms are proposed for designing both orthogonal and biorthogonal CMFBs. In addition, an efficient matrix inversion algorithm with O(N 2 ) complexity is also presented. Several numerical examples and comparisons with many other existing methods are included to demonstrate the design performance and efficiency of the algorithms.


THE TOTAL picture of acute appendicitis at the present time has a number of components. Some of them are creditable. Others are not. The situation may be summarized as follows: 1. To our professional shame, this disease is still slaying its thousands. The death rate per 100,000 in the United States, which was 9.7 in 1900 and 15.2 in 1925, has fallen progressively since the latter date and last year declined to an all-time low of 1.7. 1 This remarkable decrease is somewhat less gratifying than on first glance it might seem when it is recollected that a death rate of 1.7 per 100,000 means that at least 2,600 persons died in this country in 1952 of a disease that has been well described as eminently treatable. 2. The mortality in simple acute appendicitis has always been low and is now minimal. Deaths in this type of disease are practically


Abstract The European arrest warrant system is one of the greatest achievements in the development of cooperation in judicial matters among EU Member States. However, its implementation has raised many questions, resulting in referrals by national courts to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for preliminary rulings. This article analyses the impact of the CJEU's preliminary rulings on Lithuanian law concerning European arrest warrants. Specifically, the focus of the paper is institutional configuration and corresponding regulation in this field because/after the CJEU decided that (1) the Ministry of Justice cannot be considered a judicial authority because as part of the executive branch it cannot guarantee the protection of the parties' fundamental rights; (2) however, the Prosecutor General of Lithuania can be considered a judicial authority because it participates in the administration of criminal justice and is independent of executive governance, and because its decisions to issue European arrest warrants are subject to judicial review.


This dataset contains the data that supports the following paper: Feret, R. and Cros, M., 2019. The embedded research librarian: a project partner. LIBER Quarterly, 29(1), pp.1–20. DOI: 10.18352/lq.10304 The dataset contains 3 files related to the bibliographic metadata of the publications of the 7 H2020 projects supported by the University Library of Lille and a general file providing the data for the table, figure 2 and 3 and for the data on H2020 projects coordinators: figures: this file contains the information related to the projects supported by the Library, including the data presented in the figure 2 (tab 1), the figure 3 (tab 2), the table 1 (tab 3) and the data on 2020 project coordinators (tab 4). wos_publications : the data extracted from the Web of Science for 106 publications (.txt, UTF-8, Windows), searched on the base of the 7 H2020 projects Cordis number. refined_wos_publications : the same data after having been transformed into a .xlsx format in the tool OpenRefine. processed_publications : contains the main bibliographic data (authors, article title, source title, DOI, date of publication) and their open status. Abstract of the paper This paper presents new services developed by the Lille University Library for European and National research project coordinators. This is a specific audience that libraries are not used to target, with a widely recognised institutional status and academic background. Supporting them in their coordination activities is an opportunity to gain a new role for libraries, which starts from the design of research at the submission stage and lasts several years after, during the project lifetime. These services help coordinators to meet their funders' expectations on open access and research data management. It is also a way to develop new collaborations with research units and some university services, such as the Grant Office. The Lille University Library has already supported the writing of forty grant proposals since 2017, including about thirty since early 2019. The Library currently follows twelve projects on open access, research data management or both. This second figure is likely to increase in 2020 due to the number of projects supported at submission stage since the beginning of 2019. The paper describes our set of services and the lessons we learned from our approach.