In the coastal karstic region of SW Sardinia, from Capo Pecora in the north to Nebida in the south, many interesting geological monuments, ecotopes and several places of social and cultural interest that deserve preservation and valorization can be found. This mostly rocky coastline is characterized by the presence of a Cambrian sequence prevalently composed of limestones and dolostones and only locally of phyllites. A correct use of the many environmental and cultural monuments is necessary both to preserve and to valorize them; therefore they have to be properly managed in order to preserve their original natural conditions. Here, we describe and classify these monuments with the aim to propose an integrated model of sustainable development of this exceptional coastal landscape. Our model is based on several thematic maps according to which we propose the establishment of a natural reserve with specific geological and geomorphologic sites and the creation of several touristic circuits that are the basis for a further valorization of this territory.


Ecosystem services are benefits that society derives from the existence of ecosystems.
These have been c1assified into four main categories: provisioning, regulating, cultural and
supportive. Each ofthese services has attributes of quantity, quality, location and flow time.
In this context the importance of hydrological services is revealed by the benefits in the
modification of each of its attributes. The main challenge of the large urban areas of
developing countries is to address the problem of sustainability of the hydrological service
ofwater supply, as these require increasing volumes ofwater and an increased development
of infrastructure to meet demand that often exceeds the supply, leading to environmental
imbalances. Therefore, the urban area of the city of La Paz, Baja California Sur (BCS),
deserves particular attention, as households represent the largest demand sector, with
60.86% of total aquifer water concession in La Paz. The absence of surface water in the
region of La Paz, and limited precipitation (one of the lowest nationally) are feature of the
climate of the region which has led to the need to remove by pumping groundwater in
coastal wells, generating a water deficit revealed by overexploitation of the aquifer by 2.98
million cubic meters CNA (2005), this increase of overexploitation has caused saline
intrusion. Because of this and the obvious need to explore alternative sources of water
supply for the recovery of the aquifer hydrological service and maintenance the water
supply, the purpose of this study is to value economically the hydrological service of the
aquifer of La Paz, Through Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and estimate the price
and income elasticity of short-and long-term urban water demando The results of this
assessment reveal that how households value changes in their welfare that is produced by
changes in the conditions of environmentally supply of good water, as measured by its
main attribute amount. The results confirm that households are valuing the change in the
conditions of supply of good water from the aquifer environment correspond to the
variation compensated, the effect of the decrease in utility due to a decrease in disposable
income and offset by increased well-being to maintain or improve the hydrological service
of water supply aquifer of La Paz. These results have implications for the region related to
the use and management policy of water resources, since knowledge of the economic value
of the resource is of crucial importance in determining the net benefits of policies and
management actions. Willingness to pay represents the estimated consumer surplus, which should be evaluated on the implementation costs of maintenance or improvement of the
aquifer water balance. In this paper we estimate the sensitivity of water demand on the
pricc, income. socio-demographic determinants as well as the physical characteristics of
housing. It was found that water demand is inelastic (0.56 in absolute terms) to changes in
the price. The results reveal the importance of pricing structures and permanent increases in
rates, for the proper management of water demand for achieving efficient resource use.


The present study aimed at the phenomenologic comparison of depressive symptoms in elderly patients with poststroke depression (PSD) or primary depression (depression without a known neuropathology). We investigated 20 patients with PSD and 41 patients with primary depression. A structured clinical interview based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, self- and observer-based depression rating scales, a clinical neurologic examination, and neuroradiologic analysis based on standardized computed tomographic scan analysis were applied. The Cornell Depression Scale was used to compare mood-related signs, behavioral disturbances, physical signs, disturbances of cyclic signs, and ideational disturbances in both groups of patients. Those with PSD exhibited no melancholia and fewer cyclic and ideational disturbances but more physical signs of depression. These findings are in line with those of endocrinologic studies. Differences between both groups of patients indicate that careful considerations and further research are needed before treatment strategies developed for and evaluated in patients with primary depression are applied to patients with PSD. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2002; 15:44-49).


The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of controlling violence experienced by adolescents in the Region of Murcia, as well as to analyze the patterns and sociodemographic variables involved such as sex, age, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and country of origin of the families with the consequent cultural background provided. Using a sample of 454 secondary and high school students who completed a survey, the results revealed that 29.96% of the respondents were perpetrators (exerted violence) and 35.68% were victims of at least one dating abuse behavior. Significant differences were found in the occurrence of abuse based on family background, age, and religion. Finally, the results revealed that there were no significant differences in the victimization or perpetration of violence in relation to sex, but the older the victim, the less control exercised in cybernetic media, and the greater the control of the other in relation to family origin, where those from Latin American and African countries showed a greater propensity to control their partners than those of Spanish origin.


To test the hypothesis that metoclopramide (a dopamine antagonist) may restore hypoglycemic counterregulation, 10-week old rats underwent recurrent (insulin-induced) hypoglycemia (RH) to induce a blunted sympathoadrenal response. RH rats were treated with vehicle or metoclopramide (RH+MET: 3 mg/kg IP) . A third control group did not undergo recurrent hypoglycemia (RS: recurrent saline) . MET was administered either during RH phase (concurrent protocol) or after RH (post-induction protocol) . All rats (n=7-14/group) underwent a hyperinsulinemic (50mU/kg/min) hypoglycemic (45±5 mg/dl) clamp. In the concurrent protocol, epinephrine response to hypoglycemia in RS (1434±275 pg/ml) was blunted in RH (460±1pg/ml, p<0.vs. RS) and increased with MET (1072±141 pg/ml, p<0.vs. RH) . In the post-induction protocol, epinephrine in RS (1949±413 pg/ml) was again blunted in RH (581±199 pg/ml, p<0.vs. RS) and increased with MET (1460±202 pg/ml, P<0.vs. RH) .
 In summary, 1) metoclopramide prevented the development of an impaired sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia, and 2) in rodents that had an impaired response to hypoglycemia, subsequent metoclopramide treatment restored the sympathoadrenal response.
 In conclusion, 1) dopaminergic signaling plays a role in the development of impaired counterregulation, and 2) post hoc treatment with metoclopramide improves the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia.

 M.H.Devore: None. S.Sharma: None. S.Fisher: None.

 NIH R01DK118082


The purpose of this study was to investigate if any linguistic differences between the sexes can be found in Swedish students' compositions in English. My aim was also to investigate what features students perceive to be typically male or female. By studying a number of Swedish students' English compositions, I was able to detect differences between boys' and girls' language and also compare my discoveries with earlier research. I investigated both the features that separate the genders in their writing and also what students identified as female and male language use. In my investigation, I found some linguistic differences between the sexes which were more distinct than others; for example their use of stative and dynamic verbs. But, on the other hand, I found no noticeable difference between boys' and girls' use of adjectives; words which are often said to be more commonly used by girls. Nyckelord: gender, gender based linguistic differences, comparative study, students' written texts Table of contents


We study relativistic hydrodynamics in the linear regime, based on Mori's projection operator method. In relativistic hydrodynamics, it is considered that an ambiguity about the fluid velocity occurs from the choice of a local rest frame: the Landau and Eckart frames. We find that the difference of the frames is not the choice of the local rest frame, but rather that of dynamic variables in the linear regime. We derive hydrodynamic equations in both frames by the projection operator method. We show that the natural derivation gives the linearized Landau equation. Also we find that, even for the Eckart frame, the slow dynamics is actually described by the dynamic variables for the Landau frame.


Background Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in construction materials, such as caulking used around windows and expansion joints, may constitute a source of PCB contamination in the building interiors and in surrounding soil. Several studies of soil contamination have been conducted around buildings where the caulking has been removed by grinding or scraping. The PCBs in soil may have been generated in the process of removing the caulking, but natural weathering and deterioration of the caulking may have also been a source. Objectives The objectives of this study were to measure PCB levels in soil surrounding buildings where PCB-containing caulk was still in place, and to evaluate the mobility of the PCBs from caulking using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method 1311). Discussion We found soil PCB contamination ranging from 3.3 to 34 mg/kg around buildings with undisturbed caulking that contained 10,000–36,200 mg/kg PCBs. The results of the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (leachate concentrations of 76–288 mg PCB/L) suggest that PCBs in caulking can be mobilized, apparently as complexes with dissolved organic matter that also leach off the caulking material. Conclusions and Recommendations Although these new findings are based on a small sample size, they demonstrate the need for a national survey of PCBs in building materials and in soil surrounding these buildings. Because the buildings constructed during the time the PCB caulking was in use (1960s and 1970s) include schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings, the potential for exposure of children is a particular concern. It is necessary to reconsider the practice of disposing of old PCB caulking removed during building renovations in conventional landfills, given the apparent mobility of PCBs from the caulking material. Disposal of some caulking material in nonhazardous landfills might lead to high PCB levels in landfill leachate.


ABSTRACT Background: The finger skin and soft-tissue defects are reconstructive challenges due to their nature and the intricate extensor apparatus and flexors it protects. The reverse dorsal metacarpal artery (RDMA) is a time-tested option for the reconstruction of the same. Materials and Methods: A total of 14 cases of RDMA flap for finger defects involving proximal to distal phalanx were performed. Thirteen of these patients were male and one patient female and the most common mode of injury was occupational in nature followed by road traffic accident. The overall appearance was assessed for the flap and the donor site. The associated injuries and the range of motion were noted. Results: All but one flap survived completely. One patient had partial distal flap loss, which was tackled with split-thickness skin grafting. The flap size varied from 3.5 cm × 1.5 cm to 9 cm × 2 cm with mean of 6.64 cm × 1.72 cm. The mean age of the patients was 33.4 years. All the patients had acceptable aesthesis. The donor site had no complications and healed with linear scar. Conclusions: RDMA flap is a reliable flap for finger defects reconstruction. The range of movement mainly depends on the associated injury rather than flap transfer alone and to prove this we require doing analysis of range of movement in patients with flap done alone or with associated injuries.


Integrin-mediated cell adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) plays important roles in a variety of biological processes. Recent studies suggested that integrins mediate signal transduction across the plasma membrane via activating several intracellular signaling pathways. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that has been shown to be a major mediator of integrin signal transduction pathways. Upon activation by integrins, FAK undergoes autophosphorylation as well as associations with several other intracellular signaling molecules. These interactions in the signaling pathways have been shown to regulation a variety of cellular functions such as cell spreading, migration, cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell survival. Recent progress in the understanding of FAK interactions with other proteins in the regulation of these cellular functions will be discussed in this review.


The American public is convinced that cancer screening tests are valuable. Breast cancer screening recommendations have recently received a great deal of attention. Careful review of the available data reveals that combined annual mammography and clinical breast examination is the appropriate breast cancer screening program for most women over the age of 40. However, a small group of women with a genetic susceptibility for breast cancer may benefit from additional imaging. In this article, the criteria for a good screening program are identified.


Determining the extent to which the perceptual world can be recovered from language is a longstanding problem in philosophy and cognitive science. We show that state-of-the-art large language models can unlock new insights into this problem by providing a lower bound on the amount of perceptual information that can be extracted from language. Specifically, we elicit pairwise similarity judgments from GPT models across six psychophysical datasets. We show that the judgments are significantly correlated with human data across all domains, recovering well-known representations like the color wheel and pitch spiral. Surprisingly, we find that a model (GPT-4) co-trained on vision and language does not necessarily lead to improvements specific to the visual modality. To study the influence of specific languages on perception, we also apply the models to a multilingual color-naming task. We find that GPT-4 replicates cross-linguistic variation in English and Russian illuminating the interaction of language and perception.


This article quantifies the comparative performance of China in several dimensions. Firstly, it shows that China's move from a command to a market economy was less abrupt and more successful than that of 29 other economies making a similar transition. Secondly, while official estimates show annual GDP growth of 9.6 percent in 1978–2003, this is reduced to 7.9 percent after adjustment for exaggeration of industrial performance and growth in non-material services. Thirdly, as the exchange rate understates China's achievement, a purchasing power parity (PPP) converter is necessary to measure comparative level of performance. Our PPP converter shows that China in 2005 was the world's second largest economy, with a GDP about 80 percent of the U.S. It is assumed that China will have overtaken the U.S. as the world's biggest economy before 2015. Until recently, the World Bank estimate of the PPP for China was close to that of Maddison, but the Bank's new estimate for 2005 shows Chinese GDP about half this level. The Bank's new estimates for China and other Asian countries are not plausible, and this paper advances several reasons for rejecting them. Finally, energy use per head of population is a good deal smaller than that of the U.S., and its total energy use for a much bigger population is likely to be somewhat smaller than that of the U.S. in 2030. However, heavy dependence on dirty coal means that it will have bigger carbon emissions than the U.S. This is a major problem as Beijing and other big cities already have severe pollution problems.


Zvi Griliches published the first formal economic estimate of the rates of return to food and agricultural R&D in the Journal of Political Economy more than half a century ago. Since then many economists have published a large number of similar estimates. The consensus that has emerged from this vast body of work is that these rates of return have been exceptionally high regardless of the type of research (e.g., basic or applied), research focus (e.g., maize, wheat, rice, horticultural crops, livestock, or natural resources), or who performed the research. Yet, even with such overwhelming evidence of high rates of return, growth in public R&D spending has slowed worldwide and especially in rich countries (Pardey et al. 2016). Although agricultural commodity prices have fallen from their 2010-12 peaks, there remains widespread concern about the ability of global food supplies to meet projected demand growth. Nonetheless, current trends in public R&D spending portend slower agricultural productivity growth that is particularly disconcerting.


A reliable group communication protocol requires that members of the group acknowledge the reception of messages. The uncontrolled transmission of acknowledgements from the members of a group can lead to implosion; a condition that occurs when the responses flood the network or overwhelm the resources of the client's host. Scaling, the increase in the membership of a group, is a typical cause of implosion and the subsequent failure of a group communication. The problem of implosion is reviewed in this paper and a number of solutions considered; from this examination, two reliable group communication protocols are developed. Although these protocols are designed to minimize the likelihood of implosion, they also exhibit shorter data transfer times and generate less network traffic as compared to other group communication methods.<<ETX>>


Addressing the need for fecal sludge management (FSM) from on-site sanitation systems is critical to improving sanitation in poor urban settlements. A preliminary review of the status of FSM in 12 cities, using secondary data, adopted certain diagnostic tools and proposed that others be developed further. This study has since been built on by further World Bank work using extensive primary data from five cities (Balikpapan, Dhaka, Hawassa, Lima and Santa Cruz). Using the field data, a series of diagnostic and decision-support tools have been developed to guide FSM intervention options in the context of the economic and political economy reality. This report describes diagnostic and decision-support tools to guide the improvement of FSM services. It also advises how to use them, with links to a number of other resources. Related documents include (i) a summary report on the tools, and experiences of using them in the context of five city case studies, and (ii) the data collection protocols and instruments and (iii) terms of reference.


A review of data on the nucleon electromagnetic form factors in the space-like region is presented. Recent results from experiments using polarized beams and polarized targets or nucleon recoil polarimeters have yielded a significant improvement on the precision of the data obtained with the traditional Rosenbluth separation. Future plans for extended measurements are outlined.


Aim: To investigate the effect of aldosterone and its antagonists on cell behavior and gene modulation in human endothelial cells. Methods and Results: Exposure of HBMEC to 100 nM aldosterone reduced the subsequent organization and assembly of cells into capillary-like networks, capillary length and cell multiplication but cell migration to the wound edge was not affected by the agonist. Eplerenone (400 nM) partially reversed the inhibitory effect of the agonist on capillary length, the number of capillary networks, as well as cell multiplication; the antagonist also inhibited the migration of HBMEC in a wound healing assay. Aldactone was more potent than eplerenone in most of the tests, due possibly to the fact that the former derivative is not specific to the MCR but activates other classes of steroid receptors as well. Transcriptional modulation by aldosterone was analyzed using a gene array technique that screened 1800 genes related to cytokines, monokines, growth factors, angiogenic effectors, cell metabolism, growth and malignant transformation. Evidence is provided here for the simultaneous upregulation of 36 mRNAs, and concurrent downregulation of 29 mRNAs, in endothelial cells exposed for 8 h to 100 nM aldosterone. Conclusions: Aldosterone inhibits cell migration, network formation, and cell proliferation in vitro, possibly via a pleiotropic effect on transcription modulation in human endothelial cells.


INTRODUCTION
In recent years, highly selective reversible CDK4/6 inhibitors have been combined with aromatase inhibitors for their efficacy and ease of application in the treatment of advanced stage of hormone-responsive breast cancers. Oral use of these drugs facilitates patient compliance. However, adverse drug reactions are reported due to these drugs, in the literature. Diverse adverse reactions such as skin reactions, liver toxicity, and vitiligo with ribociclib have been reported.

CASE REPORT
In this study, we present of liver toxicity due to the use of ribociclib in a case of advanced breast cancer with metastases. It is noteworthy that the patient did not have any other concomitant disease and did not take any other medication.

MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME
After the 600 mg initial dose of ribociclib, neutropenia occurred at the beginning of the therapy, the dose was reduced to 400 mg, and liver enzymes started to rise in the second month of the therapy. In the fifth month of the intermittent treatment period, liver toxicity was grade 3.

DISCUSSION
Liver adverse reaction occurred due to ribociclib use in the patient who had no history of any other disease. The Naranjo algorithm score was evaluated as 9. Considering the excretion of ribociclib by sulfation, cysteine conjugation, and glucuronidation, which are phase II reactions, n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) treatment (600 mg/day) was started for the patient. NAC therapy is recommended to reduce elevated liver enzymes in the case. The patient's treatment has been continuing with palbociclib for 5 months. No increase in liver enzymes was observed.


The determination of the optimum lot size is a stochastic problem because of the randomness of the demands. The usual approaches consider that the involved distributions are known. We consider the case in which they are unknown. The optimization problem is probabilistic constraint program. The demands are modeled by an autoregressive process and the needed quantiles are derived. The newsboy problem is revisited using the derived results.


A complete understanding of the behavioral influence and phenotypic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells, as well as the effects of the characteristics of these cells on the physiological and pathological processes of atherosclerosis, is crucial if new therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis are to be identified. In the present study, the long non-coding RNA RP11-531A24.3 was identified to be expressed at low levels in plaque tissues through screening a microarray for differentially expressed genes. The functional experimental results suggested that RP11-531A24.3 reduced the viability and inhibited the migration of human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs). RNA antisense purification-mass spectrometry was used to identify the RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) for RP11-531A24.3. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the pathway with the highest degree of association with RP11-531A24.3 RBPs was related to cell migration. The reduced migration and viability mediated by RP11-531A24.3 overexpression was more significantly suppressed after annexin 2 (ANXA2) depletion in RP11-531A24.3-overexpressing HA-VSMCs. Culture of HA-VSMCs under hypoxic conditions (1% O2) reduced the expression of RP11-531A24.3, and enhanced the protein expression of ANXA2 and HIF-1α, while knockdown of ANXA2 downregulated the protein expression of HIF-1α. These results suggested that RP11-531A24.3 regulated the proliferation and migration of HA-VSMCs through ANXA2 expression, and hypoxia may be an external factor in the regulation of RP11-531A24.3 and its downstream targets.


Fact collections are mostly built using semi-supervised relation extraction techniques and wisdom of the crowds methods, rendering them inherently noisy. In this paper, we propose to validate the resulting facts by leveraging global constraints inherent in large fact collections, observing that correct facts will tend to match their arguments with other facts more often than with incorrect ones. We model this intuition as a graph-ranking problem over a fact graph and explore novel random walk algorithms. We present an empirical study, over a large set of facts extracted from a 500 million document webcrawl, validating the model and showing that it improves fact quality over state-of-the-art methods.


In this paper, the growth and characteristics of ZnCdSe/ZnSe quantum wells (QWs) prepared on ZnOSi (111) templates are reported. An oriented ZnO thin film with a smooth surface was employed to be the buffer layer for the ZnCdSe/ZnSe QWs growth. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) patterns showed that the ZnO buffer layer improved the smoothness of the ZnCdSe/ZnSe sample. Up to the 3rd longitudinal optical phonon of Zn0:56Cd0:44Se observed in Raman spectra suggests that the crystalquality of ZnCdSe/ZnSe QWs is reasonably good. The influence of quantum confinement effect on exciton characters of the QWs was also demonstrated.


(00l) epitaxial Ce2Ti2O7 thin films with a layered perovskite/monoclinic structure were grown on (110)-oriented Nb-doped SrTiO3 substrates via pulsed laser deposition and a sol–gel method associated with spin-coating. Using the sol–gel method, the Ce2Ti2O7 films were obtained by annealing at 950 °C under a reductive Ar/H2 atmosphere. Employing the pulsed laser deposition technique, they were directly grown under vacuum (10−6 mbar) with a controlled re-oxidation during the cooling step. The pole figure measurements provide the in-plane crystallographic relationships between the film and substrate: [001]SrTiO3//[100]Ce2Ti2O7 and [1−10]SrTiO3//[010]Ce2Ti2O7. Piezoresponse force microscopy measurements highlight the local ferroelectric character of the films synthetized. The switching capability was more reliable for the film grown via pulsed laser deposition, which was explained by the lower mosaic spread. Higher local conductivity was also detected using conductive-atomic force microscopy of the physically deposited film and was attributed to its lower thickness. Such epitaxially deposited functional oxides may be considered as promising candidates for integration into advanced electronic devices.


Esports is a booming global industry and has been officially included in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Given that esports is a cognitive based activity, and sleep is well known to be critical for optimal cognitive functioning, our research group recently proposed that sleep might be an important determinant of esports performance. The focus of the current review was to expand our limited understanding regarding the role of sleep in esports by exploring risk factors for sub-optimal sleep and developing an associated intervention framework. More specifically, we aimed to 1) examine how gaming culture and game genre might negatively influence sleep behaviour, 2) describe a conceptual model to explain how sub-optimal sleep occurs in esports, and 3) outline sleep intervention considerations that specifically meet the needs of esports athletes. We conclude that gaming culture and game genre could both impact the sleep behaviour of esports athletes, via cognitive and behavioural mechanisms. Furthermore, adapting Spielman's three-factor model to esports may provide a useful and easy to understand conceptualisation for sub-optimal sleep in esports. Last-ly, sleep interventions for traditional athletes can be suitably modified for esports but must be comprehensive and extend from a theoretically grounded conceptual model. Sleep Med Res 2019


This research takes the theme of designing business ideas for Giftery Hampers. This research was conducted with the aim to know the opportunities and visibility of business hampers. This study is also used to obtain data from the public on their views on business hampers and see how business opportunities from the findings of this study. The research was conducted by qualitative, quantitative, observation and literature study. In this study, the authors look for excisting problems from excisting hampers business, explore the advantages, the shortcomings of the hampers business that has been running to create a new innovation that can be given to develop business hampers. The study was conducted by interviewing competent expert in business especially hampers business to create a new innovation that can be applied in order to develop Giftery Hampers. The result of this research is the innovation that can be executed by Giftery Hampers that can give more value to Giftery Hampers brand.


This datasheet on Maize stripe virus covers Identity, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Vectors & Intermediate Hosts, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Impacts, Prevention/Control, Further Information.


The growing interest to implement Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) on resource-bound hardware has motivated innovation of compression algorithms. Using these algorithms, DNN model sizes can be substantially reduced, with little to no accuracy degradation. This is achieved by either eliminating components from the model, or penalizing complexity during training. While both approaches demonstrate considerable compressions, the former often ignores the loss function during compression while the later produces unpredictable compressions. In this paper, we propose a technique that directly minimizes both the model complexity and the changes in the loss function. In this technique, we formulate compression as a constrained optimization problem, and then present a solution for it. We will show that using this technique, we can achieve competitive results.


Two of the most important factors in the design of any processor are speed and energy consumption. Depending on the application, and the processor type, generally one of these two factors will be more important than the other. In this paper, we pro- pose a new cache architecture. Our proposed architecture does not require any changes to the processor architecture, it only assume the existence of a BTB, and it adds few gates and multiplexers for the prediction mechanism. By using Simplescalar simulator, CACTI 3.2 power simulator, and SPEC2000, Mediabench, and Mibench, we tested our proposed architecture using a wide variety of the programs in these three benchmarks. Our results show that our proposed architecture consumes less energy, and have better memory access time, than many existing cache architecture.


Systems and techniques are provided for tracking locations of inventory items in an area of real space including inventory display structures. A plurality of cameras are disposed above the inventory display structures. The cameras in the plurality of cameras produce respective sequences of images in corresponding fields of view in the real space. A memory stores a map of the area of real space identifying inventory locations on inventory display structures. The system is coupled to a plurality of cameras and uses the sequences of images produced by at least two cameras in the plurality of cameras to find a location of an inventory event in three dimensions in the area of real space. The system matches the location of the inventory event with an inventory location.


The focus of the paper is to analyze the downlink performance of a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system with site selection diversity transmission (SSDT) power control during soft handover (SHO) mode and to find the optimum SHO margin (MSH) in terms of maximum system capacity under energy-per-bit to noisespectral density ratio (Eb/No) quality requirements. Analyzing the dependency of the connection probabilities, percentage of users connected to one, two, or three Base Stations (BSs) simultaneously as a function of the MSH. Analyzed the system capacity and required resources dependency on MSH for voice service and combined multimedia mobile services. System capacity dependency on MSH is analyzed, by considering two types of user distributions, namely 1) uniform user distribution and 2) a concentration of all the users in the location that requires maximum transmitted power (the worst case). The result of this analysis shows an increase in user capacity of about 16% - 20% for the optimum MSH of 5-5.5dB. Nevertheless, the resources required (number of scrambling codes) by the base station increases faster than the number of active users in terms of MSH.


We analyze the asymptotic nonanticipative rate distortion function (NRDF) of vector-valued Gauss-Markov processes subject to a mean-squared error (MSE) distortion function. We derive a parametric characterization in terms of a reverse-waterfilling algorithm, that requires the solution of a matrix Riccati algebraic equation (RAE). Further, we develop an algorithm reminiscent of the classical reverse-waterfilling algorithm that provides an upper bound to the optimal solution of the reverse-waterfilling optimization problem, and under certain cases, it operates at the NRDF. Moreover, using the characterization of the reverse-waterfilling algorithm, we derive the analytical solution of the NRDF, for a simple twodimensional parallel Gauss-Markov process. The efficacy of our proposed algorithm is demonstrated via an example.


We present a simple Hamiltonian formulation of the Euler equations for fluid flow in the Lagrangian framework. In contrast to the conventional formulation, which involves coupled partial differential equations, our "innovative'' mathematical formulation involves only ordinary differential equations coupled by integral equations. We illustrate the utility of the new formulation by applying it to a simple stability problem for the atmosphere.


Introduction: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the most common surgical procedure for morbid obesity. However, it can present serious late complications, like postprandial hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (PHH). Recent data suggested an increase in intestinal SGLT-1 after RYGB. However, there is no data on the inhibition of SGLT-1 to prevent PHH in patients with prior RYBG. On this basis, we aimed to evaluate (a) the effect of canagliflozin 300 mg on the response to 100 g glucose overload (oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT]); (b) the pancreatic response after intra-arterial calcium stimulation in the context of PHH after RYGB. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective pilot study including patients (n = 21) with PHH after RYGB, matched by age and gender with healthy controls (n = 5). Basal OGTT and after 2 weeks of daily 300 mg of canagliflozin was performed in all cases. In addition, venous sampling after intra-arterial calcium stimulation of the pancreas was performed in 10 cases. Results: OGTT after canagliflozin showed a significant reduction of plasma glucose levels (minute 30: 161.5 ± 36.22 vs. 215.9 ± 58.11 mg/dL; minute 60: 187.46 ± 65.88 vs. 225.9 ± 85.60 mg/dL, p < 0.01) and insulinemia (minute 30: 95.6 ± 27.31 vs. 216.35 ± 94.86 mg/dL, p = 0.03; minute 60: 120.85 ± 94.86 vs. 342.64 ± 113.32 mIU/L, p < 0.001). At minute 180, a significant reduction (85.7%) of the rate of hypoglycemia was observed after treatment with canagliflozin (p < 0.00001). All cases presented normal pancreatic response after intra-arterial calcium administration. Conclusion: Canagliflozin (300 mg) significantly decreased glucose absorption and prevented PHH after 100 g OGTT in patients with RYGB. Our results suggest that canagliflozin could be a new therapeutic option for patients that present PHH after RYGB.


Biculturals are increasingly viewed as a resource in global business. They are effective in multicultural teams, they are great boundary spanners between corporate headquarters and their subsidiaries, and their abilities are acknowl-edged in cross-cultural leadership. This article aims to generate typologies that will help global businesses gain a clearer understanding of the competences that biculturals can offer them. This study explores biculturalism in two set-tings: business education and global corporations. What unique skills and abilities allow biculturals to take advantage of knowledge from two or more cultures? Do they perceive their skills as resources? And how does corporate experience harness bicultural competences? Surprisingly, this study showed that the bicultural students were not aware of their strengths and advantages. In contrast, the corporate study provided ample evidence of how bicultural abilities were acknowledged and leveraged in international business, once bilculturals were established in the workplace. This article presents a theoreti-cal matrix of bicultural competences, based on the concepts of frame switch-ing and meta-cognition. The matrix categories are: 1) bicultural dissonance, 2) bicultural thinking, 3) bicultural action and 4) bicultural competence.


Banks utilize credit scoring as an important indicator of financial strength and eligibility for credit. Scoring models aim to assign statistical odds or probabilities for predicting if there is a risk of nonpayment in relation to many other factors which may be involved in. This paper aims to illustrate the beneficial use of the eight machine learning (ML) methods (Support Vector Machine, Gaussian Naive Bayes, Decision Trees, Random Forest, XGBoost, K-Nearest Neighbors, Multi-layer Perceptron Neural Networks) and Logistic Regression in finding the default risk as well as the features contributing to it. An extensive comparison is made in three aspects: (i) which ML models with and without its own wrapper feature selection performs the best; (ii) how feature selection combined with appropriate data scaling method influences the performance; (iii) which of the most successful combination (algorithm, feature selection, and scaling) delivers the best validation indicators such as accuracy rate, Type I and II errors and AUC. An open-access credit scoring default risk data sets on German and Australian cases are taken into account, for which we determine the best method, scaling, and features contributing to default risk best and compare our findings with the literature ones in related. We illustrate the positive contribution of the selection method and scaling on the performance indicators compared to the existing literature.


Amoebiasis is an infection of the large intestine caused by Entamoeba histolytica, and it is mainly present in the intra-intestinal lumen. The efficient treatment of amoebiasis and other colonic infections could be achieved by targeting the drug to the colon. Tinidazole is the drug of choice for intestinal amoebiasis and other colonic infections and the best approach for this drug is to target the drug to the colon which would make the drug effective with low dose and prevent the potential hazards observed in conventional dose. Moreover, addition of suitable polymers in the formulation could enhance the drug solubility. The aim of the present investigation was to formulate matrix formulations using different concentrations of Kollidon SR and PVP K-30, Eudragit S100 to prevent the premature drug release in the GI tract, the matrix formulations further taken for compression to test the suitability for targeted drug delivery to the colon. The release kinetics of the formulations was calculated. All the Matrix, compression coated formulations showed the desired physicochemical properties as per the official limits. Based on the drug release study in pH 1.2 (0.1N HCl), Phosphate buffer pH 6.8 and the results showed that among the 9 formulations FE2 and FL3 showed good dissolution profile to control the drug release respectively.


Abstract. Microlaser with multiple lasing bands is critical in various applications, such as full-color display, optical communications, and computing. Here, we propose a simple and efficient method for homogeneously doping rare earth elements into a silica whispering-gallery microcavity. By this method, an Er-Yb co-doped silica microsphere cavity with the highest quality (Q) factor (exceeding 108) among the rare-earth-doped microcavities is fabricated to demonstrate simultaneous and stable lasing covering ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared bands under room temperature and a continuous-wave pump. The thresholds of all the lasing bands are estimated to be at the submilliwatt level, where both the ultraviolet and violet continuous wave upconversion lasing from rare earth elements has not been separately demonstrated under room temperature until this work. This ultrahigh-Q doped microcavity is an excellent platform for high-performance multiband microlasers, ultrahigh-precision sensors, optical memories, and cavity-enhanced light–matter interaction studies.


This article examines the relationship between third-party actors and the intentional targeting of non-combatants in interstate war. It argues that war participants kill fewer civilians in war when their expectation of third-party punishment is high. Combatants will anticipate a high likelihood of third-party sanctions when their alliance and trade networks are dominated by third parties that have ratified international treaties prohibiting the intentional targeting of non-combatants. The study hypothesizes that war combatants kill fewer civilians in war as the strength of ratifiers within their alliance and trade networks increases. Quantitative tests on a dataset of all interstate wars from 1900–2003 provide strong statistical and substantive support for this hypothesis.


INTRODUCTION. In a multilingual classroom, teachers play an essential role in encouraging and fostering a multilingual attitude and behavior at the school, as their actions can considerably influence their students. This study is intended to explore the teachers' attitudes towards multilingual policy and multilingual pedagogy. Therefore, theories on language educational policy and multilingual pedagogy and practices are discussed as guidance. METHODS. The study used a survey research design, and the questionnaires were sent online to gather the data. The participants were 100 foreign language teachers who teach at high schools in an Indonesian province. They were asked to voluntarily respond to three main themes: Multilingual education knowledge, language education policy in Indonesia, and multilingual classroom practices in the questionnaire in the questionnaire. T-test and MANOVA were employed to investigate the difference between variables. RESULTS. The descriptive and inferential analyses revealed that the attitudes towards multilingual pedagogy implemented in Indonesia were almost uniform across different foreign language teachers having a positive attitude. Out of 18 statements, the high mean scores are related to the belief that learning another language could foster openness to other people's language and culture and learning different languages can build students' ability to use languages within a context. DISCUSSION. Taking for granted that participants have different ages, teaching experience, gender, and foreign language, there is no significant difference in their attitude towards multilingual education and practices. Most of the participants of this study believe that multilingual education contributes to some benefit for their students. Yet, the results also show that participants also view that the government has neither provided nor accommodated proper support for multilingual education.


Based on micropolar fluid theory and micropolar solid elasticity theory, reflection and transmission characteristics of longitudinal displacement wave and two coupled waves were studied when incident coupled wave propagated through micropolar fluid interlayer in micropolar elastic solid. Using numerical example, the rules of the reflection waves and refraction waves amplitudes varied with incident angle are also discussed. Results show that there exist extremum values of reflection and transmission coefficient for coupled wave. There are two peaks and one zero value of transmission coefficient for longitudinal displacement wave.


Nearly every artifact of the modern engineering design process is digitally recorded and stored, resulting in an overwhelming amount of raw data detailing past designs. Analyzing this design knowledge and extracting functional information from sets of digital documents is a difficult and time-consuming task for human designers. For the case of textual documentation, poorly written superfluous descriptions filled with jargon are especially challenging for junior designers with less domain expertise to read. If the task of reading documents to extract functional requirements could be automated, designers could actually benefit from the distillation of massive digital repositories of design documentation into valuable information that can inform engineering design. This paper presents a system for automating the extraction of structured functional requirements from textual design documents by applying state of the art Natural Language Processing (NLP) models. A recursive method utilizing Machine Learning-based question-answering is developed to process design texts by initially identifying the highest-level functional requirement, and subsequently extracting additional requirements contained in the text passage. The efficacy of this system is evaluated by comparing the Machine Learning-based results with a study of 75 human designers performing the same design document analysis task on technical texts from the field of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS). The prospect of deploying such a system on the sum of all digital engineering documents suggests a future where design failures are less likely to be repeated and past successes may be consistently used to forward innovation.


Abstract. We use the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model to simulate a large-scale tropical tropopause layer (TTL) cirrus in order to understand the formation and life cycle of the cloud. This cirrus event has been previously described through satellite observations by Taylor et al. (2011). Comparisons of the simulated and observed cirrus show a fair agreement and validate the reference simulation regarding cloud extension, location and life time. The validated simulation is used to understand the causes of cloud formation. It is shown that several cirrus clouds successively form in the region due to adiabatic cooling and large-scale uplift rather than from convective anvils. The structure of the uplift is tied to the equatorial response (equatorial wave excitation) to a potential vorticity intrusion from the midlatitudes. Sensitivity tests are then performed to assess the relative importance of the choice of the microphysics parameterization and of the initial and boundary conditions. The initial dynamical conditions (wind and temperature) essentially control the horizontal location and area of the cloud. However, the choice of the microphysics scheme influences the ice water content and the cloud vertical position. Last, the fair agreement with the observations allows to estimate the cloud impact in the TTL in the simulations. The cirrus clouds have a small but not negligible impact on the radiative budget of the local TTL. However, for this particular case, the cloud radiative heating does not significantly influence the simulated dynamics. This result is due to (1) the lifetime of air parcels in the cloud system, which is too short to significantly influence the dynamics, and (2) the fact that induced vertical motions would be comparable to or smaller than the typical mesoscale motions present. Finally, the simulation also provides an estimate of the vertical redistribution of water by the cloud and the results emphasize the importance in our case of both rehydration and dehydration in the vicinity of the cirrus.


Critical readings of The Go-Between often relate its depiction of sexuality, class and gender to the symbolism with which the author is frequently identified. Such connections can be further illuminated by considering T.S. Eliot's notion of the "mythical method". Hartley's narrator seems to make extensive use of a personalised version of the "method" advocated by the poet. Mapping his world onto the Zodiac, Leo's use of the "mythical method" enables him – at least for a short while – to order and control his experience. Initially offering him the mastery he craves, this method eventually renders Leo more vulnerable to the dramas that unfold around him. Once the integrity of his mythic structure is threatened, Leo's own disintegration is assured. Given his absolute faith in the Zodiac, Leo comes only belatedly to recognise a different mythic parallel at work in his life. This other doubling sees Leo's fate twinned with that of Icarus. Eventually acknowledged by Leo himself, this figure demonstrates Hartley's on going concern with both method and myth and therefore suggests that his narrative – like its central protagonist, can offer the reader a critical perspective on the workings of each.


This introductory article reflects on a personal interest in the concept of tradition. Two contrasting sociological approaches to tradition are examined, the first being the structural-functionalist treatment of tradition as embedded and institutionalized, the second the more dynamic Weberian approach to tradition which links it with charismatic breakthroughs. Using the latter, it is possible to speak of a 'revolution by tradition' and to indicate different referents of tradition in the Church of England. A recent study of Hawksmoor's London churches shows the attempted embodiment of primitive tradition in their architecture. In a very different context, Maori prophetic movements in nineteenth-century New Zealand reveal the potential for tradition to provide a charismatic springboard. A third example of the innovative potential of tradition is located in the 'Asian values' debate, where a constructed cluster of values surrounding neo-Confucianism can be associated with what is termed 'reverse Orientalism'. Ideological discourse in Singapore provides an important test of the 'Asia Values' model. Finally, features of each article in this special issue are highlighted.


This article treats the philosophical writings of Nikolai Vasilievich Bugaev. Known best as a mathematician, father of Andrey Bely, and teacher of Pavel Florensky, Bugaev also wrote philosophical articles treating the arrangement of human knowledge and intellectual activity and the structure of being and consciousness. An examination of Bugaev's philosophical work sheds light not only on these questions, but also on the peculiar character of "background" figures and works in intellectual history.


The concepts of social and collective intelligence are placed within the context of the Information and Knowledge Society. The development of the economic intelligence is given as well as its application and development in organizations as competitive intelligence. The thesis defended is that the joint action of the information and knowledge management processes, both in support to strategies and organization's mission , have na emerging property for the decision making process – that is the institutional intelligence.


Abstract This paper has described a method to obtain the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of polymeric materials from their rheological data. The method has been developed for linear polymers with log normal molecular weight distribution. The rheological data required to obtain the molecular weight distribution are the shear storage modulus,G' (ω) , and shear loss modulus,G" (ω) , extending from the terminal zone to the plateau region. For determining the molecular weight average, the method uses the relationship between stress moduli and relaxation spectrums, with the equation that connects dynamic rheological data with molecular weight distribution, and so it is not necessary to achieve the relaxation spectrums and the molecular weight distribution is obtained directly from dynamic shear experiments and it is one of the main advantageous of the proposed method. Comparison of calculated and experimental data obtained by GPC for five polypropylene samples produced in different conditions show that model can correctly predict molecular weight distribution for these types of polymers.


The conservation significance of the Caribbean island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands is highlighted in this study of the distribution of plant species in two major habitats, sand dunes and limestone pavement. In 104 plots along 27 transects located around the western salt ponds of the Anegada Ramsar site, 133 plant species were recorded, including five regional endemics. The limestone pavement supported large populations of Acacia anegadensis, endemic to Anegada, and Cordia rupicola, known only from Anegada and Puerto Rico (although the Puerto Rican population is thought to be extirpated). The sand dunes supported a large population of Metastelma anegadense, also endemic to Anegada. Two other regional endemics were recorded within the limestone cays, Leptocereus quadricostatus, previously known from only one locality in Puerto Rico and Malpighia woodburyana, restricted to a few small populations on islands on the Puerto Rican Bank. For both of these species Anegada supports the largest known individual population.


In this paper, a new energetic approach was developed to study the impact of synchronization errors on OFDM transmission systems. Indeed, this approach can be applied in wireless communication systems such as HiperLAN and WLAN Transceivers. Firstly, the studies were conducted on the impact of timing errors on system performance and we have shown that stress recovery sampling frequency were particularly hard because of the use of a minimum number of pilot symbols and a maximum number of states of the constellations. The mathematical approach we followed in this paper which is an original contribution in the RF field can jointly estimate the channel response and the frequency offset. We realized, along with mathematical analysis, simulations to evaluate the performance of our approach. The results can evaluate the performance of the system against synchronization effects.


The production of secondary metabolites by the saprotrophic fungus Granulobasidium vellereum was investigated. G. vellereum is a wood decomposing basidiomycete fungus that arrives at dead trunks of fallen hard wood trees at a later stage of the decomposition process and hence need to outcompete the organisms already colonizing the site. It was hypothesised that part of the fungus competitive ability was based on the production of secondary metabolites.

In total, 33 secondary metabolites, all of sesquiterpenoid origin and comprising structures with the protoilludane, illudane, illudalane or cerapicane carbon skeletal types, were isolated by chromatographic methods and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. Twenty-two of these compounds had previously not been described and of the 11 known compounds two were not previously described as natural products. Four of the new compounds showed potent cytotoxic effects against the Huh7 and MT4 tumour cell lines. The mechanism of action was most likely similar to that of the known alkylating agent illudin M and based on chemical reactivity rather than enzymatic affinity. None of these cytotoxic compounds had any potent anti-fungal effects, perhaps due to them not being able to penetrate the cell walls of the fungi. The compound that had the most anti-fungal effects was the known compound radulone A and thus possibly a part of the molecular defence system of G. vellereum. One of the compounds was found to increase the elongation of lettuce seedlings.

G. vellereum was co-cultivated with seven other wood-decay fungi with the aim of investigating the secondary metabolite response of G. vellereum towards other fungi, with regard to up-regulation and de novo production of secondary metabolites. Samples from the co-cultures were taken after 7 to 12 days of incubation and subsequently analysed by LC-HRMS followed by PCA of the data. Nineteen metabolites from G. vellereum were up-regulated in all seven interactions, of these were six identified as previously known metabolites from G. vellereum, one of which was the highly cytotoxic 3S,7S-illudin M. The response of G. vellereum towards the different fungi varied, indicating that G. vellereum has the ability to adapt its response slightly depending on the interacting species.


The digital era has seen a proliferation in the number and types of media texts devoted to food. From food blogs, websites, and recipes to advertising, social media, and YouTube cooking shows, an array of food media texts is available at the click of a mouse or the tap of a screen. This volume and variety of digital food media texts makes it increasingly challenging for researchers to make sense of the complexity of digital food, including how digital food media "works" and how we might understand new and emerging relationships between media texts, messages, and platforms.


The objective of this study was to examine the effects of excessive soil moisture on seed weight and yield components of autumn soybean cultivers and to find the varietal differences in their wet endurance. Twenty soybean cultivers, belonging to ecotypes of IIIc, IVc and Vc were grown in an upland field converted from paddy. The experiments were conducted in 1983 and in 1984. Excessive soil moisture treatment was conducted at the third or fourth foliage leaf stage and continued until the maturing stage. As the experiments yielded nearly the same results for both years, the data obtained in 1984 is presented in this paper. The seed weight of 12 cultivers was reduced but that of eight cultivers was not reduced by the treatment at the 5% significant level. The reduction ratio of seed weight, which was calculated as the mean value of excessive moisture plots divided by the mean value of control plots multiplied by 100, correlated positively with that of stem weight, branch number and total node number at the 0.1% significant level. As a result of regression analysis, the reduction ratio of the total node number had the greatest influence on the reduction ratio of seed weight. The results suggest that the smaller reduction in the seed weight of the wet endurance cultivers was caused by a smaller reduction in the vegetative growth e.g., the total node number, the stem weight and the branch number.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 64 multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography on the coronary atherosclerosis.

METHODS
Sixty one (52 male, 9 female, averaged 58 +/- 11 yrs ) patients underwent conventional coronary angiography and 64-MSCT angiography for suspected coronary artery disease within 5 to 20 days. Coronary artery image quality was scored from 1 to 4 (image quality score, 1: poor; 2: good -; 3: good +, and 4: excellent) on RCA, LM, LAD and LCX, respectively. The coronary artery stenosis were divided into two groups by over than 50% and less than 50% and diagnostic accuracy was analyzed. The coronary plaques were divided as calcified and noncalcified plaque according to its density. The stenosis result from calcified and noncalcified plaque were analyzed.

RESULTS
Mean score of image quality on RCA, LM, LAD and LCX was 3.57 +/- 0.18 with heart beats 50 - 104 bpm (mean 70 +/- 11 bpm). Compared with CAG, the sensitivity and specificity of 64-MSCT in evaluating stenosis are 94.45% and 96.15%, the false positive and false negative value are 3.85% and 4.55%. The sensitivity and specificity were 85.71% in evaluating stenosis result from noncalcified plaque and they were 83.33% and 31.57% result from calcified plaque.

CONCLUSION
64-MSCT is an accurate and feasible method in evaluating coronary artery stenosis compared to conventional coronary angiography. However the specificity was poor in evaluating calcified plaque.


Abstract The Reference Intensity Ratio (RIR) is a general, instrument-independent constant for use in quantitative phase analysis by the X-ray powder diffraction internal standard method. When the reference standard is corundum, RIR is known as I/Ic; These constants are collected in the Powder Diffraction File (1987), can be calculated, and can be measured. Recommended methods for accurate measurement of RIR constants are presented, and methods of using these constants for quantitative analysis are discussed. The numerous, complex constants in Copeland and Bragg's method introduced to account for superimposed lines can be simply expressed in terms of RIR constants and relative intensities. This formalism also permits introduction of constraints and supplemental equations based on elemental analysis.


Study of the security of quantum key distribution protocols has provided us a deeper understanding about the trade-off between the amount of information extracted from a quantum system and the disturbance left in the system as a result of the extraction process. Here we discuss how such a new development helps us to understand the quantum correlations in a quantitative way. A detailed analysis of the information-disturbance trade-off for the zero-disturbance cases leads to a simple structure theorem, and the theorem can be used to derive an exact formula for the compressibility of quantum signals, which is a measure of quantum correlations in terms of the cost to preserve them. The analysis including the nonzero disturbance cases has a very close connection to the theory of entanglement. While the distillable key is regarded as a measure of entanglement, it does not coincide with either of the two operational measures of entanglement, the distillable entanglement and the entanglement cost. We discuss the physical meaning of the difference between these three measures of entanglement by providing each of them with an alternative operational definition.


. The universal Spencer and de Rham complexes of sheaves over a smooth or analytical manifold are well known to play a basic role in the theory of D -modules. In this article we consider a double complex of sheaves generalizing both complexes for an arbitrary supermanifold, and we use it to unify the notions of differential and integral forms on real, complex and algebraic supermanifolds. The associated spectral sequences give the de Rham complex of differential forms and the complex of integral forms at page one. For real and complex supermanifolds both spectral sequences converge at page two to the locally constant sheaf. We use this fact to show that the cohomology of differential forms is isomorphic to the cohomology of integral forms, and they both compute the de Rham cohomology of the reduced manifold. Furthermore, we show that, in contrast with the case of ordinary complex manifolds, the Hodge-to-de Rham (or Fr¨olicher) spectral sequence of supermanifolds with K¨ahler reduced manifold does not converge in general at page one.


We have isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting an IgG1 expressing class switch variant (S24-1/47) from the IgG3-producing mouse hybridoma cell line S24/63/63. Both Ig bind the hapten 4-hydroxy-3-nitro-phenylacetyl (NP) with approximately the same affinity and fine specificity and are idiotypically indistinguishable. The apparent m.w. is 50,000 for the gamma 1 and 51,000 for the gamma 3 chain. The genomic DNA of IgG3-producing S24/63/63 cells contains a 14-kb Eco RI restriction fragment with C gamma 3 sequences representing a rearranged C gamma 3 gene. In the class switch variant S24-1/47 the C gamma 3 gene is deleted.


The surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma have advanced greatly in recent years: associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy can bring hope and relief to patients with advanced liver cancer and less future liver remnant; the application range of laparoscopic hepatectomy and robotic hepatectomy were amplified; hepatectomy following anatomic or non-anatomic direction should be decided by particular situations; the precise preoperative assessment of liver reserve function ensured the success of extended hepatectomy; the further discussion of United Network for Organ Sharing criteria for liver transplantation made the appearance of University of California at San Francisco, Up-to-seven and Hangzhou criteria; bridge therapy can decrease tumor progression and the dropout rate from the liver transplantation waiting list; downstaging treatment is used in selected patients with more advanced liver cancer who are beyond the accepted transplant criteria to acquire the chance of liver transplantation and increase survival rates.


In vitro selection experiments have been used to isolate active variants of the 50 nt hairpin catalytic RNA motif following randomization of individual ribozyme domains and intensive mutagenesis of the ribozyme‐substrate complex. Active and inactive variants were characterized by sequencing, analysis of RNA cleavage activity in cis and in trans, and by substrate binding studies. Results precisely define base‐pairing requirements for ribozyme helices 3 and 4, and identify eight essential nucleotides (G8, A9, A10, G21, A22, A23, A24 and C25) within the catalytic core of the ribozyme. Activity and substrate binding assays show that point mutations at these eight sites eliminate cleavage activity but do not significantly decrease substrate binding, demonstrating that these bases contribute to catalytic function. The mutation U39C has been isolated from different selection experiments as a second‐site suppressor of the down mutants G21U and A43G. Assays of the U39C mutation in the wild‐type ribozyme and in a variety of mutant backgrounds show that this variant is a general up mutation. Results from selection experiments involving populations totaling more than 10(10) variants are summarized, and consensus sequences including 16 essential nucleotides and a secondary structure model of four short helices, encompassing 18 bp for the ribozyme‐substrate complex are derived.


Inflammatory rheumatism is one of the leading causes of chronic diseases in childhood. Over the last two decades, major changes in the treatment strategies of the paediatric patients have led to a significant improvement in control of inflammation, outcome and quality of life. The main rheumatologic inflammatory condition in children and adolescents is Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), a group of 7 different diagnostic categories. Treatment of JIA is usually initiated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In case of oligoarticular involvement, steroid joint injection is the favoured therapy, and polyarticular JIA will be treated by methotrexate. TNF blocking agents (etanercept and adalimumab) and selective costimulation modulator (abatacept) are the first line biological agents for JIA with polyarticular involvement. For systemic-onset JIA, the paediatric form of Still's disease, IL-1 and IL-6 blocking agents have recently demonstrated highly efficacious to control both systemic and joint inflammation. Despite recent trials, a number of new molecules are still used off-label in children. Furthermore, many inflammatory rheumatisms in children are rare diseases, and only few or even no new treatments have been registered for these indications. Biological agents are well tolerated in paediatric patients, but long-term safety of these drugs is still unknown. Cohorts of paediatric patients treated by DMARDs and/or biological agents are needed to assess safety and efficacy of the new therapies into adulthood. Two specific aspects of paediatric management are the high prevalence of asymptomatic uveitis, for which a regular screening should be performed, and the need for a structured transition to adulthood. Disclosure of Interest M. Hofer Grant/Research support from: Novartis, Pfizer, Abbvie, Consultant for: Novartis DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.6342


. With the introduction of new building products made of planar glued board lamellas, the CLT, the restriction of load-bearing structures to linear and thus additively used load-bearing members was abolished. As a result, new, technically determined boundary conditions for moisture management in the interior of buildings have arisen. Due to the emergence of massive, planar wall and floor components as in concrete construction, the integration of building services technology in timber construction must now take place differently than was traditionally the case. In addition, it can be observed that the damage to building components is increasing, the detection of moisture damage is becoming more difficult and, ultimately, the consequences and risks are not yet foreseeable. The study focuses on the cause-effect relationship of increased water input and uses selected examples to reveal the problem of moisture exposure in the interior of buildings with planar load-bearing structures, the damage mechanisms and direct consequences set in motion. This paper shows the necessity for moisture protection measures in modern timber structures in comparison to traditional ways to construct with timber. It shows where moisture intake with modern structures must be considered and avoided from the engineering perspective in order to minimize the risk of moisture damage.


Purpose: In this study active surveillance culture for ICU patients, in whom the risk of VRE infection was high were conducted, and through this the VRE colonization rate and the characteristics of the colonization were examined and risk factors involved in VRE colonization and acquisition were analyzed. Method: This research was performed with 635 patients admitted to ICU between July 1 and December 31, 2006. Results: On admission to ICU, the VRE colonization rate was 2.36%, 93% identified from active surveillance culture. The VRE colonization rate was significantly higher in those patients with cancer (OR=9.43; 95% CI=1.38~62.50; P=.022), liver cirrhosis (OR=55.5; 95% CI=7.29~500; P=.005), transferred from other hospitals (OR=200; 95% CI=22.73~1000; P=.000), high APACHE Π score (OR=1.107; 95% CI=1.010~1.213; P=.029), or antibiotics within the last 3 months (OR=15.87; 95% CI=2.27~111.11; P=.005). The VRE acquisition rate was 5.2%. It was significantly higher in those who were using a ventilator (OR=26.31; 95% CI=5.13~142.86; P=.000), three or more kinds of antibiotics during admission (OR=58.82; 95% CI=16.13 ~200; P=.000), or high APACHE Π score (OR=1.16; 95% CI=1.08~1.24; P=.000). Conclusion: The results of this study show that active surveillance culture can detect VRE colonization on admission to ICU and those who have acquired VRE in ICU. The analyzed VRE colonization and risk factors of VRE acquisition are expected to be useful in establishing guidelines for preventing VRE infection in ICU.


Congenital Muscular Torticollis (CMT) is a postural deformity of head and neck detected at birth or shortly after birth, primarily resulting from unilateral shortening of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle (SCM). In neonates and infants, patient may cure conservatively by physiotherapy but surgery is the treatment of choice for children and adolescents. There are various techniques of surgery. Here we show our experience regarding management of congenital muscular torticollis. In the present retrospective case series, fourteen patients of congenital muscular torticollis were treated. The cases were enrolled between Nov' 2005 to Oct' 2007 in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Gonosasthaya Somaj Vittik Medical College Hospital, Dhaka and different private clinics of Dhaka city of Bangladesh. Neonates and infants were treated conservatively with physiotherapy and others treated surgically by transection of both sternal and clavicular head of SCM under general anesthesia. Operated patients were released on following post operative day with advised to do physiotherapy. Patients age range from 7 days to 15 years of which ten were female and four male. SCM was shortened in all cases (8 on right side and 6 on left side). Eleven were female and three male. Of 14 patients, 2 neonates, 7 infants and 5 were more than 1 year age. There was no associated anomaly. Out of 9 neonates and infants 8 cured conservatively with physiotherapy and another one significantly improved. Six were treated surgically including one failed physiotherapy. Post operative period was uneventful and there was no complication. Results were evaluated clinically and comments of peers. Most of the patient of congenital muscular torticollis can be treated conservatively during infancy. Division of both sternal and clavicular head of SCM is easy and safe surgical technique for the treatment of CMT of older children and adolescents.


There is now extensive evidence that the learning processes of dyslexic children show some abnormalities, generally consistent with failure to completely automatise skills. Two studies are reported in which a group of adolescent dyslexic children and a group of normal children matched for age and IQ undertook long-term training on a keyboard spatial task and a choice reaction task respectively. It was concluded that, following extended training, the dyslexic children had normal "strength" of automatisation (as assessed by resistance to unlearning, by ease of relearning after one year, and by dual task performance) but that their initial and their final performance (as assessed by speed and accuracy) were impaired. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that dyslexic children suffer from cerebellar deficit.


Because of increasing vulnerabilities, maturing attack tools, and increasing dependence on computer network infrastructure, tools to support network defenders are essential. Course-of-action recommendation research has often assumed a goal of perfect network security. In reality, network administrators balance security with usability and so tolerate vulnerabilities and imperfect security. We provide realistic course-of-action decision support for network administrators by minimizing connectivity in attack graphs, by optimizing network configuration changes to separate defence goals from attackers as much as possible, even when complete security is impractical. We introduce vertex closures and closure-relation graphs in AND/OR digraphs as the underlying framework. Computing an optimal course-of-action is NP-hard but we design a polynomial-time greedy algorithm that almost always produces an optimal solution.


In this experiment, we did sampling 6 kinds of photovoltaic modules and analyzed the discrepancy of measurement results between 1 laboratory and 4 PV makers to have performance repeatability at Standard Test Condition (STC) condition. From the KIER's results. Korea's standard test laboratory, other laboratory showed -10% measurement variation. The causes came from correction of reference cell, test condition and the state of skill. Form the comparison test, we analyzed the problems. But three PV maker reduced measurement variation, other one PV maker and one test laboratory didn't improve the problems of correction of reference cell, test condition and the state of skill. Also, High Efficiency Module had a big discrepancy of -10.0 ~ -6.2% among 3 laboratories which have a less than 10msec light pulse duration time. This made low spectrum response speed so the Fill Factor decreased maximum output power under 10msec light pulse duration time.


Introduction : Vaccination is one of the most effective disease prevention strategies and potency of vaccines is dependent on effective management of cold chain at all levels of vaccine handling. The objective was to assess the status of cold chain at the primary health centers and to assess the knowledge and practices of medical officers at these centers regarding cold chain management. Materials and Methods : This cross sectional study was conducted at 70 primary health centers of Dakshina Kannada District of Coastal South India. Cold chain equipment and maintenance process was noted following direct observation on uninformed visits. Data regarding the knowledge and practices of cold chain management was obtained by interviewing the medical officers using structured pretested questionnaire. Results: Ice lined refrigerators and deep freezers were available in 69 (98.6%) and 67(95.8%) of centers. Dial thermometer was present in all the centers. Cold boxes, frozen packs and automated voltage stabilizers were available in 68(97.2%) centers. Improper vaccine storage was observed in 7 (10%) centers. Majority of medical officers had knowledge and correct practices in fields like ideal equipment, OPV administration, vaccine requiring diluents but only 47 (61.8%) medical officers had correct practice of defrosting the deep freezers. Conclusions: The availability of equipment is near universal. Improper vaccine storage practices and poor knowledge in some fields of cold chain management may adversely affect the quality of administered vaccine. Relevant training for those handling the cold chain is recommended. Key words : Cold Chain; India; Primary health center; Temperature monitoring DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v32i1.5946 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.32(1) 2012 19-22


Eosentomon rachelae n. sp. of the "validum complex" is described from Kenya. It is most similar to E. burahacabanicum YIN & DALLAI, 1985 and to E. validum CONDE, 1961.


A series of ethyl 4-amino-1-(2-chloro-2-phenylethyl)-6-oxo-6,7-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5-carboxylates () has been synthesized as potential A(1) adenosine receptor (A(1) AR) ligands. Binding affinities of the new compounds were determined for adenosine A(1), A(2A) and A(3) receptors. Compounds and showed good affinity (K(i)= 299 nM and 517 nM, respectively) and selectivity towards A(1) AR, whereas showed good affinity for A(2A) AR (K(i)= 290 nM), higher than towards A(1) AR (K(i)= 1000 nM). The only arylamino derivative of the series displayed high affinity (K(i)= 4.6 nM) and selectivity for A(3) AR. Molecular modelling and 3D-QSAR (CoMFA) studies carried out on the most active compounds gave further support to the pharmacological results.


Cutting planes are a well-known, widely used, and very effective technique for integer linear programming (ILP). In contrast, the utilization of cutting planes in pseudo-Boolean Optimization (PBO) is recent and results still preliminary. This paper addresses the utilization of cutting planes, namely Gomory mixed-integer cuts, in satisfiability-based algorithms for PBO, and shows how these cuts can be used for computing lower bounds and for learning new constraints. A side result of learning new constraints is that the utilization of cutting planes enables non-chronological backtracking. Besides cutting planes, the paper also proposes the utilization of search restarts in PBO. We show that search restarts can be effective in practice, allowing the computation of more aggressive lower bounds each time the search restarts. Experimental results show that the integration of cutting planes and search restarts in a SAT-based algorithm for PBO yields a very efficient and robust new solution for PBO


Micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression profile in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues in middle-altitude area was analyzed using the Affymetrix chip technique, to predict the target genes of abnormally-expressed miRNAs, and to analyze the target gene-related signaling pathways and cell biological functions regulated by them. The difference in miRNA expression profile in NSCLC tissues was analyzed using the Affymetrix chip technique. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed for the verification of some differentially-expressed miRNAs. The genes predicted by at least 6 out of 12 commonly used prediction methods of miRNA target genes, based on miRWalk2.0, were considered as target genes. The functions of differentially-expressed miRNA target genes were analyzed via Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, and the main signaling pathways involving target genes were analyzed via Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. There was abnormal expression of miRNAs in NSCLC tissues in the middle-altitude area. There were 140,405 target genes predicted for differentially-expressed miRNAs. The GO enrichment analysis of the functions of the target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs revealed that they mainly influence the binding process of intracellular components to protein, the positive regulation of biological process and the regulation of metabolic process. Moreover, these target genes were mainly enriched in the immunity, gene expression, metabolism and signal transduction, among which signal transduction was enriched with the most genes. The expression levels of miRNA-139-5p and miRNA-150-5p in lung cancer group were lower than those in the control group. The expression of miRNAs in NSCLC tissues in the middle-altitude area is abnormal, and most miRNAs are downregulated.


Physically-based models rely on fundamental physical equations describing stream flow and sediment and associated nutrient generation in a catchment. This paper reviews several existing erosion and sediment transport approaches. The process of erosion include soil detachment, transport and deposition, we present various forms of equations and empirical formulas used when modelling and quantifying each of these processes. In particular, we detail models describing rainfall and infiltration effects and the system of equations to describe the overland flow and the evolution of the topography. We also present the formulas for the flow transport capacity and the erodibility functions. Finally, we present some recent numerical schemes to approach the shallow water equations and it's coupling with infiltration and erosion source terms.


Disasters, both natural and manufactured, provide ample opportunities for official coercion. Authorities may enact quarantines, force evacuations, and commandeer people and supplies-all in the name of the public's health. When might such extreme actions be justified, and how does a democratic society ensure that public officials exercise care and forethought to avoid running roughshod over human rights? In The Ethics of Coercion in Mass Casualty Medicine, Griffin Trotter explores these fundamental questions with skepticism, debunking myths in pursuit of an elusive ethical balance between individual liberties and public security. Through real-life and hypothetical case studies, Trotter discusses when forced compliance is justified and when it is not, how legitimate force should be exercised and implemented, and what societies can do to protect themselves against excessive coercion. The guidelines that emerge are both practical and practicable. Drawing on core concepts from bioethics, political philosophy, public health, sociology, and medicine, this timely book lays the groundwork for a new vision of official disaster response based on preventing and minimizing the need for coercive action.


ABSTRACT Water stress can be alleviated in plants inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi compared to that experienced by those without mycorrhizae. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth of coffee plants colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under different soil moisture conditions. Seeds of the coffee cultivar Catuaí Vermelho IAC 99 and three fungal inoculants (Rhizophagus clarus, Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Dentiscutata heterogama) were used in this study. The soil moisture contents tested were 40, 60, 80, and 100% of field capacity. Seedlings in the matchstick stage were inoculated with mycorrhizae, and then later planted in plastic pots when they developed four to five pairs of definitive leaves. Both the extent of mycorrhizal colonization and increases in leaf area were related to soil moisture content in a quadratic manner for plants inoculated with all three mycorhizzal fungi (R. clarus, C. etunicatum, and D. heterogama), as well as for non-inoculated ones. The highest value of colonization of coffee by mycorrhizae was 39%, which occurred in association with R. clarus at 71% of field capacity. The leaf areas of plants inoculated with fungi increased more than those of non-inoculated plants, regardless of the type of inoculum used. Plants inoculated with D. heterogama at 100% field capacity produced 21% more root dry mass than non-inoculated plants did. Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and higher soil moisture increased the growth of coffee seedlings. The plants inoculated with R. clarus, C. etunicatum, and D. heterogama were tolerant to moderate water deficits (i.e. lower soil water contents). Mycorrhizal colonization was highest for plants in soils with moisture levels close to 75% of field capacity.


Air temperature rise in Tokyo is distinctively large after 1980. Reflecting this feature, water temperature at Masugatanoike, a spring in Tokyo that stands a foot of terrace scarp that the height is 14 m, rose after the end of 1980s. The water temperature began to rise 4–7 years after the air temperature rose, showing a statistically significant correlation at the 5% level. This warming water must be explained by downward thermal conduction because there are no hot springs, subways, or major sewers around Masugatanoike spring. In this study, we first solved the surface energy balance in Tokyo from 1951 to 2009 to estimate the daily mean ground surface temperature. Next, we calculated the thermal conduction from the ground surface to a depth of 16 m. The initial condition was optimized so that root mean square error of the observed and calculated temperatures at a depth of 14 m from 1976 to 2009 was minimized. We found that 4–8 years were necessary until the effects of ground surface temperature reached a depth of 14 m after 1975. Namely, we demonstrated that downward thermal conduction is responsible for the above-mentioned lag relation, which was found in the observation.


A tubule of porous polypropylene fibre, which is usually used for water treatment, was applied to in-situ sampling of soil solution for the first time. With filtering pores (0.1 0.3 μm in aperture) on the walls, the fibre tubule was joined with an injector or a vacuum tube, thus forming a soil solution sampler. After the tubule was laid or inserted into the soil, the device was ready to continuously in-situ extract soil solution. The solution could be used directly for chemical analysis without the need for filtering, demonstrating that this is a simple practical in-situ soil solution sampling method. Based on the light absorption characteristics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the UV spectrum, the UV absorbance of the soil solution at 254 nm was studied. A significant linear correlation was found between UV absorbance at 254 nm (UVA254) and DOC concentration determined with the TOC method (DOC = 38.84 × UVA254,n = 37, R2 = 0.82), allowing quantification of soil solution DOC directly by determining UVA254 and then multiplying it by the coefficient, 38.84. Compared with the complex oxidation-colorimetry and costly TOC methods, this method is quicker and more convenient. Besides, it is also applicable to estimation of DOC concentration in water.


Drawing on an example from the popular young adult novel The Outsiders, this article provides a working definition of "courageous compassion" and argues that this character quality must shape our responses to the current immigration crisis. In order to respond compassionately to immigrants, we must first overcome the fears that surround this issue. Additionally, to cultivate compassion for immigrants, we must imaginatively enter their lives through the power of story and recognize them as fundamentally like us, created in the image of God and thus inherently valuable.


Abstract The mineral schreibersite, (Fe,Ni)3P, a ubiquitous component of iron meteorites, is known to undergo anoxic hydrolytic modification to afford a range of phosphorus oxyacids. H-phosphonic acid (H3PO3) is the principal hydrolytic product under hydrothermal conditions, as confirmed here by 31P-NMR spectroscopic studies on shavings of the Seymchan pallasite (Magadan, Russia, 1967), but in the presence of photochemical irradiation a more reduced derivative, H-phosphinic (H3PO2) acid, dominates. The significance of such lower oxidation state oxyacids of phosphorus to prebiotic chemistry upon the early Earth lies with the facts that such forms of phosphorus are considerably more soluble and chemically reactive than orthophosphate, the commonly found form of phosphorus on Earth, thus allowing nature a mechanism to circumvent the so-called Phosphate Problem. This paper describes the Galvanic corrosion of Fe3P, a hydrolytic modification pathway for schreibersite, leading again to H-phosphinic acid as the key P-containing product. We envisage this pathway to be highly significant within a meteoritic context as iron meteorites are polymetallic composites in which dissimilar metals, with different electrochemical potentials, are connected by an electrically conducting matrix. In the presence of a suitable electrolyte medium, i.e., salt water, galvanic corrosion can take place. In addition to model electrochemical studies, we also report the first application of the Kelvin technique to map surface potentials of a meteorite sample that allows the electrochemical differentiation of schreibersite inclusions within an Fe:Ni matrix. Such experiments, coupled with thermodynamic calculations, may allow us to better understand the chemical redox behaviour of meteoritic components with early Earth environments.


AIM
Explosive strength training aims to improve force generation in early phases of movement due to its importance in sport performance. The present study examined the influence of lack of knowledge about the load lifted in explosive parameters during bench press throws.

METHODS
Thirteen healthy young men (22.8±2.0 years) participated in the study. Participants performed bench press throws with three different loads (30, 50 and 70% of 1 repetition maximum) in two different conditions (known and unknown loads). In unknown condition, loads were changed within sets in each repetition and participants did not know the load, whereas in known condition the load did not change within sets and participants had knowledge about the load lifted.

RESULTS
Results of repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that unknown conditions involves higher power in the first 30, 50, 100 and 150 ms with the three loads, higher values of ratio of force development in those first instants, and differences in time to reach maximal rate of force development with 50 and 70% of 1 repetition maximum.

CONCLUSION
This study showed that unknown conditions elicit higher values of explosive parameters in early phases of bench press throws, thereby this kind of methodology could be considered in explosive strength training.


Abstract The duration of nonseasonal sea and air temperature oscillations above and below arbitrarily fixed levels is investigated. There is close agreement between the observed mean durations and those expected from theory for a Gaussian random variable. Mean durations of sea temperature anomalies from long term monthly means above and below the 0C level vary between 3 and 5 months, those of air temperature between 2.5 and 3 months. There is almost no dependence upon latitude. The probability distributions are log-normal for durations not exceeding 2 or 3 times the mean duration. The largest observed durations above and below the 0C level are between 1 and 2 years while those above the +1.5C or below the −1.5C levels are between 1 and 2 months.


Inferring gene regulatory networks is an important problem in systems biology. However, these networks can be hard to infer from experimental data because of the inherent variability in biological data as well as the large number of genes involved. We propose a fast, simple method for inferring regulatory relationships between genes from knockdown experiments in the NIH LINCS dataset by calculating posterior probabilities, incorporating prior information. We show that the method is able to find previously identified edges from TRANSFAC and JASPAR and discuss the merits and limitations of this approach.


Author Posting. © Studia Chemia, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of Studia Chemia for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Seria Chemia 62, no. 2, Tom 2 (2017): 347-354, doi:10.24193/subbchem.2017.2.27.


Purpose: To compare post-operative pain with cooling photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) versus conventional PRK. Methods: A prospective clinical trial was performed on 94 eyes from 47 patients scheduled for PRK. Patients were randomly assigned to either cooling or conventional PRK. Pain was evaluated 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours post-operation using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Corneal haze, conjunctival and palpebral edema, and complications were also assessed. Results: Mean age of the patients was 24.8±4.5 (range: 18-36 years) and mean refractive error was 3.6±1.6 diopters. Median pain score in the cooling group at 6 and 12 hours was 15 and 10, respectively and zero at 24 and 48 hours. Median pain score in the conventional group at 6 and 12 hours was 30 and 15 and was zero at 24 and 48 hours. There was no adverse effect in either of the groups. Conclusion: Cooling PRK effectively reduces post-operative pain after PRK without any additional adverse effect.


The commentary of Saint Robert Bellarmine on Psalm
118 is a segment of his work, the "Explanatio in
psalmos", which is a commentary written in Latin on
all 150 psalms of the Psalter. Psalm 118 is the
longest psalm, consisting of 176 verses.
The examination is focused on the manner in which
Saint Robert Bellarmine delivers his message, in
terms of structure, style, language, and the use of
sources. In the use of sources the book looks at
how, where, and why Saint Robert Bellarmine uses
scriptural quotations, cites other authors, and
discusses the Greek and Hebrew equivalents of
selected phrases.
To promote better understanding of this work,
related matters, such as biographical details about
Saint Robert Bellarmine, and the most frequently
quoted authors, namely Saint Augustine and Saint
Jerome are also included, as well as information
about the Psalter itself, concerning its theme,
language and liturgical importance.
This study should be of particular interest to
those to readers desiring to read good Latin texts;
however, even those unfamiliar with Latin will be
able to deepen their understanding of the longest
psalm of the Psalter.


Hypertension is a common disorder with complex etiology and particularly high prevalence among black Americans. Although the pathophysiologic mechanisms of essential hypertension are poorly understood, the disease is often associated with increased sympathetic nervous activity and elevated plasma norepinephrine levels. Such elevated plasma norepinephrine levels may, in turn, lead to increased adrenergic receptor activities in the cardiovascular system. The significance of the elevated plasma norepinephrine levels in the pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to increased blood pressure is uncertain.

In the present issue of Hypertension , Cohn et al1 report the novel findings that G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (βARK1/GRK2) levels and activities correlate with both blood pressure and plasma norepinephrine levels in a cohort of black Americans with normal blood pressure or with essential hypertension and metabolic syndrome but without other known chronic disease. Although a minority of the patients in the cohort actually had hypertension according to the current clinical definition, the study convincingly demonstrates that GRK2 expression correlates with systolic blood pressure. No correlation with blood pressure was found …


We read with interest the comments by Raffel et al on our article, which demonstrated increased brain translocator protein (TSPO) expression in multiple sclerosis (MS) by C-PBR28. Raffel et al suggested that our study is in conflict with existing C-PBR28 literature in MS. Our findings, however, are consistent with previous neuropathological and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging observations, and recently presented C-PBR28 data on MS. The earlier works cited by Raffel et al were not methodologically designed to investigate neuroinflammation in the gray matter in MS; one study included only 4 stable patients. However, those studies were instrumental in demonstrating the ability of C-PBR28 to reveal TSPO expression in white