ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine trends in spine surgeries at ten facilities over 15 years, and to analyze relationships with the number of spine surgeons at these facilities. The subjects were patients who underwent spine surgery at the ten facilities from 2003 to 2017. Data were collected every year via a questionnaire designed to obtain clinicopathological and surgical information. There were 37,601 spine surgeries (60.2% male) recorded in the registry at 9 facilities in the Nagoya Spine Group (NSG) between 2003 and 2017, with an increase in the annual number of surgeries by 2.4 times over 15 years. On the other hand, the number of spine surgeons has increased by just under 1.5 times. Instrumentation surgeries increased from 959 in 2003 to 2,276 in 2017 (2.3 times). There was a particularly marked increase in surgeries for spinal degenerative disease from 1,075 in 2003 to 2,821 in 2017 (2.6 times). The number of surgeries performed per surgeon increased from 61.4 in 2003 to 102.8 in 2017, while the average number of spine surgeons per hospital increased from 2.6 in 2003 to 3.7 in 2017. In conclusion, with heavier burden on spine surgeons and the major changes in the spine surgery environment, training and increasing surgeons with advanced expertise and skills will become increasingly important.


Vegetables play an important role in human nutrition and diet by supplying the much needed vitamins, minerals, and fibers. However, this important contributor to human diet is constraint by challenges especially rotting caused by phytopathogens. Erwinia species is one of the most destructive diseases threatening vegetables and resulting in the decay of the produce both in the field, storage and on transit. The soft rot pathogen has a wide host range and attack crops of almost all families causing greater economic losses than any other bacterial disease. The pathogen penetrates its host basically through wounds and natural openings such as stomata, lenticels and hydathodes and releases an arsenal of plant cell-wall degrading enzymes such as cellulose, zylanase, polygalacturanase (PG) and pectin-methyl esterases (PME) causing the maceration of the middle lamella and subsequently cell death. Decay is favoured by high temperature and humidity. Transmission is by water, insects and from infected plants to uninfected plants especially during harvesting and storage when uninfected produce are exposed to contamination by infected ones. This article provides first-hand information to students, researchers and agriculturists about the soft rot pathogen, its mode of action, predisposing factors, host range, means of transmission and control measures.


Strawberry fruit has been studied to have a good effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It has been demonstrated that interventions with various doses of strawberry fruit in preparations such as consumed intact, cooled, extracted and even processed in the powder can provide good benefits against T2DM and to improve insulin sensitivity, blood vessel inflammation and endothelial dysfunction and to reduce blood sugar. This review explains how the antioxidants in strawberries can directly affect type 2 diabetes mellitus biomarkers, especially in T2DM model mice and rats.


In this study neutron production cross sections of Au have been calculated using equilibrium and pre-equilibrium nuclear reaction models. While Weisskopf-Ewing model has been used for the equilibrium process in the calculations, two component exciton, hybrid and geometry dependent hybrid nuclear reaction models have been used for the pre-equilibrium process. For Weisskopf-Ewing, Hybrid and Geometry Dependent Hybrid Model calculations ALICE/ASH, for two component exciton model calculations TALYS 1.2 codes have been used. The calculated results have been discussed and compared with the experimental data.


This paper develops a model transformation mechanism across the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) and Event Graph (EG) modeling formalisms. We detail this cross-formalism model transformation from methodological and software implementation perspectives. By using simple, well-defined, and automated mechanisms of cross-formalism model transformation, modelers establish a plurality of vantage points, from which to understand and communicate model behavior. Model characteristics may be clarified, emphasized, obfuscated, or hidden across these different vantage points. This paper, therefore, serves as a step toward research into better modeling that can improve soft factors such as model reasoning and collaborative model design for developing better simulations.


This paper demonstrates IDG FlexFET CMOS in static CMOS ring oscillators, while the advantages of applying IDG-CMOS to dynamic domino CMOS logic circuits have recently been shown as well (Mahmoodi et al., 2004). IDG-CMOS has also recently been applied to several exciting new analog/MS/RF circuit applications, such as a single transistor mixer (Mathew et al., 2004)


The article discusses the ways that less successful mathematics students used graphing software with capabilities similar to a basic graphing calculator to solve algebra problems in context. The study is based on interviewing students who learned algebra for 3 years in an environment where software tools were always present. We found differences between the work of these less successful students and the traditional problem-solving patterns of less successful students. These less successful students used the graphing software to obtain a broader view, to confirm conjectures, and to complete difficult operations. However, they delayed using symbolic formalism, and most of their solution attempts focused on numeric and graphic representations. Their process of reaching a solution was found to be relatively long, and the graphing software tool was often not used at all because it did not support symbolic formulation and manipulations.


How did Londoners articulate their position as citizens as well as subjects? What modes of collective activity constituted their status, and what, besides obedience to the monarch, formed the basis of this collectivity? Taking The Book of Sir Thomas More as its central text, this essay explores homologies between theatrical practices and political formations to adduce a collaborative model of citizen activity. As the period's most complex example of coauthorship and as a play about citizen protest and a subject's disobedience, More models collaborative practices in its form and content, inviting us to read the collective labor of playwrights in relation to the common cause of citizens. Yet the play does not idealize these practices as a rational sphere of unanimous consent or as a form of utopian longing; in this, More extends recent work on collaboration to include a more fully articulated account of collective individuation and the reciprocities of pluralism. Based on notions of political friendship, collaboration in More requires a recognition of the paradoxical centrality of the figure of "the stranger," not only as the demonized "constitutive outside" of citizen identity, but as a figure for the constituent differences at the heart of civic polity.


The quality characteristics of seasoned pork with sauces containing different concentrations of fermented Oenothera biennis juice such as 5% (5-SP), 10% (10-SP) and 15% (15-SP) during storage for 15 days at 10°C were investigated. The pH level decreased after storage for 6 days and pH 4.83∼4.90 after storage for 15 days in all tested seasoned pork. The titratable acidity increased significantly after 6 days but did not show significant differences between seasoned pork. The total bacteria of seasoned pork were 10 7 CFU/g (control) and 10 6 CFU/g (5-SP and 10-SP) after storage for 9 days. The total bacteria showed a lower 1∼2 log cycle in seasoned pork with fermented Oenothera biennis juice compared to control. The volatile basic nitrogen contents of seasoned pork were 18.02 mg% (control), 15.41 mg% (5-SP), 14.47 mg% (10-SP), and 17.51 mg% (15-SP) after storage for 15 days at 10°C, respectively. The a value (red) of pork seasoned with fermented Oenothera biennis juice was higher than that of control and decreased during storage. Cooking loss and water holding capacity of 5-SP and 10-SP were better than those of control and 15-SP during storage. The 5-SP showed the best sensory score in taste (4.00), color (4.00), flavor (3.91), and overall acceptability (4.09) among various seasoned pork groups.


Importance
Results of several small randomized clinical trials have suggested that supplements of marine ω-3 fatty acids may be beneficial in treating signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED). However, randomized clinical trial data to examine whether ω-3 fatty acid supplements can prevent DED are lacking.

Objective
To evaluate whether long-term daily supplementation with marine ω-3 fatty acids prevents the development of DED.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This was a prespecified ancillary study of the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), a nationwide randomized double-blind placebo-controlled 2 × 2 factorial trial of vitamin D and marine ω-3 fatty acids in the primary prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Participants in this ancillary study were 23 523 US adults (men 50 years and older and women 55 years and older) who at study entry were free of a previous diagnosis of DED and were not experiencing severe dry eye symptoms. Participants were enrolled from November 2011 to March 2014, and treatment and follow-up ended on December 31, 2017. Data were analyzed from January 2020 to August 2021.

Interventions
Marine ω-3 fatty acids, 1 g per day.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary end point was incident clinically diagnosed DED confirmed by review of the medical records. The secondary end point was a composite of all confirmed incident clinically diagnosed DED cases plus all incident reports of severe DED symptoms.

Results
The mean (SD) age of the 23 523 participants included in the analysis was 67.0 (7.0) years, and 5678 participants (48.3%) were women. The cohort included 4610 participants (20.0%) who self-identified as Black, 16 481 (71.6%) who self-identified as non-Hispanic White, and 1927 (8.4%) of other racial or ethnic groups or who declined to respond, consolidated owing to small numbers, including American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. During a median (range) 5.3 (3.8-6.1) years of treatment and follow-up, 472 of 23 523 participants (2.0%) experienced a medical record-confirmed diagnosis of DED. There was no difference in diagnosed DED by randomized ω-3 fatty acid assignment (232 of 11 757 participants [2.0%] with end points in the treated group vs 240 of 11 766 [2.0%] with end points in the placebo group; hazard ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.81-1.16). Similarly, there was no difference between groups for the secondary end point of diagnosed DED plus incident severe DED symptoms (1044 participants [8.9%] with end points in the treated group vs 1074 [9.1%] with end points in the placebo group; hazard ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.89-1.06).

Conclusions and Relevance
In this randomized clinical trial, long-term supplementation with 1 g per day of marine ω-3 fatty acids for a median (range) of 5.3 (3.8-6.1) years did not reduce the incidence of diagnosed DED or a combined end point of diagnosed DED or incident severe DED symptoms. These results do not support recommending marine ω-3 fatty acid supplementation to reduce the incidence of DED.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01880463.


Abstract
 The genus Lilaeopsis (Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae) comprises 15 species and exhibits both American amphitropic and amphiantarctic patterns of disjunction. The group is difficult taxonomically because of its simplified habit, phenotypic plasticity of vegetative characters, and extensive variation in fruit characters. Sequence data from the nrDNA ITS and cpDNA rps16 intron and rps16-trnK intergenic spacer regions were obtained for 60 accessions, representing 13 species of Lilaeopsis and five closely related outgroup genera from the North American Endemics clade of tribe Oenantheae. These molecular data were subjected to maximum parsimony, Bayesian inference, and dispersal-vicariance analyses in an effort to reconstruct evolutionary relationships and infer biogeographic scenarios. The results suggest that: (1) L. macloviana, L. masonii, and L. occidentalis, distributed in western South America and western North America, collectively represent a single, polymorphic species of amphitropic distribution; (2) The Australasian species L. brisbanica, L. novae-zelandiae, L. polyantha, and L. ruthiana comprise a well-supported clade. However, L. novae-zelandiae is not monophyletic, but may be rendered so by the inclusion of all Australasian taxa into one polymorphic species; (3) L. mauritiana from Mauritius is closely related to L. brasiliensis from South America and may even be subsumed under the latter pending further investigation; and (4) Lilaeopsis probably originated in South America following a dispersal of its ancestor from North America. A minimum of seven dispersal events is necessary to explain its present-day distribution, including one dispersal from South America to Australia or New Zealand, two dispersals between Australia and New Zealand, and three dispersals from South America to North America.


Introduction Retrospective data collection to compare pain scores during colonoscopy procedures performed with and without sedation in both Bowel cancer screening programme (BCSP) and Non bowel cancer screening programme (Non BCSP) patient groups. Method Data collected retrospectively for all patients who underwent colonoscopy procedures at East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust from August 2014 to October 2014. Data collected from Unisoft in endoscopy department before C02 was introduced. Total number of colonoscopy procedures performed 1903 over 3 month period. 179 patients excluded because of incomplete endoscopy reports including comfort scores. Total number of patients included 1724. Number of patients in Non BCSP group and BCSP group were 1565 and 159 respectively. Pain score completed post colonoscopy procedure. Patient pain scores were recorded from 0–3 (no discomfort, minimal discomfort (One or two episodes of mild discomfort, well tolerated), moderate discomfort (More than two episodes of discomfort, adequately tolerated), Extreme or significant discomfort). Results Non BCSP (Non Bowel Cancer screening programme) Group a) Sedated patients1136 (72.58%), Male: female (486:650), Average age and Standard deviation (61.66, 13.4) b) Unsedated patients429 (27.42%), Male: female (277:152), Average age and standard Deviation (71.5, 4.95) BCSP (Bowel cancer screening Programme) Group a) Sedated patients104 (65%), (Male: female 49:55), Average age and standard deviation (72.5, 3.53) b) Unsedated patients55 (35%), (Male: Female 45:10) Average age and standard deviation (67.1, 0.71) Pain scores for sedated and unsedated patients in Non BCSP and BCSP groups are shown in Table 1belowAbstract PWE-441 Table 1 Pain scores Non BCSPWith sedation Non BCSPWithout sedation BCSPWith sedation BCSPWithout sedation 0 431 (37.9%) 207 (48.25%) 37 (35.57%) 16 (29%) 1 420 (36.97%) 147 (34.26%) 45 (43.26%) 32 (58.18%) 2 210 (18.48%) 63 (14.68%) 19 (18.26%) 7 (12.72%) 3 75 (6.6%) 12 (2.79%) 4 (3.84%) 0 Conclusion Unsedated colonoscopy is a safe, effective and well tolerated procedure in the right patient. Male gender is predominant in patients underwent colonoscopy without sedation in both BCSP and Non BCSP. Nearly 1/3rdof patients in symptomatic Non BCSP and BCSP group completed the procedure without sedation without more discomfort than those received sedation (although this may reflect different groups of patients). Despite the used greater intervention in bowel cancer screening patients after pain scores with and without sedation were similar to the symptomatic group. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


The convective timescale τc, which is mainly determined by the ratio of CAPE and precipitation rate, provides a physically‐based measure to distinguish equilibrium and non‐equilibrium convection. A statistical analysis of this timescale, based upon observational data from radiosonde ascents, rain gauges, and radar for seven warm seasons in Germany, reveals that the equilibrium and non‐equilibrium regimes can be regarded as extremes of a continuous distribution. The two regimes characterize very different interactions between the large‐scale flow and convection. The quality of precipitation forecasts from a non‐hydrostatic regional weather prediction model with parameterized convection differs substantially for the two regimes, with strong overestimations and too large precipitation objects for the non‐equilibrium events.


Background: The antipsychotic drug ziprasidone, FDA-approved and introduced in the United States in February 2001 for the treatment of schizophrenia, appears to have similar efficacy but better tolerability than older antipsychotics and requires further evaluation under clinical conditions. Methods: We analyzed medical records of McLean Hospital inpatients treated with ziprasidone between March 2001 and February 2002, gathering data on DSM-IV diagnoses, presenting symptoms, dosing, concomitant psychotropic medications, clinical changes, adverse effects, and electrocardiographic (ECG) findings. Results: Ziprasidone was given to 151 inpatients (3.4% of admissions; 108 women, 43 men), aged 37.5 ± 11.4 years, who presented with depression (n = 79), psychosis (n = 46), mania (n = 18), bipolar mixed-states (n = 4), or other conditions (n = 4). Daily doses averaged 49.8 ± 34.1 mg initially and 83.2 ± 46.3 mg at discharge; the greatest dose increases during hospitalization (by a mean of 61%) were in patients with schizoaffective disorder (n = 46; 30% of cases). In 41 cases (27%), ziprasidone was the only antipsychotic at discharge; in 61 (40%) it was used with other antipsychotics. Ziprasidone was discontinued during hospitalization in 49 cases (32.5%), due to lack of efficacy (n = 26; 17.2%), adverse effects (n = 13, 8.6%), or reasons not stated (n = 10, 6.6%). Of 70 patients for whom ECG data were obtained during treatment with ziprasidone, 8 (11%) had QTc intervals > 450 msec during treatment, but none of the 39 patients with ECGs both before and during ziprasidone treatment showed clinically meaningful increases in QTc intervals. Ziprasidone was discontinued in 4 patients (2.6%) due to concern about QTc intervals, but in no case was the QTc interval ≥ 500 msec or associated with clinical cardiac toxicity. Improvements in CGI and GAF scores from admission to discharge were similar across diagnoses and unrelated to length of stay or ziprasidone dose. Conclusions: Ziprasidone was well tolerated by hospitalized patients with various major psychiatric disorders and may be of value in conditions other than schizophrenia.


Prosumer service provision is characterised by the creation, composition and sharing of services by non-expert users. Among the various creation strategies, rule-based service composition offers many advantages for prosumers. Variability in service composition and its implications regarding creation flexibility and domain adaptation can be associated to service templates in the form of rules, and shared by prosumers in a cooperative way. In this work we define a variability model, integrable in composable and customisable service templates, which supports adaptability in the form of variations and their dependencies. We consider this model in the development of a rule-based service composition environment integrating a creation wizard, guiding the prosumer through the customisation process, and some solutions for dependency problems, detecting and correcting prosumer undesired behaviour in a fault-tolerant approach. Finally, we implement the variability model by using web service technologies and evaluate how these technologies improve the dynamic provision of these variations, enriching the service composition process in prosumer environments.


Within the scope of producing cartilage tissue in a three-dimensional culture design, the stability of the used delivery substance in-vitro tissue product has to be improved. For this, carrier materials consisting of bioresorbable polymers, e. g. poly(L[+]-lactic acid) and poly(glycolic acid) can be used. In respect of the biocompatibility of these polymers, the effect of degradation products on chondrocytes is of major interest. The available biomaterials were tested on chondrocytes in form of their monomers, glycolic acid and L(+)-lactic acid. Effects in regard of cell activity were determined with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide( MTT)test. A non-pH-effect was examined by buffering with concentrated NaOH. In a short-term testing with increasing monomer concentrations as well as in a test over a twelve-day period, L(+)-lactic acid proved to have a lower cytotoxic effect on chondrocytes than glycolic acid. Similar results were obtained with buffered culture media. Therefore, poly(L[+]-lactic acid) can be recommended for the development of chondrocytes-polymer constructs for in-vitro engineering of cartilage tissue.


Professional architectural education is overwhelmingly predicated on skills development. Consequently, the humanities are given short shrift. Students overburdened with an abundance of practical tasks cannot be expected to do much beyond completing studio project work with any degree of depth. Such splitting has a negative outcome: at the end of their education, many graduates still have difficulty constructing a convincing argument about their own work. And when professional qualification is achieved, many architects are arguably missing the humanities half of their education. Such a narrowly focused training surely contributes to the general low quality of the built environment that we inhabit.

The apparent causes and effects of the current situation are analysed here, especially the degree to which the rise of an academic culture in architecture has paradoxically exacerbated a split between the humanities and design. By widening the divide between speculative, theoretical and historical research and the professional education delivery systems that architectural researchers teach into, the ascendancy of (humanities-based) research in architecture schools has intensified the separation of theory and history from design. Ultimately, only if the production model that so often organises architecture education is rethought, will it be possible to recuperate a strong humanities stream in design education.


Updated theoretical instability domains are presented for ? Cephei and SPB star models. Calculations were performed using new OP opacities for old (GN93) and new (A04) solar heavy element mixtures. The position of observed ? Cephei and SPB variables in the HR and related diagrams is compared with theoretical domains for three heavy element mass fractions: Z = 0.020, 0.015 and 0.010.


Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are indispensable for a majority of larger and midsize firms, and have changed the way accounting information is collected, stored, processed, and disseminated. Although most ERP systems integrate an eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) component in their core modules, little research has examined how ERP systems affect the quality of XBRL filings. Using unique data from branch-level ERP implementation, we find that the degree of ERP adoption among a firm's branches is negatively associated with the firm's XBRL filing errors and positively associated with XBRL reporting comparability, which in turn facilitates external users' access to the firm's XBRL filings in the SEC's EDGAR. These results suggest that ERP systems improve XBRL reporting quality.  Moreover, our results indicate that ERP can mitigate the negative effect of extension taxonomies on XBRL reporting quality, which highlights the importance of the ERP system in a complicated XBRL reporting environment.


The Copyright Clearance Center held the meeting of university publishers within the framework of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The meeting proceedings were sent to the active users. We are offering several of them that might be of interest to our readers. The brief communication by Michael Kolman, IPA President: Copyright in the Crosshairs; information by the UN News, and Mark Piesing's thoughts on "What is "Plan S" and Why Are Many Publishers Worried" (Mark Piesing is an independent journalist and a blogge). The original texts in English are give in the appendix to the paper. Read more on the problem at: https://www.scienceeurope.org/ coalition-s.


Background The diagnosis of Behçet's disease is based on well-known criteria. Although skin, eye and joints are the most frequently involved organs, other systems may be affected such as the nervous system. Transverse myelitis is a rare and serious manifestation of the disease. We present the case of a 51 year-old woman with a 2 year diagnosis of Behçet's disease, initially presented as oral aphtosis, genital ulcerations, symmetrical polyarthritis and a maculo-papular hand rash. Eye examination was normal. The patient remained well for 2 years, when suddenly presented with severe headache, back pain, a rapidly progressive tetraparesia and a global sensitive deficit. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, total blood cell count, lisozyme, angiotensin-converting enzyme and complement factors were within the normal laboratory ranges. The serologic tests for rickettsial and Lyme?s diseases were negative. The immunological study was positive for anti-Scl70 antibody and lupus anticoagulant. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed a 48-cell count with predominance of mononuclear forms and normal cultural and pathology examinations. Spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) identified a cervico-thoracic lesion suggestive of transverse myelitis. The cranial MRI was normal. Pulsed methylprednisolone (1 g/day) was initiated, with rapid clinical improvement. After 45 days, with a maintenance dose of prednisone (30 mg/day) the patient was doing well referring residual sensitive deficit. With a one-year follow-up and daily prednisone (20 mg) and azathioprine (50 mg), the patient is assymptomatic and there are no neurological sequelae. A literature review was performed. Central nervous system involvement occurs in less than 5% of cases of Behcet's disease and in this group 69% have clinical manifestations suggestive of transverse myelitis. High methylprednisolone doses are fundamental for favourable clinical outcome. Objectives  Methods  Results  Conclusion


The article presents a spectacular occurrence of violence in Kongo during the first half of the 17th century related to power struggles, shown mainly on the example of Bernardo II being dethroned by Álvaro III. Executing rivals in such a striking fashion was both meant as a warning to potential rebels against taking similar actions, and as a way to emphasize the monarch's power. Christianity played also important role in Kongolese ideology of royal power, which obviously did not exclude referring to pre-Christian customs. Despite such actions, the Kongolese monarchs did not manage to gain full control of the territory during the first half of the 17th century or to counteract the revolts.


Relative L1, La, Lb and Lg x-ray fluorescence cross-sections were observed in Ta, W, Re, Au, Hg, T1, Pb, Bi, Th and U of 16.03, 17.78, 22.58, 25.77, 32.89, 38.18, 43.94, 50.21, 59,5 and 122 keV energies. In this study, L X-ray fluorescence cross-sections were measured at 59.5 and 122 keV and measured values of the other energies were taken from tables by Mann et. al. (1). The experimental relative fluorescene cross-sections were computed for the excitation energies 16.03, 17.78, 22.58, 25.77, 32.89, 38.18, 43.94, 50.21, 59.5 and 122 keV, compared with the theoretically calculated values by Scofield(11). The experimental results are found to agree with theory.


This paper presents a robust method of testing a processor based on-board computer used in the Indian remote sensing satellite (IRS-1C). The novelty of this scheme lies in a judicious mix of software and hardware approaches adopted to realise this PC-based system. All the electrical interfaces (like telemetry, Telecommand, timer and star sensor) are simulated. They are fabricated as add-on cards to PC-AT (ISAbus). The on-board computer controls two star sensors apart from handling three telemetry streams and accepting more than one hundred Telecommands. >


Background. European countries apply a policy of deterrence of migrants in territorial and extraterritorial border areas. The authors apply the model of torturing environments, which has been already applied to other contexts where persons are deprived of liberty, to the situation of the reception center of Moria, on the island of Lesvos (Greece). Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the months of April and June of 2020. Personal interviews were conducted with 160 people (80 men, 80 women) from Afghan, Syrian, Somalian, and Congo backgrounds. The authors applied the Torturing Environmental Scale, which measures interpersonal violence, emotional distress, and legal safeguards. Results. The findings confirm the inhumane living conditions for the people sheltered in Moria, documenting the severe suffering of the population due to elements linked to basic human functions (hunger, thirst, hygiene, overcrowding, temperature, etc.), actions that produce fear and distress, actions that produce helplessness and hopelessness, actions that cause physical pain, attacks on sexual integrity, and attacks on identity and the need to belong. Some of the data suggest that the purposive and intentionality elements of the definition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment were also met. Conclusions. According to the conceptual model of torturing environments, the Moria reception camp constitutes a space of systematic ill treatment that vulnerated the European legal standards related to torture (Article 3 of the Human Rights Convention). The idea of torturing environments provides a valuable avenue to assess human rights violations in collective spaces and could constitute a useful tool in forensic and litigation processes.


Objective. Although T and B lymphocytes accumulate in atherosclerotic lesions and play a key role in their growth, the mechanisms involved in the adhesion and recruitment of T and B lymphocytes by the lesions have not been resolved. The aim of this study was to compare T and B lymphocyte adhesion to atherosclerotic arteries and to test the role of VCAM‐1 and ICAM‐1. Material and methods. T and B lymphocytes were labelled with red and green fluorescent dyes and incubated with freshly isolated aortas from apolipoprotein‐E‐deficient mice. In some experiments the aortas were pre‐incubated with specific monoclonal antibodies. After washing, the adhering cells were detected by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results. The number of T and B lymphocytes that adhered to the aortic intimal surface was similar in both lesioned and non‐lesioned areas and in the shoulder region of the lesions. However, the adhesion of T and B lymphocytes was significantly higher in the shoulder regions compared with the lesioned (p<0.0001) and non‐lesioned areas of the aorta (p<0.0001). After pre‐incubation of the aortas with antibodies against VCAM‐1 or ICAM‐1, the lymphocyte adhesions in lesioned areas were 42 % (p = 0.04) and 55 % (p = 0.17), respectively, of those in lesioned areas that had been pre‐incubated with a control antibody. However, although VCAM‐1 protein expression was most pronounced in the shoulder region, the lymphocyte adhesions in the shoulder region and in non‐lesioned areas were unaffected by pre‐incubation with VCAM‐1 antibodies. Conclusions. The results suggest that adhesion of T and B lymphocytes to mouse aortic endothelium is similar, is affected by lesion topology and is dependent on VCAM‐1 expression over the core of atherosclerotic lesions.


2'-Chloroflavone (CF) and 4'-CF were studied as inducers of cytochrome P-450-mediated monooxygenases in rat hepatic microsomes by comparison with phenobarbital (PB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). As a result of interaction with the substrate 7-ethoxycoumarin (7-EC), 2'-CF-induced microsomes showed a difference spectrum different from usual type I, whereas 4'-CF-induced microsomes showed a typical type I spectrum. 2'-CF-induced microsomes increased the Vmax of aminopyrine (AM) N-demethylase activity about 1.6-fold while not affecting the apparent Km value. In contrast, 4'-CF-induced microsomes decreased the Km of 7-EC O-deethylase activity to about one fourth while significantly increasing the Vmax value. All the activities of AM N-demethylase, 7-EC O-deethylase and 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin O-demethylase in 2'-CF-induced microsomes were inhibited strongly by metyrapone and SKF 525-A, and significantly by diphenhydramine. The three enzyme activities in 4'-CF-induced microsomes were inhibited markedly by alpha-naphthoflavone and significantly by 2-bromo-4'-nitroacetophenone. These results further support the previous proposal that 2'-CF is a PB-type inducer of cytochrome P-450 while 4'-CF is a MC-type inducer.


Cells expressing Fc receptors for IgE (Fc epsilon RII) were identified in the peripheral blood from patients with atopic dermatitis and with eczematous dermatitis, and normal non-atopic subjects by using monoclonal antibodies to human lymphocyte Fc epsilon RII, and to lymphoid cell-surface antigens by immunofluorescence staining. Based on the extent of the dermatitis patients were classified as severe (greater than 50% skin surface involved), moderate (50-10%) and mild (less than 10%). Patients with severe and moderate atopic dermatitis had 5.9% and 5.7% Fc epsilon RII+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), respectively, that were significantly higher than percentages in mild atopic dermatitis patients (2.6%), severe to moderate eczematous dermatitis patients (2.3%), mild eczematous dermatitis patients (2.2%) and normal individuals (1.7%)(0.05 greater than P). In severe and moderate atopic dermatitis patients, 10% of Fc epsilon RII+ PBMC were T cells that preferentially expressed CD8, and the remainder B cells and monocytes. Fc epsilon RII+ T cells comprised 1% of peripheral T cells, while half or more of peripheral B cells expressed Fc epsilon RII. In mild atopic dermatitis patients, eczematous dermatitis patients and normal subjects. Fc epsilon RII were expressed exclusively on 25-35% of peripheral B cells. Short-term treatment and long-term follow-up of atopic dermatitis patients revealed that changes in the skin condition were related closely to fluctuations in the proportion of Fc epsilon RII+ PBMC. Total serum IgE levels and atopic respiratory allergy did not influence the percentage of Fc epsilon RII+ PBMC. These findings suggest that the percentage of Fc epsilon RII+ PBMC reflects the extent of atopic dermatitis.


Matatu transport which is a form of paratransit in Kenya provides employment directly and indirectly to institutions and individuals. The sector mainly offers direct employment to drivers and conductors. These two are conceptualised to constitute paratransit labour. Indirectly, it offers work to vehicle assemblers; graphic designers; mechanics; insurance companies and petrol stations. Unlike previous studies which were based on a quantitative methodology, this paper takes a qualitative approach from the perspective of paratransit owners in an effort to explore how the terms of employment of paratransit labour affect regulatory compliance. The findings demonstrate the terms of employment such as the job responsibilities i.e. the minimum target and customer relations; working hours and breaks; and remuneration affect how paratransit labour behaves and interacts with other road users by increasing ridership through competitive behaviour that leads to violation of traffic regulations. Efforts by Government to enhance paratransit labour regulatory compliance should not focus on introducing tougher penalties but addressing the problem of corruption by traffic police and target setting by owners.


This study was purposed to investigate the expression of ifi56 gene in the ATRA-induced acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) NB4 cell differentiation and to construct the eukaryotic expression plasmid of ifi56 gene. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of ifi56 in NB4 cells treated with ATRA for different time. Human ifi56 cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pEGFP-C1 vector, then was transfected into 293T cells. The expression of the recombinant protein in 293T cells was detected by Western blot. The localization of IFI56 protein was observed by fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that the ifi56 mRNA was almost undetectable in untreated NB4 cells, but it significantly increased after ATRA treatment for 72 hours. The cDNA fragment of ifi56 was inserted into the expressing plasmid pEGFP-C1 successfully. The expression of EGFP-IFI56 fusion protein with a molecular weight about 83 kD was detected by Western blot. The EGFP-IFI56 protein was localized in cytoplasm mainly. It is concluded that the expression of ifi56 is enhanced significantly when the differentiation of APL cells was induced by ATRA. Gene ifi56 is successfully cloned into eukaryotic expression vector and the fusion protein is expressed in the cytoplasm mainly.


The objectives of the present study were to determine ionic and organic composition of seminal plasma, sperm concentration and their relationships in the Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus). In this regard, ionic content (Na(+) , K(+) , Cl(-) , Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ) and organic content (total protein, glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride) along with sperm concentration were measured in 17 specimens of the Persian sturgeon. The seminal plasma contained 59.53 ± 2.56 mm/l sodium, 9.1 ± 1.42 mm chloride, 4.72 ± 0.3 mm potassium, 1.45 ± 0.075 mm calcium and 0.7 ± 0.072 mm magnesium. The following organic contents were found: total protein 0.11 ± 0.02 g/dl, glucose 22.18 ± 4.16 mg/dl, cholesterol 6.67 ± 1.04 mg/dl and triglyceride 15.2 ± 0.65 mg/dl. The mean sperm concentration was estimated to be 1.6 ± 0.12 (×10(9)  sperm/ml). A significant relationship was found between sperm concentration and K(+) of seminal plasma (r = 0.533, p < 0.05). Significant correlations were observed between ionic contents: Na(+) vs Cl(-) (r = -0.854, p < 0.01) and Mg(2+) vs K(+) (-0.583, p < 0.05). Also, level of triglyceride was negatively correlated with Mg(2+) (r = -0.503, p < 0.05). Presented data could be considered as a complementary study for developing special extenders and protectant solutions for improving artificial fertilization in this valuable species.


Namibia is one of the most unequal countries in the world and has high rates of poverty. In the thesis the proposal for a basic income grant as a strategy for poverty alleviation in Namibia is analyzed. The study is based on six interviews with the Basic Income Grant Coalition in Namibia and their four publications. The theoretical and methodological framework is Fairclough's critical discourse analysis and social theory of discourse. Conceptions about the economical and political situation of Namibia in relation to inequality are discussed, as well as the image of the desired citizen in neo-liberal societies. Poverty is conceptualized as a trap where the BIG is regarded as a way out from poverty to a situation of confidence, engagement and economic activity. Contemporary classifications and means testing for social grants are problematized as inefficient and discriminative. The BIG is regarded as right in the context of the big inequalities in Namibia. It is suggested that the BIG Coalition with the proposal for the grant also offers alternative conceptions about Namibia and about the possibilities for change in the situation of poverty.


Proton irradiation results are presented for InGaAs multiplexed detector arrays used on the SPOT 4 satellite. Mean and extreme dark current values and random telegraph signal are analyzed and extreme dark current values are fitted with semiempirical models. Prediction of orbital behavior is in good agreement with flight data.


With tuberculosis the leading bacterial killer worldwide and other mycobacterial diseases on the increase, the search for new antimycobacterial agents is timely. In this study, extracts from plants, lichens and fungal endophytes of Scottish provenance were screened for activity against Mycobacterium aurum and M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The best activity against M. aurum was observed for extracts of Juniperus communis roots and Cladonia arbuscula (MIC = 4 µg/mL), and a fungal endophyte isolated from Vaccinium myrtillus (MIC = 8 µg/mL). The best activity against M. tuberculosis was observed for extracts of C. arbuscula, Empetrum nigrum, J. communis roots, Calluna vulgaris aerial parts, Myrica gale roots and stems (93 to 99% inhibition at 100 µg/mL). Potent antitubercular activity (90 to 96% inhibition at 100 µg/mL) was also observed for the ethanol extracts of Xerocomus badius, Chalciporus piperatus, Suillus luteus and of endophytes isolated from C. vulgaris, E. nigrum, Vaccinium vitis‐idaea and V. myrtillus. The results obtained this study provide, in part, some scientific basis for the traditional use of some of the selected plants in the treatment of tuberculosis. They also indicate that fungal endophytes recovered from Scottish plants are a source of antimycobacterial agents worthy of further investigation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background IDH (Isocitrate dehydrogenase) mutations occur frequently in gliomas, but their prognostic impact has not been fully assessed. We performed a meta-analysis of the association between IDH mutations and survival in gliomas. Methods Pubmed and EMBASE databases were searched for studies reporting IDH mutations (IHD1/2 and IDH1) and survival in gliomas. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS); the secondary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were determined using the Mantel-Haenszel random-effect modeling. Funnel plot and Egger's test were conducted to examine the risk of publication bias. Results Fifty-five studies (9487 patients) were included in the analysis. Fifty-four and twenty-seven studies investigated the association between IDH1/2 mutations and OS/PFS respectively in patients with glioma. The results showed that patients possessing an IDH1/2 mutation had significant advantages in OS (HR = 0.39, 95%CI: 0.34–0.45; P < 0.001) and PFS (HR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.35–0.51; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed a consistent result with pooled analysis, and patients with glioma of WHO grade III or II-III had better outcomes. Conclusions These findings provide further indication that patients with glioma harboring IDH mutations have improved OS and PFS, especially for patients with WHO grade III and grade II-III.


Health experts fear epidemics of several infectious diseases in Mozambique as floods recede and mosquitoes begin breeding. According to Pierre Kahozi of WHO, malaria is already endemic in the region but there are fears that a much greater outbreak might occur. Scores of suspected cases of cholera were reported and more are expected, along with cases of other diarrheal conditions. Neil Cameron, chief director of communicable diseases at the health department in South Africa, said that more cases are expected within a month when the breeding cycle of mosquitoes is renewed. He reported that the number of malaria cases in South Africa increased from 12,000 in 1995 to 50,000 in 1999, and a number of people had been dying from this disease. The increase could be attributed partly to climatic changes and resistance to certain drugs. DDT had been used in the past to control mosquitoes, and it¿s possible that it will be used again in Mozambique. The issues involved in tackling malaria are now being considered as part of a special development initiative on infectious diseases that is being undertaken jointly by the health departments of three countries: South Africa, Mozambique, and Swaziland.


BACKGROUND
Aortic reservoir function independently predicts end-organ damage in cross-sectional analyses. However, longitudinal associations are more important regarding causation, but this has never been examined at rest or in response to light-moderate intensity exercise. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the change in aortic reservoir characteristics, in particular excess pressure integral (Pexcess) at rest and in response to exercise and the change in kidney function among healthy individuals followed over time.

METHODS
Aortic reservoir function (Pexcess and reservoir pressure), aortic stiffness, brachial and central blood pressure (BP), and renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]) were recorded among 33 healthy individuals (57 ± 9 years; 55% male) at baseline and after an average 3.0 ± 0.3 years.

RESULTS
Over the follow up period, there was a significant increase in resting brachial BP, central BP, Pexcess, and aortic stiffness (P < 0.05 all). The change over time in resting Pexcess (but not aortic stiffness) was significantly related to the change in eGFR (r = -0.38, P = 0.038) and remained independent of age at follow up, change in 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP and body mass index (β = -0.0300, P = 0.043). There was no association between the change in aortic pulse wave velocity and the change eGFR (P = 0.46) nor were there any associations with exercising hemodynamics.

CONCLUSIONS
Pexcess is independently associated with a decline in renal function among healthy people followed over 3 years. These novel findings indicate the need to determine the underlying physiological determinants of aortic reservoir function.


ACADEMIC) The Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus is native to Africa and middle East, and is an important source of nutrition for many in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the genetic diversity within and differentiation among wild populations can help identify O. niloticus populations that are imperiled and require directed management, especially because of increasing threats to the species' long-term persistence in the wild, including habitat destruction, overfishing, climate change, and hybridization with farmed populations. Knowledge of the genetic variation among wild populations also can contribute to foundation and selection of genetically diverse populations for aquaculture. I assessed the genetic variation among tilapia populations using finclips collected between December 2014 and July 2017 from 14 farmed sources, mostly originating from cage farms on the Volta Lake, and 13 wild sources from nine river basins in Ghana. I also conducted a laboratory growth experiment in Ghana with two wild populations to evaluate the tolerance of different genotypes to high temperatures, to inform their development for aquaculture in West Africa. I found that pure O. niloticus populations persist in the wild but some have been extensively introgressed with the closely related species, O. aureus, which has not previously been documented in Ghana. Additionally, some wild populations appear to have recently declined significantly in numbers, likely due to overfishing and habitat modification, the latter primarily as a result of illegal alluvial mining ongoing in Ghana. Analysis of the farmed populations revealed that at least two farms were growing the unapproved genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) and related strains, and that escaped individuals are admixed into some wild populations. The results of my laboratory experiment showed that O. niloticus populations occurring in northern Ghana already may be adapted to warmer temperatures and could be developed and used purposefully in aquaculture, taking advantage of their adaptation. To protect remnant pure O. niloticus populations in the wild, timely conservation decisions should be made and implemented. Protecting wild O. niloticus populations also would ensure that pure germplasms are available to develop aquaculture stocks from native populations.


We aim to outline the ramifications resulting from this publication and to determine which political and cultural project was promoted by its inspiring founders that comprised intellectuals from Europe and America. On the other hand, it is sought to highlight on Latin American literary works reproduced through the journal stressing on Costa Rican creations that leant toward anarchism.


H2 is gaining attention as energy vector, particularly if produced from renewable sources. It may be produced through photoreforming of organic compounds that act as hole scavengers to improve hydrogen productivity with respect to direct water photosplitting. Methanol is used here as model molecule to investigate the effect of catalyst composition and of substrate concentration on photocatalytic activity. Simple catalysts formulations were selected, in order to propose an easily scalable technology with a poorly expensive material. TiO2 with different structure (anatase, rutile and a mixture of them) was used as semiconductor, doped with a small amount of Au (0.1 wt%) to improve the lifetime of photogenerated charges. A new photoreactor was set up, with external irradiation that improves the scale up feasibility and possible future application with solar energy. Methanol conversion and hydrogen productivity increased with increasing methanol concentration up to 15 wt%. Rutile led to the highest conversion, but TiO2 P25 showed the highest hydrogen productivity. The best result was achieved by treating a 15 wt% methanol solution with 0.1 wt%Au/TiO2 P25, which led to 0.276 mol H2 h kgcat.


The overwhelming amount of data that is nowadays available, leads to an increased demand for techniques that automatically identify abnormal or anomalous behavior. In this paper, we consider this problem in the context of networks and investigate how network-based anomaly detection techniques can be used for the purpose of law enforcement and criminal investigations in the field of electronic discovery. This problem is firstly investigated on static networks. Examples of anomalies in static networks are network intruders in physical networks or spammers spreading unwanted advertisements in online social networks. While existing methods typically identify anomalies from a local perspective, we propose a novel method that identifies nodes from a global perspective. The proposed community-aware CADA algorithm outperforms previous methods on both synthetic and real-world data and scales remarkably well to larger networks. Second, we approach the problem in networks that change over time. We compare two existing methods that indicate to what extent two graphs are similar to each other. Results on real-world data show that the techniques successfully indicate points in time when something significant happened in the network. In general, these network-driven techniques can uncover critical information about events in the data that was otherwise not discovered.


The author describes how the skin depth in the classical skin effect region can be found by measurement of the change in mutual inductance between two coaxial coils, caused by a metal sample being brought into the inner one coil of the coils.


Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seeds contain high levels of mineral nutrients essential for human and animal nutrition. High throughput elemental profiling (ionomics) has identified mutants in model plant species grown in controlled environments. Here, we describe a method for identifying potential soybean ionomics mutants grown in a field setting and apply it to 975 N‐nitroso‐N‐methylurea (NMU) mutagenized lines. After performing a spatial correction, we identified mutants using either visual scoring of standard score (z‐score) plots or computational ranking of putative mutants followed by visual confirmation. Although there was a large degree of overlap between the methods, each method identified unique lines. The visual scoring approach identified 22 out of 427 (5%) potential mutants, 70% (16 out of 22) of which were confirmed when seeds from the same parent plant were regrown in the field. We also performed simulations to determine an optimal strategy for screening large populations. All data from the screen is available at the Ionomics Hub File Transfer Page (http://www.ionomicshub.org/home/PiiMS/dataexchange).


Two cases of suspected anaphylaxis occurred in the authors' hospital within two weeks of each other. The first, a six-year-and-four-month-old border collie, presented for thoracic wall resection. Once anaesthetised, 20 mg/kg of intravenous cefuroxime (Zinacef 75 mg/ml, GlaxoSmithKline UK) was administered slowly for prophylactic antibiosis. Ten minutes after administration was completed,desaturation occurred alongside tachycardia, hypotension and apnoea. Chest compliance was extremely poor, with minimal chest movement. Treatment included intermittent positive pressure ventilation, intravenous fluids, terbutaline, adrenaline and dexamethasone. The second case, a five-year-and-eight-month-old Lhasa apso, presented for elective orthopaedic surgery. Intravenous cefuroxime (Zinacef 75 mg/ml) was again administered slowly for prophylactic antibiosis; however, it is uncertain whether the patient received the full dose of 20 mg/kg. Mid-administration tachycardia, tachypnoea and hypotension occurred,alongside poor chest compliance. Cefuroxime administration was stopped, the fluid line disconnected and treatment with chlorphenamine given.


This paper is concerned with the use of the choice experiment method for modeling the demand for snowmobiling . The Choice Experiment includes five attributes, standard, composition, length, price day card and experience along trail. The paper estimates the snowmobile owners' preferences and the most preferred attributes, including their willingness to pay for a daytrip on groomed snowmobile trail. The data consists of the answers from 479 registered snowmobile owners, who answered two hypothetical choice questions each. Estimating using the multinominal logit model, it is found that snowmobilers on average are willing to pay 22.5 SEK for one day of snowmobiling on a trail with quality described as skidded every 14 day. Furthermore, it is found that the WTP increases with the quality of trail grooming. The result of this paper can be used as a yardstick for snowmobile clubs wanting to develop their trail net worth, organizations and companies developing snowmobiling as a recreational activities and marketers interested in marketing snowmobiling as recreational activities.


This article questions the constitutional advice commonly offered to societies deeply divided over the vision of their state (e.g., Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Israel) to draft a "thin" constitution. According to this liberal constitutionalist approach, the constitution-making process is not expected to interfere with value-ridden conflicts (e.g., minority rights or the role of religious law) but rather to provide an institutional framework for future democratic deliberation and decision-making on divisive issues. While normatively a thin constitution is an attractive ideal, this instrument, I argue, is at odds with social, political, and institutional realities in contemporary societies driven by identity conflicts. Based on a close empirical analysis of the failed attempt to draft a thin constitution in Israel from 2003-2006, this article illustrates two central obstacles to realizing the ideal of a thin constitution: the first stems from an inherent incoherence in that ideal, since in fact thin constitutions have a strong symbolic content in representing a particular type of liberal democracy. The idea of thin constitution rests on widespread public acceptance of the principles of political liberalism, defined by John Rawls in terms of "overlapping consensus," yet conflicts over liberal rights are usually at the heart of the constitution debate in divided societies. The second problem stems from the effects of existing institutional legacies — particularly judiciary-legislature relation — on the drafting process. The legacy of constitutional dialogue between the judiciary and the legislature hinders the separation between constitutional debates on procedural-institutional and ideational-foundational issues, during the constitution-drafting process. Thus the timing of constitution writing, whether it occurs at the state-building stage or during a transitional phase decades after independence, is of great importance. The article concludes that the difficulties of writing a thin constitution are increasing, rather than decreasing, over the years.


With the wide deployment of public cloud computing infrastructures, using clouds to host data query services has become an appealing solution for the advantages on scalability and cost-saving. However, some data might be sensitive that the data owner does not want to move to the cloud unless the data confidentiality and query privacy are guaranteed. Due to diversity of applications, the database services in cloud must also support storage of multidimensional data. On the other hand, a secured query service should still provide efficient query processing and significantly reduce the in-house workload to fully realize the benefits of cloud computing. The base paper propose the RASP data perturbation method to provide secure and efficient range query and kNN query services for protected data in the cloud [1]. The kNN-R algorithm is designed to work with the RASP range query algorithm to process the kNN queries. But kNN-R algorithm will not work effectively in high dimensional data (complex objects such as spatial, temporal and multimedia data). In this paper, we integrate kNN-R algorithm and the traditional concept of R-optimality and propose a new multi-step RI kNN-R search algorithm that utilizes lowerand upper bounding distance information (Ilu) in the filter step.In order to reduce the number of candidates returned from the filter step which then have to be exactly evaluated in the refinement step is fundamental for the efficiency of the query process.


For Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) to become useful in safety-critical applications, such as self-driving cars and disease diagnosis, they must be stable to perturbations in input and model parameters. Characterizing the sensitivity of a DNN to perturbations is necessary to determine minimal bit-width precision that may be used to safely represent the network. However, no general result exists that is capable of predicting the sensitivity of a given DNN to round-off error, noise, or other perturbations in input. This paper derives an estimator that can predict such quantities. The estimator is derived via inequalities and matrix norms, and the resulting quantity is roughly analogous to a condition number for the entire neural network. An approximation of the estimator is tested on two Convolutional Neural Networks, AlexNet and VGG-19, using the ImageNet dataset. For each of these networks, the tightness of the estimator is explored via random perturbations and adversarial attacks.


We examine the benefits of visual context in training neural language models to perform next-word prediction. A multi-modal neural architecture is introduced that outperform its equivalent trained on language alone with a 2% decrease in perplexity, even when no visual context is available at test. Fine-tuning the embeddings of a pre-trained state-of-the-art bidirectional language model (BERT) in the language modeling framework yields a 3.5% improvement. The advantage for training with visual context when testing without is robust across different languages (English, German and Spanish) and different models (GRU, LSTM, Delta-RNN, as well as those that use BERT embeddings). Thus, language models perform better when they learn like a baby, i.e, in a multi-modal environment. This finding is compatible with the theory of situated cognition: language is inseparable from its physical context.


Landform design is the multidisciplinary process that builds mining landforms, landscapes, and regions to meet agreed upon land use goals and objectives. Such work starts even before mining begins, carries on through mine development and operation, and continues through closure and beyond to guide post-mining stewardship of the land. It allows mining companies, regulators, and local communities to progressively reclaim the land with confidence, managing costs, risks, and liabilities, to create beneficial landscapes. Landform elements are specific physical subcomponents of a mining landform that are designed to allow the landform to meet the overall landform-scale design goals and objectives. They are typically large enough to be featured on a detailed design drawing and be built with normal mine reclamation equipment; they are usually in the 10 to 100m scale. Some elements are exquisitely designed while some are simply field-fit. Examples of landform elements include swales, mounds, outlets, watershed berms, vegetation patches, meandering toe creeks, islands, and wildlife enhancements such as snags and rockpiles. All provide efficient and practical solutions to complex mine reclamation problems. The paper provides a list of 97 landform elements for mine reclamation for common mining landforms including waste dumps, tailings facilities, and end pit lakes.


Analysis of the role of courts in shaping access to justice in Indonesia has emphasised the role of judges and the incentives created for them by courts' institutional design. Alternatively, it has focused on individual justice-seekers and their capacities to choose between alternative pathways through the legal repertoire. In this paper, we suggest that 'support structures for legal mobilisation' (SSLMs) have also played an important role in shaping access to justice by influencing both the potential for legal mobilisation and the type of justice sought. In making this argument, we focus on a recent Constitutional Court case on 'international standard schools'. In this case, a group of parents were able to mobilise for legal action only because NGOs provided the required technical expertise and financial resources while the central involvement of an anti-corruption NGO in the SSLM shifted the focus from parents' concerns about discrimination to corruption.


In 7 families at risk for hemophilia A 42 individuals were evaluated by the Taq I polymorphism of the extragenic probe St 14.1 and the Bcl I as well the Hind III polymorphism of the intragenic probe F8e16-19. 15 out of 20 females of the core families were identified as carriers, under them all of the obligate heterozygotes. 5 individuals were excluded as carriers. The heterozygosity for each of the RFLPs was found to be between 30% and 79%. Combining the single data in 96% heterozygosity was found under the individuals tested. A linkage disequilibrium was found between the Bcl I and Hind III polymorphismus of the probe F8e16-19. A family at risk for hemophilia B including 5 individuals was studied using the Taq I and Xmn I polymorphisms of the probe P1. In one of two females the carrier state could be excluded in the other one confirmed.


This article introduces the concepts of narrative environment and narrative care to discussions of human caring. Human beings are storied beings, it proposes, and our identity is tied to the narratives through which we interpret our experience. Appreciating the narrative complexity of the people with whom we interact is thus the heart of narrative care. However, since lives are storied not in a vacuum but in several intersecting settings (family, community, and culture), the practice of narrative care, for example in health-care settings, is contingent on fostering narrative environments in which, first and foremost, people's stories are acknowledged and honored.


This paper addresses the modeling, design and optimization of a photovoltaic/wind turbine/batteries system. Tests are made within the area of Bejaia (Algeria), where the solar and wind energies are very exploitable due to its geographical location. The design of the studied system uses the total incident energy approach to determine the size of the photovoltaic and wind generators. The different sources are connected by converters to the DC bus, which optimizes the operation of maximization whatever the weather conditions. The strategy optimization of the PV system is made by three MPPT methods (Pertub & Observ (P&O), Incremental & conductance (INCcond) and fuzzy logic controller (FLC). As for the wind turbine, three MPPT methods have been investigated (Optimal torque control (OTC), Gradient Method (GM) and Fuzzy logic controller (FLC). Following the comparisons of the power, efficiency and response time, the method presenting the best performances is incorporated in the studied system. The simulation is built using Matlab/Simulink. The results obtained during four days of each season (summer, autumn, winter, and spring) are shown and discussed to demonstrate the applicability of the suggested system. To control the water pumping hybrid system, a power control is proposed.


[Europe, this region stretching from the Atlantic coast to Russia, sees practice the twenty-first century new power rivalries. Their study presupposes an exact knowledge of the geography and recent history of Europe, made of division, reunification and dissension. Understanding the geopolitical parameters of Europe also requires decryption of the European Union, its assets, its contradictions and weaknesses. It also requires analysis of other European countries, those candidates to the European Union, and those who refuse it, not to mention the battles of the "spoils" of the former Soviet Union, such as Ukraine . Battles callers to understand the strategy of a paradoxical but Russia in search of power. Finally, the analysis illustrates the challenges facing Europe by new geopolitical prospective scenarios. In addition, issues of the EU are thought related to the history and the political and administrative functioning of the institution, not to mention the account taken of the "Brexit".]


Six antibiotics [viz. amphotericin-B (AP), clotrimazole (CC), fluconazole (FLC), itraconazole (IT), ketoconazole (KT) and nystatin (NS)] and six bacteria (viz. Bacillus licheniformis, B. haloduran, B. cohnii, B. subtilis, Pseudomonas sp., and Rhizobium sp.) were tested for their antifungal activities against two pathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus (102566) and A. niger, which cause a significant yield loss in many important crops during preand post-harvest periods. Antibiotics susceptibility test for six antibiotics revealed the antifungal activities of five antibiotics, FLC being ineffective against the test pathogens. Out of the six bacteria, two (Pseudomonas sp. and Rhizobium sp.) were found to show antifungal activities against both the test pathogens; while, all four Bacillus spp. were found to be ineffective against A. flavus and A. niger, The investigation revealed that the chemical and biological agents can be effectively used against the fungal pathogens.


A 65-year-old man with presumed choroideremia with preserved central vision was examined by fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). FAF showed an isolated area of hyperautofluorescence that involved the fovea. Although the choroid capillary slab of the OCTA showed the medium and large choroidal vessels inferior to the area of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy, the choriocapillaris was visible in a relatively wider area than the hyperautofluorescent area in the FAF images. FAF and OCTA images allowed us to detect damage of the RPE before the choriocapillaris atrophy in a case of presumed choroideremia with preserved central vision.


This study seeks to explore the limits of the concept of hybrid organization as it is commonly agreed upon in the literature. It tackles the case of French mutual insurance companies and their for-profit counterparts in the property and casualty sector. Distinguishing two approaches to the notion of hybrid organization, it focuses on the tensions and challenges facing mutuals compared to their for-profit competitors. The evidence, based on the analysis of corporate website data as well as regulatory and professional documentation, stresses the relevance of the concept of hybrid organization as applied to mutuals in view of the external pressures with which they are confronted. Yet, it suggests that the concept has some limitations at the internal level, regarding the articulation of multiple goals. The evidence further suggests that hybrid organizations may carry or develop their own institutional logic (s) and not merely borrow and adapt contradictory logics from the public, charitable or private for-profit sectors. Overall, it contributes to a better understanding of hybrid organizations and opens promising perspectives for further theorization of the concept.


Possibly the most fascinating biochemical mechanism remaining to be solved is the formation of oxygen from water in photosystem II. This is a critical part of the photosynthetic reaction that makes solar energy accessible to living organisms.The present thesis uses quantum chemistry, more specifically the density functional B3LYP, to investigate a mechanism where an oxyl radical bound to manganese is the active species in O-O bond formation. Benchmark calculations on manganese systems confirm that B3LYP can be expected to give accurate results. The effect of the self-interaction error is shown to be limited. Studies of synthetic manganese complexes support the idea of a radical mechanism. A manganese complex with an oxyl radical is active in oxygen formation while manganese-oxo complexes remain inactive. Formation of the O-O bond requires a spin transition but there should be no effect on the rate. Spin transitions are also required in many short-range electron-transfer reactions.Investigations of the superproficient enzyme orotidine decarboxylase support a mechanism that involves an invariant network of charged amino acids, acting together with at least two mobile water molecules.


Heartbeats are a point process yet, most of the current analysis methods do not model this important characteristic of these data. We describe human heartbeat time series as a history dependent inverse Gaussian model. We present a point process adaptive filter algorithm to estimate the model's time-varying parameters, and use it to compute new measures of heart rate variability. We apply our algorithm to analyze simulated heartbeat data and actual heartbeat data from a tilt table experiment and from healthy subjects and subjects with congestive heart failure during sleep. Our results suggest a new approach for characterizing heartbeat dynamics.


Deep compositing is an important practical tool in creating digital imagery, but there has been little theoretical analysis of the underlying mathematical operators. Motivated by finding a simple formulation of the merging operation on OpenEXR-style deep images, we show that the Porter-Duff over function is the operator of a Lie group. In its corresponding Lie algebra, the splitting and mixing functions that OpenEXR deep merging requires have a particularly simple form. Working in the Lie algebra, we present a novel, simple proof of the uniqueness of the mixing function.The Lie group structure has many more applications, including new, correct resampling algorithms for volumetric images with alpha channels, and a deep image compression technique that outperforms that of OpenEXR.


Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with rapid progression, high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. The objective of our investigation was to explore the prognostic value of CDK5R1 in HCC. Methods: The raw data of HCC raw data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal–Wallis test and logistic regression were applied to investigate the relevance between the CDK5R1 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics in HCC. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analysis were employed to examine the association between clinicopathologic features and survival. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was applied to annotate the biological function of CDK5R1. Results: CDK5R1 was highly expressed in HCC tissues. The high expression of CDK5R1 in HCC tissues was significantly associated with tumor status (P=0.00), new tumor event (P=0.00), clinical stage (P=0.00) and topography (P=0.00). Elevated CDK5R1 had significant correlation with worse overall survival (OS; P=7.414e−04), disease-specific survival (DSS; P=5.642e−04), disease-free interval (DFI; P=1.785e−05) and progression-free interval (PFI; P=2.512e−06). Besides, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis uncovered that increased CDK5R1 can independently predict adverse OS (P=0.037, hazard ratio [HR]= 1.7 (95% CI [1.0–2.7])), DFI (P=0.007, hazard ratio [HR]= 3.0 (95% CI [1.4–6.7])), PFI (P=0.007, hazard ratio [HR]= 2.8 (95% CI [1.3–5.9])). GSEA disclosed that notch signaling pathway and non-small cell lung cancer were prominently enriched in CDK5R1 high expression phenotype. Conclusions: Increased CDK5R1 may act as a promising independent prognostic factor of poor survival in HCC.


The persistent spectral hole-burning properties of R' color centers in pure and doped LiF single crystals at liquid-helium temperatures are described and analyzed. Using frequency-modulation spectroscopy and precision ratiometric transmission spectroscopy, a satellite hole structure has been observed which varies with position in the inhomogeneous line due to excited-state splittings. Transient effects in the optical absorption indicate that an intermediate state with millisecond lifetimes is involved in hole formation. The persistent holes have been observed to grow as the logarithm of time and the logarithm of burning intensity in certain regimes, and a phenomenological tunneling model has been used to explain the time and intensity dependence. The results suggest that R' centers interact via tunneling and local strains with a quasi-random distribution of nearby traps which may be other color centers in the host material. A linear Stark effect has been observed in agreement with earlier measurements. This work illustrates the power of hole-burning spectroscopy to uncover static and dynamic interactions normally hidden by inhomogeneous broadening.


A standard mutual inductance, after the design recently described by the writer, has now been constructed at the National Physical Laboratory. As the details of its construction will be published later, it is sufficient here to mention that its value calculated from the dimensions is 10.0178 millihenries. It forms an extremely accurate standard, against which both mutual and self inductances can be readily tested. In addition to this, it affords a means of obtaining values of resistance coils in absolute measure, and thus evaluating the ohm. This can be done in an indirect way by finding the capacity of a condenser in terms of resistance and time by Maxwell's Commutator Method, and in terms of resistance and mutual inductance by Heydweiller's modification of Carey Foster's method. The comparison of resistance with mutual inductance can, however, be made far more simply and directly by the use of two-phase alternating currents in the method which I proceed to describe. I shall first take the ideal simple case, and afterwards notice some of the difficulties that may arise in practice. (2) Theory of the Medhod. In fig. 1 let M be the mutual inductance (a small fraction of it being adjustable) and R the resistance; and let A cos pt and B sin pt be currents in quadrature, e. g ., from a two-phase alternator or a phasesplitting device. Let G be a vibration galvanometer tuned to frequency n where p = 2 πn .


Background. We have a lack of older persons' intelligence studies, so we know a little about intelligence changes with age and after heart diseases. The aim of this study was to describe peculiarities of general intelligence structure of cardiac rehabilitation patients.
Methods. Study was conducted in Abromiskes Rehabilitation Hospital Inpatient Cardiac department (Lithuania) during the period of 2014–2016. Participants (N = 118) were administered Intelligence Structure test in order to assess general intelligence, consisting from verbal, numerical, figurative intelligence.
Findings. T-test showed no statistically significant gender differences (p>0.05). There was find negative correlation between participants' age and verbal, numerical and figurative as well as general intelligence (resp., r = -0.310, r = -0.192, r = -0.290, r = -0.277, p < 0,05). Cardiac rehabilitation patients have lower intelligence compared to their peers from standardization sample (supposed to be healthy), but these differences remain significant only for those who are older than 51 (p < 0.05). According to the results of factor analysis, 51,5% of general intelligence in the age from 51 to 70 could be explained by two factors: verbal-numerical and figurative intelligence.
Discussion: Cardiac rehabilitation patients' intelligence doesn't differ according to the gender, but it significantly declines with an age from 41 to 70 years. 51-70 years old patients' intelligence is lower than healthy ones, but, in contrast, 41-50 years old patients' intelligence doesn't differ from healthy sample. The findings provide a support for intelligence de-differentiation hypothesis.
Research was supported by Research Council of Lithuania, project No. MIP-081/2014


In a previous paper (Taltavull and White, 2012) we analysed the role of money supply, migration and mortgage finance in house price evolution. Using a VECM framework we examined these variables together with income, inflation, and interest rates for both Spain and the UK. This followed on from research by other authors including Muellbauer (2007), Meen and Andrew (2003), and Mishkin (1995). The results indicated an important role for income, mortgages and migration in UK house price movements, more so than in Spain. In this paper we build upon our previous work and focus on the channels through which liquidity shocks can affect house prices. Lastrapes (2002) argues that money supply affects real house prices. Greiber and Setzer (2007) find that liquidity is important for new supply and hence house prices identifying money demand, asset price and credit channels. In the money demand channel, three different effects are present, wealth, substitution and transactions effects. This permits us to test of changes in house prices lead to changes in money supply. In the asset price channel we test if changes in money supply cause house price change, and in the credit channel, higher housing collateral can increase loan amounts. In this paper we test different channels to identify which is more or less important and whether this varies across countries thus identifying the impact that the housing market has on the macroeconomy and from which source this is derived.


Since the global financial crisis the Korean economy has experienced a conspicuous contraction in volatility, together with a slowdown in growth. Generally speaking, a contraction in economic volatility has some effect in promoting growth and investment by expanding economic stability and lessening the degree of uncertainty. On the other hand, however, if economic uncertainty still exists while the trend growth rate keeps falling, it will be negatively regarded as an obstacle to recovery. We accordingly analyze the recent contraction in Korean economic volatility and try to determine its various reasons, which we expect will provide some relevant policy implications. Our analysis finds that the recent decline in volatility have been caused by many factors, including a contraction in inflation volatility, an expansion in the size of the service industry, the reduced volatility in the world economy, and the persistent decline in the trend growth rate. For future policy, while closely monitoring the movements of economic volatility, it should be rigorously checked whether the contraction in volatility is attributable to structural restraints on the drivers of endogenous economic growth or to declines in the size of external shocks.


The microsocial factors associated with parent family, reference group, and groupmates affect the development of addictive and mixed anxiety-depressive disorders in students. Students, carriers of each of microsocial risk factors, were characterized by specific motives for psychoactive substance use and specific non-adaptive realizing coping associated with social support modules (26.1%) and prognosis of the stress situation development (21.7%). At the same time, the impact of microsocial risk factors might be weakened by adaptive moderating coping, which manifested in the modules of distraction from the stressful situation (20.6% of cases) and the emotional response to the situation (15.7%). Also, in the realizing and moderating copings, the module of rational assessment of a stressful situation (17.4% of cases for realizing coping and 14.7% for moderating coping) was of value.


Acute liver injury leading to acute liver failure can be a life-threatening condition. Therefore, timely and accurate early diagnosis of the onset of acute liver injury in vivo is critical. Viscosity is one of the key parameters that can accurately reflect the levels of relevant active analytes at the cellular level. Herein, a novel near-infrared molecule rotator, DJM, was designed and synthesized. This probe exhibited a highly sensitive (461-fold from PBS solution to 95% glycerol solution) and selective response to viscosity with a maximum emission wavelength of 760 nm and a Stokes shift of 240 nm. Furthermore, DJM has exhibited a remarkable capacity to discern viscosity changes induced by nystatin in viable cells with sensitivity and selectivity and further applied in the zebrafish and mouse model of acute liver injury. Additionally, DJM may potentially offer direction for the timely observation and visualization of viscosity in more relevant disease models in the future.


ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to characterize the population pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin in patients with and without cystic fibrosis ranging in age from 1 day to 24 years and to propose a limited sampling strategy to estimate individual pharmacokinetic parameters. Patients were divided into four groups according to the treatment schedule. They received ciprofloxacin by intravenous infusion (30 min) or by the oral route. The number of samples collected from each patient ranged from 1 to 12. The population parameters were computed for an initial group of 37 patients. The data were analyzed by nonlinear mixed-effect modeling by use of a two-compartment structural model. The interindividual variability in clearance (CL) was partially explained by a dependence on age and the patient's clinical status. In addition, a significant relationship was found between weight and the initial volume of distribution. Eighteen additional patients were used for model validation and evaluation of limited sampling strategies. When ciprofloxacin was administered intravenously, sampling at a single point (12 h after the start of infusion) allowed the precise and accurate estimation of CL and the elimination half-life, as well as the ciprofloxacin concentration at the end of the infusion. It should be noted that to take into account the presence of a lag time after oral administration, a schedule based on two sampling times of 1 and 12 h is needed. The results of this study combine relationships between ciprofloxacin pharmacokinetic parameters and patient covariates that may be useful for dose adjustment and a convenient sampling procedure that can be used for further studies.


Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection disproportionately affects HIV-infected patients. HIV/HCV Co-infected patients are more likely to develop advanced liver disease/cirrhosis in comparison to mono-infected patients. HCV treatment with new oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is effective in HIV/HCV co-infected patients with cure rate similar to mono-infected patients. Despite the effective treatments, only small portion of co-infected patients are treated for HCV infection. One of the known barriers to HCV treatment is active substance abuse. However, there is limited information about outcomes of HCV treatment with active substance abuse in HIV/HCV co-infected patients. Our primary aim was to evaluate Hepatitis C treatment outcomes in HIV/HCV co-infected patients with active substance abuse (ASA). Methods We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of HIV/HCV co-infected patients that were treated for HCV between 2014 and 2017 at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. We defined active substance abuse (ASA) by self-report of active drug use at the time of treatment evaluation. We described patient demographics and overall HCV sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after treatment. Results One hundred thirty-eight HIV/HCV co-infected patients were treated. The majority (N = 134, 97%) achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) after 12 weeks of treatment. Thirteen patients were active substance abusers, nine used cocaine, three used intravenous drug, and one used both. Twelve (92%) patients in the ASA group achieved SVR at 12 weeks in comparison to 122 (98%) in the non-ASA group (P = 0.26). ASA group had a higher rate of psychiatry comorbidities in comparison to the none-ASA group (100% vs. 58%, P = 0.002). Conclusion In our study, direct active antiviral HCV treatment was highly effective in HIV/HCV co-infected patients. Treatment outcomes were not different between active substance abuse group and none user group. Given co-infected patients have worsened prognosis with chronic HCV infection, active substance abuse should not be an absolute contraindication to HCV treatment. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Recall that an excedance of a permutation $\pi$ is any position $i$ such that $\pi_i > i$. Inspired by the work of Hopkins, McConville and Propp (Elec. J. Comb., 2017) on sorting using toppling, we say that a permutation is toppleable if it gets sorted by a certain sequence of toppling moves. One of our main results is that the number of toppleable permutations on $n$ letters is the same as those for which excedances happen exactly at $\{1,\dots, \lfloor (n-1)/2 \rfloor\}$. Additionally, we show that the above is also the number of acyclic orientations with unique sink (AUSOs) of the complete bipartite graph $K_{\lceil n/2 \rceil, \lfloor n/2 \rfloor + 1}$. We also give a formula for the number of AUSOs of complete multipartite graphs. We conclude with observations on an extremal question of Cameron et al. concerning maximizers of (the number of) acyclic orientations, given a prescribed number of vertices and edges for the graph.


ABSTRACT Introduction The widespread use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is expanding to low-risk patients. Nevertheless, a low clinical risk does not always correspond to a low procedural risk for the percutaneous approach. Areas covered The initial trials on TAVI in low-risk populations had encouraging results, showing non-inferiority in comparison to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). However, the low-risk definition is based on risk score calculators developed for the surgical setting and not including other specific features that are more relevant to TAVI and can affect procedural outcomes. For example, the presence of bicuspid aortic valves, high calcific burden, low coronary height or conduction disturbances is all potentially associated with suboptimal results or even procedural complications. In addition, the lack of longer follow-up prevents us to draw conclusions about long-term outcomes, including data about valve durability and coronary re-access. Expert opinion Although current evidence suggest similar results for TAVI and SAVR in low-risk populations, there are some technical and procedural limitations that still need to be addressed in order to close the gap between TAVI and surgery. Optimal, lasting results with a low rate of procedural complications are highly expected in low-risk, otherwise healthy subjects, with potential for longevity.


In the quest for sustainability of island regions, coastal shipping ought to be at the forefront because it provides essential and often sole lifeline services for the island inhabitants and visitors. Air pollution caused by the exhaust emissions of coastal ships has a detrimental environmental effect upon the coastal human population and the natural resources. The high coastal shipping activity within the Greek seas and the environmental vulnerability of the Greek coasts present a case that undoubtedly deserves particular attention. To this extent, the utilization of liquified natural gas (LNG) for powering island ferries constitutes a promising alternative to oil-fuel for achieving a sizable reduction of SOX, NOX, and particulate matter (PM) exhaust pollution. Furthermore, in their effort to improve the quality of the shipping services, island communities often appear to be constantly pushing for new vessels, and LNG engines constitute a suitable opportunity for fleet renewal through the introduction of "green" shipboard technology. In this paper, the connection of the Greek Dodecanese Islands and the main port of Piraeus with an oil- vs. LNG-fueled ferry line is analyzed. The results indicate that, compared to conventional oil-fuel, natural gas currently offers a favorable alternative in terms of private costs (technical and fuel costs), as well as in terms of the external (damage) costs due to ship exhaust pollution. It is also shown that the LNG shipboard technology has the prospect of extending its advantage with respect to private costs, due to the increasing pressure on oil-fuel–related environmental control and the expansion of the natural gas market. Finally, a justifiable argument is made regarding the improvement of the techno-economics of the LNG ferry through the utilization of the "land transport equivalent" principle, in conjunction with "green" technology funding under the European policy framework for transport, energy, and regional development.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically demonstrate how knowledge management, particularly knowledge integration (KI), acts as a mediator in enterprise systems (ES) post-implementation stage and how transactional and transformational leadership styles are impacted toward ES success.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the insights of 508 valid respondents from various business backgrounds that used ES in Malaysia, structural equation modeling was employed and the path modeling approach was used to investigate the underlying relationships between variables. The mediating effects were tested using the bootstrapping procedures presented by Preacher and Hayes.FindingsThe results support the mediating effects of KI mechanisms and both leadership styles toward ES success. The analysis revealed the importance of KI in an organization, especially by the leaders who manage the complexity of the ES in the post-implementation stage.Research limitations/implicationsThe study can be extended by analyzing other leadership styles in-detail.Practical implicationsThis paper is useful for practitioners as it acts as a guide to conduct management practice for business managers.Originality/valueThe results demonstrate the importance of leaders' adoption of KI mechanisms in various business domains. This study approach can be used to investigate which sub-items of the leadership styles are more likely to promote KI mechanisms.


Image

segmentation has been explored for many years and still remains a

crucial vision problem. Some efficient or accurate segmentation

algorithms have been widely used in many vision applications.

However, it is difficult to design a both efficient and accurate

image segmenter. In this paper, we propose a novel method called DEL

(deep embedding learning) which can efficiently transform superpixels

into image segmentation. Starting with the SLIC superpixels, we train

a fully convolutional network to learn the feature embedding space

for each superpixel. The learned feature embedding corresponds to a

similarity measure that measures the similarity between two adjacent

superpixels. With the deep similarities, we can directly merge the

superpixels into large segments. The evaluation results on BSDS500

and PASCAL Context demonstrate that our approach achieves a good

trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness. Specifically, our DEL

algorithm can achieve comparable segments when compared with MCG but

is much faster than it, i.e. 11.4fps vs. 0.07fps.


Background: Skin prick test (SPT) has been identified as the gold standard method to diagnose IgE mediated hypersensitivities; it is accurate, easy and cheap. However, SPT has some important limitations, so in vitro serum specific serum IgE (sSIgE) detection can be a good alternative. The diagnostic yield of sSIgE testing usually depends on the specific allergen. Objective: This study compares between SPT and sSIgE for diagnosis of allergy. Methodology: 61 allergic patients enrolled from Zagazig University Allergy and Immunology Unit, tested by SPT for the common allergens. Serum total IgE and specific IgE levels were measured and compared to SPT results. Results: The over- all sensitivities of sSIgE were excellent (75-100%) for most of allergens tested. PPV was excellent with some allergens (pollens, cockroaches, mites) and poor with others (cat hair). Sensitivity of mites sSIgE was excellent with PPV approaching 90%, specificiy was only 13%. However, the NPV was 100%. Significant level of agreement and correlation between the results of SPT and sSIgE for cockroaches and molds was reported. Positive correlation between the total levels of serum IgE and the diameter of wheal and flare of the SPT for mites, pollens and cockroaches was found. Conclusion: The sensitivities of sSIgE were excellent for most of allergens tested. Specificity of sSIgE varies between individual allergens. Serum specific IgE testing may be a good alternative to skin prick test if the latter could not be carried out.


The purpose of this paper is to estimate a probability to visit the Yeosu Aquarium with an ordered logit model. Ordered logit model is affordable to estimate the probability when the dependant variable represents likert-type scale. The estimated results are as follows. The more income induces the visiting-expectation. The experience for another aquarium and the visiting-expectation for the Yeosu EXPO are contributed to the visiting-expectation for the Yeosu Aquarium. The needs to visit the Yeosu Aquarium is low in Kyoungsang area and Seoul-Kyounggi-Incheun Metropolitan area. This is related to the Aquarium facilities, which were established in each area. In average level conditions regarding to all independent variables the probability to visit the Yeosu Aquarium is calculated to 15.75%. However, the probability to visit to the Yeosu Aquarium is decreasing according to the change of an admission fee.


Immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against human cyclin D1 can be used to identify breast cancers that have an amplification of the q13 region of chromosome 11. In general, the intensity of staining is directly proportional to the degree of DNA amplification. In two unusual tumors, in which the CCND1 locus is highly amplified but staining is relatively weak, it appears that the DNA has undergone rearrangement and that the amplified/rearranged CCND1 allele may have reduced transcriptional activity. More significantly, the immunohistochemical technique identifies additional tumors in which the cyclin D1 gene is overexpressed with only marginal or undetectable increases in copy number, implying that other mechanisms can lead to deregulated expression. These results suggest that the frequency of overexpression is much higher than previously concluded from DNA-based analyses and that more than one-third of human breast cancers may contain excessive levels of cyclin D1. The technique we describe should facilitate the detection of this abnormality in a clinical setting and clarify its prognostic significance.


The nation's electric power grid is an interconnected network of generation groups called control areas. Each control area has the responsibility to serve power to its residential, commercial, and industrial customers, even in the event of unforeseen disturbances. A control area must fulfill this responsibility in both a reliable and a cost-effective manner: reliably, so that its customers don't wind up in the dark; and inexpensively, so that it can remain competitive in an increasingly competitive deregulated marketplace. The high-voltage transmission system ties each control area to its neighbor, enabling the control area to buy and sell power with its neighbors. Transacting power with its neighbors helps a control area fulfill its responsibilities.

This presentation explains many of the fundamental issues surrounding the operation of the interconnected power system. It identifies the various components of the system, including the generators, loads, and transmission lines that comprise each control area, and demonstrates how automatic generation control is employed to keep pace with changing power demand. Furthermore, the presentation emphasizes the variety of issues associated with transacting power between areas, identifying the reliability and economic issues and indicators that may shape a control area's decision to engage in a power transaction. The highly graphical and interactive PowerWorld Simulator software package is used to communicate these lessons clearly and effectively.