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A fully synthetic four-component antitumor vaccine consisting of a mucin glycopeptide antigen combined with three different T-helper-cell epitopes. In a new concept of fully synthetic vaccines, the role of T-helper cells is emphasized. Here, a synthetic antitumor vaccine consisting of a diglycosylated tumor-associated MUC1 glycopeptide as the B-cell epitope was covalently cross-linked with three different T-helper-cell epitopes via squaric acid ligation of two linear (glyco)peptides. In mice this four-component vaccine administered without external immune-stimulating promoters elicit titers of MUC1-specific antibodies that were about eight times higher than those induced by a vaccine containing only one T-helper-cell epitope. The promising results indicate that multiple activation of different T-helper cells is useful for applications in which increased immunogenicity is required. In personalized medicine, in particular, this flexible construction of a vaccine can serve as a role model, for example, when T-helper-cell epitopes are needed that match human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in different patients.

The effect of intra-articular gadolinium-DTPA on synovial membrane and cartilage. This investigation evaluated the potential effect of gadolinium (Gd)-DTPA-dimeglumine on synovial membrane and joint cartilage, using macroscopic, microscopic, and x-ray fluorescent spectroscopic techniques. Thirteen New Zealand white rabbits (26 knees) were used in this study, ten receiving 500 micromolar injections of Gd-DTPA-dimeglumine in their right knees; the remainder of the knees served as controls. One injected knee had minimal joint effusion and one had mild hyperemia. Microscopically four knees exhibited mild focal hyperplasia of the synovium, another three minimal focal mononuclear cell infiltration. X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy demonstrated no evidence of Gd-DTPA-dimeglumine in the synovium or articular cartilage. Neither macroscopic nor microscopic evaluation detected any Gd-DTPA-dimeglumine related effects. Gd-DTPA-dimeglumine was found to be safe for intra-articular injection in this animal model.

A new age or just the same old cycle of extirpation? Massacre and the 1798 Irish rebellion Although the 1798 rebellion seldom figures prominently in histories of the Revolutionary Wars, it was probably the bloodiest political upheaval to occur in Ireland between the 1640s and the 1910s. The rebellion was largely inspired by the French Revolution, yet many had long anticipated such an event. They saw it as another round in a struggle that would only end with the extirpation of either Catholics or Protestants. Such beliefs lent ferocity to the fighting and encouraged massacre. Yet, at the same time, individuals on all sides sought to prevent or at least restrain bloodshed. Enlightenment and republican values and the ties of family and community were by no means submerged, and many marked for death were saved, although often deeply traumatized by their experiences. For, while the rebellion looked back to the sectarian massacres of the seventeenth century, it at the same time looked forward to the much less violent Irish nationalist struggles of the nineteenth century.

Voice onset time versus articulatory modeling for stop consonants Abstract Voice onset time (VOT) was developed as a parameter for the pattern-playback speech synthesizer developed approximately 50 years ago, in order to generate the acoustic effects of voiced-unvoiced differences in English stop consonants. However, problems arose when the VOT parameter was used to define stops in actual spoken language, to replace aerodynamic and physiological parameters. A representative physiological model from the same time-period that avoided these problems is sketched. In this model, the manner-of-articulation of a stop is determined by the duration, timing, and extent of laryngeal, articulatory, and respiratory gestures. It is concluded that the term voice onset time should be used only as a parameter in speech synthesis, as originally intended, and not for the analysis of actual speech.

Elucidating Comminution Steps to Enhance the Value of Surimi from Tropical Fish Biochemical and rheological properties of surimi were examined based on: (a) salting time (from 18 to 3 min) while maintaining 21 min for total chopping time; and (b) total chopping time (from 6 to 21 min) while salting during the final 3 min. Extending salting time, which was defined as time of salt contact with proteins during chopping, significantly increased breaking force and penetration distance, while chopping time extension with fixed salting time did not. Salt soluble proteins decreased when salting time decreased; however, this trend performed contrarily against chopping time. A relationship between gel texture and salt soluble proteins was not found. Oxidation of sulfhydryl groups could occur during the chopping process when chopping without salt was extended. Surface hydrophobicity, indicating a certain degree of protein unfolding, was affected differently by chopping versus salting time. Dynamic rheology demonstrated that total chopping time affected denaturation of the myosin tail region more than salting time.

A 10GHz Reconfigurable UWB LNA in 130nm CMOS A 10 GHz reconfigurable CMOS LNA for UWB receiver is presented. The LNA is fabricated with the 0.13 mum standard CMOS process. Measurement of the chip is performed on a ADS simulator. In the UWB low-band (3 to 5.15 GHz), the broadband LNA exhibit a gain of 17.5-18.2 dB, noise figure of 3.4-5dB, input/output return loss better than 10 dB, and input P1dB of -17 dBm, respectively. In the band from 2.4 to 3 G Hz (covering a 802.11 b/g band), the LNA exhibit a gain of 17.5- 18 dB and noise figure less than 3.5 dB. From 5.2 to 6 GHz, the noise figure of the LNA becomes higher than 5 dB. The gain also decrease to about 15 dB. The DC supply is 1.8 V.

SHM With Low-Cost, Low-Energy, and Low-Rate IoT Devices: Reducing Transmission Burden With Compressive Sensing Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a process aimed at studying variations in the expected behavior of a structure in order to locate damage, material deterioration and other abnormalities. To this aim, SHM is usually performed continuously, thus generating large amounts of data, often by employing wired, expensive and proprietary systems. Introducing low-cost, low-energy consumption and low-rate IoT devices allows for cheaper and easier installations also in scenarios where computation and transmission resources are limited. Since many structural signals (e.g., vibrations) are sparse in the frequency domain, it is possible to apply well-known compressive sensing (CS) techniques to limit the amount of information to be transmitted. CS allows recovering a vector using a reduced amount of entries, thus being able to perform sub-Nyquist sampling. This article shows the results obtained by applying CS to inertial signals coming from wireless IoT devices, developed as laboratory prototypes, applied to real structures (specifically, a bridge). Such findings are further expanded by discussing the efficiency of CS with respect to the number of used samples and its feasibility for IoT applications, from the transmission burden and energy consumption standpoints.

Regeneration of Articular Cartilage Surface: Morphogens, Cells, and Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds. The articular cartilage is a well-organized tissue for smooth and friction-free joint movement for locomotion in animals and humans. Adult articular cartilage has a very low self-regeneration capacity due to its avascular nature. The regeneration of articular cartilage surface is critical to prevent the progression to osteoarthritis (OA). Although various joint resurfacing procedures in experimental articular cartilage defects have been developed, no standardized clinical protocol has yet been established. The three critical ingredients for tissue regeneration are morphogens and growth factors, cells, and scaffolds. The concepts based on the regeneration triad have been extensively investigated in animal models. However, these studies in animal models have demonstrated variable results and outcomes. An optimal animal model must precisely mimic and model the sequence of events in articular cartilage regeneration in human. In this article, the progress and remaining challenges in articular cartilage regeneration in animal models are reviewed. The role of individual morphogens and growth factors in cartilage regeneration has been investigated. In normal articular cartilage homeostasis, morphogens and growth factors function sequentially in tissue regeneration. Mesenchymal stem cell-based repair of articular cartilage defects, performed with or without various growth factors and scaffolds, has been widely attempted in animal models. Stem cells, including embryonic and adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, have also been reported as attractive cell sources for articular cartilage surface regeneration. Several studies with regard to scaffolds have been advanced, including recent investigations based on nanomaterials, functional mechanocompatible scaffolds, multilayered scaffolds, and extracellular matrix scaffolds for articular cartilage surface regeneration. Continuous refinement of animal models in chondral and osteochondral defects provide opportunities that support further advances in tissue engineering for the optimal articular cartilage surface regeneration.

One year of court referrals to Tayside Area Forensic Psychiatry Service: A retrospective audit This study seeks to describe the demographic details, offence details, and psychiatric details and outcomes of individuals referred for court reports to the Tayside Area Forensic Psychiatry Service between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2001. Information was extracted by a review of the psychiatric casenotes of individuals referred during this period. In all, 232 referrals were received on 172 individuals; 58% of those seen received an Axis I diagnosis while 39% were felt to require inpatient psychiatric treatment. Twelve individuals were considered by the assessing psychiatrist to be unfit to plead and eight were insane at the time of the alleged index offence. One was considered to meet the criteria for diminished responsibility on grounds of mental disorder. A clinically inappropriate placement occurred in nearly 10% of cases, most commonly related to insufficient availability of forensic admission beds. These findings are discussed in the context of the need for expansion of Scottish forensic services to include medium secure units, in line with similar services in England and Wales.

Abstract LB301: Molecular pharmacology and broad synergy of the novel ATR inhibitor M1774 with DNA damaging anticancer agents Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) checkpoint kinase orchestrates DNA damage response and repair pathways stimulated by replicative stresses. Recent studies have established that pharmacological inhibition of ATR is clinically promising. As M1774 is an oral ATR inhibitor in clinical development, we explored the molecular basis by which M1774 induces cancer cell death. As a single agent, we found that M1774 suppresses cancer cell viability at nanomolar concentrations with a potency higher than ceralasertib and berzosertib, but lower than gartisertib (M4344) and elimusertib in the small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines H146, H82, and DMS114. We found that M1774 efficiently suppresses the ATR/CHK1 checkpoints. While M1774 alone induced apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest at micromolar concentrations, at a non-toxic low dose, M1774 enhanced TOP1 inhibitor-mediated cancer cell death by preventing replication arrest and inducing DNA damage detected by EdU and γH2AX staining. Tandem mass tagging (TMT) coupled with mass spectrometry revealed that M1774 combined with SN-38 increases the expression of replication-related proteins (TIPIN, CDC45, TIMELESS, and RPA1) and G2/M-related proteins (PLK1 and CCNB1). To establish the synergistic combinations of M1774 with clinical anticancer DNA damaging agents in preclinical models, we performed experiments in cancer cell lines, patient-derived organoids, and xenograft models. Low doses of M1774 significantly synergized with the clinical TOP1 inhibitor SN-38, the TOP2 inhibitor etoposide, cisplatin, and the PARP inhibitor talazoparib in SCLC cell lines. We also found that M1774 significantly reversed chemoresistance to DNA-damaging agents in cancer cells lacking SLFN11 expression, suggesting that SLFN11 expression can be utilized for combination therapy with M1774 as a biomarker. The synergistic efficacy between M1774 and DNA-damaging agents was confirmed in SCLC patient-derived organoids, colon cancer patient-derived organoids, and H82 SCLC xenografts. Together, these results provide insights into the molecular mechanism and potential combination strategies for M1774 in cancer therapy. Citation Format: Ukhyun Jo, Yasuhiro Arakawa, Astrid Zimmermann, Daiki Taniyama, Makito Mizunuma, Lisa M Jenkins, Suresh Kumar, Frank T Zenke, Yves Pommier. Molecular pharmacology and broad synergy of the novel ATR inhibitor M1774 with DNA damaging anticancer agents [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr LB301.

An inverse problem for Schrödinger equations with discontinuous main coefficient This article concerns the inverse problem of retrieving a stationary potential for the Schrödinger evolution equation in a bounded domain of ℝ N with Dirichlet data and discontinuous principal coefficient a(x) from a single time-dependent Neumann boundary measurement. We consider that the discontinuity of a is located on a simple closed hyper-surface called the interface, and a is constant in each one of the interior and exterior domains with respect to this interface. We prove uniqueness and Lipschitz stability for this inverse problem under certain convexity hypothesis on the geometry of the interior domain and on the sign of the jump of a at the interface. The proof is based on a global Carleman inequality for the Schrödinger equation with discontinuous coefficients, result also interesting by itself.

Delegation in Hard Times: The Financial Management of Arm's Length Bodies in the UK This paper explores the effectiveness of financial management tools in regulating the use of resources by arm’s length bodies (ALBs) in a period of fiscal stress. The paper presents research undertaken into the implementation of a new financial management tool for ALBs in the UK since the 2008 financial crisis. Drawing on conflict ambiguity theory, the paper shows how the effectiveness of such tools is affected by deep-rooted tensions implicit within arm’s length governance. This gives rise to micro-level conflict over the means of achieving fiscal regulation, underpinned by macro-level ambiguity over the logic of governance pursued by the government.

Frailty and Sarcopenia: Impact on Outcomes Following Elective Degenerative Lumbar Spine Surgery Study Design. This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data. Objective. The aim was to evaluate the impact of frailty and sarcopenia on outcomes after lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Elderly patients are commonly diagnosed with degenerative spine disease requiring surgical intervention. Frailty and sarcopenia result from age-related decline in physiological reserve and can be associated with complications after elective spine surgery. Little is known about the impact of these factors on patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Methods. Patients older than 70 years of age undergoing elective lumbar spine surgery were included. The modified 5-item frailty index (mFI-5) was calculated. Sarcopenia was defined using total psoas index, which is obtained by dividing the mid L3 total psoas area by VB area (L3-TPA/VB). PROs included Oswestry disability index (ODI), EuroQual-5D (EQ-5D), numeric rating scale (NRS)-back pain, NRS leg pain (LP), and North American Spine Society (NASS) at postoperative 12 months. Clinical outcomes included length of stay (LOS), 90-day readmission and complications. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were performed. Results. Total 448 patients were included. The mean mFI-5 index was 1.6±1.0 and mean total psoas index was 1.7±0.5. There was a significant improvement in all PROs from baseline to 12 months (P<0.0001). After adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, levels fused, and baseline PROs, higher mFI-5 index was associated with higher 12-month ODI (P<0.001), lower 12-month EQ-5D (P=0.001), higher NRS-LP (P=0.039), and longer LOS (P=0.007). Sarcopenia was not associated with 12-month PROs or LOS. Neither sarcopenia or mFI-5 were associated with 90-day complication and readmission. Conclusions. Elderly patients demonstrate significant improvement in PROs after elective lumbar spine surgery. Frailty was associated with worse 12 months postoperative ODI, EQ-5D, NRS-LP scores, and longer hospital stay. While patients with sarcopenia can expect similar outcomes compared with those without, the mFI-5 should be considered preoperatively in counseling patients regarding expectations for disability, health-related quality of life, and leg pain outcomes after elective lumbar spine surgery. Level of Evidence. 3.

Effect of Obesity on Sympathovagal Activities in Hypertensive Indian Population. Decreased physical activity, increased psychosocial stress and work stress have contributed to the increased prevalence of obesity and Hypertension (HTN). Irrespective of the aetiology, sympathetic over activity has been recognized as the main pathophysiologic mechanism in the genesis of obesity and HTN. Sympathovagal imbalance or dysregulation of autonomic functions owing to sympathetic over activity and vagal withdrawal is reported to be the basis of many clinical disorders. Obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus are known to be associated with dysregulation of autonomic functions independently. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has emerged as a practical, non-invasive tool to quantitatively investigate cardiac autonomic dysregulation. The present study was undertaken to ascertain whether obesity has any effect on further disruption of autonomic functions particularly in hypertensive patients. A total of 96 male and female adults aged between 40-50 years visiting the Primary Health Centre, Yelwala, Mysuru district, India were recruited for this study. They were grouped in to 3 (n=32) as Groups I (Obese hypertensive), II (non-obese hypertensive) and II (non-obese normotensive, control), HRV was determined using the One minute during deep breathing method. Data were presented as Mean ± SD, inferential statistics was by One Way ANOVA and Tukey's Post Hoc test p value <0.005 at α0.05 HRV was significantly decreased in obese hypertensive patients compared to the non-obese hypertensive patients. Our present study supports that obesity and hypertension probably has additive effect in causing autonomic dysregulation.

Spinning Reserve Constrained Static and Dynamic Economic Dispatch One of the recurring problems facing energy control center dispatchers each day is how to operate the system during the periods of high load pickup, such that there is sufflcient generation to follow the load pickup, while still maintaining reasonable reserve and/or regulation margin. This paper shows a technical solution to this problem which can be achieved with a very efficient use of computer resources. The problem is expressed as a dynamic programming scheduling problem, and a feasible, but suboptimal solution is proposed, which eliminates the usual search space problem. This method reduces the problem to a backward sequence of dispatch problems, with the generator limits being carefully adjusted between each time interval in the solution sequence. The paper also discusses an efficient algorithm for the solution of a reserve constrained economic dispatch, which is the static optimization technique used at each interval.

Reproducing inequity: the role of race in the business school faculty search ABSTRACT Despite an increase in students of colour in higher education, a concomitant rise in faculty diversity is not evident. The present research focuses on faculty composition in business schools, which prepare students to lead across worldwide sectors. We examine the role of race in faculty hiring in order to identify barriers that hinder racial diversity within business schools. We use Critical Race Theory (CRT) as an analytic framework to examine the ways racial inequality is reproduced through specific practices in the business school search process. A qualitative methodology is used to investigate the experiences of underrepresented minority faculty who have served on business school search committees. Our participants’ narratives reveal consistent themes across diverse institutions and draw attention to aspects of the business school recruiting process that may be modified to enhance the recruitment of racially diverse faculty in business schools.

Hierarchical Design of Distributed Fault Tolerant Control Systems This work deals with the description of a design procedure for hierarchical fault tolerant control (FTC) of large, distributed system. Following a functional perspective, a procedure for the modular design of the diagnostic and reconfiguration algorithms which run at different levels of the hierarchy is presented. The whole procedure is applied to an hydraulic benchmark system

Synthesis of benzobisoxazole-based D-π-A-π-D organic chromophores with variable optical and electronic properties A series of symmetrical D-π-A-π-D molecules comprised of benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d']bisoxazole (BBO) and various arylenevinylenes was synthesized via a Knoevenagel condensation of 2,6-dimethyl BBO and the corresponding aryl aldehydes. The resulting compounds had energy levels that were easily modulated and broad absorptions in the visible spectrum. They also demonstrated high fluorescence quantum yields in solution. The solvatochromism of several derivatives was examined in a number of solvents, and it was found that the emission of the triphenylamine derivative varied by almost 100 nm, depending on the polarity of the solvent. Collectively, these results indicate that the optical and electronic properties of benzobisoxazoles are readily tuned through the choice of aryl co-monomer.

Bending Bearing Capacity of Steel Tubular Columns Filled with Steel-Reinforced High-Strength Concrete Steel tubular column filled with steel-reinforced high-strength concrete (STSRHC) has higher bearing capacity and seismic performance, so STSRHC has a good application prospect in Engineering. So far, it is in the stage of research. To calculate the bending bearing capacity of steel tubular column filled with steel-reinforced high-strength concrete (STSRC), the bending resistance of STSRHC is predicted by the method of plastic stress distribution, and the formula of bending bearing capacity is successfully established. The results show that the calculated results based on the plastic stress distribution method and the experimental ones are in agreement well, and the formula can be used into columns that have different section form of inserted steel. The conclusions have a guiding significance on improving other performances of STSRHC.

Two-state pattern-recognition handoffs for corner-turning situations Handoff algorithms are used in wireless cellular systems to decide when and to which base station to handoff. Traditional handoff algorithms generally cannot keep both the average number of unnecessary handoffs and the handoff decision delay low. They do not exploit the relative constancy of path loss and shadow fading effects at any given location around a base station. However, handoff algorithms with both a negligible number of unnecessary handoffs and a negligible decision delay can be realized by exploiting this information. One example is the set of handoff algorithms using pattern-recognition introduced in previous work. In this paper, we describe how pattern-recognition handoff algorithms can be applied to the problem of turning a corner. This can be used as part of an integrated pattern-recognition handoff algorithm or together with a traditional handoff algorithm, in which case the pattern-recognition handles only the special cases like turning a corner.

Childhood stress, behavioural symptoms and mother-daughter pubertal development. Belsky, Steinberg and Draper (Child Development 1991, 62, 647-670) predicted that early childhood stress or conflict in the family environment would be associated with childhood behavioural symptoms, early puberty and early, less discriminate sexual behaviour. Their theory was tested in a retrospective self-report survey in 28 daughters (aged 12 to 15) and 21 mothers. In daughters, earlier menarche correlated with more family stress in a late childhood (age 7 to 11); more conflict with mother in early childhood (birth to age 6); more rejection from and less closeness to mother throughout childhood (birth to age 11); more anxiousness and internalizing symptoms (anxiousness/depression) in late childhood (age 7 to 11); earlier age at dating boys; and more boyfriends. An alternative interpretation is considered based on genetic transmission of maternal characteristics.

A Potential New Chalcopyrite Reference Material for LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS Copper Isotope Ratio Measurement A new natural chalcopyrite reference material TC1725 is prepared for in situ Cu isotope measurement by femtosecond laser ablation multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (fsLA‐MC‐ICP‐MS). Detailed textural examination and major element determination suggest the TC1725 chalcopyrite grains have no growth rim or zoning. The chalcopyrite grain is homogeneous with respect to Cu isotopes based on a large number of measurements performed by bulk solution nebuliser (SN)‐MC‐ICP‐MS, single‐grain SN‐MC‐ICP‐MS and fsLA‐MC‐ICP‐MS. The traditional bulk isotope analyses by SN‐MC‐ICP‐MS yielded a mean δ65Cu value of −0.06 ± 0.03‰ (2s, n = 132). Randomly selected single chalcopyrite grain of TC1725 determined by SN‐MC‐ICP‐MS without column chromatography gave a mean δ65Cu value of −0.06 ± 0.04‰ (2s, n = 188). The intermediate measurement precision for four measurement sessions was better than 0.04‰ (2s), suggesting TC1725 chalcopyrite is suitable as a microanalysis reference material for Cu isotope measurement. The mean δ65Cu value determined by fsLA‐MC‐ICP‐MS analyses on different individual chalcopyrite mounts and strips was −0.06 ± 0.03‰ (2s, n = 393), consistent with the bulk isotope composition within uncertainty. The recommended mean δ65Cu value for this chalcopyrite reference material is −0.06 ± 0.03‰ (2s, n = 132) as determined by bulk SN‐MC‐ICP‐MS.

Nonlinear Deposition: a New Approach We introduce a new method for dealing with nonlinear stochastic systems. The method is based on a direct solution of coupled nonlinear integral equations for the static structure factor and the characteristic frequency. As an example we apply the new technique in its lowest order to the KPZ equation in two and three space dimensions. In two dimensions we obtain the known exact exponents and in three dimensions our result is in agreement with previous numerical results.

Tailoring Mechanical Properties of a-C:H:Cr Coatings The development of coatings with tunable performances is critical to meet a wide range of technological applications each one with different requirements. Using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, scientists can create hydrogenated amorphous carbon coatings doped with metal (a-C:H:Me) with a broad range of mechanical properties, varying from those resembling polymers to ones resembling diamond. These diverse properties, without clear relations between the different families, make the material selection and optimization difficult but also very rich. An innovative approach is proposed here based on projected performance indices related to fracture energy, strength, and stiffness in order to classify and optimize a-C:H:Me coatings. Four different a-C:H:Cr coatings deposited by PECVD with Ar/C2H2 discharge under different bias voltage and pressures are investigated. A path is found to produce coatings with a selective critical energy release rate between 5–125 J/m2 without compromising yield strength (1.6–2.7 GPa) and elastic limit (≈0.05). Finally, fine-tuned coatings are categorized to meet desired applications under different testing conditions.

The synergistic ratio of carbaryl with piperonyl butoxide as an indicator of the distribution of multifunction oxidases in the insecta. The synergistic ratio of carbaryl with piperonyl butoxide has been evaluated from LD50values with 54 species of insects from 8 orders and 37 families. The topical LD50 for carbaryl in µg per g ranged from 0.3 for the red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (Forster), to 4000 for Sarcophaga bullata Parker and the synergistic ratio from 1.5 for the convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guerin Meneville, to 400 for S. bullata . The wide ranges of susceptibility to carbaryl and of synergistic ratio are interpreted as response to differences in the activities of multifunction oxidase detoxication which is inhibited by piperonyl butoxide. It is evident that these factors are highly variable in the Insecta.

Chronic tendon pain: no signs of chemical inflammation but high concentrations of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Implications for treatment? Chronic musculo-tendinous pain syndromes are relatively common and associated with very high socio-economic costs. Their aetiology and pathogenesis are still unknown. In the athletic population, chronic tendon pain is most often seen among recreational male and female athletes in the age group between 30-60 years, and is considered to be associated with overuse of the aged tendon. Treatment is known to be difficult. In general, these chronic painful conditions have been considered to include an inflammatory component, and the nomenclature used (tendinitis, tendonitis) most often implies an inflammatory involvement. Despite that tendon biopsies have shown an absence of inflammatory cell infiltration, anti-inflammatory agents (NSAID'S, corticosteroidal injections) are most often included in the treatment. Our research has been focused on chronic painful conditions in the Achilles-, patellar-, and extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB)-tendons. We have demonstrated, for the first time, that it is possible to use the microdialysis technique for in vivo investigations of human tendons, and that the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate exists in human tendons. We have identified and measured the concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in tendons as well. The results showed that chronic painful tendinosis (Achilles-, patellar-, ECRB-) had significantly higher concentrations of glutamate, but not PGE2, as compared to the pain-free normal tendons. With the use of immunohistochemical analyses and enzyme histochemistry of human Achilles- and patellar tendon biopsies, we have also, for the first time demonstrated that glutamate NMDARI-immunoreaction was present in nerve structures. These findings altogether, indicate that glutamate might be involved in chronic tendon pain, and further emphasizes that there is no chemical inflammation (normal PGE2 levels) in the chronic stage of these relatively common so-called tendinopathies. The findings of glutamate and it's NMDARI-receptors might have implications for treatment and be a potential target for drugs.

A compact, low-power 40 Gbit/s differential laser driver in SiGe BiCMOS technology A differential laser driver for 40 Gbit/s optical communications delivering a 10 mA current swing to a laser modeled as a 50 Ω resistance in parallel to a 100 fF capacitance is presented. The circuit employs multiple frequency compensation techniques to achieve very high speed without space-consuming inductors. The driver was implemented in a 180 GHz-fT, max SiGe BiCMOS technology. Measurements showed 15 dB gain with 26 GHz bandwidth and open eyes up to 50 Gbit/s. The driver's power consumption was only 80 mW making it the fastest and most power efficient of all inductor-free 40 Gbit/s SiGe laser drivers published to date.

[Pericardial effusion and aortitis: unusual main manifestations of giant cell arteritis]. Giant cell arteritis is a systemic vasculitis with segmentary vascular localisation, usually manifesting as temporal arteritis (Horton's disease). The predominant localisation in different vascular districts leads to clinical heterogeneity and poses a considerable diagnostic challenge. We describe a 77-year old woman with atypical presentation of giant cell arteritis, suffering from fever, weight loss and fatigue, but without classical symptoms such as polymyalgias, arthralgias and headache. The findings of pericardial effusion and thickening of aortic wall in chest-CT suggested the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis, fully confirmed by the following biopsy and histologic examination of a macroscopically and palpatory normal arteria temporalis. Undergoing an appropriate corticosteroid-medication the patient has been free of symptoms since 8 months.

Spillover Effects of stock markets volatility, and Financial Contagion: Evidence from European sovereign debt crisis This study investigates the impact of sovereign rating announcements on stock market volatility and spillover effects. We focus on the main known fragile European countries of the past few years: Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Italy. We distinguish between twoperiods: the pre-euro crisis period (2008-2010) and the crisis period (2010-2012). Our results show that the stock market volatility reacts differently in response to credit rating changes in the two periods. During the sovereign crisis period, we observean asymmetric reaction of the domestic stock market volatility in favor of a ratings downgrade. However, in the pre-euro crisis period, we show that stock market volatility reacts to both downgrades and upgrades. Further, the results show a similarity between the two periods concerning the spillover effect occurring only in the case of foreign downgrades.

Application of a novel thermostable NAD(P)H oxidase from hyperthermophilic archaeon for the regeneration of both NAD+ and NADP+ A novel thermostable NAD(P)H oxidase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 (TkNOX) catalyzes oxidation of NADH and NADPH with oxygen from atmospheric air as an electron acceptor. Although the optimal temperature of TkNOX is >90°C, it also shows activity at 30°C. This enzyme was used for the regeneration of both NADP+ and NAD+ in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)‐catalyzed enantioselective oxidation of racemic 1‐phenylethanol. NADP+ regeneration at 30°C was performed by TkNOX coupled with (R)‐specific ADH from Lactobacillus kefir, resulting in successful acquisition of optically pure (S)‐1‐phenylethanol. The use of TkNOX with moderately thermostable (S)‐specific ADH from Rhodococcus erythropolis enabled us to operate the enantioselective bioconversion accompanying NAD+ regeneration at high temperatures. Optically pure (R)‐1‐phenylethanol was successfully obtained by this system after a shorter reaction time at 45–60°C than that at 30°C, demonstrating an advantage of the combination of thermostable enzymes. The ability of TkNOX to oxidize both NADH and NADPH with remarkable thermostability renders this enzyme a versatile tool for regeneration of the oxidized nicotinamide cofactors without the need for extra substrates other than dissolved oxygen from air. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 53–62. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Asymmetric Dimers of Chiral Azobenzene Dopants Exhibiting Unusual Helical Twisting Power upon Photoswitching in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals. In this study, we synthesized asymmetric dimeric chiral molecules as photon-mode chiral switches for reversible tuning of self-assembled helical superstructures. The chiral switches bearing two mesogen units-cholesterol and azobenzene moieties connected through flexible alkylenedioxy bridges-were doped into nematic liquid crystals, resulting in a chiral nematic (cholesteric) phase. Under irradiation with UV light, photoisomerization of the azobenzene units led to unprecedented switching of the cholesteric pitch and helical twisting power (HTP, β), with a higher HTP found in the cis-rich state (bent-form) than in the trans-state (rod-form). We attribute this behavior to the elongated cybotactic smectic clusters disrupting the helical orientation of the molecules in the cholesteric liquid crystals; their reversible decay and reassembly was evidenced upon sequential irradiation with UV and visible light, respectively. In addition to the photoisomerization of the azobenzene units, the odd/even parity of the alkylenedioxy linkers of the dimeric dopants also had a dramatic effect on the transitions of the cybotactic smectic domains. On the basis of the large rotational reorganization of the cholesteric helix and HTP switching (Δβ/βini of up to 50%), we could control the macroscopic rotational motion of microsized glass rods upon irradiating the surface of a cholesteric liquid crystal film featuring a polygonal fingerprint texture using UV and visible light.

Molecular cytogenetic characterization of a constitutional, highly complex intrachromosomal rearrangement of chromosome 1, with 14 breakpoints and a 0.5 Mb submicroscopic deletion Complex chromosome rearrangements (CCR) have been considered to be very rare, however, recent studies suggest that they might be considerably more frequent thanpreviously considered [De Gregori et al., 2007]. Patsalis et al. [2004] studied 20 families with apparently balanced translocations and found additional, cryptic aberrations in 15%, which reclassified them as CCRs. This probably also holds true for intrachromosomal rearrangements, but to date, only 10 cases have been described [Romain et al., 1985; Tuck-Muller et al., 1996; Van Esch et al., 2002; Weise et al., 2003; Chudoba et al., 2004; Shim et al., 2004; de Vries et al., 2005; Gajecka et al., 2006; Piovani et al., 2006; Thienpont et al., 2006]. We here report on the detailed characterization of an extremely complex intrachromosomal rearrangement of chromosome 1, revealing 14 different breakpoints, 12 on thepand twoon theq-arm as well as a small deletion of 0.5 Mb on the p-arm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the hitherto most complex intrachromosomal rearrangement that has been reported. The female patient was born at term (41þ 5) as the second child to healthy, unrelated parents of Arabic descent. The family historywas unremarkable apart from developmental delay of unknown origin in two first cousins of the father. The delivery was normal and the neonatal period was without complications, but initial nursing problems were reported. The birth weight was 3,040 g, the birth length 49 cm and the head circumference 35 cm. During the first year, she had recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, and developed and was treated for infectious asthma until the age of 3 years. At the age of 11 months, the patient was referred for evaluation of psychomotor delay and hypotonia. CT-brain, EMG and EnEG were normal as well as blood chemistry, ASAT, ALAT, lactate, and metabolic screening of the urine. Ultrasound of the abdomen revealed an ectopic left kidney, but investigation with DMSA-scintography showed a normal function. Further examinations showed slight strabismus and myopia as well as a minor hearing disability involving the lower frequencies. Echocardiography was normal. The motor abilities progressed slowly and she started to walk unaided at 3 years of age. No obvious dysmorphic featureswerepresent, but some resemblance to patients with 1p36 deletion could be found, for example, flat nasal bridge, pointed chin and deep set eyes (Fig. 1a). At 4 years, she was still unsteady when walking, but had better fine motor function when using her hands. She has a vocabulary of approximately 10 words and is able to construct two word sentences. Due to problems with swallowing, she has some feeding difficulties and therefore prefers mashed food. She is at the 1.5 centile for both height and weight. Karyotyping of the patient showed an unusual banding pattern of one chromosome 1 (Fig. 1b). The karyotypes of the parents were normal. Metaphases from the patient were hybridized with the repetitive

Physician supply and medical education in California. A comparison with national trends. Concerns have been voiced about an impending oversupply of physicians in the United States. Do these concerns also apply to California, a state with many unique demographic characteristics? We examined trends in physician supply and medical education in California and the United States between 1980 and 1995 to better inform the formulation of workforce policies appropriate to the state's requirements for physicians. We found that similar to the United States, California has more than an ample supply of physicians in the aggregate, but too many specialists, too few underrepresented racial/ethnic minority physicians, and poor distribution of physicians across the state. However, recent growth in the supply of practicing physicians and resident physicians per capita in California has been much less dramatic than in the country overall. The state's unusually high rate of population growth has enabled California, unlike the United States as a whole, to absorb large increases in the number of practicing physicians and residents during 1980 to 1995 without substantially increasing the physician-to-population ratio. Due to a projected slowing of the state's rate of population growth, the supply of physicians per capita in the state will begin to rise steeply in coming years unless the state implements prompt reductions in the production of specialists. An immediate 25% reduction in specialist residency positions would be necessary to bring the state's supply of practicing specialists in line with projected physician requirements for the state by 2020. We conclude that major changes will be required if the state's residency programs and medical schools are to produce the number and mix of physicians the state requires. California's medical schools and residency programs will need to act in concert with federal and state government to develop effective policies to address the imbalance between physician supply and state requirements.

[Bullying: Prevention and intervention strategies]. Bullying can be defined as when one (or more) individual engages in aggressive behaviour against another individual who seem to be unable to defend himself. This action is intentional and persistent and creates great distress and fear. There are not specific statistics in Greece but recent researches from EKKE showed that one out of four children in Athens have been bullied physically. Bullying is a multifaceted and complex problem. Modern psychological perspectives emphasize that aggressive and violent behaviours are learned responses to frustration. Learning occurs by observing models of such behaviour in the family, in the neighbourhood, in school. Ignoring the problem gives a bad example. Prevention and intervention strategies should include the family, the school personnel and the children. Bullying has negative effects on the physical and mental health of the child and it can also cost his life, some kids commit suicide. Therefore intervention strategies need to develop in the communities. The aim is to create a -physically and psychologically- safe environment.

Supporting user interaction of social network mobile application with multimodal interaction Developing commercial multimodal interfaces to date has been accommodation of the practical aspect of usability of the application. The advent of advanced mobile devices in combination with new interaction modalities and methods, opens new possibilities in user interface adaptation. In this paper we propose a framework to enhance the user interaction of a social network mobile application with multimodal adaptation. Our approach integrates the multimodality adaptation for both input and output modality interaction according to user needs.

Dynamics and Coarsening of Interfaces for the Viscous Cahn—Hilliard Equation in One Spatial Dimension In one spatial dimension, the metastable dynamics and coarsening process of an n‐layer pattern of internal layers is studied for the Cahn–Hilliard equation, the viscous Cahn–Hilliard equation, and the constrained Allen–Cahn equation. These models from the continuum theory of phase transitions provide a caricature of the physical process of the phase separation of a binary alloy. A homotopy parameter is used to encapsulate these three phase separation models into one parameter‐dependent model. By studying a differential‐algebraic system of ordinary differential equations describing the locations of the internal layers for a metastable pattern for this parameter‐dependent model, we are able to provide detailed comparisons between the internal layer dynamics for the three models. Layer collapse events are studied in detail, and the analytical theory is supplemented by numerical results showing the different behaviors for the different models. Finally, an asymptotic‐numerical algorithm, based on our asymptotic information of layer collapse events and the conservation of mass condition, is devised to characterize the entire coarsening process for each of these models. Numerical realizations of this algorithm are shown.

Constraints and Negotiation Processes in a Women's Recreational Sport Group Abstract Although research has found that people prefer to participate in recreation with others, work examining constraints to participation have primarily taken an individual perspective. Thus, this study examined constraints and negotiation strategies in a self-organized women's recreation group. Data were collected using in-depth interviews, informal interviews, and participant observation and were analyzed through a grounded theory approach. The findings highlight six constraint themes that affected the group. The findings describe how the group collectively employed strategies that enabled them to negotiate most constraints and how circumstances shaped the development of negotiation strategies over time. The challenge of delineating constraints strictly into intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural themes is also highlighted.

Impacts of Chemical Beauty Cosmetics are the group of products, including sun-cream, moisturizers, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, nail polishes, hair colors, shampoo, deodorants, baby products, and others. The use of cosmetic products is increasing day by day throughout the world. Both men and women are using cosmetics for their beautification and attractive looking. Cosmetic products contain a variety of chemical ingredients and some of these can create toxicity. There is a restriction to the use of toxic and non-permitted chemicals in cosmetics but, due to poor surveillance, sometime product contains unauthenticated chemicals. Thus, there is every time chance for the intoxication of cosmetics. The common effects of cosmetic toxicity are skin damage, hypersensitivity reaction and allergic dermatitis, skin rash, skin irritation, the appearance of acne, formation of dry and scaly skin, and carcinoma. The present work has focused on the main toxic chemical substances present in cosmetic products and the possible health complications related to cosmetic use. The side effects of cosmetics are now being an emerging issue of public health. Proper surveillance, authentication of the product and public awareness will be helpful to prevent cosmetic-related health problems.

Isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans from pigeon droppings collected throughout Turkey. The six hundred and thirty-four samples of pigeon droppings were collected throughout Turkey, from 54 of 80 provinces. Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from 29 (4.6%, overall) of 634 samples and 29 isolates were from 18 provinces. Interestingly, 16 (88.9%) of these provinces occur on the three different coastlines of Turkey, therefore the ecological role of a humid climate was speculated. Almost all isolates [28/29] were recovered from samples collected from roofs (n=14) and dovecotes (n=14). All isolates were found to be C. neoformans var. neoformans.

Controlled Release of Mangiferin Using Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Matrix for Antioxidant Packaging This study investigated the use of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) matrix in controlled release packaging. Mangiferin, having high antioxidant activity, was incorporated into the EVA matrix with different vinyl acetate (VA) contents. Mangiferin release rate increased with increasing VA content (or decreasing crystallinity). Linear relationship between mangiferin release rate and VA content was observed in the range of 18–40% VA. The diffusion coefficients of mangiferin released from the EVA matrices containing 12%, 18%, 25% and 40% VA were 0.482, 0.512, 2.81 and 2.88 (×10−14 m2/s), respectively. The enhancement factors of about 22‐fold and sevenfold were observed in the 12% and 18% VA matrices, respectively, when using triethyl citrate as a plasticizer. EVA film containing 40% VA had the highest antioxidant activity (81.90% radical scavenging capacity, (RSC)) because the highest amount of mangiferin was released in the food simulant (84.66 µg/ml). Addition of mangiferin in the polymer matrices had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on thermal and barrier properties of the films but decreased tensile strength and Young's modulus. The results of this study demonstrated that EVA matrices with varying degree of VA could potentially be used to control mangiferin release rate for antioxidant packaging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The understanding and experience of falls among community-dwelling adults aged 50 and over living with mental illness: A qualitative study Abstract Objectives Compared to the general older population, older adults living with mental illness are at greater risk of falling and these risks can be present from middle age. This study aimed to explore the understanding of falls and the experiences community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over living with mental illness who have had a fall, and to identify any falls prevention strategies valued by them. Methods A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted. Ten adults with past experience of falls were recruited at a community mental health service in Sydney, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between July and September 2018. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were thematically analysed. Results Three major themes emerged: (1) making sense of falls, (2) being self-reliant and enduring the consequences of falls, and (3) preventing future falls – perceptions and strategies. Most participants in this study were uncertain about the cause of their falls and seemed to have limited understanding of falls risk factors. They were also less likely to seek help after a fall, despite an injury. Consequences of falls included physical injuries and negative emotional impacts experienced following a fall. Most participants expressed a certain degree of concern regarding future falls, however, their strategy to prevent falls was to simply “be careful.” Conclusion Adults aged over 50 years and living with mental illness in the community need support to identify and manage their falls risk. Fall prevention interventions tailored to the needs of this population are needed.

Is supply chain finance an antidote to SMEs in the economic crisis? - A qualitative inquiry PurposeThis exploratory study aims to explore the operational and financial constraints faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper highlights the role of supply chain finance (SCF) in the uncertain business environment caused by the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts an inductive approach and conducts convergent interviews with 32 SME owners and bank officials who are associated with SME-related financial transactions. The analysis of the interview data has been done through a grounded theory approach.FindingsThe findings portray four key themes representing the operational and financial constraints faced by SMEs during the pandemic. Further, the study identifies four drivers of SCF adoption among SMEs, including capital constraints, high inventory turnover cycle time, high order fulfilment cycle time and long debtors’ collection period.Practical implicationsThe study provides various insights to the managers and owners of SMEs to deal with the economic crisis and eliminate the financial pressure created by the pandemic. The study enlightens the policymakers about the struggles of the SMEs during the economic turmoil created by the pandemic and guides them to introduce the relevant policies to resolve their problems.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to identify the factors driving the SMEs to adopt SCF due to the economic chaos created by the pandemic. Also, the study theoretically contributes to the literature by developing a theoretical framework for SCF adoption based on grounded theory.

Trend in cases of gestational and congenital syphilis in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2009-2019: an ecological study. OBJECTIVE To analyze the trend of notifications of gestational and congenital syphilis in Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2009 to 2019. METHODS This was an ecological time series study which took the state of Minas Gerais as its unit of analysis, based on data reported on the Notifiable Health Conditions Information System (SINAN). The Prais-Winsten autoregressive model was used to verify trends. RESULTS 20,348 cases of gestational syphilis and 11,173 cases of congenital syphilis were reported. Average percentage annual increase was 36.7% (95%CI 32.5;41.0), for gestational syphilis incidence rates, and 32.8% (95%CI 28.0;37.8) for congenital syphilis incidence rates (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The temporal trend analysis showed that gestational and congenital syphilis incidence rates had significant increasing trends, which may be related to inadequate treatment or failure to treat syphilis during pregnancy.

Application of faecal metabonomics on an experimental model of tubulointerstitial fibrosis by ultra performance liquid chromatography/high-sensitivity mass spectrometry with MSE data collection technique Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a major challenge for the public healthcare problem. A novel UPLC Q-TOF/MS method with MSE data collection mode was developed as a very effective biochemical analytical tool for precise identification of important biomarkers in the adenine-induced CRF rats. Nine endogenous metabolites were identified by using metabonomic method combined with multivariate data analysis, the accurate mass, isotopic pattern, MSE fragments information and MassLynx i-FIT algorithm. The identified metabolites indicated the perturbations of bile acid and phospholipid metabolism are related to CRF rats. This work shows that metabonomics method is a valuable tool in CRF mechanism study.

Multimedia Transmission over Optic, DSL and PLC Systems This work presents an analysis based on an multimedia transmission generated on optical fiber backbone and two combined access technologies, PLC (Power Line Communications) and ADSL2+ (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), called of pDSL. This paper points a case study of multimedia traffic using pDSL combination with intention to present measured and simulated results that prove the proposal solution viability.

Data, information, knowledge, understanding: computing up the meaning hierarchy This paper discusses computational approaches to computing meaning, arguing that the following four steps are necessary intermediates between the appearance of words in natural language, in whatever medium, and the meaning we want to compute from natural language: pattern detection, information structure creation, knowledge extraction, and application to understanding. It presents computational models for each step as well, in the form of algorithms that detect repetitive or persistent patterns in otherwise unrestricted natural language text, construct information structures from those patterns, extract knowledge from those information structures, and apply the knowledge to problems of understanding situation descriptions obtained in natural language.

A novel dimensioning method for high throughput satellite design This work describes a novel methodology for the dimensioning of a Ka-Band high throughput satellite (HTS) for broadband communications. The method is based on the optimization of performance for a forward link, as a function of a set of input criteria and a given envelope of available power. This approach is based on a spacecraft architecture using a multi-beam coverage implementing frequency re-use. Among the input criteria, we use the percentage of covered service area with a certain type of earth stations, the service availability and the cost and mass of the system. The proposed methodology is adaptable to any kind of service area. A digital video broadcasting satellite second generation (DVB-S2) air interface with adaptive coding and modulation (ACM) is used as a reference. The method, employing iterative advanced link budget calculations including carrier-to-interference at antenna level, provides the highest capacity given a batch of antenna and pragmatic feed design.

Apes Unlike Us: Human-Ingroup Protection Against Encroaching Simianity in UK Newspapers We often pigeonhole our surroundings into dualistic categories. This capacity to function as reductionists may help us problem-solve when pressed in terms of survival or reproduction. Alternatively, binary categories may be reflective of certain socioecological conditions, and thus social constructs. This study explores classifications of nonhuman primate taxonomy via the coding of human–primate boundary categorizations during 16 years of UK newspaper reporting (1995–2010) to explore whether societal concepts of simianity reflect sociopolitical events – in other words, cultural influence resulting in ingroup boundary enforcement, with less inclusionality under more turbulent scenarios. The results indicate that societal shakiness accounts for the minimization of “human” ingroups at the expense of other primates. Human–primate infrahumanization possibly reflects a cognitive adaptation towards outgroup-directed dichotomous thinking in stress states. That said, the fluidity of the results in the context of societal change also suggests cultural influence on categorical dichotomous sets often accepted as “natural.”

Application of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Models for Assessing Drug Disposition in Space Exposure to weightlessness induces physiologic changes that may lead to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic alterations of drugs administered to crew members in flight. Preliminary data from flight and ground‐based studies indicate that pharmacologically significant changes occur in the kinetics of medications given in weightlessness and in simulated microgravity (head‐down bed rest). Conducting flight studies on all available medications to identify the changes in their pharmacokinetic behavior in weightlessness is not feasible. An alternative approach for obtaining such information is to use computer simulations employing physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. Information thus obtained would be helpful in predicting the therapeutic effectiveness of medications in space, and also in developing plans for flight studies. This paper presents a brief review of relevant physiologic factors and pharmacokinetic implications of space flight, and includes a preliminary PBPK model for estimating plasma concentration‐time profiles of acetaminophen under different experimental conditions.

Single-Channel Recording of Ligand-Gated Ion Channels. Single-channel recordings reveal the microscopic properties of individual ligand-gated ion channels. Such recordings contain much more information than measurements of ensemble behavior and can yield structural and functional information about the receptors that participate in fast synaptic transmission in the brain. With a little care, a standard patch-clamp electrophysiology setup can be adapted for single-channel recording in a matter of hours. Thenceforth, it is a realistic aim to record single-molecule activity with microsecond resolution from arbitrary cell types, including cell lines and neurons.

Conversion of biomass hydrolysates and other substrates to ethanol and other chemicals by Lactobacillus buchneri * Aims:  A Lactobacillus buchneri strain NRRL B‐30929 can convert xylose and glucose into ethanol and chemicals. The aims of the study were to survey three strains (NRRL B‐30929, NRRL 1837 and DSM 5987) for fermenting 17 single substrates and to exam NRRL B‐30929 for fermenting mixed substrates from biomass hydrolysates.

Evaluation of Interventions for Individuals with Special Needs After an Earthquake: Teacher Perspective Türkiye is in a geography where many large and small-scale earthquakes occur due to its location in the earthquake zone. The Kahramanmaraş earthquake on February 6, 2023, and the Hatay earthquake on February 20, 2023, affected individuals with special needs and their families as well as individuals with typical development. This research aims to determine the experiences of experts who meet/support individuals with special needs and their families in the earthquake zone or any province and their recommendations regarding future disasters. Therefore, focus group interviews were conducted with five special education teachers and a psychological counsellor. According to the results of the research, four themes were reached: the needs, the difficulties, the positive aspects of interventions for individuals with special needs after the earthquake and recommendations for a future earthquake. The results obtained from the findings of this study were discussed together with previous studies in the literature and suggestions were made regarding before, during and after disasters.

Analysis of differences in opinion and perception between home and apartment users based on residential satisfaction This study analyzed the differences of opinion about architectural characteristics and perception of satisfaction with housing among Brazilian users who live in houses and apartments. Through a questionnaire, a sample of 278 participants with their own property was collected. In all, 12 variables were selected that include the constructs of Housing Satisfaction (HS) and Architectural Characteristics (AC). Data were analyzed using SPSS software through descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis (correlation and discriminant). Descriptive results raised sociodemographic characteristics and life cycle of respondents. In general, the correlation analysis between the constructs showed a significant correspondence of Satisfaction with the Internal Environment (SH3) for users of houses with the CA group. It was possible to discriminate between house and apartment dwellers by means of four variables that make up CA and one linked to SH, through the Matrix of structures and Mann-Whitney test.

Optimal Taxation in a Limited Commitment Economy This paper studies optimal Ramsey taxation when risk sharing in private insurance markets is imperfect due to limited enforcement. In a limited commitment economy, there are externalities associated with capital and labor because individuals do not take into account that their labor and saving decisions affect aggregate supply, wages and thus the value of autarky. Due to these externalities, the Ramsey government has an additional goal, which is to internalize the externalities of labor and capital to improve risk sharing, in addition to its usual goal - minimizing distortions when financing government expenditures. These two goals drive capital and labor taxes in opposite directions. By balancing these conflicting goals, the steady-state optimal capital income taxes are levied only to remove the negative externality of the capital, and optimal labor income taxes are set to meet the budgetary needs of the government in the long run, despite positive externalities of labor.

Trilattice-Based Access Control Models: How to Secure Current Computer Network Mikhail Designing security, from the hardware level, is essential to ensure the integrity of the intelligent cyberphysical infrastructure that is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). If intelligent cyber-physical infrastructure fails to do the right things because it is insecure and vulnerable, then there will be negative social consequences [1]. Security is, in a sense, the access control to IIoT systems, which increasingly relies on the ability to compose different policies. Therefore, the advantage in any framework for compiling policies is that it is intuitive, formal, expressive, application-independent, as well as expandable to create domain-specific instances. Recently, such a scheme was proposed based on Belnap logic FOUR2 [2]. Four values of the Belnap bilattice have been interpreted as grant, deny, conflict, or unspecified with respect to access-control policy. Belnap's four-valued logic has found a variety of applications in various fields, such as deductive database theory, distributed logic programming, and other areas. However, it turns out that the truth order in FOUR2 is a truth-and-falsity order at the same time [3]. The smallest lattice, where the orders of truth and falsity are independent of each other, which is especially important for security policy, is that of Shramko-Wansing’s SIXTEEN3. This generalization is well-motivated and leads from the bilattice FOUR2 with an information and a truth-and-falsity ordering to another algebraic structure, namely the trilattice SIXTEEN3 with an information ordering together with a truth ordering and a (distinct) falsity ordering. Based on SIXTEEN3 and new Boolean predicates to control access [4], we define an expressive access-control policy language, having composition statements based on the statements of Schramko-Wansing’s logic. Natural orderings on politics are obtained by independent lifting the orders of truth and falsity of trilattice, which results in a query language in which conflict freedom analysis can be developed. The reduction of formal verification of queries to that on predicates over access requests enables to carry out policy analysis. We evaluate our approach through examples of control access model policy.

Experiencing breast cancer in the context of mental illness in New Zealand ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the experiences of women with mental illness who had also experienced breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, in particular, to identify barriers and facilitators to cancer treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten breast cancer survivors who had had contact with secondary mental health services prior to their cancer diagnosis. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes. Participants described positive experiences of cancer treatment, expressing surprise at both how well they coped with diagnosis and treatment and how well they were treated by services. Many contrasted this with their less positive experience of mental illness and mental health services. The women interviewed were active participants in their cancer treatment and did not report feeling stigmatised because of their mental health experiences. A lack of connection between cancer and mental health services was described, but this was not regarded as necessarily a bad thing. This study begins to counter the stereotypes of the difficult patient or the person unable to understand and cooperate in their own care which are prevalent in the literature. Further work is needed to understand the reasons for disparities in cancer outcomes.

Designing External Aids That Support Older Pilots' Communication Voice communication with air traffic control (ATC) taxes pilots' cognitive abilities, contributing to errors that reduce safety. External aids such as note-taking help pilots manage communication demands, and may especially benefit older pilots. Emerging technologies provide new opportunities for external aids that are integrated with other systems. We compared an electronic notepad (epad) positioned next to the instrument panel of a flight simulator to conventional note-taking (kneepad) on a read-back task. In Experiment 1, 6 older and 6 younger instrument-rated pilots listened to and read back ATC messages while using the epad, kneepad, or no aid. Epad use in this communication-only condition was compared to a condition in which pilots used the epad to support communication while flying the simulator. Read-back accuracy was higher when pilots used either aid compared to no aid, and the pattern of results suggested a smaller age difference with either aid than in the no-aid condition. Accuracy supported by the epad was not reduced in the multitask condition, suggesting the epad would support communication during flight. In Experiment 2, 12 younger and 12 older pilots performed the same tasks, with a modified epad interface. Further evidence was found for smaller age differences when communication was supported by either aid. The results replicate note-taking benefits for older pilots' communication (Morrow et al., 2003) and extend this finding to the novel epad.

Atrial pressure gradients in isolated secundum atrial septal defect and partial anomalous pulmonary venous return. The left and right atrial pressures were studied with highly amplified withdrawal pressure tracings in 57 patients: 44 with isolated secundum atrial septal defect (ASD), eight with partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAVR) and five with isolated patent foramen ovale (PFO) in normal hearts. Patients with isolated PFO had higher right atrial “v” waves and left to right atrial mean pressure gradients as compared to patients with PAVR or isolated ASD. When compared to patients with isolated ASD, patients with PAVR had higher right atrial “a” and “v” waves as well as higher right and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures. The left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was normal in patients with ASD, but was elevated in patients with PAVR as compared to patients with PFO. Patients with PAVR associated with PFO had higher left atrial to right atrial “v” wave gradient and higher left ventricular to right ventricular end-diastolic pressure difference than patients having PAVR associated with ASD. A small or absent left-to-right atrial mean pressure gradient was not essential for diagnosis of ASD. There were patients with ASD and patients with PAVR who had large pulmonary blood flow and a significant mean left-to-right atrial gradient On the other hand, there were persons with PFO who had very small mean left-to-right atrial gradients. The variables which appeared to influence the left-to-right atrial mean pressure gradient were the volume of the left-to-right shunt, the relative compliance of the two ventricles and the relative compliance of the two atria.

Development of a track in global and humanitarian health for neurology residents Neurology trainee interest in global health is rapidly increasing, but few neurology residency programs have formal opportunities for residents to pursue training in global health.1 Residents who participate in rotations abroad are at times inadequately prepared or insufficiently supported, which can lead to a detrimental burden on the host institution and negatively impact residents' experiences.2 We report the development of a track in global and humanitarian health aimed to provide a structured curriculum in the practice of neurology in resource-limited settings for neurology residents.

Computational Tool for Estimating Pumped Hydropower Generation a MATLAB GUI This research aims to create a user-friendly Matlab Graphic User Interface (GUI) platform that can be used to design a Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity (PHS). The research highlights these systems' eco-friendly and effective nature, which are critical for sustainable development, particularly in rapidly advancing developing countries. Introducing a user-friendly Matlab GUI application aims to streamline the calculation of essential PHS design components, promoting accessibility for users without programming expertise. The GUI developed as part of this research can define all the components required to build a pumped hydroelectric system and produce the same design specifications as those obtained through manual calculations.

IMMUNOSUPPRESSION AND RECOVERY OF DRUG-IMPAIRED HOST RESISTANCE AGAINST CANDIDA ALBICANS INFECTION BY OXOGLAUCINE. The immunosuppressive action of aporphinoid alkaloid oxoglaucine was studied in experimental Candida albicans (C. albicans) infection in mice. The alkaloid augmented host resistance to pathogen applied to mice (6-8 weeks of age) at a low dose of 2 mg kg(-1)in 3 days and impaired it at a high dose of 10 mg kg(-1). The suppressive activity observed under the latter schedule correlated with the inhibited proliferative response of splenic cells to mitogens and with decreased popliteal lymph node (PLN) reaction to C. albicans. Treatment of mice with oxoglaucine (at the age of 5 days) at a dose of 5 mg kg(-1)in 3 consecutive days increased the susceptibility to Candida inoculation at the age of 6 weeks. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to C. albicans was enhanced after pretreatment of adult mice and was suppressed after administration to newborn mice. Long-time treatment (10 days) with oxoglaucine, cyclophoshamide or prednisolone at a dose of 10 mg kg(-1)increased the rate of mortality of Candida -infected mice. Combined pretreatment of mice with cyclophosphamide or prednisolone (5 days at a dose of 5 mg kg(-1)) followed by oxoglaucine (5 days at a dose of 5 mg kg(-1)), prolonged the survival of infected mice. 2000 Academic Press@p$hr Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Excretion of free and conjugated steroids in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): evidence for branchial excretion of the maturation-inducing steroid, 17,20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one. The goal of this study was to identify excretory routes of three main steroids produced by sexually mature male and female rainbow trout: 17,20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20 beta-P), sulfated 17,20 beta-P (17,20 beta-P-S), and testosterone glucuronide (TG). Spermiating males or maturing trout were cannulated via the dorsal aorta and urinary bladder and injected with tritiated steroids. Blood, water, and urine were sampled over the next 12 hr when the fish were killed and bile was collected. The identities of the excreted products were determined by anion-exchange chromatography, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, enzyme hydrolysis, acid solvolysis, microchemical modification, and thin-layer chromatography. Following the injection of tritiated 17,20 beta-P, 25% of the radioactivity rapidly appeared unmodified in the water; 15% appeared slowly in the urine, mainly as 17,20 beta-P-S; and 40% was recovered in the bile, mainly as 17,20 beta-P-glucuronide. 17,20 beta-P was shown to be released into the water via the gills. Over the 12-hr sampling period, 20% of the 17,20 beta-P released into the water was taken up again by the fish (also branchially). A mathematical analysis showed that 40% of the 17,20 beta-P would have been released into the water in the absence of uptake. Following the injection of tritiated 17,20 beta-P-S, 63% appeared very rapidly, in an unmodified form, in the urine, and 15% was recovered in the bile. Following the injection of tritiated TG, 9% appeared slowly, mainly untransformed, in the urine, and 59% was recovered in the bile. These results show that the three types of steroids are released into the water by three different routes: free steroids, gills; sulfated steroids, urine; and glucuronidated steroids, bile.

AB0027 ARE RHEUMATOID FACTORS AND ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES ASSOCIATED WITH FRAILTY IN ELDERLY TUNISIAN POPULATION? Background: An emerging concept is the ‘frailty syndrome’, which may explain diversity in clinical outcomes in the elderly population. Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the possible association between antinuclear autoantibodies, different isotypes of Rheumatoid Factor and frailty in aged individuals. Methods: Using a validated set of frailty criteria (the SEGA tool), we conducted a cross sectional observational study to evaluate the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) (assessed by IFI) and different isotypes of Rheumatoid Factor (RF) (determined by ELISA) in 89 Tunisian individuals aged at least 65 years living in the community. The study population were categorized into three groups: severely frail (n=29), frail (n=31), and non frail (n=29) according to the validated and widely utilized frailty criteria (SEGA tool). Results: ANA were detected in 36 of the participants. No Significant difference was observed between the three groups. Immunofluorescence patterns observed were speckled in 34%, homogenous in 3.3%, and nucleolar in 3.3% of individuals. Nineteen of the severely frail patients had positive IgA RF compared to 11 from the Frail group and 6 only from the non-frail group (p<0.02). RF isotypes showed low correlations with other features. Indeed, the IgA RF was correlated with the age (r= -0.22, p<0.03), the C-Reactive Protein level (r= -0.45, p<0.01), and the nutritional state of the patients assessed by the MNA score (r=0.27, p<0.009). The IgG RF was correlated with hemoglobin (r= 0.22, p<0.03) and creatinin (r= -0.36, p<0.01) levels. Conclusion: Our study showed no significant difference in the frequency of ANA amongst nonfrail, prefrail, and frail aged individuals, whereas RF isotypes were found to be slightly correlated with several biological parameters and other features. References [1] Renato Nisihara, et al.Antinuclear Antibodies and Rheumatoid Factor Positivity in Healthy Elderly Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in 336 Individuals. J American Geriatric Society2013; 61, P : 2044-46 Disclosure of Interests: None declared

Willowbank to Zaire: The Doing of Theology he Congress on World Evangelism at Lausanne in 1974 introduced many evangelicals to the concept of contextualization. The T Willowbank Consultation on the Gospel and Culture (1978) provided a giant step forward in examining its multi-faceted dimensions. It was my privilege to participate in both these gatherings and to continue to reflect on the topic as I taught a course on contextualization in Wheaton Graduate School. A growing awareness of the cultural implications of the gospel brought to me the sense of an unpaid debt to the Zairian Church with which I served in the area of theological education from 1953 to 1964. While no expatriate can ever ultimately contextualize the gospel for a group of believers, it became my growing conviction that I could have facilitated the process far more than I did. I recognized that I had delivcred many prepackaged boxes of biblical “truth” to my Zairian students. Although the content was biblical, it did not speak to many issues, crucial to the Zairian Church, of which I was only dimly aware. Furthermore, the delivery system fostered a mentality of theological dependency that matched the colonial context. Through my deepening understanding of what contextualization was saying to missions and churches alike, it was as if the Word of the Lord was coming to me a “second time,” as it did to Jonah (3: 1). I had no choice but to return to the church in Zaire with this new “word.” This I did in the summer of 1981. I met with a number of church leaders, some of whom were my former Bible school and seminary students.

The Bacterial Degradation of Lignin—A Review Microbial degradation of lignin, a natural complex biopolymer, a renewable raw material with a wide range of applications, has been mainly directed at fungal systems, nevertheless, recent studies have proposed the bacterial role in lignin degradation and modification since bacteria possess remarkable environmental adaptability, and various production of enzymes and biochemistry. An occurrence of a high proportion of lignin-degrading genes has been confirmed in actinobacteria and proteobacteria classes by bioinformatics analysis, which points to the probability of undiscovered pathways and enzymes. Because of that, bacterial lignin decomposition might be substantially different from fungal lignin decomposition. Bacteria capable of lignin modification and degradation belong to actinomycetes, some Firmicutes, α-proteobacteria, and γ-proteobacteria. The enzymes responsible for lignin degradation are lignin peroxidase, manganese-dependent peroxidase, versatile peroxidase, dye-decolourizing peroxidase, and laccases. One of the main lignin producers is the pulp and paper manufacturing industry. Lignolytic microorganisms have been identified from diverse habitats, such as in plants, soil, wood, and the gut. Bacterial strains Bacillus, Rhodococcus, Sterptomyces, and Pseudomonas have been reported to have lignin decomposition ability. This review aims to describe the role of bacteria in lignin degradation, bacterial species, and bacterial enzymes included in lignin degradation. Several reports about bacterial species involved in lignin degradation are also highlighted, and the current state of the knowledge on the degradation of lignin from the pulp and paper manufacturing industry are reported.

Inequality, geographic situation, and meanings of action in the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. This Essay reflects on how socio-spatial inequalities and geographic situations condition the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, as well as actions to deal with the pandemic, with arguments backed by the literature. Socio-spatial inequality is defined as a process and structural condition of a territory marked by inherited and updated vulnerabilities, resulting from a relationship of exploitation, spoliation, and oppression in the current period of globalization. The authors argue that the COVID-19 pandemic can have more serious repercussions in contexts of greater socio-spatial inequality, with systemic and chronic deepening of the economic and social crises in places. Still, actions matter, including collaboration between different groups, institutions, and sectors. The analysis of geographic situation contributes to understanding the inherited territory and different experiences with COVID-19, inextricably linked to the conditions and meanings of action in the face of the pandemic in each place. Geographic situation expresses the tension between freedom and the condition for action. The crisis is not only a health crisis, but a manifestation of the current time, and inequality proves to be the most serious emergency of the 21st century.

Mohists and Daoists on the Attitude of the Creator towards Creations: Love vs. Freedom This article describes two types of relationship between the first cause of the universe and its creation in ancient Chinese philosophy – the Mohist and Daoist proper. Mohists describe the relationship between the personal supreme deity (‘Heaven’) and ‘All Under Heaven’ as a relationship of the greatest and all-encompassing love, which distinguishes between good and bad and is always on the side of the first; which is ready to share its excess resources and opportunities with its creatures, but is also ready to judge and punish them if they oppose those whom it loves. The Daoist ideal of relations between the absolute impersonal first cause of the world (‘Way’) and its creations is opposite of this in many aspects: the ‘great love’ of the ‘Way’ is ‘a kin to no one’, it does not evaluate anything, does not desire anything, does not aspire to anything, knows nothing and judges no one. It allows everything to form itself freely, giving it an infinite space of possibilities. An assumption is made about the connection between the understanding of the first cause as personal or impersonal with the interpretation of the relationship between it and the universe as love or as an indifferent free-giving in ancient Chinese philosophy, in connection with which a proposal is made to check this on the material of the Confucian understanding of the relationship of the first cause to creatures as a promising continuation of the topic.

Reflection: Behavioral Strategies to Structure and Accelerate Learning from Experience. Engaging in and benefiting from systematic reflection may be one of the most effective strategies for leaders to foster and develop learning agility. In this chapter, we first address the question, "What do we know?" by reviewing the existing empirical research on reflection processes and their outcomes. We elucidate the underlying processes that are assumed to accelerate learning, but also identify potential beneficial effects in addition to learning. In the next section, we delineate strategies on how to apply reflection knowledge in practice. In doing so, we distinguish between (1) targeted reflection interventions, often taking the form of after-event reviews (also referred to as after-action reviews and debriefs) or daily reflection practices, and (2) day-to-day naturally occurring reflection processes. We also address the question, "What don't we know?" by describing areas where our existing knowledge about reflection is limited and more research is needed. Our review shows that we currently lack a solid basis to customize reflection interventions for specific outcomes. We also discuss studies suggesting that individuals have a reluctance to reflect, which may be a barrier to enhancing learning agility. Finally, we explore situations where reflection may interfere with learning and might be disadvantageous for development.

Cross-pol InSAR coherence degradation due to wave penetration into layered, anisotropic media We numerically study degradation in the cross-polarized, complex-valued Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) coherence's magnitude (correlation) and phase due to electromagnetic (EM) wave penetration and guidance within planar-layered, (effectively) electrically anisotropic (i.e., electric field direction dependent) geophysical media. Specifically, we examine scenarios involving subsurface layers exhibiting electrical response given by deviated anisotropic tensors exhibiting low loss and high inter-layer dielectric contrast (i.e., strong subsurface wave guidance), as well as predominantly cross-pol specular interface scatter (XSIS)-based subsurface backscatter. We hypothesize that this scenario can occur within myriad layered geophysical structures containing media hosting a distribution of sub-wavelength, non-spherical inclusions with mean non-vertical orientation. Guidance-enhanced, XSIS-based backscatter we predict can dominate cross-pol InSAR observations (particularly at lower frequencies such as P-band) concerning these types of structures, leading (in the limit of stronger wave guidance) to rapid, inverse-quadratic degradation of correlation versus InSAR spatial baseline, as well as high and linearly divergent phase bias. Modeling the dominant cross-pol backscatter mechanisms adds another tool for Polarimetric InSAR (PolInSAR) data interpretation and inversion concerning sea ice and other complex layered geophysical structures which can contain media possessing effective anisotropic dielectric response.

Feasibility of Assam Bora rice starch as a compression coat of 5-fluorouracil core tablet for colorectal cancer. The colon and rectum are the parts of digestive system of human beings. Cancer affecting either of these organs may be called colorectal cancers. Conventional cancer chemotherapy is not very effective for treatment of colorectal cancer, as the drug molecule does not reach the target site at therapeutic concentration, on the other side they produces sever systemic toxic effect. Aim of this study was to develop a novel colon targeted Assam Bora rice starch compression coated tablet for site specific delivery of 5-FU to the colon without the drug being released in stomach or small intestine. Core tablet of 5-FU was prepared using microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and spray dried lactose by direct compression method. The in vitro drug release study in different physiological environment confirmed insignificant release of 5-FU in physiological condition of stomach and small intestine further fast and major drug release in caecal content. In vivo drug absorption of optimized formulation was performed in order to establish its targeting potential in colon. It is concluded from the present study that Assam Bora rice starch can be used as a drug carrier for an effective colon targeted delivery system for drugs effective against the large intestine resident disease condition.

Enhanced Branch and Price and Cut for Vehicle Routing with Split Deliveries and Time Windows In this paper, we study the split delivery vehicle routing problem with time windows (SDVRPTW) that is a variant of the well-known vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW), where each customer can be served by more than one vehicle. We propose enhancement procedures for the exact branch-and-price-and-cut algorithm that was recently developed for the SDVRPTW. In particular, we introduce a tabu search algorithm to solve the column-generation subproblem, extensions of several classes of valid inequalities, and a new separation algorithm for the k-path inequalities. Computational results show the effectiveness of the proposed enhancements.

Giant 4p-Quadrupole Resonances in the Rare Earths X-ray absorption of Ce, obtained by partial secondary yield, is compared with previously obtained electron-energy loss measurements in reflection mode. The absence of a strong feature below 4p3/2 threshold in photon absorption provides confirmation that the peak in EELS is nondipole in character. Theoretical analysis supports interpretation in terms of a p-f giant quadrupole resonance, a result which broadens the analogy between giant resonances in atomic and nuclear physics.

Data Augmentation Strategies for Human Activity Data Using Generative Adversarial Neural Networks Previous studies have shown that available benchmark datasets from the field of Human Activity Recognition are of limited use for Deep Learning applications. This can be traced back to issues in the quality, the scope, as well as in the variability of the datasets. These limitations often lead to overfitting of networks and thus to results that are only conditionally generalizable. One way to counteract this problem is to extend the data by using data augmentation techniques. This paper presents an algorithm and compares two augmentation strategies: (1) user-wise augmentation and (2) fold-wise augmentation to extend the size of a dataset here shown on the PAMAP2 dataset, with an arbitrary number of synthetic samples. These synthesized data resemble the user- and activity-specific characteristics and fit seamlessly into the dataset. They are created by a recurrent Generative Adversarial Network, with both the generator and discriminator modeled by a set of LSTM cells to produce the synthetic time-series data. In our evaluation, we trained four DeepConvLSTM models with supervised learning, three times with a LOSO cross-validation: one baseline model and two times with additional data but different augmentation strategies, as well as one model without cross-validation that monitors the synthesized data quality. The compared augmentation strategies demonstrate the impact as well as the generalized nature of the augmented data. By increasing the size of the dataset by factor 5, we improved the F1-Score by 11.0% with strategy (1) and 5.1% with strategy (2).

Simultaneous multipoint strain measurement using cascaded long period fiber gratings A fiber-optic strain sensor array using long period fiber gratings (LPGs) is proposed and demonstrated, in which cascaded LPGs (C-LPGs) are employed as the sensing elements and a Fourier transform technique is applied to their periodic channeled spectra for the interrogation scheme. In this technique, strain-induced shift of the channeled spectrum of C-LPG can be determined precisely from the cross-spectrum (i.e. Fourier transform of cross-correlation) between the original and shifted channeled spectra and multiplexing operation of C-LPG sensor array can be achieved by using the different C-LPGs having the channeled spectra with various periods. In the experiment, several kinds of CLPGs are fabricated by UV-irradiation technique and simultaneous multipoint strain measurements are successfully demonstrated.

Particle swarm optimization based on an improved diversity mechanism Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm has shown fast and good0020search abilities in many unimoal and simple multimodal problems. However, PSO as well as other evolutionary algorithms (EAs) also suffers from the problem of premature convergence in solving some complex multimodal problems. The main reason is that the diversity of swarm decreases very quickly. In this paper, we propose a new PSO variant (DPSO) based on an improved diversity mechanism. Experimental verifications on 13 famous benchmark functions show that the proposed approach achieves better results than standard PSO on the majority of test problems.

Inversion of self‐potential source based on particle swarm optimization Particle swarm optimization is widely applied in self‐potential inversion, but most of these applications are limited to simple polarized bodies like inclined sheets and spheres. In this paper, two variants of particle swarm optimization are formed by introducing the resistivity constraint matrix and the damping factor and are then applied to two‐dimensional self‐potential source inversion. The two variants are combined to balance the exploration and exploitation capabilities in different situations, and the rationality of the parameter selection is validated through the stability analysis. To ensure both compactness and smoothness of the inversion results, we adopt an objective function based on L1–L2 norm regularization. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm through synthetic examples, the Cu–Fe model sandbox experiment and a field example. By imposing certain constraints, particle swarm optimization also shows great potential in high‐dimensional self‐potential source inversion, instead of being limited to the inversion of a few parameters.

Research and Realization of a New Label Switch Clustering Routing Algorithm Research on ad hoc network routing protocol for railway emergency communication problems, the popular CBRP routing protocol is chosen as the network protocol. And then, A New Label Switch Clustering Routing Algorithm(LSCRA), which combining MPLS technique with CBRP clustering routing algorithm, is proposed, and the data packets can be switched by using labels in the clustering MANET. Finally, two different simulation scenarios are designed, and by using the network size and load parameters as the performance assessment criteria, the simulation results show that LSCRA has a better property to CBRP.

L51493 Sizing of Girth Weld Defects Using Focused Ultrasonic Beams Phases I and II A large amount of inspection data was generated from the inspection of 36 weld defects included in Phases I and II of PRCI Project number PR-166-177. For convenience of reporting and because most readers till not require it, this data was largely left out of the final report. However, because the data generated may be of interest to some and because it is likely to have direct relevance to projects planned for the future it was considered expedient to formally record this data. Results are reported in two sections. Section 1 containing results from Phase I and Section 2 the results from Phase II. All information including inspector's comments, multiple A-scans and photographs of exposed defects (where available) are included for each defect under its own sub section. Describes experimental work to investigate the use of focused ultrasonic beams for sizing girth weld defects in large diameter pipe. Transducer and lens design are discussed. A comparison of results of destructive examinations is given.

The Use of Non-ASCII Characters in RFCs In order to support the internationalization of protocols and a more diverse Internet community, the RFC Series must evolve to allow for the use of non-ASCII characters in RFCs. While English remains the required language of the Series, the encoding of future RFCs will be in UTF-8, allowing for a broader range of characters than typically used in the English language. This document describes the RFC Editor requirements and gives guidance regarding the use of non-ASCII characters in RFCs. This document updates RFC 7322. Please view this document in PDF form to see the full text.

Conjunctive Representations in Contingent Planning: Prime Implicates Versus Minimal CNF Formula This paper compares in depth the effectiveness of two conjunctive belief state representations in contingent planning: prime implicates and minimal CNF, a compact form of CNF formulae, which were initially proposed in conformant planning research (To et al. 2010a; 2010b). Similar to the development of the contingent planner CNFct for minimal CNF (To et al. 2011b), the present paper extends the progression function for the prime implicate representation in (To et al. 2010b) for computing successor belief states in the presence of incomplete information to handle non-deterministic and sensing actions required in contingent planning. The idea was instantiated in a new contingent planner, called PIct, using the same AND/OR search algorithm and heuristic function as those for CNFct. The experiments show that, like CNFct, PIct performs very well in a wide range of benchmarks. The study investigates the advantages and disadvantages of the two planners and identifies the properties of each representation method that affect the performance.

Weak lensing analysis in three dimensions We present a comprehensive full-sky 3-dimensional analysis of the weak lensing fields and their corresponding power spectra. Using the formalism of spin-weight spherical harmonics and spherical Bessel functions, we relate the two-point statistics of the harmonic expansion coefficients of the weak lensing shear and convergence to the power spectrum of the matter density perturbations, and derive small-angle limits. Such a study is relevant in view of the next generation of large-scale weak lensing surveys which will provide distance information about the sources through photometric redshifts. This opens up the possibility of accurate cosmological parameter estimation via weak lensing, with an emphasis on the equation of state of dark energy.

The Mesenchyme-Like Layer of the Fiber Cells of Trichoplax adhaerens (Placozoa), a Syncytium Abstract The fiber cells of the middle layer of Trichoplax adhaerens are interconnected by slender extensions. Newly formed connections after mechanical disruption of the tissue studied in ultrathin sections revealed cytoplasmic continuity between the cell bodies, suggesting a syncytial organisation of the fiber cell layer. The slender extensions connecting the cell bodies are traversed by microtubules and microfilaments. The structure of rare osmiophilic cell contacts suggests a stage in the fusion of adjacent cell membranes.

Experiment and Field Application of Inhibitior Liquid in Spontaneous Combustion Process of Coal Based on Thermogravimetric Analysis An effective way to slow down the process of coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) is by injecting inhibitor liquid into the coal body. Research on inhibitors has achieved good effects, but many have occurred only under laboratory conditions; for applications in actual underground coal mines, there may be many limitations. In this paper, MgCl2, CaCl2, and NH4H2PO4 are selected, and they are prepared as inhibitor liquids and injected into coal samples from three coal mines to obtain inhibitor coal samples. Industrial analysis (IA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of raw and inhibitor coal samples were carried out under laboratory conditions. Finally, MgCl2 was selected as the inhibitor to carry out a field test in a coal mine working face. The results show that the volatile content, fixed carbon content, and calorific value decrease and the ash content increases after injection of the inhibitor. NH4H2PO4 has the greatest influence on coal, which is more obvious in the Nantun coal samples. MgCl2 and CaCl2 have stronger inhibitory effects in the temperature range of 0–200 °C, and the inhibitory effects decrease in the high-temperature stage. This is due to the evaporation of water and the loss of active components under high temperature. The inhibitory effect of NH4H2PO4 at high temperature is stronger than those of MgCl2 and CaCl2. The CO concentration was significantly reduced after injection of the inhibitor liquid in an underground field, which delays the oxidation process of coal for approximately 10 days and greatly reduces the risk of CSC.

Frequency response and bandwidth in low-numerical-aperture step-index plastic optical fibers. By experimental measurement and from a numerical solution to the time-dependent power flow equation, the frequency response, bandwidth, mode coupling, and mode-dependent attenuation are determined for a low-numerical-aperture (NA) plastic optical fiber. Frequency response and bandwidth are specified as a function of fiber length. Numerical results are verified against experimental measurements. Mode coupling and modal attenuation are found to differ substantially between two fiber varieties of the same type (both low-NA, step-index, and plastic), implying their preferential suitability that is application-specific.

Diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary CT angiography at low tube voltage: intraindividual comparison of a normal-dose protocol at 120 kVp and a low-dose protocol at 80 kVp using reduced amount of contrast medium in a simulation study. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to simulate pulmonary emboli (PE) and image quality at low tube energy and reduced contrast material volume in normal-dose pulmonary CT angiography (CTA) images and to analyze the diagnostic accuracy with normal- and low-dose pulmonary CTA. MATERIALS AND METHODS Normal-dose pulmonary CTA examinations using 120 kVp and 100 mL of contrast material in 10 patients with no PE were retrospectively selected. The image characteristics of an 80-kVp low-dose pulmonary CTA protocol (patient exposure reduction, 57%) with 75 mL of contrast material were simulated. Four different sets of filling defects were computer simulated in identical locations in each normal-dose and corresponding low-dose examination, equaling 783 PE in 40 normal-dose and 40 low-dose datasets. Ten normal-dose and 10 low-dose examinations contained no emboli and were used as controls. The 100 pulmonary CTA studies were randomly assessed by three readers blinded to PE location and image quality. The results were assessed by nonparametric tests and Student t tests. RESULTS No difference was found between the CT protocols in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative diagnostic likelihood ratios at all ramification levels of the pulmonary arteries (p = 0.343-1). The overall sensitivity and specificity with the normal and simulated low-dose protocols were 79.9% versus 81.3% and 98.0% versus 98.2% (p = 0.444 and 0.702), respectively. The diagnostic confidence (2.81 ± 0.39 vs 2.77 ± 0.47; p = 0.297) and overall image quality (3.92 ± 0.52 vs 3.83 ± 0.54; p = 0.216) were similar at 120 kV and 80 kV. CONCLUSION The intraindividual comparison of diagnostic accuracy with normal-dose and simulated low-dose pulmonary CTA protocols revealed no difference under experimental conditions.

Technique and outcomes about a new laparoscopic procedure: the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Suspension (POPS). Pelvic organ prolapse suspension (POPS) is a recent surgical procedure for one-stage treatment of multiorgan female pelvic prolapse. This study evaluates the preliminary results of laparoscopic POPS in 54 women with a mean age of 55.2 and a BMI of 28.3. Patients underwent at the same time stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) to correct the residual rectal prolapse. We had no relapses and the preliminary results were excellent. We evaluated the patients after 1 year follow-up and we confirmed the validity of our treatment. The technique is simpler than traditional treatments with an important reduction or completely disappearance of the pre-operative symptomatology.

Exploiting Spectral and Spatial Correlations for Single Sensor Acquisition and Demosaicing of Multispectral Images Multispectral images are successfully used in many applications, such as satellite imaging, remote sensing, and medical imaging. Capturing multispectral images is one of the main challenges in these applications. Among all possible techniques for multispectral imaging, our main focus is on the algorithms, which capture multispectral bands with only a single sensor. This method is similar to color imaging with a single sensor when a color filter array (CFA) is placed in front of the sensor to sample only one color at each spatial position. Therefore, similar to the single-sensor color imaging technique, a demosaicing algorithm should be applied to the image captured by the sensor to recover the full resolution multispectral image. Since multispectral and color imaging are analogous in this sense, we briefly review the general framework of most color demosaicing algorithms which has been discussed in [1]. We show that most color demosaicing algorithms exploit features of natural images especially intra and inter-channel correlations to estimate the full resolution image. An algorithm proposed in [2] for multispectral acquisition with a single sensor is then discussed. This technique exploits a preliminary model of multispectral images in the demosaicing step. Thus, one possibility to improve the performance of this method is to use more sophisticated statistical models for these Proposal submitted to committee: April 11th, 2011; Candidacy exam date: April 18th, 2011; Candidacy exam committee: Professor Mark Pauly, Professor Sabine Süsstrunk, Dr. Vincent Lepetit. This research plan has been approved:

A new speech processing strategy for cochlear implants-separated time stimulation (STS) In this paper we presented a new speech processing strategy for cochlear implants based on Chinese tonal information. It was a modified CIS (continuous interleaved sampling) strategy that stimulated certain channels for a certain period of time. Results showed that this strategy could improve the tone recognition scores especially the rising tone and the falling tone, so it could improve the performance of cochlear implants for Chinese language.

Comparing data accuracy between structured abstracts and full-text journal articles: implications in their use for informing clinical decisions Background The abstract is the most frequently read section of a research article. The use of ‘Consensus Abstracts’, a clinician-oriented web application formatted for mobile devices to search MEDLINE/PubMed, for informing clinical decisions was proposed recently; however, inaccuracies between abstracts and the full-text article have been shown. Efforts have been made to improve quality. Methods We compared data in 60 recent-structured abstracts and full-text articles from six highly read medical journals. Results Data inaccuracies were identified and then classified as either clinically significant or not significant. Data inaccuracies were observed in 53.33% of articles ranging from 3.33% to 45% based on the IMRAD format sections. The Results section showed the highest discrepancies (45%) although these were deemed to be mostly not significant clinically except in one. The two most common discrepancies were mismatched numbers or percentages (11.67%) and numerical data or calculations found in structured abstracts but not mentioned in the full text (40%). There was no significant relationship between journals and the presence of discrepancies (Fisher’s exact p value =0.3405). Although we found a high percentage of inaccuracy between structured abstracts and full-text articles, these were not significant clinically. Conclusions The inaccuracies do not seem to affect the conclusion and interpretation overall. Structured abstracts appear to be informative and may be useful to practitioners as a resource for guiding clinical decisions.

Optical intensity-modulated direct detection channels: signal space and lattice codes Traditional approaches to constructing constellations for electrical channels cannot be applied directly to the optical intensity channel. This work presents a structured signal space model for optical intensity channels where the nonnegativity and average amplitude constraints are represented geometrically. Lattice codes satisfying channel constraints are defined and coding and shaping gain relative to a baseline are computed. An effective signal space dimension is defined to represent the precise impact of coding and shaping on bandwidth. Average optical power minimizing shaping regions are derived in some special cases. Example lattice codes are constructed and their performance on an idealized point-to-point wireless optical link is computed. Bandwidth-efficient schemes are shown to have promise for high data-rate applications, but require greater average optical power.

Integrating LMINET with TAAM and SIMMOD---A Feasibility Study LMINET is a queuing network air traffic simulation model implemented at 64 large airports and the entire National Airspace System in the United States. TAAM and SIMMOD are two widely used air traffic event-driven simulation models mostly for airports. Based on our proposed Progressive Augmented Window approach, TAAM and SIMMOD are integrated with LMINET though flight schedules. In the integration, the flight schedules are modified through the flight delays reported by the other models. The benefit to the local simulation study is to let TAAM or SIMMOD take the modified schedule from LMINET, which takes into account of the air traffic congestion and flight delays at the national network level. We demonstrate the value of the integrated models by the case studies at Chicago O Hare International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. Details of the integration are reported and future work for a full-blown integration is identified.

Spliceosomic dysregulation unveils NOVA1 as an actionable therapeutic target in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors Dysregulation of the splicing machinery is emerging as a hallmark in cancer due to its association with multiple dysfunctions in tumor cells. Inappropriate function of this machinery can generate tumor-driving splicing variants and trigger oncogenic actions. However, its role in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) is poorly defined. In this study we aimed to characterize the expression pattern of a set of splicing machinery components in PanNETs, and their relationship with aggressiveness features. A qPCR-based array was first deployed to determine the expression levels of components of the major (n=13) and minor spliceosome (n=4) and associated splicing factors (n=27), using a microfluidic technology in 20 PanNETs and non-tumoral adjacent samples. Subsequently, in vivo and in vitro models were applied to explore the pathophysiological role of NOVA1. Expression analysis revealed that a substantial proportion of splicing machinery components was altered in tumors. Notably, key splicing factors were overexpressed in PanNETs samples, wherein their levels correlated with clinical and malignancy features. Using in vivo and in vitro assays, we demonstrate that one of those altered factors, NOVA1, is tightly related to cell proliferation, alters pivotal signaling pathways and interferes with responsiveness to drug treatment in PanNETs, suggesting a role for this factor in the aggressiveness of these tumors and its suitability as therapeutic target. Altogether, our results unveil a severe alteration of the splicing machinery in PanNETs and identify the putative relevance of NOVA1 in tumor development/progression, which could provide novel avenues to develop diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic tools for this pathology.

External Networking and Internal Firm Governance We use panel data on S&P 1500 companies to identify external network connections between directors and CEOs. We find that firms with more powerful CEOs are more likely to appoint directors with ties to the CEO. Using changes in board composition due to director death and retirement for identification, we find that CEO-director ties reduce firm value, particularly in the absence of other governance mechanisms to substitute for board oversight. Moreover, firms with more CEO-director ties engage in more value-destroying acquisitions. Overall, our results suggest that network ties with the CEO weaken the intensity of board monitoring.

The Effect of Clustering in the Apriori Data Mining Algorithm: A Case Study — Many organizations collect and store data about their customers, suppliers and business partners. However, much of the useful marketing insights are hidden in that enormous amount of data. Data mining is the process of searching and analyzing data in order to find potentially useful information. Although data mining consists of a broad family of computational methods and algorithms, for this study, we have chosen the Apriori algorithm as the basis of the data analysis framework. The objective of the paper is to present the effect of clustering the data onto the association rules. Hence, we have compared the results of two different approaches: Finding association rules without consumer segmentation, and with consumer segmentation. The data analysis framework is applied to the data of mobile operating systems' users. By extracting most important information from consumer data, we claim that this framework directs providers offer the right product/advertisement to the right consumer. I. INTRODUCTION The rapid growth of the smart phone applications market has fundamentally changed the way in which people access and consume content. This has contributed to a shift in competitive dynamics that impact network operators, operating system (OS)/ application store developers and handset manufacturers. According to Gartner Inc, free applications will account for 89% of total downloads in 2012. Worldwide mobile application store downloads will surpass 45.6 billion in 2012, with paid-for downloads totaling $5 billion [1]. In 2016, total global mobile application revenue is expected to reach $46 billion according to ABI Research. In this context, consumer's tendency to smart phone and accordingly to mobile OS market becomes more and more important. A fundamental truth in the business is that competitors have always an eye to others' customers. Besides, many customers are on the lookout for better services. It is known that acquiring new customers is more expensive than retaining them, an efficient customer retention strategy is crucial to a company's success [2]. This study focuses on finding behavioral patterns of consumers of mobile OSs. We believe that such knowledge would not only direct firms in the developing process of

A Case of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Kawasaki Disease: Concurrent or Overlapping Diagnoses? Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is not always suspected at the time of presentation. It is often mistaken for other diagnoses; complicated by the fact that it is often associated with an inciting event that has significant overlap. Kawasaki disease, along with other disorders, such as Ebstein Barr Virus infection, are conditions that may lead HLH. Our patient had a presentation that was consistent with Kawasaki disease on initial presentation, however subsequently met the diagnostic criteria of HLH. It provided an interesting discussion about diagnoses with clinical criteria and how the overlap can sometimes delay or complicate initial diagnosis.

Church, Regime, and Society in Russia (1880-1895) The fifteen years near the end of the nineteenth century, before the period of wars and revolutions at the beginning of the twentieth, turned out to be the last part of the long "lull" that gave the Russian Empire the chance to solve many of the problems caused by modernization. These problems definitely included the Church's role in society and its relations with the state. Our scholarly literature contains quite a few studies on this question. Until 1917 most published works were official, semiofficial, and descriptive;1 afterward this topic was long relegated to the fringes of research interests. Soviet authors treated the Church as an archaic institution that was entirely subordinate to the autocracy and played a purely reactionary role throughout the postreform period.2 Not until the end of the 1980s did a different approach emerge in church history: questions were raised about church reforms and counter-reforms in the second half of the nineteenth century, about conflicts between secular and religious authorities, and about the specific ways in which the Church influenced public consciousness.3

Cryoablation vs. radiofrequency ablation of the atrioventricular node in patients with His-bundle pacing. AIMS Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the atrioventricular node (AVN) with His-bundle pacing (HBP) can cause rise in capture thresholds. Cryoablation (CRYO) may offer reversibility in case of threshold rise but has never been tested for AVN ablation in this setting. Our aim was to compare procedural characteristics and outcome of CRYO compared with RFA for AVN ablation in patients with HBP. METHODS AND RESULTS Forty-four patients with HBP underwent AVN ablation for an 'ablate and pace' indication. Cryoablation was performed in the first 22 patients and RFA in the following 22 patients. Procedural characteristics, success rates, and change in His capture thresholds were compared between groups. Distance from the ablation site to the His lead was measured using biplane fluoroscopy. Acute success was 100% with both strategies. Median procedural duration was significantly longer for CRYO {50 [interquartile range (IQR) 38-63] min} compared with RFA [36 (IQR, 30-41) min; P = 0.027]. An acute threshold rise of ≥1 V was observed in four CRYO (one complete loss of capture) and three RFA patients (P = 0.38), with all of the applications being within 6 mm of the His lead tip. During follow-up, nine patients had AVN re-conduction (six CRYO vs. three RFA; P = 0.58), but only four patients required a redo procedure (all CRYO; P = 0.09). CONCLUSION Cryoablation does not offer any advantage over RFA for AVN ablation in patients with HBP and tended to require more redo procedures. If possible, a distance of ≥6 mm should be maintained from the His lead tip to avoid a rise in capture thresholds.

A GLOBAL EQUATION OF STATE FOR HIGH ENERGY DENSITY PHYSICS IntroductionHigh energy density physics deals with behavior of matterunder extreme conditions of pressure and temperature.Several fields of research involve high energy density:astrophysics, geophysics, inertial confinement fusion(ICF), explosive and impact loading of materials, Z -pinchdevices, etc. All of these fields involve one commonfeature: i.e., concentration of an intense source of energyin a small region at a fast rate. This leads tohydrodynamic phenomena involving rapid motion ofmaterials due to large pressure gradients generated insidethe system [see Box 1]. Fig.1 depicts some typical regimesof energy density vs energy that occur in some of thesituations. The DARHT facility is for explosive driven

Payments Innovation and Interchange Fees Regulation: How Inverting the Merchant-Pays Business Model Would Affect the Extent and Direction of Innovation This paper examines the possible impact on innovation involving payment cards as a result of price caps that lead to the drastic reduction in interchange fees. Such reductions invert the traditional business model for the payments card industry from a merchant-pays model to a consumer-pays model. The paper argues that this inversion is likely to reduce the overall level of innovation in the industry, divert innovation away from the role of payments in transactions and towards improvements for which consumers can be charged non-transaction related fees, and discourage the entry of new payment systems.

Whisker-Based Tactile Navigation Algorithm For Underground Robots This work explores the use of artificial whiskers as tactile sensors for enhancing the perception and navigation capabilities of mobile robots in challenging settings such as caves and underground mines. These environments exhibit inconsistent lighting conditions, locally self-similar textures, and general poor visibility conditions, that can cause the performance of state-of-the-art vision-based methods to decline. In order to evaluate the efficacy of tactile sensing in this context, three algorithms were developed and tested with simulated and physical experiments: a wall-follower, a navigation algorithm based on Theta*, and a hybrid approach that combines the two. The obtained results highlight the efficacy of tactile sensing for wall-following in intricate environments. When paired with an external method for pose estimation, it further aids in navigating unknown environments. Moreover, by integrating navigation with wall-following, the third, hybrid algorithm enhanced the map traversal speed by roughly 26−43% compared to standard navigation methods without wall-following.