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Single-mode 1.34-microm Nd:YVO(4) microchip laser with cw Ti:sapphire and diode-laser pumping. We report cw single-mode output at 1.34 microm in a Nd:YVO(4) microchip laser pumped separately with a Ti:sapphire laser and a diode laser in the region of 809 nm. The 0.5 mm x 1.0 mm x 1.0 mm Nd(3+)-doped YVO(4) crystal produced output powers as high as 60 mW with slope efficiencies as high as 40% and laser thresholds between 155 and 275 mW by use of a pumped volume of approximately 150-microm diameter and 0.5-mm length. Data are also presented for the laser's performance as a function of pump wavelength and for the spectral variation of the output with crystal temperature.

40084470

Metonymies don’t bomb people, people bomb people Abstract In the cognitive linguistic literature, sentences like Nixon bombed Hanoi have long been explained in terms of metonymy, either ‘referential’ (i.e. the NP Nixon metonymically refers to the bomber pilots controlled by President Nixon), or ‘predicative’ (i.e. the verb bomb metonymically refer to the ordering of the bombing). More recently, it has been suggested that such sentences may be better analyzed as slightly untypical literal instances of the transitive construction. In this paper, a corpus-based analysis of the verb bomb is presented, which shows that the usage of this verb is very different and much more heterogeneous than the constructed examples cited in the literature suggest. It is argued that this heterogeneity cannot be coherently analyzed in terms of referential or predicative metonymy. Instead, a non-metonymic account is sketched out based on a general characterization of causative transitives and verb frames from which logical subjects are selected based on salience. This account provides a unified analysis of the phenomenon that even allows us to recognize additionally the existence of referential metonymies in certain cases. The paper contributes to a growing body of research literature that takes the idea of a ‘usage- based’ cognitive linguistics seriously by attempting to test and develop analyses empirically on the basis of authentic usage data.

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Mixed non-uniform width/evanescent mode ceramic resonator waveguide filter with wide spurious free bandwidth This paper presents a method to improve the spurious performance of integrated ceramic waveguide filters. Non-uniform width ceramic waveguide resonator and evanescent mode ceramic resonators are employed together to the resonant frequencies of higher order modes. The proposed designs give 75% improvement in stop band response when compared to uniform width ceramic waveguide filter. Simulated results of two six pole chebyshev filters are presented here with improved stop band performance.

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Structural studies on aldolase isozymes through protein engineering. Enzymatic studies on aldolase isozymes have been carried out by techniques of protein engineering. Site-directed mutagenesis helps us to verify the roles of amino acid residues in catalytic reactions. Chimeric fusion proteins give us information about the regions which specify the characteristics of the isozymes. The results are: (1) In aldolase A, COOH terminal Tyr and Lys-107 residues play important roles in catalysis, especially in binding of FDP. (2) Aspartic acid at the 128th residue in aldolase A is essential to thermostability; no other residue such as glutamic acid can substitute for it. (3) Studies on chimeric fusion proteins indicate that the C-terminal region (including C-terminus Tyr) or aldolase A is responsible for its substrate specificity, which is not seen in aldolase B. (4) A region near NH2 terminus in aldolase B determines its specific structure. (5) The region including His-107, Asp-128, and Tyr-137 (B-A junction of BA137) is located in a turn which is exposed outward (a model architecture by Sygusch et al [1987]). In BA137, this region would be constrained, and play a significant role in catalysis, thermostability, etc. (6) Tertiary structure of aldolase B seems to be dissimilar to that of aldolase A.

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Inhibition of mammary carcinoma growth by retinoidal benzoic acid derivatives. The growth of many breast carcinoma cell lines is inhibited by vitamin A, and derivatives as well as synthetic retinoids. New retinoidal derivatives have recently been synthesized. These retinoidal benzoic acid derivatives displayed enhanced potency in their ability to reverse hamster tracheal keratinization and inhibit ornithine decarboxylase induction in mouse epidermis. We therefore screened a series of analogues of these compounds for their ability to inhibit human breast carcinoma cell proliferation utilizing three estrogen receptor-positive and two estrogen receptor-negative cell lines. The compound (E)-4-2-(5,6,7,8)tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphtalenyl)prop enyl benzoic acid (Ro 1374-10) was approximately 2-3 orders of magnitude more potent than all-trans-retinoic acid in inhibiting breast carcinoma cell proliferation while the compound SRI-6409-40, which differs from Ro 1374-10 only by the position of a methyl group, was 50-fold more potent than Ro 1374-10. All of the compounds tested displayed were inactive against the estrogen receptor-negative breast carcinoma lines.

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A spatial multiplexing technique based on large-scale fading for distributed antenna systems A spatial multiplexing technique for distributed antenna systems is proposed, where the mobile co-located with multiple antennas is capable of receiving distinct sub-streams from multiple widely separated antennas. Modulation and power are adapted based on the knowledge of large-scale fading, which varies much slower than instantaneous channel state information. Three modulation and power adaptation criteria are presented, which minimize the error probability, minimize the power consumption and maximize data throughput, respectively. Simulations based on minimum error probability criterion illustrate the performance improvement compared with original V-BLAST. Based on minimum power consumption criterion and maximum data throughput criterion, numerical results also indicate that DAS is more power efficient, spectral efficient and uniform in quality of service than co-located antenna systems (CAS), which validates the previous theoretic analysis results.

206509770

Justice for the Menopause: A Research Agenda Menopause is defined by its relationship to menstruation––it is the cessation of menstruation. Medical texts identify menopause as part of the cycle of “decay” associated with female reproductive functions; early menopause is often a dreaded result of various medical treatments and a sign of disfunction. It turns out that only three types of animals experience menopause: killer whales, short-finned pilot whales, and humans, while other animals can reproduce until death. Although the precise relationship between evolutionary theory and the physical development of human menopause is still uncertain, scientists and anthropologists suggest that the “grandmother hypothesis” provides a partial explanation: older women, who can no longer produce their own children, ensure their genetic legacy by playing a critical role in helping to feed, raise, and nurture their grandchildren. The average woman will spend almost as many years “post-menopause” as they will menstruating, and they may spend four years (or more) experiencing perimenopausal symptoms, the transition time between “normal” menstruation and menopause. But legal issues relating to perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause are just beginning to surface, prompted by the movement towards menstrual justice, feminist jurisprudence, and developments in the law of aging. This Essay is an initial effort to catalogue various legal approaches to menopause and to set out areas for further analysis. It briefly explores cultural images of menopause and post-menopausal women, including the ubiquitous hot flashes; analyzes potential legal claims for menopausal justice; and suggests the interrelationship between such approaches and social attitudes towards menopause. It suggests that “normalizing”

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menopause––acknowledging its realities––is one means for removing the associated stigma and “disabilities” and might result in reinterpreting existing laws and guiding future legal reforms.

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Pipecuronium versus high dose vecuronium The onset time and tendency to cumulation of pipecuronium and high‐dose vecuronium were compared during nitrous oxide anaesthesia supplemented with a propofol infusion. Pipecuronium 0.06 mg·kg−1 had a similar duration of action to vecuronium 0.2 mg·kg−1 (49 vs 43). Patients who received vecuronium had a shorter onset time of neuromuscular blockade (p < 0.01). Neither pipecuronium nor vecuronium showed marked cumulation.

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Cell walls, peptidoglycans, and teichoic acids of Gram-positive bacteria as polyclonal inducers and immunomodulators of proliferative and lymphokine responses of human B and T lymphocytes In this study the mitogenic and immunomodulating effects of bacterial cell wall preparations were investigated. Cell walls, peptidoglycans, and teichoic acids from Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus Wood 45 activated both human T cells (supplemented with 10% monocytes) and B cells to proliferate and to produce leukocyte-inhibitory factor. Similar results were obtained with adult and umbilical cord blood cells, suggesting that these bacterial preparations were acting as mitogens. Cell walls and peptidoglycans had a modulating effect on purified protein derivative- or protein A-induced proliferation. In the presence of suboptimal concentrations of these stimulants, bacterial components enhanced the proliferative response. However, at optimal concentrations of purified protein derivative or protein A, bacterial components suppressed lymphocyte proliferation. Peptidoglycans solubilized by lysozyme activated B lymphocytes but not T cells. Solubilization had no effect on the immunomodulating capacity.

28352020

Sharing Meals With Institutionalized People With Dementia: A Natural Experiment Nutritional deficiency can have dramatic effects on the physical and psychological status of older adults. Although food supplements can enhance nutritional status, several authors suggest that more ecological means could also have beneficial impacts. Therefore, a natural experiment was conducted to study the impact of changed mealtime experiences for people with Alzheimer-type dementia. Two special care units (in separate facilities) in France were included in this study: one implemented shared mealtimes between residents and caregivers and the other served as a comparison group. Weight was measured and staff observations were collected. Positive outcomes were observed for the experimental group. Implications for practice are discussed.

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Probabilistic Performance Reliabiilty-Cost Tradeoff for Maintenance Strategy Maintenance strategies are typically implemented by optimizing only the cost whilst the reliability of facility performance is neglected. This study proposes a novel algorithm using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) technique to evaluate the cost-reliability tradeoff in a flexible maintenance strategy based on non-dominant solutions. Moreover, a probabilistic model for regression parameters is employed to assess reliability-based performance. A numerical example of a highway pavement project is illustrated to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed MOPSO algorithms. The analytical results show that the proposed approach can help decision makers to optimize roadway maintenance plans.

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Coarsening dynamics of phase-separating systems When a system such as a binary liquid is cooled rapidly from a homogeneous phase into a two–phase region, domains of the two equilibrium phases form and grow (‘coarsen’) with time. In the absence of an external drive, such as gravity or an imposed shear flow, a dynamical–scaling regime emerges in which the domain morphology is statistically self–similar at different times, up to an overall length–scale (coarsening scale) that grows with time. In the first part of the paper, the scaling phenomenology will be reviewed and the time–dependence of the coarsening scale will be discussed in the context of a number of different physical systems and scaling regimes. In the second part, the influence of an external drive, in particular a shear flow, will be addressed and recent developments reviewed. Interesting open questions include the late–time behaviour under shear and whether the coarsening continues indefinitely or is ultimately arrested by the shear flow.

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Preaching at Infant Baptism Apart from the Sunday Assembly One of the great hallmarks of conciliar reform is the restoration of God’s word in every sacramental celebration. Sacrosanctum Concilium 24 clearly states: “Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy.” The dynamic of call-and-response is present in each of the sacraments, whether for initiation, for healing, or for the celebration of vocation. Without the human dimension of hearing God’s voice and opening the heart to conversion, sacraments quickly slide into the realm of magic. The proclamation of God’s word, in both the reading of scripture and the delivery of a homily, may be called “effective,” with the desired outcome that transformation takes place. As Enda McDonagh writes:

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Optimizing the Combination of Acoustic and Electric Hearing in the Implanted Ear Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine an optimal approach to program combined acoustic plus electric (A+E) hearing devices in the same ear to maximize speech-recognition performance. Design: Ten participants with at least 1 year of experience using Nucleus Hybrid (short electrode) A+E devices were evaluated across three different fitting conditions that varied in the frequency ranges assigned to the acoustically and electrically presented portions of the spectrum. Real-ear measurements were used to optimize the acoustic component for each participant, and the acoustic stimulation was then held constant across conditions. The lower boundary of the electric frequency range was systematically varied to create three conditions with respect to the upper boundary of the acoustic spectrum: Meet, Overlap, and Gap programming. Consonant recognition in quiet and speech recognition in competing-talker babble were evaluated after participants were given the opportunity to adapt by using the experimental programs in their typical everyday listening situations. Participants provided subjective ratings and evaluations for each fitting condition. Results: There were no significant differences in performance between conditions (Meet, Overlap, Gap) for consonant recognition in quiet. A significant decrement in performance was measured for the Overlap fitting condition for speech recognition in babble. Subjective ratings indicated a significant preference for the Meet fitting regimen. Conclusions: Participants using the Hybrid ipsilateral A+E device generally performed better when the acoustic and electric spectra were programmed to meet at a single frequency region, as opposed to a gap or overlap. Although there

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is no particular advantage for the Meet fitting strategy for recognition of consonants in quiet, the advantage becomes evident for speech recognition in competing-talker babble and in patient preferences.

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Implementing the Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm Adding Obesity as a Predictive Factor. AIM To evaluate whether obesity represents a risk factor for the onset of ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred and sixty-three patients with a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2 (group 1) and 130 women with a BMI of <25 kg/m2 (group 2) were included in the study. RESULTS A Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) index above the cut-off (>13%) was found in 24.5% of group 1 patients, whereas a high ROMA score was identified in 5.3% of group 2 women. During the study, 13 out of 40 group 1 patients with ROMA >13% were deemed eligible for bariatric surgery. After bariatric surgery and decrease of BMI, eight out of these 13 obese women had a ROMA index <13%. CONCLUSION The ROMA index may function as a simple test able to screen obese women at risk of developing ovarian cancer.

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Social Media: No 'Friend' of Personal Privacy This comment examines the lack of regulation of social media websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, and the effects this lack of regulations has had on the liberties guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This comment argues that by establishing privacy settings on social networking websites, users construct a reasonable expectation of privacy. Examples are provided to illustrate the detrimental nature and ineffectiveness of industry self-regulation. A relevant case study is explored to highlight the societal concerns that are being brought forth within the legal system at an ever-increasing rate. Scholarly opinion is then analyzed in order to reinterpret privacy law so that it properly adapts to rapidly evolving social media networks within cyberspace.

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Temperature-Dependent Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Raman Mapping Spectroscopy of Phase-Separation in a Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)–Poly(l-Lactic Acid) Blend Variable-temperature Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopic mapping measurements were applied to study the phase separation of a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)–poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) (50:50 wt.%) polymer-blend film as a function of temperature between 25 and 175 °C. Because of the better band separation compared with the fundamental absorptions, the first overtones of the v(C=O) bands of PHB and PLA were used to evaluate the temperature-dependent FT-IR images as PLA–PHB and PHB–PLA band-ratio contour plots, respectively. From the visualization of the band-ratio FT-IR images, it could be derived that even beyond the melting point of PLA (145 °C), the lateral position and the geometry of the PHB-rich and PLA-rich phases were retained up to 165 °C. Furthermore, the FT-IR images derived during and after the melting of PHB (174 °C) provided an interesting insight into the homogenization process of the polymer melt. By exploiting its higher lateral resolution, valuable additional information became available from the Raman mapping measurements. Based on the Raman data, the scenario of phase-separated PHB-rich and PLA-rich domains of about 50 iμ size, based on the FT-IR imaging measurements, had to be revised. Instead, the originally interpreted PHB-rich and PLA-rich domains are actually clusters of much smaller grains. Additionally, the Raman images measured in the same temperature interval revealed that the clusters of small PHB-rich grain structures aggregated as a function of temperature increase. These investigations prove that FT-IR and Raman imaging in combination with variable-temperature measurements

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can provide new (and so far unavailable) insights into structural phenomena of phase-separated polymer blends.

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Optimisation of a mixed truck fleet schedule through a mathematical model considering a new truck-purchase option Abstract Mining is a capital-intensive industry that requires hundreds of million-dollar investment in major equipment. In regards to surface mining operations, mine trucks are the most common pieces of equipment that are used for material haulage. Their maintenance cost, however, constitutes a significant proportion of the overall operational cost. Currently available costing methods and models do not take into account all key constraints and as a result, maintenance cost cannot be minimised. A new mixed integer programming (MIP) model is developed to minimise the maintenance cost for a heterogeneous truck fleet over a multi-year period while considering a new truck-purchase option. The proposed model is applied to truck maintenance cost data from a gold mine in Western Australia. Results indicate 21·64% and 14·76% cost savings over 10 years in comparison to the spread sheet based and original MIP models, respectively.

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Japan's Orderly Resolution Regime for Financial Firms - A New Scheme Provided for Under the Revised DIA Japan's Diet passed legislation adding a new resolution regime for financial firms to the Deposit Insurance Act in June 2013. The new resolution regime provides a safety net for financial markets and for the entire financial industry aimed at protecting the stability of the financial system and avoiding a sharp decline of confidence in financial markets, turmoil related to bankruptcies, and impacts on the real economy. It extends coverage of the Deposit Insurance Act to securities companies and insurance companies, financial holding companies, besides banks, and provides a framework to cope with market-based systemic risk. Specifically, when the failed financial firm is not insolvent, the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan (DICJ) can, in order to avoid the risk of extreme turmoil in Japan's financial system, provide the financial firm with liquidity and debt guarantees. The DICJ can also to enable recapitalization as necessary. For insolvent firms, the systemically important claims are quickly taken over by an assuming financial firm or a bridge financial institution to stabilize the financial system, at which point financial assistance is provided to ensure the performance of obligations. In keeping with the Financial Stability Board's (FSB's) Key Attributes, there are provisions for initiating contractual bail-in and for suspending early termination rights on derivative contracts.

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Cloning and expression pattern of a Smad3 homolog from the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata. Several transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) superfamily members have been identified from mollusks. The significant effects of TGFbeta signaling pathways on bone formation in vertebrates give clues to the signal transduction mechanism and how the shell of oysters is formed. However, what kinds of mediators are involved in the molluscan TGFbeta signaling pathways, and how they play their functions in mollusks has not been well explained due to a lack of genomic information and the failure to establish oyster cell lines. That is, if we knew the genome sequence we could search the TGFbeta superfamily members using the blast program (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/), and if we established the molluscan cell line, we could transfect the gene of interest to the cell and detect its influence on expression levels of other genes, such as the matrix proteins. Therefore, to investigate whether there are similar TGFbeta pathways in mollusks, many important mediators should be identified. In this paper, we report a cDNA encoding a Smad3 homolog (designated Pf-Smad3) that was isolated from the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata. Sequence alignment showed that Pf-Smad3 contains a DNA-binding MH1 domain and a Runx2/Cbfa1-binding MH2 domain, and shares an extremely high similarity with Smad3 proteins in vertebrates. However, Smad proteins in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans are very different from other Smad3 proteins. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results indicated that Pf-Smad3 mRNA was expressed ubiquitously in adult Pin. fucata and was expressed at different levels at different developmental stages. In situ

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hybridization results showed that Pf-Smad3 mRNA was expressed mainly at the outer epithelial cells of the middle fold and the inner epithelial cells of the outer fold, especially around the gutter. These results suggested that Pf-Smad3 might take part in many physiological processes, including biomineralization, in oysters.

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E V ects of selected food phytochemicals in reducing the toxic actions of TCDD and p,p (cid:2) -DDT in U937 macrophages To assess the e V ectiveness of selected food phytochemicals in reducing the toxic e V ects of the environmental toxicants, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and p,p (cid:2) -DDT (DDT), we tested the potencies of auraptene, nobiletin, zerumbone, and ( § )-13-hydroxy-10-oxo-trans-11-octadecenoic acid (13-HOA) in reversing the in X ammatory action of these toxicants in U937 human macrophages. Using quantitative RT–PCR as the initial screening assay, we identi W ed antagonistic actions of zerumbone and auraptene against the action of TCDD and DDT in up-regulating the mRNA expressions of COX-2 and VEGF. The functional signi W cance of the inhibitory action of zerumbone on COX-2 expression was con W rmed by demonstrating its suppression of TCDD-induced activation of COX-2 gene expression in mouse MMDD1 cells. We tested auraptene on DDT-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in U937 macrophages and found that auraptene is a powerful agent antagonizing this action of DDT. To con W rm the signi W cance of these actions of zerumbone and auraptene at the cellular level, we assessed their in X uence on TCDD-induced apoptosis resistance in intact U937 macrophages and found that they are capable of reversing this action of TCDD. In conclusion, zerumbone and auraptene were identi W ed to be the most e V ective agents in protecting U937 macrophages from developing these cell toxic e V ects of TCDD and DDT.

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Empirical Validation of Lean Implementation Barriers in Engineer-to-Order Companies: An Exploratory Study Enterprises employing an Engineer-to-Order (ETO) manufacturing strategy produce complex products designed specifically to customer requirements, on a project basis, under time and cost constraints. As a result of this complexity, wastes and inefficiency occur within the internal and external supply chain. To improve productivity, companies are striving to implement Lean practices in ETO environments but encounter implementation barriers. Based on the comprehensive literature study on Lean implementation barriers in ETO companies, this study empirically validates the occurrence of these barriers in practice. For this purpose, empirical evidence was gathered using a survey questionnaire followed by semi-structured interviews with 15 companies from the ETO sector in construction, mechanical engineering, and shipbuilding. As a result, the barriers mentioned in the literature are compared with the barriers that occur in practice. Simultaneously, new barriers not described in the literature are also identified. This study can guide Lean professionals in the ETO environment in their Lean efforts to identify corresponding barriers in their own organizations while trying to understand the relevant causes and fields of action to mitigate them. Future research should aim to explore other methods and strategies along with emerging technologies of Industry 4.0 that could help overcome Lean implementation barriers.

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The Value of Using Micro-Teaching for K-12 New Teacher Leadership Development in a Pandemic Response COVID-19 in 2020 has created a dramatic and instant shift of many K-12 educational institutions to distance learning often without the preparation and training required to be successful. The pedagogy and technology used in teaching are ever changing. The role of teacher/faculty development is to provide instructors with the tools and leadership skills to deal with these changes. Successful integration of technology and on-line in K-12 education must include (1) a connection to student learning, (2) hands-on technology, (3) curriculum-specific application, (4) active participation of teachers, (5) technical support, (6) administrative support, (7) adequate resources, and (8) continuous funding. This chapter looks at the value and utility using micro-teaching as a teacher leadership development approach to help K-12 educators become more effective and comfortable with on-line teaching.

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Post‐irradiation Renbok phenomenon in erythema multiforme: Report of a case sparing previously irradiated areas Dear Editor, The phenomenon of one skin disease sparing the site of an area which was previously affected by another skin disease or by a physical or chemical insult has been recognized since 1981, when it was reported a case of a drug rash failing to appear in a previously irradiated area.1 Since then, a variety of other related observations have also been reported using different terms including the ‘inverse Koebner phenomenon’, ‘Koebner non reaction’, ‘isomorphic non response’ or ‘Renbok phenomenon’ among others.2 In 2013 Kannangara et al. proposed unifying these observations under the term ‘sparing phenomenon’.3 Here, we present a case of a man in his 40s who was referred to the department of dermatology for the evaluation of a cutaneous rash that developed 48 h before consultation. Past medical history included lung adenocarcinoma T4N2M1 under treatment with afatinib and a previous palliative treatment with radiotherapy (Dose: 15 Gy) on the dorsal vertebrae (D611) for bone metastatic disease 1 month before. The patient referred a recent episode of labial herpes simplex. He denied previously febrile episodes or additional treatments. Physical history disclosed generalized eruption on the trunk and proximal aspects of the extremities resulting from the confluence of erythematous plaques of variable size, some of them presenting a characteristic targetlike appearance. Surprisingly, the diffuse cutaneous eruption spared two welldefined squareshaped or rectangular areas on his back and chest (Figure 1). Those sharpenedbordered areas were coincident with the previously irradiation fields (Figure

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2). No palmoplantar or mucosal lesions were observed (except for a labial herpes simplex in resolution). No fever or other associated symptoms were present. A skin biopsy from involved skin showed characteristic histopathological features of erythema multiforme. Oral corticosteroid treatment was prescribed achieving a progressive improvement and a complete resolution of the skin eruption. The Renbok phenomenon represents an example of the socalled ‘sparing phenomenon’. This uncommon clinical manifestation consists of the absence of lesions of a usually generalized dermatosis in a previously damaged skin area (due to physical or chemical damage or to a previous dermatosis).3 This concept has been applied to illustrate different clinical settings: patients with alopecia areata sparing areas with psoriasis,4 dermatophytosis sparing congenital nevi5 or occasional cases of leukocytoclastic vasculitis sparing a tattoo.6 It has also been reported in some drug eruptions, Stevens– Johnson Received: 11 April 2022 | Accepted: 8 August 2022

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The product replacement algorithm and Kazhdan’s property (T) A problem of great importance in computational group theory is to generate (nearly) uniformly distributed random elements in a finite groupG. A good example of such an algorithm should start at any given set of generators, use no prior knowledge of the structure of G, and in a polynomial number of group operations return the desired random group elements (see [Bb2]). Then these random elements can be used further to determine the structure of G. In a pioneer paper [Bb1] Babai found such an algorithm which provably generates (nearly) uniformly distributed random elements in O(log |G|) group multiplications, too many for practical applications. A different heuristic, the “product replacement algorithm”, was designed by Leedham-Green and Soicher [LG], and studied by Celler et al. in [CLMNO]. In spite of the fact that very little theoretical justification was known, practical experiments showed excellent performance. So, it quickly became the most popular “practical” algorithm to generate random group elements, and was included in the two most frequently used group algebra packages GAP ([Sc]) and MAGMA ([BCP]). A systematic and quantitative approach was carried out by Diaconis and SaloffCoste [DS1], [DS2] (see also [Bb2], [CG]), but their results did not reveal the mystery of the truly outstanding performance of the algorithm. The aim of this paper is to propose a conceptual explanation based on Kazhdan’s property (T) from representation theory of Lie groups and to improve some of the previous estimates on the running time. The product replacement algorithm works as follows

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([CLMNO]): Given a finite group G, let Γk(G) be the set of k-tuples (g) = (g1, . . . , gk) of elements of G such that 〈g1, . . . , gk〉 = G. We call elements of Γk(G) the generating k-tuples. Given a generating k-tuple (g1, . . . , gk), define a move on it in the following way: Choose uniformly a pair (i, j), such that 1 ≤ i 6= j ≤ k, then apply one of the following four operations with equal probability:

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Discovery of the first histone deacetylase 6/8 dual inhibitors. We disclose the first small molecule histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor (3, BRD73954) capable of potently and selectively inhibiting both HDAC6 and HDAC8 despite the fact that these isoforms belong to distinct phylogenetic classes within the HDAC family of enzymes. Our data demonstrate that meta substituents of phenyl hydroxamic acids are readily accommodated upon binding to HDAC6 and, furthermore, are necessary for the potent inhibition of HDAC8.

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Maintaining Consistency in a Stratified System Program We present our research on defining a correct semantics for forward chaining production systems (PS) programs. A correct semantics ensures that the execution of the program will not produce incorrect answers and execution will terminate; it also ensures that the answers are consistent. We define a class of stratified PS programs, and propose an operational semantics for these programs. We define an operator TPs, which computes the operational fixpoint for the productions of the stratified PS program; the fixpoint captures the meaning of the PS program. The theory that can be derived from the productions of the PS program may be inconsistent with the constraints that are also derived from the PS program. We can then view the constraints as modifying the theory so that the modified theory PS is consistent with the constraints. However, the same answers are obtained in the operational semantics of the stratified PS program or from the modified theory E.

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Replication of the scrapie agent in ocular neural tissues. Optic nerves and retinas removed from hamsters experimentally inoculated with the scrapie agent contain a high titer of infectivity. Ophthalmoscopic examination of these animals revealed gross lesions of retinopathy as early as 3 weeks before the onset of clinical signs of brain degeneration. These results suggest that the scrapie agent may spread centrifugally in nerve fibers after intracerebral inoculation and that the scrapie-associated retinopathy seen in hamsters is directly induced by the agent rather than the result of retrograde degeneration from central neural damage.

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Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer Does Not Increase Cardiovascular Mortality in the Long Term Objective: To determine if 6 months of neo-adjuvant androgen deprivation is associated with the long-term risk of cardiac mortality. Methods: In the TROG 96.01 trial, 802 men with locally advanced prostate cancer were randomized to radiotherapy either alone or with 3 or 6 months of neo-adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (NADT). Competing risk methodology was used to derive the cumulative incidence of fatal cardiac events. Results: At 10 years, the cumulative incidence of fatal cardiac events for the radiation therapy alone arm was 7.54% compared to a nonstatistically significant decreased incidence of 6.44% in the 6-month NADT arm (p = 0.65). Men aged over 65 years were not at an increased risk. Additional androgen deprivation therapy given as secondary treatment at tumor progression did not confer an increased risk. Conclusion: These data suggest that fatal cardiac events are not more common in men receiving up to 6 months of NADT.

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Existence and multiplicity of homoclinic solutions for a second-order Hamiltonian system In this paper, we find new conditions to ensure the existence of one nontrivial homoclinic solution and also infinitely many homoclinic solutions for the second order Hamiltonian system ü− a(t)|u|p−2u +∇W(t, u) = 0, t ∈ R, where p > 2, a ∈ C(R, R) with inft∈R a(t) > 0 and ∫ R ( 1 a(t) )2/(p−2)dt < +∞, and W(t, x) is, as |x| → ∞, superquadratic or subquadratic with certain hypotheses different from those used in previous related studies. Our approach is variational and we use the Cerami condition instead of the Palais–Smale one for deformation arguments.

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[Lipids-lowering effects of equol on low density lipoprotein receptor knockout hamsters]. OBJECTIVE Used low density lipoprotein receptor knockout(LDLR KO) hamster as the model similar to human dyslipidemia to observe the lipid-lowering effect of equol on heterozygotes. METHODS With soy-free high cholesterol high fat diet, 12-week-old LDLR KO female heterozygous hamsters were randomly divided into negative control group(no addition), positive control group(add 0.004% ezetimibe), genistein group(add 0.1%), and low, medium and high-dose groups of equol(add 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.1% respectively). Body weight, food consumption and blood lipid were continuously monitored for 12 weeks after feeding each group. Finally, liver morphology and lipid metabolism related genes expressions were checked. RESULTS There was no significant difference in body weight and average weekly food intake among the groups. The blood lipids in negative control group increased over time, and the cholesterol and triglyceride levels of LDLR KO heterozygous hamsters were significantly reduced by ezetimibe in the second week, while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was also significantly decreased. The lipid-lowering effects of genistein and equol were weaker than ezetimibe, and there was significant difference between the two groups after 12 weeks, but the decrease of HDL-c was not as significant as ezetimibe. Compared with genistein, the effect of medium and high dose equol was stronger. At 12 weeks, the liver weight ratio also decreased significantly, and the liver lipid accumulation was inhibited, especially in the high dose of equol. The expression of ApoAI, SREBP-2 and HMGCR were significantly up-regulated by equol and genistein. CONCLUSION Equol could reduce female LDLR KO hamster blood

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lipid. It may play a role in lipid lowering by inhibiting cholesterol absorption besides estrogen receptor pathway, but it is weaker than NPC1 L1 inhibitor. At the same time, up-regulation of ApoAI inhibits the decrease of high-density lipoprotein and reduces lipid accumulation in liver.

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Successful Use of Alternative Anticoagulants in the Management of Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia with Thrombotic Complications: Report of 5 cases and review of literature. Heparin is one of the most frequently used anticoagulants. It is easy to use, but can be associated with life-threatening side effects. One of these is heparin-induced thrombocytopenia syndrome (HITS), which develops in about 3-5% of patients exposed to heparin and is associated with thrombosis in 1% of cases. We report here the successful treatment of five patients with HITS who were treated with alternative anticoagulants namely danaparoid or hirudin. The median time between their exposure to heparin and onset of symptoms and or signs was 10.2 days (range 7-14 days). Platelet counts decreased to a mean of 38.4 x 10(9) /l (12-82 x 10(9)/l). All five patients had evidence of thrombosis; four patients had clinical and radiological evidence of pulmonary emboli, one patient had confirmed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and one patient had extensive skin necrosis of the thighs and abdomen. Platelet aggregation test were positive in two patients, inconclusive in one patient and negative in two patients. Two patients were anticoagulated with danaparoid and three with hirudin until their platelet counts returned to normal between 4 and 14 days (average 6 days) following the recognition of the syndrome. Our patients had significant morbidity, but no mortality. Immediate withdrawal of heparin is of paramount importance and introduction of alternative anticoagulant is necessary in the presence of thrombosis.

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Asp330 and Tyr331 in the C-terminal Cysteine-rich Region of the Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Are Key Residues in Hormone-induced Receptor Activation* The luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor plays an essential role in male and female gonadal function. Together with the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors, the LH receptor forms the family of glycoprotein hormone receptors. All glycoprotein hormone receptors share a common modular topography, with an N-terminal extracellular ligand binding domain and a C-terminal seven-transmembrane transduction domain. The ligand binding domain consists of 9 leucine-rich repeats, flanked by N- and C-terminal cysteine-rich regions. Recently, crystal structures have been published of the extracellular domains of the FSH and TSH receptors. However, the C-terminal cysteine-rich region (CCR), also referred to as the “hinge region,” was not included in these structures. Both structure and function of the CCR therefore remain unknown. In this study we set out to characterize important domains within the CCR of the LH receptor. First, we mutated all cysteines and combinations of cysteines in the CCR to identify the most probable disulfide bridges. Second, we exchanged large parts of the LH receptor CCR by its FSH receptor counterparts, and characterized the mutant receptors in transiently transfected HEK 293 cells. We zoomed in on important regions by focused exchange and deletion mutagenesis followed by alanine scanning. Mutations in the CCR specifically decreased the potencies of LH and hCG, because the potency of the low molecular weight agonist Org 41841 was unaffected. Using this unbiased approach, we identified Asp330 and Tyr331 as key amino acids

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in LH/hCG mediated signaling.

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Risk Assesment and Intrusion Detection for Airborne Networks. (Analyse De Risque Et Detection D'intrusions Pour Les Reseaux Avioniques) Aeronautics is actually facing a confluence of events: connectivity of aircraft is gradually increasing in order to ease the air traffic management and aircraft fleet maintainability, and to offer new services to passengers while reducing costs. The core avionics functions are thus linked to what we call the Open World, i.e. the non-critical network of an aircraft as well as the air traffic services on the ground. Such recent evolutions could be an open door to cyber-attacks as their complexity keeps growing. However, even if security standards are still under construction, aeronautical certification authorities already require that aircraft manufacturers identify risks and ensure aircraft will remain in a safe and secure state even under threat conditions. To answer this industrial problematic, this thesis first proposes a simple semi-quantitative risk assessment framework to identify threats, assets and vulnerabilities, and then rank risk levels according to threat scenario safety impact on the aircraft and their potential likelihood by using adjustable attribute tables. Then, in order to ensure the aircraft performs securely and safely all along its life-cycle, our second contribution consists in a generic and autonomous network monitoring function for intrusion detection based on Machine Learning algorithms. Different building block options to compose this monitoring function are proposed such as: two ways of modeling the network traffic through characteristic attributes, two Machine Learning techniques for anomaly detection: a supervised one based on the One Class Support Vector Machine algorithm requiring

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a prior training phase and an unsupervised one based on subspace clustering. Since a very common issue in anomaly detection techniques is the presence of false alarms, we prone the use of the Local Outlier Factor (a density indicator) to set a threshold in order to distinguish real anomalies from false positives. This thesis summarizes the work performed under the CIFRE (Convention Industrielle de Formation par la Recherche) fellowship between THALES Avionics and the CNRS-LAAS at Toulouse, France.

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Effect of published scientific evidence on glycemic control in adult intensive care units. IMPORTANCE Little is known about the deadoption of ineffective or harmful clinical practices. A large clinical trial (the Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation and Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation [NICE-SUGAR] trial) demonstrated that strict blood glucose control (tight glycemic control) in patients admitted to adult intensive care units (ICUs) should be deadopted; however, it is unknown whether deadoption occurred and how it compared with the initial adoption. OBJECTIVE To evaluate glycemic control in critically ill patients before and after the publication of clinical trials that initially suggested that tight glycemic control reduced mortality (Leuven I) but subsequently demonstrated that it increased mortality (NICE-SUGAR). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Interrupted time-series analysis of 353,464 patients admitted to 113 adult ICUs from January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2012, in the United States using data from the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation database. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The physiologically most extreme blood glucose level on day 1 of ICU admission defined glycemic control as tight control (glucose level, 80-110 mg/dL; to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0555), hypoglycemia (glucose level, <70 mg/dL), and hyperglycemia (glucose level, ≥180 mg/dL). Temporal changes in each marker were examined using mixed-effects segmented linear regression. RESULTS Before the publication of Leuven I, 17.2% (95% CI, 16.2%-18.2%) of ICU admissions had tight glycemic control, 3.0% (95% CI, 2.6%-3.5%) had hypoglycemia, and 40.2% (95% CI, 38.8%-41.5%) had hyperglycemia. After the publication of Leuven I, there were significant increases in the

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relative proportion of admissions with tight glycemic control (1.7% per quarter; 95% CI, 1.2%-2.3%; P<.001) and hypoglycemia (2.5% per quarter; 95% CI, 1.9%-3.2%; P<.001) and decreases in those with hyperglycemia (0.6% per quarter; 95% CI, 0.4%-0.9%; P<.001). Following the publication of NICE-SUGAR, there was no change in the proportion of patients with tight glycemic control or hyperglycemia. There was an immediate decrease in the relative proportion of patients with hypoglycemia (22.4%; 95% CI, 13.2%-30.1%; P<.001) but no subsequent change over time. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients admitted to adult ICUs in the United States, there was a slow steady adoption of tight glycemic control following publication of a clinical trial that suggested benefit, with little to no deadoption following a subsequent trial that demonstrated harm. There is an urgent need to understand and promote the deadoption of ineffective clinical practices.

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Climate of Anxiety in the Sahel: Emigration in Xenophobic Times Young Sahelian farmers are crossing the Sahara toward Europe. They are sold as slave labor, held ransom for money from their families, beaten and spit on. Many die in the desert or drown at sea. Yet, knowing the dangers, they go. The media depicts them as “climate refugees”—running from climate stress. These emigrants and their families, however, rarely mention the weather as a cause of their plight at home or their decisions to leave. They are fleeing abusive policies, exposure to markets, debt peonage, failures of social security systems and a sense of hopelessness in a world where they never expect to have a dignified role in their families or communities. Casting them as climate refugees occludes the multiple forces that lead them to emigrate and diverts attention from potential responses. This casting mobilizes, thus validating, European xenophobia to motivate Europeans to fight climate change. While climate investments appear responsible and progressive, the climate focus denies the colonial and postcolonial histories of emigrants’ plights, thereby threatening to deepen the crisis.

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A nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of solid tetraphosphorus trisulphide The31P n. m. r. spectrum and spin–lattice relaxation time in polycrystalline P4S3 have been measured between 77 and 500 K in the range 7 to 25 MHz. In phase II the31P n. m. r. spectra and second moments are dominated by the anisotropic chemical shift interactions. Close to the first-order phase transition at 314 K the spectra are narrowed by reorientation of the molecules about their triad axes. This motion also generates anisotropicshift spin-lattice relaxation notable for its absence of frequency dependence. The activation energy of this motion was found to be 34 kJ mol-1. Nuclear dipolar interactions play only a minor role. In phase 1 the molecules exhibit rapid quasi-isotropic reorientation and diffusion. The anisotropic broadening interactions are averaged out and an AB3 high-resolution spectrum of a doublet and quartet are resolved at 420 K, well below the melting point, 446 K. In this phase the spin–rotation interaction relaxation mechanism becomes dominant. Taking advantage of the remarkable motional narrowing in this compound we report the first solid-state n. m. r. Jspectrum. This spectrum, recorded at 410 K, allowed the J coupling between apical and basal nuclei in solid P4S3 to be measured accurately, 70.4 ± 0.5 Hz.

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Mitochondrial diversity of early-branching metazoa is revealed by the complete mt genome of a haplosclerid demosponge. The first mitochondrial (mt) genomes of demosponges have recently been sequenced and appear to be markedly different from published eumetazoan mt genomes. Here we show that the mt genome of the haplosclerid demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica has features that it shares with both demosponges and eumetazoans. Although the A. queenslandica mt genome has typical demosponge features, including size, long noncoding regions, and bacterialike rRNA genes, it lacks atp9, which is found in the other demosponges sequenced to date. We found strong evidence of a recent transposon-mediated transfer of atp9 to the nuclear genome. In addition, A. queenslandica bears an incomplete tRNA set, unusual amino acid deletion patterns, and a putative control region. Furthermore, the arrangement of mt rRNA genes differs from that of other demosponges. These genes evolve at significantly higher rates than observed in other demosponges, similar to previously observed nuclear rRNA gene rates in other haplosclerid demosponges.

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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work Title Global Earth structure : Inference and assessment A suite of compressional and shear phase arrival times (P, S, PP, PeP, SS, SeS, PKPab, 1 PI< P be, PI< Pdf, S I< S ae) and two sets of differential times ( S S S41oS, S S S66oS) are used to infer lateral variations in P and S velocity structure in the entire Earth (crust, mantle, and core). Volumetric heterogeneity is parameterized by 22 depth layers, each of which is subdivided into a grid of cells. In addition to volumetric heterogeneity, we determine topography on the major internal velocity discontinuities, station corrections, event relocation parameters, and inner core anisotropy, a total of 96,300 unknowns. The model parameters are estimated using an iterative Lanczos algorithm to obtain a partial singular value decomposition. A total of 5,000 Lanczos values and vectors are used to construct model parameter estimates as well as measures of model parameter resolution and covariance. The Lanczos resolution estimates provide lower bounds on conventional SVD-based measures. Throughout most of the mantle we find that regions beneath the continents, particularly in the northern hemisphere, are well resolved. With the exception of Africa, velocity variations are moderately wellresolved in that portion of the outer core lying beneath the continents. Velocity heterogeneity is poorly resolved in the inner core where cell dimensions are small and deviations in velocity heterogeneity trade off with variations in anisotropy. Variations in the uppermost mantle (2-3 %) are correlated with surface tectonics, while at greater depths high velocity

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variations coincide with regions of past and present subduction. The high velocity anomalies extend into the lower mantle though with a reduced amplitude (0.5-1.0 %) until the lowest mantle (2.5 %). At the base of the outer core a large scale pattern of heterogeneity (0.8 %) is observed, slower at the poles. In the inner core we infer peak anisotropy of 2-3 %which varies laterally and with depth. However, the magnitude and distribution of the anisotropy trades off strongly with velocity h~terogeneity.

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[Epidemiology and therapy of infections caused by Neisseria meningitidis]. In spite of the progress in antibiotic therapy and immunoprophylaxis Neisseria meningitidis remains one of the major causes of meningitis and sepsis burdened by high mortality. In this paper characteristics of N. meningitidis and in particular its epidemiology, virulence factors, antibiotic therapy and resistance mechanisms, immuno- and chemoprophylaxis, are discussed. Data from the National Reference Centre for Bacterial Meningitis are also presented. These data indicate that this pathogen is the most common laboratory confirmed bacterial etiologic agent of community-acquired meningitis in Poland.

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Tests for radio frequency interference to medical telemetry operating in the Private Land Mobile Radio Service (PLMRS) from newly allocated PLMRS channels. Abstract Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a well-known risk for wireless medical telemetry, particularly for older telemetry systems still operating in the Private Land Mobile Radio Service (PLMRS) frequencies between 450 and 470 MHz. Testing was performed with medical telemetry systems at two local hospitals using the older 25 kHz wide, 460 to 470 MHz channel PLMRS telemetry to assess the RFI potential with transmissions using newly allocated 12.5 kHz and 6.25 kHz wide channels. Significant interference and loss of telemetry was observed on the telemetry monitors when the new channels both overlapped with and were adjacent to the medical telemetry channels. This work demonstrates the vulnerability of older medical telemetry using the radio frequencies between 460 and 470 MHz to new PLMRS transmitters that will operate in these frequencies after December 31, 2005. Telemetry users are urged to assess their equipment RFI vulnerabilities, particularly in the PLMRS frequency band, and migrate to frequenc...

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Ab initio study of the hyperfine structure of the X2Π electronic state of HCCS The results of an ab initio study of the magnetic hyperfine structure of the X2Π electronic state of HCCS and DCCS are reported. The potential surfaces for two components of the X2Π electronic state and the electronically averaged hyperfine coupling constants for H, D, 13C and 33S are obtained as functions of two bending vibrational modes by the density functional theory method. Since the bending potential curves calculated in the present study do not differ significantly from their counterparts computed in our previous work by means of an extensive configuration interaction approach, we employ the latter here to avoid the appearance of small differences between the vibronic energy levels presented in this work and those already published. The vibronic wave functions are calculated with the help of a variational approach which takes into account the Renner–Teller effect and spin–orbit coupling. It is found that, due to the generally significant geometry dependence of the hyperfine coupling constants, it is necessary to carry out vibronic averaging of the corresponding functions in order to obtain values which can be compared with the results of measurements. The results of the present study are an aid to the reliable interpretation of recently published experimental data.

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HEXOKINASE1 forms a nuclear complex with the PRC2 subunits CURLY LEAF and SWINGER to regulate glucose signaling. The glucose sensor HEXOKINASE1 (HXK1) integrates myriad external and internal signals to regulate gene expression and development in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, how HXK1 mediates glucose signaling in the nucleus remains unclear. Here, using immunoprecipitation-coupled mass spectrometry, we show that two catalytic subunits of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, SWINGER (SWN) and CURLY LEAF (CLF), directly interact with catalytically active HXK1 and its inactive forms (HXK1G104D and HXK1S177A ) via their evolutionarily conserved SANT domains. HXK1, CLF, and SWN target common glucose-responsive genes to regulate glucose signaling, as revealed by RNA-sequencing. The glucose-insensitive phenotypes of the Arabidopsis swn-1 and clf-50 mutants were similar to that of hxk1, and genetic analysis revealed that CLF, SWN, and HXK1 function in the same genetic pathway. Intriguingly, HXK1 is required for CLF- and SWN-mediated H3K27me3 deposition and glucose-mediated gene repression. Moreover, CLF and SWN affect the recruitment of HXK1 to its target chromatin. These findings support a model in which HXK1 and epigenetic modifiers form a nuclear complex to cooperatively mediate glucose signaling, thereby affecting the histone modification and expression of glucose-regulated genes in plants. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Theories of Africans: The Question of Literary Anthropology Literary criticism at the present moment seems ready to open its doors once again to the outside world, even if that world is only a series of other academic disciplines, each cloistered in its own way. For the reader of black African literature in French, the opening comes none too soon. The program for reading Camara Laye, Ahmadou Kourouma, and Yambo Ouologuem should never have been the program prescribed for Rousseau, Wordsworth, or Blanchot. If one is willing to read a literature that might not be a rewriting of Hegel (or even of Kant), and if the negative knowledge of recent theoretical criticism is questioned in the universality of its applications, then what is really open to a Western reader of non-Western literature? Claiming a break with his/her own culture and critical upbringing, can he/she read the Other, the African, as if from an authentically

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[Temporal relationship of LH and estradiol at mid cycle (author's transl)]. In order to quantitate the feedback effect of estradiol (E2) on the release of LH, serum LH and E2 were measured in 27 ovulatory women daily during the menstrual cycle. The initial rise of LH levels concomitantly occurred when serum E2 concentrations over 100 pg/ml and over 200 pg/ml were maintained for 2 approximately 4 days and for 1 approximately 2 days respectively. The initial rises of LH levels were observed on the day of preovulatory E2 peak. A more detail analysis of the relationship between the two hormones were obtained in five subjects whose blood samples were taken at every eight hours around the time of ovulation. In one among five cases, samples were not obtained early enough to ascertain the relation of the E2 peak to the LH peak. In 3 out of the 4 cases, the intial rises of LH levels occured prior to or concomitant with the time of the E2 peak. By average of all of the five cases, a significant initial rise of LH levels was observed simultaneously with the time of the E2 peak. These results suggest that the increase of the circulatory E2 levels is essential for the initiation of LH surge and their decrease levels are an unrequired mechanism for the midcycle LH release.

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Conventional Albee: Box and Chairman Mao THERE IS LITTLE IN EDWARD ALBEE'S PLAY(S) Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse—Tung that obviously conforms to even an expressionistically liberal definition of "normal" drama. Such things as plot, character, setting, dramatic conflict, dialogue hardly exist in any conventional sense. In Box there is only the stark outline of a large cube and the epithets from a disembodied female voice. The set directions for Chairman Mao specify "the deck of an ocean liner," but the outline cube from Box also remains present throughout. Of the four characters in Chairman Mao, one — the Minister — never speaks, and the others utter interleaved but essentially independent monologues. Part way through the play the Voice from Box begins to be heard as well and; like a reprise, lines from Box end the play(s).

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[Can the screening of blood samples identify adverse drug reactions?]. BACKGROUND Analysis of blood samples may identify adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and risk situations. The study objective was to validate a method for in-hospital detection of ADRs based on screening of blood samples. MATERIAL AND METHODS Routine blood samples from patients in a geriatric ward were screened according to simple decision criteria to identify ADRs. The method was compared to intensive clinical monitoring of ADRs. RESULTS 61 ADRs were identified in 33 patients; 11 ADRs per 1,000 bed days by the screening method (14 totally) and 37 ADRs per 1,000 bed days by intensive monitoring. The positive predictive value for the screening method was 0.29 (95% CI (0.18-0.43). CONCLUSION The screening method identified ADRs characterized by pathological laboratory values. The method should be further tested with modified decision criteria when electronic patient records, including electronic drug prescription, become routine practice in the hospital.

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Modulation of expression of the MHC class I‐binding natural killer cell receptors, and NK activity in relation to viral load in HIV‐infected/AIDS patients The natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in viral infections via their spontaneous cytolytic activity against virus‐infected cells as well as via secreting a variety of soluble mediators. The MHC class I‐binding NK receptors of these cells have emerged as the most important regulators of the effector activities of cytolytic cells (both NK and CTL). We have studied the modulation of NK activity and the expression of NK receptors in HIV‐infected/AIDS patients and report here that the NK activities of the patients with the lowest plasma HIV load were minimal and vice versa, suggesting a decrease in this activity following suppression of HIV replication. Interestingly, the NK activity correlated negatively with the peripheral blood CD4+ T‐cell counts of these patients. Furthermore, these patients showed decreased percentages of CD56+ cells expressing NK receptors of the immunoglobulin superfamily, whereas the percentages of CD8+ cells expressing these receptors were increased. Moreover, the expression of C‐type lectin‐like NK receptor‐associated invariant molecule CD94 was increased on CD8+ cells in these patients as compared with HIV‐seronegative controls. These changes in the expression of NK receptors were also evident within groups of these patients having different viral loads. These results show, for the first time, decreased innate immunity and changes in the expression of NK receptors on cytolytic cells in relation to viral burden in HIV‐infected/AIDS patient. J. Med. Virol. 65:431–440, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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Doing and writing an accompanied feminist geography research project My dissertation offers a critical topography in which the processes and practices of producing post-disaster spaces are exposed, which, in turn, ‘invite the vivid revelation of social and political difference and inequality’ (Katz 2001, 1228). Because space is necessarily malleable, fluid, and relational due to the ever-changing activities, conflict, and experiences unfolding in the landscape (Staeheli and Martin 2000), any analysis of space must be formulated in terms of the social relations occurring within and beyond its porous boundaries (Massey 1994). Accordingly, this study explores how the social relations among survivors and trustees are linked to exclusion, governmentality, mobility, and spaceand place-making. Specifically, it examines these processes and practices in the environmental migration precipitated by Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines.

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United States: Supreme Court Opinion in International Longshoremen's Association V. Allied International (Russian Invasion of Afghanistan; Refusal to Unload Soviet Cargoes; Violation of U.S. Labor Law) Respondent is an American importer of Russian wood products and had contracts with an American shipper for shipment of the products from the Soviet Union to American ports. The shipper in turn employed a stevedoring company to unload its ships. The stevedore's employees were members of petitioner longshoremen's union (hereafter petitioner). Petitioner, as a protest against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, refused to unload cargoes arriving from or destined for the Soviet Union. As a result respondent's shipments and business were disrupted completely. Respondent then brought an action in Federal District Court for damages under 8 303 of the Labor Management Relations Act, claiming that petitioner's refusal to unload respondent's shipments constituted an illegal secondary boycott under § 8(b)(4)(B) of the National Labor Relations Act. Section 8(b)(4)(B) prohibits a labor union from engaging in activities designed to influence individuals employed by "any person engaged in commerce or in an industry affecting commerce," and from inducing such employees to refuse to handle goods with the object of forcing any person "to cease using, selling, handling, transporting, or otherwise dealing" in the products of, or "to cease doing business" with, another person. The District Court dismissed the complaint, holding that petitioner's boycott was a purely political, primary boycott of Russian goods and thus not within the scope of § 8(b)(4)(B). The Court of Appeals reversed.

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Labeling Maize (Zea mays L.) Leaves with 15 NH4+ and Monitoring Nitrogen Incorporation into Amino Acids by GC/MS Analysis. The human body contains approximately 3.2% nitrogen (N), mainly present as protein and amino acids. Although N exists at a high concentration (78%) in the air, it is not readily available to animals and most plants. Plants are however able to take up both nitrate (NO3- ) and ammonium (NH4+ ) ions from the soil and convert them to amino acids and proteins, which are excellent sources for all animals. Most N is available as the stable isotope 14 N, but a second form, 15 N, is present in very low concentrations. 15 N can be detected in extracts of plants by gas chromatography followed by mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In this protocol, the methods are described for tracing the pathway by which plants are able to take up 15 N-labeled nitrate and ammonium and convert them into amino acids and proteins. A protocol for extracting and quantifying amino acids and 15 N enrichment in maize (Zea mays L.) leaves labeled with 15 NH4+ is described. Following amino acid extraction, purification, and separation by GC/MS, a calculation of the 15 N enrichment of each amino acid is carried out on a relative basis to identify any differences in the dynamics of amino acid accumulation. This will allow a study of the impact of genetic modifications or mutations on key reactions involved in primary nitrogen and carbon metabolism. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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A GRASP WITH PATH-RELINKING FOR PERMANENT VIRTUAL CIRCUIT ROUTING A frame relay service offers virtual private networks to customers by provisioning a set of long-term private virtual circuits (PVCs) between customer endpoints on a large backbone network. During the provisioning of a PVC, routing decisions are made without any knowledge of future requests. Over time, these decisions can cause inefficiencies in the network and occasional offline rerouting of the PVCs is needed. In this paper, the offline PVC routing problem is formulated as an integer multicommodity flow problem with additional constraints and with an objective function that minimizes delays and network overload. We propose variants of a GRASP with path-relinking heuristic for this problem. Experimental results for realistic-size problems are reported, showing that the proposed heuristics are able to improve the solutions found with standard routing techniques. Moreover, the structure of our objective function provides a useful strategy for setting the appropriate value of its weight parameter, to achieve some quality of service (QoS) level defined by a desired maximum utilization rate.

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Impact of Somatic Mutations and Pretransplant Strategies on the Outcome of Patients Allografted for MDS or Secondary AML Introduction: In addition to other disease-, patient- and procedure-related factors, recent studies revealed a strong impact of somatic mutations on the outcome after allogeneic transplantation (allo-SCT) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The choice of pre-transplant strategy (upfront transplantation [Tx] vs. induction chemotherapy [CTX] vs. hypomethylating agent [HMA]) is a matter of debate among experts but may also influence post-transplant outcome. The issue whether there is an interplay between mutational profile and pre-transplant therapies and how this may modulate outcome after allo-SCT has not been investigated so far and was therefore the scope of this analysis. Methods: For this purpose we performed amplicon-based sequencing (TruSight Myeloid 54-gene panel, Illumina®) of pre-transplant samples from 128 patients with MDS (85%) or sAML (15%) who had received an allo-SCT at our institution between 2001 and 2015 from related (46%) or unrelated (54%) donors following standard-dose (39%) or reduced-intensity (61%) conditioning. Seventy-three patients (57%) were directly transplanted (upfront group), while 55 patients (43%) had received pre-transplant cytoreductive therapy (CTX or HMA). Molecular data, pre-transplant therapy and clinical variables were entered into uni- and multivariate analyses to estimate their impact on outcome after allo-SCT and response to salvage therapy in patients relapsing after allo-SCT. Results: Estimated 5-year overall (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) of the entire cohort was 56% and 42%, respectively. Corresponding to the presence of at least one mutation in 87% of patients (median 2

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mutations per patient, range 0-6) a total of 285 mutations were detected, with RUNX1 (18%), ASXL1 (17%), SRSF2 (15%), DNMT3A (13%), TET2 (13%), TP53 (12%) and SF3B1 (10%) being the most frequently affected genes. Multivariate modeling revealed independent negative prognostic impact of TP53 and SF3B1 mutations on OS, RFS and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR); NRAS and DNMT3A mutations on OS; as well as NRAS and SF3B1 mutations on non-relapse mortality. Similar to the non-transplant setting, these 4 "poor risk" mutations refined the prognostication of patients with complex karyotype, since those carrying at least one of the "poor-risk" mutations had an even worse prognosis. In addition, pre-transplant cytoreductive therapy negatively influenced not only OS, RFS and CIR after allo-SCT in multivariate analysis, but also interacted with mutations status. Indeed, patients receiving upfront Tx had the best outcome in terms of OS and RFS in the absence of "poor risk" mutations. In the presence of any of these 4 mutations, prognosis of patients receiving upfront TX was worse, but still significantly better compared to patients carrying a "poor risk" mutation who had undergone pre-transplant cytoreduction (Figure 1). The negative impact of these mutations detected prior to transplant was abrogated after transplant in 41 relapsed patients treated with HMA+/-DLI. Pre-transplant strategy also significantly influenced outcome after HMA-based salvage therapy, as patients in the upfront group had a higher likelihood of response and survival. Conclusion: These results confirm and expand previous data on the prognostic impact of mutations in TP53, SF3B1, DNMT3A and NRAS on outcome after allo-SCT. There

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seems be a prognostic interaction between mutational status and pre-transplant strategy, suggesting that it may be possible to adapt pre-transplant therapy according to the molecular profile of each patient. Figure 1 Rautenberg: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Travel Support; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Travel Support. Germing:Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria. Gattermann:Alexion: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Takeda: Research Funding. Kobbe:Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Jazz: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Medac: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Roche: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Biotest: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Neovii: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; MSD: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Pfizer: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Abbvie: Honoraria, Other: Travel support. Schroeder:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

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The Artistry of Anger: Black and White Women's Literature in America, 1820-1860, and: The Language of War: Literature and Culture in the U.S. from the Civil War through World War II (review) of effigies of George III in 1776. Downes suggests that because the American revolutionaries were unable to physically kill their King, they killed him metaphorically, in repeated staged performances of regicide. The meaning of this spectacle depends on a shared acknowledgement of the symbolic power vested in a material representation of the king’s body. The revolutionaries tried to subvert ‘‘the king’s privileged relationship to the order of the metaphor’’ (42) in order to create a new economy of power between the political subject and the material signifier. In a reading heavily influenced by Michael Warner’s work, Downes claims that the brand-new Americans went on to construct their political subjectivity not on the hieroglyph but on the alphabetic sign. This chapter offers many excellent interpretations of race, patriarchy, and materiality in the context of the mock executions, and Downes succeeds in tying together a wide variety of texts to prove the residual influence of monarchism on American democratic subjectivity. However, not all of Downes’s chapters are equally convincing. His cursory consideration of Irving, for example, does nothing to strengthen his argument, which can be difficult to follow because of his fragmentary and foreshortened style. Also, the choice of texts seems to reveal a particular penchant for the dead white men, which goes unexplained. Fortunately, his afterword on Cooper’s The Spy incorporates the previous interpretations into

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the bigger, monarchical picture. Like Bloch’s book, Downes’s study presents a valuable new reading of American Revolutionary culture, and it stands as an example of the important work that remains to be done within the confines of American studies and the geographical boundaries of the United States.

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Assessing Waste Taxation: an Empirical Study in a Cge Multi-Pollutant Framework Economic theory states that incineration and landfill taxes can be a good policy to reduce environmental impacts of these activities by reducing their importance and associated pollutants, while stimulating reuse and recycling of materials. In this research we assess the economic and environmental effects of these taxes in Spain with the use of a detailed dynamic CGE model, under different scenarios. We focus the economic impact on GDP and sectorial production, and the environmental impact on different impact categories: global warming potential, marine eutrophication potential, photochemical ozone formation potential, particulate matter, human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer), ecotoxicity, and depletion of fossil resources). We find in all scenarios that these taxes have a limited economic impact, while reduce all of the environmental impact categories analyzed.

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Application of theory of semi-Markov processes to determining distribution of probabilistic process of marine accidents resulting from collision of ships ABSTRACT In this paper is presented possible application of the theory of semi-Markov processes to elaborating an eight-state model of the process of occurrence of serviceability state and unserviceability states of sea-going ships making critical manoeuvres during their entering and leaving the ports. In the analysis it was taken into account that sea-going ships are in service for a very long time t (t → ∞). The model was elaborated to determine the probability (P0) of correct execution of critical manoeuvres during ship’s entering and leaving the port as well as the probabilities Pj(j = 1, 2, 3, …, 7) of incorrect execution of critical manoeuvres by a ship, that leads to marine accidents. It was assumed that such accidents result from: ship’s grounding on port approaching fairway, collision with a ship on port approching fairway, collision with a pierhead during passing through port entrance, collision with a hydrotechnical structure during ship’s passing through port channels, collision with a port quay during coming alongside it and collision with a ship already moored to the quay. The probability (P0) was assumed a measure of safe execution of a critical manoeuvre. The probability characterizes possibility of avoiding any collision during ship’s entering and leaving the port. The probability Pa = 1 - P0 was assumed a measure of occurrence of a collsion and - consequently - marine accident. The probability Pa was interpreted as a sum of the

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probabilities Pj(j = 1, 2, 3, …, 7) of occurrence of all the selected events. In summing up the paper, attention was drawn to its merits which - in opinion of this author - are crucial for research on real process of accidents during entering the port and leaving it by sea-going ship in difficult navigation conditions.

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Talc: using desktop graffiti to fight software vulnerability With the proliferation of computer security threats on the Internet, especially threats such as worms that automatically exploit software flaws, it is becoming more and more important that home users keep their computers secure from known software vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, keeping software up-to-date is notoriously difficult for home users. This paper introduces TALC, a system to encourage and help home users patch vulnerable software. TALC increases home users' awareness of software vulnerabilities and their motivation to patch their software; it does so by detecting unpatched software and then drawing graffiti on their computer's background wallpaper image to denote potential vulnerabilities. Users can "clean up" the graffiti by applying necessary patches, which TALC makes possible by assisting in the software patching process

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Primary Hyperparathyroidism: An Uncommon Cause of Hip Pain Abstract Hip pain is a common complaint in a pediatric emergency department. The causes of hip pain are diverse and generally include traumatic and infectious causes. We report a case of hip pain caused by deep soft tissue infection associated with hypercalcemia and primary hyperparathyroidism. Atypical presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism may result in a delay in diagnosis.

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Metal Halide Perovskites Functionalized by Patterning Technologies Metal halide perovskites (MHPs), as emerging stars, are greatly attracted due to their superior optical and optoelectrical properties. The design and construction of patterned materials have been considered as a powerful tool to improve the performance of optical and optoelectronic devices. Therefore, the marriage of MHPs and patterning technologies is expected to boost the development of perovskite‐based applications with novel functions and optimized properties. Moreover, with the merits of patterning technologies, integrated and small‐sized perovskite‐based optoelectronic devices with compactness are foreseen. In this review, recent progress in this field is summarized, including template‐assisted and template‐free patterning technologies that can endow MHPs with high crystallinity, long‐term stability, and special structures. Besides, the advantages and mechanisms of patterned MHPs toward high‐performance applications are discussed.

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Identification of high confidence human poly(A) RNA isoform scaffolds using nanopore sequencing Nanopore sequencing devices read individual RNA strands directly. This facilitates identification of exon linkages and nucleotide modifications; however, using conventional methods the 5′ and 3′ ends of poly(A) RNA cannot be identified unambiguously. This is due in part to the architecture of the nanopore/enzyme-motor complex, and in part to RNA degradation in vivo and in vitro that can obscure transcription start and end sites. In this study, we aimed to identify individual full-length human RNA isoform scaffolds among ∼4 million nanopore poly(A)-selected RNA reads. First, to identify RNA strands bearing 5′ m7G caps, we exchanged the biological cap for a modified cap attached to a 45-nucleotide oligomer. This oligomer adaptation method improved 5′ end sequencing and ensured correct identification of the 5′ m7G capped ends. Second, among these 5′-capped nanopore reads, we screened for ionic current signatures consistent with a 3′ polyadenylation site. Combining these two steps, we identified 294,107 individual high-confidence full-length RNA scaffolds, most of which (257,721) aligned to protein-coding genes. Of these, 4,876 scaffolds indicated unannotated isoforms that were often internal to longer, previously identified RNA isoforms. Orthogonal data confirmed the validity of these high-confidence RNA scaffolds.

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[The effect of OROS metoprolol in mild and moderately severe essential hypertension]. The authors tested in an open, uncontrolled trial in a group of 23 patients with essential hypertension grade I-II (WHO classification) the effect of Metoprolol OROS. The OROS system is a new form of Metoprolol administration which makes it possible to maintain by a single dose per day a steady plasma concentration, while preserving the cardioselectivity and total 24-hour effectiveness during treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris. After eight weeks of Metoprolol OROS administration, in doses gradually adjusted to the therapeutic action, gradually a significant decrease of the heart rate (HR) occurred, of the systolic blood pressure (BPs) and diastolic blood pressure (BPd) (p less than 0.01 for all values) in a recumbent as well as upright position. A reduction of the BPd in an upright position by greater than or equal to 10 mm Hg was achieved in 85% of the patients, in 73.9% of the patients the BPd in an upright position dropped below 95 mm Hg. Four patients developed side-effects which were mild to medium severe (vertigo, palpitations, fatigue, sensation of tremor, tension in the lower extremities). Two patients discontinued treatment early, the main reason in both being palpitations which were under better conversely, in two patients palpitations which were not adequately controlled by previous metoprolol treatment, disappeared completely during Metoprolol OROS treatment. During the trial no significant changes in the investigated laboratory values incl. total cholesterol were recorded, Metoprolol OROS administered once per day is an effective, safe and well

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tolerated preparation in treatment of mild to medium severe essential hypertension.

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The circular loop intraocular lens. A large series of cases of intracapsular cataract extractions with implantation of the recently introduced Medallion circular loop lens is reviewed. Case selection surgical technique, postoperative management, complications and results are presented in detail. Surgical and visual results have been excellent ahd compare favorably with intracapsular cataract surgery performed without artificial lens implantation. The transiridectomy clip of the posterior supporting circular loop provides an excellent system of lens fixation and eliminates the need for an iris suture with the potential long-term complications of possible iris suture absorption. The lens is essentially unluxatable. A particularly low incidence of cystoid macular edema, as well as other long-term postoperative complications, has been encouraging. The surgical technical requirements for implantation of this particular implant are very exacting. Further refinements in design and construction of this artificial lens based on the experiences developed in this series of cases are proposed.

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Design, synthesis, and bioactivities of steroid-linked taxol analogues as potential targeted drugs for prostate and breast cancer. The female steroid hormone 3,17beta-estradiol (2) was selected as an agent to target taxol (1) to estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer cells. Estradiol-taxol conjugates (ETC) were synthesized through linkages from the 11- or 16-position of estradiol to the 2'-, 7-, or 10-position of taxol. All conjugates were cytotoxic to the A2870 ovarian cancer cell line, although less so than taxol. The MCF-7 breast cancer cell line (ER-alpha positive) and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line (ER-alpha negative) were also used to evaluate the selectivity and cytotoxicity of these conjugates. One conjugate showed some selectivity for ER positive cells, but it was less potent than taxol. Two ETC hemisuccinates were also prepared to improve the solubility of the conjugates. The corresponding Na and triethanolammonium salts were slightly more cytotoxic than the acid form but were much less cytotoxic than the corresponding ETC.

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A “Cognitive Miser” Theory of Cooperators Advantage We propose a new model of cooperators' advantage depending neither on supplementary incentives nor on cooperators' capacity to recognize, and play selectively with, other cooperators. It depends, rather, on players' making the play-no play decision by the heuristic of projecting their own “cooperate-defect” choices onto potential partners. Cooperators offer to play more often, and fellow cooperators will more often accept their offer. When certain boundary conditions are met, this results in a higher expected payoff for cooperators than for defectors. Empirical support for this heuristic is suggested by expectations data from related social dilemma experiments. Moreover, its use can be justified in Bayesean terms. Our model brings behavioral decision theory's “cognitive miser” paradigm to bear on interdisciplinary concern with the evolution of cooperative behavior and shows how, if other mechanisms provide a suitable “initial kick,” cooperation can evolve in the absence of iteration and in large, mobile societies.

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Improvement in Brightness Uniformity by Compensating for the Threshold Voltages of Both the Driving Thin-Film Transistor and the Organic Light-Emitting Diode for Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode Displays In this paper, we propose a novel pixel design and driving method for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM-OLED) displays using low-temperature polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors (LTPS-TFTs). The proposed threshold voltage compensation circuit, which comprised five transistors and two capacitors, has been verified to supply uniform output current by simulation work using the automatic integrated circuit modeling simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (AIM-SPICE) simulator. The driving scheme of this voltage programming method includes four periods: precharging, compensation, data input, and emission. The simulated results demonstrate excellent properties such as low error rate of OLED anode voltage variation (<1%) and high output current. The proposed pixel circuit shows high immunity to the threshold voltage deviation characteristics of both the driving poly-Si TFT and the OLED.

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Tau-Induced Defects in Synaptic Plasticity, Learning, and Memory Are Reversible in Transgenic Mice after Switching Off the Toxic Tau Mutant This report describes the behavioral and electrophysiological analysis of regulatable transgenic mice expressing mutant repeat domains of human Tau (TauRD). Mice were generated to express TauRD in two forms, differing in their propensity for β-structure and thus in their tendency for aggregation (“pro-aggregant” or “anti-aggregant”) (Mocanu et al., 2008). Only pro-aggregant mice show pronounced changes typical for Tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (aggregation, missorting, hyperphosphorylation, synaptic and neuronal loss), indicating that the β-propensity and hence the ability to aggregate is a key factor in the disease. We now tested the mice with regard to neuromotor parameters, behavior, learning and memory, and synaptic plasticity and correlated this with histological and biochemical parameters in different stages of switching TauRD on or off. The mice are normal in neuromotor tests. However, pro-aggregant TauRD mice are strongly impaired in memory and show pronounced loss of long-term potentiation (LTP), suggesting that Tau aggregation specifically perturbs these brain functions. Remarkably, when the expression of human pro-aggregant TauRD is switched on for ∼10 months and off for ∼4 months, memory and LTP recover, whereas aggregates decrease moderately and change their composition from mixed human plus mouse Tau to mouse Tau only. Neuronal loss persists, but synapses are partially rescued. This argues that continuous presence of amyloidogenic pro-aggregant TauRD constitutes the main toxic insult for memory and LTP, rather than the aggregates as such.

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Myocutaneous island pedicle "sling" flap for correction of central upper cutaneous (philtral) lip defects. Defects in the central upper cutaneous lip offer a challenge to surgeons because closure options are limited. Maintaining the architecture of the philtrum and Cupid’s bow is necessary because disruptions in these areas are often apparent. The complexity of the surrounding region limits the options for the surgeon in this cosmetically sensitive area. Surgical techniques described previously include a linear closure sacrificing the philtrum, grafting the entire philtrum, or various local flaps. Unfortunately, these techniques often result in suboptimal cosmetic results, with distortion of the philtral architecture. We propose a myocutaneous island pedicle sling flap for closure of philtral defects that preserves the surrounding central lip architecture.

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[Sublobar resection for non-small cell lung cancer in Iceland]. INTRODUCTION A sublobar resection is performed on patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are not candidates for a lobectomy due to reduced pulmonary function or comorbid disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of these operations in Iceland. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study of all patients with NSCLC who underwent wedge resection or segmentectomy with curative intent during 1994-2008. Data on indication, pathological TNM-stage, complications and overall survival was analyzed. All histological samples were re-evaluated. RESULTS Forty four patients underwent 42 wedge and 5 segmental resections (age 69.1 yrs, 55.3% female), with 38.3% of cases detected incidentally. The majority of patients (55.3%) had a history of coronary artery disease and 40.4% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Mean operative time was 83 minutes (range 30-131), mean intraoperative bleeding was 260 ml (range 100-650) and median hospital stay was 9 days (range 4-24). Pneumonia (14.9%) and prolonged air leakage (12.8%) were the most common complications. Two patients had major complications and 36.2% stayed in the intensive care unit overnight. No deaths occurred within 30 days of surgery. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histological type (66.7%). Most cases were stage IA/IB (78.7%), 17.0% were stage IIA/IIB and 4.3% were stage IIIA. One and 5 year survival was 85.1% and 40.9% respectively. CONCLUSION In Iceland, both survival and complication rate after sublobar resection for NSCLC are comparable to results published for lobectomies, even though a higher percentage of patients have underlying cardiopulmonary disease.

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Seroprevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among street children in Isfahan, Iran. Background: There are millions of children around the world living on the street. They are at higher risk of physical, sexual and drug abuse, and have no access to health care facilities. Therefore they are at risk of viral infections such as HCV and HIV . The aim of this study was determining the prevalence of HCV and HIV infection in Isfahan street children ( 2005-2007 ). Methods: The cross-sectional study was taken place on 386 street children through a nonprobable-convenience sampling method. They were requested to answer a questionnaire (demographic and behavioral data), and then they were tested for anti HCV and anti HIV antibodies. Results: Among 386 street children, 270 (70%) were boys and the mean age was 12.62±3.23 years. The majority of them, 267 cases (69%) , were on the street for financial reasons. 353 (91.7%) , 366 (94.8%) and 375 (97.2%) of them had no history of smoking, using alcohol or substance addiction, respectively. 40 (34.5%) of girls and 12 (4.4%) of boys (p <0.0001 ) were engaged in sex and 79 (68%) of girls and 46 (17%) of boys (p <0.0001 ) were involved in physical fighting. All of the children had negative serology for HIV infection. Nevertheless, four of them (1%) were positive for HCV A b. Conclusion: The knowledge of street children about high risk behaviors and the infectious diseases should be improved through educational programs. They need also legal, social and

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health support. Abstract

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Smartphone Based Distance Estimation Algorithm Using Dynamic Step Length In this paper, a new Smartphone sensor-based algorithm is proposed to detect accurate distance estimation. The algorithm consists of two phases, the first phase is for detecting the peaks from the Smartphone accelerometer sensor. The other one is for detecting the step length which varies from step to step. The proposed algorithm is tested and implemented in real environment and it showed promising results. Unlike the conventional approaches, the error of the proposed algorithm is fixed and is not affected by the long distance.

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Trust, Gender and Social Capital: Experimental Evidence from Three Western European Countries The economic literature has discussed the links between trust and gender, and trust and social capital. Given that some empirical evidence shows also that gender and trust are somehow related and specifically women tend to trust less than men, I try to investigate the effect of social capital on generalized trust, controlling also for the "gender effect". This latter could be due to the fact that women are less prone to invest in social capital than men, as the literature highlights. Using the tools of experimental economy, I performed the same experiment in Oslo, Leuven and Torino, in order to obtain a mixed Western European sample. In this one I included Scandinavia, Central and Mediterranean Europe. My measure of social capital is more complete than the usual one: I add informal networks (such as phone conversations, time spent with friends, etc.) to formal ones (basically voluntary associations). Analysing the obtained results through both comparisons of conditional means and econometrics, I find out some influence of social capital on trust. Furthermore, also after controlling for social capital, gender differences persist still. Thus I can conclude that behavioural differences due to gender are not a mere reflex of different investments in social capital. I also found evidence that some kinds of formal and informal networks exert positive influence on generalized trust.

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The impact of increasing the availability of lower energy foods for home delivery and socioeconomic position: a randomized control trial examining effects on meal energy intake and later energy intake. Increasing the availability of lower energy food options is a promising public health approach. However, it is unclear the extent to which availability interventions may result in consumers later 'compensating' for reductions in energy intake caused by selecting lower energy food options, and to what extent these effects may differ based on socioeconomic position (SEP). Our objective was to examine the impact of increasing availability of lower energy meal options on immediate meal energy intake and subsequent energy intake in participants of higher vs. lower SEP. In a within-subjects design N=77 UK adults ordered meals from a supermarket ready meal menu with standard (30%) and increased (70%) availability of lower energy options. The meals were delivered to be consumed at home, with meal intake measured using the Digital Photography of Foods Method. Post-meal compensation was measured using food diaries to determine self-reported energy intake after the meal and the next day. Participants consumed significantly less energy (196kcal, 95% CI: 138, 252) from the menu with increased availability of lower energy options versus the standard availability menu (p<.001). There was no statistically significant evidence that this reduction in energy intake was substantially compensated for (33% compensated, p=.57). The effects of increasing availability of lower energy food items were similar in participants from lower and higher SEP. Increasing the availability of lower energy food options is likely to

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be an effective and equitable approach to reducing energy intake which may contribute to improving diet and population health.

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The Potential of Applying Collaborative Learning Strategy via the Internet to Collect, Correct, and Create Educational Content in Higher Education ABSTRAT Specialists in the field of education calling that student is the focus of the educational process to create self-knowl edge and then to engage in an educational environment that will earn good learning achievement. Therefore, the importance of the present study is to identify the benefits of teamwork through the internet with students of higher education to search for information and construct of educational content whilst being supervised by a faculty mem ber. The present study investigates the potential of applying a collaborative learning strategy over the internet among a sample of students in higher education. The sample was selected from different universities within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The researcher used and developed Gilly Salmon’s five stage model of e-learning as the learning model and as a way for measuring students’ activities via the internet. The sample consisted of 24 postgraduate stu dents (10 females and 14 males in the age group of 22–26 years) from 13 Saudi universities. The data were collected during the first term of the academic year 2016-2017. In order to analyse the data, the researcher employed content analysis patterns using qualitative data analysis software, NVivo. The results showed that students participated actively with each other, particularly after the second week. The quality of student information collected varied depending on the ability of each student to use the internet. Students explained some of the obstacles that prevented them from using

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the internet in collaborative learning and to the importance of providing students with the internet skills when searching for information. In addition, the study sug gests that ‘large groups’ of students using the internet should consist of a minimum number of 15 students. Finally, efforts should be made to conduct training courses in e-learning organized and managed by experts in e-learning, in order to provide students with the requisite background knowledge.

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Research on the influence of background light on the accuracy of a three-dimensional coordinate measurement system based on dual-PSD Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the measurement error of a three-dimensional coordinate measurement system based on dual-position-sensitive detector (PSD) under different background light. Design/methodology/approach The mind evolutionary algorithm (MEA)-back propagation (BP) neural network is used to predict the three-dimensional coordinates of the points, and the influence of the background light on the measurement accuracy of the three-dimensional coordinates based on PSD is obtained. Findings The influence of the background light on the measurement accuracy of the system is quantitatively calculated. The background light has a significant influence on the prediction accuracy of the three-dimensional coordinate measurement system. The optical method, electrical method and photoelectric compensation method are proposed to improve the measurement accuracy. Originality/value BP neural network based on MEA is applied to the coordinate prediction of the three-dimensional coordinate measurement system based on dual-PSD, and the influence of background light on the measurement accuracy is quantitatively analyzed.

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Control of high frequency microactuators using active structures A fluidically driven microactuator that generates supersonic, pulsed microjets has been implemented with smart materials to actively and precisely control the frequency of the microjets in a closed-loop manner. Since this actuator relies on a number of microscale flow and acoustic phenomena to produce the pulsed microjets, its resonant frequency is determined by its geometry and other flow parameters. The design discussed in this paper integrates piezoelectric stacks by connecting them to movable sidewalls within the actuator such that the microactuatorʼs internal geometry can be controlled by varying the voltage across the piezo-stacks. An open-loop control scheme demonstrates the frequency modulation capabilities that are enabled with this design: very large frequency deviations (up to ± 500 Hz ?> ) around the actuator design frequency are attained at very high rates (up to 1 kHz). Closed-loop control of the microactuatorʼs frequency was also demonstrated, and the results indicate that (combined with appropriate sensors) this actuator could be used effectively for active, feedback control in high-speed, resonance-dominated flowfields. This proof of concept study clearly illustrates the ability of this robust and compact actuator to produce perturbations that can be modulated and controlled based on the desired control objective.

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Argument Mining for Improving the Automated Scoring of Persuasive Essays End-to-end argument mining has enabled the development of new automated essay scoring (AES) systems that use argumentative features (e.g., number of claims, number of support relations) in addition to traditional legacy features (e.g., grammar, discourse structure) when scoring persuasive essays. While prior research has proposed different argumentative features as well as empirically demonstrated their utility for AES, these studies have all had important limitations. In this paper we identify a set of desiderata for evaluating the use of argument mining for AES, introduce an end-to-end argument mining system and associated argumentative feature sets, and present the results of several studies that both satisfy the desiderata and demonstrate the value-added of argument mining for scoring persuasive essays.

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A novel saliency-based object segmentation method for seriously degenerated images Automatically segmenting the salient object based on the saliency information frequently fails on the non-uniform motion blurred images. We propose a novel saliency-based object segmentation method with a self-expansion mechanism to deal with this problem in this paper. Firstly, to improve the initial localization accuracy for expansion, we integrate a modified local autocorrelation congruency into an initial salient object seed for building a combined salient object seed. Secondly, we present a novel method named Normal Expansion to expand the obtained salient object seed to the real boundaries of the target object. At last, we design a strategy based on superpixels to repair the lost degenerated regions. Based on the proposed method, we can more precisely segment the partially motion blurred object boundaries from a uniformly motion blurred background. Our experimental results show that our method outperforms some state-of-the-art saliency-based object segmentation approaches both quantitatively and qualitatively.

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What is the status of metabolic theory one century after Pütter invented the von Bertalanffy growth curve? Metabolic theory aims to tackle ecological and evolutionary problems by explicitly including physical principles of energy and mass exchange, thereby increasing generality and deductive power. Individual growth models (IGMs) are the fundamental basis of metabolic theory because they represent the organisational level at which energy and mass exchange processes are most tightly integrated and from which scaling patterns emerge. Unfortunately, IGMs remain a topic of great confusion and controversy about the origins of the ideas, their domain and breadth of application, their logical consistency and whether they can sufficiently capture reality. It is now 100 years since the first theoretical model of individual growth was put forward by Pütter. His insights were deep, but his model ended up being attributed to von Bertalanffy and his ideas largely forgotten. Here I review Pütter's ideas and trace their influence on existing theoretical models for growth and other aspects of metabolism, including those of von Bertalanffy, the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory, the Gill‐Oxygen Limitation Theory (GOLT) and the Ontogenetic Growth Model (OGM). I show that the von Bertalanffy and GOLT models are minor modifications of Pütter's original model. I then synthesise, compare and critique the ideas of the two most‐developed theories, DEB theory and the OGM, in relation to Pütter's original ideas. I formulate the Pütter, DEB and OGM models in the same structure and with the same notation to illustrate the major similarities and differences among them. I trace the

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confusion and controversy regarding these theories to the notions of anabolism, catabolism, assimilation and maintenance, the connections to respiration rate, and the number of parameters and state variables their models require. The OGM model has significant inconsistencies that stem from the interpretation of growth as the difference between anabolism and maintenance, and these issues seriously challenge its ability to incorporate development, reproduction and assimilation. The DEB theory is a direct extension of Pütter's ideas but with growth being the difference between assimilation and maintenance rather than anabolism and catabolism. The DEB theory makes the dynamics of Pütter's ‘nutritive material’ explicit as well as extending the scheme to include reproduction and development. I discuss how these three major theories for individual growth have been used to explain ‘macrometabolic’ patterns including the scaling of respiration, the temperature–size rule (first modelled by Pütter), and the connection to life history. Future research on the connections between theory and data in these macrometabolic topics have the greatest potential to advance the status of metabolic theory and its value for pure and applied problems in ecology and evolution.

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Short communication Variability of resistance in goats infected with Haemonchus contortusin Brazil The variability between and within breeds with respect to nematode egg counts (EPG), packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin (Hb) was studied in 36 yearling female goats of the Caninde (15), Bhuj (6) and Anglo-Nubian (15) breeds, exposed to Haemonchus contortus. Nematode-free goats were turned to a contaminated paddock in late February. From then on, fecal egg per gram counts (EPG), packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin (Hb) were determined at 2-week intervals up to Week 18. The EPG, transformed as [log(EPGC 75)], varied (P 0.05). PCV and Hb were affected by goat breeds (P< 0.05), by goats within breeds (P< 0.01) and by weeks of exposure (P< 0.01). Anglo-Nubians had higher (P< 0.01) PCV and Hb than Caninde; Bhuj had intermediate values. There were two EPG rises; one between Weeks 6 and 10 and the other between Weeks 14 and 16. The within breed variability was marked during the EPG rise on Week 6, when individual egg counts ranged from 130 to 2500. The EPG rises coincided with drops in Hb. PCV presented a similar trend, though not as marked. Haemonchus was responsible for more than 95% of nematode eggs counted. Considering the goat as experimental unit, the correlation coefficients ( r) were: 0.45, P D 0.0064, between log(EPGC 75) and PCV; and 0.53, P D 0.0009, between log(EPG C 75)

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Endothelin in the pulmonary circulation with special reference to hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. 1. The experimental model using periods of ventilation with a gas mixture containing 10% oxygen in the anesthetized pig was found to induce HPV that was reproducible and remained stable for up to two hours. 2. Intrapulmonary infusion of ET-1 during normoxia resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the SVR with a concomitant decrease in CO and rise in PVR. Infusion of ET-3 and S6c evoked similar responses, but of a considerably smaller magnitude. The dose-dependent systemic vasoconstriction evoked by ET-1 infusion was reduced after administration of the combined ETA and ETB receptor antagonist bosentan as well as the selective ETA receptor blockers BMS-182874 and TBC-11251 indicating that this effect is primarily mediated by ETA receptors. ETA receptors are present in porcine pulmonary arteries, since BMS-182874 caused a rightward shift of the concentration-response curve to ET-1 in vitro. 3. Administration of selective ETA- or combined ETA and ETB antagonists but not of a selective ETB antagonist reduced the SVR in normoxic pigs, indicating that ET acting through ETA receptors contributes to systemic vascular tone in the pig. In addition, ETA selective and non-selective ETA and ETB antagonists produced a reduction of PVR, although this effect was less consistent than the influence on SVR. This indicates that ETA receptors may contribute to basal pulmonary vascular tone. The plasma levels of ET-1 increased following the non-selective ET receptor antagonist bosentan but were unaffected by selective ETA receptor antagonism. 4. Intrapulmonary infusion of ET-1 produced in low

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