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The instantaneous centre of rotation (ICR) is the centre of motion with zero velocity where a rigid body moves in a particular plane. ICR, as a dynamic measurement, gives more accurate results in terms of quality and quantity of the vertebral motions compared to range of motion (ROM). We aimed to determine the effect of thoracic instrumentation on cervical movement of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients who had undergone thoracic level instrumentation by measuring pre-operative and post-operative ICR change in a pilot study.A total of 25 AIS patients were included in this study. C4-C5 and C6-C7 segmental ICR were determined by pre-operative and post-operative cervical flexion-extension radiographs. In addition, cervical sagittal parameters and global sagittal parameters were investigated.There was no statistically significant change in ICR location post-operatively in both x and y coordinates at C4-C5 segment (p: 0.326 and p: 0.946, respectively) and C6-C7 segment (p: 0.209, p: 0.086, respectively). There was a positive correlation between LCL and C4-C5 ICR y coordinate (r: 0.481), but not with C6-C7 ICR y coordinate (r: -0.2, p: 0.398). T5-T12 kyphosis decreased (p: 0.002) and T1 pelvic angle (0.003), SVA (0.02) and sacral slope (0.049) increased significantly post-operatively. T1S was correlated with LCL (r: 0.595, p: 0.002), T5-T12 kyphosis (r: 0.423, p: 0.035), SVA (r: 0.658, p0.001) and C2-C7 SVA (r: 0.416, p: 0.039).The ICR for cervical region was not changed post-operatively in AIS patients with thoracic instrumentation. There was no relationship found between the development of post-operative cervical kyphosis or lordosis and ICR, which represents the quality and quantity of intervertebral motion. The T1 vertebra plays a key role for cervical, thoracic, and global parameters interaction.

Background Bariatric surgery offers patients with morbid obesity and related diseases short- and long-term benefits to their health and quality of life. Evidence-based medicine is integral in the evaluation of risk versus benefit; however, data are lacking for several high-risk patient populations, including the elderly. Objectives This study assessed morbidity and mortality data for patients age ≥70 undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Setting University Hospital, Bronx, New York, United States using national database. Methods We used the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database for years 2005–2016 and identified patients who underwent primary SG or RYGB. Patients age ≥70 were assigned to the over age 70 (AGE70+) cohort and younger patients were assigned to the under age 70 (U70) cohort. Postoperative length of stay and 30-day morbidity and mortality were assessed. Results A total of 1498 patients age ≥70 underwent nonrevisional bariatric surgery, including 751 (50.1%) SG and 747 (49.9%) RYGB. AGE70+ was associated with increased mortality and increased rates of cardiac, pulmonary, renal, and cerebrovascular morbidity. AGE70+ patients had longer mean length of stay, and were more likely to require transfusion and return to operative room. When stratified by procedure, rates of organ-space surgical site infection, acute renal failure, urinary tract infection, myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis/thrombophlebitis, and septic shock were significantly increased in AGE70+ patients undergoing RYGB but not SG. Impaired functional status was associated with increased rates of morbidity and mortality for AGE70+ patients and for U70 patients, although the small number of patients within each category limited statistical analysis. Conclusions Evaluation of risk versus benefit is performed on a case-by-case basis, but evidence-based medicine is critical in empowering surgeons and patients to make informed decisions. The overall rate of morbidity and mortality for AGE70+ patients undergoing bariatric surgery was increased relative to U70 patients. Rates of several adverse events, including acute renal failure and myocardial infarction, were increased in AGE70+ patients undergoing RYGB but not SG, suggesting that SG may be the preferred procedure for elderly patients with organ-specific risk factors. The increased rates of morbidity and mortality observed for patients with impaired functional status supports consideration of functional status when evaluating preoperative risk.

Naldemir, Ibrahim Feyyaz/0000-0002-0804-7378 WOS: 000428231100063 PubMed: 29277494 The occipital bone is a complex structure due to its anatomy and accessory sutures. Fracture - accessory suture differential diagnosis should be performed carefully in patients with a history of head trauma [4]. In this case report we wanted to emphasize that accessory sutures can be difficult to diagnose in patients with head trauma. We also specified the points to be considered in the suture - fracture differentional diagnosis. A bilateral, symmetrical fissure line was observed in the occipital bone basal part of the patient who was admitted to our emergency department due to head trauma. The patient was followed up with accessory suture and then discharged after paying attention to important points in the differential diagnosis. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brucellosis is mainly transmitted to humans by direct contact with infected animals, consumption of non-pasteurized dairy products or through inhalation of aerosols. However, the disease may also be transmitted by exposure to

Purpose: Two common approaches to identify subgroups of patients with bipolar disorder are clustering methodology (mixture analysis) based on the age of onset, and a birth cohort analysis. This study investigates if a birth cohort effect will influence the results of clustering on the age of onset, using a large, international database. Methods: The database includes 4037 patients with a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, previously collected at 36 collection sites in 23 countries. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to adjust the data for country median age, and in some models, birth cohort. Model-based clustering (mixture analysis) was then performed on the age of onset data using the residuals. Clinical variables in subgroups were compared. Results: There was a strong birth cohort effect. Without adjusting for the birth cohort, three subgroups were found by clustering. After adjusting for the birth cohort or when considering only those born after 1959, two subgroups were found. With results of either two or three subgroups, the youngest subgroup was more likely to have a family history of mood disorders and a first episode with depressed polarity. However, without adjusting for birth cohort (three subgroups), family history and polarity of the first episode could not be distinguished between the middle and oldest subgroups. Conclusion: These results using international data confirm prior findings using single country data, that there are subgroups of bipolar I disorder based on the age of onset, and that there is a birth cohort effect. Including the birth cohort adjustment altered the number and characteristics of subgroups detected when clustering by age of onset. Further investigation is needed to determine if combining both approaches will identify subgroups that are more useful for research. (C) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Background: Environmental conditions early in life may imprint the circadian system and influence response to environmental signals later in life. We previously determined that a large springtime increase in solar insolation at the onset location was associated with a younger age of onset of bipolar disorder, especially with a family history of mood disorders. This study investigated whether the hours of daylight at the birth location affected this association. Methods: Data collected previously at 36 collection sites from 23 countries were available for 3896 patients with bipolar I disorder, born between latitudes of 1.4 N and 70.7 N, and 1.2 S and 413 S. Hours of daylight variables for the birth location were added to a base model to assess. the relation between the age of onset and solar insolation. Results: More hours of daylight at the birth location during early life was associated with an older age of onset, suggesting reduced vulnerability to the future circadian challenge of the springtime increase in solar insolation at the onset location. Addition of the minimum of the average monthly hours of daylight during the first 3 months of life improved the base model, with a significant positive relationship to age of onset. Coefficients for all other variables remained stable, significant and consistent with the base model. Conclusions: Light exposure during early life may have important consequences for those who are susceptible to bipolar disorder, especially at latitudes with little natural light in winter. This study indirectly supports the concept that early life exposure to light may affect the long term adaptability to respond to a circadian challenge later in life. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Maxwell-Boltzmann and Bose-Einstein models, we derive formulae for the exact probability that an adverse event (AE) report series will present with additional (ie, second, third, etc.) reports from a single geographical reporting region, under the assumption that each region has an equal probability of report generation. These formulae are used to calculate critical values for the number of regions beyond which the probability of additional same-region reporting falls below a predefined level. The results using either model suggest that for widely distributed drugs, the presence of even a single additional same-region AE report is extremely unlikely and provides reasonable evidence for differential reporting rates between regions with multiple versus single reports. Multiple same-region reports, therefore, provide evidence against the validity of report-based tests for a generalized increase in frequency, and evidence for the presence of a localized increase in frequency. These calculations imply th...

Cep192 is a centrosomal protein that contributes to the formation and function of the mitotic spindle in mammalian cells. Cep192's mitotic activities stem largely from its role in the recruitment to the centrosome of numerous additional proteins such as gamma-tubulin and Pericentrin. Here, we examine Cep192's function in interphase cells. Our data indicate that, as in mitosis, Cep192 stimulates the nucleation of centrosomal microtubules thereby regulating the morphology of interphase microtubule arrays. Interestingly, however, cells lacking Cep192 remain capable of generating normal levels of MTs as the loss of centrosomal microtubules is augmented by MT nucleation from other sites, most notably the Golgi apparatus. The depletion of Cep192 results in a significant decrease in the level of centrosome-associated gamma-tubulin, likely explaining its impact on centrosome microtubule nucleation. However, in stark contrast to mitosis, Cep192 appears to maintain an antagonistic relationship with Pericentrin at interphase centrosomes. Interphase cells depleted of Cep192 display significantly higher levels of centrosome-associated Pericentrin while overexpression of Cep192 reduces the levels of centrosomal Pericentrin. Conversely, depletion of Pericentrin results in elevated levels of centrosomal Cep192 and enhances microtubule nucleation at centrosomes, at least during interphase. Finally, we show that depletion of Cep192 negatively impacts cell motility and alters normal cell polarization. Our current working hypothesis is that the microtubule nucleating capacity of the interphase centrosome is determined by an antagonistic balance of Cep192, which promotes nucleation, and Pericentrin, which inhibits nucleation. This in turn determines the relative abundance of centrosomal and non-centrosomal microtubules that tune cell movement and shape.

Background: The onset of bipolar disorder is influenced by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. We previously found that a large increase in sunlight in springtime was associated with a lower age of onset. This study extends this analysis with more collection sites at diverse locations, and includes family history and polarity of first episode. Methods: Data from 4037 patients with bipolar I disorder were collected at 36 collection sites in 23 countries at latitudes spanning 3.2 north (N) to 63.4 N and 38.2 south (S) of the equator. The age of onset of the first episode, onset location, family history of mood disorders, and polarity of first episode were obtained retrospectively, from patient records and/or direct interview. Solar insolation data were obtained for the onset locations. Results: There was a large, significant inverse relationship between maximum monthly increase in solar insolation and age of onset, controlling for the country median age and the birth cohort. The effect was reduced by half if there was no family history. The maximum monthly increase in solar insolation occurred in springtime. The effect was one-third smaller for initial episodes of mania than depression. The largest maximum monthly increase in solar insolation occurred in northern latitudes such as Oslo, Norway, and warm and dry areas such as Los Angeles, California. Limitations: Recall bias for onset and family history data. Conclusions: A large springtime increase in sunlight may have an important influence on the onset of bipolar disorder, especially in those with a family history of mood disorders. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experiments in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) have explored several novel regimes of improved tokamak confinement in deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas, including plasmas with reduced or reversed magnetic shear in the core and high-current plasmas with increased shear in the outer region (high-l{sub i}). New techniques have also been developed to enhance the confinement in these regimes by modifying the plasma-limiter interaction through in-situ deposition of lithium. In reversed-shear plasmas, transitions to enhanced confinement have been observed at plasma currents up to 2.2 MA (q{sub a} {approx} 4.3), accompanied by the formation of internal transport barriers, where large radial gradients develop in the temperature and density profiles. Experiments have been performed to elucidate the mechanism of the barrier formation and its relationship with the magnetic configuration and with the heating characteristics. The increased stability of high-current, high-l{sub i} plasmas produced by rapid expansion of the minor cross-section, coupled with improvement in the confinement by lithium deposition has enabled the achievement of high fusion power, up to 8.7 MW, with D-T neutral beam heating. The physics of fusion alpha-particle confinement has been investigated in these regimes, including the interactions of the alphas with endogenous plasma instabilities and externally applied waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies. In D-T plasmas with q{sub 0} > 1 and weak magnetic shear in the central region, a toroidal Alfven eigenmode instability driven purely by the alpha particles has been observed for the first time. The interactions of energetic ions with ion Bernstein waves produced by mode-conversion from fast waves in mixed-species plasmas have been studied as a possible mechanism for transferring the energy of the alphas to fuel ions.

Exact simultaneous one-sided confidence intervals for contrasts in m normal means are discussed. The set K of contrast vectors considered is of one of two forms: Either it is a cone whose coordinates are monotone for a partial ordering defined on the coordinate index set {1, …, m} or it is the polar of such a cone. It is shown that the intervals obtained are inverted from test statistics that may be used for testing the null hypothesis that the mean vector μ lies in the dual (or negative polar) cone of K, against the alternative that μ is not in the dual of K. Corresponding conservative two-sided intervals are also discussed. The structure of such cones is considered and results concerning dual norms for such cones are obtained. Illustrations for simple ordering, simple-tree, and umbrella orderings are discussed.

Bu tezde peyzaj mimarlığı disiplini içinde ağaçlarının üç boyutlu olarak modellenmesi ve entegrasyonu için programların araştırılması (Maya, Blender, 3D Max, vb) ve bu programların avantaj ve dezavantajları karşılaştırılarak en uygun programın belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla Maya, Blender, 3D Max programları kullanılarak 3 boyutlu ağaç modeli geliştirilmiş ve uzmanlarla (n:50) yapılan değerlendirme sonucu ideal ağaç modeli belirlenmiştir. Programlar arasında, kullanım kolaylığı, arayüz, modelleme, tekstür ve materyal, render kalitesi ve diğer programlarla çalışma uyumu kriterleri karşılaştırılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, 3 boyutlu ağaç modellemesinde 3D Max ve Maya programının daha başarılı olduğu belirlenmiştir. Blender programı puan bakımından diğer programlara göre toplam puan bakımından daha düşük kalmıştır. This thesis is aimed to investigate some programs for a three-dimensional modeling of trees in landscape architecture and to determine the most appropriate programmes between Maya, Blender and 3D Max. In this context, the optimal tree model programme is determined by experts (n:50). The ease of use, interface, modeling, texture and material, rendering quality and interoperability criteria are compared to between these programs.As a result, three-dimensional tree modeling in 3D Max and Maya were more successful program. Blender has been lower than other programs in terms of program points. 115

Training eective cyber operatives requires realistic network environments that incorporate the structural and social complexities representative of the real world. Network trac generators facilitate repeatable experiments for the development, training and testing of cyber operations. However, current network trac generators, ranging from simple load testers to complex frameworks, fail to capture the realism inherent in actual environments. In order to improve the realism of network trac generated by these systems, it is necessary to quantitatively measure the level of realism in generated trac with respect to the environment being mimicked. We categorize realism measures into statistical, content, and behavioral measurements, and propose various metrics that can be applied at each level to indicate how eectively the generated trac mimics the real world.

Intraocular miniaturized image transmission systems are developed to restore vision in patients with irreversible destruction of the anterior ocular segment (i.e. chemical burns, explosion trauma, trachoma) and high risk for corneal transplantation, provided that the posterior ocular segment is intact. To ensure safety of such a device biocompatibility tests were conducted. In the present study the effects of light and temperature in various intensities and the toxicity of the implanted materials on neural function in the rabbit retina in-vivo was investigated. All tests give encouraging results concerning the feasibility of intraocular miniaturized image transmission systems.

This work addresses new approaches to behavioral analysis of networks and hosts for the purposes of security monitoring and anomaly detection. Most commonly used approaches simply implement anomaly detectors for one, or a few, simple metrics and those metrics can exhibit unacceptable false alarm rates. For instance, the anomaly score of network communication is defined as the reciprocal of the likelihood that a given host uses a particular protocol (or destination);this definition may result in an unrealistically high threshold for alerting to avoid being flooded by false positives. We demonstrate that selecting and adapting the metrics and thresholds, on a host-by-host or protocol-by-protocol basis can be done by established multivariate analyses such as PCA. We will show how to determine one or more metrics, for each network host, that records the highest available amount of information regarding the baseline behavior, and shows relevant deviances reliably. We describe the methodology used to pick from a large selection of available metrics, and illustrate a method for comparing the resulting classifiers. Using our approach we are able to reduce the resources required to properly identify misbehaving hosts, protocols, or networks, by dedicating system resources to only those metrics that actually matter in detecting network deviations.

This work presents a collection of methods that is used to effectively identify users of computers systems based on their particular usage of the software and the network. Not only are we able to identify individual computer users by their behavioral patterns, we are also able to detect significant deviations in their typical computer usage over time, or compared to a group of their peers. For instance, most people have a small, and relatively unique selection of regularly visited websites, certain email services, daily work hours, and typical preferred applications for mandated tasks. We argue that these habitual patterns are sufficiently specific to identify fully anonymized network users. We demonstrate that with only a modest data collection capability, profiles of individual computer users can be constructed so as to uniquely identify a profiled user from among their peers. As time progresses and habits or circumstances change, the methods presented update each profile so that changes in user behavior can be reliably detected over both abrupt and gradual time frames, without losing the ability to identify the profiled user. The primary benefit of our methodology allows one to efficiently detect deviant behaviors, such as subverted user accounts, or organizational policy violations. Thanks to the relative robustness, these techniques can be used in scenarios with very diverse data collection capabilities, and data privacy requirements. In addition to behavioral change detection, the generated profiles can also be compared against pre-defined examples of known adversarial patterns.

Kinetic theory and experimental observations of a special class of energetic particle driven instabilities called here Beta-induced Alfven-Acoustic Eigenmodes (BAAE) are reported confirming previous results [N.N. Gorelenkov H.L. Berk, N.A. Crocker et. al. Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 49 B371 (2007)] The kinetic theory is based on the ballooning dispersion relation where the drift frequency effects are retained. BAAE gaps are recovered in kinetic theory. It is shown that the observed certain low-frequency instabilities on DIII-D [J.L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42 614 (2002)] and National Spherical Torus Experiment [M. Ono, S.M. Kaye, Y.-K M. Peng et. al., Nucl. Fusion 40 3Y 557 (2000)] are consistent with their identification as BAAEs. BAAEs deteriorated the fast ion confinement in DIII-D and can have a similar effect in next-step fusion plasmas, especially if excited together with multiple global Toroidicity-induced shear Alfven Eigenmode (TAE) instabilities. BAAEs can also be used to diagnose safety factor profiles, a technique known as magnetohydrodynamic spectroscopy.

This paper introduces a novel method of tracking user computer behavior to create highly granular profiles of usage patterns. These profiles, then, are used to detect deviations in a users’ online behavior, detecting intrusions, malicious insiders, misallocation of resources, and out-of-band business processes. Successful detection of these behaviors significantly reduces the risk of leaking sensitive data, or inadvertently exposing critical assets.

Process detection is a fundamental problem arising in a variety of homeland security, national defense and commercial applications, including network security, sensor network data fusion, dynamic social network analysis and video tracking of kinematic objects. Our approach to process detection is based on a generic algorithmic approach called Process Query Systems which has been developed at Dartmouth over the past 3 years. This paper surveys the general area of process detection, its applications and recent progress made in various implementations.

Within an organization, the possibility of a confidential information leak ranks among the highest fears of any executive. Detecting information leaks is a challenging problem, since most organizations depend on a broad and diverse communications network. It is not always straightforward to conclude which information is leaving the organization legitimately, and which communications are malicious data exfiltrations. Sometimes it is not even possible to tell that a communication is occurring at all. The set of all possible exfiltration methods contains, at a minimum, the set of all possible information communication methods, and possibly more. This article cannot possibly cover all such methods; however, several notable examples are given, and a taxonomy of data exfiltration is developed. Such a taxonomy cannot ever be exhaustive, but at the very least can offer a framework for organizing methods and developing defenses.

One of the signicant problems in visual tracking of objects is the requirement for a human analyst to post-process and interpret the data. For instance, consider the task of tracking a target, in this case a moving person, using video imagery. When this person hides behind an obstruction, and is therefore no longer visible by the camera, conventional tracking systems quickly lose track of the target and are no longer able to indicate where the target is or where it was headed. A human interpreter is then needed to conclude that the person is hiding, and probably (with certain probability) is still there. A Process Query System (PQS) is able to track and predict the path of arbitrary objects, based only on a description of their dynamic behavior, thus eliminating the need for precise identication of each object in every frame. The PQS is therefore able to draw human-like conclusions, allowing the system to track the person even when he/she is out of view. Additionally, using dynamic descriptions of tracked objects allows for low-quality video signals, or even infrared video, to be used for tracking. In this paper we introduce a novel way of implementing a video-based tracking system using a Process Query System to predict the position of objects in the environment, even after they have disappeared from view. Although the image processing pipeline is trivial, tracking accuracy is remarkably high, suggesting that overall performance can be improved even further with the use of more sophisticated video processing and image recognition technology.

An active Internet worm is malicious software that autonomously searches for and infects vulnerable hosts, copying itself from one host to another and spreading through the susceptible population. Most recent worms find vulnerable hosts by generating random IP addresses and then probing those addresses to see which are running the desired vulnerable services. Detection of such worms is a manual process in which security analysts must observe and analyze unusual network or host activity, and the worm might not be positively identified until it already has spread to most of the Internet. In this chapter, we present an automated system that can identify active scanning worms soon after they begin to spread, a necessary precursor to halting or slowing the spread of the worm. Our implemented system collects ICMP Destination Unreachable messages from instrumented routers, identifies message patterns that indicate malicious scanning activity, and then identifies scan patterns that indicate a propagating worm. We examine an epidemic model for worm propagation, describe our ICMP-based detection system, and present simulation results that illustrate its detection capabilities.

In this paper we present the architecture of our network security monitoring infrastructure based on a Process Query System (PQS). PQS offers a new and powerful way of efficiently processing data streams, based on process descriptions that are submitted as queries. In this case the data streams are familiar network sensors, such as Snort, Netfilter, and Tripwire. The process queries describe the dynamics of network attacks and failures, such as worms, multistage attacks, and router failures. Using PQS the task of monitoring enterprise class networks is simplified, offering a priority-based GUI to the security administrator that clearly outlines events that require immediate attention. The PQS-Net system is deployed on an unsecured production network; the system has successfully detected many diverse attacks and failures.

Process Query Systems (PQS) are a new kind of information retrieval technology in which user queries are expressed as process descriptions. The goal of a PQS is to detect the processes using a datastream or database of events that are correlated with the processes' states. This is in contrast with most traditional database query processing, information retrieval systems and web search engines in which user queries are typically formulated as Boolean expressions. In this paper, we outline the main features of Process Query Systems and the technical challenges that process detection entails. Furthermore, we describe several importance application areas that can benefit from PQS technology. Our working prototype of a PQS, called TRAFEN (for TRAcking and Fusion ENgine) is described as well 1 . I. I NTRODUCTION Many applications of current interest involve using databases or datastreams of events to detect instances of processes. In those applications, events provide evidence that is used to infer the existence and estimate the states of the various processes of interest. Examples of such applications include: network and computer security; network management; sensor network tracking; military situational awareness and; critical infrastructure monitoring and protection. (Specific details of how the techniques discussed in this paper apply to these application areas are in Appendix I.) While these and other applications are superficially different from one another, they in fact share many common fea- tures when viewed from an appropriately abstract perspective. This abstract framework posits that a collection of processes, fM1;M2;:::g, is producing an interleaved stream of observ- able events

The annual incidence of tuberculous meningitis (TM) is unknown. TM is a disease that still often results in residual sequelae, and has a mortality rate ranging between 15 and 51%. Experience of countries such as Turkey where drug-resistant tuberculosis and TM are prevalent is important.Clinical and laboratory findings of 42 patients with TM, followed between 1991 and 2002, were evaluated retrospectively.Twenty-eight female and 14 male patients were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 33.9 +/- 13.2 years (range, 16-60 years). Fourteen had a history of pulmonary tuberculosis; 12 reported close contact with a person with active pulmonary tuberculosis; three were diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis; two, with HIV infection; two, with Pott's disease; and one, with systemic lupus erythematosus. On admission, 17 patients were diagnosed with stage I; 15, with stage II; and 10, with stage III disease. Hemiparesis (35.7%), cranial nerve palsy (30.9%), and altered consciousness (26.9%) were the most common neurological deficits. Prolonged duration of pre-existing symptoms and female gender were found as significant risk factors in those who develop neurological sequelae (p0.01 and p0.05, respectively). Cranial computerised tomography revealed various pathological findings in all but five patients. Sulcus effacement was the most common radiological finding. Enlargement of ventricles, focal cerebral oedema/shunt, calcification of meninges, tubercle, and infarction were other common abnormal radiological findings.Prolonged duration of pre-existing symptoms and female gender are predictors of neurological sequelae of TM. Early identification of such patients and prompt initiation of anti-tuberculosis therapy may improve their outcome.

Identification of an Internet worm is a manual process where security analysts must observe and analyze unusual activity on multiple firewalls, intrusion-detection systems or hosts. A worm might not be positively identified until it already has spread to most of the Internet, eliminating many defensive options. In this paper, we present an automated system that can identify active worms seconds or minutes after they first begin to spread, a necessary precursor to halting the spread of a worm, rather than simply cleaning up afterward. Our implemented system collects ICMP Unreachable messages from instrumented network routers, identifies those patterns of unreachable messages that indicate malicious scanning activity, and then searches for patterns of scanning activity that indicate a propagating worm. In this paper, we examine the problem of active worms, describe our ICMP-based detection system, and present simulation results that illustrate the speed with which it can detect a worm.

On October 5, 2000 Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus, then Director of the Office of Science within the U.S. Department of Energy, instructed the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) to prepare a report describing the status and future of burning plasma physics issues within the U.S. fusion program. FESAC formed a panel to carry out this analysis and the present paper presents a summary of the panel's final report. Dr. Dresselhaus was interested in obtaining answers to three main questions. One, what are the scientific issues that should be addressed in a burning plasma physics experiment? Two, which scientific issues are generic to the general class of toroidal magnetic configurations? Three, how should the Next Step Options (NSO) program be used to assist the community in preparation for an assessment of burning plasma physics options? The panel, after several public sessions and its own deliberations concluded that the community was indeed technically ready and highly desirous of a burning plasma experiment as soon as possible. The difficult questions were (1) what is the best burning plasma experiment or option and (2) how should we proceed to make this choice, as soon as possible with maximal input from the community? The panel has addressed these difficult questions through a series of Findings and Recommendations that are described in the paper.

Early warning of active worm propagation over the Internet is of vital importance to first responders. Knowing an active worms characteristics very early in its propagation can significantly reduce the damage it may cause. In this paper we propose an early warning system that uses ICMP Destination Unreachable (ICMP-T3) messages to identify the random scanning behavior of worms. Participating routers across the Internet send Blind Carbon Copies of all their locally generated ICMP-T3 messages to a central collection point. There all the incoming messages are compared for similarities. Incoming messages are abstracted and patterns identified. Using the methods discussed in this paper we identify 'blooms' of activity that are a clear signature of worm propagation. Preliminary test results have shown that actively spreading worms can be identified in the first few minutes after they are launched. By using the characteristics gathered in those early stages, action can be taken and widespread damage might be avoided.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) levels are known to be elevated in several granulomatous lung diseases. We prospectively studied 21 patients with smear- or culture-proved diagnosis of tuberculosis by measuring their ACE levels. ACE microvial(Ventrex, Ventrex Laboratories Inc, Portland, Me) radioassay system was used. The mean ACE value of our 21 patients (14 males, 7 females; mean age, 56 years) was 5.69 U, which was higher than the control group of healthy volunteers (n = 5, mean value, 4.14 U). We found that 4 (19%) of the 21 samples had ACE values higher than the expected range (P

In summary, resilience in both the children and the workers had key aspects which were definable and similar. Both groups required support and connectedness to others, as well as a need to distance themselves from the impact of the suffering. Both groups required the use of similar mechanisms, such as cognitive restructuring, relaxation, and thought-stopping. The activities of "healthy" individuals in both populations were parallel. In both populations, some actions occurred spontaneously and could be bolstered through circumscribed interventions. In other cases, actions and activities to promote resilience of both populations needed to be created. These actions would affect not only the stress experienced by the workers in the field, improving their quality of life and longevity of service, and reducing costs for the agency involved, but also the children who were being serviced by those workers. Truly working on these strategies seemed to make the difference between short-term coping and longer-term resilience. Those individuals who were not able to incorporate the resilience-promoting factors may have been able to cope in the short term with the immediate threat, but then had difficulties following the cessation of the armed conflict. Over the course of my subsequent visits to Bosnia I found a higher rate of alcoholism and suicide among teenagers than anticipated. They had apparently survived the most imminent threat and then succumbed to the long-term stress. Some of these problems were due to demobilization from the army of those teenagers who had been in the military. They were now left with no defined role after having had an important one, which had given them considerable power. The demobilization of their fathers caused problems as well. Friction between the parents arose as the father took authority back from the mother who had been in charge of the family in the father's absence. I also found considerable turnover among the humanitarian aid workers. Those who had been able to stay on the job and be effective in the long run were those who had truly internalized resilience strategies.

A 73-year-old man with metastatic pheochromocytoma demonstrated areas of elevated I-131 MIBG uptake and no Tc-99m sestamibi uptake in the presence of marked blood flow, suggesting P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance. Tc-99m sestamibi scintigraphy may be used in predicting the chemotherapeutic response of P-glycoprotein-related cytotoxic drugs such as anthracyclines, vinca alkaloids, and epipodophyllotoxins. Moreover, in metastatic pheochromocytoma, it may change the therapy strategy, such as cytotoxic chemotherapy versus targeting therapy with 1-131 MIBG or combined therapy with the addition of a P-glycoprotein-reversing agent, provided that the patient is surveyed first with Tc-99m sestamibi and 1-131 MIBG.

A numerical algorithm to study the nonlinear, resonant interaction of fast particles with Alfven waves in tokamak geometry has been developed. The scope of the formalism is wide enough to describe the nonlinear evolution of fishbone modes, toroidicity-induced Alfven eigenmodes and ellipticity-induced Alfven eigenmodes, driven by both passing and trapped fast ions. When the instability is sufficiently weak, it is known that the wave-particle trapping nonlinearity will lead to mode saturation before wave-wave nonlinearities are appreciable. The spectrum of linear modes can thus be calculated using a magnetohydrodynamic normal-mode code, then nonlinearly evolved in time in an efficient way according to a two-time-scale Lagrangian dynamical wave model. The fast particle kinetic equation, including the effect of orbit nonlinearity arising from the mode perturbation, is simultaneously solved of the deviation, {delta}f = f {minus} f{sub 0}, from an initial analytic distribution f{sub 0}. High statistical resolution allows linear growth rates, frequency shifts, resonance broadening effects, and nonlinear saturation to be calculated quickly and precisely. The results have been applied to an ITER instability scenario. Results show that weakly-damped core-localized modes alone cause negligible alpha transport in ITER-like plasmas--even with growth rates one order of magnitude higher than expected values. However, the possibility of significant transport in reactor-type plasmas due to weakly unstable global modes remains an open question.

Some conditions which are usually found in the literature on sufficiency and invariance are considered, with counterexamples given to clarify the relationship between these conditions.

Four blood isolates, 12 pneumonia isolates, and seven colonizing isolates of Branhamella catarrhalis were compared with respect to their ability to grow in normal human serum and in convalescent serum of a patient with B. catarrhalis bacteremia. Disease-causing isolates showed seven of 16 serum-resistant strains (43 percent) compared with one of seven (13 percent) colonizing strains. Bacteremic strains were not more serum-resistant than pneumonia-causing strains. Trypsin zones of inhibition were higher for disease-causing strains. There was no correlation between source of isolation and colistin sensitivity or ability to hemagglutinate red blood cells.