Objective:To study the effect of Danlou tablet on myocardial Infarct size and MMP-2,MMP-9 and TIMP-1 protein expression in rats with acute isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction.Method:Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:① blank control group(normal saline 10 mL·kg-1,n=20);② model control group(normal saline 10 mL·kg-1,n=20)③Danlou large dose group(900 mg·kg-1,n=20);④Danlou small dose group(450 mg·kg-1,n=20).Each group of rats were randomly paired into 10 pairs,continuously ig 14 d.Except the blank control group,acute myocardial infarction models were induced by subcutaneous injection of Iso 15 mg·kg-1 after 14 days of drug treatment.Pathological changes in myocardial,then myocardial infarct size and myocardial MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 protein expression In 1d and 7 d after injected ISO were investigated.Result:Compared with model group,Danlou could significantly reduce the extent of ischemic myocardial injury,reduced myocardial infarct size[(2.003±0.546)% vs(0.652±0.301)%,P0.01)],reduce ischemic myocardial protein expression of MMP-2(42.10±6.58 vs 26.71±6.84,P0.01)and MMP-9(43.37±8.78 vs 32.91±5.21,P0.01),however,TIMP-1 expression was not affected.Conclusion:Danlou tablet may reduce myocardial necrosis area,and promote infarct healing,prevention and treatment of early left ventricular remodeling by inhibiting+ MMP-2,MMP-9 protein expression;Danlou tablet has no significant effect on the expression of TIMP-1,suggesting the inhibition of MMP activity may not be achieved by TIMP.


Abstract After some brief comments on Harald Cramer's statistical work, one view is given of developments in statistical theory since the publication of Cramer's book. The purpose of some recent work on higher-order asymptotic theory is sketched.


There are two approaches to the mitigation of power quality problems. The first approach is called load conditioning, which ensures that the equipment is made less sensitive to power disturbances, allowing the operation even under significant voltage distortion. The other solution is to install line-conditioning systems that suppress or counteract the power system disturbances. Among the different new technical options available to improve power quality, active power filters have proved to be an important and flexible alternative to compensate for current and voltage disturbances in power distribution systems. Power filter topologies are discussed including shunt active filter, series active filters, series-shunt active filters, and hybrid active filters. New topologies using multilevel inverters are also discussed.


Industry 4.0 (I4.0) grew from and is guided by smart manufacturing. The fourth industrial revolution's I4.0 would induce radical changes and transformations in the everyday operations of businesses and people's life. Due to these major changes impacting all sectors and industries worldwide, the sustainability of the new future systems and operations is pertinent. The current research literature points out that the social (human factor) aspect is relatively underrepresented in the I4.0 sustainability-related studies. The few studies related to the social aspect usually investigate the so-called 'techno-centric' approach to the subject. This study aimed to investigate the I4.0 construction project management (PM) profession from the socially sustainable 'worker-centric' approach. Five key assets of the new I4.0 project managers role, specifically in the construction industry, were explored to achieve this goal. This was conducted through a survey questionnaire aimed at 100 construction project managers based in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The overall research results showed that academic and professional qualifications were found to be key factors in the process of adapting to the new I4.0 methodologies.


In 2015 the UK government spent £5.7 billion on local and strategic road networks, of which about 60% was on maintenance.

Road networks are the UK government's single biggest financial asset and are fundamental to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the communities they serve, whether at local or national strategic levels.


Objective Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common histopathological type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which may arise from various extranodal sites. Little is known about the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of primary DLBCL of the urinary tract (UT). Thus, we conducted this study to explore the independent prognostic factors of patients with UT-DLBCL using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Materials and Methods We searched the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for the data of patients diagnosed with UT-DLBCL between 1975 and 2016. Data, including demographic tumour stage and therapeutic strategies, such as surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, were collected. The impact of these factors on survival outcomes, including overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS), was analysed using Kaplan–Meier curves. Results Four-hundred and eighty-nine patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the data analysis. The median age was 69 years old. Most cases of UT-DLBCL (72.39%) originated from the kidney, followed by the urinary bladder (24.95%). Both surgical resection and chemotherapy can significantly improve OS and DSS. Patients older than 75 years had the worst survival outcomes. Stage IV DLBCL may be a poor prognostic factor. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest population-based study of UT-DLBCL. Advanced age, male gender, lack of surgical resection or chemotherapy, and stage IV DLBCL were poor prognostic factors.


Beyond their primary diagnostic purpose, radiology reports have been an invaluable source of information in medical research. Given a corpus of radiology reports, researchers are often interested in identifying a subset of reports describing a particular medical finding. Because the space of medical findings in radiology reports is vast and potentially unlimited, recent studies proposed mapping free-text statements in radiology reports to semi-structured strings of terms taken from a limited vocabulary. This paper aims to present an approach for the automatic generation of semi-structured representations of radiology reports. The approach consists of matching sentences from radiology reports to manually created semi-structured representations, followed by learning a sequence-to-sequence neural model that maps matched sentences to their semi-structured representations. We evaluated the proposed approach on the OpenI corpus of manually annotated chest x-ray radiology reports. The results indicate that the proposed approach is superior to several baselines, both in terms of (1) quantitative measures such as BLEU, ROUGE, and METEOR and (2) qualitative judgment of a radiologist. The results also demonstrate that the trained model produces reasonable semi-structured representations on an out-of-sample corpus of chest x-ray radiology reports from a different medical provider.


stimulated wells completed in commingled reservoirs, i.e., This paper examines tic transient pressure response from slug reservoirs in which the layers communicate only at the wellbore tests in wells completed in multiple, hy&aulically fractured coal and not in the fractures or reservoir. Under these conditions, our seams. We developed a model for stimulated wells producing model is applicableeither for wells in which the layers have ken from commingled reservoirs, I.e., reservoirs in which the layers stimulated with separate fracture treatments but are produced communicate only at the wellbore and not in the fracture or through a common wellbore, or for wells completed in multiple layers intersected by a single fracture in which negligible gravity reservoir, Whh this model, we have investigate.dthe effects of various reservoir properties on the slug test pressure behavior and effects and low verticalfracturepermeabilitieslimitverticalflow. +avc found that the characteristicpressure responsedepends more on the contrast between layer properties than their absolutevalues. Wc rdso pr~s~ni a method for correlating the slug test pressures DEFINITIONS AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT from multi-layer and single-layer reservoirs, thus allowing us to use singic-htyertype curves to analyze slug tests, Following the work of Spath, et u1,5 and Johnston and Lee! we model a coinmingled reservoir having multiple, hydraulically fractured layers, The model considers a reservoir in which each INTRODUCTION layer can have distinct rcswvoir and fracture properties; however, each layer is an isotropic, homogeneous, infinite, horizontal Conventional slug test type curves and analysis techniqucslta arc medium with a uniform thickness, permeability, and porosity, In based on single.layer, radiabflow models. Since coal seams arc addition, each layer is assumed to contain a slightly compressible rclativel~ thin compared to conventional natural gas reservoirs, fluid with viscosity and compressibility that are mdcpendcnt of economically . !ablc coalbed methane wells often must bc pressure, Finally, wc assume the initial pressures in all layers arc complctcd in multiple scams, In addition, the typical range of equal and single-phase flow exists at all times. Under these pcnneabilitkx observed in coal requires that wells be hydraulically conditions, the Laplace transform of the total, dimer,sionlcss fractured, especittll~ for the critical dcwatcring phase early in a pr:ssure response for the !aycrcdsystems,~is WCI1'S productive hfc. Thcrcforc, {hcse convcntiomd slug test analysis techniques arc not valid for either wtluating wells complctcd in multiple coal scams or assessing the post-fracture p'(u) = -----l-— i &j hj 1 potentialof hydraulicallyfracturedcoalbed methanewells, ,,, ,,, ,,, ,, .,,,. ,!!,!.,,,,,,,,,. .,. !(1) j., Ill P~j(") Kawtki, et al,s examined the pressure behtwiorduring slug tests in WCIISintersecting infinite-conductivity, vertical frncxres, where u is tt Laphtcc spi~ccvariable, n is the numbs' of layers, Similarly, Rushing, et td! investigated slug tcstin in wcus with andj is the layer index, ! finite.conductivity, vertical fractures, Both stu ies, however, were limited to single-layercases. Karsaki, et al,s dso studied the The dimensionless pressure, ~'j(u), in thejlh layer is computed shq test pressure response in unstimuhttedIaycredreservoirs, but with Cinco-Lcy,et aL's7 model which considers a WC1l intcrscmd their study only consldcrcdhornogwteous,two-layer forrrmtions, by a fully-penetrating, tinitc.conductivity, vertical fracture, l'hc fracture is rnodcledas a homo ~eneous,uniform slab, Becausethe The purpose of this paper is to investigate the transicm pressure fructurc width is assumed to'be much smaller than the fracxurc bchiwior during slug tests in wells completed in multiple, length and height, the model assuxs flow in the fracture is linear hydraulically fractured COJIscams, Wc dcvclopcd a model for and fluid influx at the fracture ti s is negligible, In addition, the model assumesfluid production 10 m the reservoir to the wellbore =-s and illustratio).sat cad of pa= occurs only through the fracture, Further, since the fracture


Objective To study the anti-tumor responses of cytokine induced killers to lung cancer cell lineA549 by mature dendritic cells impulsed with tumor freeze-melt antigen derived from cord blood. Method Thedendritic cells and CIK were derived from the same cord blood. Dendritic cells were impulsed with tumorfreeze-melt antigen and analyzed by flow cytometry. The anti-tumor effects on A549 lung cancer cell line bydendritic cells impulsed with tumor antigen mixed with CIK CIK with antigen and CIK were checked with MTTmethod. Result The morphologically typical dendritic cells derived from cord blood were induced in vitrowhich can highly express costimulatory molecules CD86 CD40 CD80 CD83, and lowly CD11c. The anti-tumorresponse to A549 in experimental group was superior to the others. There was significant difference in riserate of cytotoxic effect compared with contrast groups.Conclusion Dendritic cells impulsed with tumorantigen could enhance the cytotoxic effect on target cells. This could offer us a new way to tumorimmunotherapy.


The present paper describes the morphology, histology, and annual cyclical changes in the ovaries of Barbus luteus (Heckel). The ovaries are paired structures, joined by short oviducts. The ovarian structure consists of a number of lamellae, which contain the germ cells in various phases of maturation—immature, maturing and mature. Two types of yolk have been reported in the oocyte. The endocrine function of the gonads has been attributed to the follicular cells forming the 'pre-ovulatory corpus luteum' and 'postovulatory corpus luteum'. The ovaries undergo a regular annual cycle which has been divided into five stages, based on various criteria, viz, ovarian size, colour, gonosomatic index, average ova-diameter, histological composition, and the spawning activity.


1. The cortical response to electrical stimulation applied to the cortical surface was investigated in the rabbit with particular attention to its regional difference. Three types of response corresponding to cortical areas were distinguished.2. The first type of response consisted of a surface-positive potential of 5-10 msec. duration followed by a surface-negative one. On the positive potential were superimposed two positive spikes and a sequence of three inflections. The distribution of the response was limited to area striata of Rose.3. The second type consisted of a surface-positive potential of 3-5 msec. duration followed by a surface-negative one. The surface-positive potential was preceded by one or two positive spikes. The distribution of the response extended over regio postcentralis and regio parietalis of Rose.4. The third type consisted of a simple surface-negative potential of 5-10 mesc. duration. It was distributed over regio praecentralis and area retrosplenialis granularis dorsalis of Rose.5. The potentials of these three types changed in amplitude as well as in form according to intensities of stimulation, but could be distinguished from one another above a certain level of intensity.6. A pick-up needle electrode was inserted into various layers of the cortex to record responses at different depths. Positive and negative deflections and positive spikes of the first and the second types of response reversed in sign at a certain depth characteristic of each. The sign reversal of the positive spikes took place in deeper layers than that of the positive deflection, and the layer in which the negative deflection reversed was found deepest. Before the sign reversal of the positive deflection took place, a marked phase shift was observed in the first type, but not in the second type. With the third type any conventional sign reversal could not be observed in most cases.


Knowledge of the gas-liquid critical states of mixtures is of great practical importance for classifying reservoir fluids as gases or volatile oils. This is because many hydrocarbon processing operations take place at high pressures and involve retrograde phenomena which are characteristic of the behavior of mixtures in the critical region. It is therefore often necessary to locate the critical point of a multicomponent system prior to carrying out other calculations in the critical region. Attempts to predict critical properties have relied mainly on two approaches: empirical methods and the rigorous methods involving the solution of Gibbs criteria for the critical point in a mixture. Although the Gibbs approach is preferable to the first, because of its basis in thermodynamics, the method, however, does not always lead to a solution, and sometimes requires a large amount of computing time in reservoir simulations. Moreover, methods that are based on two and three parameter equations of state are inadequate to resolve the critical properties of fluids, and the predicted critical volumes show the greatest deviations from the experimental measurements.


Nowadays, many organizations adopt Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) best practices to enhance their IT service related processes. Although many organizations have adopted ITSM frameworks such as Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), not all have been successful. Keeping this in mind, this paper seeks to identify Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that impact on successful implementation of ITSM frameworks with a focus on ITIL in Iranian organizations as a case of a developing country. Hence, based on a mixed method, at first, with the semi-structured interviews and literature review, 22 success factors were identified. Following that, a questionnaire was developed and sent out to domain experts. Next, robust Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was run for analyzing data and establishing construct validity which finally classified critical success factors into five groups named as "organizational†, "human resources†, "project management†, "managerial†and "process†. The findings of this study have provided a very useful reference for IT standardization scholars and practitioners to identify the important issues of ITSM frameworks implementation projects in their research and practice.


Laboratory photochemical studies of aqueous acetonitrile solutions of some polychlorinated phenols (PCPs) such as 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol (2,3,4,5-Cl4-Pn) (1), 2,3,4,6-Cl4-Pn (2), 2,3,5,6-Cl4-Pn ...


This study examined satisfaction levels of geriatric patients with the medication information they received during a recent hospitalization and identified potential effects of living situation and changes in medications on those levels. A non-randomized convenience sample of 36 geriatric patients was recruited from two hospital sites for this descriptive study. A post-discharge telephone call at 1-7 days was used to obtain both participant demographic data and to administer the Satisfaction with Information about Medications Scale (SIMS). Low overall mean satisfaction levels were seen in the total SIMS score and in both sub-scales. Mean satisfaction levels were significantly higher in those with changes in medications during hospitalization. Approximately 17% of the variance in the total SIMS scores can be attributed to changes in medications during hospitalization. Higher scores were seen in the Action and Usage subscale with changes in medications but were not demonstrated in the Potential Problem subscale.


Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are known to be significantly over-parametrized, and difficult to interpret, train and adapt. In this paper, we introduce a structural regularization across convolutional kernels in a CNN. In our approach, each convolution kernel is first decomposed as 2D dictionary atoms linearly combined by coefficients. The widely observed correlation and redundancy in a CNN hint a common low-rank structure among the decomposed coefficients, which is here further supported by our empirical observations. We then explicitly regularize CNN kernels by enforcing decomposed coefficients to be shared across sub-structures, while leaving each sub-structure only its own dictionary atoms, a few hundreds of parameters typically, which leads to dramatic model reductions. We explore models with sharing across different sub-structures to cover a wide range of trade-offs between parameter reduction and expressiveness. Our proposed regularized network structures open the door to better interpreting, training and adapting deep models. We validate the flexibility and compatibility of our method by image classification experiments on multiple datasets and underlying network structures, and show that CNNs now maintain performance with dramatic reduction in parameters and computations, e.g., only 5\% parameters are used in a ResNet-18 to achieve comparable performance. Further experiments on few-shot classification show that faster and more robust task adaptation is obtained in comparison with models with standard convolutions.


Manuscript: A feasibility study of a Cognitive Behavioral based stress management intervention for nursing students : Results, challenges, and implications for research and practice


2-Methylbut-1-ene-3-yne and Propyne mixtures were pyrolyzed at 350–450°C in the absence and presence of O2 and NO. The major product of the reaction is a polymer, but m-xylene and p-xylene are also produced and were studied as the species of interest. The C8H10 formation rate is first-order in C3H4 and C5H6. The rate coefficient is best fitted by

though it is not inconsistent with

where R is the ideal gas constant in kJ/mol-K. Experiments in the presence of NO show that m-xylene and p-xylene formation occur by two processes: a concerted molecular mechanism (≃ 41%) and a singlet diradical mechanism (≃ 59%).


We give the homotopy type of the suspension of a polyhedral join in terms of the polyhedral smash product for the same family of pairs and show that the polyhedral join of pairs $\left(\bigvee\mathbb{S}^0,\emptyset\right)$ over a skeleton of $\Delta^n$ has the homotopy type of some wedge of spheres. We use these results to study the homotopy type of the forest filtration for some lexicographic products of graphs.


This study aims to analyze the application of the Pegadaian Syariah Digital information system in facilitating syariah transaction customers at PT. Pegadaian Syariah Ups Mertoyudan. The research method used in this study uses qualitative research throught interviews with customers Pegadaian Syariah Ups Mertoyudan. Then analyzed using descriptive analysis method. The results of this study indicate that the application of Pegadaian Syariah Digital is in accordance with the objectives of Pegadaian Syariah namely to facilitate customers in terms of transactions and provide service that have an impact on customer satisfaction. Pegadaian Syariah Ups Mertoyudan emphasizes the disclosure of detailed and valid information so that it cant prevent wrongdoing in doing business. The application of Pegadaian Syariah Digital in Pegadaian Syariah Ups Mertoyudan is in accordance with islamic syariah principles.


Triamino triazine, also termed melamine, presents three identical interfaces that are capable of recognizing U/T with three hydrogen bonds. When displayed on a polymeric chain, melamine displaying polymers are capable of condensing structureless U/T tracts into triple-stranded structures, which have been conferred with enhanced tolerance towards nuclease degradation and preserved biological function. In this study, a mixed-block copolymer with alternating display of N-Acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and melamine p(GM)_(10) is synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT). The polymer has been demonstrated to sequence specifically load the 27-mer dicer substrate siRNA targeting ApoB-100 precursor mRNA that is appended with U stretches. The loaded siRNA can be efficiently processed by recombinant dicer, and readily uptaken by HepG2 cells via receptor mediated endocytosis, eliciting an IC 50 of 5 nM. Further, the copolymer is immunologically tolerant as the result of carbohydrate decoration, and induces minimum cytokine release syndrome. Hence, melamine displaying polymer offers a novel siRNA delivery strategy with enhanced RNAi potency; further, RAFT polymerization has been demonstrated to be a versatile platform for synthesizing tailored delivery system with tissue/disease-specific ligand conjugations.


The most fundamental expectation from the healthcare sector is that it provides a safe and reliable environment to serve patients. Medical supplies and equipment have also improved with technological advancements, making them easier to use, providing a better experience, and increasing their longevity. With advancement in technology, medical services can also be tracked for efficiency.


Purpose – The purpose of this research is to show that for the successful development of socio‐technical systems it is essential that various stakeholders are able to integrate their different knowledge and perspectives. A method that supports knowledge integration in the course of introduction and development of socio‐technical systems is the Socio‐technical Walkthrough (STWT). The paper describes the characteristics of the STWT method and the potential to support knowledge integration.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical approach of the STWT is closely related to the notion of socio‐technical systems. Starting with the historical development of this term, the authors saw the necessity to adopt elements of newer system theory so as to achieve a better understanding of the conditions under which a social system and a technical system can be integrated. Based on two empirical case studies (university library/logistic enterprise goes Web) the authors show empirical evidence, that the STWT is especi...


Nowadays, Electronic Payment Systems are inseparable part of digitally communication systems. One of the crucial challenges of Electronic Payment System makers is making security and anonymity. Digital information while transferring through the network or in storage systems and servers can easily be copied. Moreover, electronic money which is a good simulation of cash money should have the most characteristic of it, that is, payer's anonymity. Controlled anonymity provides a balance between the protection of privacy and the security against anonymity misuse. A new system for revocable anonymous is therefore designed in this paper. This system presents solution to confront with attacks like blackmailing and double spending by MultiInterfaces and Passwords.


The cDNA of Gossypium hirsutum auxin binding protein(Ghabp1) were cloned between the CaMV35S promoter and NOS terminator.The new constructed binary vector was named as pGABP1-121.It was transformed into tobacco mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.The plants with kanamycin resistance were obtained after regeneration and selection.PCR and Southern analysis showed that Ghabp1 was successfully integrated into the genome of these plants.The transgenic tobacco has a larger leaf cells than the control observed through SEM.The results suggested that the expression of Ghabp1 affect the expansion in leaf cell.


Background: In other to curb the resurgence of drug resistance, there is need to find cheaper, environmental friendly and readily available alternative chemotherapy for all patients for all ages. Extracts from plants has proven to be potent against wide range of pathogen such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites of which Citrus sinensis is an important example. Both the aqueous and ethanoic extracts of Citrus sinensis were evaluated on some Bacillus species which were isolated from vegetables in nearby farm around the Oke Ogun Polytechnic Saki. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytocompounds and antimicrobial activities of the coat of Citrus sinensis on some Bacillus species . Methods: The aqueous and ethanoic extract of the dried plant coat was evaluated for its antimicrobial activities on the isolated organisms using Kirby bauer disc diffusion method. The isolates were subjected to molecular identification using the polymerase chain reaction and subsequent Sanger sequencing techniques. There was high correlation between the isolates' identity at all the levels and sequencing except in few. The FASTA format of the nucleotides sequences were submitted at the GenBank at NCBI database for accession numbers which were MW362290 ( Bacillus cereus ), MW362291 ( Bacillus cereus ), MW362292 ( Bacillus weidmanii ), MW362293 ( Bacillus cereus ), MW362294 ( Bacillus cereus ) and MW362295 ( Bacillus thuringiensis ). Results: The active phytocompounds present in the aqueous and ethanol solvent were saponin, alkaloid, flavonoid, tannin, coumarin, steroid, terpenoid, cardiac glycosides, quinones, anthraquinones and phenol while Anthocyanin was present only in aqueous extract. These extracts both showed high antibiotics activities on all the isolated organisms. All the extracts recorded considerable antibiotic potency against all the isolates making the extracts of Citrus sinensis coat a suspect containing active biocidal agents. Conclusion: The coat of Citrus sinensis showed high antimicrobial properties against some Bacillus species, the antimicrobial effects was as a result of active phytochemicals present in the coat. This study established biocidal activities in both aqueous and ethanolic extracts. Its utilization for its pharmaceutical would be of great advantage both economically and environmentally.


When remembering past events or imagining possible future events, older adults generate fewer episodic details than do younger adults. These results support the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis: deficits in retrieving episodic details underlie changes during memory and imagination. To examine the extent of this age-related reduction in specificity, we compared performance on memory and imagination tasks to a picture description task that does not require episodic memory. In two experiments, older adults exhibited comparable specificity reductions across all conditions. These findings emphasize the need to consider age-related changes in imagination and memory in a broader theoretical context. During the past several years, converging evidence from cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and neuroimaging has documented that episodic memory—a neurocognitive system that supports recollection of personal experiences (Tulving, 2002)—also plays an important role in imagining or simulating future experiences (for recent that segments individuals' descriptions of experiences into episodic or " internal " details (e.g., who, what, when, and where details) and " external " details (e.g., semantic information, other external events, repetitions). Levine et al. (2002) found that older adults produced fewer internal and more external details than did younger adults when recalling past autobiographical events. In the Addis et al. (2008) experiment, older adults remembered past experiences or imagined future events in response to word cues, providing as much detail as possible for three minutes per episode. Replicating Levine et al. (2002), older adults provided fewer internal (episodic) details and more external (semantic) details than did younger adults when remembering the past. Importantly , Addis et al. (2008) documented a parallel aging deficit for imagining future events: older adults provided fewer internal details and more external details than did younger adults (see also, Addis, Musicaro, Pan, and Schacter, 2010). Addis et al. (2008) interpreted these results as support for the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis (Schacter & Addis, 2007), which maintains that both remembering the past and imagining the future are supported by a constructive episodic memory system that is capable of flexibly recombining elements of prior experiences into simulations of future events. However, because the Autobiographical Interview involves producing an extended narrative, differences between young and old adults in memory and imagination on the Autobiographical Interview could also reflect age deficits in non-episodic mechanisms. To address this issue, we report two experiments that include a condition absent from previous studies using the Autobiographical Interview. Older and younger adults were instructed to describe …


Factors as diluting water, reagent, sampling, preservation and determination process, which would effect the determination of sulfide in water with methylene blue spectrophotometry, were discussed in this paper. The determination process was standardized, which improved the accuracy and precision thereof.


Subtitle: Throughout the world, start-up airlines tend to battle with established carriers for market share. Across the Georgia Strait between the Canadian mainland and Vancouver Island, a similar battle has been waged, albeit on a much smaller scale.


A focus on the technical achievements related to the purification of glycerol, the syngas generation, the development of a customized structured (3D printed) Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalyst and the lab retrofitting and prototype development is given, as well as insights on the Market and Stakeholder Analysis. Details on the Dissemination materials and tools developed to maximize the visibility of the GLAMOUR project are also provided.


Abstract Schools of business are a logical context for the implementation of community-based learning (CBL) given their focus on student engagement, application of knowledge, real-world experience, and diverse work environments. However, it may be new for many faculty members. Innovations often meet with resistance due to incompatible beliefs in what should be done or how. When determining why and how to implement CBL, various elements related must be considered. These include the mindsets, commitments, and competencies of faculty members as well as organizational capacity. This paper explores the factors and conditions surrounding the adoption of CBL with an emphasis on the faculty and identifies gaps in the literature.


Community detection is an NP-hard graph problem that has been the subject of decades of research. Moreover, efficient methods are needed for time-varying graphs. In this paper we propose and evaluate a method of approximating the latent block structure within a time-varying graph using a Kalman filter. The method described breaks a stream of graph updates into samples of sufficient size, each one forming a graph $G_{t}$, and has the desirable feature that it accurately updates its representation of the latent block structure using a relatively small amount of information: the prior $t-1$ predicted block structure and the current datastream sample $G_{t}$. This paper details the underlying system of linear equations, used here to represent community detection, that achieves 97 % accuracy estimating the latent block representation as the community structure changes. This is demonstrated for synthetic graphs generated by a hybrid mixed-model stochastic block model from the DARPAIMIT Graph Challenge with time-varying block structure.


The population distribution pattern is both a geographical status of man revealed in the spacial distribution and an expression of the socio-cultural variables of the surroundings,a study of which has a duel significance of exploring nature and understanding human society.The population distribution pattern of the Wa Nationality has various kinds of historical and practical significance.


Objective:To explore the clinical basis of intrauterine growth restriction in the first trimester pregnancy,related pathogenic factors and clinical significance.Methods:The clinical data of 42 cases of first trimester pregnancy whose menstrual age did not coincide with growth and development of fetus were analyzed retrospectively(study group),and 1 956 normal pregnant women at the same time were selected randomly(control group).Ages,married ages,histories of infertility,adverse pregnancy,intrauterine operation and medical histories of pelvic inflammatory diseases,incidences of complications in the second and third trimester pregnancy,conditions during delivery and neonatal conditions in the two groups were compared.Follow-up was conducted for one year after birth,growth and development,intelligence development of neonates and infants were recorded.Results:There was significant difference in related risk factors of intrauterine growth restriction between the two groups:age(P0.05),married age(P0.05),history of infertility,history of adverse pregnancy(P0.01),history of intrauterine operation(P0.01),medical history of pelvic inflammatory diseases(P0.01),placenta previa(P0.01),placenta abnormity(P0.01),placental adherence and implantation(P0.01),postpartum hemorrhage(P0.05).Conclusion:Intrauterine growth restriction exists in the first trimester pregnancy,the related factors includes genetic and immune factors,medical history of pelvic inflammatory diseases and developmental retardation of trophic layer in zygote.


We participated in the video to text description: matching and ranking task in TRECVID 2018. The goal of this task is to return a ranked list of the most likely text descriptions that correspond to each video in the test set. We trained joint visual-semantic embedding models using image-text pairs from an image-captioning dataset and applied to the videotext retrieval task utilizing key frames of videos extracted by a sparse subset selection approach. Our retrieval system performed reasonably across all the testing sets. Our best system, which uses a late-fusion of similarity scores obtained from the key frames of a video, achieved mean inverted ranking score of 0.225 on the testing set C, and we ranked the 4th overall on this task.


In field trials with sunflower was monitored the influence of yearly weather conditions and foliar applications of both Atonik and Pentakeep V on a yield and fat content in sunflower achenes (hybrids Alexandra PR, NK Alego and NK Brio) in years 2009 – 2010. Experimental task was realized by field polyfactorial experiments established in warm corn production area (climatic region: warm; climatic subregion: dry; climatic zone: warm, dry with mild winter and longtime sunshine, brown soil) in Center of Plant Biology and Ecology of FAFR SUA in Dolná Malanta. The trials were established by split plot design with randomized complete blocks base design. From two-year small plot trials was found statistically non-significant impact of weather conditions of year, hybrids and application of Atonik and Pentakeep – V on achene yield of sunflower. The impact of monitored factors on fat content was statistically high significant. In variable yearly weather conditions higher average yield and achene fat content was achieved in year 2010. The most adaptable for production on concrete agroecological conditions were hybrids NK Brio and Alexandra PR (3.03 t ha), for fat content NK Brio (44.25 %). Foliar application of Pentakeep V in dose 0.1 l ha, 0.5 l ha respectively most significant influenced the yield of achenes (3.43 t ha), fat content (44.71 %) respectively. JMBFS / Černý and Veverková 2012 : 1 (February Special issue) 887-896 888


4564 Background: Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that stimulates dendritic cells (DC's) and promotes uptake of tumor antigens by DC's leading to T cell cross-priming. Thalidomide is an anti-inflammatory agent with immunomodulatory and antiangiogenic activity. Administration of GM-CSF and Thalidomide can induce PSA responses in 20-25% of patients (pts) with Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC). In an effort to further evaluate this novel combination we conducted a phase II trial in pts with locally advanced PCA.

METHODS
High-risk PCA pts undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) were eligible. ECOG 0-1, adequate organ function, and no prior hormonal therapy were required. All pts received GM-CSF at 250 μg administered SC three times weekly. Thalidomide was escalated to reach the study dose of 200 mg/day. Patients were assessed every 4 weeks with therapy continuing to a maximum of 8 weeks. The primary endpoints were pathologic response, rate of PSA decline and toxicity. High-throughput tissue microarrays (TMAs) were also used to assess exploratory tissue endpoints including tumor expression of PTEN, CD3, Ki-67, and CD68 by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
To date 22 of a total planned of 29 pts are enrolled. Median age is 59 (43-72), median PSA of 10.4 (3.6-64.8). Baseline Gleason Scores (9 pts-GS7, 10 pts-GS8, and 3 pts GS9). 19/22 pts received all 8 weeks of therapy. Three pts discontinued therapy early due to toxicity or drug intolerance. A maximum PSA decline of 15-55% was observed in 86% of pts. Grade (G) 1-2 toxicities included dizziness/paresthesias (68%), constipation (64%), injection site reactions (64%) and fatigue (50%). Only one pt developed G3 toxicity (DVT). Tumor tissue expression of PTEN, Ki-67, CD3 and CD68 was significantly higher in treated pts when compared with matched controls (PTEN p = 0.03, Ki-67 p = 0.004, CD3 p < 0.001, and CD68 p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Neoadjuvant therapy with GM-CSF and Thalidomide is well tolerated, and does not appear to impact on the perioperative morbidity of RP. This combination therapy appears to induce overexpression of PTEN, Ki-67, CD3 and CD68 in PCA tissue. Ongoing tissue and serum immune studies are underway to better define the significance of these tissue findings. [Table: see text].


Multiple sequence alignment is usually considered as an optimization problem, which has a statistical and a structural component. It is known that in the problem of protein sequence alignment a processed sample is too small and not representative in the statistical sense though this information can be sufficient if an appropriate structural model is used. In order to utilize this information a new structural description of the pairwise alignment results union has been developed. It is shown that if the structure is restored then Multiple Sequence Alignment is achieved. Introduced structure represents the set of local maximums of quasi-concave set function on a lower semi lattice, which in turn is a union of the set-theoretical intervals. This union is a set of the consistent subsets of diagonals, introduced by B. Morgenstern, A. Dress, and T. Werner (1996). Algorithm for local maximums search on proposed structure has been developed. It consists of an alternation of the Forward and Backward passes. The Backward pass in this algorithm is a rigorous while the Forward pass is based on heuristics. Multiple alignment of 5 protein sequences are used as an illustration of the proposed algorithm.


Contemporary theories of addiction of all stripes rule out faulty values as a cause of addiction. Yet evidence from cross-cultural, ethnic, and social-class research, laboratory study of addictive behavior, and natural history and field investigations of addiction indicate the importance of value orientations in the development and expression of addictive behaviors, including drug and alcohol addiction, smoking, and compulsive eating. Furthermore, the rejection of moral considerations in addiction deprives us of our most powerful weapons against addiction and contributes to our current addiction binge. The disease myth of addiction in particular attacks the assumption of essential moral responsibility for people's drug use and related behavior, an assumption that we instead ought to be encouraging.


This is a discussion of the slagging of steam-generating equipment when burning low-grade coals having a high percentage of ash which fuses at relatively low temperatures. Slagging trouble has increased as the capacity and efficiency of this equipment have been increased, and the means for reducing it are briefly described.
 Since the character of the fuel is such that the cause cannot be removed before the coal is burned without destroying the coal itself, slagging is generally accepted as a necessary evil. The design of steam-generating equipment is gradually being changed so that it will be better adapted to the coal to be burned, give less slagging trouble, and stay in service for longer periods.
 Reducing the ash content of the coal by washing or any other means is, of course, advantageous, but the chemical treatment of coal with a view to eliminating slagging troubles or reducing them has been generally unsuccessful.


8549 Background: Melanoma incidence is increasing faster (3%-7% per annum) than any other cancer. Data from the SEER Study showed a melanoma incidence rate of 19.5/100,000 for males and 14.4/100,000 for females in the USA, resulting in roughly 14,000 cases/year in the USA alone. Emalignant melanomas are generally easily treated by resection; but treatment ability changes dramatically once the tumor becomes metastatic. Such patients have a five year survival rate less than 5%, with median survival of only six to twelve. Dacarbazine (DTIC) is the only approved treatment for malignant melanoma, yet patient responses are infrequent (~10-20% of patients). Even in responders, DTIC extends lifespan for only 3-6 months.

METHODS
We examined the function, of miRs found to be differentially expressed in thirty-six melanoma skin biopsies compared to sixteen normal donor skin biopsies, on cell growth rate, caspase 3/7 activation, migration, invasion, and susceptibility to DTIC in five different melanoma cell lines, one normal melanocyte line, and normal primary melanocytes.

RESULTS
Of the ninety-eight differentially expressed miRs, informatics predicted twelve putative tumor suppressor and five putative oncogene microRNAs, as well as one putative oncogenic microRNA cluster (miR-506-514 cluster; presented in a separate abstract by Streicher et al). Subsets of these miRs showed potent statistically significant effects in at least three malignant melanoma cell lines compared to normal melanocytes. Transfection of miR-126, -193b, -203 miR mimics or miR-146a or -21 miR inhibitors significantly increased caspase 3/7 activation in melanoma cell lines. MiR-126, -193b, or -206 miR mimics or miR-21 or -146a miR inhibitors significantly decreased tumor growth rate. Mir-193b, -206, -let7c miR mimics or miR-146a, -21, of -31 miR inhibitors decreased melanoma cell migration and invasion. None of the tested miRs showed an effect on susceptibility to dacarbazine.

CONCLUSIONS
In summary, we functionally annotated eight differentially expressed miRs as functional oncogenes or tumor suppressors in malignant melanoma cell lines that represent potential targets for melanoma therapy and biomarkers.


In this paper,the existence and uniqueness theorem of the solutions for system of nonlinear set-valued operator equations sequence in a class of Menger PN-space with(φ,Δ)-type probabilistic contractor couple are presented and proved,which generalizes the corresponding results of Chang S S etc.Utilizing this theorem,a fixed point theorem for mappings sequence is obtained,and the solutions for nonlinear equations sequence for fuzzy mappings are studied.


ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: to study the efficacy and safety of using appendix as catheterizable conduit based on Mitrofanoff procedure in urinary diversion.METHODOLOGY: This prospective observational study was conducted at department of surgery, Hayatabad medical complex and Khyber teaching hospital from 1st January 2005 till 31st December 2011. Total number of 56 patients (38 males and 18 females) from 5-60 years of age were included in the study. Mitrofanoff principle was used to achieve clean intermittent catheterization and urinary continence. Patients were followed for two years with, initially 3 months and then 6 months intervals. All the data was collected on structured proforma and was analyzed on SPSS.RESULTS: Out of 56 total patient, primary diagnosis was transitional cell carcinoma in 23 (41%) case, exstrophy-epispadias in 10(17.9%), urethral injury in 7(12.5%) cases and miscellaneous in 16 (28.5%) cases. Augmentation cystoplasty was performed in 9 (16%) and 33(58.9%) patients had neobladder formation in conjunction with Mitrofanoff procedure. Urinary continence was achieved in 51(91%) patients. Mortality rate was 3.5% (n=2/56) and 3(5.3%) patients were lost to follow up. Complications were observed in 18 (35.2%) cases. Stomal stenosis was most common complication in 7(12.5%) patients, followed by incisional hernia, wound infection, suprapubic fistula and intestinal obstruction in 2 (3.9%) patients each. Only 7 (13.7%) needed surgical management, rest of 11(21.5%) were treated conservatively.CONCLUSION: Mitrofanoff procedure provides immense advantage to patients needing urinary diversion, as it is associated with far less complications, higher continence rate and greatly improved level of independence in bladder management.KEY WORDS: Radical cystectomy, Urinary diversion, Mitrofanoff principle.


Particle size distribution (PSD) measurement based on the static light scattering method has been widely used in the environmental field and combustion diagnostics, such as PM2.5 measurement and combustion process monitoring. The PSD inversion is mathematically related to the Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. Although the Tikhonov regularization algorithm is one of the effective inversion methods to solve the ill-posed linear equation, it still has the disadvantages of excessive smoothness and low accuracy. Thus, a preconditioned Landweber algorithm combined with the Tikhonov regularization theory (the improved algorithm) is proposed in this paper. The Tikhonov regularization theory is used to pretreat the preconditioner B contained in the preconditioned Landweber algorithm. Simulations are conducted to compare the inversion results of the conventional Landweber algorithm, the preconditioned Landweber algorithm, the Tikhonov Chahine algorithm, and the improved algorithm at different signal-to-noise ratios. A CCD-based small-angle forward scattering measurement system is built. A standardized polystyrene microsphere with a diameter of  $35.05~\mu \text{m}$  is used to evaluate the above algorithms. Both numerical and experimental results show that the improved algorithm improves the accuracy of the inversion results and is insensitive to the ring parameter of the detector. The experimental results of the standardized polystyrene microsphere reveal that the relative errors for the median diameter  $50~\mu \text{m}$  are better than 3%. The improved algorithm can provide a highly reliable and stable inversion result.


Objective To use the whole yeast fluorescent cell regulated by RNR3 promoter for high-throughput screening of chemical mutagens.Methods Based on the basic frame of the reporter vector carrying the gene encoding a green fluorescent protein(yEGFP) optimised for yeast,the RNR3 promoter amplified by PCR from W303-1A yeast genosome was inserted into the yEGFP upstream of this vector to yield the yEGFP yeast reporter vector under the control of the RNR3 promoter.This vector was transformed into the yeast cell by the lithium acetate method to construct the fluorescent yeast strain regulated by RNR3 promoter.This yeast cell could be used to screen the activities of chemical mutagens.The assay was performed on 96-well microplates in the presence of different concentrations of the chemical mutagens,which had the characteristics of rapid,convenience and highthroughput.Results The results showed that various drugs that caused DNA damage effectively induced RNR3 expression,such as alkylating agents(methyl methanesulfonate),cleavage of DNA(cisplatin),intercalator(actinomycin D) and inhibitors of polymerases(5-Fluorouracil and hydroxyurea),while chlorambucil and 4nitroquinoline-N-oxide did not lead to the expression of RNR3 because of their toxicity to the yeast cell.Conclusion Some of DNA damage chemicals related to carcinogenesis induce RNR3,and therefore this fluorescent yeast can be used to highthroughput screening for some of chemical carcinogen.


The adverse effects of heavy metal contamination, such as lead in the environment, have been a worldwide concern. In the Philippines, the use of leaded gasoline was phased-out in Metro Manila in April 2000. This study investigated the distribution of airborne lead in three major thorough fares in Metro Manila. Lead levels in plants and soil surfaces were correlated with both human blood samples and rainwater collected from selected building rooftops in Metro Manila. The range of lead levels in plant species and soil samples were 0.25 to 17.36 mg/kg and 83.74 to 183.51 ug/g, respectively. Lead levels in rainwater and blood samples ranged from 0.95 to 1.29mg/l and 0.05 to 0.38 ug/g, respectively, showing that lead levels in Manila are beyond allowable limits. There was significant correlation between lead levels of plant species and the different areas of studies, as well as with those of soil and rain water samples. Of the 76 human respondents, with mean age of 39 years old and mean stay in the streets as street workers for 16.5 years, 43.4% of complained of both respiratory and non-respiratory ailments, 30.3% and 22.4% complained chiefly of respiratory and non-respiratory ailments, respectively. The respondents were generally restless and easily distracted. Only 25% admitted of committing crime.


The dynamics of a bubble near a local axisymmetric convexity or concavity, cosine-like in the axial section, on a plane rigid wall is studied in the regime with the formation of a cumulative liquid jet directed to the wall. The study is performed by the boundary element method. Main attention is focused on the bubble collapse characteristics at the moment tc when the jet impacts on the bubble surface part near the wall, namely on the jet tip velocity and radius, the internal bubble pressure, the distance between the bubble and the uneven region of the wall, etc. These characteristics are of interest since they to large extent determine the destructive potential of cavitation. The dependences of these characteristics on the radius of the non-plane region of the wall, the depth of the concave region and the height of the convex region, and the local character of the wall unevenness have been investigated. To estimate the effect of the local character of the wall unevenness, the cases of completely concave and convex walls in the form of blunt conical surfaces are used for comparison. It has been found, in particular, that with changing radius of the convex region of the wall, the bubble shape at the moment tc varies significantly: the shape diversity includes the profiles with a gas microcavity in front of the impacting jet tip, an emerging second oppositely-directed jet, and a quite large area of the jet tip impact at its beginning.


It is shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation that the dark line defect (DLD) structure induced by optical pumping of undoped Ga1−xAlxAs–GaAs double‐heterostructure (DH) laser material is identical to the DLD's which develop during laser diode operation of devices fabricated from similar p‐n structure material. This confirms the DLD generation, and subsequent failure of cw laser diodes can be a growth‐related property of Ga1−xAlxAs–GaAs DH laser material and is not necessarily associated with p‐n junction dopants or contact metallization technology.


Abstract β-Thalassemia (β-thal) caused by mutations on the HBB gene is the most common single-gene disorder in the world. In this study, the HBB gene mutation was investigated in Hamadan province, Iran. Forty-one patients referred to a referral hospital were admitted to the study. DNA samples were extracted from peripheral blood. The HBB gene was sequenced in all recruited patients. Eleven mutations and eight polymorphisms were found in the studied patients. IVS-II-1 (G>A) (HBB: c.315+1 G>A) was the most common mutation, accounting for 25.61% of mutant alleles. Other mutations included codon 8 (–AA) (HBB: c.25−26delAA); IVS-I-110 (G>A) (HBB: c.93−21 G>A); codons 8/9 (+G) (HBB: c.27−28insG); IVS-I-1 (G>A) (HBB: c.92 G>A); codon 44 (–C) (HBB: c.135delC); codons 25/26 (+T) (HBB: c.78−79insT); IVS-I-130 (G>C) (HBB: c.93−1 G>C); –28 (A>C) (HBB: c.−78 A>C); codons 36/37 (–T) (HBB: c.112delT) and IVS-I-6 (T>C) (HBB: c.92+6 T>C). According to our findings, the IVS-II-1 mutation has the highest prevalence in Hamadan Province. It was found that the total frequency of the IVS-II-1, codons 25/26 (+T), codons 8/9 (+G), IVS-I-110 and IVS-I-1 mutations was 82.92%. Therefore, given these findings, it is recommended that these five mutations are screened for as a first step in laboratories without sequencing instruments, and that the rest of the gene is subsequently examined.


A new affine invariant multivariate analogue of the two-sample Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon test based on the Oja criterion function is introduced. The associated affine equivariant estimate of shift, the multivariate Hodges-Lehmann estimate, is also considered. Asymptotic theory is developed to provide approximations for null distribution as well as for a sequence of contiguous alternatives to consider limiting efficiencies of the test and estimate. The theory is illustrated by an example. Hettmansperger et al. [9] considered alternative slightly different affine invariant extensions also based on the Oja criterion. The methods proposed in this paper are computationally more intensive, but surprisingly more efficient in the multivariate normal case. For elliptical distributions, the limiting efficiencies coincide with those of the affine invariant spatial rank methods.


The present invention relates to a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery and a separator. Specifically, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising: a cathode; an anode; and a separator disposed between the positive and negative electrodes, wherein the membrane comprises a substrate layer and the base layer is formed on at least one main surface of the surface layer the surface layer comprises a polyvinylidene fluoride and the inorganic material particles and the deformation of the surface layer of a pressure greater than the amount of deformation of the base layer of pressure.


With extended autonomous capability planetary rovers will be able to carry out more exploration. This paper presents a method of control that provides such autonomy. This controller is based on Inverse Simulation, which considers the path to be taken and the dynamics of the rover. The principle of Inverse Simulation is that the time history for the desired trajectory is used as an input to the Inverse Simulation which outputs the required control values over the course of the manoeuvre to be carried out. The resulting control signal can then be applied to the rover to make it manoeuvre in the desired manner. This method of control provides very accurate position and orientation control of the rover while considering the limitations of the rover and the actuators used.


The word Kantha means patched clothes . Kantha evolved out of necessity to drape or protect against cold. Kantha in Sanskrit means rags. In that era, thread and cloth were not easily available to common people so women of Bengal started to use over used saris or dhotis by stitching them up. They used the strand of thread from the colorful border of the saris and started to make simple designs with them. An initiative has been taken for exploring the possibility of modification of traditional motifs of Nakshi Kantha. The concept behind the theme was to create new range of textile designs by maintaining the beauty and originality of traditional embroidery. Motifs suitable for use through textile ornamentation, present on the traditional samples were identified and collected through secondary data. The motifs derived from the traditional samples were then categorized and modified using CAD. Each design was adapted into three different layouts for women's kurta. The most preferred design layout in each category was then digitally printed and the consumer's acceptability of the printed product was evaluated.


The influence of the river Niger inland basin translates a small increase in flood level into a very serious flood, with consquential flood losses in the immense flood plain constituted by the inland delta. The statistical adjustment of a single law cannot explain the multiple characteristics of the flow; hypotheses of sample homogeneity are no longer true, regimes of flow in the minor bed alone and in the coupled minor bed/major bed system being different. A method using two different laws, truncated in frequency and following the flow regime, has been developed (Lamagat et al., 1986; Lamagat & Molinier, 1983). The results presented show that this method allows one to take into account the hydraulic parameter of the major bed influencing the flow.


Expression of programmed cell death ligand (PD‐L1) is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Understanding the regulation of PD‐L1 expression in breast cancer could provide a new strategy for breast cancer treatment. Here, we demonstrate that moesin (MSN) phosphorylation by Rho‐associated protein kinase (ROCK) stabilizes PD‐L1 protein levels. Our results indicate that phosphorylated MSN may compete with the E3 ubiquitin ligase SPOP for binding PD‐L1. ROCK inhibition via the Y‐27632 inhibitor or MSN silencing decreased PD‐L1 expression, resulting in T‐cell activation both in vitro and in vivo. Administration of Y‐27632 into immunocompetent Balb/c mice bearing breast tumors suppressed tumor progression and enhanced CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell infiltration. RNA‐seq analysis of Y‐27632‐treated mouse tumors revealed that ROCK inhibition upregulated several immune response genes. However, the combination of Y‐27632 and an anti‐PD‐1 antibody did not show additive or synergistic effects due to reduced PD‐L1 in the presence of Y‐27632. Our study unravels a previously unappreciated mechanism of PD‐L1 regulation through the ROCK‐MSN pathway. Moreover, we found that ROCK inhibitors could be combined with breast cancer immunotherapy.


Here we demonstrated the potential and applicability of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy to detect four commonly found bacteria in the infectious diseases. Besides the different spectral characteristics between bacterial species, THz absorption differences for living bacteria, dead bacteria and bacterial powder of the same species were also investigated. Our results revealed that small differences in water contents between bacterial cells account for distinct discrepancies of the absorption coefficients, which can be used for bacterial species identification. Furthermore, living and dead bacteria showed different absorption coefficients as a result of their different hydration levels, suggesting that THz spectroscopy can be used to rapidly assess the living state of bacteria under test. Our results clearly demonstrated the ability of THz spectroscopy for time‐saving and label‐free detection of bacteria with minimal sample preparation, potentially to be utilized for point‐of‐care tests in the near future. Schematic representation of bacterial detection by THz spectroscopy. Different bacteria have distinctive absorption coefficients as a result of their different water contents.


Objective:To study the cervical intervertebral movements following posteroanterior mobilization and the biomechanics.Methods:Twelve normal volunteers were recruited.All the subjects received posteroanterior cervical mobilization(10-30N for force).Before and after mobilization,cervical lateral slice at static state was used to test the sagittal rotation of motion segments and the posteroanterior displacement of posterior and anterior intervertebral separation(IVS).Results:After the mobilization,the sagittal rotation of C3-C6 were larger than that before(P0.05);the anterior IVS of C3 and C5 was larger than that before(P0.05);the posterior IVS of C5 was smaller than that before(P0.05).Conclusion:The posteroanterior cervical mobilization significantly increased the lordosis of C3 to C7,and there is a rotation while the cervical is being extened,which leads to an increase of anterior IVS,but a decrease of posterior IVS.


A sol–gel process is developed for the synthesis of ZnO crystals at room temperature using organic receptors (bearing imine linkages) as the capping agents to control the size and shape of ZnO. The size and morphology of ZnO are characterized with X-ray diffraction, TEM, SEM, and DLS studies. The decoration of imine-linked receptors on the surface of ZnO is characterized with IR and NMR spectroscopy and confirmed with EDX analysis. The XRD results show that the average crystallite size of ZnO is 13.8 nm with a hexagonal wurtzite structure. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that surface-coated ZnO possesses fewer surface defects than the usual bulk ZnO. The imine-linked receptor-coated ZnO (sensor) was tested for recognition of various metal ions; however, the sensor was found to be selective for Co2+ in the DMSO/H2O (8:2; v/v) solvent system. The successive addition of Co2+ to the solution of the sensor quenches the fluorescence intensity at 445 nm with enhancement at 353 nm. This leads to the developmen...


Thinking of holding an open house to introduce your new practice, welcome a new physician or tell the community about a new service or treatment you're offering? You may be on the right track.


Introduction: Antiobesity medications have been known to cause pulmonary hypertension and cardiac valvular disease. There is a risk in patients who have taken these medications of sudden hypotension when general anesthesia is induced. This article is a review of the current literature on the subject of valvular disease in asymptomatic patients who have taken antiobesity medications. Materials and Methods: The results of five independent surveys of patients who had been exposed to fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine but who had no obvious history of cardiac disease or cardiac symptoms were reviewed. Results: As detected by echocardiogram evaluation, the presence of significant valvular disease ranged from 30.0% to 38.3%. For patients having less than 3 months or 3 to 5 months of exposure to the drugs, 22% showed evidence of valvular disease. For patients exposed to the drugs for 6 or more months, the percentage showing valvular disease increased to 35%. An audible cardiac murmur was present in 17% of patients. Discussion: The American College of Cardiology issued recommendations that patients who have a history of fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine use undergo a careful cardiovascular physical examination, which should be followed by an echocardiogram in patients with cardiac murmurs or symptoms. The US Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines state that an echocardiogram should be performed on all patients who have taken these drugs.


Post-true is defined as partial information that is aimed at achieving a political goal while using the truth but not the whole truth. The paper examines the impact of post-true politics in political systems, concentrating on the secular-religious relations in Israeli politics. The significant of Israeli politics as a test case to examine the validity of post-true in modern politics is since a long-standing compromise has identified Israeli politics and society on religious issues. This compromise consists of an agreed status-que under which all segments of society accept a post-true environment and agree not to agree and not to argue on the volatile issue of state and religion relations. The examination is based on analysis of post-true in Israeli politics according to four leading theories of truth: correspondence, coherence, pragmatic and pluralistic. The purpose of explicating the four theories is to show that the relations between secular and religious groups can be examined according to different standards for truth. The paper predicts that the social, political and religious conflict that identifies Israel since its establishment is going to continue with full force in the years to come, since the post-true environment that this conflict is based upon serves the social aspirations and the political interests of different political parties.


Primary flexural structural members such as columns, piles, and bridge piers are usually subjected to bi-axial structural interaction under two-dimensional excitation, torsional motion, or even under seemingly uni-axial excitation but with structural irregularity. Bi-axial interaction has been known to significantly affects, in many cases magnifies, the response in the inelastic range. Field surveys after recent earthquakes, e.g. the 1995 Kobe, Japan earthquake, have revealed that damages were often influenced by two-dimensional ground shaking (JSCE 1995). To realistically predict structural behaviour under dynamic loadings, the response characteristics due to bi-directional interaction need to be properly taken into account. Compared to uni-axial cases, the distinct characteristics of bi-axial hysteresis curves often observed are negative stiffness and 'rounded corners' of the curves near the time instants of unloading. Developed based on the widely used Bouc-Wen model, this paper presents a generalised bi-axial smooth hysteresis model that takes into account the commonly observed hysteretic characteristics of strength and stiffness degradation, asymmetry in ultimate positive and negative forces, pinching, and those exclusively found in bi-axial interaction. Comparison of the model results with that from cyclic and pseudo-dynamic tests shows that they are in excellent agreement. Successful development of the model provides a key for more realistic three-dimensional inelastic analysis, allowing better understanding of structural system performance under dynamic loads.


This paper describes CAPS, a simulation system which enables an analyst without programming experience to quickly produce (in hours) guaranteed executable programs through the use of an interactive dialog. The result is a substantial reduction in both time and effort from the point of problem definition to the availability of model output for decision making. CAPS was developed by Dr. A. T. Clementson of the University of Birmingham and this paper draws heavily upon his work. (See Ref. 1) The user dialog with CAPS is described and examples of the ease of use are given, including an actual model.


ABSTRACT The central importance of evolution to all biological sciences is recognised by many authors. Despite this scientific consensus, the theory of evolution is commonly presented as one discrete topic among many in the biology curriculum. Possible reasons for this scenario include discomfort with the content, ideological opposition and teachers' difficulties in concepts identified as essential for the understanding of evolution. In evolution education, there is a well-established literature on these aspects, but little has been discussed about the historical and philosophical issues concerning the challenges to the centrality of evolution in biology teaching. In this article, I argue that evolution at both basic and higher education levels is strongly based on the original evolutionary synthesis, with a focus on population genetics, and this is one of the reasons for the failure in establishing the centrality of evolution in biology teaching. Given the diversity and complexity of contemporary evolution theory, a more pluralistic perspective to evolutionary teaching is required. I propose that a causally pluralistic evolutionary worldview, which expands the range of causal factors contributing to evolutionary change, is essential when it comes to establishing the centrality of evolution in biology teaching.


The influence of frying parameters (time and temperature) on the sensory characteristics of yam (Dioscorea alata) was studied. Name was washed and cut in the form of rectangular parallelepiped and soybean oil was used as heating media. The frying process was evaluated at three temperatures (140, 160 and 180 ° C) and five heating times (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 min). The sensory analysis was performed by 5 judges and color, hardness and fat were evaluated. Hexagonal factorial design and surface response methodology were used. The best combination resulted to be 5 minutes and 160 0 C for which the most appropriate characteristics of color, hardness and fat were


Objective:To design a real-time warning system to monitor the occurrence of sleep apnea in early,which is aimed to alarm and reduce the incidence of sleep apnea.Methods:Combined database with data mining,sensitive data of terminal patients can be analyzed by data mining of Logic model and BP neural network,which can achieve quantitative measurement of changes in patient injury and automatic classification.Results:The system achieves intelligent calssification of sleep apnea status and forecast for the stage patients,the risk of large forecast alarm,sleep apnea to reduce the probability of occurrence.Conclusion:The system has the advantages of diagnostic rate,convenient operation,which gives great advices to other physiological signs.


ADST ltAGT. Pour-hourly everegc ooneenteetione of sulphur dioxid~, total oxidan ts (includ in;g ozone} and aldehydes (&9 forma ldehyde ) ob-crved at the Modular, L..boreto ry ~J1(> . DARC. ~klht~a.:Y duri ng 1073 arc ted The results are compared with th Q8C of earlier ~·co.tlI and discussed. An ~('\Qrl) mcrcese of betwee n ~~~~r ~nt in SO. (mont hly a\"t"mp;o oo?('CJl~r8tion.) is observed alnce 1009. The ink-taction of SOl with uxide nts in t he atmosphere , observed earlier , 18 confirmed .


The Land and Forestland Allocation Policy of Lao PDR has been in effect throughout the country since 1996. The two main aims of the policy are to increase land tenure security in order to encourage farmer's involvement in intensive farming to result in more prosperous livelihoods, and to eliminate slash and burn cultivation in an attempt to protect natural resources and the environment. This paper examines the implementation of the policy in two communities, both of which are located along the foothills of Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area. After the Land and Forestland Allocation Policy banned shifting cultivation, intensive farming was required, and the traditional tenure system was replaced by one codified in law. Lands were zoned for agriculture activities and distributed to villagers according to traditional tenure. In order to retain tenure, villagers must show some agriculture activity or intensive development on the parcels within three years or the land will be returned to the state. This paper analyzes economic conditions, livelihoods, land use practices, and food security, and recommends that the ironic effect of farmers returning to protected forests in order to invest in the land they have received from the Land and Forestland Allocation Program is due to the fact that they are not secure with the rights they have gained to use this land. Until the Lao government gives villagers secure rights to agricultural and forestlands that cannot be revoked in three years, villagers will continue to engage in illegal activities on protected forests.


We examined the avoidable plastic waste generated by miniature samples of non-prescription topical cosmeceutical products. Smaller samples may not offer patients an adequate trial of a product; relate to products which are more expensive for patients; and create proportionally more waste than full-size products. In light of the pressing need to reduce carbon emissions, companies should be proactive in reducing plastic waste, while dermatologists should consider the environmental, ethical, and economic impact of the cosmeceutical products they may offer as samples to patients.


The gap between poorly educated and highly educated people is a long lasting ongoing debate in which scholars have come to different conclusions ranging from a widening of this gap to shrinking of it. In this thesis, various members of amateur soccer clubs have been interviewed, as both poorly educated and highly educated people frequent such places. Using in-depth interviews as a research method, I investigated the social networks of poorly educated and highly educated people in a small local Dutch community who frequent or have frequented amateur soccer clubs in order to examine the nature of the contacts between the two concerning groups and what factors influence these contacts. Sports clubs in general are regarded as places that connect people regardless of their education level, and respondents in most cases did not experience any gap between themselves and others regarding their education level. However, the results also strongly depend on local and cultural factors. In general, the cultural and education level gap is more often felt among people living in large cities.


Background: Rapid, unplanned, and unsustainable patterns of urban development can result in many emerging environmental and health hazards. One of the important public health problems of urban environment is regular exposure to dust and pollutants and consequence of such exposure in the form of changes in the pulmonary function. Being the immediate environment, indoor pollution poses a higher risk to human health than the ambient environment. Realistic personal exposure assessment gives the actual idea about the exposure status. Objectives: This study determined the household principal environmental exposures (Dust, SO2, NO2, and total volatile organic compound) among urban slum dwellers and assessment of the respiratory function to determine any possible relationship between those exposures and outcomes. The study also described the knowledge, attitude, and practice of these urban slum people regarding air pollution and its effect. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 442 urban slum people residing in the slums of the Kolkata Municipal area. Household environmental exposures were collected by standardized methods and outcome was observed by conducting a pulmonary function test. Finally, knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding air pollution were carried out with the help of a questionnaire-based survey. Results and Discussion: Almost all the pollutants exposure was associated with impairment of lung function. Younger age and female gender were statistically associated protective factors for the development of any lung disease. Those who had an overall good awareness regarding the means and effects of air pollution were found to be protected from developing lung disease. Using exhaust ventilation, relocation to inner side of slums, using personal protective measures, and adequate pollution awareness can help the slum citizens to overcome the problem.


Herein the fabrication and characterizations of self-poled, tri-layer piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) have been investigated. The tri-layer structure was obtained by sandwiching surface modified n-type reduced graphene oxide (n-rGO) layer between poly(vinylidene fluoride)-barium titanate (PVDF-BTO) sheets. The highly charged n-rGO layer facilitates in improving the crystallinity of PVDF by attracting and aligning the dipoles from lower and upper PVDF-BTO sheets without any external electric field. The enhancement in electro-active beta $(\beta)$ phase of PVDF was also confirmed through X-ray diffraction pattern. For the comparison analysis three different, single layer (PVDFBTO), bi-layer (n-rGO/PVDF-BTO), and tri-layer (PVDF-BTO/n-rGO/PVDF -BTO) NGs were prepared. Among them, tri-layer NG reveals maximum open circuit voltage of 10 $\mathbf{V}_{\mathbf{pk-pk}}$. Furthermore, it exhibits short circuit current of 2.5 $\mu \mathbf{A}_{\mathbf{pk-pk}}$ at an applied force of 2N. Finally, the mechanical stability of fabricated NG was also tested under several pressing and releasing cycles. It was estimated that our fabricated PENG can be a promising building block for powering flexible small electronics.


Soul has a long history of more than 2000 years which has founded as capital of Korea for 600 years.After experienced the progress of "Jianghan miracle","IT miracle" and "Design miracle " Soul implemented series of urban policies in encouraging the development of design industry,upgrading city design stander and propelling the education progress of design.What's more, soul set its advanced IT industry and infrastructure construction as driving force in developing design industry which gradually established soul's unique status in world design field.As soul is a typical development case of the design cities,this paper analysis the development strategy of soul in order to promote practice and experience of the creative city construction.


The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling system plays a crucial role in human cancerand the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) is an attractive drug target against which a variety ofnovel anti-tumor agents are being developed. Deregulation of the IGF signaling pathwayfrequently occurs in human cancer and involves the establishment of autocrine loopscomprising IGF-1 or IGF-2 and/or IGF-1R over-expression. Epidemiologic studies havedocumentedalinkbetweenelevatedIGFlevelsandthedevelopmentofsolidtumors, suchas breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Anti-cancer strategies targeting the IGF signalingsystem involve two main approaches, namely neutralizing antibodies and small moleculeinhibitors of the IGF-1R kinase activity.There are numerous reports describing anti-tumoractivityoftheseagentsinpre-clinicalmodelsofmajorhumancancers. Inaddition, multipleclinicaltrialshavestartedtoevaluatethesafetyandefficacyofselectedIGF-1Rinhibitors, incombination with standard chemotherapeutic regimens or other targeted agents in cancerpatients. In this mini review, I will discuss the role of the IGF signaling system in humancancer and the main strategies which have been so far evaluated to target the IGF-1R.


Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is very polyphagous pest, attacking more than 800 host plants. It causes serious damage to numerous vegetable and ornamental plants by feeding. Its economic importance is even higher because it transmits more than 400 virus species. Bemisia tabaci was found for the first time in Montenegro in May 2008 on Hibiscus sp. in area of the city of Podgorica. The first detection on vegetables was in September 2011 on melon (Cucumis melo L.) in an open field near city of Ulcinj. After the fi rst detection on vegetables, monitoring of B. tabaci was conducted in next five years (2012-2016) on localities in southern part of Montenegro (Ulcinj, Bar, Budva, Tivat, Herceg Novi, Podgorica) where the main vegetable production is placed. Visual inspections were carried out several times during the growing season from the end of June to the first half of October, on different vegetable plants. The results of the five-year monitoring showed the presence of B. tabaci in the area of Ulcinj, Bar, Budva, Tivat and Podgorica. No presence was detected in area of Herceg Novi. It was also established that the population density varied depending on the host plant and locality. B. tabaci was found on eight vegetables belonging to two botanical families: melon, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and watermelon (Cucurbitaceae), eggplant, tomato and pepper (Solanaceae). The melon was found as the most preferable host, followed by cucumber and eggplant. The complete development of B. tabaci was successfully completed on melon, cu cumber and eggplant.


The automated control of the water level is a very important factor in the control of industrial boiler systems.This article presents a Fuzzy-PID controller which combines the advantages of the Fuzzy control and PID control.The water control system using this controller has a better ability and can improve the control effect greatly.


Central giant cell Granuloma is a intraosseous benign lesion. It occurs mostly in first three decades of life and commonly occurs in females. The lesions grew slowly and usually presented clinically as painless swellings. Radiographically they appeared as well-defined unilocular or multilocular radiolucencies with undulating borders. This case is a rare occurrence of Central Giant Cell Granuloma of the mandibular condyle.


Since 3D molecular structure visualization is important for chemistry education, lots of successful works have been focused on molecular visualization. However, most of the existing research works consider the pre-defined types of chemical bonds and reassembling various kinds of bounds together to construct a 3D molecular structure using the standard ball-and-stick model. Although, this approach is good enough to visualize realistic molecular structures, it losses the generality to reveal the mechanism that how atoms are formed into a molecule from electrical explanations during the molecule design process. At the same time, no existing research works have explored how to generalize this visualization technique by introducing the entertainment elements in children's chemistry education. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel approach to visualize molecular structure in 3D space by minimizing the electric field energy where the optimization steps yield a realistic explanation that how a molecular structure is formed in nature, helping the students understand more about the dynamic properties of molecules. In the meantime, we apply our technique to creative molecular model design for chemistry edutainment.


Political advisors are not an entirely new phenomenon in Europe an countries, but they have been adopted by an increasing number of countries in recent decades, and in countries where they are well established, their numbers have tended to increase. This has led to debate about their purpose, their relationship to ministers and to the civil service, their effectiveness, and the legal and ethical framework within which they should operate. This paper reviews these issues, and considers what lessons may be drawn.


The increasing resistance of microorganisms to drugs that we have at our disposal as well as newly emerging diseases were the reason for the discovery and development of new antimicrobial agents with the fewest possible side effects and with optimum activity against microbes. Many outbreaks from food-borne infections have been recorded recently, as well as many product recalls occur. It is therefore important the elimination of pathogens from food because of the high risk, high rate of mortality and economic burden of disease (e.g. Listeriosis, Salmonellosis).
Moreover, the consumer demand for food free of chemical preservatives that may be potentially harmful to the human body has been increased. Consequently the interest turned to more natural non synthetic antimicrobial ingredients. The plants, due to the great biological diversity and structure of their components are unique and renewable source for discovering new drugs. As it is known, the essential oils have remarkable antiseptic properties [Hamid et al., 2011], which explains the widespread use in the food industry as preservatives [Burt, 2004].
The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze the antimicrobial activity of essential oils basil, lavender, peppermint and sage both directly to microorganisms Escherichia coli, Listeria innocua, Salmonella enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus (in vitro) and in food spiked with microorganisms (in vivo). Primarily Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was conducted to investigate the composition of essential oils. After the completion of investigation of the antimicrobial activity of essential oils, combined process essential oil and two non-thermal food processing methods took place: ultrasound (US) and treatment with ultraviolet radiation (UV) at a wavelength of 254nm. So the aim was to control the application of these technologies in foods to ensure the public health of consumers.
These methods were applied to lettuce, food which is consumed extensively by consumers as part of a healthy diet. The lettuce was purchased from a local super market and inoculated with a mixture of pathogenic microorganisms which were the initial microbial load. Microorganism which have been inoculated were: Escherichia Coli NCTC 9001 (as indicator microorganism for enterohemmorrhagic pathogen E. Coli O157:H7), Staphylococcus Aureus (NCTC 6571), Listeria Innocua NCTC 11288 (as indicator microorganism for the pathogen Listeria Monocytogenes) and Salmonella enteritidis NCTC 6676. The reason why the microorganisms were used in the form of a mixture and not separately were to be a realistic environment simulation: since those microorganisms may potentially exist together in food.
The results of the current study demonstrated that essential oils have a significant antimicrobial activity and may be used in the food industry as antimicrobial agents. On top of that alternative, non-thermal disinfection technologies and specifically US and UV are more effective when combined with essential oils for the inactivation of microorganisms in fresh ready-to-eat foods and are applicable as alternatives to conventional thermal disinfection technologies.


The modern world suffers from a syndrome known as plant blindness—the inability to perceive plants.1 The lack of awareness occurs in the natural environment, the home landscape, and even the scientific lab. The third article in the inaugural issue of the American Chemical Society's ACS Central Science(2) recognizes Carl Djerassi's pioneering work in steroidal syntheses. However, the article belies the essential role that plant natural products played in one of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century.

The author the ACS Central Science article writes, "Scientists' first attempts to create birth control pills focused on extracting progesterone from plants and animals. However, this approach failed to yield an effective oral medication."2 There are three major flaws with these statements. First, progesterone's insolubility in water and short half-life make it a poor candidate for oral contraceptives.3 Second, plants were not sources of progesterone, but rather sources of steroidal sapogenins that could be converted into progesterone and other steroids. Third, and the focus of this paper, Djerassi acknowledged the pioneering work of Russell Marker and the role plants played: "Marker ... made me focus on steroidal sapogenins [plant natural products] as starting materials for the synthesis of estrone and estradiol—steroid hormones that had not been part of his synthetic repertoire."4

Marker had successfully produced progesterone from the sapogenins diosgenin and sarsasapogenin (Figure (Figure1),1), but none of the known plant sources yielded sufficient quantities of sapogenins to be cost-effective for industry. The intrepid chemist then began a search for better sapogenin sources which led to a Mexican species of yam (Dioscorea mexicana). Pharmaceutical companies spurned his discoveries, so Marker moved to Mexico and started Syntex, S.A. in 1944. His involvement with Syntex was short, and, following a quarrel with his partners, he soon left the company. Syntex floundered without Marker's expertise and lab notes, until the company hired George Rosenkranz, who recruited Carl Djerassi and other talented chemists.5 After joining Syntex in 1949, Djerassi synthesized both cortisone and norethisterone, a progesterone mimic, from diosgenin extracted from Dioscorea mexicana.(6)

Figure 1

Marker degradation, which converts plant sapogenins into medically important steroids.

The role of plants in supplying the starting material for subsequent modifications is unquestioned and is noted by physicians, historians, and scientists, including Djerassi himself: "Interestingly, this genesis of estrogens ... led us in a fairly straight path to the first synthesis of an oral contraceptive in the same year (1951) in which we also announced the first synthesis of cortisone from a plant raw material—at that time arguably the hottest problem in synthetic organic chemistry."4

Plants continued to play a vital role in the steroid industry after the initial euphoria of the 1940s and early 1950s. Another plant steroidal saponin, hecogenin, was first discovered in the terrestrial bromeliad Hechtia texensis (Bromeliaceae). It also occurs in the cultivated species sisal (Agave sisalana, Asparagaceae), which is the source of the fiber of the same name. Syntex pioneered the production of cortisone from sisal-derived hecogenin.7 The Mexican company licensed the process to Glaxo, which developed top selling drugs, including betamethasone and beclomethasone.3 Both have been on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines, and many other drugs on the list are either plant derived or based on chemical structures first identified in the botanical kingdom (e.g., artemether, Artemisia annua; etoposide and teniposide, Podophyllum peltatum).

Chemists' blindness toward plants stems from the term synthesis. When they describe the "synthesis" of a compound from or based on the structure of a natural product, they conceal the diversity of nature's chemical palette and disregard the role of natural products. Plants continue to be the source of new lead compounds as well as new drugs. The work of many Nobel prize-winning chemists from Hermann Fischer's sugar and purine syntheses (1902) to Elias Corey's organic syntheses, including ginkgolides (1990), has been based, at least in part, on plant natural products. Let us not forget the importance of plants as sources of compounds for chemistry, medicine, and industry.


A generator wire harness assembly with a horn-shaped sheath solves the problem that conventional wire harnesses are messy and slidable relative to insulating materials and that the contact of the wire harnesses is unreliable. The generator wire harness assembly comprises a plurality of wire harnesses, and connection sockets are arranged at both ends of the wire harnesses sleeved by wire protecting sleeves. The shortest distance difference between the inlet ends of the wire harnesses and the wire protecting sleeves is less than 40mm, and adhesive tapes are tied on the wire protecting sleeves next to the inlet ends of the wire harnesses. The wire protecting sleeves are made of PVC, and a horn-shaped sheath are arranged on the wire protecting sleeves. The bell mouth of the horn-shaped sheath faces the outlet end of the wire harnesses. The horn-shaped sheath tightens the wire harnesses in the wire protecting sleeves, and adhesive tapes tied on the wire protecting sleeves next to the inlet ends of the wire harnesses prevent contact failure due to random play of the wire harnesses. The lengths of the inlet ends of wire harnesses are similar, which facilitates connection of a power supply. The power supply points are relatively neat.


The Bayesian approach to decision making under uncertainty prescribes that a decision maker have a unique prior probability and a utility function such that decisions are made so as to maximize the expected utility. In particular, in a statistical inference problem the decision maker is assumed to have a probability distribution over all possible distributions which may govern a certain random process.


Background: Vascular development is crucial in normal physiology and pathophysiology, and is in part orchestrated by a dynamic balance between extracellular matrix (ECM) and endothelial cells. The molecular mechanisms that govern this balance and as such play a role in the formation of new blood vessels remain largely unknown. In order to identify new genes involved in blood vessel formation, we performed a genome-wide gene expression array analysis in Flk1+ angioblasts during mouse development using a commercial platform (Affymetrix). Multimerin2 (Mmrn2) expression was found to be upregulated in angioblasts and endothelial cells and in the developing vasculature of zebrafish and mice. Methods & Results: Subsequent in vitro studies using an adenoviral construct to induce Mmrn2 overexpression showed a negative effect on angiogenesis. Mmrn2 overexpression resulted in a reduction of 2D tube formation capacity of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs), as seen in a decrease in the number of junctions and tubules (P Further in vitro experiments, using immunofluorescence, showed Mmrn2 was detected outside of HAECs, were it co-localized with the extracellular matrix components perlecan, laminin and fibronectin. Direct interaction with these proteins was confirmed using a combination of co-immunoprecipitation followed by proteomics (LC-MS), and western blot to identify possible binding partners. Interestingly, overexpression of Mmrn2 also resulted in enhanced expression of these extracellular components, suggesting that Mmrn2 changes the phenotype from a more proliferative endothelial cell towards a more productive endothelial cell. Conclusions: These findings suggest that Mmrn2 is an abundant and important extracellular matrix protein, secreted by endothelial cells, which influences the expression of other ECM proteins such as fibronectin, laminin and perlecan. We hypothesize that Mmrn2 switches the phenotype of the endothelial cell and subsequently diminishes endothelial cell proliferation, migration and overall tube formation.


Termitophilous rove beetles in Australia encompass diverse genera and species from several tribes in Aleocharinae. While some taxa have been well-documented, others remain poorly known due to the scarcity of available material. The existing knowledge of Austrospirachtha Watson for instance, is based solely on Austrospirachtha mimetes, described from two specimens collected in an old termite mound. The genus is known for its highly developed physogastry and potential mimicry adaptations. Herein, we present the description of a new species, Austrospirachtha carrijoi sp. nov., representing the second known species for the genus.


This study examines the differences between expressions used by lay persons and professionals in nutrition-related questions and answers, and to what degree General Finnish Ontology (GFO) and a medical thesaurus (FinMeSH) cover these expressions. Fifty question—answer pairs were collected in an electronic answering service. Nutrition-related concepts and their expressions with their semantic relations were identified. The vocabularies of lay persons and professionals were found to be quite similar. This hints that a special consumer health vocabulary in the field of nutrition is not needed. GFO covered 32% of all expressions in questions and 37% of expressions in answers. FinMeSH covered 33% of expressions in both groups. The overlapping match of the thesauri was low, 25% in both questions and in answers. GFO and FinMeSH were found to be poor tools for supporting users in expressing nutrition-related information needs. GFO seemed not to form a covering bridge to FinMeSH.


An a ste rosaponin extracted £rom. the Atlantic starfish _A. ste r~~ forbesi (Desor) has teen evaluated for pharmacological activity. The investigation has revealed that while the asterosaponin does not exi1ibit all the activities that would be expected, such as hernotoxicity to blood cells, choline rgic blocking activity, initiation 0£ a.voidance .i.'ebEJOnse reaction or production of autotomy, it does exhibit soLJ.e unique propert: ,o: s not demonstrated by other a sterosaponins. These activities include an z. lgesia, anti-inflarnrna tion, a.nd transient hypotension produced by a direct effect on the vascular