Performance management theory has been largely organizational with a focus on the decision maker, operating within the public-sector hierarchy. But such an understanding misses most contexts that are more horizontal and fall somewhere between intra-organizational team structures and inter-organizational collaborations. To address this gap, this article puts forward the concept of collective performance data use; a group-level construct defined through the lateral, voluntary, and reciprocal negotiations among partners. Drawing on related literatures, it develops a theoretical framework to explain collective data use based on three relational mechanisms (system sensemaking, deliberation routines, and dissent-conflict balancing) and a set of mechanism-activating antecedents, out of which four are featured in greater detail: connectedness, power imbalance, expertise configurations, and distributed leadership. The article argues we need to update extant performance management theory using a relational perspective if we want to better understand the social side of performance practices and related behaviors.


Physics tells us that at the microscopic level the evolution of a (micro-) state is reversible, ie deterministic both forward and backward in time. In contrast, our best models of computation are usually not reversible at the microscopic level, and this carries over to actual implementations in computers. As a consequence of basic thermodynamics, this irreversibility directly contributes to heat dissipation, and therefore power consumption. However, there is nothing inherently irreversible about computation, and using reversible computation models could therefore lead to lowered power consumption. In the new MicroPower project, the Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen is collaborating with the University of Ghent and the hearing-aid company Oticon, to advance the theory and practice of reversible computing at the language, logic and circuit level.


The traditional downhole tool experimental teaching has problems of poor teaching results, poor learner autonomy, not conducive for oilfield staff to carry out continuing education, etc. Virtual laboratory and remote education were combined to build a new experimental teaching model, which provides an effective solution to above problems, achieving the purposes of autonomous learning of students in school and remote training of oilfield staff. The key technologies in developing remote downhole tool virtual lab were described in detail from the aspects of network structure, experimental contents, interface and interaction design, and realization and release. Practical application showed that the virtual lab played an important role in experimental teaching and achieved good effects.


To treat existentialism as a philosophy is no more possible than to treat idealism as a philosophy. The reason is obvious. Jean-Paul Sartre is an existentialist and Gabriel Marcel is also an existentialist; but the philosophy of Sartre is not the same as the philosophy of Marcel. One can no more speak of the philosophy of Kierkegaard, Jaspers, Heidegger, Sartre, Marcel and Berdyaev, as though they maintained the same system, than one could speak of the philosophy of Plato, Berkeley and Hegel, as though one philosophy was common to the three thinkers. Of course, if one took idealism in the sense in which the Marxist uses the term, as meaning the doctrine that mind is prior to matter, i.e. as opposed to materialism (with the suggestion that realism and materialism are equivalent), one would have a definite theme to consider; but one would be forced to recognize as idealists thinkers who would never call themselves by that name and who would not be generally recognized as such. Similarly, if one said that existentialism is the doctrine that man is free and that what he makes of himself depends on himself, on his free choices, one would doubtless have mentioned a doctrine which is common to the existentialists and which they insist upon; but one would at the same time be forced to include in the ranks of the existentialists philosophers whose inclusion would be manifestly absurd.


Petri nets are increasingly used for the evaluation and analysis of real-time systems. Petri nets are a powerful speciication language for real-time and embedded systems, as they allow to model the computational parts of the system, the target hardware, and the system environment within the same executable and analyzable model. However, up to now most approaches that use Petri nets to specify real-time systems are only concerned with a high-level description of the system functionality and largely ignore timing aspects, such as scheduling, which are particularly important for real-time systems. This report suggests a novel approach to the modeling of real-time systems with Petri nets which provides a clear separation between the functional task model, the timing information, and the scheduler subnet. For the scheduler subnet, a library of Petri net models of standard scheduling algorithms has been developed, based on a general technique to express preemption with Petri nets.


Describes a multiagent approach to a class of layout problems, in particular that of arranging a set of electrical components in a low-voltage switchgear cabinet. A survey of known approaches has shown that the layout problems have exclusively been either of constraint optimization or constraint satisfaction. Inherent to the problem mentioned is the presence of both types of constraints. This paper shows that multiagent approaches exhibit sufficient flexibility to deal with both types of constraints. In the approach taken, the original problem is translated into a pure optimization problem which can be solved efficiently by agents behaving "reactively". However, the applied optimization technique cannot guarantee to satisfy any "hard" constraints defined in the problem. Such constraints then have to be solved by cooperative activity of agents. Initial experiences with this idea were gained by implementing a simplified example.<<ETX>>


Objective To explore the nursing on senile patients with urinary incontinence. Methods The authors made comprehensive care of elderly patients. Results The mean hospitalization was (14±5 )days after discharge,through the telephone follow-up of 3 months,44 cases of patients can control the urination,21 cases improved,15 cases improved. The remaining 4 patients,after rehabilitation training,no major shift in the situation.Conclusion Nursing for elder patients with urinary incontinence,urinary incontinence caused by improving the complications, improve the self-care ability of patients,with outcomes for disease.


Objective
To observe the effect of Bushen-Huoxue decoction combined with conventional therapy on the clinical symptoms, vertigo degree and cognitive function of elderly patients with chronic cerebral cerebral circulation insufficiency (CCCI) and to explore its mechanism.

Methods
A total of 70 patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group according to random number table method. The two groups were given antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, lipid and other western medicine treatment. On this basic treatment, the control group added orally flunarizine hydrochloride capsules, 5 mg /day before sleeping, while the observation group with Bushen-Huoxue decoction per day. All the treatment last 30 days. dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) and montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) were used for the symptoms evaluation, and the mean flow velocity of the following arteries basilar artery (BA), bilateral vertebral artery (VA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) were assessed by the Ultrasound transcranial doppler blood flow analyzer. The acidity phosphatidic acid, AP were detected by chemical colorimetric method. And the clinical effect rates were compared after treatment.

Results
The total effective rate of observation group was 94.3% (33/35), higher than 82.9% (29/35) in the control group, and the difference in group 2 was statistically significant (χ2=9.728, P<0.05). After treatment, the TCM symptom scores (6.2 ± 3.3 vs. 9.8 ± 3.7, t=8.920), DHI score (4.4 ± 2.5 vs. 9.3 ± 3.6, t=12.081) and MoCA score (25.7 ± 2.6 vs. 23.2 ± 2.8, t=6.638) improvement of the observation group were significantly better than those of control group (P<0.05). The Vms of LVA (37.2 ± 8.5 cm/s vs. 34.9 ± 7.6 cm/s, t=9.103), LMCA (63.3 ± 9.8 cm/s vs. 60.1 ± 8.4 cm/s, t=7.839), RMCA (62.8 ± 10.5 cm/s vs. 60.9 ± 9.5 cm/s, t=6.583) and plasma AP (3.74 ± 1.08 μmol/L vs. 5.81 ± 1.35 μmol/L, t=9.627) improvement of the observation group were significantly better than those of control group (P<0.05).

Conclusions
The Bushen-Huoxue decoction can improve the clinical symptoms and vertigo of the elderly and improve the cognitive level of the patients. The mechanism may be related to the improvement of the cerebral blood flow velocity, the decrease of plasma AP, and the state of ischemia and hypoxia.

Key words:
Brain ischemia; Aged; Bushen-Huoxue decoction; Blood flow velocity; Phosphatidic acids; Dizziness handicap inventory; Montreal cognitive assessment


Many academic libraries are wondering whether they are providing adequate physical and intellectual access to library resources for their students. Before planning new services, academic librarians must first evaluate students' current information needs, skills, and satisfaction in using library resources. By using a survey in this investigation, students were asked to rate their effectiveness, their satisfaction, and their needs and expectations in the use of library resources at the University of Rhode Island. After collecting 608 surveys, the data were coded, tabulated, and analyzed, using both quantitative statistical analysis and qualitative content analysis. While the majority of students believe that they are effective seekers and users of library resources, 40 percent were not satisfied with their search for information and materials found. When students were asked what they needed to become more effective users, students recommended better organization and availability of materials, more books and journals, more training and classes, more staff and staff assistance, and enhanced computer facilities.


Background: The "500 rule" has been used extensively to find the insulin to carbohydrate ratio (ICR) for carbohydrate counting (CC). Duration of insulin action (DIA) is often recommended to be set to 4 hours. Data are lacking on validating these routines in young children. Methods: ICR was calculated by dividing carbohydrate grams by insulin units. Insulin sensitivity factor (ISF) was defined by the 100 rule (100 divided by total daily insulin dose [TDD]). DIA was set to 3 hours. ICR, ISF, and DIA were adjusted continuously. Data for this retrospective analysis were taken from pump downloads at a routine visit. ICR and ISF were recalculated to rules (ICR/ISF multiplied by TDD). Results: A total of 21 prepubertal children aged 7.0 ± 2.3 (mean ± SD), range 2-10 years, with diabetes duration 3.0 ± 1.9, range 0.5-7.7 years, used the pump bolus calculator for CC. HbA1c IFCC (NGSP) was 53 ± 6 mmol/mol (7.0 ± 0.5%). None had experienced severe hypoglycemia (unconsciousness/seizures) since diabetes diagnosis. TDD was 0.7 ± 0.1 U/kg/24 h (range 0.5-1.0), and the percentage basal insulin 38 ± 11%. Median breakfast rule was 211 (Q, quartiles 162;310), and for other meals 434 (Q 301;496). Median ISF rule was 113 (Q 100;128) in the morning, and 120 (Q 104;134) during the rest of the day. DIA was 2.6 ± 0.5 h (range 2-3) and target BG 5.3 ± 0.4 mmol/l (range 5.0-6.0). Conclusions: Prepubertal children seem to need more bolus insulin for meals than calculated from the 500 rule, especially at breakfast, but less insulin for corrections than calculated from the 100 rule. Two to 3 hours seems to be the appropriate range for DIA in this age group.


In this paper we discuss design considerations for integrated DC-DC converters towards achieving optimal converter performance in the face of parasitic effects. Integrated converters are realized by utilizing spiral inductors, which allow for low area and high quality factor solutions. However, using spiral inductors in DC-DC converters requires accounting for the inter-dependency between inductance and resistance of the spiral inductor in the design of the DC-DC converter. We present techniques to mitigate this inter-dependency and discuss how the various converter parameters affect its performance.


The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is a section of the World Health Organization whose mission is to develop strategies for cancer


PURPOSE
High-dose-rate (HDR) vaginal cuff brachytherapy (VCBT) is an effective adjuvant therapy for women with stage I endometrial cancer. Although infrequent, failures do occur, most frequently at the vaginal vault. A potential cause of failure is insufficient dosimetric coverage at the vaginal apex due to cold spots from the anisotropic dose distribution of the source. Here we propose a novel Direction Modulated Brachytherapy (DMBT)-concept vaginal cylinder (VC) applicator that resolves this dosimetric issue.

METHODS AND MATERIALS
The novel DMBT-VC applicator was designed and simulated with the GEANT4 Monte Carlo (MC) code. The outer cylinder material chosen was PPSU plastic, and the central part was a detachable rod, housing a single lumen made of either PEEK plastic or an MR-compatible tungsten alloy. The PPSU-based outer cylinder, together with the inner PEEK rod provides the dose distribution of a conventional VC applicator. The PEEK rod is then replaced with an MR-compatible tungsten alloy rod of the same dimensions to generate directional pencil beams to compensate for the anisotropic cold spots. Two widely used 192 Ir HDR sources, VS2000 and GammaMedPlus, were simulated.

RESULTS
The novel DMBT-VC applicator was able to remove the underdosage at the apex due to the anisotropy effect regardless of the HDR sources without unnecessarily increasing the dose to the periphery of the applicator. Also, further directional modulation to reach deeper in the apex by up to 14 mm beyond the VC surface was achievable, again without increasing the peripheral doses. Total treatment dwell times increased only by 7-13%.

CONCLUSIONS
The novel DMBT-VC applicator provides improved dose coverage at the vaginal apex by overcoming the classical anisotropy issue ubiquitous to all HDR brachytherapy sources. The next step in development of the device is manufacturing a prototype for clinical testing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The orator Lysias is credited by Plutarch with as many as 425 speeches, and even reputable critics in antiquity admitted 233 as genuine. Of these a considerable number, about 170, are known by name and 34 are still extant. As might be expected, new works of this prolific author have already emerged from the rubbish-heaps of Egypt, at Hibeh (Pap. Hib. 14), and at Oxyrhynchus (Pap. Oxy. 1606), and the latter site has again, from its inexhaustible stores, furnished us with the new text, unknown even by name before, which forms the chief subject of the present article. The papyrus, now in the British Museum, has received the inventory number 2852, and consists of a leaf from a codex, imperfect on all sides save perhaps the right margin. On the recto are remains of two columns, on the verso of one, written in a rounded flowing hand which may be dated as of the early 4th century A.D. The fragment measures 17*5 cm. x 18-5 cm. (extreme dimensions), width of right margin 5 cm., of column 7 cm. The number of letters in the line varies from 15 to 21, but averages from 17 to 19. Punctuation is marked by paragraphus and spacing, e.g. in lines 54, 60. Iota adscript is omitted; otherwise the orthography is correct except for the usual confusion of et and t. The common contraction for v at the end of the line, a horizontal stroke over the preceding vowel, is employed in several instances. The position of the leaf in the codex may be inferred from the fact that the text on the recto precedes the text on the verso. Early books were usually composed of a single quire, formed by placing a number of papyrus sheets one above another, recto upwards, then folding them over to form a single gather ing. In consequence verso precedes recto for the first half of the book, and recto verso for the second half, where our fragment no doubt belongs. Quires of many sheets are known; the great Hennas papyrus in the Michigan Library had over 40, perhaps even 50, presumably forming a single quire, in spite of the clumsiness of such an arrangement.


A system developed for the rapid design of communication networks is considered. Designed for tasks in which the ability to conduct research areas is limited by time or budget. It is assumed that the equipment is insufficient to fully cover the territory with network access zones. The terrain is analyzed for signal propagation and routes of movement of subscribers, given weight characteristics by characteristics. The use of ready-made sets of network equipment is proposed. The design task is reduced to finding points for placing devices on the ground. Search engines are carried out using the gradient descent method, as a function of the subscriber's access layer function to the network


While China is known for its immense manufacturing base, in recent years the Chinese government has assigned a high priority to science and technology services as its future growth sectors. The Chi ...


This article advances research on moral responsibility in organizations by drawing on both philosophical virtue ethics grounded in the Aristotelian tradition and Positive Organizational Scholarship research concerned with virtuousness. The article discusses the very conditions that make possible the realization of virtues and virtuous-ness, respectively. These conditions ground notions of moral responsibility and the resulting praise or blame on organizational contexts. Thus, we analyze the way individuals and organizations may be ascribed interconnected degrees of retrospective moral responsibility and blame as depending on the interplay between the individual conditions leading to virtue and the organizational conditions leading to virtuous-ness. Based on this analysis, we develop a two-level account of moral responsibility in organizations that connects individual and organizational moral responsibility through the concepts of virtue and virtuousness. This is further operationalized into practical guidelines to ascribe degrees of individual and organizational blame,


Three rice varieties with different growth durations were selected and mechanical transplanted as double-cropping late rice with the two planting densities(14 cm×30 cm and 17 cm×30 cm).The yield and the yield-related traits were measured at mature period to analyze the effects of planting density on the yield of mechanical transplanted double-cropping late rice.The results showed that high planting density was conducive to the yield increase for the cultivar with short growth period,while low planting density was conductive to the yield increase for the cultivar with long growth duration.For the cultivar with a slight shorter growth period,appropriately increasing planting density would make its tank of the yield equivalent to that of the variety with longer growth period,but the seed-set percentage and 1000-grain-weight were higher than those of the cultivar with longer growth duration,so it expressed yield increase in the end.


The 30-s Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT30) is frequently used to determine peak anaerobic power (PP). When PP, which is generally achieved within the first 5-s is the primary measure of interest, there may be no advantage in completing a 30-s test. It is not clear if a shorter test can be validated against the WAnT30. PURPOSE: To determine if a modified 6-s anaerobic test could be used to measure PP as an alternative to the traditional WAnT30 in recreationally active females. METHOD: Thirteen females (28.4 ± 6.3 yr., 163.2 ±5.3 cm, 66.8 ± 10.9 kg -1 ), previously familiarised with protocols, performed a WAnT30. In a subsequent separate session participants performed a modified 6-s Wingate Test (WAnT6) and a 6-s Wattbike Pro 'all out' sprint (Watt6) in a randomised manner. A 15 min standardised recovery was completed between sprints. Agreement was measured between WAnT6, Watt6 and WAnT30 using simple linear regression models and Bland Altman plots. RESULTS: WAnT30 correlated with WAnT6 (R 2 = 0.74; P < .001) with a mean bias of -55W. Between Watt6 and WAnT30 the agreement was R 2 = 0.40 (P <.05), with a mean bias of 41W. The bias between a WAnT30 and a WAnT6 could be corrected using the following equation:


There are no recommendations for medical therapy or auxiliary breathing device at an evidence level to prevent symptoms at subacute phase of novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19). As patients are usually symptomatic, they have difficulty in performing their daily activities. A 38-year-old male patient working as a medical secretary was admitted with a complaint of tickle in throat. The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test was positive. Under treatment, the patient got worsed. He was hospitalized and respiratory failure was seen. He transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). In the follow-ups, the patient who was taken to the service from the ICU and then discharged was followed up routinely. Than during the follow-up in the outpatient setting, the patient started to use auxiliary breathing device. At one month, he had no complaint other than dyspnea on exertion, and pulmonary function parameters completely improved. Therefore, this case highlights the importance of using auxiliary breathing device which can yield benefits during the subacute phase of COVID-19.


The relation between the writing of contemporary poetry and politics, understood in the broadest sense as a formal, affective and conceptual engagement with events in the world, or with kinds of commitment to their transformation, is an intensely contested one. It opens up a space that manifests the most complex, and occasionally disabling, kinds of interpellation: freights of identifying, cartographies of silence, incontrovertible demands. Such contestation has been known to descend into fistfights, even as its networks of collaborative connection can produce work of the most profound attention to the unfreedom of our time. Currently the range of contemporary poetries is burgeoning, aided by the speed and penetration of internet exchange, rolling blogzines, the possibilities of cross-medial experimentation; reinforced by the ambitious lists of print-on-demand publishing and proliferating numbers of artisanal small presses, which keep work in circulation and bring "lost" collections into view. At the same time, the practice of writing poetry also continues to carry with it the traditions


Abstract Introduction: Persistent inflammation and oxidative stress are the main mechanisms that increase the risks of cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As a natural antioxidant, lycopene can alleviate oxidative stress and suppress inflammation. We hypothesized that lycopene could have the potential to reduce mortality in SLE. Method: Thirty-seven participants with SLE from the NHANES III were divided into two groups (higher level group and lower level group) by rank method according to serum lycopene. These participants were followed-up from the date of interview (1988–1994) to 31 December 2006 for mortality. Mortality rate and survival function were compared between the two SLE groups. Results: The mortality rate was significantly lower in the higher level group (5.3%) than that in the lower level group (33.3%). There was a significant survival difference between the higher level group and the lower level group (Log rank p = 0.0436). In addition, cardiovascular disease-related mortality was dramatically lower in the higher level group than that in the lower level group. Conclusions: These findings from nationally representative samples indicate that higher serum lycopene has the protective effect on mortality in SLE. Further studies with large sample size are needed to confirm these primary results.


This paper studies summarizing key information from news streams. We propose simple yet effective models to solve the problem based on a novel and promising representation of text streams – Burst Information Networks (BINets). A BINet can be aware of redundant information, allows global analysis of a text stream, and can be efficiently built and dynamically updated, which perfectly fits the demands of text stream summarization. Extensive experiments show that the BINet-based approaches are not only efficient and can be used in a real-time online summarization setting, but also can generate high-quality summaries, outperforming the state-of-the-art approach.


Objective:To study the change of expression rate of T lymphocyte subsets,NK NKT cell in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients,and find out the relationship between immune status of breast cancer patients and neoplasm staging,and its clinical value of immune indices before and after the therapy.Methods:By fluorescent marker method and multi-parameter flow cytometry,40 normal females and 120 females with breast cancer were tested for the expression rate of CD3+,T helper/T induced cell CD3+CD4+,T suppressor/cytotoxic cells CD3+CD8+,NK and NKT,and then the results were analyzed with statistic method.Results:Compared with data of control group,the expression rates of CD3+,CD3+CD4+,CD3+CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in breast cancer patients without lymph node metastasis had no obvious difference,while the expression rates of NK and NKT were significantly lower than that of control group(P0.05).The expression rates of CD3+,CD3+CD4+,CD3+CD8+,NK and NKT in breast cancer patients with lymph node metastasis group were significantly lower than that of control group(P0.05).But the immune indices returned to normal standard after a comprehensive treatment.Conclusion:The detection of T cell subsets in peripheral blood is an effective way in the diagnosis of breast cancer and its clinical stages.The therapy can strengthen the immunity of breast cancer patients.


Previous studies have revealed that the Tibetan Plateau (TP) can weaken the high-frequency and low-frequency transient eddies (TE) transported along the westerly jet. Here the effects of TP on East Asian summer monsoon via weakened TE are investigated based on the simulations by the NCAR Community Earth System Model, in which a nudging method is used to amplify the TP's inhibition of TE without changing the steady dynamic and thermodynamic effects of TP. Results reveal that the weakened TE by TP weaken the East Asian westerly jet (EAWJ) and shift the jet southward via transient vorticity flux. The southward EAWJ accompanied with reduced poleward transport of moisture by TE results in less rainfall in northern East Asia but more rainfall in southern East Asia, particularly in early summer when the EAWJ is stably located over the TP and the meridional gradient of water vapor is large. Furthermore, the anomalous precipitation can move the EAWJ further southward through the anomalous diabatic heating in early summer, forming a positive feedback. Therefore, the TP's inhibition of TE can shift the East Asian rain belt southward, different from the TP's steady forcing which favors a poleward shift of the rain belt. It is also demonstrated that the atmospheric internal variability can lead to the south-flood-northdrought pattern of summer rainfall change over East Asia, indicating the important role of TE in East Asian summer monsoon.


The data refreshing frequency is always the bottleneck problem that restricts the scale and development of PC DCS system.Through a living example of industrial control,the achievements to improve data refreshing frequency of PC DCS system are introduced.A new train of thoughts to improve system communication ability by using smart communication card,multi serial port,communication data organization and selection of measurement instruments is given out.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that influenceconsumer decisions through the marketing mix and consumer attitudes towarddecisions follow a course in progress pare LPK, to see the extent to whichdecisions are taken through the marketing mix and the attitude towards thedecision to follow a course in progress pare LPK. Descriptive analysis showedthat the marketing mix variables (price, place, product, promotion, people,physical environment and processes) and consumer attitudes positive influenceon the decision to follow the course. Based on the research results, thehypothesis 1 which states, thought to have a positive pegaruh between factors(price, place, product, promotion, people, physical environment and processes)and consumer attitudes positive influence on the decision to follow a course inprogress pare LPK


Pain is one of the most dreadful symptoms in sickle cell disease (SCD) and is often refractory to currently available analgesics. Besides acute painful vaso-occlusive crises, SCD is also accompanied by intractable chronic pain. This persistent, and often unrelieved, pain starts early in childhood and continues throughout life. The neurobiological mechanisms of chronic pain in SCD remain unclear, which markedly limits effective pain management and the quality of life in patients with SCD. Taking advantage of two humanized mouse models of SCD, this study aimed to investigate protein phosphorylation mechanisms for chronic pain in SCD.
 We characterized pain in two transgenic mice models of SCD that exclusively express human alleles encoding normal α- and sickle β-globin. Berkeley SCD mice (BERK mice) and Townes' SCD mice (TOW mice) exhibited ongoing spontaneous pain behavior and increased sensitivity to evoked pain stimuli compared with littermate control mice expressing normal human hemoglobins. To investigate the underlying protein phosphorylation mechanisms of chronic pain in SCD, we examined PKC isoform mediated nociceptive signaling. Prominent activation of multiple PKC isoforms were observed in the superficial laminae of the spinal cord dorsal horn in BERK and TOW mice. Functional inhibition and silencing of specific PKC isoforms attenuated spontaneous pain, mechanical allodynia, and heat hyperalgesia in both transgenic SCD mice. Furthermore, employing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation approach, we were able to generate a sickle cell anemia model in PKC-null mice, allowing us to specifically target neuronal PKC in SCD. Neither spontaneous pain nor evoked pain was detected in the mice lacking specific PKC isoform despite the full establishment of SCD phenotypes.
 In summary, this study is the first to identify the presence of ongoing spontaneous pain in preclinical sickle cell models, which closely mimic the most prevalent manifestation in patients with SCD. Moreover, we found that spinal PKC is a critical mechanism for the generation and maintenance of ongoing and evoked pain in SCD. These findings offer insights into sickle cell pain mechanisms, which may become a potential target for pharmacological interventions.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Let $(R,\fm)$ be a Cohen-Macaulay local ring of positive dimension $d$ and infinite residue field. Let $I$ be an $\fm$-primary ideal of $R$ and $J$ be a minimal reduction of $I$. In this paper we show that if $\widetilde{I^k}=I^k$ and $J\cap I^n=JI^{n-1}$ for all $n\geq k+2$, then $\widetilde{I^n}=I^n$ for all $n\geq k$. As a consequence, we can deduce that if $r_J(I)=2$, then $\widetilde{I}=I$ if and only if $\widetilde{I^n}=I^n$ for all $n\geq 1$. Moreover, we recover some main results [\ref{Cpv}] and [\ref{G}]. Finally, we give a counter example for question 3 of [\ref{P1}].


To the Editor.— I hope you were not serious in your editorial of Nov 17, 1969, when you called television the "pinnacle of civilization." Regular television watchers have been variously rated as having degenerated to a fourth- to sixth-grade educational level. This is confirmed by a poll taken three years ago which found Gunsmoke to be the most watched program. Television has been the bane of our civilization. It has come between man and wife, and parent and child, thereby reducing opportunity for communications so essential to the mutual understanding necessary for family harmony. Parents can abdicate their responsibility for raising their children. Instead of thinking up things for their children to do or playing with them, they can shoo the children off to watch television. A frustrated child hoping for some parental attention is told to shut up while daddy watches the baseball game on Sunday and mother watches


Neutral theories in ecology1 and evolution2 contend that high diversity of natural communities and high rates of molecular evolution conform to models where individuals have equal fitness and mutations have no effects. Demographic stochasticity makes community and population compositions inherently unstable under these models, with overall levels of diversity being maintained by random processes. This is in contrast with niche and adaptive theories which emphasize differences between species or genotypes as the key to their coexistence3. Here we show that non-heritable variation in individual fitness within species or genotypes can stabilize coexistence without evoking niche differentiation. We construct two classes of mathematical models based on experimental evidence: (1) bacterial growth with variation in cell longevity4,5; and (2) microbial transmission in a host population with variation in host susceptibility6–11. We find stable coexistence of 2 bacterial species in the first model under a single oscillating resource, and 3 or more in the second with independent distributions of host susceptibility to the various microbial species. We discuss the implications of these findings for the interpretation of common measures of relative fitness and for the maintenance of biodiversity.


This method of performing the cheese wheels cutting comprises:. firstly, to cut said grinding wheels by half, substantially according to their diameter ;. then conveying the half-wheels (2) obtained at a portioner (9) ;. maintaining at said portioner (9) half-wheel (2) in a horizontal plane and to ensure its stepwise rotation a predetermined value ;. then performing the one hand simultaneously, cutting the core of the half-wheel and on the other hand, the radial cutting of the ring thus formed, so as to define radial portions of substantially equal thickness; . and finally discharging the portions thus produced. The invention also relates to the installation and the device for implementing this method.


It is undeniable that leasing transactions are common in the community. Renting is basically permissible in Islam, because basically human beings are always constrained by limitations and shortcomings. Therefore, humans between one and the other are always bound and need each other, and renting is one of the applications of limitations that are needed by humans in social life. However, if viewed from the nature of speculative renting a garden, it means that there is no certainty whether the plantation will succeed or not at all produce in large or small quantities, then this element of uncertainty cannot be justified in Islamic law.


C diffi cile infections (CDIs) have increased in incidence and severity within the past decade in North America and Europe (1), in large part because of the emergence of the hypervirulent North American pulsed-fi eld type 1 (NAP1/027/III) strains (2–5). Recently, interest has increased in the ribotype 078 strain. A 2007 North American study showed that ribotype 078 strains predominated in swine and cattle (83%–94% prevalence), but were rare in a group of hospitalized persons (4% prevalence) (6). However, in studies from Europe and the United States, 078/V strains were found at a prevalence ranging from 3% to 11% (7–9). In a subsequent study by the US group, analysis of the toxinotype V strains from humans and food animals showed that 83% of strains were either NAP7 or NAP8 (10). A Dutch group has recently shown that 078/V strains increased from 3% to 13% during February 2005–2008 and can be considered hypervirulent (11). Our study aimed to determine the incidence rate of infections attributed to hypervirulent NAP7/078/V and NAP8/078/V strains of C. diffi cile in hospitals in Canada.


v Compared to other jurisdictions, Germany uses EM in a very limited way and for small numbers of individuals. The reasons for this include: strict eligibility criteria; a lack of a legal framework for the use of EM; constitutional objections and limitations; high data protection standards; a relatively low prison population and little concern about prison overcrowding; concerns about the limitations of the monitoring equipment; an ambivalent public perception of EM; and, a lack of political will to extend or continue to use EM.


Failed states in Africa are not a uniquely postcolonial phenomenon: The colonial government in Nyasaland started and ended as a failed state. Although effective in guarding Britain's global interests against her imperial rivals, the Nyasaland government could not be relied upon as a trustworthy ally of any social class within the country. The government failed to provide essential services, particularly roads, with dire consequences for both the peasant economy and European enterprises. Without a reliable road network, transport companies came to depend on the vagaries of the weather and the availability of villagers to carry goods on their heads. Transporters competed with planters and other European enterprises for cheap labour, instituting a costly freight regime that discouraged planters from raising bulky, low-value food crops. Thus, to feed their workers, all European enterprises – farmers, missionaries, traders, transport companies and the government – turned to peasant-grown food. Responding to these demands without the benefit of new agricultural technologies that could have raised productivity, peasants sold the food that their families needed and began to experience new forms of hunger. The food deficits forced the same European planters who assaulted the peasant economy as a system of labour usage to realise the need to preserve it as a system of food supply. Such was the nature of the colonial regime in Nyasaland that stimulating and undermining the peasant option did not form two separate processes, occupying two distinct phases. In Nyasaland, the inefficient transport system, like the estate sector, simultaneously both strengthened and weakened peasant production. The mere feeding of all these [workers] is a problem in itself. (Life and Work in British Central Africa, September 1905) The road question seems to be among the thorny problems which beset this country. (The Central African Times, 6 October 1900)


Introducing infinite number of fields, we construct an extended version of the topological Yang-Mills theory. The properties of the extended topological Yang-Mills theory (ETYMT) are discussed from standpoint of the covariant canonical quantization. It is shown that the ETYMT becomes a cohomological topological field theory or a theory equivalent to a quantum Yang-Mills theory with anti-self-dual constraint according to subsidiary conditions imposed on state-vector space. On the basis of the ETYMT, we may understand a transition from an unbroken phase to a physical phase (broken phase)


Because writing teachers invest so much time responding to student writing and because these responses reveal the assumptions teachers hold about writing, L1 writing researchers have investigated how composition teachers respond to their students' texts. These investigations have revealed that teachers respond to most writing as if it were a final draft, thus reinforcing an extremely constricted notion of composing. Their comments often reflect the application of a single ideal standard rather than criteria that take into account how composing constraints can affect writing performance. Furthermore, teachers' marks and comments usually take the form of abstract and vague prescriptions and directives that students find difficult to interpret.

A study was undertaken to examine ESL teachers' responses to student writing. The findings suggest that ESL composition teachers make similar types of comments and are even more concerned with language-specific errors and problems. The marks and comments are often confusing, arbitrary, and inaccessible. In addition, ESL teachers, like their native-language counterparts, rarely seem to expect students to revise the text beyond the surface level.

Such responses to texts give students a very limited and limiting notion of writing, for they fail to provide students with the understanding that writing involves producing a text that evolves over time. Teachers therefore need to develop more appropriate responses for commenting on student writing. They need to facilitate revision by responding to writing as work in progress rather than judging it as a finished product.


PURPOSE
To assess the comparability and intra-/ interobsever reliability of central anterior chamber depth measurements obtained using the Pentacam and IOLMaster.

METHODS
Anterior chamber depth was measured in 50 eyes (25 healthy volunteers)-three times on each eye by two independent observers with each method. A total of 12 measurements were performed on each eye. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Mean values, standard deviations, and confidence limits (95% confidence interval) of the two modalities, two observers, and every observer/modality interaction were calculated.

RESULTS
The mean anterior chamber depth values were 3.23+/-0.031 mm for the IOLMaster and 3.21+/-0.033 mm for the Pentacam. No statistically significant difference was noted in measurements between the two modalities (P=.291) or between the two observers (P=.903). Observer/modality interaction was not significant (P=.643). The confidence limits for observer 1 were 3.223+/-0.03 mm and 3.226+/-0.03 mm for observer 2. The confidence limits were: observer 1/IOLMaster, 3.23+/-0.04 mm; observer 2/IOLMaster, 3.24+/-0.04 mm; observer 1/Pentacam, 3.21+/-0.04 mm; and observer 2/Pentacam, 3.20+/-0.04 mm. The differences in measurements ranged from -0.14 to +0.10 mm for the IOLMaster and from -0.08 to +0.12 mm for the Pentacam. The worst deviation from the average eye reading of 3.23 mm was only 0.14 (4.3%).

CONCLUSIONS
Good agreement exists between anterior chamber depth measurements by the IOLMaster and Pentacam in the assessment of normal eyes, and they offer observer-independent results. Therefore, the modalities are interchangeable.


Abstract : A study was made of structural response to dynamic loads through the use of structural models and to evaluate the related modeling techniques. The responding domes of Operation Plumbbob were modeled at one twenty-fifth scale using mild steel wire and microconcrete. These models were field tested under blast wave loading conditions at overpressures ranging from 80 psi to 20 psi. Good agreement was obtained between model and prototype structure in both failure mechanism and appearance, as well as in the location of the failure- survival pressures. It is concluded that with proper compliance with the similitude laws and adequately accurate fabrication techniques the modeling of the response of structures to dynamic loads can be quite successful.


The wear of the cutting tool is the commonly ineffective way of the cutting tools,high-speed steel cutting tool is the most familiar cutting tools.In order to strengthen wear resistance of cutting tool surface,the electroless composite plating was applied.High-speed steel was taken as the base body material to confirm,Ni-W-P alloy as host alloy,addingα-Al2O3 particle in the composite coating.Ni-W-P+α-Al2O3 composite coating was gained by this way.The result indicated the surface with the composite coating was bright,the sense of quality was homogeneous.The cladding material bond was fine;Corrosion-resistance was good;Course identical number of times abrasion test,the wear resistance with coating is 3.33 times that of high-speed steel.


Background: In postmenopausal women, physical activity appears to be important in preventing loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis and thus contributes to the reduction of fracture risk.
Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the differences in habitual physical activity, physical inactivity and meeting physical activity recommendations between women with normal femoral BMD and women with osteopenia.
Methods: Out of the ninety-two postmenopausal women analyzed in this study, 72.8% women had normal femoral BMD and 27.2% women were osteopenic. Their BMD and body composition were measured using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. The region of interest was the total proximal femur. Seven days of physical activity were objectively assessed by using the ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer. Daily activity and inactivity logs were used for the participants to self-record their times (minutes) when the accelerometer was worn and follow activity and inactivity patterns.
Results: Women with normal BMD spent significantly more hours/day being active than women with osteopenia. On theother hand, women with osteopenia perform significantly more household-related PA. According to the physical inactivity analysis, women with osteopenia spent significantly more minutes/week while doing different mental activities (reading, doing crossword puzzles, etc.) in a sitting position than women with normal BMD.
Conclusions: In conclusion, the results of this study show the differences in physical activity and physical inactivity in women with different femoral BMD.


In this study some of the determinants of black assimilation into large United States cities are examined. Assimilation is treated as a multidimensional phenomenon, the various dimensions of which are attributes of organized populations. A structural model is developed and analyzed, using the technique of path analysis, in which other attributes of urban social structures are related to the various dimensions of assimilation. Analysis suggests that the dimensions of assimilation are causally interrelated, with educational assimilation a major determinant of income assimilation, both directly and indirectly through its effects upon occupational assimilation. However, other attributes of organized urban populations also make important direct and indirect contributions to assimilation. Of special importance is percent of the city's population that is black and the rate of black population growth. Surprisingly, ghettoization is not very important causally when compared with other variables in the system, a significant negative finding in view of current emphasis upon this factor. This analysis suggests that greater attention be paid to organizational dimensions of urban populations as a means of specifying the processes underlying the assimilation of blacks.


In many clinical follow-up studies, patients are observed at irregular intervals for more than one biomarker of disease severity. Although these biomarkers are often meant to measure the same disease severity, they may differ due to the instruments or reagents used as well as the scale of measurements. They could show different patterns for treatment because clinicians prescribe medications based on the severity of disease. Moreover, if these markers
are modeled separately to determine the factors that are associated with disease progression over time or to predict the event of interest given different treatments, they may yield misleading or inefficient results. Joint modeling of correlated biomarkers alone or with time-to-event data leads to efficient results, hence better clinical decisions.

In this study, we have first developed a joint model to analyze multivariate unbalanced repeatedly measured outcomes of mixed types, in particular, continuous and ordinal outcomes. Secondly, we have extended the first model to include time-to-event data. The postulated models assumes that the outcomes are from distributions that are in the exponential family and hence modeled as a multivariate generalized linear mixed effects model linked through random effects. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Bayesian approach is used to approximate the posterior distribution and draw inference on the parameters. These joint models provide a flexible framework to account for the hierarchical structure of the highly unbalanced data as well as the association between the multiple mixed types of outcomes and time-to-event. Moreover, the simulation studies show that estimates obtained from the joint models are consistently less biased and more efficient than those obtained from the separate models. We applied our models to diabetes data from an observational study.

Diabetes and its associated complications such as heart attack and stroke are of serious public health concerns across the globe. Proper treatment can help control and prevent the development of these complications and hence improve the quality of life of millions of people.
This work proposes to efficiently estimate the treatment effect by introducing state-of-the-art statistical methods. This will help researchers identify effective treatments that can slow down the disease progression.


The rationale for this paper is the increasing amount of risk that the Philippine government has been assuming in the last ten years, primarily in the development of various modalities for encouraging private sector participation in infrastructure development and the provision of guarantees for loans of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs). The Philippine government is often not prepared to deal with the financial and non-financial consequences of calls on such guarantees, some of which are triggered by circumstances under its control. With better coordination among line agencies, the DoF, and the BSP, better project preparation, and more prudent provision of guarantees, the large costs of state support could have been avoided. Henceforth, one of the major objectives of this task is to quantify the amount of risk that the government assumes in such activities using conventional scientific and statistical methods presently being employed by private financial institutions in their estimation of their own exposures to loss. The same framework and methodology presented in this paper is being used by international financial regulators in dictating the amount of capital to be set aside against losses by money center banks. Knowing the amount of risk the government assumes will help reduce the moral hazard in guarantee provision and risk assumption. The aim is ultimately to produce better projects and reduce government exposure to risk in the process.


Positive contrast examination of the cerebellopontine cisterns with ethyl iodophenylundecylate (Pantopaque) injected via the lumbar route is a simple and effective method of demonstrating masses. The presence of a tumor may be proved in the absence of plain skull changes. The procedure would appear to be no more formidable than cervical myelography. Special equipment is not required, although fluoroscopy with image intensification and a television monitor is desirable. Fluoroscopic spot-films are usually adequate for diagnosis. An accurate comparison of positive contrast cerebellopontine cisternography and pneumoencephalography is not the purpose of this article. Rather, it is to stress that limited posterior fossa cisternography with Pantopaque represents a practical method of tumor identification. The clinical and roentgen features in the following four cases emphasize the simplicity of method and the criteria for the identification of lesions involving the cerebellopontine angle. Method Pantopaque exam...


Human pancreatic cancer cells (FA-6) producing bone resorbing factor were established in culture. A biopsied lymphnode from a patient with pancreatic cancer associated with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM) was transplanted to nude mice, and the cells producing high parathyroid hormone (PTH)-like activity were selected by a limited dilution from outgrowth of the xenografts of the tumor grown in nude mice. The conditioned media contained an activity to stimulate the resorption of mouse calvaria in vitro which was indomethacin-insensitive. The conditioned media had both alpha-type and beta-type transforming growth factor (TGF) activity but no interleukin-1 activity. TGF-alpha activity was co-eluted with PTH-like activity from gel-chromatography at around 15 kDa. The FA-6 cells now established are the first cells of pancreatic cancer associated with HHM producing both PTH-like and TGF-alpha activities along with bone resorbing activity.


The treatment of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease is complicated by long regimens of multiple antibiotics, treatment intolerance, as well as a multitude of adverse effects. As a result, there is a need for new agents against NTM that are effective, safe, and well-tolerated. Clofazimine is a rhimophenazine dye with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity; however, the exact mechanism of action of this drug is unknown. Detailed data on the safety of the use of clofazimine in the treatment of NTM pulmonary disease is lacking. We welcome the article by Aznar, Brode, Mehrabi, and Marras in the second issue of the Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (#CTSJ) investigating the safety and effectiveness of clofazimine in NTM lung disease as the article for this month's Twitter journal club (#rsjc). We were joined online in real-time by author SK Brode.


Methylene blue (AM) was immobilised on surface of the silica gel modified with niobium oxide. This material was incorporated in a carbon paste electrode, which showed a redox couple in a potential of E= -113 mV vs SCE in KCl solution at pH 7.0. The formal potential, in 0.5 mol L-1 KCl at pH 7.0, shifted about 290 mV towards more positive values compared to those observed for AM solubilized in aqueous solution. The dependence on the formal potential with solution pH between 2 and 7 was much lower than those observed for AM solubilized in aqueous solution.


T he aim of education is to enable each individual student to attain an all round development according to his or her own attributes. To achieve this, students should be provided with suitable assistance and guidance in accordance with their abilities and learning needs. This paper x-rayed factors that accountfor individual differences and methods which the teacher can use to diagnose these differences and how to combat them for effective teaching and learning. Based on the issues discussed, the following recommendations were made. That suitable teaching material must be provided to students and diagnostic tools that are used for identifying individual differences must be checked for validity, reliability and usability. There is need to take the family history of each student that is enrolled in school. Specific emphasis should be on blood group, eye sight, and allergies. Hence individual differences exist at the level of classroom learning, that is, fast and slow learners, mastery and individualistic method of instruction should be structured or developed so that all the students will be carried along.


The widespread adoption of conservation tillage systems for Louisiana crops has indirectly created changes in the pest spectrum and severity of problems in Louisiana's crops. Species diversity and population densities for a wide range of pest and beneficial arthropod complexes are influenced by a reduction in tillage, seeding of winter cover crops, double-cropping systems and delays in winter/spring vegetation management with herbicides.


AIM: This study was designed to compare the safety and feasibility of uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE) via transradial access (TRA) and transfemoral access (TFA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted for 2 cohorts: 13 cases with already established TFA (from February 2016 to September 2018) and the first 11 procedures performed via TRA (from October 2017 to October 2018). Indications for embolization included: heavy menstrual bleedings (n = 18), lower urinary tract symptoms (n = 2), pelvic pain (n = 3) and abdominal pain (n = 1). One interventional radiologist and one fellow performed all procedures at one institution. Technical success, procedural time, access site complications as well as feedback from patients were assessed for analysis. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 24/24 cases (100%). Unilateral uterine artery embolisation was performed in 7 cases (29.1%) and bilateral in 17 cases (70.8%). Mean procedure time was 72.4 minutes in TFA group, and 60.3 minutes in the TRA group. Mean fluoroscopy time was 25.3 minutes in the TFA group and 21.1 minutes in the TRA group. Access site-related and overall adverse events did not vary significantly among the study cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: TRA represents a safe and feasible approach for UFE with a comparable safety profile to TFA.


A new definition of the effective depth of line formation is given which incorporates its dependence on the angle of emergence as well as on the position within the line. Solution obtained for isotropic scattering in the third approximation of discrete ordinates explains: (i) Variation of equivalent widths over the disc; (ii) Inverse dependence of this variation on line strength; and (iii) The phase effect for relative equivalent widths.


Property: Monte Verde 66, Resort: La Manga Club, Type: Apartment, Beds:3, featuring a large community pool area and air conditioning


the of DFS in The present study hypothesized that DFS can have were to evaluate the ability of DFS to suppress nuclear translocation of β-catenin through β-catenin/FOXM1 binding. GBM TSs were treated with DFS to assess the ability of DFS to inhibit GBM TSs and to evaluate their transcriptional pro�les. The in vivo e�cacy of DFS was examined in orthotopic xenograft models of GBM. target DFS DFS and the β-catenin/TCF transfected with or FOP�ash luciferase vector. g Expression of proteins encoded by β-catenin downstream genes (cyclin D1, cMYC) measured by western blotting. Differences among groups were compared by one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test; means ± SD; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, between indicated groups or compared with controls.


We propose a macro-observation scheme for abnormal event detection in daily life. The proposed macro-observation representation records the time-space energy of motions of all moving objects in a scene without segmenting individual object parts. The energy history of each pixel in the scene is instantly updated with exponential weights without explicitly specifying the duration of each activity. Since possible activities in daily life are numerous and distinct from each other and not all abnormal events can be foreseen, images from a video sequence that spans sufficient repetition of normal day-to-day activities are first randomly sampled. A constrained clustering model is proposed to partition the sampled images into groups. The new observed event that has distinct distance from any of the cluster centroids is then classified as an anomaly. The proposed method has been evaluated in daily work of a laboratory and BEHAVE benchmark dataset. The experimental results reveal that it can well detect abnormal events such as burglary and fighting as long as they last for a sufficient duration of time. The proposed method can be used as a support system for the scene that requires full time monitoring personnel.


Photochemical crosslinking is a best alternative method when compared to conventional crosslinking methods such as chemical and physical methods, by using vitamins like riboflavin and ascorbic acid as photochemical initiators to enhance the physicochemical properties of collagen poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) blend without any toxic by products. Collagen and poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) blends were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Swelling studies, Tensile testing and the surface properties were studied by Contact angle measurements and Microscopy. Collagen and PVP blended samples were irradiated with the UV light wavelength λ=300nm for 30 minutes by using 0.03% riboflavin and ascorbic acid as photosensitizers and the samples were air dried at room temperature. Collagen- PVP blended hydrogels showed good swelling properties and the lower contact angles indicate their hydrophilic nature. The photochemical crosslinking also improved the thermal stability of the hydrogels which can be confirmed by broad endothermic peak between 80-180 0 C in the thermoscan. The FTIR spectral changes


There is no available effective systemic treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are intolerant of sorafenib or who have disease that has progressed on sorafenib. In Phase I and II studies, tivantinib (ARQ 197), an oral inhibitor of MET, demonstrated promising antitumor activity in patients with HCC, both as monotherapy and in combination with sorafenib. A randomized Phase II trial in second-line HCC showed improved overall survival (hazard ratio: 0.38; p = 0.01) in patients with MET-high tumors, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, treated with tivantinib versus placebo. Here we present the treatment rationale and study design of the METIV-HCC Phase III study. This randomized, double-blind study will investigate tivantinib monotherapy as second-line treatment in patients with advanced, pretreated, MET-high HCC. Approximately 303 patients will be randomized 2:1 to tivantinib or placebo for the purpose of analyzing the primary end point. Tivantinib will be dosed at 120 mg twice daily, and treatment will continue until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, patient or physician decision to discontinue, or death. The primary end point of this study is overall survival, while secondary end points include progression-free survival and safety. All patients will be tested for biomarkers. If the primary objective is achieved, this study will provide the first effective therapy for a biologically selected patient population in HCC.


The specific rates of solvolysis of 2-adamantyl fluoroformate have been measured at 25.0 °C in 20 pure and binary solvents. These are well correlated using the extended Grunwald–Winstein equation, with incorporation of the NT solvent nucleophilicity scale and the YCl solvent ionizing power scale. The sensitivities (l = 2.15 ± 0.17 and m = 0.95 ± 0.07) toward the changes in solvent nucleophilicity and solvent ionizing power, and the kF/kCl values are very similar to those previously observed for solvolyses of n-octyl fluoroformate, consistent with the addition step of an addition-elimination pathway being rate-determining. For aqueous ethanol, measurement of the product ratio allowed selectivity values (S) to be determined. The results are compared with those reported earlier for 2-adamantyl chloroformate and mechanistic conclusions are drawn. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Asparagus prostratus Dumort., Wild Asparagus, is a western European maritime endemic. In Britain it is a Red Data Book species and is listed as a Priority Species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Historical records have been researched and collated with recent field surveys for Britain. A number of records are errors due to confusion with A. officinalis. It has been recorded from at least 34 sites in V.c. 1, 2, 9, 13, 41, 45 and 52. It has not been recorded recently in six sites (18% decline), is extinct in West Sussex and Anglesey and is on the verge of extinction in Dorset. Of the 28 extant populations, nine have fewer than ten plants and only three sites have more than 100 plants. At least three extant colonies are declining.


This article offers to take a new look at the issue of the effects produced by the schools in secondary education. It is based on empirical research questionnaires (n= 512) given to teachers in eighteen high schools in Aquitaine. The question at stake is the difficulties to set a continual general link between the students' school results on one side and the degree of mobilization of the teaching staff on the other. The assumption is that in order to understand and explain the effects of the schools on the students' results, the analysis has to integrate the effects of the school market which directly affect the nature of the student population and the learning objectives of the teaching teams. We will prove that one of the key elements to understand and explain the school effects lies in the objective positions of the schools on the school market. An expository model of school effects is given. It takes into account the nature of the student population as well as the training courses available and the schools' positions on the school market.


Abstract This theoretical article proposes that the kindling hypothesis has significant potential impact in the conceptualization of the global impact of racism over time in the lives of black Americans. The kindling hypothesis describes how repeated shocks within the brain can trigger seizure activity. This same phenomenon has been applied to mental health in the areas of affective disorders and psychological trauma. In these circumstances, repeated minor traumas occurring over time are theorized to trigger clinical threshold depression and trauma.


While admitting the obvious benefits of the new literary criticism at the outset and at times employing the methods within his text, Hagner remains convinced that the best approach to an ancient text is the historical-critical approach. He proposes first to discover what the text meant in its original setting. This first volume on Matthew I-13 meets his criteria well. He recognizes that the term 'certainty' has no place in the terminology of historical reconstructions and offers instead findings that are in his words 'probable'. This commentary has something for everyone. Of interest to the scholar are Hagner's text-critical notes, comprehensive bibliography at the beginning of each new section, and his detailed analyses of each pericope's form, structure and setting. Of special interest to the pastor or Bible-study leader is the section entitled 'explanation'. These succinct paragraphs take more of a hermeneutical approach, that is, they attempt to explain what the text means for twentieth-century humankind. This commentary is an enjoyable read, offering both illumination of Matthew's Gospel in its historical setting and fresh application of it for the contemporary church. SAH


The genetic diversities of 50 upland cotton cultivars, which had been and I ro are being popularized in Xinjiang province in recent 50 years, were investigated hased on EST-SSR markers. Based on the 42 EST-SSRs, a total of 81 polymorphism loci had been detected in these cultivars. For each SSR primer pair, 1 to 3 polymorphisms with an average of 2.4 could be detected. Based on EST-SSR data, the coefficient of similarity among 50 upland cotton cultivars was calculated varying from 0.11 to 0.83. It was indicated that more genetic diversities among those cultivars were presented, while genetic diversity in same origination in Xinjiang had been narrowed. Cluster analysis revealed that these 50 cultivars can be divided into two major subgroups based on the coefficient of similarity, and most of the tested cultivars were consistent with Xinjiang's cotton lines in pedigree, containing the constituent of the former Soviet Union germplasms. It was testified that EST-SSR markers derived directly in transcribed regions of cotton cultivars.


he European Eureka/Celtic Plus project CoMoSeF (Co-operative Mobility Services of the Future) creates co-operative mobility solutions, devices & applications feasible for large scale deployment and supporting the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Action Plan COM (2008) 886 and national ITS strategies. The project aims to create co-operative mobility solutions (including devices and applications), feasible for large scale deployment that support the objectives of the European Commission's ITS Action Plan and national ITS strategies. In practice this means communication system between vehicles (V2V) and vehicles and infrastructure (V2I/I2V), employing interactive example services related to safety and weather information exchange. In this paper the authors present FMI (Finnish Meteorological Institute) approach to employ CoMoSef vehicular networking entity to provide route weather information for vehicles bypassing the combined Road Weather Station (RWS)/Road Side Unit (RSU). Route weather is a special type of weather service tailored for dedicated road stretches, based on a road weather model and data collected from local RWSs and from vehicles themselves.


In order to explain its variation with temperature and frequency the dielectric constant has been defined as a measure of the work done by an external electrical field in orienting molecules against the effect of their thermal agitation. Quantitative studies of the temperature variation of the dielectric constant of particular kinds of systems have been made and have given quite valuable information concerning the structure of molecules, but corresponding studies of the frequency variation of the dielectric constant have not as yet been so successful. It is the purpose of this article to discuss in some detail what seems to us to be the most important theoretical difficulty. By way of introduction it may be stated that in the case of a polar liquid there is a region in which the dielectric constant decreases with increasing frequency, the frequency region being dependent upon the size of the orienting molecule and the viscosity of the medium. The difficulty to be considered has to do with the manner in wh...


Liquefied Ammonia, or Liquid NH3, is (like LNG or liquefied natural gas) a cryogenic fluid and production and transportation require machinery that is similar in design to that used in LNG. Rotating machinery is an important part of this cryogenic fluid technology, in particular if these fluids are also flammable like LNG and corrosive like Ammonia. This paper presents a description of the design and application of submerged magnetic coupling rotating machinery for Liquid NH3 and a discussion on the safety aspects and details of the design.


Background: TG2 is a multifunctional matrix protein and cross-linking enzyme. Results: Identification and mutation of its heparan sulfate (HS)-binding site blocks matrix deposition of TG2 as do inhibitors of syndecan shedding. Conclusion: Coordinated binding to cell surface heparan sulfates facilitates TG2 cell surface trafficking and deposition into the ECM. Significance: Blocking heparan sulfate binding provides an avenue for regulating the pathological roles of the enzyme. Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is a multifunctional Ca2+-activated protein cross-linking enzyme secreted into the extracellular matrix (ECM), where it is involved in wound healing and scarring, tissue fibrosis, celiac disease, and metastatic cancer. Extracellular TG2 can also facilitate cell adhesion important in wound healing through a nontransamidating mechanism via its association with fibronectin, heparan sulfates (HS), and integrins. Regulating the mechanism how TG2 is translocated into the ECM therefore provides a strategy for modulating these physiological and pathological functions of the enzyme. Here, through molecular modeling and mutagenesis, we have identified the HS-binding site of TG2 202KFLKNAGRDCSRRSSPVYVGR222. We demonstrate the requirement of this binding site for translocation of TG2 into the ECM through a mechanism involving cell surface shedding of HS. By synthesizing a peptide NPKFLKNAGRDCSRRSS corresponding to the HS-binding site within TG2, we also demonstrate how this mimicking peptide can in isolation compensate for the RGD-induced loss of cell adhesion on fibronectin via binding to syndecan-4, leading to activation of PKCα, pFAK-397, and ERK1/2 and the subsequent formation of focal adhesions and actin cytoskeleton organization. A novel regulatory mechanism for TG2 translocation into the extracellular compartment that depends upon TG2 conformation and the binding of HS is proposed.


After the approval of natalizumab for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS),1–3 it has been extensively used, mainly as a second line therapy, with very good results.4 However, in 2005, it was voluntarily withdrawn from the market after the appearance of two cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare infection of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by the John Cunningham virus (JCV), which may have fatal consequences in 20% of those affected, or lead to serious disability in 40% of survivors.5 Although natalizumab was reintroduced in 2006, its use has been limited due to the appearance of PML which has been associated with natalizumab treatment duration longer than two years, presence of antibodies against JCV, and a prior history of immunosuppression.5 Yet when natalizumab is discontinued, either due to the presence of PML signs or to a high PML risk, an immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) may appear in a third of the patients, sometimes causing severe disability or even death.6 In this issue of the journal, Maillart et al. describe two cases of MS patients who withdrew from natalizumab after showing signs of PML and who, after being treated with plasmapheresis, developed IRIS. Afterwards, they started fingolimod, showing a favourable clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evolution, from both the IRIS and the PML points of view. Three points arise with these two cases. First, despite all of the risk stratification algorithms published so far, it is not possible to predict which individual patients will develop PML. Furthermore, there is no treatment to prevent its appearance. Of note, at the last meeting of the European Neurological Societies, it was suggested that the titres of anti-JCV antibodies could be used as better markers of PML risk than just the presence of anti-JCV antibodies, especially if they had not received prior immunosuppression (IS).7 Thus, should the accuracy of the titres of antiJCV antibodies in predicting PML be confirmed, the current risk stratification algorithms –and therefore the decision making processes–surely need to be improved. Second, it is not possible to predict which patients will develop IRIS after natalizumab withdrawal. More studies in this direction are urgently needed but some degree of IRIS seems to be desirable in order to effectively attack the virus. Finally, there are no clear guidelines as to which is the best diseasemodifying treatment after natalizumab withdrawal, especially if discontinuation occurs due to the presence of PML signs. Maillart et al. suggest that fingolimod may be a safe option. As regards the two cases described by them, both MS and PML remained stable. Along these lines, fingolimod has recently been evaluated as a post-natalizumab MS treatment within the TOFINGO trial.8 Interestingly, this showed that the earlier fingolimod started after natalizumab discontinuation, the lower the risk of IRIS was. Nonetheless, the relative immunosuppression within the CNS caused by fingolimod,9 which hypothetically could worsen a case of PML, should also make clinicians be cautious when prescribing fingolimod after natalizumab treatment. In sum, prediction and management of both natalizumab-associated PML and natalizumab withdrawalassociated IRIS are unresolved issues. In addition, treatment strategies after natalizumab withdrawal need to be investigated. Yet, as Maillart et al. suggest, fingolimod might well be an option for those patients who discontinue natalizumab in the context of PML.


In order to evaluate the detection and localisation improvement of a small aperture array in the Northern Apennines, we installed an irregularly spaced test configuration in the vicinity of Citta di Castello (CDC) for a period of two weeks. The experimental array consisted of nine 3-component stations with inter-station distances between 150 m and 2200 m. Seismic data were digitised at 125 Hz and telemetered to a mobile acquisition, processing and stor- age centre. The data could only be recorded in trigger mode. The peculiarity of the test array installation was the exclusive use of 3-component sensors at all array sites, which also allowed beamforming for S-phases on the hor- izontal components. Since the altitudes of the single array sites differed considerably among each other, for f-k analysis and beamforming an elevation correction was included. During the two weeks of operation about 20 local earthquakes with magnitudes ML<2.6, 1 regional, and several teleseismic events were recorded. In addition to these events, the array occasionally triggered on coherent noise-signals generated by local industrial activity. The data analysis was performed by means of f-k analysis and beamforming, providing wavenumber characteristics of the incident plane wave. Typical apparent velocities were determined to be 4.8 km/s and 6 km/s for Pg-phases and ∼10 km/s for Pn-phases. We observed local seismic events, which occurred just beneath the array. In these cases wave- fronts with unusual high apparent velocities, similar to those found for the Pn-phase, were observed. Since no con- tinuously recorded array data were available, we extrapolated the lower detection magnitude threshold as a result of the SNR improvement due to array beamforming. Compared to the actual detection threshold of MT ∼1.6 reached by the national seismic network in this area, a nine element array would improve this value up to MT ∼ 0.8.


This paper considers the prospect and feasibility of adapting Australian Nationally Recognised Qualifications in Building and Construction to National Vocational Qualifications within the European Qualifications Framework. The prospect is considered from the perspective of similarity between the two systems, particularly at a Vocational Education and Training level, and considers the need and benefit based on selected demand and noted forecast skills shortages. Based on the reviews of the systems, Australian qualifications [are] well placed for adaptation and integration into training systems in countries utilising National Vocational Qualifications aligned with the European Qualifications Framework.


This paper holds that it is very important to cultivate students' enti re perceptual ability in the sketch teaching. In the course of training their entire perceptual ability, students should be encouraged to take an active and positive part, and above all, the training needs to be implemented in every stag e of the sketch teaching. Despite the different norms set for the entire percept ion training in the first phase, it is likely to secure the desired result as lo ng as the repeated cultivation of entire perceptual ability from a low phase to a higher one is maintained.


Peroxidase has been shown to metabolize auxins in vitro. It would be interesting to know if peroxidase has a direct role in lAA catabolism in vivo. The objective of my dissertation research was to determine the physiological, quantitative, and molecular changes in lAA-mediated growth and development which occur in tobacco plants as results of altered peroxidase activity in vivo. Regeneration and growth of adventitious roots, the elongation rates of dark-grown young seedlings, the expansion o f axillary buds after the release of apical dominance on wild type and underand over-producing plants of N. tabacum cv. xanthi and N. sylvestris were examined. Quantitative analysis on endogenous lAA levels in root and shoot tissues o f 19 d seedlings and in lateral buds of various positions before and following decapitation was also done. Simultaneous changes in the expression of pCNTlOS, an auxin-inducib le gene, on buds of the same plant material prior and after the release of the apical dominance was investigated. The results showed that the physiological and quantitative data of plants with altered peroxidase activity are generally consistent with the lAA theory. The underproducers had more adventitious root formation, greater stem growth, longer hypocotyl, stronger gravitropic response and more lAAs in axiUary buds and shoots of 19 d seedlings when compared to wild type and the overproducers. A stronger lateral


Abstract:  Background:  The AlloMap gene expression test is used for the non‐invasive detection of rejection. However, the impact of early post‐transplant ischemic injury on subsequent AlloMap gene expression analysis has not been evaluated before.


【Objective】To explore the predictive role of early child temperament on the development of child behavior problems in a longitudinal study. 【Methods】139 healthy neonates were chosen as study samples.Child temperament and home environment were assessed in infancy,toddler,preschool and early school years with Carey Child Temperament Questionnaire and Home Scale.In early school years,child behavior problems were also assessed with Achenbach CBCL scale. 【Results】Children behavior problem was significantly related with temperament "rhythm" in infancy,"intensity" in preschool,mother′s age,"parent mood" in 8-year children family and "parent participation" in 2-year toddler family,which accounted for totally 56.6% children behavior problem in early school years(P0.05);2)During infancy,Children behavior problem could be explained by "rhythm" and "mood",total score in 1-year-old Home Scale and mother age,which accounted for 33% of children behavior problem development(P0.01);3)During preschool years,"Intensity",mother age and "parent participation" in 3-year-old Home Scale were found to predict 34.3% of the children behavior problem development in early school years(P0.01).Temperament traits in early childhood period,corresponding with home environment factors(such as "parent participation" and "education material"),mother age and children sex could predict significantly the children behavior problem development in early school years. 【Conclusions】Children,especially boys,with elder mother age,negative temperament traits and defective home parenting environment in child health care clinic,should be taken early intervention.


Introduction: B-cell depletion has been shown to be an effective strategy for the majority of patients with membranous nephropathy (MN), and in PLA2R-positive MN, immunologic remission (improvement or elimination of measurable serum anti-PLA2R antibodies) precedes renal remission. Yet, cases exist of patients who do not achieve immunologic remission despite achieving peripheral B-cell depletion. This has led to the hypothesis that some patients have plasma cells that are responsible for producing anti-PLA2R antibodies. Case Presentation: A 66-year-old man with a past medical history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cerebrovascular disease presented with nephrotic syndrome and was diagnosed with PLA2R-positive MN on kidney biopsy. He was refractory to multiple therapies including tacrolimus, and was resistant to rituximab despite having achieved B-cell depletion. He also did not enter into remission with plasmapharesis and cyclophosphamide. He then achieved immediate immunologic remission after treatment with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which is used as first-line therapy for multiple myeloma. Discussion/Conclusion: This case suggests that considering the source of PLA2R antibody production could lead to individualized and targeted therapies for MN.


making the old new Again The harmful effects of high blood-lead levels in children have been known and reported for more than 35 years, yet related headlines are still common. Using the internet it is not hard to find recent reports to convince students that lead poisoning in children, a problem discovered long ago, is an important modern-day global health concern. Excerpts from three postings within the last year are included here:


1. Two contrasting explanations of niche separation in ruminants emphasize the importance of body mass-related trends in energy requirements and food-processing ability (the diet-quality assumption) and of physiological adaptations to diet type (grass or browse; the diet-type assumption).

2. The quality of the diet consumed in the dry season by 21 species of African ruminants was estimated from observed fermentation rates in the rumens of culled animals using a simulation model of digesta kinetics. The model predicts the effect of food composition (including tannins) on a number of variables on which previous arguments about physiological adaptations have been based: cellulolytic activity, digestion kinetics and volatile fatty acid proportions.

3. The predicted diet quality (potential digestibility) varied from 0.90 in small animals to 0.75 in large ones, and was negatively related to body mass with a shallow allometric exponent(- 0.035 +/- 0.0109).

4. The allometric exponent scaling body mass to predicted energy assimilation rate was 0.852+/-0.0474. The abundance and quality of food available were apparently adequate to allow greater net energy intake, relative to requirements, by large animals than small ones.

5. No difference existed in the predicted potential digestibility or net energy yield from the diet of browsing and grazing species after controlling for body mass. Therefore, although the diets differed in their botanical and chemical composition, the end result had little effect on the nutritional ecology of the animals with different diet types.

6. The model predicted that the level of cellulolytic activity of microbes in the rumen can affect the energy obtained from the diet. Microbial adaptation would cause browsers to suffer a penalty on switching from browse to grass, thereby reinforcing diet choice.

7. The presence of tannins in the diets of browsers was predicted to decrease rumen fermentation rate and increase the digestibility of the diet required to match observed fermentation rates.


A transition towards a more circular economy could have a number of benefits: enhancing the security of supply for raw materials; stimulating GDP growth; strengthening the competitiveness of businesses in the EU; and helping to protect the environment. However, there are also a number of barriers and challenges: moving towards circularity is a major change at a time of economic crisis; key enablers for the transition are still missing; significant discrepancies currently exist between Member States; and such a transition is a major multi-level governance challenge.


We studied the efficiency of a facepiece filtering respirator (FFR) in presence of a measurable faceseal leakage using the previously developed model of a spherical sampler with porous layer. In our earlier study, the model was validated for a specific filter permeability value. In this follow-up study, we investigated the effect of permeability on the overall respirator performance accounting for the faceseal leakage. The Total Inward Leakage (TIL) was calculated as a function of the leakage-to-filter surface ratio and the particle diameter. A good correlation was found between the theoretical and experimental TIL values. The TIL value was shown to increase and the effect of particle size on TIL to decrease as the leakage-to- filter surface ratio grows. The model confirmed that within the most penetrating particle size range (∼50 nm) and at relatively low leakage-to-filter surface ratios, an FFR performs better (TIL is lower) when the filter has a lower permeability which should be anticipated as long as the flow through the filter represents the dominant particle penetration pathway. An increase in leak size causes the TIL to rise; furthermore, under certain leakage-to-filter surface ratios, TIL for ultrafine particles becomes essentially independent on the filter properties due to a greater contribution of the aerosol flow through the faceseal leakage. In contrast to the ultrafine fraction, the larger particles (e.g., 800 nm) entering a typical high- or medium-quality respirator filter are almost fully collected by the filter medium regardless of its permeability; at the same time, the fraction penetrated through the leakage appears to be permeability- dependent: higher permeability generally results in a lower pressure drop through the filter which increases the air flow through the filter at the expense of the leakage flow. The latter reduces the leakage effect thus improving the overall respiratory protection level. The findings of this study provide valuable information for developing new respirators with a predictable actual workplace protection factor.


Spherical diffusion flames supported on a porous sphere were studied numerically and experimentally. Experiments were performed in 2.2 s and 5.2 s microgravity facilities. Numerical results were obtained from a Chemkin-based programme. The programme simulates flow from a porous sphere into a quiescent environment, yields both steady state and transient results and accounts for optically thick gas-phase radiation. The low flow velocities and long residence times in these diffusion flames lead to enhanced radiative and diffusive effects. Despite similar adiabatic flame temperatures, the measured and predicted temperatures varied by as much as 700 K. The temperature reduction correlates with flame size but characteristic flow times and Lewis number also influence temperature. The numerical results show that the ambient gas Lewis number would have a strong effect on flame temperature if the flames were steady and nonradiating. For example, a 10% decrease in Lewis number would increase the steady state flame temperature by 200 K. However, for these transient, radiating flames the effect of Lewis number is small. It was also observed that when hydrocarbon fuel is supplied from the ambient the large diffusion distances associated with these flames can lead to unusual steady state compositions near the outer boundary because decomposition products can diffuse to the outer boundary. This results in a loss of chemical enthalpy from the system but the effect on flame temperature is small. Transient predictions of flame sizes are larger than those observed in microgravity experiments. Close agreement could not be obtained without either increasing the model's thermal and mass diffusion properties by 30% or reducing mass flowrate by 25%.


This paper reports the findings of a retrospective study of the records of twenty-three women patients resident in one of the English special hospitals. The temporal relationship between disturbed behaviour and the menstrual cycle was studied for each patient over a period of at least six months. The results, although they confirm the findings of previous studies in institutionalized groups of women, suggest that it may be a particular group of women only who exhibit disturbed behaviour and there may exist other sub-groups whose behaviour also follows a cyclical pattern.


Fourteen commercial kits for serum vitamin B12 assay have been assessed. The analytical performance and clinical correlation were used to rank the methods employed for the extraction of the vitamin from its binders and for the separation of 'bound' from 'unbound' counts. The introduction of extraction without boiling and the separation by attachment of the vitamin B12 binder to a solid matrix have not been shown to be generally better or worse than conventional methods.


The health risk associated with human exposure to pollutants while using biogas for cooking was assessed following the methodology described by the US - National Research Council. Information of hazardous compounds and compositions of several biogas types were extracted from scientific literature. Compositions were dependent on the biogas origin (production process). First, a quantitative approach was conducted to identify substances with a high health risk based on their Human Toxicity Values. Then, a subsequent qualitative analysis was performed to complete the health risk assessment based on other toxicology data, effectiveness of purification processes, variability of the waste materials used for biogas generation and, when possible, a comparison with natural gas. The main conclusion of the study was that the injection in the grid of upgraded biogas originating from household and organic waste landfills, did not present an increase of health risks when compared to the domestic use of natural gas.


The quality of products from the micro and small enterprise sector is affected by both the entrepreneur's and enterprise's attributes. This paper presents and discusses findings of a study that was designed to investigate experimentally the relationship between the quality of arc welding in the Small Scale Metalwork sub-sector and the artisan's education and training levels and business location. Four pairs of groups with a total of 36 with secondary education and 36 with primary education consisting of formally and informally trained artisans from urban and rural areas participated in the evaluation. A mild steel product was fabricated by each participating artisan, assessed and scores awarded based on the quality of arc welding. The data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and excel spreadsheet. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to show any variation in the quality of arc welding; comparisons of means using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) at the alpha level of 5% were done to determine which pairs of artisans affected quality significantly. The study found out that informally trained artisans with secondary education working in urban areas exhibited the highest quality of arc welding. The informally trained artisans with primary education working in rural areas exhibited the lowest quality of arc welding. Generally the product quality from artisans with secondary education was higher than that from artisans with primary education. Formal training can improve the quality of products from rural artisans. Business location does only affect the quality of welding from informally trained artisans at any education level.It is recommended that the quality of products from artisans with lower education and especially those working in rural areas can be improved by raising their standard of education and/or by formal training.


ObjectiveTo determine the contents of total flavone in lotus leaf by colorimetry that utilize the fact that the mixture of flavone compounds with metal iron can form colourful compounds. MethodsTo carry on a reaction between the extraction of total flavone in lotus leaf and the system of KAc AlCl 3,determined by colorimetry. ResultsThe average content of total flavone in lotus leaf is 5.08 % ,with an average recovery of 101.2 % and relative standard deviation of 2.41 % .ConclusionThis method is simple, easy to learn,and with good reproducibility.


Abstract The 2016 Morocco–Nigeria bilateral investment treaty (BIT) stands out from other such treaties because of its innovative human rights approach to the protection and promotion of foreign direct investment. Human rights permeate its approach to the regulation of investment in a manner which is most unusual in international investment agreements (IIAs). As a result, this is the most socially-responsible BIT currently concluded. Although it remains exceptional within the investment-treaty framework, the treaty reflects African initiatives to ensure that the next generation of BITs encourages more responsible investments. As such, it shows that human rights-compliant investment treaties can find fertile ground in developing African countries and it sets an example for current and future negotiations aimed at fostering respect for human rights in investment activities.


Abstract The complex, diaquabis(L−lysino)nickel(II) dichloride monohydrate [Ni(C6N2O2H15)2(H2O)2]Cl2.H2O crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1, with Z=1. Cell dimensions are a=9.802(1), b=7.118(1), c=8.533(1)A, α=79.47(1), β=112.27(1), γ=94.48(1)[ddot]. The structure was solved by the heavy atom method and was refined to an R of 0.054 for 3689 observed reflections. The analysis shows that the Ni(II) ion has a distorted octahedral geometry. The α-amino nitrogens and hydroxyl oxygens of lysine coordinate to Ni(II) to form a square plane at distances between 2.025(2)A and 2.100(2)A. Water molecules approach the nickel apically at distances of 2.144(4) and 2.153(3)A, respectively. Chlorines lie outside the octahedron. Both lysine ligands have different conformations. The structure is connected by an elaborate network of hydrogen bonds and electrostatic attractions.


In rat plasma, 109Cd was mainly associated with α-globulin fraction and 65Zn was bound to and β-globulins. Subcutaneously injected cadmium chloride Cd 109 and zinc chloride Zn 65 resulted in rapid clearance of 109Cd from blood plasma, as compared to 65Zn. Blood cells accumulated 65Zn more rapidity than 109Cd. Greatest uptakes of 109Cd per unit weight of tissue were by liver, kidneys, and pancreas, but that of 65Zn was by the pancreas. From all tissues, 65Zn was depleted eventually. In the first six hours after isotope dose, testis tissue concentrated more 109Cd than 65Zn. In testes, 65Zn-influx continued for 168 hours, without further 109Cd increase. Both isotopes were excreted predominantly via intestinal tract. Fecal and urinary excretion of 109Cd and 65Zn was accelerated by 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol Results Indicate 109Cd follows metabolic pathways different from those of 65Zn.


This article seeks to contribute to the study of the 1970s dictatorships in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay by looking at one specific aspect of those regimes: exile. It considers exile in the UK, a host country on which research is limited, and claims that the fundamental political ideas that had inspired these exiles did not vanish but were variously reshaped, depending on changing political circumstances, how the exiles interacted with local forms of solidarity, and how they lived through the personal challenges that they experienced during exile.