This trial aimed at evaluating characteristics as: production, structural and nutritional requirements of Tifton 85 and Piata grasses and pigeonpea in single or intercropped tillage, with and without nitrogen application. The experimental plot in randomized blocks with plots subdivided through time, with 7 treatments in the main plots and three periods of evaluation on subplots with four replications. The studied treatments were: Cajanus cajan cv. Super N (pigeonpea), Brachiaria brizantha cv. single Piata without application of nitrogen (N); B. brizantha cv. Piata in association with pigeonpea; B. brizantha cv. single Piata with application of N (150kg ha-1); Cynodon sp. Tifton 85 in a single crop without application of N; Tifton 85 in association with pigeonpea and Tifton 85 plus an application of N (150kg ha-1) and three cycles of evaluations. The association of Tifton 85 and Piata grasses with pigeonpea provided forage production like nitrogen fertilizer and increase crude protein content and a reduction on neutral detergent fiber contents. Tifton grass was less tolerant to shading from pigeonpea.


As an input to the design of a Legal Instrument on Water Reuse in Europe, this report recommends minimum quality requirements for water reuse in agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge based on a risk management approach.


The Indian electronics industry is one of the fastest growing industries and investments are flowing in to increase its manufacturing capacity. But, India is facing incremental challenges such as rising customer's expectation, widening customerbase of existing ones, fluctuating demand, taxation, lack of infrastructure and intense competition. Thus, India needs to be more efficient in her key activities or processes to cope with the challenges. Lean manufacturing could be a solution in order to improve the performance in this competitive globalized market where uncertainty is prevalent. The purpose of this study is to examine the techniques of adopting lean, the tools implemented, the motivators, obstacles and challenges in adopting lean in Indian Electronics manufacturing industry. The data collection was conducted through a structured questionnaire both online and off line, observations from the past studies, company reports and visits to the companies were also done. The results show that the degree of lean implementation in Indian electronics manufacturing industry is still nascent. So, the concerned authorities should play a considerable role and frame some policies to promote lean manufacturing. Future research would consider doing analysis in a more number of organizations as this will reflect the true index.


Establishing the effective use of'naked'nucleic acids as vaccines in 90 s would un- doubtedly be one of the most important advances in the history of vaccinology,which was regarded as"the third vaccine revolution".Although more than ten naked vaccines have been approved by FDA to use in experimental animals and clinical trials,efficacy,safety and acceptability are still three hurdles for this new biotech drug to be applied in humans.Here we illustrate progresses that have been made in the nucleic acid vaccines in passing years as well as the pharmacokinetics studies of HBV DNA vaccine we investigated.A focus on the pharmacokinetics and safety of the nucleic acid vaccines is made.


ABSTRACT This paper presents a novel hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm called HMGSG to solve the optimization problems. In the proposed HMGSG algorithm, a spiral-shaped path for grey wolf optimization (GWO) is used to ensure both the faster convergence rate and diversity. The mutualism phase of symbiotic organisms search (SOS) is introduced and modified with the adaptive benefit factors to optimize the ability of exploitation. The stud genetic algorithm (GA) is introduced into the HMGSG to promote convergence. The numerical experiment results show that the performance of HMGSG is superior to that of the GWO, SOS and GA. In addition, the HMGSG algorithm is used to optimize the fractional-order PID controller parameters for roll attitude control of UAV. And the simulation results show the effectiveness of this algorithm.


Access to many born-digital materials can only be accomplished economically through the use of emulation where contemporaneous software is executed on an emulated machine. For example, many thousands of CD-ROMs have been published containing proprietary software that cannot be reasonably recreated. While emulation is proven technology and is widely used to run both current and obsolete versions of Windows and Unix operating systems, it suffers a fatal flaw as a preservation strategy by requiring future users to be facile with today's operating systems and software. We have previously advocated "assisted emulation" as a strategy to alleviate this shortcoming. With assisted emulation, a preserved object is stored along with scripts designed to control a legacy software environment and access to the object enabled through a "helper" application. In this paper we significantly extend this work by examining, for a large data set, both the cost of creating such scripts and the common problems that these scripts must resolve.


turn, has to pay the fee in order to keep the possibility of being truly cared for alive. She posits that this contradiction between the need for money and the need for love can only be resolved in the psychoanalytic setting if we clinically explore the human paradox of love and hate. (It is because we love and need another that we can also hate that other.). Pamela Meersand provides a useful, general introduction to how children and adolescents come to the meanings of money. Kachina Myers explores the therapist's resistance to setting fees that are "commensurate with their income needs and their patients' ability to pay" (p. 144). She does this by giving two clinical examples, one where she avoids a fee conflict and one where she embraces the conflict. These vignettes raise interesting questions: a patient, as part of increased feelings of autonomy and separation from her parents, wants to pay for her own treatment. She, however, cannot on her salary afford the fee the analyst has been charging her parents for her treatment. Should the analyst lower the fee so the patient can pay herself and claim some autonomy from her parents? How is a decision made and discussed with the patient? If a patient voluntarily offers to increase the fee, should the offer be as readily accepted as the author in another vignette seems to do? Arielle Shanok explores the reasons why female therapists charge less and earn less than their male counterparts. She also makes excellent recommendations for teaching therapists in training how to think about and address the issue of fees. The essays conclude with a contribution by Dan Grech, a journalist, who describes studies in the field of neuroeconomics and behavioral economics. Money not only talks; in neuro-imaging, it lights up parts of our brain.


This research aims to know the effect of the Dividend per Share on stock price, Return on Equity effect on stock price and the Net Profit Margin on stock price. This research is a quantitative study using secondary data such as financial statements. The sample used is a company engaged in the sectors of Infrastructure, Utilities and Transportation listed on BEI for the period 20122015. The sample in this study using purposive sampling a total of 11 companies. While the method of data analysis used in this research is multiple linear regression analysis. The results of this study indicate that the dividend per share (DPS) have a significant effect on stock prices. While Return on Equity (ROE) and Net Profit Margin (NPM) had no significant effect on stock prices.


This document describes the introduction of the concept of property in the field of molecular biology for the presentation of results of clinical laboratory investigations of genes and mutations. It follows the IUPAC–IFCC systematic rules and attempts to create a common base for communication between the clinical laboratory sciences, the medical practitioner, and the molecular biology areas of knowledge. Because of the plethora of possible structural variations in the outcome of analysis, the designation of components is restricted to the symbols of genes as identified by the Human Genome Nomenclature Database (HUGO). The listing of properties having DNA as system comprises all symbols in the HUGO database except for symbols related to mitochondrial genes, while properties having RNA as system are included only when known to be in actual use. The detailed and accurate presentation of results is made by the laboratory performing the study, and it is recommended that the explicit guidelines given by Antonarakis and den Dunnen be adhered to. For electronic communication, a code (NPU) is allocated to each property identified. The complete list of properties, which is an integral part of this report, can be accessed at .


This article discussed the status of systems for certifying the quality of balneology and SPA services in the hotel superstructure in Bulgaria. The analysis was carried out using the method of induction and deduction, critical analysis, method of comparison, benchmarking analysis and based on a survey conducted by the author. As a result of the examination were made conclusions and recommendations in order to comply new regulatory requirements, enhancing the quality and investor interest in the hotel superstructure in balneology and SPA tourism.


Objective To investigate the association between the genetic polymorphisms in GSTA1 and the clinical outcome of breast cancer patients treated with cyclophosphamide-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods A total of 137 breast cancer patients receiving cyclophosphamide-based adjuvant chemotherapy were recruited ( 124 cases with infiltrative ductal carcinoma, 5 cases with infiltrative lobular carcinoma and 8 cases with other histological types). PCR-LDR method was used to detect the genotypes of GSTA1. Survival curves were generated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and verified by the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate the prognostic factors in multivariate analysis. Results Of the 137 breast cancer patients, the genotypic frequencies of the GSTA1 * A/* A,* A/* B and * B/* B were 67.2% ( 92/137 ), 31.4% ( 43/137 ) and 1.5% ( 2/137 ), respectively. No significant differences were found between the genotypic frequencies and groups categorization according to age, stage, lymph node metastasis, ER or PR status (x2 = 0. 722,1. 967, 3. 303, 0. 226 and 0. 709, all P >0. 05 ) ;through Fisher exact test, also no significant differences were found between the genotypic frequencies and group categorization according to tumor size, histological types and grading ( all P > 0. 05 ) . The recurrence rates in patients with GSTA1 * A/* A and * A/* B or * B/* B genotypes were 47. 8% (44/92) and 31.1% ( 14/45 ), respectively, and the mortality rates were 22. 8% ( 21/92 ) and 17. 8% ( 8/45 ),respectively. Patients with GSTA1 * A/* B and * B/* B genotypes were significantly associated with reduced hazard of relapse (x2 =18.723, P<0. 01)and mortality (x2 =7.352, P<0.01), compared to cases with the common * A/* A genotypes, according to Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank test. Moreover,Cox multivariate analysis showed that GSTA1 polymorphisms appeared to be an independent risk factor for recurrence-free survival ( OR =0. 222, 95% CI:0. 108-0. 458, P <0. 01 ) and overall survival ( OR =0. 362,95% CI:0. 145-0. 902, P < 0. 05 ). Conclusion These data indicate that GSTA1 polymorphism may be a potential prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival and overall survival in breast cancer patients treated with cyclophosphamide-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

Key words:
Breast cancer;  Polymerase china reaction-ligation detection reaction; Polymorphism;  Glutathione S-transferases A1;  Chemotherapy


Contemporary society has brought about a situation where older Americans have limited opportunities for contributory roles. They have limited involvement in the development and provision of services aimed to promote their own well-being and the welfare and well-being of others. This article examines the importance of contributory roles and functions in light of theoretical perspectives, social work values, and research evidence which indicates that life satisfaction and psychological well being of older persons is related to continued productivity and the opportunity to carry substantive social roles. This article reviews and discusses contributory opportunities for older persons as part of community service employment programs, sponsored volunteer programs, and associations of older persons and substantiates the benefits of these organized efforts for older Americans, sponsoring organizations, and service consumers. Continuation and expansion of contributory roles for older persons will improve the quality of their life, will reduce the extent to which they are considered a resource consuming national problem, and will contribute to the development of a conception which views older Americans as a valuable national resource. THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTRIBUTORY ROLES FOR OLDER AMERICANS The idea of using public funds to enable older persons to contribute to their own well-being and that of others rather than being passive recipients of benefits and services is a relatively new one for the general public and for human service professionals. Yet, it is one which demands examination and exploration in the light of both social service principles, human services needs, and what research indicates about the life satisfaction and well-being of older persons being related to continued productivity and the opportunity to carry meaningful social roles. Old age is inevitably associated with incremental losses and declining competencies; however, the alienation of older persons is often associated with their dispossession from meaningful roles and functions which is brought about primarily by political and economical forces of


New classes of thia/oxa-azaspiro[3.4]octanes are synthesized through the implementation of robust and step-economic routes. The targeted spirocycles have been designed to act as novel, multifunctional, and structurally diverse modules for drug discovery. Furthermore, enantioselective approaches to the spirocycles are reported.


All large railway networks use a mixture of outdated, modern and emerging signalling and train operation principles. There is a need to develop novel modelling and verification mechanisms to support mixed traffic scenarios, including, for example, mixing different types of signalling and driving. In our previous work we introduced the unified Train Driving Policy (uTDP) formal modelling language for uniformly capturing diverse signalling principles and mixing, in a demonstratively safe manner, at the node and/or network-level novel and legacy signalling principles. This paper describes our work on making uTDP practical and useful for the engineers. A capacity evaluation of two train control systems.


Persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in infants is one of the most common causes of persistent hypoglycemia in infants. The knowledge of molecular defects leading to persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in infants has been rapidly growing in recent years. According to the responsible genes, this ailment can be divided into five types. However, no molecular defect can be yet found in as many as 50% of the patients.


Background: Following an injury, the peritoneum tries to repair itself through biochemical and cellular responses. These responses result in the formation of adhesions that may cause bowel obstruction. Methodology: This was a retrospective review of children who presented, to our pediatric surgery unit, with adhesive intestinal obstruction (AIO) between January 2008 and December 2017. The patients were reviewed for age at diagnosis of AIO, gender, age at initial surgery, time interval from the initial surgery to the development of AIO, type of initial surgery, duration of symptoms before presentation, treatment and outcome. Result: Thirty four children were admitted with AIO. There were 24 males and 10 females with 36 episodes of bowel obstructions. The mean age of the patients at diagnosis of AIO was 81.5 months (range: 12 - 168) whereas the mean age of the patients at initial surgery was 59.7 months (range: 1 - 144). The mean interval between the initial surgery and onset of AIO was 23.2 months (range: 11-48). Majority of the patients (44.1%) developed AIO within 12 months after their initial surgery. Laparotomy for typhoid intestinal perforation was the most common initial procedure that led to AIO. Non-operative treatment was successful in twenty three patients (67.6%) while ten patients (29.5%) had surgery. One patient (2.9%) was discharged against medical advice. There was no mortality. Conclusion: AIO is uncommon in children. In this series, laparotomy for typhoid intestinal obstruction was the most common operation leading to AIO. Non-operative treatment was effective in two-third of our patients.


In order to develop such web-based application systems efficiently, object-oriented analysis and design methodology is used, and Java EE(Java Platform, Enterprise Edition) technologies are used for its implementation. In addition, security issues have become increasingly important. Consequently, since the security method by Java EE mechanism is implemented at the last step only, it is difficult to apply constant security during the whole process of system development from the requirement analysis to implementation. ……………. Therefore, this paper suggests an object-oriented analysis and design methodology emphasized in the security for secure web application systems from the requirement analysis to implementation. The object-oriented analysis and design methodology adopts UMLsec, the modeling language with an emphasis on security for the requirement analysis and system analysis and design with regard to security. And for its implementation, RBAC(Role Based Access Control) of servlet from Java EE technologies is used. Also, the object-oriented analysis and design methodology for the secure web application is applied on an online banking system in order to prove its effectiveness.


We use so many plastic products in everyday. Because polymer materials have a lot of merits including low cost and easiness of forming, they are widely using at many manufacturing industries. Microcellular foaming process appeared at MIT in 1980's to save a quantity of material and increase mechanical properties. The information about the thickness of cavity plays an important role in appling microcellular foaming process to the conventional injection molding process. It is essential to make an effective foam. The goal of this research is to measure the relation between the change of cavity's thickness and foaming magnitude made after inserting a gas. R/t is a conception that indicate proportion between radius and thickness of cavity in mold system. By means of SEM observation of side surface of cavity sample, foaming magnitude of cavity is mold system. By means of SEM observation of side surface of cavity sample, foaming magnitude of polymer in microcellular foaming process is decreasing gradually as the value of R/t is increasing. The proposed foaming magnitude changes data of polymer in relation to mold system can be applied in more extensive injection molding process, such as optimum design of mold for microcellular foaming process.


This paper describes a qualitative study in which midwives' perceptions of high and low quality interactions between midwives and breast-feeding mothers were elicited. Questionnaires using a critical incident technique were distributed to all the midwives in a maternity service in the North of England. Structured analysis of 16 responses (40%) led to the development of four major themes: communication, support by health professionals, inaccuracy/inconsistency of advice and breast-feeding policy. The case for further education of midwives to improve their self-awareness and communication skills is presented along with recommendations related to resource allocation and policy development.


This is a part study in the project called Arctic Civil Engineering. Arctic regions are defined as a region where the mean temperature in July is less than +10 Celsius. The target area is Northwestern Russia including Murmansk region, Arkangel Region, Autonomic District of Nenetsia and Republic of Komi. The road and railway network does not cover the whole target area. There is no regular fixed-route transport to the ports. Air transport is the fastest and usually the only year-round mode of transport. In winter transportation is possible on winter roads.


The success of cytology (Pap screening) programs is undeniable and has drastically reduced cervical cancer rates in high-income settings where it has been implemented1. However, cytology for primary cervical cancer screening has a number of limitations including poor sensitivity, a taxing demand on human and operational infrastructure, high health system costs, and limited uptake rates, leading researchers and policy-makers to question whether further gains in public health are possible using this approach2. Persistent infection with high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (hpv) is well established as the necessary cause for development of cervical cancer3. Research has shown a 30% improvement in sensitivity in detecting high-grade lesions, cervical squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (cin) grade 2 or greater (cin2+), can be achieved with high-risk hpv dna testing compared with cytology4. A negative hpv test confers two-fold greater reassurance against the development of cervical cancer over three years compared with a negative cytology test2,5. The Netherlands has recently transitioned from cytology to hpv testing for primary cervical cancer screening in their National program. Many organized screening programs intend to implement primary hpv screening6-9, including Australia, which will begin implementation in December 2017. A consistent barrier to cytology-based cervical cancer screening is non-attendance, which can be addressed through hpv testing using self-collected samples. Primary cervical cancer screening with hpv dna testing allows for the opportunity of self-collected samples, which is not possible with cytology. In hpv self-collection the sample is obtained vaginally by the woman herself, using a device such as a swab or brush. The swab is subsequently tested for high-risk strains of hpv in a laboratory. With this approach to screening, programs can mail self-collection kits directly to women who are overdue for screening as an alternative to a clinic-based visit. Self-collected cervical samples receiving hpv testing show comparable cin2+ sensitivity compared with clinician-collected samples tested with cytology and with hpv10-12. Self-collection has proven to be highly acceptable among women13. Human papil lomav irus self-col lect ion has the potential to overcome many of the personal and systemlevel barriers to screening that exist for cytology or other clinic-based screening methods. Some women, particularly those who have experienced abuse14 or are otherwise marginalized, may find self-sampling preferable because of such things as cultural/religious embarrassment or discomfort associated with a pelvic exam13,15-17. Time, transportation, inconvenient clinic hours, or not having a regular practitioner are also relevant factors associated with under-screening that can be mitigated through hpv self-collection using mailed samples13,16,17. However, there are psychosocial barriers to hpv screening, including women's lack of awareness and fears around hpv and cervical cancer screening, which cannot be addressed through self-collection-based screening alone17,18.


S100A6 is a low-molecular-weight calcium-binding protein belonging to the S100 family. Originally, S100A6 was purified from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, but later, it was found in fibroblasts, epithelial cells and in tumor cells with high metastatic activity. When Ca2+-dependent interaction of S100A6 with target proteins was studied in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, a novel protein, now called CacyBP/SIP, was discovered. Later, it was found that CacyBP/SIP interacted with Siah-1 and Skp1 and that it was involved in the ubiquitination and degradation of an oncogen, namely β-catenin. Thus, this review describes the discovery and characterization of S100A6 and Cacy BP/SIP, the function of these two proteins in ubiquitination and degradation processes and their possible role in tumorigenesis.


Swanson et al. (1) reported an increased risk of breast cancer under age 45 years in thin, tall women compared with heavy, short women, contrary to the findings in older women. They concluded that to date there are no established biologic explanations for these age-related differences. It is very likely that, as in older women, the biologic situation underlying the increased risk of breast cancer in younger women is a hormonal profile that acts as a growth factor itself and/or induces other growth factors. What is different in younger women is the relation of this hormonal profile to body mass index. Obesity in postmenopausal women appears to be the cause of the risk-producing hormonal profile: estrogen synthesis takes place in adipose stores and abdominal obesity is accompanied by decreased levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) with a consequent increase in free estrogen. In younger women, in whom estrogen synthesis is gonadal, leanness appears to be a sign, among others, of hormonal imbalance: a low body mass index is associated with high serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low triglyceride concentrations (2-4). Serum HDL cholesterol levels parallel serum estrogen levels over a woman's life, with a menarchal increase and a menopausal decrease (5). Estrogens stimulate hepatic lipoprotein lipase, inducing low serum triglycerides and high HDL cholesterol concentrations (6). High HDL cholesterol and low tnglyceride concentrations thus appear to be a sign of high estrogen activity, as might indirectly be the case with a low body mass index in women with gonadal hormone synthesis. In addition, estrogen levels are higher in women with benign breast diseases, a risk factor for breast cancer (7), than in disease-free women (8). Higher HDL cholesterol and lower triglyceride concentrations are also found in women with benign breast diseases compared with diseasefree women (2, 8-10). Taken together, these findings suggest that, in women with gonadal hormone synthesis, a low body mass index could be a marker of increased estrogen activity, which is a risk factor for breast cancer.


This longitudinal field study examined the influence of negative emotions and goal orientation after individuals received negative performance feedback about their level of goal attainment. After completing an initial performance event and receiving negative performance feedback, a learning goal orientation had a nonsignificant relationship with the intensity of negative emotions. In contrast, an avoiding goal orientation had a positive relationship with the intensity of negative emotions. For a subsequent performance event a month later, we found that goal orientation moderated the relationship of negative emotions and goal setting. Specifically, for individuals with a low learning goal orientation, we found a negative relationship between the intensity of negative emotions and goal level. For individual with a high learning goal orientation, the relationship was nonsignificant. Overall, the study findings provide insights on how goal orientation influences initial emotional reactions and subsequent self...


We introduce the diabatic and the adiabatic bases of a strongly driven superconducting two-level system. The multiphoton resonance conditions, the Rabi couplings, and the energy levels are calculated in both bases using the rotating wave approximation, and the results are compared with the corresponding numerical values. We show the basis dependence of the approximate energy levels and deduce the validity regions for both bases. We demonstrate a parameter region where neither of the bases is sufficient for calculations in the rotating wave approximation.


Objectives: Serotype G9 rotaviruses have emerged as one of the leading causes of gastroenteritis in children worldwide since the mid-1990s, suggesting that G9 is a globally important serotype. Methodology: The molecular epidemiology of G9 rotaviruses in two Saudi's cities, Maddina and Gizan, from 2004 to 2005, was investigated in this study. Results: These G9 strains belonged to P[8] lineage 2 (P-like) VP4, genetic group B (Wa-like) NSP4, and long electropherotype. The Saudi Arabian G9 VP7 gene had a 98% nucleotide sequence identity and grouped with the recently circulated G9 strains belonged to the third lineage. Conclusion: Molecular characterization of VP7, VP4, NSP4 and PAGE suggest that rotavirus G9 could have been introduced to Saudi as a novel G9P[8] strain. This study is the first to describe Molecular characterization of G9 Strains in the Middle East.


Objective
To investigate the influence of dezocine combined with dexamethasone intravenous analgesia on serum inflammatory factors and cellular immunity in the patient after radical mastectomy.

Methods
Eighty patients with radical mastectomy were randomly divided into combined group and dezocine group from April 2016 to April 2017 in Lanzhou University Second Hospital, forty cases in each group. The patients in dezocine group were given dezocine intravenous drip at 30 min before the end of operation, and dexamethasone combined with dezocine intravenous drip in combined group. Visual analogue scale (VAS), serum inflammatory factor including interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), the immune cells including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+ and natural killer cells (NK), and the occurrence of adverse reactions were recorded and compared.

Results
VAS was lower in combined group than that in dezocine group at 12, 24 h after the operation (P<0.05). The expression of IL-2 was lower at 1, 3 d postoperatively as compared with preoperation, and even lower in combined group (P<0.05).The expression of IL-6 and TNF-α was higher at 1, 3 d postoperatively as compared with preoperation in the two groups, and even higher in dezocine group (P<0.05). The expression of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+and NK was lower at 1, 3 d postoperatively as compared with preoperation in the two groups, and even lower in dezocine group (P<0.05), while the expression of CD8+was higher, and even higher in dezocine group (P<0.05). The total incidence of adverse reactions such as respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting and hypotension was 20% (8/40 cases) in combined group, which was significantly lower than 45% (18/40 cases) in dezocine group (P<0.05).

Conclusion
Dezocine combined with dexamethasone intravenous analgesia can effectively reduce the inflammatory reaction, improve the cellular immune function, and decrease the incidence of adverse reactions in the patient after radical mastectomy.

Key words:
Dezocine; Dexamethasone; Breast neoplasms; Inflammatory factor; Cellular immunity


Needed research into the problem of increasing Native Americans' underparticipation and underachievement in mathematics can be directed at (a) raising expectations for performance, (b) devising culturally based programs, and (c) improving pedagogy. To raise expectations, possible modifications of intervention programs using videotapes, conferences, and workshops are proposed. Culturally based curricula need to consider intertribe differences that raise important research questions. Pedagogical reform suggests investigating an applications-oriented approach and the use of computer-assisted instruction. Community input is needed in all research and development activity.


D‐AKAP1 is a PKA anchoring protein that targets PKA to mitochondria or ER. After defining the N‐terminal mitochondrial targeting motif, the mitochondrial targeting forms of D‐AKAP1 were characterized for their localization and function. The localization of D‐AKAP1 was analyzed following submitochondrial fractionation in mouse liver. Most of D‐AKAP1 was detected on the outer membrane with smaller amounts on the inner membrane. This distribution pattern is consistent with the immuno‐Gold EM analysis on intact mitochondria and mitoplasts, respectively. The outer membrane localization of D‐AKAP1 was further confirmed using an in vitro import assay as the association of D‐AKAP1 with mitochondria is resistant to high salt wash, but sensitive to proteinase. A stable cell line overexpressing a mito‐targeting D‐AKAP1 die in galactose medium, suggesting a deficiency in oxidative phosphorylation. No functional Complex I could be detected in these cells. EM analysis showed that these cells have tubular form of mitochondrial cristae in contrast to the lamellar form in non‐transfected cells. Both the surface area and number of cristea are reduced in these cells. In summary, over‐expression of D‐AKAP1 affects cristae structure, and this may therefore alter mitochondria function to carry out oxidative phosphorylation.


In this article, we study complete convergence and complete moment convergence for negatively dependent random variables under sub-linear expectations. The results obtained in sub-linear expectation spaces extend the corresponding ones in probability space.


In a previous issue of this Journal,2 I provided an extension of the Allen-Mosak theory of jointly-derived input demand functions3 to cover imperfect competition in the commodity market. One "peculiar" result emerged. Specifically, I could not prove that commodity price alvays varies directly with input price. Further, I was unable to explain why it might not do so. I can now provide an explanation of this perverse behaviour. Indeed, it is possible to extend the analysis of the former paper, to explain precisely the conditions under which the peculiar price variation can occur, and to specify some of the characteristics of production functions that give rise to the phenomenon. Having found the key to this particular puzzle, it is possible to present several interesting extensions of the theories of production and of jointly-derived input demand functions. Before turning to the positive aspects of the paper, a negative result would seem to be worth a sentence or two. Proposition: in general, absolutely nothing can be said about the characteristics of derived input demand functions if there is imperfect competition in the input markets, i.e. if the price a firm pays for an input varies with its usage by the firm. No substantiation of this proposition is offered here, although the reason should be intuitively clear from the model presented below.4 In what follows a sketch of the basic model is first presented. The definition of an "inferior factor" of production is then introduced and analysed. In the bulk of the paper, Sections IV to VI, the concept of factor inferiority is used to analyse various aspects of the theories of production and input demand. Section VII is a very brief conclusion.


Elemental powder mixtures with two sizes (<5 μm and 15–45 μm) were shock compressed at 20, 46, and 70 GPa using 20 mm‐bore two‐stage gun. Specimens were 10 mm in diameter and 0.5 μm thick. The powders were contained in a Cu capsule and impacted by a Cu projectile. The results for small <5 μm powder particles indicate that the experiments produced unreacted, partially reacted, and fully reacted NbSi2, respectively, as predicted. Results for the larger 15–45 μm particles of 46 GPa indicate that reactions to form NbSi2 did not occur during shock compression. This observation is consistent with the expectation that larger powder particles require more time to react. All the micrographs indicate that the powders are relatively mobile in the capsule and that some reactions are caused by plastic deformation after release of the shock.


To study the effects of different concentration of calcium on ginseng growth under hydroponics conditions,Hoagland nutrient solution including three different calcium concentration,0. 25 mmol / L( low calcium group),4 mmol / L( normal group) and 16 mmol / L( high calcium group),were used. The results showed that low calcium group presented dark green and shrinking leaves,curve stems and weak roots with a few of brown red lateral roots,while high calcium group had yellow green leaves and developed lateral roots compared with the normal group. High calcium impeded synthesis of chlorophyll and improved the ability to catch light in photosynthesis. The chlorophyll was 2. 692 mg / g and chl a / b was 2. 602 in ginseng. Low calcium injured membranous permeability of ginseng stem and increased the electrolyte leakage of stem. Its electrolyte leakage was 35. 64%,2. 1 times as much as the normal group. The root activity was normal group high calcium group low calcium group( P0. 05),53. 94,49. 32 and 42. 74 μg /( g·h) respectively. As the calcium concentration increasing in the nutrition solution,the calcium accumulation of each organ of ginseng increased. The calcium accumulation of leaf increased most, and its calcium content was1. 751 mg / g. The deficiency of calcium seriously affects the growth and development of ginseng root,stem and leaf. Meanwhile,it decreases ginseng' s resistance to adversity. Under high calcium environment,calcium can improve the adversity resistance of ginseng by reducing the rate of stem emergence and increasing the generative capacity of ginseng lateral roots. However,excessive calcium will inhibit ginseng growth.


The nonmetal‐to‐metal transition in dense fluid helium is discussed, which has been, in analogy to metallization of hydrogen, predicted as first‐order plasma phase transition using chemical models for the equation of state and plasma composition. However, recent ab initio simulations performed for dense fluid helium indicate that this transition is continuous in the considered regime, without a density jump and latent heat as characteristic of a first‐order phase transition. Implications for some astrophysical plasmas are discussed.


Response of individual piles to externally applied loads is one of the most complex soil-structure interaction problems in the field of foundation engineering. For any realistic analysis of this problem, it is essential to take into account both the elastic and plastic properties of the soil, as both these states occur along the embedded length of the pile. Herein, analysis and results are presented for the problem of axially and laterally loaded piles, taking into account elasto-plastic nature of the soil for both cohesive and cohesionless soils. The results indicate that the flexural behaviour of laterally and axially loaded pile in an elasto-plastic soil is considerably influenced by type of variation of plastic resistance, soil modulus variation and the boundary conditions at the top.


This research was based on the researcher's preliminary study which found that the students could not comprehend the meaning of texts in their textbook. This Classroom Action Research (CAR) aims to improve the students' reading comprehension in narrative text through simplified text at grade VIII of SMP Budhi Luhur Pekanbaru. The research was administered to the second year students of SMP Budhi Luhur Pekanbaru. The total population was 34 students. After analyzing the data, the researcher found a significant effect of simplified text toward reading at the second-year SMP Budhi Luhur Pekanbaru students, where the average score from the based score was 58. It increased to 66 at the end of the cycle I. Finally, the average score of cycle II was 75. So it can be concluded that simplified text can increase the students' reading skill at grade VIII SMP Budhi Luhur Pekanbaru


National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [21171015, 11174334]; Chinese Government; Alexander von Humboldt foundation; Chinese Academy of Sciences; German Research Foundation (DFG) within the International Research Training Group [1215]


The article examines two forms of gamification with elements of digitalization in the preparation of students of economic specialties and proposes a third form of game learning in 3D-virtual reality. The components of strategic planning and the decision-making process, which can be effectively used in the process of teaching/learning economic disciplines on IT-platforms and in 3D-simulators in the conditions of university business incubators, are analyzed. Attention is drawn to the redistribution of the role of the human factor/capital as aresult of the rapid development of smart-robots and artificial intelligence.


Erbium-doped Y20 3 planar optical waveguides have been fabricated by spray-pyrolysis deposition. The attenuation spectrum of the waveguide shows peaks that are due to absorption of the erbium ions. The as-deposited layers also show photoluminescence sharply peaking at 1540 nm with additional Stark splitting. The thin layers of Er 3:Y 203 obtained are promising for the realization of integrated-optic amplifiers and lasers.


In a very careful study Kraus describes the Hebrew text of Genesis 1-4, its LXX rendition, how Jerome and the Latin Vulgate render the text, and how the passage is translated in German (by Luther) in English (by Tyndale) and by the Dutch State Translation. In this monograph, though, Kraus is not merely concerned with the Hebrew text and its rendition in various languages: she is interested in how the relationship between male and female are translated. Consequently, though the title of the book would lead readers to presume she investigates the entire span of Gen 1-4 in fact she focuses more narrowly on 1,16-28; 2,7.9.15-17, 2,18-25; 3,1-13; 3,14-24, and 4,1-2.17.25. As she states her purpose, "The questions that I shall address mainly concern variations between the Hebrew text and these translations and what they may reveal about the translators' understanding of women, their role in the male-female relationship, and their place in society" (p. 1). Kraus sets the stage for her study by offering preliminary observations on the problem of translation. Her explication of the Hebrew text follows and is meticulous and tremendously done. Of the relationship between men and women from the point of view of the author "... we have here a relatively "innocent" androcentrism that somehow seems to be an essential part of the narrative" (p. 38) she says.


The present invention, (E) -7- [4- (4- fluorophenyl) -6-isopropyl-2- [methyl (methylsulfonyl) amino] pyrimidin-5-yl] - (3R, 5S) -3,5 - two new polymorphs of tris dihydroxy-6-enoic acid (hydroxymethyl) methylammonium salt (1), a process for their preparation and, especially, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipoproteinemia and atherosclerosis their use in the manufacture of a medicament useful in the treatment of arteriosclerosis.


To suppress the power frequency signal and other harmonic components in earth capacitance of resonant grounded system, an adaptive filtering algorithm based on pseudo linear regression algorithm is proposed. Taking the output error of smoothly filtered signal as cost function in the proposed algorithm, the filter coefficient is adjusted; thus the optimal output signal can be kept while input signal of filter changes; the arithmetic error connected with the parameter variation of filter element can be compensated in a certain extent. Simulation results show that comparing with other adaptive algorithms, the proposed algorithm can converge rapidly and its misadjustment rate is low. The filter based on the proposed algorithm possesses following advantages: simple structure, lower measuring error and higher reliability, and it can be used in signal injection.


Binding of iodide ion from solutions of sodium or potassium iodide to deionized bovine serum albumin (BSA) and to bovine serum mercaptalbumin (BSM) was studied by equilibrium dialysis using radioactive I¹³¹ as a tracer. The Donnan effect was evaluated by introducing another radioactive ion, e.g., Nail, into the system which does not bind to these proteins. In acid solutions of BSA unbound hydrogen ions measured by pH showed the same distribution across the membrane as did the Na²⁴ions. In addition, at pH 12, where iodide ion should not bind, the I¹³¹ ratio across the membrane was equal to the reciprocal of the Na²⁴ ratio. Finally at isoionic pH, the binding constants for iodide ion to BSM determined by this method were shown to be in close agreement with those obtained by other workers by means of e.m.f. measurements. (auth)


Why do some cartels survive for a decade but others collapse within a few years? We study one of the most prominent cases in recent history, the vitamin cartels, to quantify the member firms' incentives to collude. American court documents and European criminal investigation provide direct evidence on the cartels' organization as well as the leading firms' internal cost data, which we analyze within a standard repeated game framework. Preliminary results suggest the cartel leader's incentive diminished significantly at the time of the Vitamin C cartel's actual collapse in 1995, mainly because of growing supply from fringe competitors in China, whereas the markets for Beta Carotene, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E remained stable. We also find that the BASF-Takeda merger in 2001, if consummated a decade earlier, would have prolonged the Vitamin C cartel.


To understand function we must first examine our artefact - in this case the Artist, or more particularly the Poet. There are only four possible perspectives of the artist in modern civilisation.


This project investigated new strategies to improve viral resistance in crops against the increasing global threat of DNA viruses. The research showed that a combination of protective strategies is more likely to be effective and durable than a single approach. A gene from a wild relative was identified as a new potential source of DNA virus resistance.


Around seven in every hundred children in the UK has a chronic disability of some sort. Disabilities may arise from a huge variety of causes. They also vary enormously in severity, from children requiring just a little support for specific tasks, to children with multiple problems requiring round-the-clock total care. This article explores how to support children with chronic disability in the community, taking views both from the GP's and the parent's perspective.


ABSTRACT Following the scholarship that highlights situational influences on political expression, the present study conceptualizes political expression on social network sites (SNSs) as a form of self-presentation and posits that SNS audiences can make users feel lost socially and economically, which could influence political expression through self-presentational concern. Results of a 3 (target audience: family, casual friends, work relations) × 2 (issue: affirmative action vs. immigration) between-subjects experiment (N = 360) revealed that across both issues social costs heightened self-presentational concern, which motivated strategic self-presentation in political expressions. In immigration conditions, work relations exhibited more economic costs than family and causal friends, which heightened self-presentational concern and subsequently motivated political self-presentation. Moreover, in immigration conditions, perceived opinion incongruence moderated the relationship between social costs and self-presentational concern. This study proposed a self-presentational approach to understanding public expressions of political opinion on SNSs, extended the spiral of silence theory, and developed research on online self-presentation.


Background: Early labor force exit is one of the major problems worldwide. The present study investigates the relationship between work ability and lifestyle. Methods: This study was conducted at a manufacturing plant in Tehran in 2012. All 851 male workers in this plant were included into the study and their work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI). Based on the obtained scores, the participants were then classified into four work ability groups (poor, moderate, good, or excellent). Moreover, the participants' lifestyles were studied in three areas, including physical activity, cigarette smoking, and Body Mass Index (BMI). Results: The average work ability index score was 42.07, ranging from 7–48. Among the participants, 6.4% (43), 6.5% (44), 38.3% (259), and 48.8% (330) were in the groups with poor, moderate, good, and excellent work ability, respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between work ability and lifestyle (cigarette smoking, BMI, and physical activity) even after adjustment for confounding variables (P<0.05). Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, there might be a relationship between work ability and lifestyle (physical activity, BMI, cigarette smoking). Therefore, it is recommended to implement a lifestyle quality enhancement program to improve work ability in working environments.


The conventional cloaks that execute two physical fields in a single structure are often limited in their applications due to their regular geometry. This work proposes a solution to this problem by introducing an irregular shape bifunctional cloak that shields the cloaked region from both electric and thermal fields. Unlike previous cloaks, the proposed cloak can be designed with arbitrary shapes, which greatly expands its potential applications. The cloak is designed using Transformation Optics (TO) theory to derive the constitutive parameters required to execute the cloaking phenomenon. The numerical simulation setup is then devised based on the calculated parameters, and the functionality of the cloak is thoroughly validated. The results show that the proposed cloak can efficiently cloak a conductive or non-conductive material under both plan wave and point source excitation conditions. Moreover, the ability to cloak conductive materials make it an ideal candidate for engineering and medical applications where regular geometries are restricted.


Abstract : To evaluate survival of components of a "smart dust sensor" suitable for field deployment after cryoprotection or lyophilization and long term storage. The operational detection system employs molecular motors, particularly kinesins, to move microtubules through a series of chambers. Particularly, to evaluate the stability of assembled devices (i.e. surface adsorbed kinesin and Ab-MTs) following lyophilization.


Price advantage and ease of provisioning of Ethernet over ATM is spurring the deployment of traditional Ethernet switches in Access Networks. Fast Ethernet (FE) and Gigabit Ethernet (GE) switches for enterprise LANs lack traffic management (TM) features making them unsuitable for widespread QoS enabled Access Networks deployment. In this paper, we present efficient hardware architectures for Ethernet switches to implement wire speed packet classification, bandwidth policing and rate shaping. The Packet Classification Engine can support configurable multi-dimensional classification at 15Mpackets/s. These hardware structures have been incorporated into Infineon Technologies' configurable 8G Ethernet 'Switch-on-a-chip' (PLB2800) and fabricated using 0.18 /spl mu/m technology.


A new swappable fluidic module (SFM) is demonstrated in this research. We designed and fabricated two basic modular fluidic components including pumps and mixers, which can be easily swapped and integrated into a variety of modular devices for ready assembly of a fully-portable, disposable fluidic system. An integrated SFM utilizes finger-driven electricity free pumps to transport the fluids. Using the swirling mechanism, the vortex mixer, simultaneously actuated by two pumps, has established a mixing index of 93% in a one-shot mixing event. The assembled SFM, working as a sample loader, was serially jointed a DNA application zone to establish a capillary convective polymerase chain reaction (ccPCR) test kit for performing the experiments of rapid DNA amplification. The successful results indicate the amplified DNA sequences from Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in 30 min using ccPCR. Besides, the current SFM in conjunction with ccPCR show great potential for many bio-applications.


1. Introduction. Predictor-corrector algorithms are often preferred over algorithms of the Runge-Kutta type for the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations, since the former may involve fewer derivative evaluations per forward step. As commonly implemented, forward values of the dependent variables are extrapolated by an open formula (the predictor formula) followed by an evaluation of the derivative expressions corresponding to the extrapolated values. This is followed by application of a closed formula (the corrector formula) to obtain new estimates of the dependent variables, and then a final evaluation of the derivative expressions is made corresponding to these new estimates. This step may be applied an arbitrary number of times, leading to a class of algorithms that may be denoted by PE(CE)n, where n represents the number of applications of the cor-rector. The corrector may be iterated many times, but most commonly it is only applied once, since the improvement in truncation error through additional applications of the corrector is usually negligible. A fourth-order PECE algorithm requires two derivative evaluations for each forward step, while a fourth-order Runge-Kutta algorithm requires four evaluations. Since the evaluation of derivatives typically dominates the total computation time in computer applications, this is considered a strong argument in favor of the use of predictor-corrector algorithms even though they require the storage of back values for the dependent variables and/or their derivatives, as well as requiring more involved procedures for interval modification. Proponents of Runge-Kutta methods often argue that these algorithms are "stable," while predictor-corrector methods may be "unstable" in varying degrees. Runge-Kutta methods, however, do have limits on their ranges of stability, while many predictor-corrector algorithms have regions of stability that compare favorably. The stability properties of predictor-corrector algorithms have been studied by a number of authors including Chase [1], Brown et al. [2], and Krogh [3]. In addition, Crane and Klop-fenstein [4] have attempted to synthesize a fourth-order PECE algorithm having optimal stability properties, and have made comparisons with fourth-order Runge-Kutta methods. While judgments must be made that are difficult to quantize, there is much to be said in favor of using PECE algorithms in general-purpose algorithms for the solution of ordinary differential equations. More recently, it has been suggested that an even further saving in derivative evaluations could be obtained by eliminating the final derivative evaluation in PE(CE)" algorithms, thus obtaining a class of algorithms that may be denoted by P(EC)", [5]. For n …


Introduction: Ingestion of a rubber dam clamp is a very rare condition that occurs due to careless manipulation of a rubber dam insertion especially in pediatric dentistry. Case report: The present paper reports a case in which a rubber dam clamp was accidentally swallowed by child undergoing pulpotomy in his upper right deciduous second molar, which entered esophagus and got stuck supraclavicular. Discussion: Ingestion of foreign materials may cause serious complications. Owing to the shape and sharpness of the instrument, there are chances of perforation. Once the instrument is lost in the oropharynx, it is very important to determine whether the instrument has entered the digestive tract or respiratory tract. Conclusion: Dentist should be able to manage an emergency situation, in which patient accidentally swallow a dental instrument.


In a server (10), a standard setting section (11) establishes a standard amount of deposits and a standard amount of money of a maintenance charge in advance; a first calculating section (12) calculates the maintenance charge by multiplying the standard amount of money by a ratio of a deposition level at returning to a standard deposition level; a memory section (13) stores in memory an engine operating time, the number of regeneration sequences performed, and a reduction coefficient table; a second calculating section (14) establishes a reduction coefficient based on the reduction coefficient table and reduces the maintenance charge after reduction by multiplying the maintenance charge calculated by the first calculating section (12) by the reduction coefficient; and a third calculating section (15) calculates an amount of refund by subtracting the value of the maintenance charge from the value of a maintenance guarantee.


Introduction
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition characterized by a gradual loss of kidney function and consequently increasing costs associated with the disease.

Aims
The aim was to use administrative databases and a pathology registry to characterize CKD patient according to their stage and to evaluate the burden of disease; to identify incident patients on dialysis; to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on mortality in CKD patients.

Methods
Data from a regional pathology registry and administrative databases were used to classify CKD patients into different disease progression subgroups (CT-PIRP classification) using the following 6 variables: age, sex, diabetes, glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria, phosphate level and different CKD stages (3a, 3b, 4, 5). Healthcare consumptions and costs were evaluated. Incident chronic dialysis patients were defined those seen regularly in outpatient clinics. The incidence and mortality of COVID-19 among CKD patients were estimated.

Results
The study cohort includes 7737 CKD patients, aged 73.2±11.6 years, 64.5% males, mostly stage 4 (3136, 40.5%) and 3b (2799, 36.2%). Average annual costs were significantly higher for CT-PIRP groups 2 and 3 (€7239 and €8825 respectively) and more than twofold higher for CKD stage 5 (€7,993) compared to stage 3a (€3,973).
Both algorithms used to identify incident chronic dialysis patients had high sensitivity, 90.8% and 88.4%, high positive predictive value (84.0% and 82.0%) and high agreement (77.4% and 74.1%).
The incidence of COVID-19 infection was 4.16%. COVID-19 hospitalized patients were the 95.5%, those on home isolation were the 3.6% and the 0.9% were asymptomatic. Compared to those without COVID-19, the overall excess mortality ranged between 34.4% and 56.3%.
Conclusion
Administrative databases are a powerful tool to describe the burden of CKD disease, in order to assess the interventions aimed at reducing the impact of CKD and improving the quality of care of CKD patients.


The billing system, over time shows an evolutionary behavior of constant changes, which are aimed at generating facilities for its beneficiaries. Tax reforms to the billing system play a key role in the improvement of the system itself considering that the tax administration has focused in such a way that the reforms carried out are not considered only as a control measure, towards taxpayers, but rather a tool to improve and potentiate the billing system within economic entities, in order to make their efficiency and effectiveness part of their business strengths. Based on the principle of administrative simplicity, it seeks to verify that the reforms made to the billing system comply with the stipulated in the principle studied, which determines the obligation of the tax administration, by providing the taxpayer with the necessary facilities to comply with its tax duties and formalities.


Background Laser‐induced thermotherapy is a minimally invasive method that can be applied percutaneously or during laparotomy for the treatment of malignant liver tumours. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate whether the laparoscopic approach is suitable for laser‐induced thermotherapy. Laparoscopic ultrasonography was tested as an aid to intrahepatic positioning of the applicators as well as for online monitoring during application.


Studies of our illuminated environment demonstrate the importance of light to humans, who by evolution are essentially daytime creatures. However, the study of behaviour and the biology that occurs during the night has clearly shown the importance of darkness for both humans and the ecological integrity of the countryside. Since humans are expanding their activity throughout the night and into rural areas, is there a compromise between the human desire for light and the need for darkness? All animals and plants have light thresholds to which they have evolved. We have applied the findings of scotobiology to determine outdoor lighting that minimizes the disruption of artificial light at night on the natural environment and on human health. It is not surprising that the key characteristics to be limited are the brightness, duration and extent of the emitted light, the amount of glare and the spectrum of the emitted light. To test the practicality of these limits, we present the patented design of a luminaire that bridges the desire for 24 × 7 human lifestyles and the protection of the nocturnal environment.


Monitoring freeze-thaw (FT) transitions in high latitude regions are critical to enhancing our knowledge about the prediction of biogeochemical transitions, carbon dynamics, climate change, and impacts on boreal-arctic ecosystems. Since land surface emissivity depends primarily on the surface characteristics, it would contains valuable information about the surface, especially regarding freeze and thaw states. The surface characteristics in terms of microwave emission changes whenever water undergoes phase changes at constant temperature. This study aims to investigate the potential of using emissivity estimates from various microwave sensors such as the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer — Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), AMSR2, and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI). It employs data fusion techinques to construct diurnal estimates in order to accurately predicting the exact time of the freeze-thaw transition for each land cover type and region. The results reveal that emissivity difference values from low and high frequencies (such as 6.9GHz and 89GHz) at horizontal polarization have a strong correlation with ground-based soil temperature values at 5cm depth. A novel threshold-based approach specific to different land cover types is proposed for daily FT detection from the use of three years (August 2012–July 2015) of emissivity estimates at different frequencies. Ground-based soil temperature observations are used as reference to develop threshold values for FT states. Preliminary evaluation of the proposed approach with independent ground observations for the year 2015 shows that the use of land emissivity estimates for high-latitude FT detection is promising with fine temporal resolution (at least 4 times a day).


With 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685.000 deaths globally in 2020, breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer worldwide. However, 7.8 million women are alive after being diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, indicating that breast cancer is survivable if diagnosed early. One in eight women will have invasive breast cancer during her lifetime. Therefore, it is vital that regular screenings are conducted for early detection and, thus, survival. Previous studies have been completed on the Breast Cancer Coimbra Data Set from the UCI repository to identify biomarkers with reliable confidence intervals for further investigation with less emphasis on a perfect model due to lack of enough data. Here, Deep Feature Synthesis and Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (CTGANs) are implemented for data generation and to increase the performance of the models in terms of specificity, accuracy, and sensitivity. Logistic Regression outperforms the other classifiers with 100% specificity, accuracy, and sensitivity when only Deep Feature Synthesis is used. Performance decrease of models, when introduced to data CTGANs-generated data, indicates that CTGANs do not generate similar enough data. However, the large range of variability in the model's performance shows that BMI, Resistin, Age, and Glucose are not trustable biomarkers for early-stage breast cancer.


Objective To explore the protective effect of Shenfu injection combined with antioxidant system on rats' kidney after ischemia-reperfusion injury.Methods Twenty-one male Sprague Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham operation group(sham group),ischemia-reperfusion group(IR group),and shenfu injection treated group(SF group).The rats were anesthetized with valebarbitone.Bilateral kidneys were exposed through midline incision.The right kidney underwent the nephrectomy and left renal pedicels were occluded for 60 minutes with a traumatic mini-clamp and then unclamped for 24 hours.Animals in SF group received Shenfu injection(10 ml/kg) through intraperitoneal injection every day for 7 days.About 24 hours after reperfusion,superoxide dismutase(SOD),CAT and malonical aldehyde(MDA) were measured.Results The levels of MDA were lower in SF group than those in IR group(P0.05).The level of SOD and CAT in SF group increased more significantly than which did in IR group(P0.05).Conclusion Our finding suggests that antioxidant system in SF group works more efficiently than IR group to overcome oxidative stress in renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.


This article starts with an ethnographic snapshot of a bomba performance by the group Son del Batey and goes on to discuss the sociocultural issues the pe...


The issues of measurement of the efficiency of cluster's activity as a regional form of industrial organization are discussed; external and internal factors are examined, indicators of efficiency are introduced, linkages both between particular factors and the direction and size of links of the resultant indicators with the determining factors are studied. The found relationships allow the conclusion to be made about segmentation of the resource and product markets, balanced quality of particular characteristics of industrial resources, interrelationships of different types of cooperation of cluster's firms, etc.


A practical adaptive notch filter based on the /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// bending frequency estimator is proposed to remove the time-varying structural mode of a missile from the rate sensor measurements. Simulation results using flight test data show the reliable bending frequency estimation performance with this new technique.


We describe a 1-D space integrating optical processor that
can perform position-invariant 2-D image correlation by 1-D scanning the
input image over a 2-D reference image along a coordinate axis, which
we shall refer to as the x axis in a Cartesian coordination system. The
2-D reference function is a position-invariant filter that is designed using
distortion-invariant pattern recognition techniques to provide tolerance to
misalignments along the y axis between the input image and the reference
function during the 1-D spatial correlation. Applications of this system
to phase-encoded image recognition and fingerprint recognition are
described.


Neutron interference methods are currently being used to determine the positions of the centers of mass of subunits in macromolecular aggregates, e.g. Langer, Engelman & Moore [J. Mol. Biol. (1978). 119, 463–485] and May et al. [Fourth International Conference on Small-Angle Scattering of X-rays and Neutrons, Gatlinberg, Tennessee, 1977. Abstract F-2. Unpublished]. Subunit positions are found by triangulation from distances estimated from data sets which relate subunits pairwise. A serious limitation of the method as it has been applied so far is that only an approximate value for the distance between a pair of subunits can be obtained from its corresponding data. The errors in distances which result from these approximations lead in turn to inaccuracies in subunit positions. This paper presents a method for analyzing the whole set of data obtained for a structure which eliminates the need for approximating distances from individual data sets and leads, therefore, to unbiased estimates of subunit locations. This method of analysis also yields information about subunit radius of gyration in situ.


To study the growth pattern in body weight of 3 strains of Rhode Island Red chicken Bertalanffy, gompertz and logistic nonlinear models were fitted. From the data on body weights of three strains of Rhode Island Red, we observed that average body weights of male chicken were higher than the female chicken. Based on the various measures of goodness fit criteria we have observed that in modelling of body weight of the Rhode Island Red chicken Bertalanffy was the best fitted model. In case of Rhode Island Control, Bertalanffy was the best fitted model and for Rhode Island Control male chicken logistic was the best fitted model. In case of Rhode Island White chicken logistic was the best fitted model and in case of Rhode Island White male chicken Bertalanffy was the best fitted model. In case of female chicken of Rhode Island Red, Rhode Island Control and Rhode Island White strains gompertz model was the best fitted model. From these fitted models one can determine the expected average body weight of a group of birds of three strains of RIR chicken at any given age under normal conditions.


In contrast to the increasing demand for dairy goat products in Germany, a market for goat kid meat as a related product is more or less non-existing. Thus, the objective of our study was to develop a concept for organic goat kid meat production for dairy goat farms. In collaboration with a wholesaler, organic dairy goat farmers and marketing research the experimental part of our study was to find out if cross-breeding of meat-goats could improve meat quality and performance of fattening goat kids together with other factors like concentrate ratio of the diet, housing system as well as raising strategy. First results indicate that a low input level of concentrates of 10 % of total dry matter intake per goat kid and year is not sufficient to meet the requested carcass weight of 12 kg at slaughter.


A highly effective, easy to handle, and environmentally benign process for palladium-mediated Suzuki cross-coupling was developed. The in situ prepared three-component system of Pd(OAc) 2 , 1,3-dialkyltetrahydrodiazepiniumchlorides (2a-e), and K 2 CO 3 catalyzes quantitatively the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of deactivated aryl chloride.


The design of a telephone central office telecommunication battery plant is discussed with an emphasis on the critical processes required to insure a quality performing battery plant-thorough and complete requirements, design considerations, and system integration testing. Two perspectives of a quality battery plant are presented-the vendor's and the user's.<<ETX>>


As a part of the stated curriculum of MEF University Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Design and Build! Studio (DBS) is a compulsory summer programme for students completing their first year in architecture and interior design. Within the framework of Design and Build! Studio, the school communicates its set of values through emphasizing learning by doing, horizontal learning and underlining the process. This paper discusses how a design-build studio can be a distinctive hidden quality of an architecture faculty through the case of Kilyos Boathouse project conducted in Summer 2018.


Because of the bioterrorism threat posed by agents such as variola virus, considerable time, resources, and effort have been devoted to biodefense preparation. One avenue of this research has been the development of rapid, sensitive, high-throughput assays to validate immune responses to poxviruses. Here we describe the adaptation of a (cid:1) -galactosidase reporter-based vaccinia virus neutralization assay to large-scale use in a study that included over 1,000 subjects. We also describe the statistical methods involved in analyzing the large quantity of data generated. The assay and its associated methods should prove useful tools in monitoring immune responses to next-generation smallpox vaccines, studying poxvirus immunity, and evaluating thera- peutic agents such as vaccinia virus immune globulin. immediate development of the plates allowed real-time analysis of results and earlier detection of handling errors. (iv) Virus-only samples were included on every plate. This increased the numbers of replicates and the accuracy of the value used to normalize all (cid:2) -Gal activity readings. This also allowed us to determine that the plate-to-plate variations within a given assay were minimal. (v) We made minor adjustments to the acceptable ranges for virus activity, multiplicity of infection (MOI), and VIG activity. In the original study, virus activity was kept below 1,000 units. In our hands, we found that lower levels of virus activity ( (cid:5) 1,000) resulted in substantially increased variability of results among replicates. Conversely, very high virus-only values overwhelmed the neutralization activity of the serum samples tested. Our median virus activity value was 3,612.54. Our range of VIG ID 50 values was slightly lower than that originally published, with a median of 13.8 (cid:4) g/ml (interquartile range [IQR] (cid:6) 5.5 to 25.9). Given that the acceptable ranges for the MOI and virus activity in the assay differed between our laboratory and that of the FDA, these parameters may differ from laboratory to laboratory.


This paper presents a new depth measuring method for the dual-view stereo camera based on the converted relative extrinsic parameters. The relative extrinsic parameters between left and right cameras, which obtained by the stereo camera calibration, can indicate the geometric relationships among the left principle point, right principle point and convergent point. Furthermore, the geometry which consists of the corresponding points and the object can be obtained by making conversion between the corresponding points and principle points. Therefore, the depth of the object can be calculated based on the obtained geometry. The correctness of the proposed method has been proved in 3ds Max, and the validity of the method has been verified on the binocular stereo system of flea2 cameras. We compared our experimental results with the popular RGB-D camera (e.g. Kinect). The comparison results show that our method is reliable and efficient, without epipolar rectification.


The performance of an adaptive flutter suppression system (AFSS) was demonstrated on a flutter model in a wind tunnel. The AFSS used canonical variate analysis (CVA) to identify stable and unstable plants under feedback control. The control laws were developed online using linear quadratic control design and the CVA identified plant. The AFSS was tested for changing wind tunnel conditions, different external store configurations, and a sudden change from a stable plant to an unstable plant by the release of an external store.<<ETX>>


A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the College of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Makurdi (Latitude 7 o 46" – 7 o 50"N and Longitude 8 o 36" – 8 o 40"E) during the 2015 and 2016 cropping seasons. Soil erosion plots (runoff plots) were set up under a slope gradient of 2.5 % to estimate soil loss using Soil Loss Estimation Model for Southern Africa (SLEMSA) and Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) erosion models under rainfed condition. Soil management practices namely, bare fallow (control), 4 and 8 t/ha mulched maize, maize + cowpea and unmulched maize were replicated three times. The data collected on soil loss was analyzed using analysis of variance test based on randomized complete block design (RCBD). Under direct measurement, higher soil loss was observed under the bare fallow plots followed by unmulched maize treated plots compared to the cover management treated plots, while lower values of soil loss were noticed under 8 t/ha mulched maize management. The values of soil loss ranged from 0 – 31.8 t/ha/yr during the two cropping seasons. The moderate to higher soil loss values (13.9 – 31.8 t/ha/yr) obtained under the bare fallow plots were beyond the tolerable limit of 12.5 t/ha/yr. Soil loss estimated using SLEMSA and USLE models indicated very low (tolerable) ratings under cover management practices. Correlation analysis between the soil loss values estimated by the SLEMSA and USLE showed high positive significant correlation (r = 0.982) and (r = 0.99) in 2015 and 2016 respectively.


This paper offers the teaching method off the rank of a vector set.Starting with the analysis of the linear vector set,this paper derivatives the concept of the rank of a vector set.This method of teaching makes the Abstract concept easy to understand.


A scheduling and compression strategy is presented for a multiple robot assembly workcell. Based on dynamic programming, the algorithm gives an initial assembly sequence for a two- or three-robot cell with a common resource or dedicated ones. The initial assembly sequence is computed efficiently, with computational complexity of being O (log n/k) where n is the number of elements in k resources. Then the initial sequence is further compressed towards the time-optimal assemblysequence. Precedence constraints in assembly are considered. The scheme is tested using computer simulations and some test results are presented. For the problems solved (typically involving 20 elements), the computational times were less than 5 seconds in an Apollo 300 workstation.


Systematic planning and management of groundwater exploitation using modern techniques is essential for proper utilization and management of this precious but shrinking natural resource. With the advent of powerful and high-speed personal computers, efficient techniques for water management have evolved, of which Geoinformatics technology includes RS (Remote Sensing), GIS (Geographic Information System) and GPS (Global Positioning System) are of great significance. Elaborate study has been carried out in BM-18 watershed in Narth-East region of Pune District. In this study, an attempt has been made to highlight possible avenues to find groundwater using Geoinformatics as a tool. Groundwater studies have become crucial not only for targeting its potential zones, but also for monitoring and conserving this vital resource. The thematic layers which will be considered in this study are geomorphology, soil, slope and land use land cover, which were prepared using the geospatial data and conventional primary and secondary data. Geoinformatics has proved as an efficient tool in integrating primary and secondary data for ground water quantity and quality studies. Attempt has been made with the help of Arc GIS software to generate potential zones map for watershed management and water quality of the study area.


We examine how forward contracts affect economic outcomes under generalized market structures. In the model, forward contracts discipline the exercise of market power by making profit less sensitive to changes in output. This impact is greatest in markets with intermediate levels of concentration. Mergers reduce the use of forward contracts in equilibrium and, in markets that are sufficiently concentrated, this ampli-fies the adverse effects on consumer surplus. Additional analyses of merger profitability and collusion are provided. Throughout, we illustrate and extend the theoretical re-sults using Monte Carlo simulations. The results have practical relevance for antitrust enforcement.


Introduction Psychosocial representation of the illness means those personal and mental meanings and thoughts which the patient connects with his/her own condition. The examination of representation of the illness is very important to understand the behavior of the patients because these representations contain of the patients' beliefs about their illness or injury. These beliefs influence the cure, the duration of recovery and these beliefs affect the strategies, which the patients use to cope with the illness. In clinical environment, the nonverbal methods help the exploration of representations of the illness, since the physical status can hamper the verbal expression of burdens (for example: pain, suffering). In such cases, we can use the PRISM task (Pictorial Representation of Illness Self-Measure) to measure the burden of suffering. Methods and Materials: In our research, there have been 110 inpatients (52 men). We have examined the patients before lumbar surgery, using the following tests: Psychological Vulnerability Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Somatosensory Amplification Scale and PRISM-D (drawing version of PRISM task) and we followed how many days the patients stayed at the clinic after the operation. Using the PRISM-D, we are observing the patients drawing the in some spatial formations, which are the following: 1. Self-shield (the patient draws the important things around herself/himself), 2. Illness-shield (the patient draws the important things around the illness), 3. Protective line (the patient draws the important things in horizontal or/and vertical line), 4. Network (the important things and the illness are diffused in space of the current life), 5. Fusion (the important things and the illness intersect with the self or every circle intersect with each other), 6. Self-part (the illness is drawn in the self and the other important things are located far away from the self). Results We have found that those patients who have drawn their illness in their own Self (Self-part), went home later than the other patients (Self-shield: p = 0,004, Fusion: p = 0,026, Illness-shield: p = 0,008, Protective line: p = 0,036, Network: p = 0,004). But those patients, who represented their illness in Self-shield spatial formation, went home earliest (mean: 4,14 days). Although, these patients were the most vulnerable in the whole population. Conclusion Our results suggest the illness modifies the self-identity because the information related to the pain becomes the most essential in the organization of the self. It could be problematic, if majority of the self-scheme consists of illness-scheme. We can see this in Self-part spatial formation, thus it is affirmable if the illness-scheme increase within the Self, the recovery will slow down. This is often the case with the patients having low back pain.


"The following text presents the evolution of the political relations between the national groups in Bukovina at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the XXth century, insisting on the results of the elections during the mentioned period. The electoral statistical data and the various pre- and post-electoral agreements prove the increase of the involvement on the political scene and the political diversity of the parties that activated on the territory of Bukovina. "


The two-port lumped-network FDTD (TP-LN-FDTD) method has been applied to modeling field effect transistors (FETs) with nonzero transconductance delay parameter. To this end, the exponential factor associated with phase delay in the current generator is approximated by a rational function. The validity of this approach has been demonstrated by computing the scattering parameters of a microwave heterojunction FET (HJ-FET) amplifier


This paper is concerned with how the everyday aspects of teaching and learning work to reinforce pedagogy as a mechanism for normalizing consensus ideology. In other words, within the context of schooling, particular beliefs are sanctioned as 'common sense' and pedagogy reinforces common sense 'positionalit[ies]' (Maher & Tetreault, 1993, p. 118). Hence it is argued that everyday aspects of teaching and learning create common sense positionality, or default positions for both teacher and student.Forming part of a larger PhD study about why and how do teachers teach, post 9/11, the paper tells tales from Victorian schools. These tales unearth common-sense assumptions which are then critically analysed to illustrate how 'classroom experience has a hegemonic influence by controlling the range of alternatives that can be considered' (Denscombe, 1982, p. 259) thereby rendering consensus belief as the individual's belief.A combination of semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation methods are employed and through the analytical lens of iconography, a close up examination of two teachers and two students from Victorian schools are presented. Fuelled by the work of W.J.T. Mitchell, the paper supports the position that images capture values and beliefs hidden in the participants' worlds, which work to shape identity by sustaining consensus ideologies about how the world should be. Through the images of the researched and their life narratives, the power relations and the 'operative forces in a sociopolitical reality' (Mitchell, 2011, p. xvii) of the researched are explored.


Basic helix-loop-helix family member e41 (BHLHE41) serves an important role in regulating cell differentiation, circadian rhythms and the response to hypoxia. However, the roles of BHLHE41 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyze the expression of BHLHE41 in ccRCC and investigate the effect of downregulated BHLHE41 on the growth and migration of ccRCC cells. The expression of BHLHE41 in ccRCC was demonstrated to be significantly increased in gene expression microarray datasets and RNA sequencing data. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis demonstrated that BHLHE41 expression in fresh ccRCC tissues was increased, compared with than their adjacent non-tumorous controls. BHLHE41 knockdown significantly reduced cell proliferation and migration of A498 and CAKI-1 cells. For the investigation of the molecules mediated by BHLHE41, immunoblotting analyses revealed that phosphorylation of p70S6K and protein levels of E-cadherin were reduced. Additionally, a lower frequency methylation was determined in the BHLHE41 3′-untranslated region through The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset analysis for the first time. These observations demonstrated that BHLHE41 could be a biomarker and an oncogene for ccRCC.


This paper is focus on the research of the kinematical and dynamial simulation of the toroial drive.The meshing coordinate system of the toroidal drive is proposed and the mathematical model of the tooth profile of the sun-worm and the stationary internal gear is developed based on the meshing theory.The three dimensional modeling and visual assembling of the toroidal drive is completed.Finally,the kinematical and dynamical simulation of the toroidal drive is accomplished.


This study aims to analyze the influence of maternal weight gain on the newborn's nutritional status. This is a quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of mothers and babies born in a maternity at usual risk. In the first 48 hours after delivery, data were collected from the medical records, the pregnant woman's card and the interviews with the postpartum woman. Data collection was constituted by means of an evaluation instrument, in which they were divided into block: pregnancy, mother and child. A total of 184 mothers and newborns were evaluated, the mean pre-gestational weight was 60.96±11.57 kg, and the mean gestational weight gain was 13±5.18 kg, with a high frequency of inadequacies. It is noteworthy that the puerperal women with high school and from economic classes D-E, who presented insufficient or higher weight gain than recommended and had newborns classified below or above the recommended for gestational age. Thus, the monitoring of gestational weight gain is fundamental, as they can when associated with schooling and economic classification can interfere in the nutritional status of newborns.


The pressure wave propagation (PWP) technique makes it possible to quantitatively investigate the relationship between the space charge and the conduction process of liquid impregnated pressboard. The space charge and the electric field distributions in an pressboard impregnated with oxidized oil are investigated using the PWP technique under dc voltages at room temperature. A special test cell was designed to hold the sample which was dried in vacuum and thereafter impregnated with the oxidized oil. DC electric fields of /spl plusmn/15.0 kV/mm, /spl plusmn/30.0 kV/mm and /spl plusmn/45.0 kV/mm were applied to the sample to study the dependence of accumulation of space charge on the amplitude and the polarity of applied voltage. Negative space charge is always observed in the vicinity of the negative electrode. At low fields negative space charge is observed also at the positive electrode. Above a certain "critical value" however, both positive and negative charges are observed.<<ETX>>


In this contribution we present a hybrid method for full seismic waveform inversion incorporating the ray-Born and finite-difference methods. We also compute synthetic seismograms using both Methods for several random seismic velocity models and perform a comparison of the pressure waveforms. The main motivation in this contribution is to show that the ray-Born modeling method, which is less computationally expensive, is accurate enough to provide an efficient alternative to purely numerical methods.


Objective To investigate the sanitation status of drinking water in quake-hit areas in Mianyang and prevent water borne diseases.Method The drinking water in the four quake-hit areas was detected continuously by the standard detection methods from May 2008 to February 2009.Results A total of 712 water samples were detected,433 samples were qualitied with the rate of 60.81%,292 water samples were detected from 15 May 2008 to 13 June 2008 with the qualified rate of 34.59% only;420 water samples were detected from 14 June 2008 to 13 February 2009 with the qualified rate of 79.05%.Twenty one indicators didn't meet the sanitary standard in 31 detection items,which included the indicators of total numbers of colony,total coliform group,turbidity,Fe,Mn and ammonia nitrogen.Conclusion The drinking water in the four quake-hit areas was polluted seriously after earthquake.The qualified rate of water samples increased gradually one month later after earthquake,which played the role in preventing the outbreak of water borne diseases.


We utilize GALEX FUV and NUV observations (Thilker et al. 2005), Spitzer (MIPS), WSRT and VLA HI mosaics, plus published CO data of M31 and M33 to measure the spatial distribution of extinction-corrected star formation rate (SFR) and gas surface density. The powerful combination of UV and IR datasets allows us to firmly constrain the SFR over a comprehensive range of galactic environments, from relatively unobscured locales to highly extincted clusters embedded in the spiral arms. With this complete census of massive star forming regions, we have started to re-examine the relationship between the multi-phase ISM and recent star formation activity, focusing on the Schmidt Law and well-known star formation thresholds. This poster describes our initial (lowest-resolution) results, using all MIPS bands. Galex NUV, FUV composite Galex NUV, FUV composite M33 METHOD: Most of the energy radiated from an OB stellar population originates in the UV, however the emergent spectrum is environmentally modified by dust obscuration and reddening. The balance of UV photons lost to the circumcluster environment can be recovered by considering the thermal emission from dust grains. A first-order estimate of the original bolometric luminosity is obtained by summing the TIR (8-1000 μm) and UV luminosity without any extinction correction. In this study, we adopt the TIR+FUV luminosity as our fiducial SFR metric, computing TIR flux from all three MIPS bands following Dale & Helou 2002. The resolution of MIPS (25, 70, and 160 pc for 24, 70, and 160 μm) and GALEX (25 pc) in our Local Group targets (D = 0.77, 0.84 kpc for M31, M33) provides a chance to calibrate other SFR tracers against this robust fiducial at unprecedentedly small scales. As shown by Calzetti et al. (#60.03) for SF complexes in M51, the MIPS 24μm band correlates well with the nebular (Pα) SFR on scales > 500 pc, yet any metric based on grain emission is by construction incomplete for natal environments largely cleared of dust, or missing it from the start. That is, no IR SFR metric can account (except statistically) for the fraction of a young stellar population's bolometric luminosity which suceeds in escaping without being absorbed by dust. Much of our effort will focus on establishing the 24μm band as a reliable metric for UV photons which are not as lucky, so we can gain a factor 6x in spatial resolution by avoiding dependence on the MIPS 70 and 160μm bands. RESULTS: Global UV+IR SFR analysis (at right) shows that the majority of intrinsic UV emission is typically reprocessed into the IR, and only leaves the galaxy indirectly. However, our MIPS/GALEX images of M31 and M33 also show that SF can occur in IR-faint locales, whether faint due to a dilute radiation field or simply a dust deficient environment. Only together can UV and IR tracers provide a complete census of SF activity. Below, datapoints are color-coded by HI column density (red=10 cm, blue=10 cm, step=0.5 dex). All images were convolved to 60" FWHM. Column 1 shows the relation between bolometric luminosity (SFR) and dust obscuration, and the dependence of the former on N(HI). The line shows the slope of the starburst-specific correlation of Heckman et al. (1998). The UV obscuration in M33 is remarkably constant and doesn't seem to follow the starburst relation. In column 2, the SFR/kpc determined from uncorrected FUV monochromatic flux is compared to our fiducial TIR+FUV measurement of the same quantity. In M31, there is >1 dex of scatter and a slope substantially shallower than unity (the line). The cleaner appearance of the M33 plot reflects the limited variation of A(FUV) over the disk evaluated on scales ~250pc. Column 3 shows a very tight correlation between 24μm and TIR estimates of SFR/kpc using the Calzetti et al. 2005 calibration for 24μm. We were surprised to find deviation from unit (24μm/TIR) slope in both galaxies, by essentially the same degree, but suspect it may indicate that the TIR map is "contaminated" by heating from evolved stars (which would be relatively more important in low specific SFR regions of a galaxy). It could also be that the MIR-FIR SED, and hence dust temperature distribution, changes systematically as a function of position, N(HI), or SFR/kpc. This would systematically bias the conversion from MIPS flux densities to TIR. Column 4, containing IR color-color diagrams, illustrates the significant variation of dust SED vs. N(HI). In column 5, we show the radial variation of SFR per inclination-corrected unit area as a function of galactocentric radius in both targets. Although occuring at a comparatively low rate, star formation appears to be supported at larger radii than traditionally realized. Column 6 examines the emergent energy budget of this SF activity as a function of radius, showing that both galaxies become progressively UV-dominated in their outer disk. PREPRINTS at http://dolomiti.pha.jhu.edu/


Thus ensuring a continuous action of a drug also during daily activity time of a patient is a vital question in gynaecological treatment. The main problem in applied therapies is to maintain the continuity of treatment during 24 hours. The addition of 5-25% glycerol or 1,2-propylene glycol decreases the pH of investigated gels with calcium alginate to 4.20 to 4.88 (1:1) and 3.69 to 4.19 (2:1); 4.29 to 4.88 (1:1) and 3.62 to 4.40 (2:1). The addition of 5-25% glycerol or 1,2-propylene glycol increases the dynamic viscosity gels with calcium alginate from 595.14 to 820.25 for 1:1 and 640.15 to 769.12 for 2:1; 585.40 to 815.56 for 1:1 and 648.52 to 780.10 for 2:1 ratios. Rheological investigations revealed an increase in the dynamic viscosity of preparations containing poloxamer 407 with the addition of calcium alginate and glycerol or 1,2-propylene glycol in comparison to the reference gels.


Lung cancer is among the most common cancers worldwide. The primary risk factor for the development of lung cancer is cigarette smoking and there are a large amount of studies has confirmed the association between smoking and lung cancer. Chemopreventive drug would be beneficial among patients who are in high risk due to chronic exposure to carcinogens. In the previous study of chemopreventive activity of carvedilol, it significantly delayed and reduced skin squamous cell carcinoma development. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of carvedilol and nebivolol in benzo(a)pyrene induced transformation of the non-tumorous human bronchial epithelial cells. To evaluate the effects of carvedilol and nebivolol on chemopreventive activity against BPDE-induced lung carcinogenesis, anchorage-independent growth assay in soft agar was used to determine the degree of malignant transformation of BEAS-2b cells. Before the investigation of carvedilol and nebivolol, the appropriate drug concentration aiming minimum cytotoxicity on normal BEAS-2b cells were determined by MTT assay. The MTT assay was used to measure cellular metabolic activity as an indicator of cytotoxicity. Carvedilol at 10 μM or lower and Nebivolol at 1 μM or lower did not cause significant cytotoxicity. In non-tumorigenic human bronchial epithelial cell culture BEAS-2B vitro assays, carvedilol and nebivolol exert a protective effect against BPDE-indued transformation at non-toxic concentrations in a dose dependent manner. As shown in the figure below, Nebivolol (1 μM and 0.5 μM) and Carvedilol (1 μM and 0.5 μM) both significantly attenuated colony formation compared with BPDE control. However, the anti-transformation mechanism is unknown, further studies of carvedilol and nebivolol are needed to investigate their chemoprevention activity.
 Citation Format: Carol Lin. Chemopreventive effects of carvedilol and nebivolol in benzo(a)pyrene-induced transformation of non-tumorous human bronchial epithelial cell [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second Biennial NCI Meeting: Translational Advances in Cancer Prevention Agent Development (TACPAD); 2022 Sep 7-9. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2022;15(12 Suppl_2): Abstract nr A010.