The genus Candida consists of several species, including the Auris species, a pathogen that quickly colonizes and spreads on hospital surfaces and causes invasive fungal infections even after regular disinfection. It is very potent as it is resistant to several antifungals like the Echinocandins and azoles, commonly used to treat invasive fungal infections. Due to this, there is a global threat to public health.

Auris could also spread as a Nosocomial infection through contaminated arm-pit thermometers that will increase the spread and dissemination of C. Auris, to seek protection against which, these multi use devices used on several patients should be cleaned carefully.

In patients hospitalized with COVID-19, systemic fungal co-infections have been very common, which may increase the severity of the disease and be detrimental to the treatment process, and may also prove fatal.
COVID-19 infection suppresses the patients' immunity. The attenuated CD80 upregulation of monocytes can explain and abolish the release of IL6, TNF, IL1a, and IL1b against Candida species making the patient more susceptible to secondary co-infections.
The similarity between Covid and Candidiasis is that both emerge suddenly and spread astonishingly quickly, which cannot be easily comprehended by the traditional epidemiological analysis.
The dry biofilms formed in C. Auris protect the microbe from complete removal due to robust cleaning. It was also found that C. Auris particles were obtained from patients with chronic respiratory disease using genome sequencing and multilocus microsatellite genotyping.
In the timeline of April to July 2020, two-thirds of the COVID cases affected by candidemia admitted in the Intensive Care Unit in New Delhi were due to C. Auris, and the mortality rate was around 60%.


We propose a score statistic to test the vector of odds ratio parameters under the logistic regression model based on case–control data. The proposed score test is based on the semiparametric profile loglikelihood function under a two‐sample semiparametric model, which is equivalent to the assumed logistic regression model. The proposed score statistic has an asymptotic chi‐squared distribution under the null hypothesis and an asymptotic noncentral chi‐squared distribution under local alternatives to the null hypothesis. Moreover, we show that the proposed score test is asymptotically equivalent to the Wald test under the logistic regression model based on case–control data. In addition, we demonstrate that the proposed score statistic and its asymptotic distribution may be obtained by fitting the prospective logistic regression model to case–control data. We present some results on simulation and on the analysis of two real datasets.


Reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) of methyl acrylate in DMSO in the presence of Cu0 was studied by kinetic simulations. Kinetic simulations give access to the rates and contributions of all reactions, including those of activation of alkyl halides by CuI and Cu0 species, disproportionation of CuI species, and comproportionation between CuII and Cu0. Every relevant reaction was quantified by experimentally measured rate coefficients. The rates and contributions allow the exact roles of Cu0 and CuI species to be evaluated. These simulations show that the control over the polymerization is due to the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) dynamic equilibrium with CuI as the major activator and CuII as the major deactivator. The ATRP equilibrium is maintained throughout the entire process. The simulations confirmed earlier experimental findings that in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine (Me6TREN) ligand comproportionation between Cu0 and CuII species domi...


Analyses of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) states that beside weather and environmental typologies, human activities have a significant role in triggering disasters. Quran Surah Al-Rūm verse 41 has justified this idea, and legitimizes that disasters occur because of people's lack of awareness and self-motivations to take care of the environment. This article seeks to investigate hadith matn to motivate the action of preserving the nature. This article focuses to find out a qualitative hadith in order to gain an appropriate understanding of hadith (fiqh al- ḥadīth). This research is a library research with a content analyses to related documents. In addition, this study applies a simultaneous hadith approach (a simultaneous method) and understanding of thematic hadith (fiqh al-ḥadīth al-mawḍū'i). This paper concludes that the hadith in this question had a quality of hadith ṣaḥīḥ li dzātih and included into mashhūr ḥadīth (popular hadith). This hadith provides a significant role to motivate greening for the preservation of nature.


The study analyzed the factors affecting sustainability of CDF projects in kisauni constituency and the variables were to determine the effect of politics on sustainability of CDF projects in Kisauni constituency, to establish the effects of budgetary allocation on sustainability of CDF projects in Kisauni constituency and finally to examine the effects of Stakeholder Participation on sustainability of CDF projects in Kisauni constituency. The study used a cross-sectional research design and the target population was 39 respondents. The main data collection method for the study was questionnaires. The study concluded that there was minimal stakeholder participation at all levels of the CDF projects' cycle management with only a cross section of the stakeholders consulted at the conception stage of the projects. The research revealed that a high percentage of the projects, were not completed as per the initial set plans with a significant number becoming white elephant projects in the process. Politics played a big role in the projects implemented in the constituencies and politicians use the projects for purposes of achieving political millage. The study recommended that Constituency Development Committees should ensure that interests of men and women, girls and boys and the community at large are adopted when making decisions related to the CDF including prioritization of projects and selection of proposals. The study in addition recommended that involvement of the local community in the selection of projects was key since it would enhance the community acceptance of the project and ensure their success and sustainability.


In the earliest months of his comic strip The Boondocks, Aaron McGruder critiques the effects of the frontier mentality and future-based thinking in the African-American communities, using his child characters to shed a complicating light on often-simplified concepts such as the suburban dream, school integration, and the "color line" itself.


Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is used to calculate athlete load. Incomplete load data, due to missing athlete-reported RPE, can increase injury risk. The current standard for missing RPE imputation is daily team mean substitution. However, RPE reflects an individual's effort; group mean substitution may be suboptimal. This investigation assessed an ideal method for imputing RPE. A total of 987 datasets were collected from women's rugby sevens competitions. Daily team mean substitution, k-nearest neighbours, random forest, support vector machine, neural network, linear, stepwise, lasso, ridge, and elastic net regression models were assessed at different missingness levels. Statistical equivalence of true and imputed scores by model were evaluated. An ANOVA of accuracy by model and missingness was completed. While all models were equivalent to the true RPE, differences by model existed. Daily team mean substitution was the poorest performing model, and random forest, the best. Accuracy was low in all models, affirming RPE as multifaceted and requiring quantification of potentially overlapping factors. While group mean substitution is discouraged, practitioners are recommended to scrutinize any imputation method relating to athlete load.


Abstract This paper adds a deeper dimension to my Millennium Conference presentation 'the voice of young children.' It focuses on the role of discussion and debate in teachers' theorising; the subject of which was the talk of children aged four. It presents evidence from action research carried out with their ten reception teachers during a year's professional development. It draws on cognitive psychology to illuminate the complexity of changing any firmly held personal, cultural or societal theories; in this case, those established socio‐ linguistic theories mis‐interpreted by teachers and found to encourage their 'deficit' labelling of young children.


The coordinated assembly of the DNA polymerase (gp43), the as( sliding clamp (gp45), and the clamp loader (gp44/62) to form the co bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme is a multistep thi process. A partially opened toroid-shaped gp45 is loaded around m( DNA by gp44/62 in an ATP-dependent manner. Gp43 binds to this complex to generate the holoenzyme in which gp45 acts to ini topologically link gp43 to DNA, effectively increasing the procesgp sivity of DNA replication. Stopped-flow fluorescence resonance H( energy transfer was used to investigate the opening and closing of lo( the gp45 ring during holoenzyme assembly. By using two siteinl specific mutants of gp45 along with a previously characterized gp gp45 mutant, we tracked changes in distances across the gp45 74 subunit interface through seven conformational changes associOr ated with holoenzyme assembly. Initially, gp45 is partially open ho within the plane of the ring at one of the three subunit interfaces, in On addition of gp44/62 and ATP, this interface of gp45 opens ha further in-plane through the hydrolysis of ATP. Addition of DNA sai and hydrolysis of ATP close gp45 in an out-of-plane conformation. sh The final holoenzyme is formed by the addition of gp43, which re, causes gp45 to close further in plane, leaving the subunit interface lul open slightly. This open interface of gp45 in the final holoenzyme state is proposed to interact with the C-terminal tail of gp43, be providing a point of contact between gp45 and gp43. This study in further defines the dynamic process of bacteriophage T4 polymerarn ase holoenzyme assembly. ph gp


A Boolean function f:{0,1}^n -> {0,1} is weighted symmetric if there exist a function g: Z -> {0,1} and integers w_0, w_1, ..., w_n such that f(x_1, ...,x_n) = g(w_0+sum_{i=1}^n w_i x_i) holds.

In this paper, we present algorithms for the circuit satisfiability problem of bounded depth circuits with AND, OR, NOT gates and a limited number of weighted symmetric gates. Our algorithms run in time super-polynomially faster than 2^n even when the number of gates is super-polynomial and the maximum weight of symmetric gates is nearly exponential. With an additional trick, we give an algorithm for the maximum satisfiability problem that runs in time poly(n^t)*2^{n-n^{1/O(t)}} for instances with n variables, O(n^t) clauses and arbitrary weights. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first moderately exponential time algorithm even for Max 2SAT instances with arbitrary weights.

Through the analysis of our algorithms, we obtain average-case lower bounds and compression algorithms for such circuits and worst-case lower bounds for majority votes of such circuits, where all the lower bounds are against the generalized Andreev function. Our average-case lower bounds might be of independent interest in the sense that previous ones for similar circuits with arbitrary symmetric gates rely on communication complexity lower bounds while ours are based on the restriction method.


The utility model discloses a wireless attendance system. The wireless attendance system comprises an attendance information registration terminal, an attendance information acquisition system and an attendance information processing system, wherein the attendance information registration terminal is used for sending an access/disconnection request to the attendance information acquisition system through a wireless network, and corresponds to employee identity information; the attendance information acquisition system is used for executing access/disconnection operation corresponding to the access/disconnection request for the attendance information registration terminal, judging whether the attendance information registration terminal belongs to a terminal registered by an employee in advance according to an MAC (media access control) address of the attendance information registered terminal, and recording and submitting the MAC address and time information for executing the access/disconnection operation under the condition that the judging result is yes; and the attendance information processing system is used for receiving the MAC address and the time information, and generating attendance record corresponding to the employee identity information according to the MAC address and the time information. According to the wireless attendance system, the attendance efficiency is increased, attendance substitution is prevented, and the operation is simple and convenient.


Polish cities are constantly changing, and in view of the rapid socio-economic and political changes are naturally faced with many new problems. As a result of the wave of political and economic changes which took place after 1989, many Polish cities faced not only the challenge of adapt their spaces to the changing conditions and needs of the residents, but also that of adapting their competencies and skills to changing requirements and needs of the labour market. Problems of unemployment, with their associated long-term problems of poverty and social exclusion, as well as a lack of local community engagement in public life worsened the plight of many former industrial cities. Revitalization of the regeneration processes, designed to lead portions or entire cities out of the crisis, seems to be the ideal tool to improve the situation of decaying industrial cities. This article attempts to identify the key components in the revitalization and regeneration processes available to such cities, in particular their economic bases and the opportunities offered by such processes.


In the previous lecture, we learned the procedure of the simplex algorithm. The algorithm leads us to an optimum solution. The question now is how long it will take the algorithm to reach this final solution. Moreover, we may wonder how well the algorithm perform under different settings. In this lecture, we will first examine the complexity of the simplex algorithm. Following this analysis, we will learn three randomized combinatorial algorithms which improve the running time, at least for some sets of parameters. Last, we will start our discussion on Linear Program duality.


The batch studies were performed for sorption of Basic Violet 14 onto brown seaweed (Gracilaria edulis) and fresh water algae (Lyngbya wollei) to explore potential of sorbents. The effects of pH, sorbent dosage, temperature, shaking speed, contact time and particle size on the decolorization were investigated to establish optimal conditions. The uptake rate was rapid and attains equilibrium within 90 min. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed with Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Temkin equations and well explained by Temkin model. The error functions, Sum of the Squares of the Errors, Hybrid Fractional Error Function, Marquardt's Percent Standard Deviation, Average Relative Error and Sum of Absolute Errors functions were used to determine the suitability of isotherm model with the sorption of Basic Violet 14. Both sorbents pursue Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model that is chemisorption, which has been confirmed with pseudo-second order and Elovich model. Fourier Transform Infrared spectra and Scanning electron microscopy images confirm the sorptivity of adsorbents. The pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, initial sorption and intraparticle diffusion rate constants for different initial concentrations were deliberated for dye concentration of 20 to 100 mg/L. The diffusion rate of the dye molecules increases with increased dye concentration.


Merillee Grindle addresses three questions: Why would rational politicians choose to give up power? What accounts for the selection of some institutions rather than others? What are the political consequences of the creation of new institutions? She studies cases of decentralizing political reforms in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Argentina. Her case studies are loosely guided by eleven hypotheses deduced from three schools of thought. The schools to which she refers in an introductory and concluding chapter are rational choice, comparative institutionalism, and new institutionalism (the latter has two subvariants: transaction costs and institutional design). The theoretical perspectives are apparently not equally useful across questions, as new institutionalism is not used to deduce hypotheses on why politicians would choose to reform, and rational choice is not applied to the reasons some some institutional changes are chosen over others.


This paper introduces a time domain energy detector (ED) approach for vehicle detection using a single microphone. The detection of a deterministic, as well as the stochastic signal in the presence of white Gaussian noise (WGN), is a very challenging task. The ground vehicle generates a similar kind of signal with unknown information. Therefore, there is need of robust vehicle detection algorithm which must detect a vehicle with low false alarm. We proposed an algorithm based on energy detector and estimation of threshold value depending on noise's variance for moving vehicle detection using acoustics data. The energy distribution of the signal follows the chi-square distribution. These decision statistics reveal the vehicle presence information from the signal and detection probability of a true event. The algorithm is tested on the experimental data acquired from the field trials of the moving vehicle. The receiver operating characteristics are computed through Monte Carlo simulations for validation of the proposed algorithm. The results show that the algorithm is capable to detect the moving vehicle with low false alarm even at low signal to noise ratio.


Less than half of the adult population in the United States meet the minimum physical activity recommendations of the 1996 surgeon general's report: 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most if not all days of the week. There is strong evidence that following these recommendations could potentially reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease and mortality. The benefits of more vigorous exercise are less clear, especially for women. Physical fitness demonstrates an even stronger negative association with coronary heart disease and mortality with a 17% to 20% reduction in mortality for every 1 metabolic equivalent (3.5 mL/kg/min) increase in aerobic power (VO 2max). For prevention or management of diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends 150 minutes per week or more of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and/or 90 minutes per week or more of vigorous aerobic exercise. Weight loss may require 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise per day. Regular moderate, but not vigorous, exercise is recommended for the prevention/management of hypertension. Many studies support moderate to high-intensity exercise 3 to 5 times per week for at least 30 minutes per session to manage or improve cholesterol profiles, although changes reported vary and are modest in most cases.


We present the next-to-leading order results for universal non-forward anomalous dimensions of Wilson twist-2 operators in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. The whole calculation was performed using supersymmetric Ward identities derived in this paper together with already known QCD results and does not involve any additional calculation of diagrams. We also considered one particular limit of our result, which could potentially be interesting in the context of AdS/CFT correspondence.


Abstract A new mechanism that induces barotropic instability in the ocean is discussed. It is due to the air–sea interaction with a quadratic drag law and horizontal viscous dissipation in the atmosphere. The authors show that the instability spreads to the atmosphere. The preferred spatial scale of the instability is that of the oceanic baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation. It can only be represented in numerical models, when the dynamics at this scale is resolved in the atmosphere and ocean. The dynamics are studied using two superposed shallow water layers: one for the ocean and one for the atmosphere. The interaction is due to the shear between the two layers. The shear applied to the ocean is calculated using the velocity difference between the ocean and the atmosphere and the quadratic drag law. In one-way interaction, the shear applied to the atmosphere neglects the ocean dynamics; it is calculated using the atmospheric wind only. In two-way interaction, it is opposite to the shear applied to th...


© 1996 Rlackwell Science Ltd partly. explain steroid resistance. Other people have shown that peripheral blood mononuclear cells from steroid resistant patients also show a lack of sensitivity to steroids ill vitro. However. resistant patients may not show suppress ion of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and so resistance does not affect all steroid effects. With chronic administration. there is a decrease in receptor affinity and may be in the receptor number . It may be possible to differentiate patients into these two subgroups regarding the mechanisms behind their resistance ...


In this master's thesis we studied, implemented and compared sequential and parallel sorting algorithms. We implemented seven algorithms: bitonic sort, multistep bitonic sort, adaptive bitonic sort, merge sort, quicksort, radix sort and sample sort. Sequential algorithms were implemented on a central processing unit using C++, whereas parallel algorithms were implemented on a graphics processing unit using CUDA architecture. We improved the above mentioned implementations and adopted them to be able to sort input sequences of arbitrary length. We compared algorithms on six different input distributions, which consist of 32-bit numbers, 32-bit key-value pairs, 64-bit numbers and 64-bit key-value pairs. The results show that radix sort is the fastest sequential sorting algorithm, whereas radix sort and merge sort are the fastest parallel algorithms (depending on the input distribution). With parallel implementations we achieved speedups of up to 157-times in comparison to sequential implementations.


Extraction of sucrose from sugarbeet for sugar production on an industrial scale can be divided into two distinct types of operations: beet processing (operation of the entire factory) and syrup processing (operation of the sugar house only). During the beet harvesting campaign thick juice is stored in large tanks for subsequent processing in the syrup campaign.
It is good practice to filter the thick juice prior to storage for removal of microbes and insolubles. More importantly is filtration of the thick juice during the thick juice campaign for food safety and to remove any solids that have precipitated during storage for sugar quality. This is normally done using a filter aid to ensure filtration to below 5 µm is achieved.
The use of a filter aid is not ideal due to health concerns and the risk of causing sugar quality issues if filter aid is carried forward with the syrup. A filtration system designed to operate without the use of a filter aid was therefore trialed at one of the Tereos factories in France. Standard liquor from storage tanks were filtered through 14–25 µm filter material during the 2018 thick juice campaign. Operational and sugar quality results are discussed.


The common belief based on accumulated evidence from the US and Japan is that most price-relevant information originates while financial markets are in operation. In this paper, we present evidence from the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) that contradicts this view. We find that a larger proportion of the information affecting the Australian equities in fact arrives during the overnight closing period of the ASX. We develop and implement tests to understand this puzzle. The results indicate that the primary source of this anomalous finding is the dominant influence of the information originating in the US, where businesses and exchanges open and close during the overnight period of the ASX.


Guidelines standardise high‐quality evidence‐based management strategies for clinicians. Uterine fibroids are a highly prevalent condition and may exert significant morbidity.


Several novel 2-amino-5-[4-chloro-2-(2-chlorophenoxy)phenyl]-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives 4a-d were synthesized and their anticonvulsant activity was determined by evaluation of the ability of theses compounds to protect mice against convulsion induced by a lethal doses of pentylentetrazole (PTZ) and maximal electroshock (MES). The result of anticonvulsant data shows that among the synthesized compounds, 5-[4chloro-2-(2-chlorophenoxy)phenyl]-N-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine 4c was the most active compound in both MES and PTZ tests with an ED50 of 20.11 and 35.33 mg/kg, respectively.


In this paper a nobel optimum design method is presented for a shield in a vacuum interrupter which is equipped in switchgear to improve its electric insulation capability. The design of Taguchi experiment method which is based on the results by finite element method is used to find optimum design conditions. The important design factors are chosen at first and the concept of signal to noise ratio is applied to evaluate the vacuum interrupter performance, and the optimal values of each parameters are determined. From the results of various analyses, it is shown that the shield plate in circuit circuit breaker compartment of switchgear can reduce the concentration of electric field intensity. This method is very useful to design the construction of a shield in a short time. Consequently, the insulation capability of circuit breaker compartment in a gas insulated switchgear is improved by adopting an additional optimized shaped shield.


This article addresses two issues: Do gender differences in educational expansion have different effects on national economic growth? If so, why? In past comparative research, these issues were either ignored or explained in relation to education's impact on women's participation in the labor force and reproductive behavior. The study presented here analyzed cross-national data on 96 countries from 1960 to 1985 and found clear evidence that in less-developed countries, especially some of the poorest, educational expansion among school-age girls at the primary level has a stronger effect on long-term economic prosperity than does educational expansion among school-age boys. This effect is not mediated by women's rates of participation in the wage labor force or by fertility rates. These findings provide qualified support for institutional theories of education's impact on society.


Olexander Belov et al. (eds.) Ukraine 2000 and Beyond ‐ Geopolitical Priorities and Scenarios of Development. Kyiv: Scientific Council of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, 1999. Pp.191, index, $39.95. ISBN 966–554–023–8. Initial printing ‐ 1000 copies Charles Townshend (ed.), The Oxford History of Modern War. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000. Pp.407, illus., biblio., index, $15.95. ISBN 0–1928–5373–2. Lisbeth Aggestam and Adrian Hyde‐Price (eds), Security and Identity in Europe: Exploring the New Agenda. New York: St Martin's, 2000. Pp.ix + 270, notes, index, $69.95. ISBN 0–333–71493–8.


The state of the art in the design and fabrication of cryogenic heat pipes is reviewed. Cryogenic heat pipe technology is as advanced as it is for ambient-temperature heat pipes. Those fluids available and showing promise as heat pipe working fluids have been successfully tried. While testing cryogenic heat pipes requires more sophistication than testing an ambient-temperature heat pipe, no serious difficulties have been experienced or reported by other workers in the field. It is noted that, as longer missions and increased cryogenic loads become a reality, thermal management with heat pipes are the only viable option. Potential thermal management with cryogenic heat pipes has been demonstrated experimentally for a variety of potential applications: transport from heat source (IR sensor) to passive radiator, passive two-stage radiator with heat pipes used to isothermalize the radiator surface, and heat pipe switches used to thermally switch between the IR sensor and two redundant cryogenic coolers.<<ETX>>


The proper and only fair way is to encourage medical students before and after qualification to learn simple refraction work, so that, apart from out-of-the-way conditions, they may be in a position to help their patients when required. This will be far more to the advantage of the public than to delude it into the belief that the " optometrist " is the person who can best deal with optical difficulties because he does nothing else. I shall not further waste your valuable space, save to refute, as I have done, the statement that an Opticians Bill for South Africa is a fait accompli. We are not yet dragged by the heels by a Labour Government as in the case of New South Wales, whose Opticians Bill is hailed as the perfection of legislation.-I am, etc.,


Electrochemical kinetics in the pitting The role of aggressive anions is great. In the concrete cases there are critical in the value of the concentration kr C , regular (i.e. reproduced) function of which the potential of the pitting formation. In accordance with the electrochemical concept4, the participations of anions in the elementary reports of anodic dissolution, ions − Cl form on the surface S , the intermediate adsorptive complexes, the time of life τ of which determines anode current density i


While affirming the profound importance of political analysis, Hogan is critical of prevalent doctrines. Specifically, Hogan examines and criticizes several influential post-structuralist positions, advocating logical analysis and empirical enquiry, guided by Kantian ethics, in their stead.


Persistent viral infections such as HIV and hepatitis C virus pose a severe health risk to the human population, which so far cannot be addressed by efficient prophylactic vaccination. Antiviral treatment is expensive and often associated with significant adverse effects. Therapeutic vaccination could therefore represent an important addition to current treatment modalities. However, vaccination of chronically infected hosts has mostly fallen short of expectations. One important reason for this is that during the development of a chronic infection, normal memory T cells do not develop.1 Instead, some specificities of virusspecific T cells are eliminated while others develop into a dysfunctional cell type termed exhausted cells. These T cells are characterized by impaired capacity for proliferation, reduced ability to secrete effector cytokines and permanent upregulation of inhibitory receptors, of which PD-1 is probably the most well known.2 Thus, based on studies in animal models like the chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) clone 13 infection of mice, the effectiveness of therapeutic vaccination has been found to be limited by a low CD8 T-cell proliferative potential as well as a high viral load.3 However, a number studies involving the application of antibodies directed toward key immune check point inhibitors have revealed that these alone and in particular in combination with therapeutic vaccination4 may induce some measure of improved virus control in persistently infected animals. Interestingly, other ways to successfully impact virus control in chronically infected animals are treatment with exogenous IL-2(ref. 5) and adoptive transfer of virus-specific CD4 T cells.6 This goes nicely in line with the fact that despite that CD8 T cells are generally central in the control of viral infections, CD4 T cells are needed to maintain CD8 T-cell activity during prolonged infection, and their role in helping the antiviral antibody response may also be essential.7 Indeed, transient depletion of CD4 T cells prior to clone 13 infection dramatically extends the course of the infection.8 In the context of treatment of chronic infection, it is important to understand that exhausted T cells are not terminally differentiated cells, they maintain some capacity to limit virus replication, and upon inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction there is a marked expansion of functional effector T cells from a subset of exhausted CD8 T cells characterized by the expression of CXCR5,9 demonstrating a potential for recovery of the antiviral immune response. In their new study on therapeutic vaccination of mice chronically infected with LCMV clone 13, He et al.10 takes advantage of these previously established facts and put to the test whether it is possible to improve virus control in chronically infected mice by the application of vaccines initially targeting only the CD4 T cells. A heterologous primeboost regimen was applied, which involved initial vaccination of chronically infected mice with a Listeria monocytogenes vector expressing the MHC class IIrestricted GP61-80 epitope 21 days after LCMV clone 13 infection followed by systemic boosting with an influenza A (PR8) vector expressing the same epitope 7 days later. This vaccination strategy resulted in a strong, polyfunctional LCMV-specific CD4 T-cell response, which was associated with increased numbers of virus-specific CD8 T cells of normal functionality. Most importantly, substantially improved virus control was also observed. Although vaccination in itself was quite effective, combining this with blockade of the PD-1 inhibitory pathway further augmented the induced CD8 T-cell response and also significantly improved virus control in the treated animals. Notably, vaccinated mice did not become clinically affected by the treatment as it might have been expected based from the marked decline in viral load (and hence infected cells). Although there are still several things that needs to be clarified, these results are very encouraging when it comes to exploit therapeutic vaccination of chronically infected humans as an alternative or addition to pharmaceutical antiviral treatment. In fact, the study may have implications beyond virally infected patients. A dysfunctional immune response and exhausted T cells are also a common finding in cancer Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Panum Institute, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark E-mail: email@example.com Received: 9 March 2017; Revised: 10 March 2017; Accepted: 10 March 2017 Cellular & Molecular Immunology (2018) 14, 868–869 & 2017 CSI and USTC All rights reserved 2042-0226/17 $32.00


We discuss some recent achievements in function theory and operator theory on the Dirichlet space, paying particular attention to invariant subspaces, interpolation and Hankel operators. Introduction In recent years the Dirichlet space has received a lot of attention from mathematicians in the areas of modern analysis, probability and statistical analysis. We intend to discuss some recent achievements in function theory and operator theory on the Dirichlet space. The key references are [Richter and Shields 1988; Richter and Sundberg 1992; Aleman 1992; Marshall and Sundberg 1993; Rochberg and Wu 1993; Wu 1993]. In this introductory section we state the basic results. Proofs will be discussed in the succeeding sections. Denote by D the unit disk of the complex plane. For α ∈ R, the space Dα consists of all analytic functions f(z) = ∑∞ 0 anz n defined on D with the norm ‖f‖α = ( ∞ ∑ 0 (n+ 1)|an| 2 1/2 . For α = −1 one has D−1 = B, the Bergman space; for α = 0, D0 = H , the Hardy space; and for α = 1, D1 = D, the Dirichlet space. The space Dα is referred to as a weighted Dirichlet space if α > 0, and a weighted Bergman space if α < 0. It is trivial that Dα ⊂ Dβ if α > β. In particular, the Dirichlet space is contained in the Hardy space. For any w ∈ D, the point evaluation at w is a bounded linear functional on D. Therefore there is a corresponding reproducing kernel. It is given by kw(z) = k(z, w) = 1 wz log 1 1 − wz . Research supported in part by the NSF Grant DMS-9622890. 179 180 ZHIJIAN WU Let D(f) = ∫ D |f (z)| 2 dA(z) = ∞ ∑ n=1 n |an| , where dA(z) = (1/π) dx dy is normalized Lebesgue measure on D. The square of the norm of a function f in D can be also expressed as ‖f‖ 2 = ‖f‖ 2 1 = ‖f‖ 2 0 +D(f). Arazy, Fisher and Peetre proved in [Arazy et al. 1988] that the number


As the long span suspension and cable-stayed bridges are widely used in the world, the highway department has become increasingly interested in developing the bridge condition monitoring system to enhance the bridge security and reduce the cost for maintenance. The current researches are mainly focused on vibration analysis based monitoring technologies, associated with wide use of information theories and means. Due to the fact that the signal of the damage case is difficult to get, the bridge condition monitoring is regarded as a "one class learning" pattern recognition problem in this paper. To performing exact alarm when abnormal circs occurs, it is proposed to model bridge normality from its long-term data distribution by SVM based novelty detection algorithm. 400 hours real world data from Hong Kong Ting Kau Bridge are used to examine the method.


This paper reports the recent research advancements in silicon-based millimeter-wave solid-state power amplifier (PA). It provides an in-depth overview that facilitates PA designers to select a suitable silicon-based topology based on the vital aspects of process and design technique. The crucial active devices used for fabrication including standard CMOS, CMOS SOI, SiGe BiCMOS and GaN on SiC are introduced. The state-of-the-art architectures for power combining are compared in terms of power delivered, power added efficiency (PAE), bandwidth and reflection coefficient. A major emphasis is placed on the 60 GHz solid-state PAs, as it is the driving force in silicon-based RFIC development.


Undergraduate students are a potential pool of future evaluators, but little is known about their level of interest in pursuing a career in program evaluation (PE). This two-stage study collected survey data on 249 undergraduate students' knowledge, interest, and attitudes toward various descriptions of PE. Qualitative analysis indicated participants had an understanding of PE's intent. Correlations suggest that knowledge of PE was related with a perceived match with professional interests (r = .41) as well as general attitude toward PE (r = .44), and factorial ANOVA indicates that (a) participants from diverse disciplines (e.g., education, psychology, and business) were equally interested in PE and (b) average participant attitudes were more positive than would be expected by chance. Given this study's findings regarding students' knowledge, interest, and attitudes about PE, it is proposed that undergraduate students may be a viable source of future program evaluators.


During waning flood flows in gravel-bed streams, fine- grained bedload sediment (sand and fine gravel) is commonly win- nowed from zones of high shear stress, such as riffles, and deposited in pools, where it mantles an underlying coarse layer. As sediment load increases, more fine sediment becomes available to fill pools. The volume of fine sediment in pools can be measured by probing with a metal rod, and, when expressed as the fraction (V*) of scoured residual pool volume (residual pool volume with fine sed- iment removed), can be used as an index of the supply of mobile sediment in a stream channel. Mean values of V* were as high as 0.5 and correlated with qualitative evaluations of sediment supply in eight tributaries of the Trinity River, northwestern California. Fine-sediment volume correlated strongly with scoured pool volume in individual channels, but plots of V* versus pool volume and water surface slope revealed secondary variations in fines volume. In.sediment-rich channels, V* correlated positively with scoured pool volume; in sediment-poor channels, V* correlated negatively with water-surface slope. Measuring fine sediment in pools can be a practical method to evaluate and monitor the supply of mobile sedi- ment in gravel-bed streams and to detect and evaluate sediment inputs along a channel network. (KEY TERMS: fine sediment; sediment supply; pools; channel con- dition; bedload; erosion; sedimentation; water quality monitoring.)


When coherent light rays can be incident on an optically rough object it will scatter randomly through all directions. Interference of these scattered rays leads to the formation of a bright spots (constructive interference), and dark spots (destructive interference), these are called Laser Speckles.


Background: In the study, we evaluated efficacy and complications of T-tube application in treatment of intestinal atresia in newborns.
Methods: In this randomized clinical trial study, 40 neonates with intestinal atresia were studied. The patients were divided into two comparable groups. After preparation of general conditions for operation, the surgery was applied under general anesthesia. In the first group, primary end-to-end anastomosis with T-tube application and in the second group only primary end-to-end anastomosis was done. Baseline variables (age, sex and birth weight), signs of disease, interval between surgery and beginning of oral nutrition, duration of hospitalization, post operation complications and mortality were compared between the two groups.
Results: Age, sex, birth weight, age in operation time, frequency of abdominal distention, bilious vomiting, failure of meconium pass and congenital anomalies were not different significantly. Also interval between surgery and beginning of oral nutrition was not different. In 2 of 20 neonates (10%) in T-tube group post operation complications occurred, but in the other group, 9 neonates of 14 neonates (64.3%) complications were seen after operation (p=0.002). Two neonates (10%) in T-tube group and 8 neonates (40%) in the other group died during post operation follow up (p=0.03).
Conclusion: It seems that primary end-to-end anastomosis with T-tube application in neonates with intestinal obstruction decreased complications and mortality rate. More similar studies with larger samples are recommended.


The two tin-based materials were prepared by chemical deposition in aqueous solution, crystallized Sn6O4(OH)4 and amorphous SnO2. The electrochemical lithiation of the two materials were investigated. Sn6O4(OH)4 showed better performance of lithiation and de-lithiation than SnO2. The electrochemical reversible capacities of Sn6O4(OH)4 and SnO2 in the first cycle were 659 and 269 mAh·g-1 respectively. The coulomb efficiencies of Sn6O4(OH)4 were larger than 90 % in the first cycle and 95 % in the third cycle. The formation of Li2O in the first lithiation of Sn6O4(OH)4 and SnO2 can compensate the expansion of Sn as it alloyed with Li. The electrochemical cyclic performance when the Sn6O4(OH)4 sample was charge and discharge in the range of 0-1 V were better than in the range of 0-1.2 V.


In Fe based glasses not solely the stress-sensitive magnetic properties, but also the amorphous Curie temperature (T am C ) can be altered by hydrogen absorption or due to the low temperature "heat treatments" in liquid N2 (−196◦C). The sign and magnitude of this T am C shift is strongly compositional dependent, but it is also influenced by the thermal history of glasses (heat treatments). In this paper new experimental results are presented, which were obtained on FeCrB alloys, supporting the previous observations. An attempt of interpretation of the results is also made, which is based on the existence of the quenched-in phase reminiscences, being inherited from the liquid structure.


Despite the fact that the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG) has not been fully elucidated, the presence of inflammation and the modulation of the immune response by cytokines could be a key factor in the pathogenesis of MG. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and MG. Venous blood was drawn and hematological parameters were determined in 417 individuals, including 177 patients with MG and 240 healthy controls (HC). In this study, we found that patients with MG had a significantly higher admission RDW than those in the HC group (MG: 13.10 (12.60, 13.80), HC: 12.70 (12.30, 13. 20), P<0.001). In addition, our study showed that patients with higher disease activity had higher RDW levels than those with lower disease activity. Moreover, RDW was positively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) (r=0.609, P<0.001) and with the degree of disease severity expressed by the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) scores (r=0.185, P=0.014). A univariate analysis revealed that the RDW was a risk factor for patients with MG (OR: 1.505; 95% CI: 1.236-1.832; P<0.001). It was further demonstrated by the multivariable logistic regression analysis after adjusting for other potential confounding factors (OR: 2.017; 95% CI: 1.010-4.027; P=0.047). We found that RDW can be regarded as a new informative and inflammatory biomarker to evaluate the systemic inflammatory conditions and disability status in patients with MG.


Kumar • Medical education Five years ago, the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) of the New York Institute of Technology recognized the need for integrating current information technologies into the NYCOM fabric and processes. We have focused on transforming the academic and administrative culture of NYCOM by integrating technology into all aspects of it rather than implementing specific technical tools. We have made a few mistakes, but we have also had many significant successes in achieving the desired cultural change. We have put much effort into listening to sister institutions and other colleagues to benefit from their experiences. Some ideas form a common thread in achieving such cultural change. Implementing stand-alone technical solutions to specific problems is an essential component of how organizations are run. However, a cultural transformation involves much more than implementing separate technical solutions. Much in the same vein as the holistic outlook required by the osteopathic philosophy, cultural transformation of institutions requires an approach that can carry the institution along and change the way the different components of the organization function independently as well as how they relate to each other and to the outside. There is significant diversity among the osteopathic schools: some are young, some are old; some are state schools, some are private. Some have small student bodies and some have large ones. Some have limited resources while others have more. Similarly, some of our schools are technically more sophisticated than others, maybe in specific elements such as in videoconferencing. However, there is much to learn from each other in harnessing the current information technologies to enhance the osteopathic educational process and osteopathic medical practice. It is for this reason and to initiate discussion that we summarize here some elements that seem to be necessary for such a transition. We use short examples from our experience at NYCOM.


While technological improvements have shaped the fi nancial industry and its regulation for decades, Fin Tech is the buzzword of the hour. Rapidly developing digital technologies allow new market entrants to dis rupt the traditional intermediarybased provision of financial services (I.). These new businesses – in par ticular those that operate payment systems or engage in crowdfunding – may clash with prudential banking regulation without necessarily posing the same risks as banks (II.). Against this background, the Swiss Federal Council has (i) adopted an extended carveout for set tlement accounts, (ii) introduced a regulatory «sand Die regulatorische Antwort auf FinTech: Evolution oder Revolution? Eine Verortung aktueller Entwicklungen


It has been common practice in studies of running shoe cushioning to use the magnitude of the initial transient peak (Fz1) of the vertical ground reaction force (Fz(t)), as an index of heel impact severity. Frequently, the results of such studies have been inconsistent with impact attenuation theory, in vitro impact test results and other load measures. This paper concludes that such use of Fz1 as a measure of heel impact load is not valid. Fz(t) and in shoe-pressure distributions were recorded while 20 male subjects ran at 4.0 ± 0.2 m/s on a laboratory runway in three footwear conditions representing the approximate range of commercially available running shoes and a minimal, uncushioned control shoe. Pressure data were used to identify spatial (heel and distal foot) components of Fz(t) and spectral analysis was used to distinguish high and low frequency components. Consistent with previous reports, cushioned shoes attenuated Fz1 magnitude by less than 10% and the most compliant shoe produced significantly higher force peaks than shoes with stiffer cushioning. Analysis of the spatial and frequency components of Fz(t) revealed that Fz1 is a composite that includes high frequency (heel impact) loads but that low frequency force components originating both in the heel and distal forefoot contribute about half its magnitude. In contrast to Fz1, cushioned shoes attenuated the high frequency (impact) force component by 35%, and effects across shoe conditions were consistent with both theory and in vitro impact test results. Thus Fz1 is neither uniquely defined by heel impact, nor a reliable indicator of impact magnitude. It can be shown that the artifactual effects of cushioning on Fz1 magnitude are derived from the superimposition of low frequency (non-impact) and non-heel load components.


.—Populations of the Mojave Desert Tortoise ( Gopherus agassizii ) experienced severe declines in abundance in the decades leading up to 1990, when the species was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Population responses to recovery efforts have not been well documented because of the difficulties of studying this low-density, cryptic species over a time period appropriate to its long generation time. We used line distance sampling to estimate annual adult densities since 1999 in Utah and since 2004 elsewhere in the range of Mojave Desert Tortoises. We used generalized least squares regression on log-transformed adult tortoise densities to estimate annual percentage change through 2014 in each of 17 Tortoise Conservation Areas (TCAs) in the five recovery units. We report annual proportional increases in density of adults in the Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit, but declines in the other four recovery units. Adjusting these densities and trends for the area of potential habitat in each recovery unit, we estimated that in 2004 there were 336,393 adult tortoises (standard error [SE] = 51,596), with an overall loss of 124,050 adult tortoises (SE = 36,062) by 2014. The proportion of juveniles in our surveys has been decreasing in all five recovery units since 2007. Prevailing declines in the abundance of adults overall and in four of the five recovery units indicate the need for more aggressive implementation of recovery actions and more critical evaluation of the suite of future activities and projects in tortoise habitat that may exacerbate ongoing population declines.


Abstract Invariants for geodesic and F-planar mappings defined on a generalized Riemannian space are obtained in this paper. These invariants are generalizations of the Thomas projective parameter and the Weyl projective tensor.


Lattice engineering is a powerful strategy not only to optimize electrocatalytic performances, but also to deepen the understanding of electrocatalytic mechanisms. Lattice engineering can be effectively achieved in core-shell nanocrystals...


MOSFET is the most commonly used devices in DC-DC power converters, and its performance is important to the prognosis and health management of power. The paper proposes a degradation analysis model for MOSFET in DC-DC power converters. A method for detecting the degradation of MOSFET is also introduced. Simulations have shown that the method can predict deterioration in the performance of MOSFET. The simulation results are good agreement with the theory.

 Key words: DC-DC converter, degradation, MOSFET.


This text presents those experiments being carried out by Fundacao Seade aimed at contributing to the quantification and the qualification of statistical information related to the Third Sector, Non-Governmental Organizations.


Tower crane as the main equipment of building trades, the failure of Hoisting mechanism is particularly important for complete machine working performance and device safety. In this paper, the failure of tower crane hosting mechanism is analyzed, the failure mode of hoisting mechanism is researched, the failure probability of hoisting mechanism is built, the various factors in the work influence on the tower crane hoisting mechanism is analyzed, use coefficient modification method to correct influence factor of hoisting mechanism, according to the series system theory to calculate the failure probability of tower crane, Provide the basis for the whole risk assessment.


Genetic diversity among 41 isolates was determined using vegetative compatibility groups from different
regions of Fars (Firozabad, Ramjerd, Drodzan, Shiraz, Pasargad, Sepidan and Mravdasht) and Khuzestan (Ezh, Ramhormoz and Ahodasht) provinces. Nitrate non-utilizing (Nit) mutants were generated on Czapeck media, containing 5% KClO3. Phenotypic classes of nit mutants were determined to 17 different Vegetative Compatibility Groups (VCGs) on media containing nitrate, hypoxanthine and ammonium. The largest group contained 18 isolates and others contained two and one, respectively. 24 isolates were selected for RAPD test, to represent 17 vegetative compatibility groups. A set of seven random primers revealed a total of 36 alleles. High level of genetic diversity was observed among F. verticillioides isolated in the region. 29 alleles (80.55) showed high polymorphism in all the isolates. Genetic relatedness was calculated based on genetic distance matrix, and 11 groups were clustered based on UPGMA and Dice coefficient.


Recently Lai and Xie (Statistics and Probability Letters, 46 (2000) 359-364) using the uniform representation of the Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern bivariate distribution introduce and study continuous bivariate distributions possessing positive quadrant dependence (PQD) property with the association parameter contained between 0 and 1. We show that the association parameter in this class allowing the PQD property has a much wide range. Thus the Lai-Xie distributions may be applicable in a greater variety of situations.


A 45 m3/d field-scale anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) was studied for its performance to remove carbonaceous organic content and suspended solids under a dynamic hydraulic loading rate (HLR) and organic loading rate (OLR). Sludge granulation effect was also assessed with and without sand as a bio-carrier aided with poly aluminium chloride. ABR was subjected to a significant variation in HLR (0.26 to 7.72 m3/m2.d) and OLR (0.03 to 8 kg COD/m3.d). Tracer study showed flow-through time was 50% of theoretical hydraulic retention time. The initial compartments of ABR were more effective for the removal of organic carbon. An overall CODTotal removal of 60 to 90% was possible for OLR in the range 1 to 8 kg COD/m3.d irrespective of low/high HLR. OLR dominated the performance of ABR compared to HLR. The compartmentalized nature of ABR was visualized through a two-phase system of anaerobic digestion as alkalinity increased while VFA decreased from the first to last compartment even under dynamic conditions. Sludge granulation with sand and PAC increased the size of granule from 629 to 1,471 μm, decreased sludge depth by 20% and enhanced CODTotal removal within a month. ABR is sturdy to sustain low/high HLR with low/high OLR conditions without impairing CODTotal removal efficiency significantly.


The invention aims to provide a preparation method of a thermosetting polyacrylate hydrophilic antifogging coating. On the basis of the traditional acrylic resin, a silane coupling agent, glycidyl methacrylate and a sulfo hydrophilic monomer are copolymerized for modification, and a novel curing agent ethyl orthosilicate is used for curing, thereby enhancing the hardness, adhesion and hydrophilicity of the film. On such basis, triethylenetetramine reacts with the main-chain epoxide group to continue increasing the crosslinking density and enhancing the mechanical properties. The silicon chain segment tends to aggregate on the curing film surface, the acrylate chain segment faces towards the inner layer, and the dual-curing design is combined; and thus, the film formed by curing the resin can have excellent hydrophilicity on the premise of ensuring excellent adhesion, water resistance, hardness and transparency, and has favorable antifogging effect on the transparent substrate.


Ordering Worked Examples to Promote Categorization Brian D. Gane (firstname.lastname@example.com) School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 654 Cherry St. Atlanta, GA 30332 Richard Catrambone (firstname.lastname@example.com) School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 654 Cherry St. Atlanta, GA 30332 Abstract can be affected by instructional design. This paper investigates one instructional design feature: how the ordering of examples affects construction of schemas and categorization of problems. We report an investigation of novices' ability to categorize probability word problems. Individuals can effectively learn from worked examples (Ward & Sweller, 1990), especially if multiple examples with the same structural features are presented (Gick & Holyoak, 1983). We were interested in whether the order of worked examples could affect a learner's ability to categorize new problems. Participants studied 5 types of probability word problems; each type had 2 worked examples. Two orders of worked examples--blocked and random--were used. For isomorphic test items, the random ordering reduced participants' total number of categorization errors and their categorization error rates. For transfer test items, ordering did not affect categorization errors. We argue these results demonstrate that the random ordering facilitated construction of problem schemas, which subsequently improved participant's categorization ability. However, the random ordering appeared to have no effect on learners' ability to restructure problem schemas as required by transfer items. Instruction via examples Worked examples, in which the solution steps for a sample problem are written out for the learner, are effective instructional aids. For novices in particular, worked examples can be more instructive than solving problems because they allow learners to devote mental resources to building and refining their problem schemas (Ward & Sweller, 1990). However, there is strong empirical evidence that to successfully apply a problem schema, more than one example with the same schema must be studied. One hypothesized reason that multiple examples of the same schema are necessary is that multiple examples are needed in order for learners to isolate the structural features of the examples (Catrambone & Holyoak, 1989; Gick & Holyoak, 1983). Word problems invariably have both surface features and structural features. Surface features are aspects of the cover story that are incidental; they are irrelevant and not related to the problem schema in long-term memory. In contrast, structural features form the basis for the problem schema; structural features define and distinguish one particular problem schema from another. Consider the following probability word problem. Keywords: Instructional design; order effects; problem solving; worked examples Introduction Successful problem solving requires accurately identifying the structure of the problem and constructing a solution strategy based on this structure. Consider one type of problem solving: word problems. To solve a word problem an individual must construct a mental representation of the problem and then search long-term memory to find a similar problem representation. If this recognition process is successful, the individual then has access to an existing problem representation, a schema, that can be used to guide his or her solution to the current problem (Chi, Glaser, & Rees, 1982). Problem-solving thus involves several cognitive processes: constructing a mental representation of the problem, recognizing a similar representation (i.e., a schema) in long-term memory, activating that problem schema, mapping a representation of the current problem to the existing schema, and then using the schema to solve the problem. In this paper we use the term categorization to refer to a subset of these processes: constructing a problem representation, recognizing a similar representation in memory, and activating that schema. How learners build problem schemas and complete the categorization process Jonie is putting her groceries on the conveyer belt in the supermarket. She has a potato, an onion, a tomato, a squash, and broccoli in her basket. Assuming that she randomly picks produce from the basket, what is the probability that she will put the tomato on the conveyer belt first and the squash on the belt second? This problem has several surface features that are incidental: groceries (as a set, and the individual grocery items), picking items out of a container, and the values in the problem (5 items total, 2 items being selected). On the other hand, the problem has two crucial structural features: one must consider the order in which items are selected (i.e., permutation) and an item is not returned after it has been selected (i.e., without replacement). Research on problem solving has consistently shown that novices have difficulty separating surface features from structural features (Catrambone, 1998; Chang,


Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) is a broad term that includes carcinomas arising from head and neck region and the most common type is squamous cell carcinoma [1]. HNC patients experience treatment-related complications that may interfere with health related quality of life (HRQOL [2]. Cancers of head and neck include malignant tumors of the buccal cavity, larynx, pharynx, thyroid, salivary glands, and nose/nasal passages [3]. Neck disability, impaired neck function, and eating or speaking contribute to decrements in HRQOL [4]. At the time of diagnosis, up to 2/3 of HNC Patients (HNCPs) present with dysphagia. Approximately, one third of dysphagic patients develop aspiration pneumonia requiring treatment, with mortality rates ranging between 20% and 65% [5]. Most troublesome and debilitating side effects of radiotherapy are lethargy, weakness, dry mouth, mouth ulcers and pain, taste changes, and sore throat. The single most debilitating side effect was oropharyngeal mucositis that was characterized by patients as sore throat, and mouth ulcers and pain; both negatively affecting the patient's ability to eat and drink, causing many patients to experience significant weight loss [6]. A study has shown that many of the treatment related performance and quality of life (QOL) that had declined, resolved in months [7]. The association between neck pain, Neck Disability Index (NDI) and cervical Range of Motion (ROM) showed that NDI is a valid, reliable and internally consistent clinical tool to measure self-reported disability as it relates to patients with neck pain [8]. It objectifies the patient's subjective experience. The NDI provides us with a starting point to springboard further research possibilities. When compared to other questionnaires, the NDI correlates well with other measures and has similar sensitivity to change and responsiveness, good convergent validity and correlates with pre and post treatment scores [8]. The Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS) is presented as a potentially better alternative to other dysphagia screens due to its safer progression of oral intake, more thorough evaluation of swallowing, and ability to enable earlier nutrition [9].


universities, and greater institutional autonomy. The emerging system could develop in such a way as to resemble closely the hierarchical and relatively authoritarian patterns of higher education in South Korea and Taiwan, or it could move in the direction of her preferred future, which would involve "a lessening of hierarchy, greater democratization in terms of access and the employment of graduates, and an openness in the curriculum that would permit a conscious and critical search for cultural authenticity..." (pp. 254-55). The difficulty with Hayhoe's articulation of this "preferred future" is that it fails to address seriously the question, preferred by whom? The "negative" features of higher education in South Korea and Taiwan in fact serve the interests of some people in those societies quite well. The Chinese university-based intellectuals in whose name Hayhoe seems to wish to speak are hardly unanimous in their views about how the system ought to develop, and in any case they represent only one of a number of constituencies whose interests will be affected by changes in China's higher education system.


Objectives of the interregional Conference on Primary Health Care, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Southeast Asis together with the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, were as follows: to exchange country experiences in the organization and implementation of primary health care; to assess primary health care development vis-a-vis national socioeconomic development and national health systems; to define alternative approaches to the development of the health infrastructure for inntegrated implementation of the 8 essential elements of primary health care; and to define the coordinating role of governments and international organizations in supporting and mobilizing resources in support of primary health care to to formulate recommendations for the organization and furthr development of primary care. The conference was attended by 35 participants from 18 countries in all 6 WHO regions and by representatives of 5 UN agencies. Conference recommendations include: a program of public information and health education should be launched to create and strengthen the desired awareness and commitment among the people and their representatives; the national health policy on primary health care should be broadly disseminated among all professional groups and functionaries involved in community development activities both in the health sector and outside it; concerted action by all health related development sectors should be initiated and strengthened to support the health sector in acheiving the goal of health for all; appropriate mechanisms relevant to the local situation should be evolved to give suitable training, orientation, and motivation to the community and opinion leaders in order to ensure their total involvement in the implementation and management of their own health care; governments should ensure the allocation of adequate funds for the smooth implementation of the program and that preferential allocation of resources be made for activities in the underserved areas; more rapid measures should be taken to extend primary health care services to all segments of the community that are still not covered; and the shortage of personnel available for providing primary care should be made up by reorienting existing personnel, accelerating the pace of basic training for primary health workers, and possibly also by inducting the health manpower available under traditional systems of medicine.


Objective To observe the Glut-4 mRNA expression in hypothalamus of insulin resistance( IR) rat with Shuangguyitong acupuncture method. Methods Fourty Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group with 10,the other 30 with a high-fat diet induced model;8w After the modeling,the 30 rats were randomly divided into model group,treatment group and blocker group; blocker group underwent Electro acupuncture( EA) treatment while intraventricular perfusion PI3K blockers. After the start of the experiment 16w,detect the fasting plasma glucose( FPG),fasting insulin( Fins) and insulin activation index( IAI); RT-PCR assay Glut-4 mRNA expression in rat hypothalamus. Results Compared with normal group,in the model group the FPG,Fins were significantly increased( P 0. 01),the IAI,Glut-4 mRNA expression were significantly decreased( P 0. 01). Compared with model group,in the treatment group the FPG, Fins were significantly decreased( P 0. 01),the IAI,Glut-4 mRNA expression were significantly increased( P 0. 01). Compared with blockers group,in the treatment group the FPG,Fins were significantly decreased( P 0. 01,P 0. 05),the IAI,Glut-4 mRNA expression were significantly increased( P 0. 01). Conclusions The IR occurrence is associated with anomalies of the hypothalamus PI3K / PKB signaling pathway and the decline in the expression of Glut-4. Shuangguyitong acupuncture method can improving the IR rat's fasting blood glucose,fasting insulin levels and insulin sensitivity by adjusting the hypothalamic expression of Glut-4.


Many women fail to be reassured about their breast symptom following benign diagnosis. Identification of the factors contributing to this continued anxiety is important in order that appropriate intervention can be incorporated into the care of women undergoing diagnosis. In this study, we measured levels of anxiety, depression, stress, perceived personal risk of breast cancer, fear of breast cancer treatment and general health anxiety along with clinical and demographic variables in women undergoing investigation of breast symptoms. We then assessed if these factors were associated with reassurance about the breast symptom immediately following benign diagnosis.


Today managing companies and whole countries is turning into finance management, ideology of cash management of people and countries dominates. The article investigates problems of finance system development and directions of enhancing the Central Bank operations. It is shown that it is necessary to prepare for crisis pressures and sanctions beforehand and to forecast possible consequences. The article analyzes internal and external reasons for the finance crisis and puts forward measures aimed at speeding up economic growth in the country as well as effective foreign economic policy. According to the author we should develop home production of goods and services to balance demand and supply and stabilize prices.


The invention provides a battery tray alignment device which belongs to the technical field of a battery alignment device, and solves the problem of that the working efficiency is low and the noise is loud in the existing battery tray alignment device. The battery tray alignment device comprises a support and a conveying passage, wherein a plurality of battery trays are arranged on the conveying passage, a battery is inserted into each battery tray, the support is provided with a horizontal turntable and a drive mechanism for controlling the turntable to rotate, the turntable pushes against a discharging port of the conveying passage and partially stretches into the conveying passage, the outer side wall of the turntable is uniformly provided with a plurality of magnets, an iron ring which is attracted with the magnets is arranged in each battery tray, the discharging end of the conveying passage is also provided with a guide plate which is arranged on the lower side of the turntable, the guide plate is provided with a guide passage which is communicated with the conveying passage, the direction of a feeding port of the guide passage is tangential with the side wall of the turntable, and the feeding port of the guide passage only can store one row of battery trays. The battery tray alignment device has the advantages of high working efficiency and low noise.


The utility model discloses an energy-saving portable lamp comprising a bulb, a solar battery, a converter, a switch button, a solar panel and a lampshade. The bulb is fixed inside the lampshade; the solar panel forms a shell of the body of the energy-saving portable lamp; the solar battery and the converter are mounted inside the body of the energy-saving portable lamp; the switch button is arranged at the tail end of the energy-saving portable lamp; the solar panel comprises an inner solar panel and an outer solar panel which are both provided with a groove at one end, and the two grooves are matched with each other; the outer solar panel can slide by clinging to the inner solar panel; the inner solar panel is fixedly connected with the lampshade; the outer solar panel is provided with a hasp holder; and the lampshade is provided with a hasp handle. The energy-saving portable lamp can be fast and repeatedly charged, has small volume, saves energy and is environmentally friendly.


Significance The six-layered cerebral cortex forms through tightly regulated steps including neuronal proliferation, migration, and circuitry formation. Alterations of cortical development are associated with several neurological conditions, but the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we describe the role of TBC1 domain family member 24 (TBC1D24), a gene associated with syndromes combining epilepsy and cognitive deficits, in cortical development. Using an in vivo approach, we found that TBC1D24 regulates neuronal polarity, thus promoting neuronal migration and maturation. We further show that TBC1D24 exerts its function through the modulation of the activity of ADP ribosylation factor 6, a GTPase involved in membrane trafficking. Collectively, our data disclose a previously uncharacterized molecular mechanism involved in cortical development and underline how appropriate and timely neuronal positioning is essential for brain function. Alterations in the formation of brain networks are associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders. Mutations in TBC1 domain family member 24 (TBC1D24) are responsible for syndromes that combine cortical malformations, intellectual disability, and epilepsy, but the function of TBC1D24 in the brain remains unknown. We report here that in utero TBC1D24 knockdown in the rat developing neocortex affects the multipolar-bipolar transition of neurons leading to delayed radial migration. Furthermore, we find that TBC1D24-knockdown neurons display an abnormal maturation and retain immature morphofunctional properties. TBC1D24 interacts with ADP ribosylation factor (ARF)6, a small GTPase crucial for membrane trafficking. We show that in vivo, overexpression of the dominant-negative form of ARF6 rescues the neuronal migration and dendritic outgrowth defects induced by TBC1D24 knockdown, suggesting that TBC1D24 prevents ARF6 activation. Overall, our findings demonstrate an essential role of TBC1D24 in neuronal migration and maturation and highlight the physiological relevance of the ARF6-dependent membrane-trafficking pathway in brain development.


Secure management of Australia's commercial critical infrastructure presents ongoing challenges to owners and the government. Although it is currently managed through high-level information sharing via collaboration, but does this suit the commercial sector. One of the issues facing Australia is that the majority of critical infrastructure resides under the control of the business sector and certain aspects such of the critical infrastructure such as Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems are distributed entities and not a single entity. The paper focuses upon the security issues associated with SCM systems and critical infrastructure protection.


The diet of Short-toed Snake-eagle (Circaetus gallicus) during the breeding season in an area dominated by cork and holm oak parkland forests (Montados) was analyzed in this study. As expected, results showed that snakes are the dominant prey in the diet of this eagle, comprising up to 92.5% of the identified items, if potential secondary prey species were excluded. The Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) was the most consumed one (42.2%), followed by the Ladder Snake (Zamenis scalaris) (28.0%), and the water snakes (Natrix spp.) (14.2%). According to the same criteria, lizards (mainly Psammodromus algirus) and mammals represent between 4.8 and 2.2%, respectively. Other animals such as pond turtle and amphibians are irregular prey (<1%), and no bird remains were found at all. Short-toed Snake-eagle is usually referred as a stenophagic predator where snakes are by far its most important prey type, and where within this taxonomic group it behaves as a generalist predator. In this study this premise was then tested comparing the relative abundance of the snake species with their proportion in the diet composition of the eagle in order to know whether or not prey selection exists with regard to the species of snakes in this region. Results point to a quite plausible "preference" for the Ladder Snake and an "avoidance" for the smooth snakes group (Macroprotodon brevis/Coronella girondica), and possibly for the Horseshoe Whip (Hemorrhois hippocrepis). The avoidance to the Horseshoe Whip must be indirect and habitat related, while in relation to the two smooth snakes it may be due in large extend to its small size, in particular.


This study aims to explain the role of service quality in mediating customer-oriented employees with customer satisfaction at Bulgari Resort Bali. This research was conducted in Bulgari resort with the customer population who had stayed at least once in Bulgari Resort Bali from January to July 2016. Questionnaires were distributed to 130 respondents by purposive sampling method. This study uses a variance based or component-based approach of PLS ??(Partial Least Square) analysis technique. The results of this study indicate that customer-oriented employees have a positive and significant impact on customer satisfaction as well as on service quality. Quality of service is also found to have a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction. Furthermore, service quality is proven to mediate partially the impact of customer-oriented employees on customer satisfaction. The implications of this study indicate that customer-oriented service quality and employee play an important role in customer satisfaction, this can be the basis for the perpetrators of the hospitality industry in general and the management of Bulgari resort Bali in particular to improve the quality of customer service and employees oriented. Thus it is suggested that the management can implement an integrated and sustainable training program in order to be able to provide satisfaction for customers.


Medical school is stressful and many medical students use alcohol to blow off steam, sometimes in weekend binges. It's a pattern to which schools and student groups are paying more attention, considering high rates of burnout and suicide in the profession.

"There is a tendency in medicine to


In the past years, there has been a growth in the applications of neural networks for automatic music (or audio) generation (Briot et al. (2017)). However, most of the recent research tends to be narrow-focused. In this research, we will provide a wider-range analyses of the current state of neural networks to produce music-resembling audio. We will try to reach this objective by implementing models that can analyze notes and tempo, as well as ones that can analyze raw audio waveforms. Furthermore, the models will generate music according to their finding that will be evaluated by listening to them. We will implement the waveform-based models (SampleRNN (Mehri et al. (2016)) and Wavenet (van den Oord et al. (2016c))) using two different music genres, namely: classical and techno. This allows us to examine what the influence of the type of dataset is. Finally, we will examine if lower losses also guarantee music of better quality. We found that neural networks are able to find patterns based on notes and tempo and this results in music of reasonable quality. In addition, from the two waveform-based models we implemented, SampleRNN analytically performs better and classical music was more suitable for analyses. However, all samples produced by the waveform-based models are noisy and, therefore, do not resemble music. Lastly, we could not conclude that models with a lower loss generally produce music of better quality.


e e ect exerted by the land of jointing of high speed steel knives is studied on the surface quality
of radiata pine solid moldings. Fuzzy grain and torn grain are analyzed on at molding pro le. To
evaluate these defects, the relationship land of jointing - surface quality was assessed through two
procedures, on the rst the jointing was done systematically, and on the second only once, early in
the process. e results indicate that fuzzy grain and torn grain are related to cutting distance and
jointing process, the quality of the cutting material and operating conditions must be taken into
account because of these factors depends the process performance as well.


Discrete mathematics as an important branch of modern mathematics, not only is a theoretical basis of computer science, but also one of the core and backbone of computer-related professional courses. A typical feature of the course is more definitions, and more theorems;each branch is an independent professional mathematics curriculum, which brings a lot of difficulties for students and teachers. According to the practice of recent years in discrete mathematics teaching and research, combined with the target application-oriented talents training institutions, carried out some reforms from discrete mathematics teaching content,teaching methods, teaching methods and other aspects, and achieved good teaching effectiveness.


Natural products are stored in plants, animals, and microorganisms, which are referred to as "natural sources generating compounds." Strong therapeutic substances are developed with the help of medicinal plants. As a source of several beneficial secondary metabolites that work as a plant's defensive system against predators including microorganisms, insects, and herbivores and have been shown to be potentially active chemicals, plant-based medicines provide a significant addition to current treatments. Common names for Euphorbia Thymifolia Linn (E. Thymifolia) include "duddi" and "Laghu didhika" and "Raktavindaka," respectively, in Sanskrit. It is a member of the Euphorbiceae family. This plant is used as a diuretic, laxative, and thermogenic. It is bitter, acrid, and sweet. This plant is commonly used in ayurveda to treat a variety of illnesses, including leprosy, helminthiasis, and ringworm skin infections. The current study's objective is to analyze the entire E. thymifolia Linn plant in order to isolate and identify bioactive components and determine its phytochemical profile. An established test technique that is documented in the literature was used to determine the qualitative analysis of different phytochemical elements. From a methanolic extract of E. thymifolia, a bioactive component was isolated and characterized.


The research status quo and development prospects in the field of film-forming additives for the Li-ion battery electrolyte in recent years were summed up. The progress in inorganic additives and the new methods used to study the film-forming additives were analyzed,such as the theoretical calculations,molecular design and in situ analytical techniques. The possibility of opening up new areas of film-forming additives was outlined.


The present invention relates to an automatic vehicle driving system and, more particularly, to an automatic vehicle driving system which enables a vehicle to be automatically driven to a destination by controlling the vehicle in consideration of signals of traffic lights and surrounding vehicles or objects when a user sets a destination in a navigation device. To this end, the present invention comprises: a mapping module which receives route information set by a navigation device installed in a vehicle, and which converts distances, directions and turning angles to survey data so as to set driving lanes; and a driving control module for enabling the vehicle to be driven along the driving lanes set by the mapping module.


Mr. Harris is a research assistant, and Dr. McDaniel is Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Regents Chair in Health Care Management, Management Department, University of Texas at Austin. W ith the rapid growth of strategic healthcare alliances, managers need a clear understanding of compe t i t i on . If the competitive forces arc misspecified, healthcare managers will have unrealistic expectations of alliance benefits. They will also fail to understand the environment within which the alliance will have to function. Unfortunately, healthcare managers often misunderstand competition. Some even claim compet i t ion among providers does not exist. Although different from conventional definitions of competition, competition among healthcare providers docs exist. For Catholic providers, competit ion must encompass the concep t of s tewardship of resources to support activities that respond to needs and enhance services to people. This article does not specifically address these values issues; rather, it provides a perspective on how competition functions in healthcare to enable managers to formulate more successful strategic plans.


Social status is one of the most important motivators of human behavior, yet for over a generation international relations scholars largely ignored it. Over the past 35 years, no more than half dozen articles have appeared in top U.S. political science journals building on the proposition that the quest for status will affect patterns of inter-state behavior. As Lebow has noted, scholarly research in IR has been framed by overarching grand theories that foreground other motivations, primarily fear (security) and appetite (wealth). No middle range theory, no major research program, no major substantive debate has centered on issues of status. Over the same interval, however, research in all other social science disciplines and a variety of other sciences has continued to yield findings that lend compelling support to the importance of status in human affairs.


I wanted to commend the editors of Canadian Family Physician for the focus on pediatric concussion in the recent June issue.[1][1]–[4][2] Persistent concussion affects quality of life across many domains: impaired cognition; impaired memory and attention, affecting school attendance and


"Last year, more investors looking for higher potential of value creation were opting for tier two markets opportunities. The volume of commercial real estate investment increased by 73% in 2013 compared to 2012 and is expected to achieve € 10.4 billion," said Guillaume Delattre, Executive Regional Head, International Advisory, BNP Paribas Real Estate. "The ambition of BNP Paribas Real Estate is to develop its activities on this perimeter and to consolidate its leadership in core markets."


Objectives To assess the safety of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in children in high-risk groups. Design Non-interventional cohort study. Setting England during 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 influenza seasons. Participants LAIV recipients identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, aged 2–17 years, and with at least one underlying high-risk condition. LAIV recipients were matched with inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) recipients and unvaccinated controls. Primary outcome measures Primary safety endpoints were any hospitalisation documented in the linked Hospital Episodes Statistics database within 42 days and up to 6 months after vaccination. Results 11 463 children and adolescents were included: 4718 received the trivalent LAIV formulation during the 2013–2014 influenza season and 6745 received the quadrivalent formulation during the 2014–2015 influenza season. The risks of hospitalisation within 42 days were 231 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 193 to 275) in season 2013–2014 and 231 (95% CI 198 to 267) in season 2014–2015. These risks were not significantly different when compared with matched unvaccinated children (relative risks (RR) 0.96 (95% CI 0.78 to 1.19) in season 2013–2014, 0.90 (95% CI 0.76 to 1.07) in season 2014–2015) and consistently lower than after IIV administration (RR 0.47 (95% CI: 0.37 to 0.59) in season 2013–2014, 0.42 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.51) in season 2014–2015). A similar pattern was observed up to 6 months postvaccination with a risk of hospitalisation after LAIV administration that did not differ from what was observed in unvaccinated controls and was lower than after IIV administration. Conclusions This study did not identify new safety concerns associated with the administration of LAIV in children and adolescents with high-risk conditions. However, as with any other observational study, treatment administration was not randomly assigned and our findings may be confounded by differences between the groups at baseline. Trial registration number EUPAS18527.


According to the research of tool assembly of stamping forming simulation, three preconditions for effective automatic assembly algorithm were presented: consistent normal direction, distinct tool property and correct initial uniform normal direction. The automatic assembly algorithm, based on the background mesh projection, was also presented in this paper. Projected nodes of sheet and tools onto background mesh along the uniform normal direction, distributed them according to the coordinate information, calculated the minimum distance between tool nodes and sheet elements, and confirmed the distance that tools need to be moved. Ultimately, the correct assembly would be accomplished automatically. The algorithm eliminated the coupling relationship between stamping type and stamping direction, which improved the adaptability of the program and efficiency of the algorithm, and made the operation simpler. The practice in complex industry model proved the feasibility and efficiency of the new automatic assemble algorithm in this paper.


The present invention relates to a gait analysis may be performed on the treadmill, comprising: running belt, a support plate, the drive mechanism, and at least two sensing elements. For users running with running or walking. Running belt positioned below the support plate to support the running belt. A drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the running belt. At least two sensing element fixing the support plate, respectively, detects the user left foot heel touches the ground (heel strike), to afford the left foot trajectories, based on the trajectories, a user can be obtained gait analysis. Treadmill of the invention can be user gait analysis to help users assess the situation of the feet, legs or help determine the degree of rehabilitation.


Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We previously demonstrated an impaired vascular function in obese adults (OB). We now hypothesize a role of obesity‐associated hypoxia in disturbing the methylation/expression of genes involved in inflammation/vascular function. We also propose a mediating role of the hypoxia‐inducible factor, HIF1α and the DNA hydroxymethylase, TET1.


An electromagnetic spring-based variable stiffness actuator is a new concept with the potential to change stiffness faster than mechanical springs can; however, its nonlinear elastic property is a challenge in actuator design. In this paper, the torque response of a custom-made electromagnetic spring was studied using a ramping force test and electromagnetic simulation. A two-zone linear region, from 0° to 2° and 2° to 6.5°, was observed and explained through magnetic flux simulation to provide insight into the fundamentals of the electromagnetic spring. An unusual impedance response was also noted from this regional linearity, appeared on a step gain in Bode plot of end-point impedance in a dynamic test.


SUNY at Stony Brook is developing a workshop and elementary laboratory course in an effort to improve students' attitudes toward an understanding of science called, "Introduction to Laboratory" or "Reduce your Lab Anxiety."


Online auction networks often use reputation-based systems to help users assess each other's honesty and integrity. Fraudsters, however, can collude with accomplices to accumulate bogus positive feedback to manipulate the reputation systems. In this paper, we model an online auction network with fraudsters as a random network with hidden communities (fraudsters and associated accomplices), and propose a maximum likelihood framework to detect the fraudsters. We develop an iterative message passing algorithm to heuristically solve the maximum likelihood detection problem. This algorithm identifies fraudsters and accomplices in a distributed fashion and is a scalable solution. The algorithm converges in a finite number of iterations and has very high detection rates according to our simulations.


Using the volatility of a listed firm's monthly market-to-book ratio (MBVol) as a measure of valuation uncertainty about the firm's growth prospects, this paper demonstrates that high and low annual MBVol's are persistent. Initial-MBVol-sorted firms have distinct investment styles (R&D/[R&D+CAPEX]) and financial policies that are persistent over 20 years. More precisely, firms with more growth uncertainty are persistently more R&D intensive. An Initial-MBVolaligned pattern in external finance reveals two faces of valuation uncertainty: firms with low growth uncertainty obey the classic adverse-selection pecking order in financing, but high growth uncertainty appears to facilitate rather than inhibit new equity financing.


MIKE+ model is used to design the collection system of Malappuram city situated at 54 km south west of Calicut and 90 km North West of Palakkad of Kerala state. The shapefile of the study area, SRTM 30m Digital Elevation Model, and rainfall data for the years 2017-2020 were collected and added as layers in MIKE+. Through manhole digitization followed by link creation, catchment delineation, catchment connection, and various boundary conditions, the rainfall-runoff model and catchment discharge by rational formula were determined. In Malappuram city, there are nine outlets, majority of sewers are delivering water to outlets at nodes 1156, 2344, and 2955 to reduce the burden of waste. According to the diameter of the manholes, the collection system was observed to be overdesigned, but it is capable of collecting all wastewater from each residence and catchment runoff to outlets without the need of pumps by gravity flow. In future perspective, if the water level exceeds the set critical level, mainly for the trunks sewer A and G, it will be a point of concern and requires attention.


Ovules were exercised from 8 weeks old fruits of Nagpur mandarins and cultured in basal salt solution of MS and MS supplemented with ME and MS supplemented with growth regulators, viz. NAA, IAA, BAP, IBA and kinetin. The cotyledonary embryoids obtained from MS + ME medium were again sub-cultured in MS and with different growth regulators. Results indicated that the percentage of different kinds of embryoids varied with supplementation. Addition of malt extract induced higher percentage of cotyledonary embryoids followed by basal medium. The data were further recorded 6 weeks after cotyledonary embryoids culture. The basal medium had significant effect on root length, shoot, root, plant and embryoid weight. Among growth regulators, kinetin (0.1 mg/litre) alone and in combination with IAA (2 mg/litre each) promoted plantlet formation. NAA (1 mg/litre) promoted embryogenesis. Thus, it is possible to produce reasonable number of plants via somatic embryogenesis and it can be adopted favourably for genetic studies and breeding experiments to improve Nagpur mandarins.


Ability to adapt to conditions of limited nutrient supply is a key feature of all cells. This may require a complex re-organization of metabolic pathways to balance energy generation and production of biosynthetic intermediates. Several fast-growing cells overexpress the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) for extracellular ATP. A peculiar feature of this receptor is that it allows growth in the absence of serum. We show here that transfection of P2X7R allows proliferation of HEK293 (HEK293-P2X7) cells not only in the absence of serum but also in low (4 mM) glucose and strongly increases lactate output compared to mock-transfected cells (HEK293-mock). In HEK293-P2X7 lactate output is further stimulated upon addition of exogenous ATP or of the mitochondrial uncoupler FCCP. In another tumour cell line constitutively expressing the P2X7R, the human neuroblastoma cell line ACN, lactate output is also dependent on P2X7R function. P2X7R-expressing cells up-regulate a) the glucose transporter Glut-1, b) the glycolytic enzymes glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), c) pyruvate kinase M2 (PK-M2) and d) pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDHK1), e) increase phosphorylated Akt/PKB (ph- Akt/PKB) and f) the level of intracellular glycogen stores. In HEK293-P2X7 cells glucose deprivation strongly increases lactate production, expression of glycolytic enzymes and ph-Akt/PKB level. These data show that the P2X7R has an intrinsic ability to reprogram cell metabolism to meet the needs imposed by adverse environmental conditions.