Abstract Although Oreamnos americanus is absent from most Pacific Coast islands, including Vancouver Island, 12,000-year-old skeletal remains were recovered in 2 caves on northern Vancouver Island. The specimens may represent early postglacial immigrants or a relict population derived from a coastal glacial refugium. Limb bones of the fossils are within the size range of modern specimens, suggesting a postglacial origin. O. americanus probably became extinct on Vancouver Island during the early Holocene warming, but inadequacies in the prehistoric faunal record prohibit a determination of a terminal date. The modern distribution of O. americanus on Pacific Coast islands reflects both prehistoric extinctions and low colonization rates across water barriers.


Abstract Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an RNA virus that belongs to the Pneumovirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae family. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS), CD3 (pan T cells), and CD8 (cytotoxic T cells) in lamb lungs naturally infected with RSV using immunohistochemistry (IHC). For this purpose, 100 pneumonic and 10 control lung tissue samples were taken from lambs slaughtered in the slaughterhouse after macroscopic examination. The streptavidin– peroxidase method (ABC) was used for IHC staining, and it revealed RSV positivity in 18 of 100 examined lungs with pneumonia (18%). These positive cases were then immunostained for iNOS, CD3, and CD8, and compared to controls. In all these cases, an increase in iNOS expression (100%) was detected, the higher number of CD3+ T lymphocytes was detected in 14 (78%) cases while CD8+ T lymphocytes were detected in five (28%) cases, only. Given the increase of iNOS immunoexpression in all RSV-positive cases and increase in the number of CD3+ T lymphocytes in most cases, it was concluded that iNOS and CD3+ T lymphocytes play an important role in the immune response in lamb pneumonia with naturally occurring RSV infection. With this study, the role of the mentioned markers was evaluated for the first time in lambs naturally infected with RSV.


This thesis focused on the feasibility of off-grid hybrid renewable energy in delivering basic healthcare services in rural areas without electricity access. Renewable energy resource (RES) such as solar and wind energy is considered abundant in many rural places, it is also environmental friendly, hence suitable for providing electricity in rural healthcare facilities where there is no electricity access. These energy resources have received greater attention in recent years due to their cost effectiveness in operation. Optimum planning and design of hybrid renewable power system based on location selection, component types, system configuration as well as sizing to meet the load requirements of rural healthcare facility has been considered in this study. In this case, long-term meteorological data from six selected locations across the six climatic zones of Nigeria (Sokoto, Maiduguri, Jos, Iseyin, Enugu and Port-Harcourt) were first examined to determine the feasibility of utilizing the energy resources (solar and wind) to power a typical rural healthcare facilities at respective remote locations. Followed by development of prediction algorithm for solar radiation using soft-computing methodologies. Then, utilization of cost-effective optimization algorithm for optimal sizing of the energy resources and other system components with accurate mathematical models for energy management of the entire hybrid system. The final aim is the minimization the proposed hybrid system total annual cost during the project lifetime while considering the reliability of power supply to the rural clinics and pollutant emission reduction. To this aim, cost function of PV, wind, diesel generator and battery were derived by considering the rural clinics load demand, sites meteorological (solar radiation, wind speed, temperature) data and diesel price. Findings from the study showed that Sokoto and Jos exist in the high wind potential regions, while the remaining sites are only suitable for small wind applications. Values obtained for global, beam and diffuse radiation as well as clearness index, show that all the sites enjoy considerable solar energy potential suitable for varying degree of solar energy applications. The feasibility simulation carried out with Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) software indicates that hybrid system is the best option for all the sites considered in this study. The PV/wind/diesel/battery hybrid system configuration is considered optimum for RHC applications at Iseyin, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Jos and Enugu, while hybrid systems involving PV/diesel/battery is considered ideal for RHC at remote location in Port-Harcourt, due to the quality of renewable energy potential. Hence, it was concluded that, the abundance of wind and solar resources in the country create an ideal environment for inclusion of renewable energy systems, such as PV and wind in the design and implementation of standalone power supply systems to improve rural health delivery. The reliability of hybrid systems is found to be enhanced when solar, wind and diesel generator are used together; the size of battery storage is also reduced because there is less dependence on one method of energy production.


The assembly of plastic electronic package requires a sequence of process steps. Every process step induces thermal residual deformation and stresses on the assembled components, which cause mechanical effects on the subsequent process step. Processing model with considering the effect of chemical shrinkage on molding compound is built to simulate the package warpage and stresses in assembly. The processing model, a nonlinear model with element birth and death used to activate and deactivate the processing materials, can more realistically simulate a series of assembly processes in a plastic package. The stresses in package components are primary factor for the damage of package. The induced package stresses can cause the delamination between die/die attach interface or die attach/die pad interface. In this study, effects of material properties as well thickness of die attach on warpage and stresses of TSOP (Thin Small Outline Package) during assembly are discussed.


Abstract In light of the constantly expanding use of standardized tests (STs) not only in industrialized countries but also in developing nations, this article seeks to offer some reflections on the assessment path that educational systems across the world are taking. In unpacking the STs we must not take for granted a number of aspects of standardized tests—from their construction and application to their unintended consequences.  The article proceeds in four distinct but interrelated parts:  (1) understanding the assumptions and process in the development of STs, (2) probing the assumptions underlying the use of STs, (3) recognizing that STs are limited in what they can tell teachers about how to improve their instructional practices, and (4) forming a broader philosophical critique about how knowledge transmission should be measured and by whom. There are multiple procedures and features that render STs an easy–to-use assessment tool for student learning.  However, assumptions used test design create considerable distance between their construction and any measurement of ability to teach.  This distance impedes the use of STs as practical tools to improve instruction.  Nonetheless, the testing industry in the US is solid and there are global efforts underway not only to expand the application from pre-Kindergarten to secondary schools but also to the university level.


Recently, the scientific interest trends toward the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in human nutrition because of their multifunctional properties. This study shortly summarizes our knowledge on the metabolism and physiological importance of PUFAs belonging to the n-6 and n-3 families. The main PUFAs of nutritional interest are linoleic (C18:2n-6), alpha-linolenic (C18:3n-3) acids and their derivates, namely arachidonic (C20:4n-6), eicosapentaenoic (C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (C22:6n-3) acids, respectively. These fatty acids are incorporated into membrane phospholipids of cells where they support cell membrane integrity and function. Furthermore, arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids are precursors for eicosanoids. Eicosanoids, such as thromboxanes, prostacyclins and leucotrienes are important in the regulation of several physiological processes. PUFAs, especially docosahexaenoic acid are essential nutrients in early human development, namely for neural tissues, such as the brain and the retina. According to our study the n-3 PUFAs supply of pregnant women and neonates were inadequate. In conformity with our calculation the same is true for the whole Hungarian population. On the basis of these findings we call attention to the necessity of changing the structure of fat consumption and we commit to a recommendation for it.


ABSTRACT In most vertebrates, a lack of oxygen quickly leads to irreparable damages to vital organs, such as the brain and heart. However, there are some vertebrates that have evolved mechanisms to survive periods of no oxygen (anoxia). The annual killifish (Austrofundulus limnaeus) survives in ephemeral ponds in the coastal deserts of Venezuela and their embryos have the remarkable ability to tolerate anoxia for months. When exposed to anoxia, embryos of A. limnaeus respond by producing significant amounts of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This study aims to understand the role of GABA in supporting the metabolic response to anoxia. To explore this, we investigated four developmentally distinct stages of A. limnaeus embryos that vary in their anoxia tolerance. We measured GABA and lactate concentrations across development in response to anoxia and aerobic recovery. We then inhibited enzymes responsible for the production and degradation of GABA and observed GABA and lactate concentrations, as well as embryo mortality. Here, we show for the first time that GABA metabolism affects anoxia tolerance in A. limnaeus embryos. Inhibition of enzymes responsible for GABA production (glutamate decarboxylase) and degradation (GABA-transaminase and succinic acid semialdehyde dehydrogenase) led to increased mortality, supporting a role for GABA as an intermediate product and not a metabolic end-product. We propose multiple roles for GABA during anoxia and aerobic recovery in A. limnaeus embryos, serving as a neurotransmitter, an energy source, and an anti-oxidant. Summary: Anoxic annual killifish embryos produce millimolar quantities of GABA. Interruptions in GABA metabolism decrease anoxia tolerance. We propose that GABA supports anoxia tolerance as a neurotransmitter and an anti-oxidant.


Optimal immunity to the Gram-positive pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (LM) requires both CD8+ and CD4+ antigen-specific T cell responses. Understanding how CD4+ T cells function in an immune response to LM and how bacterial proteins are processed to peptide/MHC class II complexes in infected cells requires identification of these proteins. Using LacZ-inducible, LM-specific CD4+ T cells as probes, we identified two immunogenic LM proteins by a novel expression cloning strategy. The antigenic peptides contained within these proteins were defined by deletion analysis of the genes, and their antigenicity was confirmed with synthetic peptides. The nucleotide sequences of the genes showed that they encode previously unknown LM proteins that are homologous to surface proteins in other bacterial species. Consistent with their surface topology, mild trypsin treatment of LM protoplasts ablated T cell recognition of these Ags. These findings establish a general strategy for identifying unknown CD4+ T cell Ags and demonstrate that LM surface proteins can provide the peptides for presentation by MHC class II molecules that are specific targets for CD4+ T cells during murine LM infection.


The Doctor Dilemma provides a timely discussion of policy issues in five key areas of physician-related public policy in Ontario: physician payment schemes, regulation of physician numbers and distribution, monitoring of the quality of medical care, the role of physicians in hospitals, and the regulation of new medical technologies. Shortt defines the scope of the problems, clarifies the focus of the debate, identifies the constraints on policy formation, and discusses the policy options available. The author accepts the inevitability of substantial change to the health care system and the way practitioners work but believes that such change can ultimately lead to a better system of health care in Ontario. His aim is to persuade fellow doctors not to oppose change but rather to inform policy makers of what areas of physician activity legitimately demand intervention and how best to make changes. The Doctor Dilemma will be of tremendous interest to physicians and health care professionals, administrators, and policy makers across Canada.


Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) modulate vascular wall cell function in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo. The aim of the current study was to determine how bovine aorta endothelial cells (BAECs) respond to the simultaneous exposure to PDGF-BB and bFGF. It was found that bFGF-dependent BAEC migration, proliferation, and differentiation into tubelike structures on reconstituted extracellular matrix (Matrigel) were inhibited by PDGF-BB. The role played by PDGF receptor alpha (PDGF-Ralpha) was investigated by selective stimulation with PDGF-AA, by blocking PDGF-BB-binding to PDGF-Ralpha with neomycin, or by transfecting cells with dominant-negative forms of the receptors to selectively impair either PDGF-Ralpha or PDGF-Rbeta function. In all cases, PDGF-Ralpha impairment abolished the inhibitory effect of PDGF-BB on bFGF-directed BAEC migration. In addition, PDGF-Ralpha phosphorylation was increased in the presence of bFGF and PDGF, as compared to PDGF alone, whereas mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation was decreased in the presence of PDGF-BB and bFGF compared with bFGF alone. In vivo experiments showed that PDGF-BB and PDGF-AA inhibited bFGF-induced angiogenesis in vivo in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay and that PDGF-BB inhibited bFGF-induced angiogenesis in Matrigel plugs injected subcutaneously in CD1 mice. Taken together these results show that PDGF inhibits the angiogenic properties of bFGF in vitro and in vivo, likely through PDGF-Ralpha stimulation.


Research aims: This study examines whether developing countriesthat had adopted the International Financial Reporting Standards(IFRS) experience better foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows thannon-adopting countries. Linked to that, the study also examines themoderating role of country-level institutional quality in the relationshipbetween IFRS adoption and FDI inflows.Design/ Methodology/ Approach: A panel data of 116 developingcountries covering the period of 1996 to 2013 was used for theempirical analysis. The efficient two-step System Generalised Methodof Moments (GMM) estimation technique with Windmeijer correctedstandards errors and orthogonal deviations was employed to examinethe dynamic empirical relations.Research findings: Results demonstrate that IFRS adoption, onits own, does not affect the amount of FDI inflows to developingcountries. However, from the interaction noted between IFRSadoption and institutional quality, it is observed that countries that adopted the IFRS experience better FDI inflows when the institutionalquality is present.Theoretical contribution/ Originality: This study extends knowledgeon the IFRS-FDI nexus by examining the role of institutionalquality in the relationship.Practitioner/ Policy implication: The findings of this study suggestthat the decision to adopt the IFRS should not be undertakenas a stand-alone strategy. Instead, it should be taken in tandemwith other institutional reforms which are aimed at improvinginstitutional quality.Research limitation/ Implications: Developing countries that haveadopted the IFRS as well as those that are planning to adopt itshould therefore, consider pursuing rigorous institutional developmentalreforms as a means of complementing their adoptiondecision.Keywords: Developing Countries, FDI, GMM, IFRS Adoption,Institutional Quality.JEL Classification: M41, M48


Modern computer simulation system has developed towards the direction of large-scale and distributed computing pattern. The large-scale simulation applications always deploy over heterogeneous networks across geographically dispersed locations, and the simulation process often lasts for a long time without intermission. The challenge is that various errors cannot be avoided during a long continuous running time in such a broad network environment with a huge number of simulation resources. The problem of simulation fault tolerance has become a hot issue. This paper introduces live migration method to virtualization-based computer simulation system, handling reliability problems, especially fault tolerance issues. The paper presents a framework of simulation fault tolerance. Then the detailed live migration mechanism of run-time simulation is discussed. The method can provide an approach to consolidating the reliable simulation in distributed and long-term simulation applications.


To investigate the characteristics of size distributions and water-soluble ions compositions of atmospheric aerosol in different weather conditions in the area of Yangtze River delta in China, aerosol samples were collected with Andersen cascade sampler on typical clear and hazy days at Lin'an regional background station. The water-soluble ionic concentrations were analyzed by the ion chromatography (IC). Results showed the concentrations of SO42-, NO3-, NH4+ and K+ on hazy days were 20.14, 17.45, 10.30, and 1.27µg m-3 in fine particles, respectively, and the concentrations of NO3-, NH4+ and K+ were 14.50, 2.35 and 0.50µg m-3 in coarse particles, respectively. This was 1.1-2.9 times higher than on clear days. The concentrations of Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+ and Cl- on hazy days were 2.67, 1.33, 0.37, and 1.03µg m-3 in fine particles, respectively, and the concentrations of Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, Cl- and SO42- were 4.34, 1.27, 0.41, 0.89 and 2.08µg m-3 in coarse particles, respectively. This was 0.6-0.9 times lower than on clear days. K+ and secondary particles including sulfate, nitrate and ammonium came from the long-range transport which mainly from the area of Yangtze River delta, which was the main cause of formation of haze.


Treatment of the pulps prepared from non-woody plants, abaca and kenaf with two commercially available pectinases, pectinase PL _??_AMANO_??_ and Ultrazym containing CMC-ase, xylanase and β-glucosidase was conducted to investigate the effect of the pulp properties on the pectinases treatment. We found that large amounts of parenchyma cells in the both kenaf and abaca pulps were removed by the two pectinases treatments. Seventy to almost one hundred percent of the parenchyma cells could be removed from the both pulps by the 24 hours' treatment. However, the weights of the kenaf and abaca pulps treated with the pectinases were decreased by 4 to 28%, especially the loss of the weights was increased with increase in amounts of CMC-ase, β-gulucosidase and xylanase coexisted in the pectinases. The water retention values of the kenaf and abaca pulps were decreased by 28 to 80% by the treatment with pectinase PL _??_AMANO_??_. On the contrary, the values of the kenaf pulps were increased by 10 to 53% by the treatments with Ultrazym. The physical properties of the abaca pulps treated with pectinase PL _??_AMANO_??_ generally made little difference from those of the untreated pulps. However, the breaking length in the physical properties of the abaca pulps was improved by 5 to 36% by the treatment with the pectinase. The properties of the kenaf pulps treated with the pectinase were lowered in those of the untreated pulps.


Structural health monitoring in the context of a Micon 65/13 horizontal axis wind turbine was described in this paper as a process in statistical pattern recognition. Simulation data from a calibrated model with less than 8% error in the first 14 natural frequencies of vibration was used to study the operational response under various wind states as well as the effects of three types of damage in the blade, low speed shaft and yaw joint. It was shown that vertical wind shear and turbulent winds lead to different modal contributions in the operational response of the turbine suggesting that the sensitivity of operational data to damage depends on the wind loads. It is also shown that there is less than a 4% change in the wind turbine natural frequencies given a 25% reduction in the stiffness at the root of one blade. The modal assurance criterion was used to analyse the corresponding changes in modal deflections, and this criterion exhibited nearly orthogonal changes because of the three damage scenarios suggesting that the modal deflection determines which damage is observable at a given frequency for a given wind state. The' modal contribution is calculated as a damage feature, which changes as much as 100% for 50% reductions in blade root stiffness, but only the blade damage is detected using this feature. Operational data was used to study variations in the forced blade response to determine the likelihood that small levels of damage can be detected amidst variations in wind speed across the rotor plane. The standard deviation in measured data was shown to be smallest for the span and edge-wise measurements at 1P due to gravity, which provides the dominant forcing function at this frequency. A 3% change in the response in the span and edge-wise directions because of damage is required to detect a change of three standard deviations in contrast to the 90% change in flap direction response that is required to detect a similar change because of damage. The dynamic displacement in the span direction is then used to extract a damage feature from the simulation data that provides the ability to both locate and quantify the reduction in stiffness in the blade root. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A competent and skilled public health workforce is crucial in delivering the ten essential services of public health. Recognizing this, the Public Health Accreditation Board has incorporated workforce development and training into its national accreditation standards for State, Local, and Tribal Health Departments. Currently, the Allegheny County Health Department is in the pre-application phase of accreditation. Achieving accreditation status will ensure that the health department maintains standards related to population health. In June 2014, the Allegheny County Health Department administered a self-assessment of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals to its entire workforce to identify the training needs of the staff. The results of the survey will provide important, baseline data upon which a workforce development and training plan can be developed in accordance with accreditation standards. Through initial analysis of the assessment, it is recommended that the Allegheny County Health Department focus its efforts on public health policy, cultural competency, and the identification of community stakeholders. In addition, deputy directors and department managers will review assessment data relevant to their staff and identify trainings that can support the achievement of program-specific goals. Developing a training plan that supports the diversity of programs at Allegheny County Health Department will be a challenge; however, utilizing this type of evidence-based approach will best prepare its workforce to address current and future public health issues.


In this paper, the applicability of a new mesh-insensitive structural stress method is examined for the evaluation of multiaxial fatigue behaviors in welded joints. The mesh-insensitive structural stress method proves to be effective in characterizing stress concentration effects in multi-axial fatigue of welded components. In seeking an effective structural stress based fatigue parameter, some well-known published test data were analyzed. These include those published by researchers, e.g., from the Electric Power Research Intitute (EPRI), the Fraunhofer-Institute for Structural Durability (LBF), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and the Welding Institute (TWI) under bending, torsion, and in-phase and out-of-phase loading combinations. An effective structural stress parameter has then been formulated in a form of a proposed modified Gough's ellipse for considering both in-phase and out-of-phase multiaxial loading conditions. The aforementioned multiaxial fatigue data from a total of five independent sources can be effectively correlated with a structural stress based parameter presented in this paper, without introducing any other material-related empirical parameters. The present method is rather simple to use for day-to-day finite element based fatigue evaluation of welded joints in actual structures subjected to multiaxial loading conditions.


The safety of the Mirror Advanced Reactor Study (MARS) tandem mirror reactor is assessed. Only prompt consequences to the public at the plant boundary, which is taken to be 1000m, are considered. The major radioactive inventories in MARS reside in the first-wall/blanket structure, coolant, and tritium. The greatest radioactivity resides in the HT-9 first-wall/ blanket structure. The only accident scenario identified that could lead to a first-wall meltdown was a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) accompanied by the inability to shut off the plasma. However, since only oxides of molybdenum are expected to be volatized from the hot HT-9 structure, the public consequences are found to be low. A LOCA can result in large doses if the activity in the activated corrosion products and LiPb coolant can be transported outside the reactor containment building. However, most of the LiPb would be expected to solidify, and any aerosols that are produced will likely plate out on surfaces or settle. Various tritium accident scenarios were considered. Release of all the tritium in the reactor building (51 g) leads to a dose of 21 rem. A much more likely accident involves partial leakage due to some reactor containment damage.


Introduction: Patients with ACL reconstruction often return back to activity with diminished quadriceps activity and strength.  (Patients suffering from ACL can be often rehabilitated with the help of ACL reconstruction, although quadriceps strength and muscle activity might be weak or limited after the surgery.)The present study aimed to compare the effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and Biofeedback Electromyography (B-EMG) on improvement in quadriceps strength and mean value of VMO activation pattern (MVVA) among patients with reconstruction of ACL. Materials and Methods: The study was designed as a randomized control trial. 102 patients, who filled a demographic questionnaire relating to important factors mainly age, height, and weight before the intervention, (all sportsmen) were randomly divided into four groups known as, FES (n=21), TENS (n=21), B-EMG (n=22) and control (n=38). In this study, hand-held dynamometry and biofeedback electromyography were used to assess Quadriceps strength and MVVA respectively. All samples were evaluated at three different time intervals, including prior to the, after and 4 weeks after the treatment.  Additionally, all four groups received Ice pack around the knee and Michle Duck exercise therapy protocol. The treatments provided totally lasted 3 to 5 weeks. The participants in 4 groups received TENS, FES and B-EMG as their main treatments 5 times a week for 45, 15 and 15 minutes successively. Results: The mean scores of MVVA and quadriceps strength after the intervention and after the follow-up increased significantly in all four groups. However the effect of FES on MVVA in comparison with TENS and control group was statistically meaningful in favor of FES group. (As instructed here the last sentence omitted) Conclusion: TENS, FES and B-EMG in combination with cryotherapy and exercise as well as cryotherapy with exercise can reduce VMO inhibition and improve quadriceps strength in patients who undergo ACL reconstruction. However FES in combination with cryotherapy and exercise can be the most effective one. Key words: ACL Reconstruction, Biofeedback, Functional Electrical Stimulation, Quadriceps Inhibition, TENS


Service operations are currently at the hub of economic activities in some parts of the world. Although indicators seem to suggest the existence and future dominance of service economies, such economies will only be sustainable if appropriate use of scientific and engineering methods are applied to the complete spectrum of service operations; i.e. the engineering aspects and the business side (management) of operating systems. The challenge, therefore, lies in selecting appropriate scientific and engineering tools, techniques, methods and technologies for implementation in those critical areas that can leverage dynamics in service operations as they are known today. Of all engineering disciplines currently available today, industrial engineering and its related equivalence or variants is among the most multifaceted disciplines that can face up to the challenge of advancing service operations to higher dimensions. Such advancement requires appropriate demonstrable, practical and transferable research results as well as suitable case studies on service operations. In light of the quest to advance service operations, this paper discusses the changing roles of industrial engineering and its crucial input in advancing service operations towards growth, development and perhaps global dominance of service economies.


Theoretical base for non-destructive diffusion parameters determination technique in solids taking into account the dopant flux from the sample surface is presented. Diffusion of the nitrogen implanted in the tungsten single crystals was determined in temperature range 700–820°C. Surface concentration of nitrogen was obtained by Auger electron spectroscopy. Initial distribution of the nitrogen in subsurface region was measured by secondary-ion mass-spectroscopy. Two dopant atom fluxes found in subsurface region of the ion-implanted material are supposed to connect with the radiation damages and with the bulk diffusion mechanism.


Benzoylecgonine (BZE) is the major toxic metabolite of cocaine, and is responsible for the long-term cocaine-induced toxicity due to its long residence time in humans. BZE is also the main contaminant following cocaine consumption, representing a risk to our environment and non-target organisms. Here, we identified the bacterial cocaine esterase (CocE) as a BZE-metabolizing enzyme (BZEase), which can degrade BZE into biological inactive metabolites (ecgonine and benzoic acid). CocE was redesigned by a reactant-state-based enzyme design theory. An encouraging mutant denoted as BZEase2, presented a >400-fold improved catalytic efficiency against BZE compared with wild-type (WT) CocE. In vivo , a single dose of BZEase2 (1 mg/kg, IV) could eliminate nearly all BZE within only two minutes, suggesting the enzyme have the potential for cocaine overdose treatment and BZE  elimination in the environment by accelerating BZE clearance. The crystal structure of a designed BZEase was determined, providing additional insights in support of our simulation results.


Competitive interactions in clonal forestry are not well understood and this needs to be addressed to develop better deployment strategies. Eight juvenile Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carriére) clones were grown in monoclonal and clonal mixtures in a field experiment for three years to assess the effects of genetic diversity on shoot growth, aboveand below-ground biomass partitioning and crown characteristics. Shoot elongation was measured throughout the growing season, while diameter was measured twice annually in May and December. After the third year, crown silhouette area was estimated from digitised images for one ramet per plot and ramets were then destructively harvested. Deployment × clone interactions were observed for tree height and diameter with reductions observed in mixed plots. Mixed plots had significantly greater height and diameter heterogeneity and more asymmetrical competition than monoclonal plots. Results from this study demonstrate that stem growth can be significantly altered when clones are planted in multi-clonal mixtures but for most clones, deployment-type will not significantly reduce their productivity.


Recently, phytochemical-based dietary intervention has gained attention as a preventive and curative strategy against cancers owing to their safety, better tolerance, and economics. Against this background, black tea extract which contains the flavanol-3-ol, theaflavins (TF), and thearubigins (TR) with promising anti-oncogenic activity were assessed to determine its in vitro inhibitory impact on colon cancer (HCT 116) and lung cancer cell lines (HT 460). In a dose-dependent manner, results revealed that TF, TR, and their combinations cause inhibition in cell viability. However, TF imparted a maximum reduction in cell viability of HCT 116 and HT 460. Flow cytometry data revealed that TF, TR, and their combinations exhibited substantial cell arrest at the G2/M phase. The influence was more prominent in lung cancer cells (HT 460) when compared with colon cells (HCT 116). All treatments resulted in apoptosis, however, the combination of TF and TR exhibited the highest apoptotic ability in comparison to individual treatments. TF and TR exhibited a synergistic impact and significantly inhibited cell proliferation of HCT 116 and HT 460 in dose- and time-dependent manners by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, wherein TF showed a more pronounced impact. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Results from the present study revealed that black tea-isolated polyphenols (TF and TR) exhibited a significant inhibition of lung and colon cancer cell growth. A promising synergistic effect of TF and TR as inhibitors of cancer cells was observed. More clinical work, perhaps on a human subject, is needed before these two isolated compounds can be prescribed as anticancer drugs.


Seite 1 Extreme High-speed Laser Material Deposition EHLA, developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, is considered an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cladding processes. It offers significant advantages, particularly for coating metallic components that are subject to extreme stress and, therefore, need to be protected from corrosion and wear. Together with Ponticon GmbH, scientists at Fraunhofer ILT are continuing to work on the patented process, now named EHLA 3D, to advance it for additive manufacturing and, thus, expand its possibilities many times over.


What do you think of when you hear about low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)? Poverty? Social disturbance? Infectious diseases? These conditions certainly affect many such countries, but something else that they have in common is a lack of mental health research, which is often an underrated and even neglected area of activity in these countries. This manifests itself in two ways: relative to high-income countries, LMICs have a poor level of mental health research; and, within the latter countries, the capacity for mental health research is disproportionately lower than that for other areas of health research. Lack of finance, poorly trained staff, inadequate oversight, public misunderstanding and social instability all conspire to make mental health research a very low priority in these countries. This book is the first attempt to tackle systematically the catastrophic situation of mental health research in LMICs.

What is the potential research capacity for mental health in LMICs? What are the visions from the people who live there? How can these countries improve mental health research? These are some of the questions addressed in this publication; it provides important guidance and acts as a reference point for those who want to change the state of mental health research in LMICs.

As a psychiatrist working in China, I witnessed the low research capacity for mental health in a remote area of the country 20 years ago and have observed the rapid improvement over the past 10 years. I would like to share two personal stories about China that I hope will encourage those who work in mental health in LMICs to consider reading this book and be inspired to improve the state of mental health research there.

The first story concerns an American who arrived in Beijing in 2002 with brochures about Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He met with several psychiatrists in the city and told them that he wanted to set up AA in China. Reluctantly, the psychiatrists assembled several patients with alcohol dependence in a psychiatric hospital, translated the 12 steps and 12 traditions of AA for the patients and facilitated the meetings, but were sceptical about the programme's efficacy. Gradually, more and more individuals with alcohol dependence began to come to the weekly AA meetings in the hospital, and some time later these were held without the need for a psychiatrist facilitator. Over the past five years AA membership has proliferated across China and it is now the largest alcohol rehabilitation programme operating in the country.

The second story deals with methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). In 2001, professionals in public health and clinical treatment in China realized that detoxification alone did not work for treating heroin dependence and that MMT was needed as an adjunct. Mental health researchers and clinicians wrote articles and proposals demonstrating the need for MMT and presented them at congresses and distributed them to government agencies and professionals who were not familiar with MMT. Initially, the MMT movement in China was too weak to bring about a policy change but it gradually gained in strength, with the result that in 2007 the Guidance for Community-based Methadone Maintenance Therapy policy became the most important part of the Chinese national HIV/AIDS control plan.

The message of the first story is to keep an open mind and to consider using treatments that may be new in the LMIC setting. The significance of the second story is that translating research into policy is possible, even though it may take time. Many years ago, mental health researchers in China were not in a position to develop novel research initiatives and often felt pessimistic about the state of mental health research in the country. However, new initiatives are now beginning to appear in China.

The book makes highly feasible recommendations for improving the status of mental health research in LMICs and makes the important point that this is not necessarily synonymous with increased cost. I highly recommend this book and urge all mental health researchers in LMICs to read it, incorporate its recommendations into their own practices and pass on the information to others. By acting together, researchers, doctors, administrators and government officials can transform the state of mental health research. ■


This research is focusing on the radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering process, a physical vapor deposition technique which is widely used in thin film production. This process requires the optimized combination of deposition parameters in order to obtain the desirable thin film. The conventional method in the optimization of the deposition parameters had been reported to be costly and time consuming due to its trial and error nature. Thus, gravitational search algorithm (GSA) technique had been proposed to solve this nano-process parameters optimization problem. In this research, the optimized parameter combination was expected to produce the desirable electrical and optical properties of the thin film. The performance of GSA in this research was compared with that of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Artificial Immune System (AIS) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). Based on the overall results, the GSA optimized parameter combination had generated the best electrical and an acceptable optical properties of thin film compared to the others. This computational experiment is expected to overcome the problem of having to conduct repetitive laboratory experiments in obtaining the most optimized parameter combination. Based on this initial experiment, the adaptation of GSA into this problem could offer a more efficient and productive way of depositing quality thin film in the fabrication process.


Background Aging and HIV infection are independently associated with excessive immune activation and impaired immune responses to vaccines, but their relationships have not been examined. Methods For selecting an aging population we enrolled 28 post-menopausal women including 12 healthy volunteers and 16 HIV-infected women on antiretroviral treatment with <100 HIV RNA copies/ml. Antibody titers to trivalent influenza vaccination given during the 2011-2012 season were determined before and 4 weeks after vaccination. Results Seroprotective influenza antibody titers (≥1:40) were observed in 31% HIV+ and 58% HIV-uninfected women pre-vaccination. Following vaccination, magnitude of antibody responses and frequency of seroprotection were lower in HIV+ (75%) than in HIV– (91%) women. Plasma IL-21, the signature cytokine of T follicular helper cells (Tfh), and CD4 T cell IL-21R were upregulated with seroconversion (≥4 fold increase in antibody titer). Post-vaccine antibody responses were inversely correlated with pre-vaccination plasma TNFα levels and with activated CD4 T cells, including activated peripheral (p)Tfh. Plasma TNFα levels were correlated with activated pTfh cells (r=0.48, p=0.02), and inversely with the post-vaccination levels of plasma IL-21 (r=-0.53, p=0.02). In vitro TNFα blockade improved the ability of CD4 T cells to produce IL-21 and of B cells to secrete immunoglobulins, and addition of exogenous IL-21 to cell cultures enhanced B cell function. Higher frequencies of activated and exhausted CD8 T and B cells were noted in HIV+ women, but these markers did not show a correlation with antibody responses. Conclusions In aging HIV-infected and uninfected women, activated CD4 and pTfh cells may compromise influenza vaccine-induced antibody response, for which a mechanism of TNFα-mediated impairment of pTfh-induced IL-21 secretion is postulated. Interventions aimed at reducing chronic inflammation and immune activation in aging, HIV-infected patients may improve their response to vaccines.


Neutrophils are specialized at killing bacteria and are recruited from the blood in a rapid and robust manner during infection. A cascade of adhesion events direct their attachment to the vascular endothelium and migration into the underlying tissue. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) functions in the cell membrane of neutrophils and endothelial cells by cleaving its substrates, typically in a cis manner, at an extracellular site proximal to the cell membrane. This process is referred to as ectodomain shedding and it results in the downregulation of various adhesion molecules and receptors, and the release of immune regulating factors. ADAM17 sheddase activity is induced upon cell activation and rapidly modulates intravascular adhesion events in response to diverse environmental stimuli. During sepsis, an excessive systemic inflammatory response against infection, neutrophil migration becomes severely impaired. This involves ADAM17 as indicated by increased levels of its cleaved substrates in the blood of septic patients, and that ADAM17 inactivation improves neutrophil recruitment and bacterial clearance in animal models of sepsis. Excessive ADAM17 sheddase activity during sepsis thus appears to undermine in a direct and indirect manner the necessary balance between intravascular adhesion and de-adhesion events that regulate neutrophil migration into sites of infection. This review provides an overview of ADAM17 function and regulation and its potential contribution to neutrophil dysfunction during sepsis.


In this paper we address the model matching problem for multirate systems where the controller output is generated at a faster rate than the measurement update rate. The model matching problem is considered from the input-state viewpoint: given a desired LTI system, find conditions and provide a controller design procedure to achieve matching between the closed-loop system and the desired system state variables at the measurement update rate. We provide a solution to this problem using a particular time-varying controller structure. In addition we give conditions to avoid ripples in the steady-state output of the continuous-time plant.


Abstract The increased energy consumption in office building led to stakeholders' renewed interests in optimizing office buildings' energy performances, such as indoor comfort, energy efficiency, and life cycle costs. One of the most effective solutions to hedging against building operation optimization is incorporating energy efficiency measures and architectural programming early. This paper proposes a Smart Integrated Workspace Design (SIWD) framework that integrates architectural programming system using Internet of Things (IoT) technology into the Value Engineering (VE) process to assess design alternatives targeted explicitly at future smart office buildings. The use of the SIWD led to an improved development cycle linking architectural plans and engineering design. An empirical test using a large building owner, their designers, and contractors in Jakarta, Indonesia, resulted in an 18% improvement in building energy performance and quality when the design team used the SIWD framework. It is also indicated that leveraging advanced technology and incorporating familiar concepts and processes increased user willingness to adopt the SIWD in future projects. So, incorporated the IoT in architectural design and evaluated by VE made the readiness and friendly technology to all occupants to get the building efficiency and comfort unsteady.


The role of physical literacy within physical education (PE) has become a widely debated topic in recent years. Its role in educating children about physicality through embodiment, skill acquisition and reading the environment is argued to be of great benefit to children. However, whether children understand the role of PE in the development of these competencies is not clear, and this is even truer for children who have special educational needs (SEN). Drawing on qualitative phenomenological data from 30 children in key stages two and three (7 to 14 years of age) who have SEN, this article explores notions of physical fitness and physical literacy as understood by children in PE lessons. It aims to gain insight into the ways that children understand the purpose of PE, and places these perceptions within a physical literacy framework, using the National Curriculum for PE (NCPE) as a foundation. Findings demonstrate that children with SEN perceive PE as a means for improving physical fitness, whereas concepts surrounding physical literacy appear to be lost. The article concludes by making recommendations for factoring physical literacy components more forcibly into the PE curriculum, and through initial teacher training and continued professional development.


OBJECTIVE
To determine perioperative morbidity of children ≤12 months undergoing cochlear implantation (CI).

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective analysis using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric Database (ACS-NSQIP-P).

SETTING
General acute care children's hospitals, children's hospitals within larger hospitals, specialty children's hospitals, and general acute care hospitals with a pediatric wing.

PATIENTS
Children who underwent CI were queried using the ACS-NSQIP-P from 2012 to 2015.

INTERVENTION
Cochlear implantation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Risk factors analyzed include age, prematurity, and presence of congenital disorders. Outcomes analyzed include operative time, length of stay, general surgical complications, readmissions, and related reoperations.

RESULTS
Over the database accrual period, the percentage of children ≤12 months at the time of surgery increased from 2012 to 2015 (6.08-7.78%, p = 0.0752). Total operative time, length of stay (≥1 d), and readmissions for those ≤12 months were significantly greater compared with those >12 months at the time of surgery (p < 0.001, p = 0.0037, and p < 0.0001, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in general surgical complications (i.e., superficial incisional surgical site infections, organ/space surgical site infections, and/or unplanned reoperations) in cases ≤12 months. Complications specific to CI such as facial nerve paralysis, cerebrospinal fluid leak, and mastoiditis were not recorded in the ACS-NSQIP-P.

CONCLUSION
Infants had no more general surgical complications in the immediate postoperative period compared with older children, although total operative time, length of stay, and readmissions were found to be significantly greater in frequency.


An important component in the vision of ubiquitous computing is universal interaction: the ability to use arbitrary interactive devices, such as cell phones and palmtops, to interact with arbitrary appliances such as TVs, printers, and lights. We believe that these interactive devices can and should enable personalized agents to learn about the real-world behavior of their users by observing the appliance operations they invoke. The agents can then apply this knowledge to support useful and interesting features, including: (1) predicting appliance related tasks and automatically performing them on the behalf of users and (2) presenting appliance interfaces that reflect the situational preferences of users as inferred from their past interactions. In this paper, we motivate and present an architecture for integrating personalized agents in our universal interaction infrastructure. Specifically, we present the following: (1) reasons for supporting universal interaction and personalized agents in this domain, (2) a general architecture for universal interaction, (3) a framework for supporting personalized agents on top of this general architecture, (4) the current state of our implementation of this framework, and (5) open research issues we are currently exploring.


During preparation of the account of Maianthemum F. H. Wiggers for the Flora of China, volume 24, it was found that two taxa formerly treated under Smilacina Desfontaines required the following new combinations in Maianthemum, namely M. fusciduliflorum (Kawano) S. C. Chen & Kawano and M. stenolobum (Franchet) S. C. Chen & Kawano. The genus Maianthemum (including Smilacina) consists of about 35 species and is widely distributed in the northern temperate zone as well as subtropical montane Asia and Central America. Two genera, Smilacina and Maianthemum, have been recognized traditionally and historically. LaFrankie (1986) concluded that the difference between them (trimerous vs. dimerous flowers) was not sufficient to warrant distinct genera, and therefore transferred the species of Smilacina to Maianthemum. Along with Li (1990) and Hara (1987), the present authors agree with LaFrankie's transfers and note that the following combinations are necessary for their forthcoming treatment of Maianthemum in the Flora of China, volume 24 (Chen & Kawano, in press). Maianthemum fusciduliflorum (Kawano) S. C. Chen & Kawano, comb. nov. Basionym: Smilacina fusciduliflora Kawano, J. Jap. Bot. 41: 354. 1966. TYPE: Myanmar-China (Xizang). "Burma-Tibet Frontier: Adunq [sic = Adung] Valley, alt. 12000 ft," 26 June 1931, F Kingdon-Ward 9706 (holotype, F). This species occurs from 2200 to 3600 m in southeastern Xizang and northwestern Yunnan provinces of China, as well as in adjacent Myanmar. It has violet tepals free to the base of the perianth, whereas the closely related species Maianthemum lichiangense (W. W. Smith) LaFrankie and M. tubiferum (Batalin) LaFrankie have white or violet-tinged tepals connate at their bases to form a tube. Maianthemum lichiangense occurs from 2800 to 3500 m in southern Gansu, Sichuan, northwestern Yunnan, and possibly Shaanxi provinces, and M. tubiferum occurs from 2500 to 3000 m in Gansu, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces; both are endemic to China. Maianthemum stenolobum (Franchet) S. C. Chen & Kawano, comb. nov. Basionym: Tovaria stenoloba Franchet, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 43: 47. 1896. Smilacina stenoloba (Franchet) Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29: 247. 1900. Smilacina paniculata (Baker) F. T. Wang & Ts. Tang var. stenoloba (Franchet) F. T. Wang & Ts. Tang, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 15: 32. 1978. Smilacina tatsienensis (Franchet) H. R. Wehrhahn f. stenoloba (Franchet) H. Hara, J. Fac. Sci. Univ. Tokyo, Sect. 3, Bot. 14: 155. 1987. Smilacina tatsienensis var. stenoloba (Franchet) D. M. Liu, in J. M. Xu, Fl. Sichuan. 7: 202. 1991. Maianthemum tatsienense (Franchet) LaFrankie var. stenolobum (Franchet) H. Li, in Z. Y. Wu et al., Fl. Yunnan. 7: 744. 1997. TYPE: China. Chongqing: "prbs de Tchen keou tin [Chengkou]," Farges 593 bis (holotype, P). This species is endemic to China, occurring from 2000 to 3000 m in southern Gansu, western Hubei, and Chongqing (formerly eastern Sichuan) provinces. It has narrowly lanceolate, 5-7-mmlong inner tepals, whereas the closely related species, Maianthemum gongshanense (S. Yun Liang) H. Li and M. trifolium (L.) Sloboda, have obovate or oblong, 2-4.5-mm-long inner tepals. Maianthemum gongshanense occurs from 3400 to 3600 m in western Yunnan Province, where it is endemic, and M. trifolium occurs from 400 to 700 m in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and possibly Nei Mongol provinces of China, as well as northern Korea, Russia, and North America. NovoN 10: 113-114. 2000. This content downloaded from 184.108.40.206 on Thu, 23 Feb 2017 18:10:30 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms


Introduction: Bioceramic materials, gray and white mineral trioxide aggregate (GMTA, WMTA), have been shown to have high rates of success in various endodontic applications. A major drawback is their tendency to discolor teeth. Biodentine (BD), a recenlty developed bioceramic material, has been claimed not to discolor teeth. The aim of this study was to compare tooth discoloration after applying different pulpotomy base materials (BD, GMTA and WMTA). Methods: Forty human fully developed primary incisors teeth were used in this study. Coronal access was achieved by a Tungsten Carbide drill, and the pulp chambers were accessed and chemo-mechanically debrided. Each material was placed in the pulp chamber, up to the cervical sectioning level. All specimens were incubated at 37°C and 100% humidity for 14 weeks and have been evaluated before the study and weekly. Color was assessed according to the CIE L*a*b* color space system. Results: The ΔE (delta E) of all experimental groups (GMTA, WMTA and BD) were significantly different from the control group at all time points. Color changes in the GMTA and WMTA groups showed significantly higher discoloration compared to BD group in the cervical part of the crown, since week 1. WMTA group showed significant discoloration in the cervical part as of week 1, and gradually increased over time. BD group showed no significant discoloration over time. GMTA group showed the most significant discoloration at week 1 and week 14 (P<0.05). Conclusions: both GMTA and WMTA pulpotomy materials may discolor tooth structure over time in an extracted primary anterior tooth model. When choosing bioceramic pulpotomy material, BD may be preferable, mainly in esthetic area.


ABSTRACT

Needle trap samplers (NTS), which are environmentally friendly solid phase microextraction sampling devices, were used to obtain air samples at a medical examination center in a teaching hospital to determine the concentration of airborne xylene. The standard active sampling method, Method 1501, was simultaneously used to evaluate the exposure of workers to xylene. The concentrations of xylene were much lower than the legal 100-ppm time-weighted average (TWA) concentration. Another organic reagent used in the medical examination center, formaldehyde, did not exhibit co-adsorption along with the extraction of xylene by NTS. The use of a fume hood satisfactorily reduced VOC emissions in the workplace. Additionally, a management strategy involving chemical control banding was adopted to evaluate the emission control of xylene and formaldehyde in this work. We recommend that workers wear the NTS as a routine micro-sampler in order to protect their health.


Childhood abuse and other developmentally adverse interpersonal traumas may put young adults at risk not only for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but also for impairment in affective, cognitive, biological, and relational self-regulation ("disorders of extreme stress not otherwise specified"; DESNOS). Structured clinical interviews with 345 sophomore college women, most of whom (84%) had experienced at least one traumatic event, indicated that the DESNOS syndrome was rare (1% prevalence), but DESNOS symptoms were reported by a majority of respondents. Controlling for PTSD and other anxiety or affective disorders, DESNOS symptom severity was associated with a history of single-incident interpersonal trauma and with more severe interpersonal trauma in a dose-response manner. Noninterpersonal trauma was associated with elevated prevalence of PTSD and dissociation but not with DESNOS severity. Study findings indicate that persistent posttraumatic problems with self-regulation warrant attention, even in relatively healthy young adult populations.


This paper studies the housing and town building policies. It analyzes reasons that new towns failed to achieve their strategic goals. This paper addresses the question of why the new towns are not functional. The research methods are classic linear programming, a benchmarking technique, and a case study strategy. The benchmarking procedure compares the existing urban development pattern to optimal building models. This study explores fundamental theories concerning housing and urban development, proportional to the inhabitants' requirements, lifestyles, and livelihoods.  The purpose of this study is to emphasize the natural and social characteristics of each region, as well as the livelihood needs of indigenous peoples in housing and urban policies. The case study of this research uses a market analysis procedure to discover rational and optimal housing policies. Finally, this paper suggests a feasible programming model that changes the present unsuccessful ways toward improved methods of housing policies.  The model predicts required urban spaces in the new towns. It recommends design procedures based on the real needs of local people. The presented model of this research has a local application, but it is also helpful for other new urban development projects everywhere.

 Key words: Housing, new towns, urban planning and design, market analysis, linear programming.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of pulp stones in a group of Peruvian adults using cone beam tomography (CBCT). Materials and methods: 60 randomly selected CBCT from a tomographic center in Lima, Peru were analyzed. A total of 1263 images of teeth using the Point 3D Combi 500 S tomograph were evaluated. Images analysis was performed with Real Scan software and all teeth were evaluated in sagittal, axial and coronal views. All measurements were subjected to a chi square test. (p<0.05). Results: Of the 1263 teeth, 30.8% presented pulp calcifications through the CBCT. The prevalence of calcifications was higher in women than in men. The maxillary and mandibular molars were the groups of teeth with the highest frequency of pulp stones. There was significance between the pulp stones and the gender, age range, type and state of the tooth. Conclusions: The maxillary first molars had a higher prevalence of pulp calcifications than the mandibular ones. The presence of caries increased the possibility of the appearance of these calcifications, specifically in the maxillary teeth. CBCT could be a sensitive tool to detect pulp stones. Knowledge of the distribution of pulp stones can help dentists in the clinical treatment of endodontics.


Urinary renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components have been suggested to reflect intrarenal RAS activity. Urinary renin is elevated in diabetes, thus explaining the effectiveness of RAS blockade in diabetic nephropathy despite the low-to-normal plasma renin levels in this condition. Here we investigated urinary renin levels in preeclampsia (PE), a disease characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. We speculated that urinary renin levels might be of additional value on top of the elevated sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in PE. Renin, prorenin, creatinine (Cr), total protein, s-Flt-1 and PlGF were determined in plasma (15 PE, 6 non-PE) and/or 24 hour-urine samples (39 PE, 27 non-PE) of pregnant women. Gestational age was 33±1 in PE vs. 37±0 weeks in non-PE. The sFlt-1/PlGF ratio (523 (30-49996) vs. 10 (2.9-32.5)) (geometric mean and range) was higher in PE vs. non-PE. Plasma renin and prorenin levels in PE were 42 (range 11-181) and 190 (95-274) ng/L, versus 41 (16-80) ng/L and 129 (87-160) ng/L in non-PE. Plasma total protein levels in PE and non-PE were 50 (21-68) and 61 (58-66) g/L, resp., versus 1.0 (0.3-13) and 0.2 (0.1-1.5) g/L in urine. Plasma Cr levels in PE and non-PE were 61 (39-110) and 61 (47-83) μmol/L, resp., versus 31 (2.6-241) and 11 (3.4-56) mmol/L in urine. Urinary renin levels were ≈3 times higher in PE than in non-PE (3.2 (0.1-410) vs. 1.4 (0.3-13.0) ng/L), and 5-10 times higher than expected if filtration of plasma renin paralleled filtration of plasma protein. In contrast, urinary prorenin levels were 0.4 (0.1-84) and 0.1 (0.1-0.9) ng/L in PE and non-PE, i.e., as high as expected on the basis of plasma protein filtration. In line with these observations, urinary total protein and Cr correlated with urinary prorenin (r=0.38, P<0.05 and r=0.71, P<0.01, resp.), but not with urinary renin. In conclusion, urinary prorenin levels run in parallel with urinary total protein and Cr levels, and are as high as can be expected based upon protein filtration in the kidney. In contrast, urinary renin levels are 5-10 fold higher than expected based on filtration, and do not correlate with urinary protein or Cr. Urinary renin may therefore reflect an activation of the renal RAS in PE, and could serve as a new marker of the severity of this disease, in particular its renal consequences.


Web-services are frequently used for interaction among various portals. If a Web-service is accessible to one client, it will be accessible for the rest of the world as well, with a limited option of restrictions on access. In order to control the accessibility of a Web-service, we have proposed 'access logic' to be incorporated within the same Web-architecture. The concept of access qualifiers has been integrated with defined policies and priorities. These may grant or revoke a certain type of access, like public, private, protected, limited or blocked, to a specific (group of) portal(s). The proposed strategy makes it possible to define the scope of a Web-service without modifications in the relevant standards. The access restrictions do not affect the operations provided by a Web-service. We have provided the complete concept and the implementation architecture for the proposed access control framework


ABSTRACT Food safety and quality concern increasingly both consumers and the entire food sector involved. The European Union has implemented specific legislation for food products in order to monitor food safety and quality, protecting each country's culture, history and local economy at the same time. Moreover, Europe's heritage is being enriched, by establishing quality schemes such as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Europe's interest and concern regarding food safety proved also by Framework Program 5 Horizon 2020 continuous funding.Food traceability as well as food authentication constitute inseparable parts of food safety and quality. This systematic review presents innovative research technologies which are used in Europe for food traceability and authentication and published within the period 2010–2018. Moreover, information about the method used, the country of origin, the food type and the level of food process, are provided.This paper offers a new possible approach regarding the combination of the existing definitions of food traceability and authentication, as far as food provenance is concerned.


Papers on the mechanisms of translation initiation in mammals studied by reconstruction of initiation complexes from individual components are reviewed. The author points to the constraints of this approach and to the pitfalls ignoring which one might come to erroneous conclusions and even artifacts. In addition, some methods employed in the field as well as some technical problems are discussed in the paper, together with the means of obviating them. The review could be a guidebook for newcomers into this quite labor-consuming field.


In this study, the effects of the scoring functions, which are used in Multiple Sequence Alignment problem, to find the biologically meaningful alignment has been investigated. BALiBASE version 3 has been used as benchmark set. Results have been obtained by calculating score values for alignments in benchmark set and investigating whether the higher score is possible for benchmark alignment or not.


We investigated the effects of the expression of myosin light chain (MLC) isoforms on the Ca2+ sensitivity of isometric force production of demembranated (skinned) fibers of papillary muscle from the left ventricle of three groups: patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (NYHA IV) and normal human hearts. Expression and phosphorylation of the phosphorylatable MLC isoforms (MLC-2) was equal within all three groups. However, 72% of the patients investigated in this study expressed the atrial essential MLC (ALC-1) in addition to the essential ventricular MLC (VLC-1) ranging between 2.4% and 10.3%. Using fibers from failing hearts, we observed a significant positive correlation between ALC-1 and Ca2+ sensitivity in that the higher the ALC-1 expression the higher the Ca2(+)-sensitivity: pCa50 (Ca2+ required for half-maximal force production) was 5.87 without ALC-1 and 6.08 with 10.3% ALC-1. Fibers from a normal heart (no ALC-1) revealed a pCa50 of 5.85. Isoform and phosphorylation patterns of tropomyosin and troponin I remained unchanged in the patients and normal hearts. Our results suggest that Ca2+ responsiveness and force development of the human heart is regulated by the expression of different MLC-1 isoforms.


This paper analyses the use that has been made of Bourdieu's work by Spanish sociology. In order to do this the wake left by the translations of Bourdieu has been followed, particularly the main references to him to be found in monographs and the most important journals of sociology as well as the translations and references that were initially part of the process of institutionalising the discipline in Spain. An analysis that is based on the concepts contributed by Bourdieu himself, such as the concepts of field or symbolic dividends. The paper highlights the fact that it is the structure and the dynamics of the sociological field that explains the way that Bourdieu's work was accepted and used by sociology in Spain. A dynamism that was conscious of the support professed for him by certain positions in the field, to such an extent that it converted Bourdieu into a canon of sociology, into a way of behaving in sociology but at the same time conscious of the rejection and criticism coming from other positions.


Understanding the spatial structuring of animal behaviors and how they link landscapes can be critical for conservation management. This emerging field has been greatly facilitated by technologically advanced acquisition and analysis of data on animal movements. The framework of graph theory, which directly quantifies network connectivity properties, provides a useful addition to this tool set. Using a novel application of graph theory, we investigate the structure and patterning of African elephant Loxodonta africana rest sites, a potentially critical feature structuring spatial properties of animal populations. Elephants in the study rested intermittently and for short durations (1–3 rests d–1, lasting 3–5 h total). They switched circadian rest patterns according to landscape attributes, resting more during the day and further from permanent water in areas with high human density outside protected areas. Within protected areas and during the dry season, elephants showed clustering and sequential use of rest nodes (repeated motifs). Repeated use of specific rest nodes (self-looping) was more frequent than expected if rest nodes were chosen at random, particularly when outside protected areas further from water, indicating the importance of preferred rest sites. Our results suggest that elephants adjust resting behavior when in human-dominated areas, using preferred resting sites presumably in locations that reduce the risk of interactions. This study demonstrates how graph theory may be used practically to gain novel insight into behaviours, such as resting, that are discrete in time and space. Furthermore, analysis of the spatial and network properties of rest sites, given an individual's susceptibility when engaged in rest behavior, allowed characterization of spatio-temporal risk perception, providing a powerful behavioral based means to quantify the landscape of fear.


This paper presents a sub-mW, current-reused first-harmonic LC injection-locked oscillator (ILO) using in-phase dual-input injection technique. It can be used as a power oscillator in the injection-locked transmitter of wireless biomedical sensor nodes (WBSNs) integrated into a wireless body area network. A prototype chip, implemented in a standard 0.13-μm CMOS process occupying 200 × 380 μm, operates in the medical implantable communications service (MICS) band for medical implants. Measurement results show that the proposed ILO features a wide locking range of 800 MHz (150-950 MHz) at an input power of 0 dBm. More importantly, it has a high input sensitivity of -30 dBm to lock the 3-MHz bandwidth of the MICS band, while consuming only 660 μW at 1-V supply. This ultralow power consumption enables autonomous WBSNs.


As individuals have become more aware of the range of sexual identification, research has become more widely available. We have, over the years, learned a great deal concerning opinions and factual knowledge from heterosexual individuals concerning what homosexuality means, where it lies on the sexuality spectrum, as well as the negative/positive attitudes towards lesbians and gay men. The current study focuses on asexuality, which is a part of the sexual identification spectrum. Asexuality is defined as individuals who "do not experience sexual attraction," who have never felt sexual attraction to "anyone at all," or who have no "sexual interest." Conducting this research provided the measurement of knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and biases towards asexuality in comparison to other sexual orientations. Participants were asked to answer an anonymous demographic survey developed by the experimenters. In a two part study, participants in study one completed a demographic survey as well as a questionnaire about sexual orientation and awareness from the Miami University Diversity Awareness Scale (MUDAS). Ultimately, the data collected provides an estimate of knowledge concerning asexuality. The results indicated that the majority of the undergraduate sample was able to accurately define asexuality. Individuals who were not aware of this sexual orientation tended to confuse asexuality with pansexuality or other sexual orientations, believed the term was related to reproducing without a partner, or had no ability to define the term. The second study focuses on the attitudes of a general population sample towards asexuality based on their responses to an adaptation of the Riddle Scale and a demographic survey. The data indicated heterosexuals would have a negative attitude or perception of asexuality. Overall, the goal of this research is to broaden the knowledge of asexuality while assessing the attitudes towards asexuality from the population sample.


The internet is a vast treasure trove of information on any subject that has allowed students and scientists alikeunprecedented access to the world's collective knowledge [1]. Unfortunately, a lot of it is buried in hours longseminars, talks and other videos on video sharing websites like YouTube [2]. When researching a topic for anacademic essay or paper, one might rightly be shocked by the massive time investment required to dig uptherelevant data or citations from these monolithic recordings [3]. This paper develops an application that aims toapply new machine-learning-based transcription and keyword extraction methods to cut these videos into small, digestible chunks, which are labeled with their most important topics in order to allow us only to have to manuallyanalyze the parts of the video that are relevant to our research without losing valuable context details [4]. Weapplied our program to instructional videos on YouTube, in order to test how well we can rearrange videodocuments for a more convenient view of its contents and conducted a qualitative evaluation of the approach. Theresults show that the application works as expected to provide video clips titled with its central topic for the user todownload in a reasonable amount of time via a simple browser-based extension [5].


Constrained thermoset deformation has been shown to exhibit cure history dependence. The practical significance of this problem is due to the necessity to ensure dimensional stability and tolerance in composite structures especially with curvilinear geometry. During manufacturing of curved composite laminates, cure shrinkages produce so-called spring-in or spring forward effect, as a result of material thermo-elastic anisotropy. The residual cure deformation in a thermosetting composite laminate was considered by subjecting bi-lamina strip samples, composed of [0/904] plies, to cure cycles with different heating profiles. This allowed to separate and study different sources of shrinkage in thermosetting composites, namely chemical resin shrinkage, which occurs due to cross-linking reaction, and thermal shrinkage or expansion, result of applied change in temperature. The significant dependence of the residual strip deflection was found to relate to (i) interaction between chemical and thermal shrinkages and (ii) resulting resin cure strain rate, which affected elastic modulus development in the composite. The constitutive material model of composite during cure was developed and applied to reduce residual deformation during the manufacturer recommended cure cycle (MRCC) by enabling different interactions between thermal and chemical shrinkage. Consequently, the modified cure cycle (MCC) was proposed allowing to further reduce the amount of residual deformation in bi-lamina laminate prior to cooling. The presented approach of establishing the constitutive cure model of composite provides an insight of how to control the laminate final shape by selecting the parameters of the cure cycle. Consequently, cure cycle can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of the residual deformation on the performance of laminated composites.


A practical and important idea regarding solid state recycling of magnesium alloys is explored. Chips of AZ91D have been put in hot air environment for accelerated oxidation to simulate the to-be-recycled state of Mg alloy scraps. These chips materials received extrusion process and subsequent annealing treatment. Tensile tests showed that the extruded plate had higher strength than that of ordinary die cast counterpart. Micro-structure investigation indicated it was probably due to finer grains of the Mg matrix as a result of extrusion. Further annealing did not seem to alter this fine structure, yet it could diminish some un-favored form of Mg17Al12 compound. Thus, post-annealed solid state recycled AZ91D showed impressive strengths and elongations.


For the recent decades, it has been observed that there is an increasing support for populist radical right wing parties, which became apparent especially in European Elections. This thesis examines the rise of populist radical right wing parties in several European countries through taking the 2014 European Elections as its central election example while considering two theoretical explanations; Post-industrial Phenomenon and Master Frame Theory. In order to create a better understanding on this rise, six European countries; Austria, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Greece included in this research as example countries. Within these countries, radical right parties of each country; Freedom Party of Austria; Front National; Danish People"s Party; Party For Freedom; True Finns and Golden Dawn will beanalyzed through their electoral success particularly in the last European Elections of 2014 with a brief comparison to previous European elections and national elections in respective countries. Theoretical classification of these parties will also be taken place in this research in order to prevent a possible conflict due to vast literature on the classification in which there are too much definitions and categorization exists.


Despite the fact that job satisfaction has occupied the attention of many authors for decades, this is still fruitful area to investigate because there are still many important questions that require answers. One of these questions is whether the career stages, in which employees currently are, influence which job related characteristics have dominate influence on their job satisfaction. These question arises from the fact that each career stage bring to employees specific concerns, challenges, expectations and needs regarding the job. Our assumption was that career stages have mediating effect on  job related characteristic - job satisfaction relationship. In order to test this assumption, primary research was conducted in organizations in Serbia. The sample included 813 employees. For checking the initial assumptions, descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance were applied. The research methodology also included theoretical analysis of the concept of job satisfaction and career stages in process of career development. Results of the study showed that career stages have mediating influence on job related characteristics - job satisfaction to a large extent, except when it is about pay and contingent rewards which have significant influence on job satisfaction for the employees in all career stages. These results could be explained by unfavorable economical conditions in Serbia such as low standard of living and law salaries which put this aspects of work environment in the focus of every employee nevertheless of career stage in which he/she is.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.29.2.18637


Advances in information technology have enabled the design and development of innovations in business methods. This is particularly felt with IT enabled innovations such as Sun Microsystems' stateless shopping Cart for the web which is a Web shopping cart system that does not require any data files to be maintained on either the client or the server.Firms attempt to leverage these innovations to gain competitive advantages through cost reduction and other quality improvements, which may also pass some benefits on to consumers. However, such competitive advantages are increasingly difficult to sustain because business method innovations are often easy to copy or imitate. Quick and cheap imitation of innovative products and processes may reduce the incentives for firms to invest further in innovation. Thus, patent protection for business method inventions became a live issue with different on outcomes as between the US and Europe. At present, in the US business method patents are legally recognised since the State Street Bank decision, 149 F. 3d 1368 (US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 1998). However, the European Patent Office (EPO) still is noncommittal although some business method-related inventions have been granted de factoprotection by EPO suchas Hitachi Ltd's automatic trading method and apparatus (EP 567 291), the Western Union Company's method and system for performing money transfer transactions (EP 848 361) etc.. John Stuart Mill (1909) said "the superiority of one country over another, in a branch of production, often arises only from having begun it sooner".1 So it seems that the uncertainty of EPO's attitude to business method patents may result in a serious negative impact in European industry and economy. This thesis sets out to examine what precisely are the attitudes of the US and European institutions to business method patents and to explain what is the present law and how it has arisen. The author thereafter carries out an evaluation of the rationed economic and social effects of allowing / disallowing Business Method Patents and to address the question of whether Europe should adopt patent protections for business method–related inventions.
To address these questions, the research focuses on the following questions: (1) under the current legal framework provided by EPC what business method–related inventions can be granted European patent? (2 )whether business method –related inventions are worth protecting by the patents in Europe. To answer the latter question, the thesis not only analyses the predictable economic and social effects of allowing or alternatively disallowing business method protections generally, but we also discuss "patent quality" which is used by US patent economists to analyse whether business method inventions have a sufficient value to justify the granting of exclusive patent rights in return for disclosure of the inventions' specifications to the public. In analysing the predictable and likely economic and social effects of allowing or alternatively disallowing business method protections, the US position in patenting business method –related inventions needs to be considered, therefore the thesis also evaluates the US patent legal framework for business method patents and contrasts it with the European position. Through analysis of the relevant provisions and decisions, the research has concluded that under the current legal framework business method apparatus inventions are patentable in Europe if they can meet the patentability requirements of the European Patent Convention (EPC). To the effect that if a business method process invention is achieved by a technical means, solves a technical problem, or achieves a technical effect, it is often patentable in Europe provided it meets the EPC patentability requirements. However, turning to the evaluation of the economic effects of business method patents, economic analysis cannot find strong evidence to support increasing the current protections for business method patents. At the same time, the economic analysis also cannot find strong evidence to oppose present protections for business method patents. But when the US position is considered, infringement risk would favour it for it appears on balance that there may be some reason to think that Europe should adopt stronger protections for business method patents. Furthermore, the value of disclosing patented business method–related inventions' specifications seems also to show that accepting business method patents is an appropriate choice for Europe.
1 Mill, J. S.,1909. Principles of Political Economy.7thed. London: Longmans Green. p. 78


Egypt's history has witnessed notable strides in connection with women's rights. Meanwhile, Egypt is a signatory of the significant international conventions on gender equality. Nevertheless, interference to change women's position is faced with colossal failure sometimes. One of the reasons could be the lack of relevant legislation. Other essential obstacles include social practices and stereotypes that prevent the application of the rule of law. The absence of community support is the third reason. Finally, misconceiving Islamic religious rules impacts women's rights in Egypt. Solutions include legal reform and complementary policy actions; allowing real political participation; opening the door for women initiatives; teaching gender in schools and universities; and ensuring better access to resources when it comes to economic rights is another possibility.


Niobium and tantalum are two rare metals that have similar physical and chemical properties and occur together in nature. They are considered to be strategic and critical materials for the economy and national security of many industrial countries. Both elements are on the 2022 List of Critical Minerals of the USA as well as on the European Union's List of Critical Raw Materials. They rarely substitute for common elements in rock-forming minerals but are essential components in a range of rare minerals, particularly oxides and subordinately silicates. The economically important minerals are oxides. The columbite-tantalite and pyrochlore-microlite groups are the most common Ta- and Nb-bearing minerals. In Mongolia, primary niobium and tantalum mineralization includes two main types. The first type is mineralization associated with alkaline to peralkaline granites, pegmatites and syenites whereas the second type is related to the lithium-fluorine-rich peraluminous granites and related rocks (pegmatites and ongonites). The host rocks of both types of mineralization are the fractionated felsic rocks, which contain the primary magmatic ore assemblages associated with fractionation of magma rich in rare metals. Both assemblages were subsequently overprinted by the late magmatic to hydrothermal fluids, which remobilized and enriched the original mineralization. The newly formed ore mineral assemblages display complex replacement textures. In the case of peralkaline felsic rocks the processes produced the mineralization of Zr, Nb, heavy REE, Y, U, Th and Ta whereas peraluminous Li-F felsic rocks contain mainly mineralization of Sn, W, Ta, Li, and Nb. Mongolia hosts several promising occurrences of both types of Nb-Ta mineralization. However, they have not yet been sufficiently explored. Currently, the most promising is the occurrence in the Devonian Khalzan Buregtei peralkaline granites in northwestern Mongolia, where Nb-Ta is associated with REE and Zr mineralization. Mesozoic carbonatites of southern Mongolia do not host significant Nb and Ta mineralization.


Health is an important indicator of the population in every country, including migrant workers in destination countries, according to the provisions of international laws that govern health services without regard to the legal status of migrants. This article reviewed information from academic papers, research, and interviews with relevant personnel. The objective of this article is to point out information on health systems for migrants from the perspectives of both outsiders and insiders, which include research and data from interviews with the relevant health personnel in Thailand. The study indicated that academic papers published by foreigners see the Thai healthcare system as having a variety of problems in the exploitation of migrant workers, while Thai health personnel provides services without discrimination in all groups. In reality, Thai laws and national healthcare scheme require certain specific limited conditions for migrant workers for reasons of security, disease prevention, and control, including Thailand's struggle to deal with an influx of both legal and illegal workers into the country. Therefore, it is not easy to manage the healthcare scheme in order to increase coverage and equality for migrants and Thais alike. This study attempts to understand the development direction of the Thai health system as it moves into the future to provide coverage for all involved parties based on social capital and feasibility of action under the health policies of the developing country destination of Thailand.


Robert Hughes has trained his critical eye on many major subjects: from Francisco de Goya y Lucientes ("Goya") to the city of Barcelona ("Barcelona") to the history of his native Australia ("The Fatal Shore") to modern American mores and values ("The Culture" "of Complaint"). Now he turns that eye on perhaps his most fascinating subject: himself and the world that formed him. "Things I Didn't Know" is a memoir unlike any other because Hughes is a writer unlike any other. He analyzes his experiences the way he might examine a Van Gogh or a Picasso: he describes the surface so we can picture the end result, then he peels away the layers and scratches underneath that surface so we can understand all the beauty and tragedy and passion and history that lie below. So when Hughes describes his relationship with his stern and distant father, an Australian Air Force hero of the First World War, we're not simply simply told of typical father/son complications, we see the thrilling exploits of a WWI pilot, learn about the nature of heroism, get the history of modern warfare -- from the air and from the trenches -- and we become aware how all of this relates to the wars we're fighting today, and we understand how Hughes's brilliant anti-war diatribe comes from both the heart and an understanding of the horrors of combat. The same high standards apply throughout as Hughes explores, with razor sharpness and lyrical intensity, his Catholic upbringing and Catholic school years; his development as an artist and writer and the honing of his critical skills; his growing appreciation of art; his exhilaration at leaving Australia to discover a new life in Italy and then in "swinging 60's" London. In each and every instance, we are not just taken on a tour of Bob Hughes's life, we are taken on a tour of his mind -- and like the perfect tour, it is educational, funny, expansive and genuinely entertaining, never veering into sentimental memories, always looking back with the right sharpness of objectivity and insight to examine a rebellious period in art, politics and sex. One of the extraordinary aspects of this book is that Hughes allows his observations of the world around him to be its focal point rather than the details of his past. He is able to regale us with anecdotes of unknown talents and eccentrics as well as famous names such as Irwin Shaw, Robert Rauschenberg, Cyril Connolly, Kenneth Tynan, Marcel Duchamp, and many others. He revels in the joys of sensuality and the anguish of broken relationships. He appreciates genius and craft and deplores waste and stupidity. The book can soar with pleasure and vitality as well as drag us into almost unbearable pain. Perhaps the most startling section of "Things I Didn't Know" comes in the very opening, when Hughes describes his near fatal car crash of several years ago. He shows not just how he survived and changed -- but also how he refused to soften or weaken when facing mortality. He begins by dealing with what was almost the end of life, and then goes on from there to show us the value of life, in particular the value of exploring and celebrating one specific and extraordinary life.


Abstract: This paper examines the possibilities and limitations of an emergent global discourse of indigeneity to offer an oppositional praxis in the face of the depredations of settler colonialism in post-apartheid South Africa. Self-conscious articulations of indigeneity, we argue, reveal the fraught relationship between increasingly hegemonic and narrow understandings of the indigenous and the carceral logic of apartheid. We examine this by focusing on the meanings and attachments forged through indigenous plants in two realms: the world of indigenous gardening practised by white suburban dwellers and that of subsistence farming undertaken by rural black women. This juxtaposition reveals that in contrast to the pervasive resurrection of colonial time that defines metropolitan indigenous gardening, the social relations of a subsistence cultivator challenge the confines of colonial temporality, revealing a creative mode of dissent structured around dreams, ancestral knowledge, and the commons. Our exploration of struggles around botanical indigeneity suggests that anticolonial modes of indigeneity do not necessarily inhere in recognisable forms and that studies of the indigenous need to proceed beyond those that bear familial resemblance to emergent global understandings.


To the Editor .—Mizrahi et al 1 conclude that "... autotransplantation of the spleen is a safe alternative method for preserving splenic function..." Their results confirm previously reported findings that splenic autotransplants regenerate, and that there is a negative correlation between the number of pitted red blood cells in the peripheral blood and the estimates of residual splenic tissue. 2 There is, however, no evidence that a reduction in the number of circulating pitted red blood cells is related in any way to the role of the spleen in phagocytosis or in the regulation of the immune response. The removal of pits results from mechanical amputation as the red blood cell passes through the interendothelial pores in the lining of the splenic sinuses. The use of this as an index of the return of splenic phagocytic or immunologic function is inappropriate. 3 The reported return of IgM immunoglobulin concentrations to normal


With the expansion of the European Union eastwards, nations have adopted various strategies for being included in the European community. This article discusses examples of cultural technologies used by post-communist countries in aligning with Western Europe. It is argued that the phenomenon is in fact not new, as the marketing of nations has occurred since at least the World's Fairs of the 19th century. However, while the World's Fairs addressed the nation-states of high industrialism, cultural technologies are the features used in a post-industrialized context, where it is more important to impress with abilities of symbolic production rather than with traditional industrial production. In terms of modernization processes, it can be argued that the increased emphasis on symbolic production indicates a shift from techno-industrial modernization to techno-cultural modernization.


OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with a potential harbinger of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. METHODS: We present a case of a 29-year-old woman with persistent galactorrhea and gastric distress, who was a member of an extensive multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) I kindred. Both clinical and laboratory findings are reviewed. RESULTS: Laboratory studies were notable for persistent hypercalcemia and increased levels of parathyroid hormone and fasting pancreatic polypeptide. Because of nonspecific upper gastrointestinal distress, which was sometimes responsive to antacids, the patient underwent further diagnostic evaluation. Baseline gastrin levels were normal. A secretin challenge test yielded normal results. At upper endoscopy, visual findings in the stomach and duodenum were unremarkable. A raised nodule (4 by 2 by 2 mm) was removed from an otherwise normal-appearing duodenum as a routine biopsy procedure. The acinar architecture, the inconspicuous nucleoli, and the granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm of the cells were diagnostic of a neuroendocrine tumor. Histologic immunohistochemical staining was positive for gastrin but negative for pancreatic polypeptide. RNA studies were not technically possible. Subsequently, serum pancreatic polypeptide levels normalized. The patient ultimately had hyperplastic parathyroid glands resected. CONCLUSION: The duodenal lesion may be a very early gastrinoma, a preclinical manifestation of the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The role of early resection of such lesions remains to be determined.