TONKAZ, T., E. DOGAN and R. KOCYIGIT, 2010. Impact of temperature change and elevated carbon dioxide on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown under semi-arid conditions. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 16: 565-575 A study was conducted to determine effects of changed daily maximum, minimum, and elevated CO 2 levels on winter wheat yield and yield components. Treatments included 0 ± 2, 4, and 6 0 C in daily maximum and minimum temperatures, and 380, 420, 460, and 500 ppm elevated CO 2 levels. CERES-Wheat model was utilized for simulations and results were used for graphical and statistical analysis. Simulations showed that change in both temperature affected yield and all simulated physiological parameters. Results indicated that when both temperatures increased by 6 0 C, yield decreased 30%, while 6 0 C decrease in temperatures increased yield by 37% (about 5000 kg ha -1 ). The same effect was observed on the other simulated parameters such as biomass, 1000 seed weight….etc. However effects of both temperature changes were not equally divided. Daily maximum temperatures were affecting simulated parameters more than minimum temperatures. On the other hand, elevated CO 2 levels also positively affected yield, grain number, leaf area, and biomass. While, elevated CO 2 levels reduced harvest index and evapotranspiration but did not had any effect on flowering date, maturity, and 1 000 seed weight. Every 40 ppm increase in CO 2 level increased yields about 150 kg ha -1 in all elevated CO 2 treatments.


India is an air pollution mortality hot spot, but regional emissions are poorly understood. We present a high‐resolution nested chemical transport model (GEOS‐Chem) simulation for the Indian subcontinent and use it to interpret formaldehyde (HCHO) observations from two satellite sensors (OMI and GOME‐2A) in terms of constraints on regional volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. We find modeled biogenic VOC emissions to be overestimated by ~30–60% for most locations and seasons, and derive a best estimate biogenic flux of 16 Tg C/year subcontinent‐wide for year 2009. Terrestrial vegetation provides approximately half the total VOC flux in our base‐case inversions (full uncertainty range: 44–65%). This differs from prior understanding, in which biogenic emissions represent >70% of the total. Our derived anthropogenic VOC emissions increase slightly (13–16% in the base case, for a subcontinent total of 15 Tg C/year in 2009) over RETRO year 2000 values, with some larger regional discrepancies. The optimized anthropogenic emissions agree well with the more recent CEDS inventory, both subcontinent‐wide (within 2%) and regionally. An exception is the Indo‐Gangetic Plain, where we find an underestimate for both RETRO and CEDS. Anthropogenic emissions thus constitute 37–50% of the annual regional VOC source in our base‐case inversions and exceed biogenic emissions over the Indo‐Gangetic Plain, West India, and South India, and over the entire subcontinent during winter and post‐monsoon. Fires are a minor fraction (<7%) of the total regional VOC source in the prior and optimized model. However, evidence suggests that VOC emissions in the fire inventory used here (GFEDv4) are too low over the Indian subcontinent.


Moderate-intensity regular exercise improves proinflammatory responses of lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated macrophages. However, intracellular events that mediate the beneficial effects of exercise were unclear. This study aimed to clarify the mechanism by which regular voluntary exercise (VE) improves proinflammatory cytokine production by macrophages challenged with LPS. Peritoneal macrophages from VE mice secreted considerably higher amounts of interleukin- (IL-) 1β and IL-18 than did cells from sedentary control (SC) mice in the presence and absence of LPS, although tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-10 secretion were comparable between both groups. The mRNA levels of these cytokines increased significantly in response to LPS; similar levels were noted in macrophages from both SC and VE mice. Moreover, LPS evoked similar levels of degradation of inhibitor of κB (IκB) α and phosphorylation of IκB kinase β, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38 in macrophages from SC and VE mice. These results indicate that the increased IL-1β and IL-18 secretion in VE mice are regulated posttranscriptionally. On the other hand, macrophages from VE mice showed higher amounts of caspase-1 protein than did cells from SC mice. These results suggest that regular VE potentiates IL-1β and IL-18 secretion in LPS-challenged macrophages by increasing caspase-1 levels.


Significance The relationship between worker human capital and wages is a question of considerable economic interest. Skills are usually characterized using a one-dimensional measure, such as years of training. However, in knowledge-based production, the interaction between a worker's skills is also important. Here, we propose a network-based method for characterizing worker skill sets. We construct a human capital network, wherein nodes are skills and two skills are connected if a worker has both or both are required for the same job. We then illustrate the method by analyzing an online freelance labor market, showing that workers with diverse skills earn higher wages and that those who use their diverse skills in combination earn the highest wages of all. We propose a network-based method for measuring worker skills. We illustrate the method using data from an online freelance website. Using the tools of network analysis, we divide skills into endogenous categories based on their relationship with other skills in the market. Workers who specialize in these different areas earn dramatically different wages. We then show that, in this market, network-based measures of human capital provide additional insight into wages beyond traditional measures. In particular, we show that workers with diverse skills earn higher wages than those with more specialized skills. Moreover, we can distinguish between two different types of workers benefiting from skill diversity: jacks-of-all-trades, whose skills can be applied independently on a wide range of jobs, and synergistic workers, whose skills are useful in combination and fill a hole in the labor market. On average, workers whose skills are synergistic earn more than jacks-of-all-trades.


Abstract In the academic context, plagiarism is usually seen as an ethical offence, the boundaries and definition of which are often unclear. However, in some countries, plagiarism is also a legal wrong, amounting to copyright infringement. This article proposes a test for assessing plagiarism of academic works. The test is based on the law and jurisprudence of a particular country, Portugal, where plagiarism is framed as copyright infringement. Article 196 of the Portuguese Copyright Law sets four elements that must be fulfilled for a finding of plagiarism: There must be a protected work; the alleged plagiarist must have used a partial or total reproduction of that work; the alleged plagiarist must have failed to attribute the authorship of the work to its rightful creator; and the work of the alleged plagiarist must lack its own individuality. The authors argue that, even if the law of a particular country does not frame plagiarism as a legal offence, these elements should be part of a test to be adopted and applied by academic institutions for the sake of legal certainty.


Introduction Primary Sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown aetiology or pathogenesis, remains an area for active research. Aim The demographic and phenotypic characteristics of a UK cohort of 1194 patients with PSC are described. Method All patients were recruited as part of an ongoing national collaborative effort (PSC-UK) between October 2008 and May 2011. The diagnosis of PSC was confirmed on the basis of characteristic ERCP, MRCP or histology. Patients with small-duct PSC were also included. All patients completed a descriptive phenotypic questionnaire sent at recruitment. Demographic, phenotypic data and family history were extracted from the participant questionnaires. Results 1194 patients have returned completed questionnaires. Median age at recruitment was 59 years and 63% were male (male to female ratio =1.7:1). 64% of patients were lifelong non-smokers and only 4.3% were smoking at recruitment. 63.5% reported inflammatory bowel disease, split into 87% with Ulcerative colitis and 13% with Crohn's disease. 1.5% had a sibling with PSC and 14% had a sibling with inflammatory bowel disease. Further, 0.5% had one or more children with PSC and 4.6% had children with inflammatory bowel disease. 24% were asymptomatic, but over 50% reported itching and fatigue as the presenting symptom. Jaundice was present in 35%. The most common associated autoimmune disease was thyroid disease, present in 9% followed by Coeliac disease in 2.1% and type 1 diabetes mellitus in 1.8%. 16% of patients reported pan-procto or sub-total colectomy and 12.2% had undergone cholecystectomy. 2.7% of patients reported a history of colon cancer and 1.25% patients had a history of skin cancer. Conclusion This is the largest reported demographic and phenotypic description of a single cohort of PSC patients. PSC is more common in young, non-smoking male patients. The frequency of associated inflammatory bowel disease is similar to that reported in other studies. It is plausible that siblings of patients with PSC have an increased risk of not only PSC but also inflammatory bowel disease. These data are consistent with increasing evidence pointing to a role of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of PSC.


A functional economy, as defined in this paper, is one that optimizes the use (or function) of goods and services and thus the management of existing wealth (goods. knowledge, and nature). The economic objective of the functional economy is to create the highest possible use value for the longest possible time while consuming as few material resources and energy as possible. This functional economy is therefore considerably more sustainable, or dematerialized, than the present economy, which is focused on production and related material flows as its principal means to create wealth. One aim of this paper is to sketch out a functional economy. The other is to show the social, cultural, and organizational change that may arise in shifting from a productionoriented economy toward a functional or service-oriented economy.


Purpose
We aimed to assess the etiological role of apoptotic genes Bcl-2 and Bax in the background of major obstetric and gynaecological diseases.

Methods
Placental tissue samples were collected from 101 pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction and 104 pregnancies with premature birth with 140 controll samples from term, eutrophic newborns. In addition, gene expression assessment of the genes Bax and Bcl-2 was performed in 101 uterine leiomyoma tissue samples at our disposal with 110 control cases. Gene expression levels were assessed by PCR method.

Results
The expression of the Bcl-2 gene was decreased in placental samples with intrauterine growth restriction. Significant overexpression of the proapoptotic Bax gene was detected in samples from premature infants. Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 gene expression was found to be significantly increased in fibroid tissues.

Conclusion
Apoptosis plays a crucial role in the development of the most common OB/GYN conditions. Decrease in the placental expression of the antiapoptotic gene Bcl-2 may upset the balance of programmed cell death.


A technique and philosophy for controlling computer animation is discussed. Using the Actor/Scriptor Animation System (ASAS) a sequence is described by the animator as a formal written SCRIPT, which is in fact a program in an animation/graphic language. Getting the desired animation is then equivalent to "debugging" the script. Typical images manipulated with ASAS are synthetic, 3D perspective, color, shaded images. However, the animation control techniques are independent of the underlying software and hardware of the display system, so apply to other types (still, B&W, 2D, line drawing ...). Dynamic (and static) graphics are based on a set of geometric object data types and a set of geometric operators on these types. Both sets are extensible. The operators are applied to the objects under the control of modular animated program structures. These structures (called actors) allow parallelism, independence, and optionally, synchronization, so that they can render the full range of the time sequencing of events. Actors are the embodiment of imaginary players in a simulated movie. A type of animated number can be used to drive geometric expressions (nested geometrical operators) with dynamic parameters to produce animated objects. Ideas from programming styles used in current Artificial Intelligence research inspired the design of ASAS, which is in fact an extension to the Lisp programming environment. ASAS was developed in an academic research environment and made the transition to the "real world" of commercial motion graphics production.


The technical challenges that mobile computing must surmount to achieve its potential are hardly trivial. Some of the challenges in designing software for mobile computing systems are quite different from those involved in the design of software for today's stationary networked systems. The authors focus on the issues pertinent to software designers without delving into the lower level details of the hardware realization of mobile computers. They look at some promising approaches under investigation and also consider their limitations. The many issues to be dealt with stem from three essential properties of mobile computing: communication, mobility, and portability. Of course, special-purpose systems may avoid some design pressures by doing without certain desirable properties. For instance portability would be less of a concern for mobile computers installed in the dashboards of cars than with hand-held mobile computers. However, the authors concentrate on the goal of large-scale, hand-held mobile computing as a way to reveal a wide assortment of issues.<<ETX>>


Sharing communication resources in wireless communication networks, due to the ever increasing growth in the number of users and the growing demand for higher data rates, appears to be inevitable. Consequently, present wireless communication networks should provide service for a large number of users through a frequency selective and interference limited medium rather than a single band, noise limited channel. In this thesis, we study a Gaussian interference network with orthogonal frequency sub-bands with slow faded and frequency-selective channel coefficients. The network is decentralized in the sense that there is no central node to assign the frequency sub-bands to the users. Moreover, due to lack of a feedback link between the two ends of any transmitter-receiver pair, all transmitters are unaware of the channel coefficients. Since the channel is assumed to be static during the communication period of interest, the concept of outage probability is employed in order to assess the performance of the network. In a scenario where all transmitters distribute their available power uniformly across the sub-bands, we investigate the problem of how establishing a nonzero correlation ρ among the Gaussian signals transmitted by each user along different frequency sub-bands can improve the outage probability at each of the receivers. Specifically, we show in a general k-user interference channel over N orthogonal frequency sub-bands that , when receivers treat interference as noise, ρ = 0 is a point of local extremum for the achievable rate at each receiver, for any realization of channel coefficients. Moreover, in the case of K = 2 with arbitrary number of sub-bands, it is verified that there exists a finite level of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) such that the achievable rate has a local minimum at ρ = 0, which is not necessarily the case when K > 2. We then concentrate on a 2-user interference channel over 2 orthogonal frequency subbands and characterize the behavior of the outage probability in the high SNR regime. We consider two simple decoding strategies at the receiver. In the first scenario, receivers simply treat interference as noise. In the second scenario, the receivers have the choice either to decode the desired signal treating interference as noise or to decode interference treating the desired signal as noise before decoding the interference free signal. Indeed, in both cases, we first show that the achievable rate is an increasing function of ρ in the high SNR regime, which suggests to repeat the same signal over the sub-bands. This observation, in a sense, reflects to the behavior of the outage probability, the scaling behavior of which in the high SNR regime is characterized for the Rayleigh fading scenario.


The polarization filter characters of a gold-coated and liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber are studied using the finite element method. Results show that the resonance strength and wavelengths are different in two polarized directions. Filling liquid of refractive index n=1.33 (purified water) in holes in longitudinal direction can increase the loss of core mode polarized in the y-direction around the resonance peak. The resonance strength is much stronger in y-polarized direction than in x-polarized direction. The resonance strength can achieve 508dB/cm in y-polarized direction at the communication wavelength of 1311nm in one of our structures. Moreover, the full width half maximum is only 20nm. Such a small number makes such photonic crystal fibers promising candidate to filter devices. A liquid filled PCF of the small hole in the fiber core is designed and we find that filling liquid increases the resonance strength peak by thirty eight percent for the y-polarized resonance point.


Pain is a complex physiological process that includes many components. Growing evidence supports the idea that oxidative stress and Ca2+ signaling pathways participate in pain detection by neurons. The main source of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) is mitochondrial dysfunction induced by membrane depolarization, which is in turn caused by Ca2+ influx into the cytosol of neurons. ROS are controlled by antioxidants, including selenium. Selenium plays an important role in the nervous system, including the brain, where it acts as a cofactor for glutathione peroxidase and is incorporated into selenoproteins involved in antioxidant defenses. It has neuroprotective effects through modulation of excessive ROS production, inflammation, and Ca2+ overload in several diseases, including inflammatory pain, hypersensitivity, allodynia, diabetic neuropathic pain, and nociceptive pain. Ca2+ entry across membranes is mediated by different channels, including transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, some of which (e.g., TRPA1, TRPM2, TRPV1, and TRPV4) can be activated by oxidative stress and have a role in the induction of peripheral pain. The results of recent studies indicate the modulator roles of selenium in peripheral pain through inhibition of TRP channels in the dorsal root ganglia of experimental animals. This review summarizes the protective role of selenium in TRP channel regulation, Ca2+ signaling, apoptosis, and mitochondrial oxidative stress in peripheral pain induction.


Abstract There is today a well-established consensus that belligerents must be disarmed in order to reconstruct shattered states and establish a robust and durable peace in the wake of internal armed conflict. Indeed, nearly every UN peacekeeping intervention since the end of the Cold War has included disarmament provisions in its mandate. Disarmament is guided by the arrestingly simple premise that weapons cause conflict and, therefore, must be eradicated for a civil conflict to end. If the means by which combatants fight are eliminated, it is thought, actors will have little choice but to commit to peace. Disarmament is, therefore, considered a necessary condition for establishing the lasting conditions for peace. To date, however, no systematic quantitative analysis has been undertaken of the practice of disarmament and the causal mechanisms remain underspecified. This paper is a preliminary attempt to fill that gap. In it we outline a series of hypotheses with which to run future statistical analyses on the effects of disarmament programs. The success of negotiations and the durability of peace are, perhaps, the single most salient issues concerning those engaged in conflict termination efforts. We therefore focus the bulk of this paper on a review of the supposed effects of disarmament on negotiating outcomes and war recurrence.


Background : Ovarian reserve tests have appeared as important, useful and new tools in evaluation of infertile women and by doing these tests, we can do for infertile couples advanced and necessary measures quickly. The goal of this study was to investigate the association between ovarian volume, Antral follicle counts and serum level of FSH at the third day of menstruation. Material and Methods : This study was conducted on 78 women between 18-49 years old who referred to Omid Persian gulf infertility Clinic with complaining of infertility in 2014. In patients who had inclusion criteria, measurement of ovarian volume were done with calculation of three diameters and the number of antral follicles by using vaginal ultrasound in third day of menstruation. Also, in this patients were measured the levels of FSH&LH in third day of menstruation. Pearson correlation coefficient were used to examine the relationship between ovarian volume and the number of Antral follicles and serum levels. Results : ovarian volume and Antral follicle counts (p=0.0001) decreased and serum level of FSH (p=0.0001) and LH (p=0,022) increased significantly with increasing of age. There was a strong positive correlation between ovarian volume and Antral follicle counts (r=0.96, p=0.0001) and there was a strong reversed correlation between ovarian volume and Antral follicle counts with FSH (r=0.50, p=0.0001). Conclusion : By increasing age, ovarian volume and Antral follicle counts decreased and FSH&LH levels increased. In fact, in the initial study of infertile patients, even by diagnosis of reduction in ovarian volume and Antral follicle count should be performed advanced therapies and there is no need to wait for expensive tests result.


Regulatory failure causing financial crises has occurred with great frequency in the last ten years in both advanced and emerging nations. Theories of regulation have failed to define and describe the meanings of deregulation, the range of regulatory models and their goals, the significance of regulatory failure, how to measure it and how to prevent it. This paper is motivated by the perception that incorrect design and failure to conduct ongoing performance monitoring of regulatory models in emerging economies as well as in some advanced industrial states is precipitating financial crises. Deregulation is redefined in a framework that recognises the diversity between financial systems that exists due to differences in regulatory models, in the ability to comply with best international structure, in the ownership of the means of production and in the calibre of human and social capital, within the framework of the limiting features of government goals and economic resources and infrastructure. Case studies of regulatory failure in an advanced and an emerging nation illustrate the necessity for a staged approach to liberalisation of a financial system, which takes account of the capacity of the underlying economy and society to conduct effective prudential supervision before attempts are made to remove protective measures. The comparison of fin de millennium solutions in advanced nations of integrated supervisors also illustrates the correct embodiment of government goals in regulatory models and the importance of feedback mechanisms such as the establishment of early warning systems.


Objective. —To examine the current supply and distribution of gastroenterologists and project future supply under various scenarios to provide a paradigm for workforce reform. Design. —An analysis of current practices and distribution of gastroenterologists and a demographic model, using the 1992 gastroenterology workforce as a baseline. Main Outcome Measure. —Comparison of current supply, distribution, and practice profiles with past data and future projections, using analyses of data from the 1993 Area Resource File, 1992 Medicare Part B file, age- and sex-specific death and retirement rates from the Bureau of Health Professions, managed care staffing patterns, the National Survey of Internal Medicine Manpower, and the Bureau of the Census. Results. —Rapid growth in the number of US gastroenterologists has resulted in a gastroenterologist-to-population ratio double that used on average by health maintenance organizations. In addition, the work profile of gastroenterologists is shared significantly by primary care physicians and other specialists, with the exception of a few specific and uncommon procedures. Conclusions. —Empirical evidence suggests that, even in the absence of detailed models to describe the desired supply/need balance for gastroenterology, the US health care system and clinicians may benefit from a reduction in gastroenterology training programs. The Gastroenterology Leadership Council endorsed a goal of 25% to 50% reduction in trainee numbers over 5 years, and recent National Resident Matching Program data indicate that a voluntary downsizing process is in full force. This study illustrates a paradigm for workforce planning that could be useful for other medical specialties.


Securities trading has generated some of the most sensational scandals in the popular business press. In one of the most publicized cases of insider trading, in the late 1980s Michael R. Milken and Ivan F. Boesky were sentenced to stiff prison terms and payment of enormous damage assessments and punitive penalties. However, at least among economists and legal scholars, insider trading remains a controversial economic transaction. A substantial body of academic and legal scholarship questions whether insider trading is even harmful, much less worthy of legal actions. ; The authors of this article explore the sources of the insider trading controversy and suggest a road map for blending the divergent scholarly opinions into a policy framework for regulating insider trading. They conclude that the divergence of opinion can be attributed primarily to disagreement over which effects of insider trading will have the most significant impacts on economic well-being. The voluminous literature suggests that designing effective policy on insider trading requires a detailed assessment of the structure of the economy, some sensitivity to cultural attitudes toward the appropriateness of such trading activity, and careful consideration of the enforcement costs associated with regulating trade.


An in-depth look at the latest research, methods, and applications in the field of protein bioinformaticsThis book presents the latest developments in protein bioinformatics, introducing for the first time cutting-edge research results alongside novel algorithmic and AI methods for the analysis of protein data. In one complete, self-contained volume, Algorithmic and Artificial Intelligence Methods for Protein Bioinformatics addresses key challenges facing both computer scientists and biologists, arming readers with tools and techniques for analyzing and interpreting protein data and solving a variety of biological problems.Featuring a collection of authoritative articles by leaders in the field, this work focuses on the analysis of protein sequences, structures, and interaction networks using both traditional algorithms and AI methods. It also examines, in great detail, data preparation, simulation, experiments, evaluation methods, and applications. Algorithmic and Artificial Intelligence Methods for Protein Bioinformatics:Highlights protein analysis applications such as protein-related drug activity comparisonIncorporates salient case studies illustrating how to apply the methods outlined in the bookTackles the complex relationship between proteins from a systems biology point of viewRelates the topic to other emerging technologies such as data mining and visualizationIncludes many tables and illustrations demonstrating concepts and performance figuresAlgorithmic and Artificial Intelligence Methods for Protein Bioinformatics is an essential reference for bioinformatics specialists in research and industry, and for anyone wishing to better understand the rich field of protein bioinformatics.


Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the effect of Ramadan fasting on anthropometric measures and some biochemical parameters among type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients in Gaza Governorate, Gaza Strip. Materials and methods: The design of the study is a case control (2:1). The study was carried out during the last Ramadan (late of July to August, 2011) in Gaza Governorate. A total of 80 patients suffering from the diabetes type 2, aged 40 to 65 years, have no history of diabetic complications or other diseases and treated with the same of oral hypoglycemic drugs (OHD), and compared with 40 healthy individuals as control. Anthropometric and biochemical analysis were carried out one week before Ramadan and one week before its end. Data (obtained through questionnaire interview) were analyzed using SPSS version 14. Results: The mean (± SD) of age of the participants was 53.21 (± 7.459) years for diabetic patients and 54.84 (± 6.798) years for controls (p>0.05). When the results were summed up and compared statistically, there was a statistically significant reduction in the mean of body weight (p=0.038 and p=0.000 respectively) and body mass index (BMI) (p=0.001 and p=0.000 respectively) at the end of Ramadan month in both groups as compared to pre-Ramadan. This study also found a statistically reduction in the mean (± SD) of serum fasting blood glucose (FBG) during Ramadan as compared to values before Ramadan in both groups (p=0.000 and p=0.000, respectively). A statistically significant increase in the mean (± SD) of serum triglycerides (TG) levels was also observed at the end of fasting among diabetic group (p-value=0.000). Among diabetic group, the mean (± SD) of HDL-C levels also showed significant reduction (P=0.000), while significant elevation in control group was observed (P=0.000) during Ramadan as compared to values before Ramadan. There was also statistically significant elevation in the mean (± SD) of serum total cholesterol (TC) (p-value=0.000 in both groups) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p-value=0.000 in both groups) during the period of fasting as compared to the period before fasting in both groups. In addition, during the two periods, there were no statistical differences in the mean (± SD) of serum creatinine (p=0.0.193 and p=0.147 respectively) and urea levels (p=0.560 and p=0.143 respectively) in both groups. Concerning the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), the results also showed no statistical differences in the mean (± SD) of HbA1c levels (p=0.133 and p=0.905 respectively) in both groups. Conclusion: Ramadan fast is relatively safe among type 2 diabetic patients provided that they should be properly educated about drug regimen adjustment, diet control, daily activities and possible sudden complications. Keywords: Ramadan fasting, Biochemical parameters, Type 2 diabetes, Anthropometric measurement, Gaza Strip, Palestine.


It is widely known that information technology applications should be secured. During the last years, special efforts have been applied to achieve a great level of security. These efforts have increased the security in some aspects, such as cryptographic algorithms, authentication techniques, etc. But many other security holes have appeared in this kind of applications, making the improvements achieved a "waste of time and money". In this paper, some of these security holes are exposed. Using security hardware modules can overcome some of these holes, if they are designed according to the applications' specification.


This article addresses how far educational institutions have come in designing authentic and meaningful curricula for teaching the Holocaust at the secondary level. Examined in this article are the historical development of Holocaust education in the United States, with a focus on the state of Illinois as a case study, what contributes to the development of a full curriculum, and what constitutes the boundary between a curriculum and a framework, based on examination of the work of scholars and institutions in the field. Analysis of existing frameworks according to criteria developed by the authors has yielded the finding that a framework can only guide teachers to an extent because of its looser structure. A full curriculum, however, is structured with greater detail and more direct ways of determining evidence that demonstrates understanding of the content and mastery of essential skills. Recommendations are provided for Holocaust Education curriculum development, underscoring the significance of an engaging design that makes learning more lasting and meaningful.


This study objectives to analyze the estimated development of the production of the fish catches, analyze the factors which affect on the production amount, and to analyze the base or non bases are on Malang Regency. The method used is quantitative and the type of secondary data from BPS and DKP with documentation collecting technique. Quantitative data analysis of this research are quadratic trend, multiple linear regression and LQ. The calculation shows that marine fisheries catches production has increased an average of 6.5%. Factors that affecting of the production increase are the number of fishing vessel and fishermen amount. While the average value of LQ during the last 5 years shows that Sumbermanjing Subdistrict is a base region so it has the opportunity to develop. Keywords: production, sea fish, estimation, influence, base


As the amount of negotiation taking place electronically increases, the responsibility of negotiation instructors to prepare students to successfully operate in electronic environments grows. We believe that skills related to electronic negotiation — like many other negotiation skills — are best taught by providing students opportunities to gain firsthand experience followed by self-reflection. For the past five years, we have used an electronic negotiation exercise to allow students to personally experience the complexities associated with negotiations completed exclusively over the Internet. Further, with the use of e-mail and instant messaging, a powerful record emerges: a complete transcript of the negotiation encounter. After describing the preparation and structure of this exercise, we explain how to harness the power of this vehicle to lead students to significant insights through self-reflective activities.


In the 1992 United States presidential campaign, Bill Clinton and his staff regularly invoked the forceful reminder "It's the economy, stupid!" in order to maintain a tight focus on the core issue that would ultimately decide their electoral success or failure. This initially seemed reductionist to many observers, because a presidential campaign is a complex affair, with myriad issues and pressures confronting the candidate every day. But Clinton and his staff were ultimately proved correct. Most of the important issues that could ignite or derail their campaign did boil down to the economy, and their famous, ruthless focus proved highly successful. This paper advances the argument that similar focus on issues of targeting are essential if food aid is to succeed in its core mission to contribute to human development by providing temporary relief of food insecurity among poor peoples in the world. The issue of "targeting" concerns the who, the when, the what and the how questions surrounding transfers: is aid reaching people who need it (and not flowing to people who do not need it), when they need it, in appropriate form, and through effective modalities? There has been considerable research in recent years on targeting transfers generally, much of it motivated by the search for effective targeting mechanisms that do not require costly administrative screening. Targeting is of special importance in food aid for two basic reasons. First, food is a critical resource. People who go without enough and appropriate food for even a relatively short period of time can suffer irreversible health effects of undernutrition and related diseases and injuries. Therefore, reaching beneficiaries who would otherwise suffer undernutrition, in a timely manner, and in an appropriate form is especially important for the effectiveness of food transfers. And if done right, food transfers can be fundamental to effective development strategy, by safeguarding the most valuable asset of the poor: the human capital embodied in their health and education. Second, the key alleged problems surrounding food aid - displaced international trade, depressed producer prices in recipient countries, labor supply disincentives, delivery delays, misuse by intermediaries, diversion to resale or feeding livestock or alcohol brewing, dependency, inattention to beneficiaries' micronutrient needs, etc. - all revolve ultimately around questions of targeting. If the donor community could improve the targeting of food aid, it could improve the effectiveness of food aid in accomplishing its primary humanitarian and development aim - the maintenance of valuable human capital - and reduce many of the errors that sometimes make food aid controversial, ineffective, or both. A limited amount of descriptive research has explored ex post whether food aid has reached intended beneficiaries, and has found considerable targeting errors of inclusion (providing aid to the non-needy) and exclusion (failure to reach the needy) at both macro and micro levels. There have also been considerable efforts at improving ex ante food aid targeting through the development and refinement of early warning systems, vulnerability mapping, and similar tools, so that aid might reach needy people in a more reliable and timely fashion. This paper offers a brief interpretive review of this evidence. Section I summarizes the empirical evidence on food aid targeting at both macro- and micro- levels, emphasizing the inherent tradeoff between errors of exclusion (missing intended beneficiaries) and errors of inclusion (providing transfers to the non-needy). Section II then discusses the consequences of targeting errors, again looking at both errors of exclusion and inclusion and at micro- as well as macro- levels. Section III reviews some of the options available for improving targeting. Section IV concludes.


The auditory system of the barn owl contains several spatial maps. In young barn owls raised with optical prisms over their eyes, these auditory maps are shifted to stay in register with the visual map, suggesting that the visual input imposes a frame of reference on the auditory maps. However, the optic tectum, the first site of convergence of visual with auditory information, is not the site of plasticity for the shift of the auditory maps; the plasticity occurs instead in the inferior colliculus, which contains an auditory map and projects into the optic tectum. We explored a model of the owl remapping in which a global reinforcement signal whose delivery is controlled by visual foveation. A hebb learning rule gated by reinforcement learned to appropriately adjust auditory maps. In addition, reinforcement learning preferentially adjusted the weights in the inferior colliculus, as in the owl brain, even though the weights were allowed to change throughout the auditory system. This observation raises the possibility that the site of learning does not have to be genetically specified, but could be determined by how the learning procedure interacts with the network architecture.


The new importance of 'fragile states' on the international development agenda has directed more aid resources to countries most in need and made state-building a legitimate object of international support. • However, the definitions of 'state fragility', which guide resource allocation and programme design, are problematic and miss the most important question: why are some poor countries unstable and particularly subject to violence and warfare while others have achieved long periods of peace even in conditions of poverty and low economic growth? • CSRC research demonstrates that the reigning definitions of state fragility can divert attention away from the factors most likely to provoke conflict in the poorest countries and cause misunderstanding of the factors that have allowed states to sustain peace. In the worst cases these definitions have led international actors to advocate inappropriate reforms, which aggravate fragility. • State fragility is being used as a catch-all phrase for conflict, post-conflict, humanitarian crisis-prone or chronically poverty stricken states, but our research shows that these comprise both 'fragile' and 'resilient' states, where policy choices are starkly different. • The distinctions between 'fragile', 'resilient' and 'developmental' states create specific and different challenges in terms of what is required for statebuilding and what security, governance and economic reforms are appropriate.


ing, Disability and Health-Children and Youth version (ICF-CY, WHO, Geneva, 2007) which includes additional terms for cognitive abilities, sleep, temperament and behaviour. Through a questionnaire sent to medical experts, disability specialists and patient organisations, we collect, for each RD, the activity limitations and participation restrictions (113 terms), their temporality during the course of the disease (permanent or transient difficulty, delay, loss of abilities), their severity and respective frequency in the patient population, and some environmental factors influencing disease course. Data is analysed and standardised to constitute the Orphanet Functioning Database. This project is funded by the French Caisse Nationale de Solidarité pour l'Autonomie. Results More than 900 RDs are already indexed and 650 more in progress, with the contribution of hundreds of people and organisations from 46 countries. These RD disability core sets will be freely available in 7 languages. Conclusion It increases knowledge and aids in evaluating and managing the daily difficulties and needs experienced by RD patients. It can also help social agencies in distributing appropriate disability compensation measures and decision makers in assessing the social burden of RDs.


The freeze–thaw changes of seasonally frozen ground (SFG) are an important indicator of climate change. Based on observed daily freeze depth of SFG from meteorological stations on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) from 1960 to 2014, the spatial–temporal characteristics and trends in SFG were analyzed, and the relationships between them and climatic and geographical factors were explored. Freeze–thaw changes of SFG on a regional scale were assessed by multiple regression functions. Results showed multiyear mean maximum freeze depth, freeze–thaw duration, freeze start date, and thaw end date that demonstrate obvious distribution characteristics of climatic zones. A decreasing trend in maximum freeze depth and freeze–thaw duration occurred on the TP from 1960 to 2014. The freeze start date has been later, and the thaw end date has been significantly earlier. The freeze–thaw changes of SFG significantly affected by soil hydrothermal conditions on the TP could be assessed by elevation and latitude or by air temperature and precipitation, due to their high correlations. The regional average of maximum freeze depth and freeze–thaw duration caused by climatic and geographical factors were larger than those averaged using meteorological station data because most stations are located at lower altitudes. Maximum freeze depth and freeze–thaw duration have decreased sharply since 2000 on the entire TP. Warming and wetting conditions of the soil resulted in a significant decrease in maximum freeze depth and freeze–thaw duration in the most area of the TP, while drying soil results in a slight increase of them in the southeast of the TP.


Applying Novelty Search to the Construction of Ensemble Systems by Hieu Le Ensemble methods are widely applied in classification problems. Ensemble methods combine results from multiple classifiers to overcome the possible deficiency of any single classifier. One important question is how to construct an ensemble system so that it can utilize all individuals most efficiently to improve classification results. An ensemble system thus needs some level of diversity in terms of error among individuals to avoid group mistakes. Novelty Search is a recently published approach in evolutionary computation in which individuals evolve based on a novelty metric, which evaluates how different their behavior is in addition to an objective metric that shows how correct their behavior is. This paper will apply the novelty search to generating classifiers for use in ensemble systems and compare this approach with other published results.


The JET exploitation plan foresees D–T operations in 2020 (DTE2). With respect to the first D–T campaign in 1997 (DTE1), when JET was equipped with a carbon wall, the experiments will be conducted in presence of a beryllium–tungsten ITER-like wall and will benefit from an extended and improved set of diagnostics and higher additional heating power (32 MW neutral beam injection  +  8 MW ion cyclotron resonance heating). There are several challenges presented by operations with the new wall: a general deterioration of the pedestal confinement; the risk of heavy impurity accumulation in the core, which, if not controlled, can cause the radiative collapse of the discharge; the requirement to protect the divertor from excessive heat loads, which may damage it permanently. Therefore, an intense activity of scenario development has been undertaken at JET during the last three years to overcome these difficulties and prepare the plasmas needed to demonstrate stationary high fusion performance and clear alpha particle effects. The paper describes the status and main achievements of this scenario development activity, both from an operational and plasma physics point of view.


We study nonlinear excitations in a lifetime-broadened Λ-type three-level atomic system with a configuration of electromagnetically induced transparency. Different from previous works, we show that a significant depletion of the control field may occur during the formation and propagation of ultraslow optical solitons for the probe field. We demonstrate that ultraslow optical solitons predicted in previous works correspond to the limits of weak dispersion and weak nonlinearity, adiabatons correspond to the limits of stronger dispersion and stronger nonlinearity, and simultons correspond to the limits of strong dispersion and strong nonlinearity. Between these different limits the system also yields solitonlike nonlinear excitations with different levels of depletion of the control field. The results provided here are useful not only for a deep understanding of the interrelation between ultraslow optical solitons, adiabatons, and simultons, but also for potential applications in optical information processing and transmission.


Melting temperatures, T(m), were systematically studied for a set of 92 DNA duplex oligomers in a variety of sodium ion concentrations ranging from 69 mM to 1.02 M. The relationship between T(m) and ln [Na(+)] was nonlinear over this range of sodium ion concentrations, and the observed melting temperatures were poorly predicted by existing algorithms. A new empirical relationship was derived from UV melting data that employs a quadratic function, which better models the melting temperatures of DNA duplex oligomers as sodium ion concentration is varied. Statistical analysis shows that this improved salt correction is significantly more accurate than previously suggested algorithms and predicts salt-corrected melting temperatures with an average error of only 1.6 degrees C when tested against an independent validation set of T(m) measurements obtained from the literature. Differential scanning calorimetry studies demonstrate that this T(m) salt correction is insensitive to DNA concentration. The T(m) salt correction function was found to be sequence-dependent and varied with the fraction of G.C base pairs, in agreement with previous studies of genomic and polymeric DNAs. The salt correction function is independent of oligomer length, suggesting that end-fraying and other end effects have little influence on the amount of sodium counterions released during duplex melting. The results are discussed in the context of counterion condensation theory.


Many law professors (Posner, Dworkin, Finnis, Nussbaum, etc.) spend a lot of time these days talking about "morality." The penetration of legal discourse by moral discourse is not surprising. Moral controversy, after all, is often at the center of legal controversy. Nonetheless, it is often obscure what we citizens of the legal academy, and others, are talking about -- and often clear that we are not all talking about the same thing -- when we talk (argue) about "morality." Using Richard Posner's conception of "morality" in his book, The Problematics of Moral and Legal Theory (1999), as a point of departure, Professor Perry addresses the question that is the title of his essay "What is 'Morality' Anyway?" He sketches the three fundamental questions -- or sets of questions -- that constitute the heart of "moral" inquiry and argument.


The H.264/AVC is the most recent standard of video compression/decompression for future broadband network. This standard was developed through the Joint Video Team (JVT) from the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group and the ISO/IEC MPEG standardization committee. In this project H.264 decoder functional block such as Context based Binary arithmetic coding (CABAC), Inverse Quantization and Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform are designed using Verilog. CABAC includes three basic building blocks of context modeling, binary arithmetic coding and Inverse binarization. Here the compressed bit-stream from NAL unit is expanded by CABAC module to generate various syntax elements. Here the basic arithmetic decoding circuit units are designed to share efficiently by all syntax elements. Inverse Quantization and Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform functional blocks are used to reconstruct the original image pixels values


A graphite furnace continuum source atomic absorption spectrometric method is described for the determination of Cd in urine at the sub-ppb level. Sample preparation includes a simple 1:1 dilution with nitric acid followed by digestion in a water bath at 60°C for one hour in a sealed plastic vial. The method detection limit observed for Cd is 0.03 ng/mL. Three hundred urine samples collected from post-menopausal women in the Winston-Salem area have been analyzed.


Approximately 200,000 men are annually diagnosed with prostate cancer (PC), making PC the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among men in industrialized countries. On the other hand, only 30,000 men diagnosed with PC will succumb to the disease with the majority of patients dying from other causes. This makes identification of aggressive vs. indolent PCs one of the most important clinical conundrums in the modern health era. Indeed, identification of biomarkers that achieve this distinction would add a huge benefit and would help patients that have indolent disease avoid side effects associated with treatment modalities that should only be provided to patients with aggressive forms of PC. To achieve the above goal, we employed a bioinformatics based search to look for genes that dramatically change in PC relative to benign and can predict progression. Our mined data from eight different publically available clinical datasets clearly indicates that CYP27A1transcript levels (our top candidate) are down-regulated in PC relative to benign and are further downregulated during PC progression. Our bioinformatics data also shows that patients whose tumors express higher levels of CYP27A1 have longer cancer-free survival following local treatment with radical prostatectomy. To validate these findings, we analyzed expression levels of CYP27A1 protein in benign and cancerous prostate tissue microarrays and found that while 90% of benign prostate cores express CYP27A1, 78% of cancerous cores show low to undetectable expression levels. Given the high rate of CYP27A1 loss in PC, we investigated potential mechanisms using data extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We found a very strong inverse and nearly linear relationship between levels of CYP27A1 expression and degree of its promoter methylation (R2=0.79). Conversely, the rate of genetic alterations (mutation, deletion) that might explain loss of CYP27A1expression is very low (3%). Taken together, these results indicate that CYP27A1 loss is an epigenetic event caused by promoter hypermethylation. To investigate the role of CYP27A1 in PC, we reintroduced CYP27A1 in LNCaP and 22Rv1 PC cell lines that have silenced its expression via promoter methylation. Overexpressing CYP27A1 in LNCaP cells significantly retards proliferation in vitro and also slows growth of 22Rv1 subcutaneous xenograft tumors. Given that a major function of CYP27A1 is to convert cholesterol into 27hydroxycholesterol (27HC), we treated five different PC cell lines with 27HC and found that 27HC inhibits PC cells viability in vitro in all cell lines and induces cleavage of PARP, a cellular marker for apoptosis. Finally, we found that 27HC treatment reduces cholesterol levels in PC cells and supplementing PC cells with an exogenous source of cholesterol rescues the cells from 27HC mediated effects. Collectively, our results suggest that 27HC may act as an intracellular cholesterol biosensor and PC cells have developed mechanisms to accumulate more cholesterol through silencing of CYP27A1 and stopping the production of 27HC. This is key, as epidemiological and experimental evidence strongly suggests that hypercholesterolemia is associated with an increased risk of lethal PC. Our results highlight CYP27A1 loss as a promising biomarker for PC and also suggest that reduction of intratumoral cholesterol may have a preventative role in PC possibly through treatment with 27HC. Citation Format: Mahmoud A. Alfaqih, Erik R. Nelson, Rachid Safi, Jeff Jasper, Donald P. McDonnell, Stephen J. Freedland. Dysregulation of cholesterol homeostasis through loss of CYP27A1 in prostate cancer; Implications for early detection and prevention of over-treatment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr PR11.


Whether the reader is a professional or hobbyist, Fabric Dyeing and Printing provides all the know-how and inspiration for those who are dedicated to dyeing and printing on fabric. Throughout the book, careful attention is paid to the methods for decorating a variety of fabrics, from tie-dye to computer-generated imagery. Textural effects include crimping, flocking, embossing, and a full chapter on devore. Step-by-step color photography is used to present 30 key pattern techniques, while 20 dye recipes are laid out in easy-reference cookbook style. A final section presents methods for mending and finishing cloth, plus advice on setting up a work space.


The demand for U.S. feed grain is estimated using a six-equation simultaneous model. Four different utilizations of feed grain and feed grain price as well as the number of animal units fed are estimated. The reduced form of the model is used to provide forecasts of the endogenous variables for the 1973 and 1974 crop years. The structural equations are estimated using two-stage least squares and annual data from 1945 to 1972.


This research project sought to investigate the relationship between physical exercise and cognition in children with and without a neurodevelopmental condition. To achieve this aim, three approaches were undertaken to explore the exercise and cognition relationship. The first approach sought to understand the efficacy of exercise interventions on cognition in individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder. The second approach was to understand the effectiveness of an exercise activity when compared to a cognitively-engaging tablet game activity on measures of implicit learning and attention in children with and without a neurodevelopmental condition. The third approach was to investigate if psychophysiological measures could account for the cognitive effect observed after exercising in children with and without a neurodevelopmental condition. Taking the approaches together, this research project focused on investigating the efficacy, effect, and mechanism of the exercise-cognition relationship. To investigate the efficacy of the exercise interventions, a meta-analytic review was conducted on 22 studies from the neurodevelopmental literature. The main findings from this meta-analysis revealed an overall small-to-medium effect size of exercise on cognition, supporting the efficacy of applying exercise interventions to young individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Similar to the general population, physical exercise has been demonstrated to improve some but not all cognitive functions, with some individuals demonstrating no change in cognitive function after exercising. In terms of the effects of physical exercise, this project conducted an experimental study comparing a moderate-intensity exercise activity with a tablet game activity for a period of 12 minutes in 35 children aged 6-11 years. Overall, the study found that the effect of exercise was comparable to the tablet activity across the reaction time measures, but not on the accuracy performance of the implicit learning and attention tasks. Overall, exercise PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND COGNITION iii activity led to a better accuracy performance on implicit learning and executive attention compared to the tablet activity, particularly in children with a neurodevelopmental condition. The last part of this project was an extension of the experimental study whereby psychophysiological measures were investigated based on a proposed detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). This investigation found that galvanic skin response (GSR), as indexed by its scaling exponent, was related to whether children revealed a change in cognitive function after receiving the exercise activity, particularly on executive attention. Importantly, this relationship was also able to account for children who did not demonstrate a cognitive effect of exercise. This result was not evident in the electroencephalogram (EEG) measures. This investigation concluded that the effect of exercise on executive attention was dependent on the interplay between an individual's arousal system, cognitive task demand, and the novelty of the exercise activity. Taking the findings together, this project highlights the importance of individual differences to the exercise and cognition relationship. Specifically, this project demonstrated the feasibility of investigating the scaling exponent, via fractal analysis (e.g., DFA), as an index of individual differences. Additionally, fractal analysis is a valuable tool to assist in further understanding the mechanism underlying the exercise-cognition relationship, particularly on the influence of individual differences. PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND COGNITION iv PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND COGNITION v


OBJECTIVES
A hypo-estrogenic status, as that occurring with menopause, has been proposed to negatively affect cognitive function in post-menopause women. Nevertheless, little is known about the improvement of cognitive functions during antidepressant treatment in post-menopausal women with major depressive disorder (MDD) and its relation with hormonal changes. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the role of menopausal status including the level of sex hormones on cognitive function during antidepressant treatment.

DESIGN AND SETTINGS
Thirty-nine female patients (n=17 in pre-menopause; n=22 in post-menopause) with MDD based on DSM-IV criteria and who were not on hormonal replacement therapies participated in a prospective, 6-week, open-label naturalistic study. All patients were recruited in a university-based hospital. The Hamilton rating scale for Depression (HAMD), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ) were administered at baseline, week 1, week 3, and week 6. Levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E2) were collected at baseline visit.

RESULTS
Cognitive functioning improved during antidepressant treatment in the overall sample (P=0.00001). In post-menopausal women, E2 levels were strongly correlated with CFQ scores at each measurement. After controlling for depression severity, E2 levels maintained a significant association with the baseline CFQ scores (regression analysis: beta= -0.55 P=0.010; correlation: R= -0.54). In addition, the reduction of CFQ scores during antidepressant treatment was significantly associated with E2 levels (P=0.021), independently from the improvement of depressive symptoms, which however had a strong effect (P=0.0003). Nevertheless, we failed to find any association of CFQ score with sex hormones in pre-menopausal women.

MAIN FINDINGS
In post-menopausal women, the CFQ scores were correlated with E2 levels and the reduction of CFQ score during antidepressant treatment was also dependent on E2 levels, even controlling for depressive symptoms severity.

CONCLUSION
The present study further supports a crucial role of E2 on the cognitive function in post-menopause women. Moreover, our results suggest that E2 may influence the improvement of cognitive function in post-menopause women with MDD, during treatment with antidepressants.


Twenty human colon carcinoma cell lines were studied for their ability to develop some of the characteristics of the normal intestinal epithelium, e.g., epithelial polarity, presence of the actin-binding protein villin, or the occurrence of an enterocytic differentiation either when cultured under standard conditions, as for Caco-2 cells, or when grown in a glucose-free medium, as for IIT-29 cells. Except for the regular presence of villin, which can be considered a marker of the colonie origin of the cells, the cell lines of this study could be classified into four types with regard to their differentiation characteristics. In type 1 (only one cell line, i.e., Caco-2) the cells undergo spontaneously an enterocytic differentiation characterized by a polarization of the cell layer with the formation of domes and the presence of an apical brush borderthe membraneof which is endowed with hydrolases such as sucrase-isomaltase, lactase, aminopeptidase N, dipeptidylpeptidase IV and alkaline phosphatase. In type 2 (three cell lines: HT-29, HCT-EB, and HCT-GEO) the cells are undifferentiated when grown in the presence of glucose but undergo an enter ocytic differentiation when grown in the absence of glucose. In type 3 (eight cell lines: HCT-GLY, HCT-FET, HCT-FRI, HCT-CBS, HCTÕLA, (oils, HRT-18, and SW-1116) the cells are organized into a polarized ntonolayer with the formation of domes but without any enter ocytic differentiation characteristics, whatever the culture conditions. In type 4 (eight cell lines: HCT-116a, HCT-R, HCT-RCA, HCT-Moser, HCT-8R, SW-480, LS-174T, and Vaco-9P) the cells are organized into a multilayer without any feature of epithelial polarity or enterocytic differentiation, whatever the culture conditions.


In delineating the mechanism(s) of diabetic nephropathy various novel genes have been isolated, whereas others remain to be discovered. We identified several up-regulated genes in the kidneys of diabetic newborn mice. Among them was UbA52, a ubiquitin ribosomal fusion protein. Its mRNA expression in the kidney was proportional to blood glucose levels. By in situhybridization and immunohistochemistry, UbA52 was exclusively localized to renal tubules, and its expression was markedly increased in diabetic mice. The up-regulated UbA52 mRNA and protein expression were also observed in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, a tubular cell line, treated with 30 mm glucose in both cell lysates and ribosomal fractions. To explore the mechanism(s) of its increased expression, UbA52 genomic DNA was isolated. A transcription start site at −22 bp from the initiation codon was identified and confirmed by primer extension analysis. The UbA52 promoter region included glucose response-related E-box sequences and stress response elements (STRE). Unlike in humans, mouse UbA52 gene had no introns in the coding or 5′-ATG-flanking regions. To identify the DNA segment with maximal promoter activity, deletion constructs were prepared using a pSEAP vector system and transfected into COS7 kidney cells. Maximal activity was confined to −198 to +68 bp, which included E-boxes and STRE motifs. A dose-dependent increase in the promoter activity was observed in cells exposed to high glucose. Mutations in the first E-box (CAGCTG → TGGCTG) or STRE (CCCCT → CATCT) resulted in a decrease in the SEAP activity under high glucose ambience. Given the presence of glucose-responsive motifs in the promoter region and decrease in the SEAP activity in E-box mutants in the presence of glucose, these data suggest that UbA52, a ribosomal fusion protein, may be relevant in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.


The main objective of "Lifebrain" is to identify the determinants of brain, cognitive and mental (BCM) health at different stages of life. By integrating, harmonising and enriching major European neuroimaging studies across the life span, we will merge fine-grained BCM health measures of more than 5000 individuals. Longitudinal brain imaging, genetic and health data are available for a major part, as well as cognitive and mental health measures for the broader cohorts, exceeding 27,000 examinations in total. By linking these data to other databases and biobanks, including birth registries, national and regional archives, and by enriching them with a new online data collection and novel measures, we will address the risk factors and protective factors of BCM health. We will identify pathways through which risk and protective factors work and their moderators. Exploiting existing European infrastructures and initiatives, we hope to make major conceptual, methodological and analytical contributions towards large integrative cohorts and their efficient exploitation. We will thus provide novel information on BCM health maintenance, as well as the onset and course of BCM disorders. This will lay a foundation for earlier diagnosis of brain disorders, aberrant development and decline of BCM health, and translate into DOI of original article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.10.005 * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: firstname.lastname@example.com (K.B. Walhovd), email@example.com (L. Nyberg), firstname.lastname@example.com (K.P. Ebmeier), firstname.lastname@example.com (U. Lindenberger), firstname.lastname@example.com (D. Bartrés-Faz), email@example.com (W.F.C. Baaré), email@example.com (R. Henson),


The title I have chosen naturally suggests the question: What are you saying omnipotence is irrelevant to? I reply: This doctrine is irrelevant to worthwhile discussion of the problem of evil. By this phrase I understand: the problem how the existence of a God with the attributes traditionally ascribed to him in Christian belief can be reconciled with the occurrence of the sorts of evil that we find in the world.


With over 600,000 units of umbilical cord blood (CB) stored on a global scale, it is important to elucidate the therapeutic abilities of this cryopreserved reservoir. In the advancing field of natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy, CB has proven to be a promising and noninvasive source of therapeutic NK cells. Although studies have proven the clinical efficacy of using long-term cryopreserved CB in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantations, little is known about its use for the ex vivo expansion of effector immune cells. Therefore, our group sought to derive ex vivo-expanded NK cells from long-term cryopreserved CB, using an artificial antigen presenting cell–mediated expansion technique. We compared the expansion potential and antitumor effector function of CB-derived NK (CB-NK) cells expanded from fresh (n=4), short-term cryopreserved (<1-year old, n=5), and long-term cryopreserved (1–10-year old, n=5) CB. Here, we demonstrated it is possible to obtain an exponential amount of expanded CB-NK cells from long-term cryopreserved CB. Ex vivo-expanded CB-NK cells had an increased surface expression of activating markers and showed potent antitumor function by producing robust levels of proinflammatory cytokines, interferon-&ggr;, and tumor necrosis factor-&agr;. Moreover, expanded CB-NK cells (n=3–5) demonstrated cytotoxicity towards primary breast cancer cells (n=2) derived from a triple-negative breast cancer and an estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer patient. Long-term cryopreservation had no effect on the expansion potential or effector function of expanded CB-NK cells. Therefore, we propose that long-term cryopreserved CB remains clinically useful for the ex vivo expansion of therapeutic NK cells.


Abstract The finest fractions of Upper Jurassic shales from the North Sea and onshore Denmark contain 80-90% of an illite-smectite-vermiculite (I-S-V) mixed-layer mineral and, in addition a phase which has X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks at 7.20-7.26 Å and 3.56-3.58 Å in air-dried and glycolated specimens. This phase may be a fine kaolinite with a small thickness of coherent scattering domains (CSDs) or alternatively a mixed-layer mineral which has kaolinite as the dominant component. For one sample from the Norwegian well 9/4-3, these alternatives are investigated using the multi-specimen method by which agreement between the experimental pattern and the pattern calculated for one and the same structure is obtained for each of several specimens saturated with different cations and with/without glycolation. It is demonstrated that the modelled XRD patterns for a kaolinite-illite-vermiculite (K-I-V) structure having 0.94 kaolinite, 0.03 illite and 0.03 vermiculite layers and random alternation fit the experimental patterns.


Examining current trends and problems that have plagued application development for more than a decade, this book provides a foundation for security risk assessment and management during software development. It demonstrates how to achieve greater application security through assessing and managing risk throughout the entire software development life cycle using a test case based on the authors personal experience in software development. The book covers methods used to assess risk, discussing the pros and cons of each method. Readers are then guided through each step of the process. The book concludes with discussions of how to sustain a risk assessment and risk management process within an organization.


Millions of tons of buoyant plastic materials enter oceans annually, the majority originating from terrestrial sources and transported to oceans where oceanographic processes disperse or accumulate them. Some of these materials beach while others accumulate in convergent zones in coastal seas and the open ocean. Although accumulations associated with subtropical gyres, for example, the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" (GPGP) are well-known, coastal accumulation zones have received less attention. Here we report quantities and characteristics of plastics accumulated in fronts encountered within the Ashmore Reef marine park (Pulau Pasir), northern Australia. These areas, as well as surrounding waters, were sampled using Manta trawls, drone, and snorkel surveys conducted in October 2018. With mean plastic concentrations of 523,146 pieces km−2 for plastics > 500 micron these hotpots contained plastic concentrations an order of magnitude higher than surrounding waters (16,561 pieces km−2) and comparable to the largest known accumulation zone: the GPGP. Furthermore, the mean mass within hotspots was 5,161 g km–2 vs. 9 g km–2 in surrounding waters. Therefore, we classify the features described in this study as types of "Coastal Garbage Patches" (CGPs). Importantly, the coastal fronts accumulating plastics in CGPs are key habitats for many marine species. Biomass outnumbered plastics by weight, with a ratio of 0.521 in CGPs and 0.016 in surrounding waters vs. 287.7 recorded in the GPGP. Polymer types found between the CGPs and GPGP were similar, but plastic films vastly dominated in the CGPs, whilst they were amongst the rarest types found in the GPGP. This study demonstrates the existence of CGPs coinciding with high priority conservation zones in coastal waters and highlights a need for further research into these environments.


We give an exact formula, based on differentiation with respect to the electron mass, for the spin resolution of the kinetic energy (KE) of a general many-electron system, including the correlation KE. We evaluate the spin-resolved correlation KE for a uniform three dimensional electron gas of arbitrary spin polarization at metallic densities, using the Singwi-Tosi-Land-Sjolander formalism. We give a very accurate scaling relation for the data thus obtained. Our results are expected to be relevant in the analysis of spintronic systems.


A number of countries are running role model recruitment drives under the assumption that like is good for like: ethnic minority teachers should teach ethnic minority children, women should teach girls, and so on. The empirical basis for this would appear to be case study and personal reflection. This article will examine quantitative data to test the hypothesis that male teachers produce more positive attitudes amongst boys and female teachers amongst girls. Using data from the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) Project, information from 413 separate classes for 11 year-olds (in England) was examined. One hundred and thirteen were taught by males and 300 by females. All the pupils completed questionnaires that were designed to measure attitude to school, reading, mathematics and science. In addition, background data on those pupils were collected, including cognitive measures, attainment scores, ability measures and home background measures. The data were examined to look at attitudes using multilevel models controlling for background factors. The analysis concentrated on interaction effects between the gender of the teacher and the gender of the pupil and the results gave little support for those who advocate recruitment drives with role models in mind.


ITRODUCTION: Knowledge of the internal dental morphology is a complex and extremely important point for planning and performing of endodontic treatment. CASE REPORT: The subject of this study was a clinical case of a second maxillary molar with five root canals – one canal in the palatal root, one canal in the distobuccal root and three canals in mesiobuccal root. DISCUSSION: Successful root canal treatment depends on proper cleaning, shaping and compact filling of the root canal under aseptic conditions. In order to achieve these, clinicians need to know thoroughly the morphology of the individual root canal and atypical root canal configuration. The mesiobuccal root of the maxillary first molar has generated more research, clinical investigation, and pure frustration than probably any other root in the mouth. CONCLUDING REMARKS: Endodontic research and technology are continually evolving to enable practitioners to identify, disinfect and obturate root canal system predictably and efficiently. Since the ultimate goal for patients and practitioners alike is the retention of natural teeth for a lifetime, endodontic therapy remains, and will continue to be, the primary treatment choice for teeth with pulpal and periradicular pathology. Magnification has been found to increase the detection rate of additional canals from 17,2% with the naked eye, to 62,5% with loupes and 71,1% using the surgical operating microscope.


This is the first comparative study ever undertaken in an investigation of the history of forced labor in the Soviet Union and China. It makes no claims to be exhaustive, and serves mainly as a foundation to further work in this subject in the near future. Various historical works and documents have been utilized to create, firstly, an acceptable overview of the history of the practice of forced labor in both countries, followed by a short history of so - called 'camp literature', or memoirs written by survivors of forced labor, generally speaking. The main focus is to analyze several key similarities and differences as they are found in examples from both countries. Differences lead to several interesting points, discovered by observing the narrative persona in Soviet and Chinese examples. On the Chinese side, one can find a much more accepting narrator, who seems to view his situation as somehow necessary, whereas in the Soviet context the prisoner almost always condemns the government. Even when he does not, he at least suggests that some sort of mistake was made and rarely suggests his imprisonment is truly for his own good. This work aims to investigate the reason for this phenomenon and poses several reasons for its existence. It does not provide answers, only possibilities. Further research will be required, if it is even at all possible to answer a question that may, in fact, be impossible to prove. Namely, does one's culture shape the way one tends to think? If not, why, in the Chinese context, does the prisoner seem to so willingly accept their situation? W4 'mz "...make use of the labor of those persons under arrest,' for those gentlemen who live without any occupation,' and for those who are unable to work without being forced to do so. Such punishment ought to be applied to those working in Soviet institutions who demonstrate unconscientious attitudes to work, tardiness, etc. ...In this way we will create schools of labor. "1 - Dzerzhinsky's public speech in 1919 concerning the reeducation of the bourgeois. "You will say, perhaps, that all this is too stupid to be true. But, unfortunately, it is true. And is it not stupid that 160, 000,000 people have for eighteen years past been resident in a vast territory of good soil and starving most of the time? Is it not stupid that three families have to be crowded into a single room in Moscow, while the millions needed for housing are lavished on projects like the 'Palace ofSoviets' (The Communist Tower of Babel), the 'Dynamo ', etc. ? Is it not stupid that the construction of the Dniepostroi Water Plant went on day and night, winter and summer, at enormous sacrifice oflives and money for years, and now functions at only twelve per cent of its capacity? Is it not stupid to let horses, cows, and pigs starve for lack of fodder while spending tens of millions importing and trying to breed rabbits, which are certain to succumb from unsuitable food and climate? Is it not stupid to try to domesticate Karelian elks and Kamchatka bears instead? Is it not stupid to import, in the vicinity of the Arctic Circle, for the purpose ofbuilding the White Sea - Baltic Canal, 60,000 Usbeks and Khirghizians from southern Russia who will probably perish within six months? All this is revoltingly stupid, but this stupidity is armed to the teeth. "2 - Ivan Solonevich in The Soviet Paradise Lost. "China 's basic goals in criminal reform are to turn ojfenders into a dijferent kind of person, one who abides by the law and supports himself or herself with his or her own labor, and to reestablish these people as free citizens in society. "3 - Beijing's official political statement concerning the existence of Laogai. "If the reader finds it preposterous or exaggerated, he has never been inside a Chinese prison, and he is lucky. It is utterly typical ofthat country, even today...The first times I encountered prisoners actually thanking the government and their jailers for the sentences they had been given, I regarded them with a mixture of astonishment and scorn. Later, as with my Ideological Reviews in Prison Number One, I went through the same sort of motions, but maintained the small mental reserve that I was onbz protecting my skin: That was the form expected and the way to go through a sentence without trouble. Before I left the Chinese jails, though, I was writing those phrases and believing them. "4 - Bao Ruo-Wang in Prisoner of Mao.


Chemical production processes consist of many complex apparatuses involving both moving and static parts as well as interconnecting pipes, control mechanisms and electronics, mechanical and thermal stages, heat exchangers, waste and side product processing units, power ducts and many others. Bringing such a complicated unit online and ensuring its continued productivity requires substantial skill at anticipating, detecting and solving acute problems. This book is the professional's and student's entrance to the fascinating and important world of trouble shooting for chemical, pharmaceutical and other production processes.


In 1997, the Government of Sri Lanka launched a comprehensive set of education reforms designed to promote equitable access to basic education and improvements in learning outcomes. The package of reforms arose as a political response to widespread youth unrest in the late 1980s and attracted considerable 'political will', a vague but much vaunted term in the international policy discourse. Yet, despite seemingly high levels of national political will, reform has not been plain sailing. Using evidence from interviews with policy elites and an analysis of policy texts and evaluations, this paper analyses the role of political will at national and local levels in policy formulation and implementation in a policy environment characterised by 'patronage politics'. It explores the interaction between the political, administrative, technical, human resource and financial drivers and inhibitors of five reform components and argues that local-level political will, as well as national-level political will, has played a central role in determining whether formulated policies are translated into action on the ground. 'Political will' is a double-edged sword.


© Copyright 2011 Rila Publications Ltd. Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the use of KTP laser in cholesteatoma surgery with regard to the rate of recurrence and preservation of the ossicular chain. This involved a retrospective analysis of cases of combined approach tympanoplasty surgery over an 8 year period. Two patients out of 13 (15%) who did not have laser used in the first stage developed recurrence observed at the second stage. Two patients out of 32 (6%) in whom the laser was used developed recurrence. The results for preservation of the ossicular chain with the use of laser in the first stage are less convincing. However, laser can be used in middle ear surgery to effectively eradicate residual cholesteatoma and potentially reduce recurrence rates.


Abstract In histories of ancient Jews and Judaism, the Roman Empire looms large. For all the attention to the Jewish Revolt and other conflicts, however, there has been less concern for situating Jews within Roman imperial contexts; just as Jews are frequently dismissed as atypical by scholars of Roman history, so Rome remains invisible in many studies of rabbinic and other Jewish sources written under Roman rule. Jews, Christians, and the Roman Empire brings Jewish perspectives to bear on long-standing debates concerning Romanization, Christianization, and late antiquity. Focusing on the third to sixth centuries, it draws together specialists in Jewish and Christian history, law, literature, poetry, and art. Perspectives from rabbinic and patristic sources are juxtaposed with evidence from piyyutim, documentary papyri, and synagogue and church mosaics. Through these case studies, contributors highlight paradoxes, subtleties, and ironies of Romanness and imperial power.


INTRODUCTION
There has been a growing concern about the ability of individuals to maintain adequate levels of performance over long work shifts, particularly when those shifts span night-time hours. It has, therefore, become expeditious to understand and apply principles of circadian rhythms in order to establish simple, rational and appropriate strategies to help our shift workers maximise their performance and minimise their health problems under the various shift work regimes. This review sought to outline several principles of circadian rhythms and the sleep/wake cycle and some possible strategies to manage disturbances in the sleep and performance arising from shift works.

METHODS
Many studies in this field had been carried out. The present review concerns studies which elucidate the general circadian principles as well as those which may provide helpful information applicable for us in the work environment we are living in.

RESULTS
It has been found that shift workers invariably suffer from a constellation of symptoms, which can sometime severely compromise their ability to perform optimally during their shift work. There are many factors that influence the sleep/wake cycle and thus, the performance of shift work. These include 1) circadian factors, 2) type of shift work, 3) how a person adapt to circadian disruption, 4) ageing, 5) sleep factors and 6) social and domestic factors.

CONCLUSIONS
Several possible strategies could be adopted to improve sleep and performance. These include 1) appropriate scheduling of shift work, 2) proper consideration of the speed of shift rotation, 3) strategies for sleep and napping, 4) installing appropriate lighting at the workplace, 5) the use of sleeping pills/hypnotics such as melatonin and melatonin agonists.


A 26 years woman with G3P2L0AO at 40 weeks and 6 days of gestation, but no antenatal clinic visit history presented to Gynecology and Obstetrics out patient clinic complaining decreased feeling of fetal movement since 2 days. Ultrasonography examination revealed fetal demise with amniotic fluid volume of 28 cm. Emergency lower segment caesarean section for ante partum hemorrhage was done. A vertical rupture of the posterior aspect of the uterus from fundus upto the level of cervix with hemoperitoneum of two liters was detected. A macerated dead fetus weighing 3.5 Kg was lying in the peritoneal cavity and the placenta was already partially separated. The mother after hysterectomy was treated in ICU for two days with antihyperglycemic agent additionally and discharged. Journal of Patan Academy of Health Sciences. 2014 Jun;1(1):46-48


Those are the results of an online survey 275 people took part in about the perceived importance of one's own physical look and the reason for it. 92% of people consider their physical look at least somewhat important and about 44% of those consider it as really important. The reasons are many and can vary a lot from person to person. Self-confidence, with feeling comfortable and self-worth, is one of the most common ones. Other reasons are often referred to society and judgment from other people and they include getting some sort of advantage, having a better love or sex life, or not being seen in a negative way (which also relates to self-confidence). In some cases, the reason is just personal (the subject likes looking good). But even among those cases, lots of times there are also extrinsic motivations.


Traditional recommendation systems offer relevant items (e.g., books, movies, music, etc.) to users, but they are not designed for mobile environments. In those environments, the context (e.g., the location, the time, the weather, the presence of other people, etc.) and the movements of the users may be important factors to obtain relevant and helpful recommendations. The emergence of context-aware recommendation systems has prompted the growth of recommendation algorithms that incorporate context information. However, most existing research in this field considers only static context information, despite the fact that exploiting dynamic context information would be very helpful in mobile computing scenarios. Moreover, the design and implementation of generic frameworks to support an easy development of context-aware recommendation systems has been relatively unexplored. In this paper, we present our ongoing work to develop a context-aware recommendation framework for distributed and mobile environments, which will allow suggesting relevant items to mobile users.


One of the fundamental works of Western political thought, Aristotle's masterwork is the first systematic treatise on the science of politics. For almost three decades, Carnes Lord's justly acclaimed translation has served as the standard English edition. Widely regarded as the most faithful to both the original Greek and Aristotle's distinctive style, it is also written in clear, contemporary English. This new edition of the Politics retains and adds to Lord's already extensive notes, clarifying the flow of Aristotle's argument and identifying literary and historical references. A glossary defines key terms in Aristotle's philosophical-political vocabulary. Lord has made revisions to problematic passages throughout the translation in order to enhance both its accuracy and its readability. He has also substantially revised his introduction for the new edition, presenting an account of Aristotle's life in relation to political events of his time; the character and history of his writings and of the Politics in particular; his overall conception of political science; and his impact on subsequent political thought from antiquity to the present. Further enhancing this new edition is an up-to-date selected bibliography.


Cyanobacteria are often used as an indicator of the presence and level of pollutants in the environment. They have been especially recognized for their ability to identify contamination of heavy metals. Class II metallothioneins (MTs), usually found in cyanobacteria, are low molecular weight metal-binding proteins and may be required for heavy metal tolerance. It would be important to examine the phylogenetic pattern as well as prokaryotic evolution of metal-binding protein families among cyanobacteria. All the available protein sequences of cyanobacteria metallothioneins from GenBank, PDB and Pfam have been aligned and the phylogenetic tree was constructed by utilizing four multiple sequence alignment software ClustalW, T-Coffee, POA and GCG-PileUp. Eight cyanobacteria included in this study were Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942, Synechococcus sp. WH 8102, Thermosynechococcus vulcanus, Thermosynechococcus elongates BP-1, Nostoc sp. PCC 7120, Gloeobacter violaceus PCC 7421, Oscillatoria brevis, and Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum. 22 reported heavy metal resistant sequences from these 8 species of cyanobacteria were aligned. A phyletic pattern search tool provided by Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COGs) database, a collection of COGs from 63 sequenced prokaryotes and 3 unicellular eukaryotic genomes was also used to select a desired pattern of presence-absence of species. Cn3D 4.1 program was used for structural alignment. The results indicated that the tree was composed by five clusters. Most Synechococcus and Thermosynechococcus were clustered into 2 clades while others had relatively far genetic distance with Synechococcus but closely linked to each other. Structure alignment of metallothionein among cyanobacteria indicated that a major portion of their structure are not identical but with similar properties such as polarity. The results clearly showed several conserved C-X-C motifs near N-and C-terminus of Class II metallothioneins.


The 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) π-bridge is one of the most commonly used building blocks for sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We investigated its influence on the molecular structure, the photophysical and electrochemical properties compared to a cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT) π-bridge in two pyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine featured D–A–π–A dyes SH3 (CPDT π-bridge) and SH4 (EDOT π-bridge). Surprisingly SH4 with EDOT as a π-bridge exhibited not only poor absorptivity but also inferior photovoltaic performance. On the contrary, SH3 achieved more than 5% power conversion efficiency under standard AM1.5G illumination at 100 mW cm−2 when employed in both solid state and liquid state DSSCs. Theoretical calculations suggested a significant twist in the molecular configuration between EDOT and carboxylic acid. We attributed it to the interaction between the O atom of EDOT and the H atom of alkene as well as the repulsion between the O atoms of EDOT and the carbonyl group of the carboxylic acid, which could retard the intramolecular charge transfer process. Consequently, this rotation in the molecule decreases the molar extinction coefficient and increases charge recombination. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results showed enhanced charge recombination in DSSC devices based on SH4, undermining the charge collection efficiency and the power conversion efficiency compared to SH3. Herein the detrimental effect of tilting the dye structure is isolated from the other characteristics of the dye, showing its importance as a general design strategy for new dyes.


Background: The single-leg squat on a 25° decline board has been described as a clinical assessment tool and as a rehabilitation exercise for patients with patellar tendinopathy. Several assumptions have been made about its working mechanism on patellar load and patellofemoral forces, but these are not substantiated by biomechanical evaluations. Aim: To investigate knee moment and patellofemoral contact force as a function of decline angle in the single-leg squat. Methods: Five subjects performed single-leg eccentric squats at decline angles of 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20° and 25° (with/without a backpack of 10 kg), and 30° on a board that was placed over a forceplate. Kinematic and forceplate data were recorded by the Optotrak system. Joint moments of ankle, knee and hip were calculated by two-dimensional inverse dynamics. Results: Knee moment increased by 40% at decline angles of 15° and higher, whereas hip and ankle moment decreased. Maximum knee and ankle angles increased with steeper decline. With a 10 kg backpack at 25° decline, the knee moment was 23% higher than unloaded. Both patellar tendon and patellofemoral forces increased with higher decline angles, but beyond 60°, the patellofemoral force rose steeper than the tendon force. Conclusions: All single-leg squats at decline angles >15° result in 40% increase in maximum patellar tendon force. In knee flexions >60°, patellofemoral forces increase more than patellar tendon forces. Higher tendon load can be achieved by the use of a backpack with extra weight.


Many research studies report and monitor cycling efficiency over a sustained period of time. None of these studies report that the nutritional intake was controlled or recorded across the period of assessment.

PURPOSE: To determine whether manipulation of nutritional intake before, during and after cycling exercise could influence subsequent gross efficiency measurement.

METHODS: Thirty six cyclists were split into three groups and undertook one of three studies. All studies involved repeated 2-hour cycling tests at submaximal exercise intensity (60% of Power at VO2max) in a randomised, crossover design. During study A, carbohydrate (CHO) intake was manipulated in the 3-days preceding cycling trials. Participants consumed isocaloric diets (~4000kcal) that contained a high (70%), moderate (45%) or low (20%) proportion of CHO, with the remaining proportions derived from fat and protein (10%) intake. For study B, cyclists consumed a standard 3-day pre-exercise diet and conducted four exercise tests where they consumed water (600ml.h-1), CHO (36g.h-1), caffeine (5mg.kg-1) or both CHO and caffeine in combination during the test. During study C, cyclists undertook four exercise trials. Following a standard 3-day pre-exercise diet, participants completed the first two tests on consecutive days and consumed either a high or a low CHO diet (identical to study A) in the 24-h period between tests. A week later, this was repeated with the alternative diet ingested in the recovery period between trials. During all tests, expired air was measured at 30 min intervals in order to calculate gross efficiency (GE).

RESULTS: A – GE was significantly greater following the High CHO diet than the Mod CHO diet. (HighCHO=20.1 ± 0.5%, ModCHO=19.3 ± 0.6%, mean ± SD; P 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Significant differences in gross efficiency were obtained following alteration of nutritional intake in the 3-days preceding and during exercise. This suggests that nutritional intake should be carefully controlled and monitored to ensure the validity of gross efficiency measurements.