Background: Children residing in orphanages often have accumulated oral health needs as they are unaware of the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene. Due to financial constraints, the provision of oral health care is often neglected. Aims and Objectives: This study attempts to assess the perception of oral health and practices among children residing in orphanages in Bengaluru. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 269 inmates, which assessed their perception and practices concerning oral health. Results: The self-assessment and practices of the study participants varied significantly. The proportion of substance abuse was very low, and the oral hygiene practices of the majority of participants were good. Conclusion: Interventions need to be undertaken to improve and reinforce oral health awareness among the study participants.


Payments for environmental services (PES) have gained wide popularity as an approach to promote environmentally friendly land use or agricultural production practices. Yet academics have also voiced caveats against seeing PES as a panacea. This article discusses whether PES is an appropriate and promising approach to promote so-called 'climate-smart agriculture' (CSA), which has been defined as agricultural production practices that contribute to CO2 emission reductions and/or removals and provide benefits to farmers via increased productivity and profits and reduced vulnerability to climate change. We start by providing basic background knowledge on PES, and then review its main promises and evidence on the realities of fulfilling these promises. The core of this article presents a number of guiding questions and corresponding answers for the discussion of whether PES is an appropriate tool to promote CSA. We conclude that PES appears most promising for the promotion of CSA activities in settings of small-scale farming with relatively low incomes. Effective design, however, will require solid estimates of the flow of costs and benefits from CSA adoption over time, and accounting for differences in socio-economic and ecological conditions, and will need to address the risk of leakage. Core funding for such PES will likely have to come from public sources, and seems most promising where synergies with other objectives such as agricultural development, food security and climate adaptation or other environmental services exist. The potential of alternative approaches for CSA support such as taxation with rebates for CSA activities, CSA-related investment support such as micro-credits, and hybrid approaches such as conditional microcredit should be further investigated.


In this article, I part company with the majority of scholars who read 2 Cor. 3:6-18 as a polemic against Judaism. I suggest, to the contrary, that Paul is unconcerned about Torah observant Judaism here. After all, he writes to a gentile church (1 Cor. 12:2) that was apparently untroubled by such issues. Instead, his remarks about the Law focus on the uncircumcised. The Mosaic covenant, Paul argues, brought condemnation and death to them. Read in this way, Paul's argument fits the larger context. For it ironically turns the tables on those who have interpreted his suffering negatively.


Structural mechanics and mechanical reliability issues are becoming more and more challenging in the semiconductor industry due to the continuous trend of the device dimensional shrinkage and simultaneous increased operative temperature and power density. As main consequence of the downsizing and more aggressive operative conditions, the mechanical robustness assessment is now having a central role in the device engineering and assessment phase. The risk of mechanical crack in the brittle oxide layers, which are embedded in pad stacks, increases during the device manufacturing processes such as the electrical wafer testing and during wire bonding. This risk increases with the presence of intrinsic mechanical stress in individual layers resulting from the metal grain growth mechanisms, the stack layers' interfacial mismatches in coefficients of thermal expansion and the temperature stress induced by doping diffusion and film deposition. The current trend of innovation in the electronic industry is going over the semiconductor material itself and it is now impacting the improvement of the Back-End of Line. Key actors are becoming the interactions between the semiconductor die and the device packaging such as adhesion layers, barriers and metal stacks. In the present work, different pad structures have been structurally analyzed and benchmarked. The experimental characterization of the pad structures has been done through a flat punch nano-indentation to investigate on the mechanical strength and the crack propagation. The considered mechanical load reproduces the vertical impact force applied during wire bonding process to create the bond-pad electrical interconnection. The obtained testing results have been compared to finite element models to analyze the stress distribution through the different layers' stacks. Scope of this work is to demonstrate the validity of the proposed integrated numerical/experimental methodology, showing the impact of the metal connections layouts by the analysis of the stress notch factors and crack propagation behaviour.


Nuclei identification is a pivotal first step in many areas of biomedical research. Pathologists often observe images containing microscopic nuclei as part of their day to day jobs. During research, pathologists must identify nuclei characteristics from microscopic images such as: volume of nuclei, size, density and individual position within image. The pathology field can benefit from image detection enhancements done through the use of computer image segmentation techniques. This research presents methods that can be used to identify all the cell nuclei contained in images. Multiple techniques were experimented with such as edge detection and Convolutional Neural Networks with U-Net architecture. The data for training these models was sourced from the 2018 Data Science Bowl sponsored by Kaggle and Booz, Allen, Hamilton. As a result, there were various methods identified to assist the pathology industry for automating nuclei detection by using computer image detection methods. These computer methods rapidly process images for research purposes, with a reasonably high accuracy which has the potential to greatly accelerate the pace of research.


Low autopsy rates are of continuing concern to pathologists. The aim of this study was to investigate the reasons why autopsy did not happen, and to determine whether carrying out the investigation and providing some feedback of the results would have any effect on autopsy rates. The main reasons why autopsy did not happen were that junior doctors considered it unnecessary because the diagnosis and cause of death appeared to be well established, and that patients' relatives declined to give permission for autopsy. No increase in autopsy rates was demonstrated, but possible avenues of approach were suggested and these are being implemented.


To clarify the frequency and cause of acute pancreatitis following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT), we examined retrospectively 57 patients who underwent hematopoietic SCT in our institute from 1984 to 2000. Twelve (21%) of the patients showed an elevated level of serum pancreatic amylase following SCT. However, only 3 patients were clinically diagnosed as having acute pancreatitis. Among these 12 patients, 11 had undergone allogeneic transplantation. Furthermore, patients who had undergone unrelated transplantation (7/16; 44%) tended to show a higher incidence of increased amylase than those who had undergone related transplantation (4/24; 17%). Six patients were at an advanced stage of acute GVHD (grade III or IV) and all showed an elevated level of serum amylase, whereas only four patients showed an elevated serum amylase level among 34 with mild acute GVHD (grade I or II) or without GVHD. Furthermore, five out of 12 patients who showed an increased amylase level were concurrently diagnosed as having viral infection such as cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, or varicella zoster virus. We conclude that pancreatitis following SCT occurs more often than realized, and is mostly subclinical. This is closely associated with severe acute GVHD, and possibly viral infection.


System security today focuses on the design of safe and secure information systems and their operation. In the analysis of any information system, whether small or large, one observes within it a "set of human activities related to each other so they can be viewed as a whole". If one particularly focuses on security aspects of large information systems, and then considers the many layers of complexity comprising the human activity systems within them, it becomes apparent that one of these layers, or subsystems, is a cultural one. This paper proposes that the perspective gained on the impact of culture in such a system by the application of a systems theory, augmented by perspectives supplied by worldview theory, is helpful in designing appropriate learning, e‐commerce or other kinds of distributed environments for multicultural settings.


This study generally investigated the administrative competence of public elementary school principals in the Department of Education in the Division of Northern Samar. Specifically, it determined the profile of the respondent; in terms of age, sex, highest educational attainment, length of service, leadership trainings and seminars attended. It tried to find out the levels of administrative competence of the respondents in terms of self-management, communication, diversity, professional ethics, teamwork and work change. The study was conducted in the Department of Education, Division of Northern Samar during the school year 2015-2016. This was participated by a total of 138 principals. In order to ensure impartiality in the results; the General Parents-Teachers Association Presidents, teachers, members of the local school board were asked to evaluate the performance of the principals. It utilized the descriptive-correlational method using standardized questionnaire. As principal instrument with secondary data to back-up significant difference was found between the educational attainment and the performance of the principal. Further, leadership trainings, length of service and seminars attended were found significant in the respondents' performance. As to the administrative competence, the combined responses of the teachers, PTA presidents, and the members of the Local School Board and the self-assessment of the principals. It revealed that majority of the principals were "highly competent". About 27% were "moderately competent" while around 23% were "fairly competent". Most of the respondents, manifested high level of self-management, work as a team, showed high professional ethics, respect diverse opinions, communication skills and were willing to accept challenges. The findings showed that majority of the principals are highly competent, however, the significant correlation implied that leadership trainings, seminars, educational attainment and work experience greatly influence administration competencies.


Violence or its threats have been a part of many African cities since the end of the Cold War, when many African countries transited from military to civilian rule. While the incidence of organised crime and violent victimisation of innocent citizens is not new to many West African cities, the emergence of terrorist organisations, armed bandits, kidnappers and armed gangs in a city like Lagos has created new security challenges. The challenges include the inability of government to cope with the rising number of young people in organised cult clashes and the threats to peace and stability in Lagos metropolis. This study is designed to investigate the influence of socio-demographic (senatorial district, gender, age, ethnic group, marital status, education, employment, duration of residency and type of apartment) and community factors (presence of nightclubs/hotels, use of private security and frequency of police patrol) on residents' experience of crime victimisation, robbery and organised crime. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and a quantitative method of data collection. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from 300 respondents across three senatorial districts of Lagos State. The study found that factors such as location, type of apartment, nightclubbing, duration of residence, employment status and use of private security predicted at least one of the three dependent variables. The implications of the findings are discussed.


This article deals with two spurious texts by Adolphe Crémieux, the French Alliance israélite universelle, and neo-Nazi distortions and antisemitic ideology aiming at Jewish universalism. Based on a detailed reading of French, German, and English sources, the author's point of departure is the German neo-Nazi Horst Mahler and his antisemitic, conspiracy-driven agitation against Crémieux in recent years. Crémieux was a representative of French Jewish liberal and universalistic circles in the nineteenth century. For example, as a politician he stopped slavery in the French colony of the Caribbean in 1848. Neo-Nazis as well as Islamists defame Jewish universalism. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion are invoked by both neo-Nazis, who base their hatred of Judaism and Jews on French Catholic as well as Nazi German sources, and by Islamists.


Paraquat (1,1′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridinium), a widely used non‐selective herbicide, is a redox cycling agent with adverse effects on dopamine systems. Epidemiological data have shown that exposure to paraquat is one of the several risk factors for Parkinson's disease. We have already shown that cyclo(His‐Pro), an endogenous cyclic dipeptide produced by the cleavage of the thyrotropin releasing hormone, has a cytoprotective effect through a mechanism involving Nrf2 activation that decreases production of reactive oxygen species and increases glutathione synthesis. Using primary neuronal cultures and PC12 cells as targets of paraquat neurotoxicity, we addressed whether and how cyclo(His‐Pro) causes cellular protective response against paraquat‐mediated cell death. We found that cyclo(His‐Pro) attenuated reactive oxygen species production, and prevented glutathione depletion by up‐regulating Nrf2 gene expression, triggering its nuclear accumulation and activating the expression of heme oxygenase1. These protective effects were abolished by RNA interference‐mediated Nrf2 knock down whereas were unaffected by RNA interference‐mediated Keap1 knock down. Inhibition of heme oxygenase activity decreased cyclo(His‐Pro)‐induced neuroprotection. These results suggest that cyclo(His‐Pro), acting as a selective activator of the brain modulable Nrf2 pathway, may be a promising candidate as neuroprotective agent that act through induction of phase II genes.


Compression testing of micropillars was used to investigate the gain boundary effect on the strength of metals which is especially interesting in ultra fine grained and nanocrystalline metals. Single and bicrystal micropillars of different sizes and crystallographic orientations were fabricated using a focused ion beam system and the compression test was performed with a nanoindenter. A reduction of the pillar size as well as the introduction of a grain boundary results in an increase in the yield strength. The results show that the size and the orientation of different adjoining crystals in bicrystalline pillars have an obvious effect on dislocation nucleation and multiplication.


UNLABELLED
The goal of the study was the choice of hemodynamic parameters most useful in prognosing the survival of the patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The investigated group comprised 40 patients, who underwent left and right cardiac catheterization with left ventricular (LV) quantitative angiography. The day of catheterization was the starting point of the observation, which was performed by means of follow-up regular examinations and information from questionnaires sent to and returned by the patients or their families. The follow-up spanned from 1 to 120 months (means = 43). The hemodynamic parameters of LV systole, ejection, isovolumic relaxation and filling were assessed. The patients were divided into two subgroups featuring survival of less and more than 3 years, respectively. In these two subgroups the following parameters were compared: LVEADP, T constant of relaxation, LVEDP, LVEDVI,+dp/dt max, EF, LV mass/volume ratio, MCSD (midwall circumferential LV stress in early diastole), -dp/dt min. They were also correlated with survival and analyzed in Cutler-Ederer survival tables.

CONCLUSIONS
1. 32% of patients survived more than 5 years. 2. The prognostically most valuable parameters seem to be: -dp/dt min, LVEADP, LVEDVI, EF, LVEDP, MCSD, +dp/dt max. 3. The prognosing of survival in patients with DCM should be based on a multifactorial analysis because of lack of domination of any single factor.


Abstract Geological features of NE Greenland suggest large petroleum potential, as well as high uncertainty and risk. The area was the prototype for development of methodology used in the US Geological Survey (USGS) Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA), and was the first area evaluated. In collaboration with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), eight 'assessment units' (AU) were defined, six of which were probabilistically assessed. The most prospective areas are offshore in the Danmarkshavn Basin. This study supersedes a previous USGS assessment, from which it differs in several important respects: oil estimates are reduced and natural gas estimates are increased to reflect revised understanding of offshore geology. Despite the reduced estimates, the CARA indicates that NE Greenland may be an important future petroleum province.


Data presented by Dr. Allain indicated that benzodiazepines are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Dr. Cohen asked whether any mechanism had been proposed for this finding. "No mechanism was proposed by the investigators," said Dr. Allain. He noted that the investigators in this study, which has now enrolled more than 5,000 patients, are analyzing drug use among patients before and during the study. He also pointed out that the finding of an association between benzodiazepines and AD contrasts with the results of a previous trial, which found no such association.


The aim of this study was to examine the social and sexual adjustments of Singapore female transsexuals following sex reassignment surgery. All female transsexuals who were operated on since 1989 were interviewed. There were a total of 17 transsexuals with a mean age of 29 years (range, 20 to 41 years) at the time of inception. Before surgery, all were single. After surgery, 6 out of 11 subjects had married abroad. Before surgery, some had problems with identity cards, passports, travelling and work which were resolved with surgery. They were better accepted and had better sexual adjustment after surgery. All were satisfied with the change in sex, but only 65% were satisfied with the surgery. Only 59% said they were willing to undergo the operation again. After a test case in court, they were unable to marry in Singapore. Their primary motive to undergo sex reassignment surgery was to become a member of the opposite sex, so that they could be recognised socially and legally.


The aim of this paper is to deal with the general decoupling problem of linear constant ( A, B, C, D )-quadruples under the assumption of (regular) output feedback. In its most general setting, this problem was hitherto unsolved. Here we give a complete characterization of solutions by (regular) output feedback by means of necessary and sufficient conditions of existence. They generalize the result previously obtained by Denham [4] for the linear constant ( A, B, C )-triples.


A simple method for estimating the turnover time of the human stratum corneum is described. The horny layer is impregnated with a fluorescent dye and the site followed until the fluorescence disappears. The renewal time for the stratum corneum of the back was found to be about two weeks, for the back of the hand three weeks, and for the forehead one week. The increased time on the back of the hand is probably related to the increased thickness of the horny layer at this site. The reduced forehead time is not related to thickness and may reflect a real increase in epidermal turnover rate at this site.


We report here on the identification of two novel hexacyclic
alkanes (C33 and C35) occurring in bitumen. The C35
compound 1 was identified by comparison
with a standard obtained by synthesis involving a biomimetic proton-induced
extensive cyclisation of an acyclic heptaprenoid. This cascade cyclisation
allows the formation of eleven asymmetric centres present in the natural compound
in only one step. The C33 analogue 2
was identified by NMR studies after isolation from the saturated hydrocarbon
fraction of a bituminous rock. Both compounds are "orphan" molecular
fossils of biological lipids of unknown origin formed by the extensive cyclisation
of higher regular polyprenoids.


Objective: To investigate the factors that influence the hearing level in Meniere's disease patients. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of 60 patients with Meniere's disease who were treated in our hospital between January 2004 and December 2015. Results: The study population was 35.0% male and 65.0% female. The average age of the patients was 50.5 (range 20–74) years old. The age distribution showed a peak at 40 years. The patients who were treated for more than 2000 days showed significantly increased hearing thresholds compared with those of the patients who were treated for less than 500 days. The patients with vertigo or dizziness showed significantly worsened hearing lev els in comparison to those of the patients without these symptoms. Furthermore, the hearing level of the patients treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or ventilation tubes worsened significantly more than that of the patients without these treatments. Conclusion: This study revealed that 1) long-standing disease, 2) vertigo or dizziness and 3) treatment with SS-RIs or 4) ventilation tubes are important predictors of the hearing level of Meniere's disease patients.


Facilities of electric railway should be maintained only at night and it is necessary to maintain by human power because facilities are installed at a high place. This paper presents the development and application of a real-time data acquisition system for the characteristics measurement of overhead contact wires in electric railway. The system is designed to perform in the telemetry environments that developed to store data by wireless in a live wire state of 25 kV power source. The field test results show that the proposed technique and the developed system can be practically applied to measure characteristics of temperature, displacement, and strain on overhead contact lines.


Watch the VIDEO here. Article and Book Processing Charges have become one of the most common mechanisms for paying for gold open access. It is envisaged that this looks like a "flip" from a purchase model to a service model. However, the change in distribution that is effected in such a transition is substantial. In this talk, I will examine the economic distributions of APC mechanisms as opposed to consortial funding. I take examples from the monograph and journal publishing spaces. I also examine the distributional changes from the UK's Research Excellence Framework's proposed mandate for monographs. I finally then ask what the actual costs are in running a small scholarly publisher and how the distributional changes implied by APCs – a move from fixed costs to unit costs – hit such entities. In all, this talk aims to provoke discussion about alternative models and mitigating strategies for collectively underwriting open access.


With global rise in obesity, it is imperative that we identify obesity-driven factors that increase growth and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC), and also discover and develop agents with anti-CRC efficacy under obese conditions. Here in, we investigated grape seed extract (GSE), a well-defined agent with both preventive and anti-CRC efficacy, for its potential to impair pro-tumorigenic signaling of adipocytes on CRC/colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) and associated molecular mechanisms, to control CRC under obese conditions. GSE treatment significantly decreased the growth and invasion promoting effects of both mouse and human adipocytes on CRC cells. Moreover, GSE exerted a direct inhibitory effect, as well as it strongly reduced the growth promoting signals of adipocytes, on colon CSCs. These GSE effects were associated with a decrease in both mRNA and protein levels of various CSC-associated molecules. Notably, GSE effects on adipocytes were not due to changes in lipid content, but by inducing the 'browning' of adipocytes as evidenced by an increase in UCP-1 mRNA level and mitochondriogenesis. Together, these findings, for the first time, suggest the ability of GSE to induce 'brown remodeling' of white adipocytes, which causes functional modification of adipocytes thus impairing their pro-tumorigenic signals on colon CSCs/CRC cells.


The excessive accumulation of soluble amyloid peptides (Aβ) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), particularly in synaptic dysfunction. The role of the two major chaperone proteins, Hsp70 and Hsp90, in clearing misfolded protein aggregates has been established. Despite their abundant presence in synapses, the role of these chaperones in synapses remains elusive. Here, we report that Hsp90 inhibition by 17-AAG elicited not only a heat shock-like response but also upregulated presynaptic and postsynaptic proteins, such as synapsin I, synaptophysin, and PSD95 in neurons. 17-AAG treatment enhanced high-frequency stimulation-evoked LTP and protected neurons from synaptic damage induced by soluble Aβ. In AD transgenic mice, the daily administration of 17-AAG over 7 d resulted in a marked increase in PSD95 expression in hippocampi. 17-AAG treatments in wild-type C57BL/6 mice challenged by soluble Aβ significantly improved contextual fear memory. Further, we demonstrate that 17-AAG activated synaptic protein expression via transcriptional mechanisms through the heat shock transcription factor HSF1. Together, our findings identify a novel function of Hsp90 inhibition in regulating synaptic plasticity, in addition to the known neuroprotective effects of the chaperones against Aβ and tau toxicity, thus further supporting the potential of Hsp90 inhibitors in treating neurodegenerative diseases.


Li-fi Technology is one of the exploring fields that enhances the power of data communication and internetworks. Li-Fi technology, proposed by the German physicist—Harald Haas, researched that transmission of data through illumination by sending data through an LED light bulb. As LED light varies in intensity faster than the human eye can feel ,it also have higher frequency than Radio wave which results in much higher speed than Wi-Fi. LED increases the efficiency, durability and Data rate, thus empowering the growth of Li-Fi systems and Visible Light Communication (VLC) system. The Speed of nearly 10 Gbps can be achieved by using LED Bulbs instead of using all traditional incandescent bulbs or compact fluorescent devices. The scope of the author is to use a LED Bulbs as sources of data transmission and communication in Local area network like Home, office, Organization and etc.


ABSTRACTThe double cantilever beam specimen has been increasingly employed to enable the development of cohesive zone models for adhesive joints. Evaluation of the traction–separation law (TSL) requires elaborate experimental techniques and usually relies on data measured until the crack initiation point. Nonetheless, current standards stipulate fracture energy measurements under steady-state crack propagation. This paper investigated the influence of the cohesive zone on the commonly used corrected beam theory data reduction scheme. Analytical solutions for the elastic–perfectly plastic, bilinear, and trapezoidal laws were developed using a beam model. The role of the elastic traction decay zone was found to be significant for high strength moderately tough adhesives. Nevertheless, the results showed that the sensitivity of the crack length correction to the cohesive zone can be exploited to obtain approximate TSLs.


Thus far, recent judgments on women's property rights delivered by the Nigerian Supreme Court have been perceived as a development of customary law. The article argues that these judgments mask the indifferent attitude of apex courts to women's matrimonial property rights under customary law. This indifference is evident from the Supreme Court's failure to address the preservative philosophy of property rights and the unsuitability of this philosophy to contemporary conditions. To bring this failure into critical focus, the article primarily uses case analyses to critique divorce and succession judgments delivered by the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. It finds that apex courts prefer the repugnancy test over the Bill of Rights, using a balancing act that shields the customary law of matrimonial property from constitutional scrutiny. Among other measures, the article suggests that customary law should be unequivocally subjected to the Bill of Rights, and legislation should be enacted to regulate customary laws of succession, marriage and divorce.


In 1881 De Koninck, in his 'Faune Calc. Carb. Belg.' Ann. Mus. Roy. Hist. Nat. Belg. vol. vi, pt. iii, p. 86, created the genus Aclisina to include some small shells which had previously been placed in one or other of the genera Murchisonia, Loxonema, Aclis, Turbonilla or Turritella, and he thus defines it: 'Petite coquille allongée, conique, à tours convexes, striés en spirale; ouverture ovale; bord externe mince, entier et non saillant: columelle non arquée, légèrement épaissie; axe non perforé.' Three species are described as belonging to this genus, but none is especially regarded as the type. I have examined the shells labelled as the types in the Brussels Museum, and find that they are severally quite distinct from one another in character, so much so, indeed, that each must form the type of a separate genus. It remains, therefore, to be decided which should be regarded as most typical of De Koninck's definition of Aclisina. The first-mentioned, Murchisonia striatula, was referred by De Koninck in a former work to the genus Murchisonia, but he here removes it to Aclisina, because he states there is no slit ('fente') in the outer lip. The surface of the specimen from Vis6 in the Brussels Museum, marked as the type of this species, is much worn, but it is sufficiently preserved to prove its identity with other individuals from the same locality in the Brussels Museum, in the Museum and in the Collection of M. Destinez at Liége, and also with two


Many authors have written about intranuclear inclusion bodies; their presence has usually been linked with known virus infection, and their association with tumors has been less frequently reported. Intranuclear inclusions have been described, however, by Lucke (1) in adenocarcinoma of the frog9s kidney. Russell (2), and Wolf and Orton (3) have reported inclusion bodies in nuclei of the cells of various brain tumors. Many of the spongio-blastomata contained them, but none were found in the medulloblastomata. Chemical agents are also a possible factor in their causation, as Olitsky and Harford (4) have shown by producing these bodies with aluminum hydroxide and other compounds. Both intranuclear and extranuclear inclusion bodies were reported by Pappenheimer and Maechling (5) in the epithelium of the renal tubules following bismuth administration. Blackman (6), and Finner and Calvery (7) found intranuclear bodies in the livers and kidneys of children dying of lead poisoning. In the following case, conspicuous intranuclear inclusions were present in the neoplastic cells of a thyroid carcinoma. Unfortunately, because of the limitations of the necropsy permission, no other tissues could be examined.


Background In macrophages, repeated stimulation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 leads to a tolerant state of the cell which protects inflamed tissues from damage. We have recently shown that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts (SF) lack these protective mechanisms and maintain the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and matrix degrading metalloproteinases (MMPs) after repeated LPS stimulation. Objectives To investigate mechanisms behind LPS tolerizable and non-tolerizable effects in RASF and macrophages. Methods RASF, and in vitro differentiated peripheral blood derived macrophages from healthy donors were treated with LPS (100 ng/ml) for 24h and then re-stimulated with low doses of LPS (10 ng/ml) for another 24h. The expression levels of interleukins (IL), chemokines, MMPs, retionoic acid-inducible gene 1 (RIG1), melanoma differentiation associated protein-5 (MDA5) and 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS1) were analyzed by multiplex immunoassays on the Luminex®200 platform, ELISAs or quantitative Real-time PCR. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) promoter activities in RASF (n=4) were evaluated by Dual-Luciferase reporter assays after repeated stimulation with LPS. The levels of histone 3 (H3) and H4 acetylation (H3ac, H4ac) as well as H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) in promotor regions of tolerizable (OAS1, RIG1) and non-tolerizable (IL6, IL8) genes in SF (n=6–7) and macrophages (n=5) were analyzed by Chromatin Immune precipitation (ChIP). Results Multiplex protein platform and ELISAs revealed that most of the IL and chemokines were tolerizable in macrophages and non-tolerizable in supernatants from RASF after repeated LPS stimulation. A lack of tolerizable effects of RASF was also found for MMP1 and MMP3, whereas the anti-viral response genes OAS1, RIG1 and MDA5 were tolerizable in RASF and macrophages. Reporter gene activities for NF-κB and AP-1 were similar in single and double stimulated RASF, excluding potential differences in the activation of these transcription factors as underlying mechanisms for tolerizable/non-tolerizable effects in RASF. The levels of the activating histone marks H3ac and H3K4me3 were decreased by LPS double compared to single stimulation of SF and macrophages in promoter regions of OAS1 and RIG1. These chromatin marks were not changed or even increased in promoter regions of IL6, IL8 and MMP1 in RASF. Interestingly, AcH3 levels in an IL6 (-525/-349) and an IL8 (-80/-25) promoter region were increased in RASF (IL6: single LPS: 1.38; double LPS: 1.5; IL8: single LPS: 0.17 double LPS: 0.24) but decreased in macrophages (IL6: single LPS: 1.55; double LPS: 1.14; IL8: single LPS: 0.61 double LPS: 0.51). Conclusions Epigenetic modifications on gene promoters contribute to differences in tolerization between RASF and macrophages. Since many pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMPs are non-tolerizable genes in RASF, epigenetic enzymes that maintain the aggressive phenotype of RASF in persistent inflammation are future therapeutic targets. Acknowledgement IMI-BT Cure (Pfizer), IAR Epalinges, euroTEAM Disclosure of Interest K. Klein. Grant/research support from: IMI-BT Cure (Pfizer), IAR Epalinges, euroTEAM, R. Gay: None declared, C. Kolling: None declared, L.-L. Lin Shareholder of: Pfizer, Employee of: Pfizer, N. Bostanci: None declared, G. Belibasakis: None declared, B. Michel: None declared, S. Gay Grant/research support from: IMI-BT Cure (Pfizer), IAR Epalinges, euroTEAM, C. Ospelt Grant/research support from: IMI-BT Cure (Pfizer), IAR Epalinges, euroTEAM


The International Xenotransplantation Association islet xenotransplantation consensus statement describes the conditions for undertaking clinical trials of porcine islet products in type 1 diabetes. Chapter 1 reviews the key ethical requirements and progress toward the definition of an international regulatory framework for clinical trials of xenotransplantation. Chapters 2 to 7 provide in depth and agreed-upon recommendations on source pigs, pig islet product manufacturing and release testing, preclinical efficacy and complication data required to justify a clinical trial, strategies to prevent transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus, patient selection for clinical trials, and informed consent. It is planned to update this initial consensus statement in a year's time in light of progress in research, changes in the regulatory framework, and comments submitted after publication.


Optimizing the transient control of gas networks is a highly challenging task. The corresponding model incorporates the combinatorial complexity of determining the settings for the many active elements as well as the non-linear and non-convex nature of the physical and technical principles of gas transport. In this paper, we present the latest improvements of our ongoing work to solve this problem for real-world, large-scale problem instances: By adjusting our mixed-integer non-linear programming model regarding the gas compression capabilities in the network, we reflect the technical limits of the underlying units more accurately while maintaining a similar overall model size. In addition, we introduce a new algorithmic approach that is based on splitting the complexity of the problem by first finding assignments for discrete variables and then determining the continuous variables as locally optimal solution of the corresponding non-linear program. For the first task, we design multiple different heuristics based on concepts for general time-expanded optimization problems that find solutions by solving a sequence of sub-problems defined on reduced time horizons. To demonstrate the competitiveness of our approach, we test our algorithm on particularly challenging historic demand scenarios. The results show that high-quality solutions are obtained reliably within short solving times, making the algorithm well-suited to be applied at the core of time-critical industrial applications.


Due to the severe data sparsity problem, conventional text classification methods are difficult to achieve good results in news title classification. In this paper, we design a novel news title classification method, referred as Word-Embedding-based Sentence-LDA (WESL) model. WESL employs the Sentence-LDA model to distill topic vectors from news titles, and FastText is used to learn word distributed representations. Furthermore, the proposed model expands the features of news titles by combining word and topic vectors. Finally, we utilize a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to classify news titles, and the classification results are evaluated using the precision, recall and F1-value. The experimental results illustrate that our method can significantly enhance classification performance.


The endothelium is the innermost layer of vascular cells, with a central role in maintaining vascular health. Within endothelial cells, mitochondria play important roles in calcium homeostasis, reactive oxygen species production and, to a lesser extent, ATP generation. The balance of mitochondrial fission, fusion and motility is likely to provide fine control of subcellular location and interactions of the organelle; however, the outcome of perturbation of mitochondrial dynamics on endothelial function remains unclear. We sought to address this gap by investigating the effects of mitochondrial fission inhibitor, Mdivi-1, on endothelial cells. Treatment of cultured endothelial cells with Mdivi-1 (1 or 10 µM, 48 hour) increased mitochondrial length and branching extent compared to control, consistent with inhibition of fission. Mdivi-1 increased branched, twisted and looped endothelial mitochondrial morphologies, whilst also reducing net mitochondrial speed. No acute toxicity was observed after Mdivi-1 treatment (10 µM, 48 hour), however Mdivi-1 did decrease the intracellular content of the glycoprotein von Willebrand Factor (produced, stored and released by endothelial cells to aid thrombosis). Endothelial gap junction communication was also assessed as a function of confluent cells' ability to inter-cellularly transfer the dye, Lucifer yellow; Mdivi-1 decreased dye transfer rates, suggesting reduced intercellular gap junction communication. In conclusion, Mdivi-1 treatment altered endothelial mitochondrial morphology and dynamics, and also decreased von Willebrand Factor content and gap junction communication, however the mechanistic links remain unclear. Clarification is important, as modulation of mitochondrial dynamics has been proposed as a novel target against the cell proliferation associated with vascular disease.


: The hearts of 35 patients of different age have been studied. The cholinergic innervation reaches full differentiation by the age of 30, its involution begins after 50. The adrenergic innervation is most manifest in children, its involution begins from 30. After 60 the nervous plexuses of the heart are fully devoid of catecholamines. The sensitivity of the myocardium to adrenalin at different age levels is roughly the same.


We study the anti-phase synchronization (APS) in a system of two coupled chaotic oscillators. The necessary condition and the stability analysis for the APS are given theoretically. The APS state in specific systems such as Chua circuits and Lorenz oscillators are numerically studied. The different types of transitions to APS in both the systems are found.


The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy evaluates children across four core domains: physical competence, daily behaviour, physical activity knowledge, and motivation for physical activity. The motivation and confidence score is comprised of four characteristics of motivation: 1) choosing a physical activity over a sedentary activity, 2) feelings of adequacy towards physical activity, 3) comparing levels of physical activity and physical skills to peers, 4) perceived benefits versus barriers for physical activity. The physical competence domain is comprised of eight competencies; the present study focused on plank (muscular endurance) and beep test (aerobic endurance) results, as both would be partially influenced by effort rather than pure fitness or skill. Motivation and confidence were expected to influence kids' persistencce and effort in tasks such as plank and beep test (PACER). Twenty-seven grade 6 children completed online copies of self-report questionnaires assessing their physical activity motivation and physical competence (HALO, 2013), performed the Fitnessgram 20m PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run; Meredith & Welk, 2010), and the plank isometric hold (Boyer et al., 2013). A regression analysis predicted plank score by physical activity motivation and confidence (accounting for 44.6% of the variance); F(1, 25) = 20. 15, p < .001.). A regression analysis predicted PACER score by physical activity motivation and confidence (accounting for 56.3% of the variance); F(1, 25) = 32.25, p < .001. Acknowledgments: Funding support from ParticipAction through CHEO.


Benchmarking is comparing the output of different systems for a given set of input data in order to improve the system's performance. Faced with the lack of realistic and operational benchmarks that can be used for testing optimization methods and control systems in flexible systems, this paper proposes a benchmark system based on a real production cell. A three-step method is presented: data preparation, experimentation, and reporting. This benchmark allows the evaluation of static optimization performances using traditional operation research tools and the evaluation of control system's robustness faced with unexpected events. & 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


It is the key of possessing stable subcontractors and establishing a long-term cooperative partnership that to design sound profit incentive mechanisms and to win-win with subcontractors for general contractor. In the incentive contract of owner, based on the incentive theory and principal-agency model, profit distributing models of general and subcontractors in one-off and long-term cooperation are set up. The results show that the greater the contributions and the lower the effort costs are, the greater the distribution coefficient is; Pareto equilibrium effort level can't be paid in one-off cooperation, so long-term cooperation should be established between general contractor and subcontractors. A higher distribution coefficient should be given to subcontractor in long-term cooperation than in one-off, the more the cooperation times are, the higher the distribution coefficient is. The conclusions can provide thoughts and scientific basis for the design of the subcontract.


Novel test circuits for the accurate determination of soft error rate (SER) dependency on critical charges Q/sub CRIT/ have been developed. The minimum charge necessary for flipping the state of a sensor cell, denoted by Q/sub CRIT/, is measured with 1%-2% accuracy before exposing the circuits to radiation. During the accelerated testing, circuits biased with multiple different supply voltages V/sub CC/ are simultaneously placed into a beam and any bit flips are logged. From the measured SER dependency on V/sub CC/ and previously measured Q/sub CRIT/ dependency on V/sub CC/, the dependency of SER on Q/sub CRIT/ can be deduced by correlating V/sub CC/'s for the two measurements. Furthermore, the sensor cell utilizes a single dynamic node which can be programmed to detect strikes on either N- or P-type diffusions, but not both at the same time. The measured dependency SER(Q/sub CRIT/), normalized by the diffusion area, can be used for predicting SER of any other circuit fabricated in the same process and aid designers in optimization for reduced SER. Predictions of a theoretical SER model, if one is available, can be compared directly with the measurements. Since the true Q/sub CRIT/ of the test circuits is known accurately, any discrepancy larger than given by the measurement uncertainty of SER(Q/sub CRIT/) would be clearly due to limitations of the SER model. We implemented the test circuits in a 0.6-/spl mu/m bulk CMOS process and verified accuracy of Q/sub CRIT/(V/sub CC/) calibration method.


Years are approaching as Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expecting to have its own economic community in 2015. The commitment to realize, among others, a single market and equitable economic development have been set out. Yet, Member States are continuing their 'revenue giveaways' by enacting tax statutes and regulations that constitute preferable tax regimes and 'tickets to ride' for companies. Indonesia, for example, has recently enacted a regulation that provides tax breaks in a certain period for newly incorporated resident companies investing in several industries, while Singapore has for several years provided their resident start-up companies with tax exemptions. Where taxes, particularly corporate taxes, are becoming more primary in generating State revenue, preferable tax regimes as such would clearly create burdens in a State's budget. On the other hand, it goes without saying that these regimes would be incompatible with the efforts to create a single market, as investors would place their capitals in Member States having the lowest effective corporate tax rate, assuming all other investment determinants are equitable in one Member State and another. Nevertheless, financial cooperation towards AEC seems to consider corporate taxes as a non-determinant in establishing a highly competitive economic region. The question is, therefore, does the pillars of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) envisage a tax competition, that is somewhat harmful, among Member States? Also, contextual to the theme of the conference, would this kind of competition be the identity of AEC? This article would attempt at answering these questions by first pinpointing preferable provisions within the currently enforced corporate tax regimes in some Member States. It would then determine whether the establishment of AEC entails consequences or provides opportunities for harmonization of corporate taxes among Member States. Subsequently, the author would conclude whether tax competition among Member States is a purposive action, which respectively labels an identity for the AEC.


Propane-1,3-sultone (PS) is an alkylating substance used in the production of polymers, fungicides, insecticides, dyes, and detergents. It is absorbed into the human body by inhalation, digestion, and through the skin; it is also a possible carcinogen. Occupational exposure to this substance may occur on industrial or laboratory contact. In Poland, the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) for PS in workplace air is 7 µg/m3. The paper presents a method for determination of PS in workplace air using a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Air containing PS is passed through a glass tube containing a glass fiber filter and two layers of silica gel. The substance is washed with acetonitrile and the solution obtained analysed using GC-MS. The measuring range for an air sample of 360 L is 0.7 ÷ 14 µg/m3. The limit of detection (LOD) is 13 ng/m3, limit of quantification (LOQ) is 40 ng/m3.


Objective
Fear of hypoglycemia for children with diabetes influences parental life and could increase parental stress. The present study aimed to explore the association between resilience, the self-perception of the parental role, and fear of hypoglycemia in mothers of children with type I diabetes (T1DM).

Methods
Ninety mothers (mean age: 44.20 years) of children with a T1DM diagnosis (mean age: 11.48 years) were recruited from an association for parents and completed an online self-report questionnaire packet that includes: Fear of Hypoglycemia Survey, Self-Perception of the Parental Role and Resilience Scale for Adults. Participants were recruited in 2017. Data collection lasted 10 months. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS statistical package, version 22, and the PROCESS macro program by Hayes.

Results
The analysis of the mediation model shows that resilience assumes a mediational role in the relationships between the parental role and preoccupation with hypoglycemia. In particular, the mother's perceived competence and role balance can influence the development and increase of the mother's resilience, which in turn can allow a decrease in the mother's worry about the possible hypoglycemic episode of her child.

Conclusion
The findings suggest that resilience is a significant topic to focus on in interventions designed to increase the self-perception of the parental role and reduce fear of hypoglycemia in mothers.


The reliability of the production and presence of disease resistance especially rust has sparked a renewed interest in improving landraces and exploiting these in wheat variety development programs. In vitro culture is a pre-requisite for most of the tools of biotechnology. In this context, three Pakistani wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) land races viz., LLR-13, LLR-15 and LLR-16, having leaf rust resistance were assessed for in vitro plant regeneration response. Immature embryos were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 2, 4, 6 and 8 mg/L of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) for callogenesis and MS + zeatin riboside (1.0 mg/L) medium for regeneration of these calli. All three land races produced callus on all 2,4-D concentrations; higher doses (8 mg/L) being the most effective for callus fresh weight. However, there was a strong carry over effect of 2,4-D on regeneration capacity. Calli induced at 2 mg/L of 2,4-D showed the highest regeneration frequency for LLR-16, LLR-13 and calli of LLR-15 induced on 4mg/L were more regenerative. Overall, LLR-16 produced the maximum regenerants. Rooted plantlets were transferred to glasshouse for further evaluation. Key words: Leaf rust, immature embryos, wheat land races, regeneration, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium.


Higher education has become a higher concentration of importance and competitive for students to get admission in top institutions for their interested concerned course. The expectations of students continuously change over time due to the advancement in communication technology, social networking sites and mass media, which demands for free learning. In present traditional education system learners neither change the content of the curriculum or courses depending on their varied interest. The aim of this paper is to provide self verification and self development of their curriculum based on continuous feedback through the concerned educational blog. This paper proposes a new model for student centric learning. As per the model subject wise every faculty has to create a blog in their subject name and should build a new community, which consists of all students and their parents. Students will continually interact with faculty, which includes their new interest regarding subject, feedback about the class. They can also give suggestion about the curriculum re-design or development. Faculty will reply for all the comments made by the students regularly and can also give assignment and mini project to students through the blog. The students will get their valued examination paper, scanned copy and they can self verify their marks. The meritorious student's achievements are published in the respective blog to encourage students. The feedback about the curriculum posted by the students is filtered at the end of the semester and put forward to the Board of Study (BOS) committee or syllabus revision panel committee. This paper helps to improve the student's knowledge in new communication technology and self learning ability. This model is best suited for online or distance mode-education system. We can also use this model to existing university or college or classroom based with regular courses.


Rationale: To apply thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) to treat dwarfism complicated with Stanford B aortic dissection. Patient concerns: In this report, we presented a 63-year-old male patient of dwarfism complicated with Stanford B aortic dissection successfully treated with TEVAR. Diagnoses: He was diagnosed with dwarfism complicated with Stanford B aortic dissection. Interventions: After conservative treatment, the male patient underwent TEVAR at 1 week after hospitalization. After operation, he presented with numbness and weakness of his bilateral lower extremities, and these symptoms were significantly mitigated after effective treatment. At 1- and 3-week after TEVAR, the aorta status was maintained stable and restored. Outcomes: The patient obtained favorable clinical prognosis and was smoothly discharged. During subsequent follow-up, he remained physically stable. Lessons: TEVAR is probably an option for treating dwarfism complicated with Stanford B aortic dissection, which remains to be validated by subsequent studies with larger sample size.


Recently a new method was described, the 67Ga subtraction scanning method. 67Ga accumulates in neoplastic and inflammatory tissue. The subtraction method was applied for evaluating 38 patients with Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The preliminary experiences are described. It was found that the diagnostic accuracy is comparable to that of 67Ga scanning. The subtraction method offers potential improvement of the accuracy for equivocal scans, but further technological refinement is needed before the method can be widely applicable.


The influence of nitrogen incorporation on the microstructure of dilute nitride films and quantum wells has been investigated using cross-section scanning transmission electron microscopy. The elemental distributions of Ga, In, N and As in GaInNAs and GaAsN films have been mapped by energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Below the solubility limit for nitrogen, homogeneous GaAsN and GaInNAs compositions are obtained of good crystalline quality near to the epilayer/GaAs interface. In GaAsN films containing nitrogen above the solubility limit a graded transition from arsenide-like to nitride-like material occurs after some 50 nm of growth. GaInNAs films containing nitrogen exceeding the solubility limit exhibit a 'cellular' microstructure consisting of a gallium-depleted InGaAs centre with walls of a GaN-like composition. A similar segregation effect is observed in GaInNAs quantum wells containing nitrogen around and above the solubility limit. The formation of In-rich regions occurs within the wells, which causes three-dimensional growth at higher nitrogen contents, with the consequent initiation of growth defects. The electronic structure of GaInNAs quantum wells has been investigated by mapping the variation in the plasmon frequency using electron energy loss spectrometry on a dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope. Kramers–Kronig analysis of the singly scattered low-loss region yields a measure of the local effective valence electron density.


Background Traditionally BMD has been considered a major determinant of bone strength. However, it is shown that the bone strength and fracture risk depend on several parameters: macrogeometry of cortical bone, BMD, trabecular bone microarchitecture, bone microdamage, bone mineralization, and bone metabolism. Previous studies have found a significant decrease in the quality of trabecular bone of men while they're ageing. Nevertheless, the trabecular bone score of the Ukrainian men with osteoporotic vertebral fractures has not yet been studied. Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the trabecular bone score (TBS) and bone mineral density (BMD) in men with osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Methods We've examined 243 men aged 30-89 years, divided according to the gerontologic classification: 30-44 yrs (n=46), 45-59 yrs (n=83), 60-74 yrs (n=86), 75-89 yrs (n=28). The basic group consists of 52 men with osteoporotic vertebral fractures in the anamnesis (mean age – 59.8±13.7 yrs; mean height – 1.73±6.98 m; mean weight – 79.0±14.9 kg) and control group - of 191 men without fractures (mean age – 57.4±13.7 yrs; mean height – 1.74±6.89 m; mean weight – 76.5±9.3 kg). The BMD of PA lumbar spine and proximal femur were measured by the DXA method (Prodigy, GEHC Lunar, Madison, WI, USA) and PA spine TBS were assessed by the TBS iNsight® software package installed on our DXA machine (Med-Imaps, Pessac, France). Results We have observed a significantly lower TBS (L1-L4) in the basic group (30-44 yrs – 1.083±0.187, 45-59 yrs – 1.025±0.248, 60-74 yrs – 1.084±0.170, 75-89 yrs – 0.951±0.170) as compared to the control group (30-44 yrs – 1.276±0.121, 45-59 yrs – 1.226±0.156, 60-74 yrs – 1.150±0.175, 75-89 yrs – 1.183±0.174); F =1.56; p<0.001. We also found the lower BMD of lumbar spine in the basic group of patients – 30-44 yrs – 0.981±0.125 g/cm2, 45-59 yrs – 1.028±0.184 g/cm2, 60-74 yrs – 1.014±0.158 g/cm2, 75-89 yrs – 0.970±0.183 g/cm2 (F =1.52; p<0.001) and of the proximal femur – 30-44 yrs – 0.854±0.149 g/cm2, 45-59 yrs – 0.873±0.139 g/cm2, 60-74 yrs – 0.823±0.136 g/cm2, 75-89 yrs – 0.716±0.107 g/cm2 (F =1.10; p<0.001) compared to the control group. Conclusions Subjects with vertebral fractures have TBS and BMD parameters significantly lower than the healthy men. Disclosure of Interest None declared


This study presents new evidence that initial IPO returns have persistent underwriter-specific components. These components cannot be explained by existing measures of underwriter quality, underwriter service, or controls for several known predictors of initial IPO returns. Tests that trace the roots of persistence most broadly support theories of asymmetric information among underwriters. I present such a model, and consistent with its predictions, I find that high underpricing underwriters (1) are responsible for a majority of the partial adjustment phenomenon, (2) make more informed analyst revisions, (3) experience superior market share growth, and (4) are more likely to serve institutional clientele.


Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is an important horticultural crop worldwide, but peel cracking caused by peel hardness severely decreases its quality. Lignification is one of the important functions of class III peroxidase (PRX), and its accumulation in the plant cell wall leads to cell thickening and wood hardening. For in-depth physiological and genetical understanding, we studied the relationship between peel hardness and lignin accumulation and the role of PRXs affecting peel lignin biosynthesis using genome-wide bioinformatics analysis. The obtained results showed that lignin accumulation gradually increased to form the peel stone cell structure, and tissue lignification led to peel hardness. A total of 79 ClPRXs (class III) were identified using bioinformatics analysis, which were widely distributed on 11 chromosomes. The constructed phylogenetics indicated that ClPRXs were divided into seven groups and eleven subclasses, and gene members of each group had highly conserved intron structures. Repeated pattern analysis showed that deletion and replication events occurred during the process of ClPRX amplification. However, in the whole-protein sequence alignment analysis, high homology was not observed, although all contained four conserved functional sites. Repeated pattern analysis showed that deletion and replication events occurred during ClPRXs' amplification process. The prediction of the promoter cis-acting element and qRT-PCR analysis in four tissues (leaf, petiole, stem, and peel) showed different expression patterns for tissue specificity, abiotic stress, and hormone response by providing a genetic basis of the ClPRX gene family involved in a variety of physiological processes in plants. To our knowledge, we for the first time report the key roles of two ClPRXs in watermelon peel lignin synthesis. In conclusion, the extensive data collected in this study can be used for additional functional analysis of ClPRXs in watermelon growth and development and hormone and abiotic stress response.


Background The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) of the whole body, including cardiac sympathetic nerves, is activated in patients with severe congestive systolic heart failure (CHF). Carvedilol can improve clinical status in such patients. This study aimed to determine how carvedilol acts on the SNS to improve CHF. Methods and Results Ten subjects (New York Heart Association criteria III) were treated using carvedilol at 2.5 mg/d for 1 week. Before and after treatment, subjects walked on a treadmill for 6 minutes, and plasma concentrations of carvedilol, norepinephrine, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl glycol were measured. After treatment, norepinephrine was decreased at rest (3.2 ± 0.3 pmole/mL to 2.1 ± 0.4 pmole/mL, P < 0.05), while standing (5.4 ± 1.2 to 3.3 ± 0.7 pmole/mL, P < 0.01) and during exercise (6.5 ± 1.3 pmole/mL to 5.1 ± 1.1 pmole/mL, P < 0.05). Regression lines for percentage changes in norepinephrine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl glycol were compared before and after treatment, showing steeper slopes after treatment (P < 0.05). Plasma carvedilol concentrations (1.8 ± 0.3 ng/mL) did not reach &bgr;-adrenoceptor–blocking levels of effect. Conclusions Carvedilol is considered to improve function of uptake-1 for the whole-body SNS, including the cardiac SNS, and does not seem to block adrenoceptors at such low doses in CHF patients. However, both effects seem to work at high doses in clinical settings.


Background Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by chronic widespread pain. Patients are more sensitive to sensory stimulation regardless of type and modality, suggesting generalized dysfunction in sensory processing. Mismatch Negativity (MMN) is an event-related potential measuring pre-attentive auditory processing. Objectives The present study aimed to explore pre-attentive auditory processing, which might be affected as a part of generalized sensory processing dysfunction in FM by measuring MMN in FM patients and healthy controls (HC). Also we tried to find an association between MMN parameters and pain sensitivity in FM patients. Methods Auditory evoked fields were recorded using magnetoencephalography in 18 right-handed female FM patients and 21 age-, sex- and education-matched right handed HC during a duration-deviant auditory oddball paradigm (50-ms standard and 100-ms deviant tones). The magnetic counterpart of the MMN (MMNm) was obtained by subtracting the response to standard stimuli from the response to deviant stimuli. Peak latencies, amplitudes and directional asymmetry coefficient (AC) of the MMNm source were compared between two groups. Pressure pain threshold over the thenar and trapezius muscle was assessed for measuring pain sensitivity. Results FM patients exhibited reduced MMNm amplitude in the right hemisphere. Rightward asymmetry of MMNm was altered in FM patients indexed by lower AC values. Also, smaller right MMNm amplitude was associated with lower pressure pain threshold of thenar muscle in FM patients. Conclusions Pre-attentive auditory processing was compromised in FM indexed by reduced MMNm amplitude. This result suggests likelihood of generalized sensory processing dysfunction in FM. Disclosure of Interest : None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4728


Abstract Background: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) are the serologic hallmark of ANCA-associated primary small-vessel vasculitides (AAVs), but these antibodies have also been described in other autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases. Furthermore, different drugs are linked to the induction of ANCA, including propylthiouracil (PTU). However progression into clinical overt vasculitis is less common. Case-diagnosis/treatment: We describe the case of a young girl with Graves' disease presenting with fatigue, fever, episcleritis and arthritis. The unexpected double myeloperoxidase/proteinase 3-ANCA positivity triggered a multidisciplinary diagnostic work-up and resulted in the diagnosis of a clinically overt PTU-induced AAV. After PTU-withdrawal and treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, a favorable clinical and biochemical evolution was obtained. Conclusions: The use of PTU in the management of hyperthyroidism is not considered first-line treatment in Europe and is even less commonly used in children. Nevertheless, pediatricians should be aware of the possibility of PTU-induced AAV, especially in the presence of multiple ANCA reactivities. Therefore, the use of this drug should be weighed carefully in children.


in still greater detail on the relationship between the study of grammar and ethics in the twelfth-century curriculum. These were useful articles when they first appeared, and it is helpful to have them collected now within a single pair of covers. They present the fruits of Delhaye's wide reading and long reflection on the problem of the transmission of moral values in the medieval schools and give us tantalising glimpses of the larger study that might have been.


Formation of strong double layers has been observed experimentally in a magnetised plasma column maintained by a plasma source. The magnetic field is approximately axially homogeneous except in a region at the anode where the electric current flows into a converging magnetic field. For field strengths larger than about 200 G the double layer has a stationary position only in the region of non-uniform magnetic field or at the aperture separating the source and the plasma column. It is characterised by a negative differential resistance in the current-voltage characteristic of the device. The parameter space, where the double layer exists, has been studied as well as the corresponding potential profiles and fluctuation spectra. The electric current and the axial electric field are oppositely directed between the plasma source and a potential minimum which is formed in the region of inhomogeneous magnetic field. Electron reflection by the resulting potential barrier is found to explain the essential features of the current-voltage characteristics observed, but further investigations of waves and fluctuations are required to clarify the current transport.


ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecalis is a member of the intestinal and oral microbiota that may affect the etiology of colorectal and oral cancers. The mechanisms by which E. faecalis may contribute to the initiation and progression of these cancers remain uncertain. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling is postulated to play a crucial role in oral carcinogenesis. A link between E. faecalis and EGFR signaling in oral cancer has not been elucidated. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between E. faecalis and oral cancer and to determine the underlying mechanisms that link E. faecalis to EGFR signaling. We report the high frequency of E. faecalis infection in oral tumors and the clinical association with EGFR activation. Using human oral cancer cells, we support the clinical findings and demonstrate that E. faecalis can induce EGFR activation and cell proliferation. E. faecalis activates EGFR through production of H2O2, a signaling molecule that activates several signaling pathways. Inhibitors of H2O2 (catalase) and EGFR (gefitinib) significantly blocked E. faecalis-induced EGFR activation and cell proliferation. Therefore, E. faecalis infection of oral tumor tissues suggests a possible association between E. faecalis infection and oral carcinogenesis. Interaction of E. faecalis with host cells and production of H2O2 increase EGFR activation, thereby contributing to cell proliferation.


The authors have carried out experimental studies of thymogen action on the course of acute pancreatitis and acute peritonitis in white albino rat males. The preparation was introduced into the abdominal cavity early after the modeling and every 24 hours for 5 days. The results of the trial demonstrate that the degree of autoenzyme aggression (the data of blood serum alpha-amylolytic activity control) and the content of lipid peroxidation products (assessment of malonic dialdehyde quantity in tissue homogenate) were low in the experimental group as compared to the untreated animals. In the experimental group less pronounced depression of antiradical activity (superoxide dismutase and catalase activity control) was found, leukocytosis and leukocyte intoxication index were diminished. Thus, the efficiency of thymogen in acute inflammatory and destructive abdominal diseases has been proved.


In this paper we evaluate the effect of the Program School 2.0 on both Financial Education and Mathematics performance using data from PISA 2012. The Program Shool 2.0 was implemented in 2009 in some Spanish Autonomoous Communities. This program promoted the use of computers, both in school and at home, among elementary and high school students. We detect that a greater benefit is obtained when the contents of Financial Educaton are taught in conjunction with the contents of the subject of Mathematics, although the mean effect of Financial Education over Mathematics is more intense in the Communities that have not participated in the Program School 2.0. This result may be related to the fact that only a moderate use of computers for personal use increases Mathematics and Financial Education performance. Nevertheles, given the recent implementation of the Program School 2.0, we should expect some "learning effects" that should be confirmed with future data. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/HEAd15.2015.238


Maintaining a credible military deterrence is the raison d'etre of the armed forces of any nation. The process of getting able-bodied men to an organisation is called recruitment. Recruitment of officer corps in South Asian countries has declined to an extent where it needs a serious research attention. The factors applicable to recruitment in one part of the world is not equally applicable in other parts. Therefore, this research will be limited to the South Asian context with a special reference to Nepal and Sri Lankan armed forces. Both Nepal and Sri Lanka face unconventional security threats. Even though they need the military strength to deal with the problem, the numbers of recruitment are declining consistently. Investigating the reasons for this declining is pertinent to devise solutions. The author has referred to sources of literature in order to find the various aspects of the issues in this regard. It is evident that recruitment and selection are considered by the previous researchers as a single process. However, the author suggests that they are different functions on the ground. Armed forces are found to be effective at the selection process rather than in the recruitment. The author suggests that recruitment should generate the availability of similar candidates and subsequently the process of selection should be used to hand-pick the most suitable candidates from the similar pool. Finally, placement of the candidate should be done according to the requirement procedures and their skills. The study has further found that the decline in the number of candidates, is due to various factors. As per the literature, demography, legality, nature of occupation and marketing are the most common factors affecting the recruitment process. KeywordsRecruitment, Demographic Factors, Legal Factors, Occupational Factors, Marketing Factors.


Limb ischemia is a complication of peripheral artery disease (PAD)which can lead to amputation. Amputation occurs in approximately 3-4% of PAD patients. In Indonesia, post-amputation patients are only hospitalized for the acute phase and the post-amputation rehabilitation programs must be done as an outpatient. This could be a barrier to the continuity of rehabilitation programs. A solution is the application of home-based rehabilitation programs. A 57-year-old female was referred from the Cardiothoracic Surgery Outpatient Clinic post-amputation with bilateral below-knees and partial-hands amputation after being diagnosed with PAD. On initial examination, all her elbows, wrists, thumbs, hips, and knees showed weakness. The patient received neuromuscular electrical stimulations (NMES) as well as a home-based rehabilitation programs. On the second examination, after considering the data from the clinical finding and supporting examination, the patient received bilateral below-knee prostheses and bilateral functional partial-hand prostheses, created using 3D printing technology with polylactic acid material. After a few months, she was able to do most of her activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, work as a shopkeeper in her store, and feel more confident interacting with others. A comprehensive rehabilitation programs, patient adherence to exercise, and caregiver support are critical to improving functional capacity and the quality of life in a patient with bilateral below-knee and bilateral partial-hand amputation caused by PAD.


This publication is the first Russian translation of Max Weber's keynote address at the First Conference of the German Sociological Association (DGS) held at the Academy of Social and Commercial Sciences in Frankfurt, Germany, from October 19–22, 1910. At the first session on the morning of October 20, he delivered the business report of the German Sociological Association that had been founded in Berlin the year before. Weber was given the floor as a chairman of the auditing board immediately after the opening speech The Pathways and Objectives of Sociology by the Association's president, Ferdinand Tönnies. In the conference transcript, Weber's presentation is referred to as the DGS "Business Report", though it is essentially the classic's attempt to delineate a framework research program for the then-institutionalizing German sociology. At the outset, Weber talks about the principles of the Association's activity as exemplified in its charter. First of all, he refers to the imperative of value neutrality, a central tenet to all Weberian sociology implying a purely scientific focus, i.e., free from political, ethical and other evaluations of scholarly interest in the subject. Additionally, he emphasizes the pragmatic nature of the DGS, since it is not a purely status-based association of academic "nobility". In the main part of the paper, Weber discusses the specific clusters of topics that the Association has chosen to study as its priorities, including the sociology of the media, the sociology of unions and public associations, and the sociology of key professions in modern society. The scholar concludes by speaking about the DGS financial situation, and its general dependence on promoting a culture of scholarly sponsorship patterned after the American model.


An inductor-capacitor (LC) filter is normally required at the input of a pulse-width modulation (PWM) current source rectifier (CSR), to assist in the commutation of switching devices and to mitigate line current harmonics. To dampen the LC resonance introduced by the input filter, an effective damping method is proposed in this paper by using a hybrid combination of a virtual harmonic resistive damper and a three-step control signal compensator. The virtual harmonic resistor, which is immune to system parameter variations, can dampen the LC resonance caused by an external disturbance or control command changes without affecting the fundamental power flow. But the high-pass filter used for fundamental component elimination leads to poor dynamics. Therefore, a proposed three-step compensator is inserted into the DC current closed-loop control path which can effectively eliminate the resonance within the control loop by shaping the modulation signal. Compared to the two-step Posicast controller, the proposed three-step compensator has significant implementation advantages in medium voltage CSRs, where a low switching frequency is needed. By using a hybrid combination approach, dynamics of the virtual harmonic resistor can be improved with the transient overshoot mitigated by the three-step compensator. At the same time, the parameter sensitivity of the three-step compensator can be reduced, as any residual resonant oscillations can be dampened by the virtual resistor. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


A global message communication network for low-density traffic, using satellites at low altitudes, is described. This network affords around-the-clock service to any part of the globe, including the polar regions. Such a network can accommodate static and mobile user terminals simultaneously. The oblate globe is modeled as a regular polyhedron with 12 facets for setting up the orbits. Satellites are positioned uniformly in low-altitude symmetrical orbits. The symmetrical orbits are those whose axes are symmetrical in the three-dimensional space. The authors study the coverage aspects of the 6-orbit scheme and the 10-orbit scheme, each with satellites deployed at an altitude of 5000 km. At this altitude, the terrestrial user terminals can access satellites at a grazing angle of 45 degrees . The method of access over the crosslinks is the slotted ALOHA scheme. For low-density traffic, the downlink and uplink throughput rates are estimated. Simulation results agree with these analytical estimates for low values of network offered load. >


In 2005, 30% of the Flemish farms faced a manure excess, while at aggregated level still 9.7% of the emission rights were unused. This means that, despite the various possibilities, Flemish farmers do not succeed in an effective exchange of manure between farms. In current paper is shown how inorganic fertilizer use influences the use and exchange of organic nitrogen. Because of the mutual interdependency between organic and inorganic nitrogen emission rights (or quota), inorganic nitrogen use limits the emission rights for organic nitrogen. Utilisation of these emission rights are analysed as a trade-offs choice between plant productivity (use of inorganic nitrogen) and manure disposal, as the major abatement alternative of manure production. Farmers still prefer inorganic fertilizers because of their effect on plant productivity and income. However, by changing the quota rent of organic nitrogen, the fertilization behaviour can be influenced. A higher quota rent of organic nitrogen would increase the use of manure. This trade-off behaviour seriously influences effectiveness of policies. When the objective is to lower the total nitrogen use, a mere reduction of organic quota can partially be counteracted by a higher inorganic nitrogen use. When the objective is to better spread the manure, increasing the quota rent for deficit farms will increase their acceptance of manure.


Fibroblast growth factors (Fgfs) encode small signaling proteins that help regulate embryo patterning. Fgfs fall into seven families, including FgfD. Nonvertebrate chordates have a single FgfD gene; mammals have three (Fgf8, Fgf17, and Fgf18); and teleosts have six (fgf8a, fgf8b, fgf17, fgf18a, fgf18b, and fgf24). What are the evolutionary processes that led to the structural duplication and functional diversification of FgfD genes during vertebrate phylogeny? To study this question, we investigated conserved syntenies, patterns of gene expression, and the distribution of conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) in FgfD genes of stickleback and zebrafish, and compared them with data from cephalochordates, urochordates, and mammals. Genomic analysis suggests that Fgf8, Fgf17, Fgf18, and Fgf24 arose in two rounds of whole genome duplication at the base of the vertebrate radiation; that fgf8 and fgf18 duplications occurred at the base of the teleost radiation; and that Fgf24 is an ohnolog that was lost in the mammalian lineage. Expression analysis suggests that ancestral subfunctions partitioned between gene duplicates and points to the evolution of novel expression domains. Analysis of CNEs, at least some of which are candidate regulatory elements, suggests that ancestral CNEs partitioned between gene duplicates. These results help explain the evolutionary pathways by which the developmentally important family of FgfD molecules arose and the deduced principles that guided FgfD evolution are likely applicable to the evolution of developmental regulation in many vertebrate multigene families.


A more connected world has brought major consequences such as facilitate the spread of diseases all over the world to quickly become epidemics, reason why researchers are concentrated in modeling the propagation of epidemics and outbreaks in multilayer networks. In this networks all nodes interact in different layers with different type of links. However, in many scenarios such as in the society, a multiplex network framework is not completely suitable since not all individuals participate in all layers. In this paper, we use a partially overlapped, multiplex network where only a fraction of the individuals are shared by the layers. We develop a mitigation strategy for stopping a disease propagation, considering the Susceptible-Infected- Recover model, in a system consisted by two layers. We consider a random immunization in one of the layers and study the effect of the overlapping fraction in both, the propagation of the disease and the immunization strategy. Using branching theory, we study this scenario theoretically and via simulations and find a lower epidemic threshold than in the case without strategy.


Thermal sprayed protective coatings have gained widespread acceptance for a variety of industrials applications. This technology can be split into air plasma spraying (APS) and vacuum plasma spraying (VPS) according to the atmosphere during the deposition process. A number of advantages of VPS process such as avoiding oxidation or contamination of projectile, substrate and deposed coating; reducing the interaction between the plasma jet and the environment are obvious before the APS. The flexibility of process gives the largest possibility in aeronautics, gas turbine, medical field and other applications using different parameters, deposited and target materials. Low pressure plasma spraying (LPPS) is considered with some particular features so the range of pressure is about 10- 250 mbar, the dimensions of the plasma jet and its homogeneity are important. The adaptation of modern pumping and control systems allow to reduce the worked pressure to 0,1 mbar and to have conditions close to physical vapour deposition (PVD). This paper presents the results of the deposition of a copper alloy powder using the very low pressure plasma spraying performed by a new system developed in the LERMPS


The AKD sizing mechanism is complex and still not well described, despite many attempts to identify contributing factors to the overall mechanism. Given the chemical heterogeneity of paper substrates, the current study examined possible effects of this heterogeneity on AKD spreading. Model patterned surfaces using an IGT F1 printability tester were prepared on glass, cellulose-coated glass, cellulose fibre and glass fibre substrates. For the non-porous substrates, results showed an affinity of AKD to the more hydrophilic regions on the surface, or equivalently those with higher surface energy. Less AKD spreading was observed on the low surface energy regions. Significant wetting of AKD onto porous substrates was observed, indicating that mechanical roughness and porosity are also dominant factors. Patterns applied to these substrates however did not penetrate through the entire depth of the substrate, possibly affecting the results obtained. XPS results of paper handsheets made with various quantities of AKD, starch and filler suggested a weak trend towards enhanced AKD distribution at the surface with lowering amounts of additive. These results were verified with the Cobb test method. While it is unlikely that AKD exhibits a wetting or spreading phenomenon in the true sense, it does appear that chemical heterogeneity is one of many contributing factors in the overall sizing mechanism.


After the directorate of agricultural product standards of the Department of Agriculture issued a dispensation three years ago stating that the words "sweetened" or "artificially sweetened" must appear on the 'Sweetened class' of fruit juice labels, as a temporary solution until the regulations are revised, the new labelling regulations issued by the Department of Health in terms of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act that commenced at the beginning of March this year, made it clear that these juices must be marked as "sweetened".


— The human friendly interaction is the key function of a human-centered system. Over the years, it has received much attention to develop the convenient interaction through intention recognition. Intention recognition processes multimodal inputs including speech, face images, and body gestures. In this paper, we suggest a novel approach of intention recognition using a graph representation called Intention Graph . A concept of valid intention is proposed, as a target of intention recognition. Our approach has two phases: goal recognition phase and intention recognition phase. In the goal recognition phase, we generate an action graph based on the observed actions, and then the candidate goals and their plans are recognized. In the intention recognition phase, the intention is recognized with relevant goals and user profile. We show that the algorithm has polynomial time complexity. The intention graph is applied to a simple briefcase domain to test our model.


We theoretically investigate the itinerant ferromagnetic transition of a spherically trapped ultracold Fermi gas with spin imbalance under strongly repulsive interatomic interactions. Our study is based on a self-consistent solution of the Hartree-Fock mean-field equations beyond the widely used local-density approximation. We demonstrate that, while the local-density approximation holds in the paramagnetic phase, after the ferromagnetic transition it leads to a quantitative discrepancy in various thermodynamic quantities even with large atom numbers. We determine the position of the phase transition by monitoring the shape change of the free-energy curve with increasing the polarization at various interaction strengths.


The decisions to accept and retain clients are critical in the practice of public accounting. Firms must have clients to be profitable. Yet the revenue obtained from some engagements may not fairly compensate the firm for the additional risk assumed. Client acceptance and retention are therefore subjective decisions requiring good judgment on the part of the auditor. Thus, many of the questions posed in this case do not have one clear answer and require professional judgment. By completing the requirements of this case, students will make a judgment regarding client acceptance under conditions of uncertainty, defend their decision to their peers, and document their reasoning in a professional memo. This case has been developed from an actual client engagement and contains factual circumstances and difficulties faced by the auditor. The names have been changed to obscure the identities of the actual individuals and entities involved.


The lymphocyte immunosuppressant-sensitivity test (LIST) has been reported extensively as being able to estimate the pharmacological efficacy of immunosuppressive drugs in individual patients. This study measured the IC50 values for 6 drugs, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, methylprednisolone, 6-mercaptopurine, mycophenolic acid, and mizoribine, against mitogen-induced proliferation of peripheral-blood lymphocytes in 29 renal transplant recipients. We also examined relationship between the IC50 values and 4 factors; age, duration of dialysis, percentage of lymphocytes in total white blood cells, and blastogenesis stimulation index by mitogen. There were no significant correlations between the IC50 values and these factors, except that the tacrolimus IC50 value was correlated weakly with the stimulation index (p<0.05, r=-0.429). It was concluded that the pharmacological efficacy of immunosuppressive drugs cannot be inferred from the patient characteristics or their laboratory data. LIST is an effective method to elucidate the pharmacodynamic properties of immunosuppressive agents in individual renal transplant recipients without being influenced by the recipient clinical data.


Abstract Inequalities relating to ownership of housing have become a major issue de jour in many Western societies. This article examines how the distribution of homeownership in Sweden relates to two factors widely seen as significant to such inequalities, namely parental tenure status and place of birth. We use longitudinal registry data to examine the bearing of these two factors on individual-level tenure progression since the beginning of the 1990s for persons at different stages of their housing careers. We extend existing understandings of Swedish homeownership patterns by demonstrating that inequalities relating to place of birth and parental tenure intersect with one another in ways that substantially advantage certain subgroups while disadvantaging others, and by demonstrating that experiences of entry into homeownership have in recent years been changing in markedly different ways for these different subgroups. Overall, Swedish homeownership inequalities, far from dissipating, appear to be hardening along existing lines.


INTRODUCTION :
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous clonal disorder of haematopoietic progenitor
cells unable to differentiate and respond to normal regulators of proliferation. The standard of
care in treatment has remained induction chemotherapy with anthracycline and cytosine followed
by consolidation. In adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), intensive chemotherapy
achieves complete remission (CR) rates ranging from 50% to 80%. Despite these encouraging
results, the majority of patients with the diagnoses who present at our centre do not receive
conventional therapy. Recent progress into the biology of the disease has involved dose
modifications within the current standards of care .These improvements though significant might
not contribute into improving treatment outcomes in a resource restricted economy like ours
where costs of therapy are unaffordable to the majority. In an earlier study from our centre it was
recognized that only 20 % of patients with AML proceed to receive conventional therapy. We
need to identify factors which influence treatment decisions and outcomes in addition to dose
modifications to be socially relevant.
AIM AND OBJECTIVES :
1. Study the incidence and demographic profile of newly diagnosed adult acute myeloid
leukemia at our centre
2. Evaluate treatment and clinical outcome of the patients treated at our center.
MATERIAL AND METHODS :
Newly diagnosed patients at the department of clinical haematology were administered a
questionnaire at presentation. Patients proceeding with therapy were prospectively followed up
and outcomes noted. Patients who did not proceed with treatment were re-interviewed
subsequently to confirm status and treatment. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all
variables. Differences in proportions were assessed using the χ2 or Fisher exact statistic.
Differences in means were tested using a Mann-Whitney-U test or t-test as appropriate. The
probability of survival was estimated with product-limit method of Kaplan and Meier for overall
survival and event-free survival and compared by the log-rank test.
RESULTS :
There were 318 newly diagnosed patients were evaluable for the study. The median age at
presentation was 40(1-79) years. 95 (29.9%) patients proceed to treatment.148 (69.2%) patients
had AML with intermediate cytogenetic risk. 174(81%) patients did not proceed with treatment
due to inability to finance the costs of therapy. CR/CRi was achieved in 13(59.1%), 37(58.7%)
and 1(10.0%) patient in the paediatric, adult and elderly group respectively; (P=0.005). The most
common organism in the blood cultures with isolates were [GNB] gram negative bacilli
[37(39%)]. The one year overall survival in those treated, was 58.7% ± 6.0% at a median follow
up of 3 months.
CONCLUSIONS:
The median age of patients with AML noted in our study is three decades earlier than that
reported in the literature. The inability to finance treatment costs and inability to accompany the
patient for the duration of therapy are the main reasons in declining therapy identified in our
study. Another major concern is the incidence of infections both bacterial and fungal, higher than
reported in literature with invasive fungal disease is present in greater than 50% of individuals
who die during induction.


Encapsulated intracerebral hematoma is an interesting and not widely appreciated entity. It can be defined as an intraparenchymal hematoma found in normotensive patients, usually caused by histologically confirmed vascular malformations, characterized by a gradual clinical onset, and presenting a well-defined capsule at operation. One case is presented and 25 previously reported cases are reviewed, all reflecting the above-mentioned characteristics. The hematomas reviewed here occurred in relatively young patients with a mean age of 35 years and a clear male predominance (19 males, seven females). A ring of contrast enhancement around a lesion of variable density, usually with mass effect and perifocal edema, is the most relevant feature on computerized tomography. Findings on magnetic resonance images are described for the first time in the reported case. A vascular malformation was the most frequent cause found on histological examination (12 of the 26 total cases). No proven cause was found in the remaining 14 cases, although a small vascular malformation, destroyed or thrombosed after rupturing and bleeding, is the most likely etiology in these patients.


In high frequency PWM switching amplifiers, the output signal contains a ripple at the switching frequency. This research focuses on power efficient reduction of this ripple in an example class D audio amplifier with a second order output filter and a resistive load. In series with the filter capacitor, a MOSFET is placed. Since the study makes use of Simulink, a level 3 and a surface-potential based MOSFET model are examined. The level 3 model transition between triode and saturation region is discontinuous and the drain-source current is modelled as constant value in weak inversion. It was also found that the surface-potential based model lacks a body-diode.
In the class D amplifier, the switching ripple at 0Vdc is examined. The voltage-current relations that exist in the filter capacitor are compared to those of the MOSFET. It was found that the MOSFET can only compensate between 12% and 20% of the values. This is due to the switching ripple having an integrating voltage-current relation, whereas the MOSFET has a linear relation. In time, the proposed solution can achieve complete reduction can only during 9% of the period. Concluding, the proposed solution is not a feasible way to reduce the switching ripple.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the inhibitory effect of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β₁ on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) Tb cell line.

METHODS
Cell counting method was used to examine the inhibitory effect of TGF-β₁ on Tb cell and flow cytometry (FCM) assay performed to measure the changes of cell cycle. Superarray was used to screen the changing expression of genes in TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway.RT-PCR method was used to detect the results of Superarray.

RESULTS
TGF-β₁ showed significant inhibiting effect on OSCC Tb cell line. TGF-β₁ blocked the cell cycle at G₁ phase. The expression level of activin receptor-like kinase-1 (ACVRL-1), anti-mullerian hirmine (AMH), cyclim-dependent kinase inhibitor-2B (CDKN-2B) and transforming growth factor-beta-indnced factor (TGIF) was higer in the cells treated with TGF-β₁ than in control, while TDGF-1 expression was down-regulated. ACVRL-1 and CDKN-2B gene expression was consistent with the results of Superarray.

CONCLUSIONS
TGF-β₁ can inhibit the growth of OSCC Tb cell line. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of cell cycle and the expression of ACVRL-1 and CDKN-2B in TGF-β₁-Smads signaling pathway.