We thank Kelly and Seller for sharing their gum-elastic bougie 'snail' technique for aiding successful placement of bougies during videolaryngoscopy [1]. Similarly, we frequently find the problem of a superior view but difficulty passing a tracheal tube or bougie when using a curved-blade videolaryngoscope without a conduit (e.g. C-MAC , Karl Storz GmBH & Co. KG, Tuttlingen, Germany). This becomes particularly problematic when placing narrow-calibre microlaryngeal tubes or 'laser tubes' for airway surgery, as the smaller bougies required lack the rigidity to maintain a curved shape during intubation. We have found that a 22-Fr Yankauer suction tube (Covidien, Mansfield, MA, USA) can function as a useful rigid conduit through which a paediatric 10-Fr bougie (P3 Medical, Bristol, UK) can be passed in such cases, as the curvature of the Yankauer tube is similar to that of the C-MAC blade (Fig. 2). The Yankauer tube can then be removed and the tracheal tube railroaded over the bougie.


Solanum procumbens called ``Cà gai leo'' in Vietnam, belonged to the family of Solanaceae, which is a prickly diffuse, bright green perennial shrub, woody at the base. This plant has been sought for plenty of Vietnamese folk remedies for diseases such as rheumatism, back pain, detoxification, cough, pain relief, hemostasis, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Chemical reports revealed the presence of lots of secondary metabolites such as steroids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds that have good biological activities such as antibacterial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial... By column chromatography method together with thin layer normal-phase chromatography on the ethyl acetate extract of its entire plant, we isolated four compounds including dioscin (1), b -sitosterol (2), daucosterol (3) and 6'-O-acetyl-b -daucosterol (4). The result of theira-glucosidase inhibitory activity showed that compounds 2 and 4 had strong inhibition with IC50 values of 35.2 and 209.5 mM, comparing to the positive control, acarbose with an IC50 value of 214.5 mM. The results of this study have contributed to the scientific data of chemical compositions of Vietnamese medicinal plants, among them S. procumbens would potentially be developed as a plant-based drug to decrease the blood glucose level.


Active surveillance of Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness was undertaken in 3 agrarian villages in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Card Agglutination Trypanosomiasis Test (CATT) was used qualitatively for mass screening with undiluted fresh whole blood (WB) and quantitatively for diagnosis in serum dilution tests. Thereafter, palpation for enlarged cervical lymph gland (ECLG) was followed by parasitological examination of aspirate using wet film, haematocrit centrifugation technique (HCT) and mini-anion exchange centrifugation technique (mAECT). Only one confirmed case of sleeping sickness was diagnosed out of the 491 samples screened. The results showed 43 (9.8%) serological positive cases in WB/ CATT test. 12 (27.9%) suspected cases that reacted at 1/4 titre in serum dilution test were highly suspected serological positive but parasitological negative cases. The study indicates that there is ongoing active transmission of Gambian type sleeping sickness in Abraka focus of Nigeria. The highly suspected cases will be followed up. Many cases might have gone undetected and more villages within the same focus were not covered. Moreover, a large-scale multi-disciplinary disease surveillance, vector and animal reservoir studies are required to determine the true situation of HAT in this focus.


Certain wood qualities may be affected by lean in red alder ( Alnus rubra Bong.) trees. Such characteristics as shrinkage and density can potentially cause problems in the manufacture of products from red alder. Thirty-six trees with varying degrees of lean (0 to 20 degrees) and different diameters (12 to 24 inches) were selected. Cross-sectional disks were cut from the top of the first 10-foot log and used for measuring shrinkage (longitudinal, radial, and tangential) and density. Wood density was measured using an X-ray densitometer. Each sample was categorized as coming from the tension or compression side of the stem. Subsampling within sides permitted examination of the effect on shrinkage of position in relation to the pith. Longitudinal, radial, and tangential shrinkages were affected by all or some of the following factors: lean, side, and position. There was no significant effect of lean or side on wood density.


Author(s): Zheng, Le | Advisor(s): Kang, Sung-Mo Steve | Abstract: Data-intensive storage and computing systems call for continuing advancements both in data latency and energy efficiency. However, the major benefits from CMOS technologies, such as high packing density and processing speed, are getting desensitized primarily due to the prohibitively increasing power density. In order for the next-generation storage and computing systems to be capable of high performance data-intensive applications, it is necessary to continue innovations in creating new circuits and system architectures, together with searching for new materials and devices. The memristor, short for memory resistor, is a two-terminal passive device whose resistance is controlled by external electrical signals and exhibits non-volatile memory function. Due to its capabilities of non-volatile resistive memories, nanoscale miniaturization in an ultra-high packing density, and intriguing nonlinear dynamics, the memristor is being widely investigated to create new advanced circuit functions and to complement CMOS systems. The memristor technologies will lead current CMOS-based storage and computing systems to the data-intensive electronic systems, with significantly reduced stand-by power, form factor and manufacturing cost. Developing compact models for the memristor is essential to facilitate circuit analyses and designs with memristors. While the previously reported memristor models exhibit limitations in the model stability, versatility and adaptability, we propose a new module-based memristor model that covers a wide range of device behaviors. Coincident to the theoretic memristor behaviors, the proposed model uniquely reveals that an effective charge-flux constitutive relationship can always be obtained from various types of memristors. The stability of the proposed model is also significantly enhanced by adapting the new charge (or flux)-based window function.Associative lookup functions with high throughputs are widely implemented in Ternary Content Addressable Memories (TCAMs). The TCAM holds the potential to curb the latency and power requirements of data-intensive systems. However existing TCAMs that commonly utilize Static Random Access Memories (SRAMs) as the storage units exhibit low storage capacity/density and high cost-per-bit due to bit cells with large areas. We propose a memristor-based ternary content addressable memory (mTCAM) for data-intensive applications. A novel bit cell structure is presented that not only minimizes the bit cell area but also is capable of performance optimizations on the latency and energy consumption. Detailed design issues such as voltage compliance to ensure correct write/search operations, parameter-dependent sensing margins and device variations are also discussed. Circuit level simulations have demonstrated functionalities of the mTCAM. Performance evaluation has shown that mTCAM achieves impressive storage density, search latency and energy consumption. The proposed mTCAM is an attractive candidate in building future computing systems for data-intensive applications.


Burkholderia pseudomallei is an important causative organism of fatal
community bacteremia especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
Outbreaks of melioidosis have been reported post-floods and -typhoons. A cross
sectional study was conducted in January 2015, following a major flood in Kelantan,
Malaysia to detect presence of B. pseudomallei from soil. A total of 89 soil
samples were cultured for B. pseudomallei on Ashdown agar. Putative colonies
underwent further staining and biochemical testing prior to confirmation by
PCR. Rate of detection was 1%, although low, it nevertheless indicated a risk for
melioidosis among flood victims in Kelantan. Flood affected individuals should
be made aware of symptoms of melioidosis and healthcare providers must have
a high index of suspicion of patients presenting with fever. Such subjects should
be screened for the possibility of melioidosis and given prompt treatment to avoid
preventable death.


Co-operative banks have evolved as one of the most effective instruments of economic transformation. However, credit risk is acute due to their priority sector lending in the federal co-operative credit structure. Non Performing Assets (NPAs) in the loan portfolio jeopardize the economy at the macro and micro level. Despite effective credit management, the presence of NPAs in the portfolio of Central Co-operative Banks has become unavoidable. This book probes into the status of NPAs and their effect on the financial health - profitability, liquidity and solvency. Default of co-operative credit has a detrimental effect on each level of the federal co-operative credit structure. The causative factors for default of co-operative credit and the factors discriminating defaulters have been identified. This book would benefit researchers and bankers interested in the field of NPA Management in Co-operative Banks.


Twenty-one lambs were used to investigate whether their response to an infection with Ehrlichia phagocytophila was dose-dependent. Four groups of four lambs were infected intravenously with a dilution in physiological saline of Ephagocytophila-infected sheep blood containing either 1-3 x 105 infected cells, or approximately 43 infected cells, 4-3 infected cells, or 1-3 infected cells (mean values) and four lambs were left uninfected. The incubation period was significantly shorter in the lambs infected with the highest dose of Ephagocytophi/a. However, the clinical and haematological changes observed, and the weekly weight gains of the lambs were independent of the dose of Ephagocytophila. As little as one Ephagocytophila infected cell may be enough to transmit the infection.


INTRODUCTION
Smoke-free air laws have been implemented in many Kentucky communities to protect the public from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke exposure. The impact of different strengths of smoke-free air laws on indoor air quality was assessed.

METHODS
Indoor air quality in hospitality venues was assessed in seven communities before and after comprehensive smoke-free air laws and in two communities only after partial smoke-free air laws. One community was measured three times: before any smoke-free air law, after the initial partial law, and after the law was strengthened to cover all workplaces and public places with few exemptions. Real-time measurements of particulate matters with 2.5 mum aerodynamic diameter or smaller (PM(2.5)) were obtained.

RESULTS
When comprehensive smoke-free air laws were implemented, indoor PM(2.5) concentrations decreased significantly from 161 to 20 microg/m3. In one community that implemented a comprehensive smoke-free law after initially passing a partial law, indoor PM(2.5) concentrations were 304 microg/m3 before the law, 338 microg/m3 after the partial law, and 9 microg/m3 after the comprehensive law.

DISCUSSION
The study clearly demonstrated that partial smoke-free air laws do not improve indoor air quality. A significant linear trend indicated that PM(2.5) levels in the establishments decreased with fewer numbers of burning cigarettes. Only comprehensive smoke-free air laws are effective in reducing indoor air pollution from secondhand tobacco smoke.


Background. Proinflammatory cytokines are prime candidates as causative agents of the metabolic changes that eventually result in tuberculosis-associated weight loss. Microbial products and cytokines such as TNF and IL-1 increase leptin expression dose dependently in adipose tissue. Leptin plays an important role in cellular immunity. Objectives. In this study, we investigated serum leptin and TNF-α levels before and after antituberculosis therapy in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Methods. Twenty five in patients with active pulmonary TB and 18 healthy controls participated in the study. Leptin and TNF-α levels were measured before treatment and six months after the treatment and they were compared with the control group. Body mass index (BMI) and chest X-rays before and after the treatment were also evaluated. Results. The leptin levels before and after the treatment were 1.66±1.68 ng/mL and 3.26±3.81 ng/mL, respectively. The leptin levels of tuberculous patients were significant than in healthy patients (P < .05). The BMI was 19.36 ± 2.55 kg/m2 before the treatment and 22.87 ± 3.13 kg/m2 after the treatment. The TNF-α level was 23.19±12.78 pg/mL before the treatment and 15.95±6.58 pg/mL after the treatment. There was no correlation between leptin and TNF-α levels. Leptin levels were low in patients who had sequela lesion on chest radiographs. Conclusion. Leptin levels are suppressed in tuberculous patients and low leptin levels may contribute to increased susceptibility to infection and recovery with sequela lesions.


The main aim of this work is to adapt the ratio-technique for snow cover mapping developed for C-band to the X-band and high resolution COSMO-SkyMed images. This algorithm, aimed at detecting wet snow, is based on the difference in backscattering coefficients between snow-covered areas in winter images and snow-free summer images. For these purposes, a series of COSMO-SkyMed acquisitions (Stripmap PingPong mode, dual polarizations VV-VH) has been planned and acquired over the test site located in South Tyrol (Northern Italy) in correspondence of the melting and winter season. Contemporary to radar passes field campaigns have been performed. The objective is to test the sensitivity of X-band data to different snow conditions. An analysis has been carried out to find the most suitable filtering technique which allows a clearer distinction of distributions of backscattering coefficients of snow-covered and snow-free areas. Based on this analysis a first map of snow from the images acquired on 26–27 April 2010 (wet snow) was derived and compared with snow cover area derived from LANDSAT ETM+ of 20-04-2010 based on NDSI. Further statistical analysis will be carried out also considering the new acquisitions.


Scholars and students of environmental politics alike at some point inevitably ask themselves the same fundamental question: what is my role in contributing to the world's environmental problems? We are all complicit in a global economic system that drives carbon emissions, species extinction, and the accumulation of plastics in the oceans, among myriad other problems. For students increasingly coming to terms with the environmental reality that they will inherit, questions about how the choices they make in their personal lives shape that reality loom large. Elizabeth DeSombre's Why Good People Do Bad Environmental Things provides an impressively comprehensive account of the forces that shape the environmental choices that individuals make. For that reason, I have been assigning segments from it (and the article that preceded it) to my political economy of the environment undergraduate seminar since its release. DeSombre's core argument is that relying on persuading people to care about the environment and to take action is a woefully inefficient way to bring about positive environmental change. To echo some of DeSombre's important caveats, that is not to say that we should not do good environmental things or that we should not persuade others to. It is not, however, a reliable way to make a significant impact. Instead, we should focus our efforts on shaping systems and institutions so that we can change behavior en masse, even that of those who might not care. In building her case, DeSombre covers a comprehensive array of forces that shape individual decision making; namely, problem characteristics (chapter 2), incentives (chapter 3), information (chapter 4), habits (chapter 5), and attitudes and norms (chapter 6). The book positions most environmental problems as collective action problems—more specifically, common pool resource problems—and draws from these categories to explain why people are just not very good at making (or being motivated to make) decisions in the name of collective outcomes. It includes many of the concepts that political scientists will already be familiar with, including environmental problems as externalities, bounded rationality, and market distortions such as subsidies, among many more. It grounds these concepts throughout by applying them to a range of behaviors, with some of the more popular examples being commuting, managing fisheries, and buying organic produce. Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is the sheer array of interdisciplinary concepts that DeSombre brings to bear to explain precisely why persuading people to care is such an ill-advised strategy. In addition to concepts drawn from political science, DeSombre ventures into the economics, psychology, and sociology literatures to build her case. The sections drawing from psychology literature about decision-making heuristics and willpower were especially compelling and relatable. As a longtime reader of popular psychology books, I was pleased to see some of the ideas that I find so interesting applied to environmental problems. For example, psychology research shows that willpower is often a depletable resource, which can explain why even the most committed of environmentalists will find themselves doing bad environmental things on occasion. Similarly, sections that focus on decision-making heuristics, habit formation, and moral licensing all apply prominent concepts from psychology to better our understanding of environmental behavior. By delving into these diverse literatures and synthesizing them in this book, DeSombre has done a big favor to scholars of the environment looking to better understand why people make the environmental choices that they do. The obvious critical question to ask of this book is whether or not DeSombre goes too far in discounting the importance of individual action. To the extent that DeSombre is building on existing literature on the individualization of responsibility—most notably, Maniates's work (e.g., Michael Maniates, "Individualization: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Save the World?" Global Environmental Politics, 1[3], 2001)—she convincingly deploys concepts to strengthen the argument that individual behaviors cannot and should not be the solution to the world's environmental problems. To take the reverse position would be to neglect the power that countries, corporations, and other elite actors bring to bear. But at the same time, having more environmentalists in the world is essential for the structural change that is needed. Every commuter who conscientiously rides their bike instead of driving to work is one more individual who may vote for stronger climate action, implement a corporate sustainability code of conduct at work, or devote their life to environmental activism. DeSombre does acknowledge this dynamic, but possibly understates it. Perhaps convincing more people to do good environmental things may be an effective strategy after all, if it means that future leaders will advocate for or be more receptive to the institutional change we desperately need. My other critique ventures beyond the scope of the book. I wholeheartedly agree with DeSombre that individual responsibility for environmental problems is not likely to be an efficient path forward. However, the problem is that the other paths are also pretty discouraging. As this book so expertly demonstrates, trying to change individual behavior is tricky. But group behaviors are often even more immutable. It is easy to imagine the book as a series asking why good politicians, political parties, governments, corporations, environmental NGOs, or international


The $\alpha$-$T_3$ model is characterized by a variable Berry phase that changes continuously from $\pi$ to $0$. We take advantage of this property to highlight the effects of this underlying geometrical phase on a number of physical quantities. The Hall quantization of the two limiting cases is dramatically different - a relativistic series is associated with a Berry phase of $\pi$ and a non-relativistic series is associated with the other limit. We study the quantization of the Hall plateaux as they continuously evolve from a relativistic to a non-relativistic regime. Additionally, we describe two physical quantities that retain knowledge of the Berry phase, in the absence of a motion-inducing magnetic field. The variable Berry phase of the $\alpha$-$T_3$ model allows us to explicitly describe the Berry phase dependence of the dynamical longitudinal optical conductivity and of the angular scattering probability.


This research encompasses flora of Lake Seyfe (Kirsehir) Nature Reserve Area. 65 families, 237 genera, 383 species, 3 sub-species, and 2 varieties were determined with the evaluation of 874 plant specimens collected during 1993-1994 in the research area. The total taxon number was 388. 52 species were endemic for Turkey. The distribution and ratios of the species in the phytogeographic regions were as follows: 104 Iranian-Turanian components (21.75%), 29 European-Siberian components (7.57%), 13 Mediterranean components (3.39%), 82 cosmopolitan components (21.40%), and 155 components with unknown phytogeographic region (40.46%). Key Words : Lake Seyfe, flora, taxon. DOI : 10.7176/JSTR/5-2-05


All peripheral regions face significant challenges with tourism development. This research initially acknowledges the challenges facing peripheral regions, which can be either geographical, such as access and infrastructure, or perceptual in nature, such as image related. Subsequently the challenges for tourism provision and development in the northeast of Scotland are discussed. Primary data have been collected from tourism providers in the region in an attempt to identify the specific challenges that face northeast Scotland. This region of Scotland faces a unique challenge in that the region effectively has two micro-economies; Aberdeen city and its surrounding area benefit from the influence of a relatively buoyant oil industry, whereas the more remote areas to the north and west exhibit many peripheral tendencies. This juxtaposition of two contrasting operating environments in a peripheral area highlights the unique challenges for tourism development in this part of the world. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


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Background TCF3-PBX1 is one of the most common recurrent translocations which define distinct subtypes of B-lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL). Patients with TCF3-PBX1 B-ALL have poor clinical outcome, however, the molecular mechanisms underlying poor outcome are poorly understood. It is critical to identify the cellular processes that contribute to the biological and clinical features of this form of ALL and to develop new targeted therapeutic strategies to improve the outcome.

Results We first performed ChIP-seq with antibodies against the fusion oncoprotein TCF3-PBX1 in the human B-ALL cell line 697 and found that the pre–B cell receptor (pre-BCR) genes ( IGLL1 or λ 5, VpreB, CD79A, CD79B ) and µ-chain enhancer regions were directly bound by the fusion protein. Gene expression microarray data showed that the pre-BCR signaling genes ( IGLL1, VpreB, IGHM, BLK, LCK, SYK, LYN, SRC and BLNK ) were overexpressed in TCF3-PBX1 , but not other cytogenetic subtypes of B-ALL (n=132 B-ALL patient samples, St. Jude), suggesting a unique high pre-BCR activity in TCF3-PBX1 ALL. Further flow cytometry analysis using µ-chain specific antibodies showed a strong Ca2+ signal in TCF3-PBX1 , but not other subtypes of ALL (n=27). The sequencing analysis on IGHM locus in 148 primary B-ALL samples showed that 100% cases of TCF3-PBX1 (n=8) carried functional IGHM VHDJH gene rearrangements, however only 17% for BCR-ABL1 (n=57), 0% for MLL-AF4 (n=7), 31% for ETV6-RUNX1 (n=13), 3.3% for hyperdiploid (n=30), 20% for sporadic (n=20) and 31% for normal karyotype (n=13) ALL. These data demonstrates that TCF3-PBX1 ALL has an unusual spectrum of high activity of pre-BCR signaling.

The transcriptional repressor BCL6 has been identified as a critical survival factor in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. We found that BCL6 was highly expressed in TCF3-PBX1 as compared to other subtypes of ALL by our Western blot (n=15) and also by gene expression microarray data from three B-ALL clinical trials: COG P9906 (n=207), ECOG E2993 (n=191) and St. Jude ALL (n=132). The clinical data showed that high expression of BCL6 correlates with poor clinical outcome. Those data suggested BCL6 might play a critical oncogene role in TCF3-PBX1 ALL. The TCF3-PBX1 ChIPseq data showed no binding enrichment on BCL6 locus. However, forced expression of pre-BCR components (µ-chain and BLNK) resulted in up-regulation of BCL6 (Western blot), suggesting BCL6 upregulation in TCF3-PBX1 ALL was induced by pre-BCR but not the fusion protein binding. To further test this, we applied SYK and BTK inhibitors to treat TCF-PBX1 ALL cells and found that they dramatically decreased BCL6 mRNA and protein levels and also induced cell apoptosis, suggesting BCL6 might be a therapeutic target for TCF3-PBX1 ALL. To test this, we transduced a primary TCF3-PBX1 B-ALL xenograft sample with a dominant-negative BCL6 -mutant (BCL6-DN). Expression of BCL6-DN rapidly induced cell death. When treating primary TCF3-PBX1 ALL cells with the specific BCL6 peptide inhibitor RI-BPI and the small molecule inhibitor PU-H71, they significantly induced cell cycle arrest, compromised colony formation, and prevented leukemia-initiation in transplant recipient mice. Collectively, those data indicates BCL6 is a new therapeutic target for TCF-PBX1 ALL.

Dasatinib is a second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting both BCR-ABL1 and Src kinase. We hypothesized that TCF3-PBX1 ALL cells would be more sensitive to Dasatinib than other TKIs because Dasatinib inhibits pre-BCR signaling and hence BCL6. We treated primary TCF3-PBX1 B-ALL cells with Dasatinib and Nilotinib, and found that BCL6 protein expression was abolished with Dasatinib, but no changes with Nilotinib. We also observed a >90% reduction in viability of leukemia cells with 50nM Dasatinib, however only ∼50% cell death at a much higher concentration of Nilotinib (1000nM). These data indicates that Dasatinib can efficiently kill TCF3-PBX1 leukemia cells by inhibiting pre-BCR and BCL6.

Conclusions Our study identified TCF3-PBX1 B-ALL as a unique form of ALL which has an unusual high activity of pre-BCR signaling. BCL6 was upregulated by pre-BCR, which we showed was required for proliferation and survival of TCF3-PBX1 ALL cells. Targeting pre-BCR and BCL6 using Dasatinib and specific BCL6 inhibitors (RI-BPI or PU-H71) induced apoptosis of primary TCF3-PBX1 B-ALL cells in vitro and in vivo.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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This paper takes stock of the forces that lie behind the recent rise of preferential agreements in services trade. Its initial focus is with a number of distinguishing features of services trade that set it apart from trade in goods and shapes trade liberalization and rule-making approaches in the services field. The paper then documents the nature, modal, and sectoral incidence of the trade and investment preferences spawned by preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in services. It does so with a view to addressing the question of how preferential the preferential treatment of services trade is. Finally, the paper addresses a number of considerations arising from attempts to multilateralize preferential access and rule-making in services trade.


Abstract Data from an immunohematology reference laboratory were compiled retrospectively to determine the occurrence of the formation of alloantibodies to low-incidence antigens associated with the African American population (AA-LIAs) among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The AA-LIAs under study were V, VS, Jsa, and Goa. The records from 137 recurrently transfused patients with SCD were selected on the basis of transfusion activity from the 2009 calendar year. We found that 13 patients (9.4996) exhibited one or more antibodies to AA-LIAs, and a total of 17 antibodies to these AA-LIAs have been developed by these patients. The occurrence of antibody formation to AA-LIAs is significantly greater than that of alloantibodies to low-incidence antigens in the general population. Considering the possibility of the presence of antibodies to AA-LIAs in multiply transfused patients with SCD is warranted. Immunohematology 2011;27:143–145.


Woody breast (WB) myopathy results in poor muscle quality. The increasing incidence of WB over the last several years indicates a need for improved prediction or early diagnosis. We hypothesized that the use of body fluids, including blood, may be more suitable than breast muscle tissue in developing a minimally invasive diagnostic tool for WB detection. To identify potential early-age-biomarkers that may represent the potential onset of WB, blood samples were collected from 100, 4 wks old commercial male broilers. At 8 wks of age, WB conditions were scored by manual palpation. A total of 32 blood plasma samples (eight for each group of WB and non-WB control birds at two time points, 4 wks and 8 wks) were subjected to shotgun proteomics and untargeted metabolomics to identify differentially abundant plasma proteins and metabolites in WB broilers compared to non-WB control (Con) broilers. From the proteomics assay, 25 and 16 plasma proteins were differentially abundant (p < 0.05) in the 4 and 8 wks old samples, respectively, in WB compared with Con broilers. Of those, FRA10A associated CGG repeat 1 (FRAG10AC1) showed >2-fold higher abundance in WB compared with controls. In the 8 wks old broilers, 4 and 12 plasma proteins displayed higher and lower abundances, respectively, in WB compared with controls. Myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) showed more than 2-fold higher abundances in WB compared with controls, while transferrin (TF) and complement C1s (C1S) showed more than 2-fold lower abundances compared with controls. From the untargeted metabolomics assay, 33 and 19 plasma metabolites were differentially abundant in birds at 4 and 8 wks of age, respectively, in WB compared with controls. In 4 wks old broilers, plasma 3-hydroxybutyric acid (3-HB) and raffinose concentrations showed the highest and lowest fold changes, respectively, in WB compared with controls. The blood plasma 3-HB and raffinose concentrations were confirmed with targeted biochemical assays. Blood biomarkers, such as 3-HB and raffinose, may be suitable candidate targets in the prediction of WB onset at early ages.


Aim of this overview was to evaluate the main clinical trials with lansoprazole published from 1997 to 1999 in English-language journals, regarding gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcer, NSAID-induced ulcer, and ZES. Results of clinical trials for therapy and prevention of lesions/symptoms have been evaluated separately. In direct comparisons, lansoprazole alone (not combined with antibiotics) proves to be equieffective to other PPI and more effective than H2-RA in both therapy and prevention of GERD, peptic ulcer (a part from anti-Hp regimens) and NSAID-induced ulcer. Among Hp-eradicating regimens in patients with peptic ulcer or functional dyspepsia, lansoprazole-based triple therapy is equal in efficacy to other PPI-based or RBC-based triple therapies and, in any case, significantly better than dual therapies. The in vitro anti-Hp activity of lansoprazole, more marked than with other PPI, does not seem to effort clinical advantages. Safety of lansoprazole is largely satisfactory and no different from other PPI and H2-RA.


Background. People sometimes object to the results of cost-effectiveness analysis when the analysis produces a ranking of options based on both cost and benefit. We suggest 2 new reasons for these objections: the prominence effect, in which people attend mostly to a more prominent attribute (benefit as opposed to cost), and distortion of utility judgments. Method. We simulated the production of a cost-effectiveness ranking list in 3 experiments using questionnaires on the World Wide Web. Subjects rated the utility of 16 health benefits using either rating scale or person trade-off elicitation methods. In some experiments, subjects were asked to rate the utility of the health benefits with attention also to the cost of achieving the benefits. In all experiments, at the end, subjects were shown a priority list based on their own utility judgments and were asked whether they wanted to move any of the health benefits up or down the list. Results. In all experiments, subjects wanted to give higher priority to treatments with higher benefit, even when they also had higher cost. They thus wanted to give less weight to high cost (which would, by itself, lead to lower ranking) and more weight to benefit than the weight implied by their own prior judgments. The desire for revision was reduced when subjects made their utility judgments after indicating whether the utility was above or below the midpoint of the scale (a manipulation previously found to reduce distortion). Conclusion. The desire to change cost-effectiveness rankings is in part a preference reversal phenomenon that occurs because people attend mainly to the benefit of health interventions as opposed to cost, when they examine the ranking. People should be wary of tinkering with priority lists by examining the lists themselves.


Abstract A three-year field-based study of 85 radio-tagged female wild grey partridges Perdix perdix was undertaken during 2001–2003 in East Anglia, England, to investigate possible links between chick diet and parasite-induced disease. The females produced 30 broods, whose diet measured by faecal analysis was typical of that previously reported. Chicks in some broods, however, consumed large numbers of known parasite vectors, particularly ants. Survival to the age of six weeks of chicks in a brood declined, on average, as the percentage of ants in the diet increased. Additionally 79 wild partridges found dead or in poor condition were submitted for necropsy to assess internal parasite burdens. Of these, 22 (28%) contained parasitic infections, although only 12 (15%) had levels of parasites that may have resulted in death. Internal parasites were found in only 7% of a subsample of 46 birds that died accidentally or were shot, and this was likely to be representative of the background level of infection. In a separate laboratory study of nutrition, no parasites were recorded in 180 six-week-old chicks that had eaten > 16,000 potential parasite vectors during the first three weeks after hatching. Either parasite levels were very low among host invertebrates or other factors contributed to increase disease susceptibility. Our results suggest that poor wild brood survival was indicative of low habitat and food quality rather than of a high rate of parasite infection. Management to conserve and increase wild grey partridge numbers should concentrate on improving foraging habitat quality, i.e. increasing the abundance of nutritious invertebrate chick-food, rather than directing efforts at reducing the small-scale effects of disease.


Radiocarbon dates from sediment core samples are usually obtained on the whole organic carbon portion in order to use as little of the valuable sediment as possible. Such measurements may not result in an accurate chronology of the sediment because the material may include carbon from different reservoirs at the time of deposition. The development of AMS techniques for dating ultra-small (20–500μg) carbon samples permits dating various components of cored sediments. We give examples of physical and chemical fractions of sediments which illustrate the large differences in ages obtainable from materials at the same sediment depth. The dating of all or several of these fractions demands more complex interpretations than just the derivation of a sedimentation rate from whole organic carbon dates.


Anthropogenic activities have globally increased nitrogen (N) deposition and carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas emissions. It is proposed that anthropogenic N deposition may increase the size of boreal forest CO₂ sink, because boreal ecosystems are N limited. Despite studies that have helped to clarify the magnitude by which N deposition enhances carbon (C) sequestration in the vegetation, there remains a paucity of studies evaluating how soils respond. This thesis aims to clarify the magnitude to which C sequestration in boreal forests responds to N enrichments, including rates that realistically simulated N deposition (≤ 12.5 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). This work was conducted in two long-term experiments in northern Sweden. The N treatments consisted of ambient, low N addition (3-12.5 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and high N addition (50 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) rates, in a Norway spruce and a Scots pine forest, maintained since 1996 and 2004, respectively. The organic soil C pool positively responded to N enrichment, especially at the high N addition level. This increase corresponded to a relationship between C sequestration and N addition of 10 kg C kg⁻¹ N. Further, low N addition treatments had no effect on microbial biomass and soil respiration (i.e. soil C outputs, microbial activity), while high N addition decreased total microbial, ectomycorrhizal fungal biomasses and soil respiration. The actinomycetes were the only microbes showing an increase with N addition. Annual litter production showed a minor impact on aboveground litter C inputs. Only mosses were the only major litter component showing significant quantitative and qualitative changes in response to N additions. Further, litter quality mediated by N enrichment was not the main driver of litter decomposition, while shifts in soil microbes strongly influence the early stages of litter decomposition. Low N addition rates had little effect on litter and humus decomposition, whereas high N addition rates impeded the early stage of decomposition of both substrates. The decline of litter decomposition appeared to be mediated by shifts in the abundance or community structure of saprophytic organisms, while the decrease of humus decomposition was likely the result of reduced ectomycorrhizal fungi. Altogether, the results of this thesis show that long-term N inputs simulating current atmospheric N deposition in the boreal region are likely to have subtle effects on the soil C balance and therefore on soil C accumulation.


This paper proposes a novel soft-switching circuit without using any additional active switch for SiC-based DC-DC boost converters. The proposed circuit can reduce the turn-on loss of the SiC switch and the diode reverse recovery loss by adding a small inductor in series with the switch. Since there is no auxiliary switch, the control method of the proposed boost converter is the same as that of the conventional one. A 2-kW SiC-based boost converter that can step up 300 V to 600 V at 90 kHz switching frequency has been designed. Experimental results have shown that the turn-on loss of the SiC switch is reduced by 66% under the rated condition compared with that of the hard-switching boost converter.


Studies were undertaken during 2002–2003 to assess the production and distribution of dry matter at different stages of growth in response to the split application of nitrogen and Azospirillum in the banana cv. Rasthali. The results revealed that application of Azospirillum and higher amount of nitrogen had an apparent effect on dry matter production. The dry matter production was rapid from small to harvest stage and it was remarkable after shooting due to bunch development Leaves showed increase in dry matter upto shoot stage but thereafter there was a decline since there was no development of new leaves after flowering. The dry weight of the corm rose from initiation to shooting and after shooting the weight tended to drop. Pseudostem increased in weight upto shooting and thereafter either remained the same weight or tended to increase. Among the fruiting organs, fruits themselves naturally increase in dry weight after shooting as also did the external part of the fruit stalk.


months it consisted in this specimen of two portions, one vertical, 4 mm. long, and one horizontal 1 mm. in length. By the age of eighteen months it had become altogether vertical, measuring 4 mm., and the measurements after that up to the tenth year in length were : Highest, 10 mm. (in a bone of seven years) ; lowest, 5 mm. (at three years) ; average, 8 mm. (seven bones valid). A vertical of as long as 9 mm. was found in a bone of two years. The projected Line of Descent in the infantile bone from the age of eighteen months onwards relative to the outer surface of the bone (Kg. 30) presented little difference from adult conditions, the same general description applying to both, with only two exceptions. In one bone (aged three years) the upper end of the vertical lay as much as 4 mm. below the suprameatal spine, and while the angle to the horizon


The Covid 19 pandemic that occurred throughout the world, more or less brought changes to the function of economic activity in Indonesia. Many business activities have changed, both in terms of business activities and other activities. This is also happen to Middle Group Community Business (UMKM) players in Indonesia in general, as well as in South Kalimantan in particular. Marketing activities that have been carried out in person have begun to shift to online and digital forms, following the Social Restriction policy imposed by the government.
This inevitably makes UMKM players have to follow the rhythm of the situation and the appropriate conditions, if they don't want the businesses they manage to be eroded by other businesses that are more adaptive in responding to the conditions and needs of the general public. If all this time UMKM players prefer conventional methods of promotion and marketing, then according to the conditions and needs of the times they must be able to carry out business activities digitally.
The implementation of Community Service activities in the form of "Digital Marketing Training through Social Media" at the Culinary Assistance Group (food and beverage) of the Koperasi Office, UMKM and Banjarbaru City Workers
As the social media with the most users, Instagram has the advantage of being accepted by all ages, because the content created is in the form of photos and videos that are more easily accepted by the audience. To make it easier to attract readers' interest, you can see tips in delivery, namely in terms of time and selection of unique content for followers. Another step is to collaborate with other social media activists by providing reviews and testimonials on products being marketed.


Bitcoin is considered the most valuable currency in the world. Besides being highly valuable, its value has also experienced a steep increase, from around 1 dollar in 2010 to around 18000 in 2017. Then, in recent years, it has attracted considerable attention in a diverse set of fields, including economics and computer science. The former mainly focuses on studying how it affects the market, determining reasons behinds its price fluctuations, and predicting its future prices. The latter mainly focuses on its vulnerabilities, scalability, and other techno-crypto-economic issues. Here, we aim at revealing the usefulness of traditional autoregressive integrative moving average (ARIMA) model in predicting the future value of bitcoin by analyzing the price time series in a 3-years-long time period. On the one hand, our empirical studies reveal that this simple scheme is efficient in sub-periods in which the behavior of the time-series is almost unchanged, especially when it is used for short-term prediction, e.g. 1-day. On the other hand, when we try to train the ARIMA model to a 3-years-long period, during which the bitcoin price has experienced different behaviors, or when we try to use it for a long-term prediction, we observe that it introduces large prediction errors. Especially, the ARIMA model is unable to capture the sharp fluctuations in the price, e.g. the volatility at the end of 2017. Then, it calls for more features to be extracted and used along with the price for a more accurate prediction of the price. We have further investigated the bitcoin price prediction using an ARIMA model, trained over a large dataset, and a limited test window of the bitcoin price, with length $w$, as inputs. Our study sheds lights on the interaction of the prediction accuracy, choice of ($p,q,d$), and window size $w$.


Multi-delay arterial spin labeling (ASL) has made it possible to non-invasively quantify cerebral hemodynamic changes in aging, including cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial arrival time (ATT). However, limited numbers of studies exist to focus on the spatial heterogeneity of age effects on both CBF and ATT. In this study, we map the relationships between age, CBF and ATT on the cerebral cortex using multi-delay pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) data from the Human Connectome Project in Aging.


Water deficiency is one of the most significant abiotic stresses that negatively affects growth and reduces crop yields worldwide. Most research is focused on model plants and/or crops which are most agriculturally important. In this research, drought stress was applied to two drought stress contrasting varieties of Papaver somniferum (the opium poppy), a non-model plant species, during the first week of its germination, which differ in responses to drought stress. After sowing, the poppy seedlings were immediately subjected to drought stress for 7 days. We conducted a large-scale transcriptomic and proteomic analysis for drought stress response. At first, we found that the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles significantly differ. However, the most significant findings are the identification of key genes and proteins with significantly different expressions relating to drought stress, e.g., the heat-shock protein family, dehydration responsive element-binding transcription factors, ubiquitin E3 ligase, and others. In addition, metabolic pathway analysis showed that these genes and proteins were part of several biosynthetic pathways most significantly related to photosynthetic processes, and oxidative stress responses. A future study will focus on a detailed analysis of key genes and the development of selection markers for the determination of drought-resistant varieties and the breeding of new resistant lineages.


Considering ice material as a metamorphic state of snow, the paper argues about the possible application of fractal geometry to describe the physical properties and the mechanical behaviour of ice. On the basis on the evidence of fractality, the formation of crevasses on the glaciers of the Italian Alps is analysed. Application of the box-counting method permits to analyse the distribution of crevasses network within the glacier continuum. Assuming the glacier as a damaged continuum, the application of Multifractal Scaling Law, originally developed for concrete-like materials [2], on the fracture energy and strength of ice is discussed.


Chylothorax is a relatively uncommon but well-known complication after esophagectomy. Despite improvements in operative strategies for esophageal cancer, the incidence of chylothorax is about 1.1% to 21% in patients who receive esophagectomy (1,2). Though this condition is not rare, it is also dire and may lead to the inhibition of lung function, malnutrition, and immunologic compromise. It is, therefore, a potentially dangerous complication. Many studies aiming at therapeutic strategies of postoperative chylothorax have been introduced, but few studies have investigated the risk factors of this condition.


This case study is based on an MBA team's experience in analyzing a scrap metal recycling business and developing recommendations to improve the performance of the business. The company, Steel City Salvage, has three locations which are managed as separate business entities. The case focuses on the business repercussions of the poor integration across the three locations, and the team's choice of options to improve the integration. These options include changes in organizational structure, processes or culture/leadership style. The case allows students to see how their own experience and education may bias their selection of a preferred option.


IEEE 802.11g has become the de facto standard for Wireless LAN. Most of the 802.11g functionality is implemented in hardware or firmware; modifying or extending such communication protocols is a difficult task. In this paper, we present modifications to the Omnet++ simulation environment to support an accurate IEEE 802.11g MAC and PHY simulation model. A solution for debugging the proposed model using protocol analyzers is also provided.


A bimodal education model is a flexible model which harmoniously combines the possibilities for teaching offered by Information Society Technologies (IST), such as interactive classrooms, videoconference, and the virtual campus, with traditional educational activities such as lectures and certain types of practical training. The main goal was to provide university students and teachers in formal and continuing education with telematic tools based on new information technologies within the framework of a bimodal educational system. Other objectives were to evaluate the possibility of shortening and improving the learning cycles and overcoming the physical barriers that make it difficult for students to contact their tutor. This paper describes the development of a virtual campus based on a bimodal model of university education, in which the educational possibilities of IST were combined with the traditional training activities. Five virtual education sections were designed: Formal Education courses, Global Campus, Masters and Postgraduate courses, Specialised Education courses, and the Thematic Portal. Each section is defined by a series of functions that combine aspects related to information, communication, and the educational proposals.


Background: Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) is a complex, multisystem illness that may follow SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection. As there is limited evidence for individual therapies and no singular treatment for PCS, guidelines endorse a multidisciplinary approach. This is a case report of a patient with PCS benefiting from a comprehensive approach including acupuncture with symptom-titrated physical activity (STPA). Case: A 50-year-old woman presented from a Long-COVID Clinic referral to an outpatient hospital-affiliated acupuncturist. She had 8 months of fatigue, anosmia, chest pressure, palpitations, and other symptoms following mild assay-confirmed COVID-19. Prior/concurrent medical testing revealed multisystem-inflammatory involvement (pericardial effusion, thyroid dysfunction, and elevated d-dimers). Cardiology/pulmonology cleared the patient for exercise to tolerance considering that serious pathology was absent. The acupuncturist's Traditional Chinese Medicine impression was of Qi Deficiency of the Heart, Lung, Spleen, and Kidney. This patient received 7 sessions of scalp, auricular, and body acupuncture. Physical-therapist (PT)-led STPA began 1-week post-acupuncture, involving 6 30-minute exercise sessions while monitoring her heart rate, with as-needed rest. Results: The patient's chest pressure and palpitations resolved after 1 acupuncture treatment. With 6 additional treatments, spanning 9 weeks, overlapping with PT-led SPTA, she recovered completely and resumed her normal exercise. Conclusions: Acupuncture appeared to facilitate PCS recovery. However, the independent effects of acupuncture are less clear, given the concurrent STPA/exercise therapy, and should be explored using large study designs. Acupuncture is an attractive potential PCS therapy, considering its holistic approach and that it may be added to a multidisciplinary, guideline-concordant regimen.


Multi-factor challenge-set self-sovereign identity authentication (MFFSIA) is an important part for establishing trust between systems, devices, organizations and humans for the emerging machine-to-everything (M2X) economy. Most systems for identity authentication (IA) are single sign-on (SSO), or have fixed challenge sets of limited degree. Additionally, IA systems are controlled by governments, or corporations that are closely affiliated with government entities. The available systems for self-sovereign IA do not offer the necessary flexible configurability of challenge sets. Based on research publications about a formal MFSSIA protocol, this paper presents a blockchain employing implementation for a running case assuming different smart-contract blockchain systems must be connected for sensitive data exchange. The prototype offers a marketplace for challenge-set creation and the challenge/response-lifecycle management employs decentralized knowledge graphs (DKG) together with oracles for response evaluations.


In this article, I explore how globalization discourses practices work together to form the identities of female Islamic bankers working in the first stand-alone women's Islamic bank in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. An Islamic bank interacts with the individual by providing a discursive and physical space in which the subject can shape and respond to her desire to identify and engage with the debates in the global Muslim community about morality, practice and the role of Islam in everyday life. Global financial systems and local gender practices are embodied in these buildings in a kind of financial purdah: building spaces become both a marketing tool and a support for globally-based economic activity under the auspices of morality and tradition. Based upon fieldwork and interviews with Islamic bankers, I show how normative global financial practices and local moral gender practices work together for the advancement of both.


A new class of fractal functions based on specific properties of the atomic functions (AF) y/sub r/ and /spl pi//sub m/ (see Kravchenko, V.F. et al., J. Commun. Tech. and Electronics, vol.40, no.12, p.118-37, 1995; Zelkin, E.G. and Kravchenko, V.F., J. Commun. Tech. and Electronics, vol.46, no.8, p.829-57, 2001) is proposed and justified. New types of atomic-fractal functions (AFF) are constructed. The first part of the paper is devoted to the basics of AF and their fractal properties. The construction of AFF is also described. Then the application of AFF to solving some problems of synthesis of discrete and continuous fractal radiating structures is presented. Numerical experiments and their comparison with results obtained by D.H. Werner et. al. (see IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, vol.41, no.5, p.37-59, 1999) prove the efficiency of the new class of AFF. The proposed method of construction of self-similar AFF can cause a relatively high level of sidelobes. At the same time, it is robust to errors of the distribution of elements and their failures. In practice, this allows one to combine the benefits of equally-spaced and random antenna arrays. The method proposed and justified in this work can be applied for synthesis of a wide class of both equally and non-equally spaced (two- and three-dimensional) fractal antenna arrays.


The current trial determined the influence of dietary humate, including humic, fulvic and ulmic acids and some microminerals on the pH, TBARS and microbiological properties of vacuum-packed and aerobic-packed breast fillets and drumsticks of broilers. A total of 240 male broiler chicks (Ross-308) were randomly allocated into four dietary treatments (H0 ,H 1 ,H 2 and H3 groups). A basal diet (H0), basal diet plus 0.1 (H1), 0.2 (H2) and 0.3% (H3) humate (Farmagulator DRY  , Humate, Farmavet International Inc, Kocaeli 41400, Turkey) were offered during the experimental feeding period. At the end of the trial all chicks were slaughtered. After standard dissection of carcasses, the breasts and drumsticks were divided into two groups for vacuum packaging or aerobic packaging. Packed breasts and drumsticks were stored at 3 ◦ C for 12days. The breasts and drumsticks were analyzed for pH, TBARS, total mesophilic, total psychrotrophic, lactic acid bacteria and Enterobacteriacea counts at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12days of storage. The feeding of humate decreased pH values of breast fillets and drumstick muscles (p < 0.01), especially at the 0.1% level. The TBARS value decreased (p < 0.01) when compared with the without-humate group (H0). Total aerobic mesophilic (p < 0.01), total aerobic psychrotrophic (p < 0.01) and lactic acid bacteria (p < 0.05) counts were lower in the H3 group than the other groups. The effect of meat type on pH, TBARS, total aerobic mesophilic (p < 0.01) and lactic acid bacteria (p < 0.05) and Enterobacteriacea counts was significant. While the pH and TBARS values of breast fillets were lower than those of drumstick meats, the total mesophilic, total psychrotrophic, lactic acid bacteria and Enterobacteriacea counts of drumstick meats were higher than those of breast fillets. The effect of packaging type on pH (p < 0.01), TBARS (p < 0.01), total aerobic psychrotrophic bacteria (p < 0.01) and Enterobacteriacea counts (p < 0.01) was found statistically significant and the maximum values were determined in the aerobic-packed samples. In addition, investigated parameters were also affected by storage period. While the total aerobic mesophilic count decreased, the other parameters increased when compared with zero day of storage.  2005 Society of Chemical Industry


We present the synthesis of composite PbSe/CdSe/CdS nanocrystals with two distinct geometries: core/shell/shell structures and tetrapods. These novel nanostructures exhibit extremely long carrier decay times up to 20 micros that are combined with high emission efficiencies in the infrared. The increase in carrier lifetimes is attributed to the reduction of the electron-hole overlap as a result of delocalization of the electron wave function into the outer CdS shell or arms. The ultralong carrier lifetimes and controlled geometry render these nanocrystals attractive for a variety of applications from lasing to photocatalysis and photovoltaics.


From the late 1990s up to the collapse of Internet stocks in April 2000, the professional and popular marketing press carried a stream of articles that were enthusiastic about the potential of Internet marketing for all the components of marketing; selling products and services, building brands and relationships and providing individualised information to customers. With the benefit of hindsight, and in view of the many well-publicised losses of Internet based companies, much of this enthusiasm was unjustified. This paper analyses the pattern of growing interest in, and changing assessment of, Internet marketing from both marketing and professional writers, as revealed by a retrospective study of one of the most common data bases. Academic interest in the Internet, as measured by growth in the number of articles, is seen to have lagged behind professional interest. Of more concern, however, is the apparent failure of marketing academics to have given advice which might have tempered managers' investment in what proved, for many, to be a very risky area.


The Hubbard model with boundary hopping integrals and fields is proposed and solved exactly by means of the Bethe ansatz method. We find that for certain values of the boundary hopping integrals and fields the ground state contains boundary bound states, these new types of states are represented as "boundary charge and spin strings". We show that the boundary bound states are realized at a strong boundary interaction for large values of the boundary hopping integrals or the boundary fields. The magnetic moment and charge of the boundary have been calculated numerically as a function of the magnetic field and band filling. It is found that the "boundary charge strings" solutions define the properties of the boundary.


OBJECTIVE
This article describes a digital dental esthetic ceramic veneer treatment workflow using a stereolithographic template for teeth preparation.

CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS
We have presented the case of a 33-year-old woman with dental fluorosis who wanted an esthetic ceramic veneer treatment. A digital smile design was created on a virtual patient, and a virtual diagnostic wax-up was made. Based on the suggested ceramic material thickness, virtual teeth preparation was performed on the diagnostic wax-up. A special-teeth preparation template was then created digitally and fabricated using a stereolithographic technique. This template guided the teeth preparation using a special bur with a stopper. The veneers were fabricated by CAD/CAM and delivered good esthetics and function.

CONCLUSIONS
The stereolithographic tooth reduction template helps realize digital restorative planning. It provides better control of the reduction depth of the labial and incisal preparation, making the operation simpler.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The digital dental esthetic ceramic veneer treatment workflow described here using a stereolithographic template for teeth preparation helped with the accurate control of reduction depth for minimally invasive teeth preparation, making the operation simpler, which is a significant improvement over the previous methods.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Since cancer cells must overcome the anoikis for the metastasis, anoikis resistance is an important process for tumor progression and metastasis. To identify anoikis resistance mechanism, we performed mRNA microarray analysis with attached and suspended human lung epithelial adenocarcinoma A549 cells. Our microarray data reveals that Nox4 mRNA is up-regulated in the suspended cells. We evaluated both mRNA and protein levels of Nox4 and found that Nox4 is up-regulated in both mRNA and protein levels. In addition, higher levels of ROS are detected and Src activation was enhanced in suspended cells than attached cells. Interestingly, increased level of ROS in suspended cells was decreased by ROS scavengers or Nox4 inhibitors, leading to inactivation of Src and EGFR. Furthermore, knock-down of Nox4 by si-RNA specific for Nox4 resulted in inactivation of Src and EGFR. Because Src activation is not inhibited by EGFR inhibitor, Src activation appears to be independent on EGFR. In addition, si-RNA for Nox4 transfection decreased viability of cells in suspension. These results suggest that upon cell detachment, Nox4 expression is up-regulated and thus ROS levels are increased, which are important for activation of Src and EGFR, leading to sustained cell viability in the suspended cells. Therefore, we postulate that ROS generation through the Nox4 is an important process for anoikis resistance.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2059. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2059


We examined how several ecological factors influenced home‐range size for 57 mountain lions inhabiting three regions of California. Our specific objectives were to investigate: (1) the relationship between home‐range size and sex, age and reproductive status; (2) how broad‐scale habitat differences and prey relative abundances influenced home‐range size; (3) how seasonality, within these habitats, affected home‐range size; (4) whether there was a significant relationship between body mass and home‐range size. Results indicate that the effects of season on home‐range size influenced the study areas differently. Both intrinsic factors, such as sex and body mass, and extrinsic factors, such as deer relative abundance and study site, influenced home‐range size for mountain lions in this analysis. Linear relationships, however, between body mass and home‐range size were not evident for any of our study locations. Curvilinear relationships, in contrast, existed between body mass and home‐range size for all study areas during particular seasons, influenced strongly by animal sex. Conservation strategies designed to protect mountain lions and their habitats should reflect the above balance between intrinsic and extrinsic factors which influence home‐range size.


This is the second volume of the late Professor Schrieke's writings to be issued by the committee formed under Dr. W. F. Wertheim's chairmanship for the purpose of publishing English translations of works on Indonesia by Dutch scholars, and affiliated to the Royal Tropical Institute at Amsterdam. It consists almost entirely of previously unpublished work, which the author was engaged upon during the last years of his life, and left unfinished at his death in 1945. Schrieke was primarily a social scientist, and his contributions in the field of Indonesian history were of the nature of interpretations of existing material. And it is not too much to say that he formulated some of the more important theories with which Dutch historiography has been busy since the publication in 1931 of N. J. Krom's great pioneer work, Hindoe-Javaansch geschiedenis. He it was, for example, who rejected Krom's theory that the impact of Islam caused a break of a fundamental character in Javanese cultural history, and insisted that Javanese history and historiography must be viewed as an indivisible whole. Two of the papers in the present volume, ' The penetration of Islam in the Archipelago ' and ' Disruption and continuity in Javanese historiography ', deal specifically with these questions, and are welcome for their clear expression of some of his most mature thought. Unfortunately both were left unfinished. The first breaks off just short of a conclusion, but its penetrating examination of subjects such as Islam's ' race with Christianity ' in Indonesia, and the role of the north Sumatran state of Acheh in the diffusion of Islam, makes it of special interest. The second, a discussion of the historical ideas of the babads and sejarahs, the dynastic chronicles produced in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is little more than a fragment, though worth having.


Why? Because traditional programs that focus on women as soon as they become pregnant are not making any headway against the incidence of low and very low birth weight (LBW) babies. As a result, while more of these babies are surviving, a significant number have disabilities that will impact them for life while costing the health care system dearly. Experts at Emory University in Atlanta believe there must be a better way to curb the incidence of poor birth outcomes, and they are putting their theories to work in a new program focused on "interpregnancy" care.


This is an action research study that reports on using student portfolios in a second language (L2) Arabic class. The goal of this study was to examine the validity of using portfolios as an L2 assessment procedure and to ascertain the effectiveness of portfolios as an L2 learning tool. In this class, portfolios replaced weekly quizzes, which counted for 30% of the final grade. Portfolios were also used to supplement the course textbook, namely Al-Kitaab (Brustad, Al-Batal, & Al-Tonsi, 1995). Data sources for the study included traditional tests grades, oral interview grades, portfolio grades, a sixteen-item survey, and students' reflections at the end of the course. The findings indicate that there is a strong correlation between portfolio grades, on one hand, and written tests and oral interviews grades on the other hand. It was also found that students perceived using portfolios as an effective L2 learning tool.


Abstract Personal obstacles to creativity were investigated by sampling 297 Arab women from four Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Obstacles to Personal Creativity Inventory, as self-report, was used. It assesses four types of obstacles (a) inhibition/shyness, (b) lack of time/opportunity, (c) social repression, and (d) lack of motivation. The results showed that the highest mean was reported for the lack of time/opportunities factor, followed in order by the three other factors: lack of motivation, inhibition/shyness, and social repression. (A high mean is indicative of more obstacles.) A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that reported obstacles to creativity significantly differed by field of study. Women in the arts reported experiencing fewer obstacles related to social repression in comparison with women in engineering, who showed the highest mean. No significant effects were observed for level of education, country and income in the GCC countries. The MANOVA also showed significant interactions between (a) education and sector (i.e., government vs private), (b) country and sector, (c) income and field of study, and finally (d) between field of study and sector. Results from this study were compared to two other studies, in Brazil and Mexico, that used the Obstacles to Personal Creativity Inventory. The high mean found for the lack of motivation in GCC countries deserves further investigation, given that motivation is so important for creativity and often is something that can be encouraged.


This paper introduces a new concept of flexible crawling mechanism to design an industrial underwater cleaning robot, which is evaluated from the viewpoint of the capability to work underwater, scanning the desired surface, and bearing the reactions. This can be used as a robotic application in underwater surface cleaning and maintenance. We designed a robot that realizes the motion by contraction and extraction using DC-motors and vacuum technology. In this study we first focused on realizing the adhesion, bearing reactions, and achieving a stable locomotion on the surface.


Caring for Alzheimer's patients places tremendous burdens and strain on families. This study examined the ways cultural values and norms influence the experiences of Hispanic caregivers. The results revealed relationships between attitudes toward caregiving and a sense of burden and depression among the caregivers, with depression being related to stronger adherence to norms of filial support. Factors associated with increased burden include lack of time for oneself, dependency needs of the patient, and belief that one could be doing a better job as caregiver. Problems common to other groups of caregivers--feelings of anger, relationship and financial strain, and isolation--were not apparent. Although relatives provide affective support, the burden of instrumental assistance rests on the primary caregiver. These findings, as well as a reluctance to discuss problems outside of the family, call for active social work interventions.


Losses of nitrogen from the soil/plant system not only reduce soil fertility and plant yield but can also create adverse impacts on the environment. Ammonia emissions into the atmosphere contribute to acid rain and represent an indirect source of nitrous oxide greenhouse gas emissions. Nitrate leaching losses into rivers and lakes can cause eutrophication resulting in excessive growth of aquatic weeds and algae, which can reduce fish populations and the recreational value of the water. Nitrate contamination of drinking water supplies can cause health risks. Legislation that is designed to limit nitrate leaching losses from land has become a constraint on agricultural land use in many countries. Nitrous oxide emissions into the atmosphere contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer and also make a significant contribution to climate change. This review describes the nitrogen cycle in temperate soil/plant systems, the processes involved in each of the individual nitrogen loss pathways, the factors affecting the amounts of losses and the methods that are available to reduce these losses. The review has shown that careful management of temperate soil/plant systems using best management practices and newly developed technologies can increase the sustainability of agriculture and reduce its impact on the environment.


Permanent neonatal diabetes (PND) is a rare form of diabetes characterized by insulin-requiring hyperglycemia diagnosed within the first three months of life. In most cases, the causes are not known. Recently, mutations in the KCNJ11 gene encoding the Kir6.2 subunit of the ATP-sensitive K+ channel have been described in patients with PND. We report the first two Korean cases with PND due to a lysineto- arginine substitution at position 170 (K179R) and a valine-to-methionine substitution at position 59 (V59M) mutations of KCNJ11 encoding Kir6.2, respectively. After several years of insulin therapy, these patients were managed by oral glibenclamide therapy at a daily dose of 0.8-0.9 mg/kg. Their basal c-peptide levels increased after one week of glibenclamide therapy, and one month later, the insulin and c-peptide levels were in the normal ranges without any episodes of hyper- or hypoglycemia. These cases demonstrate that oral sulfonylurea may be the treatment of choice in PND patients with KCNJ11 mutations even at a young age.


Chronic liver disease results from a variety of causes such as hepatitis virus infections, autoimmune processes and alcohol consumption. Its complications include fat deposition, hemodynamic changes and fibrosis. Clinically there may be progression to portal-hypertension and porto-systemic encephalopathy. Pioneering research from the laboratory of Kunos at NIH has stressed the importance of endocannabinoids (ECs) as mediators of some of the pathological processes in chronic liver disease. The present review summarizes the literature on the association between ECs and liver disease, as well as the therapeutic potential of ECs and exogenous cannabinoids in liver disease with emphasis on hepatic encephalopathy.


OBJECTIVE This study aims to reveal the oxidant and antioxidant status in nurses with chemotheropathic drug exposure and radiology unit workers exposed to ionizing radiation (IR). METHODS Nineteen radiology unit workers, 14 nurses, and 15 controls were included the study. All of the participants using antioxidants, vitamin supplements, smokers, any therapeutic drugs, and exposed therapeutic or diagnostic X-ray or chemotherapeutic drugs in 12 months were excluded from the study. Total and native thiols, disulfide/native thiol percent ratios (SS/SH), disulfide/total thiol percent ratios, disulfide amounts, and native thiol/total thiol percent ratios, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) were determined. RESULTS Disulfide levels, disulfide/total thiol ratio, and disulfide/native thiol ratio of serum samples of both radiology unit workers and nurses were significantly higher and ratio of native thiol/total thiol was lower than the control group. The radiation dose in radiology unit workers was mean±SD: 0.02±0.009, median (min–max): 0.02 (0.001–0.04). Thiol-disulfide homeostasis was disturbed and the balance shifted in the direction of oxidant damage, even at low-dose IR exposure and normal range. CONCLUSION As far as we know, the current findings first demonstrate an apparent chronic oxidative stress in the subjects who were occupationally exposed to antineoplastic drugs and radiation even if annual radiation exposure dose measurements are normal.


In some standard applications of spatial point pattern analysis, window selection for spatial point pattern data is complex. Often, the point pattern window is given a priori. Otherwise, the region is chosen using some objective means reflecting a view that the window may be representative of a larger region. The typical approaches used are the smallest rectangular bounding window and convex windows. The chosen window should however cover the true domain of the point process since it defines the domain for point pattern analysis and supports estimation and inference. Choosing too large a window results in spurious estimation and inference in regions of the window where points cannot occur. We propose a new algorithm for selecting the point pattern domain based on spatial covariate information and without the restriction of convexity, allowing for better estimation of the true domain. Amodified kernel smoothed intensity estimate that uses the Euclidean shortest path distance is proposed as validation of the algorithm. The proposed algorithm is applied in the setting of rural villages in Tanzania. As a spatial covariate, remotely sensed elevation data is used. The algorithm is able to detect and filter out high relief areas and steep slopes; observed characteristics that make the occurrence of a household in these regions improbable. Keywords: Covariate, Euclidean shortest path, Nonconvex, Spatial point pattern, Window selection


For the Miskitu of Nicaragua, Grisi Siknis is a contagious illness that predominantly affects women. It is characterized by numerous psychosomatic symptoms, including headache, fear, aggressive behavior, loss of consciousness, and periods of rapid frenzy. Although Grisi Siknis has gained academic and public attention due to its unique cultural elements and perceived sexual aspects, little is known how the contextual and gender dimensions of Grisi Siknis are played out in relation to the socio-political context in the region. Based on 16 months of ethnographic work in the Nicaraguan Miskitu Coast, including semi-structured interviews (n = 20) and participant observation, this article documents a semantic shift in the embodied and symbolic language of a cultural idiom of distress. I show how duhindu (Miskitu spirit associated with illness and misfortune) and witchcraft are symbols that share cultural resonance in the Miskitu community, while gender violence discourse is a new language incorporated into the logic of this cultural idiom of distress. I argue that this semantic shift allows the individuals in this study to communicate local experiences of complex forms of structural inequalities (migration status, unemployment, ethnic identity) and gender-based violence that tend to be normalized as a ubiquitous cultural problem while preserving the broader socio-cultural meaning the Grisi Siknis represents. The ethnographic accounts of Grisi Siknis provide empirical data to unpack the unexplored contextual processes and local discourses that transform the meaning and logic of cultural idioms of distress at the individual level of experience.


The automatic auditory feature analysis in the human brain was investigated using the mismatch-negativity (MMN) component of the event-related potential. MMNs were recorded in ignore and attend conditions to stimuli deviating from the repetitive standard stimuli simultaneously either in one, two or three features (frequency, intensity, stimulus-onset asynchrony). If the processing of each of these three features is independent of the others, the MMNs to the double and triple deviants should equal to the sum of the MMNs elicited by the corresponding single deviants. The double-deviant MMNs were found to be additive but the triple-deviant MMN was clearly underadditive. The results suggest complex interactions between brain processes involved in analyzing several simultaneous deviant features.


Jasmine tea is widely loved by the public because of its unique and pleasant aroma and taste. The new scenting process is different from the traditional scenting process, because the new scenting process has a thin pile height to reduce the high temperature and prolong the scenting time. We qualified and quantified volatiles in jasmine and jasmine tea during the scenting process by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with a headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME). There were 71 and 78 effective volatiles in jasmine and jasmine tea, respectively, including 24 terpenes, 9 alcohols, 24 esters, 6 hydrocarbons, 1 ketone, 3 aldehydes, 2 nitrogen compounds, and 2 oxygen-containing compounds in jasmine; 29 terpenes, 6 alcohols, 28 esters, 8 nitrogen compounds, 1 aldehyde, and 6 other compounds in jasmine tea. The amounts of terpenes, esters, alcohols, nitrogen compounds, and hydrocarbons in jasmine and tea rose and then fell. The amount of oxygenated compounds of tea in the new scenting process first rose and then fell, while it showed a continuous upward trend during the traditional process. The amount of volatiles in jasmine and tea produced by the new scenting process were higher than that of the traditional scenting process at the same time. This study indicated that jasmine tea produced by the new scenting process had better volatile quality, which can provide proof for the new scenting process.


Atopic asthma is poorly controlled by current therapies. Newer therapies and novel antihistamines are, therefore, required to treat patients whose atopic asthma is not controlled. For the first time, C-027 is shown to antagonize histamine, IgE-mediated and serotonin-induced contraction in human airways and vessels. Human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS, 250 μm thick), containing an airway or blood vessel, were pretreated with either C-027 (2 hours) or with vehicle alone and were contracted with histamine or serotonin. Known antihistamine was used as a comparator in antihistamine studies. Also, human airways were contracted via IgE passive sensitization in the presence or absence of C-027 or fexofenadine. Affinity of C-027 toward human G-protein coupled receptors was also determined, as well as the drug's biodistribution in murine model. C-027 was shown to have the highest affinity toward human histamine and serotonin receptors. Subsequently, C-027 was shown to antagonize histamine- and serotonin-induced airway and vascular smooth muscle contraction, respectively, and histamine-released bronchocontraction mediated by IgE passive sensitization in human small airways. C-027 also inhibited histamine-mediated single-cell calcium ion release. Low levels of C-027 were found in murine brain tissue. Collectively, these data suggest that C-027 markedly inhibits IgE-induced bronchoconstriction and antagonizes histamine and serotonin-contraction with little biodistribution in the brain. The compound may offer a future therapy for allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with asthma.


A system of extracorporal maturation of growing and fully grown oocytes have been developed on the basis of research of a role of structural elements of porcine follicles in formation of mature oocytes and a preventive estimation of the functional status of oocytes (BCB-test). The cultivation of oocytes in the developed system allows to receive till 45 % of embryos at the stages of late morulae and blastocysts.


An example of how circuit related techniques can help solving optimisatin problems originating from completely different domains is provided. It is shown that a specific class of Unconstrained Binary Quadratic Programming (UBQP) problems, including those arising in the optimisation of flutter control via blade mistiming, can be solved by means of ΔΣ modulators. This is done in steps, first restating the UBQP problem as a specific signal processing problem, and then attacking the latter via the design of a ΔΣ modulator with a suitably derived Noise Transfer Function. A (heuristically) optimal solution for the original problem is finally obtained from the modulator output stream. The method is validated by two numerical examples arising in the design of turbo-machines.


Summary In 215 patients with operable breast cancer (TI -T3, NO- 1, MO) and no other or previous cancer, presenting to a single breast unit, sufficient tumour was available for the prospective determination of four putative biochemical markers of prognosis: oestrogen receptor (ER) activity, cathepsin D (cath D), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activity and cyclic AMP-binding proteins (c-AMP-b). There were significant inter-relationships between ER and EGFR (r= -0.26), c-AMP-b and cath D (r= + 0.32) and ER and c-AMP-b (r= +0.14). After follow-up (median 36.2 months), a total of 55 recurrences (18 locoregional only) and 35 deaths were recorded. By univariate analysis, up to 10 of 18 biochemical, clinical and histopathological variables of potential prognostic value were significantly related to disease-free interval or death, but by multivariate analysis only oestrogen receptor concentration and node status contributed significantly to risk of both distant recurrence/death; in addition, tumour size made a small contribution to the risk for a distant recurrence only. Only two parameters, tumour grade and ER concentration, were significantly related to risk of locoregional recurrence by univariate analysis, but by multivariate analysis, only tumour grade was important. It is concluded that tumour ER concentration, axillary nodal status and tumour grade remain as the most important prognostic factors in the early years after presentation of operable breast cancer, with a minor influence of tumour size. At this time, the prognostic significance of quantitative measurements of ER concentration, carefully controlled for the quality of both assay and tumour specimen, is probably greater than is generally appreciated. We have yet to identify other factors, which add significantly to the short-term prognostic value of these key features.


At Queen's University Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, as is the case at many Canadian institutions, three primary methods are used to generate three distinct cadaver types for human anatomical education: fresh/frozen, traditional formalin hard-embalmed, and phenol-based soft-embalmed. Each of these techniques has its own merits and restrictions, with phenol-based soft-embalming combining the longevity seen in traditional embalming with the life-like quality characteristic of fresh/frozen tissue. Current environmental health and safety (EHS) restrictions place traditional formalin embalmed cadavers in Containment Level 1 (CL1) laboratories, with both fresh/frozen and phenol-based soft-embalmed cadavers in Containment Level 2 (CL2) laboratories. However, there is a gap in the current literature dictating whether or not phenol-based soft-embalmed cadavers do in fact belong in CL2 laboratories. In this hypothesis-driven report, it was hypothesised that soft-embalmed cadavers are a higher risk biosafety hazard than formalin-embalmed cadavers, thus warranted for designation to CL2 laboratories. After an in-depth analysis of the present literature surrounding the use and properties of phenol-based soft-embalmed cadavers in comparison to traditional formalin hard-embalmed cadavers, it was found that soft-embalmed cadavers do become colonized more readily by micro-organisms, aligning with our hypothesis. To definitively test the hypothesis, a proposed experiment has been suggested and outlined. In the proposed experiment, a variety of indicator species as well as CL2 designated pathogens would be tested for at regular intervals throughout the cadavers' lifespans.


We investigated the hypothesis that strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca), cadmium:calcium (Cd:Ca), and barium:calcium (Ba:Ca) composition in scales reflects that of the ambient seawater in which fish were reared under controlled experimental conditions. Juvenile spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) were held in replicate tanks containing four different concentrations of Sr, Cd, and Ba maintained at either 20 or 25°C for a total of 42 days. The elemental composition of scales from these fish was analyzed at the termination of the experiment, using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Sr, Cd, and Ba levels in the scales, expressed as ratios to Ca, were linearly related to environmental concentrations, indicating that the elements were incorporated in constant proportions to levels in the ambient water. Temperature had no measurable effect on the uptake of Sr, Cd, or Ba into the scales. Finally, Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios in scales were highly correlated with levels in the otoliths from the same t...


Food insecurity is a growing problem in the United States and other nations. For children, food insecurity not only negatively affects physical development, but psychological and cognitive development as well. Research indicates that children living without enough food display a wide range of emotional and behavior problems. Conversely, maternal responsiveness has been show to positively affect child psychosocial development, and may even buffer negative situations and adverse outcomes among children. The purpose of this study was to determine if maternal responsiveness protects children's psychological well-being from the negative consequences of living in food insecure homes. Contrary to the hypothesis, results showed that higher levels of maternal responsiveness were associated with higher Youth Self Reports of psychological distress under conditions of food insecurity. One possible reason for this may be that high responsiveness in the context of food insecurity may lead to being overly intrusive and/or worried about food.


The paper deals with complex sentences composed of concomitant, inde- pendent, simple clauses of Arabic language shown on examples of the text of Qur'an. Such sentences may be in different mutual relations, depending on their meaning. Sometimes, such sentences may express a single meaning so they seem like a single expression in which another clause appears as part of the first one, as if there is no difference between them.
There may be a quite contrary relation between these clauses manifested in complete difference so they may not be related under any criterion, neither by meaning nor by common formal features. Relation between conjunctions of the first type of sentences is marked by full unity (ittiḥād tāmm) of the content presented as their full mutual connectivity (kamāl al-ittiṣāl) or semi-full connectivity (sibh kamāl al-ittiṣāl) when there is no full unity of meaning between them. Rela- tion between conjunctions of the second type of these sentences is marked by full contrast (tabāyun tāmm) of their contents manifested as their full non-connectivity (kamāl al-inqiṭā') or semi-full connectivity (sibh kamāl al-inqiṭā'), when in a complex sentence expression of three clauses the third clause may be connected with the first one by wa conjunction but cannot be connected with the second one as, in that case, the meaning would be wrong.
Every mentioned type of connectivity or non-connectivity between these clauses is achieved in various ways without the wa conjunction. This is why such sentences are gumla al-faṣl (asyndetic or clauses with no conjunction). However, when the level of connectivity of these clauses is in the middle between full connectivity (kamāl al-ittiṣāl) and full non-connectivity ( kamāl al-inqiṭā), or semi-full connectivity (sibh kamāl al-ittiṣāl) and when there is a connector (ǧāmi') between them which is present in both clauses as a common element and which enables their explicit connection by means of wa conjunction into a meaningful complex sentence, such clause is marked as gumla al-faṣl (syndetic or conjunction clause).


Abstract In this study a gravity model was used to investigate the impact of country specific MRLs that are more stringent than the MRLs set by CODEX on avocado exports by South Africa to the EU with specific reference to Prochloraz. The results revealed that the more stringent Prochloraz MRLs indeed have an impact on avocado exports to the EU. The simulation results show that the revenue foregone due to the more stringent Prochloraz MRLs is US$15.27 million. In relative terms this is significant, and should the Prochloraz MRLs be relaxed to the CODEX levels the contribution of the avocado industry to the gross domestic value of agricultural products would increase significantly. Furthermore, several studies have revealed the potentially negative impacts of abnormal levels of Prochloraz. The question arises why there are anomalies in the application of Prochloraz MRLs between countries and whether the CODEX MRL already account for these negative impacts. In depth analysis should be done with respect to the anomalies prevailing for Prochloraz MRLs to provide a proper scientific basis for applying them. Other recommendations are that much more attention should be given to the development of the national market for avocados and that other markets than the EU market should be explored for exports.


One of the most common questions asked of a slip ring supplier is "Will your slip rings handle video signals?" The short answer is "Yes, there is a slip ring solution for every rotating video problem." The long answer gets to the purpose of this application note. What are the important parameters to understand when specifying a slip ring for video applications, and what slip ring features ensure specification compliance? Even more importantly, how should a slip ring to be used in a video application be specified?


Sixteen kids, 16 lambs and 16 calves approximately 4 months of age were allocated at random in balanced groups of 4 per species at a common allowance to 4 herbage masses (1800, 3000, 3900 and 5000 kgDM/ha) on a ryegrass white clover sward. A further calf, lamb and kid and a mature goat and ewe, fitted with oesophageal fistulas, grazed continuously with their own species at each herbage mass during the 8 day trial. These fistulated animals were randomly relocated to herbage masses every 2 days so that individuals sampled each herbage mass. On similar swards the diet of the lamb contained a greater proportion of clover (+0.23) and a smaller proportion of grass (-0.19) and dead material (-0.03) than the calf. The diet of the kid was intermediate between that of the lamb and the calf. The extent of dietary overlap suggests the species are in a major way competitive rather than complementary when grazing intensively managed swards. While older goats consumed a diet similar in composition to the young goat, older sheep consumed more dead material than lambs, although the proportions concerned were small. There was no difference in the in vitro digestibility of the diet selected by young goats, lambs and calves even though there were differences in botanical composition of the diet selected among the species. The in vitro digestibility of the diet selected was not affected by age of animal.


Non-communicable diseases (NCD) have been identified as a health emergency in the US-associated Pacific Islands (USAPI).1 This assessment, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Majuro Atoll and describes the burdens due to selected NCD (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, chronic kidney disease); and assesses the system of service capacity and current activities for service delivery, data collection and reporting as well as identifying the issues that need to be addressed. Findings reveal that the risk factors of poor diet, lack of physical activity, and risky lifestyle behaviors are associated with overweight and obesity and subsequent NCD that are significant factors in the morbidity and mortality of the population. The leading causes of death include sepsis, cancer, diabetes-related deaths, pneumonia, and hypertension. Population-based survey for the RMI show that 62.5% of the adults are overweight or obese and the prevalence of diabetes stands at 19.6%. Other findings show significant gaps in the system of administrative, clinical, data, and support services to address these NCD. There is no policy and procedure manual for the hospital or public health diabetes clinics and there is little communication, coordination, or collaboration between the medical and public health staff. There is no functional data system that allows for the identification, registry, or tracking of patients with diabetes or other NCDs. Based on these findings, priority issues and problems to be addressed for the administrative, clinical, and data systems were identified.


hygicnc and sleep schedule, sleep restriction therapy. relaxation training, biofecdback. chronotherapy and psychotherapy have a place" (in the treatment of adolescent insomnia) amount to in real terms? What do the authors actually do? Is it surprising that a history of colic "significantly co-varies with the parents' judgmcnt that night waking is a current problem (44) (Z2 = 7.4, p = 0 007)"? Diagnostic polysomnographic features are not common among adults with complaints of significant insomnia, and neither H rcflcx studics nor CSF measurement of amine metabolitcs, are clinically useful in the diagnosis of childhood narcolepsy and cataplexy. And what to make of the Isakower phenomenon, described as "a presleep experience including blurred distinctions between parts of the body, tactile and vestibular scnsation of fullness, turnings or prcssings, and sounds of murmuring or visions of indistinct roundness"? Does the statement that somnambulistic children havte significantly more inhibited aggression (p = 0 05) than non-somnambulists on Rorschach tests have any meaning'? Therc is a lot more like this. So this book is a strange mixture. It needs more paediatric input and more linkage with general medicine. However, it is a useful sourcc of data about both normal and abnormal sleep in children.