Reconstruction of acoustic, seismic, or electromagnetic wave-speed distributions from first arrival traveltime data is the goal of traveltime tomography. The reconstruction problem is nonlinear, because the ray paths that should be used for tomographic backprojection techniques can depend strongly on the unknown wave speeds. In the author's analysis, Fermat's principle is used to show that trial wave-speed models which produce any ray paths with traveltime smaller than the measured traveltime are not feasible models. Furthermore, for a given set of trial ray paths, non-feasible models can be classified by their total number of 'feasibility violations', i.e. the number of ray paths with traveltime less than that measured. Fermat's principle is subsequently used to convexify the fully nonlinear traveltime tomography problem.


We describe a simple method to repair anterior mitral leaflets with elongated chordae, using chordal shortening and transfer techniques on the same segment. With this method, optimal elongated chordae shortening is determined easily, and shortened chordae are supported by the transferred chordae.


Application of the variable oxygen probe to derivatives of (4-methoxycarbonyl)cubylmethanol 11 demonstrated a strong response of C-OR bond distance to the electron demand of the OR substituent, consistent with an enhanced σ-donor ability of the strained C-C bonds of cubane. The extent of cubane donor ability was found to be superior to an unstrained donor 13, comparing data extracted from the Cambridge Structural Database (T. W. Cole, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Chicago, 1966), but weaker than the previously studied cyclopropane donors. Structural evidence is also found for σCC-π*CO interactions in these structures.


A situation encountered in such applications as seismics, ocean acoustics, radar, sonar and others, is that of an unknown wavelet propagating nondispersively in a reverberatory or multipath environment. Two receivers placed in such an environment will each record the arrival of this wavelet numerous times and each time with a different attenuation factor. In this paper, we demonstrate that if 1) there is no noise, 2) the interreceiver delays are distinct, and 3) the arrival sequence at each receiver has no zero phase convolutional component, then the arrival times and attenuation factors at each receiver can be determined as well as the wavelet itself. We show this via the construction of a finite length sequence whose phase equals that of the cross spectrum of the two received signals. This reconstructed signal, under the conditions above, can then be "inverted" to recover the desired arrival time and attenuation information at each receiver. An example using synthetically generated data is provided.


This paper presents ultra-wideband (UWB) indoor propagation channel measurement techniques and results for the parameters of an empirical channel model. To analyze the channel impulse response an improved technique is applied to remove the parasitic effects of the employed hardware properly. The transmission between the ports of a transmit (TX) and receive antenna (RX) is measured with a vector network analyzer (VNA). As the impulse responses of the antennas are deconvolved from the measurements, the channel transfer function in the frequency range of 2-8 GHz can be determined. This approach is applicable as omnidirectional antennas with almost angularly independent impulse responses are used. A statistical model is employed, based on a large database measured in a commercial indoor environment. The measurements include line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios, where the distance between the transmitter and receiver is varied from 1-5.5 m. To characterize small-scale and large-scale statistics of the channel, at each receiver position 25 measurements are accomplished over a grid with 5×5 spatial points.


I study how the rise of non-bank loan investment from CLOs, mutual funds, and hedge funds influenced contracting relationships between firms and their senior lenders. Contrary to common perception that non-bank investors diluted the incentive for banks to monitor firms, I find evidence that bank underwriters embraced tighter contracts to mitigate agency and holdout problems associated with less-informed and dispersed non-bank investors. Using a novel measure for covenant tightness, I find that firms with non-bank loan funding had tighter covenants than otherwise similar firms with exclusively bank-funded loans at the peak of the credit cycle in 2007. Consistent with tighter covenant thresholds, I find that these firms were also more likely to renegotiate and violate covenants during the subsequent crisis. While recent studies show that non-bank loan investors lowered the cost and expanded the availability of capital ex ante, I conclude that tighter contracts assigned stronger control rights to lenders and imposed higher renegotiation costs to firms in a state-contingent manner ex post.


In order to check the conceptual design of the subcritical blanket in a fusion-fission hybrid reactor, a depleted uranium/polyethylene simulation device with alternate shells has been established. The measurement of the 238U(n, 2n) reaction rate was carried out using an activation technique, by measuring the 208 keV γ rays emitted from 237U. The self-absorption of depleted uranium foils with different thicknesses was experimentally corrected. The distribution of the 238U(n, 2n) reaction rate at 90° to the incident D+ beam was obtained, with uncertainty between 5.3% and 6.0%. The experiment was analyzed using MCNP5 code with the ENDF/BVI library, and the calculated results are all about 5% higher than the measured results.


There has been considerable discussion in recent decades about the integration patterns of new immigrants. Recognizing advancements in technology and the increased economic integration of countries, some researchers have suggested that the emerging integration trend for immigrants is the transnational pattern, whereby immigrants maintain contact with the home countries. To advance the discussion, this study focuses on general transnational contact, a basic form of transnational activity. The study draws from recently collected large-scale survey data to explore the patterns of transnational contact within two recent immigrant groups, Asian Indians and Chinese, in Toronto. Our findings show that only a small percentage of immigrants maintain intensive and extensive transnational contact. As well, our findings are less consistent with the transnational perspective than with the assimilation perspective on the effects of socioeconomic background on transnational contacts.


TO THE EDITOR: Several strategies have been used in attempts to manage treatment-resistant depression. Some strategies include lithium augmentation, liothyronine, and lamotrigine. A combination that has shown efficacy is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) with a psychostimulant. When combined with an MAOI, which inhibits neuroamine catabolism, psychostimulants have been associated with severe toxicity including hypertensive crisis and intracranial hemorrhage, severe hyperthermia, seizures, other central effects, and death. We report a case where combination therapy with phenelzine and methylphenidate were used effectively and safely. Case Report. A 31-year-old white woman was admitted to an inpatient mental health unit secondary to suicidal ideations. Her depression symptoms upon admission included hopelessness, insomnia, reduced appetite, reduced concentration and energy, psychomotor slowing, and frequent crying spells. Her recurrent depression had not substantially responded to >50 electroconvulsive therapy treatments (initially with good success in 1996) or methylphenidate augmentation of a novel antidepressant. However, the methylphenidate had aided her concentration at that time. The depression also had not responded to monotherapy trials of paroxetine, sertraline, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion, and mirtazapine. Axis I diagnoses were major depression, recurrent, severe, as well as attention deficit disorder. On hospital day 1, the patient started phenelzine 15 mg/day (Table 1). On day 4, the phenelzine dose was increased to 15 mg twice daily. On days 5 through 8, methylphenidate 10 mg/day was initiated and increased by adding 2.5 mg at noon daily. On day 6, since the blood pressure (measured 4 times daily) remained within normal limits, phenelzine was increased to 15 mg 3 times daily. The patient's blood pressure remained normal throughout hospitalization. She reported an episode of dizziness that was transient and did not return. On day 9, the patient reported improvement in mood and was discharged on day 10 due to her financial concerns. Her discharge medications were phenelzine 15 mg 3 times daily and methylphenidate 10 mg in the morning and 7.5 mg at noon. Several months after she was discharged, her outpatient therapist reported that the woman was doing well on this combination and had finished her college degree. Discussion. There are several case reports that show efficacy and safety when combining an MAOI with a psychostimulant. Sovner1 reported using tranylcypromine and dextroamphetamine in a patient with treatment-resistant depression. Another report described 32 patients with refractory depression treated with a combination of a psychostimulant (pemoline or dextroamphetamine) and an MAOI.2 Of these patients, 78% experienced at least 6 months of symptom remission and 31% maintained that level. Due to the potential for serious drug interactions, the combination of an MAOI and a psychostimulant should not be initiated without attempting other, more traditional combinations first and considering patientspecific risk factors.


The interpretation of FOWL in Czech and Polish set phrases regarding folk tradition of weather forecasting and seasons using animal//fowl linguistic equvalentsIn the article I presented the most important similarities and differences in the Czech and Polish calendar proverbs, in which I concentrated on the domain of animals//birds — I was interested in how on the basis of the behaviour of live creatures our ancestors defined the tradition of prophesying weather and seasons of the year. In the article I also wanted to pay attention to how popular sayings and calendar proverbs belonging to phraseological relationships in these near related Slavic languages were strengthened as well as to show that proverbs can be based on acertain legend or observation of animals//birds life and also on superstitions from which emerge various paremiological relationships which unfortunately go out of everyday use in both colloquial Czech and Polish languages.


The paper presents the range and applications of thematic tasks for ultra-high spatial resolution data from small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the integral system of environmental multi-platform and multi-scaled monitoring of Lake Sevan, which is one of the greatest freshwater lakes in Eurasia. From the 1930s, it had been subjected to human-driven changing of the water level with associated and currently exacerbated environmental issues. We elaborated the specific techniques of optical and thermal surveys for the different coastal sites and phenomena in study. UAV-derived optical imagery and thermal stream were processed by a Structure-from-Motion algorithm to create digital surface models (DSMs) and ortho-imagery for several key sites. UAV imagery were used as additional sources of detailed spatial data under large-scale mapping of current land-use and point sources of water pollution in the coastal zone, and a main data source on environmental violations, especially sewage discharge or illegal landfills. The revealed present-day coastal types were mapped at a large scale, and the net changes of shoreline position and rates of shore erosion were calculated on multi-temporal UAV data using modified Hausdorff's distance. Based on highly-detailed DSMs, we revealed the areas and objects at risk of flooding under the projected water level rise to 1903.5 m along the west coasts of Minor Sevan being the most popular recreational area. We indicated that the structural and environmental state of marsh coasts and coastal wetlands as potential sources of lake eutrophication and associated algal blooms could be more efficiently studied under thermal UAV surveys than optical ones. We proposed to consider UAV surveys as a necessary intermediary between ground data and satellite imagery with different spatial resolutions for the complex environmental monitoring of the coastal area and water body of Lake Sevan as a whole.


: With the development of the embodied cognition theory, studies on eating behavior have led to some novel and interesting findings based on the mental simulation approach. These findings provide a new perspective on solving overeating and obesity problems, as well as on improving food marketing performance. This article mainly focuses on discussing the effects of mental simulation on eating behavior and the factors which influence mental simulation. Based on the extant literature, first, we discuss the effects of mental simulation on eating behavior. Specifically, we conclude that, while on the one hand, mental simulation can promote eating, on the other hand, it may also inhibit eating. Second, we group factors of mental simulation into two major categories and refer to them as ease factors and motivational factors, and we elaborate on each of them. Third, we discuss the important potential applications on healthy eating behavior as well as on food marketing. Finally, future research issues are outlined.


In this work, a 3-dimensional (3D) ray-tracing model is proposed. The model is specifically tailored for RFID applications by taking into account some of its unique characteristics. The proposed model can give accurate power predictions and is suitable for indoor RFID systems operating with low fade margins. The model has been verified by comparison with Method of Moments (MoM) and practical measurements. It is shown to achieve a high accuracy with significantly less computational complexity than MoM. An example application of the model is presented comparing the performance of two antennas with similar beam patterns but different axial ratio. The predicted tag detection rates (63% and 50%) are in good agreement with the experimental data (65% and 55%), showing the accuracy of the model and its improvement over previous models which are not able to handle axial ratio as accurately.


Human B cell-triggering mechanisms were investigated using the polyclonal activators Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM). When the cultures of B cells, T cells, and monocytes were stimulated for 5 d by SAC or PWM, B cells could be activated by both mitogens to proliferate and secrete Ig. Even when T cells were substituted by T cell-derived soluble factors, SAC-stimulated B cells could differentiate into Ig-secreting cells. In contrast, interactions of B and T cells for at least the first 6 h of culture were necessary for the B cell triggering by PWM. Experiments that allow a more precise delineation of the B cell-triggering mechanisms by PWM demonstrated that interactions of B cells with T4+ but not T8+ cells are required for the B cell triggering; anti-Ia or anti-T4 antibody can block this triggering; in contrast, anti-T3 or anti-T8 antibody do not exert any effects on the B cell triggering. However, all these monoclonal antibodies could not modulate the ability of B cells that had been already activated by PWM to respond to T cell-derived factors. These data suggest that SAC can directly activate B cells, while cognate interactions between Ia-like antigens on B cells and T4+ cells are essential for B cell triggering by PWM. Furthermore, once B cells are triggered, they will proliferate, differentiate, and secrete Ig in response to T cell-derived factors; Ia-like antigens or T cell differentiation antigens may not be involved in the processes in this cascade.


Among all the drug metabolic enzymes, cytochrome P450 (CYP450) superfamily acts as an important role responsible for the oxidation of almost 90% currently used drugs. As variations of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) in human CYP450 genes will cause different drug effects and even adverse effects, studies on SNPs of human CYP450 genes can be used for indicating the most possible genes associated with human diseases and relevant therapeutic targets, predicting the drug efficacy and adverse drug response, investigating individual gene specific properties and then providing personalized and optimal clinic therapies. Recently, some new bioinformatics methods are introduced in SNPs researches, which significantly facilitate the development of drug and medicine. The review will focus on a brief introduction of the SNPs of human drug metabolic enzymes and their relationships with personalized medicine. Besides, common bioinformatics analysis methods and some latest progresses and applications in this area will also be discussed.


The spatial arrangement of plants has implications for their pollination. Dense patches of flowering plants can result in increased pollinator attraction and, consequently, higher pollination and seed set per flower. We investigated this effect in the endangered, self-incompatible Australian daisy Rutidosis leptorhynchoides F.Muell. (Asteraceae) by quantifying the effect of plant density on pollinator visitation and seed set in a wild population. Pollinator activity was investigated by direct observation of insect behaviour, by examining the pollen carried on candidate insect species, by video monitoring of visitation, and by tracking the movement of dye as a pollen analogue. Two native Lasioglossum species (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) were identified as the most frequent pollen-carrying visitors to inflorescences. Their visitation was significantly higher where plants were dense, but no statistical correlation between seed set and plant density was found. Florivory was identified as potentially having a substantial negative influence on seed set, but without any clear relationship to plant density. Given that R. leptorhynchoides has declined substantially across its range, and previous reintroduction attempts have often failed, our findings provide key information pertaining to knowledge of pollinator and florivore behaviour in relation to plant density. To maximise success of future management strategies, these animal-plant interactions should be captured in species recovery designs.


Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a challenging chronic allergic conjunctivitis of childhood. As the name alludes, it includes corneal pathology and thus may threaten vision. This article discusses the epidemiology, summarises the immunopathogenesis and highlights the pertinent clinical features, using basic terminology and providing several clinical photographs. It also provides a user-friendly list of the medication currently available for the treatment of VKC and clearly states which cases should be referred to an ophthalmologist for treatment.


Virus disease spreads effortlessly mechanically or through minute insect vectors that are extremely challenging to avoid. Emergence and reemergence of new viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), H1N1 influenza virus, avian influenza virus, dengue virus, Citrus tristeza virus, and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus have paralyzed the economy of many countries. The cure for major viral diseases is not feasible; however, early detection and surveillance of the disease can obstruct their spread. Therefore, advances in the field of virus diagnosis and the development of new point-of-care testing kits become necessary globally. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) is an emerging technology for gene editing and diagnostics development. Several rapid nucleic acid diagnostic kits have been developed and validated using Cas9, Cas12, and Cas13 proteins. This review summarizes the CRISPR/Cas-based next-generation molecular diagnostic techniques and portability of devices for field-based utilization.


In this work, sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB) and polylactic co-glycolic acid (PLGA) were used alone or in combination as a matrix-former (MF) to prepare long-acting injectable rivastigmine (RV) in situ-forming microparticles (ISM). RV-ISM were prepared by the emulsification of an internal phase, containing the drug and the matrix former(s), into an external oily phase containing a stabilizer. The statistical design, Central Composite Design (CCD), was adopted as a quality by design (QbD) approach to optimize the formulation of RV-ISM systems. The fabricated RV-ISM systems was designed to minimize the initial burst drug release and maximize the sustainment of RV release from the ISM and ease of injection. The influence of critical formulation variables such as the matrix-former to drug (MF/D) ratio and SAIB to PLGA (S/P) ratio in the internal phase with respect to critical quality attributes (CQAs), such as the percentage drug release within the first day (Q1), the time required for 50% drug release (T50%) and the rate of injection, were studied using the CCD. The optimal RV-ISM system with the highest desirability value (0.74) was predicted to have an MF/D ratio of 11.7:1 (w/w) and an S/P ratio of 1.64:1 (w/w). The optimal RV-ISM system was assessed for its release profile, injectability, rheological properties, morphology, effect on cell viability, tolerance to γ-sterilization and in vivo performance in male albino rabbits. In vitro release studies revealed that the optimal RV-ISM system released 100% of its drug content throughout a release period of 30 days with only 15.5% drug release within the first day (Q1) and T50% of 13.09 days. Moreover, the optimal system showed a high injection rate of 1.012 mL/min, pseudoplastic flow, uniform spherical globules with homogenous particle size, minimal cytotoxicity and high tolerability to γ-sterilization. In vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) studies revealed that the rate of absorption of RV from the optimal RV-ISM system was controlled compared to a drug solution following either intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SC) injection. Furthermore, the optimal RV-ISM was found to follow flip-flop PK with poor correlation between in vitro release and in vivo findings. These findings suggest that the optimal RV-ISM is a promising tool to achieve a sustained release therapy for RV; however, further investigation is still required to optimize the in vivo performance of RV-ISM.


Background Swimming and other recreational water activities in surface waters are popular in Canada during the summer. However, these activities can also increase the risk of recreational water illness. While routine monitoring of beach water quality is conducted by local authorities each summer, little research is available in Canada about beach exposures and illness risks. Methods We conducted a pilot of a prospective cohort study at a popular beach in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2022 to determine characteristics of beachgoers, common water and sand exposures, the incidence of recreational water illness, and the feasibility for a larger, national cohort study. We enrolled beachgoers on-site and surveyed about their exposures at the beach and conducted a follow-up survey 7 days following their beach visit to ascertain acute gastrointestinal, respiratory, skin, ear, and eye illness outcomes. We descriptively tabulated and summarized the collected data. Results We enrolled 649 households, consisting of 831 beachgoers. Water contact activities were reported by 56% of beachgoers, with swimming being the most common activity (44% of participants). Similarly, 56% of beachgoers reported digging in the sand or burying themselves in the sand. Children (≤14 years) and teenagers (15–19 years) were most likely to report engaging in water contact activities and swallowing water, while children were most likely to report sand contact activities and getting sand in their mouth. Boys and men were more likely than women and girls to report swallowing water (15.2% vs. 9.4%). Water and sand exposures also differed by household education level and participant ethno-racial identity. E. coli levels in beach water were consistently low (median = 20 CFU/100 mL, range = 10–58). The incidence of illness outcomes was very low (0.3–2.8%) among the 287 participants that completed the follow-up survey. Conclusions The identified beach exposure patterns can inform future risk assessments and communication strategies. Excellent water quality was observed at the studied beach, likely contributing to the low incidence of illnesses. A larger, national cohort study is needed in Canada to examine risks of illness at beaches at higher risk of fecal contamination.


Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural and human resources including vocational talents and callings. There are some persons in the society who are naturally endowed with vocational talents but may never have the opportunity to develop them. Such talents may remain undiscovered and undeveloped unless opportunities are created. It is the opinion of the writers that Government and other interested developmental agencies ought to embark on massive talent-hunt, beginning with children at the elementary level of education so as to tap the rich human resources the nation is so-blessed with. This article seeks to highlight the problems associated with early detection and development of vocational skills in children which include, late awareness of the importance of Vocational/Technological Education in Nigeria, failure to identify vocational talents in early childhood education, lack of follow-up of children's vocational callings and misconceptions about vocational education. Attempt was also made to identify some implications of these problems for education in Nigeria. The article finally proffers suggestions for improvement in the early identification and development of talents in technology education especially at the elementary level.


BACKGROUND
Crestal bone loss has been shown to occur around dental implants. This crestal bone resorption may determine a more apical position of the gingival margin. A clear trend of increased bone loss with increased interimplant distance has been reported.

PURPOSE
The aim of the present study was to evaluate, in the canine mandible, the crestal bone behavior around dental implants inserted with different interimplant distances.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sandblasted and acid-etched implants (Bone System, Milano, Italy) were placed in the mandibles of six beagle dogs. Each dog received 10 implants in the mandible (five in the right side and five in the left side). A total of 60 implants was used in this study. The implants were divided in four groups: group I, with a 2 mm interimplant distance; group II, with a 3 mm interimplant distance; group III, with a 4 mm interimplant distance; and group IV, with a 5 mm interimplant distance. The dogs were killed after 12 months.

RESULTS
No statistically significant differences were found in regard to vertical bone loss whereas on the contrary, statistically significant differences were found in regard to lateral bone loss (p = .0001). Statistically significant differences also were found in regard to vertical crestal bone loss (p = .0001). In fact vertical crestal bone loss decreased, from 1.98 mm in group I to 0.23 mm in group IV.

CONCLUSIONS
The clinical significance of these data lies in the fact that the increased crestal bone loss results in an increase in the distance between the base of the contact points of the neighboring implants and the crest of bone, and this fact could determine whether the papilla is present or absent between two implants.


Automatic Identification System (AIS), as a major data source of navigational data, is widely used in the application of connected ships for the purpose of implementing maritime situation awareness and evaluating maritime transportation. Efficiently extracting featured data from AIS database is always a challenge and time-consuming work for maritime administrators and researchers. In this paper, a novel approach was proposed to extract massive featured data from the AIS database. An Evidential Reasoning rule based methodology was proposed to simulate the procedure of extracting routes from AIS database artificially. First, the frequency distributions of ship dynamic attributes, such as the mean and variance of Speed over Ground, Course over Ground, are obtained, respectively, according to the verified AIS data samples. Subsequently, the correlations between the attributes and belief degrees of the categories are established based on likelihood modeling. In this case, the attributes were characterized into several pieces of evidence, and the evidence can be combined with the Evidential Reasoning rule. In addition, the weight coefficients were trained in a nonlinear optimization model to extract the AIS data more accurately. A real life case study was conducted at an intersection waterway, Yangtze River, Wuhan, China. The results show that the proposed methodology is able to extract data very precisely.


Background: Influenza A (H1N1) virus has spread globally in recent years. The UK government recommends all people in high-risk groups (all >65 yrs old, people with chronic diseases, the immunocompromised, carers, healthcare workers & pregnant women) be vaccinated against H1N1. Pregnant women are four times more likely to be hospitalised due to the virus as compared with non-pregnant women [1]. The rate of H1N1 hospitalisation among children is also significantly higher compared to those over 65 years old [2]. General practices in the UK are given financial incentive to achieve >70% uptake in high-risk groups.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed vaccination uptake amongst the high-risk population in two practices in different regions of the UK for winter 2010/11. Both practices use the computer input software (EMIS). The programme Population Manger was used to retrieve the uptake data.

Results: Both surgeries are achieving the required national target, practice A: 75% (1502/1998) & practice B: 73% (917/1250), hence received full financial incentive. However, both practices have a very low uptake in under 16 year olds, practice A: 35% (27/78) & practice B: 40% (21/52) and among pregnant women, practice A: 40% (12/30) & practice B: 14% (4/28).

Conclusion: Incentives for the vaccination programme should be revisited so that all the sub groups of high-risk population, including those most at risk of complications and hospital admissions, achieve the same high level of immunisation.

References:

* 1. Toal M. et. al. Swine flu and pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol, Feb 2010; 30(2):97-100.

* 2. Jain S. et. al. Hospitalized Patients with 2009 H1N1 Influenza in the United States, April–June 2009. N Engl J Med. Nov 2009; 361(20):1935–1944.


Romania's integration in European Union brought both advantages and disadvantages for local entrepreneurs. The current paper presents the results of a comprehensive study regarding several thousand Romanian SMEs on an important issue: absorption of structural funds


The past decades have been a golden era during which great tasks were accomplished in the field of microbiology, including food microbiology. In the past, culture-dependent methods have been the primary choice to investigate bacterial diversity. However, using cultureindependent high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes has greatly facilitated studies exploring the microbial compositions and dynamics associated with health and diseases. These culture-independent DNA-based studies generate large-scale data sets that describe the microbial composition of a certain niche. Consequently, understanding microbial diversity becomes of greater importance when investigating the composition, function, and dynamics of the microbiota associated with health and diseases. Even though there is no general agreement on which diversity index is the best to use, diversity indices have been used to compare the diversity among samples and between treatments with controls. Tools such as the Shannon- Weaver index and Simpson index can be used to describe population diversity in samples. The purpose of this review is to explain the principles of diversity indices, such as Shannon- Weaver and Simpson, to aid general microbiologists in better understanding bacterial communities. In this review, important questions concerning microbial diversity are addressed. Information from this review should facilitate evidence-based strategies to explore microbial communities.


The atmosphere is a nonlinear fluid system with dissipation driven by external forcing.There exist multiple equilibria in it.As early as 1958,Yeh et al . pointed out thatthere exist two basic equilibria in the atmospheric circulation: winter circulation pattern andsummer circulation pattern.In the late 1970s,Charnery et al.studied the multipleequilibria of barotropic atmosphere and baroclinic atmosphere with simple models,andfounded the theory on the atmospheric multiple equilibria.


Background
Medication adherence is a common reason for treatment deferment in persons experiencing homelessness. We evaluated adherence to hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy following HCV education in a shelter-based care model.

Methods
Prospective study conducted at 4 homeless shelters in Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Francisco, California from November 2018 to January 2021. Sixty-three patients underwent HCV education and treatment. Multivariable modeling evaluated factors associated with (1) medication and (2) overall (composite score of medication, laboratory, and clinic visit) adherence.

Results
Median age was 56 years; 73% of participants were male, 43% were Black, 52% had psychiatric illness, and 81% used illicit drugs and 60% used alcohol in the past year. Following education, 52% were extremely confident in their ability to be adherent to HCV therapy. Medication adherence by patient and provider report was 88% and 48%, respectively, and 81% achieved HCV cure. Active alcohol use was associated with less confidence in medication adherence (43% vs 78%, P = .04). Older age was positively (coefficient = 0.3) associated with overall adherence to HCV treatment whereas prior therapy was associated with both medication (odds ratio, 0.08) and overall treatment (coefficient = -0.87) nonadherence.

Conclusions
Despite imperfect adherence, sustained virologic response rates were still high. Expanding opportunities to treat persons experiencing homelessness in a structured and supportive setting is critical to HCV elimination efforts.


Dietitians and nutritionists have included vegetables among 4 of the 7 basic food groups used in planning meals. Because of the variety and quantity of vegetables we are able to furnish in this country, either fresh or processed, it is an easy task to prepare a well-balanced diet without too much concern for the differences in composition among vegetable types. It is no wonder, then that until very recently little attention has been directed to the differences which exist within vegetable types.


CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts

Abstract #5001

Purpose: CEDM is a recent development of digital mammography using the intra-venous injection of an iodinated contrast agent in conjunction with a mammography examination. The objective of this paper is to present two techniques developed to perform CEDM examinations, the preliminary clinical experiences and potential clinical applications of this new breast imaging procedure. Material and methods: Between 2005 and 2008, 140 consenting women with suspicious findings on mammography and or ultrasonography underwent CEDM using modified full-field digital mammography systems (GE Healthcare, Chalfont St-Giles, UK). A temporal subtraction sequence with acquisition of high-energy images before and after contrast medium injection was used for the first 20 patients. A dual energy technique with acquisition of a pair of low and high-energy images only after contrast medium injection was used for the other 120 patients. Results: CEDM, either using temporal or dual energy technique, improved the probability of malignancy and the BIRADS assessment compared to conventional mammography alone. The temporal subtraction technique offered the possibility to analyze the kinetic curve of enhancement of breast lesions, similar to breast MRI. Dual energy technique did not provide information about the kinetic of tumor enhancement but allowed the acquisition of multiples views of the same breast or bilateral examination and was less sensitive to patient motion than temporal CEDM. The potential clinical applications are the determination of the extent of disease, the assessment of recurrent disease, the clarification of mammographically equivocal lesions, the detection of occult lesions on standard mammography, particularly in dense breast, and the monitoring of the response to chemotherapy. ![][1] ![][2] Conclusion: Initial clinical experience has shown the ability of CEDM to map the distribution of neovasculature induced by cancer using mammography. CEDM should result in a simple way to enhance the detection and the characterization of breast lesions and to provide some prognostic factors of breast carcinomas.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 5001.

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A patient's desire to discuss end-of-life (EOL) choices may be among the most stressful situations for clinicians. Research confirms the importance of discussions between caregivers and patients or their surrogates about options for current and future care. Often, terminally ill patients want to discuss EOL options to avoid undue suffering, pain, and other symptoms and want some reassurance that caregivers can provide effective physical, psychosocial, and spiritual care. Patients often approach nurses first and ask for their assistance before they ask other professionals; they are more likely to ask nurses in home care than in other settings.


In this work, we develop a fault detection methodology based on the use of selected narrow band time series signals. It is based on the Kullback Leibler Divergence (KLD) and selected components obtained from the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) applied to non stationary time series vibration signals. The EMD decomposes the signal into narrow frequency bands components called Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs). A first selection of the most energised and consequently the most sensitive IMFs to fault occurrence is proposed, thanks to the computation of the Signal to Noise Ratio of the IMFs. Thus, the retained components are analysed using the Kullback Leibler Divergence to proceed the fault detection. A quantitative sensitivity criteria is derived to evaluate the fault detection performances and confirmed by a probabilistic analysis. The proposed methodology is validated using an experimental dataset from the Case Western Reserve University with three different fault severities and operating load conditions. With this proposed methodology a 100% probability of detection is obtained with each of the first six selected IMFs, the best results being achieved with IMF2.


In view of a serious error found in a recent article by Biswas (1988) an improved version of the author's flat spacetime theory of gravitation has been presented. Twofold modifications to Biswas' theory (BT) have been suggested. Firstly, to obtain particle trajectories, instead of using Biswas' noncovariant Hamiltonian formulation, a covariant Lagrangian formulation has been developed to obtain the equation of motion of test objects. Secondly, the nongeneral-relativistic field equations of BT have also been modified. It has been shown that with these changes the present theory when applied to a matter-free spherically symmetric situation, produces correct values for the advance of the perihelion of Mercury's orbit and bending of light near the Sun. The energy integral for a particle trajectory has been calculated. This has been used to obtain the general red shift formula. A brief survey of some other flat spacetime theories of gravitation is also presented, to demonstrate how in spite of its error, BT stands out in sharp contrast in its ability to provide a direction along which a viable relativistic theory of gravitation can be obtained.


This thesis defends a conception of equality of opportunity. It comes in two parts. The first part elaborates the conception. It begins by clarifying the concept of equality of opportunity, showing it to be made up of four basic elements: a distributive pattern, a set of subjects, an opportunity obstacle and a distributive object. The conception I build from these elements explains the value of the distributive pattern, equality, in terms of a concern for fairness, takes persons as its subject and takes well-being as its object. The conception presented is partial, rather than comprehensive, in that it does not include a detailed account of an opportunity obstacle. The conception of equality of opportunity that I present can also be characterised as a luck egalitarian principle. My aim in elaborating the conception is to show that it has intuitive appeal; it constitutes a pro tanto moral principle. The second part of the thesis examines the implications of luck egalitarianism in two contexts. It begins by examining the context of gifts, arguing that although luck egalitarianism is highly restrictive with respect to the freedom to give this only confirms that it is a merely pro tanto moral principle. It continues by examining the context of markets, arguing that luck egalitarianism makes intuitively correct judgments in several specified cases. My aim in applying luck egalitarianism is to show that its implications do not give us reason to reject its initial intuitive appeal. I examine luck egalitarianism generally, rather then the partial conception I elaborate, to allow for the possibility that my earlier arguments are wrong in some respect. Overall, I hope the arguments presented provide reasons to accept the conception presented as morally valuable.


This paper uses framed choice experiments to examine the preferences of smallholder farmers in Malawi regarding alternative policy-based incentives to adopt conservation practices that reduce soil erosion and increase yields. The policy incentives offered in the choice experiments included an ideal index-based crop insurance contract, an index insurance contract with basis risk, cash payments, and fertilizer subsidies. Prior to implementing the choice experiments, the farmers participated in a workshop utilizing small group-based dynamic learning games that demonstrated how index-based crop insurance contracts function. The choice experiment results indicate that most farmers preferred cash payments to index insurance contracts, even when the insurance contracts offered substantially higher expected returns. Further, more risk averse farmers were more likely to prefer cash payments than less risk averse and risk loving farmers.


This paper presents improved models of the economics of the options that can be taken at the end of the first life of a product. The options of resale, remanufacture, upgrade, recycling, and scrap were examined. These option models are compared with current commercial data and this comparison is used to generate empirical constants for elements of each model. These combined empirical and analytical models are then used to explore the economics of mixed end-of-life strategies for mature electronics products. The limitations of the models with respect to high value add and upgrade are explored.


This paper addresses the history of and basis for distance educational systems for Power and Water University of Technology considering the advantages and advanced facilities available in information technology. The main purpose and philosophy of distance educational systems has been employee training. The main and operational specifications of distance educational systems and present general specifications of web-based educations are also discussed. The Canadian government has placed implementation of electronic devices as the main goal of its activities. In this global modern system the integrity of electronic data in government and education are worthy of special attention. Other subjects included in this paper are the classification for Virtual Education and Online Learning and their applications and the viability of virtual educations and defining the global standard of SCORM (Sharable Courseware Object Reference Model).


±3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a recreational drug that is also being pursued as a therapeutic for PTSD and other mood and anxiety disorders. Despite strong evidence of its therapeutic potential, these pursuits are hindered by evidence that MDMA produces robust neurotoxicity and cognitive deficits at high doses. These findings, however, may not generalize to typical recreational or therapeutic use of low‐dose MDMA. To date, there is little research on the cognitive effects of low/moderate doses of MDMA (less than 3 mg/kg) – the doses that users typically take. In the present study, we examined the effects of MDMA on learning and memory across a range of doses using a Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm. Hybrid C57BL/6Jx129S1/SvImJ mice were randomly assigned to groups by MDMA dose. Mice were trained on‐drug with a single tone‐shock pairing and then tested off‐drug one week later for long‐term context and tone fear memory. We assessed the effects of doses of 0.1 to 8 mg/kg MDMA relative to vehicle control on immediate memory and long‐term contextual and cued memory. With increasing interest in therapeutic uses of MDMA, this research will help determine if low doses are therapeutically viable in terms of adverse effects on learning and memory.


As massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) becomes popular, direction of arrival (DOA) measurement has been made a real renaissance due to the high-resolution achieved. Thus, there is no doubt about DOA estimation using massive MIMO. The purpose of this paper is to describe its basic principles and key techniques, to present the performance analysis, and to appreciate its engineering applications. It is anticipated that there are still many challenges in DOA estimation using massive receive MIMO, such as high circuit cost, high energy consumption and high complexity of the algorithm implementation. New researches and breakthroughs are illustrated to deal with those problems. Then, a new architecture, hybrid analog and digital (HAD) massive receive MIMO with low-resolution ADCs, is presented to strike a good balance among circuit cost, complexity and performance. Then, a novel three-dimensional (3D) angle of arrival (AOA) localization method based on geometrical center is proposed to compute the position of a passive emitter using single base station equipped with an ultra-massive MIMO system. And, it can achieve the Cramer-Rao low bound (CRLB). Here, the performance loss is also analyzed to quantify the minimum number of bits. DOA estimation will play a key role in lots of applications, such as directional modulation, beamforming tracking and alignment for 6G.


ABSTRACT To address gaps in the literature on bisexual youth, we used the first nationally representative sample of high school students from the United States to determine profiles of behaviors related to depressive symptoms, a suicide attempt, and a medically-serious attempt. We examined the data from 922 bisexual students in grades 9–12 who completed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Latent class analysis derived three classes reflecting unique patterns of 10 risk and protective behaviors. For both the sexes: one group was high on all the risk behaviors and demonstrated the greatest risk of depression, a suicide attempt, and a medically-serious attempt; another was below average on all the risk and protective behaviors and demonstrated average/moderate risk of the outcomes; and the last demonstrated the highest levels of protective behaviors and the lowest risk of depression and suicidal behavior. Bisexual students are not homogenous with regard to the risk of mental health problems. Greater involvement in several risk behaviors and less involvement in protective behaviors, rather than merely a bisexual identity, might contribute to bisexual adolescents' increased risk of depression and suicidal behavior. Findings have implications for prevention programming, clinical interventions, and future research.


Automatic evaluation for open-ended natural language generation tasks remains a challenge. We propose a learned evaluation metric: Perception Score. It utilizes a pre-trained model and considers context information for conditional generation. Perception Score assigns a holistic score along with the uncertainty measurement. We conduct experiments on three open-ended conditional generation tasks and two open-ended unconditional generation tasks. Perception Score achieves state-of-the-art results on all the tasks consistently in terms of correlation with human evaluation scores.


This article analyses the gatehouse of the wealthy Benedictine abbey of St Benet's Holm in Norfolk, one of the set-pieces of English monastic architectural patronage in the fourteenth century. The ruinous condition of this building, and its sequestered location, means that it has attracted little scholarly attention in the past, and the neglect has been exacerbated by the presence of a brick windmill-tower superimposed on its remains four centuries after the gatehouse was built. This forced marriage, at once preposterous and compelling in effect, has absorbed most of the attention paid to the site, and because what is left of the gatehouse's main façade is embedded within the mill-tower, and thus difficult to photograph, its artistic uniqueness and quality of execution have been concealed. There has hence been no serious attempt to investigate or contextualize it (Figs 1, 2).


The home-made resin salve from Norway spruce is traditionally and widely used in folk medicine to heal various skin infections and wounds in Northern Finland. We have performed laboratory studies to solve the mechanism of resin salve. The resin salve exhibited a bacteriostatic effect against all tested Gram-positive bacteria important in human medicine including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), but was not effective against Gram-negative bacteria. An exception among the Gram-negative bacteria was Proteus vulgaris against which resin salve was effective. High amounts of lipophilic extractives, like resin acids were dissolved into water from the resin salve. Also, a large proportion of lignans and cinnamic acid were found in the water extract.


A scalable multi-channel analogue signal generator is presented. It uses a commercial low-cost graphics card with multiple outputs in a standard PC as signal source. Each color signal serves as independent channel to generate an analogue signal. A custom-built external PCB was developed to adjust the graphics card output voltage levels for a specific task, which needed differential signals. The system furthermore comprises a software package to program the signal shape. The implementation of the signal generator is presented as well as an application where it was successfully utilized.


Olympus Mons, at 21,1183 m above the Mars gravitational equipotential, stands just under 2.5 times the height of Mount Everest. Symbolically, as the highest construct in the Solar System, it is the most important feature to be climbed. Despite its powerful symbolism, the mountain presents one of the most tedious long distance expeditions on Mars - a similar to300 km journey up a near constant 5 degree slope. Only at the beginning and the end of the expedition do the scarp and caldera cliffs present impressive climbs. In almost all respects Olympus presents environmental challenges much worse than Everest, apart from the lack of fatal storms, perhaps the only environmental factor in which Olympus is an improvement. Similarly to Everest, Olympus presents scientific questions of immense interest. In this mini-review I compare Olympus and Everest as exploratory and scientific challenges.


Plasma fibrinogen level represents a strong cardiovascular risk factor and is regulated by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Hyperfibrinogenemia frequently occurs in cluster with dyslipidemia within the frame of insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Genetic variants with a pleiotropic effect have been proposed to cause IRS features including hyperfibrinogenemia. We studied the influence of polymorphisms in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene, beta-fibrinogen gene (FIBB) and environmental factors on plasma fibrinogen levels in type 2 diabetes patients. 131 type 2 diabetes patients (mean age 62+/-10 years, 33% male) were genotyped for polymorphisms in LPL gene (intron 6 PvuII, intron 8 HindIII) and FIBB gene (-148C/T, -455G/A) by PCR-RFLP method. Fibrinogen was measured by thrombin coagulation method, albuminuria by immunoturbidimetric assay. Polymorphism LPL PvuII showed a gene-dose effect on fibrinogen levels, with the highest fibrinogen in P-P- homozygotes (p = 0.05, analysis of variance). P-carriers (P-P- and P+P- combined) had significantly higher fibrinogen levels compared with P+P+ homozygotes (3.74+/-1.40 g/l vs 3.06+/-1.20 g/l, p=0.03). Other studied polymorphisms were not significantly related to fibrinogen levels. Age- and sex-adjusted fibrinogenemia correlated significantly with albuminuria (r = 0.48, p=0.001), serum uric acid (r = 0.42, p=0.006) and serum creatinine (r = 0.32, p=0.04). Multiple stepwise linear regression identified interaction term of LPL PvuII and albuminuria as an independent predictor of fibrinogen level, explaining 18% of fibrinogen variance. Albuminuria thus appears to be the best predictor of fibrinogen plasma levels in type 2 diabetic patients. Relationship between albuminuria and fibrinogenemia may be modified by the genotype LPL PvuII, which also shows a weak association with plasma fibrinogen level in type 2 diabetes patients.


Context Breech strike is a serious disease for wool sheep. Skin wrinkle and dags are known predisposing factors for breech strike; however, a large part of the variation among sheep is unknown. Aims We studied the natural diversity and difference in microbial populations in the skin around the breech area in Merino sheep genetically resistant and susceptible to breech strike, by using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Methods The sheep were from the breech strike flocks at the Mount Barker research station in Western Australia and from the CSIRO research station near Armidale in New South Wales. Skin samples were collected from the breech of all 2013-born progeny in both flocks before they were struck. Yearling ewes and rams were then naturally exposed to challenge by Lucilia cuprina blowflies. Breeding values for breech strike were estimated and used with phenotypic data to identify breech strike-resistant and -susceptible sheep. Skin samples of 78 unstruck and 73 struck sheep were selected, their microbiomes were analysed using 16S rRNA meta-barcoding, and operational taxonomic unit counts were analysed. Results The diversity analyses showed that the two flocks in the different environments had different microbiome profiles, but no difference was found between sexes or between breech strike-resistant and -susceptible sheep in either flock. Conclusions The results indicated that microbial differences on the skin of sheep are not associated with differences in susceptibility to breech strike. Implications Microbial differences do not offer opportunities to manage breech strike in Merino sheep.


The molecular mechanisms underlying osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) under mechanical tension remain unclear. This study aimed to identify a potential long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs)/circular RNAs (circRNAs)-microRNAs (miRNAs)-messenger RNAs (mRNAs) network in mechanical tension-induced osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs. PDLSCs were isolated from the healthy human periodontal ligament, identified, cultured, and exposed to tensile force. The expression of osteogenic markers was examined, and whole transcriptome sequencing was performed to identify the expression patterns of lncRNA, circRNA, miRNAs, and mRNAs. Enrichment analyses were also performed. Candidate targets of differentially expressed non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) were predicted, and potential competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks were constructed by Cytoscape. We found that the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs was significantly enhanced under dynamic tension (magnitude: 12%, frequency: 0.7 Hz). Overall, 344 lncRNAs, 57 miRNAs, 41 circRNAs, and 70 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the tension group and the control group. Functional enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed mRNAs were mainly enriched in osteogenesis-related and mechanical stress-related biological processes and signal transduction pathways (e.g., tumor necrosis factor [TNF] and Hippo signaling pathways). The lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks were depicted, and potential key ceRNA networks were identified. Our findings may help to further explore the underlying regulatory mechanism of osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs under mechanical tensile stress.


Objective. To study the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite in children with urolithiasis complicated by chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Materials and methods. The results of the use of sodium hypochlorite 0.03-0.06 % in the pre- and postoperative period in 20 patients with urolithiasis complicated by stage IV CKD were analyzed. The indices of endogenous intoxication in venous cubital blood (VСK), mixed venous blood (MVB) flowing to the lungs and arterial blood (AB) flowing from the lungs were studied. Indirect electrochemical oxidation of blood (IEOB) was carried out in 20 patients with stage. For children under 12 years old, we used 0.03 %, and for the older age group from 12 to 18 years old ‒ 0.06 %, the volume of the injected solution did not exceed 1/10 of the patient's CBV per infusion, at a rate of 40-60 drops/min. We have studied the use of sodium hypochloride (NaCIO) as a component of complex intensive care (CIC) in preoperative preparation in children with urolithiasis complicated by CKD and the effect of sodium hypochloride on detoxification lung function (DLF).
Results. There was a significant increase in low molecular weight toxic substances (creatinine, calurea), average mass molecules (AMM), lipid peroxidized products, oligopeptides of a high necrotic body mass (NB), circulating immune complex (CIC), integral indicators of toxicity leukocyte index of intoxication and index of intoxication, as well as a decrease in antioxidant protection, more pronounced at sub- and decompensated stages of DLF impairment in the examined group of patients before treatment in the basin of VKK, VCK and AB. In 7 (35.0 %) patients ‒ 1b compensated, in 13 (65.0 %) ‒ subcompensated stage of impairment.
Conclusions. CIC with the use of IEOB in the preoperative preparation by infusion of sodium hypochlorite in this subgroup of patients significantly improved DLF in relation to NB, CIC and high-weight oligopeptides. The use of NaCIO leads to inactivation of the entire spectrum of AMM and large toxic molecular compounds fixed on the membranes of blood corpuscles, and also, ensures the transformation of hydrophobic metabolites into hydrophilic ones, which are actively excreted by excretory organs.


Archaeologists investigating sites of craft and industrial enterprise often puzzle over a domain of bewildering ruins. Locations of remarkable energy, tumult, and creativity now stand silent. This book provides an overview of the archaeology of American craft and industrial enterprises, outlines developments in theories, research questions, and interpretative frameworks, and presents case studies from a wide range of subjects. Research focused on industrial enterprises traverses a spectrum of perspectives. Some limit their efforts to recording, mapping, and studying the mechanics of a site. Others examine comparative questions of changes of technologies over time and space. Many analysts look away from the buildings and equipment of the workplace and focus instead on the workers, their families, residences, lifeways, and health experiences. With many sites presenting standing ruins, historians and archaeologists often encounter local stakeholder groups who wish to promote heritage themes and tourism potentials. All of these perspectives can be pursued with significant advances in research and curation methods. Investigations often range from microscopic analysis of product constituents to large-scale, three-dimensional recording of locations and features with high-resolution laser technologies. Past debates questioned whether primary emphasis should be on heritage recording or on archaeological research questions. More recent trends focus on collaborations across interest groups.


PURPOSE
P-glycoprotein, a membrane efflux pump encoded by the MDR1 gene, plays an important role in the development of multidrug resistance in human hepatoblastoma (HB). Chemosensitizers antagonize the efflux action of P-glycoprotein. This study investigates the effects of 3 chemosensitizers (the cyclosporin analogue SDZ PSC 833 (PSC 833), the acridone carboxamide derivative GG 918, and verapamil) on the chemotherapy of HB in vitro.

METHODS
The doxorubicin (DOXO) concentration that produces 50% growth inhibition (IC50) in a HB cell line was determined and additional effects of PSC 833, GG 918, and verapamil were investigated in a cytotoxicity assay. The MDR1 gene expression after treatment was determined in a semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction approach.

RESULTS
The IC50 of DOXO is 2.5 microg/mL, 0.61 microg/mL for DOXO + PSC 833, 1.17 microg/mL for DOXO + verapamil, and 1.47 microg/mL for DOXO + GG 918. In combination with DOXO, cell growth was inhibited 4.1-fold by PSC 833, 2.1-fold by verapamil, and 1.9-fold by GG 918. The MDR1 gene expression was enhanced significantly in all treated cells, with and without modulator.

CONCLUSIONS
MDR1 modulators significantly improve the response of HB to DOXO in vitro. The combination of anticancer agents and MDR1 modulators might be a possible contribution to overcome multidrug resistance in HB.


A new method of testing the validity of the static EDL theory as applied to streaming potential was developed. By measuring the electrical potential downstream along the channel surface, one may determine the validity of the static EDL theory with the introduction of a flow field. Experimental results suggest that the direct applying of the static EDL theory to streaming potential measurement may cause great discrepancy which was usually to be ascribed to the surface conductance.


A fluidized bed reactor has been developed which uses a two-step thermochemical water splitting process with a peak hydrogen production rate of 47 Ncm3/min.gFe at an oxidation temperature of 850°C. Of particular interest, is that a mixture of iron and zirconia powder is fluidized during the oxidation reaction using a steam mass flux of 0.58 g/min-cm2, and the zirconia powder serves to virtually eliminate iron powder sintering while maintaining a high reaction rate. The iron/zirconia powder is mixed with a ratio of 1:2 by apparent volume, equivalent mass ratio, and both iron and zirconia particles are sieved to sizes ranging from 125–355 μm. Fluidized bed reactors are advantageous because they have high reactivity, strong thermal and chemical transport, and tend to be compact. There has been significant interest in developing fluidized bed reactors for solar thermochemical reactors, but sintering of the reactive powder has inhibited their development. The current powder mixture and reactor configuration shows great potential for achieving high hydrogen production rates for operation at high temperature.The experimental investigations for utilizing zirconia as a sintering inhibitor was found to be dependent on the iron and zirconia particle size, particle size distribution and iron/zirconia apparent volume ratio.For example at 650 °C the oxidation of iron powder with a mean particle size of 100 μm and a wide particle size distribution (40–250 μm) mixed with 44 μm zirconia powder with an iron/zirconia apparent volume ratio of 1:1 results in 75–90 % sintering. In all cases when iron is mixed with zirconia, the hydrogen production rate is not affected when compared with the pure iron case. When iron powder is mixed with zirconia, both with a narrow particle size distribution (125–355 μm) the first oxidation step results in 3–7% sintering when the reactions are carried out at temperatures ranging between 840–895 °C. The hydrogen fractional yield is high (94–97%). For subsequent redox reactions, the sintering is totally eliminated at 867 and 895 °C although the hydrogen fractional yield decreases to 27 and 33%, respectively. This study demonstrates that mixing iron with zirconia in an equivalent mass ratio and similar particle size can eliminate sintering in a fluidized bed reactor at elevated temperatures up to 895°C.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


The purpose of this paper is to identify significant factors of influence for the co-existence and team climate within working groups, and to examine their impact on the psychosocial work environment within a group. Team climate and interaction affect every individual in a group. The manager, however, is the one formally accountable for the psychosocial climate in a working group, which is the reason why this study uses the management perspective.

As an introduction to the empiric study, an overview of the existing literature within the field was made. A qualitative method is used and the empiric data is based on semi-structured interviews. The study comprises six interviews with department managers within the Social Services in the City Council of Stockholm. The purpose has been to identify basic patterns that can provide a basis for generalisation of the results.

The results show that department managers consider the psychosocial work environment fundamental to the workplace as a whole. The interviews also show that social work and changes at any level are factors that have a direct impact on the interaction and the team climate within a working group. These factors also affect the psychosocial work environment within the group. Managers emphasise structure and clarity as the main strategies for achieving an efficient and well functioning workplace. Furthermore, managers often formulate proceedings and phenomena in the psychosocial work environment on a group level, while identifying problems on an individual level.


Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of wound and nosocomial infections. Persister formation and virulence factors play crucial roles during S. aureus infection. However, the mechanisms of persister formation and its relationship to virulence in S. aureus are poorly understood. In this study, we screened a transposon mutant library and identified a LysR-type global transcriptional regulator NWMN_0037, which we called RpvA, for regulator of persistence and virulence, whose mutation leads to higher susceptibility to antibiotics ampicillin and norfloxacin and various stresses including oxidative stress, heat, and starvation in late exponential and early stationary phase. Interestingly, the rpvA mutant was highly attenuated for virulence compared with the parent S. aureus Newman strain as shown by a much higher lethal dose, reduced ability to survive in macrophages and to form abscess in the mouse model. Transcriptional profiling and metabolomic analysis revealed that RpvA could repress multiple genes including gapR, gapA, tpi, pgm, eno, glpD, and acs expression and enhance production of numerous intermediate metabolites including dihydroxyacetone phosphate, 2-phosphoglycerate, acetyl-CoA, glycerol 3-phosphate, L-glutamate in the cells. The differentially expressed genes and altered production of metabolites are distributed in global metabolism including carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. These metabolic adjustments could cause the cell to go into dormancy, thus promoting S. aureus to convert to persisters. In addition, RpvA could upregulate the expression of virulence genes including hla, hlgA, hlgB, hlgC, lukF, lukS, lukD, sea and coa, and carotenoid biosynthesis genes (crtI, crtM, crtN). Gel shift assay confirmed that RpvA could bind to the promoters of candidate target genes hla, hlgB and crtM, thus promoting S. aureus virulence. Because of the important functions of the RpvA, it may serve as an attractive target for developing new drugs and vaccines to more effectively control S. aureus infections.


We implement two recursive filtering and hysteresis thresholding algorithms. The first algorithm (RHT) is proposed by Monga and Deriche (1991) and the second algorithm is a recursive filtering and hysteresis multilevel hysteresis thresholding algorithm (RHMT). The algorithms are implemented on 3D images of thigh muscles. The RHT method is effective and involves fewer calculations than many other algorithms, but the choice of thresholds poses a problem. To get the most optimal thresholds, the hysteresis thresholding has to be run a few times. The RHT method has been modified to a multilevel hysteresis thresholding method in which the thresholding is done iteratively over a range of thresholds. The result is a group of multiple thresholded edge images, which take lesser time compared to multiple runs of the RHT algorithm. The average of the resultant output gradient images of the iterations of the RHMT algorithm can be taken as the most effective edge detected image. Results of this method and the original method on some 3D images are presented.


Measurements of the spatial attributes of auditory environments or sound reproduction systems commonly only consider a single receiver position. However, it is known that humans make use of head movement to help to make sense of auditory scenes, especially when the physical cues are ambiguous. Results are summarised from a three-year research project which aims to develop a practical binaural-based measurement system that takes head movements into account. Firstly, the head movements made by listeners in various situations were investigated, which showed that a wide range of head movements are made when evaluating source width and envelopment, and minimal head movements made when evaluating timbre. Secondly, the effect of using a simplified sphere model containing two microphones instead of a head and torso simulator was evaluated, and methods were derived to minimise the errors in measured cues for spatial perception that were caused by the simplification of the model. Finally, the results of the two earlier stages were combined to create a multi-microphone sphere that can be used to measure spatial attributes incorporating head movements in a perceptually-relevant manner, and which allows practical and rapid measurements to be made.


What kind of normative constraints do domestic political theories generate at the global level? While much attention has been given to the global implications of specific domestic theories, little if any attention has been dedicated to the more general question - in what ways can a domestic theory of justice generate normative constraints for a global theory of justice? My aim here is to take first steps in addressing this meta-theoretical question. The main reason why global justice theorists have been ignoring this question is the implicit assumption that a domestic political theory can generate normative constraints for global theory only if its conclusions need to be replicated at the global level. While intuitive, I argue that this replication framework misses the possibility that domestic theories can have global implications by directly modifying, through their design process and output, the starting point of global theory. I elaborate this alternative modification framework in two main stages. The first introduces in detail the distinction between the replication and modification frameworks. The second stage demonstrates the distinctive value of the modification framework by applying it to two specific themes central to global political philosophy: the normative constraints that domestic egalitarianism generates for thinking about global distributive justice, and the nature of individual moral duties concerning global institutions. Understanding these issues through the modification framework will allow us to render coherent global theories that might seem incoherent with their domestic origins. More generally, this understanding might yield surprising normative conclusions about global affairs.


Before CCD detectors were widely employed in observational astronomy, the main method of detection was the use of glass astrophotographic plates. Astronomical plates have been used to record information on the position and activity of celestial bodies for more than 100 years. There are about 30 000 astronomical plates in China, and the digitization of astronomical plates is of great significance for permanent preservation and to make full use of these valuable observation data. A digitizer with high precision and high measuring speed is a key piece of equipment for carrying out the task of digitizing these astronomical plates. A digitizer for glass astrophotographic plates was developed jointly by Shanghai Astronomical Observatory and Nishimura Co., Ltd of Japan. The digitizer's hardware was manufactured by Nishimura Co., Ltd, and the performance test, error corrections as well as image processing of the digitizer were carried out by Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. The main structure and working mode of the digitizer are introduced in this paper. A performance test shows that brightness uniformity of illumination within the measuring area is better than 0.15%, the repeatability of digitized positions is better than 0.2 µm and the repeatability of digitized brightness is better than 0.01 instrumental magnitude. The systematic factors affecting digitized positions, such as lens distortion, the actual optical resolution, non-linearity of guide rails, non-uniformity of linear motors in the mobile platform, deviation of the image mosaic, and non-orthogonality between the direction of scanning and camera linear array, are calibrated and evaluated. Based on an astronomical plate with a size of 300mm × 300mm, which was digitized at different angles, the conversion residuals of positions of common stars on different images were investigated. The results show that the standard deviations of the residuals are better than 0.9 µm and the residual distribution is almost random, which demonstrates the digitizer has a higher precision for digitization.


This paper presents an alternative to forecasting natural gas consumption in Medellín (Antioquia), the second largest city in Colombia. The data for this study was collected from the SUI (Sistema Único de Información), which is the official database for gas consumption rates and prices in Colombia. Dataset covered the first quarter 2003 up to the second quarter 2014, using ARIMA and Support Vector Machine models predictions, forecast performance was estimated. Results indicate that the ARIMA model presents a better fit than the SVM model in terms of RSME and MAE.


Objective To explore potential interactions between folate-cycle factors and Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in the prediction of cognitive function. Methods We used data obtained from the 1999–2000 continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey produced by the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using Ordinary Least Squares regression, we tested for associations between multiple folate-cycle factors, Helicobacter pylori seropositivity, and cognitive function assessed by the digit symbol coding subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III. We then tested for interactions between each of the folate-cycle factors and Helicobacter pylori in the prediction of cognitive function. Results Although Helicobacter pylori seropositivity, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, vitamin B-12, and homocysteine were not associated with performance on the digit symbol coding task, Helicobacter pylori seropositivity interacted with 5-methyltetrahydrofolate concentration to predict performance on the digit symbol coding task. The Helicobacter pylori seropositive group performed worse on the digit symbol coding task as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate concentration decreased. Conclusion The interaction between Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and reduced folate-cycle factor 5-methyltetrahydrofolate might impair aspects of cognitive function.


This study investigated associations between achievement goal orientations and reported psychological skill use in sport. Five hundred seventy three elite young athletes completed the Perceptions of Success Questionnaire (POSQ; Roberts, Treasure, & Balague, 1998) and the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999). Cluster analysis revealed three distinct goal profile groups: Cluster 1—Higher-task/Moderate-ego (n = 260); Cluster 2—Lower-task/Higher-ego (n = 120); and Cluster 3—Moderate-task/Lower-ego (n = 119). A MANOVA revealed a significant multivariate effect, Pillai's Trace = .11, F(16, 1076) = 3.75, p = .001, η2 = .05, with post hoc tests determining that higher-task/moderate-ego athletes reported using significantly more Imagery, Goal setting, and positive Self-talk skills when compared with Lower-task/Higher-ego and/or Moderate-task/Lower-ego athletes. These findings are discussed with respect to the potential role that achievement goals play in the application and development of psychological skills in youth sport.


Twenty one patients with confirmed bronchial carcinoma were checked by clinical, electromyographical and electroneurographical methods. None of these patients underwent cytostatic therapy. Clinical findings were: 4 patients suffered from polyneuropathy (PNP) and myelopathy (MP). 3 patients had PNP alone, 3 had MP. We could support these findings by EMG in 7 patients with PNP. 4 of these cases had a lowered motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV). In 4 cases without clinical symptoms we could show a lowered MNCV at the distal legs and affection of the motor neuron by EMG. 3 further cases without clinical symptoms showed only a lowered MNCV. 5 patients had proximal pareses. Signs of MP were not found in these cases. In conclusion we found a significantly lowered MNCV in 5 cases: only two of these showed clinical signs of PNP. Pathological EMG changes were mostly found in patients with squamous cell carcinoma, sometimes also in patients with oat cell carcinoma. Thus, clinical, electromyographic and electroneurographic findings did not always correlate in our cases.


We showcase SHARQL, a system that allows to navigate SPARQL query logs, can inspect complex queries by visualizing their shape, and can serve as a back-end to flexibly produce statistics about the logs. Even though SPARQL query logs are increasingly available and have become public recently, their navigation and analysis is hampered by the lack of appropriate tools. SPARQL queries are sometimes hard to understand and their inherent properties, such as their shape, their hypertree properties, and their property paths are even more difficult to be identified and properly rendered. In SHARQL, we show how the analysis and exploration of several hundred million queries is possible. We offer edge rendering which works with complex hyperedges, regular edges, and property paths of SPARQL queries. The underlying database stores more than one hundred attributes per query and is therefore extremely flexible for exploring the query logs and as a back-end to compute and display analytical properties of the entire logs or parts thereof.


This paper proposes an approach, named phonetic context embedding, to model phonetic context effects for deep neural network hidden Markov model (DNN-HMM) phone recognition. Phonetic context embeddings can be regarded as continuous and distributed vector representations of context-dependent phonetic units (e.g., triphones). In this work they are computed using neural networks. First, all phone labels are mapped into vectors of binary distinctive features (DFs, e.g., nasal/notnasal). Then for each speech frame the corresponding DF vector is concatenated with DF vectors of previous and next frames and fed into a neural network that is trained to estimate the acoustic coefficients (e.g., MFCCs) of that frame. The values of the first hidden layer represent the embedding of the input DF vectors. Finally, the resulting embeddings are used as secondary task targets in a multi-task learning (MTL) setting when training the DNN that computes phone state posteriors. The approach allows to easily encode a much larger context than alternative MTL-based approaches. Results on TIMIT with a fully connected DNN shows phone error rate (PER) reductions from 22.4% to 21.0% and from 21.3% to 19.8% on the test core and the validation set respectively and lower PER than an alternative strong MTL approach.


Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with an increased incidence of vertebral fractures (VFs). Previous studies report the prevalence of morphometric VFs; however, the actual incidence and predictors of morphometric VFs in AS remains unclear. Objectives The present study examined the incidence and predictors of new VFs in a large AS cohort. Methods Two hundred and ninety-eight AS patients who fulfilled the modified New York criteria were enrolled and spinal radiographs were evaluated biennially. Clinical and laboratory data and radiographic progression were assessed according to the BASDAI, ESR, CRP, and the Stoke AS spine score (SASSS). VF was defined according to the Genant criteria. The incidence of VFs at 2 years and 4 years was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The age-specific standardized prevalence ratio (SPR) for AS patients in comparison with the general population was calculated. Results Of 298 patients, 31 (10.8%) had previous VFs at baseline. Thirty new VFs occurred in 26 patients over 4 years. The incidence of morphometric VFs was 4.7% at 2 years and 13.6% at 4 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that previous VFs at baseline and increased CRP levels at 2 years were predictors of new VFs (OR =12.8, 95% CI =3.6–45.3 and OR=5.4, 95% CI =1.4–15.9). The age-specific SPR of morphometric VFs in AS was 3.3 (95% CI 2.1–4.5). Conclusions The incidence of morphometric VFs increased in AS. Previous VFs and increased CRP levels predicted future VFs. An appropriate anti-inflammatory therapy may prevent the incidence of new VFs in AS patients with and without previous VFs. Disclosure of Interest : None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.2430


Background SGECs have been shown to possess a key regulatory role in the inflammatory responses of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Emerging studies present evidence for their capacity to participate in the recruitment and activation of immune cells, including the expression of several cytokines and chemokines, adhesion molecules and receptors implicated in innate immunity. Most importantly, SGECs have been shown to mediate T cell activation. Several studies showing the expression of BAFF molecules in SGECs suggest that these might implicated in B cell activation and differentiation. Objectives To investigate the ability of SGECs to mediate the activation and differentiation of B cells. Methods Human B cells were purified by negative isolation from PBMCs of healthy donors obtained from leukocyte depletion filters. Resting B cells were cultured alone or with SGEC lines from SS patients (n=6) and non-SS controls (n=6) for 4 days in conditions enabling cell-to-cell contact or in transwell systems permitting interactions only through soluble factors. B cell activation and differentiation were analyzed by flow cytometry evaluating the surface expression of CD40, CD80, CD86, BAFF receptor (CD268), CD38, IgD, CD24, CD21, CD23, CD5 and CD27. Mann-Whitney test was employed to analyze statistical significances. Results Cell-to-cell interactions between B cells and SGECs resulted in a slight, but definite, increase of the surface expression of CD40 and BAFF receptor molecule on B cells, indicating that SGEC may have an activation effect on B cells. The analysis of CD38/IgD expression revealed that cell-to-cell contact also promoted a switch in B cell differentiation to the Bm5p and Bm2 phenotype, followed by a decrease in the Bm1 subpopulation. This effect was more profound in B cells co-cultured with SGECs from SS patients, rather than those from controls. Similarly, the percentage of Bm1 subpopulation was found to decline, whereas this of Bm5 to augment in transwell systems, supporting the implication of soluble mediators in B cell differentiation. Nevertheless, this effect was not found to differ between SGECs from SS and control patients. Co-culture with SGECs also promoted a transitional type 2-like phenotype of B cells, as assessed by CD38+/CD24+ expression. This was more evident in B cells cultured with SGECs from control patients, even though it was not found to be statistically different from those co-cultured with SS-SGECs. The percentage of CD21+/CD23+-B cell subpopulation was augmented by culture with SGECs, particularly those obtained from controls. Furthermore, a decrease of the CD21+/CD23- subpopulation (marginal zone B cells) was observed in transwell systems; with similar profile between SGECs from SS and control patients. On the other hand, a decrease of CD21-/CD23--B cells (transitional type 1 phenotype) has been observed in cell-to-cell contact co-cultures with SGECs, whereas the opposite effect was observed in transwell co-culture systems. Finally, co-culture with SGECs, including both cell-to-cell contact and soluble mediators, has been found to reduce the CD5+ B cell subpopulation. Conclusions Our findings suggest that SGECs are capable to drive the activation and differentiation of B cells. Further studies are needed to clarify the importance of these changes in local immune responses. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Water interfaces provide the platform for many important biological, chemical, and physical processes. The water-air interface is the most common and simple aqueous interface and serves as a model system for water at a hydrophobic surface. Unveiling the microscopic (<1 nm) structure and dynamics of interfacial water at the water-vapor interface is essential for understanding the processes occurring on the water surface. At the water interface the network of very strong intermolecular interactions, hydrogen-bonds, is interrupted and the density of water is reduced. A central question regarding water at interfaces is the extent to which the structure and dynamics of water molecules are influenced by the interruption of the hydrogen-bonded network and thus differ from those of bulk water. Herein, we discuss recent advances in the study of interfacial water at the water-air interface using laser-based surface-specific vibrational spectroscopy.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

The present study aimed to determine whether the multikinase inhibitors, sorafenib/regorafenib, worked in conjunction with PI3K/AKT inhibitors to enhance tumor cell death. It has been noted that combination of sorafenib/regorafenib with a PI3K inhibitor acetic acid (PX-866) resulted in tumor cell death, in a greater than additive fashion, in liver, colorectal, lung, breast, kidney and brain cancer cells. Similar data was obtained using AKT inhibitors perifosine and MK2206. Furthermore, even cells lacking PTEN remained as sensitive to this combinational approach as cells expressing PTEN. PX-866 treatment abolished AKT/GSK3 phosphorylation, with tumor cell death correlating with reduced activity of AKT and mTOR. Expression of activated AKT and to a lesser extent activated mTOR reduced drug combination lethality. Expression of B-cell lymphoma-extra large or dominant negative caspase 9, but not cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein short, protected cells from the drug combination. Treatment of cells with PX-866 increased protein levels of p62, LAMP2 and LC3/LC3II which correlated with the resulting increase in LC3-GFP vesicle numbers. Exposure of PX-866 treated cells to sorafenib reduced p62 and LAMP2 levels, decreased the ratio of LC3 to LC3II and reduced LC3-GFP vesicle levels. Knockdown of Beclin1 or ATG5 suppressed drug toxicity by ∼40%. In vivo, combination of either sorafenib and PX-866 or regorafenib and MK2206 cooperated to suppress the growth of established HuH7 and HCT116 tumors, respectively. Collectively our data demonstrates that the combination of sorafenib family kinase inhibitors with inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT pathway kills tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.

Citation Format: Larry A. Booth, Nichola A. Cruickshanks, G B. Sajithlal, Hossein A. Hamed, Seyedmehrad Tavallai, J Syed, Steven Grant, Andrew Poklepovic, Paul Dent. Sorafenib/regorafenib and phosphatidyl inositol 3 kinase/thymoma viral proto-oncogene inhibition interact to kill tumor cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2690. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2690


The name of SR proteins is derived from their typical RS domain that is rich in serine (Ser, S) and arginine (Arg, R). They are conserved in evolution. Up to now, 10 members of the SR protein family have been identified in humans. SR proteins contain one or two RNA binding motifs aside from the RS domain, and also possess special biochemical and immunological features. As to the functions of SR proteins, they facilitate the recruitment of the components of splicesome via protein-protein interaction to prompt the assembly of early splicesome; while in alternative splicing, tissue-specifically expressed SR protein along with the relative ratio of SR protein and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) is composed of two main regulative mechanisms for alternative splicing. Almost all of the biochemical functions are regulated by reversible phosphorylation.


Guanxi networks are critical for achieving entrepreneurial success in China. Informed by the literatures on network-based entrepreneurship and guanxi, this study used a multiple-case method to examine the development of Chinese entrepreneurs' guanxi networks in the entrepreneurial process. Data induction based on within- and cross-case analyses of six entrepreneurial firms revealed three major findings. First, guanxi network dynamics in terms of network structure, governance mechanisms, and network content change systematically across the stages of the entrepreneurship process. Second, the usefulness of guanxi ties (such as family, business associates, or government officials) is contingent on the stage of the entrepreneurial process as well as on industrial-level factors. Third, in knowledge-intensive industries, cultivating and maintaining guanxi can be achieved through knowledge and information exchange rather than traditional gift-giving or favours. The overall conclusion is that guanxi is still of paramount importance for Chinese entrepreneurs in the midst of China's transformation from a centrally planned to a socialist market economy. We propose a stage model of guanxi network development in the entrepreneurial process and discuss implications for future research.


Willem de Kooning, one of the pioneers of Abstract Expressionism, experimented with the human form throughout his career. An artist deeply sceptical about Western ideals of beauty, he focused on anatomical fragmentation and spatial ambiguity to express the fleeting nature of the individual. This book, published in conjunction with an exhibition originating at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, explores de Kooning's drawings of the female form between 1940 and 1955. It reveals an artist who struggled to eliminate traditional barriers between drawing and painting as he explored ambiguities between the figure and its background. De Kooning relied on early-20th-century abstraction in his initial attempts to redefine the figure, drawing and re-drawing the same line until he resolved the image. Beginning in 1947-49, he synthesized abstraction and figuration, dismembering figures and rearranging them with seeming randomness. As his figural compositions developed, geometric configurations transformed into architectural elements (suggesting windows, doors, mirrors, paintings and furniture) to create ambiguous space. In 1951, de Kooning abruptly returned to depictions of women. Usi


Temporal networks can naturally model real‐world complex phenomena such as contact networks, information dissemination and physical proximity. However, nodes and edges bear real‐time coordinates, making it difficult to organize them into discrete timeslices, without a loss of temporal information due to projection. Event‐based dynamic graph drawing rejects the notion of a timeslice and allows each node and edge to retain its own real‐valued time coordinate. While existing work has demonstrated clear advantages for this approach, they come at a running time cost. We investigate the problem of accelerating event‐based layout to make it more competitive with existing layout techniques. In this paper, we describe the design, implementation and experimental evaluation of MultiDynNoS, the first multi‐level event‐based graph layout algorithm. We consider three operators for coarsening and placement, inspired by Walshaw, GRIP and FM3, which we couple with an event‐based graph drawing algorithm. We also propose two extensions to the core algorithm: AutoTau and Bend Transfer. We perform two experiments: first, we compare MultiDynNoS variants to existing state‐of‐the‐art dynamic graph layout approaches; second, we investigate the impact of each of the proposed algorithm extensions. MultiDynNoS proves to be competitive with existing approaches, and the proposed extensions achieve their design goals and contribute in opening new research directions.


Graded synaptic transmission between spiking motoneurons of the pyloric group was studied in the stomatogastric ganglion of the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. Intracellular microelectrodes were placed in the cell bodies of both pre- and postsynaptic neurons. Graded synaptic transmission was found between all tested cell pairs that were known to display spike-evoked synaptic transmission, including PD to LP, PD to PE, PD to PL, PL to LP, and LP to PD. Graded synaptic transmission was effective below the threshold for spikes. Thus, it was possible to study the influence of graded synaptic transmission in normally active ganglia without blockage of spikes by tetrodotoxin. PD and LP neurons that were known to produce spike-evoked inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) were also capable of producing inhibitory effects on postsynaptic cells below the threshold for spikes. When tetrodotoxin (TTX) was used to eliminate both spikes and endogenous membrane oscillations, depolarization of presynaptic neurons produced hyperpolarization of postsynaptic cells. The presynaptic response to a current step usually showed a small early peak and a maintained, slightly lower plateau. The postsynaptic response had a delay, then a rise to a pronounced peak, and a roughly exponential decline to a maintained plateau. There was a presynaptic voltage threshold for any postsynaptic response; beyond the threshold, both pre- and postsynaptic peak and plateau responses increased with increasing current. PD neurons normally are depolarized beyond their release threshold in tetrodotoxin and, thus, released transmitter tonically for the many-hour duration of these experiments. Chemical, tonic synaptic transmission, here called graded synaptic transmission, was demonstrated by the presence of the following criteria: 1) reversal in sign of the postsynaptic response, 2) synaptic delay, 3) reversal potential, 4) postsynaptic conductance increase, 5) graded and reversible block by reduction of external Ca2+, and 6) specific graded block of the LP-to-PD synapse without effect on the PD-to-LP synapse by less than 10 microM picrotoxin added to the bathing medium.