ABSTRACT There is currently no consensus regarding the most appropriate methods of sampling for the detection of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) in men. We employed a recently developed collection method involving abrasion and moistened swabbing of the genital skin surface for the detection of HPV in a cohort of 136 university-affiliated males in Hawaii. Genital specimens collected by physicians using this method were compared with self-collected specimens from the same individuals obtained 24 h later. Self-collected specimens yielded a greater proportion of sufficient specimens than physician-collected specimens. HPV detection was comparable in physician- and self-collected specimens; detection was highest in the penile shaft (51.2% and 51.5%, respectively, P = 0.96), followed by the scrotum (41.2% and 46.2%, P = 0.43), the glans/coronal sulcus (31.9% and 33.1%, P = 0.84), and the foreskin (33.3% and 28.6%, P = 0.74). Site-specific agreement in HPV detection between paired physician- and self-collected samples ranged from 67.2% (kappa = 0.34) for the penile shaft to 95.0% (kappa = 0.89) for the foreskin. There was a high degree of concordance in HPV genotypes in HPV-positive pairs. The most common type was HPV type 84, which comprised approximately 15% of the specimens. The emery paper-swab method offers an efficient sampling method for genital HPV DNA detection in men that could be used both within and outside of the clinical setting.


ABSTRACT According to the Regional Complex Security Theory (RSCT) external involvement in regional security can take either the form of penetration or overlay. We theorise governmentality as the third form of external involvement aimed to responsibilise regions in order to govern them indirectly and at a distance. We illustrate our argument in a study of NATO's role in the Western Balkans since the dissolution of Yugoslavia. In particular, we posit that the predominant role of NATO in the region has evolved over time from penetration in the 1990s, through overlay in the early 2000s, to today's governmentality.


: Fossil-based plastics are significant contributors to global warming through CO 2 emissions. For more sustainable alternatives to be successful, it is important to ensure that consumers become aware of the benefits of innovations such as bio-based plastics, in order to create demand and a willingness to initially pay more. Given that consumer attitudes and (inaccurate) beliefs can influence the uptake of such new technologies, we investigated participants' attitudes towards fossil-based and bio-based plastic, their perceived importance of recycling both types of plastic, their willingness to pay, and their perceptions of bio-based plastic in four studies (total N = 961). The pre-registered fourth study experimentally manipulated information about bio-based plastic and measured willingness to pay for different types of plastic. The results suggest participants hold very favourable attitudes and are willing to pay more for bio-based products. However, they also harbour misconceptions, especially overestimating bio-based plastic's biodegradability, and they find it less important to recycle bio-based than fossil-based plastic. Study 4 provided evidence that educating consumers about the properties of bio-based plastic can dispel misconceptions and retain a favourable attitude and a high willingness to pay. We found mixed evidence for the effect of attitudes on willingness to pay, suggesting other psychological factors may also play a role. We discuss how attitudes and misconceptions affect the uptake of new sustainable technologies such as bio-based plastics and consumers' willingness to purchase them.


This paper explores the interplay between the biophysical and economic geographies of climate change impacts on agriculture. Towards this end, we employ a statistical meta-analysis which encompasses all studies available to the IPCC-AR5 report. This permits us to isolate specific elements of the biophysical geography of climate impacts, such as the role of initial temperature, and differential patterns of warming across the globe. We combine these climate impact estimates with the GTAP model of global trade in order to estimate the national welfare changes which are decomposed into three components: the direct (biophysical impact) contribution to welfare, the terms of trade effect, and the allocative efficiency effect. We find that the terms of trade interact in a significant way with the biophysical geography of climate impacts. Specifically, when we remove the biophysical geography, the terms of trade impacts are greatly diminished. And when we allow the biophysical impacts to vary across the empirically-estimated uncertainty range, taken from the meta-analysis, we find that the welfare consequences are highly asymmetric, with much larger losses at the low end of the yield distribution than gains at the high end. Acknowledgement :


Improving the resolution of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a major issue that has gained significant attention recently, especially in the squint mode where obtaining high resolution is challenging. Generally speaking, the azimuth and range resolutions can be improvement by applying matched filtering for compressing the signal. Signal compression is a major part of the well-known algorithms such as the Range Doppler algorithm (RDA) and the Chirp Scaling Algorithm (CSA) by which high positioning accuracy and high resolution are obtained. The transmitted signal by SAR is most often in the form of linear frequency modulation (LFM). However, the chirp signal is always generated in the SAR azimuth direction at the receiver. The squint of observation angle of the radar makes the chirp signal non-linear and non-stationary. Consequently, this study particularly focuses on the azimuth signal compression and instead of the Matched Filter (MF) based on Fourier Transform (FT), an alternative Matched Filter is used for signal compression on time-frequency domain that is known as Matched on Slope Filter (MSF). The Matched on Slope Filter improves the effectiveness of the compression in both squint and non-squint modes. The simulation results indicate that the proposed method improves the resolution and decreases the Peak to Side Lobe Ratio (PSLR) in the target detection. 


AIMS
To describe characteristics of in-patients with chronic headache syndromes being treated with complementary methods, short-term effects at time of discharge as well as long-term effects covering a catamnesis of 1 year.

METHODS
The study was designed as a prospective cohort study with outcome measurements 2 months in advance of admission to the hospital, at admission, and at time of discharge, continued by follow-up queries 2, 6 and 12 months after discharge from the hospital. The parameters for describing the course of headache symptoms were registered by questionnaires and diaries. During the first 6 months in 1996, a total of 424 consecutive patients with migraine or tension-type headache at the 'Migräne-Klinik Königstein' were included.

RESULTS
82.9% of the patients were women, the mean age was 46.3 +/-13.0 years. The median of the duration of the disease was 23 years. At discharge from the hospital there was a marked improvement regarding frequency of headache attacks, intensity of headaches, and concomitant symptoms. 60.5% of the patients were classified as 'responders'. 67.5% responded to follow-up questionnaires. With exception of the duration of headache attacks, a significant improvement regarding the 6-month follow- up compared to base level was observed. Intake of drugs could be diminished and quality of life was improved. Patients suffering from tension-type headache showed smaller effects in general.

CONCLUSIONS
Taking into account the mean duration of disease of more than 20 years the results suggest a clinically relevant success from the patients' view regarding the short-term as well as the long-term course. The problem of data loss with follow-up queries and missing comparative data reduce the conclusiveness of the results.


FRONTIERS IN NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 1973 By W. F. Ganong and L. Martini. (Pp. 438; illustrated; £9-00.) Oxford University Press: London. 1973. This is the third book in a biennial series of volumes on neuroendocrinology. Each of the 11 chapters is written by an expert or group of experts in a specialized subject. Yet the subject matter ranges widely from the microelectrode recording of neural units in the hypothalamus to the clinical application of the new discoveries. Pride of place is given to the study of the hypothalamic factors that regulate anterior pituitary secretion. There have been remarkable advances in our knowledge of thyrotropin releasing factor (TRF) and luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LRF), both of which have been identified as linear peptides and synthesized in the laboratory. On the other hand, corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) has not yet been chemically identified or synthesized. There is also uncertainty about the characterization of growth hormone releasing factor (GRF). Recent work on human prolactin goes some way towards clarifying its physiological action, but there remain many difficulties in assaying the activity of prolactin inhibiting factor (PIF). Melanocyte-stimulating hormone inhibiting factor (MIF) may have been identified as a tripeptide, but here, too, there are doubts about the assays used in measuring the hormonal activities. Evidence is put forward that TRF and other releasing hormones are formed by enzymatic action. In the case of TRF the enzymatic action may be stimulated by thyroxin or chronic cold. Thus we learn how the activity of the peptidergic neurones may be controlled by hormonal, neural, and functional factors. Intriguing models are designed to suggest that aminoacid and polypeptide hormones may act on a cell surface receptor, in contrast with steroid hormones that act at cellular level. The former mechanism would utilize cyclic AMP as a 'second messenger' or intracellular mediator of hormone release. This is thought to be the basis of the GRF-provoked growth hormone release. Cellular differentiation toward specific receptors would ensure responsiveness of the cells to the appropriate hormone. A close relationship has also been shown between the efficacy 485 of action of a hormone and the extent to which it becomes bound at a given site in the brain. To a clinician, the most useful chapter is probably that dealing with the clinical effects and uses of hypothalamic releasing and inhibiting factors: it is now possible to distinguish between dysfunction of the pituitary and dysfunction of the hypothalamus, either of which may lead to hypothyroidism or to a deficiency of gonadotrophin secretion. This distinction can be made by the administration of TRF or LRF respectively. Another chapter deals with the effects of prenatal androgen excess and insensitivity of target tissues to androgens. These effects include changes in psychological development, intellectual abilities, and sexual attitudes, as well as alterations in morphological gender. The psychological features of prenatal agonadism (Turner's syndrome) are also described. The various causes of abnormal galactorrhoea and its relationship to the blood levels of prolactin are discussed. L-dopa is suggested as a possible therapeutic means of interrupting prolactin secretion and galactorrhoea. The clarity of the writing and the illustrations ensure that the clinician eager to bring himself up-todate will have no difficulty in understanding the intricacies of this expanding subject. There is also much material of clinical relevance. Each chapter is followed by an immense bibliography which should satisfy the most demanding researcher.


The electrophysiological measurement of the blink reflex (BR) can quantify the conduction latency in the reflex arc involving the Vth (trigeminal) and VIIth (facial) cranial nerves. We measured the electrophysiological BR in a population (N = 21), which had alleged chronic exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) through the public drinking water at levels 30-80 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Maximum Contamination Level (MCL). A highly significant difference was observed in the conduction latency means of the BR components (p less than .0001), when the study population was compared with laboratory controls (N = 27). This difference suggests a subclinical alteration of the Vth cranial nerve function due to chronic, environmental exposure to TCE.


Objective We investigated the health-related effect of systematic medication review performed by a clinical pharmacist and a clinical pharmacologist on nonelective elderly orthopedic patients. Methods This is a nonblinded randomized controlled study of 108 patients 65 years or older treated with at least 4 drugs. For the intervention, the clinical pharmacist reviewed the participants' medication after completion of the usual medication routine. Information was collected from medical charts, interviews with participants, and database registrations of drug purchase. Results were conferred with the clinical pharmacologist, and recommendations were delivered directly to the ward physicians. The control was usual medication routine, that is, physicians prescribing admitting orders. The primary outcome was time to the first unplanned contact to a physician after discharge (i.e., general practitioner, emergency department visit, or readmission) during 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included other health-related outcomes, for example, length of in-hospital stay, mortality, and quality of life. Results Time to the first unplanned contact to a physician was 14.9 days (95% confidence interval, 8.9–21.0) in the intervention group compared with 27.3 days (95% confidence interval, 18.9–35.7) in the controls (P = 0.05). Overall, no statistically significant differences were seen in the secondary outcomes apart from "number of" and "time to first" emergency department visits, which were in favor of the intervention group. A marked hesitation of the ward physicians to comply with recommendations was noted (18%). Conclusions The study showed that the patients receiving usual care had a significantly longer time to the first unplanned contact to a physician after discharge; however, the fact that less than 1 of 5 recommendations was adopted by the physicians raises concerns as to whether this finding could be attributable to the intervention.


Lobaric acid, a constituent of the lichen Stereocaulon alpinum, was investigated for effects on the smooth muscle taenia coli from guinea pigs. Inhibitory effects of lobaric acid on spontaneous contractile activity and on contractile activity stimulated by ionophore A23187 were studied. In addition, the activity of lobaric acid on ionophore-induced generation of cysteinyl-leukotrienes in taenia coli was determined by enzyme immunoassay. Lobaric acid significantly reduced spontaneous contractile activity of the muscle and inhibited contractions caused by ionophore A23187 with an effective dose of 5.8 microM. Increased contractility caused by leukotriene D4 was not influenced by lobaric acid. Lobaric acid inhibited the formation of cysteinyl-leukotrienes as determined by enzyme immunoassay with an effective dose of 5.5 microM.


A numerical study is reported to investigate the liquid film cooling in a rocket combustion chamber. Mass, momentum and heat transfer characteristics through the interface are considered in detail. A marching procedure is employed for solution of the respective governing equations for the liquid film and gas stream together. The standard turbulence k e − model is used to simulate the turbulence gas flow and a modified van Driest model is adopted to simulate the turbulent liquid film flow. Radiation of gas stream is also considered and simulated with the FLUX model. Downstream of the liquid film the gaseous film cooling is numerically studied simultaneously. Results are presented for a mixed gaseswater system under different condition. Various effects on the liquid film length are examined in detail. There is a good agreement between the numerical prediction and experimental result on the liquid film length. NOMENCLATURE


Objective: to study the contribution of neurogenic mechanisms to the pathogenesis of chronic pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), knee osteoarthritis (OAk) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). To evaluate the effectiveness of an anticonvulsants in complex therapy of RA and OAk.Patients and methods. The study included 518 patients, 208 (40.2%) had definite RA, 160 (30.9%) had OAk and 150 (28.9%) had AS. All patients were rheumatologically and neurologically examined to determine the state of the somatosensory system; DN4 and Pain DETECT questionnaires were used to diagnose pain descriptors characteristic of neuropathic and nocyplastic pain; visual analogue scale (VAS) was used for pain intensity at rest assessment; algometry – for detecting secondary hyperalgesia. Functional, affective disorders and quality of life were assessed as well. Moreover, efficacy of the anticonvulsant in the complex therapy of RA and OAk was evaluated.Results and discussion. 49.5% of RA patients had neuropathic pain. It has been statistically significantly shown that older patients with a long history of the disease, advanced X-ray stage and high level of anxiety and depression experience neuropathic pain more frequently. Disease activity and ESR level did not affect the severity of the neuropathic component of pain. In 37.5% of OAk cases, signs of nociplastic pain were observed. Patients in this group were in pain according to VAS, worse functional state and quality of life, as well as a higher level of anxiety, the differences were statistically significant. 12.7% of AS patients had nociplastic pain. There was no association with the age and duration of the disease. Higher levels of disease activity, pain and depression and worse functional abilities were observed when nociplastic pain was present. The effectiveness of anticonvulsant is demonstrated in the complex therapy of chronic articular pain in RA and OAk, which confirms the role of central sensitization in the pathogenesis of pain in these diseases.Conclusion. Chronic pain in RA, OAk and AS patients in some cases has mixed nature, both inflammatory and neurogenic mechanisms (neuropathic and nociplastic) are involved. It is necessary to examine patients to identify the neuropathic component of pain, which will improve pain control and ensure a holistic approach to therapy. In patients with RA and OAk, having a mixed nature of pain, complex treatment, containing a central action drug from a group of anticonvulsants, is more effective compared with standard anti-inflammatory therapy.


While journalists were once viewed as gatekeepers, dispensing news and information via one-way communication channels, their role as information provider has evolved. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the social networking site Twitter, where information seekers have unprecedented access to information providers. The two-way communication that these information seekers have come to expect can be challenging for organizations such as ESPN who have multiple Twitter accounts and millions of followers. By designating one team of people as responsible for the organization's largest Twitter account, SportsCenter, ESPN has sought to establish manageable methods of interacting with this account's followers, while furthering the goals of the organization and providing sports news around the clock. This study provides a better understanding of the group responsible for ESPN's SportsCenter Twitter account: the motivation and strategies behind the group's Twitter use as well as the dynamics of this network, such as information flow and collaboration. Relying on the Information Seeking and Communication Model, this study also provides a better understanding of information exchanges with those outside the network, specifically a selection of the account's Twitter followers. Additionally, the role of journalist as information provider and certain themes that emerged from the content of the tweets are discussed. The research employed social network analysis and exploratory, descriptive case study methods. The results of this study contribute to social network and information theory as well as to journalistic and information science practice.


Keypads constructed from fabric materials are the ideal input devices for smart clothing applications. However, multi-modal reaction problems have to be addressed before they can be of practical use on apparels, i.e., the fabric-based keypads need to distinguish between the legitimate actions by the fingertips and the illegitimate deformations and stresses caused by human movements. In this paper, we propose to use the humidity sensor functionalized from graphene oxide (GO)-coated polyester fibers to construct the e-textile keypads. As the moisture level in the proximity of human fingertips is much higher (over 70%) than other parts of the human body, humidity sensing has many advantages over other tactility mechanisms. Experiments have demonstrated that the GO-functionalized fabric keypad has a stable uni-modal tactility only to fingertip touches, and it is not sensitive to deformation, pressure, temperature variation, and other ambient interferences. With biasing and sensing circuits, the keypad exhibits a quick response and recovery time (around 0.1 s), comparable to mechanical keyboards. To demonstrate its application on smart clothing, the keypad was sewn on a sweater and embroidered conductive yarns were used to control an MP3 player in the pocket.


The crude extracts from stem bark of Crataeva nurvala Buch.-Ham containing naturally occurring antioxidants were screened for their most abundant phytosecondary metabolite, antiproteolytic and cytotoxic properties. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined by DDPH radical scavenging activity, Ferric reducing power and β Carotene linoleic acid assay. The antiproteolytic activity of crude extracts was determined by inhibition of trypsin-induced hydrolysis of BSA. The IC50 of cytotoxic effect on HepG2 and B16F0 cell line was investigated using trypan blue dye exclusion and MTT assay.

Preliminary phytochemical analysis exhibited the presence of terpenoids as a major phytochemical reflecting higher antioxidant activity in a dose dependent manner. The PEECN extract showed good antiproteolytic activity with 26.04% inhibition on BSA. Analysis of cell viability by trypan blue exclusion showed < 60% viability as well as their dose-dependent cytotoxic activity. The IC50 values of PEECN against HepG2 and B16F0 cells using MTT assay were determined to be 34.67 ± 1.10 μg/ml and 49.43 ± 4.778 μg/ml after 48 h, respectively. These results demonstrate that the petroleum ether extract containing most terpenoid fraction exhibited potential antiproteolytic and cytotoxic activity against hepatocellular carcinoma and mouse melanoma in vitro through inhibition of proliferating cancerous cells.


Crude ginsenosides extracted from the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer inhibited the growth and colony forming ability of Morris hepatoma cells in soft agar suspension culture, and stimulate the serum protein synthesis of these cells, thus converting the cell characteristics both functionally and morphologically to those resembling original normal liver cells. We have called such a phenomenon "reverse transformation" or "redifferentiation" which can be regarded as decarcinogenesis. In this report, the results of our recent investigations are presented with particular reference to reverse transformation of B16 melanoma cells induced by ginsenoside Rh2 isolated from the methanol extract of crude ginseng saponin fraction and action mechanisms of ginsenoside Rh2 are also discussed.


Several investigators have suggested that between-subject variations in hearing aid benefit may be related to between-subject variations in auditory resolution. Evaluation of this relationship is complicated by the need to assess resolution at several frequencies and levels in hearing-impaired listeners who may not tolerate lengthy test procedures. This paper reports data from normal-hearing listeners for abbreviated indices of frequency and temporal resolution. For a particular frequency-stimulus level combination, both indices may be derived from three pure-tone thresholds obtained with different masking stimuli. Norms are reported as a function of masker level for each index at four test frequencies. Changes in the indices as a function of masker level were consistent with expectations based on related studies by other investigators. Norms were obtained using a supra-aural earphone. Comparison of results from supra-aural and insert earphones suggested that low-frequency sound leakage substantially affected the norms for 500 Hz. Reliability of individual indices was good to excellent.


Filament winding and freeze gelation technique are combined in this work to manufacture all-oxide ceramic matrix composites with different matrices. Alumina and mullite are used in combination with a silica sol to manufacture two ceramic suspensions. Fiber infiltration and lay-up is conducted withNextel TM 610 fiber with 3000 denier(organic sized)using the filament winding process. After lay-up the composite is submitted to subzero temperatures forcing the consolidation of the ceramic matrix. The combination of these processing routes is successfully implemented to build up cost-efficient composites.Homogeneous impregnation of the fiber with both ceramic suspensions is achieved. Use of different ceramic fillers influenced, however,porosity formation in the material and consequently its mechanical performance. Interlaminarshear and bending strength of composites with mullite filler are lower than the strength of composites using alumina as filler.


A code-constrained inverse filter criteria-based approach is presented for blind detection of asynchronous short-code DS-CDMA (direct sequence code division multiple access) signals in multipath channels. Only the spreading code of the desired user is assumed to be known; its transmission delay may be unknown. We focus on maximization of the normalized fourth cumulant of inverse filtered (equalized) data with respect to the equalizer coefficients subject to the equalizer lying in a subspace associated with the desired user's code sequence. Constrained maximization leads to extraction of the desired user's signal whereas unconstrained maximization leads to the extraction of any one of the active users. A simulation example is provided.


Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes that play key roles in angiogenesis, tumor invasion, and metastasis in a wide variety of species. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pro and active MMP 2 and 9 concentrations in tumor, normal stromal tissue, and serum from tumor-bearing cats. We hypothesized that serum concentrations of pro and active forms of MMPs 2 and 9 would be predictive of MMP concentrations in tumor tissue and that these MMP concentrations would correlate with the histopathologic grade of the malignancies. Pro and active forms of MMPs 2 and 9 were determined by gelatin zymography and subsequent computerized densitometry from tumor and nearby stromal tissue and serum from 49 cats with various malignancies. The serum concentrations of MMPs from these tumor-bearing cats were compared with serum concentrations of MMPs from 44 normal cats of similar age and gender. Measurable concentrations of MMPs 2 and 9 were found within tumor, stromal, and serum samples. Mean concentrations of total pro and active MMPs 2 and 9 within tumor tissue were significantly higher (P values <.0001, .0031, <.001, and .0064, respectively) when compared with stromal tissue from the same animals. Serum MMP concentrations from tumor-bearing cats were higher than those from normal cats. Poor correlation was found between serum MMP concentrations and tissue MMP concentrations of increasing histologic grades of malignancies.


The ability to segment or separate foreground from background in video images is useful to a number of applications including video compression, human-computer interaction, and object tracking to name a few. In order to generate such segmentation in both a reliable and visually pleasing manner the fusion of both spatial and temporal information is required. This fusion typically requires to process a large amount of information thereby imposing a heavy computational cost and/or requiring substantial manual interaction. This heavy computational cost unfortunately limits its applicability. In this paper a generative model to solve this problem is proposed. The model has been designed with a particular emphasis on efficiency, but also provide visually pleasing results. The approach selects salient appearance poses of the foreground shared across the entire sequence in an unsupervised way, and uses them to better extract the foreground from the single frames. Results prove the validity of the approach.


We introduce a new divergence measure, the bounded Bhattacharyya distance (BBD), for quantifying the dissimilarity between probability distributions. BBD is based on the Bhattacharyya coefficient (fidelity) , and is symmetric, positive semi-definite, and bounded. Unlike the Kullback-Leibler divergence, BBD does not require probability density functions to be absolutely continuous with respect to each other. We show that BBD belongs to the class of Csiszar f-divergence and derive certain relationships between BBD and well known measures such as Bhattacharyya, Hellinger and Jensen-Shannon divergence. Bounds on the Bayesian error probability are established with BBD measure. We show that the curvature of BBD in the parameter space of families of distributions is proportional to the Fisher information. For distributions with vector valued parameters, the curvature matrix can be used to obtain the Rao geodesic distance between them. We also discuss a potential application of probability distance measures in model selection.


The purposes of educational e-inclusion are fairness, equality and quality in the educational processes and offering the benefits of ICTs to all students. The impossibility of using computers or accessing the Internet increases educational exclusion and segregation. In this paper, we present an experience carried out at a special education center. This experience involved users with severe motor disabilities, and its purpose was to design and develop a computer-access system that was usable and adapted to the user. This system has allowed adding activities to the educational curriculum based on new technologies.


In "Why Big Companies Can't Invent," venture capitalist Howard Anderson asserts that in recent years corporate R&D has not worked well, if at all (1). His article cites how companies like IBM, Apple and Xerox have invested in R&D without reaping significant benefits while being outperformed by competitors with more meager R&D budgets. Factors that have eroded R&D effectiveness in recent years, the article contends, include the inability of firms to nurture and exploit disruptive technologies, the availability of venture capital to fund startups and poor corporate execution, including insufficient corporate incentives. We certainly agree with the assertion of the value that startups bring to innovation. We even agree that corporate R&D is overdue for revitalization in many firms. However, R&D is still alive and well at big companies, providing value both within the firms conducting the R&D and in society at large. While "Why Big Companies Can't Invent" cites some valid examples of corporate R&D failures, as we discuss below, it overlooks the evidence of recent corporate R&D successes. So why do some companies succeed where others fail? We believe the answer lies in a firm's ability to establish an integrated innovation strategy for managing multiple sources of innovation (i.e., internal R&D, acquisitions, joint ventures and licensing) as a portfolio of opportunities. Corporate R&D Successes Although Anderson cites some valid examples of corporate R&D failures, one would be remiss to overlook the evidence of recent corporate R&D successes. For example, Eli Lilly generates one-third of its $12 billion in annual sales from Zyprexa, a drug for schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, which was developed through internal R&D. Glaxo, now part of GlaxoSmithKline, developed Flonase, a steroid for treating nasal allergies that has captured a 45-percent market share. General Electric developed LightSpeed, a revolutionary imaging technology that accounts for nearly 80 percent of revenues in GE's CT-scanning unit (2). And although Apple is called out as having a poor R&D record, its iTunes Music Store (Time's Invention of 2003) reportedly sold 1 million music tracks within the first week of product launch, sold 85 million tracks within the first year and currently sells nearly 2.5 million tracks per week as it expands beyond the U.S. market (3). Apple's iTunes is supported by iPod, already a pop culture icon that is boosting Apple's revenues and brand. Successes such as these will continue to drive corporations to increase their investments in R&D. Granted, industrial R&D investments have experienced a short-term drop, which is to be expected given the recent recession. However, surveys show that leading companies intend to increase R&D spending as the market improves. For example, GE, widely regarded as one of the best-managed companies in the world, committed $2.7 billion to R&D in 2003, representing a steady increase from the previous two years. CEO Jeff Immelt is making R&D his first major initiative after succeeding Jack Welch. Cisco Systems is another example. Cisco did not invest heavily in internal R&D during its growth phase in the late 1990s. Instead, with its stock-rich positioning in the market, the company grew via acquisitions. However, internal R&D now has become an important part of Cisco's innovation portfolio. Its R&D-to-sales ratio of 18 percent gives Cisco the highest R&D intensity of the top 17 R&D-investing firms in 2002. Similarly, Oracle and EMC were cited in "Why Big Companies Can't Invent" as examples of young firms, without significant R&D, stealing market share from IBM. In 2002, however, the R&D-to-sales activity for both Oracle and EMC exceeded that of IBM by a factor of two on average (4). In fact, industry continues to supply 63 percent of total U. …


We study theoretically the magnetic coupling between a superconducting film and a 2DEG by generalizing the theory of Meincke and that of Rammer and Shelankov, correctly taking into account the Hall effect in the 2DEG. The induced voltages are discussed in the magnetic-field regime in which the magnetoresistance is dominated by the SdH oscillations. The results obtained are found to be in good agreement with the experiment of Kruithof et al. We find the modulation of the magnetic field in the 2DEG is larger than previously expected.


This paper mainly describes the realization scheme of the student's information management system,which is based on Web structure and ASP technology.For example backstage supporter's database,system log-in,user's management,the concrete designs.In this paper systematic safety has been fully considered,and systematic operation environment is carried out on IIS safe management installation,user identification accessing database are encrypted With ADO technical visiting OLE DB directly joins makes data accessing process simply,and efficiently,so that the entire information management system could run highly effective and steadily,and it has high rate of flow.


Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of the major problems that has a negative impact on the women's psychological wellbeing and self esteem. It is also one of the threatening factors which can cause withdrawal from social activities and decreased quality of life. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the Impact of urinary incontinence on self esteem and quality of life of elderly females residing in assisted living facilities. Setting: The study was carried out in two of the governmental assisted living facilities (elderly homes) in Alexandria. Subjects: The study included, one hundred elderly females aged 60 years and above, able to communicate effectively, and accept to participate in the study. Tools: Three tools were used; the Socio-demographic and Clinical Data Structured Interview Schedule, the Rosenberg SelfEsteem Scale (RSES), and the Kings Health Questionnaire (KHQ). Results: The majority of the study females had UI for three years and more. UI affected positively the self esteem and quality of life. Females with lower quality of life were young old, single, house wife, and with inadequate enough income. Conclusion: Urinary incontinence had a great impact on all domains of quality of life of the study females. Shame, embarrassment and / or their belief that UI is a normal part of aging are among the reasons for not seeking help. Recommendations: Educational programs for older adults and their care givers should focus on developing awareness about UI, the importance of seeking advice in order to develop effective coping strategies, increase self esteem, and improve QoL.


The case of a German Black Pied cow at the age of about six years which died in consequence of an abdominal haemorrhage caused by the manual rupture of ovarious cysts is described. Based on this event, the legal aspects of manual surgical procedure on the bovine ovary are discussed.


The architecture of foreland basins and the resulting distribution of clastic sediments are related to the constant interplay between tectonics and sedimentation. Specifically, basin floor modifications strongly influence dimensions, continuity and connections of sand‐size and fine‐grained deposits. Given the increasing need to identify deep potential reservoir deposits, the large‐scale definition of clastic porous targets and their seals is a matter of interest for oil and gas industry. Here, we present the reconstruction of the Po Plain and Northern Adriatic Foreland Basin (with an extent of ca. 40,000 km2) and its Pliocene–Pleistocene evolution, as an example of a sedimentary clastic system controlled by strongly non‐cylindrical foreland geometry. The study is based on the basin‐scale mapping of six unconformity‐bounded sequences, performed by interpreting a dense network of seismic lines and correlating well‐log data. This provides a three‐dimensional model of the step‐by‐step evolution of the basin and a description of the sediment dispersal pattern. We found that the basin records the change from a continuous (cylindrical) to highly fragmented (non‐cylindrical) foredeep geometry during Late Pliocene. In the Northern Apennines case, the main factors driving the development of a non‐cylindrical geometry are mainly related to inherited inhomogeneity in the downgoing block linked to its Mesozoic extensional faulting, and the relative orientation of these lineaments with respect to the direction of orogen migration. During the late Pliocene–Pleistocene the two directions progressively became close to parallel, and the Northern Apennines system reacted changing from a cylindrical to a non‐cylindrical state.


Random fiber gratings (RFGs) have shown great potential applications in fiber sensing and random fiber lasers. However, a quantitative relationship between the degree of randomness of the RFG and its spectral response has never been analyzed. In this paper, two RFGs with different degrees of randomness are first characterized experimentally by optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). Experimental results show that the high degree of randomness leads to low backscattering strength of the grating and strong strength fluctuations in the spatial domain. The local spectral response of the grating exhibits multiple peaks and a large peak wavelength variation range when its degree of randomness is high. The linewidth of its fine spectrum structures shows scaling behavior with the grating length. In order to find a quantitative relationship between the degree of randomness and spectrum property of RFG, entropy was introduced to describe the degree of randomness induced by period variation of the sub-grating. Simulation results showed that the average reflectivity of the RFG in dB scale decreased linearly with increased sub-grating entropy, when the measured wavelength range was smaller than the peak wavelength variation range of the sub-grating. The peak reflectivity of the RFG was determined by κ2LΔP (where κ is the coupling coefficient, L is the grating length, ΔP is period variation range of the sub-grating) rather than κL when ΔP is larger than 8 nm in the spatial domain. The experimental results agree well with the simulation results, which helps to optimize the RFG manufacturing processes for future applications in random fiber lasers and sensors.


The Ni-P-W/nano-Al2O3 composite coatings were deposited on the surface of sintered NdFeB permanent magnet by electroless plating method. The morphology and the phases of Ni-P-W/nano-Al2O3 composite coatings were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction respectively. The hardness and the corrosion resistance of the composite coatings were also tested. The results indicated that the composite coatings morphology appears closely nodules morphology, and the microhardness increases with increasing incorporation of Al2O3 ratio. Compared with NdFeB magnet and Ni-P-W alloy coatings, the corrosion resistance of the composite coatings was superior to that of the NdFeB magnet and the alloy coating obviously.


The paper puts forward a kind of improvement project of the UWB-OFDM system which supports multirate services without changing the existing IEEE802.15.3a standard,designs a multirate detection method which relies on the fact that the data source is statistically independent and the repeated data piece has the best related characteristic.Simulation results have demonstrated that new algorithm in the UWB channel has good performance properties.


ABSTRACT
 Cabbage is a major vegetable crop over the world. Various insect pests can affect cabbage production. Excessive spray of chemical insecticides can lead to the development of insecticide resistance with various adverse effects on the environment and humans. Brassica leaf beetle, Phaedon brassicae Baly, is a coleopteran pest. Both larvae and adults cause damages to cabbage. The objective of this study was to develop an effective microbial insecticide against P. brassicae by adding an immunosuppressive agent to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The immunosuppressive agent was chosen from bacterial cultured broth of Photorhabdus temperata subsp. temperata (Ptt). Reverse phase HPLC revealed that Ptt-cultured broth possessed at least two eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitors (oxindole and indole) in its hexane extract. The bacterial cultured broth exhibited potent immunosuppressive activity against P. brassicae. Based on toxicity results, B. thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis (BtT) was selected from four strains of Bts. When Ptt-cultured broth was added to spore-producing BtT cells, the insecticidal activities of BtT against both larvae and adults of P. brassicae were significantly increased. This bacterial mixture applied to develop a "Bt-Plus," which was formulated by mixing BtT cells (1011 spores per ml) and 48-h Pttcultured broth along with additives (surfactant and preservative). When Bt-Plus was sprayed to cabbage infested by P. brassicae at 1,000-fold dilution, the mixture exhibited much higher control efficacy than BtT treatment alone, suggesting it could be used as a novel Bt insecticide for the control of P. brassicae.


THESIS: Simvastatin treatment modulates the immune response, increasing the survival of mice infected with Staphylococcus aureus STUDENT: Erin M. Burns DEGREE: Master of Science COLLEGE: Sciences and Humanities DATE: May, 2009 PAGES: 75 Staphylococcus aureus, the most prevalant etiologic agent causing sepsis (a damaging inflammatory response), is traditionally cleared with antibiotics. Increased numbers of antibiotic-resistant strains mandate additional treatments to clear infections and prevent sepsis. There is evidence that suggests the lipidlowering drug simvastatin may be beneficial for treating S. aureus infections due to its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. In this study we pretreated 8-13 week old, male and female Balb/c and C57BL/6 mice with 1000 ng/g [BW] simvastatin in ethanol at 18 and 3 hours prior to S. aureus infection. We subsequently administered 10 mg/kg [BW] gentamicin in saline at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hour timepoints. Another group of mice did not receive simvastatin treatment, and the final group received control treatments and was not infected with S. aureus. Our studies demonstrate that simvastatin may down-regulate sepsis-inducing inflammatory responses in S. aureus-infected C57BL/6 mice.


Continuous recordings of heart rate, respiration rate, minute volume and bronchial resistance were made over a period of altogether three hours in spontaneously breathing dogs anaesthetized with chloralose. At hourly intervals, before and 1 and 2 hr after the administration of bronchodilators, bronchial spasm was induced by inhalation of an acetylcholine solution. Two beta2-stimulants, terbutaline and fenoterol, were administered by inhalation in doses of 0.5, 0.16 and 0.05 mg/kg and 0.1, 0.3 and 0.01 mg/kg respectively. For comparison, an atropine derivative, ipratropium bromide, was also given by the same route in doses of 0.04 and 0.01 mg/kg. Controls received normal saline. Terbutaline and fenoterol caused an increase in heart rate, respiration rate and minute volume. Acetylcholine-induced bronchial spasm was inhibited to the extent of 10--70% for 2 hr after the administration of terbutaline, and by 15--70% after fenoterol. The acetylcholine antagonist ipratropium bromide caused only transient changes in heart rate, respiration rate and minute volume. Acetylcholine-induced bronchial spasm was inhibited by 95% and 80% for 2 hr after doses of 0.04 and 0.01 mg/kg, respectively. Fenoterol had a slightly greater central stimulant effect than terbutaline; ipratropium bromide displayed no stimulant activity.


Restorative justice advocates have made a number of claims about the effectiveness of restorative justice in relation to sexual assault crimes, such as its ability to defuse power relations between the parties and heal the harm. This article examines whether or not restorative justice is one of the ways forward in the difficult area of prosecuting child sex offences by re-analysing some of the data reported in Daly (2006) and comparing restorative justice with other reforms to the sexual assault trial. It concludes that there is insufficient evidence to support the view that there are inherent benefits in the restorative justice process that provide victims of sexual assault with a superior form of justice.


Where do we stand, 50 years past the Stockholm Conference and almost 80 years past Bretton Woods? What is the role of international trade in the contemporary systems design that has emerged from these two historic events in the turn of times? Climate change is a global human and environmental challenge that calls for more coherent action to achieve shared climate goals in times of climate emergency. It is thus argued, that international trade must become more systemically integrated, greener and more sustainable for that matter. The focus lies on the World Trade Organization and its potentially bridge-building function between distinct legal and political fields, which have long been perceived irreconcilable, but which are by their very nature inherently connected.


Hybrid laser-arc welding has a good tolerance to poor fit up as compared to simple laser welding. For a butt joint, the joint fit-up variations can be reduced to two local properties: the gap width and the vertical edge mismatch. The impact of these two properties on the resulting weld quality has been studied systematically in this paper. The original edges as well as the resulting weld surface topography have been scanned in three dimensions in order to study trends. During hybrid welding, the melt flow and the electric arc were observed at the top surface by high speed imaging to analyze the complex fluid flow phenomena.


Dr. Fineberg: As I understand it, the babies at Geelong are washed every other day and the longest stay of the babies in your study was 42 days, so that the maximum number of washes was 21 or 22. This point may be important in identifying the line between nontoxicity and toxicity of hexachlorophene bathing.
 Secondly, in view of your implications that the monkeys in Hart's study may have ingested significant amounts of hexachlorophene, do Australian babies not put their fingers in their mouths?
 Dr. Plueckhahn: Well, I have worked a lot with monkeys, and their babies suck their thumbs a lot more than do human infants, during their first weeks of life.
 Dr. Gezon: I would like to emphasize the point that the enormous difference in the virulence of different strains of staphylococci might have something to do with the incidence of staphylococci disease in your study. For instance, in our experience the incidence of disease related to strain is as follows:
 See Table in the PDF File
 Dr. Plueckhahn: I agree that there is a big difference in the virulence of various strains of staphylococci. I also think that the number and concentration of staphylococci in the surroundings of the baby are almost as important as the strain. Actually, in our study we never observed predominance of a particular strain. My impression is that the attack rate may fluctuate from month to month with a particular strain as well as from strain to strain. However, our data are qualitative rather than quantitative.
 Dr. Shinefield: Did you phage-type your staphylococci?


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between changes in the business cycle (as indicated by the incidence and duration of unemployment) and the incidence of suicide. Design/methodology/approach - A theoretical utility model with savings and consumption is used, while time series micro-level suicide data and probit analysis is used to empirically test the implications of the model. Findings - With declining economic activity and the corresponding increase in unemployment the propensity to commit suicide rises among men for numerable reasons. The authors hypothesize that there is a negative impact with respect to the decline in economic activity and as the intensity increases with respect to the declining business cycle, female's suicides will tend to accelerate. Research limitations/implications - One of the primary limitations of this study is the amount of control variables to which the authors had access. There are many factors that would influence an individual when determining whether or not to take their own life. Religious convictions, the presence of children, income, educational attainment, occupational attainment, pre-unemployment income, and how long one had been married or divorced (or unmarried) are all variables that could influence the likelihood of a suicide. The center of disease control (CDC) public use files, however, do not include these variables; thus, the authors were unable to control for their impact. Practical implications - The authors believe that these findings merit greater public awareness and increases in various forms of public and private support for recently unemployed individuals, being particularly attentive to the effect of higher than normal rates and durations of unemployment and the differences based on gender. These findings also establish another sound rationale for public policies to encourage the increase of personal savings during times of employment to make weathering periods of unemployment easier. Social implications - In times of increased incidence and duration of unemployment, the tendency of legislators and other public policy makers presumably would be to establish programs targeted to address the population with the highest rates of unemployment-related suicide – White males. It can be argued, however, that since the increased incidence and duration of unemployment have a greater effect on increasing the rate of suicide in women, public policies and programs targeting the specific needs and issues of those unemployed women with an increased risk of suicide would be more cost-effective, preventing or reducing those incremental suicides and mitigating their negative economic, social, and familial impacts. Originality/value - Previous studies used descriptive statistics, contingency tables, and the traditional statistical regression techniques in their empirical analysis; this study deviates from the norm by the use of probit analysis. Using the probit technique allowed the authors to focus their analysis on the probabilities of suicide with regard not just to the business cycle itself but also to the intensity of the business cycle.


Controversy over the origin of clay minerals in ancient sediments arises because it is difficult to segregate the factors that cause differences in clay mineral composition. A plan of sampling based on four contrasts was used to evaluate some of these factors. Contrasts studied were: (1) permeability contrasts (sandstone vs. shales); (2) environmental contrasts (cyclic sedimentation); (3) weathering contrasts (outcrop vs. core); (4) source area contrasts (orthoquartzite facies vs. subgraywacke facies). The resultant data indicate that clay minerals are both allogenic and authigcnic. Allogenic clay minerals are the rule when inheritance from the source area dominates either postdepositional or environmental effect; authigenic clay minerals are found where the environment dominates. Rapid sedimentation favors a dominance of allogenic clay minerals, and major depositional environmental effects are required to produce appreciable change. Some of the factors that influence clay mineral composition include source area contribution, the depositional environment, postdepositional effects after burial, permeability, and postdepositional weathering effects.


Objective: To determine the in vitro free radical scavenging property and in vivo diuretic effect of Triglize™ , a marketed polyherbal formulation in experimental models. Materials and Methods: The aqueous extract of polyherbal formulation (PHF) triglize was used for the experiment. The free radical scavenging property and antioxidant effect of PHF were studied by LPS-induced free radicals in rat macrophages cells and DPPH (2, 2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl) methods, respectively. The diuretic effect of a PHF was studied with Lipschitz model using male Wistar rats. Results: PHF significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide -induced free radicals in rat macrophages and it showed moderate antioxidant potential in DPPH model. Polyherbal formulation at 50, 200 and 400 mg/ kg significantly increased potassium excretion in urine at 0-5 h and 5-24 h. The diuretic effect of PHF was as similar as furosemide. Conclusion: The PHF has significant diuretic effect and free radical scavenging properties.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Background and objective: SN-38 is the active metabolite of irinotecan (CPT-11) and mainly responsible of hematological and intestinal toxicity after CPT-11 treatments. SN-38 is inactivated into SN-38G by uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes. Some polymorphism of these enzymes leads lower clearance (CL) of SN-38 and therefore bigger exposition and bigger risk of hematological and/or intestinal toxicity ([1][1]). Therefore, the goal of this study has been to evaluate the influence of genetic polymorphism in UGT1A1, UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 on the population pharmacokinetics of CPT-11 and its metabolites, SN-38 and SN-38G on Caucassian cancer population.

Methods: Plasma concentrations of CPT-11, SN-38 and SN-38G from 72 patients were pooled to develop a joint population pharmacokinetic model using NONMEM 7. The effect of age, sex, body surface area, total bilirubin, co-medication, tumor type, and UGT1A1, UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 genotypes on the model parameters was evaluated.

Results: The typical values (between-subject variability; %) of the irinotecan, SN-38 and SN-38G clearances were 42,9 L/h (56,4%), 1340 L/h (76,8%) and 188 L/h (70,1%), respectively. Clearance in patients with some allele (heterozygous or homozygous) associated with low enzymatic activity of UGT1A1*28 was a 35,7% lower (CI 95%: 6,7 - 64,7; p=0,003) than in wild-type patients. Additionally, linkage dissequilibrium indicates a strong interaction between functional UGT1A1, UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 polymorphisms related to the alteration of the UGT enzyme activity.

Conclusion: The impact of UGT1A1*28 genotype on the systemic exposure of SN-38 justifies its routine determination in patients receiving CPT-11 and subsequent dose adjustment.

Citation Format: Belen Valenzuela, Mario Gonzalez-Sales, Vanessa Escudero, Elena Navarro, Carlos Perez-Ruixo, Joseba Rebollo, Ramon Gonzalez-Manzano, Juan Jose Perez-Ruixo. Influence of genetic polymorphism in UGT1A1, UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 on irinotecan, SN-38 and SN-38G pharmacokinetics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2213. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2213

 [1]: #ref-1


The role of the anaerobic intestinal flora in maintaining colonization resistance was examined in a study of empiric therapy in febrile neutropenic patients who received aztreonam plus tobramycin, aztreonam plus cloxacillin, or moxalactam plus tobramycin, regimens with differential effects on the anaerobic intestinal flora. Surveillance cultures showed that all regimens eradicated fecal carriage of enteric gram-negative bacilli but that fecal acquisition of fungi occurred in 4 (27%) of 15 aztreonam/tobramycin, 6 (43%) of 14 aztreonam/cloxacillin, and 13 (81%) of 16 moxalactam/tobramycin recipients. Fungi were acquired at 11 (22%) of 49 sites in aztreonam/tobramycin, 15 (31%) of 48 sites in aztreonam/cloxacillin, and 28 (54%) of 52 sites in moxalactam/tobramycin recipients. Aztreonam/tobramycin reduced fecal anaerobe counts by less than 1 log10; aztreonam/cloxacillin, by a mean of 2.5 log10; and moxalactam/tobramycin, by 5.1 log10 colony-forming units (cfu)/g of feces by day 10 +/- 3 of therapy. Elimination of the anaerobes was reflected by a reduction in concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in fecal supernatants. Fecal specimens containing greater than or equal to 10(6) cfu of Bacteroides fragilis group organisms/g (dry weight) contained significantly higher concentrations of succinic, propionic, and isobutyric acids. Flat SCFA chromatograms were observed in 90% of fecal samples from which no anaerobes were recovered. Preservation of the anaerobic flora appears critical in the prevention of fungal acquisition in neutropenic patients.


This
article explores a technique for measuring the energy (NEL) value of
feeds without respiration calorimetry or slaughter. The objectives were to
compare results obtained from goats with those from cows, and to describe
factors which limited the precision of these NEL estimates. One
lactating Alpine doe and one lactateing Holstein cow were assigned to each of
six different sequences of three 56-d feeding treatments consisting of low,
medium, and high doses of the basal diet, rice bran, or hominy feed. This
resulted in 30 observations of the basal diet and 12 of each byproduct feed for
each species and utilized a total of 18 cows and 18 does. The NEL values of the basal diet, rice bran, and hominy feed were calculated as the sum
of milk energy, change in body energy, and estimated fasting heat production
per kilogram of feed dry matter. Milk energy was determined by bomb calorimetry
and body energy from live body weight and deuterium oxide space. The NEL (MJ/kg) determined in this manner were basal diet, 5.73 and 5.98; rice bran,
7.11 and 7.07; and hominy feed, 6.99 and 8.20 for cows and goats, respectively.


The influence of hypertonic agents on 64 isolated hypoxic cat papillary muscles was examined under isometric conditions in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution with 18 mM glucose at 29°C. Nine papillary muscles pretreated before hypoxia and eight muscles exposed to hypertonic mannitol 6 min following hypoxia demonstrated a significantly reduced decline from prehypoxia control values for developed tension and its first derivative compared to the same muscles in the control solution. There was no significant change in resting tension. This improvement in muscle performance during hypoxia was present at osmolalities of 60 mOsm above control values. The performance of papillary muscles during hypoxia was similar for hypertonic mannitol, sucrose, and urea when the muscles were exposed to the agents for 30 min before hypoxia. However, longer periods (2 hours) of exposure to hypertonic mannitol or urea before hypoxia resulted in a reduced decline in developed tension and its first derivative during hypoxia only in the case of mannitol. These studies suggest that the beneficial effect of hyperosmolar agents on muscle performance during hypoxia may not be totally dependent on blood flow changes and may be associated with changes in cell size.


This is one of several reports from the congressionally mandated national evaluation of the WtW grants program. The report presents findings from the process and implementation analysis component of the evaluation, and describes the service delivery operations of programs funded with WtW grants in eleven study sites. These findings are based on information collected through two rounds of site visits in 1999 and 2001, and management information system data maintained by the programs on participants and services. Topics covered include institutional arrangements, targeting and enrollment, service delivery models, and job placement.


3D scene based objects detection and tracking is a central problem in many intelligent transportation applications. Dynamic stereo vision is the known approach to solve this problem. It consists in detecting and tracking objects from their reconstructed features using stereo images. This paper proposes a new method for detecting and tracking objects using stereo vision with linear cameras. Edge points extracted from the stereo linear images are first matched to reconstruct points that represent the objects in the scene. To detect the objects, a clustering process based on a spectral analysis is then applied to the reconstructed points. The obtained clusters are finally tracked throughout their center of gravity using Kalman filtering and a Nearest Neighbour based data association algorithm. Experimental results using real stereo linear images are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods for obstacle detection and tracking in front of a vehicle.


This two-stage study was undertaken to assess the extent and nature of Critical Incident Stress (CIS) amongst frontline staff in a large ambulance service in Ireland. In Stage One, 63% (112/180) of participants completed a Screening Questionnaire and the GHQ-12. In Stage Two, 27 participants, who had experienced a critical incident (CI) during the previous year completed several measures to assess PTSD symptomatology, burnout, health-related Quality of Life, and dispositional optimism. Eighty-one per cent (80/94) of the Stage One group reported that their health had been affected by a CI; 42% (44/106) were identified as 'cases' on the GHQ-12. Stage Two results indicated that 12 participants had PTSD symptoms while this entire group showed moderate levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, despite experiencing high levels of personal accomplishment and optimism. The findings suggest a high prevalence of CIS among ambulance personnel in Ireland and a significant impact on overall health and wellbeing. This has important implications for the effective management of CIS and suggests an important role for occupational health and organizational psychologists in providing routine support to ambulance service staff andpossibly other emergency services personnel.


ABSTRACT Concerns over youth disengagement from conventional politics mixed with perceptions of youth aptitude for digital media have led scholars and practitioners to investigate civic Web sites as locations of potential youth learning and participation. Over the past few years, the scholarly literature on youth civic Web sites has developed a number of conceptual vocabularies for, and catalogued the nature of, the civic engagement opportunities offered by such sites. But the extant literature lacks documentation of a critically important step in this research logic: the extent to which young users actually take advantage of the opportunities to offered them. This study addresses this gap by presenting a theoretically driven investigation of specific participatory features in the youth civic Web and the quantity of user contributions they attract. Drawing from untested assumptions found in recent work, we test hypotheses concerning the impact on user activity of (a) citizenship orientations communicated by sites and (b) the organizational background of sites. We find that how sites communicate citizenship plays a significant role in determining the quantity of user participation, while the type of organization sponsoring a site makes little difference. We also document the existence of certain "superstar" sites that attract disproportionate amounts of user content. Directions for future research and methodological issues related to the coding of diverse activity on complex sites and challenges to causal inference are also discussed.


Real-time monitoring during soil compaction can be made possible by utilizing the vibration signature of a vibratory roller compactor. The compactor and soil constitute a coupled dynamic system, albeit complex and nonlinear. As the soil density increases and its mechanical properties change, the dynamic response of the compactor will change. Developing a thorough knowledge of the relationship between compactor vibration and soil properties has the potential to enable real-time monitoring of desired mechanical soil properties (e.g., resilient modulus) and subsequently intelligent compaction, wherein the forcing amplitude and vibration can be varied to optimize the compaction process. This paper presents the results of vibration monitoring during roller compaction of crushed rock (well-graded sand). Vibration monitoring revealed that drum vibration amplitude is mildly sensitive to increase in underlying material stiffness. Harmonic content, reported as total harmonic distortion, increased with greater sensitivity as the underlying soil densified and stiffened.


Poisson's equation is very important in electrostatics, mechanical engineering and theoretical physics. In this paper, a novel semi-analytical mathematical method, namely scaled boundary finite-element method (SBFEM), is applied to solve Poisson's equation with Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions in bounded domain. The SBFEM weakens the governing differential equation in the circumferential direction and solves the weakened equation analytically in the radial direction, combining the advantages of the finite-element method and the boundary-element method. Three examples are calculated to demonstrate the excellent computation accuracy and efficiency of the present SBFEM approach, revealing the great potential of the SBFEM to solve more complex engineering problems.


"Sync" is the story of a dazzling kind of order in the universe, the harmony that comes from cycles in sync. The tendency to synchronize is one of the most far-reaching drives in all of nature. It extends from people to planets and from animals to atoms. Steve Strogatz looks at human sleep rhythms, menstrual synchrony, insect swarms, superconductors, lasers, heart rhythms and codes, showing how self-organization produces our coherent world.


Background

Bacteria can respond to antibiotics in the environment by histidine kinase (HK) sensor then induce drug-resistance. In this article,antibiotic susceptibility and ESBLs genes of β-lactam-resistant E. coli interfered by I. japonica were investigated to reveal I. japonica can be HK inhibitor candidate[1].
Methods

E-test were applied to measure the MIC of E. coli to penicillin G and cefotaxime sodium according to 2017CLSI. Microplate dilution methods were applied to explore sensitivity variation of penicillin G and cefotaxime sodium of Escherichia coli, which contain only one single β-lactamase gene. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR were performed to determine the inducing effects of penicillin G and cefotaxime sodium to E. coli TEM, SHV, CTX-M and KPC single gene expression, and the interrupting effect of I. japonica extracts. Immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography and bacterial protein phosphorylation detection kit were performed to determine the change of bacterial protein phosphorylation concentration of Escherichia coli, after the induction of 1/4 penicillin G and cefotaxime sodium, and the interrupting effect of I. japonica extracts,HK inhibitor closantel was used as the positive control.
Results

1/4 MIC penicillin G or cefotaxime sodium could induce more than 10 times elevation of TEM, SHV and CTX-M mRNAs. While, I. japonica aqueous extracts (250 mg/mL) and ethanol extracts (100 µg/mL or 50 µg/mL) could decreased more than 40% of gene expression induced by antibiotics. I. japonica extracts could significantly enhance the sensitivity of β-lactam antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains to penicillin G or cefotaxime sodium, and could block the TEM, CTX-M and SHV mRNA induced by 1/4 MIC concentration antibiotics. Penicillin G and cefotaxime sodium at 1/4 MIC induced the protein phosphorylation of TEM, SHV and CTX-M promoted. Closantel (132.5 µg/mL), I. japonica aqueous extracts (250 mg/mL) and ethanol extracts (100 µg/mL) could inhibit the protein phosphorylation induced by above mentioned antibiotics.
Conclusion

 I. japonica extracts can enhance the sensitivity of β-lactam antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli. The mechanism may be that I. japonica extracts can be used as the inhibitor of HK phosphorylation, inhibit the transmission of antibiotic signal in TCSS, and reduce the expression of ESBLs gene.


We put forth the concept of hyper BL-algebras which is a generalization of BL-algebras. We give some non-trivial examples and properties of hyper BL-algebras. Moreover, we introduce weak filters and weak deductive systems of hyper BL-algebras and study the relationships between them. Then we state and prove some theorems about weak filters and weak deductive systems. In particular, we define the concept of regular compatible congruence on hyper BL-algebras and construct the quotient structure in hyper BL-algebras. Finally, we discuss the conditions in which a quotient hyper BL-algebra is an MV-algebra.


: Pressures exerted on the soil ecosystem due to its exposure to Zn evoke a real and aggravating effect on the quality of life. Greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of mineral amendments (zeolite and bentonite) on selected physico-chemical properties of soil, L. perenne growth, Zn accumulation in plant and soil. The contents of Zn in the plants and soil were determined using the method of spectrophotometry. Zn contents in the tested parts of L. perenne differed significantly in the case of applying amendments to the soil, as well as increasing concentrations of Zn. The greatest average above-ground biomass was observed when zeolite were amended into the soil. Bentonite also caused significant increases in Zn concentrations in the roots. Bentonite and zeolite were shown to be the most effective and decreased the average Zn contents in soil.


Should society have the right to freely available clean air and water, or should people be required to pay for these as commodities just as they do for many other goods or services that they consume? With this question and further questions on environmental governance in mind, we reviewed the paradigm shift in natural resource management from the polluter pays principle (PPP), which focuses on polluters and enforcement of thresholds, to the principle of payments for ecosystem services (PES), which emphasizes provider-based economic approaches. Given that there are conflicts of interest over natural resources and ecosystem services (ESs), these conflicts could be resolved through rights and/or cost assignments via third-party intervention, i.e., by the "state," or through private compensation beyond initial regulation and state-initiated assignments of cost. Our analysis includes an in-depth literature review and a description of existing policies on ESs. We also examine the so-called Coase theorem based on a "neutral" situation where no rights or costs are distributed in advance. This theorem provides room for the PPP approaches and the provider-gets approaches. Both of these approaches should ensure, given certain assumptions, an economically efficient allocation of resources; however, they still ignore two indispensable issues, namely, the ecologically sustainable scale and inherent qualities of ecosystems and the distributional effects. With regard to the relationship between these two sets of approaches and their respective relationship to the legal framework, PES programs can evolve instead of PPP where no regulations are in place, existing regulations are deemed to be insufficiently formulated, or regulations are not enforced at all. We also further address some critical issues that can arise when PES programs evolve instead of PPP in practice, such as the general necessity of PES to coexist with basic rights and legal obligations, inappropriate lexicographic claims from providers of ESs, alongside claims for potential damages and the relationship of PES with the intrinsic motivation of service providers. Critically, insufficient attention has been paid to the fact that by replacing the earlier PPP doctrine with the "provider-gets" principle, rights are redistributed from the public to the service provider with important distributional implications for society. Therefore, the replacement of PPP with PES includes obstacles as well as opportunities, in particular for the relationship between rich and poor, and developing and developed countries.


In the Bitcoin system, participants are rewarded for solving cryptographic puzzles. In order to receive more consistent rewards over time, some participants organize mining pools and split the rewards from the pool in proportion to each participant's contribution. However, several attacks threaten the ability to participate in pools. The block withholding (BWH) attack makes the pool reward system unfair by letting malicious participants receive unearned wages while only pretending to contribute work. When two pools launch BWH attacks against each other, they encounter the miner's dilemma: in a Nash equilibrium, the revenue of both pools is diminished. In another attack called selfish mining, an attacker can unfairly earn extra rewards by deliberately generating forks. In this paper, we propose a novel attack called a fork after withholding (FAW) attack. FAW is not just another attack. The reward for an FAW attacker is always equal to or greater than that for a BWH attacker, and it is usable up to four times more often per pool than in BWH attack. When considering multiple pools --- the current state of the Bitcoin network -- the extra reward for an FAW attack is about 56% more than that for a BWH attack. Furthermore, when two pools execute FAW attacks on each other, the miner's dilemma may not hold: under certain circumstances, the larger pool can consistently win. More importantly, an FAW attack, while using intentional forks, does not suffer from practicality issues, unlike selfish mining. We also discuss partial countermeasures against the FAW attack, but finding a cheap and efficient countermeasure remains an open problem. As a result, we expect to see FAW attacks among mining pools.


ABSTRACT The contributions of volunteers in special libraries have not been well-documented or researched. However, anecdotal evidence shows that volunteers have played a key role in the formation of many special libraries and continue to lend their skills and knowledge to these libraries. This column explores examples from the literature and gives a brief case study on the various ways philatelic libraries use volunteers. The scope of the column includes traditional unpaid volunteers, remote volunteers, crowdsourcing, internships, job training programs, and other voluntary or nontraditional work. Volunteer labor is far from free in terms of cost to the organization, but can provide benefits beyond simply unpaid labor including subject expertise, special skills, and community building. Special libraries looking to begin or expand volunteer programs are advised to study the lessons learned from other types of libraries and organizations with successful volunteer programs. Successfully managing volunteers requires careful planning and coordination just as managing paid staff does.


Background: Cholangiocarcinoma is the second most frequent primary malignant tumor of the liver, accounting for 10-15% of all primary liver cancers. Cholangiocarcinoma grows at the expense of epithelial cells that line intra- and extra-hepatic bile ducts. The adaptor protein EBP50 (Ezrin-radixin-moesin Binding Phosphoprotein 50) binds and regulates transmembrane transporters and receptors including Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). EBP50 and EGFR are both expressed in the normal biliary epithelium. While EGFR participates in biliary carcinogenesis, implication of EBP50 in this cancer is unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the potential links between EBP50 and EGFR in human biliary carcinoma. Methods: In vitro studies were performed in the human biliary epithelial cell line, Mz-ChA-1, that retains epithelial phenotype and endogenous expression of EBP50 and EGFR. The role of EBP50 was examined using siRNA. Cell scattering and migration were evaluated using E-cadherin immunostaining and Boyden chamber, respectively. For in vivo study, 112 patients (mean age: 59.5±11 years, 55 females and 57 males) who underwent surgical resection for hilar (n=53) and peripheral (n=59) cholangiocarcinoma in one single institution were analyzed retrospectively. Immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays was performed to assess EBP50 and EGFR expression. Results: EGF activates EGFR and the three main signaling pathways, ERK1/2, STAT3 and Akt, in Mz-ChA-1 biliary cancer cells. Inhibition of EBP50 in EGF-treated cells increases and maintains activation of EGFR, and of ERK1/2 and STAT3 but not Akt. Enhanced EGFR activation in response to EBP50 depletion confers sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, gefitinib. Functionally, upon EGF, EGFR drives cell scattering by inducing disruption of adherens junctions. In addition, EGF activates formation of lamellipodia structures and therefore cell migration. Interestingly, inhibition of EBP50 in non EGF-stimulated cell has the same effects on cell scattering and migration as those observed with EGF alone. Cell dispersion due to EBP50 inhibition is abolished in the presence of gefitinib. Moreover, impact on cell scattering and migration is even greater when both EGF addition and EBP50 siRNA are combined. In vivo, delocalization of EBP50 normally expressed beneath the apical membrane is associated with EGFR expression in human biliary carcinoma tissues (p=0.002). Conclusion: These data provide evidence for an essential role of EBP50 in repressing EGFR-induced signaling pathway and migration. EBP50 at the membrane may be critical to confine cancer progression by preventing migration of biliary cancer cells. Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5205.


Scholars and philosophers often turn to metaphors when discussing translation. While metaphors serve as tools to define the complex nature of this process, they can also offer unexpected insights into a specific cultural epoch, revealing implicit ideological biases and covert assumptions. In this article, I explore the use of metaphors in the programmatic statements of the Soviet Literary Translation School, as well as in several poems from the 1930s–1960s devoted to translation. The article outlines the dominant thematic groups of metaphors in connection with the ideological context, and compares them with more personal responses by several poet-translators, including Arsenii Tarkovskii, Boris Slutskii, and Vera Zviagintseva. The analysis suggests that while Soviet critical discourse on translation reflected the underlying ideological assumptions (such as the reception of the cultural "other," or the views on creativity and artistic norms), the use of metaphors allowed poets and scholars to express conflicting opinions and voice artistic dissent.


In this paper, a joint power allocation algorithm with minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver for a cooperative Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) network which employs multiple relays and a Decode-and-Forward (DF) strategy is proposed. A Distributed Space-Time Coding (DSTC) scheme is applied in each relay node. We present a joint constrained optimization algorithm to determine the power allocation parameters and the MMSE receive filter parameter vectors for each transmitted symbol in each link, as well as the channel coefficients matrix. A Stochastic Gradient (SG) algorithm is derived for the calculation of the joint optimization in order to release the receiver from the massive calculation complexity for the MMSE receive filter and power allocation parameters. The simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm obtains gains compared to the equal power allocation system.


Prostate cancer is a malignancy in urology with the highest incidence metastasize to the bone up to 70%. The incidence of skeletal related event (SRE) by 46.1% such as severe pain, pathologic fractures, spinal compression syndrome and hypercalcemia, with a consequence of higher inpatient care and worsen the patient's prognosis. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as a metastatic prostate cancer treatment itself causes an osteopenia or osteoporosis. Bisphosphonate inhibits normal and pathologic osteoclast-mediated bone resorption by several mechanisms. Denosumab is the latest treatment option in bone metastases. Multi-study shows the efficacy of denosumab is better than zoledronic acid for SRE prevention. Adverse events between denosumab and bisphosphonate are comparable.


A man in his early 30s presented with right-sided preauricular swelling and facial oedema. He had a history of acid injury to his right ear as a child resulting in pinna deformity and subsequent blind sac closure of the external auditory canal. Imaging showed abnormal ear anatomy and abnormal density of the right parotid gland. Antibiotic therapy prevented progression but did not resolve the symptoms. Therefore, the infected area was surgically drained. This showed an underlying cholesteatoma, a benign but locally destructive condition where keratinising squamous epithelium grows in the middle ear and mastoid. The infected region was drained and the cholesteatoma was excised. This led to full resolution of the infection. The patient is awaiting a follow-up diffusion-weighted MRI. This case was unusual as the disease had extended beyond the ear and we therefore wish to alert clinicians to cholesteatoma as a possible cause of facial swelling.


1. Avant-Garde and the neo-avant-garde: from the pursuit of the primordial to the nihilism of narcissism 1A. The idealisation of the avant-garde artist as transmuter of value 1B. Fame, fortune, publicity, paratism: The narcissistic illusions of the neo-avant-garde artist 2. Preliminary therapeutic attitude: the provocative object as a path to primordiality (Picasso and Duchamp) 3. The geometrical cure: art as a matter of principle (Mondrian and Malevich) 4. The expressive cure: art as the recovery of primal emotion (Expressionism and Surrealism) 5. Fame as the cure-all, or the charisma of cynicism: Andy Warhol 6. Enchanting the disenchanted, or the artist's last stand: Joseph Beuys 7. The decadence or cloning of the avant-garde: appropriating art Notes Index.


This paper presents original data records of linear accelerations and angular velocities of six points of a racing bicycle collected during a 'genuine' hands-on shimmy. The records, together with GPS, forward speed data, and action cam videos are thoroughly analysed to understand the actual motion of the bicycle and its parts, at lower (weave) and higher (wobble or shimmy) frequencies. The main goal is to assess how and to what extent each part, and what compliances, are involved in the shimmy mechanism. In particular, the motions of the front and rear frames, and thus of the whole bicycle, during shimmy are carefully rebuilt. At higher frequencies, the rear frame rotates rigidly about an axis parallel to the yaw axis, while it undergoes a relative torsion between the head tube and the dropouts in the longitudinal (roll) direction. Likewise, the front frame rotates rigidly about the steering axis (in the entire frequency range), while it bends laterally consistently with the rear frame torsion. Although the overall motion is very complex, these results validate and extend models, conjectures, and theoretical results of the scientific literature about shimmy.


INTRODUCTION: Anxiety and stress are everyday issues for a large proportion of individuals with AS. This population is considered particularly vulnerable both as children and as adults and research suggests that these experiences may be qualitatively different from the general population. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is considered the treatment of choice for the management of anxiety and there is extensive research discussing how it can be modified and adapted to meet the needs of individuals on the autistic spectrum. However, certain challenges remain for many attempting to work in this way (i.e. limited access, autobiographical memory difficulties, limited generalisation skills). Despite suggestions for novel and exploratory interventions for these individuals, research has rarely gone beyond conventional individual or group CBT settings in order to accommodate the characteristics of this population. OBJECTIVES: Computerised interventions offer the opportunity to capture real-life experiences on a moment to moment basis. Using momentary assessment techniques, this pilot study aimed to further explore the phenomenology of everyday anxiety and stress in adults with AS and explore the feasibility of using a hand-held computer (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA) to deliver a stress-management intervention in real-time. METHOD: The current study used Experience Sampling Methodology delivered via PDAs to capture everyday experiences in nine adults with AS (i.e. baseline) and to deliver directive real-time stress management techniques in situ (i.e. intervention). RESULTS: The findings revealed high levels of anxiety in adults with AS. Anxiety was characterised by worrying, and confusing thoughts and spending time on their own, although this differed from baseline to intervention. Anxiety was not associated with internally-focused thinking, image-based thoughts, or prolonged thinking. Individuals reported improved mood, less worrying and anxious thoughts during the intervention phase. There was no significant decrease in subjective anxiety ratings from day-to-day, although there was a decrease between phases and between subjective ratings provided before and after a technique was employed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the literature suggesting that individuals with AS may differ in their experience of anxiety. Furthermore, this study provided preliminary data for the feasibility of implementing an intervention in this way. Despite the limitations of the PDA platform, findings from this study and feedback from participants provide a basis for future modifications to be made. Mobile devices (e.g., PDAs, mobile phones) offer the possibility of a more didactic intervention for anxiety within this population. High levels of anxiety and the paucity of research into treatment for adults in particular speaks to the need for more appropriate and adaptive interventions.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate and analyze the complications of penile augmentation with acellular dermal matrix (ADM) and following management.

METHODS
This was a retrospective review of all patients who received penile augmentation with ADM between June 2016 and January 2019. The patients were evaluated with outpatient physical examination. Related complications and following management were summarized and analyzed.

RESULTS
Between June 2016 and January 2019, ADM was used as filling material on 78 patients (mean age: 31.14 years, range: 21-66 years), who were successfully received penile augmentation surgery. In the follow-up three months, the penile circumference was increased by 1.1 cm (0.5-2.1 cm) on average. The mean follow-up time was 12.20 months. In this study, there were 47 (60.26%, 47/78) patients with erectile discomfort, 91.49% (43/47) of whom manifested as erectile traction. There were 12 (15.38%, 12/78) patients with delayed healing, improved by daily regular dressing change. There were 10 (12.82%, 10/78) patients with unobvious augmentation effect. There were 9 (11.54%, 9/78) patients with stamp-like changes of ADM. There were 8 (10.26%, 8/78) patients with wound hematoma and 7 (8.97%, 7/78) patients with foreskin edema, relieved by compression with wrap. There were 4 (5.13%, 4/78) patients with wound infection and 3 (3.85%, 3/78) patients with skin necrosis of the dorsal side, which could be treated with ADM removal and repair surgery with bipedicle scrotal flap. And there were 2 (2.56%, 2/78) patients suffering psychological influence. Finally, most patients with various complications recovered successfully, however 7 patients (8.97%, 7/78) underwent ADM removal surgery.

CONCLUSION
Using ADM as filling material could achieve positive effect in penile augmentation but the complications are common and cannot be neglected. Standardized surgical methods, rigorous postoperative care, and adequate notification with patients can effectively reduce the complications of penile augmentation with ADM. To treat properly and timely for complications can obtain satisfactory results.


Objectives: We performed a comparative study of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) and open radical nephrectomy (ORN) for renal cell carcinoma, and a comparative study of transperitoneal (LRN-TP) versus retroperitoneal LRN (LRN-RP) for renal cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients underwent radical nephrectomy for stage T1 and T2 disease. Of the 100 cases, 34 (34.0%) were treated with LRN-TP, 33 (33.0%) with LRN-RP, and 33 (33.0%) with ORN. Each group was reviewed with respect to complications, postoperative convalescence, and the relationship between body mass index and operative time. Results: Mean operative times of LRN-TP, LRN-RP and ORN were 305.7, 296.2, and 218.1 min, and mean blood losses were 236.3, 101.7, and 690.5 ml, respectively. Body mass index and mean operative time exhibited equilateral correlation in the three groups. In one case (1.5%) of LRN (67 cases), conversion to open surgery was necessary due to bleeding, and LRN-TP was performed. In one case (1.5%), intraoperative complications occurred but could be managed laparoscopically. Three cases (9.1%) of ORN required blood transfusion. Conclusions: LRN results in less blood loss, less postoperative pain, quicker oral intake, shorter hospitalization, and a more rapid recovery than ORN, although LRN requires longer operative time than ORN.


Safe motherhood will require a multi-faceted strategy of improving girls education and employment opportunities providing primary and reproductive health care for women taking a high risk approach with referral for all at-risk pregnant women and including maternal mortality as part of the quality of life index. The World Health Organization in 1986 reported that 99% of maternal mortality occurred in developing countries: 640 per 100000 live births in Africa 420/100000 in Asia 270/100000 in Latin America 100/100000 in Oceania 450/100000 in developing countries on average and 30/100000 in developed countries. The chances of maternal death ranges in the extremes from 1/9850 in northern Europe to 1/21 in Africa. In India the chance of maternal mortality was estimated at 1/18; the surviving also might suffer from perineal tears genital infections uterovaginal prolapse and vesico-vaginal fistula. Direct obstetric causes include those directly related to pregnancy labor and the postpartum period. Indirect causes include those resulting from previous existing diseases that were aggravated by the pregnancy. 75% of maternal mortality was caused by hemorrhage obstructed labor infection eclampsia and abortion. Proper handling could prevent maternal mortality in an estimated 63-80% of direct causes and 88-98% of all causes. Risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage include multiparity age over 35 years with stretched uterus and slight episodes of bleeding. Treatment must be immediate and sustained with oxytocic drugs and plasma expanders; the means of referral to an equipped facility must be available to women with hemorrhage. Risk factors for obstructed labor include very young age height below 145 cms previous prolonged labor or stillbirth and previous cesarean abnormal presentation or labor progression. Delivery for these women must be in a facility offering trained doctors and well-equipped operating rooms. Prevention of infection is possible with pre-sterilized delivery kits antibiotics in kits or within facilities cleanliness of hands and delivery areas and maternal tetanus immunization. Identification of edema in pregnancy would prevent eclampsia. Abortion complications could be prevented with safe and early practices and womens control over fertility.


The aim of this article is to assess the mental health status of inmates and people in custody in the state of Rio de Janeiro and the association between mental health and imprisonment using the Beck Depression Inventory and the Lipp Stress Symptom Inventory for Adults. Sample: 1,573 individuals, via stratified sampling with probability proportional to size. Study population: more than half have up to 29 years old; 70.6% were black/brown; 77.4% had strong family ties; 42.9% had been incarcerated for under a year; and 22,9% performed work tasks in prison. Stress: 35.8% of men and 57.9% of women. Factors associated with stress among men: length of time in prison and family ties. Male prisoners who had been in prison for between 1 and 9 years are 0.55 times less likely to experience stress symptoms than those who had been in prison for less than a year; those with regular/weak family ties are more likely to experience stress than those with strong ties. Women with only regular/weak family ties are more likely to experience stress; work tasks performed in prison was a protective factor. Depression: 7.5% of women and 6.3% of men. Among men, practicing a religion, maintaining strong family ties, and performing prison work tasks are protective factors. Among women, an association was found between depression and family ties.


This study compares lethal and sublethal responses of Daphnia magna Straus exposed to fenvalerate continuously (21 d) and as a pulse (24 h). Survival was reduced more severely in the continuous‐ than in the pulse‐exposure regime. Complete mortality occurred at 1 μg/L for continuous exposure and at 3.2 μg/L for pulse exposure. Regarding reproductive endpoints, fenvalerate delayed the age at first reproduction. At the beginning of the reproductive phase (day 10), this delay resulted in a reduction of the neonates per living female at similar concentrations in both exposure regimes (0.3 and 0.1 μg/L for continuous and pulse exposure, respectively). The population growth rate was inhibited in continuous and pulse exposure at 0.3 and 0.6 μg/L, respectively. However, the effects of fenvalerate in the pulse exposure were transient. After 21 d, a recovery to values close to the controls occurred with respect to the total neonates per female and the population growth rate over a broad range of concentrations from 0.1 up to 1 μg/L. In contrast, no substantial recovery occurred in the continuous‐exposure regime.


Background: is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, which has negative effects on cardiac revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: This study focused on the role of autophagic flux in regulating susceptibility of STZ-induced diabetic heart to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. We established STZ-induced diabetes mice and perform I/R process by coronary artery ligation, and neonatal mice cardiomyocytes culture subjected to high glucose and hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R). Results: Diabetic heart was more sensitive to I/R injury. Autophagic flux, represented by TEM, relative LC3Ⅱ changes under CQ intervention and P62 expression, was impaired in diabetic hearts and deteriorated during subsequent I/R. Calpains were activated in diabetic I/R heart, and the inhibition of calpains partially rescued autophagic flux, cardiac function, and cell death. The expression of autophagic flux related proteins Atg5 and LAMP2 decreased significantly in diabetic I/R heart. Further studies suggested that calpain could cleave Atg5 and LAMP2, and generate cleaved fragments, which might be reversed by calpain inhibition. Inhibition of calpain,or in company with overexpression of Atg5 and LAMP2 , could reduce myocardial injury in diabetic heart subject to I/R. But overexpression of Atg5 alone could worsen the I/R injury. Conclusion: In conclusion, calpain-mediated cleavage of Atg5 and LAMP2 accounts for the impaired autophagic flux which increases the susceptibility to myocardial I/R injury in experimental diabetic mice.