In this work, we consider the problem of matrix sensing over graphs (MSoG). As a general case of matrix completion and matrix sensing problems, the MSoG problem has not been analyzed in the literature and the existing results cannot be directly applied to the MSoG problem. This work provides the first theoretical results on the optimization landscape of the MSoG problem. More specifically, we propose a new condition, named the Ω -RIP condition, to characterize the optimization complexity of the problem. In addition, with an improved regularizer of the incoherence, we prove that the strict saddle property holds for the MSoG problem with high probability under the incoherence condition and the Ω -RIP condition, which guarantees the polynomial-time global convergence of saddle-avoiding methods. Compared with state-of-the-art results, the bounds in this work are tight up to a constant. Besides the theoretical guarantees, we numerically illustrate the close relation between the Ω -RIP condition and the optimization complexity.


Background:There are multiple prognostic markers used to risk stratify pts with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) including the MCL International Prognostic Index (MIPI) which divides newly diagnosed patients into three groups based on available clinical and laboratory data.Complex karyotype (CK) defined as equal to or greater than 3 chromosomal abnormalities has also been associated with inferior outcomes in MCL although its association with MIPI is lesswell-described. We conducted a multicenter analysis of MCL pts to assess the relative contributions of MIPI, CK and Ki67 as predictors of progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Methods:Untreated pts atleast18 years of age with MCL from 5 academic centers diagnosed between 1993 and 2015 who had available data describing MIPI, Ki67, and cytogenetics were included. Patients with 3 or more chromosomal abnormalities were defined as having CK. High Ki67 was defined as immunohistochemistry staining >30%. We described the associations between MIPI risk group, CK, Ki67, and other clinical factors of interest as predictors of PFS and OS in univariate and multivariable models. Results:Of 92 eligible MCL patients, 30 (32.6%) had low-risk, 36 pts (39.1%) had intermediate-risk, and 26 pts (28.3%) had high-risk MIPI scores. Ki67 index was >30% in 44.6% of patients, and 17.4% had CK. Neither Ki67 > 30% (p=0.548) norpresence of CK (p=0.409) wereassociated with MIPI risk category. In the low-risk MIPI subgroup, 37% of patients had Ki67 > 30% and 10% had CK. Induction regimens included: R-HyperCVAD (n=15), R-CHOP/R-DHAP (n=7), Nordic regimen (n=13), R-CHOP (n=10), B-R (n=19), and others (n=28). Thirty-two patients (39%) had an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in first remission. Median PFS for the entire cohort was 3.8 years, and median OS has not yet been reached. Median PFS for was 2.2 years, 2.5 years, and 7.9 years for patients with high-, intermediate-, and low- risk MIPI scores, respectively, at diagnosis. Median PFS was 2.4 years for patients with Ki67 > 30% and 7.9 years for patients with Ki67 30% (p=0.002) were all associated with inferior PFS in a univariable analyses (See Figure). In a multivariable analysis (See Table) Ki67 >30% (HR=3.66, p Conclusions:Our findings suggest that Ki67> 30% and CK are independently associated with inferior outcomes in MCL. In this analysis, MIPI risk score was not independently associated with PFS or OS when considering these additional prognostic markers, which needs to be confirmed in other retrospective and prospective cohort studies. Our high-risk MIPI patients, in general, have an improved outcome compared to prior reports. (Hoster2008, 2014;Lex2014), suggesting that alternative markers may play an important role in MCL risk-assessment. Efforts to incorporate additional patients and develop a new prognostic model in MCL are underway. Disclosures Danilov:Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; GIlead Sciences: Research Funding; ImmunoGen: Consultancy; Dava Oncology: Honoraria; Prime Oncology: Honoraria. Hamadani:Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Flowers:TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Infinity: Research Funding; Millenium/Takeda: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic: Research Funding; NIH: Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics, LLC, an AbbVie Company: Research Funding; ECOG: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Acerta: Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding. Cohen:Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Infinity: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millennium/Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding.


BACKGROUND
Residual shunt is observed in up to 25% of patients after patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure, but its long-term influence on stroke recurrence currently is unknown.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of residual shunt after PFO closure with the incidence of recurrent stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA).

DESIGN
Prospective cohort study comparing stroke or TIA recurrence in patients with and without residual shunt after PFO closure.

SETTING
Single hospital center.

PARTICIPANTS
1078 consecutive patients (mean age, 49.3 years) with PFO-attributable cryptogenic stroke who were undergoing percutaneous PFO closure were followed for up to 11 years.

MEASUREMENTS
Residual shunt was evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography with saline contrast. Primary outcome was a composite of the first recurrent ischemic stroke or TIA after PFO closure.

RESULTS
Compared with complete closure, the presence of residual shunt after PFO closure was associated with an increased incidence of recurrent stroke or TIA: 2.32 versus 0.75 events per 100 patient-years (hazard ratio [HR], 3.05 [95% CI, 1.65 to 5.62]; P < 0.001). This result remained robust after adjustment for important covariates, namely age; study period; device; presence of atrial septal aneurysm, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypercoagulability, or hypermobile septum; and medication use (HR, 3.01 [CI, 1.59 to 5.69]; P < 0.001). Further stratification based on shunt size revealed that moderate or large residual shunts were associated with a higher risk for stroke or TIA recurrence (HR, 4.50 [CI, 2.20 to 9.20]; P < 0.001); the result for small residual shunts was indeterminate (HR, 2.02 [CI, 0.87 to 4.69]; P = 0.102).

LIMITATION
Nonrandomized study with potential unmeasured confounding.

CONCLUSION
Among patients undergoing PFO closure to prevent future stroke, the presence of residual shunt, particularly a moderate or large residual shunt, was associated with an increased risk for stroke or TIA recurrence.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE
National Institutes of Health.


In this paper, we present a four-step ortho-rectification procedure for real-time geo-referencing of video data from a low-cost UAV equipped with a multi-sensor system. The basic procedures for the real-time ortho-rectification are: (1) decompilation of the video stream into individual frames; (2) establishing the interior camera orientation parameters; (3) determining the relative orientation parameters for each video frame with respect to each other; (4) finding the absolute orientation parameters, using a self-calibration bundle and adjustment with the aid of a mathematical model. Each ortho-rectified video frame is then mosaicked together to produce a mosaic image of the test area, which is then merged with a well referenced existing digital map for the purpose of geo-referencing and aerial surveillance. A test field located in Abuja, Nigeria was used to evaluate our method. Video and telemetry data were collected for about fifteen minutes, and they were processed using the four-step ortho-rectification procedure. The results demonstrated that the geometric measurement of the control field from ortho-images is more accurate when compared with those from original perspective images when used to pin point the exact location of targets on the video imagery acquired by the UAV. The 2-D planimetric accuracy when compared with the 6 control points measured by a GPS receiver is between 3 to 5 metres.


Bone is the primary site where some cancers develop secondary growth, particularly those derived from breast and prostate tissue. The spread of metastasis to distant sites relies on complex mechanisms by which only cells endowed with certain characteristics are able to reach secondary growth sites. Platelets play a pivotal role in tumour growth, by conferring resistance to shear stress to the circulating tumour cells and protection against natural killer cell attack. Mature polyploid megakaryocytes (MKs) reside in close proximity to the vascular sinusoids of bone marrow, where their primary function is to produce platelets. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that MKs are essential for skeletal homeostasis, due to the expression and production of the bone-related proteins osteocalcin, osteonectin, bone morphogenetic protein, osteopontin, bone sialoprotein, and osteoprotegerin. Debate surrounds the role that MKs play in the development of bone metastasis, which is the topic of this mini-review.


1. Four-week-old male and female rats were given choline-deficient diets for 2 weeks. Deficient animals gained nearly as much weight as normal controls of the same sex. 2. The amounts of triglyceride and esterified cholesterol in liver lipids were increased threefold or more by the deficiency. The amounts of the major phosphatides and of unesterified cholesterol were unaffected. 3. In males, deficiency significantly increased the proportion of stearic acid in triglycerides, and, in females, the proportion of arachidonic acid was significantly decreased. 4. In the phospholipids of male rats, choline deficiency produced decreases in the amounts of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid and increased the amount of stearic acid. In the phospholipids of female rats, choline deficiency decreased the amount of arachidonic acid and increased that of linoleic acid. 5. The liver phospholipids of normal male rats had higher proportions of palmitic acid and lower proportions of stearic acid than were found in normal females. These sex differences became statistically insignificant in deficient animals.


This study focuses on what the limits of "normal" and "new normal" life are, which are frequently emphasized during the Covid-19 process. Considering the change caused by the epidemic period in daily life, what is normal and what is not in social life has been questioned. As it is known, "normal" is a concept that is determined in social life and can change. Therefore, revealing the difference between "normal" and "new normal" life takes place depending on the views of experiences. In order to understand the change between "normal" and "new normal" in the epidemic process, this quantitative research, which obtained data by applying the survey technique, was conducted between May 25, 2020 and June 1, 2020. The continuation of the epidemic during the research process caused the research to be carried out on the internet. The sample group of this study consisted of 527 people residing in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Trabzon provinces chosen by simple random sampling method. As a result of the findings of the study, it was observed that the participants in the study evaluated their behaviors in the pre-epidemic period as "normal" epidemic process that is, they evaluated the "new normal" life as abnormal.


This is the proceedings of the XXXI Latin-American School of Physics. The focus is on New Perspectives on Quantum Mechanics. During three weeks of the School, lectures from leading physicists aimed to present a general overview of the current state-of-the-art of quantum physics, both from a theoretical and an experimental perspective. The contributions of the first part deal with quantum optics, modern techniques for atom cooling by means of lasers, atomic and ion traps, the manipulation of atoms in microcavities, and Bose-Einstein condensation. The emphasis was on experimental techniques related to fundamental phenomena predicted by quantum mechanics. In the second part, we find new theoretical methods for the study of quantum mechanics, tomographic methods, and alternative interpretations of quantum mechanics. The final part is a collection of topics of quantum mechanics: mesoscopic systems, several mathematical techniques, and quantum chaos.


Many exfoliation strategies have been developed to prepare 2-D sheet materials from single crystals. However, most of the published research has used micro-scale crystals. The transformation of bulk crystals to micro- or nano-scale structures has rarely been achieved by chemical etching. We report here the preparation of a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-grafted titanium-oxo-cluster (TiO–TTF) that can be easily exfoliated at a millimeter scale. This is the first example of a titanium-oxo-cluster successfully combined with a TTF moiety. In an oxygen atmosphere, the red crystal of the TiO–TTF cluster changes to a black 'crystal' composed of regularly arranged floorboard-like micro-plates. The exfoliation properties of the material are a result of the easy oxidation of the TTF group and the catalytic properties of the TiO cluster. The TTF moiety in the cluster is not only an oxidation center, but also adds new photoelectroactive properties to the TiO material. An enhanced photocurrent response was observed for the TiO–TTF and TiO–TTF(+) materials.


A 750-year fire history was reconstructed for the Central Plateau of Yellowstone National Park from the deep-water sediments of five lakes. The charcoal record from a large lake provided a chronology of regional fires. Data from four small lakes were used to study local and extralocal fires. The co-occurrence of abundant charcoal and high magnetic-susceptibility values at the same stratigraphic level was used as evidence of a local catchment fire, and a charcoal peak without high magnetic susceptibility was ascribed to an extralocal fire or a local fire without a related erosion event. The fire history was compared with the dendrochronologic fire record for the last 450 years, and the close agreement provided the justification to extend the chronology back in time. Large areas of the region burned in AD 1988, c. 1700, c. 1560, and c. 1440. From c. 1220 to 1440 and c. 1700 to 1987, intermediate to small areas burned. The near-absence of fires in the twentieth century prior to the large fires of 1988 is evident in the charcoal record.


The systematic analysis and precise manipulation of a variety of biomolecules should lead to unprecedented findings in fundamental biology. However, conventional technology cannot meet the current requirements. Despite this, there has been progress as DNA nanotechnology has evolved to generate DNA nanostructures and circuits over the past four decades. Many potential applications of DNA nanotechnology for live cell measurements have begun to emerge owing to the biocompatibility, nanometer addressability, and stimulus responsiveness of DNA. In this review, the DNA nanotechnology-empowered live cell measurements which are currently available are summarized. The stability of the DNA nanostructures, in a cellular microenvironment, which is crucial for accomplishing precise live cell measurements, is first summarized. Thereafter, measurements in the extracellular and intracellular microenvironment, in live cells, are introduced. Finally, the challenges that are innate to, and the further developments that are possible in this nascent field are discussed.


Zimbabwe's agro-based economy is dominated by the country's majority population who live in rural areas and practice smallholder agriculture. While ameliorating the condition of the participant households, current practices of smallholder agriculture have caused challenges to the governance of land, water and forest resources. Massive deforestation has proceeded at an alarmingly high level, in a way that has threatened the long-term viability of smallholder agriculture and the sustainability of natural forest resources. So, smallholder agriculture has driven forest landscape changes that pose inherent environmental challenges including climate change. This chapter blends institutional and landscape approaches to explain how the integration of agroforestry, as a livelihood strategy, can be a tool for climate change resilience and mitigation in Zimbabwe. Drawing on documentary evidence, the chapter concludes that alternative institutional and livelihood initiatives anchored on agroforestry can transform smallholder agriculture and lead to climate change resilience and mitigation.


Abstract : From November 2002 to March 2003 U.N. inspectors combed Iraq looking for weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Under the threat of war from the United States and a unanimous Security Council resolution (1441), Iraq was granted a final chance to disarm. Many had low expectations for successful inspections. After 16 weeks, inspectors turned up some evidence of undeclared activities, but not enough to convince a majority of the Security Council members that military force was necessary. Nonetheless, on March 19, U.S. and British forces attacked Iraq to forcibly eliminate its WMD. This report, which will be updated as events warrant, analyzes the inspections, their outcome, and possible future tasks. The U.N. Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted over 750 inspections at 550 sites. These inspections seemed to benefit from strengthened authorities under the new U.N. resolution, new technologies, abetter relationship between UNMOVIC and the IAEA, and pressure from the threat of military strikes. Nonetheless, most observers agree that Iraqi compliance was superficial and oriented to facilitating the process of inspections, rather than on providing cooperation in substantive mailers. In addition, new practical, technical, and political challenges arose. There were allegations that not all actionable intelligence was shared with inspectors and that the threat of war increased pressure on inspectors to produce some definitive knowledge and helped politicize their investigations. Many alleged that Iraq might have hidden weapons activities in more dual-use facilities over the last four years, thus complicating inspections. Ultimately, judging Iraq's compliance may have relied less on thresholds of evidence, than on assumptions about the effectiveness and utility of inspections at this point in time.


The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) has been reported to eat vegetation, fruit, invertebrates, and occasionally fungi, eggs and meat. The relative preference between food types found in the wild, however, has not been investigated systematically in a controlled laboratory study. This research investigated captive possums' food choice using two different methods of preference assessment. The first experiment involved a single stimulus assessment of possums' (n = 20) consumption of individually presented food items. More than 75% of possums consumed berries, locusts and mushrooms but fewer than 50% of possums consumed fivefinger, raw chicken and eggs. The second experiment that used a paired stimulus assessment to establish relative preference for those foods revealed that no single food was preferred by all possums. Overall locusts were the most preferred food, followed in order of preference by berries, egg, mushrooms, chicken and foliage. The single stimulus preference assessment confirmed the palatability of foods. The paired stimulus assessment provided a rank order of food preferences. //


In the 1990s, the film industry in China decentralized with the bankruptcy of the state-owned studio system. Privatized independent film companies took over where the government had left off and a more independent film culture emerged. Although obstacles such as political censorship, financial pressures, and Hollywood infiltration were still in the way for Chinese filmmakers, privatization of the film industry was under way. As a result of this process, new film productions of controversial subject matter came into being. In 1998 one of China's first independent film production companies—Dream Factory—was founded. Dream Factory's first production, in association with Berlin-based German producer Philippe Bober, was the Suzhou River, directed by its founder Lou Ye . 1 The 2000 film, though winning prizes at international film festivals such as the Rotterdam Film Festival and the Paris Film Festival, has been banned by the Chinese government since its production.


Here we report the design and fabrication of an array-based sensor, containing functionalized Carbon Dots, Bodipy's and Naphthalimide probes, that shows high fluorescence emissions and sensitivity in the presence of low amounts of TNT explosive. In particular, we have fabricated the first sensor device based on an optical array for the detection of TNT in real samples by using a smartphone as detector. The possibility to use a common smartphone as detector leads to a prototype that can be also used in a real-life field application. The key benefit lies in the possibility of even a nonspecialist operator in the field to simply collect and send data (photos) to the trained artificial intelligence server for rapid diagnosis but also directly to the bomb disposal unit for expert evaluation. This new array sensor contains seven different fluorescent probes that are able to interact via noncovalent interactions with TNT. The interaction of each probe with TNT has been tested in solution by fluorescence titrations. The solid device has been tested in terms of selectivity and linearity toward TNT concentration. Tests performed with other explosives and other nitrogen-based analytes demonstrate the high selectivity for TNT molecules, thus supporting the reliability of this sensor. In addition, TNT can be detected in the range of 98 ng∼985 μg, with a clear different response of each probe to the different amounts of TNT.


Cost-effectiveness analysis aims to quantitatively compare the expected outcomes of competing management strategies in environments with limited economic resources. A valid economic study models all relevant strategies from an appropriate perspective. The model must use costs that are accurately measured and strategies that have established clinical effectiveness, and appropriately integrate these data. The results should include the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, which quantifies the resources required to achieve greater benefit with one strategy compared to another. A sensitivity analysis is required to determine whether uncertainty in assumptions alters the conclusions. Final interpretation of a cost-effectiveness analysis relies on whether costs and outcomes in the study can be realized in one's own health care environment.


Abstract Delivery of water, sediments, nutrients, and organic matter to stream ecosystems is strongly influenced by the catchment of the stream and can be altered greatly by upland soil and vegetation disturbance. At the Fort Benning Military Installation (near Columbus, Georgia), spatial variability in intensity of military training results in a wide range of intensities of upland disturbance in stream catchments. A set of 8 streams in catchments spanning this upland disturbance gradient was selected for investigation of the impact of disturbance intensity on hydrodynamics and nutrient uptake. The size of transient storage zones and rates of NH4+ uptake in all study streams were among the lowest reported in the literature. Upland disturbance did not appear to influence stream hydrodynamics strongly, but it caused significant decreases in instream nutrient uptake. In October 2003, coarse woody debris (CWD) was added to ½ of the study streams (spanning the disturbance gradient) in an attempt to increase hydrodynamic and structural complexity, with the goals of enhancing biotic habitat and increasing nutrient uptake rates. CWD additions had positive short-term (within 1 mo) effects on hydrodynamic complexity (water velocity decreased and transient storage zone cross-sectional area, relative size of the transient storage zone, fraction of the median travel time attributable to transient storage over a standardized length of 200 m, and the hydraulic retention factor increased) and nutrient uptake (NH4+ uptake rates increased). Our results suggest that water quality in streams with intense upland disturbances can be improved by enhancing instream biotic nutrient uptake capacity through measures such as restoring stream CWD.


Innate immunity is the first line of host defense consisting of various molecules against infectious challenges. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) belongs to the collectin protein family which takes part of innate immunity and is able to recognize specific carbohydrates on the surface of a variety of infectious agents acting as a pattern recognition molecule. In this way, MBL differentiates self from non-self and interacts with other molecules of the immune system. MBL genotype shows various MBL2 polymorphisms which are responsible for MBL deficiency in a substantial portion of the entire human population and for susceptibility to infectious disease. Therefore, it has been highlighted in the relationship between genetic variants and clinical significance. Here we focus on presenting anoverview of our understanding of MBL structure and functions.


A Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacterial strain, designated 717(T), was isolated from a water sample collected from the Muga river, Girona, north-east Spain. Preliminary analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that this strain belonged to the genus Aeromonas, the nearest species being Aeromonas veronii (99.5 % similarity, with seven different nucleotides). A polyphasic study based on a multilocus phylogenetic analysis of five housekeeping genes (gyrB, rpoD, recA, dnaJ and gyrA; 3684 bp) showed isolate 717(T) to be an independent phylogenetic line, with Aeromonas sobria, Aeromonas veronii and Aeromonas allosaccharophila as the closest neighbour species. DNA-DNA reassociation experiments and phenotypic analysis identified that strain 717(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Aeromonas fluvialis sp. nov. is proposed, with type strain 717(T) (=CECT 7401(T) =LMG 24681(T)).


Cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) is a global cereal crop in Southeast Asia. It serves as staple food, thus has a major contribution to the calorie intake. Furthermore, a number of antioxidant substances have been identified in rice including phenolic compounds and melatonin. The concentration and composition of these antioxidant compounds were studied on glutinous and nonglutinous grains for both pigmented and non-pigmented rice varieties. Additionally, several medium-amylose rice grains of three Indonesian varieties (IR64, umbul-umbul and pandan wangi) were also evaluated. Finding indicates that the composition of phenolic compounds are noticeably different between glutinous and nonglutinous rice grains. The level of both melatonin and total phenolics in non-glutinous rice was higher than its glutinous variety. Hence, higher amylose content exhibits relatively higher amount of antioxidant compounds.  Keywords—Rice, amylose, glutinous, antioxidants


Fluid pivot journal bearing (FPJB) used on the ships was selected as the object of the study in this paper. The ability to form a squeeze film following the recess area ratio of the pad is systematically investigated under the condition that the preload factor and the eccentricity ratio change. Three positions of the load's characteristic for the moving conditions of boats on the water are considered. Numerical methods are used to calculate the dynamic lubrication in bearing. Equilibrium conditions of force and moment are used to determine the floating conditions of the pads. The results show that during working process, the pad directly applied by the external force satisfies the floating condition, while the remaining pads are satisfied only when the preload factor and eccentricity ratio increase. In the early stages, the pad mostly float on one side. Floating condition curves are constructed as the basis for determining the optimal recess area.


Thermally treated potato products in retort packaging with an extended shelf-life (up to 90 days before opening) at room temperature (20 ± 1 °C) from two Latvian vegetable processing companies (A and B) were analysed in this research. The aim of this research was to determine the presence of thermotolerant microbial contamination in thermally treated potato products in retort packaging, to ensure their safety and suitability for immediate consumption. Samples from three production batches were used. The total plate count was determined, and a microscopic examination of potato product samples was performed. Microscopic examination of microorganisms showed the presence of microbial vegetative forms in potato products from company B, but the standard investigation did not register them; therefore, Tryptone Glucose Yeast Extract Agar (TGYA), TGYA enriched with 1 % starch solution and TGYA enriched with 5 % starch solution were used for potential microorganism isolation. Samples were incubated at 25 °C; 37 °C; 41.5 °C; 50 °C; 55 °C and 60 °C temperatures under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, incubation time 12, 24 and 48 h. Facultative thermophilic Bacillus licheniformis bacteria which produce thermotolerant spores were isolated from thermally treated potato products in retort packaging from company B. The average colony count in company B samples was 1.27´100 CFU/g (SD = 78.25). The presence of microorganisms was not detected in potato products produced at company A, while facultative thermophilic and thermotolerant microorganisms were found in potato products produced at company B. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ct.66.1.12363


Background: Eating behavior is influenced by multiple factors and understanding the interplay of these factors is necessary to promote children's healthy food choice. This study investigated the relations of family food environment (FFE) with food and nutrition literacy (FNL) in Chinese school-age children.Methods: A total of 605 children aged 7-13 years from Grade 1 to 5, and their caregivers participated in the cross-sectional study in Beijing of China during April 2019. The FFE was assessed by the validated Family Food Environment Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children (FFEQ-SC). For the children of Grade 3 to 5 (n=260), the FNL, including cognitive and skill domains, was assessed by Food and Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children (FNLQ-SC). Both FFEQ-SC and FNLQ-SC were developed firstly for Chinese school-age children who had good reliability. The anthropometric data (height and weight) was derived from local health information management system for primary schools.Results: Overall, 68.9% of the children's families had high level of FFE. The total FNL score of 260 children at Grade 3-5 was 63.2±10.3. Comparison of children's FNL scores among different levels of FFE showed the children with higher level of FFE, especially higher level of caregiver's educational degree and FNL, were more likely to have higher FNL scores (P<0.05). The multivariate analysis showed the children's total FNL score was significantly related with family caregiver (β= -0.123, P=0.04) and caregiver's nutritional literacy (β= 0.210, P=0.002). Furthermore, the children with higher level of caregiver's nutritional knowledge were less likely to be overweighted or obesese (OR=0.043, P=0.04).Conclusions: Family food environment, especially caregivers' FNL, was related with children's FNL, even the risk of overweight. These findings highlight the importance of targeting nutritional knowledge of family caregivers to facilitate the children's FNL to maintain good health.


Patients with the diagnosis of high accommodative convergence/accommodation (AC/A) ratio, accommodative esotropia traditionally have been fit with bifocal spectacles. For cosmetic reasons, however, many patients prefer non-spectacle correction. Orthoptics, miotics, contact lenses, and surgery have been used as alternatives. We describe the treatment of three patients with the Tangent Streak bifocal rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens in which functional control of the patient's deviation was attained. Tangent Streak RGP bifocal contact lenses offer an acceptable alternative to bifocal spectacles, surgery, miotics, or orthoptics in the treatment of accommodative esotropia with high AC/A ratio.


Background: We aimed to determine whether the introduction of 24 h cover by resident consultants in a tertiary neonatal unit affected mortality and other clinical outcomes. Methods: Retrospective cohort study in a tertiary medical and surgical neonatal unit between 2010–2020 of all liveborn infants admitted to the neonatal unit. Out of hours cover was rearranged in 2014 to ensure 24 h presence of a senior trained neonatologist (resident consultant). Results: In the study period, 4778 infants were included: 2613 in the pre-resident period and 2165 in the resident period. The median (IQR) time to first consultation by a senior member of staff was significantly longer in the pre-resident period [1.5 (0.6–4.3) h] compared to the resident period [0.5 (0.3–1.5) h, p < 0.001]. Overall, mortality was similar in the pre-resident and the resident periods (3.2% versus 2.3%, p = 0.077), but the mortality of infants born at night was significantly higher in the pre-resident (4.5%) compared to the resident period (2.5%, p = 0.016). The resident period was independently associated with an increased survival to discharge (adjusted p < 0.001, odds ratio: 2.0) after adjusting for gestational age, admission temperature and duration of ventilation. Conclusions: Following introduction of a resident consultant model the mortality and time to consultation after admission decreased.


This case report describes an acinic cell carcinoma found by a recurrence of a ranula in the sublingual gland. A 42-year-old male was admitted to the hospital of the Tokyo Dental College with a swelling in his right oral floor but without pain. The lesion was treated by windowing the same day under the diagnosis of a ranula, but the swelling appeared again at the same area eight months after the first operation. A resection was performed, and the specimen was sent to the clinical laboratory for pathological diagnosis. Proliferating serous cells were seen in part of the wall of an exudative mucous cyst. PAS staining was partially positive, and immunohistochemical staining for S-100 protein, lactoferrin, and amylase were also positive in cytoplasmic granules. This report concludes that the pathological diagnosis is beneficial in clarifying the reasons for the recurrence of a benign lesion.


Delta 6 desaturase (FADS2) is a critical bifunctional enzyme required for PUFA biosynthesis. In some organisms, FADS2s have high substrate specificity, whereas in others, they have high catalytic activity. Previously, we analyzed the molecular mechanisms underlying high FADS2 substrate specificity; in this study, we assessed those underlying the high catalytic activity of FADS2s from Glossomastix chrysoplasta and Thalassiosira pseudonana. To understand the structural basis of this catalytic activity, GcFADS2 and TpFADS2 sequences were divided into nine sections, and a domain-swapping approach was applied to examine the role of each section in facilitating the catalytic activity of the overall protein. The results revealed two regions essential to this process: one that extends from the end of the fourth to the beginning of the fifth cytoplasmic transmembrane domain, and another that includes the C-terminal region that occurs after the sixth cytoplasmic transmembrane domain. Based on the domain-swapping analyses, the amino acid residues at ten sites were identified to differ between the GcFADS2 and TpFADS2 sequences, and therefore further analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. T302V, S322A, Y375F, and M384S/M385 substitutions in TpFADS2 significantly affected FADS2 catalytic efficiency. This study offers a solid basis for in-depth understanding of catalytic efficiency of FADS2.


This is a practical handbook for therapists working with children, drawing on the authors' twenty-five years of experience in practice and teaching. It contains clear instructions for the beginning therapist who wants to know how to use play to diagnose and treat children suffering from depression, behavior problems, separation, and loss. Showing the value of play in the developmental journey of a child, the Prices' are specific about how to help children overcome life circumstances that have left them stuck in their emotional and adaptive development. When the therapist fosters conditions for growth in therapy and improves the environment, most children will develop and succeed. Since parents need to be a major part in the treatment of their children, the authors describe ways to model effective parenting, including a recommendation that parents play with their children. They show how the therapeutic experience can extend beyond the hour and into the real life of the child, and they reinforce for parents the appropriate developmental expectations for youngsters. Therapists will also find an excellent list of parent training resources to assist in parent consultation. Lively case material and practical exercises combine to provide a comprehensive resource for clinicians who deal with troubled children and their parents. Helpful appendices include consent forms, toys to buy, and basic behavioral management tools. This is an encyclopedic reference for the beginner, and an invaluable teaching tool for supervisors.


Calix[4]resorcinarene derivatives such as C-undecylcalix[4]resorcinarene self-assemble into a hexameric capsule-like structure. This structure is expected in any apolar solvent, but we recently found a self-assembled octameric form of resorcinarene in toluene. To understand this unexpected form, we performed small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements of the octameric self-assembly. In ab initio shape reconstruction and model fitting of the SAXS profile, a core-shell spherical structure resembling a reverse micelle was found in the octameric self-assembly. The shell and core were composed of alkyl chains and resorcinol moieties, respectively. We also evaluated the temperature dependence of the octameric self-assembly. Above 95 °C, the structure began directly decomposing into unimers, implying the partial cleavage of hydrogen bonds in the octamer core. Meanwhile, below 25 °C, the spherical structure of the octamer partially transformed to a cylindrical structure. This morphological transition could be understood by packing parameter theory, which is often applied to suspected micellar structures.


We consider the thermally driven motion of a microcantilever in a fluid environment near a wall, a configuration characteristic of the atomic force microscope. A theoretical model is presented which accounts for hydrodynamic interactions between the cantilever and wall over a wide range of frequencies and which exploits the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to capture the Brownian dynamics of the coupled fluid-cantilever system. Model predictions are tested against experimental thermal spectra for a cantilever in air and water. The model shows how, in a liquid environment, the effects of non-delta-correlated Brownian forcing appear in the power spectrum, particularly at low frequencies. The model also predicts accurately changes in the spectrum in liquid arising through hydrodynamic wall effects, which we show are strongly mediated by the angle at which the cantilever is tilted relative to the wall.


This paper presents a new method which is derived from the classical viscous plus Coulomb friction model to identify mechanical parameters (moment of inertia(J), viscous friction(B) and coulomb friction (C)) of switched reluctance motor (SRM) in real time. It is important to know mechanical parameters in model based control and higher precision simulation of SRM. Total torque and rotor speed must be precisely obtained since mechanical parameters dependent on total torque and rotor speed. In addition, mechanical parameters have very small value according to the motor rated torque. Therefore, total torque is obtained torque estimator based on artificial neural network (ANN). The motor is driven at three different speed cases. Rotor speed and phase current have been measured while the motor drive system has been run at three different speed cases. The measured values are used in the developed ANN based on torque and the new method to find mechanical parameters. Experimental results show that the new method gives precise and accurate mechanical parameters for both under low and high level reference speed of SRM.


The convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) is a generalist natural enemy that is utilized extensively in augmentative biological control across the United States. Recent studies have pointed to both genetic and phenotypic differences in Western (California) versus Eastern (Kansas) populations of the species. Here we investigate phenotypic differences in their utilization of pea aphids in (a) Eastern versus Western populations, (b) Hybrid Eastern and Western populations versus their progenitor populations, and (c) within population competition rates in Eastern, Western, and Hybrid populations. Across eight replicate treatments, we find no phenotypic differences (P > 0.2), contradicting previous genetic and behavioral studies. Hybrid F1 populations however show an overall greater percentage weight gain, potentially indicative of a hybrid vigor effect, and greater fitness of augmented populations of the species.


In Colombia 17% of the Universities have high quality accreditation, these being the Higher Education Institutions HEI, more competitive and of quality in the market, all of them favored by an Integral Management System -IMS, which allow to establish their policies and achieve their objectives. Then the question arises: how could the administration of HEI be improved? Thus, the objective of this Investigation is to analyze the importance of IMS in modern management, as well as how IMS affect the strategic institutional direction. The results present a methodology to implement the IMS and make it integrate with the Higher Education Quality Assurance System -SACES. The following studies relate to the way of continuing integrating other systems of management, one presents of conclusive form the integration to the SIG of the management of the Investigation, development and innovation I+D+I through the NTC 5801 standard, case Universidad Militar Nueva Granada -UMNG.


The benefit of reducing intraocular pressure to prevent progression of glaucoma is well documented.1 2 Despite decreased intraocular pressure some patients will, however, continue to suffer glaucomatous progression. Potentially, as yet undetermined risk factors may be present in those patients who portend progression despite seemingly adequate ocular hypotensive therapy.

Although the exact risk factors have yet to be elucidated, impaired ocular blood flow is commonly cited as a possible cause. However, conclusive evidence of its role in pathogenesis, or the benefit of improving ocular blood flow, and thereby improving patient outcomes, remains elusive.

The purpose of this review is twofold: to evaluate the data linking the pathogenesis of reduced ocular blood flow to glaucoma; and to review the benefits of improving ocular blood flow in glaucoma.

Two lines of evidence exist that potentially link impaired ocular blood flow to the pathogenesis of glaucoma: epidemiological and short-term ocular hemodynamic studies. Numerous published studies have found associations between various forms of cardiovascular disease and elevated intraocular pressure or glaucoma.3 These trials have generally linked two types of disease classes to glaucoma and ocular hypertension: chronic cardiovascular disease (i.e. systemic hypertension, diabetes or atherosclerotic heart disease) or vasospastic disorders (i.e. migraine and Raynaud's phenomenon). The common pathological effect of these disease states is presumed to be decreased ocular perfusion pressure.

Although the majority of published data suggest a link between atherosclerotic or vasospastic disease and glaucoma, the data are inconsistent. For example, the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study did not confirm cardiovascular disease as a risk factor …


ABSTRACT Now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has promulgated new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM2.5, work will begin on generating the data required to determine the sources of ambient PM2.5 and the magnitude of their contributions to air pollution. This paper summarizes the results of an Environmental Research Consortium program, carried out under the auspices of the U.S. Council for Automotive Research. The program focused on particulate matter (PM) emissions from representative, current-technology, light-duty gasoline vehicles produced by DaimlerChrysler Corp., Ford Motor Co., and General Motors Corp. The vehicles, for the most part taken from the manufacturer's certification and durability fleets, were dynamometer-tested using the three-phase Federal Test Procedure in the companies' laboratories. The test fleet was made up of a mixture of both low-mileage (2K-35K miles) and high-mileage (60K-150K miles) cars, vans, sport utility vehicles, and light trucks. For each vehicle tested, PM emissions were accumulated over 4 cold-start tests, which were run on successive days. PM emission rates from the entire fleet (22 vehicles total) averaged less than 2 mg/mile. All 18 vehicles tested using California Phase 2 reformulated gasoline had PM emission rates less than 2 mg/ mile at both low and high mileages.


Education knows no boundaries but hot button topics, like comic books, demonstrate school, teacher and parent limitations. Japanese comic books (manga) are a litmus test of pedagogical tolerance. Because they play an important role in the lives of most Taiwanese teenagers, I give them pride of place in this dissertation. To understand Japanese comic books and their influence, I use Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy to combine perspectives from cultural studies, comparative education, and educational sociology. With the cooperation of the administration, faculty and students of a Taiwanese junior high school, I used surveys, a textual analysis of five student-selected titles and interviews with students and educators. I discovered that Japanese manga contain complex and sometimes contradictory ideologies of ethnicity, gender, class, and violence. From an ethnic perspective, although students may glean cultural content from manga heroes and their retinues, people of color and non-Japanese Asians are either caricatures or non-existent; although Taiwanese teenager readers seem unaware of this. From a gender standpoint, neither the female characters' provocative representation nor the male characters' slavering responses to it raise students' and teachers' concerns. Depictions of social and economic class are sometimes distinct in Japanese comic books. However, the dominant ideology of their creators is middle-class. Students are mostly oblivious to such distinctions, but may notice that ancient caste precepts survive. Although most manga focus on violent combat, students have no problem with excessive gore. By a process I call "fantasized death," violence is not only neutralized but transformed into aesthetic and spiritual challenges that encourage readers. Taiwanese students love Japanese comic books. However, from a post-colonialist perspective, the growing hybridity of Taiwanese and Japanese cultural images may create challenges for the future of a discernible Taiwanese phenotype. I suggest that critical pedagogy may provide an antidote to this unfortunate fusion, which is currently unrecognized by the adolescent comic book consumers who are its harbingers or by the majority of their preceptors.


Sedum alfredii is one of a few species known to hyperaccumulate zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd). Xylem transport and phloem remobilization of Zn in hyperaccumulating (HP) and nonhyperaccumulating (NHP) populations of S. alfredii were compared. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) images of Zn in the roots of the two S. alfredii populations suggested an efficient xylem loading of Zn in HP S. alfredii, confirmed by the seven-fold higher Zn concentrations detected in the xylem sap collected from HP, when compared with NHP, populations. Zn was predominantly transported as aqueous Zn (> 55.9%), with the remaining proportion (36.7-42.3%) associated with the predominant organic acid, citric acid, in the xylem sap of HP S. alfredii. The stable isotope (68)Zn was used to trace Zn remobilization from mature leaves to new growing leaves for both populations. Remobilization of (68)Zn was seven-fold higher in HP than in NHP S. alfredii. Subsequent analysis by μ-XRF, combined with LA-ICPMS (laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), confirmed the enhanced ability of HP S. alfredii to remobilize Zn and to preferentially distribute the metal to mesophyll cells surrounding phloem in the new leaves. The results suggest that Zn hyperaccumulation by HP S. alfredii is largely associated with enhanced xylem transport and phloem remobilization of the metal. To our knowledge, this report is the first to reveal enhanced remobilization of metal by phloem transport in hyperaccumulators.


Using the 11-level Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory global chemical transport model, we simulate global tropospheric fields of NO x , peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), HNO 3 , and NO y , as well as the deposition of nitrate, extensively evaluate them against available observations from surface stations and aircraft missions, and quantify the contributions of individual natural and anthropogenic sources. The patterns and magnitudes of simulated and observed HNO 3 wet deposition are generally in good agreement around the globe. Scatterplots of model simulations versus aircraft observations for NO x and NO y find ∼50% of the points within ±25%, find -75% within ±50%, and show no systematic global biases. Both simulated and observed vertical profiles have similar shapes with high levels (∼1 ppbv or greater) in the polluted boundary layer (BL), very low values in the remote BL, and values increasing from the middle to the upper troposphere. Simulated NO y HNO 3 , and NO x + PAN are also in good agreement with extensive lower free tropospheric ( ) observations made at Mauna Loa Observatory. In general, the level of agreement between simulation and observation is as good as the agreement between separate, but simultaneous, observations of NO, NO x or NO y As previous studies have shown, fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning control NO x levels in most of the lower half of the troposphere with a significant contribution from biogenic emissions. The exceptions are the remote low-NO x regions where BL and FT sources make comparable contributions. Unlike most previous studies, we find that the much smaller in situ FT sources generally dominate in the upper half of the troposphere. Lightning dominates in the tropics and summertime midlatitudes, and stratospheric injection is the major source in the summer high latitudes. The exception is transported emissions from fossil fuel combustion, which dominate in winter high latitudes. Though seldom dominant, aircraft emissions do have a significant impact on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere of the northern hemisphere extratropics.


In the realm of liberals, ethic and justice values are regarded as the qath'i and eternal values that need upholding at the longest, while the rest is just particular and technical matter. Liberal schools has more intention on the sociological context rather than textual approach. So restriction on performing ijtihad is undoubtedly unintended; otherwise having wider space for ijtihad is absolutely required. This paper tries to uncover some dimensions of asy-Syaukani legal thought which is regarded as a liberal schools.


The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the opinions of people eating together affect the taste of the foods they eat. In addition, if the opinions of others influence taste for one of the people eating with them, are the others' opinions related to the empathy of individuals? Finally, this study was also intended to consider whether the taste threshold changes depending on the opinions of others. Twelve healthy young women (aged 18.4 ± 0.8 years; mean ± SD) participated in the present study. The participants tasted bread under three conditions: 1) quiet condition: a participant ate with three quiet persons, 2) positive condition: a participant ate with three persons who were talking favorably about taste, and 3) negative condition: a participant ate with three persons who were talking negatively about the taste. The electrical taste threshold was tested before and after tasting the bread, and a visual analog scale (VAS) was completed immediately after the tasting. Before the first trial, participants were asked to complete the Interpersonal Reactive Index (IRI). In the positive condition, the taste score increased significantly compared with the negative condition. There was no significant relationship between taste and empathic concern. To our knowledge, taste changed according to the comments of other people who were eating together. However, the change in taste due to the other's speech was not related to the individual's empathy. The results of the present study suggest that people experience food as delicious when others eating with them comment about the food being "delicious," and this tendency did not depend on individuals' empathy.


Social capital is essential in mediating financial inclusion. We employ broader horizontal and vertical social engagement of social capital such as bonding, bridging and linking. Meanwhile, financial inclusion is defined as saving ownership in a formal financial institution. Using a logistic regression model and a sample of 74,454 individual respondents from the 2018 National Socioeconomic Survey, we found that social capital is essential in promoting formal saving behavior. Among three indicators (bonding, bridging, and linking), the results show that a rise in the bridging variable was associated with a 10 per cent higher likelihood of having a formal savings, higher in magnitude than the linking variable. Bonding variable had no effect in promoting financial inclusion, but upon further observation, it was still suitable to be implemented in rural area. Our estimates justified the presence of financial information transmission among people in their respective social circles. Our findings suggest that the government should consider a financial campaign using a community-based approach to complement the current inclusion strategy.


Mr Caley's book, which will replace the British Museum's Grains and Grammes, a Table of Equivalents for the use of Numismatists, gives metric equivalents for the Troy grains in which weights are recorded in many older publications. It adds tables for converting Roman scruples and carats into grammes and vice versa, and inches to millimetres and vice versa, and it straightens the record concerning Mionnet's scale and its derivatives. The tables for converting the Roman pound are based, necessarily, on one fixed value, and Mr Caley has employed 327.45 gm. In terms of the weights of the coins that survive this is often, for one reason or another, appreciably too high as an actual value. If a more elaborate version of the tables had been possible, numismatists would have found it a practical convenience to have summary lists giving the equivalents for two or three rather lower values, e.g. 325, 320, and 310 gm. But this is, perhaps, to be unduly critical of an acceptable and useful book.


Objective:To provide reliable change confidence intervals for common clinical concussion measures using a healthy sample of collegiate athletes and to apply these reliable change parameters to a sample of concussed collegiate athletes. Methods:Two independent samples were included in the study and evaluated on common clinical measures of concussion. The healthy sample included male, collegiate football student-athletes (n = 38) assessed at 2 time points. The concussed sample included college-aged student-athletes (n = 132) evaluated before and after a concussion. Outcome measures included symptom severity scores, Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics throughput scores, and Sensory Organization Test composite scores. Results:Application of the reliable change parameters suggests that a small percentage of concussed participants were impaired on each measure. We identified a low sensitivity of the entire battery (all measures combined) of 50% but high specificity of 96%. Conclusions:Clinicians should be trained in understanding clinical concussion measures and should be aware of evidence suggesting the multifaceted battery is more sensitive than any single measure. Clinicians should be cautioned that sensitivity to balance and neurocognitive impairments was low for each individual measure. Applying the confidence intervals to our injured sample suggests that these measures do not adequately identify postconcussion impairments when used in isolation.


Background Patient-reported assessments have a considerable weight both in disease activity assessment in practice and response criteria in clinical trials of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Discrepancies and disagreement on global disease activity between patients and physicians may result in disagreement in treatment decisions in routine care and impact assessment of treatment response in clinical trials as well. Objectives We aimed to illustrate the amount of discrepancy between patient and doctor global assessments (PGA and DGA) in routine care and asses the determinants thereof. Methods We used data from RA patients registered in the Turkish Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry (TRAV), a prospective registry established in 2010 in order to record clinical data at each visit of all RA patients seen at three academic rheumatology centers in a routine care setting. Currently 1923 RA patients are registered in TRAV. We used the initial visits of these patients to define a global assessment discrepancy (GAD) variable, GAD=PGA-DGA. We calculated the average GAD, overall correlation of PGA with DGA and constructed linear regression models to determine the predictors of PGA, DGA and GAD. Age, gender, physical function (MD-HAQ score), pain score (numeric rating scale; NRS), fatigue score (NRS), patient's joint assessment (PJA), physician reported tender (TJC) and swollen joint counts (SJC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and center of follow-up were included in these models as potential predictors. Results The mean age (standard deviation) of the registered patients was 52.0 (12.8) and 1561 (81%) were females. The average PGA was 3.59 (2.99) and the average DGA was 2.85 (2.63) Overall correlation of PGA and DGA was low (0.18) and average GAD was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.53–0.87). Confidence intervals around GAD indicated that on average patients rated their current disease activity as significantly worse than that of physicians. In the regression analyses; MD-HAQ, pain scores and center were common predictors of both PGA and DGA. Additional predictors of PGA were age, fatigue scores and PJA whereas additional predictors of DGA were ESR, PJA, TJC and SJC. Predictors of GAD were pain, fatigue, TJC, SJC, ESR and treatment center (see table). Conclusions We found a weak correlation between patient and doctor global assessments of overall disease activity in RA patients under routine care. Higher pain and fatigue scores and different treatment centers were associated with a PGA higher than DGA whereas increasing TJC, SJC and ESR were associated with a DGA higher than PGA suggesting that patients and physicians prioritized different aspects of RA in their global assessments. Variation of the discrepancy by centers warrants further research with respect to a possible impact in multi-center treatment trials. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Finishing weight is a key economic trait in the domestic pig industry. Evidence has linked the gut microbiota and SCFAs to health and production performance in pigs. Nevertheless, for Diannan small ear (DSE) pigs, a specific pig breed in China, the potential effect of gut microbiota and SCFAs on their finishing weight remains unclear. Herein, based on the data of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene and metagenomic sequencing analysis, we found that 13 OTUs could be potential biomarkers and 19 microbial species were associated with finishing weight. Among these, carbohydrate-decomposing bacteria of the families Streptococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, and Prevotellaceae were positively related to finishing weight, whereas the microbial taxa associated with intestinal inflammation and damage exhibited opposite effects. In addition, interactions of these microbial species were found to be linked with finishing weight for the first time. Gut microbial functional annotation analysis indicated that CAZymes, such as glucosidase and glucanase could significantly affect finishing weight, given their roles in increasing nutrient absorption efficiency. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Orthologies (KOs) and KEGG pathways analysis indicated that glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, phosphotransferase system (PTS), secondary bile acid biosynthesis, ABC transporters, sulfur metabolism, and one carbon pool by folate could act as key factors in regulating finishing weight. Additionally, SCFA levels, especially acetate and butyrate, had pivotal impacts on finishing weight. Finishing weight-associated species Prevotella sp. RS2, Ruminococcus sp. AF31-14BH and Lactobacillus pontis showed positive associations with butyrate concentration, and Paraprevotella xylaniphila and Bacteroides sp. OF04-15BH were positively related to acetate level. Taken together, our study provides essential knowledge for manipulating gut microbiomes to improve finishing weight. The underlying mechanisms of how gut microbiome and SCFAs modulate pigs' finishing weight required further elucidation.


A 3-year-old, male neutered domestic shorthair cat, presented for acute onset tail paresis. He was diagnosed with a spindle cell tumour at the level of L7-CD1 and treated with course fractionation radiation therapy. Three years following radiation therapy, the cat developed chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the pelvis, suspected to be secondary to radiation therapy. Hemipelvectomy was performed and the cat was treated with radiation therapy for remaining gross disease. The cat was euthanized 127 days post-operatively due to suspected metastatic disease. Development of radiation-induced tumours should be considered as a rare late complication in cats undergoing radiation therapy.


The direct photocatalyzed para-selective CAr-H difluoroalkylation of aromatic aldehyde derivatives has been accomplished using a newly explored catalytic system. In addition, when using para-substituted benzaldehydes as substrates, ortho-selective CAr-H difluoroalkylation was also accomplished. It is worth noting that all the above site-selectivity is opposite to traditional Friedel-Crafts reactions of aromatic aldehydes. The preliminary mechanistic investigations indicate that an electrophilic difluoroalkyl radical is involved in the catalytic cycle.


Increasing economic and organizational challenges call physicians in action to engage in medical leadership (ML) roles. Yet, in only six of the 195 countries the content of ML development has recently been articulated in the form of comprehensive national schemes or programs. Despite increasing scientific evidence pointing to the great relevance of ML and the often-reported hesitance of physicians to engage in ML, little is known about effective strategies and tactics for national ML development. This empirical paper reports on such developments in cultivating a national ML corps. A theorizing inventory of scientific literature on healthcare transformation was combined with an exploratory field study, scrutinizing six "trail blazing" countries: also through archival data analysis and semi-structured interviews. We identified fourteen factors that affect ML national schemes as well as eleven related "interventions". We propose a developmental phasing model with four phases in national ML development. The results provide insights to nations embarking on their journeys of ML development, thereby enabling medical leaders through teachable/trainable programs. These insights aim to spur more physicians to use new ways to optimize the quality of care, not just for the patients they serve, but also for the health system in which they act.


In the growth of scientific medicine, medical records have played an important role as a tool and basis for planning patient care besides medical education, research and legal protection. The author wish to share with congress participants, the experience gained in eight nations, having served at the national level as Senior Medical Record Consultant Adviser and visiting WHO Consultant, in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Afghanistan and India. The blueprint for development of medical records included three phases. The first phase surveyed the existing status of medical records. The second phase suggested appropriate systems, policies and procedures, trained personnel, and organized the medical record departments. The third phase implementation of EHR, education, training, and monitoring. During this phase, the author undertook the study of importance of medical records. Problems of Medical Records, there was no clear concept of Medical Record System earlier. In some hospitals MRD's were so poorly organized, missing records, non-availability of laboratory and radiology reports resulted in creation of new records and new investigation orders, on each visit by the patient and there was no continuity in patient care. There was repetition of doctor's work like history documentation, physical examination, investigations and prescribing drugs, the hospital patient care services were chaotic with much confusion and duplication of work. While developing software, most important aspect is meticulous preparation of domain of all functions, EHR related interoperable and accreditation standards, classification of diseases list, alerts, reminders, and clinical decision support systems for quality improvement, have to be incorporated. The theme " What are the Medical Records for?" have to examined 360 degrees to incorporate all required characteristics stated above in the EHR that would meet the need of 21st Century.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of post-Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) complications in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand. Retrospective chart review was performed for 200 patients undergoing LEEP during January 2012 to February 2013. Their mean age was 45 years-old. Fifty-three (26.5%) were menopausal. The three most common preceding abnormal cervical cytology were high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL; 50%), atypical squamous cell cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H; 10.5%), and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL; 10%). The overall complications prevalence rate was 16.5% (95%CI, 11.4-21.6). Complications included bleeding (11%; 95%CI, 6.66-15.3), offensive discharge (4%; 95%CI, 1.28-6.72), and pelvic inflammatory disease (1.5%; 95%CI, 0.18-3.18). Only mode of delivery was an independent predictor of post-LEEP complications. Women with previous caesarean sections carried an increased risk of complications by 3.9 times (95%CI, 1.21-12.56) compared with vaginal delivery. In conclusion, LEEP is generally safe with an acceptable complication rate. Previous caesarean section was the only independent predictor for post-LEEP complications. However, this predictor still needs prudent evaluation as no clear cause-effect relationship was identified.


Our aim was to test the effects of Andullation therapy on pain threshold, pain perception, feeling of well-being, arterial pressure, and leg volume in healthy and unhealthy patients. We used a multidirectional vibration (frequency range: 5–40 Hz; peak-to-peak amplitude: 2–8 mm; acceleration: 0.4–2 m/s2) in an undulatory way through the surface of the body when the patient was in contact with a mattress ("andullation"). The vibes traveled from the heel to the head in a random fashion while the participants (N = 50) were lying on the mattress. We measured the pain threshold using an algometer; pain perception and well-being through a visual analog scale (VAS); arterial pressure with an electronic sphygmomanometer; and leg volume with Kuhnke's technique. Measurements were made just before the first andullation session and after the fifth andullation session. Every participant received andullation sessions of 30 min a day for 5 consecutive days. The patients' pain threshold significantly (P < .001) increased by 34.48% and 25.79% in the lumbar and trapezius zones, respectively, after 5 sessions of therapy. The subjective perception of pain decreased by 52.3% and the feeling of well-being increased by 45.1%. The systolic and diastolic pressures significantly (P < .001) decreased by 6.44 and 4.68 mm Hg on average, respectively. Leg volume significantly decreased (P < .01) by 64.39 mL after the fifth andullation session. Despite not including a control group in our study, the andullation intervention showed an improvement in pain, well-being, arterial pressure, and lower limb volume in the studied population.


In this study we sought to understand how the first college year impacted students spiritually and religiously. The sample was comprised of 3,680 first-year students from 50 colleges and universities across the country and included individuals representing a variety of racial/ethnic and religious backgrounds. Overall, students became less religiously active, but were more committed to integrating spirituality into their lives after one year. Further, religiousness and spirituality were highly correlated, although personal characteristics, institutional variables, and college experiences were also associated with these constructs.


Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Phenomenological models suggest that thin epitaxial SrTiO 3 films on silicon will exhibit ferroelectric behavior as a result of compressive strain. However, such models do not include atomic-scale interface effects, which can dramatically alter the predicted behavior. In this paper, we use density functional theory computations to systematically elucidate the effects of the interface atomic structure and composition on the properties of SrTiO 3 /Si heterostructures. We show that while the band alignment and metallicity of the heterostructure are highly sensitive to the chemical composition and geometry of the interface, the system also exhibits several important features that are universal to all compositions. These universal features, which include an electronic dipole across the interface and a large cation-oxygen displacement in the interfacial oxide layer, conspire to induce a net positive polarization in ultrathin SrTiO 3 films. We demonstrate that, due to its origin in the chemical bonds at the interface, this polarization is pinned in a single direction. Our results provide a fundamental understanding of the important role played by interfacial chemical bonds within the general class of atomically abrupt, oxide-semiconductor heterostructures and, furthermore, suggest guidelines for the future design of coupled functional oxide-semiconductor devices.


Energy-loss measurements for 2-15 GeV positive and negative protons, kaons, pions, and electrons transmitted through thin Si and Ge crystals acting as intrinsic detectors are discussed. For the random direction, the results are compared with the relativistic Bethe-Bloch stopping theory with and without restrictions. The strong influence of density effect is included through the Sternheimer calculations. The most probable energy loss clearly saturates at the "Fermi plateau", which is completely constant up to the maximum γ value (2 × 104) investigated here. The spectral distribution of energy losses is considerably wider than the Landau distributions, especially for very thin (∼ 100 μm) targets but is in good agreement with straggling calculations based on photoabsorption cross sections. For axial and planar directions in the crystals, positive particles show considerably reduced energy loss as compared to random, and the results are in good agreement with the Esbensen and Golovchenko calculations. Axially channeled negative particles show an increase in energy loss by as much as 20%, as compared to random. The influence of relativistic effects on channeling phenomena is introduced through a short discussion of the first electron/positron experiments, where the basic features of the effects were explored, and the results are compared to yields from close-encounter processes for heavy GeV particles. The experimental results have been compared to calculated-yield curves based on the Lindhard channeling model, and very good agreement is found over the enormous range of five to six orders of magnitude in momenta. The strong influence of channeling on small-angle scattering for GeV particles is considered through a discussion of multiple scattering, dechanneling, and the so-called "doughnut effect". The latter, in which the correlated scattering from atomic rows results in ring-shaped intensity distributions on the exit side, is found to exist for angles of incidence far beyond the critical angle, ψ1. This shows that the continuum description in the GeV region can be used for angles of incidence large compared to ψ1. Radiation from 2-55 GeV/c planar-channeled electrons and positrons has been measured and compared to classical calculations based on harmonic and more realistic anharmonic potentials and for cases, where the dipolarity condition is not satisfied. For positrons, it is found that for certain incident momenta between 1 and 10 GeV/c, the channeling radiation is practically independent of transverse energy, resulting in very sharp peaks in the spectra. This offers the possibility of making strong, nearly monoenergetic γ sources in the energy range of 1-100 MeV. Finally, a few applications of high-energy channeling in investigations of inner-shell excitations and δ-ray yields are discussed, together with some recent results on the use of channeling for bending of GeV beams.


Carbon abundances in late-type stars are important in a variety of astrophysical contexts. However C I lines, one of the main abundance diagnostics, are sensitive to departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We present a model atom for non-LTE analyses of C I lines, that uses a new, physically-motivated recipe for the rates of neutral hydrogen impact excitation. We analyse C I lines in the solar spectrum, employing a three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic model solar atmosphere and 3D non-LTE radiative transfer. We find negative non-LTE abundance corrections for C I lines in the solar photosphere, in accordance with previous studies, reaching up to around 0.1 dex in the disk-integrated flux. We also present the first fully consistent 3D non-LTE solar carbon abundance determination: we infer log ɛC = 8.44 ± 0.02, in good agreement with the current standard value. Our models reproduce the observed solar centre-to-limb variations of various C I lines, without any adjustments to the rates of neutral hydrogen impact excitation, suggesting that the proposed recipe may be a solution to the long-standing problem of how to reliably model inelastic collisions with neutral hydrogen in late-type stellar atmospheres.


Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have the capacity to proliferate, migrate, and differentiate into mature vessel endothelial cells, but have not yet expressed into the mature vessel endothelial cell type, and have not formed to be the precursor cell of the blood vessels. For those EPCs existed in the peripheral blood circulation in human, known as circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEPCs), participating in the vascular neogenesis after born and repairing process after endothelial injury. It has become a hot spot of the research on the cardiovascular diseases and other involving endothelial injury. This article comprehensively describes the bio-characteristics of EPCs, the factors influencing the number and functions of EPCs, and the newest research progress in the actual applications of EPCs, providing the new thoughts and new approach for the diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases.


During 9 years (from 1979 to 1988) the authors performed 412 multiple cold biopsies taken from 9 different points of the cancerous bladder in 263 patients. In 42 per cent of the patients the hystopathological examination of biopsy materials discovered dysplasia, carcinoma in situ or tumor of the grossly normal urothelium. The frequency of these proliferative lesions is closely connected with number, configuration, grading and depth of infiltration of overt bladder tumor. These lesions indicate the probable recurrence-rate as well as danger of the more progressive recurrence.


ABSTRACT This article investigates the use of environmental technologies in the hotel industry. Data was collected via a series of in-depth, semistructured interviews with hotel professionals. The research findings reveal that the environmental technologies most commonly used in the sampled were light-emitting diode lights, T5 fluorescent tubes, motion sensors, the key-card system, and water-cooled chillers. When not faced with budget or technical constraints, the hotel professionals preferred solar-based renewable energy-related technology, food-waste decomposers, and energy-saving chillers. This study provides a framework for hospitality researchers and practitioners to better understand the use of environmental technologies in the hotel industry. This study offers theoretical and practical implications.


Correlation between hydrogen isotope fractionation in fatty acids and carbon metabolism in pure cultures of bacteria indicates the potential of biomarker D/H analysis as a tool for diagnosing carbon substrate usage in environmental samples. However, most environments, in particular anaerobic habitats, are built from metabolic networks of micro‐organisms rather than a single organism. The effect of these networks on D/H of lipids has not been explored and may complicate the interpretation of these analyses. Syntrophy represents an extreme example of metabolic interdependence. Here, we analyzed the effect of metabolic interactions on the D/H biosignatures of sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) using both laboratory maintained cocultures of the methanogen Methanosarcina acetivorans and the SRB Desulfococcus multivorans in addition to environmental samples harboring uncultured syntrophic consortia of anaerobic methane‐oxidizing archaea (ANME) and sulfate‐reducing Deltaproteobacteria (SRB) recovered from deep‐sea methane seeps. Consistent with previously reported trends, we observed a ~80‰ range in hydrogen isotope fractionation (εlipid–water) for D. multivorans grown under different carbon assimilation conditions, with more D‐enriched values associated with heterotrophic growth. In contrast, for cocultures of D. multivorans with M. acetivorans, we observed a reduced range of εlipid–water values (~36‰) across substrates with shifts of up to 61‰ compared to monocultures. Sediment cores from methane seep settings in Hydrate Ridge (offshore Oregon, USA) showed similar D‐enrichment in diagnostic SRB fatty acids coinciding with peaks in ANME/SRB consortia concentration suggesting that metabolic associations are connected to the observed shifts in εlipid–water values.


Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing cause of poor health, psychosocial burden, and economic costs worldwide. The pancreatic β-cell is a cornerstone of metabolic physiology. Insulin deficiency leads to hyperglycemia, which was fatal before the availability of therapeutic insulins; even partial deficiency of insulin leads to diabetes in the context of insulin resistance. Comprising only an estimated 1 g or <1/500th of a percent of the human body mass, pancreatic β-cells of the islets of Langerhans are a vulnerable link in metabolism. Proinsulin production constitutes a major load on β-cell endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and decompensated ER stress is a cause of β-cell failure and loss in both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and T2D. The unfolded protein response (UPR), the principal ER stress response system, is critical for maintenance of β-cell health. Successful UPR guides expansion of ER protein folding capacity and increased β-cell number through survival pathways and cell replication. However, in some cases the ER stress response can cause collateral β-cell damage and may even contribute to diabetes pathogenesis. Here we review the known beneficial and harmful effects of UPR pathways in pancreatic β-cells. Improved understanding of this stress response tipping point may lead to approaches to maintain β-cell health and function.


The concept of "the medieval" has long been essential to global impe rial ventures, national ideologies, and the discourse of modernity. And yet the projects enabled by this powerful construct have essentially hindered investiga tion of the world's interconnected territories during a millennium of movement and exchange. The mission of The Medieval Globe is to reclaim this "middle age" and to place it at the center of global studies.


The Schistosoma mansoni P28 molecule is an Ag inducing protective immunity in various experimental models. Three synthetic peptides, derived from the primary sequence of the recombinant P28 and comprising amino acids 24-43, 115-131, and 140-153, respectively, were synthesized according to their hydrophilicity, mobility, and accessibility profiles. The presence of B and T lymphocyte epitopes in these peptides has been examined in the rat model. The results showed that the 24-43 and the 115-131 peptides contained major epitopes for IgG but not for IgE. Moreover, the 24-43 peptide-specific IgG produced after injecting either the recombinant P28 Ag or the 24-43 peptide coupled to tetanus toxoid was essentially of the IgG2a subclass and to a lesser extent of the IgG1 subclass, whereas no IgG2c was detected. These 24-43 peptide-specific antibodies were cytotoxic in vitro for schistosomula in the presence of eosinophils as effector cells. The 24-43 and the 140-153 peptides contained major targets of T lymphocytes specific for the recombinant P28 Ag. T cell lines specific for the 24-43 peptide have been prepared. These cells proliferated in vitro when stimulated with various S. mansoni crude antigenic preparations or with the recombinant P28 Ag. Moreover, their passive transfer to rats immunized with the P28 Ag led to a significant increase in specific IgE without modifying the IgG response.


Softening material models are known to trigger spurious localizations.This may be shown theoretically by the existence of solutions with zero dissipation when localization occurs and numerically with spurious mesh dependency and localization in a single layer of elements. We introduce in this paper a new way to avoid spurious localization. The idea is to enforce a Lipschitz regularity on the internal variables responsible for the material softening. The regularity constraint introduces the needed length scale in the material formulation. Moreover, we prove bounds on the domain affected by this constraint. A first one-dimensional finite element implementation is proposed for softening elasticity and softening plasticity.


Author(s): WILCOX, James A | Abstract: From their beginnings in 1908, U.S. credit unions have grown into a trillion-dollar industry with more than 100 million members. Despite many similarities, credit unions have always differed fundamentally from banks. One fundamental difference was that share accounts in credit unions, unlike bank deposits, were not debt. Thus, credit unions had options to delay and discount payments to account holders. Those options were one reason why, when thousands of banks failed, no credit unions failed during the Great Depression. Insolvency came to credit unions only after share accounts became federally insured in 1971. Insurance and its associated regulations had larger effects on the structure of the credit union industry than it had on the banking industry. Insurance turned bank deposits from risky debt into riskless debt. Insurance largely turned credit union share accounts from risky equity into riskless debt. Thus, insurance introduced insolvency risk and insolvency to credit unions. Before federal insurance, many credit unions voluntarily liquidated, and of those, only about one-fifth imposed losses on their members. After federal insurance took effect in 1971, voluntary liquidations of solvent credit unions became rare. To reduce insolvency risk and losses to the share insurance fund, regulators enabled and encouraged mergers of both strong and weak credit unions. They also discouraged new credit unions. These regulatory responses moved the credit union industry from high entry and low merger rates to near-zero entry and high merger rates. We further argue that the proximate causes of regulation differed between credit unions and banks. Major bank regulations almost always, and only, happened following banking crises. In contrast, major credit union regulations rarely followed crises, but rather usually followed prosperity in the credit union industry. Insurance is one of the examples we give.


Is that document a Shareholders' Agreement or is it a Shareholders Agreement? Do you need a driver's licence or a drivers licence?


We review first-principles theoretical calculations of core level shifts including the final state core hole screening effect. By using pseudopotentials with core holes, it is possible to calculate accurately the shifts of core levels which vary depending on their chemical environments. We point out the validity and limitation of the scheme by showing some examples.


The purpose of this study was to determine whether elevated plasma-free-serotonin (5-HT) levels in preeclampsia could evoke abnormal vasoconstriction in the umbilical artery (UmA). Threshold concentrations of 5-HT in the UmA from 12 normal pregnant (NP) women were 5 ng/ml. Plasma-free 5-HT levels in the UmA (14.38 +/- 5.68 ng/ml) in severe preeclampsia (SP) were higher than the threshold value. Plasma-free 5-HT levels in UmA blood (1.6 +/- 1.2 ng/ml) in NP women were lower than the threshold value. There were significant increases in sensitivity to 5-HT in the UmA from SP; the threshold value of 5-HT was low (1.0 ng/ml), and the EC50 value (5.2 +/- 2.4 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that of NP women (13.9 +/- 3.0 ng/ml, p < 0.001). These results strongly suggest that increased plasma-free 5-HT and vascular hypersensitivity to 5-HT in preeclampsia can cause vasospasms and a disturbance of the feto-placental circulation.


Plant biostimulants are "green" solutions to improve crop production. Trichoderma spp. and phosphites, ordinarily used as biocontrol agents, can trigger phytostimulation, also promoting endogenous mechanisms involved in plant growth and development. The present study aimed at assessing the efficacy of a phosphite-based formulation (Phosphit-One) and Trichoderma harzianum-T22 on the morpho-physiological response and modulation of the metabolomics profile in zucchini squash plants (Cucurbita pepo L.) cultivated in controlled growth conditions (Fitotron®). The highest values of fresh biomass production (390.9 g plant−1) and root dry weight (5.6 g plant−1) were obtained for Trichoderma-treated plants. This last treatment resulted in an improved physiological performance (SPAD index, CO2 assimilation rate, and Fv/Fm ratio) measured 30 days after transplanting. Both Trichoderma and phosphite treatments induced a broad metabolic reprogramming in leaves, evident also for the phosphite treatment that did not result in a growth promotion. The microbial and the non-microbial treatments showed distinctive signatures in secondary metabolism yet, common responses could be also highlighted. For instance, both Trichoderma and phosphite triggered ROS-mediated signaling processes, together with the accumulation of phenylpropanoids, glucosinolates, and phytoalexins. Furthermore, a significant alteration of phytohormones was observed, with terpenoid gibberellins and brassinosteroids showing the largest differences. The metabolomic signatures induced by Trichoderma and phosphite in zucchini squash provided molecular insights into the processes underlying elicitation of plant defense due to biostimulation. Interestingly, the modulation of plant secondary metabolism by both treatments did not impair plant growth.


Abstract Future projections of near-surface ozone concentrations depend on the climate/emissions scenario used to drive future simulations, the direct effects of the changing climate on the atmosphere, and the indirect effects of changing temperatures and CO2 levels on biogenic ozone precursor emissions. The authors investigate the influence of these factors on potential future changes in summertime daily 8-h maximum ozone over the United States and China by comparing Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 2.4, (MOZART-2.4) simulations for the period 1996–2000 with 2095–99, using climate projections from NCAR–Department of Energy Parallel Climate Model simulations driven by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emissions Scenarios A1fi (higher) and B1 (lower) emission scenarios, with corresponding changes in biogenic emissions. The effect of projected climate changes alone on surface ozone is generally less than 3 ppb over most regions. Regional ozone increases and...


Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Nais communis was analyzed using the Illumina Hiseq 2000 platform. The length of the complete mitochondrial genome was 15,685 bp, and the data were submitted to NCBI (MW770354). The genome contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a putative control region. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the sequences of 13 PCGs identified by the maximum-likelihood method. Regardless of the lack of studies on the complete mitochondrial genome of other aquatic oligochaetes, the phylogenetic tree showed N. communis to cluster with Tubifex tubifex and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri with high support value, and the freshwater oligochaete and earthworm groups to be sister groups.


Background: The population in the Gaza Strip has been living under chronically stressful conditions as a result of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Objectives: To identify health complaints reported by attendants consulting primary care physicians in the Gaza Strip. Methods: The study took place in 10 governmental primary health care centres and 5 clinics of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip, during autumn 2005. Self-reported health complaints were recorded through face-to-face interviews with 956 respondents using a validated and reliable questionnaire. Results: Abdominal pain and headache were the most frequent complaints reported among patients aged 18 to 44 years, accounting for 23.3% and 22.7% of total complaints in males and females, respectively. Fatigue and joint pain were the most common complaints among patients aged 45 years and above, accounting for 26% and 33.9% of total complaints in males and females, respectively. Conclusions: The most common complaints, as reported by patients attending PHC facilities were stress-related and could be attributed to the ongoing conflict and high level of violence and uncertainty in the area. These complaints present a challenge to primary care providers in their efforts to improve the everyday quality of life of Palestinian residents with scarce means and resources.


Background: the yak (Bos grunniens) is one of the major livestock that can survive the extremely cold, harsh and oxygen-poor conditions and provide meat, milk and transportation for Tibetans living in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and there are some cattle migrate to yak habitat but cannot survive the extremely conditions well. However, the regulatory mechanisms that drive hypoxic adaptation of yak remain elusive.
Results: Thus, we collected heart tissues from Leiwuqi (LWQ) yak and their relatives, the migration cattle in LWQ yak habitat (HAC) and low-altitude cattle (LAC), respectively, for RNA sequencing, 178 co-differentially expressed protein-coding transcripts (CETs) including 6 down-regulated and 172 up-regulated CETs were discovered in both LAC-vs-LWQY and LAC-vs-HAC comparison groups. There were 133, 11 and 3 lncRNA transcripts were specific expressed in LWQY, HAC, and LAC groups, respectively. 2 and 230 lncRNA transcripts differentially expressed in LAC-vs-LWQY and LAC-vs-HAC,respectively, but no lncRNA transcripts co-differentially expressed in those two comparison groups. Among the 58 miRNAs that were co-differentially expressed, 18 were up-regulated and 40 were down-regulated. In addition, 640 (501 up-regulated and 139 down-regulated) and 152 (152 up-regulated and 1 down-regulated) circRNAs showed differential expression in LAC-vs-LWQY and LAC-vs-HAC comparison groups, respectively, and 53 up-regulated co-differentially expressed circRNAs were shared. Multiply CETs which are the target genes for miRNAs/lncRNAs were significantly enriched in high-altitude adaptation related processes, for instance, T cell receptor signaling, VEGF signaling, and cAMP signaling. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network by integrating competing relationships among CETs, miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs were constructed. Furthermore, we constructed a hypoxic adaptation related ceRNA network to identified that 8 miRNAs and 15 circRNAs were predicted to regulated MAPKAPK3, PXN, NFATC2, ATP7A, DIAPH1 and F2R genes.
Conclusion: In conclusion, our data reinforce the view that the molecular network of high-altitude adaptation is composed of several protein-coding transcripts and non-coding transcripts that involved in multiply hypoxic adaptation regulatory pathways. The detailed mechanism for how this network crosstalk each other in heart of Bovidae are worthy of future research efforts.


ABSTRACT This article reviews the attachment and neuroscience model of Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) (Allen, Fonagy, & Bateman, 2008) and its application for understanding and treating eating disorders (Skarderud & Fonagy, 2012). Mentalization, or mentalizing, refers to the capacity to apprehend one's own and others' behavior in terms of underlying mental states (needs, emotions, desires, beliefs, goals, reasons, and thoughts). Evidence from prospective studies suggests that insecure attachment and poor mentalizing difficulties may be risk factors for the development of eating pathology (Jewell et al., 2015; Rothschild-Yakar, Levy-Shiff, Fridman-Balaban, Gur, & Stein, 2010; Rothschild-Yakar & Stein, 2013). Preliminary research on the use of MBT for treating eating disorders, with nonsuicidal self-injury co-morbidity, suggests some promise for this model (Robinson et al., 2015). The theoretical rationale and key interventions of the MBT eating disorder model (MBT-ED) used in a multicenter research and treatment project are discussed (Skarderud & Fonagy, 2012; Robinson et al., 2015). Modifications of MBT-ED's structure and techniques are proposed for family treatment of adolescent and child patients with eating disorders. Case example illustrates the impact of problems in the family system with mentalizing capacities on family cohesion, the therapeutic process, and the family's ability to help the child recover.


This case report describes the successful ten-years interdisciplinary treatment of ankylosed upper central incisors with an anterior vertical ridge defect. This treatment was challenging as ankylosis was present before the growth spurt. Orthodontic treatment in association with decoronation, a xenogeneic bone graft, an autogenous sub-epithelial connective tissue graft, and implant placement were performed to correct the vertical ridge defect and to re-establish appropriate function, gingival health and aesthetics. Decoronation performed during the growth spurt was the key to avoiding alveolar ridge deformity.


The decline in nuclear power is profound, long-lasting and has been underway for some time- the break in the growth trend of nuclear energy goes back to the 1970s. Medium-term scenarios for the nuclear industry are thus becoming less and less ambitious and a relaunching of growth appears unimaginable for at least a generation. In the longer term, the internalization of environmental and social costs associated with all energy and industrial activities would appear to be a minimum prerequisite for the continuation of the nuclear option. The quest for a more sustainable form of economic development could be the last chance for nuclear energy and the lessons learned by the nuclear industry could themselves have something to contribute to the development of sustainability.