One-day-old turkeys were inoculated intranasally with Bordetella avium. Noninoculated hatchmates were housed separately. At postinoculation weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, B avium-infected (BA+) and B avium-free (BA-) turkeys were necropsied; specimens of tracheas, intrapulmonary primary bronchi, and lung adjacent to primary bronchi were bacteriologically cultured. Lung tissue was collected for histologic examination. Lungs perfused with acetic acid were collected for evaluation to determine the size, number, and distribution of lymphoid nodules associated with primary bronchi. Bordetella avium was isolated from trachea and primary bronchi of all BA+ turkeys, but was never isolated from lung parenchyma. Acute purulent bronchitis was associated with colonization of the primary bronchi by B avium from postinoculation weeks 1 to 3. Macrophages and lymphocytes persisted in the peribronchial connective tissue for 5 weeks after inoculation. Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue consisted of discrete lymphoid nodules protruding into the lumens of primary bronchi. Lymphoid nodules, morphologically similar in BA+ and BA- turkeys, were composed of nonciliated, cuboidal epithelium covering a zone of loosely arranged lymphocytes and macrophages and a deeper, sharply demarcated lymphoid follicle. Compared with bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue of BA- turkeys, lymphoid nodules of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue in BA+ turkeys were more numerous and widely distributed along primary bronchi. In both BA- and BA+ turkeys, the mean diameter of lymphoid nodules doubled between 1 and 5 weeks of age.


This paper is devoted to a fractional generalization of the Dirichlet distribution. The form of the multivariate distribution is derived assuming that the n partitions of the interval [0, W n ] are independent and identically distributed random variables following the generalized Mittag-Leffler distribution. The expected value and variance of the one-dimensional marginal are derived as well as the form of its probability density function. A related generalized Dirichlet distribution is studied that provides a reasonable approximation for some values of the parameters. The relation between this distribution and other generalizations of the Dirichlet distribution is discussed. Monte Carlo simulations of the one-dimensional marginals for both distributions are presented.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to show the importance of surgical excision after the diagnosis of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) based on needle core biopsy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Retrospective evaluation of all cases of LCIS diagnosed at needle core biopsy from 2000 to 2011 was performed; 60 patients with 64 diagnoses of LCIS comprise the cohort. Data recorded included patient demographics, patient presentation, breast density, personal and family histories of breast cancer, lesion characteristics, biopsy method, and correlation of core results with surgical pathology or follow-up imaging. The pathology facility was recorded for all biopsies because the specimens from open surgical biopsy were frequently reviewed by a different laboratory.

RESULTS
A total of 60 patients with 64 diagnoses of LCIS comprised the study cohort. The patients ranged in age from 36 to 93 years (average, 55 years). The lesions consisted of 39 calcifications, two masses with calcium, 10 masses, two asymmetries, two architectural distortions, two architectural distortions with calcifications, and seven MRI enhancements. Mammography detected lesions in 84% of the cases (n = 54) and 16% (n = 10) were not visualized. Sonography detected lesions in 30% of the cases (n = 19) and 70% (n = 45) were sonographically occult. Needle core biopsy was performed in all cases: 49 stereotactic biopsies (77%), 12 ultrasound-guided biopsies, and three MRI-guided biopsies. All but one case proceeded to surgery. Open surgical biopsy revealed 21 cancers (33%); of the remaining cases, 53% of the cases (n = 33) were atypical or high risk and 14% (n = 9) were benign.

CONCLUSION
The diagnosis of LCIS at needle core biopsy, in this small study, revealed that 84% of lesions either were malignant or were atypical or high risk at surgery, of which 33% were found to be carcinoma. Our findings suggest that LCIS should be excised when noted at core biopsy.


Background Complete extension of the thumb and activation of the extensor pollicis longus (EPL) tendon are fundamental to ensure maximum function. Many EPL repair techniques are described in the literature. Methods The authors present an alternative technique using the brachioradialis (BR) tendon. Thirty patients with injuries of the EPL tendon in zone 8 were studied. In all cases, neither direct suture repair nor traditional tendon transfer was possible. Results Thumb extension was restored in all patients with satisfactory extension recovery. All patients achieved excellent extension; good functional results were observed in 2 cases, and in 1 case satisfactory results were achieved using the Geldmacher assessment and the Kapandji assessment. The overall results were rated as excellent, good, fair, or poor according to the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Scale. Discussion The BR tendon was suitable to treat all cases, in particular injuries occurring near Lister's tubercle, due to its appropriate length for tenorrhaphy albeit with a short distal head.


Children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are identified for admission to outpatient therapeutic programs using mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) or weight for height (WHZ). However, MUAC and WHZ do not identify the same children, and such observed differences might have programmatic implications of missed nutrition therapy if only MUAC is used to identify children with SAM. The objective of the study was to assess any difference in prevalence and degree of agreement between MUAC and WHZ in identifying SAM affected children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia, among 17 districts, with 3 districts and 10 health centers with their clustered health posts selected randomly. A total of 2,040 children were recruited, and data were collected using a parent questionnaire then entered into EpiData and analyzed using SPSS v 20. A total of 1,980 respondents (97.1%) were interviewed, all of whom were female and rural residents. Children's mean age in months was 23.2 (SD ± 9.7), and 54% were male children. The prevalence of SAM based on MUAC <11.5 cm was 11.2% (95% CI: 9.9–12.7) and 11.0% (95% CI: 9.7–12.5) based on WHZ <−3. The agreement between MUAC and WHZ was good (k = 0.729). The proportion of children with SAM identified using both MUAC and WHZ was 61.2%. The prevalence of SAM identified using both MUAC and WHZ was comparable. A substantial degree of agreement between MUAC and WHZ was observed to diagnose SAM. Therefore, MUAC can be used as an appropriate tool in identifying children with SAM for admission into the outpatient therapeutic program (OTP) in the study area.


A Na+/H+ antiporter catalyses coupled Na+ extrusion and H+ uptake across the membranes of extremely alkalophilic bacilli. This exchange is electrogenic, with H+ translocated inward greater than Na+ extruded. It is energized by the delta chi 2 component of the delta mu H+ that is established during primary proton pumping by the alkalophile respiratory chain complexes. These complexes abound in the membranes of extreme alkalophiles. Combined activity of the respiratory chain, the antiporter, and solute transport systems that are coupled to Na+ re-entry, allow the alkalophiles to maintain a cytoplasmic pH that is several pH units more acidic than optimal external pH values for growth. There is no compelling evidence for a specific and necessary role for any ion other than sodium in pH homeostasis, and although there is very high cytoplasmic buffering capacity in the alkaline range, active mechanisms for pH homeostasis are crucial. Energization of the antiporter as well as the proton translocating F1F0-ATPase that catalyses ATP synthesis in the extreme alkalophiles must accommodate the problem of the low net delta mu H+ and the very low concentrations of protons, per se, in the external medium. This problem is by-passed by other bioenergetic work functions, such as solute uptake or motility, that utilize sodium ions for energy-coupling in the place of protons.


The extragalactic very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray sky is dominated at the moment by more than fifty blazars detected by the present imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACT), with a majority (about 90%) of high-frequency peaked BL Lac objects (HBL) and a small number of low-frequency peaked and intermediate BL Lac objects (LBL and IBL) and flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ). A significant variability is often observed, with time scales from a few minutes to months and years. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of these blazars typically shows two bumps from the radio to the TeV range, which can usually be described by leptonic or hadronic processes. While elementary bricks of the VHE emission scenarios seem now reasonably well identified, a global picture of these sources, describing the geometry and dynamics of the VHE zone, is not yet available. Multiwavelength monitoring and global alert network will be important to better constrain the picture, especially with the perspective of CTA, a major project of the next generation in ground-based gamma-ray


A probabilistic framework is presented for the modeling of the variability in crack-tip opening displacement (fracture toughness) during the fracture of coarse grained heat affected zones in A707 steel welds. The variability in inclusion distribution and fracture conditions is modeled using weak link statistics in physically-based fracture mechanics models that describe the fracture behavior in the lower-shelf and transition-temperature regimes. The models are used to explain the measured trends in experiments designed to explore the effects of heat input on crack-tip opening displacement. The implications of the results are also analyzed for the design of welded structures.


Working as a laboratory for unconventional scientific communication, in the last decade the INFN Communications Office [1] has developed innovative formats of public events, in which the performing arts are intertwined with the scientific narrative. This process was born with the goal of involving a wide variety of audiences with Particle Physics, Cosmology and Technology and increase the awareness in the research and innovation processes lead by INFN and the scientific community as a whole. The underlying idea is that a narrative approach in public events, accompanied by experiences solicited by the artistic language, can help the audience to unveil connections in the interpretation of reality, thus opening unexpected scenarios for the acquisition of knowledge. If well designed and build on verified content, these formats can offer tactics to properly engage non-expert audiences [2]. Case studies of innovative formats are presented, as "Cosmic Tale", a conference-show about the universe birth and evolution, offered to more than 6000 people in the period from 2016 to 2019 (7 live replicas). The narrative structure of Cosmic Tale is based on the intertwining of dialogues, videos, readings and music, and moves along a well-defined storyboard, supported also by a cartoon story. More recently, the INFN and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) experimented with a format based on monologues about the same story the first detection of gravitational waves from the coalescence of neutron stars told from three different points of view (space satellites, terrestrial telescopes and gravitational wave detectors) and interlaced with jazz music played by professional and well-known musicians. If consciously integrated into the narrative, artistic performances can represent an unconventional voice about science, which involve artists, scientists and the public in the definition of a common storytelling and, ultimately, of a new multicultural language. Critical aspects of the conference-show formats are also presented in order to keep the discussion open on how they can be evaluated and aligned to societal needs and expectations.


The immune system represents the body's defense against infectious organisms. Inborn defects of the immune system, called primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs), are a heterogeneous group of Mendelian disorders. Clinically, PIDs can cause isolated to broad susceptibility to pathogens, severe hyperinflammation, autoimmunity, allergy, and cancer. The studies in this thesis take advantage of the recent development in DNAsequencing technologies and of our increased understanding of genetic variability to further explore the genetic architecture and phenotypic spectrum of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an inborn error of lymphocyte cytotoxicity, and to elucidate the genetic factors behind autoimmunity and hematological malignancies in selected families. Familial HLH (FHL) is a severe hyperinflammatory condition, genetically heterogeneous, caused by defective perforin-mediated lymphocyte cytotoxic activity. In paper I we use a high-throughput sequencing panel covering 12 HLH-related genes in 58 prospectively recruited patients with HLH and achieve a molecular diagnosis in 22 cases (38%). In paper II we show that perforin-deficiency due to biallelic PRF1 missense variants is associated with broad intra-familial variability and clinical presentations seemingly unrelated to HLH, such as Hodgkin lymphoma. Using exome sequencing, in paper III, we identify biallelic pathogenic variants in IFNGR1 and INFGR2, respectively, in two patients with HLH and disseminated mycobacterial infection. Previous studies have shown that HLH pathology is largely driven by IFN-γ. Instead, our findings suggest the existence of IFN-γ-independent mechanisms for the development of HLH. In paper IV, we uncover biallelic coding and non-coding variants in RAB27A, the gene responsible for Griscelli syndrome type 2 (GS2), in five unrelated patients with atypical HLH, normal pigmentation, and a functional defect suggestive of FHL. A complex structural variant disrupting the transcriptional start site (TSS) of one RAB27A transcript was shared among the patients. We show that the disrupted TSS is less predominantly used by melanocytes compared to lymphocytes, explaining the lack of hypopigmentation in these patients, otherwise present in GS2. In paper V we report the beneficial effect of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a 14-year-old boy with LRBA deficiency and a seven-year history of severe autoimmmune disorders. In paper VI we uncover germline heterozygous missense variants in SAMD9L, a gene located on 7q21, in two families with multiple individuals affected by cytopenia, immunodeficiency, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with cytogenetic aberrations of chromosome 7, and neurologic disease. We show a gain-of-function (GOF) effect of the mutants, which inhibit cell proliferation. Germline SAMD9L GOF variants were lost in MDS cells and hematopoietic revertant mosaicism occurred frequently among less severely affected carriers. Our results indicate a strong selective advantage for hematopoietic cells that, through different somatic events, overcome the growthinhibiting effect of germline SAMD9L GOF variants. Taken together, these studies add to our understanding of the phenotypic and genetic spectrum of HLH, display the power of high-throughput sequencing in diagnostics of individuals affected by severe inflammation, autoimmunity, and hematological malignancies, and highlight SAMD9L as an important gene for regulation of hematopoietic cell proliferation.


Chitosan(CS)was successfully modified in supercritical carbon dioxide(scCO2)by grafting method to enhance its water solubility.In this work,a three-arm star-like fluorinated polymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP)method and applied as a surfactant in supercritical carbon dioxide(scCO2).Then 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid(AMPS)was grafted onto CS(CS-g-PAMPS)in H2O/scCO2inverse emulsion.The effects of mass ratio of water and surfactants(R w/s)and pressure of scCO2on the grafting reaction were investigated.The grafting rate,particle size,and dispersity in water of CS-g-PAMPS varied greatly as R w/s and pressure of scCO2changed.It could be found that the value of R w/s at 12 and the pressure of scCO2at 30 MPa were the optimum conditions for the grafting reaction.CS-g-PAMPS prepared in this reaction system has higher grafting rate,smaller particle sizes,and better dispersity in water than those prepared via conventional methods.


The emergence of mobile computing devices brings along the fact that users interact with computers in various environments. The user interface of a mobile system can be affected by environmental context. Several approaches succeed in providing architectures and frameworks to support the building and reuse of software components considering context information. Taking into ac- count context information in designing the interaction of a system, however, has not yet been extensively investigated. In this paper we will discuss an Integrated Development Environment, DynaMo-AID, we are developing to support the de- sign, prototyping, evaluation and deployment of context-aware interactive sys- tems.


At present, the transfer of information is an integral part of technologies that are actively developing in the framework of the process called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this, space-satellite, satellite and other mobile wireless communication systems play an increasingly important role. Almost all of them include multiple access, which means a method of common resource division of the communication channel between subscribers (each mobile station has the ability to use a satellite retransmitter or the base station of a mobile wireless communication system to transmit its signals regardless of the operation of another station). Multiple-access communication systems are used for digital radio and television broadcasting in high-speed communication lines, in wireless local area networks, for data transmission in the microwave range, and also for communication with various mobile partners. In the radio transmitting and receiving paths of communication systems with multiple access, multiple signals are used (the sum of the power of the subscriber signals) with very complex types of digital envelope modulation, so they use wide working bands. With an increase in the quality of information transmission in mobile wireless communication systems, there are special requirements for powerful amplification systems (PAS) of receiving-transmitting tracts, which must have high efficiency and high output power, required bandwidth, network capacity, and linearity of message transmission channels. To achieve maximum efficiency in the PAS, the operating point of its amplifying element should be near the saturation region, on the main nonlinearity of the transfer characteristic. When multiple signals are introduced simultaneously into the PAS, it generates unfiltered intermodulation harmonics (IH). Intermodulation harmonics are formed due to the nonlinearity of the amplitude characteristics and the unevenness of phase-amplitude characteristics and due to the need to work with the highest efficiency of the PAS, which requires a shift of the operating point to the saturation thresholds of their amplifying elements. This, in turn, causes the appearance of IH. Since the harmonic oscillations IH actually represent noise for neighboring communication channels and are not theoretically filtered, an equalizer (otherwise an optimizer) of characteristics, is needed to reduce the level of these interferences in the output (Raman) spectrum of the PAS.


Drawing on the classical myth of the goddess Cura, I show that care is concerned with the temporality of Being, a feeling for time in tension between the desire for a world that endures despite our mortality whilst also constantly open to our innate capacity for originality. I elaborate this proposition through its intimate and ambivalent relationship with its counterpart, security, and especially through the topos of the curator. The latter's deployment and simplifications through time, implicitly tasked with removing worries and cares, disavow the paradoxes that comprise its morphology. From its emergence with the Roman Empire, I attend to its resonances within the curacy of the Catholic Church, its transformation with the Reformation and the natural theology of early modern science, its transference to the museum as one responsible for preserving and generating historical understanding, and its more recent re-fashioning as a technique for producing and performing self-identity through selection. The current ubiquity of curation beyond the museum and gallery can be understood, I suggest, not as an aberration but perhaps as a symptom of our temporal malaise, the pathology and felt exhaustion of a stalled project of modernity for which we have been repeatedly told 'there is no alternative'. I conclude by briefly considering some of the implications of accepting the complexities of care and curation for affecting temporal experience without reproducing the logic that sustains our current impasse.


ABSTRACT Identity development occurs in the context of real-time interactions. However, existing research on interactions has focused on identity processes and little is known about identity content development within interactions. We define real-time identity as claims about selves, formulated in the service of an interactional "social business." The aim of this methodological paper is to introduce Iterative Micro-Content Analysis (IMICA) as an approach to studying the changes and consistencies in real-time identity content. We outline four key principles of IMICA and offer a step by step guide to its analytic stages. We provide two worked examples for illustration: a video-recorded conversation between two young women on the topic of "love and desire," and audio-recorded speed-dating conversations between young same-sex attracted men. The worked examples demonstrate how IMICA can be used to study how identity claims change within a single interaction as well as across multiple interactions. We argue that IMICA's empirical insights into the concrete mechanisms through which social interactions shape identities are of both theoretical and practical relevance. We discuss how IMICA may allow for a micro-level operationalization of macro-level concepts (e.g., exploration or identity centrality), outline how it may be combined with quantitative analyses, and discuss its limitations.


The level of UDPG-pyrophosphorylase activity has been determined spectrophotometrically. The enzymic activity in skeletal muscles gradually increases during the development of chick embryos and chick. Adrenalin does not affect the activity of the enzyme neither in embryos, nor in chick.


Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) promotes heart oxidative stress (OS) and evokes anti-inflammatory responses observed by increased intracellular 70 kDa heat shock proteins (iHSP70). Furthermore, PM2.5 increases the levels of these proteins in extracellular fluids (eHSP70), which have proinflammatory roles. We investigated whether moderate and high intensity training under exposure to low levels of PM2.5 modifies heart OS and the eHSP70 to iHSP70 ratio (H-index), a biomarker of inflammatory status. Male mice (n = 32), 30 days old, were divided into six groups for 12 weeks: control (CON), moderate (MIT) and high intensity training (HIT), exposure to 5 μg of PM2.5 daily (PM2.5), and moderate and high intensity training exposed to PM2.5 (MIT + PM2.5 and HIT + PM2.5 groups). The CON and PM2.5 groups remained sedentary. The MIT + PM2.5 group showed higher heart lipid peroxidation levels than the MIT and PM2.5 groups. HIT and HIT + PM2.5 showed higher heart lipid peroxidation levels and lower eHSP70 and H-index levels compared to sedentary animals. No alterations were found in heart antioxidant enzyme activity or iHSP70 levels. Moderate exercise training under exposure to low levels of PM2.5 induces heart OS but does not modify eHSP70 to iHSP70 ratio (H-index). High intensity exercise training promotes anti-inflammatory profile despite exposure to low levels of PM2.5.


Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the most valuable perennial legume crop, referred to as "Queen of the Forages" for its high nutritional value and yield production among forage crops. Comprehensive genomic information of germplasm resources from different ecological regions and modern breeding strategies, such as molecular-marker assisted breeding are of great importance to breed new alfalfa varieties with environmental resilience. Here, we report assembly of the genome sequence of Zhongmu-4 (ZM-4), one of the most planted cultivars in China, and identification of SNPs associated with alfalfa agronomic traits by Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS). Sequence of 32 allelic chromosomes was assembled successfully by single molecule real time sequencing and Hi-C technique with ALLHiC algorithm. About 2.74 Gbp contigs, accounting for 88.39% of the estimated genome, were assembled with 2.56 Gbp contigs anchored to 32 pseudo-chromosomes. In comparison with M. truncatula A17, distinctive inversion and translocation on chromosome 1, and between chromosome 4 and 8, respectively, were detected. Moreover, we conducted resequencing of 220 alfalfa accessions collected globally and performed GWAS analysis based on our assembled genome. Population structure analysis demonstrated that alfalfa has a complex genetic relationship among germplasm with different geographic origins. GWAS identified 101 SNPs associated with 27 out of 93 agronomic traits. The updated chromosome-scale and allele-aware genome sequence, coupled with the resequencing data of most global alfalfa germplasm, provides valuable information for alfalfa genetic research, and further analysis of major SNP loci will accelerate unravelling the molecular basis of important agronomic traits and facilitate genetic improvement of alfalfa.


Deep-sea ophiuroids were collected by the manned submersible 'Shenhaiyongshi' from the South China Sea at depths of 500–3550 m, in 2017 to 2020. A total of 18 species were identified, including three new species and eight new records, increasing the total number of species known from the South China Sea to 304. Most of the ophiuroids recorded from the South China Sea were found in shallow waters (77.9%) and a few of them occurred only in deep water (20.4%). Three new species are described as Ophiacantha aster sp. nov., Ophiomoeris petalis sp. nov. and Ophiopristis shenhaiyongshii sp. nov. We provide comprehensive descriptions of morphological features, including characteristics of the arm skeletons, and a phylogenetic analysis based on COI and 16S sequences. Overall intraspecific and interspecific genetic distance variations among the families found in this study were 0.5% to 2.47% and 1.16% to 44.16%, respectively, along the South Pacific region to the South China Sea. Our phylogenetic analysis suggested that COI partial genes resolved the interspecies complexity in the class Ophiuroidea better than 16S partial genes. The order Euryalida had low interspecies genetic distance variation within the class Ophiuroidea. The present study suggests a high probability that species of Asteroschema and Gorgonocephalus are more widely spread around the Indo-Pacific region than previously expected.


A technique for the simulation of various kinds of ground based SAR system was developed. This is an ancillary research for the development of an ArcSAR system which uses an arcrail as a platform for the antenna movement instead of linear rail. The results of applying conventional Deramp FFT based SAR focusing algorithm to the simulated raw signal of linear rail type ground based SAR for the point targets showed that the developed simulation technique generated accurate GB-SAR raw signal. The developed technique is now being used for the development and verification of SAR focusing algorithm for the arc-rail type ground based SAR. The simulation technique is also expected to be very useful for the purpose oriented system design and operation planning of ground based SAR technique.


This study provides estimates of the human contribution to the observed widespread intensification of precipitation extremes. We consider the annual maxima of daily (RX1day) and 5 day consecutive (RX5day) precipitation amounts over the Northern Hemisphere land area for 1951–2005 and compare observed changes with expected responses to external forcings as simulated by multiple coupled climate models participating in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5. The effect of anthropogenic forcings can be detected in extreme precipitation observations, both individually and when simultaneously estimating anthropogenic and naturally forced changes. The effect of natural forcings is not detectable. We estimate that human influence has intensified annual maximum 1 day precipitation in sampled Northern Hemisphere locations by 3.3% [1.1% to 5.8%, >90% confidence interval] on average. This corresponds to an average intensification in RX1day of 5.2% [1.3%, 9.3%] per degree increase in observed global mean surface temperature consistent with the Clausius‐Clapeyron relationship.


Chronic ischemic wounds presenting at wound clinics are heterogeneous with respect to etiology, age of the wound, and other factors complicating wound healing. In addition, there are ethical challenges associated with collecting repeated biopsies from a patient to develop an understanding of the temporal dynamics of the mechanisms underlying chronic wounds. The need for a preclinical model of ischemic wound is therefore compelling. The porcine model is widely accepted as an excellent preclinical model for human wounds. A full-thickness bipedicle flap approach was adopted to cause skin ischemia. Closure of excisional wounds placed on ischemic tissue was severely impaired resulting in chronic wounds. Histologically, ischemic wounds suffered from impaired re-epithelialization, delayed macrophage recruitment and poorer endothelial cell abundance and organization. Compared with the pair-matched nonischemic wound, unique aspects of the ischemic wound biology were examined on days 3, 7, 14, and 28 by systematic screening of the wound tissue transcriptome using high-density porcine GeneChips. Ischemia markedly potentiated the expression of arginase-1, a cytosolic enzyme that metabolizes the precursor of nitric oxide l-arginine. Ischemia also induced the SOD2 in the wound tissue perhaps as survival response of the challenged tissue. Human chronic wounds also demonstrated elevated expression of SOD2 and arginase-1. This study provides a thorough database that may serve as a valuable reference tool to develop novel hypotheses aiming to elucidate the biology of ischemic chronic wounds in a preclinical setting.


the Abstract. On the base of data on sea ice closeness seasonal and interannual Weddell Polynia variability is analyzed. Values of sea ice closeness (in percent) in 1° x 1° grid for the period 1969-2008 from data set of British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC) HadISST ICE and NCEP Data are used. For Southern Ocean sector between 60°S and Antarctica coast and 10°W-10°E for each year monthly average summary areas with ice various closeness are calculated. Here occurrence of Weddell Polynia is most probable. It is shown, that in average annual climatic ice field different closeness Weddell Polynia is shown in decrease of 35-45 % ice closeness in area between 60-65°S and 0-20°E. In climatic seasonal cycle Weddell Polynia is observed in November-December as closed space of ice with closeness decrease by 20-30%. This space separated from open Ocean by the crosspiece of solid-ice. In this area the maximum of annual harmonic amplitude in seasonal variability of sea ice closeness is marked. Climatic seasonal scheme of Weddell Polynia forming undergoes significant interannual variability, which is connected with large-scale variability in the ocean-atmosphere system due to Antarctic Circumpolar Wave.


In collaborative museum learning contexts, it is problematic that groups of museum visitors are not able able to touch, handle, and pass museum artefacts around during collaborative discussions. This can be due to the fragility of the artefacts themselves or due to the people discussing them being in different locations. Interacting with virtual representations of artefacts is a solution to the problem, but digital experiences have typically lacked many of the qualities that are so successful in engaging museum learners with physical artefacts.

In this paper, we introduce our theory that hands-on, reality-based interaction using a tablet interface offers a much more engaging way for collaborators to explore and discuss virtual artefacts than the more traditional desktop interface-based experience, and that this increase in engagement will potentially lead to learning outcomes for the collaborators.


We study the computational power of systems where information is stored in independent strings and each computational step consists of exchanging information between randomly chosen pairs. To this end we introduce a population genetics model in which the operators of selection and inheritance are effectively computable (in polynomial time on probabilistic Turing machines). We show that such systems are as powerful as the usual models of parallel computations, namely they can simulate polynomial space computations in polynomially many steps. We also show that the model has the same power if the recombination rules for strings are very simple (context sensitive crossing over). 2001 Elsevier Science


In crowdsourcing systems, requesters publish tasks, and interested workers provide answers to get rewards. Worker anonymity motivates participation since it protects their privacy. Anonymity with unlinkability is an enhanced version of anonymity because it makes it impossible to ``link'' workers across the tasks they participate in. Another core feature of crowdsourcing systems is worker quality which expresses a worker's trustworthiness and quantifies their historical performance. Notably, worker quality depends on the participation history, revealing information about it, while unlinkability aims to disassociate the workers' identities from their past activity. In this work, we present AVeCQ, the first crowdsourcing system that reconciles these properties, achieving enhanced anonymity and verifiable worker quality updates. AVeCQ relies on a suite of cryptographic tools, such as zero-knowledge proofs, to (i) guarantee workers' privacy, (ii) prove the correctness of worker quality scores and task answers, and (iii) commensurate payments. AVeCQ is developed modularly, where the requesters and workers communicate over a platform that supports pseudonymity, information logging, and payments. In order to compare AVeCQ with the state-of-the-art, we prototype it over Ethereum. AVeCQ outperforms the state-of-the-art in three popular crowdsourcing tasks (image annotation, average review, and Gallup polls). For instance, for an Average Review task with $5$ choices and $128$ participating workers AVeCQ is 40\% faster (including overhead to compute and verify the necessary proofs and blockchain transaction processing time) with the task's requester consuming 87\% fewer gas units.


Objective To test the "27 club" hypothesis that famous musicians are at an increased risk of death at age 27. Design Cohort study using survival analysis with age as a time dependent exposure. Comparison was primarily made within musicians, and secondarily relative to the general UK population. Setting The popular music scene from a UK perspective. Participants Musicians (solo artists and band members) who had a number one album in the UK between 1956 and 2007 (n=1046 musicians, with 71 deaths, 7%). Main outcome measures Risk of death by age of musician, accounting for time dependent study entry and the number of musicians at risk. Risk was estimated using a flexible spline which would allow a bump at age 27 to appear. Results We identified three deaths at age 27 amongst 522 musicians at risk, giving a rate of 0.57 deaths per 100 musician years. Similar death rates were observed at ages 25 (rate=0.56) and 32 (0.54). There was no peak in risk around age 27, but the risk of death for famous musicians throughout their 20s and 30s was two to three times higher than the general UK population. Conclusions The 27 club is unlikely to be a real phenomenon. Fame may increase the risk of death among musicians, but this risk is not limited to age 27.


This paper details the use of retrospective assessment by a multi-institutional partnership to measure the level of student and faculty engagement in the course development process. This partnership includes two universities in the U.S., one in Puerto Rico, and one in Spain and is in the final year of an NSF funded project to integrate sustainability into supply chain management and facility logistics curriculum across institutional boundaries and international time zones. Lessons learned from the assessment are used to identify progress toward learning and pedagogical development goals as well as suggest measures for overcoming engagement barriers.


Despite having outcompeted the dog in popularity in UK, the cat has lived in close proximity to man for a relatively short period of time. This shorter period for domestication has affected the nature of the cat's level of domesticity, creating limitations on the behavioural flexibility that companion cats can offer. A previous article examined possible genetic predispositions that may interfere with a kitten's social flexibility. This article examines whose responsibility it is to assist a cat in maximising that flexibility while considering the question of how the cat's experience during its early weeks of life can place considerable restrictions on its capacity to relax with and interact with other cats, humans and a human environment. Following this, the article considers the nature of the advice that veterinary clients may benefit from, if they are to improve the behavioural welfare of the kitten that is expected to become a confident, sociable, companion cat.


Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of diseases that affect 30,000–50,000 people annually. Trypanosoma brucei harbors unique organelles named glycosomes that are essential to parasite survival, which requires growth under fluctuating environmental conditions. The mechanisms that govern the biogenesis of these organelles are poorly understood. Glycosomes are evolutionarily related to peroxisomes, which can proliferate de novo from the endoplasmic reticulum or through the growth and division of existing organelles depending on the organism and environmental conditions. The effect of environment on glycosome biogenesis is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the glycosome membrane protein, TbPex13.1, is localized to glycosomes when cells are cultured under high glucose conditions and to the endoplasmic reticulum in low glucose conditions. This localization in low glucose was dependent on the presence of a C‐terminal tripeptide sequence. Our findings suggest that glycosome biogenesis is influenced by extracellular glucose levels and adds to the growing body of evidence that de novo glycosome biogenesis occurs in trypanosomes. Because the movement of peroxisomal membrane proteins is a hallmark of ER‐dependent peroxisome biogenesis, TbPex13.1 may be a useful marker for the study such processes in trypanosomes.


Polarized neutron diffraction has been used to study the structural phase transition in V3Si. The redistribution of electrons between the two independent V sites in the low-temperature phase of V3Si has been determined by comparing the magnetic scattering observed from reflections that are equivalent in the high-temperature cubic phase but inequivalent below the transition. The higher susceptibility observed at the twofold, compared with the fourfold, vanadium sites in the tetragonal phase is consistent with the predictions of a band Jahn-Teller model of the phase transition.


To develop the precision, sensitivity for pathogenicity testing, a comparison was carried out among three different artificial inoculation methods namely foliar spraying method, drop method and biocontrol+foliar spray method for pathogenesis studies. The pathogen A. brassicae was isolated and from infected mustard plants. The drop inoculation method was most ideal as this fixed the inoculum on the target site. Drop method produces significantly higher number of disease lesions than the other inoculation methods and has the advantage of being accurate and precise. The number of initial disease lesions in drop method was highest in all of the time intervals of observation namely 71 in B. juncea (Giriraj), 59 in B. juncea (RLC-3), 53 in B. napus (GSC-7), 73 in B. nigra (PC-6) at 120h after pathogen inoculation compared to other methods respectively. The results in this particular study indicates that two varieties B. juncea (RLC- 3) and B. napus (GSC-7) showed some tolerance as compared to other two varieties B. juncea (Giriraj) and B. nigra (PC- 6).The biocontrol agent used in particular study showed that the tolerance can be induced in the plants using Trichoderma viride. As the number of lesions and pathogenicity caused by A. brassicae was reduced considerably when the culture of T. viride was used.


Th e literature review discusses current trends in the isokinetic machines (IM) use for both training and diagnostic purposes. Th e review dwells upon a wide range of IM applications, testing and training results, and demonstrates the applied nature of the IM use. Th e review addresses the issues IM use in professional sports. We come to the conclusion about a wide range of IM applications in both research and clinical practice. Despite IM disadvantages (high cost, necessity of special staff training, test results variability depending on an IM model), IM is a powerful tool in a health care professional's arsenal which provides a qualitative improvement of clinical practice.


The paper discusses the problem of incompetent and/or irresponsible refereeing of scientific papers, with emphasis on economics papers. To illustrate, I describe my own confrontation with erroneous published papers, and demonstrate that writing comments on such papers does not always solve the problem. Finally, based on previously suggested as well as on currently used solutions, I propose a change in the review process by abolishing referee anonymity and letting the authors appeal publicly if they think their papers have been evaluated improperly. This change will render the process selfcorrecting. ----------------------------------


agricultural marketing. It is noted that the parastatals were attractive agents for funding because of their apparent administrative convenience, but during this period a great change began within the Bank and elsewhere to encourage the development of the private sector in marketing. This critical self-appraisal is wide-ranging, and concentrates especially on the fact that during project formulation, wrong assumptions were often made with respect to the reliability of the public sector, the need to offer technical support to the private sector, and to the need for trained marketing personnel rather than economists to assist. The report is brief, and unfortunately sometimes repetitive, but the candid reporting, six short case studies and a reasonable bibliography make it a useful addition to a sparse literature.


This paper focuses on the methodology described in CreditRisk+ Technical Document. Appendix A provides analytical explanations of the techniques used to generate the loss distribution arising from a credit portfolio. It is worth mentioning that although the underlying concepts are easy to grasp for those with an intermediate mathematical background, the notation used in this paper may bother those who are not fully familiar with it. First, we concentrate on the concepts surrounding Probability Generating Functions and Convolution, and their application within CreditRisk+. Then, we explain, in practical terms, the use of the recurrence relation as used in CreditRisk+. Lastly, we develop an alternative way for calculating credit losses with CreditRisk+ via the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). In order to close the gap between theory and practical implementation we provide VBA, MatLab and R codes that present step-by-step examples of practical applications.


Aims: To develop a boost technique for Gamma Knife radiosurgery by embedding and optimizing dose hot spots inside a conventional Gamma Knife plan. Methods: An optimization algorithm was developed to automatically arrange the pattern and adjust the intensities of the embedded dose hot spots. We compared the treatment plans of the optimized boost technique with the conventional Gamma Knife treatment plans, where dose hot spots were scattered randomly within the target volume. Results: We found the embedded boost plans significantly increased the maximum dose of the target (on average 31% or 5–6 Gy). The mean dose to the target was increased by an averaged 7.1% (1.5–2 Gy). In contrast, the dose to the adjacent normal brain was strictly maintained with the dose volume histograms differing less than 0.5% between the boost treatment plans and the conventional treatment plans. The planning effort and treatment time was comparable between the two techniques. Conclusion: We have demonstrated a simple and an effective technique for increasing the central target dose without affecting the normal brain sparing for Gamma Knife radiosurgery.


Electrical conductivity and stimulated thermocurrent (stc) studies are carried out in dicalcium lead propionate (dlp) in pure, Cu2+, Fe3+ and acetate doped single crystals over a temperature range of 303° to 503° K. Conductivity measurements on pure and doped single crystals ofdlp indicate that both propionate anions and metallic cations are responsible for the transition occurring at 333°K. Thermoelectric power measurements from 340° to 500°K indlp (pure) indicate that the transport charge carriers are electrons. A model for the conduction mechanism is proposed on the basis of hopping ofπ or resonating electrons of carboxyl groups through tunnel paths involving metal ions (Pb2+ and Ca2+). From activation energies estimated from conductivity andstc measurements, thestc peak indlp (Fe3+) occurring at 513°K is attributed to impurity vacancy jump mechanism.


ABSTRACT Although turbidites are typically associated with deep-water environments, they also can be preserved in shallow shelf settings. Sandy turbidites originating as density underflow currents or from sediment failure events are common in the delta-front region of most fluvial-deltaic systems. This is particularly true of shelf-edge deltas characterized by high sedimentation rates, a common condition in Gulf Coast reservoirs. Like basinal turbidites, delta-front turbidites are deposited from suspension in a downslope-directed gravity flow. Internally, the sandy reservoir beds exhibit stratification typical of waning flow energy and are commonly normally graded. Core and outcrop examples tend to show a higher percentage of clasts and dispersed organic grains than most deep-water turbidites. Unlike basinal turbidites, delta-front turbidites are typically nonchannelized. Although individual flows may be directed down gullies or other bathymetric depressions, the resulting deposits tend to be lobate and suggest that reservoir geometry and character is determined mainly be sheet-flow processes. Lateral continuity of delta-front turbidites probably is somewhere between deep-water sheet sands and deltaic channel mouth bar deposits. Production histories from several Gulf Coast fields show prolific production from vertically stacked delta-front turbidite packages. Although intermixed mass movement deposits can complicate the reservoir succession, they can also improve vertical connectivity. An improved understanding of delta-front turbidites requires development of reservoir models that integrate geological, geophysical, engineering, and production data. End_of_Record - Last_Page 659-------


Despite recent greatly improved knowledge of the intestinal spirochaetes, pigs continue to become infected by these troublesome microorganisms, and the associated diseases still can represent a continued constraint to efficient production in many piggeries. The occurrence and the perception of the importance of these spirochaetal infections varies in different parts of the world. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief update on the intestinal spirochaetes, emphasising recent findings of relevance to pig veterinarians, and pointing out areas where more effort needs to be concentrated to allow improved control of these infections.


Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a collective term for chronic inflammatory diseases resulting from complex genetic susceptibility, microbial flora, and immune abnormality. Due to the complicated pathogenesis, therapies for IBD are largely limited to the treatment of symptoms. However, these existing drugs sometimes fail or lead to adverse effects in long-term therapies. The development of new drugs and new therapies for IBD are still the top priorities. Trehalose (TRE) is an autophagy inducer through an mTOR-independent pathway. Given its safe and protective nature, TRE has gained significant attention for the potential application in disease treatment. It is a natural product that may be used as a harmless autophagy regulator. In our research, we use the Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced IBD model to explore the therapeutic effects of trehalose on autophagy and inflammation in mice.

 6-8 weeks old C57BL/6J male mice were used for experiments. Mice were given 2% DSS (MP Biomedicals) in autoclaved drinking water for 4 days to induce colitis, Then TRE (2 g/kg body weight, Sigma-Aldrich), rapamycin (1.25mg/kg body weight, MedChemExpress) or normal saline were intraperitoneally injected for 5 days. Mice were weighed daily, and stool consistency, diarrhea, or blood in the stools were monitored to calculate the disease activity index (DAI). At the end of the experiment, the colons were measured, opened longitudinally, and handled according to standard procedures. The tissue samples were collected for RNA, protein extraction, histology, and macrophage isolation respectively. Western Blot was used for autophagy analysis and flow cytometry was used for macrophage subtype and apoptosis analysis. Besides, Real-time quantitative PCR assay was used for examining the cytokine expression.

 In TRE-treated mice, the cessation of diarrhea and anal bleeding occurred earlier and hence the DAI scores decreased more rapidly when compared to the other groups. Correspondingly, the colons in TRE-treated mice shortened less than the saline treated control suggesting recovery from DSS-induced colitis. Even though no significant difference was observed in H&E staining and tissue scores for mice in different groups, significant difference in macrophage polarization and cytokine production was observed. DSS-induced intestinal CD86+ macrophages, whereas TRE treatment increased CD206+ macrophages and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha.

 Our results demonstrate that TRE decreases the symptoms of experimental colitis by regulating macrophage polarization, probably mediated by macrophage autophagy. These findings indicate the potential of TRE to be an adjuvant therapy for IBD.


Abstract Several functional brain imaging and mapping techniques have been used for the intraoperative identification and preservation of the sensory, motor, and speech areas of the brain. However, intraoperative monitoring and mapping of the visual function is less frequently performed in the clinical routine. To our knowledge, here we demonstrate for the first time that the individual visual cortex can be mapped to the brain surface using a contact-free optical camera system during brain surgery. Intraoperative optical imaging (IOI) was performed by visual stimulation of both eyes using stobe-light flashes. Images were acquired by a camera mounted to a standard surgical microscope. Activity maps could reproducibly be computed by detecting the blood volume-dependent signal changes of the exposed cortex. To the preliminary experience, the new technique seems to be suitable for mapping the visual function in any neurosurgical intervention that requires exposure of the visual cortex. However, the clinical relevance and reliability of the technique need to be confirmed in further studies.


Recently with the advancement of high-throughput sequencing, gene regulatory network inference has turned into an interesting subject in bioinformatics and system biology. But there are many challenges in the field such as noisy data, uncertainty, time-series data with numerous gene numbers and low data, time complexity and so on. In recent years, many research works have been conducted to tackle these challenges, resulting in different methods in gene regulatory networks inference. A number of models have been used in modeling of the gene regulatory networks including Boolean networks, Bayesian networks, Markov model, relational networks, state space model, differential equations model, artificial neural networks and so on. In this paper, the fuzzy cognitive maps are used to model gene regulatory networks because of their dynamic nature and learning capabilities for handling non-linearity and inherent uncertainty. Fuzzy cognitive maps belong to the family of recurrent networks and are well-suited for gene regulatory networks. In this research study, the Kalman filtered compressed sensing is used to infer the fuzzy cognitive map for the gene regulatory networks. This approach, using the advantages of compressed sensing and Kalman filters, allows robustness to noise and learning of sparse gene regulatory networks from data with high gene number and low samples. In the proposed method, stream data and previous knowledge can be used in the inference process. Furthermore, compressed sensing finds likely edges and Kalman filter estimates their weights. The proposed approach uses a novel method to decrease the noise of data. The proposed method is compared to CSFCM, LASSOFCM, KFRegular, ABC, RCGA, ICLA, and CMI2NI. The results show that the proposed approach is superior to the other approaches in fuzzy cognitive maps learning. This behavior is related to the stability against noise and offers a proper balance between data error and network structure.


The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais is a major stored grain pest currently controlled by chemical pesticides. This commonly used control method to prevent post-harvest losses leads to pollution of the environment and intoxication of consumers. Essential oils of aromatic plants are more considered as good control alternative tools. The amount of active volatile of essential oils present in granaries is almost as infra lethal doses. The present work aimed to analyse the chronic toxicity of low doses of essential oils of Annona senegalensis Pers. (Annonaceae), Hyptis spicigera L. (Lamiaceae) and Lippia rugosa L. (Verbenaceae). These plants are toxic to the pest at high doses. At the dose 2.5 x 10(-2) ml/ml, they all reduced the oviposition of S. zeamais. Moreover L. rugosa and H. spicigera were the most active of the biological potential of S. zeamais reducing significantly its amount of grains attacked (F = 8.63**) and that of the rejected flour (F = 41.04***). This chronic toxicity therefore prevents grains from destruction.


The development of surgical procedures which can modify the course of disease associated with portal hypertension has made early recognition and accurate diagnosis of this condition imperative. This applies in particular to the pediatric age group. In many cases found in infants and children such complications as hemorrhage from esophageal varices and pathological depression of erythrocyte, leucocyte, and platelet levels due to hypersplenism can be avoided by appropriate treatment. Accurate diagnosis of the cause of portal hypertension including the site of portal obstruction is necessary not only to define clearly the indications for surgery, but also to plan the most appropriate procedure. Several extensive anatomical investigations of the portal venous system have been made recently because of the renewed interest in portal decompression in the treatment of portal hypertension. 1 A compilation of the most frequently encountered patterns in the disssections of 92 specimens by Douglass, Baggenstoss, and Hollinshead 2


This paper presents a novel approach for robot instruction for assembly tasks. We consider that robot programming can be made more efficient, precise and intuitive if we leverage the advantages of complementary approaches such as learning from demonstration, learning from feedback and knowledge transfer. Starting from low-level demonstrations of assembly tasks, the system is able to extract a high-level relational plan of the task. A graphical user interface (GUI) allows then the user to iteratively correct the acquired knowledge by refining high-level plans, and low-level geometrical knowledge of the task. This combination leads to a faster programming phase, more precise than just demonstrations, and more intuitive than just through a GUI. A final process allows to reuse high-level task knowledge for similar tasks in a transfer learning fashion. Finally we present a user study illustrating the advantages of this approach.


As a model for the transport of hemin across biological membranes, sonicated phosphatidylcholine liposomes with incorporated hemin were characterized. The interaction of the hemin liposomes with the heme binding proteins albumin, apomyoglobin, and hemopexin was examined as a function of liposome charge and cholesterol content. In all cases, there was an almost complete transfer of hemin from liposome to protein; a rapid phase and a slow phase were observed for the transfer. For negatively charged liposomes (with 11% dicetyl phosphate), the rapid and slow phases showed observed rates of transfer of ca. 2 and 0.01 s-1, respectively, for all three proteins. The presence of cholesterol in the liposomes decreased the observed rates by a factor of 2, and positively charged liposomes (with 11% stearylamine) showed about one-fifth the observed rates of negatively charged liposomes. The observed rates were independent of protein concentration, indicating that the rate-determining step is hemin efflux from the lipid bilayer. The hemin interaction with the phospholipid bilayer is suggested to be primarily hydrophobic with some electrostatic character. The two phases are suggested to arise from two different populations of hemin within the liposomes and are interpreted as arising from two different orientations of hemin within the bilayer.


Observations from the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph Subsystem on NASA's Cassini spacecraft provide new detail about Saturn's aurora. The measurements, reported by Grodent et al., were made in August 2008 when the spacecraft was only 5 Saturn radii from the surface. They found two types of ultraviolet auroral substructures in the main ring of the emission—bunches of spots and narrow arcs—ranging in size from 500 kilometers to several thousand kilometers. The researchers suggest that the small-scale structures are associated with magnetic-field-aligned electrical currents in Saturn's upper atmosphere that result from fluctuations in plasma flow triggered by Kelvin-Helmholtz waves in the magnetosphere.


Advanced engineering ceramic technology has very remarkable reputation in the high-tech fields such as semiconductor device manufacturing. ZTA (Zirconia Toughened Alumina), ruby and alumina is applied in the manufacturing of the capillaries that demonstrate high strength, fracture toughness and long life. The advantages of the new composite material over the standard ultra-fine grain high-density material have been proven in many applications especially for packages requiring less than 50μm capillary tip diameter. In this work, micro-structural evolution of ceramic composites and its correlation with important criteria in the selection of the suitable capillary material either ZTA composites or high-density ruby ceramics for a specific package applications will be discussed.


this paper, we describe an implementation of a real-time sound synthesizer using Finite Difference-based simulation of a two-dimensional membrane. Finite Difference (FD) methods can be the basis for physics-based music instrument models that generate realistic audio output. However, such methods are compute-intensive; large simulations cannot run in real time on current CPUs. Many current systems now include powerful Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), which are a good fit for FD methods. We demonstrate that it is possible to use this method to create a usable real-time audio synthesizer. KeywordsDifference, GPU, CUDA, Synthesis


Patients are increasingly receiving therapy at home via central vascular access devices (CVADs). Limited data exist regarding patients' experiences with outpatient CVADs. This study characterized outpatient CVAD care via 14-day patient diaries. Information included location, frequency, and purpose of CVAD access episodes and who performed CVAD care. Across all patients, 77% of care was provided in the patient's home compared with other sites. Home care was provided via self-care (48%), by a family member/caregiver (25%), or by a nurse (27%). Flushing the device was the most frequent reason for device access (52%). An occlusion rate of 9.57 per 1000 device days was also noted. Further examination of CVAD maintenance and patient/care provider education is warranted.


We investigate the intercultural negotiation schemas of 100 experienced Japanese and U.S. negotiators. Specifically, we examine the assumptions negotiators make about appropriate behavior when primed to negotiate with an intercultural (vs. intracultural) counterpart. We find that intercultural negotiation schemas clash on six of nine elements, meaning U.S. and Japanese negotiators have significantly different expectations about what it is like to negotiate with the other. This clash occurs not because negotiators stay anchored on their own cultural assumptions about negotiating, but rather because they try to adjust to their counterpart's cultural assumptions about negotiating. But negotiators adjust their schemas by thinking about how their counterpart negotiates in an intracultural rather than intercultural setting. That is, they fail to account for the fact that their counterpart would also adjust expectations for the intercultural context. The phenomenon we uncover is one of schematic overcompensation, whereby negotiators' intercultural schemas do not match because each negotiator expects the encounter to be just like the counterpart's within-culture negotiations. Our theory of schematic overcompensation receives some support, and negotiators' perceived knowledge and experience with the other culture somewhat attenuates the phenomenon. Implications for negotiator cognition, intercultural negotiation, and global management are discussed.


Let $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}>1$ be an integer or, generally, a Pisot number. Put $T(x)=\{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}x\}$ on $[0,1]$ and let $S:[0,1]\rightarrow [0,1]$ be a piecewise linear transformation whose slopes have the form $\pm \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}^{m}$ with positive integers $m$. We give a sufficient condition for $T$ and $S$ to have the same generic points. We also give an uncountable family of maps which share the same set of generic points.


The infinite combinatorics here give statements in which, from some sequence, an infinite subsequence will satisfy some condition – for example, belong to some specified set. Our results give such statements generically – that is, for `nearly all' points, or as we shall say, for quasi all points – all off a null set in the measure case, or all off a meagre set in the category case. The prototypical result here goes back to Kestelman in 1947 and to Borwein and Ditor in the measure case, and can be extended to the category case also. Our main result is what we call the Category Embedding Theorem, which contains the Kestelman–Borwein–Ditor Theorem as a special case. Our main contribution is to obtain functionwise rather than pointwise versions of such results. We thus subsume results in a number of recent and related areas, concerning e.g., additive, subadditive, convex and regularly varying functions.


Healthcare facilities need to be designed as innovative healing environments that improve quality of care, aid the recovery process, promote therapeutic goals and improve operational efficiency. A £5 billion hospital development programme has been designated to develop new healthcare infrastructure and upgrade existing hospital facilities to meet increasing demands of healthcare across the UK. This main aim of this paper is to collate information on current developments and practice in relation to therapeutic environments. An extensive review of literature relating to current practice has been undertaken. Relationships between the physical environment and patient recovery have been investigated in order to assess the potential impact of healthcare built environments on the healing process. Critical factors which impact on the performance of a healthcare facility, such as building layout and stakeholder participation have been examined. The benefits from innovative design and construction solutions, along with the barriers to innovation, have been highlighted to identify the opportunities for improving the quality of healthcare provision.


The thesis is an article based dissertation which includes four articles by the author and published in peer reviewed international journals, in addition to two individual thesis chapters – introduction and conclusion. Following the introductory part Chapter Two explores the conception of soft-law cooperation from the viewpoint of international law, including the address of relevant issues connected to soft law. Chapter Three explains the evolvement of Arctic-wide cooperation and its functioning system and examines Arctic cooperation from the viewpoint of addressing the issue of climate change in the Arctic region. Chapter Four analyses cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region in an international law context. Chapter Five looks to resolve some lines of legal inquiry regarding the Northern Forum. Chapter Six prepares some recommendations to suggest soft-law cooperation as a better functioning mechanism (in particular in relation to the Arctic Council) to fully address the challenges resulting from climate change in the Arctic. The chapter includes how selected soft-law bodies manage their individuality in participating in regional development and their connections to each other. It also explains the raison d'etre of a number of soft-law forms of cooperation in the Arctic. Cumulatively, this chapter critically synthesizes all of the above mentioned published articles and examines any significant updates since the preparation of those articles, along with any relevant additional findings that were not conceived or remained inaccessible to the author during those times and which could constitute the outcome of the study.


The Record of Decision for Soil, Buried Waste, and Subsurface Structure Actions in Zone 2, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (DOEIORJO 1-2161 &D2) (Zone 2 ROD) acknowledged that most of the 800 acres in Zone 2 were contaminated, but that sufficient data to confirm the levels of contamination were lacking. The Zone 2 ROD further specified that a sampling strategy for filling the data gaps would be developed. The Remedial Design Report/Remedial Action Work Plan for Zone 2 Soils, Slabs, and Subsurface Structures, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (DOEIORIO 1 -2224&D3) (RDRJRAWP) defined the sampling strategy as the Dynamic Verification Strategy (DVS), generally following the approach used for characterization of the Zone I exposure units (EUs). The Zone 2 ROD divided the Zone 2 area into seven geographic areas and 44 EUs. To facilitate the data quality objectives (DQOs) of the DVS process, the RDR/RAWP regrouped the 44 EUs into 12 DQO scoping EU groups. These groups facilitated the DQO process by placing similar facilities and their support facilities together, which allowed identification of data gaps. The EU groups were no longer pertinent after DQO planning was completed and characterization was conducted as areas became accessible. more » As the opportunity to complete characterization became available, the planned DVS program was completed for the EU addressed in this document (EU Z2-32). The purpose of this Phased Construction Completion Report (PCCR) is to address the following: (1) Document DVS characterization results for EU Z2-32. (2) Describe and document the risk evaluation and determine if the EU meets the Zone 2 ROD requirements for unrestricted industrial use to 10 ft bgs. (3) Identify additional areas not defined in the Zone 2 ROD that require remediation based on the DVS evaluation results. (4) Describe the remedial action performed in the K-1066-G Yard in EU Z2-32. Approximately 18.4 acres are included in the EU addressed in this PCCR. Based on results of the DVS evaluation, all 18.4 acres are recommended for unrestricted industrial use to 10 ft bgs. There are no Federal Facility Agreement Sites included in Appendix A of the Zone 2 ROD in EU Z2-32. The Zone 2 ROD requires land use controls to prevent disturbance of soils below 10 ft deep and to restrict future land use to industrial/commercial activities. In response to stakeholder comments, the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to re-evaluate the need for such land use restrictions. This document includes a screening evaluation to determine the likelihood of land use controls in EU Z2-32 being modified to: (1) eliminate the restriction on disturbance of soils below 10 ft bgs where data indicate the absence of residual contamination at any depth that would result in an unacceptable risk to the future industrial worker, and (2) permit alternative land uses that would be protective of future site occupants. Results of this screening evaluation indicate a high probability that restrictions on disturbing soil below 10 ft bgs could be safely eliminated for EU Z2-32. A qualitative screening evaluation considered the likelihood of unrestricted land use being protective of future site occupants. Based on this qualitative assessment, all 18.4 acres addressed in this PCCR were assigned a high probability for consideration of release for unrestricted land use. This document contains the main text (Sects. 1 through 13) and one appendix. The main text addresses the purpose for this PCCR as described above. Additional supporting detail (e.g., field work and data summaries, graphics) is provided in the EU Z2-32 technical memorandum (Appendix A). Historical and DVS analytical data used in this PCCR are provided on a compact disc accompanying this document and can be accessed through the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System. « less


Chapter 2 analyzes the political economy of delayed agreements over fiscal reforms, in a setting where two interest groups can bargain over the allocation of the cost of the stabilization, using an alternating offers model. This contrasts with Alesina and Drazen (1991), where the group that concedes earlier bears a fixed disproportionate share of the burden. This allows a systematic comparison of expected delay in the bargaining game, i.e., "the coalition government" and in the concession game, i.e., "the divided government". When interest groups are sufficiently patient, or when shares in the concession game are highly unequal, agreement is reached more quickly on average under bargaining. Both games have the common feature that delay signals the "toughness" of interest groups.

Chapter 3 compares default incentives in competitive sovereign debt markets when leaders can be either democratically elected or dictators. When leaders can be replaced, the incentives for repayment are mainly the ego rents from office. In a dictatorship, the cost of defaulting is the permanent loss of reputation and the loss of future access to credit. There is a trade off between repayment and risk sharing under the state-contingent optimal contracts. We show that when ego rents are high and value of reputation to dictators is low, democracies have an incentive to repay more in good states and repay less in bad states. Thus the democratic leader defaults more often, improving risk-sharing.

Chapter 4 examines the political economy of sovereign debt crises, using newly established data from 81 countries between 1975 and 2010. The empirical results validate that political factors matter for debt sustainability. I find that in a democracy, the parliamentary system is less likely to reschedule their external debt than a presidency, while rescheduling propensity of a country is increased by political instability. Also results show that public creditors (The Paris Club) tend to give a "democratic advantage" as a foreign assistance to democratic countries, in contrast with private creditors (The London Club).


This study examines the uses of Tell Me More (TMM) software among engineering students in Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP). The study aims at finding students' abilities in retaining words learnt through Pre-test and Delayed Recall Post-test. The study also aims at identifying their preferences and challenges in using TMM. The study employed 43 students that were required to take vocabulary tests and participated in interviews to gauge their perceptions of using TMM. Results showed that there was a significant increase in the tests administered. The qualitative findings showed that students preferred the drag-and-drop feature in the software; among others. Yet, there were challenges in imitating the native-speaker in pronouncing target words, accessing TMM outside class hours and linking target words with its meaning. These findings provide empirical data for the use of computers in learning vocabulary.


This paper presents and theoretically justifies a design procedure for an associative memory, with a cellular neural network structure, using singular values decomposition. By assuring the condition of symmetry of the interconnections, the suggested method generates a completely stable architecture. This guarantees that the obtained neural network never oscillates or becomes chaotic. The performance of the obtained associative memory are presented. The simulation results are compared with other different associative memory designs.


The patient was a 45-year-old man with a progressive headache. Evaluation in detail revealed it as a case of left lateral ventricular space occupying lesion (SOL) resembling choroid plexus papilloma. A left parietal craniotomy was done and the lesion was removed completely through intraparietal approach. Surgical removal resulted in complete symptomatic relief. Histopathology revealed that it was a case of the enterogenous cyst. One year after surgery, the patient again experienced the same symptom and the images revealed recurrence of the lesion. The patient has undergone 2nd surgery and histopathology was the same as before. The patient was given radiotherapy and now he is completely relieved and well. Although intracranial enterogenous cyst is not uncommon, intraventricular enterogenous cyst as well as recurrent intraventricular enterogenous cyst is a rare entity.


We describe the stratigraphy, age and correlation of a prominent tephra marker, named Lepué Tephra, extensively distributed in north‐western Patagonia. Lepué Tephra is well dated at c. 11 000 cal a BP from numerous lake and soil cover‐bed sequences and its recognition is useful for assessing the rate and timing of deglaciation as well as associated environmental changes in this region during the last glacial termination and early Holocene. Lepué Tephra has attributes typical of a complex and compositionally zoned phreatomagmatic eruptive. While the initial rhyolitic phase can be readily distinguished from multiple eruptive products sourced from the adjacent Volcán Chaitén, the main erupted end member is of basaltic–andesitic bulk composition − similar to younger tephras sourced from Holocene monogenetic cones adjacent to the Volcán Michimahuida massif (tMim). Lepué Tephra can be correlated to an equivalent‐aged pyroclastic flow deposit (Amarillo Ignimbrite) prominently distributed in the south‐eastern sector of tMim. The source vent for these co‐eruptive events is obscured by an extensive ice field and is currently unknown. The widespread radially symmetrical distribution of Lepué Tephra centred on tMim cannot be attributed solely to volcanological considerations. Reduced Southern Hemisphere westerly wind influence interpreted from climate proxies at the time of eruption are also implicated. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


IN THIS paper I shall discuss patients who devalue their therapists. I shall describe a group of patients who repeatedly and insistently use devaluation as a major way of handling impulses and affects. This group consists of those in the borderline, psychotic, and severe character disorder categories. Not all such patients use devaluation as a predominant form of behavior in psychotherapy, but we can anticipate its occurrence more often and with greater intensity than in neurotic patients. As a result, these patients may present some serious problems for good psychotherapeutic work and elicit responses in the therapist which are destructive to the therapeutic process. Kernberg 1 discusses devaluation as one of the specific defensive operations used by the borderline personality. Neurotics also may devalue their therapists. The relative lack of intensity and persistence of the devaluation, as well as their ability to maintain a good object relationship in


Activation of sphalerite ZnS, (Zn, Fe)S, (Zn, Cu)S were carried out using the density functional theory(DFT) method. The electronic structures and related properties of three kind of zinc sulfide compounds were investigated. In addition, the relation between electronic structure and flotation behavior was discussed. The results show that, ZnS has a broader band gap than (Zn,Cu)S and (Zn,Fe)S do, and it has low electrochemistry activity to react with flotation collectors to render the surface hydrophobic. When the Zn atom in ZnS is replaced by Cu atom, the band gap will be reduced, and the top valence band will be occupied by Cu 3d orbit, thus it is beneficial to the interaction between mineral surface and collector.


China) Abstract : MlNAC13 gene was cloned from Miscanthus lutarioriparius ( M. lutarioriparius ), and subcellular localization and transactivation assay were conducted on this gene. Then real-time quantitative PCR (RT–qPCR) was used to analyze the expression profile of MlNAC13 in root under salt, drought, cold, abscisic acid (ABA), Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and Salicylic acid (SA) treatments. The results showed that 1) complete MlNAC13 gene sequence of M. lutaroriparius was obtained; 2) subcellular localization analysis using N-terminus fused with YFP showed that MlNAC13 was located in nucleus, suggesting that it might function in nucleus; 3) transactivation assay indicated that the full-length and C-terminus of MlNAC13 had transactivation activity, indicating that MlNAC13 is a transcription factor and the transactivation activity region located in C-terminus; 4) the transcript of MlNAC13 was up-regulated under all surveyed treatments except SA, indicating that it might participate in various stress responses of M. lutarioriparius


The execution of deep neural network (DNN) algorithms suffers from significant bottlenecks due to the separation of the processing and memory units in traditional computer systems. Emerging memristive computing systems introduce an in situ approach that overcomes this bottleneck. The non-volatility of memristive devices, however, may expose the DNN weights stored in memristive crossbars to potential theft attacks. Therefore, this paper proposes a two-dimensional permutation-based protection (TDPP) method that thwarts such attacks. We first introduce the underlying concept that motivates the TDPP method: permuting both the rows and columns of the DNN weight matrices. This contrasts with previous methods, which focused solely on permuting a single dimension of the weight matrices, either the rows or columns. While it's possible for an adversary to access the matrix values, the original arrangement of rows and columns in the matrices remains concealed. As a result, the extracted DNN model from the accessed matrix values would fail to operate correctly. We consider two different memristive computing systems (designed for layer-by-layer and layer-parallel processing, respectively) and demonstrate the design of the TDPP method that could be embedded into the two systems. Finally, we present a security analysis. Our experiments demonstrate that TDPP can achieve comparable effectiveness to prior approaches, with a high level of security when appropriately parameterized. In addition, TDPP is more scalable than previous methods and results in reduced area and power overheads. The area and power are reduced by, respectively, 1218$\times$ and 2815$\times$ for the layer-by-layer system and by 178$\times$ and 203$\times$ for the layer-parallel system compared to prior works.


Pyrimethamine has been used principally to treat infections from protozoan parasites. Although previous studies have shown that pyrimethamine exhibited anticancer activity by inducing cellular apoptosis, there are none that show that pyrimethamine possesses anticancer activity with respect to ovarian cancer. We examined the roles of pyrimethamine on apoptosis and proliferation, DNA damage, and cell cycle distribution of human ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro. To investigate the antitumor efficacy of pyrimethamine in vivo, we established two intraperitoneal ovarian carcinoma models in nude mice. Pyrimethamine significantly induced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells via growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest, and nuclear DNA damage in vitro and manifested antitumor activity by inhibiting tumor growth, thereby prolonging the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. We also demonstrated that pyrimethamine increased the expression of caspase-9 and decreased the expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. In conclusion, the antitumor effects of pyrimethamine were associated with enhanced apoptosis of tumor cells and inhibition of the growth of intratumoral microvessels. Our results indicate that pyrimethamine may provide an effective approach toward inhibiting the growth of ovarian cancer with minimal adverse effects.


Luminescence signals respond to phase transitions both of the host material and of impurities on the nanoparticle-size scale. During cathodoluminescence spectral measurements of many insulators, strong intensity changes (up to 100 times) have been recorded at ~170 K, which are here ascribed to the phase transitions of water that has diffused into the near-surface regions, or is trapped within the bulk material in nanoparticle quantities. The intensity step correlates with the ice transition between the cubic and hexagonal phases. In many materials there are also weaker features near 230 K which match the low-pressure ice-to-vapour transition. Some signals are apparent in radioluminescence data when the water is within the bulk material. The impurity phase changes can modify the emission spectra of the host. Examples are given for several insulators (Nd:YAG, zircon, MgO:Cr, PbWO4, strontium barium niobate) and a superconductor. The data have implications for quantitative luminescence analyses and underline the significant and influential presence of water contaminants. In many surface layers, such as surface optical waveguides or those of superconductors, the ice may significantly influence the behaviour of the host material.


This essay is concerned with some general questions about methodology in medical ethics. As such it belongs under what is generally called "metaethics" or the "logic of ethics," that is, the second-level inquiry into moral concepts, rules, and principles and their logical interrelations. I believe that it is important to develop an understanding of some of these methodological questions as a propaedeutic to an inquiry into more substantive moral issues. My position, which I have defended elsewhere, is that metaethics cannot, in the final analysis, be separated from normative ethics: for metaethics itself is a normative enterprise and any metaethical theory necessarily has implications for normative ethics, albeit of a very general nature1 On the other hand, it is impossible to think clearly and coherently about issues in normative ethics, medical ethics, for example, unless one is cognizant of the logical relationships and implications of the concepts and principles that one is using in analyzing these issues. Much of the purport of this essay will be critical, for I believe that discussions of issues in medical ethics have frequently been on the wrong track; in particular, they have been too legalistic. I shall suggest a new approach, as an alternative to legalism, although what I have to say will necessarily be largely programmatic.


The aerobic performance of a heterogeneous group of 89 ambulatory medically stable patients on chronic hemodialysis was studied to define individual levels of the most acceptable metabolic workload. The patients performed a step test protocol (3 steps) with a cycle ergometer. Each step (25 Watt) lasted 6 min. Heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption (VO2), ventilation (VE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), blood pressure (BP) and subjective ratings of dyspnea (CRd) and fatigue (CRf) levels were monitored throughout the test. The test was continued to exhaustion or to values of systolic arterial blood pressure (SABP) >240 mmHg, heart rate (HR) ≥ 85% max, or ST changes in ECG. In eleven patients (12.5% of the whole group) the test was interrupted within the first two minutes of exercise. In the remaining 78 patients, the maximum workload sustained for at least 3 min (MSW) was 25 Watts for 43 (48.5%), 50 Watts for 27 (30%), and 75 Watts for 8 (9%) patients. Performance was affected in a statistically significant manner by the subjects' anagraphic age, but not by their dialytic age, hemoglobin (Hb) level or weight. Individual levels of tolerable workload were estimated for 60% of the group from the stability of physiological variables during 3 min, and from subjective ratings at a "moderate" level. This level corresponded to an average of 3.5±0.9 METs, at 60% of the HRmax, with a mean BP of 167±21/98±14 mmHg. This could become a safe starting point for a program of physical retraining.


IntroductionThere are diverging assessments on China's degree of cooperation with international sanctions against North Korea. Some argue that China has shown increased cooperation after North Korea's fourth nuclear test. Others argue that cooperation has been insufficient and that China must show more commitment in deterring North Korea's nuclear pursuits.2 How can such discrepancy be explained? China claims that it has actively made efforts to resolve North Korea's nuclear issue and implemented United Nations resolutions in good faith. However, the challenge lies in objectively assessing such a claim. Given that the nature of international sanctions involves a collision of respective states' interests, specific information concerning compliance is often handled in vague and obscure ways.3 Moreover, assessing the degree of implementation cannot but be influenced by respective states' selfperception and wishful thinking. Nevertheless, China in particular, has been the center of attention every time the issue of sanctioning North Korea arises. This is most likely because of China's relationship with and relative influence over North Korea. In essence, the issue of whether China has dutifully implemented international resolutions sanctioning North Korea becomes a question of China's willingness to seek consensus with concerned states on the perception and acts of North Korea's nuclear pursuits.Existing research on China's sanctions on North Korea largely relates to China's policies on North Korea. The majority of research discusses North Korea's nuclear sanctions in the context of China's foreign policy or policies concerning the Korean Peninsula in the Northeast Asian order.4 However, sanctioning North Korea is, first and foremost, a joint commitment which takes places in an international regime before it becomes a particular state's policy decision. Therefore, prior to analyzing China's policy decisions on sanctioning North Korea, it is important to understand how China perceives the international space which determines joint actions. In other words, how it perceives the international regime linked to sanctions on North Korea, as well as what kind of interests it has in participating in or cooperating with such a regime.There are primarily two dominant theories on China's cooperation with international regimes. First, the realist school claims that China's pursuit of its national interests has, in the past, collided with international regimes and will continue to do so in the future. According to realists, China is likely to project uncooperative or free-riding behaviors to realize its interests, rather than comply with the rules and norms of international regimes.5 The realist school of thought can explain why China has refrained from actively engaging in sanctioning North Korea due to North Korea's geopolitical value, as well as the costs and benefits associated with a North Korean regime collapse. However, it does not sufficiently explain China's policy change over time.A different theory is that China has been changing its identity through interacting with international regimes.6 In other words, through participation in various international regimes, China has experienced learning and adaptation. Key examples are China's signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, and recent cooperation on various global issues such as climate change and the environment. This school of thought does not deny that there are costs and benefits to national interest; however, it argues that such calculation becomes a more complex process through China's internalization of international norms and the possibility to change them. In other words, China is acutely aware of the costs it incurs when choosing not to accept international norms or to simply pursue its national interests. This theory is useful in explaining why China's position on sanctioning North Korea has changed with time.This paper agrees with the latter theory and will seek to address China's cooperation and limitations in sanctioning North Korea. …


We test the validity of one-electron models for homonuclear diatomic systems by a study of the molecular energies and dynamical couplings that are relevant in the treatment of H++H- collisions. We also present the modifications introduced in the couplings by a common translation factor that has proved suitable at high impact energies.


Using data from the Osaka Cancer Registry, we calculated age-standardized cancer mortality rates among Koreans and Japanese living in Osaka, Japan, during 1968-77. The following points were elucidated: 1) Among Koreans in Osaka, the mortality rate for liver cancer was about twice that among Japanese; 2) Among Koreans in Japan, the mortality rate of stomach cancer has been declining more rapidly than it has among Japanese. The factors involved in the Korean-Japanese difference of liver cancer and those involved in the rapid decrease of stomach cancer among Koreans in Japan are discussed.


Reasoning-and-proving is believed by mathematics educators worldwide as an essential part of teaching and learning mathematics. In addition, relating a mathematics problem to real-world situation can help student making sense of a mathematics concept. One of the main sources used in Indonesia is mathematics textbook of Kurikulum 2013 which is provided by the government for free. Therefore, this study aims to look at students' opportunities to solve relaworld related problems that involves reasoning-and-proving activities in the mathematics textbook focusing on the grade 7 textbook, chapter 1 about Number. The methodological approach and analytical framework used is a combination between framework of reasoning-andproving activities and the use of real-world related problems. The results show that mathematical problems involving reasoning-and-proving activities provided by the textbook are still limited, counting for just around 20% while 80% of the problems cannot be identified as reasoning-andproving. Slightly higher, real-world related problems in the textbook count for approximately 30% while 70% of them are not related to real-world situations. The results suggest that grade 7 students who use the textbook of Kurikulum 2013 have inadequate opportunities to learn realworld related problems and reasoning-and-proving activities from the book.


Objective To study the effect of vertebral pedicle screw system and artificial bones filled with autosolidification calcium phosphate cement(ACPC) on thoracolumbar vertebrae fractures. Methods A total of 18 patients with thoracolumbar vertebrae fractures and with operative indications were treated with vertebral pedicle screw system and artificial bones filled with ACPC. Results Except 2 patients with the spinal cord function for Grade A, all the patients had the average improvement of Degree I to Degree Ⅲ on the aspect of spinal cord function. The kyphotic angle recovered averagely for 21°, the anterior height of the injured vertebral body was averagely restored to 98% of the normal, and the bone fragments that invaded into the spinal canal were obviously restored. During the following-up, loose or breakage of the internal fixation was not found, and there was no chronic lumbar back pain or loss of the normal spine curve and the spinal height of the injured vertebra. Conclusions With correct selection of operative indications and careful operations, the method with vertebral pedicle screw system and artificial bones filled with ACPC to treat thoracolumbar vertebrae fractures is an effective and safe method.


An amorphous Co-based metal filament having a circu lar cross-section made of an alloy composed mainly of Co-Si-B or Co-Me-Si-B (wherein Me is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Fe, Ni, Cr, Ta, Nb, V, Mo, Mn, W and Zr). This filament is pro duced by jetting the above alloy into a rotating member containing therein a cooling liquid through a spinning nozzle having a hole diameter which is determined according to the amorphous metal-forming ability (crit ical thickness to form an amorphous phase) to thereby cool-solidify the jetted molten alloy and form a fila ment, and then winding the filament continuously on the inner walls of the rotating member by the rotary centrifugal force thereof. This amorphous metal fila ment is corrosion resistant, is tough and has high elec tromagnetic characteristics, and is very useful as indus trial materials, such as electric and electronic parts, composite materials and fibrous materials.


Cytotoxicity testing of dental restorative materials must be viewed as an assessment of hazards, that is the potential of the material to cause pulpal problems. In this context, composites, glass ionomers, amalgams, zinc-based cements and peroxide bleaching agents are all possible hazards to the pulp. The risks that these materials will cause pulpal toxicity in vivo can be partly estimated by assessing the cytotoxicity of the substances which are released from these materials in vitro and comparing these cytotoxic concentrations with those concentrations that are present in vivo. The resin components of composites, metal ions and hydrogen peroxide, all of which are released from dental restorative materials, have been shown to be cytotoxic in vitro in sufficient concentrations. The potencies of these substances are quite diverse. However, the cytotoxicity of these substances in usage tests, and therefore the risks of pulpal toxicity, depends on their ability to diffuse through the dentine and accumulate in the pulp.


Relativistic mean field theory with density dependent coupling constants is used to investigate ground state properties and properties of excited configurations in nuclei far from stability. It turns out that it is very important to consider also a density dependence the isovector channel. This provides not only an improved description of the equation of state for neutron matter and asymmetric nuclear matter but also for isovector properties of finite nuclei far from stability such as the neutron skin thickness, and the isoscalar and isovector giant resonances.


For the UK, defence exports provide many jobs but critics point to the morality and human rights aspects of the arms trade. Recent speeches by the foreign secretary suggest that Mr Cook is acutely aware of the trade-off between a more ethical arms export policy and jobs in the defence industry. Recent research suggests that government subsidies for arms exports cost the UK taxpayer between £228 million and £708 million per annum. However, these figures ignore the Exchequer costs of the jobs lost as a result of the reduction in arms exports. This study uses information on the expected number of job losses, and the Exchequer cost per job destroyed, to estimate the employment costs to the Exchequer associated with a one-third reduction in UK defence exports. These costs are then subtracted from the subsidy savings to derive the overall net financial saving to the taxpayer for a one-third reduction in UK arms exports.