Two hundred twenty seven isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. were obtained from roots and hypocotyls of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) grown in Erzurum, Turkey. Of these, 111 Rhizoctonia solani were identified as belonging to seven anastomosis groups (AG): AG-2-1 (0.9%), AG-3 (2.7%), AG-4 (47.8%), AG-5 (36.9%), AG-9 (8.1%), AG-10 (0.9%) and AG-11 (2.7%); 116 binucleate Rhizoctonia belonged to four anastomosis groups: AG-A (1.7%), AG-F (4.3%), AG-G (7.8%), and AG-K (86.2%). In vitro pathogenicity tests on bean cultivars showed that the highest disease severities were caused by AG-5 (B-1) and AG-4 (B-227) isolates, whereas AGG (B-16, B-3) and AG-F (B-5) isolates were weakly pathogenic. On the other hand, the other anastomosis groups of R. solani (AG-2-1, AG-3, AG-9, AG-10 and AG-11), and binucleate Rhizoctonia (AG-A, and AG-K) were not pathogenic on the five tested bean cultivars. '#eker' was found to be the most resistant cultivar, and 'Terzibaba' was the most susceptible cultivar across all Rhizoctonia spp. tested. This is the first report of R. solani AG-2-1, AG-3, AG-9, AG-10, AG-11 and binucleate Rhizoctonia AG-F and AG-G on bean in Turkey.


I developed a new model named POLARIS describing the complex conductivity of (pyrite‐free) shaly poorly sorted sands. This model is based on the solution given by the effective medium theory for grains coated by an electrical double layer and immersed in a background electrolyte. The electrical double layer comprises the Stern layer and the diffuse layer. Both layers play very distinct roles in the in‐phase and quadrature conductivities. The polarization of the shaly sands is mainly controlled by the polarization of the Stern layer (except at very high salinities) with a very small mobility of the counterions contained in this layer. The in‐phase component of the conductivity is controlled by the conductivity of the pore water with a contribution associated with the diffuse layer (the contribution of the Stern layer seems negligible). The fraction of counterions in the Stern layer is computed from a simple sorption isotherm and is used to infer the quadrature conductivity. The quadrature conductivity is assumed to be frequency independent, which is a reasonable approximation in clayey sands and sandstones, in agreement with observations. The polarization model is also based on the assumption that the Stern layer is discontinuous between grains, an assumption that is consistent with recent models of ionic transport in clayey sands. POLARIS explains the dependence of the quadrature conductivity on the salinity, cation exchange capacity, specific surface area (or specific surface per unit pore volume), and temperature. It can be used to predict the saturation and the permeability (inside 1 order of magnitude).


Cottonseed contains many bioactive molecules including plant polyphenols. Cottonseed value might be increased by providing high-value bioactive polyphenols for improving nutrition and health. However, there was a lack of molecular evidence for cottonseed bioactivity in mammalian cells. One widely used method for evaluating the bioactivity of natural products is quantitative real-time-PCR (qPCR). The selection of stably expressed internal reference genes is a crucial task of qPCR assay for data analysis. The rationale for reference gene selection is that a lower standard deviation of the cycle of threshold (Cq) among the treatments indicates a more stable expression of the gene. The objective of this study was to select reference genes in human colon cancer cells (COLO 205) treated with cottonseed-derived gossypol and bioactive extracts along with bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharides (LPS). SYBR Green qPCR was used to analyze the mRNA levels of a wide range of biomarkers involved in glucose transport, lipid biosynthesis, inflammatory response, and cancer development. qPCR data (10,560 Cq values) were generated from 55 genes analyzed from 64 treatments with triplicate per treatment for each gene. The data showed that B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) mRNA was the most stable among the 55 mRNAs analyzed in the human colon cancer cells. Glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase (Gapdh) and ribosome protein L32 (Rpl32) mRNAs were not good qPCR references for the colon cancer cells. These observations were consistent regardless of the treatment comparison between gossypol and LPS, glanded and glandless seed extracts, seed coat and kernel extracts, or treatment for 8 and 24 h. These results suggest that Bcl2 is a preferable reference gene for qPCR assays in human colon cancer cells treated with cottonseed-derived gossypol and bioactive extracts as well as LPS. The extensive qPCR results firmly support the conclusion that the Bcl2 gene is stably expressed at the mRNA level in the human colon cancer cells regardless of the treatment, suggesting that Bcl2 gene expression is not regulated at the mRNA level but at the post-transcriptional level. These results should facilitate studies designated to evaluate bioactivity on gene expression regulation by cottonseed molecules and other natural and synthetic molecules for nutrition and health uses.


This paper studies a model of firm-sponsored investments in general human capital. When institutional settings permit simple contractual arrangements that are consistent with at-will employment, firms invest in a worker's general skills. And when market forces discipline contracts, the equilibrium level of training intimately relates to any match-specific component of surplus, such as mobility costs. If these relation-specific components are sufficiently large, all externalities may be internalized, and training attains the social optimum. In marked contrast to the existing literature, these predictions do not rely on complementarities between training and rents (e.g. "wage-compression"), and they are independent of the distribution of profits and wages.


4126 Analysis of T cell receptor (TcR) repertoires has been the focus of recent studies of immunologic health. Diversity of this repertoire can effectively be measured through spectratyping, an RT-PCR-based method for estimating V gene representation and diversity of complementarity determining regions 3 (CDR3s). Primary focus has been on graphical analyses of chromatographs, where healthy TcRs exhibit an array of variable CDR3 lengths for a single rearranged V gene. Chromatographs could be used for evaluating a few patients, but for larger studies is unfeasible. Other more quantitative methods have focused only on the distributions of the peaks reflected on these chromatographs. However, this specific focus can omit other relevant information. Thus, we developed methods to summarize key features of spectratyping data and methods for TcR analysis where three primary measures are used to quantify the TcR diversity and health. Our approach focuses on quantifying the total number of peaks representing individual CDR3 lengths, the proportion of peaks representing productively rearranged alpha and beta transcripts, and disturbances in the distribution of CDR3 lengths. Examples of these methods to identify patterns in T cell diversity across different age groups as well as between healthy subjects and cancer patients will be presented.


We report here the first case of pulmonary infection due to Mycobacterium kyorinense in a 55-year-old hypertensive woman treated for pulmonary tuberculosis earlier on two occasions. She presented with productive cough, intermittent episode of left-sided chest pain, loss of appetite, low-grade fever, and breathlessness. Sputum cultures revealed non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). She remained persistently symptomatic with sputum cultures positive for acid-fast bacilli even after 6 months of treatment. Hence, a 16SrRNA gene amplification and sequencing were done that revealed M. kyorinense. Based on the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society, she was started on weight-based dosing of clarithromycin, levofloxacin, ethambutol, isoniazid and injection amikacin daily. The patient improved symptomatically and became culture-negative after 3 months of therapy with the above regimen and continued to be culture negative for 12 months of treatment. She continues to remain symptom-free without evidence of any clinical or bacteriological relapse.


Smart city and smart home concepts have become increasingly popular, especially in the last decade. Many people have positive notions of living in a smart city or smart home, but not too many users can really define what these concepts mean. One of the reasons lies in the fact that smart city and smart home concepts are very broad and include elements from different domains of science and innovation. Together with the upcoming era of big data and changes in the assessment and evaluation of our built environment, we may find ourselves with a seemingly endless source of data describing our surroundings. The question arises if all these data could be turned on into information and knowledge (which leads to making the right decision) so that we know how to design and develop our cities and dwellings in the future? Or would it be the other way around, meaning that excessive amounts of data, and the redundancy thereof, make the whole concept of smart home and smart cities less clear for people to understand? One of the possibilities that are available for practice is the use of so-called decision support systems (DSSs), which can help users to manage all elements included in a given analysis and predict potential effects of actions of decision makers, in order to avoid unfavourable scenarios of future development.


Embarking on the review of the above two books on virginity, I was inexorably reminded of that classic comment about buses: you wait for ages and then two come along at once. As an agony aunt, the whole issue of virginity is one of my most askedabout topics, yet once I've given my advice I'm often at a loss to recommend excellent further reading. I will now no longer be at a loss. Even better, these two books are aimed at different markets and with different approaches – though the value systems that underlie each are the same. Losing It, a collection of short story fi ction for the teenage market, is edited by author Keith Gray, whose own contribution 'Scoring' is the fi rst in the book. Seven further tales follow, well chosen and fi nely balanced – from a boy bragging to his mates, through a girl changing her mind, through gay passion rediscovered, to darker tales of virginity lost through poverty-stricken prostitution, and an honour killing carried out because the bride did not bleed. My favourite perhaps was the hilarious 'Age of Consent' by Jenny Valentine, in which a mischievous 73-year-old brings a family dinner to a stunned standstill by speaking out about her own sex life and questioning her young companions about theirs. The stories raise a slew of questions: what is virginity, what does it mean to lose it, what are the consequences, when, where, how and why should it be lost – in ways that leave the reader able to bring their own viewpoint to the issues. Hence, though aimed at the teen market, this volume contains wisdom from which we can all learn, plus it offers valuable insights into contemporary teenage culture, which despite appearances may well be more sensible than it fi rst appears. Hence, Journal readers can happily recommend this to young clients and buy it for their own children – and if they do the latter, they should make sure to purloin it to read themselves! The First Time: True Tales of Virginity Lost and Found (Including My Own), by Kate Monro, is the result of several years' sensitive interviewing by the author, whose interest was fi rst sparked by a conversation on Californian beach about "misspent youth". The result is a stunning collection of real-life stories spanning 68 years, refl ecting the deep social changes that have occurred in that time, and linked thematically by thoughtful and insightful author commentary. Unsurprisingly the themes covered cross over with Losing It – how does one defi ne virginity and its loss, how do women experience it, how does that differ from men's experience and how should one view people who choose to keep their virginity. The stories are told in the subjects' own words and hence are less manicured than the tales in Losing It with a raw edge that is always moving; Monro's insights bring further adult-aimed seriousness and depth to the issues and so there is never any sense of sensationalism or DailyMail-itis. In the fi nal chapter Monro explores the point she makes throughout: that the telling of one's virginity story is itself transformational, often facilitating the reframe not only of the original experience but also of one's sexual history. Hence I would recommend the book for professional interest to Journal readers, but would also suggest that reading it may well give them personal insights into their own situation. This book could indeed change your life!


In order to improve instruction, teachers need to make sense of and evaluate the critical events that have the potential to strengthen the understanding of students' mathematical thinking. Mathematics instruction has shifted toward inquiry teaching which leaves many teachers attempting to change their practices accordingly. While there are documents that help mathematics teachers understand inquiry practices, there is little guidance for teachers who teach in classroom settings in which students with special needs are included. Since mathematical reasoning and conceptual understanding have become as important to teach as procedures, it is imperative that co-teachers draw on each other's knowledge to incorporate inquiry co-teaching practices. A design-based research project was conducted to explore the co-teaching practices in an inquiry mathematics classroom setting. We document co-teaching practices that are effective for planning and implementing inquiry mathematics lessons.


Background: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are rare systemic diseases associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to estimate for the first time the survival of IIM patients in Slovenia. Methods: We included IIM patients diagnosed between January 2005 and December 2020 and followed at two secondary/tertiary rheumatology centers in the country. To study survival/mortality the censor date of April 14 2021 was set. Kaplan–Meier analysis and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) were plotted using data of age and sex matched Slovenian population as a reference. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to study prognostic factors for IIM mortality. Results: During the 16-year observation period, we identified 217 new IIM patients. During follow up 65 (30.0%) patients died. In the first year following IIM diagnosis the SMR was nearly 7-fold higher compared to the matched general population [SMR 6.88 (95%CI 4.41–10.24)] and remained higher also during the following 4 years. However, when excluding IIM patients with cancer, the survival outcome was, except in the first year after IIM diagnosis [SMR 5.55 (95%CI 3.10–9.15)], comparable to matched general population. In addition to cancer [HR 3.71 (95% CI 2.18–6.04)], cardiac involvement [HR 2.18 (95% CI 1.07–4.45)], fever [HR 2.13 (95% CI 1.13–4.03)], and older age [HR 1.07 (95% CI 1.04–1.09)] were extracted as prognostic factors associated with death. Conclusion: The survival of patients with IIM patients was substantially worse compared to matched general population. Cancer was the leading cause of death in our cohort.


This paper outlines some of the highlights and issues surrounding carbon markets in North America. Carbon markets are a new branch of environmental finance. The issues covered include US Federal and State carbon policy, climate change legislation and trading systems. A particular focus will be on the Regional Greenhouse-Gas Initiative, the first mandatory cap-andtrade scheme to be set up in the US, as well as other similar initiatives in the US. The paper will also discuss carbon trading and investments and the growing role of carbon as an impetus for investments in low-carbon technologies. A general overview of carbon finance and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects will be provided, as well as a general review of expert opinion on how the cost of carbon impact will affect other energy resources. Finally, the paper will conclude with a short assessment of the potential role of agriculture and forestry in reducing carbon emissions.


Fort Lauderdale, FL-Visual function improvement is still apparent and better than ex-pected more than 3 years following the first implantation of a subretinal Artificial Silicon Retina (ASR, Optobionics Corp.) micro-chip in patients experiencing vision loss from retinitis pigmentosa (RP). This degree of improvement could be due at least in part to a neurotrophic effect, said Alan Y. Chow, MD, co-developer of the ASR.


We study the two-dimensional, steady-state problem of the scattering of waves in a homogeneous, isotropic, linear-elastic quarter space. We derive decoupled equations for the Fourier transforms of the normal and tangential displacements on the free surfaces. For incidence of a Rayleigh surface wave, we plot the amplitudes and phases of the surface waves reflected and transmitted by the corner. These curves were obtained numerically.


The only coherent structures normally seen on the magnetic perturbation (B.) spectra of ohmically heated tokamak plasmas are at the rotation frequencies, Omega mn, of low-helicity tearing modes (Mirnov oscillations), i.e. B=B0 sin(m theta +n phi + Omega mnt) where m,n are small integers. We describe a new coherent structure, at much higher frequencies, which is shown to arise from small amplitude ( Delta theta , Delta phi <<2 pi ) motion of the edge 3/1 tearing mode. A model which includes toroidal coupling between the 3/1 mode and an interior 2/1 mode, as well as coupling to an externally applied (or stray) resonant field, is able to explain the observations. The inter-mode coupling causes rotation of both magnetic mode structures at the same (Mirnov) frequency but also high-frequency difference oscillations of small amplitude. In addition, bouncing of the combined 2/1 and 3/1 mode structure (or the 3/1 alone) in the potential well of the external field can occur after locking. The 'vibration' or 'bounce' frequencies are the only discrete features on the magnetic, B., spectrum after suppression of the Mirnov frequency by forced mode locking and therefore provide a potential diagnostic for studying precursor growth in locked-mode major disruptions.


Mechanical support devices have revolutionized the management of circulatory failure. This has been met by a dramatic increase in ventricular assist device (VAD) utilization in children over the last two decades. Previous wide gaps in experience and knowledge have significantly narrowed in the recent years. As we continue to gain experience with this technology, we face new challenges such as complex congenital circulations and small patient size. The emergence of new pharmacologic therapies and device technology offers more opportunities and requires constant adjustment in practice. As we continue to embark on this journey, constant insight is needed to refine patient selection criteria, minimize complications, and continue to push the field for safer smaller devices to accommodate these complex patient populations. In this review focused at inpatient critical care environment, we discuss the recent field developments and focus on challenging patient populations, the emergence of temporary support, management of anticoagulation, and diagnostic approach to stroke in the setting of VAD support.


Cavity optomechanics devices are leading edge candidates for a new generation of sensors both in the quantum and classical realms. Several single devices have been demonstrated in numerous labs, however large-scale integration capability necessary for industrial deployment is still an issue. In this paper, we present very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) optomechanical sensors fabricated from standard 200 mm Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafers. Optical properties over a statistically significant sample size have been systematically investigated and show an excellent modeling to experiment agreement, a coupling parameter dispersion of 7% and a manufacturing yield larger than 98%. Controlled versatile sensors, such as these, could easily be embedded in any chip where mass or force sensing is needed.


The influence of temperature on the charge storage and transfer characteristics of the nanocrystalline CdSe embedded Zr-doped HfO 2 high- k dielectric on the p -type Si wafer has been studied. With the increase of temperature, the hole-trapping capacity is increased but the electron-trapping follows the opposite trend, which results in a small reduction of the memory window. From the frequency dispersion measurement result, at high temperatures, holes are loosely trapped at the nanocrystal/high- k interface and electrons are mainly trapped in the bulk nanocrystal. The high temperature induces a larger leakage current because it enhances the charge supply and transfer in the high- k stack. At the low applied voltage, the charge transfer follows the Schottky emission mechanism. In the high, positive gate voltage region, charges are transferred following the Poole-Frenkel mechanism at the low temperature and the Fowler-Nordheim mechanism at the high temperature. The temperature has little effect on the sample's leakage current-gate voltage hysteresis due to the large charge trapping capability. In summary, temperature is an important factor in the operation of the nanocrystals embedded high- k memory device because it affects the charge storage and transfer mechanisms. quantum dots or nanocrystals embedded gate dielectric proposed as a possible to replace the polycrys-talline Si floating-gate in reliability.


better risk stratification. Although RT is conventionally used in early-stage cases, it is not employed in advanced-stage patients. With current L-asparaginase–containing regimens, up to 50% of advanced-stage patients who have not received RT achieve durable remission, clearly showing that RT is not mandatory for NK/T-cell lymphomas. CT, however, is increasingly recognized as an indispensable treatment component. The beneficial effect of CT is also shown by Yang et al. In high-risk patients, the 5-year overall survival for RT followed by CT was 72.8%, compared with 57.9% for RT alone. Yang et al reported that CT followed by RT gave poor results. This observation is undoubtedly from their upfront use of ineffective anthracycline-containing regimens. Furthermore, their results of L-asparaginase–containing regimens were surprisingly worse than other studies for early-stage NK/T-cell lymphomas (see table). This may be related to a small number of patients in their study who received heterogeneous L-asparaginase–containing regimens. In fact, prospective clinical trials have shown that, with effective CT, concurrent RT/CT or CT followed by RT gave very comparable results. Therefore, the sequence of RT and CT may not be critical. Although physicians will continue to give RT to early-stage patients, the high systemic failure rates of RT alone, even for low-risk patients in the study by Yang et al, mean that optimal schedules of additional CT to eradicate occult systemic spread should be determined. Intriguingly, it may even be possible to define in the future if RT can be safely omitted in specific groups of early-stage NK/T-cell lymphomas because shortand long-term toxicities of RT are considerable and may have permanent impacts on quality of life, particularly for elderly patients. The results of Yang et al, which rely on simple clinicopathologic parameters to determine whether early-stage nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma patients may receive RT alone, are useful for resource-limited centers where more expensive investigations are not available and complicated CT regimens are not feasible. In better-equipped centers, PET/CT scan and EBVDNA, neither used by Yang et al, should be employed for more exact staging and prognostication. These approaches more precisely identify patients with genuine early-stage limited disease, enabling clinical studies to establish the best modality of treatment that will lead to durable remissions in these patients. Conflict-of-interest disclosure: The authors declare no competing financial interests. n


This dissertation employs a multiscalar, life course
approach to examine health in the ancient Nile Valley (c. 2000- 660 BCE)
by analyzing population- and individual-level data of skeletal indicators of
stress, health, and pathological conditions. Specifically, this dissertation
explores a more detailed reconstruction of health under a life course approach
through the inclusion of individuals of all ages, a contextualization of social
and biological age categories, the examination of multiple non-specific
indicators of general health/stress, and the timing and development of specific
conditions. Results of the population-level data are expanded and highlighted
through the examination of individual experiences of health, specifically those
related to growing old, impairment, and disability. Population-level data
examining cribra orbitalia and LEH demonstrated a significant difference
between individuals that survived periods of childhood stress (adults) and
non-survivors (juveniles) when examining cribra orbitalia. More specifically, there
are relatively high frequencies of cribra orbitalia in individuals in the late juvenile
social age category (7 – 14 years) and the transition adult social age category
(14 - 20 years). A broad examination of old age at Tombos reveals that many
individuals were living into their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Individuals at Tombos do
not have many indicators of osteoarthritis or entheseal changes, indicating
that the inhabitants of Tombos were not subjected to strenuous physical
activities throughout their life. Individuals throughout the Tombos cemetery
display oral health issues; it is common for members of this community to have
significant dental wear, carious lesions, abscesses, and antemortem tooth loss.
A case study of an older Tombos adult
(U34.B1) investigates the intersection of old age, impairment, and disability
through the consideration of the physical changes related to degenerative joint
disease and oral health and the impact to U34.B1's mobility, pain level, and
daily life. Acute care related to a severe, non-union femoral neck fracture at
the end of life is also considered for U34.B1. Finally, impairment and
disability are considered in another individual (U35.Sh2.B10) with Leri-Weill
dyschondrosteosis by utilizing the bioarchaeology of care approach. Overall,
this dissertation demonstrates that population-level and individual-level
analysis can incorporate various types of contextual data gathered using a
culturally specific lens to create a rich narrative of health in the past.


Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) stands out as one of the most common etiological agents of bovine mastitis, currently causing major economic losses to dairy farming. In order to evaluate the sensitivity of this micro-organism to antimicrobials, 352 isolates from 35 dairy herds located in the state of Minas Gerais were submitted to antibiogram tests, using the disc diffusion technique. Nitrofurantoin and the associations of neomycin, bacitracin and tetracycline (NBT), as well as penicillin, nafcillin and dihydrostreptomycin (PND), showed 100% efficiency in vitro. There were low resistance rates in the group of cephalosporins, with values of 0, 0.28 and 0.40% for cefquimona, cephalothin, and ceftiofur, respectively. Among the aminoglycosides, there was 1.69% resistance to gentamicin and 3.35% for neomycin. The highest resistance was observed for polymyxin B (82%), followed by betalactams, ampicillin and penicillin, with resistance rates of 80.92 and 80.45%, respectively. Moderate levels of resistance were observed for tetracycline, lincomycin, cefoperazone and sulfazotrim. Among the tested isolates, 65 (18.15%), coming from 24 of the 35 herds studied, showed multidrug resistance (MAR index ≥ 0.2). The results pointed out to high variation in antimicrobial resistance profiles and the occurrence of multidrug resistance among some studied strains, highlighting the importance of antibiogram tests for the choice of an appropriate drug to be used for the treatment or prevention of mastitis caused by


Isolated resection of segment 1 is a parenchyma-sparing technique that can be used for the resection of benign or malignant tumors confined to this segment. The method of resection of segment 1 is described in relation with its complex anatomical features. Special attention is paid to prevention of damage to the hilar bile ducts and major hepatic veins during the procedure.


Nonlinear dynamics resulting from the interplay between diffusive and buoyancy-driven Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities of autocatalytic traveling fronts are analyzed numerically for various values of the relevant parameters. These are the Rayleigh numbers of the reactant A and autocatalytic product B solutions as well as the ratio D=D(B)/D(A) between the diffusion coefficients of the two key chemical species. The interplay between the coarsening dynamics characteristic of the RT instability and the constant short wavelength modulation of the diffusive instability can lead in some regimes to complex dynamics dominated by irregular succession of birth and death of fingers. By using spectral entropy measurements, we characterize the transition between order and spatial disorder in this system. The analysis of the power spectrum and autocorrelation function, moreover, identifies similarities between the various spatial patterns. The contribution of the diffusive instability to the complex dynamics is discussed.


Curved surface renewable solar cell is applied to provide a near space airshippsilas energy system the power to drive the high altitude electromotor and propeller in a long term. The solar flux incident on the solar cell is calculated through integral transform and some revised correlations from tilted surface solar radiation flux calculations. In view of the solar radiation flux and the wind speed fluctuation and randomicity, wavelet analysis and genetic algorithm aided neural networks are combined to make the solar radiation flux predictable and real-time with higher precision than solar constant radiation spatial interpolation.


Bamboo is a nontimber woody plant featuring a long vegetative stage and uncertain flowering time. Therefore, the genes belonging to flowering repressors might be essential in regulating the transition from the vegetative to reproductive stage in bamboo. The Short Vegetative Phase ( SVP) gene plays a pivotal role in floral transition and development. However, little is known about the bamboo SVP homologues. In this study, Phyllostachys violascens PvSVP1 is isolated by analysis of the P. edulis transcriptome database. Phylogenetic analysis shows that PvSVP1 is closely related to OsMADS55 (rice SVP homolog). PvSVP1 is ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, predominantly in vegetative tissues. To investigate the function of PvSVP1, PvSVP1 is overexpressed in Arabidopsis and rice under the influence of the 35S promoter. Overexpression of PvSVP1 in Arabidopsis causes early flowering and produces abnormal petals and sepals. Quantitative real-time PCR reveals that overexpression in Arabidopsis produces an early flowering phenotype by downregulating FLC and upregulating FT and produces abnormal floral organs by upregulating AP1, AP3 and PI expressions. Simultaneously, overexpression of PvSVP1 in rice alters the expressions of flowering-related genes such as Hd3a, RFT1, OsMADS56 and Ghd7 and promotes flowering under field conditions. In addition, PvSVP1 may be a nuclear protein which interacts with PvVRN1 and PvMADS56 on the yeast two-hybrid and BiFC systems. Our study suggests that PvSVP1 may play a vital role in flowering time and development by interacting with PvVRN1 and PvMADS56 in the nucleus. Furthermore, this study paves the way toward understanding the complex flowering process of bamboo.


Introduction Extensive research has been conducted in Iowa to study the potassium (K) fertilization of corn and soybean, but not in south-central Iowa soils. Soil K deficiency decreases crop yield and economic benefits to growers. Also, research in other locations has shown that a K deficiency can reduce the capacity of corn to respond to nitrogen (N) and can increase the incidence of some soybean diseases. Therefore, a long-term K response study was initiated in 2009 at the McNay Research and Demonstration Farm to study corn and soybean response to K fertilizer.


Introduction Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal tumours of the gastrointestinal tract. In recent years there is increasing focus on immunohistochemistry biomarkers and targeted Imatinib therapy for treatment, but there is little data from the UK on factors that influence outcome. Methods We reviewed clinical, pathological, treatment strategies, follow-up and outcome data in all patients with GISTs at our regional multidisciplinary cancer group between Jan 2008 and Dec 2012. Tumour size, mitotic index, other pathological parameters and immunohistochemical stains including CD117 (KIT), CD34, and others were recorded. Tumours were categorised according to the NIH, revised AFIP, and AJCC risk-stratification models. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine independent factors associated with survival. Results 42 patients with GIST were identified. 36(85.7%) were located in the stomach, 5 (11.9%) in the small intestine, and 1(2.4%) in the oesophagus. Median age was 68 (range 43–91) yrs. 24 (57.1%) were female. Tumour size ranged from 1.0–12.7 cm (mean 5.5 cm). Metastasis was present in 19 (45.2%) at diagnosis, the liver being the most common site in 8(42.1%). Histology and immunohistochemical analysis was available in 31(73.8%). Commonest histological subtype was spindle cell in 17 (53.1%), epitheloid in 9 (29.0%) and mixed in 5 (16.1%). CD117 was positive in 90.6%, and CD34 in 75.0%. 54.8% patients underwent surgical resection with radical surgery in 47.8%, 5 of whom received extensive adjacent organ resection. 47.8%, 34.8% and 52.2% patients were categorised as high risk according to NIH, AFIP and AJCC (stage III-IV) risk models respectively. Recurrence was confirmed in 5 (11.9%) patients at a median of 597 (range 402–943) days. Of these, 2 were deemed low risk by all three classification systems. Imatinib was given to 14/42 (33.3%) patients; as primary therapy in 10 (28.3%) patients (9 palliative and 1 neoadjuvant), and as adjuvant therapy in 4 patients. Cox proportional hazard regression revealed age, tumour site, size, mitotic count, metastases at diagnosis and AFIP scores to be independently associated with worse prognosis. Conclusion A combination of surgery and imatinib may be necessary to provide a curative treatment for GISTs and prevent recurrence. Although our study is limited by small numbers, current risk-categorisation models appear to over-estimate recurrence risk with discrepancies in predicting behaviour for certain low-risk tumours. A weighted scoring system combining independent factors associated with poor prognosis may serve as a more accurate clinical prediction tool. Disclosure of Interest M. Friel: None Declared, Y. Vishwanath: None Declared, H. Wescott: None Declared, N. Wadd: None Declared, A. Dhar Consultant for: Honoraria for advisory board to the Pharmaceutical Industry, Speaker bureau with: Falk Pharma UK, Warner Chilcott UK, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Ferring Pharmaceuticals.


This paper discusses one of school contained in a literary work that is the school of realism. A school of literature usually appears preceded by another school and is usually followed by a new school as a counter to the previous school. The purpose of this paper is to determine the form of the school of realism and its influence on literary works. The school of realism is a literary school that seeks to describe an object as it is (realistic), not as it is. This school initially appeared in France and began to touch the Arab world, especially Egypt in the 20th century. There were many Egyptian writers who were influenced and produced realist Arabic literary works, one of which was Najib Mahfuz.


It is believed that the rewarding actions of drugs are mediated by dysregulation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system leading to increased levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (nAc). It is widely recognized that GABAergic transmission is critical for neuronal inhibition within nAc. However, it is currently unknown if medium spiny neurons (MSNs) also receive inhibition by means of glycinergic synaptic inputs. We used a combination of proteomic and electrophysiology studies to characterize the presence of glycinergic input into MSNs from nAc demonstrating the presence of glycine transmission into nAc. In D1 MSNs, we found low frequency glycinergic miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) which were blocked by 1 μM strychnine (STN), insensitive to low (10, 50 mM) and high (100 mM) ethanol (EtOH) concentrations, but sensitive to 30 μM propofol. Optogenetic experiments confirmed the existence of STN-sensitive glycinergic IPSCs and suggest a contribution of GABA and glycine neurotransmitters to the IPSCs in nAc. The study reveals the presence of glycinergic transmission in a non-spinal region and opens the possibility of a novel mechanism for the regulation of the reward pathway.


Economic co-operation between Brazil and China has grown rather fast over recent years, boosted by China's demand for Brazilian commodities as well as Brazil's demand for consumer, capital and intermediate goods from China. As a result, the latter has become the most important trade partner and also the most important source of foreign direct investment in Brazil. The development of the partnership between Brazil and China suggests that this is a symbiotic relationship. For China, Brazil may help to ensure the supply of commodities it needs to grow and to maintain its political stability. For Brazil, the partnership with China helps to boost exports, increase investments and provide the country with manufactured and other goods at a low price. This article makes the point that the partnership with China is not unlike the Siren's Song as in Homer's Odyssey: it is seductive and irresistible, but offers risks that cannot be ignored. This is the case because the bilateral economic relationship, as it stands at the present time, is increasingly asymmetric and is beneficial to Brazil in the short term, but encourages a growing dependence of the Brazilian economy on the Chinese economy in the long term. This paper argues that, to be beneficial and long-lasting, the economic relationship between Brazil and China requires a less pragmatic view and a more strategic approach on the part of Brazil, as well as the development of an agenda for collaboration with broader aims based on the principle of mutual benefit. The article proposes an economic agenda for collaboration between the two countries.


The mbya-Guarani sound world is an important dimension of theirexistence as well as their children are, through their presence and their songs, which occupy a central place in the oguata pora (Guarani sacred walk towards perfection). In this paper, I present ethnographic data on body processes and treatments as well as theories of visual and sound-performative practices that are part of the mbya way of being / living. the paper is, based on an ethnomusicological research among mbya groups in southern Brazil. From ethnographic descriptions an interpretation is built: a «cosmo-sonic» domain of ontology and epistemology of this Amerindian people, that is to say, that the construction of the mbya person— and the construction of knowledge are closely linked with sound processes, as well as to imagery, kinetic and material performances, that strengthen the listening and the resonance of the being.


P-wave morphology correlates with the risk for a trial fibrillation (AF). Left atrial (LA) enlargement could explain both the higher risk for AF and higher P-wave terminal force (PTF) in ECG lead V1. However, PTF-V1 has been shown to correlate poorly with LA size. We hypothesize that LA hypertrophy, i.e. a thickening of the myocardial wall, also contributes to increased PTF-V1 and is part of the reason for the rather low specificity of increased PTF-V1 regarding LA enlargement. To show this, a trial excitation propagation was simulated in a cohort of four anatomically individualized models including rule-based myocyte orientation and spatial electrophysiological heterogeneity using the mono domain approach. The LA wall was thickened symmetrically in steps of 0.66mm by up to 3.96mm. Interatrial conduction was possible via discrete connections at the coronary sinus, Bachmann's bundle and posteriorly. Body surface ECGs were computed using realistic, heterogeneous torso models. During the early P-wave stemming from sources in the RA, no changes were observed. Once the LA got activated, the voltage in Vi tended to lower values for higher degrees of hypertrophy. Thus, the amplitude of the late positive P-wave decreased while the amplitude of the subsequent negative terminal phase increased. PTF-V1 and LA wall thickening showed a correlation of 0.95. The P-wave duration was almost unaffected by LA wall thickening (Δ <2 ms). Our results show that PTF-V1 is a sensitive marker for LA wall thickening and elucidate why it is superior to P-wave area. The interplay of LA hypertrophy and dilation might cause the poor empirical correlation of LA size and PTF-V1.


The body pose of a person wearing a camera is of great interest for applications in augmented reality, healthcare, and robotics, yet much of the person's body is out of view for a typical wearable camera. We propose a learning-based approach to estimate the camera wearer's 3D body pose from egocentric video sequences. Our key insight is to leverage interactions with another person---whose body pose we can directly observe---as a signal inherently linked to the body pose of the first-person subject. We show that since interactions between individuals often induce a well-ordered series of back-and-forth responses, it is possible to learn a temporal model of the interlinked poses even though one party is largely out of view. We demonstrate our idea on a variety of domains with dyadic interaction and show the substantial impact on egocentric body pose estimation, which improves the state of the art.


The irreversible changes in the Seebeck coefficient that occur in mineral-insulated Nicrosil-sheathed thermocouples were measured during 530 h of heating at temperatures up to 1200 degrees C. Type K and type N alloys from seven sources were examined. Most change occurred in the negative thermoelements whose behaviour depended on whether Mn and Al was present and not on whether they were type K or type N alloys. The presence of Mn and Al gave the more complex behaviour but reduced instability at high temperatures. It is shown that Nicrosil-sheathed temperature probes of 6 mm diameter and having Mn- and Al-bearing type K alloys would drift less than about 3 degrees C during a approximately 1000 h use at temperatures up to 1200 degrees C. Similar probes with type N thermoelements would drift up to 5 degrees C.


Binding target strands with single base selectivity at a terminal position is difficult with natural DNA or RNA hybridization probes. Nature uses a degenerate genetic code that is based on RNA:RNA codon:anticodon duplexes tolerating wobble base pairs at the terminus. The importance of short RNA strands in regulatory processes in the cell make it desirable to develop receptor-like approaches for high fidelity binding, even at the very 3'-terminus of a probe. Here, we report the three-dimensional structure of a DNA duplex with a 3'-terminal 2'-anthraquinoylamido-2'-deoxyuridine (Uaq) residue that was solved by NMR and restrained molecular dynamics. The Uaq residue binds the 5'-terminus of the target strand through a combination of pi-stacking, hydrogen bonding, and interactions in the minor groove. The acylated aminonucleoside is the best molecular cap for 3'-termini reported to date. The Uaq motif assists binding of DNA strands, but is particularly effective in enhancing the affinity for RNA target strands, with a DeltaT(m) in the UV melting point of up to +18.2 degrees C per residue. Increased base pairing selectivity is induced for all sequence motifs tested, even in cases where unmodified duplexes show no preference for the canonical base pair at all. A single mismatched nucleobase facing the 3'-terminus gives DeltaDeltaT(m) values as large as -23.9 degrees C (RNA) or -29.5 degrees C (DNA). The 5'-phosphoramidite of the Uaq cap reported here allows for routine incorporation during automated syntheses.


Background: The effect of heat in endoscopic instruments used for laparoscopy and hysteroscopy has been well-studied. Reports of thermal injury from nasal endoscopes have also been reported. However, there are no experimental studies, which have objectively documented and provided recommendations for safe use of endoscopes in neurosurgery. Objectives: To study the heat generated at the tip of the endoscope and the subsequent thermal damage caused to a cotton drape placed in proximity, by varying the intensity of light delivered through different optical cables, ambient (operating room) temperatures and working distances. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in the operation theater using a 300 watt xenon light source connected to the endoscope with 3.5 mm and 4.8 mm optical cables. A digital thermometer was used to record the heat generated at the tip of the endoscope. Results: The heat generated at the tip of the endoscope reached its peak in the first 6 min and attained a plateau at 15 min after turning on a light source of 60% intensity. Thermal injury to the cotton drape took a longer time with a 3.8 mm cable compared with 4.8 mm cable. The heat generated at the tip of the endoscope, and thereby the thermal injury caused was found to be lower when the ambient temperature was close to 20°C. Conclusions: Complications related to thermal injuries caused by heat generated at the tip of an endoscope can be reduced by using a smaller diameter cable, light intensity of 60%, increasing the working distance (as permissible), reducing the time spent for dissection while keeping the endoscope very close to the target and lowering the ambient temperature to 20°C.


Nonstationary signal decomposition (SD) is a primary procedure to extract monotonic components or modes from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals for the development of robust brain–computer interface (BCI) systems. This study proposes a novel automated computerized framework for proficient identification of motor and mental imagery (MeI) EEG tasks by employing empirical Fourier decomposition (EFD) and improved EFD (IEFD) methods. Specifically, the multiscale principal component analysis (MSPCA) is rendered to denoise EEG data first, and then, EFD is utilized to decompose nonstationary EEG into subsequent modes, while the IEFD criterion is proposed for a single conspicuous mode selection. Finally, the time- and frequency-domain features are extracted and classified with a feedforward neural network (FFNN) classifier. Extensive experiments are conducted on four multichannel motor and MeI data sets from BCI competitions II and III using a tenfold cross-validation strategy. Results compared with the other existing methods demonstrated that the highest classification accuracies of 99.82% (data set IV-a), 93.33% (data set IV-b), 91.96% (data set III), and 88.08% (data set V) in subject-specific scenarios, while 82.70% (data set IV-a) in the subject-independent framework are achieved for IEFD with FFNN classifiers collectively. The overall exploratory results authenticate that the proposed IEFD-based automated computerized framework not only outperforms the conventional SD methods but is also robust and computationally efficient for the development of subject-dependent and subject-independent BCI systems.


Molecular motors can be defined as molecules that are able to convert any type of energy input (a fuel) into controlled motion. These systems can be categorized into linear and rotary motors, depending on the motion induced. This brief account will discuss the state of affairs of the research on light‐driven rotary molecular motors.


We report our extensive attempts and, ultimately, success to produce crack-free, chiral nematic GeO2/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) composite films with tunable photonic properties from the controlled assembly of germanium(iv) alkoxides with the lyotropic liquid-crystalline CNCs in a mixed solvent of water/DMF. With different pyrolysis conditions, the photonic GeO2/CNC composites can be converted into freestanding chiral nematic films of amorphous GeO2, and semiconducting mesoporous GeO2/C and Ge/C replicas. These new materials are promising for chiral separation, enantioselective adsorption, catalysis, sensing, optoelectronics, and lithium ion batteries. Furthermore, the new, reproducible synthesis strategies developed may be applicable for constructing other composites and porous materials with chiral nematic ordering.


Elastography provides important diagnostic information because tissue elasticity is related to pathological conditions. For example, in a mammary gland, higher grade malignancies yield harder tumors. Estimating shear wave speed enables the quantification of tissue elasticity imaging using time-of-flight. However, time-of-flight measurement is based on an assumption about the propagation direction of a shear wave which is highly affected by reflection and refraction, and thus might cause an artifact. An alternative elasticity estimation approach based on shear wavelength was proposed and applied to passive configurations. To determine the elasticity of tissue more quickly and more accurately, we proposed a new method for shear wave elasticity imaging that combines the shear wavelength approach and inverse filtering with multiple shear wave sources induced by acoustic radiation force (ARF). The feasibility of the proposed method was verified using an elasticity phantom with a hard inclusion.


Numerous unfavorable factors that disturb the balance between resorption and bone formation affect bone mechanical strength. Also mechanical loading (body mass and muscle tension) and risk factors for osteoporosis affect bone strength. Loading that can be applied to the bone is limited by bone structure. At the same time, loading applied to the bone may condition its structure. This is possible thanks to the cellular mechanisms of bone modeling and remodeling called adaptation. Physical therapy affects bone mechanical strength by stimulating bone cells. Movement increases muscle strength and restores muscle cooperation, thus improving functional state and movement activity, which, in turn, indirectly increase bone strength. The analysis of the studies on bone mechanical strength confirms the efficacy of physical exercise, which is an important element of comprehensive management. A lower risk of falls and fractures has been observed in patients who had received physical therapy apart from pharmacological treatment. It has also been observed that an increase in bone mechanical strength is not necessarily reflected in densitometric evaluation.


Editor—Imagine waking tomorrow to find a magic lamp by your bed, and the genie tells you that there is only one wish left. You decide to devote it to making good doctors. What kind of people would these good doctors be?

We ask this question often among ourselves—a doctor embarking on his career, an active researcher approaching his peak, and a retired clinician needing geriatric care. We sometimes ask other people too. Despite the disparate vantage points, the wish lists are amazingly similar. We all want doctors who will:

Respect people, healthy or ill, regardless of who they are

Support patients and their loved ones when and where they are needed

Promote health as well as treat disease

Embrace the power of information and communication technologies to support people with the best available information, while respecting their individual values and preferences

Always ask courteous questions, let people talk, and listen to them carefully

Give unbiased advice, let people participate actively in all decisions related to their health and health care, assess each situation carefully, and help whatever the situation

Use evidence as a tool, not as a determinant of practice; humbly accept death as an important part of life; and help people make the best possible arrangements when death is close

Work cooperatively with other members of the healthcare team

Be proactive advocates for their patients, mentors for other health professionals, and ready to learn from others, regardless of their age, role, or status

Finally, we want doctors to have a balanced life and to care for themselves and their families as well as for others. In sum, we want doctors to be happy and healthy, caring and competent, and good travel companions for people through the journey we call life.

Unfortunately, we do not have a magic lamp, and there is no genie. We must use our own skills and endeavours to make the good doctors we want and need. It is an awesome responsibility.


An improved Elman network, in which the self-gained vectors are added in the context units, is developed and the corresponding network structure and learning algorithm are presented. In the self-gained Elman network, the constant gain factor is replaced with the gain vector, so the power of the feedback units is strengthened. Therefore, the Elman network is provided with better approximating performance and dynamic characteristics. The model of flatness prediction for strip steel cold mill based on the improved Elman network is established. The simulation results show that it is a fast and precise model of flatness prediction.


Influence of exotic plant invasions on the structure and functional attributes of native ecosystems has been extensively documented and debated. The complex interactions of invasive species with native ecosystems make invasion ecology an interesting and important area of research. Prosopis juliflora (family Mimosoideae) native to South and Central America was introduced in India to meet the fuel-wood requirements of the rural poor and to restore degraded lands. Now it has become an aggressive weed in several parts of the country and poses a serious threat to native biodiversity. Bird species and their habitats are declining worldwide due to various threats, viz. habitat fragmentation, climate change, higher nest predation, etc.. Changing ecological conditions across the globe are creating new threats to birds and identifying these emerging threats will help design suitable strategies to conserve them. Though P. juliflora occupies vast stretches in the country, its impact on nesting success of wetland birds has not been examined. Here we report the negative impact of P. juliflora on nesting success of birds in Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary (1010N and 7820E), which comprises three village ponds, viz. Periya and Chinna Kollukudipatti and Vettangudipatti in Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu, South India. This sanctuary is protected by the Forest Department and also by the local community informally. The vegetation in the sanctuary is dominated by the exotic tree, P. juliflora and the native tree, Acacia nilotica. Bird censuses are conducted annually in the sanctuary by the Forest Department normally in the month of January often involving students/scholars from local colleges and universities. The present authors participated in the census organized by the Forest Department in January 2011. The bird species were identified and recorded with the help of forest officials and local people (Table 1). The survey revealed 17 species from ten families of which 2 species, viz. Anhinga melanogaster and Threskiornis melanocephalus fall under the near threatened (NT) category of IUCN. No species-wise data were collected to study the influence of exotic plant species on the nesting success of birds. Obtaining triplicates for all the 17 species in a reserve is a taunting task. Our observations


Times Literary Supplement- 2nd July 1999- " Stephen Miller offers readers a largely traditional military history, highlighting afresh, from the new perspectives afforded by Methuen"s experience, the watershed the Boer War has long been seen to represent". The Journal of Military History, Vol 64, No 3, July 2000 "Miller"s assessment of the British Army"s failure is not novel. His carefully researched, informed, well-written case study of Lord Methuen, however, provides a trenchant and convincing example of that failure. It also helps to restore Methuen"s historical reputation." The International History Review, Vol 22, No 2, June 2000 "A study of Methuen is to be welcomed, especially as his papers have been so little used by historians. ... Miller has made a commendable addition to the historiography of the South African War." Solidiers of the Queen "informative, interesting and significant addition to Boer War Studies


Tangential surface tension forces on a gas–liquid interface due to surface tension gradients have been implemented in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver icoReactingMultiphaseInterFoam provided by the open-source software environment of OpenFOAM OpenCFD Ltd (ESI Group) OpenFOAM (online) https://www.openfoam.com/ (accessed 21 May 2021), so that the Marangoni effect can be taken into account, which is a main driver of heat transfer in additive manufacturing processes that comprise a melt pool. The solver surpasses the capabilities of similar open-source projects by considering a wide range of physical effects, e.g. multiple phases, melting, solidification, evaporation, and laser beam heat sources with an arbitrary intensity distribution and thus makes it an appealing framework, especially for the simulation of the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. Herein, all relevant details and derivation considering the Marangoni effect are provided and validated by means of a benchmark problem by comparing the obtained results with the available analytical solution, with the results obtained from a commercial CFD tool and with the results of other authors. The modified solver is additionally validated by comparing the results from LPBF simulations with experimental data. Furthermore, the influence of the surface tension modeling on the mushy region is investigated. The optimized implementation shows improvements of the simulation results in both the dimensions and shape of the melt pool and the resulting surface with regard to the experimental data.


Chemiluminescent detection of H2O2 has been achieved by using self immolative dioxetane based probe which enables the signal amplification via disassembly of two chemiluminogenic modules at the same time in response to single analyte. Upon treatment of the probe with H2O2, boronate ester was deprotected subsequently to trigger the decomposition of 1,2-dioxetane ring via CIEEL mechanism which results in light emission as a selective sign of H2O2.


We propose an event network, which is a structured representation oriented for the contents of continuous media, as well as present two methods of detecting events as the first step to construct the network. We deal with sports TV programs, considering American football as a case study. The first method is simple intermodal collaboration: linking between visual and linguistic (closed caption) streams. Using domain knowledge about state transitions of football games, the second method attempts to extract specific visual objects including the information about contents. The experimental results indicate that both methods are effective for event detection.


Early posttraumatic psychiatric disorders have not been well studied in disaster workers. This study examined the rates of probable acute stress disorder (ASD), probable depression, increased tobacco use, and their associated risk factors in 9/11 World Trade Center disaster workers. Surveys were obtained from 90 disaster workers (e.g., medical personnel, police, firefighters, search and rescue) 2-3 weeks after 9/11. Nearly 15% of disaster workers had probable ASD and 26% had probable depression. Probable ASD and depression were highly related to functional impairment. The risk for ASD was increased for those with 9/11-specific disaster exposures, more pre-9/11 trauma exposures, and the peritraumatic dissociative symptom of altered sense of time. Disaster workers who were younger, non-White, or who had increasing numbers of peritraumatic dissociative symptoms were more likely to have probable depression. More than half of tobacco users increased their tobacco use after 9/11. Additionally, all tobacco users with probable ASD and almost all tobacco users with probable depression increased tobacco use. Rapid mobilization of resources for early screening and intervention and health promotion campaigns aimed at improving adverse health-related behaviors may be helpful for this high-risk group.


The analysis of the iron (Fe) isotopic composition of seawater can provide unique information about Fe sources to seawater, and Fe cycling within the oceans, which are important for understanding global climate because of the links between the marine carbon and iron cycles. The low dissolved Fe (dFe) concentrations found in seawater mean that analyses of the iron isotopic composition of seawater is an analytical challenge. This thesis describes the development methods for accurate and precise analysis of Fe isotopes in seawater with concentrations as low as ~0.4 nM Fe, and the results of iron isotope analysis of seawater samples from within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, and the dissolved phase of hydrothermal plumes in the Southern Ocean. Briefly, Fe is preconcentrated from seawater using NTA resin and is then purified by anion exchange chromatography. Iron isotope ratios are determined by high resolution multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS, Thermo Fisher Neptune) and mass bias effects are corrected using a double-spike technique. The Fe isotope spike consists of 47 % of 57Fe, 53 % of 58Fe, and a small amount ( The iron isotopic composition of dissolved Fe (?56FedFe) was measured in seawater samples collected along an E-W transect along ~12 °N in the tropical Atlantic Ocean (GEOTRACES section GA06), extending from the Senegalese shelf towards the open ocean in order to assess the behaviour of dFe in the OMZ. Bottom waters within the OMZ have elevated dFe concentrations and low ?56Fe signatures, as low as ~ -0.3 ‰, which suggests that dFe is principally derived from sediment pore waters that have undergone dissimilatory iron reduction. Towards the open ocean, ?56FedFe values within the OMZ increase, due to formation of iron ligands and/or mixing with adjacent water masses. Dissolved aluminium concentrations in surface waters at the open ocean stations are very high (up to 27 nM), indicating significant supply from atmospheric dust, and the surface waters have high ?56Fe values (up to +0.5 ‰), much higher than bulk silicate Earth, indicating that Fe isotopes are fractionated during dust dissolution. Analyses of the Fe isotopic composition of dFe in hydrothermal plumes from 3 sites in the East Scotia Sea reveal that during the early stages of mixing between hydrothermal fluids and seawater, Fe isotopes are significantly fractionated from the vent fluid; the ?56FedFe value in the plume is as low as -1.2 ‰, compared to vent fluid values of -0.64 to +0.28 ‰. As the plume continues to mix with seawater, ?56FedFe values increase, converging to values of between -0.6 to -0.3 ‰. This strongly suggests that dFe is stabilised by the formation of colloidal Fe-(oxy)hydroxides and Fe-L in the distal parts of the plume. This stabilised dFe is likely to be transported long distances away from its source, contributing to the deep ocean dFe budget


ABSTRACT We focus on a power analysis exercise used with undergraduate students to discuss the environmental, economic, and social crises as they are reflected in the conflict between the economy and the environment, and local resistance to mining industry development in a region of Northern Greece (Chalkidiki). A power analysis exercise is a tool, designed and used by (community) activist groups to help understand the terrain of struggle and the actors involved. The exercise was also combined with, and followed from a reflection by the students on their ideological/political position on a spectrum from free market to deep ecology. The power analysis exercise helped students engage with the critical content of the module, understand how the different approaches/positions of sustainable development can manifest themselves, what their implications are, go beyond the academic lingo and reflect on how these issues impact our lives, rethink their positioning beyond the customer/manager dominant position.


— In this paper we introduce Gamma probability distribution model is used to obtain the survival rates of the patients [2,6,8].The Gamma distribution is extensively used in engineering, reliability and applied statistics. This distribution is a reasonable model to describe the progression of colorectal cancer and finding survivor rate estimates for the medical data. Mesothelin is a cell surface protein and over expressed in many cancers. However, the potential value of mesothelin as plasma biomarker in colorectal cancer has not been explored. The purpose of this study was to identify whether plasma mesothelin is a suitable diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer. The application part is fitted with the Mathematical model and conclusion is compared with the medical report. This will be helpful for the medical professional.


In this study, the researcher has mentioned the writers and their major works in Elizabethan age (1558-1603).  The researcher has mentioned almost nineteen writers and their famous works. By reading this research paper, any general reader can easily understand that who are the major writers of the age and what are their famous works. The language and method of presenting the data are very easy. The researcher also has mentioned the major contributions of this era's writers. As we know that University Wits also fall in this era, thus the researcher has mentioned them and their works too.  S. Dutta (2014) declared that The University Wits is a phrase used to title a group of late 16th-century English pamphleteers and playwrights who were studied at the universities Cambridge and Oxford. They appeared famous worldly writers. This era has reminisced for its richness of drama and poetry. This era ended in 1603. Elizabeth turns out to be one of the greatest prominent royals in English history, mainly after 1588, when the English beat the Spanish Armada which had been sent by Spain to reestablish Catholicism and defeat England. All the way through the Elizabethan age, English literature has changed from a shell into a delightful being with imagination, creativeness, and boundless stories. It was not about mystery or miracle plays and the poetry was not nearby religion and the principles addressed in the Church.


Annually, antimicrobial-resistant infections-related mortality worldwide accelerates due to the increased use of antibiotics during the coronavirus pandemic and the antimicrobial resistance, which grows exponentially, and disproportionately to the current rate of development of new antibiotics. Nanoparticles can be an alternative to the current therapeutic approach against multi-drug resistance microorganisms caused infections. The motivation behind this work was to find a superior antibacterial nanomaterial, which can be efficient, biocompatible, and stable in time. This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of ZnO-based nanomaterials with different morphologies, synthesized through the solvothermal method and further modified with Au nanoparticles through wet chemical reduction. The structure, crystallinity, and morphology of ZnO and ZnO/Au nanomaterials have been investigated with XRD, SEM, TEM, DLS, and FTIR spectroscopy. The antibacterial effect of unmodified ZnO and ZnO/Au nanomaterials against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was investigated through disc diffusion and tetrazolium/formazan (TTC) assays. The results showed that the proposed nanomaterials exhibited significant antibacterial effects on the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, ZnO nanorods with diameters smaller than 50 nm showed better antibacterial activity than ZnO nanorods with larger dimensions. The antibacterial efficiency against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus improved considerably by adding 0.2% (w/w) Au to ZnO nanorods. The results indicated the new materials' potential for antibacterial applications.


Twenty different brands of cosmetic products were purchased from supermarkets in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, with the aims to determine the levels of metals and assess the health risk to humans through long-term usage. The concentration of metals (arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, and nickel) in the cosmetic samples was measured with atomic absorption spectrophotometry after acid digestion. The concentration of metals in these brands of cosmetic studied ranged from As: 0.001-0.0161 mg/kg, Pb: 0.289-2.873 mg/kg, Hg: 0.001-0.0014 mg/kg, Cd: 0.001-0.334 mg/kg, and Ni: 0.007-2.748 mg/kg. The metal and metalloid contents were less than the regulatory limits set for both metal impurities and as color additives. The target hazard quotient, hazard index, and cancer risk were less than the acceptable limit, indicating a measure of safety. Cosmetics sold in Nigeria may not add to the body burden of metals and metalloids.


Abstract Objective: To investigate whether patients with a history of obesity during pregnancy have an increased risk for subsequent long-term ophthalmic complications, after controlling for diabetes and preeclampsia. Methods: A population-based study compared the incidence of long-term maternal ophthalmic complications in a cohort of women with and without a history of obesity during pregnancy. Deliveries occurred between the years 1988 and 2013, with a mean follow-up duration of 12 years. Results: During the study period 106 220 deliveries met the inclusion criteria; 2.2% (n = 2353) occurred in patients with a diagnosis of obesity during at least one of their pregnancies. These patients had a significantly higher incidence of ophthalmic complications in total and specifically of diabetic retinopathy. Using a Kaplan–Meier survival curve, we found that patients with a history of obesity during pregnancy had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of ophthalmic complications. Using a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for confounders such as maternal age, preeclampsia and diabetes mellitus, we found obesity during pregnancy remained independently associated with ophthalmic complications (adjusted HR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4–4.2; p = 0.003). Conclusion: Obesity during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for long-term ophthalmic complications, and specifically diabetic retinopathy.


The purpose of the paper is to examine the impact of entrepreneurship education and training on the development and enhancement of entrepreneurial skills that may be essential to improve ventures' effectiveness. One hundred and seventy entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs were surveyed in the United States to determine their motivations for business ownership and assess their perceived factors that may have contributed to the success or failure of their ventures. The findings clearly indicate that there is causal linkages between entrepreneurial education (managerial skills), social competence (interpersonal skills), and to a greater degree, basic entrepreneurial training skills and ventures' effectiveness. They were statistically significant confirming prior expectation of the significant value of entrepreneurship education. The data demonstrates that the entrepreneurial education and training programs appear to create openness, confidence, and trust among the participants in this study. However, the type of entrepreneurship education must be coupled with content that is rich in learning principles, innovation, and reflection in order to enhance ventures' effectiveness.


The main problem of financing higher education institutions is the lack of public funds allocated from the budget. At this stage of the development of budgetary financing for universities, we see a gradual finance withdrawals happening on the basis of estimates, and the transition to "efficient" financing. Such financing has its supporters and opponents. The main argument "for" performance-oriented budgeting is that this method of obtaining funds stimulates more rational use of them. The arguments "against" such financing are also important: such budgeting leads to "work for the indicator" without a significant impact to the internal forces of the university, and the indicators on the basis of which the university finances, in no way make it possible to assess the real quality of the work. For example, the indicator of the number of trained specialists does not reflect the real quality of education in the university. Immediate results of the activities of higher education institutions are the provision of educational or other services of a certain quality or volume. There are several mechanisms that allow to evaluate the effectiveness of the university's activities used abroad. The authors of this article propose to evaluate the effectiveness of the university in the context of several areas of its activities: education, innovation and scientific research. On the basis of received indicators the higher education institutions will be distributed by "groups", on which the final amount of funding depends. Such system of financing and the developed formulas for calculation of financial assets volumes are approbated on the example of the Samara National Research University, that allowed to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the presented calculation method.


REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY
Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) disease is associated with poor hindlimb action, lameness and poor performance in horses. However, little is known about the biomechanics of this low-motion joint.

OBJECTIVES
To determine in vitro the capacities of movement of the SIJ in the sagittal plane, and to test the effect of a sacrosciatic and sacrotuberal desmotomy on its stabilisation.

METHODS
Six anatomical specimens underwent cycles of flexion-extension of the lumbosacral joint (LSJ) before and after desmotomy. Kinematic triads were linked rigidly to the sacrum, spinous process of vertebra L5 and iliac wing. Angles were measured using a joint coordinate system based on anatomical frames.

RESULTS
The LSJ underwent regular movements of flexion and extension (overall mean +/- s.d. range 23.4 +/- 1.6 degrees). The only recorded movement of the SIJ was a nutation during LSJ flexion (overall mean +/- s.d. 0.8 +/- 0.5 degrees). Desmotomy induced an increase of that nutation (overall mean +/- s.d. 1.7 +/- 0.2 degrees).

CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE
Movements of the SIJ were small and coupled only with the flexion of the LSJ. The ligaments surrounding the SIJ have a strong effect on the stabilisation of this joint. Due to the limited amount of movement, its biomechanical study in vivo seems to be difficult. Further in vitro studies would be useful to determine the role of each ligament, to better understand the clinical consequences of the tears frequently observed during necropsy.


Objectives Chronic renal impairment remains a feared complication of lupus nephritis (LN). The present work aimed at identifying mechanisms and markers of disease severity in renal tissue samples from patients with LN. Methods We performed high-throughput transcriptomic studies (Illumina HumanHT-12 v4 Expression BeadChip) on archived kidney biopsies from 32 patients with LN and eight controls (pretransplant donors). Histological staging (glomerular and tubular scores) and immunohistochemistry experiments were performed on the same and on a replication set of 37 LN kidney biopsy samples. Results A group of LN samples was identified by unsupervised clustering studies based on their gene expression features, that is, the overexpression of transcripts involved in antigen presentation, T and B cell activation. These samples were characterised by a significantly lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the time of biopsy (T0) compared with the other systemic lupus erythematosus samples. Yet, apparent disease duration at T0, double-stranded DNA antibody titres at T0 and other relevant characteristics (serum C3, proteinuria, histological scores, numbers of previous flares) were not different between groups. Immunohistochemistry studies confirmed the association between interstitial infiltration by adaptive immune effectors and decreased renal function in the same and in a replication group of LN kidney biopsies. This was associated with transcriptomic, histological and immunohistochemical evidence of renal tubular cell involvement. Conclusion Interstitial infiltration of LN kidney biopsies by adaptive immune effectors is associated with impaired renal tubular cell function and decreased eGFR. These results open new perspectives in evaluating and treating patients with LN, focusing on intrarenal mechanisms of immune cell activation.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between xerostomia and oral health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

MATERIALS AND METHOD
Two hundred patients with rheumatoid arthritis were assessed using Fox and OHIP-14 questionnaires concerning xerostomia and oral health-related quality of life, respectively. The sum of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) was determined via an intra-oral examination. In addition, intergroup comparisons were evaluated using t test, chi-square, regression, and Tukey analysis.

RESULT
Among rheumatoid arthritis patients, 51% had been afflicted with xerostomia. We found a statistically significant relationship between xerostomia and oral health-related quality of life (p-value=.004), as xerostomia cases have significantly worse oral health-related quality of life. Also, there was a statistically significant association between oral health-related quality of life and gender as well as DMFT.

CONCLUSION
Because there seem to be a high prevalence of xerostomia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, screening in such population is highly recommended. Therefore, educational programs and/or workshops should be encouraged among healthcare providers to prevent worsening of oral health-related quality of life.


AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA

4990

Study Purpose: The ginger root or rhizome ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Zingiberaceae) is one of the most heavily consumed dietary substances in the world. Research has shown that ginger may prevent cancer and other chronic diseases most likely through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an HPLC assay to detect the main pungent ginger constituents (polyphenols made up of gingerols, shogaols, paradols and zingerone) that are most likely responsible for ginger root's anti-inflammatory properties, in human plasma.

Methods: A method was developed to extract 6, 8 and 10-gingerols and 6-shogaol from 0.5 mL plasma samples with 50% ethyl acetate and 50% hexane (v/v) and pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAV), a synthetic capsaicin, as the internal standard. Analysis was achieved using a reversed-phase C18 column with UV detection at 282 nm and electrochemical detection at 500, 550 and 600 µV.

Results: The method demonstrated linear performance from 0.05 to 5.0 µg/mL for all 4 ginger analytes in plasma. The coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-assays were ≤ 19.5% for 6-gingerol, ≤ 18.1% for 8-gingerol, ≤ 32.4% for 10-gingerol and ≤ 28.7% for 6-shogaol. The average recovery of 6-gingerol was > 81.3%, for 8-gingerol < 76.4%, for 10-gingerol < 98.2% and for 6-shogaol was < 73.5%.

Conclusions: This method provides a rapid and sensitive method for detecting 6, 8 and 10-gingerols and 6-shogaol in plasma.


Physiology and psychology are problems which statistically experienced by the patients of COPD and decrease their quality of life. Breathing Relaxation with Balloon Blowing Technique is one the best breathing exercises to regain the function of lungs. The objective of this thesis was to measure the effectiveness of breathing relaxation with balloon blowing technique towards oxygen saturation. The research design used in this thesis was pre experiment with pre post test one design. The sample of the thesis was thirty respondents of COPD patients of Flamboyan room in dr. Soedomo hospital. The sampling technique used in this research was consecutive sampling technique. It was consisted of a group of intervention. Pre test and post test were used to collect the data of the research on the third and seventh day. The result were tested using Repeated ANOVA test. The research showed that there was a significant result to oxygen saturation, before and after doing intervention on the third and seventh day. The result of statistical analysis showed the p value was smaller than 0.05 at the oxygen saturation, on the third and seventh day.  Breathing relaxation with balloon blowing technique can increase the oxygen saturation patient with COPD


A preliminary analysis of the effect of randomly varying harmonic voltages on the temperature rise of squirrel-cage motors is presented. The stochastic process of random variations of harmonic voltages is defined by means of simple statistics (mean, standard deviation, type of distribution). Computational models based on a first-order approximation of the motor losses and on the Monte Carlo method yield results which prove that equipment with large thermal time-constant is capable of withstanding, for a short period of time, total harmonic distortions larger than 5%. >


Summary Saving decisions are complex, since there are many concurrent motives for saving a portion of one's income. However, while the existing literature covers all of these motives, most contributions select only one of them as a focus and relegate the others to the background by making simplifying assumptions about them. While the focus on only one saving motive is vital for many insights on aggregate saving behavior, this paper argues that further insights relevant to policy can be gained by relaxing this assumption. Using data from a random sample of German households and from federal official statistics, I explain how much people save under the explicit assumption that various different saving motives co-exist. The findings show that heterogeneity in saving behavior is systematically related to the importance that households attach to different co-existing saving motives. This suggests that policy reforms that change the importance of certain saving motives in the eyes of private households might influence their saving decisions.


This paper presents a study on a small centrifugal impeller for microturbine application from a manufacturing perspective. The aim is to analyze the impact of geometric deviations on part performance using adequate performance modeling tools and statistical methods. A one-dimensional (1D) performance analysis tool has been developed in-house derived from the meanline and two-zone modeling methods. The 1D model has proved to be a simple and computationally inexpensive tool for having a quick performance analysis of the impeller using basic geometric information extracted from part drawings. For the sensitivity analysis, a total of eight input geometric parameters including radii, tip-clearance and blade angles have been varied individually within specific limits in the 1D tool for classifying their influence on the output performance. Since the 1D model is a simplified version of a much complex three-dimensional (3D) model, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool has been used to provide a comparison with the 1D model and scrutinize the effects of such deviations on the fluid behavior inside the impeller passage at a detailed level. For uncertainty quantification, Monte Carlo simulation has been performed using the 1D model to assess the variability of overall impeller output performance to simultaneous random deviations in the input geometric parameters. The study is useful to evaluate the possibility of designing gas turbine parts for manufacturability and superior production cost-effectiveness.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Abstract : This paper is concerned with the systems aspects of the Solid Free- form Fabrication (SFF) technology, i.e., the issues that deal with getting an external geometric CAD model to automatically control the physical layering fabrication process as directly as possible, regardless of the source of the model. The general systems issues are described, the state of systems research is given, and open research questions are posed.


Whether you love or loathe it, contemporary art is bound to trigger a reaction. Understand Contemporary Art delves deep into the art scene, exploring different forms including painting, scultpture, installation and video art. The key personalities, galleries and themes are discussed in detail as well as controversial competitions like the Turner Prize. Whether you are studying for a course of just want to be able to develop your own informed opinions on contemporary art, this straightforward guide will give you what you need.


Measurement technology of space charge in insulation material, especially the technology at high measurement speed, is a key factor when studying transient charge formation and movement under high-frequency voltage. Based on the measurement principle of pulsed electro-acoustic method, this paper concluded that the output frequency of the pulse generator and signal-to-noise ratio are two factors that influence measurement speed. Meanwhile, simulation shows a resonant circuit should be added into the output circuit of the pulse generator. The new design can ensure ideal polarizing voltage on the sample and protect pulse generator from high frequency voltage simultaneously applied to the sample. Furthermore, the distortion reasons and recovery process of measurement waveform under the polarizing condition of DC voltage were analyzed. Research on modified calculations of interface charge, calibration coefficient and sample's characteristics were proposed to be further studied for the polarizing condition of high-frequency voltage.


This paper deals with a batch arrival infinite-buffer single server queue. The interbatch arrival times are generally distributed and arrivals are occurring in batches of random size. The service process is correlated and its structure is presented through a continuous-time Markovian service process (C-MSP). We obtain the probability density function (p.d.f.) of actual waiting time for the first and an arbitrary customer of an arrival batch. The proposed analysis is based on the roots of the characteristic equations involved in the Laplace-Stieltjes transform (LST) of waiting times in the system for the first, an arbitrary, and the last customer of an arrival batch. The corresponding mean sojourn times in the system may be obtained using these probability density functions or the above LSTs. Numerical results for some variants of the interbatch arrival distribution (Pareto and phase-type) have been presented to show the influence of model parameters on the waiting-time distribution. Finally, a simple computational procedure (through solving a set of simultaneous linear equations) is proposed to obtain the "R" matrix of the corresponding GI/M/1-type Markov chain embedded at a prearrival epoch of a batch.


Data are presented on the effect of small proteins on the surface activity of synthetic surfactants and their blends as assessed by standard surface science methods. Surface tension of surfactant solutions, interfacial tension between those solutions and water insoluble substrates, and contact angle between these solutions and a solid surface were determined. It is shown that both small individual proteins, such as lysozyme and β-lactoglobulin, as well as proteins in a yeast extract, significantly and predictively reduce critical micelle concentration of multiple widely used surfactants: ionic, non-ionic and amphoteric. Typically, lower minimal interfacial tension could be achieved with a protein synergist, than with the same surfactant in the absence of protein. Examples of industrially important applications of a protein synergist are described. In one of them, the protein accelerates wetting and spreading of surfactant solutions on the hydrophobic surface of green leaves, with concomitant enhancement of the solution uptake by the leaf. In another example, the activity of bacterial lipase, an important industrial enzyme, towards a segregated oil substrate is enhanced by a surfactant-protein synergist blend, as compared to the same surfactant in the absence of a protein synergist


BACKGROUND
In children with long QT syndrome (LQTS), risk factors for cardiac events have been reported, but age-, gender- and genotype-related differences in prognosis remain unknown in Asian countries.

METHODSANDRESULTS
The study examined clinical prognosis at age between 1 and 20 years in 496 LQTS patients who were genotyped as either of LQT1-3 (male, n=206). Heterozygous mutations were observed in 3 major responsible genes:KCNQ1in271,KCNH2in 192, andSCN5Ain 33 patients. LQTS-associated events were classified into 3 categories: (1) syncope (n=133); (2) repetitive torsade de pointes (TdP, n=3); and (3) cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA, n=4). The risk of cardiac events was significantly lower in LQT1 girls than boys≤12 years (HR, 0.55), whereas LQT2 female patients ≥13 years had the higher risk of cardiac events than male patients (HR, 4.60). Patients in the repetitive TdP or CPA group included 1 LQT1 female patient, 1 LQT2 male patient, and 5 LQT2 female patients. All LQT2 patients in these groups had TdP repeatedly immediately after the antecedent event. In addition, all 5 female LQT2 patients in these groups had the event after or near puberty.

CONCLUSIONS
Female LQT2 children might have repeated TdP shortly after prior events, especially after puberty. (Circ J 2016; 80: 696-702).


Transfer zones in rift basins are classified into convergent, divergent, and synthetic, based on the relative dip directions of adjacent faults within the transfer zone. Experimental models were constructed to determine the geometry, evolution, and fault patterns associated with each of these transfer zones. In addition, basement faults with initially approaching, laterally offset, and overlapping geometries were modeled. The models consisted of two layers, with stiff clay representing basement and soft clay representing the sedimentary cover. Laser scanning and three-dimensional surface modeling were used to determine the map geometry to compare the models with examples of natural structures. The experimental models showed many similarities with conceptual models but also showed more details and a few significant differences. Typically, divergent transfer zones are narrower than convergent transfer zones, for the same initial spacing between basement faults. The differences between the different initial fault configurations (approaching, laterally offset, or overlapping) are the degree of interaction of the secondary faults, the amount of overlap between the fault zones, and in some cases, the width of the transfer zone. The main faults propagate laterally and upward and curve in the direction of dip of the faults, so that the faults curve toward each other in convergent transfer zones, away from each other in divergent transfer zones, and in the same direction in synthetic transfer zones. A primary difference with schematic models is the significant component of extensional fault propagation folding (drape folding), accompanied by secondary faulting within the sedimentary cover, especially in the early stages of fault propagation. Therefore, all three types of transfer zones are characterized by significant folding and related variations in the shapes of structures. The transfer zones are marked by a progressive change in relief from the footwall to the hanging wall, resulting in a saddle-shaped geometry. The hanging walls of the faults are marked by a gentle flexure or rollover into the fault, with the amount of flexure increasing with fault throw away from the fault tip. The geometries and fault patterns of the experimental structures match some of the observations in natural structures and also provide predictive analogs for interpretation of surface and subsurface structures and the delineation of structural traps in rift basins.


Fabrication of bioactive glass (BG) filled polyester composites by traditional thermoplastic processing techniques is limited because a thermal degradation reaction occurs between the Si–O− groups present on the surface of the BG and the CO groups present in the backbone of the polymer at high temperatures. To overcome this problem, this study looked at the effect of mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) coated on the surface of BG particles. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated the improved thermal stability of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) composites filled with PDA-coated BG particles compared to PLLA composites filled with uncoated BG particles. Moreover, these composites were successfully manufactured by hot-pressing, showing enhanced mechanical properties in comparison to non-coated BG filled PLLA composites. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated a good interfacial interaction between PDA-coated BG particles and the PLLA matrix, suggesting that an immobilized layer of polymer chains was formed around the BG particles. Finally, the bioactivity of PLLA samples filled with 15 vol% of PDA-coated BG particles was confirmed via the deposition of an apatite layer on the surface of the material. In view of the results obtained it can be concluded that coating BG particles with PDA is a promising strategy as it can create composite materials with improved thermal stability and bioactivity.


Antimicrobial peptides belonging to the pediocin-like family of bacteriocins (class IIa bacteriocins) produced by lactic acid bacteria contain several tryptophan residues that are highly conserved. Since tryptophan residues in membrane proteins are often positioned in the membrane-water interface, we hypothesized that Trp residues in bacteriocins could be important determinants of the structure of membrane-bound peptides and of anti-microbial activity. To test this hypothesis, the effects of mutating each of the 3 tryptophan residues (Trp18, Trp33, and Trp41) in the 43-residue pediocin-like bacteriocin sakacin P were studied. Trp18 and Trp33 are located at each end of an amphihilic alpha-helix, whereas Trp41 is near the end of an unstructured C-terminal tail. Replacement of Trp33 with the hydrophobic residues Leu and Phe had marginal effects on activity, whereas replacement with the more polar Tyr and Arg reduced activity 10-20 and 500-1000 times, respectively, indicating that Trp33 and the C-terminal part of the helix interact with the hydrophobic core of the membrane. Any mutation of Trp18 and Trp41 reduced activity, indicating that these two residues play unique roles. Substitutions with other aromatic residues were the least deleterious, indicating that both Trp18 and Trp41 interact with the membrane-water interface. The suggested locations of the three Trp residues are compatible with a structural model in which the helix and the C-terminal tail form a hairpin-like structure, bringing Trp18 and Trp41 close to each other in the interface, and placing Trp33 in the hydrophobic core of the membrane. Indeed, the deleterious effect of the W18L and W41L mutations could be overcome by stabilizing the hairpin-like structure by introduction of a disulfide bridge between residues 24 and 44. These results provide a basis for a refined structural model of pediocin-like bacteriocins and highlight the unique role that tryptophan residues can play in membrane-interacting peptides.


Based on the methods of algebraic and graphic minimization about SUBTRACTION-XOR, DIVISION-COINCIDENCE functions with mixed polarity, the simplification formulas for the above logic functions was disscussed. Then the algebraic and graphic simplification methods for SUBTRACTION-XOR, DIVISION-COINCIDENCE functions with fixed polarity were proposed, and several simplification examples were also given. These practical examples proved the effectiveness of the above simplification methods. The discussion is helpful to further perfect the theory of SUBTRACTION-XOR, DIVISION-COINCIDENCE algebra system and promote the research of new digital electronic component and the design of new generation of digital circuit.


Knowledge of the market is a requirement for a successful provision of public transportation. This study aims to explore public perception of paratransit service, as represented by the user and non-user of paratransit. The analysis has been conducted based on the public's response, by creating several binomial logistic regression models using the public perception of the quality of service, quality of car, quality of driver, and fare. These models illustrate the characteristics and important variables to establish whether the public will use more paratransit in the future once improvements will have been made. Moreover, several models are developed to explore public perception in order to find out whether they agree to the replacement of paratransit with other types of transportation modes. All models are well fitting. These models are able to explain the respondents' characteristics and to reveal their actual perception of the operation of paratransit. This study provides a useful tool to know the market in greater depth.