2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-D-mannose (2FMan), an antiviral mannose analogue, inhibited the dolichol cycle of protein glycosylation. To specifically inhibit oligosaccharide-lipid synthesis, and not (viral) protein synthesis in influenza virus infected cells, the addition of guanosine to the 2FMan-treated cells was required. Under these conditions an early step in the assembly of the oligosaccharide-lipid was inhibited, and as a consequence, the glycosylation of proteins was strongly inhibited. Low-molecular-weight, lipid-linked oligosaccharides accumulated in cells treated with 2FMan plus guanosine, although dolichol phosphate (Dol-P) and GDP-Man were still present in the treated cells, and membranes from these cells were not defective in assembly of lipid-linked oligosaccharides. Thus, the presence of a soluble inhibitor of oligosaccharide-lipid assembly in these cells was postulated, and GDP-2FMan and UDP-2FMan, two metabolites found in 2FMan-treated cells, were synthesized and used to study in cell-free systems the inhibition of oligosaccharide-lipid assembly. GDP-2FMan inhibited the synthesis of Man(GlcNAc)2-PP-Dol from (GlcNAc)2-PP-Dol and GDP-Man, and in addition, it caused a trapping of Dol-P as 2FMan-P-Dol, whereas UDP-2FMan only inhibited Glc-P-Dol synthesis. However, it is probable that neither trapping of Dol-P nor inhibition of Glc-P-Dol synthesis by UDP-2FMan contributed to inhibition of protein glycosylation in cells treated with 2FMan. Incorporation of 2FMan from GDP-2FMan or UDP-2FMan into dolichol diphosphate linked oligosaccharides and interference of GDP-2FMan with the latter steps of assembly of the dolichol diphosphate linked oligosaccharide could not be shown.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The aim of this research is to compare the physical status, basal metabolism and some other physiological characteristics between native Thai in Bangkok, Thailand, and native Japanese in Japan, and discuss the results regarding acclimatization to tropical climate. Measurements of the Thai were made in September in Bangkok, while those of native Japanese were done in August at Nishinomiya (Japan). The subjects were adult males (20-22 years old) in both cases. Physically the Thai are generally a little shorter and more slender than Japanese in the mean value. The mean skinfold thickness for Thai was 8.4 mm, which is significantly less than that of Japanese (11.0 mm). The mean oral temperature measured under basal conditions was the same between both subject groups. The Thai showed a slightly lower basal metabolism per unit body surface, and mean skin temperature measured in a similar environmental condition was lower for Thai than for Japanese. The results of anthropometric measurements and physiological characteristics measured were discussed in view of physiology of acclimatization ot tropical climate.


This study examined the effect of managerial ability on a firm's dividend policy. In addition, this study investigated how the type of manager and their different risk characteristicsrepresented in this study by professional CEOs and owner CEOs-affect the relationship between managerial ability and the firm's dividend policy. We used 4,593 firm-year observations from the KOSPI for the period 2003–2013, lending our findings considerable power. The results showed that managerial ability was significantly positively associated with a firm's dividend policy, as proxied by the propensity for dividend payments. Moreover, the positive relationship between managerial ability and dividend payments was particularly pronounced in firms with professional CEOs. These results suggest that professional CEOs strengthen the positive effect of managerial ability on increased dividend payments.


Religious organizations are social systems operating in a complex and changing environment. By looking to an authority beyond themselves, religious organizations have comparatively little control over defining their own goals. In this juggling between sticking to the ultimate goal of an organization and adapting to complex changing environments, that is, in the juggling between tradition and renewal, transformational leadership seems to play an important role in religious organizations. The extensive body of literature on transformational leadership has focused more on the outcomes of transformational leadership than on its antecedents. We extend the existing literature by linking managers' motivation to their transformational leadership behaviors in a religious organization. More specifically, we examined the associations of intrinsic and prosocial motivation with transformational leadership, and we investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation among 252 managers in the largest nonprofit organization in Norway, the Church of Norway. Analyses in structural equation modeling revealed a positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and transformational leadership, whereas the relationship between prosocial motivation and transformational leadership was not significant. Transformational leadership was positively associated with innovation. Based on the results of the study, we discuss practical implications regarding how to support intrinsic motivation, transformational leadership, and innovation in religious organizations. (Less)


The U. S. Space Launch System (SLS) will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond Earth orbit. The Aerosciences Branch/EV33 at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has the responsibility to develop the ascent external aerothermal environments for the SLS Block 1 vehicle, scheduled for first flight in 2017. This paper provides an overview of the analysis methodology used to generate these environments. Aerodynamic heating and plume-induced heating (including radiation, convection and impingement) methodologies are summarized. The intent during the development process is to provide a set of conservative environments for each vehicle element such that the element prime contractor can design to meet vehicle level requirements.


One of the most influential and significant developments in the philosophy of language over the last thirty years has been the rise of externalist conceptions of content. This essay aims to explore the implications of a form of externalism, largely derived from the work of Donald Davidson, for thinking about history, and in so doing to suggest one way in which contemporary philosophy of language may engage with contemporary philosophy of history. Much of the discussion focuses on the elaboration of the externalism that is at issue, along with the holistic approach to content with which it is connected. It will be argued that such holistic externalism is itself thoroughly in keeping with the very character of historical inquiry itself, and can be seen to provide an underpinning to certain contemporary developments in historical thinking.


The structural characteristics of lithium nickel phosphate (LiNiPO4) prepared by solid-state chemical reaction have been studied in detail using the analytical electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction measurements indicate that the grown LiNiPO4 is well-crystallized in olivine structure without any indication of crystallographic defects such as dislocations or misfits. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry coupled with the elemental compositional mapping using high-angle angular dark field scanning electron microscopy confirms the chemical quality of the grown LiNiPO4 in terms of homogeneity and uniform elemental distribution characteristics. The local structure and chemical bonding between NiO6 octahedral and (PO4)(3-) tetrahedral groups probed by Raman spectroscopy also indicate the high-quality of LiNiPO4. Structural analysis of the delithiated Li0.09NiPO4 phase indicates lattice contraction and distortion upon lithium extraction. A detailed analysis and comparison of the pristine and delithiated phases is also reported.


Acquired generalized lipodystrophy is a rare disease, and often follows autoimmune disease, prodromal infection, HIV infection. The clinical characteristics are generalized absence of fat, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, absence of ketosis, elevated basal metabolic rate, severe hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatomegaly. Here we experience and report a case of 16-year-old female patient who has clinical features of acquired generalized lipodystrophy with severe insulin resistant diabetes mellitus without any prodromal states.


The spatial distribution of spray plays a key role in liquid fuel combustion, which dictates the local mixture fraction and the flame temperature distribution in gas turbine engines. The swirling flow creates further decomposition of the spray droplets in liquid fuel gas turbine engine, which increases the surface area of the droplets. Turbulent mixing due to the swirling flow is essential for preheating of unburned products and flame holding in the combustor. A lab-scale swirl stabilized liquid fuel combustor was designed and fabricated with the geometric swirl number (SN) of 1. Combustor flow geometry involves internal spray from flow blurring twin-fluid atomizer, surrounded by swirling airflow which is confined with co-flow air to provide full optical access. At constant spray operating conditions, the swirl Reynolds number (Re) is increased whereas co-flow velocity was maintained constant at 0.4 m/s. An experimental study was carried out to understand the effect of Reynolds number on the aerodynamic structure of airflow, the spatial distribution of spray structure and kerosene flame structures using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and direct imaging. The experimental results show that the flow structure and spray spreads radially with the increase in swirl Reynolds number and the corresponding core spray height decreases, which were evident from flame images.


People transform inherited cultural patterns to serve their needs under new
circumstances. Networks of kindred relationships exemplify this process. Under
socialist conditions in Bulgaria, kindred relationships assist in people 's transitions
from cooperative farming to the working class, and from rural to urban life.
Kin connections also contribute to solving life problems for which social solutions
are not yet adequately institutionalized. Research should examine kin networks
in their contemporary roles, rather than viewing the importance of kinship
connections as merely an anachronism.


Two patients developed specific IgG antibodies against octreotide after 2–3 years' treatment for acromegaly with this long acting somatostatln analogue. The presence of these antibodies reduced the plasma disappearance rate of total extractable octreotide by 60 and 80% respectively. When compared to that of non‐Immune acromegalic patients, the plasma half‐life of octreotide in these two patients was 300 and 450 vs 110 min in those with no detectable octreotide antibodies. The sole observed con‐sequence of the immunization was a marked prolongation of the Interval of maximum GH Inhibition from a mean of 5 to 8 and 10 h in the two patients described after octreotide injection.


We study structural properties of preferential attachment graphs (with parameter m ≥ 1 giving the number of attachment choices that each new vertex makes) which intervene in two complementary algorithmic/statistical/information-theoretic problems involving the information shared between a random graph's labels and its structure: in structural compression, we seek to compactly describe a graph's structure by a bit string, throwing away its label information; in the node arrival order recovery, we seek to recover node labels, given only a graph structure. In particular, we study the typical size of the automorphism group, as well as some shape parameters (such as the number of linear extensions and height) of the directed version of the graph, which in turn allows us to estimate the typical number of admissible labeled representatives of a given graph structure. Our result on the automorphism group positively settles a conjecture to the effect that, provided that m ≥ 3, preferential attachment graphs are asymmetric with high probability, and completes the characterization of the number of symmetries for a broad range of parameters of the model (i.e., for all fixed m). These results allow us to give an algorithmically efficient, asymptotically optimal algorithm for compression of unlabeled preferential attachment graphs. To show the optimality of our scheme, we also derive new, precise estimates of the Shannon entropy of both the unlabeled and labeled version of the model. Our results also imply inapproximability results for the problem of node arrival order recovery. Finally, we give several new results on the degree sequence of preferential attachment graphs, which may be of independent interest.


Over the past few years there have been enormous changes in orthopaedic and trauma surgery, but whether they are also advances is not known. Like every other clinical specialty this one desperately lacks the tools, the will, and the resources to assess whether each change is an advance or merely another passing fashion.

In this article I will review the major changes which have taken place in musculoskeletal surgery and point out where they most urgently need assessing.

Trauma surgery continues to dominate the workload of most orthopaedic surgeons, encroaching on resources needed for elective surgery. Fractured neck of femur remains the bread and butter of trauma. The numbers continue to rise,1 but the average length of stay in many units has fallen.2 This is possibly through increased liaison between geriatricians, orthopaedic surgeons, and the community, but it may also reflect the fairly new attitude that acute hospital beds are an expensive resource and that there is no worse place for an elderly patient than in bed in hospital.3 Patients may be moving from acute beds more rapidly, but perhaps they are simply transferring to non-acute beds, where they may actually stay much longer.4 The faster turnover of acute trauma beds may not be serving patients or even the health service as well as it might first seem. There is a great need for a large multicentre study to look at (a) whether early surgery improves the long term outcome, (b) the effect of the type of fixation used and the experience of the operator (most of these operations are performed by junior surgeons), and (c) the cost-benefit of rehabilitation performed in an acute hospital, in a rehabilitation unit, or at home.

The management of major trauma at its earliest stages has changed beyond recognition with …


Pro-environmental behaviors are pro-social in their essence. Even if their object and outcome are invisible in the present, they will be represented by global warming ofthesocietyinathefuture. Asabranchofeconomics, experimentaleconomicslooks at environmental behavior issues through the study of social dilemma as Public Good Games. Moreover, it is well recognized that incentives can influence the cooperation of individuals in providing public goods. In this paper, we experimentally adapt a public good game (henceforth PGG) to the environmental issue of waste management. In order to simulate the issue at a municipalitylevel,wedesignanexperimentinwhichgroupsarecomposedbyfourcontributors and a third-party who has the possibility of applying a incentive to increase the cooperation. Two types of incentives are investigated in two separate treatments where an additional player that plays the role of the third-party is introduced in each group. In both treatments, third parties payoff is correlated with the payoff of the membersofthegroupshebelongsto. Thefirsttypeofincentivesweexamineisacommunication form based on a free advice given by a third-party in order to increase the average level of contributions inside a group (Advice treatment AT). The second type of incentive is a costly punishment through a group tax implemented by a third-party depending on the average level of contributions in a given group (Sanction treatment ST). In fact, the punishment is costly for the third party as his payoff is directly correlated to group payoff. Thus, the behavioral repercussions (level of contributions in the PGG) to the common good (a shared waste management mechanism) will show the most efficient incentive to use in order to increase the individuals' cooperation. Furthermore, we control for participants pro-social preferences by taking into consideration four individual profiles (individualistic, pro-social, competitive and altruistic) providedbytheSocialValueOrientation(SVO)measure(Murphyetal.,2011). Moreover, weinvestigatewealtheffectsoncontributionsbyincludinganefforttaskinorder to increment initial given endowments. This experimental strategy is justified by the existing literature investing the effect of incentive taxation and advice on individual pro-environmental behavior like waste recycling. In fact, considerable literature exists concerning household recycling behavior but it mainly ∗Speaker †Corresponding author: email@example.com sciencesconf.org:asfee2017:145502 consists of theoretical (Brekke et al., 2003; 2010), empirical work (Viscusi et al., 2011; Cecere et al., 2014) or of field experiments (Schultz, 1999). To our knowledge, no existing lab experiment investigates these questions. The related environmental literature has discussed how to encourage or influence households to sort waste or to reduce waste production via the use of monetary incentives, i.e., incentive pricing. The major results of the experiment can be summarized as follows. First, in line with the experimental literature on public goods provision, we observe that individuals contribute more that predicted by theoretic models based on the pure self-interest paradigm. Second, concerning the relative impact of advice and sanction in promoting cooperation within groups, we find that advising individuals has a positive impact in increasing cooperation, but this impact fades away with time, and the advice has no added value compared to a non-incentivized situation. As explained by Chaudhuri et al. (2006), when the majority of subjects practice conditional cooperation, an inherent social norm appears in the group leading to high levels of contribution. Third, regarding the impact of sanction, the results suggest that the threat of sanction is more efficient than advice in prompting significantly higher levels of contributionsbothintheshortandinthelongrun. ThisfindingechoesresultsofMasclet et al. (2013) where the threat alone (i.e., without ever being carried out) pushes individuals to increase significantly their average contribution. The literature reports also that in presence of an institution, the minority of free riders adjust to the behavior of the majority by increasing their contributions. From our data, we observe that it is notthecasesincepunishedindividualsintheSanctiontreatmentcontinuetofreeride. Theydonotseemtobeinfluencedeitherbythefactofbeingsanctionedorbythemajority of contributing partners. Quite the contrary: the more they are punished, the less they contribute in the next periods. Our interpretation is that being sanctioned is considered as a price to pay for adopting a free rider behavior. This interpretation goes hand in hand with our conjecture that sanction in a form of a tax can crowd out the motivation of pro-social individuals to contribute to the public good. Four, on the impact of wealth heterogeneity on individual behavior and altruism hypothesis, we observe that the population defined as High Wealth (with the endowment greater than the average endowment of the group) contributes more in absolute value, which confirms the altruism hypothesis. However, in relative terms, the contributions are not significantly different. An argument found in the literature is that wealthy individuals do not contribute necessarily more than less-endowed ones because of an anticipated reciprocity effect Cherry et al. (2005). This effect stands for the idea that people expect reciprocation of their contributions. They are therefore likely to contribute more when they believe that the other members of the group will act the same. Cherry et al. (2005) links this anticipation effect with the concept of conditional cooperation of Fischbacher et al. (2001) who explain that contribution of an individual is higher as her belief about the contribution of others is optimistic. In our experiment, the High Wealth subjects can infer information about the average endowment of the group members, and thus understand that their partners cannot afford high levels of contribution, or at least not as high as their owns. Furthermore, we analyze the behavior of the third-party. It appears that the amount of the advice is a function of the level of the wealth (endowment) and contributions of the subjects. To what concern the decision of sanctioning, it appears that third-parties base their decision on the earned payoffs of contributors only. Finally,weadressthepolicyimplicationsonthebehavioralresults. Indeed,ourbehavioral results can help in anticipating impacts of government policy on individual's reaction to incentives. The experiment suggests some ways to limit welfare losses associated with waste sorting management conceived as a typical social dilemma. The results of our modified PGG experiment show that the threat of sanction from the advisor, which we treated here as a substitute for the State, is more efficient in strengthening cooperation than mere advising. It appears also that, contrary to what some believe, if observed relatively to the wealth level, wealthy people do not systematically cooperate more (in relative way) as showen in Van den Bergh (2008). Policy makers can thus consider alternatives to monetary incentives such as simple threats of sanctions, which can positively modify undesired behaviors in the short term. This experiment therefore illustrates the usefulness of behavioral experimental studies for designing adequate waste sorting policy.


Background Obesity is a global public health challenge, and there is a need for more evidence-based self-management programs that support longer-term, sustained weight loss. Objective This study used data from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Total Wellbeing Diet Online program to determine the reach and weight loss results over its first 5 years. Methods Participants were adults who joined the commercial weight loss program of their own volition between October 2014 and September 2019 (N=61,164). Information collected included year of birth, sex, height, weight, and usage data (eg, entries into the food diary, views of the menu, and program content). Weight loss and percentage of starting body weight lost were calculated. Members were divided into 2 groups for analysis: "stayers" were members who signed up for at least 12 weeks of the program and recorded a weight entry at baseline and at the end of the program, while "starters" began the program but did not record a weight after 12 weeks. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used to describe weight loss and determine the member and program characteristics associated with weight loss. Results Data were available from 59,686 members for analysis. Members were predominately female (48,979/59,686, 82.06%) with an average age of 50 years (SD 12.6). The average starting weight was 90.2 kg (SD 19.7), and over half of all members (34,195/59,688, 57.29%) were classified as obese. At week 12, 94.56% (56,438/59,686) of the members had a paid program membership, which decreased to 41.48% (24,756/59,686) at 24 weeks. At week 12, 52.03% (29,115/55,958) of the remaining members were actively using the platform, and by week 24, 26.59% (14,880/55,958) were using the platform. The average weight loss for all members was 2.8 kg or 3.1% of their starting body weight. Stayers lost 4.9 kg (5.3% of starting body weight) compared to starters, who lost 1.6 kg (1.7% of starting body weight). Almost half (11,082/22,658, 48.91%) the members who stayed on the program lost 5% or more of their starting body weight, and 15.48% (3507/22,658) achieved a weight loss of 10% or more. Of the members who were classified as class 1 obese when they joined the program, 41.39% (3065/7405) who stayed on the program were no longer classified as obese at the end, and across all categories of obesity, 24% (3180/13,319) were no longer classified as obese at the end of the program. Based on multiple linear regression, platform usage was the strongest predictor of weight loss (β=.263; P<.001), with higher usage associated with greater weight loss. Conclusions This comprehensive evaluation of a commercial, online weight loss program showed that it was effective for weight loss, particularly for members who finished the program and were active in using the platform and tools provided. If the results demonstrated here can be achieved at an even greater scale, the potential social and economic benefits will be extremely significant.


Abstract. This paper presents the results of several studies led on the 3D modelling of blocks by photogrammetry. These blocks are constitutive elements of vestiges of buildings and tombs from the Roman period. A first series of blocks are a part of a mausoleum, a second are parts of tombs, and a last series are part of an antique theatre. The 3D modelling has been undertaken to get the maximum of 3D knowledge elements for the virtual reconstruction, in particular of the mausoleum. As the theatre is still not perfectly identified, the blocks served as 3D geometrical base for a more advanced archaeological study. The 3D modelling of these blocks allowed to sum-up the processing chain used for the first types of blocks and to adapt it to particular conditions of data acquisition.


Growth of yersiniae is restricted at 37°C in the absence of calcium ions. This phenomenon correlates with the massive release of a set of proteins called Yops. Growth restriction and Yops production are governed by a 70 kb plasmid called pYV. yop genes are distributed throughout pYV and constitute a thermoactivated regulon controlled by the gene virF. The transcription activator VirF is a member of a new family of regulators including those of the arabinose and rhamnose operons as well as a regulator of enteric colonization pili. The role of calcium ions on the release of Yops remains largely unknown.


During the decades of the 1950's and 1960's, several communitiesof Peru's central coastal area, well-known examples being Acos andHuayopampa (Chancay Valley, Huaral), converted from subsistenceproduction systems to fruit growing, economically more profitable.This occurred in Putinza, the community discussed in this paper.Around 1955 it shifted to cultivating fruit and replaced multicroppingwith monoculture, articulated to the urban markets of Canete andLima. This research, which combines field work with a diachronicand synchronic vision and draws on comparative studies of peasanteconomies, seeks to explain the factors that facilitated this articulationin the early 1960's. Among the factors that influenced thisprocess are the ecological advantages the community enjoyed, itsopenness to change, its relative closeness to large urban centers,the existence of roads and infrastructure, and market advantages interms of prices and the growing consumer demand for fruit.


Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) durability, time to modification or cessation, has declined. The study objective was to determine whether kidney dysfunction is contributing to reduced durability. Methods: This retrospective follow-up study of CNICS evaluated treatment-naive PLWH initiating ART between 2007 and 2014. Regimen modification was defined as cessation/modification of any part of the 3-drug ART regimen. We evaluated the role of kidney dysfunction in initial regimen modification as both a mediator and effect measure modifier. Associations of the variables with the ART modification were examined using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Of 4515 PLWH included in the analysis, 1967 modified their ART. Of those receiving TDF-based ART (n = 3888), 1580 (41%) modified their regimen compared with 387 (62%) receiving other regimens. Overall, the median eGFR decreased by 5 mL/min/1.73 m2 (quartiles: first = −16, third = 0) from baseline to follow-up. Of the 128 patients with low baseline eGFR (<60 mL/min/1.73 m2), the final eGFR remained low in 73% while it increased to above 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 in 27%. Of the 4387 with normal baseline eGFR, only 135 (3%) had a final eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Those with low eGFR at the baseline and/or final visits were more likely to modify ART than others (hazards ratio = 1.75, 95% confidence interval: 1.39 to 2.19, P < 0.001). Relative to other regimens, TDF-based ART was less likely to be modified when accounting for numerous clinical and demographic traits. Conclusions: For patients in our study initiated on ART, including TDF-based ART, in the last decade, kidney dysfunction is not a major factor leading to regimen modification.


The research aimed at determining the risk of fire hazard of the settlements in the area of Khalishpur, Khulna which is close to three oil depots and two power stations. The maintainence of land use zonal variance is completely absent in this area. The research has followed four stages. First, ptrliminary study was done for choosing the most vulnerable samples, then the factors for identifying the risk index are considered on the basis of hazard, vulnerability and exposure. After collecting the required primary and secondary data, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is used to identify the weightage of each of those sub-factors.Then the risk equation is used to identify the risk level of each buildings and a map is prepared by using their coordinates and risk level. The study states that, 55% of the total samples are in the medium risk profile.
Journal of Engineering Science 12(2), 2021, 109-118


Succeeding Herbert Hoover in 1933 as President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt of The Democratic Party did not hesitate to make Congress immediately endorse his New Deal relief and recovery measures to help the depression-stricken Americans. Doing this, and during the rest of his life, Roosevelt had to cope with severe paralysis of his legs resulting from poliomyelitis infection in 1921 necessitating the use of leg braces and crutches, or a wheel chair. Before and during World War II Roosevelt leaned on Harry Hopkins, a former director of various health agencies with a penetrating mind and ability to discuss and implement Roosevelt's decisions. In spite of Hopkins suffering from the sequels of surgery for stomach cancer, he rendered invaluable support to the president. Franklin D. Roosevelt died 63 years old in April 1945 from a cerebral haemorrhage, and Harry Hopkins died 56 years old in 1946 from haemochromatosis.


Scientific abstract of thesis submitted by Jemima Lois Whyte for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy entitled ?Density dependent differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to endothelial cells? September 2010.The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to endothelium is a critical but poorly understood feature of tissue vascularisation and considerable scepticism still remains surrounding this important differentiation event. Defining features of endothelial cells (ECs) are their ability to exist as contact-inhibited polarised monolayers that are stabilised by intercellular junctions, and the expression and activity of endothelial markers. During vasculogenesis, communication between MSCs and differentiated ECs or vascular smooth muscle cells, or between MSCs themselves is likely to influence MSC differentiation. In this study, the possibility that cell density can influence MSC differentiation along the EC lineage was examined. High density plating of human bone marrow-derived MSCs induced prominent endothelial characteristics including cobblestone-like morphology, enhanced endothelial networks, acetylated-low density lipoprotein uptake, vascular growth and stimulated expression of characteristic endothelial markers. Mechanistically, this density-dependent process has been defined. Cell-cell contact-induced Notch signalling was a key initiating step regulating commitment towards an EC lineage, whilst VEGF-A stimulation was required to consolidate the EC fate. Thus, this study not only provides evidence that MSC density is an essential microenvironmental factor stimulating the in vitro differentiation of MSCs to ECs but also demonstrates that MSCs can be differentiated to a functional EC. Taken together, defining how these crucial MSC differentiation events are regulated in vitro, provides an insight into how MSCs differentiate to ECs during postnatal neovascularisation and an opportunity for the therapeutic manipulation of MSCs in vivo, enabling targeted modulation of neovascularisation in ischaemia, wound healing and tumourigenesis.


This paper studies the effect of the compressive strength for combined alkali-activated slag mortars. The effect of activators such as alkali type and dosage factor on the strength was investigated. The alkalis combinations made using five caustic alkalis (sodium hydroxide (NaOH, A series), calcium hydroxide (, B series), magnesium hydroxide (, C series), aluminum hydroxide (, D series), and potassium hydroxide (KOH, E series)) with sodium carbonate () were evaluated. The mixtures were combined in different dosage at 1M, 2M, and 3M. The study results showed that the compressive strength of combined alkali-activated slag mortars tended to increase with increasing sodium carbonate. The strength of combined alkali-activated slag mortars was better than that of control cases (without sodium carbonate). The result from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed that there were reaction products of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and alumina-silicate gels from combined alkali-activated slag specimens.


Context. The Red MSX Source (RMS) survey is returning a large sample of massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) and ultra-compact (UC) H II regions using follow-up observations of colour-selected candidates from the MSX point source catalogue. Aims. We obtain the bolometric fluxes and, using kinematic distance information, the luminosities for young RMS sources with far-infrared fluxes. Methods. We use a model spectral energy distribution (SED) fitter to obtain the bolometric flux for our sources, given flux data from our work and the literature. The inputs to the model fitter were optimised by a series of investigations designed to reveal the effect varying these inputs had on the resulting bolometric flux. Kinematic distances derived from molecular line observations were then used to calculate the luminosity of each source. Results. Bolometric fluxes are obtained for 1173 young RMS sources, of which 1069 have uniquely constrained kinematic distances and good SED fits. A comparison of the bolometric fluxes obtained using SED fitting with trapezium rule integration and two component greybody fits was also undertaken, and showed that both produce considerable scatter compared to the method used here. Conclusions. The bolometric flux results allowed us to obtain the luminosity distributions of YSOs and UCH II regions in the RMS sample, which we find to be different. We also find that there are few MYSOs with L ≥ 10 5 L ⊙ , despite finding many MYSOs with 10 4 L ⊙ ≥ L ≥ 10 5 L ⊙ .


A novel actinomycete, designated strain RS11V-5T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Oryza sativa L. collected from Roi Et Province, Thailand, and its taxonomic position was evaluated. Cells of strain RS11V-5T were Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, and non-motile. Whole-cell hydrolysates contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, arabinose, galactose, glucose and ribose. MK-8(H4) was detected as the predominant menaquinone of this strain. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, hydroxy-phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, hydroxy-phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid, an unidentified aminolipid and an unidentified glycolipid. The major fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0, C16 : 0 and C16 : 1 ω7c/C16 : 1 ω6c. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain RS11V-5T belonged to the genus Pseudonocardia and had high 16S rRNA sequence similarity of 99.3 % to Pseudonocardia kujensis KCTC 29062T and less than 98.4 % to other members of the genus Pseudonocardia. The DNA G+C content of the strain RS11V-5T was 73.3 mol%. Strain RS11V-5T showed 46.5 % digital DNA-DNA hybridization, 92.2 % orthologous average nucleotide identity (OrthoANI), 90.2 % ANI based on blast and 92.7 % ANI based on MUMmer to P. kujensis KCTC 29062T. Based its phenotypic, genotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain RS11V-5T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudonocardia, for which the name Pseudonocardia terrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RS11V-5T (=TBRC 15286T=NBRC 115296T).


This article is a review and critique of Grounded Theory, one of the methods more used in qualitative research designs. Its apparent capacity to generate theories using an inductive approach has placed it as a relevant in several criminological researches. Some of the questions associated to epistemology and qualitative method in the design of researches in this discipline. The purpose is to explore the implications of this theory as an exploratory and inductive research method in criminological psychology, as a qualitative approach. The paper seeks to illustrate the opportunities and challenges that this methodology has brought to criminological psychology research. The results suggest some of the limitations at the moment to considerer it as an alternative in criminological research, although some of its procedures can be used, for example, the coding system.


Abstract Commercial point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests for Group A Streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and influenza virus have large potential diagnostic and financial impact. Many published reports on test performance, often funded by diagnostics companies, are prone to bias. The Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD 2015) are a protocol to encourage accurate, transparent reporting. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool evaluates risk of bias and transportability of results. We used these tools to evaluate diagnostic test accuracy studies of POC studies for three respiratory pathogens. For the 96 studies analysed, compliance was <25% for 14/34 STARD 2015 standards, and 3/7 QUADAS-2 domains showed a high risk of bias. All reports lacked reporting of at least one criterion. These biases should be considered in the interpretation of study results.


Regulatory T (Treg) cells and T helper type 17 (Th17) cells play important roles in adaptive immune responses, antagonizing each other in immune disorders. Th17/Treg balance is critical to maintaining the immune homeostasis of human bodies and is tightly regulated under healthy conditions. The transcription factors that are required for driving Th17 and Treg cell lineages differentiation respectively, RORγt and FOXP3 are tightly regulated under different tissue microenvironment, especially the transcriptional induction, posttranslational modifications, and dynamic enzymatic cofactors binding. The imbalance caused by alteration of the quantity or properties of RORγt+ Th17 or FOXP3+ Treg can contribute to inflammatory disorders in humans. Restoring Th17/Treg balance by modifying the enzymatic activities of RORγt and FOXP3 binding partners may be therapeutically applied to treat severe immune disorders. In this review, we focus on the transcriptional and posttranslational regulations of Th17/Treg balance, immune disorders caused by Th17/Treg imbalance, and new therapeutic strategies for restoring immune homeostasis.


In the present study, employing 38 female rats with normal estrous cycles, electrical stimulation during pentobarbital anesthesia was effective in inducing ovulation. It was found that bilateral stimulation of the hypothalamus in anesthetized proestrous rats during the 'critical period' and within certain spatial and current limitations consistently caused ovulation. The area that appears most responsive is medially situated in the ventral hypothalamus, between the optic chiasma and the infundibular stalk.


This article presents two models of Polish peasant budgets. The first is a theoretical budget of a medieval peasant family and the second is a similar model for the early modern period, confirming some of the characteristic features of the transitional period in the Polish economy in this period. Variables taken into account in the construction of the budgets include the average size of a peasant farm, its productivity, the distribution of crops, family size, rents and taxes paid to the state, Church and feudal lords. The two factors that appear to have had the greatest impact on peasant budgets during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were the decrease in farm size and the sharp rise in grain prices in the sixteenth century. As a result, although comparison of the two models indicates a decrease in the level of commercialization of the average Polish peasant farm, the financial resources of Polish peasants actually grew.


The 1980s were a decade of profound change within the American
literary scope producing a reaction against the postmodernist movement.
The writers associated with the so-called minimalism depicted
contemporary life and dealt with inarticulate characters who are bewildered
by their problems. In the course of time, social context is not
being employed as a metaphysical absolute against which all ideas and
cultural products must be measured; instead the aim is to offer a more
general interaction among literary genres, including critical theory. Thus,
the relationship with historical conditions produces an interpretation
that shows how those conditions are seen in recent American narrative.
Jay McInerney's novel The Last of the Savages reflects two different
worlds in which Patrick Keane aspires to ascent into the upper class,
while Will dedicates himself to "freeing the slaves". Although Patric
and Will remain friends over the next thirty years, they pursue radically
divergent destinies


Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a new, rare, and severe disease occurring in patients with renal failure who have been exposed to gadolinium. The pathogenesis of NSF is not completely known. In fact, the first warning about a significant relationship between NSF and gadolinium (a contrast medium used in magnetic resonance imaging) was only issued in 2006. No cases of NSF have been reported in Italy to date. A nationwide investigation should therefore be carried out to assess the real prevalence of NSF within the Italian uremic population. Furthermore, we need guidelines to reduce the risk of NSF in renal patients undergoing MRI with contrast medium.


The purpose of this study is to investigate how the poetry of Dang dynasty had been formed and developed. This study is intended to approach to the research topic not from the aspects of pure literature but from other aspects beyond literature. This is not to deny the influence of the aspects of pure literature on the formation and development of the poetry of Dang dynasty. This study is rather to review how the Dang dynasty's public exam system contributed to the development of the dynasty and how the system also contributed to the development of the poetry of the dynasty. This is because the exam system is believed to be importantly related to the development of the poetry of the dynasty. This study also acknowledges that any kind of literature is formed along with various background factors. It is hopeful that the future researchers studying the poetry of the dynasty would be quite interested in this kind of study. It would be meaningful to study the cultural context of the dynasty to see the relationship between the poetry and the public exam system of the dynasty.


A significant reduction in nuclear pore density observed in papillary carcinomas compared to normal thyroid, adenomas and follicular carcinomas probably disturbs the nucleo‐cytoplasmic transfer of ribonucleoproteins. This may contribute to the slow growth and indolent biological behavior of these tumors where even the presence of regional lymph node metastases does not worsen the prognosis. The signs of nuclear hyperactivity may result from an attempt to compensate for the nuclear membrane defect.


A particle decay theory is formulated for long-lived states where the decay is determined by the knowledge of the bound-state wavefunction of the metastable decaying nucleus. This theory is especially interesting for alpha -decaying states. The connection with the alpha -decay theory of Fliessbach et al. (see Nucl. Phys. A, vol.263, p.75, 1976) is sketched briefly. It is indicated that the formation of alpha -clusters at and outside the nuclear surface can be extracted from experimental alpha -particle data.


Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a relatively unknown crop in Iran and many countries of world, with great potential as a natural sweeteners source. Stevia has a high content of sweeteners, which are up to 150 times sweeter than sugar, but virtually with no calories. An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of salinity stress on root characteristics and physiological traits of stevia using six different concentrations of NaCl (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 mM) in Hoagland solution with four replications in open shading structures at Medicinal Plant Research Center, Shahed University of Tehran, Iran. The results showed that root characteristics (such as root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW), root volume (RV), root length (RL), root area (RA), root diameter, root mass density (RMD), and dry root mass density (DRMD)) reduced with the intensification of NaCl. The effect of NaCl was significant on the protein content, activity of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and DPPH. The increasing of NaCl caused significantly enhancement of protein content, CAT activity, and total antioxidant activity. The POD activity showed a significant decrease by the increasing of sodium chloride rate. The PPO and POD activities by the increasing sodium chloride rate showed a significant decrease. Steviol glycosides (SVglys) compositions: stevioside (Stev), rebaudioside A (Reb A), rebaudioside B (Reb B), rebaudioside C (Reb C) and dulcoside A (Dulc A) and SVglys content showed changes under the influence of salinity. In 30 mM NaCl treatment was obtained the highest value of total SVglys yield and SVglys content. The findings from this study lead to the conclusion that, salinity stress caused reduces root characteristics and changes in physiological traits (protein content, activity of CAT, POD, PPO and total antioxidant activity DPPH). On the other hand, at the lowest salinity level (30 mM), the highest amount SVglys was obtained. It seems that the high level of SVglys at lower salinity levels is one of the reasons for salinity tolerance in Stevia, which requires further investigation.


Results pertaining to the recently modified beam-injection arrangement in the central cell of TMX-U are presented here. These modifications followed our observation that beam atoms injected perpendicular to the magnetic axis between the first two magnet-coil gaps give rise to trapped ions with midplane pitch angles lying in the intervals 68/sup 0/ < theta < 78/sup 0/ and 59/sup 0/ < theta < 65/sup 0/. These pitch-angle intervals are similar in value to the earlier arrangement of beams injected at the midplane at pitch angles of 58 and 70/sup 0/. Normal injection at an off-midplane position has two advantages when compared with off-normal injection at the midplane. First, the unattenuated beam can be dumped in the first-injector region rather than in the plasma region. Second, the beams can be oriented with their long dimension horizontal rather than vertical. The first point al


Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to estimate the potential safety benefits of Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) and Autonomous Emergency Steering (AES) systems with precise and reliable lateral positioning. Methods The material comprised in-depth studies of fatal road crashes in Sweden in 2017. Crashes resulting in passenger car occupant fatality (n = 114) were included; single vehicle (n = 60) and head-on (n = 31), intersection (n = 9), rear-end (n = 5), overtaking (n = 5), animal (n = 1), other (n = 1, U-turn), and train (n = 2). Additionally, fatal collisions between motor vehicles and vulnerable road users (VRUs) were included; pedestrians (n = 36), cyclists/moped users (n = 15), and motorcyclists (n = 17). A case-by-case analysis was conducted to identify crashes potentially prevented by ELK and AES with precise (within 0.1 m accuracy) and reliable lateral positioning. The identified crashes potentially avoided by ELK systems involved unintentional drift-out-of-lane on roads with posted speed limits of ≥70 km/h (43 mph). For comparison, the same material was used to identify the potential safety benefits of the more traditional lane departure warning (LDW) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) systems without enhanced lateral positioning. Crashes potentially avoided by LDW/LKA occurred on roads with visible lane markings and without rumble strips on the departure side while ELK with enhanced lateral positioning is not reliant on lane markings. Collisions potentially avoided by AES occurred on roads with sufficient escape zones and road friction. Results The study shows that ELK systems with enhanced lateral positioning could potentially avoid 33 − 45 (36 − 49%) out of 91 head-on and single car crashes resulting in passenger car occupant fatality, which corresponds to a further 18% (5/28) compared to traditional lane support (LDW/LKA) without enhanced lateral positioning. The improved lane keeping addresses crashes involving absent or nonvisible lane markings that are covered by snow. Furthermore, the study shows that the evasive steering features of AES systems with enhanced lateral positioning could potentially prevent 28 (54%) out of 52 collisions resulting in passenger car occupant fatalities (i.e., head-on, intersection, rear-end, overtaking, and animal collision). Additionally, AES with enhanced lateral positioning could potentially prevent 16 (31%) out of 51 collisions between motor vehicles and vulnerable road users resulting in fatally injured pedestrians, cyclists or moped users. The total potential safety benefits of AES include both lane keeping and evasive steering features including lane escaping. The study identified that the total number of crashes potentially avoided by AES corresponds to 42% out of all crashes resulting in passenger car occupant fatalities (n = 48/114). Conclusions This is a first attempt to identify and quantify the increase in potential safety benefits, based on the assumption that robust lateral vehicle positioning has been applied to lane keeping as well as lane escaping. In addition to the potentially increased number of prevented crashes compared to traditional lane support, a robust lateral positioning system may have the potential to improve the redundancy in positioning systems. Previous research suggests several techniques to improve lateral vehicle positioning. However, further research is required, including testing for implementation of adequately improved lateral vehicle awareness to establish which techniques are appropriate.


The efforts were carried out to study the clinical profile, electrocardiographic profile, to compare the efficacy of ECGs, radiography and cardiac Troponin I and undertake rationale treatment. Anorexia, reduced appetite, weakness, depression, dullness, easy exertion, refractory appetite, ascites, posterior weakness, coughing, dyspnoea, Jugular distension, pulsation, mucus membrane pale, muddy, cyanotic, weight loss, weak femoral pulse/ pulse deficit and syncope were predominant clinical signs of cardiomyopathic dogs. Vertebral heart score (VHS) was more than or equal 8.7 to less than or equal 10.7. On the basis of electrocardiographic features cardiomyopathy were diagnosed as sinus tachycardia (8.69%), sinus arrhythmia (4.34%), right atrial enlargement (4.34%), left atrial enlargement (21.73%), atrial tachycardia (8.69%), atrial fibrillation (17.39%), atrial premature complex (8.69%), left ventricular enlargement (34.78%), ventricular premature complex (13.04%), ventricular tachycardia (8.69%) and sinus arrest (13.04%). In most of cases (95.65%) cardiac Troponin I was found positive (>0.1ng/ml). Cardiac Troponin I is highly sensitive to diagnose the cardiomyopathy.


In March 2016 the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), formally known as ISO/IEC SC29 WG1, issued a call for proposals soliciting compression technologies for a low-latency, lightweight and visually transparent video compression scheme. Within the JPEG family of standards, this scheme was denominated JPEG XS. The subjective evaluation of visually lossless compressed video sequences at high resolutions and bit depths poses particular challenges. This paper describes the adopted procedures, the subjective evaluation setup, the evaluation process and summarizes the obtained results which were achieved in the context of the JPEG XS standardization process.


Directly coupled, variable frequency driven electric motors are replacing turbines driving process compressors due to advances in increased efficiency, precise process control and quick return on investment. In the oil and gas industry, high speed motors directly coupled to centrifugal compressors are also filling the need for more megawatts at higher speeds. In applications with demanding structure and space limitations, the smaller motors are the driver of choice when compared to turbines or conventional two pole motors with speed increasing gears. Motor manufacturers have developed specifically designed motors for these and other demanding applications instead of using higher-speed 2 pole or 4 pole standard motors. For the discussed application reliable and optimized motor designs, especially the motor frame, rotor-bearing, enclosure, bearing shields and cooling, are designed to meet stringent vibration and noise requirements, which are defined in specifications such as API, IEC and ISO. This paper discusses design and testing of 3750 kW induction motor with oil film bearings at a speed range of 3880–5300 rpm to replace an existing steam turbine in an United States refinery.


Neil Armstrong, who threw up some dust with the toe of his boot, but a future Apollo mission is to bring back a core of moon material several feet deep. Although an orbiting scientific station has been promised for 1972, no date has been fixed for a proposed "lunar international laboratory " on the moon's surface, on which a working party of the International Academy of Astronautics has been at work since 1966. This is to be a research station for astronomical and geological (strictly " selenological ") research as well as for many kinds of fundamental research into physics and physical chemistry which can be done only in a vacuum. Finally, the very strict anti-contamination precautions, both for the astronauts and for the moon samples, will still be in action when these words are published, so believers in life on the moon have still a few days of hope remaining to them.


The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a metallothionein/bovine GH transgene on duration and rate of growth of lean and fat in mice. Mice were produced by mating hemizygous transgenic males to nontransgenic females. Ten weights and six measurements of total body electrical conductivity to estimate body composition were taken on 147 progeny between birth and 84 d of age. Growth traits for fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat mass (FM) were obtained by fitting FFM and FM to a logistic curve y = A/(1 + exp(k(b - t))), where y is FFM or FM, A is asymptotic mass, k and b are curve parameters, and t is time in days. The function and its first, second, and third derivatives for FFM and FM were used to model growth. A mixed model was used with animal and litter as random effects and trans-genotype, sex, and transgenotype x sex as fixed effects in analyses of growth traits. Estimates of transgeno-type and transgenotype x sex interaction were tested by using their corresponding standard errors. Males had greater response to the transgene than females in final FFM and growth rate during the entire growth period. Transgenic males and females had greater duration of lean growth than nontransgenics. Transgenic males began to accumulate fat later, but they eventually gained more fat than transgenic females.


The first measurement of the ratio of the W and Z cross sections in association with a single jet, known as the R_{Jets}
measurement, is presented. The measurement was performed using 33pb^-1 of integrated luminosity, recorded during the year
2010 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. At this time the LHC was operating at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV.
The measurement is made as a function of the threshold on the jet transverse momentum, from 30 GeV up to a value of 200 GeV.
The motivation for this measurement is outlined in terms of providing a stringent
test of the Standard Model of particle physics, as well as a model independent tool for searching for new physics.
Data driven tools are developed to perform the measurement and their performance is discussed. The result of the
measurement is compared with the predictions of Next-to-Leading order perturbative QCD and found to be in good agreement
over the entire range of transverse momenta considered.


Background: In a patriarchal society like Pakistan, where women are oppressed, women dominating professions like nursing is mostly seen as disempowered and requires considerable struggle to achieve its due recognition and respect. Aim: This study aims to explore the experiences of empowerment among the nursing leaders of Pakistan. Methods: This study uses a qualitative descriptive design. Total of twelve Pakistani Nursing leaders were interviewed using semi-structured interview guideline to explore their experiences of empowerment. Results: The study findings revealed five major categories which include: status of a nurse, nursing profession, power relationships, value-belief system, and leadership and management. Conclusions: Nurses' empowerment is essential for enhancing the image and status of nursing profession in Pakistan. The study identified various personal and professional factors affecting nurses' empowerment in the country and suggests various strategies, such as access to higher nursing education, development of enhanced nursing leadership competencies and understanding of power and politics of the organization, through which nurses can achieve empowerment.


Digitalization affects all spheres and processes including socialization of personality, which were out of influence of digital technologies decades ago. At the same time, the science community analyses primarily the impact of digitalization on economy and IT sphere. There are less investigations of the new technologies' influence on social and cultural sphere. Moreover, the scientists that research the spiritual life of our society leave it by the wayside. The prevailing opinion is that the digital technologies will be an impulse to the cultural Renaissance of Humankind. The article reports that the development of the social and cultural sphere is a critical part of the further technological development of the society. The wave development of the economy including the digital economy, depends on not only technologies, but on the cultural values. The success of the forth industrial revolution and its impact on the development of humankind are totally determined by the development of the culture, science and education.


10 patients, aged 25-46, with dysfunctional menstrual bleeding, were inserted a progesterone-releasing IUD, delivering 65 mcg. of progesterone daily. Complete examinations were carried out before insertion, and after 3 and 6 months. Amount and duration of bleeding diminished in 9 patients; 2 patients presented short periods of amenorrhea. Proliferative endometria changed in secreting endometria, while vaginal cytology with previous estrogenic activity did not change in 2 cases, or insufficiently in 2 more cases. From these results it is concluded that progesterone has a local action at endometrial level, but no systemic collateral actions, and that it can be usefully employed in controlling dysfunctional bleeding.


Bioinformatics is the combination of biology and information technology. It is the branch of science that deals with the computer-based analysis of large biological data sets. Bioinformatics incorporates the development of databases to store and search data, and of statistical tools and algorithms to analyze and determine relationships between biological data sets. In this paper we have studied in detail about Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) disease to develop a software module for the analysis of the biological data of RA. The software tool is developed using Java programming language and using the Java Application Programming Interfaces. The application is accessed through a graphical user interface that allows selection of sequences to align and to analyze. The developed tool performs the pair wise alignment and analysis by calculating the mutability score. The obtained results from the developed tool can be used for the characterization of the disease and the results may assist the doctors for improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the disease.


Location Based Service has wide market prospect; especially real-time traffic information service is becoming the research hot pot home and abroad. In recent years a series of study on Location Based Service have made by some researchers, but none is found to make use of mobile phones' location to acquire the traffic information. The major contribution of this paper is to originally introduce Location and Speed Based Traffic Information Service (LSBTIS). In this paper, LSBTIS is discussed from four aspects including present research situation, implementing principle, advantages and market prospect.


To explore the effects of deregulated expression of the EBNA1 binding protein 2 (EBP2) on cell growth, we generated human HEK293 stable clones constitutively expressing an EBP2-EGFP fusion protein. We found both RNA and protein levels of cyclin E1, a dominant oncoprotein, were elevated in the EBP2- EGFP stable clones. These findings were confirmed by flow cytometry bivariate analysis of cyclin expression versus DNA content. Moreover, the increase in p21 expression and the specific phosphorylation at Ser1981 of ATM and Ser15 of p53 were also observed in these stable clones, and these observations may explain the failure to observe an increase in Cdk2 kinase activity. In addition, after one year of passage culture, the EBP2-EGFP stable clones tended to lose 4 to 5 chromosomes per cell when compared to that of control cells. All of these findings provide a possible link between deregulated expression of EBP2 and tumor development.


Cerebral hemodynamic responses to arterial hypoxia were studied in 13 normal and 9 chemodenervated anesthetized, paralyzed dogs. Arterial O2 content was lowered from control (18.0 vol%) to 14.0, 8.0, and 4.0 vol%, respectively, by either decreasing arterial Po2 (hypoxic hypoxia) or increasing carboxyhemoglobin saturation (CO hypoxia) at normal Po2. Both hypoxic hypoxia and CO hypoxia at each value of the lowered arterial O2 content resulted in progressive significant increases in cerebral blood flow (134, 169, 276, and 146, 206, 244% of control, respectively). Before chemoreceptor denervation, arterial blood pressure increased with hypoxic hypoxia but decreased with CO hypoxia. After chemodenervation, hypoxic hypoxia and CO hypoxia at each value of lowered arterial O2 content resulted in similar significant increases in cerebral blood flow. These increases were not significantly different from those observed prior to chemodenervation. After chemodenervation, hypoxic hypoxia and CO hypoxia both resulted in similar decreases in arterial blood pressure and cerebral vascular resistance, whereas, before chemodenervation, cerebral vascular resistance decreased more with CO hypoxia than with hypoxic hypoxia. These data show that cerebral vasodilation induced by both forms of hypoxia in chemodenervated dogs resembles that in animals with CO hypoxia and intact chemoreceptors in which Pao2 is high and the carotid chemoreceptors may not be activated. We also have shown that the transient responses to both types of hypoxia are not altered by carotid chemodenervation, and conclude that the carotid chemoreceptors do not play a role in the mechanism by which cerebral blood flow increases during decreased blood O2 content.


Abstract We consider the melting of ice in cold water vertically stratified with salt. The study extends previous investigations of ice melting in cold water at uniform salinity and in warm water with a salinity gradient. We find, in agreement with the results of the latter study, that the meltwater spreads out in a series of horizontal layers. This motion tends to convert the initially smooth salinity distribution into one with much larger gradients in the interfaces between the layers. The thickness of the layers is well represented by h = 0.65[ρ(Tfp,S∞) − ρ(T∞,S∞)] (/dρdz;)−1,where Tfp is the freezing point at the mean far-field salinity and dp/dz is the vertical density gradient due to salinity. We also discuss the results of an experiment with a stratified region above a region of uniform salinity. The convective plume that formed in the lower region penetrated into the upper region, while a series of horizontal layers in the upper region extended beyond the plume. We conclude the paper with a discus...


A novel demonstrator of broadband wireless access for future mobile internet was investigated using steered antennas and optical 60 GHz millimeter-wave sources without rf-electronics in the control station. Key device was a self-pulsating laser designed for 60 GHz operation and a remote stabilization by a sub-harmonic pulse source in a central master control station. Error free operation of HFR system at 155 Mb/s (BER less than 10/sup -10/) was demonstrated, without penalty neither for fiber distribution of the optical microwave signal nor for the remote stabilization of the SPL via fiber. Future broadband wireless connections can be done in a cost effective way by the proposed system based on the SPL as optical millimeter-wave source applying optical beam forming.


THE British monarch has legal duties to perform, as well as ceremonial and representative functions to discharge. For example, the monarch's assent is legally required before a Bill or an Order in Council can pass into law; some appointments only take effect when they are formally approved by the monarch, which is sometimes signified by the Queen's personal signature, the royal sign manual, or at others by personal delivery by the monarch of seals of office. Some types of document require as a matter of law the affixing of the Great Seal, which can usually be done only by virtue of a warrant under the royal sign manual: examples include royal proclamations (say to dissolve Parliament), or Letters Patent (say to confer a peerage or to ratify a treaty). Because the monarch is part of the legal machinery of government it is essential that the monarch is always available to function as such; but because a monarch is only human there will be times when, because of absence or illness, this is impossible.


Indian Banking system has played a crucial role in the socio-economic development of the country. The system is expected to continue to be sensitive to the growth and development needs of all the segments of the society. The banking system that will evolve will be transparent in its dealings and adopt global best practices in accounting and disclosures driven by the motto of value enhancement for all stakeholders. The Indian banking sector has emerged as one of the strongest drivers of India's economic growth. Positive changes witnessed in the last two decades have impacted every aspect of banking, ranging from regulatory standards to customer management. Indian banks adapting to the changing landscape along with the vision of the regulator and the Government in shaping the future growth of banking were two of the noteworthy features of this transition. The banks evolved their strategies in response to increasing competition and changing customer requirements, the regulator guided its growth with policies of gradual liberalization and benchmarking the domestic system with the best in the world, even if it appeared conservative at times.


Ancient Greece is famous as the civilization which 'gave' the world democracy. Democracy has in modern times become the rallying cry of liberation from supposed totalitarianism and dictatorship. And the desire by the western powers, especially America, to foment (or impose) democracy across the globe is one of the most powerful driving motors in present-day geopolitics: not least in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus, a lively and well informed treatment of the nexus between politics in antiquity and political discourse in the modern era is both timely and apposite. As Kostas Vlassopoulos shows, much can be learned about the practice of politics from a comparative discussion of the classical and the contemporary. His starting point is that the value of looking back to a political system with different assumptions and elements can help us think, and even shape, what the future of modern politics might be. He discusses the contrasting political systems prevalent in the Greek city-states of Athens, Sparta and Corinth; tensions between democrats and oligarchs in Periclean Athens; the bitter rivalries which led to the Peloponnesian Wars in the fifth century BCE; and, the delicate balance of powers between people, senate and emperor in the hierarchical society of republican and latterly imperial Rome. Above all, the book shows how important and surprising the study of antiquity can be in reassessing and revaluating modern political debates.


This paper presents a new distributed robust model predictive control algorithm for multivehicle trajectory optimization and demonstrates the approach with numerical simulations and multivehicle experiments. The technique builds on the robust-safe-but-knowledgeable (RSBK) algorithm, which is developed in this paper for the multivehicle case. RSBK uses constraint tightening to achieve robustness to external disturbances, an invariant set to ensure safety in the presence of changes to the environment, and a cost-to-go function to generate an intelligent trajectory around known obstacles. The key advantage of this RSBK algorithm is that it enables the use of much shorter planning horizons while still preserving the robust feasibility guarantees of previously proposed approaches. The second contribution of this paper is a distributed version of the RSBK algorithm, which is more suitable for real-time execution. In the distributed RSBK (DRSBK) algorithm, each vehicle only optimizes for its own decisions by solving a subproblem of reduced size, which results in shorter computation times. Furthermore, the algorithm retains the robust feasibility guarantees of the centralized approach while requiring that each agent only have local knowledge of the environment and neighbor vehicles' plans. This new approach also facilitates the use of a significantly more general implementation architecture for the distributed trajectory optimization, which further decreases the delay due to computation time.


This study focused on the effects of adding various levels of bee pollen to diets for Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix Japonica). The response variables that were examined included their performance, carcass characteristics, meat colour, immune system, and some serum constituents. A total of 160 one-day-old quail chicks were used. These chicks were randomly assigned to four treatments, each consisting of 40 chicks. These groups were further divided into four replicates of ten birds. The treatments consisted of diets to which 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10 g/kg bee pollen were added. The feeding period lasted 42 days. The performance and serum biochemistry of the growing quails were not affected by the addition of bee pollen to the diet. The addition of 5 g/kg bee pollen increased the follicle weight and the L* value of the breast, and decreased the a* value of the thigh. It also improved the serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) content. Thus, the addition of 5 g/kg bee pollen to the diet of growing quails was effective in improving follicle development, meat quality and immune system.


GDC‐0810 was under development as an oral anti‐cancer drug for the treatment of estrogen receptor‐positive breast cancer as a single agent or in combination. In vitro data indicated that GDC‐0810 is a potent inhibitor of OATP1B1/1B3. To assess clinical risk, a PBPK model was developed to predict the transporter drug–drug interaction (tDDI) between GDC‐0810 and pravastatin in human. The PBPK model was constructed in Simcyp® by integrating in vitro and in vivo data for GDC‐0810. The prediction of human pharmacokinetics (PK) was verified using GDC‐0810 phase I clinical PK data. The Simcyp transporter DDI model was verified using known OATP1B1/1B3 inhibitors (rifampicin, cyclosporine and gemfibrozil) and substrate (pravastatin), prior to using the model to predict GDC‐0810 tDDI. The effect of GDC‐0810 on pravastatin PK was then predicted based on the proposed clinical scenarios. Sensitivity analysis was conducted on the parameters with uncertainty. The developed PBPK model described the PK profile of GDC‐0810 reasonably well. In the tDDI verification, the model reasonably predicted pravastatin tDDI caused by rifampicin and gemfibrozil OATP1B1/3 inhibition but under‐predicted tDDI caused by cyclosporine. The effect of GDC‐0810 on pravastatin PK was predicted to be low to moderate (pravastatin Cmax ratios 1.01–2.05 and AUC ratio 1.04–2.23). The observed tDDI (Cmax ratio 1.20 and AUC ratio 1.41) was within the range of the predicted values. This work demonstrates an approach using a PBPK model to prospectively assess tDDI caused by a new chemical entity as an OATP1B1/3 uptake transporter inhibitor to assess clinical risk and to support development strategy.


In this paper, double weight zero cross correlation (DW-ZCC) code is proposed for spectral amplitude coding optical code division multiple access (SAC-OCDMA) system. DW-ZCC takes the advantages of two previously proposed SAC-codes namely modified double weight (MDW) and zero-cross correlation (ZCC) codes, while providing optimized code length and maximum cross-correlation of zero. Although the proposed code can be utilized in SAC-OCDMA system with any optical medium, this research work focuses on outdoor wireless optical networks (WON) deploying multi-wavelength laser (MWL) source, where optical bandwidth is much limited. The mathematical and simulation analysis of proposed system employing direct decoding (DD) is developed, considering the influences of turbulence and system noises including relative intensity noise, optical beat interference (OBI) and receiver noises. It is shown that employing DD detection; it is possible to completely avoid OBI which enhances system capability. The results show that SAC-OCDMAWON system is noticeably improved using DW-ZCC in term of transmission distance by at least 200 m in comparison with MDW and conventional ZCC codes.


Introduction Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARα, β/δ, γ) are important regulators of cardiac fatty acid metabolism. PPARα has the highest binding affinity for fatty acids and is the dominant cardiac PPAR isoform. The PPARα knockout mouse has been extensively used to investigate the role of PPARα in metabolism and disease. This study aimed to understand the role of PPARα in the aging heart, through assessment of the metabolism of [1–13C] pyruvate, using hyperpolarisation by dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP). Methods Animals- Six young (3–4 months) and six old (20–22 months) controls (129SvEv) and five young (3–4 months) and six old (20–22 months) PPARα-KO mice (on a 129SvEv background) received a hyperpolarised scan, performed between 7 am and 11 am, while mice were in the fed state. Hyperpolarised 13C MRS Protocol [1–13C] pyruvate was hyperpolarised and dissolved as previously described. An aliquot of 0.15 ml of 80 mM hyperpolarised [1–13C] pyruvate solution was injected over 10 s via a tail vein catheter into an anaesthetised mouse, positioned in a 7 T MR scanner. Spectra were acquired for 1 min following injection, with 1 s temporal resolution, using a 15° RF excitation pulse. Signal was localised to the heart using a home-built 13C RF surface coil. Quantified peak areas were input into a kinetic model, described by Atherton et al, and plotted against time. The rate of exchange of the 13C label between pyruvate and its metabolites was termed 13C label incorporation. 13C label incorporation into the bicarbonate pool has been used as a measure of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) flux in the rat. Biochemical analysis Protein levels of glucose transporter (GLUT) 4, medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD), PDH kinase (PDK) 2 and PDK4 were measured in cardiac tissue by western blotting. PPARα mRNA levels were assessed using qRT-PCR. Results Young and old PPARα-KO hearts had significantly decreased PPARα mRNA levels relative to controls and a 59% decrease in protein levels of the PPARα target gene, MCAD. Cardiac PDH flux did not differ between young control and PPARα-KO mice, but in old PPARα-KO mice, PDH flux was increased by 96% relative to controls. Analysis of cardiac metabolic proteins revealed a 141% increase in GLUT4 expression in old PPARα-KO mice. There were no differences in PDK2 or PDK4 protein levels, suggesting that the increased PDH flux in aged PPARα-KO mice was not mediated by altered PDH phosphorylation. Conclusions Aged PPARα-KO mice exhibited increased cardiac PDH flux relative to young and old control mice. This may be mediated by increased GLUT4 protein levels, which would facilitate glucose uptake and glycolysis. No changes in PDK2 and PDK4 expression were observed, although the enzymatic activities of these proteins were not examined.


This paper describes an industry and academic partnership initiative at Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Kwun Tong). The project includes the establishment of the Advanced Printing Technology Centre at the Institute using a US$1.1 million funding from the Government. The Centre has set up a state-of-the-art digital printing production environment with equipment connected together using high-speed computer network. Generous support has been obtained from equipment manufacturers, which have installed about US$2.3 million worth of advanced equipment at the Centre. This initiative has created a 3-way winning situation for the students, the industry, and the equipment manufacturers. The students can acquire hands-on experience in using the advanced printing equipment, the printing industry can send its personnel to the Centre to receive training, and finally the manufacturers can use the Centre to showcase their latest products. This kind of establishment creates a partnership model that benefits all parties concerned and the model can be extended to other industries as well.


This paper presents the design and simulation test of an assistance system that helps the driver to perform vehicle following maneuvers. When activated, the assistance system drives the vehicle to the desired inter-vehicle distance. Based on Lyapunov theory and invariant sets, the assistance system is able to guarantee that the state trajectories remain bounded under bounded disturbance inputs, such as leading vehicle accelerations. The assistance system is designed in such a way that variable time headway strategy is naturally handled. The control law is computed using Linear and Bilinear Matrix Inequalities (LMI-BMI) methods. Some design parameters can be adjusted to handle the tradeoff between safety constraints and comfort specifications.


Attitudes toward outgroups are an important determinant of peaceful coexistence in diverse societies, but it is difficult to improve them. The current research studies the impact of messages with negations on outgroup attitudes, more specifically on outgroup trust. All studies were preregistered. Using different target groups, Studies 1 and 2 provide evidence for the prediction that communicating negations (e.g., "they are not deceptive") enhances outgroup trust (more so than affirmations, such as "they are reliable," and no messages) among people who are initially low in outgroup trust. Three additional studies (Studies 3a, 3b, and 4), using both a causal chain approach and (moderated) mediation analysis, demonstrate that negations promote cognitive flexibility which in turn enhances outgroup trust among those initially low in outgroup trust. One final study suggests that these findings generalize to outgroup attitude change per se by showing that communicating negations also results in more moderate attitudes when the dominant initial attitude is positive (Study 5: high warmth) rather than negative (Studies 1-4: low trustworthiness). As such, communication that negates people's initial outgroup attitudes could be an effective (previously discounted) intervention to reduce prejudice in intergroup settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


Introduction/Background Carcinoma sigma in young women is a very rare illness, especially in pregnancy. Incidence of colorectal carcinoma in our country is high and it is on third place per incidence and third cause of death of all carcinomas in women. Methodology 29-year old women was admitted in our hospital in 36 weeks gestation because of anemia and general weaknesses. In last month of pregnancy she noticed big mass under right rebated port.We did detail examination. Ultrasound examination showed liver with big multiple focuses of suspected meta changes. Parameter in blood were high like lactic dehidrogenasa, liver enzymes were just little higher than normal and all parameter of red cells were very small. Ultrasound of pregnancy showed one fetus normally developed for gestation of 36 weeks. We were not sure what is primary localization of tumor and what is cause of metasis changes on liver. Results We performed Caesarean section and delivered healthy baby boy 2900 grams, Apgar score 8/9. Detail examination of abdominal cavity showed us big mass inside sigma colon and big multiple metastasis on liver. We performed a colostomy. She left hospital after 15 days and she receives chemotherapy till now. Conclusion Carcinomas which are very rare in young women can be diagnosed even in pregnancy.In our case we thought that pregnancy masked the clinical picture so we could not see big liver and it was impossible to diagnosed carcinoma sigma without any specific symptoms.Our country were bombarding with depleted uranium so we have many unusual cases with malignancy in young women, unfortunately. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.


This paper is an attempt to present a short, unified discussion of the radar detection, parameter estimation, and multiple-signal resolution problems--mostly from a philosophical rather than a detailed mathematical point of view. The purpose is, hopefully, to make it possible in at least some limited sense to reason back from appropriate measures of desired radar performance to specifications of the necessary values of the related radar parameters. Specifically four measures of performance quality are considered: 1.The reliability of detection, 2.The accuracy with which target parameters can be estimated, 3.The extent to which such estimates can be made without ambiguity, 4.The degree to which two or more different target echoes can be separated or resolved. It is argued that the radar synthesis problem can be split into two more-or-less independent phases. First, adjust such parameters as those appearing in the radar equation so that the received signal energy is sufficiently large for the degree of reliability of detection desired. The required value of energy is almost entirely independent of the character of the received echo signal waveform. The second phase is, then, to select the waveform in such a way that accuracy, ambiguity, and resolution requirements are met. The limitations on what can be achieved in terms of these three quality measures are discussed in relation to an uncertainty principle. For purposes of illustration several novel waveforms having unusual and useful properties are described.


Time‐of‐Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) imaging yields molecule‐specific images showing the spatial distribution of specific lipids with submicron resolution, making it a potentially powerful method for studying a variety of biological questions in single cells. In order to make possible the analysis of hydrated cells in vacuum, we have designed a device for in situ freeze‐fracture of cell samples. PC12 cells are frozen between two silicon shards in a sandwich geometry, and the fracture is conducted under vacuum inside the analysis chamber of the instrument. After freeze‐fracture, ToF‐SIMS analysis was carried out using a Bi cluster ion source, providing high‐resolution images of single cells. We also show that when combining freeze‐fracture and cluster SIMS imaging, low abundant biologically important lipids, specifically PE, PC and non‐SM PC, can be imaged in single cells. Finally, K+ ion localization was used as a diagnostic to identify fracture planes through the cell for these fractured samples. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the experiences from four major recipients of food aid (India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Zambia) in normal time and after a natural disaster and draw implications for the design of effective food aid and food security policies in Africa. The study summarizes the food and agricultural policies and medium-term outcomes regarding food production, trade, markets, consumption and safety nets, as well as the policy responses to food emergencies. The experiences of the study countries suggest that food aid that supports building of production and market enhancing infrastructure, is timed to avoid adverse price effects on producers, and is targeted to food insecure households can play a positive role in enhancing food security. However, food aid is not the only, or in many cases, the most efficient means of addressing food insecurity. In many cases private markets can more effectively address shortfalls in food availability and cash transfers may be a viable alternative to food transfers in-kind. Thus, most important is a balanced, mutually-reinforcing mix of policies and programs that address both the production and marketing constraints to food availability and that raises the real incomes of the poor and thereby increase their access to food.


The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants of leverage in Turkish corporations. Using data on 48 non-financial ISE (Istanbul Stock Exchange) listed companies for the period 1998-2007, the relationships of leverage with a set of explanatory variables are investigated. In addition to using the ratio of long-term debt to long-term debt plus market value of common stocks as the general leverage measure, we use the ratio of short term-debt to total assets. To investigate the relationships, two panel data equations are formed for each leverage measure. The findings indicate that firm size and collateral value of assets are positively related to leverage, while dividend payout ratio, profitability and CEO duality are negatively related to leverage. On the other hand, firm size and profitability are negatively related to the level of short term-debt, whereas it has positive relations with dividend pay-out ratio and ownership concentration. Collateral value of assets does not seem to be related to the level of short-term debt. 2001 crisis in Turkey seems to have increased short-term financing that year.


Human mena (hMENA), a member of the actin cytoskeleton regulators Ena/VASP, is overexpressed in high-risk preneoplastic lesions and in primary breast tumors and has been identified as playing a role in invasiveness and poor prognosis in breast cancers that express HER2. Here we identify a unique isoform, hMENAΔv6, derived from the hMENA alternative splicing program. In an isogenic model of human breast cancer progression, we show that hMENA11a is expressed in premalignant cells, whereas hMENAΔv6 expression is restricted to invasive cancer cells. "Reversion" of the malignant phenotype leads to concurrent down-regulation of all hMENA isoforms. In breast cancer cell lines, isoform-specific hMENA overexpression or knockdown revealed that in the absence of hMENA11a, overexpression of hMENAΔv6 increased cell invasion, whereas overexpression of hMENA11a reduced the migratory and invasive ability of these cells. hMENA11a splicing was shown to be dependent on the epithelial regulator of splicing 1 (ESRP1), and forced expression of ESRP1 in invasive mesenchymal breast cancer cells caused a phenotypic switch reminiscent of a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) characterized by changes in the cytoskeletal architecture, reexpression of hMENA11a, and a reduction in cell invasion. hMENA-positive primary breast tumors, which are hMENA11a-negative, are more frequently E-cadherin low in comparison with tumors expressing hMENA11a. These data suggest that polarized and growth-arrested cellular architecture correlates with absence of alternative hMENA isoform expression, and that the hMENA splicing program is relevant to malignant progression in invasive disease.


This article presents a diachronic perspective for implementation research. It analyzes implementation practices in relation to their changing institutional context. Therefore, a comparison is made between different styles of implementation.
The relationship between implementation practices and institutional context is analyzed as a structuration process, following Giddens's theory. Four styles of policy implementation are distinguished: a traditional, bureaucratic, professional, and managerial style. These four styles are connected with different phases in the development of the welfare state. This developmental model is illustrated with an analysis of policy implementation in Dutch public assistance between 1950 and the early 1990s.


New complexes of neptunyl(V) isothiocyanate with 4'-aryl-substituted 2,2':6',2″-terpyridines (Terpy) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) were obtained: [(NpO2)(4'-Ph-Terpy)(DMA)(NCS)]·DMA, [(NpO2)(4'-(4-(CF3)C6H4)-Terpy)(DMA)(NCS)]·2H2O·DMA, [(NpO2)(4'-(3-BrC6H4)-Terpy)(DMA)(NCS)]·DMA, and [(NpO2)(4'-(2-(COOH)C6H4)-Terpy)(DMA)(NCS)]·DMA. The structures of the compounds were determined with X-ray diffraction analysis. The neptunium coordination polyhedra were found to be pentagonal bipyramids with O atoms of the NpO2 groups in the apical positions and the equatorial planes formed by three N atoms of the terpyridine ligand, a N atom of the isothiocyanate anion, and an O atom of DMA. The influence of the substituents of the Ar group on the crystal structure is discussed. The IR spectra contain well-resolved bands of characteristic vibrations of all groups in the complex. The electronic absorption spectra are typical for neptunium(V) complexes and contain an intense narrow absorption band belonging to an f-f transition with a maximum of 988 nm and several long-wave satellites of lower intensity. The substituted terpyridines were shown to be efficient for the extraction of various valence forms of neptunium from the isothiocyanate solutions.


This paper summarizes the latest, final version of ISO standard 24617-2 ``Semantic annotation framework, Part 2: Dialogue acts"""". Compared to the preliminary version ISO DIS 24617-2:2010, described in Bunt et al. (2010), the final version additionally includes concepts for annotating rhetorical relations between dialogue units, defines a full-blown compositional semantics for the Dialogue Act Markup Language DiAML (resulting, as a side-effect, in a different treatment of functional dependence relations among dialogue acts and feedback dependence relations); and specifies an optimally transparent XML-based reference format for the representation of DiAML annotations, based on the systematic application of the notion of `ideal concrete syntax'. We describe these differences and briefly discuss the design and implementation of an incremental method for dialogue act recognition, which proves the usability of the ISO standard for automatic dialogue annotation.


It seems that taxonomy of listeriae is in a fluid stage. Between beta-haemolytic property and virulence of these bacteria a strong relationship has been demonstrated. These characters are coded by hlyA gene which seems to belong to a monocistronic unit. Virulent Listeria strains possess specific surface antigens and can enter as well as multiply in host cells. Their exact human virulence is not known. Listeriae can grow from around 0 to 42 degrees C and can survive either the effect of frost or of temperature of 48 degrees C. They may form biofilm on different surfaces. Their growth kinetics, persistance and heat resistance can be influenced by many factors (type of growth environment, pH, acidulants, salts, chemicals, antibiotics, plant substances, enzymes, humidity, atmosphere, temperature, prior temperature-effects, microbial competition and the length of influences). Radiation sensitivity of Listeria is usual. Plasmid mediated antibiotic resistant mutant of Listeria monocytogenes is verified.


Vehicle detection and tracking is a core ingredient for developing autonomous driving applications in urban scenarios. Recent image-based Deep Learning (DL) techniques are obtaining breakthrough results in these perceptive tasks. However, DL research has not yet advanced much towards processing 3D point clouds from lidar range-finders. These sensors are very common in autonomous vehicles since, despite not providing as semantically rich information as images, their performance is more robust under harsh weather conditions than vision sensors. In this paper we present a full vehicle detection and tracking system that works with 3D lidar information only. Our detection step uses a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that receives as input a featured representation of the 3D information provided by a Velodyne HDL-64 sensor and returns a per-point classification of whether it belongs to a vehicle or not. The classified point cloud is then geometrically processed to generate observations for a multi-object tracking system implemented via a number of Multi-Hypothesis Extended Kalman Filters (MH-EKF) that estimate the position and velocity of the surrounding vehicles. The system is thoroughly evaluated on the KITTI tracking dataset, and we show the performance boost provided by our CNN-based vehicle detector over a standard geometric approach. Our lidar-based approach uses about a 4% of the data needed for an image-based detector with similarly competitive results.


The wide-spread use of a standard data exchange format depends on its content, but also on its tractability and usability. In this context, one aspect is the proof of standard conformity. If the rules and definitions of a standard are violated, the created results will not conform to this standard and cannot be used by others. An easy to use verification would be the proof that the results correspond to the desired standard. This article presents a concept for formal conformance testing of AutomationML® data, an exchange format which is applied in plant engineering. The paper proposes a method for verifying conformance of an AutomationML ® instance to the AutomationML® meta model and specification.


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

The cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase10A (PDE10) has been studied as a therapeutic target for certain psychiatric and neurological conditions, although a potential role in tumorigenesis has not been reported. Here we report that PDE10 is elevated in human colon tumor cell lines compared with normal colonocytes. Similarly, PDE10 is elevated in colon tumors from human clinical specimens as well as intestinal tumors from the ApcMin/+ mouse model compared with non-involved tissue or normal intestinal mucosa, respectively. An isozyme and tumor-selective role of PDE10 was evident by the ability of specific inhibitors and siRNA knockdown to suppress colon tumor cell growth without significantly affecting the growth of normal colonocytes. Stable knockdown of PDE10 by shRNA also inhibits colony formation and increases doubling time of colon tumor cells. Inhibition of PDE10 results in the selective activation of cGMP/PKG signaling in colon tumor cells to suppress β-catenin levels and T-cell factor (TCF) transcriptional activity. Conversely, ectopic expression of PDE10 in normal and precancerous colonocytes increases proliferation and activates TCF transcriptional activity. These observations demonstrate that PDE10 is essential for colon tumor cell growth and suggest that inhibitors may have therapeutic potential for the treatment or prevention of colorectal cancer.

Citation Format: Nan Li, Kevin Lee, Yaguang Xi, Bing Zhu, Bernary D. Gary, Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Evrim Gurpinar, Joshua C. Canzoneri, Alexandra Fajardo, Sara Sigler, John T. Piazza, Xi Chen, Joel Andrews, Wenyan Lu, Yonghe Li, Suzanne Russo, Larry Yet, Adam B. Keeton, William E. Grizzle, Gary A. Piazza. Phosphodiesterase 10A: A novel target for selective inhibition of colon tumor cell growth and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1773. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1773