A novel tandem annulation of N-(o-ethynylaryl)acrylamides, with CH2Cl2 as a one-carbon unit, for the divergent synthesis of cyclopenta[c]quinolin-4(5H)-ones and benzo[j]phenanthridin-6(5H)-ones, which relies on the substitution effect of the 2 position of the acrylamide moiety, is described. Promoted by the visible-light photoredox catalysis, this reaction allows the formation of multiple chemical bonds through multiple C-Cl/C-H functionalization and [2 + 2 + 1] annulation cascades.


The safety and immunogenicity of a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp160 recombinant vaccinia virus (HIVAC-1e) vaccine was evaluated in vaccinia-naive, healthy adults at low risk for acquiring HIV-1 infection. Volunteers (n = 36) were randomized to receive HIVAC-1e or control vaccinia virus at two dosages by bifurcated needle puncture at 0 and 2 months; 12 HIVAC-1e and 6 control vaccinia virus recipients received either 10(6) or 10(7) pfu/mL at each inoculation. There was no significant difference in lesion size, level of viral replication, or systemic symptoms after vaccination with HIVAC-1e or control vaccinia virus. Of 22 HIVAC-1e recipients with lesion formation, 16 developed low-titer gp160-specific antibody responses detectable by Western blot. The peak response occurred between days 70 and 120 and was still detectable at day 365 in 9 of 18 vaccinees. gp160-specific lymphoproliferative responses were detected in 5 of 10 vaccinees. Vaccination with HIVAC-1e was safe in vaccinia-naive, healthy adults and could induce both humoral and cell-mediated gp160-specific immune responses.


Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on electroencephalography (EEG) enable direct communication between humans and computers by analyzing brain activity. Specifically, modern BCIs are capable of translating imagined movements into reallife control signals, e.g., to actuate a robotic arm or prosthesis. This type of BCI is already used in rehabilitation robotics and provides an alternative communication channel for patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or severe spinal cord injury. Current state-of-the-art methods are based on traditional machine learning, which involves the identification of discriminative features. This is a challenging task due to the non-linear, non-stationary and time-varying characteristics of EEG signals, which led to stagnating progress in classification performance. Deep learning alleviates the efforts for manual feature engineering through end-to-end decoding, which potentially presents a promising solution for EEG signal classification. This thesis investigates how deep learning models such as long short-term memory (LSTM) and convolutional neural networks (CNN) perform on the task of decoding motor imagery movements from EEG signals. For this task, both a LSTM and a CNN model are developed using the latest advances in deep learning, such as batch normalization, dropout and cropped training strategies for data augmentation. Evaluation is performed on a novel EEG dataset consisting of 20 healthy subjects. The LSTM model reaches the state-of-the-art performance of support vector machines with a cross-validated accuracy of 66.20%. The CNN model that employs a time-frequency transformation in its first layer outperforms the LSTM model and reaches a mean accuracy of 84.23%. This shows that deep learning approaches deliver competitive performance without the need for hand-crafted features, enabling end-to-end classification.


The theory of ion cyclotron emission, ICE, in tokamak plasmas has been revised by including the effects of finite orbit width and RF‐induced spatial transport in the wave‐particle interactions. Two mechanisms for excitation of edge localised magnetosonic modes are discussed. An inverted distribution function of suprathermal ions near the plasma edge is driving the modes. Counter current propagating waves can be excited by interacting with barely co passing ions. Co current propagating waves interacting at the inner leg only can drive the modes unstable by throwing the fast ions out of the plasma.


The Martin compactification is investigated for a d-dimensional random walk which is killed when at least one of it's coordinates becomes zero or negative. The limits of the Martin kernel are represented in terms of the harmonic functions of the associated induced Markov chains. It is shown that any sequence of points x_n with lim_n |x_n| = \infty and lim_n x_n/|x_n|= q is fundamental in the Martin compactification if up to the multiplication by constants, the induced Markov chain corresponding to the direction q has a unique positive harmonic function. The full Martin compactification is obtained for Cartesian products of one-dimensional random walks. The methods involve a ratio limit theorem and a large deviation principle for sample paths of scaled processes leading to the logarithmic asymptotics of the Green function.


merits; but I wish to refer those interested in the subject to another method of applying the oil, as it is 'one wbioh% thoutgh I have not used it, theoreticaly-commends itself to my mind' and which I have not seen alluded to by Dr. Alder Smith, or by any subsequent writers. At the same time, it will, I doubt not, interest the readers of the JOURNAL to know the name of the originator of this treatment and the date of its publication. This information is to be found in an article published in 1876, inLeBulletin Gene.ralde The'rapezuique(p. 97), where the treatment of ringworm by croton-oil is most fully detailed. The writer, Dr. Ladreit de Lacharriere, recognising the difficulty of eradicating the / richophyton from the root-bulbs in chronic tinea tonsurans by the ordinary lotions, ointments, and applications, refers'to the advantages of crotonoil in destroying the diseased hairs and stumps by a process of suppuration (or an artificial kerion), while leaving the follicles intact. He states that the treatment was successful in eighteen cases, the duration of treatment lasting from six weeks to two months; and the cases treated, as I have already stated, were of the tender age of from two to five years. Instead of employing the pure oil, as I have done, Dr. Ladreit de Lacharriere thinks better results are to be obtained from using it inixed with cacao-butter and white wax, in the proportions of IOO parts of the oil to 50 parts each of the adjuncts; and he advises that it should be made in moulds, so as to resemble a stick of cosme/ique, as thereby the croton-oil can be applied with great accuracy as to both extent and depth. It would be interesting if further experience of this method were forthcoming, more particularly at the present time, when, attention is being directed to the therapeutics of ringworm, and while the merits of a rival non-irritating application (in the shape of thymol, as recommended by Mr. M. Morris) are before' the profession.


Abstract Polyamory means consensual, aspirationally gender-egalitarian, non-monogamous relationships. People who engage in such relationships often seek relationship advice. This article is a critical review of a self-help webcomic and other texts in the light of contract theory. Polyamorous people often use contractual concepts to understand their relationships and how to carry them out. Applying critical contract theory, we can trace how problems typical of contractual framing in other fields play out in the poly context. At the same time, these problems are recognized and responded to by poly people, and they dynamically reinterpret core contract concepts. This article thus makes two contributions. First, it provides a study in the way legal concepts percolate out into, and are transformed by, everyday life. Second, in consolidating some ways poly people have solved old contract problems, it offers conceptual tools for the continuing project of imagining more just ways of relating.


Few studies have quantified the dynamics of recovering populations of large raptors using long-term, spatially explicit studies. Using data collected over 37 years in the western Italian Alps, we assessed the trends in distribution, abundance, fecundity and breeding population structure of Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos. Using the spatial distribution of territory centroids in 2007, we found that the spatial distribution of eagle territories was over-dispersed up to 3 km. Although population size and total productivity increased from 1972 to 2008, the proportion of pairs that laid eggs showed a strong decline, falling to no more than 50% after 2003. On average, 15% of successful nests produced two fledglings, and productivity also declined over time. No significant relationship between population growth rate and total population size was detected, but the percentage of pairs that bred and breeding success showed evidence of density dependence, as they declined significantly with increasing density. Our results suggest that density dependence, operating across heterogeneous habitats, is currently regulating this population, while the carrying capacity may still be increasing. This may explain the apparent paradox of reduced breeding effort despite increasing total productivity.


Background In the management of chronic diseases, recommendations insist on the need to work in partnership with the patient. Discordance in the assessment of disease by different stakeholders is problematic in any chronic inflammatory disease, with regards to treatment decisions and shared decision-making. It is critical in spondyloarthritis (SpA) care where objective measures are often limited and subjective or patient-reported information becomes the only available for treatment decision making. Furthermore, there may be a reference shift in early disease leading to changes in discordance over time. Objectives The aim of our study was to assess patient-physician discordance in global assessment of disease in early SpA and its evolution over time. Methods DESIR (Devenir des Spondyloarthropathies Indifférenciées Récentes) is a French, multicenter, longitudinal cohort of patients with early inflammatory back pain suggestive of axial SpA. Patient- and Examiner-Global Assessment (PGA and EGA) were rated with a 0-10 numeric scale, every 6 months during 3 years. PGA and EGA were assessed respectively as "How do you rate the effect of your illness on your general condition during the previous week?" and "Overall assessment of the activity of the rheumatic disease". Discordance was defined by the absolute difference PGA–EGA>2 (1). Mean PGA, EGA and discordance were analysed at each visit. Patients consistently discordant were calculated as an agreement statistic (kappa coefficient) between inclusion and 36 months. There was no imputation of missing data. Results A total of 437 patients had complete data available over 36 months. The mean age was 34.5±8.7 years. 55.2% were female and mean symptoms duration was 18.0±10.7 months. Mean PGA values were always higher than mean EGA values (e.g. at 12 months, respectively 4.2±2.7 versus 3.2±2.3). PGA and EGA decreased over follow up (mean decrease, 1.4 (27.3%) for PGA, 1.6 (36.6%) for EGA). In all, 123 (28.2%) patients had discordance at inclusion and there was no change over time with also 123 patients with discordance at 36 months. Agreement statistics for discordance between inclusion and 36 months indicated it is not always the same patients who have discordance (kappa=0.03). Indeed, among patients with discordance at least once at inclusion or 36 months, 82.3% were discordant only once. Conclusions PGA was around 4/10 and always higher than EGA in early SpA over 3 years. Around 28% of patients had discordance between PGA and EGA in early SpA, which is rather lower than discordance described in rheumatoid arthritis (around 36%). Over 3 years of follow up, although patients probably had a better understanding of their disease, discordance in global assessment did not decrease (no "reference shift"). Over 2 time points, 3 years apart, most patients with discordance were only discordant once, indicating that discordance is not a stable trait. This goes against the hypothesis that discordance could be a marker of personality or of comorbidity, e.g., widespread pain syndrome. References Khan et al. Arthritis Care Res. févr 2012;64(2):206-14. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Study of the distribution of mega- and microspores in coal seams of the Bruay zone in the western part of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais basin, France, permits vein-to-vein correlation over distances of more than 10 kilometers, confirming the value of palynology in coal stratigraphy.


Short language proficiency tests are often needed for low-stakes assessment in education and research, particularly in second language settings. Vocabulary tests are a good candidate; they give rapid, useful estimates of language proficiency. Ideally, several formats are available so that language proficiency can be measured independently of the method used. In the present study, a French C-test was developed and tested on 129 Dutch-French bilingual students. The newly developed C-test was compared to an existing (but not yet validated) C-test and a yes/no vocabulary test (Lextale-FR). In addition, for some students the scores were compared to their French end-of-term marks. Internal consistency of the new test was ICC=.8 and the test correlated r=.7 with the existing C-test. Correlation with end-of-term marks was r=.5 (criterion validity). Correlation with Lextale-FR was lower (r=.3) and Lextale-FR also correlated less with exam marks (r=.3), confirming that the C-test measures skills not covered by Lextale-FR. The C-test is free to use for educational and research purposes.


Acinetobacter baumannii is a formidable opportunistic pathogen that is notoriously difficult to eradicate from hospital settings. This resilience is often attributed to a proclivity for biofilm formation, which facilitates a higher tolerance toward external stress, desiccation, and antimicrobials. ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii is a formidable opportunistic pathogen that is notoriously difficult to eradicate from hospital settings. This resilience is often attributed to a proclivity for biofilm formation, which facilitates a higher tolerance toward external stress, desiccation, and antimicrobials. Despite this, little is known regarding the mechanisms orchestrating A. baumannii biofilm formation. Here, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on biofilm and planktonic populations for the multidrug-resistant isolate AB5075 and identified 438 genes with altered expression. To assess the potential role of genes upregulated within biofilms, we tested the biofilm-forming capacity of their respective mutants from an A. baumannii transposon library. In so doing, we uncovered 24 genes whose disruption led to reduced biofilm formation. One such element, cold shock protein C (cspC), had a highly mucoid colony phenotype, enhanced tolerance to polysaccharide degradation, altered antibiotic tolerance, and diminished adherence to abiotic surfaces. RNA-seq of the cspC mutant revealed 201 genes with altered expression, including the downregulation of pili and fimbria genes and the upregulation of multidrug efflux pumps. Using transcriptional arrest assays, it appears that CspC mediates its effects, at least in part, through RNA chaperone activity, influencing the half-life of several important transcripts. Finally, we show that CspC is required for survival during challenge by the human immune system and is key for A. baumannii dissemination and/or colonization during systemic infection. Collectively, our work identifies a cadre of new biofilm-associated genes within A. baumannii and provides unique insight into the global regulatory network of this emerging human pathogen.


A five-year-old male Cocker Spaniel was presented for evaluation of the right eye due to discomfort, abundant purulent discharge and progressive enlargement of the eyeball. The owner revealed that the right eye has appeared to be inflamed and smaller then the left eye for years. Ophthalmic examination revealed corneal perforation, buphthalmia and conjuctival hyperemia. Enucleating was performed due to signs of endophthalmitis and ocular discomfort. Histopathology revealed a multilobulated proliferation of chondrocytes producing hyaline cartilage with occasional pleomorphism and binucleate cells. A diagnosis of primary intraocular chondrosarcoma was done.


Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties of Iraqi Echinops heterophyllus aqueous crude extract and its flavonoid fraction against methotrexate (MTX)-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits. Methods: MTX-induced hepatotoxicity by administration of 20 mg/kg MTX intraperitoneally for 3 successive days was used as animal model, and animals were arrayed in four groups with eight animals in each group: Group 1 was the healthy control, Group 2 the negative control receiving MTX only, Group 3 received MTX+crude extract of E. heterophyllus, and Group 4 administered MTX+flavonoid fraction of E. heterophyllus. The study duration was 10 days; at day 11, animals were sacrificed, and the blood samples were obtained for the measurement of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, total protein, and albumin as well as ELISA assay of the oxidative stress markers such as glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The liver was dissected and processed for histopathological investigation and scoring. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate the significance of each result. Results: The study results revealed severe liver damage due to MTX administration in the negative control (induced-non treated) group in comparison with healthy group, also there was significant hepatoprotective effect after administration of the crude extract of E. heterophyllus, and flavonoids fraction from Echinops heterophyllus as shown after measuring the biochemical liver function tests, as well as anti-oxidant properties demonstrated by the measurement of oxidative stress markers MDA and GSH in serum. The crude extract of E. heterophyllus shown superior hepatoprotective and antioxidant effect. Histopathological scoring showed a remarkable decrease in the scores of the treatment groups in comparison with the high score in the MTX only treated group. Conclusions: MTX administered in a dose of 20 mg/kg for 3 successive days causes marked liver injury, while treatment with the crude extract and flavonoid fraction of E. heterophyllus significantly ameliorates MTX-induced liver damage, although the crude extract of E. heterophyllus seems to have the most hepatoprotective properties.


The object of research, presented in this article, is the expert and consulting support of heads of formation of different level at adoption of administrative decisions. The purpose of this publication – the description of forms and methods of professional expert and consulting support of heads of the educational organizations and other experts of an education system at adoption of decisions by them in development of educational infrastructure. The conducted research shows a demand of consulting support at acceptance the decisions by heads in case of problem situations. Concrete orders for consulting services can regulate both a form of rendering services, and the content of consultations. The offered approach allows to define structure and the content of work of the expert-consultant: to define a circle of professional tasks of the expert-consultant, to structure work stages with the head taking into account his professional competence and the revealed administrative problems. On the basis of the conducted research the list of professional tasks of experts-consultants which takes into account necessary kinds of activity (information and analytical, research, design, organizational and administrative, pedagogical) is allocated. The allocated tasks allow to define professional competences, on the development and formation which has to be directed training of experts-consultants. The scientific and methodical material can be used when developing structure and the maintenance of regional and municipal consulting services in the field of education, during training of experts-consultants, and also when carrying out scientific researches of this subject.


A large data set, comprising certain measurements of middle ear structures in mammals, was compiled both from measurements made by the author and from the literature. Parameters of the middle ear apparatus believed to be important to audition were compared between fossorial and non-fossorial species, in an attempt to identify general trends among fossorial groups. Although their tympanic membranes are not of unusual size, many fossorial mammals possess enlarged stapes footplate areas, resulting in low anatomical area ratios. Low anatomical lever ratios are also common, and the reduction or loss of middle ear muscles seems to be a consistent trend. These characteristics might be associated with poor sensitivity to airborne sound. Other features of the middle ear apparatus are more variable both between and within fossorial families. The middle ear ossicles of fossorial rodents, talpid moles and some golden moles were not found to differ in mass from those of non-fossorial mammals of similar body size. The similar ossicular morphologies of these animals suggest convergent adaptation towards a subterranean environment, but the middle ear structure alone does not seem to explain the restricted hearing range observed in certain of these species. Some genera of golden moles possess extraordinarily hypertrophied auditory ossicles, which, relative to body mass, are the largest of all mammals for which data are available. These ossicles seem to be adaptations towards a form of inertial bone conduction, used for the detection of substrate vibrations. In stark contrast, the marsupial mole Notoryctes has particularly small ossicles. The unusual middle ear structures of this animal may well be degenerate.


L. hintonii C. P. Smith grows in the Central Highland forests of Mexico at altitudes between 2800 m to 3200 m above see level. Members of the genus Lupinus produce quinolizidine alkaloids as main chemical defensive compounds against herbivores. Surprisingly alkaloid profiles are rather constant within this species, while substantial variation was found when compared to morphologically closely related other taxa. As part of a phytochemical project on Mexican wild lupins, we report on the alkaloid profiles of seeds and leaves of L. hintonii. 19 alkaloids could be identified by capillary GLC-MS. Six major alkaloids occurred in leaves and seeds: 13-hydroxylupanine (28% and 45% respectively), tetrahydrorhombifoline (31% and 23% respectively), angustifoline (2% and 4% respectively), lupanine (7% and 5% respectively), 13α-tigloyloxylupanine (19% and 5% respectively) and 4α-angeloyl-3β-hydroxylupanine (9% and 2%). This chemical pattern resembles that of the North American lupin L. floribundus


This paper presents a specification and verification technique for distributed and parallel applications using formal and semi-formal methods. The proposed technique uses UML and Event B. The design is initially expressed graphically with UML, then translated into Event B and verified using the B powerful support tools. In this paper, we focus on the translation of activity diagrams into Event B, in order to verify workflow properties of distributed and parallel applications with the B prover. We present translation rules of activity diagrams into Event B, and relation between hierarchical decomposition of activities in UML activity diagrams and the refinement in Event B.


Background: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is a highly aggressive peripheral T-cell neoplasm caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Although most patients respond to initial therapy, relapse is inevitable and the overall prognosis is dismal. Therefore, we developed a novel immune therapy consisting of autologous dendritic cells (DC) pulsed with Tax peptides (ATL-DC-101) to prevent relapse. The used peptides are corresponding to the major epitopes of HTLV-1 Tax-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that potentially act as anti-ATL effectors. Mogamulizumab is an anti-CCR4 antibody, which binds to ATL cells and regulatory T cells. A preceding pilot study suggested the safety of ATL-DC-101 monotherapy, and then we conducted a phase Ia/Ib study to investigate safety and efficacy of ATL-DC-101 combined with mogamulizumab.
 Methods: ATL patients pretreated and stable for at least 4 weeks were enrolled. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained by apheresis and differentiated into DC, which was pulsed with Tax-peptides. The study consisted of 2 cohorts, i.e., Ia and Ib phase, in which patients were assigned ATL-DC-101 monotherapy and ATL-DC-101 combined with mogamulizumab, respectively. The protocol consisted of three subcutaneous injections of ATL-DC-101 at 2-week intervals. Mogamulizumab was administered once before ATL-DC-101 in Ib phase. The primary endpoint of the study was to evaluate safety and feasibility of ATL-DC-101. The secondary endpoints were anti-tumor effects, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and time to next treatment, estimated by Kaplan-Meier method. The safety and disease status were accessed at day 56 and followed until 2 years.
 Results: Six aggressive ATL patients who were in stable condition by previous therapies were enrolled in this study from 2015 to 2016. Frequent DC- related toxicities were mild injection site reaction (n=5, 83.3%), decreased WBC count (n=3, 50%), and liver damage (n=2, 33.3%), all of which were grade 1 or 2. Notably, 2 patients (1 in each cohort) with partial response (PR) after chemotherapy were converted into complete response (CR) after ATL-DC-101. The 2-year PFS and OS were both 83.3%. All three patients who received ATL-DC-101 monotherapy (Ia) maintained CR for more than two years. Although one patient in phase Ib developed progressive disease after one year, the other two patients remained in CR. Interestingly ATL cells in a relapsed case harbored deletion of Tax gene, which resulted in the loss of the target peptide presentation. After a median follow-up of 29 months, 5/6 patients are alive without any additional chemotherapy after ATL-DC-101.
 Conclusions: ATL-DC-101 was well tolerated and successfully maintained CR more than 2 years in 5/6 patients irrespective of additional mogamulizumab, indicating that this therapy could be a safe and effective long-lasting maintenance therapy even for elderly ATL patients. Currently, we are preparing Phase II trial to confirm anti-tumor effects of ATL-DC-101 monotherapy.

 Shiratsuchi: Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.Ltd: Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co.Ltd: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo Co.Ltd: Research Funding. Fukuda:Chugai Pharmaceutical: Speakers Bureau. Ishida:Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene K.K: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bayer AG: Research Funding; Mundiparma K: Honoraria. Akashi:Ono Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Taiho Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; sanofi: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Eli Lilly Japan: Research Funding; Novartis pharma: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Eisai: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; Asahi-kasei: Research Funding; Chugai Pharma: Research Funding. Matsuoka:Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Suehiro:Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Research Funding; Ono Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Chugai Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical: Research Funding.


From the point of view of modern neo-institutional economics, blockchain is an institutional technology that minimizes transaction costs and leads to the elimination of intermediation. Using the example of the blockchain, I demonstrate the possibilities of post-institutionalism – a new generation of methodologies and theories of institutional analysis, alternative to neo-institutional economics. Based on the theory of transaction value, I argue that the blockchain technologies will not radically reduce transaction costs, but will reorient intermediaries to improving the quality of transactions and expanding the offer of additional transaction services. Using the theory of institutional assemblages, I argue that it is impossible to form a homogeneous system of blockchain-based institutions associated exclusively with the principles of decentralization, transparency and openness. Blockchain-based institutions will be of a hybrid nature, combining elements of opposing institutional logics


The therapeutic working alliance by Bordin has been demonstrated as a 'common ground' variable attributable to change in identified change enterprises, including education. In this context, working alliance (renamed learning alliance) has been empirically demonstrated to predict positive on-campus student outcomes. However, minimal research investigating whether learning alliance predicts blended student outcomes has been conducted. A measure of on-campus student teaching alliance (the learning alliance inventory, LAI; Rogers), which operationalises (measures) learning alliance using three subscales (collaborative bond, teacher competency and student investment) was administered to 199 Australian tertiary students, enrolled in a counselling program delivered in the blended learning modality (online learning coupled with synchronous tutorials and an on-campus intensive). The aim of the study was to investigate if this on-campus measure of learning alliance can validly measure learning alliance in blended student populations as well. Results revealed that learning alliance in the blended student population is best operationalised as a two-factor model (collaborative bond and student investment) only. Thematic analysis of an open question revealed learning alliance in the blended teaching environment is understood as four themes: qualities of the teacher, teacher style, mastery of the technology and unique online factors. These results were interpreted as evidence that the bond factor of the original learning alliance construct as operationalised by Bordin (1979) continues to be important in the blended teaching space, but other factors unique to blended learning are important for online learning alliance, including content relevancy, currency and validity, as well as a transparent and structured course delivery style, flexibility when technology fails and online objectivity. Study limitations, implications and future research recommendations are discussed.


Objective and methods. Asthma is often reported by elite athletes, especially endurance athletes. The aim of this article is to review current knowledge of mechanisms and management of exercise-induced asthma (EIA) in adult elite athletes. Results. The mechanisms underlying EIA is incompletely understood, but the two prevailing hypotheses are the hyper-osmolarity and the thermal hypothesis. Both hypotheses consider inflammation and activation of mast cells as being crucial for the development of EIA, although the assumed mechanisms triggering the inflammatory response differ. Objective testing is of utmost importance in the diagnosis of EIA in elite athletes. Management of EIA can be divided into pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment. The basic principles for the treatment of EIA in elite athletes should be as for any asthmatic individual, including use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), β2-agonists, and leukotriene antagonists. However, evidence suggests that daily use of β2-agonists might lead to the development of tolerance. ICS therapy is, due to its anti-inflammatory effects, the recommended primary therapy for EIA also in elite athletes. All doctors treating individuals with asthma, especially elite athletes, should remain updated on doping aspects of asthma therapy. Non-pharmacologic management of EIA in elite athletes includes physical warm-up, which takes advantage of the refractory period following an attack of EIA, whereas high intake of antioxidants may reduce airway inflammation. Wearing heat masks, specially designed for outdoor winter athletes, might protect against bronchoconstriction triggered by inhalation of cold and dry air. Conclusion. EIA in elite athletes should be managed as in any individual with asthma, but the risk of developing tolerance to bronchodilators as well as doping aspects should always be taken into account.


A theoretical investigation on the structural stability, electronic, vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of the strontium apatites Sr10(PO4)6X2 (X = F, Cl, Br) is systematically conducted by the first-principles calculations. Results of cohesive energies and formation enthalpies suggest that the thermal stability of strontium apatites decreases from Sr10(PO4)6F2 (Sr-FAP) to Sr10(PO4)6Cl2 (Sr-ClAP) and further to Sr10(PO4)6Br2 (Sr-BrAP); such a tendency is also be observed with regard to the band gaps. Using linear-response approach, the detailed vibrational properties of Sr10(PO4)6X2 (X = F, Cl, Br) are obtained. According to the calculated phonon dispersions, it is concluded that strontium apatites Sr10(PO4)6X2 (X = F, Cl, Br) are dynamically stable, and the phonon behaviors are generally similar to these apatites, but most of the vibrational frequencies decrease from Sr-FAP, Sr-ClAP to Sr-BrAP. The assignment of the vibrational modes at the gamma point demonstrate that all the silent mode Bg, Bu and E2u are affected and the only optically active mode involved is the Raman active mode E2g with the replacement of larger Cl− and Br− for F−. The results calculated with the quasi-harmonic approximation (QHA) show that Sr10(PO4)6X2 (X = F, Cl, Br) exhibits similar but slightly different behaviors in terms of its thermodynamic properties, which is expected because the halogen atoms F, Cl and Br are in the same VIIA group. Significantly, all the present calculation results are satisfactory compared to the existing experimental and theoretical results.


Case: A 33-year-old male presented to the emergency department with complaints of polydipsia, polyuria, nausea, headaches, blurry vision and malaise. Lab work revealed a serum glucose level of 1166 mg/dl (64.8 mmol/L). The patient admitted to completing a cycle of androgenic anabolic steroids (AASs) for bodybuilding. His regimen consisted of supraphysiologic intramuscular injections of a bovine growth hormone, trenbolone acetate and testosterone. The patient received intravenous fluids and insulin to restore metabolic balance. Previously healthy with a non-contributory family history, he was diagnosed with new onset diabetes. Discussion: It has been demonstrated that AAS use, specifically growth hormone, can affect glucose homeostasis through increasing cellular insulin resistance and reducing glucose uptake. Excess growth hormone has been shown to cause symptoms of acromegaly which predisposes up to 40% of patients to diabetes. As trenbolone acetate is not indicated for human use and athletes are known to use supraphysiologic doses of this underground, performance enhancing drug, the correlation of the timing of events and the use of this veterinary growth hormone likely exacerbated an underlying condition or caused this new onset diabetes. Conclusion: We report a case of a young bodybuilder with no significant past medical history who was diagnosed with new onset diabetes associated with supraphysiologic self-injections of the bovine growth hormone, trenbolone acetate, combined with testosterone. AAS have the potential to induce or exacerbate diabetic conditions due to decreased glucose tolerance and increased insulin resistance.


PurposeThe physiological mechanism and phytoremediation effects of heavy metal pollution by local desert plants, namely, Kochia scoparia, Chenopodium glaucum and Atriplex centralasiatica, around tailings were investigated. MethodsTwo different types of local soils (native soil and native soil + tailings, which are labeled CK and T, respectively) were used for potting experiments in the open, and the photosynthesis performance, chlorophyll content, hydraulics and stem anatomy of the potted plants were analyzed. The collection of soil samples has been approved by the soil resources management department of the local government.ResultsIt was found that the chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate decreased but the chlorophyll a and b (Chl a/b) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) values increased in Kochia scoparia under complex heavy metal stress. Nonstomatal restriction led to a decrease in the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and damage to the chloroplasts. Additionally, four hydrodynamic parameters were elevated under heavy metal stress along with a decrease in duct density and diameter and a significant thickening of the duct wall. Under heavy metal stress, the changes in the chlorophyll parameters of Chenopodium glaucum, Atriplex centralasiatica and Kochia scoparia exhibited the same pattern, with stomatal restriction causing a decrease in Pn and Ci and a significant increase in the leaf specific conductance, hydraulic conductivity, and duct diameter. ConclusionsAtriplex centralasiatica is the dominant desert plant in the region and demonstrates good adaptability and heavy metal accumulation under the stress of heavy metal tailings; therefore, it is a good candidate for tailings remediation in the Jinchang desert mining area.


Professional competence implies a personality trait that is formed in the process of the corresponding activity. At the same time, it is established that psycho-physiological indicators affect the nature of the subjective activity of the teacher. In this aspect in the article is made an attempt to study psycho-physiological features of pedagogical activities in order to improve the process of professional teachers training. It was carried out an analysis of materials on the work psychology and work physiology. The definitions and characteristics of mental and physical work are presented. The study showed that the performance of professional duties requires certain requirements for the musculoskeletal system of the employee and his mental processes, which is being regulated by the central nervous system. There were revealed the characteristics of functional systems. Their self-regulation contributes to human adaptation for working conditions. This way, the process of becoming future teachers of physical education will become more effective if their pedagogical and sports training is carried out not only on the basis of general psychological and pedagogical laws, but also taking into account the level of development of psycho-physiological indicators of this professional activity.


The 2p-subshell photoabsorption spectrum of Mg-like silicon has been recorded for the first time using the dual laser plasma (DLP) technique. The spectrum is discussed within a framework of the evolution of 2p photoabsorption along the Mg-like isoelectronic sequence. Assignments of the Si2+ spectrum based on Hartree-Fock configuration interaction (HFCI) calculations are presented.


HIMALA, A.C. (2012). [Zoo]ming In: An Analysis of the Representation of Aetas in Zoobic Safari and Buhay Aeta. Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. This study seeks to analyze the representation of Aetas in two texts: their performance in Zoobic Safari as a product of negotiation and means of resistance, and in Buhay Aeta, a television documentary that continues to exoticize indigenous culture. It is guided by the postcolonial notions of Edward Said's Orientalism, particularly the concepts of othering and exoticization, as well as a discussion by Rey Chow about resistance within postcolonial discourse. This study primarily employs textual analysis, along with ethnography as a secondary method, in order to examine the representation of Aetas in Zoobic. This thesis provides a background of Zoobic Safari and the Aeta program it exhibits. It traces how indigenous identity has been represented in the context of our colonial past. This maps out the tradition of indigenous identity we inherited from our colonial experience. It then analyzes the representation of Aetas in Zoobic, and explains how their performance is a means of resistance against oppression. This study then looks into Buhay Aeta, a broadcast text, and explores the exoticized representation of indigenous identity within the show. Finally, it aims to provide a criticism of how the broadcast industry manufactures truth claims about our indigenous people.


Material causing contraction of the isolated rabbit aorta (rabbit aorta contracting substance, RCS) was released from guinea pig lung following perfusion with arachidonic acid and from human blood platelets after addition of thrombin to induce aggregation. Prostaglandin endoperoxides (prostaglandins G2 and/or H2) were found both in the perfusate of guinea pig lung (1-3 ng/ml) and in the medium collected after platelet aggregation (13-37 ng/ml). The contractile response of the isolated rabbit aorta to the pure prostaglandins G2 and H2 was also determined. These data combined with the quantitative analyses of the endoperoxides released from the lungs and platelets showed that only a minor part of the rabbit aorta contracting activity was due to the prostaglandin endoperoxides. The major part of the activity consisted of very unstable material. The half life of this material was about 30 s at 37 degrees whereas at this temperature the prostaglandin endoperoxides had a half life of about 5 min.


When the machine takes control, we passively-and happily-acquiesce.-Kenneth Goldsmith, "Introduction to Flarf vs. Conceptual Writing" (2009)1Descriptions of conceptual writing often refer to its celebration of the boring and uncreative. Kenneth Goldsmith, the movement's most prominent exponent, argues that "writing should be as effortless as washing the dishes; and as interesting."2 Indeed, many of his books seem dull as dishwater-a transcription of one day's traffic bulletins from the radio, for instance, or one year's weather reports. There are good reasons for this strategy to bore. The embrace of ordinariness sets conceptualists in the company of Georges Perec, Andy Warhol, Samuel Beckett, even Christopher Smart. It also makes available a familiar stable of aestheticopolitical claims about defamiliarization and the critique of daily life. But if conceptualists reject the dramatics of literary invention, favoring the mundane and uncreative, then why does so much conceptual writing mediate the grim spectacles of war, genocide, and other violence? Conceptual approaches to violence vary widely, from Charles Reznikoff's verse collage of the Nuremberg Trial transcripts in Holocaust (1975) to Fiona Banner's shot-by-shot descriptions of Vietnam War films in The Nam (1997).3 Even Goldsmith, having said he is "getting out of the boredom business," offers Seven American Deaths and Disasters (2013), which transcribes news coverage of assassinations, mass shootings, and the liked Such books do not simply underscore the banality of evil, the dailiness of disaster. Rather, conceptual treatments of war and other violence set up a tension between the writer's cool, uncreative procedures and topics so grim that they dare the reader not to respond viscerally.The recourse to violence highlights another major precept of conceptual writing: its disavowal of individual expression. Much as a transcript of weather forecasts conveys a supraindividual sense of the natural and technological systems in which we live, so conceptual war poetry eschews the personal frameworks through which we commonly respond to violence. Such work renders violence at a scale beyond that of lived experience. The conceptual war poet's words often are not her own. She reworks existing discourse, operating within a social machine that produces texts as traces of the violence it does. Her writing calls attention to its own mechanicity and materiality; it figures the disciplinary character of our social systems and challenges the view of language as a vehicle for personal expression.5 My title thus refers to conceptualism as a "war machine" in part because it privileges mechanistic impersonality over the lived experience of war and other violence. Secondarily, conceptual writing operates as a war machine in a sense that calls up the latent militancy of the term avant-garde. The movement emerged after a remarkable period of slackening among American experimental writers, when the good feelings of pluralism masked a growing sense of stagnation. As suggested in the title of the best-known conceptualist anthology, Against Expression (2011), the conceptualists position their work against conventional writing. Their oppositional rhetoric has increased agonism among contemporary poets. Drawing analogies between conceptualists' war on other styles and their thematic interest in violence, this essay begins by reading the rhetoric of agonism as it has informed conceptualism's place in recent literary history.I faithlessly borrow war machine from Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. The term underscores the importance of technology and history in an account of conceptual writing's agonism. For Deleuze and Guattari, the war machine is not a national military but a nomadic assemblage "exterior to the State apparatus," which seeks to appropriate its violence.6 It opposes State authority more decisively than the conceptualists do, but conceptual writing powerfully affirms the proposition that "a book itself is a little machine. …


Voluntary decision to take one's life is termed suicide. The issue of suicide has generated heated and controvertible argument as some were inclined to recommend suicide on certain grounds while others spoke vehemently against suicide. It is from the foregoing that this paper seeks to underscore some arguments for and against suicide taking into cognizance the moral posture regarding the subject matter (suicide). Does man's free moral agency license him to do anything even to include willful taking of his life? Is there any gain living when all hope is gone, or in the face of suffering a terminal and incurable disease? Sometimes ones loses the essence of life and comes face to face with suicide as a better and only option what is the socio-economic, political, legal and moral stand on suicide? These and more are the concern of this paper..


Due to tremendous progress in digital electronics now intelligent and autonomous agents are gradually being adopted into the fields and domains of the military, defense and warfare. This paper tries to explore some of the inherent ethical issues, threats and some remedial issues about the impact of such systems on human civilization and existence in general. This paper discusses human ethics in contrast to machine ethics and the problems caused by non-sentient agents. A systematic study is made on paradoxes regarding the long-term advantages of such agents in military combat. This paper proposes an international standard which could be adopted by all nations to bypass the adverse effects and solve ethical issues of such intelligent agents.


A human-mouse chimeric antibody constructed in the present study was specific for a human tumor-associated antigen, common acute lymphocytic leukemia antigen. The antibody consisted of human heavy and light chain constant domains (gamma 1 and kappa type) and mouse heavy and light chain variable domains, which were derived from human plasma cell leukemia line (ARH77) and mouse hybridoma cells (NL-1) specific for common acute lymphocytic leukemia antigen, respectively. The artificially fused immunoglobulin molecules were produced in mouse myeloma cells, X63Ag8.653 which were transformed with the chimeric heavy and light chain genes formed by joining the corresponding gene segments in vitro at the J-C introns. The human heavy chain enhancer element was ligated tot he chimeric heavy and light chain genes, and this enhancer appeared to be obligatory for the efficient production of the chimeric antibody molecules. The stably transformed cells secreted the chimeric antibody, which specifically bound a common acute lymphocytic leukemia antigen expressing cell line. The amount of the chimeric antibody produced (10-30 micrograms/ml in the serum-free medium) was comparable to that made by murine hybridoma line, NL-1. The molecular weight of the chimeric heavy chain molecules was reduced from 54,000 to 50,000 upon treatment with tunicamycin, suggesting that the peptide was normally glycosylated in the transformants. The chimeric antibody exhibited complement-dependent cytotoxicity, in which glycosylation is thought to be indispensable. The antibody also mediated antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity to the human target cells. The antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity of the chimeric antibody was twice that of the murine NL-1 monoclonal antibody when human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used as effectors.


Multivariate statistical treatments of large data sets in sedimentary geochemical and other fields are rapidly becoming more popular as analytical and computational capabilities expand. Because geochemical data sets present a unique set of conditions (e.g., the closed array), application of generic off‐the‐shelf applications is not straightforward and can yield misleading results. We present here annotated MATLAB scripts (and specific guidelines for their use) for Q‐mode factor analysis, a constrained least squares multiple linear regression technique, and a total inversion protocol, that are based on the well‐known approaches taken by Dymond (1981), Leinen and Pisias (1984), Kyte et al. (1993), and their predecessors. Although these techniques have been used by investigators for the past decades, their application has been neither consistent nor transparent, as their code has remained in‐house or in formats not commonly used by many of today's researchers (e.g., FORTRAN). In addition to providing the annotated scripts and instructions for use, we discuss general principles to be considered when performing multivariate statistical treatments of large geochemical data sets, provide a brief contextual history of each approach, explain their similarities and differences, and include a sample data set for the user to test their own manipulation of the scripts.


A 15-bit switched-capacitor pipelined floating-point A/D converter (FADC) has been designed with a 5-bit exponent and a 10-bit mantissa. The exponent value is established by a 3-stage pipelined variable gain amplifier, while the mantissa is determined with a 10-bit uniform pipelined A/D converter. An experimental prototype of the converter has been implemented in a 0.5-µm CMOS technology. It achieves a dynamic range of 15 bits at a conversion rate of 20Msamples/sec with a total power dissipation of 380mW.


. Introduction. Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are structural elements of many synthetic and endogenous biologically active substances. In this regard, they have particular interest as objects of study of the relationship between the structure and biological activity. The aim of this work is the development of new plant growth stimulants, based on nitrogen-containing heterocyclic dithiocarbamic acids and their inclusion complexes with arabinogalactan, and the study of their root-forming activity. Results and discussion. Synthesis of sodium dithiocarbamate of 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol and its carbonyl derivatives cycloprapane, 4-fluoro-and 4-methoxybenzoic thioanhydrides has been carried out. Conditions for synthesis of the inclusion complexes of thioanhydrides 2-4 with arabinogalactan (AG) have been developed. The synthesis of the bioorganic inclusion complexes of substrates with AG has been carried out in the mass ratio of the initial reagents 1:1 in dimethyl sulfoxide, the duration of the reactions has been 8 hours at the temperature of 55-60 °C. The inclusion complexes with arabinogalactan have been obtained with the yield of 62-88%. The structure of the synthesized heterocyclic thioanhydrides has been established based on IR and 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. Field tests have been carried out to identify the root-forming activity of the obtained compounds and to determine the effect of the growth stimulants on the growth of the root system of vangutta spirea cuttings. Conclusion. It has been found that biocomplex 4-methoxybenzoic (5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)carbamothioic thioanhydride with arabinogalactan 7 increases the rooting and survival of the planting material and at the concentration of 100 mg/l shows a high yield of the rooted spirea cuttings (90%), as compared with the control (13% ) and standards Kornevin (20%) and AN-16 (36%).


The dense baryonic matter and hadron properties in medium were simulated by using a Skyrme model including the ground state vector mesons introduced from the hidden local symmetry approach up to the next to leading order. We found that both the $\rho$ and $\omega$ mesons affect the baryonic matter and medium modified hadron properties dramatically. The most remarkable observation is that, the pion decay constant and the nucleon mass have the similar density dependence which agrees with the large $N_c$ argument. Explicitly, they drop with increasing density in the Skyrmion phase and stop decreasing at $n_{1/2}^{}$ at which the skyrmions in medium fractionize into half-skyrmions and remains nearly constants in the half-skyrmion phase. This density dependence in the half-skyrmion phase indicates that, although $\langle \bar{q}q\rangle \neq 0$ on average in this phase, chiral symmetry is not restored since hadrons are still massive and there exist pions. In addition, the nearly constant nucleon mass means that it could has a non-vanishing component up to the chiral transition, which might shed light on the origin of the nucleon mass.


An unprecedented vanadyl(V) methoxide complex 4 derived from 3,5-dibromo-N-salicylidene-l-tert-leucinate enables highly enantioselective aerobic oxidations of alpha-hydroxyphosphonates at ambient temperature with selectivity factors ranging from 3 to >99.


Experimental infection was produced in white mice, rats, hamsters and rabbits inoculated with a virus isolated from the blood of a patient suffering from encephalopathy. Investigation of the pathomorphology of the experimental infection in white mice with with manifest clinical picture revealed acute meningoencephalomyelitis characterized by marked disorders in the central nervous system. In white rats and rabbits showing no symptoms of disease chronic affection of the CNS was established characterized by signs of encephalomyelopathy pathomorphologically similar to lesions observed in human cases of encephalopathy.


This study aims to determine whether the use of a temporary portocaval shunt (PCS) improves hemodynamic and metabolic evolution during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Preservation of the vena cava during OLT has gained wide acceptance. However, benefits of adding a temporary PCS to the piggyback technique during the anhepatic phase in patients with cirrhosis have not been shown. Eighty patients with cirrhosis were studied prospectively. They were randomly distributed into two groups: patients with a temporary PCS (n = 40) and those without a PCS (n = 40). In all cases, the piggyback technique was used. Hemodynamic profiles and biochemical data during OLT and clinical evolution after OLT were evaluated. Preoperative data were similar in both groups. Surgical time also was similar (403 ± 77 v 387 ± 56 minutes; P = .3). Red blood cell requirements were lower in the PCS group (2.3 ± 2.5 v 3.3 ± 2.9 units), although differences were not significant. In the PCS group, 45% of patients did not need red blood cell transfusion, whereas in the other group, only 22% were not administered a transfusion (P = .03). During the anhepatic phase, the decrease in cardiac output was lower in the PCS group (−9.6% v −19%; P = .05), whereas diuresis during the anhepatic phase was greater in the PCS group (3.6 ± 2.97 v 2.1 ± 1.38 mL/kg/h; P = .005). There were no differences in liver biochemical parameters during the first 3 postoperative days. Nevertheless, creatinine levels increased significantly during this period only in the no‐PCS group. The use of a temporary PCS during OLT improves hemodynamic status, reduces intraoperative transfusion requirements, and preserves renal function during and after OLT.


PURPOSE
To compare spiral computed tomography (CT) performed at increased pitch with spiral CT performed at standard pitch in the detection of pulmonary nodules.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Spiral CT scanning of the thorax was performed with a pitch of 1.0 in 109 patients with pulmonary nodules due to metastases. The patients were also randomly assigned to undergo further scanning with a pitch of 1.2 (n = 34), 1.5 (n = 37), 2.0 (n = 38) at the same scanning session. The scan pairs were analysed for number, size, and distribution of nodules.

RESULTS
A bias toward undercounting was noted on scans with a pitch of 1.5 and 2.0; however, this was not statistically significant. Correlation coefficients were r = .982, r = .977, and r = .989 for scans of pitch 1.2, 1.5, and 2.0, respectively. Disease in one patient would have been prospectively understaged from findings on a scan of pitch 2.0 because of poor conspicuity of a small solitary nodule.

CONCLUSION
Findings from scans with increased pitch generally agree well with those from scans with standard pitch; however, there is a greater risk of understaging of disease in patients with solitary nodules as pitch increases. Pitch should be limited to no greater than 1.5 for initial staging of pulmonary metastatic disease.


Lethal and mutagenic effects and the nature of mutations induced by decay of 32P incorporated into yeast cell DNA as 32P-deoxyguanosine monophosphate (32PdGMP) and 32P-thymidine monophosphate (32P-TMP), were studied. The lethal efficiency per 32P decay is independent of a labelled nucleotide incorporated into DNA. However, the mutagenic efficiency in ADE1, ADE2 genes per 32P decay is approximately 3 times greater for 32PdGMP than for 32P-TMP. This suggests that ADE1, ADE2 genes contain about 3 times more GC base pairs than AT pairs. Variations in a relative frequencies of GC leads to AT and AT leads to GC transitions were obtained depending upon a nucleotide labelled.


In this communication, the humoral regulation of eosinophil production by interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-5 (IL-5) or eosinophil differentiation factor (EDF) is described. IL-3 and GM-CSF supported early and intermediate stages of differentiation of eosinophilic progenitor cells. In contrast, IL-5 (EDF) primarily supported terminal proliferation and maturation of eosinophilic progenitor cells. Therefore, a combination of IL-3 plus IL-5, GM-CSF plus IL-5 or IL-3 plus GM-CSF plus IL-5 augmented proliferation and maturation of early and intermediate stages of eosinophilic progenitor cells. The signal transduction pathway, which explain this functional network among these three cytokines, will be elucidated in the near future.


Objective
This study aims to investigate the potential of procalcitonin (PCT) levels and the C-reactive protein/procalcitonin (CRP/PCT) ratio as markers for distinguishing between infectious and neoplastic fever among febrile patients with malignant tumors.

Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted on febrile patients admitted to the hospital with malignant tumors. The patients were categorized into an infection group (67 cases) and a non-infection group (73 cases) based on the presence or absence of positive cultures. PCT levels, CRP levels, and CRP/PCT ratios were compared between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to identify optimal cut-off values.

Results
Data from 140 patients between January 2017 and December 2021 were extracted for analysis. Patients in the infected group showed elevated PCT levels and significantly decreased CRP/PCT ratios compared to the non-infected group (P < .01). The calculated cut-off values for distinguishing infectious and neoplastic fever were 0.52 ng/mL for PCT and 101.80 for CRP/PCT ratio. The ROC curve results revealed good sensitivity for both PCT (74.63%) and CRP/PCT (70.15%), while CRP/PCT demonstrated higher specificity (78.08%) compared to PCT (58.90%).

Conclusions
PCT and CRP/PCT are both sensitive markers for identifying infection in patients with malignant tumors, with PCT showing slightly better sensitivity but lower specificity than CRP/PCT. Our findings suggest that CRP/PCT may be more valuable than PCT in distinguishing between infectious fever and neoplastic fever in cancer patients.


E-learning is fast becoming a major learning and skills delivery method within larger companies as a staff development tool. Survey shows that among American colleges and universities in 2002, 11% of students took an online course, 97 % of public institutions offered at least one online or blended course, 49% offered an online degree program, and 67% considering e-learning a critical long-term strategy for their institution. The questions about e-learning have become "how", "why" and "with what outcomes.


Abstract:  The aims of this study were to investigate the sex discriminating potential of the talus in Koreans and compare this with other analyses in different populations. Statistical analyses were performed using data from nine measurements acquired from 140 tali (70 men, 70 women). The talus of Koreans is dimorphic between sexes in all measurements (p < 0.01). Discriminant function equations were generated by univariate, multivariate, and stepwise methods with a range of accuracy from 67.1 to 87.1%. Stepwise equations of other populations did not discriminate the sex of the Korean sample as accurately as each equation's own accuracies. The variables with high accuracy in this study are useful for sex determination of Koreans on the basis of confirmation of population specificity.


This article focuses on the research on the complex processes of joint integration of PDM and ERP systems. The relevance of introducing an integrated system within a single information space is justified. The main challenges of systems integration under a unified automation approach are described, including production planning and better management of production data. To successfully solve such problems ERP system needs to operate a certain amount of reference data, without which the production plan will be ineffective or impossible. Due to the fact that such data is often generated and stored in the product data management systems, it becomes necessary to provide data exchange between ERP and PDM systems. A number of key issues relating to the development and establishment of systems are determined. The functions of ERP and PDM systems that require a creation of an interaction interface between them are allocated and described. In conclusion, the positive trends, achievable through integration are reviewed.


This article compares five alternative policy options with the January 2006 tax and social security system. Each option is designed to cost a similar amount of approximately $5 billion per year to the government at the observed level of labour supply. The five options include reducing the lowest income tax rate, increasing the tax-free threshold, increasing the low income tax offset, decreasing all taper rates on own and partner's incomes for a number of allowances, and introducing an earned income tax credit. The criteria for comparison are the labour supply responses, the expected budgetary cost to the government after taking into account labour supply responses, the number of winners and losers from the policy change, the effects on the distribution of effective marginal tax rates, and the effects on the number of jobless households. From the results, it is clear that the option to reduce taper rates is dominated by the other options on all criteria. The other four options each have their advantages and disadvantages; no option scores best on all criteria.


The recommended fixed dosage of betamethasone for pregnancies at risk of preterm birth was determined in the 1970s, regardless of gestational age (GA), number of fetuses, and maternal weight. We aimed to examine the association between maternal and neonatal betamethasone serum levels and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and to examine whether levels correlate with maternal weight, GA, or number of fetuses. A prospective study was conducted at a single academic medical center between August 2016 and February 2019. Women received betamethasone and delivered between 28+0 and 34+6 weeks were included. Maternal serum levels (MSLs), and neonatal serum levels (NSLs) of betamethasone at delivery were analyzed using Corticosteroid enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kit. RDS was diagnosed according to clinical and radiographic findings. We assumed that the sensitivity of NSLs to detect RDS is 95%; hence, 150 neonates were needed (power 80%, alpha 0.05). Overall, 124 women were included; including 96 (77.4%) singletons, 26 (21.0%) twins, and 2 (1.6%) triplets, corresponding to 154 neonates. RDS was diagnosed in 35 neonates (22.7%). After adjusting for GA, time elapsed from the last dose, and number of doses, NSLs were associated with RDS (relative risk: 0.97, 95% confidence interval: 0.94–0.99, p = 0.011). A level of 6.00 ng/ml predicted RDS with a sensitivity of 80.0% and specificity of 64.7%. Adjusted MSLs were not associated with RDS. Both maternal and neonatal serum levels were not associated with the number of fetuses and maternal weight. In conclusion, NSLs are associated with RDS whereas MSLs are not.


Background Congenital syphilis (STS) can be prevented through antenatal screening and treatment. The true incidence of congenital STS is unknown; ∼10 cases/yr have been reported to the HPA by GUM clinics (probably reflects 30%–50% of cases). An audit at our centre (∼5000 deliveries/yr) in 2004, highlighted suboptimal management of pregnant women with positive STS serology. Methods A pathway has subsequently been developed and we report our findings since June 2004. Antenatal screening results are reviewed by a multidisciplinary team (MDT: virology, GU, antenatal, paediatric) experienced in the management of syphilis. Our GU team manages all pregnant women with positive serology who undergo full evaluation (incl. an STI check), further tests or treatment as necessary and follow-up of the neonate. Results 123 referrals (108 pregnant women with positive STS serology) were received by the GU department from June 2004 to December 2009. Of these referrals, 36% (44) had STS (1 primary, 1 secondary, 6 early latent, 36 late latent), 37% (46) were previously treated, and 27% (33) were biological false positives. Those with untreated STS—median age 30 (IQR 26–35); ethnicity: 45% (20) black African, 23% (10) black Caribbean, 18% (8) white other, 9% (4) Asian, 2% (1) black British, 2% (1) white British. All women attended the GU clinic for treatment and follow-up; with one exception who remained untreated (late latent STS) and was repatriated prior to delivery to Uganda in 2004. GU screens identified Chlamydia (3), TV (2), warts (2), herpes (1), BV (6), thrush (5) and hepatitis B (4) in those with untreated STS. Discussion Our innovative MDT approach where each positive antenatal STS result is managed by our GU team has resulted in prompt treatment of untreated cases, identification of untreated STIs, and no reported cases of congenital STS. Our effective robust pathway includes standardised communication with all relevant teams and we encourage its use nationally.


The goal of this work is to show the possibility of the identification of laminate beam specimens elastic properties with cross-ply laminae stacking sequences using prescribed eigenfrequencies. These frequencies are not determined experimentally for the identification of laminate properties in this paper but they are calculated numerically by means of the finite element (FE) software MSC.Marc. The composite material properties of a FE model based on the Euler-Bernoulli theory have been subsequently tuned to correlate the determined frequencies in cross-ply laminate beams with the eigenfrequencies obtained by the software package. A real-coded genetic algorithm (GA) and a micro-genetic algorithm (mGA) are applied as the inverse technique for the identification problem. Because a small efficiency of the GAs in searching for Poisson's ratio values was found, this parameter and the in-plane shear modulus have been estimated by using the law of mixtures. Some numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed technique.


For forest inventories on slopes, it is necessary to correct the test areas, because the circular areas, when projected, become elliptical. Based on 93 samples from the Swiss National Forest Inventory (FNI), it was determined whether the simplified method, which increases the radius to match that of the elliptical area, leads to a distortion of the results. An average deviation of 2% was found between the FNI estimated values and the actual values for the basal area and the number of stems. For estimations of smaller units, greater distortions of the results are expected.


Virtual Reality and advanced, interactive simulators illustrate the potentials of modern technology for improving the ecological validity of learning experiments. Yet much more preliminary work is needed to appreciate how these growingly complex means can be utilized to promote high-order emotional and motivational constructs of the user, such as self-efficacy. Drawing from the frameworks of serious games and social cognitive theory, the present study presents a tentative design for promoting the learner's self-efficacy for driving, as represented in a full-scale game-based car simulator. In a pilot experiment, 30 inexperienced drivers assessed their own driving self-efficacy with regard to three specific traffic safety variables before and after they were randomly assigned to either a new, adapted version of the game, aimed at promoting the player's self-efficacy through positive feedback and matching challenge (experimental condition) or a standardized game version developed for previous studies (control condition). The results indicate a higher increase in self-efficacy, a stronger over-all experience and a greater improvement in keeping the speed for participants in the experimental condition than in the control condition. All participants improved their driving skills, but the results were less clear between the two groups with regard to changing lanes and keeping distance to other vehicles. The results encourage further research into how serious game-based simulations should be designed, specifically and generally, to incorporate self-efficacy theory for promoting the learner's sense of being able to manage the learning task(s) at hand.


Pulmonary eosinophilic infiltrates include an heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by the presence of eosinophils in the lungs as detected by bronchoalveolar lavage or tissue biopsy, with or without blood eosinophilia. The disease can be idiopathic (simple pulmonary eosinophilia, acute and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, hypereosinophilic syndrome), secondary (to drugs, parasites, fungal and mycobacterial infection, irradiation, toxic products) or associated with diffuse lung diseases (connective tissue diseases and some neoplasms). Pathologists faced with eosinophils in the lungs (either on cytology or biopsy) should keep in mind several possibilities, although a diagnosis of certainty is rarely based on morphology alone. Correlation with laboratory tests, imaging studies and clinical presentation has a key role, even if some pulmonary eosinophilic diseases are sufficiently characteristic on clinico-radiologic ground to not require a biopsy (e.g. some drug reactions, parasitic infections, idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis). Nevertheless, pathologists can play a central role because they can be the first to note eosinophils in the lungs of a very sick patient. Knowledge of histologic features and a striking collaboration with other physicians are necessary to achieve correct diagnosis and to establish adequate treatments.


Two new lignans trivially named negundins A (1) and B (2), were isolated along with (+)-diasyringaresinol (3), (+)-lyoniresinol (4), vitrofolal E (5) and vitrofolal F (6), reported for the first time from this species. The structures of the new compounds were established through spectral studies. Compound 2 showed potent inhibitory activity against lipoxygenase enzyme, while 5 showed moderate activity against butyryl-cholinesterase.


Summary Chimpanzees have hostile intergroup relations and are reported to use two strategies to reduce risk in the territory periphery: travelling in larger subgroups ('parties'), and travelling silently. We examined data from the Kanyawara chimpanzee community, Kibale National Park, Uganda to test for evidence of these strategies. We compared behaviour in the territory core with two potentially dangerous contexts: the periphery and croplands. Parties that visited the periphery had over twice as many adult males as parties that remained in the core. Analysis of vocal production rate of 249 parties revealed that, controlling for time of day and party composition, chimpanzees produced fewer pant-hoot calls in croplands than in the core. Pant-hoot production varied in different sectors of the periphery, being reduced in three sectors, unchanged in one, and increased in one. Focal follows of 12 males found results similar to party follows, but with rank-related individual variation. Overall, these results indicate that chimpanzees have the ability to modify grouping and vocal behaviour to reduce risk in areas with a high risk of detection. However, rather than consistently remaining silent in the periphery, chimpanzees in this population sometimes increased their vocalization rate, perhaps to advertise territory ownership and coalition strength.


Walnut anthracnose is the most important fungal dis ease in Persian walnut in Iran and all over the world caused by Ophiognomonia leptostyla. Limit ed attempts to genetic variation uncovering in this species were not successful by now. In this study, genetic diversity of 75 Ophiognomonia leptostyla isolates collected from the northwest of Iran was studied by RAPD and ISSR primers. RAPDs revealed more polymorphism in studied isolate s than ISSRs, but fewer bands were produced. There were slight correlations with obtai ned RAPD dendrograms with homothallism and collection site, but no correlation with phenot ypic traits in ISSRs. Population analysis identified genetic relationship between neighbor pr ovinces but isolates from Tehran and West Azarbaijan with reasonable distance were relative ato trees were obtained by RAPD and ISSR fingerprinting. Using both markers were us eful in genetic variation understanding of the species unlike ITS and LSU RFLP techniques were used in previous researches.


Pigmentation in the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus differed between two habitats. Asellus were lighter pigmented in stands of submerged stonewort vegetation, than in nearby reed stands. Moreover, Asellus pigmentation became lighter with time in recently established stonewort stands. Diet or pigment adjustment had minor influence on pigmentation and mating was random with respect to pigmentation. Crossings of light and dark Asellus showed that pigmentation had a genetic base. These results indicate that altered pigmentation instead resulted from responses to natural selection. Studies on selective forces indicated that predation was a possible explanation. Results from experiments with two common predators, a fish (perch) and a damselfly suggested that predation from visually oriented fish on the least cryptic Asellus could explain the differences in pigmentation. Asellus pigmentation did not affect predation risk from the damselfly. Further examined effects of perch and damselfly showed that perch fed on both large and small Asellus but preferred large. The damselfly fed on small Asellus but was not able to feed on the largest. This size refuge could explain why small Asellus reduced their activity and feeding when exposed to damselfly cues, whereas large Asellus did not. Moreover, both small and large Asellus reduced their activity when exposed to chemical cues from perch for less than one hour, whereas reduced activity was restricted to larger Asellus in a three weeks experiment. The difference in behaviour between small and large Asellus indicates that Asellus can assess the predation risk and adapt behaviourally. In mesocosms, with natural vegetation, perch had no effect on Asellus survival, but induced an aggregation of Asellus. Together, the results indicate that anti-predatory traits such as cryptic pigmentation, reduced activity and aggregation can lower predation risk from perch in structural complex habitats. Another laboratory experiment suggested that the damselfly could feed efficiently in structural complex environments. Since fish predation can be reduced in dense vegetation damselflies might thus be important predators. The stoneworts can reach the water surface during summer and Asellus in the vegetation might therefore be exposed to UV-radiation. I examined differences in tolerance and behaviour between dark and light pigmented Asellus when exposed to natural levels of UV-radiation. The results showed that dark Asellus survived exposure longer than light ones. Furthermore, Asellus avoided UV-radiation independent of pigmentation. The results suggest that also in lowland lakes UV-radiation may influence littoral food webs in via behavioural responses on invertebrates.


We determine centroid-moment tensor (CMT) solutions by minimizing waveform differences between observed and simulated seismograms based on an adjoint method. Synthetic seismograms and Frechet derivatives are calculated based on a spectral-element method. The non-linear adjoint CMT inversion algorithm requires three simulations for each iteration: one 'forward' simulation to obtain synthetics for the current source parameters, one 'adjoint' simulation which involves injecting time-reversed differences between observed and simulated seismograms as simultaneous virtual sources at each of the receivers, and an extra forward simulation to compute the step length in the conjugate-gradient direction. Whereas the vertical component of the adjoint wavefield reflects the radiation pattern near the centroid location, the components of the adjoint strain tensor capture the elements of the moment tensor. We use the method to determine adjoint CMT solutions for two representative southern California earthquakes using recent 3-D crustal model CVM-6.2. The adjoint CMT solutions are in good agreement with classical Hessian-based CMT solutions involving 3-D Green's functions. In general, adjoint CMT inversions require fewer numerical simulations than traditional Hessian-based inversions. This faster convergence holds promise for multiple moment-tensor and kinematic rupture inversions in 3-D earth models.


Almost all clinical magnetic resonance imaging systems are based on circular cross-section magnets. Recent advances in elliptical cross-section RF probe and gradient coil hardware raise the question of the possibility of using elliptical cross-section magnet systems. This paper presents a methodology for calculating rapidly the magnetic fields generated by a multi-turn coil of elliptical cross-section and incorporates this in a stochastic optimization method for magnet design. An open magnet system of elliptical cross-section is designed that both reduces the claustrophobia for the patients and allows ready access by attending physicians. The magnet system is optimized for paediatric use. The coil geometry produced by the optimization method has several novel features.


In this paper, we propose a method which efficiently collects, retains and propagates traffic information using inter- vehicle communication with "message ferrying" technique used in vehicular ad hoc network (VANET). In the proposed method, we use buses as message ferries which travel along regular routes. In order to improve information propagation efficiency in low- density areas, buses collect as much traffic information as possible from cars in their proximity, and periodically disseminate the collected information to neighboring cars. We have implemented the proposed system on the traffic simulator NETSTREAM and compared information propagation efficiency between our proposed method and a method which uses inter-vehicle communication among only ordinary cars. In the simulation, the proposed method improved the efficiency up to 50%.


ABSTRACT The experimentally obtained isothermal surface tensions associated with liquid binary alloy Al-Au were obtained as the functions of temperature and composition. The obtained results are compared with theoretical predictions from the Eyring, Guggenheim, Improved Guggenheim, Butler, Ideal Butler, Ideal Solution, Kohler, Egry et al. and Chatain models. The slopes of surface tension with respect to temperature showed negative values. In addition, the experimental data on the viscosity were compared with those from different models, such as Sato, Gasior, Kaptay, Iida-Ueda-Morita, Seetharaman and Sichen, Kozlov-Romanov-Petrov, Kohler, MD (Molecular Dynamic), and Hirai models. The calculated square mean root deviation values of the models are given with respect to both surface tension and viscosity. The best agreement of the surface tensions among chosen models was obtained in the Kohler model for all ranges of Al and Au compositions, respectively.


The article gives the organ doses for whole body CT examinations of the thoracic region, the upper abdomen, the mesogastric and pelvic regions as well as of the lumbar vertebral column and for CT scanning of the skull. The examinations were performed using an Alderson-Rando phantom with the whole body computer tomograph Somatom DR2 supplied by Siemens and with the skull computer tomograph Siretom 2000, also supplied by Siemens. It was found that the magnitude of radiation exposure of the patient depends not only on instrument-specific properties, but also to a very large measure on the examination parameters and techniques which can vary considerably from one clinic to another.


This paper sheds some light on the extent to which the teaching and learning process in the primary school context has met the characteristics of 21st-century learning, and factors affecting it. This case study research garnered the data from 120 elementary school teachers of 40 primary schools, 20 of which were municipal primary schools, while the other half were peripheral. The data, collected through observation and interview, were analyzed using the interactive model and quantitatively descriptively presented. The empirical evidence showed that the process of teaching and learning performed by more than half of the primary school teachers did not feature the 21st century learning. Most of the instruction adopting teacher-centered learning (59,17%), use of conventional methods (59.17%) resulting in less development of students' high-order thinking (HOT), the absence use of technologies in teaching and learning (100%), and disconfirm of students' learning development at primary level (53,33%). However, the teachers were found to have some strength in terms of content mastery (95%) who could explicitly and completely deliver the materials in the class. The absence of the digital infrastructure in the schools and lack of pedagogical and technological knowledge and understanding of students' development remained the challenges in catering to the characteristics of 21st century learning in the classrooms. The implication of this condition is that students in Indonesia lag behind other countries in mastering science and technology.


Gastric cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, and it accounts for 3–10% of all cancer-related deaths. The vast majority (90–95%) of gastric cancers are adenocarcinomas which include two major histologic types, intestinal and diffuse. Although intestinal-type cancer has been associated with chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia, the exact mechanisms leading to cancer initiation and progression remain largely unknown. Stem/progenitor cell mutations have been linked to cancer initiation in multiple gastrointestinal organs including the esophagus, where we utilized lineage tracing to show that basal progenitor cells are the cell-of-origin for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (1). By contrast, the cell-of-origin for gastric cancers remains somewhat controversial, in part due to the possible presence of multiple stem cells in the stomach (2-5).


The following are notes that have been distributed by me over the last few years to students in Environmental Economics at The University of Queensland. They give particular attention to whether externalities are Pareto or Kaldor-Hicks relevant from a policy point of view. Externalities are Kaldor-Hicks or Pareto irrelevant if no change is possible for which gainers could compensate losers. Both absolute and marginal externalities may be Kaldor-Hicks relevant. Infra-marginal negative externalities are often, but not always, Kaldor-Hicks irrelevant. There are at least two cases where such externalities can be relevant. First, the absolute impact of the negative externality may be so great that the source of the externality should be eliminated. Secondly, if the externality arises from production, its nature may depend on the type of production technique adopted. Although for the technique adopted, an infra-marginal negative externality occurs. That is Paretian irrelevant given that choice of this technique is the only available possibility, alternative techniques may actually be available in practice. Some of these may generate even smaller total external effects and be socially preferable. Both cases are outlined and illustrated in these notes. The analysis reveals the dangers of relying on marginalism for deciding on environmental policy. Total (external) effects are often of great social and economic importance and appropriate social choices cannot be made on the basis of marginalism alone.


A methodology is presented for the development of electromagnetically-accurate models for multipart interconnect structures and, in general, passive electromagnetic devices that include embedded lumped elements. The proposed methodology utilizes a discrete state-space model for the electromagnetic device, generated through the application of the finite element method for the spatial discretization of Maxwell's curl equations. The incorporation of lumped resistors, inductors and capacitors is effected through the direct stamping of the state-space voltage-current relationship for these elements in the matrices of the generated state-space form of the discrete electromagnetic model. The conditions necessary for the discrete model to be passive are discussed. The proposed methodology is demonstrated and validated through its application for the generation of models for a system of two coupled microstrip lines.


Previous research has revealed that the functional visual field is affected by the difference in color between the target and the background, however, few studies have been conducted on this relationship. The aim of this study is to clarify these effects. An experiment in which a subject distinguished a target from background noise was conducted. The color patterns used were red, green and blue. The target and the noise were the same color, i.e., of the same dominant wavelength, but differed in purity. The results show that the functional visual field increases as color difference increases, and then it reaches an upper limit in the normal functional visual field. The results also show that the recognition of an object is easy when the color difference is more than 80 in the CIE 1976 L*u*v* color space.


This paper presents a research synthesis that aims to clarify and discuss how children's rights in education are constructed in research. A basic assumption is accordingly that research is an important participant in the process in which principal meanings and essential aspects of children's rights take shape. In the synthesis, 35 research publications, published between 1997-2008, have been selected and analysed. The main findings show that the research interest centres on four main themes: 1) Human rights orientation, 2) Education difficult to change, 3) Children's participation rights, and 4) Children's rights – parents' rights. In research, essential aspects of education are highlighted as matters of children's rights and the research construction give rise to some important insights that call for further research on children's rights in education.


Multi-wire sawing has emerged as the leading technology in wafer production for a variety of semiconductor materials. This study investigates the process stability and efficiency of conventional semiconductor multi-wire slurry saws in routinely machining translucent, high-density alumina ceramics. The brittle and fine-grained translucent alumina ceramics with extreme hardness and wear resistance represents a major challenge for the process. The alumina ceramic substrates are used for sensor applications, energy storage technology and applications in power electronics. An ideal adaptation of the sawing process parameters to the workpiece properties guarantees the efficiency of the slurry sawing process and the quality of the ceramic wafers. An indicator of the efficiency and cutting ability of the sawing process is the size of the bow of the wire web. The first time was shown that the wire bow can be used for the characterization of the sawing processes for hard and brittle technical ceramics. It was found that a longer workpiece length, a higher number of wafers and stronger abrasive wear lead to an increased size of the bow. The rocking frequency has no measurable influence on the size of the bow. Knowledge of these relations is an extremely valuable tool in the sawing process development for hard and brittle technical ceramics.


The numerical method is a technique used to formulate mathematical problems so that they can be solved using ordinary arithmetic operations. In general, numerical methods are used to solve mathematical problems that cannot be solved by ordinary analytical methods. In the Numerical Method, we know two types of system equations, namely the Linear Equation System and the Non-Linear Equation System. Each system of equations has several methods. In the System, the Linear Equation between the methods is the Gauss Elimination method, the Gauss-Jordan Elimination method, the LU (Lower-Upper) Decomposition method. And for the Non-Linear Equation System between the methods is the Bisection method (Share-Two), Falsi Regula method, Newton Raphson method, Secant method, and Fix Iteration method. In this study, researchers are interested in comparing the two methods in the Non-Linear Equation System, namely the Bisection method and the Falsi Regula method. And this benchmarking process uses the Java programming language tool, this is to facilitate analysis of method completion algorithms, and monitoring in terms of execution time and output analysis. So that we can clearly know what differences occur between the two methods.


In a variety of cell types, apoptosis leads to the fragmentation and packaging of cellular contents into discrete blebs. Blebs may be released from the plasma membrane as 'apoptotic vesicles' and ingested by a range of cells with phagocytic function including neutrophils, macrophages and dendritic cells. The clearance of these apoptotic debris by phagocytes is important in maintaining immune function; the failure of which can lead to an inflammatory response against self-antigens and can result in autoimmunity Our laboratory has discovered that exosomes (cell-derived nanoparticles) are trapped in the sub-capsular sinus (SCS) of the lymph nodes and in the MZ (MZ) of the spleen by a population of macrophages. This capture was discovered to be mediated by the sialoadhesin CD169 (sialic acid receptor). The objective of this study was to determine if vesicles derived from apoptotic cells (Apo-V) are captured in a similar manner, to investigate the effect of captured Apo-V on the immune system, and the relationship between Apo-V, CD169, and immune function. Previous studies had shown both tolerogenic and immunostimulatory effects of apoptotic microvesicles slthough this study is the first to show a relationship between apoptotic microvesicles, CD169, and immune function. Utilising a combination of intravenously and subcutaneously administered Apo-V, a frozen section binding assay, CD169 deficient (CD169) mice, and flow cytometry this study confirmed that the capture of T lymphocyte (EL4) derived Apo-V is mediated through the sialoadhesin molecule CD169 expressed on macrophages found within the MZ of the spleen and the SCS of the lymph nodes. This pattern of capture is identical to that displayed previously in this laboratory with B lymphocyte-derived exosomes. Further in vivo studies using adoptively transferred ovalbumin-specific T lymphocytes, showed that subcutaneously administered Apo-V stimulated CD8 T lymphocyte proliferation, whereas intravenously administered Apo-V did not. Additionally, this study utilised flow cytometry to investigate the immune response to ApoV. In vivo cytotoxicity assays revealed that co-administration of Apo-V with dendritic cells significantly reduced the cytotoxic response of the dendritic cells to the target cells. However, there was no significant difference between the wild-type and CD169 groups indicating that


Knowledge of intracellular location can provide important insights into the function of proteins and their respective organelles, and there is interest in combining classical subcellular fractionation with quantitative mass spectrometry to create global cellular maps. To evaluate mass spectrometric approaches specifically for this application, we analyzed rat liver differential centrifugation and Nycodenz density gradient subcellular fractions by tandem mass tag (TMT) isobaric labeling with reporter ion measurement at the MS2 and MS3 level and with two different label-free peak integration approaches, MS1 and data independent acquisition (DIA). TMT-MS2 provided the greatest proteome coverage, but ratio compression from contaminating background ions resulted in a narrower accurate dynamic range compared to TMT-MS3, MS1, and DIA, which were similar. Using a protein clustering approach to evaluate data quality by assignment of reference proteins to their correct compartments, all methods performed well, with isobaric labeling approaches providing the highest quality localization. Finally, TMT-MS2 gave the lowest percentage of missing quantifiable data when analyzing orthogonal fractionation methods containing overlapping proteomes. In summary, despite inaccuracies resulting from ratio compression, data obtained by TMT-MS2 assigned protein localization as well as other methods but achieved the highest proteome coverage with the lowest proportion of missing values.


Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells play a critical role in controlling herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection and reactivation. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal dynamics of CD8+ T cells during HSV lesion evolution or about their involvement in immune surveillance after lesion resolution. Using quantum dot–conjugated peptide–major histocompatibility complex multimers, we investigated the in vivo localization of HSV-2–specific CD8+ T cells in sequential biopsies of human genital skin during acute, resolving, and healed stages of HSV-2 reactivation. Our studies revealed that functionally active CD8+ T cells selectively infiltrated to the site of viral reactivation. After lesion healing in concert with complete reepithelialization and loss of HSV DNA from skin biopsies, HSV-2–specific CD8+ T cells persisted for more than two months at the dermal–epidermal junction, adjacent to peripheral nerve endings. In two out of the six sequentially studied individuals, HSV-2 DNA reappeared in clinically and histologically normal–appearing skin. Detection of viral DNA was accompanied by increased numbers of both HSV-specific and total CD8+ T cells in the dermis. These findings indicate that the frequency and clinical course of HSV-2 reactivation in humans is influenced by virus-specific CD8+ T cells that persist in peripheral mucosa and genital skin after resolution of herpes lesions.


Purpose: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of 2 different medical therapies during watchful waiting in patients with lower ureteric stones. Materials and Methods: A total of 98 patients with stones less than 1 cm located in the lower ureter (juxtavesical or intramural tract) were enrolled in the study and were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group 1 (33) patients received 1 daily oral therapy of 0.4 mg tamsulosin (maximum 28 days), group 2 (33) received 20 mg nifedipine slow-release (maximum 28 days) and group 3 patients (32) were used as controls. Statistical analyses were performed using Student's test, ANOVA test and chi-square test. Results: Of the 98 enrolled patients 91 completed the study. The average stone size for groups 1 to 3 was 5.89, 6.01 and 5.80 mm, respectively, which was not statistically significant. Expulsion was observed in 27 of 32 patients in group 1 (84.38%), 22 of 31 in group 2 (70.97%) and 13 of 28 in group 3 (46.43%). The difference in groups 1 and 2 with respect to group 3 and between groups 1 and 2 was significant. Average expulsion time for groups 1 to 3 was 7.9, 9.3 and 12.8 days, respectively. A statistically significant difference was noted between groups 1 and 3. Mean diclofenac sodium dosage per patient in groups 1 to 3 was 17.5, 24.5, and 100.5 mg, respectively. A statistical significant difference was observed between groups 1 and 2 with respect to group 3. Conclusions: Medical treatments with nifedipine and tamsulosin proved to be safe and effective as demonstrated by the increased stone expulsion rate and reduced need for analgesic therapy. Moreover medical therapy, particularly in regard to tamsulosin, increased expulsion rate reduced expulsion time. BJU 2010; 13(1): 5-9