Ductal lavage is a procedure that can improve the stratification of women with clinical evidence of increased breast cancer risk by the cytologic detection of atypia. The relative risk of future breast cancer in women harboring atypia is approximately 3 to 5, as demonstrated in studies of women harboring atypia within direct nipple aspirates, fine-needle aspiration biopsies, and histopathology from surgical specimens. It is intuitively reasonable and biologically plausible that atypia detected in ductal lavage specimens would be associated with a comparable measure of association; however, documentation of this assumption awaits maturation of prospectively accumulated data. The technology of the ductal lavage procedure is also a promising translational research tool, because of the relatively substantial yield of ductal cellular material for analysis via a minimally invasive technique.


Muscle cross-sectional area of the quadriceps femoris (CSAQF), maximal isometric strength (handgrip test and unilateral knee extension/flexion), the shape of isometric force‐time curves, and power‐load curves during concentric and stretch‐shortening cycle (SSC) actions with loads ranging from 15 to 70% of one repetition maximum half-squat (1RMHS) and bench-press (1RMBP) were examined in 26 middle-aged men in the 40-year-old (M40) (mean age 42, range 35‐46) and 21 elderly men in the 65-year-old age group (M65) (mean age 65, range 60‐74). Maximal bilateral concentric (1RMHS and 1RMBP), unilateral knee extension (isometric; MIFKE and concentric; 1RMKE) strength and muscle CSA in M65 were lower (P < 0.001) than in M40. The individual values of the CSAQF correlated with the individual values of maximal concentric 1RMHS, 1RMKE and MIFKE in M65, while the corresponding correlations were lower in M40. The maximal MIFKE value per CSA of 4.54 a 0.7 N m cm ‐2 in M40 was greater (P < 0.05‐0.01) than that of 4.02 a 0.7 N m cm ‐2 recorded in M65. The maximal rate of force development of the knee extensors and flexors in M65 was lower (P < 0.01‐0.001) and the heights in squat and counter-movement jumps as much as 27‐29% lower (P < 0.001) than those recorded in M40. M65 showed lower (P < 0.001) concentric power values for both upper and lower extremity performances than those recorded for M40. Maximal power output was maximized at the 30‐45% loads for the upper extremity and at the 60‐70% loads for the lower extremity extensors in both age groups. Muscle activation of the antagonists was significantly higher (P < 0.01‐0.001) during the isometric and dynamic knee extension actions in M65 than in M40. The present results support a general concept that parallel declines in muscle mass and maximal strength take place with increasing age, although loss of strength may vary in both lower and upper extremity muscles in relation to the type of action and that ageing may also lead to a decrease in voluntary neural drive to the muscles. Explosive strength and power seem to decrease with increasing age even more than maximal isometric strength in both actions but power was maximized at the 30‐45% loads for the upper and at the 60‐70% loads for the lower extremity action in both age groups. High antagonist muscle activity may limit the full movement efficiency depending on the type of muscle action, testing conditions and the velocity and/ or the time duration of the action, especially in the elderly.


The n-tuples of commuting Hilbert space contractions are considered. We give a model of a commuting lifting of one contraction and investigate conditions under which a commuting lifting theorem holds for an n-tuple. A series of such liftings leads to an isometric dilation of the n-tuple. The method is tested on some class of triples motivated by Parrotts example. It provides also a new proof of the fact that a positive definite n-tuple has an isometric dilation.


Recent efforts in drug development against influenza A virus (IAV) M2 proton channel S31N mutant resulted in conjugates of amantadine linked with aryl head heterocycles. To understand the mechanism of drug resistance, we chose a representative M2-S31N inhibitor, compound 3, as a chemical probe to identify resistant mutants. To increase the possibility of identifying novel resistant mutants, serial viral passage experiments were performed with multiple strains of H1N1 and H3N2 viruses in different cell lines. This approach not only identified M2 mutations around the drug-binding site, including the pore-lining residues (V27A, V27F, N31S, and G34E) and an interhelical residue (I32N), but also a new allosteric mutation (R45H), in addition to L46P previously identified, located at the C-terminus of M2 that is more than 10 Å away from the drug-binding site. The effects of each mutation were next investigated using electrophysiology, recombinant viruses, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The reduced sensitivity in channel blockage correlated with increased drug resistance in antiviral assays using recombinant viruses. The MD simulations show that the V27A, V27F, G34E, and R45H mutations increase the diameter and hydration state of the pore in complex with compound 3. The Molecular Mechanics Generalized Born (MM-GBSA) calculations result in more positive binding free energies for the complexes of resistant M2 (V27A, V27F, G34E, R45H) with compound 3 compared to the stable complexes (S31N and I32N). Overall, this is the first systematic study of the drug resistance mechanism of M2-S31N channel blockers using multiple viruses in different cell lines.


Service differentiation in WLAN has been traditionally faced at the MAC layer. However, some PHY layer parameters, such as the transmission power, the antenna, and the modulation/coding scheme, have a deep impact on network performance. Since the criterion for selecting these parameters is left to the vendor specific implementations, the performance spread of most experimental results about 802.11 WLAN could be affected by vendor proprietary schemes. The focus of this paper is an experimental analysis of the undisclosed antenna diversity mechanisms employed by some widely used cards (namely, the Atheros and Intel based cards), and a thorough understanding of the optimization goals which guided their design. Although these mechanisms have been introduced for improving the transmission robustness to fading, we proved that they may have dramatic side- effects on link performance, whenever the available antennas are not homogeneous.


Significant corporate shareholders can exert undue pressure on managers to enhance earnings in order to increase corporate value, and that as a result of this undue pressure, managers to resort to earnings management practice in the corporations they manage. This study examined the moderating role of audit committee expertise on the relationship between ownership concentration and real-earnings management in Nigeria. The independent variable (ownership concentration) was measured as shareholders who have more than 5% equity stake in a company, and real-earnings management was measured using the Roychowdhury approach. Audit committee financial expertise which is the moderator, was measured in binary form, 1 if at least one member of the committee has accounting experience, and 0 otherwise. This paper used a sample of 34 manufacturing companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) over a period of 15 years from 2007 to 2021. Data was collected from the annual financial reports of the sampled companies. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and Quantile regression was employed for data analysis and the findings show OWNCON has a positive and insignificant effect on REM. However, when audit committee financial expertise was used as a moderator, the effect of ownership concentration on the real- earnings management of listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria became statistically significant. Based on the findings, the study recommends that manufacturing companies should have more concentrated owners because the higher the concentration the less tendency of REM of listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria.


This paper attempts to evaluate the effects of capital market imperfections on consumer behavior, on the basis of cross-sectional Italian data. We evaluate the difference between desired and observed consumption using a technique proposed by Hayashi. We find that in Italy borrowing constraints are more severe than in the United States, and that they are more stringent for young households, non-home-owners, the unemployed and consumers living in the Southern regions.


3953 It is known that early detection of breast cancer by screening may save lives. Our goal is to identify breast cancer biomarkers for early detection. In this study, we search for the breast cancer biomarkers in cancer tissue and serum with combined liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry using the LTQ-Orbitrap XL/ESI instrument.
 Membrane proteins perform vital cellular functions and frequently are important drug targets. Components from the cell surface continuously shed as membrane-derived vesicles, which pass through the draining lymphatics and end up in the circulation. Our previous study demonstrated that hydrophobic proteins are enriched with acylated membrane proteins. We hypothesize that exploring hydrophobic proteins in cancer tissue and serum from breast cancer patients can lead to the discovery of promising biomarkers.
 Breast cancer tissue, normal breast tissue and serum samples were collected from breast cancer patients. All specimens were processed and stored in -80°C until analysis. Serum high abundant proteins were depleted using the IgY column (Beckman Coulter). No depletion for protein extraction from tissue samples. Hydrophobic proteins from all specimens were enriched with a reverse-phase chromatographic step using a polymeric stationary phase. Proteins retained on the reverse phase column were eluted by injection of formic acid and fractions were collected. After processing steps of reduction, alkylation, trypsin digestion and desalting, samples were then further analyzed by nanoLC (Eksigent) and LTQ-Orbitrap XL/ESI (ThermoFisher Scientific).
 All MS/MS spectra were searched by the SEQUEST algorithm incorporated into the Thermo Finnigan Bioworks software (v3.2) (Eng and Yates III, University of Washington, WA, USA). We applied more stringent data filtering criteria than suggested by HUPO PPP using Xcorr ≥2.00 with charge state 1+, Xcorr ≥2.5 with charge state 2+, Xcorr ≥3.75 with charge state 3+, DeltCn ≥0.1 and Rsp=1. For protein level, the required consensus score was more than 15.0, and the identified proteins based on identification of at least two different peptides sequences. Additionally, proteins with less than three peptide hits were manually evaluated to confirm the identification.
 We identified more than 350 proteins from each specimen. Many of the proteins with known vital cellular functions, such as heat shock proteins, translation elongation factors, endothelial cell growth factors, mucin, annexin and keratins have been identified. Protein profiles of cancer, normal tissue and serum of the same patients were systematically examined and compared.
 The initial results are promising and we conclude that mass spectrometric approaches coupled with depletion/partitioning and bioinformatic tools are effective for biomarker discovery. When sufficiently refined, these technologies may pave the way for early detection and better treatment of breast cancer.


Thank you very much for downloading literature and psychoanalysis. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look hundreds times for their favorite novels like this literature and psychoanalysis, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some infectious virus inside their computer. literature and psychoanalysis is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our book servers spans in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the literature and psychoanalysis is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Today, data growth is faster than ever. These huge, digital, data are also different in form, source, and appearance. Traditional IT technology for collecting and processing such data is no longer sufficient. The problem solution is offered in Big Data technology. The use of Big Data is commonly accepted in many business and public areas. In this paper are given the basic characteristics and features of the Big Data and applications of the Big Data in business. A special emphasis is given to the application of the Big Data in marketing with an overview of the fundamental challenges that Big Data technology brings to marketing activities. The paper gives recommendations on how to respond to these challenges. Key-Words: big data, marketing, privacy, personal data protection


The cachexia associated with cancer and AIDS appears to result from a number of processes, most of which impair caloric intake. Although past attempts to reverse anorexia-cachexia have generally been disappointing, several promising new pharmacologic approaches are currently being evaluated, including megestrol acetate, hydrazine sulfate, metoclopramide, and dronabinol.


IoT based standalone ECG systems are emerging as smart health care measures for the detection and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. As most of these systems are battery-operated, power hungry transmission links reduce the overall lifetime of the entire system considerably. In this paper, a power management strategy and corresponding VLSI architecture is proposed to enhance the lifetime of battery operated IoT based ECG monitoring system. Based on the energy level of the battery, the proposed power management technique automatically adjusts between two transmission modes i.e. high power mode and low power mode. As on-node localized processing is resource-limited, a lightweight algorithm emphasizing slope enhancement with runtime adaptive thresholding is proposed, for real-time detection of QRS complex and evaluation of heart rate, ensuring optimal utilization of power during low battery level. Based on the battery level and heart rate stability, the appropriate transmitting mode is selected which effectively fulfil the goal of Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) system i.e. collection of enough ECG samples from a single patient as well as improvement of the system lifetime. The sensitivity and predictivity are assessed for the proposed algorithm with MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and found to be 99.35% and 99.38%, respectively. The architecture has been implemented in Spartan6 FPGA with a maximum clock frequency of 269 MHz with a power consumption of 0.7 mW; making it suitable for real-time ECG monitoring systems.


PURPOSE: To compare the visual analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the tagging technique and Doppler tissue echocardiography with invasive ventriculography in detecting and quantifying regional left ventricular wall motion abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with coronary artery disease and a history of prior myocardial infarction underwent invasive ventriculography, Doppler tissue echocardiography and MR-tagging within one week. Regional wall motion abnormalities (WMA) were detected in all patients. WMA were graded as normal = 1; hypokinetic = 2; akinetic = 3; or dyskinetic = 4. For agreement between MRI, echocardiography, and ventriculography the kappa coefficient (kappa) according to Cohen was calculated. RESULTS: The kappa coefficient (kappa) was 0.962 for agreement between MRI and echocardiography and 0.602 for agreement between MRI and ventriculography as well as between echocardiography and ventriculography. CONCLUSION: Reliable analysis of regional left ventricular wall motion abnormalities is feasible using visual analysis of MR-tagging. MRI and Doppler tissue echocardiography detect more WMA than invasive ventriculography and grade them as more severe.


Theories about entrepreneurial discovery are important to entrepreneurship. However, the dominant conceptual foundation underlying such theories hinders their development. It assumes that opportunities form based on either deliberate search or serendipitous discovery. I examine this unidimensional logic and identify a gap in its informative content. Then, I reframe it into orthogonal dimensions. The multidimensional model not only describes the same cases as the unidimensional model but also describes what the unidimensional model cannot, including cases that are high or low on both dimensions. This extension yields a 2 × 2 conceptual foundation for entrepreneurial discovery theory that promotes the development and coordination of distinct theoretic streams.


Using immunofluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy, immunogold transmission electron microscopy and gas chromatography--mass spectrometry, we demonstrated the presence of 3-hydroxy fatty acids in Cryptococcus neoformans. Our results suggest that these oxylipins accumulate in capsules where they are released as hydrophobic droplets through tubular protuberances into the surrounding medium.


This work deals with a physical and chemical surface characterization of quaternary 18K, 14K, and 9K gold alloys and pure polycrystalline gold substrates. Surface microstructure and composition are evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Corrosion resistance of 18K gold alloys is explored by potentiodynamic polarization showing the influence of the manufacturing process on materials fabricated as plates and wires. The research is also in the framework of one of the most common strategies on the modification of metallic surface properties, i.e., the building of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) from organic thiols. The metal affinity of the head group to produce the coating of the substrate by covalent binding is approached by using thiol compounds with different molecular structures and functional group chemistries exposed to an electrolyte solution. Therefore, a comparative study on the surface protection of a quaternary 18K gold alloy and pure gold substrates by SAMs of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP), 1-decanethiol (DT), and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) has been carried out. Surface modification and SAM organization are followed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), and the behavior of the double layer of the electrode–electrolyte interface is evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The study of these materials allows us to extract fundamental knowledge for its potential application in improving the bioactive properties of different jewelry pieces based on 18K gold alloys.


ABSTRACT As a pedagogical approach that aims to develop students' group-working skills and to challenge their current knowledge, problem-based learning (PBL) provides a unique setting in which to examine disagreements in interaction. Previous research on disagreements in classrooms has typically examined tutor–student interaction or student–student interaction in which a tutor is present. This paper, however, examines tutorless PBL tutorials and focuses specifically on those moments in which knowledge claims are challenged by other students. The data comprise 30 h of video recordings from 24 chemical engineering PBL tutorials in a Scottish university. Conversation analysis was used to identify 101 disagreement formulations, many of which follow the format seen in other classroom settings (e.g. agreement-prefaced disagreements). A subset of disagreement formulations manage epistemic responsibility through invoking expert sources (e.g. tutor-provided worksheets and academically superior out-group members). Through invoking an expert source in this way, students attend to the pedagogical activities – without tutor assistance – while minimising the conversational trouble associated with the act of 'doing' disagreement (i.e. indirectly enacting disagreements whilst maintaining a neutral stance). This paper thus contributes to CA literature on disagreements, while providing a unique insight into PBL tutorial interaction. Directions for future research are suggested.


Various quantitative PCR approaches have been utilized during the last years to provide information about the treatment efficacy and the risk of recurrent disease in haematological malignancies. Apart from the frequently used real-time PCR, cost-saving modified standard PCR methods may be applied as well. This report evaluates the utility of the end-point comparative duplex PCR. We have used this method for monitoring of 35 patients with either NHL or CLL and observed a good correlation between quantitative molecular results and clinical outcome. There was also an agreement between comparative duplex PCR and real-time PCR in patients who were monitored by both methods. We therefore believe that use of this technique should be strongly considered instead of simple qualitative detection in monitoring of therapeutic outcome in NHL or CLL patients.


Cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of mortality in humans (Murphy, Kochanek, Xu, & Arias, 2020). An important influence in the progression of artery disease is the long-term effect of disruptions in daily patterns or circadian rhythms. Not sleeping well at night and daytime sleepiness both associate with cardiovascular disease. In addition, a cardiovascular system that does not rest well at night is also bad. A blood pressure reading that does not decrease at night, called non-dipping hypertension, worsens cardiovascular disease. One important impact of broken rhythms is to cause disease in arteries. Thus, understanding the mechanisms that control 24-hour daily patterns is important. One key component gene of circadian rhythm is the transcription factor Bmal1. Vascular disease is a progression that begins as an adaptation to hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, whereby blood vessels change their structure in response to these changes in the bloodstream through a process called vascular remodeling. Remodeling is a process whereby arteries, arterioles, and even veins change their size and cellular structure (muscularity). Using mouse models of genetic disruption, our lab previously found that Bmal1 has an important role to control vascular remodeling, and when Bmal1 was disrupted, a vascular disease phenotype occurred. The lab also found that the endothelial cell layer of arteries contributes to the disease in Bmal1 knockout (KO) mice. These observations seemed the same in both males and females, thus, were sex independent. Bmal2, is a paralog of Bmal1. Bmal2 interacts with Bmal1 and is more selectively expressed in the endothelium. However, the role of Bmal2 in remodeling is not clear. To understand the role of Bmal2 in vascular disease, I have implemented a widely used experimental animal model of arterial ligation to induce vascular remodeling. I have ligated the left common carotid artery (LC) in two groups of mice, control wild-type (WT) mice (no genetic mutation) and the experimental Bmal2-KO (global knockout) mice. After two weeks, I isolated the LC and fixed the arteries in optimal cutting temperature (O.C.T.) compound and conducted histological processing (cut cross sections with a cryotome and staining with hematoxylin and eosin). I then quantified the changes in structure in the artery using the ImageJ program on digitized microscope images. My findings show that inward remodeling and wall-hypertrophy in male Bmal2- KO mice are similar to wild-type mice. The inward remodeling observed in the male WT and male Bmal2-KO mice is consistent with the normal response of what has been observed in this ligation model, inward accompanied by wall hypertrophy. However, I saw something different in the female Bmal2-KO mice undergoing the ligation for two weeks. Female Bmal2-KO mice exhibited robust inward remodeling that was accompanied by intimal hyperplasia. My data suggest that there are sex-specific differences in remodeling controlled by Bmal2.


Purpose: This study was to develop an evidence-based clinical practice protocol of physical restraints by adaptation process for patients with a geriatric hospital. Methods: Protocol adaptation process was conducted in accordance with manual for guideline adaptation version 1.0 by ADAPTE collaboration. Results: The adapted physical restraint protocol was consisted of 3 domains and 37 recommendations. The number of recommendations in each domain were: 7 nursing assessment, 19 nursing intervention, and 11 nursing evaluation. More than half (56.8%) of the recommendations were rated as grade B, 37.8% as grade C, and 5.4% were rated as grade D. Conclusion: The adapted physical restraint protocol is expected to contribute as an evidence-based clinical practice protocol for healthcare workers in geriatric hospitals for reducing and improving efficiency of appropriate physical restraints use.


The homogeneous microstructure, precise texture, and weldability of pre-hardened AISI P21 plastic mold steel are ideal for mirror-finished plastic mold cores and cavities. This study applies a nitriding heat treatment and oxynitriding to AISI P21 plastic mold steel, using various processing parameters to determine the influence that nitriding treatment has on the surface characteristics. Regarding the prepared specimen, an optical microscope was used to analyze the microstructure and thickness of the nitride layer, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed to examine the structure, a 3D surface profile meter was employed to analyze the surface morphology and roughness, and polarization corrosion was conducted to assess the corrosion resistance. A Rockwell C test was also applied to examine the hardness. The results show that applying nitriding treatment to AISI P21 plastic mold steel can effectively improve the surface hardness, and the addition of an oxynitride surface layer increases the corrosion resistance. The nitrogen element under the surface layer, which although relatively hard is brittle, produces ferrous nitrides such as Fe3N and Fe4N that maintain the precise shape of the plastic mold and extend its service life. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2012386]


Despite the fact that translation teaching research has been gaining momentum over the last two decades, little has been written and therefore known about translation assessment in the teaching context. This article reports on a data-based empirical study of translation testing in China. The issues raised in it range from teachers' attitudes towards testing to its objectives, design, contents, frequency, and its pedagogical roles. It is suggested that more research be done on translation testing, of which the first task is to develop a theoretical framework to provide guidance for translation testing practice and research. It is further recommended that translation testing be made more teaching-oriented and brought closer to the real world of professional translation.


A tumor originating in a lobus v. azygos is very seldom. We report here on a patient with a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lobus v. azygos which exhibits a very aggressive growth. Depending on the tumor localization, the metastasis is typical and can be recognized by computertomography (CT). In spite of the large number of treatment strategies, the prognosis is poor.


This paper presents an approach to modeling of renewable energy integration into Smart Grid for Electric Vehicle charging applications.Integration of renewable energy sources to smart grid is not only the key to smart Electric Vehicle charging but also the most efficient way to manage the distributed energy resources. It enables the ability to control, ease the peak load impacts, and protect distribution network components from being overloaded by Electric Vehicles. Thus, the electricity generation and consumption is managed in more cost effective way.The developed model is a grid connected solar-assisted Electric Vehicle charging station, with battery bank. It generates electricity using solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays to augment the electricity used to charge the electric vehicles. The battery bank stores electricity from the grid and discharges the stored energy during periods of peak charging demand.Optimization of the model was done by developing a program written in Visual Basic 2012. The computational results show the economic advantages of this model as well as the anticipated benefits of the smart grid for reduced peak loads, and increased efficiency.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


CMV colitis is associated with acute flare-up and poor prognosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, few studies showed the clinical manifestations, risk factors, prognostic factors and the impact of anti-viral treatment of CMV colitis in IBD inpatients. Therefore, we aimed to comprehensively analyze these issues in this largest cohort study in Asia.

 We retrospectively enrolled 118 IBD patients, including 42 CMV colitis and 76 non-CMV colitis, confirmed by CMV immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining from colonic tissue biopsy, from the pathology database in a 4000-bed tertiary medical center between January 2000 and May 2021. The patient characteristics, clinical manifestations, risk factors, prognostic factors and the impact of anti-viral treatment were analyzed.

 Major clinical manifestations in the CMV group included bloody stool (75.6%), diarrhea (68.3%) and abdominal pain (61%). The risk factors of CMV colitis were hypoalbuminemia (p=0.008) and antibiotic exposure (p=0.029) (Table 1). Seventy-nine percent of patients with CMV colitis received anti-viral treatment. In view of overall IBD complications, biological failure (OR 4.034, CI 1.659-9.805, P=0.002) and antiviral agents use (OR 0.08, CI 0.008-0.787, P=0.03) were independent prognostic factors in multivariate analysis (Table 2). In CMV group, the patients receiving adequate anti-viral treatment (≧ 14 days) had significantly lower IBD complications (29.2% vs. 72.2%) than inadequate or no treatment, especially in Crohn's disease (Table 3).

 Hypoalbuminemia and antibiotics use were the risk factors for CMV colitis in IBD patients. CMV colitis and biological failure lead to more overall IBD complications. However, definitive diagnosis and adequate anti-viral therapy can decrease the overall IBD related complications.


Chains connecting two or more different clusters are a well known problem of the probably most famous density-based clustering algorithm DBSCAN. Since already a small number of points resulting from, e.g., noise can form such a chain and build a bridge between different clusters, it can happen that the results of DBSCAN are distorted: several disparate clusters get merged into one. This single-link effect is rather known but to the best of our knowledge there are no satisfying solutions which extract those chains, yet. We present a new algorithm detecting not only straight chains between clusters, but also bent and noisy ones. Users are able to choose between eliminating one dimensional and higher dimensional chains connecting clusters to receive the underlying cluster structure by DBSCAN. Also, the desired straightness can be set by the user. We tested our efficient algorithm on a dataset containing traffic accidents in Great Britain and were able to detect chains emerging from streets between cities and villages, which led to clusters composed of diverse villages.


CDC's COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022, provides a snapshot of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted antimicrobial resistance in the United States. Data have shown national progress in slowing the spread of antimicrobial resistance and preventing these infections is possible. However, the pandemic has undone much of the nation's progress on antimicrobial resistance, especially in hospitals. CDC's Special Report highlights the impact of COVID-19 on five core to combat antimicrobial resistance and on 18 pathogens, identified by CDC as urgent, serious, and concerning threats. The United States must continue to invest in the prevention-focused public health actions to combat antimicrobial resistance. CDC's Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions Initiative has invested in domestic and global capacity to detect, respond, contain, and prevent the spread of resistance across health care, food, environment, and communities. These investments are working, but more work is needed. This was emphasized by the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC is exploring investments needed moving forward in the U.S. and global public health infrastructure to ensure a simultaneous response to the challenges of antimicrobial resistance and other emerging threats. The United States must continue to invest in preparing public health systems to address threats from multiple angles, simultaneously, and across One Health. If properly resourced, the United States can continue to build resilient domestic and global public health systems to keep our nation safe against the threats of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022, is a publication of the Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit within the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suggested citation: CDC. COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/covid19.html


SUMMARY On 22 February 2011, Canterbury and its largest city Christchurch experienced its second major earthquake within six months. The region is facing major economic and organisational challenges in the aftermath of these events. Approximately 25% of all buildings in the Christchurch CBD have been "red tagged" or deemed unsafe to enter. The New Zealand Treasury estimates that the combined cost of the February earthquake and the September earthquake is approximately NZ$15 billion [2]. This paper examines the national and regional economic climate prior to the event, discusses the immediate economic implications of this event, and the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations affected by this event. In order to facilitate recovery of the Christchurch area, organisations must adjust to a new norm; finding ways not only to continue functioning, but to grow in the months and years following these earthquakes. Some organisations relocated within days to areas that have been less affected by the earthquakes. Others are taking advantage of government subsidised aid packages to help retain their employees until they can make long-term decisions about the future of their organisation. This paper is framed as a "report from the field" in order to provide insight into the early recovery scenario as it applies to organisations affected by the February 2011 earthquake. It is intended both to inform and facilitate discussion about how organisations can and should pursue recovery in Canterbury, and how organisations can become more resilient in the face of the next crisis.


font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Growth cones of developing axons navigate by interpreting signals from multiple cues. Some of these are the familiar guidance cues netrin, semaphorin, slit, and ephrin. Growth cones are also influenced by GPCR ligands, including neurotransmitters such as glutamate and chemokines such as SDF1. Previous work from our lab demonstrated that either glutamate or SDF1, acting through their receptors mGluR1 or CXCR4, respectively, can reduce growth cone responsiveness to repellent cues. This effect is pertussis toxin-sensitive, implicating Gai/o proteins, yet dependent on increased cAMP, implicating Gas proteins. The antirepellent effect of SDF1 could also be mimicked by inhibition of Rho, suggesting that inhibition of Rho is a component of the antirepellent pathway. Here, I demonstrate that SDF1 antirepellent activity is blocked by peptides or proteins targeting Gai, Gaq, or Gbg. This suggests that multiple G protein components are required for SDF1 signaling. I also show that SDF1 antirepellent activity is mimicked by constitutively active forms of Gaq, Gai, or Gas. This suggests that higher-than-physiological levels of individual G protein components can substitute for a combination of G protein components in antirepellent signaling. A role for Gaq in antirepellent signaling is further supported by the ability of a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor to block the SDF1 antirepellent effect, consistent with Gaq's canonical activation of PLC. My work also reveals an alternate mechanism for SDF1-induced antagonism of repellent signaling. I show that the metalloprotease ADAM10 can cleave the repellent receptor neuropilin-1. Further, SDF1 antirepellent activity is blocked by either the metalloprotease inhibitor TAPI-2 or a dominant-negative ADAM10. Thus, inhibitory shedding of repellent receptors may contribute to the antirepellent effect. Previous work has shown that the antirepellent effect is mimicked by pharmacologically increased cAMP or blocked by a cAMP antagonist. TAPI-2 does not block the antirepellent effects of a cAMP analogue, suggesting that ADAM activation belongs to a separate pathway not downstream of cAMP. This work supports a model wherein SDF1/CXCR4 activates multiple G protein components to both increase cAMP and activate ADAM10. This would reduce sensitivity to repellents through inactivation of Rho and clearing of repellent receptors from the growth cone surface. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Jonathan A. Raper This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1543


: Eleven mosquito species of the communis species group (genus Ochlerotatus, family Culicidae) were found in the Novgorod Province as a result of nine-year investigations (1996-2004). Ochlerotatus impiger, O. nigrinus, and O. sticticus are recorded in the Novgorod Province for the first time.


This paper examines the trend in corporate response to the social responsible investing index (SRI) of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The motif of the paper is to discover how and if SRI drives corporates towards public declaration of their social responsible investments. The approach is archival with a descriptive and quantitative analysis of data drawn from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Descriptively, we charted a trend of the rate at which the JSE firms join the JSE SRI Index, and our findings indicate an upward trend from 2004 to 2013. Quantitatively, we examined the likely difference in corporate climate disclosure before and after the introduction of the Code for Responsible Investing in South Africa (CRISA). Our findings – using a T-Test of difference in means, indicate a significant difference in means, which apparently show that the CRISA may have added further impetus to corporate climate disclosure. In 2013, the JSE SRI deepened its stringency in measuring corporate responsible claims by assessing only the publicly available responsible information of corporations for inclusion in its SRI index. We thus evaluate possible difference in climate disclosure before and within the year of the new stringent criteria of measurement. Our second T-Test of difference in means also shows a significant difference in means, which signal that corporations exerted extra efforts in making the extent of their climate responsibility publicly available. We conclude that the JSE SRI, coupled with the CRISA motivates firms to improve on their public disclosure. We also conclude that the carbon disclosure project (CDP) is adding pragmatic momentum on the activities of JSE firms to strive towards their improvement in climate performance. Thus voluntary codes and indexes, in the absence of binding regulations, could spur corporate social and environmental initiative in a developing country.


By the combination of typical documentary,comparative method and experimental method,this essay analyzes the present state and experimental effects of the club model of physical teaching in general,points out its possibilities,puts forward a constructive advice,and provides a reference for building up a physical club model appropriate to colleges


In the September 1, 1995, issue of the Federal Register (60 FR 45778), we published a final rule with comment period revising the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems for operating costs and capital-related costs to implement necessary changes arising from our continuing experience with the system. In the addendum to that final rule with comment period, we announced the prospective payment rates for Medicare hospital inpatient services for operating costs and capital-related costs applicable to discharges occurring on or after October 1, 1995, and set forth update factors for the rate-of-increase limits for hospitals and hospital units excluded from the prospective payment systems. This document corrects errors made in that document.


SEVERE or intractable chest pain, associated with sweating, vomiting, precipitate fall of arterial blood pressure, fever, and evidence of shock or collapse, clearly indicates a diagnosis of acute myocardial infaretion. In marked contrast is the entity of angina pectoris, with its paroxysms of chest pain after effort, typical radiation of pain into the arm, feeling of viselike constriction in the chest, and prompt response to rest and nitroglycerin. Between these two major forms of coronary heart disease is a wide and ill-defined zone, made up of many heterogeneous groups, but with the common denominator of pain, usually intermediate in severity and duration between that of angina pectoris and acute myoeardial infarction. Characterized typically by one or more bouts of prolonged chest pain, each lasting from 15 minutes to several hours, an equivocal or poor response to rest and nitrites, usually unrelated to physical effort, and, as a rule, unassociated with peripheral vascular collapse, congestive cardiac failure, pulmonary edema, sustained fever or auscultatory abnormalities, this intermediate form of coronary attack is seldom if ever accompanied by evidence of gross myocardial damage, such as high values of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocytosis, and pathologic Q or QS patterns in the electrocardiogram. In the past, an attack of this type was indiscriminately classified either with angina pectoris or with acute myocardial infarction and designated by various terms including the following: atypical or anomalous angina; severe angina; angina of rest; angina decubi-


This thesis analyzes political struggles over power and knowledge within networks of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social movements contesting neoliberal globalization. Existing studies tend to obscure tensions, contradictions and differences among organizations and movements engaged in resistance and contest of neoliberalism. Situating 'globalization' as a contemporary manifestation of older processes of colonialism and imperialism, this work draws upon and extends institutional ethnography/political activist ethnography methodologies to explicate how 'anti-globalization' practice is socially organized. Starting from a standpoint in an everyday world of activist practice, this work examines NGO, activist and official documents, and insights from the author's 'insider' status as an activist/researcher in NGO conferences and campaigns. It explicates tensions and asymmetries of power within networks throughout the Asia-Pacific that mobilized to contest the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the 1990s. Combining a dual interdisciplinary academic and activist theoretical framework, it innovatively weaves knowledge and theory produced within social movements and activist milieus with academic scholarship. This work draws upon Marxist political economy and critical adult education traditions, critiques of dominant social movement theory, non-Western approaches to epistemologies of knowledge, organizational analysis, social history and other critical historiographies. It identifies and questions hegemonic NGO practices, arguing that hierarchies of power and knowledge within 'alternative' milieus often reproduce, rather than challenge dominant practices and power relations, and serve elite interests rather than those of constituencies which these organizations claim to represent. This thesis troubles the NGOization of political struggles, NGO claims of representation, and the privileging of professionalized NGO and academic knowledge at the expense of voices and histories from below. In so doing, it offers new conceptual resources for future scholarship on social movements and 'civil society', as well as tools to inform activism.


Stewart C. Johnson, Jim W. Treasurer, Sandra Bravo, Kazuya Nagasawa, and Zbigniew Parasitic copepods are common on cultured and wild marine finfish, and there is a substantive literature describing their taxonomy, life cycles, and host ranges. Although many species have long been recognized to have the potential to affect the growth, fecundity, and survival of their hosts, it has only been with the development of semi-intensive and intensive aquaculture that their importance as disease-causing agents has become evident. Members of the family Caligidae are the most commonly reported species on fish reared in brackish and marine waters. These species, often referred to as sea lice, are responsible for most disease outbreaks. The impacts of sea lice on marine salmonid aquaculture are well documented, with catastrophic losses reported for disease outbreaks that have resulted in high levels of mortality. With the development of a variety of treatments and management strategies to reduce infection levels, mortality caused by sea lice has been greatly reduced. At present, economic losses due to sea lice are primarily from the costs of treatments, the costs of the management strategies, the costs associated with reduced growth rates that are a direct result of infection and/or treatment, and the costs of carcass downgrading at harvest. Indirect and direct losses due to sea lice in salmonid aquaculture globally are estimated to be greater than US$100 million annually. In other areas of marine aquaculture, the impact of parasitic copepods is not well documented. This is especially true for species such as Atlantic halibut, Atlantic cod, turbot, and haddock that have only recently entered commercialscale production. This review discusses the global importance of parasitic copepods as disease-causing agents in marine aquaculture. We also provide a brief review of the environmental and husbandry factors that may affect parasitic copepod abundance and the potential roles that parasitic copepods play as vectors for other disease agents.


3C286 (1328+307) is a powerful radio source identified with a quasar at z=0.849. There is a foreground galaxy responsible for an H I absorption line system at z=0.6922 (Brown & Roberts 1973), centered approximately 2.″5 to the southeast of 3C286. The radio source has a steep spectrum (α= −0.61, Sν ∝ να between 1.4 and 15 GHz) which turns over at about 100 MHz. Subarcsecond resolution radio images show a misaligned triple structure, dominated by the central component (Spencer et al. 1989) which accounts for at least 95% of the total flux density at all frequencies. 3C286 is one of the strongest extragalactic sources in polarized emission (0.84 Jy at 5 GHz and 1.41 Jy at 1.4 GHz) and with a rotation measure close to 0 rad m−2 (Rudnick and Jones 1983). Hence the observed orientation of the electric field vector is essentially independent of frequency.


= Abstract = Purpose : The aims of this study were to investigate the long-term outcomes in children with infantile spasms (IS) and to identify the prognostic factors influencing their neurodevelopment. Methods : We retrospectively evaluated seventy two children over five years old who were treated for IS at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between 1994 and 2007. Forty-three children were contacted by telephone or medical follow-up to assess their current neurodevelopmental status. Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CIs) of risk factors for unfavorable outcomes. Results : The mean follow-up duration for these 43 children was 7.2±1.5 years (range, 4.5 to 13.0 years). Of these, 13 (30.2%) had cryptogenic and 30 (69.8%) had symptomatic IS. Eleven (25.6%) children were initially treated with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) therapy, with a mean treatment lag of 1.3±1.9 months (range; 0.1 to 7.0 months). Eighteen (41.8%) children clinically responded to initial treatment, as shown by EEG response. Overall, 22 (51.2%) children had at least moderate neurodevelopmental disorders and 2 (4.8%) died. In univariate analysis, etiology (symptomatic) and poor electroclinical response to initial treatment were related to long-term unfavorable outcomes. In multivariate analysis, response to primary treatment was the sole significant independent risk factor with a high OR. Conclusion : Overall prognosis of children with IS was poor. Electroclinical non-responsiveness to initial treatment was related to unfavorable long-term outcomes, indicating that initial control of seizures may be important in reducing the likelihood of poor neurodevelopment. (Korean J Pediatr 2010;53:80-84)


This paper deals with the transient analysis of manufacturing systems in the presence of failures and repairs. The exact model is decomposed into: 1) a structure state process, modeling the failure and repair events which occur at a slower time scale; and 2) a performance model, modeling the part processing and material movement events occurring at a faster time scale. The solutions of these two models are combined to yield the mean and standard deviation of cumulative production over an interval. Such studies, called combined performance-dependability studies, are important in the manufacturing context. We define combined performance and dependability (performability) measures in the manufacturing context, and provide a mathematical formulation. Detailed performability studies are carried out for cellular manufacturing systems, in particular for a flexible manufacturing cell and a two-cell manufacturing system featuring blocking and prioritized, centralized repair. We also present several numerical examples. >


The 'age of populism' that the post-industrial world is living through has generated many challenges to existing security and intelligence structures. Some of these challenges are new versions of 'classic' problems: tracking the movement of money and people across borders, attempts to undermine Parliamentary democracy and societal cohesion, internal subversion and counterintelligence are old problems, updated for the 21stcentury. The magnitude, scale and precise targeting of foreign interventions in the 2016 referendum, for example, provides unique challenges to intelligence agencies, and indeed to the system of laws and law enforcement agencies who have struggled to effectively respond to these foreign interventions, and those willing to engage in norm breaking activity. This paper advances a new understanding of how information campaigns are conducted. There are profound opportunities and challenges to the technological and technical underpinnings of intelligence agencies currently, including a technological arms race and persistent debates around the scope and appropriateness of their actions. There are fundamental questions of politicisation raised by the ceaseless march of populists: we know that one of guiding mantras of intelligence agencies is 'speaking truth to power', but evidence suggests that there is currently a disjuncture in some jurisdictions that hinders this exchange. Indeed, in many populist jurisdictions intelligence agencies have been placed in a 'them or us' dynamic that is the antithesis of effective intelligence gathering, analysis and dissemination. Because much of this populism is premised upon the disruption of existing rules and traditions, its precise nature needs to be more accurately defined to allow intelligence agencies to operate within it


Many works have been published on the human lung, but since the time of William Snow Miller no one has presented as detailed and comprehensive a study of the microscopic anatomy of this structure. We find in this book, moreover, not only the results of an extensive individual investigation of the gross and microscopic anatomy of the lung, but also an attempt to correlate such anatomical facts with both physiologic and pathologic states in the pulmonary systems. In recent years the lungs have received more attention and have become more important clinically than ever before. This has been due not only to the marked increase in the incidence of and mortality from carcinoma of the lung, but also to the rising incidence and morbidity associated with pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis, and pulmonary insufficiency secondary to cardiac disease. If we are to understand these pathologic processes and


Despite its huge consequences for European integration, European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) has not, until recently, gained the attention of as many legal academics as other supposedly more mainstream areas of European Union law. Even after the establishment of the European System of Central Banks and the introduction of a single currency, the implications of EMU are primarily discussed in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of the legal framework and its economic implications. While the shortcomings of the present regulatory system, which have contributed to the Eurozone debt crisis since 2010, certainly justify such analyses, they deflect from the question whether and to what extent EMU actually contributes to European integration, as defined by the Treaty on European Union in terms of a 'process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe. A Union in which decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizen' and that promotes economic, social and territorial cohesion, and solidarity among its Member States and its citizens. It is at least not self-evident that EMU actually contributes to the identification of the citizens of the Member States with the European project. In fact, one may wonder whether the Eurozone debt crisis actually provides evidence to the contrary.The present contribution explores whether and to what extent in times of (economic) crisis the policies exercised at the supranational level have the potential to contribute to or indeed undermine the appreciation of the European Union by its citizens and, in the long term, the emergence of a transnational citizenship beyond the creation and upholding of rights. In addressing these questions, two fairly distinct topics in European integration studies are connected, namely the conduct of macroeconomic and monetary policy in the EU and the discourse on the existing or perceived lack of identification with and ownership by the citizens in relation to European policies and supranational integration as such. In this chapter, therefore, the debate on the existence or emergence of a European demos is first recalled, thereby reflecting on the notion of the 'European citizen' and exploring the role that common goods and solidarity may have in this context. Thereafter, it is explored whether and to what extent EMU pursues 'common goods' that bring citizens closer to Europe and each other, thereby creating solidarity among Europeans. Finally, the contribution seeks an answer to the question whether the current Eurozone debt crisis is uniting Member States and their citizens in solidarity in pursuing these common goods in defense of the aims of European integration. The legal analysis is enriched with relevant references to political science and political economy scholarship, adding a multidisciplinary dimension to the chapter.


The fifth generation (5G) of mobile and wireless communications networks aims at addressing a diverse set of use cases, services, and applications with a particular focus on enabling new business cases via network slicing. The development of 5G has thus advanced quickly with research projects and standardization efforts resulting in the 5G baseline architecture. Nevertheless, for the realization of native end-to-end (E2E) network slicing, further features and optimizations shall still be introduced. In this paper, we provide a gap analysis of current 5G system (5GS) with respect to some specific enhancements and detail our insights on the enabling innovations that can fill the identified gaps. We will then discuss the essential building blocks and design principles of an evolved 5G baseline architecture capitalizing on the innovations that are being developed.


CAD performance in the field of simulation, testing, and layout is compared to the increase of digital integrated systems complexity. This complexity already exceeds the fundamental limits of existing software, especially in the testing area. On the other hand, fully manual layout of VLSI leads to unreasonably long design times and extremely high risks. This will favor design automation methods in layout. Testability and layout will most likely impose some sacrifice of VLSI overcapacity to a more structured system architecture. This architecture will lead to testable dedicated VLSI system design through the use of automated design software to keep development costs low.


Enhanced pharmacist care for patients with dyslipidemia improves low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, according to a study published in the March issue of Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy.


This paper addresses the music therapy process specific to one subgroup of the general population identified as having terminal illness. This subgroup includes individuals who are impoverished, homeless, and do not have someone to provide them with care at the end of life. Based upon her clinical work at Malachi House, the author identified three distinct phases of the music therapy process with these individuals: engagement, relationship building, and actively dying. The progress of 50 residents through the therapy process was documented over a three-year period, as was the musical and nonmusical content of music therapy sessions. This paper reviews the results of the documentation recorded and offers case examples to represent each phase.


Ion Bernstein wave (IBW) heating at ion cyclotron half-harmonic frequencies was performed in hydrogen (H) discharges in the WT-3 tokamak. The bulk ion temperature increase was measured by a charge exchange analyser and a spatially scanning polychrometer. The latter diagnostics can provide radial ion-temperature profiles. The incremental ion temperature has shown a peak at the exact location where the IBW frequency omega equals 3/2 of the ion cyclotron frequency, indicating the nonlinear direct acceleration of H ions. The wave electric field was measured by a Langmuir probe in the scrape-off layer. The electric field at the second harmonic of the excited IBW frequency was observed to vary depending on the power level and the toroidal magnetic field. These experimental results are compared with the theoretical prediction of nonlinear IBW damping. The measured dependences of the ion heating and the wave amplitude at 2 omega on the toroidal magnetic field are in reasonable agreement with the prediction.


Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. The organs that are involved by sarcoidosis include the lungs in which the granuloma is seen in more than 90% of patients to the pituitary, which is only rarely affected. There are many hypotheses as to the cause of sarcoidosis. Some of them rely on the similarities seen between sarcoidosis and the other granuloma-forming diseases such as tuberculosis, berylliosis, pine pollen inhalation and acute and chronic bacterial and viral infections, while others find similarities between sarcoidosis and immune reactions observed in autoimmune disorders. Still other explanations implicate a genetic predisposition or a still-unknown agent as the underlying cause of the granuloma formation.


Microvesicles (MVs) or shedding
membrane vesicles have recently been described as a novel model of intercellular communication. Previously, MVs were
considered as unnecessary or secreted cellular debris, but MVs have lately been
described as having roles in a variety of biological functions, such as cell
homeostasis and the cellular processes involved in the oncogenesis of many
types of tumors. Carrying several key molecules that contribute to tumor
development and progression, similar to mRNAs, microRNAs and other non-coding
RNAs, DNA and even small proteins, MVs can
be considered as a ubiquitous form of novel cell
communication that is present in most somatic cells. Although tumor-derived MVs
have been demonstrated in different types of cancers, the literature data on
MVs in primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors are relatively scarce. In
this review, we address the involvement of MVs in diffuse astrocytomas,
particularly glioblastomas, as well as oligodendrogliomas and medulloblastomas.
We placed particular focus on the
cellular crosstalk between tumor and "normal" cells, the putative mechanisms
how the tumor microenvironment is modulated and the spread of aggressive
phenotypes. Additionally, a better understanding of the participation of
tumor-derived MVs in the regulation of key cancer pathways will offer new
insights into tumor pathogenesis and the mechanisms of multidrug resistance,
and may help to develop new strategies for novel therapies against these
infiltrative CNS tumors.


The integration of a European Electricity Market has leaded to one single market with multi-area which are considered as bidding zones; currently, it regards only the day-ahead market. The Price Coupling of Regions (PCR) project is an initiative for the day ahead market of seven power exchanges APX, Belpex, EPEX SPOT, GME, Nord Pool Spot, OMIE, and OTE. The Italian Power Exchange (GME) has become a part of the PCR since 24th January 2015. Thus, the impact of PCR on GME after one year of the operation needs to be investigated. In this paper, the authors evaluate the impact of PCR on the Italian Power Exchange one year before and after 24th January 2015 from three points of view: (i) the convergence of electricity price, (ii) congestion management, and (iii) the price maker in case of no congestion. The used data is available on GME, EPEX Spot, France TSO, Austria TSO and ENTSO-E websites for 2014, 2015 and 2016.


Cyanotic congenital heart lesions with duct-dependent pulmonary blood flow often require early intervention. Surgical palliation remains the treatment of choice, but is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Ductal stent implantation is becoming a recognised alternative to maintain pulmonary blood flow. Results of ductal stenting have improved and outcomes are good. We discuss the outcomes of published data and the practical aspects of ductal stenting.


Background: The global burden on mental disorders have become too advanced with serious consequences on health and society. Over the years, depression, stress, and anxiety have become more common symptoms which affect all over population pyramid irrespective of the gender. Mental disorders are second most health indicator that causes morbidity.
Objectives: The mental disorders affect the entire population and both genders equally. Present study was conducted to carry out meta-analysis study to highlight the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress among university students.
Methodology: Various search engines i.e. Google scholar, Duckduckgo, AOL, Baidu, Yahoo as well as books and newsletter were used to collect the data.
Results: Despite tremendous development in the era of health and education, there is significant prevalence (79.5%) of anxiety, depression, and stress in medical students that leads to morbidity and poor mental health disorders among these students.
Conclusion: It is concluded from meta-analysis study that prevalence of depression and anxiety is alarmingly high. There is a need of the hour to develop and design the mental health prevention programs and health education programs to overcome this issue.


An attempt was made to socialize unrelated and unfamiliar adult rhesus monkey females that had lived in single cages for more than one year. Partners first were given the opportunity for noncontact familiarization in partitioned double cages. They were then transferred into an ordinary double cage. Clear‐cut rank relationships were evident within the first 90 minutes of pair formation in 94% (17/18) of dyads tested. Only 28% (5/18) of pairs resorted to fighting (in no case with infliction of serious injury), while 50% (9/18) engaged in social grooming or hugging during this initial phase of pair formation. Eighty‐three percent (15/18) of pairs were compatible, with none of the partners showing signs of depression and none inflicting serious injury on the other. Seventeen percent (3/18) of pairs were incompatible (two cases of depression, one serious tail injury) and were separated. It was concluded that the barren environment of singly caged rhesus monkey females can be enriched with little risk by carefully making them compatible companions.


Objective: Physiological shock leads to elevated levels of plasma factors that activate circulating leukocytes and endothelial cells, thereby compromising microvascular functions. The nature and source of these plasma‐derived activators are unknown. To examine the possible origin of these factors, we homogenized rat internal organs and measured their activity on cardiovascular cells in vivo and in vitro.


Gradually increasing abaxial proptosis in a middle-aged female patient revealed a large well-defined cystic lesion behind the globe extending till the orbital apex. B scan ultrasound and CT findings were favouring a diagnosis of orbital hydatid cyst. Thus as a diagnostic/curative surgical protocol, the cystic lesion was removed in total. However, intraoperative gross specimen examination was not classical of hydatid cyst, thus a further histopathological evaluation was carried out, which confirmed the diagnosis of orbital schwannoma with extensive cystic degeneration. Postoperatively the clinical course was uneventful at the end of 1 year.


This review has two aims. The first is to identify important environmental influences on the growth of children aged 1 to 9 years and of adolescents, defined as those aged 10 to 19 years. The second is to identify possible environmentally based criteria for the selection of individuals and populations for data collection in the development of an international growth reference for these age ranges. There are many common environmental influences on the growth of children between the ages of 1 and 19 years; the examination and description of these forms the main body of this review. Subsequently, environmental factors influencing adolescent growth only are considered. In both cases, possible selection criteria are put forward. The most important inclusion criteria for both preadolescence and adolescence are good nutrition, lack of infection, and socioeconomic status that does not constrain growth. Additionally, low birthweight, catch-up growth, breastfeeding, and early adiposity rebound have impacts on growth and/or body composition into puberty. Exclusion of children born at low birth and/or experiencing catch-up growth could be most realistically operationalized if populations in which secular trends in growth were either completed or minimal were selected. Although an effect of hypoxia on child and adolescent growth, independent of nutrition, is small at most, many high-altitude populations have high prevalances of low birthweight and should be excluded on this basis. Since all populations are exposed to pollutants, contaminants, and toxicants in varying degrees, they cannot be realistically excluded from the sample frame. However, it may be desirable to exclude populations that are habitually exposed to extremely high levels of environmental pollution, including air pollution, and those living in close proximity to toxic waste. It is impossible to exclude populations and individuals on the basis of their exposure to aflatoxin contamination of food. However, exclusion on the basis of low socioeconomic status or poverty may well act as a proxy for this. There are a small number of populations that show extreme patterns of growth in body size and proportion in preadolescence and adolescence, and these should be excluded from the sample frame.


The screening method for determination of individual norm of IOP proved the efficiency for early glaucoma diagnosis and for the treatment and monitoring of a disease. Purpose: definition of compliance of IOP to individual norm or tolerant IOP (TIOP) in different age groups Patients and methods. 4212 women (65.6%) and 2205 men (34.4%) aged from 22 up to 80 years participated in a research. In total 12820 examinations were analyzed. At each patient the result of compliance of settlement TIOP to the available real oftalmotonus was estimated. Patients with excess of an oftalmotonus concerning TVGD up to 15% were carried to group with low risk of disease developing, with excess from 15 to 25% — with average risk, by more than 25% — with high risk of glaucoma development. All patients were divided into 3 groups depending on age: younger 40 years, with average age of 35 years (620 eyes); from 40 to 60 years, with middle age 54 years (2724 eyes); 60 years, with middle age are more senior 73 years. Results. The regularity consisting in decrease in an indicator of lack of risk of glaucoma with age and in increase in high risk of a disease in the senior age groups was revealed. For patients who entered into risk group, morfofunctional monitoring for the glaucoma exception, dynamic observation with the subsequent analysis of the received results through certain time was recommended. The obtained data confirm decrease in hemodynamic parameters of eyes with increase in age, and assessment of indicators of microcirculation of an eye with calculation of TIOP can be one of important diagnostic criteria for glaucoma diagnostics and monitoring.


The volumes in this popular series provide nurse educators with material to help them plan, conduct, and evaluate their instructional goals and accomplishments. The series addresses a broad spectrum of teaching situations, classroom settings, and clinical instruction-supervision.This book presents 52 instruments for measuring outcomes in patient education, drawn from a wide variety of sources. Each tool is accompanied by a descriptive view and critique, and information on administration, scoring, and psychometric properties. Particular attention is paid to the different situations in which the instrument has been used. The book assists nurses and other health care providers to measure the effectiveness of patient teaching.


It's very hard to guarantee high image quality whenconverting standard-definition television (SDTV) images tohigh-definition television (HDTV) images because of the greatdifference of image resolution between them. Moreover, thechange in pixel shape from rectangular to square makes thetraditional image zooming methods impossible to do theconversion. Based on this reason, we propose an ImprovedBilinear Interpolation Algorithm: using the CenterCoordinates of Pixels to do bilinear interpolation (IBIACCP).This method can correct the color values of HDTV images bycorrecting the pixels' x and y coordinates since a pixel's colorvalue is a function of its x and y coordinates in interpolationalgorithms. Considering the huge enlarging multiples, we dosharpening treatment to the HDTV images after theinterpolation. Experiments show that IBIACCP can greatlyimprove the quality of HDTV images comparing withtraditional bilinear interpolation algorithm.


In this work, we consider an energy harvesting device (EHD) served by an access point with a single antenna that is used for both wireless power transfer (WPT) and data transfer. The objective is to maximize the expected throughput of the EHD over a finite horizon when the channel state information is only available causally. The EHD is energized by WPT for a certain duration, which is subject to optimization, and then, EHD transmits its information bits to the AP until the end of the time horizon by employing optimal dynamic power allocation. The joint optimization problem is modeled as a dynamic programming problem. Based on the characteristic of the problem, we prove that a time dependent threshold type structure exists for the optimal WPT duration, and we obtain closed form solution to the dynamic power allocation in the uplink period.


II. International Conference on Tourism Dynamics and Trends was held on 26-29 June 2017 at the Faculty of Tourism and Finance, University of Seville, Spain. The conference series is organized by the collaboration with four universities: University of Seville (Spain), University of Sannio (Italy), Akdeniz University (Turkey) and Kemptem University of Applied Sciences (Germany). The series is planned to be held annually by one of the partner universities in each year with rotation. Following the 1st conference in 2016 hosted by Akdeniz University Tourism Faculty in Antalya, 2nd conference was in Seville, Spain. This edition of the conference is devoted to the memory of Steve Watson, who was professor at John St John University, member of the scientific committee of the conference and visiting professor at the Faculty of Tourism and Finance of the University of Seville.


Background and aim: Under-diagnosis of COPD is a widespread problem. This study aimed to identify early stages of COPD in a high-risk population identified through general practice. Methods: Participating GPs (n=241) recruited subjects with no previous diagnosis of obstructive lung disease, > 35 yrs, and at least one respiratory symptom. Age, smoking status, pack-years, BMI, dyspnoea score (MRC), and pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry data was obtained. Results: A total of 4.049 (49% females) subjects were included; mean age 58 yrs, BMI 27, and 32 pack-years. The COPD prevalence in our population was 21.7%; 8.3% in subjects younger than 48 years. Most patients were classified in GOLD stages I and II (36% and 50%, respectively). The number needed to screen (NNS) for a new diagnosis of COPD was 4.6. COPD diagnosis was related to gender, age, BMI (p Conclusions: A case-finding strategy providing screening and diagnostic spirometry to high-risk subjects in primary care identifies a large proportion of undiagnosed COPD patients, especially in the early stages of the disease.


Antiserum to a synthetic peptide that defines a hydrophilic region within the putative c-myb translation product was prepared in the rabbit. In lysates from exponentially growing ML-1, human myeloblastic leukemia cells, the antiserum ("anti-myb") reacted with five proteins of Mr 58,000, 75,000, 85,000, 90,000 and 105,000. Of these, only p75 and a trace of p85 were detected, by immunoblotting, in extracts derived from ML-1 cell nuclei. The proteins p58, p75 and p90 were present in readily detectable amounts only in the relatively immature myeloid cell lines ML-1 and HL-60, whereas in the more mature myeloid cell line THP-1 and in the lymphoid line BALL-1 only traces of these proteins were found. p85 and p105 were detected in lysates from all cell lines tested, including myeloid and lymphoid leukemia cells and mouse 3T3 cells. In lysates from ML-1 cells induced to differentiate to monocyte/macrophages or to granulocytes, the concentrations of p58 and p75 decreased in parallel with the cell population moving to maturity; in completely mature populations these two proteins were no longer detectable. In ML-1 cells arrested in G1 by serum depletion, the amount of p58 and p75 and to a smaller extent that of p90 was decreased, whereas the concentration of p85 and p105 remained unchanged. In nuclei from exponentially growing ML-1 cells, the antiserum or its derived immunoglobulin fraction ("anti-myb IgG") inhibited mRNA transcriptional activity by 30%. DNA synthesis was not affected. In contrast, in nuclei from differentiated ML-1 cells, the mRNA transcriptional activity was not significantly inhibited by anti-myb IgG. Similarly, in nuclei from ML-1 cells arrested largely in G1 by serum depletion for 2 days, mRNA transcriptional activity was inhibited by only 11%. Upon supplementation with serum, the mRNA transcriptional activity inhibitable by anti-myb IgG increased in parallel with the increasing rate of cell growth. The difference in total mRNA transcriptional activity observed in nuclei from cells of different growth rate was accounted for by the difference in transcriptional activity inhibitable by anti-myb IgG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Seizures were induced by electroconvulsive shock (ECS) in 75 rats. Etorphine (ip) decreased seizure duration, its ED(50) being 11 microg/kg. Etorphine (icv) facilitated seizures with ED(50) 0.35 microg. These effects of etorphine were in a dose-dependent manner. Electroacupuncture (EA) inhibited partially the seizures; this inhibitory effect was reversed by ip naloxone. These results suggest that EA exerts the anticonvulsive action via endogenous opioid system.


The aimed of the study  to determination the effects of reducing diabetes drug "Metformin" on the liver and kidney function by number of biochemical parameters, including two liver enzymes: Alanine Transaminase (ALT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and concentration of kidney function in the blood serum urea, and uric acid. male albino rats,which were used in this study. The results showed an increase in ALT activity, as well as the status of ALP activity. The concentrations of urea, and uric acid increase significantly (P≤0.05) in serum of rats the animals that were given alloxan compared to the control group. The concentrations of these enzymes decreased in the third and fourth groups of animals that were dosed with metformin at a concentration of 500,850 mg compared with the alloxan group. The group treated with metformin at a concentration of 850 mg was revealed three times the lower activities of all enzymes throughout the study period.


Alpha-decay half-life of even-even emitters has been calculated in terms of tunnelling through a quantum mechanical potential barrier. A multipolar expansion of Coulomb potential has been developed taking into account the nuclear quadrupole, hexadecapole, and hexacontatetrapole deformations. We show that using a free-parameter model the calculated half-lives do not vary significantly with higher order multipolarities of the daughter nucleus deformation.


This study aims to analyse the concept of image applied to destinations. There are two research objectives and, consequently, two research phases. The first objective is to examine and measure the image of a specific place: the city of Rome. The second objective is to analyse the potential differences, if any, among the responses obtained in the first phase of the study from respondents of different genders, age groups, educational levels and countries of origin. The first research phase consists of a quantitative analysis, which was performed by providing 247 questionnaires to a convenience sample of national and international visitors to Rome. The questionnaires were drawn up using descriptive statistics and an exploratory factor analysis; they also were tested using a reliability analysis. The second research phase is conducted on the same dataset using analyses of variance. To the best of our knowledge, this work identifies, for the first time in general terms, Rome's image. The main limitation of this research is related to the sample: because the study uses a convenience sample, generalisations pertaining to its conclusions must be limited to representations of the sample.


A relatively common form of memory distortion arises when individuals must discriminate items they have seen from those they have imagined (reality monitoring). The present fMRI investigation (at 1.5 T) focused on the processes that relate to memory assignment regardless of accuracy (e.g. that correspond with the belief that an item was presented as a picture, regardless of whether that belief is correct). Prior to the scan, participants (n = 16) viewed concrete nouns and formed mental images of the object named. Half of the names were followed by the object's photo. During the scan, participants saw the object names and indicated whether the corresponding photo had been studied. Activity in visual-processing regions (including the precuneus and fusiform gyrus) corresponded with the attribution of an item to a pictorial presentation. In contrast, activity in regions thought to be important for self-referential processing (including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate gyrus) was associated with attribution to a nonpresented source. These neural findings converge with behavioral evidence indicating that individuals use the amount of different types of information retrieved (e.g. perceptual detail, information about cognitive operations) to determine whether an item was imagined or perceived.


The in-situ monitoring of electrochemical deposition (ECD) processes is still a challenge regarding the measurement of the effective temperature of the substrate and the formation of mechanical stress in the layer under given plating conditions. Monitoring problems can be solved by applying a pre-coated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) to the electrolytic process as the shift of the Bragg wavelength is affected by both the temperature of the electrolyte near the substrate and the stress formation in the growing layer. The experimental FBG set-up and the quantitative determination of temperature- and stress-related strain is described for a nickel-iron electrolyte.


The study focuses on the first stirrings of Generation X: How it emerged with its indolence and lack of expectation for future, with no anchor in the past, and with an insipid, colorless present. The author defines what is meant by Generation X from the 50's to the 90's, then offers a brief look at the historical development of the ideas that provoked and allowed for a generation of this type. Several examples of films and characters that illustrate this phenomenon are provided.


The genus Dorycnium has been identified for its potential use as a forage plant for southern Australia, but little is known about factors affecting establishment and survival. This investigation examined some factors affecting the establishment of D. hirsutum and D. rectum in Mediterranean environments of south-west Western Australia. The population dynamics of D. hirsutum and D. rectum seedlings were investigated during the summer drought in 4 environments. The effect of time of sowing on establishment and survival of D. hirsutum was tested as a management option for improving establishment of these species. Poor seedling performance was observed in both Dorycnium species. Less than 20% of D. rectum plants survived the summer drought at all locations, compared with >50% for D. hirsutum seedlings. Poor seedling vigour coupled with weed competition resulted in low plant numbers at 2 sites. Compared with autumn sowings, populations of D. hirsutum sown in August and September had lower plant densities before summer due to poorer seedling emergence. Plant numbers declined during the summer in all plots, but losses were greatest in those sown in September. In both experiments, small D. hirsutum plants survived in plots where little competition was present. Improvements in seedling vigour may be possible with plant breeding but establishment methods that reduce weed competition are valuable. Spring sowing may enable effective weed control before seeding, but later sowings run the risk of reducing seedling emergence and survival.


Lucien Le Cam is currently Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of California, Berkeley. He was born on November 18, 1924, in Croze, Creuse, France. He received a Licence es Sciences from the University of Paris in 1945, and a Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1952. He has been on the faculty of the Statistics Department at Berkeley since 1952 except for a year in Montreal, Canada, as the Director of the Centre de Recherches Mathématiques (1972–1973). He served as Chairman of the Department of Statistics at Berkeley (1961–1965) and was co-editor with J. Neyman of the Berkeley Symposia. Professor Le Cam is the principal architect of the modern asymptotic theory of statistics and has also made numerous other contributions. He developed a mathematical system that substantially extended Wald's statistical decision theory to the version being used today. With his introduction of the distance between experiments, we now have a coherent statistical theory that links the asymptotics and the statistical decision theory. Encompassed in the theory are the concepts of contiguity, asymptotic sufficiency, a new method of constructing estimators (the onestep estimator), the theory of local asymptotic normality (LAN), metric dimension and numerous other seminal ideas. The metric dimension, introduced in 1973, has been found to be fundamentally important in studying nonparametric or semiparametric problems. This monumental work culminated in a big book, Asymptotic Methods in Statistical Decision Theory, published by Springer in 1986. Professor Le Cam's scientific contributions are not limited to theoretical statistics. At age 23 he introduced the characteristic functional technique (after Kolmogorov, but independently) to study the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall and its relation to stream flow. It resulted in a model known as Le Cam's model in hydrology. In the domain of probability theory, he was one of the early contributors to the study of convergence of measures in topological spaces. He refined the approximation theorems and the concentration inequalities of Kolmogorov and made extensions of these results to infinite-dimensional spaces. We also owe to him the introduction of the concepts of τ-smooth, and σ-smooth that are widely used today. In honor of his 70th birthday in 1994, a week-long workshop and a conference were held at Yale University, organized by Professor David Pollard. In addition, a Festschrift for Le Cam, Research Papers in Probability and Statistics Papers, was published by Springer in 1997. He is married to Louise Romig, the daughter of a founder of statistical quality control, Harry Romig. They have three grown children, Denis, Steven and Linda. Grace L. Yang is Professor of Statistics, Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742.


The efficacy and toxicity of CCNU (1-[2-chloroethyl]3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea) were evaluated in 23 dogs with measurable mast cell tumors (MCT). Twenty-two dogs had cutaneous MCT and 1 dog had an intranasal MCT Nineteen (83%) dogs had biopsy of their original mass performed and 4 (17%) had aspiration cytology of masses. Of the 19 tumors histologically graded, 1 (5%) neoplasm was classified as grade I, 10 (53%) were grade II, and the remaining 8 (42%) were grade III. Dogs were treated with CCNU at a dosage of 90 mg/m2 body surface area every 3 weeks. Response could be evaluated in 19 dogs. Eight of the 19 dogs (42%) had a measurable response to CCNU. One dog had a durable complete response for 440 days. Seven dogs (37%) had a partial response for a median and mean duration of 77 days and 109 days, respectively (range, 21-254 days). Treatment with CCNU resulted in stable disease in 6 dogs (32%) for a median and mean duration of 78 days and 122 days, respectively (range, 42-347 days). The acute dose-limiting toxicity was neutropenia 7 days after administration of CCNU. The median and mean neutrophil counts 7 days after CCNU were 1,452 cells/microL and 1,683 cells/microL, respectively (n = 17). Other toxicoses were uncommon. CCNU should be considered an active agent in the treatment of MCT in dogs.


PURPOSE
Recent advances in MRI-guided radiotherapy has inspired the development of MRI-compatible motion devices that simulate patient periodic motion in the scanner, particularly respiratory motion. Most commercial devices rely on non MR-safe ferromagnetic stepper motors which are not practical for regular QA testing. This work evaluates the motion performance of a new fully MRI compatible respiratory motion device at 3T.

METHODS
The QUASAR™ MRI-compatible respiratory motion phantom has been recently developed by Modus QA Inc., London, ON, Canada. The prototype is constructed from diamagnetic materials with linear motion generated using MRI-compatible piezoelectric motors that can be safely inserted in the scanner bore. The tumor was represented by a fillable sphere and is attached to the linear motion generator. The spherical tumor-representative and its surroundings were filled with different concentrations of MnCl2 to produce realistic relaxation times. The motion was generated along the longitudinal (H/F) axis of the bore using sinusoidal reference waveform (amplitude = 15 mm, frequency 0.25 Hz). Imaging was then performed on 3T Philips Achieva using a 32-channel cardiac coil. Fast 2D spoiled gradient-echo was used with a spatial resolution of 1.8 × 1.8 mm2 and slice thickness of 4 mm. The motion waveform was then measured on the resultant image series by tracking the centroid of the sphere through the time series. This image-derived measured motion was compared to the software-generated reference waveform.

RESULTS
No visible distortions from the device were observed on the images. Excellent agreement between the measured and the reference waveforms were obtained. Negligible motion was observed in the lateral (R/L) direction.

CONCLUSION
Our investigation demonstrates that this piezo-electric motor design is effective at simulating periodic motion and is a potential candidate for MRI-radiotherapy respiratory motion simulation. Future work should focus on evaluating non-sinusoidal waveforms, fast 3D pulse sequences, and perform dosimetric QA.


Most plasmas from patients with inhibitors contain antibodies that are reactive with the C2 domain of factor VIII. Previously, we have shown that the variable heavy chain (V(H)) regions of antibodies to the C2 domain are encoded by the closely related germline gene segments DP-10, DP-14, and DP-88, which all belong to the V(H)1 gene family. Here, we report on the isolation and characterization of additional anti-C2 antibodies that are derived from V(H) gene segments DP-88 and DP-5. Competition experiments using murine monoclonal antibodies CLB-CAg 117 and ESH4 demonstrated that antibodies derived from DP-5 and DP-88 bound to different sites within the C2 domain. Epitope mapping studies using a series of factor VIII/factor V hybrids revealed that residues 2223 to 2332 of factor VIII are required for binding of the DP-10-, DP-14-, and DP-88-encoded antibodies. In contrast, binding of the DP-5-encoded antibodies required residues in both the amino- and carboxy-terminus of the C2 domain. Inspection of the reactivity of the antibodies with a series of human/porcine hybrids yielded similar data. Binding of antibodies derived from germline gene segments DP-10, DP-14, and DP-88 was unaffected by replacement of residues 2181 to 2243 of human factor VIII for the porcine sequence, whereas binding of the DP-5-encoded antibodies was abrogated by this replacement. Together these data indicate that antibodies assembled from V(H) gene segments DP-5 and the closely related germline gene segments DP-10, DP-14, and DP-88 target 2 distinct antigenic sites in the C2 domain of factor VIII.


Resistance formation of tumors against chemotherapeutics is the major obstacle in clinical cancer therapy. Although low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is an important component in oncology referring to guideline-based antithrombotic prophylaxis of tumor patients, a potential interference of LMWH with chemoresistance is unknown. We have recently shown that LMWH reverses the cisplatin resistance of A2780cis human ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Here we address the question whether this LMWH effect is also valid under in vivo conditions. Therefore, we established tumor xenografts of A2780 and cisplatin resistant A2780cis cells in nude mice and investigated the impact of daily tinzaparin applications (10 mg/kg BW) on anti-tumor activity of cisplatin (6 mg/kg BW, weekly) considering the tumor growth kinetics. Intratumoral platinum accumulation was detected by GF-AAS. Xenografts of A2780 and A2780cis cells strongly differed in cisplatin sensitivity. As an overall consideration, tinzaparin co-treatment affected the response to cisplatin of A2780cis, but not A2780 tumors in the later experimental time range. A subgroup analysis confirmed that initially smaller A2780cis tumors benefit from tinzaparin, but also small A2780 xenografts. Tinzaparin did not affect cisplatin accumulation in A2780cis xenografts, but strongly increased the platinum content in A2780, obviously related to morphological differences in both xenografts. Although we cannot directly confirm a return of A2780cis cisplatin resistance by tinzaparin, as shown in vitro, the present findings give reason to discuss heparin effects on cytostatic drug efficiency for small tumors and warrants further investigation.


Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a range of hepatic disorders associated with fatty deposits in liver, which occur in the absence of alcohol consumption or alcohol abuse. NAFLD. The present study assessed glutathione level in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Subjects and Methods: The present study was conducted in Department of Internal Medicine, Narayana Medical College & Hospital, Chintareddy Palem, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Duration of the study was from February 2018 to January 2019. 40 patients of NAFLD and 20 cases of fatty liver disease were recruited. Serum levels of 8-OHdG were measured using the highly sensitive 8-OHdG Check enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum levels of GGT were measured using the Qualigent® GGT kit. Serum levels of glutathione (GSH) were measured using the GSH kit. Results: The mean total bilirubin in group I was 1.2 mg/dL and in group II was 0.7 mg/dL, aspartate transaminase was 58.2 U/l in group I and 62.6 U/l in group II, alanine transaminase in group I was 142.4 U/l in group I and 128.2 U/l in group II, alkaline phosphatase was 284.2 U/l in group I and 302.4 U/l in group II and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase in group I was 98.2 U/l and 118.4 U/l in group II. The difference was nonsignificant (P> 0.05). The mean glutathione level in group I was 0.6 and in group II was 0.4 and which increased to 1.4 in group I and 1.2 in group II after 3 months. The difference within the group found to be significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Authors found that there was reduction in alanine transaminase, glutathione and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase level. Antioxidant therapy with glutathione may reduce the pathological oxidative stress in the liver in NASH, preventing the progression from NAFLD to NASH cases.


The use of medical imaging technology MRI can provide the basis for the clinical diagnosis of anterior and posterior longitudinal ligament of the lower cervical spine, help to develop a reasonable treatment plan, and reduce the incidence of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Therefore, the study on the reliability of MRI detection technology in the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligament injury of the lower cervical spine is very important for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Retrospective analysis of 53 cases of anterior and posterior longitudinal ligament injuries caused by physical exercise in a hospital from February 2010 to April 2015 was conducted. On the one hand, preoperative imaging diagnosis evaluation results and surgical exploration results were comparatively analysed. On the other hand, the differences of the diagnostic results under three different criteria of T1D, T2L and T2T were comparatively analysed, in order to carry out the consistency and reliability of MRI test in the diagnosis. By analysing the results, it can be seen that the deviation between the MRI and the results of the operation is small, and it has a good consistency. When the T2T standard is used for analysis, the specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, negative and positive predictive values are all higher. According to the study results, in the diagnosis of the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligament of the lower cervical spine, the T2T standard is used to detect the MRI image, which can be widely used in clinical practice.


A parametric method for estimating the unknown channel impulse response (CIR) in a semi-blind manner is proposed. The main trait of this method is that, instead of seeking the whole CIR sequence, only the unknown time delays and attenuation factors of the physical channel multipath components are estimated. The technique is based on a suitable application of the subchannel response matching (SRM) criterion. The resulting cost function is separable with respect to the two sets of unknown parameters, i.e. time delays and attenuations. Thus, an efficient two step optimization procedure can be applied. The new method offers significant computational savings and a lower mean square estimation error as compared to existing semi-blind channel estimation methods.