ABSTRACT In this essay, we sketch out a method, histosophy, which makes possible the study of intellectual history and conceptual genealogy both in depth and over long periods of time. Histosophy uses digital tools to survey 'large issues within small compasses.' A genealogy of signifiers, it considers metonymic parts of a problem in order to contribute precisely and coherently to a larger perspective. We outline the theoretical contours of our approach. We exemplify how it works in practice by looking at the signifier 'esprit de corps', the study of which is presented in detail in the histosophical book The Genealogy of Esprit de Corps (Edinburgh University Press, 2019). The phrase 'esprit de corps' has been widely used since the eighteenth century in different discourses (political, military, sociological, etc.), but it is sufficiently limited that its genealogy can be traced across centuries and nations with precision, coherence, clarity, and with the help of automated search engines. By contrast, related but bigger concepts like freedom, individualism or solidarity are part of dozens of disparate and fuzzy discourses, so often uttered that the analysis of modern uses is problematic. The histosophical methodology is applicable in six discrete stages, here outlined.


Cysteamine dioxygenase (ADO) has been reported to exhibit two distinct biological functions with a nonheme iron center. It catalyzes oxidation of both cysteamine in sulfur metabolism and N-terminal cysteine-containing proteins or peptides, such as regulator of G protein signaling 5 (RGS5). It thereby preserves oxygen homeostasis in a variety of physiological processes. However, little is known about its catalytic center and how it interacts with these two types of primary substrates in addition to O2. Here, using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Mössbauer, and UV-visible spectroscopies, we explored the binding mode of cysteamine and RGS5 to human and mouse ADO proteins in their physiologically relevant ferrous form. This characterization revealed that in the presence of nitric oxide as a spin probe and oxygen surrogate, both the small molecule and the peptide substrates coordinate the iron center with their free thiols in a monodentate binding mode, in sharp contrast to binding behaviors observed in other thiol dioxygenases. We observed a substrate-bound B-type dinitrosyl iron center complex in ADO, suggesting the possibility of dioxygen binding to the iron ion in a side-on mode. Moreover, we observed substrate-mediated reduction of the iron center from ferric to the ferrous oxidation state. Subsequent MS analysis indicated corresponding disulfide formation of the substrates, suggesting that the presence of the substrate could reactivate ADO to defend against oxidative stress. The findings of this work contribute to the understanding of the substrate interaction in ADO and fill a gap in our knowledge of the substrate specificity of thiol dioxygenases.


We propose a batchwise monotone algorithm for dictionary learning. Unlike the state-of-the-art dictionary learning algorithms which impose sparsity constraints on a sample-by-sample basis, we instead treat the samples as a batch, and impose the sparsity constraint on the whole. The benefit of batchwise optimization is that the non-zeros can be better allocated across the samples, leading to a better approximation of the whole. To accomplish this, we propose procedures to switch non-zeros in both rows and columns in the support of the coefficient matrix to reduce the reconstruction error. We prove in the proposed support switching procedure the objective of the algorithm, i.e., the reconstruction error, decreases monotonically and converges. Furthermore, we introduce a block orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm that also operates on sample batches to provide a warm start. Experiments on both natural image patches and UCI data sets show that the proposed algorithm produces a better approximation with the same sparsity levels compared to the state-of-the-art algorithms.


Why were caves selected as places for art in the Palaeolithic? The question has not yet been explained. Previously, I attempted to answer it in part by examining cave art from the perspective of installation art whose aim is to provide us with different multisensory experiences to those of quotidian life. As a result, this theory of contemporary art led to a theory, cave art as installation art, which denotes an interactive nature between humans and a cave's physical environment. In this thesis I develop this theory through the provision of concrete observations obtained from fieldwork in decorated caves. I investigate 54 images from three caves (Covalanas, El Pendo, El Castillo) in Cantabria, Spain, focusing on the interactivities of cave art during the production and post-production (viewing) phases. The environmental factor concerned is the condition of the cave's wall, with which humans were able to interact creatively. The data collected comprises three categories, each of which testifies to a different type of interactivity: integration of natural lines with art; topographic conditions of the art area; and distortion of images due to its background topography. These categories reflect how the wall's features are incorporated into images, and how those features generated further interactivity in the post-production phase. As I am primarily concerned with the physical condition of the cave wall, I adopted digital photogrammetry to reconstruct 3D models of the 54 analysed images, which enabled me to analyse their topographic information in detail. The data were subsequently sorted statistically in terms of the three data categories. Consequently, the study suggests that Palaeolithic artists intentionally used walls' specific conditions to enhance the processes of image-making and image-viewing. A mutual relationship between an actor and an artistic medium inevitably redraws our concept of cave art to an interconnection between environment, art, and human.


Antibodies represent a large class of drugs that have a number of different therapeutic uses. The use of monoclonal antibodies against potential intracellular protein-protein interactions in cancer cells has remained largely unexplored. This lack of consideration is due largely to a number of factors that include poor intracellular uptake and rapid lysosomal degradation of monoclonal antibodies within cells. Encapsulating monoclonal antibodies within biodegradable nanoparticles is one strategy that can improve antibody cellular uptake and protect from lysosomal degradation so that the antibody can be released inside the cell and remain functional against the therapeutic target. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterize a human monoclonal antibody encapsulated within poly(lactic-co-glycolytic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles. We hypothesized that encapsulation of an antibody within PLGA nanoparticles is feasible and will release in a favorable manner. Method: Anti-AnnexinA2 (AnxA2) monoclonal antibody was encapsulated within PLGA nanoparticles utilizing a water/oil/water double emulsion solvent evaporation method. Nanoparticles and released antibodies were characterized through a number of different modalities. Results: Our results show encapsulation efficiency ranging from 16-22% with a mean of 18.725% (SEM 1.289) depending on initial concentration of antibody used in the nanoparticle formulation. Nanoparticles were formed in a favorable mono disperse manner as evidenced through dynamic light scattering. All of the formulations created maintained a hydrodynamic size below 250nm. Release kinetics revealed that at day 12 the cumulative release of the antibody is approximately 35%. In addition after release the antibody maintained functionality as evidenced through Western Blot analysis and immunocytochemistry. Conclusions: Encapsulation of a monoclonal antibody within polymeric PLGA nanoparticles is feasible, exhibits sustained release kinetics, and maintains functionality upon release. This encapsulation technique may be used as a method to load antibodies in targeted nanoparticles and release the antibodies inside cancer cells to interfere with aberrantly expressed proteins. Future experiments will focus on utilizing this monoclonal antibody encapsulation approach to screen intracellular protein-protein interactions as potential new therapeutic cancer targets. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Andrew Gdowski, Amalendu Ranjan, Anindita Mukerjee, Jamboor Vishwanatha. Nanocarrier for monoclonal antibody delivery. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4396. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4396


Two new monoanionic tetradentate triamino−amide ligands, [(Me2NCH2CH2)2N-B-N(t-Bu)]- (B = (CH2)2, L1; SiMe2, L2) were prepared. Reaction of L1H with Y(CH2SiMe3)3(THF)2 yielded L1Y(CH2SiMe3)2 (1), which was structurally characterized. Compound 1 decomposes at ambient temperature via metalation of one of the NMe2 methyl groups to give {[(CH2)MeN(CH2)2][Me2N(CH2)2]N(CH2)2N(t-Bu)}Y(CH2SiMe3) (2). Attempts to prepare L2Y(CH2SiMe3)2 resulted in very rapid ligand metalation. Both 1 and 2 react with [PhNMe2H][B(C6F5)4] to generate the cation [(L1)YCH2SiMe3]+. The combination of 1 and [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] is active in catalytic ethene polymerization, but with a short catalyst lifetime. The metalated complex 2 reacts with ethene and with pyridine by stoichiometric insertion into the Y−CH2N bond, and the latter product was structurally characterized. In L1Y(X)(CH2SiMe3) complexes, the Y−amine distance trans to X is very sensitive to the nature of X, suggesting the presence of a trans influence.


OBJECTIVE
Alzheimer caregiving literature usually focuses on caregiver outcomes like burden, depression and anxiety from a stress-coping paradigm. Yet, this approach has been criticized as it doesn't capture pre-death grief symptoms emerged in response to the unique pathology of the disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity criteria of the Turkish version of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory-Short Form (MMCGI-SF) developed to evaluate predeath grief reactions of adult offspring caring for a parent with AD.

METHOD
The Turkish version of MMCGI-SF was tested on 190 adults providing care to their parents with AD. Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Form, Zarit Burden Inventory, Caregiving Well-Being Scale and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were also completed by the participants to examine convergent and divergent validity of the scale.

RESULTS
Results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed a good fit between the Turkish version of the MMCGI-SF and the original 3-factor structure of the scale. Total score of the scale was found to have significant positive correlations with depression, anxiety and caregiver burden and significant negative correlations with caregiver well-being and perceived social support scores. The Cronbach Alpha value of the scale was 0.92 and the test re-test reliability was 0.80.

CONCLUSION
Results of the study have shown that Turkish version of the MMCGI-SF was a reliable and valid tool to assess the pre-death reactions of adult offspring caregivers of AD.


Nerve transfers (NT) consist in sectioning a donor nerve and connecting it to the distal stump of a recipient unrepairable nerve. For elbow flexion restoration in brachial plexus palsy (BPP) we used different NT: 1) GF motor Ulnar Nerve to Biceps nerve (Oberlin technique), 2) Double fascicular median/ulnar to biceps/brachialis nerve transfer (Mackinnon), 3) InterCostal Nerves (ICN) to MCN (+/− nerve graft), 4) Medial Pectoral Nerve (MPN) to MCN, 5) ThoracoDorsal Nerve (TDN) to MCN, 6) Spinal Accessory Nerve (SAN) to MCN transfer, 7) Phrenic Nerve (PhN) to MCN, 8) Cervical Plexus C3-C4 to MCN and 9) Contralateral C7 (CC7). I want to present my personal experience using the phrenic nerve (PhN), the intercostal nerves (ICN) and Oberlin's technique. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the results of this procedure in BPP. NT is an important goal in BPP. ICN transfer into the nerve of biceps for elbow flexion recovery is a reliable procedure in BPP. ICN transfer for triceps offers a positive alternative (Carroll transposition). Oberlin technique is simple and offers better results in a shorter amount of time and is an effective and safe option.


2 Abstract: This experiment was carried out to examine the effect of tallow supplementation and reducing protein level on broiler chickens performance. A total of 480 one-day old broiler chicks of a commercial strain (Arian) from both sex with equal ratio were placed in 32 pens, fifteen in each pen. Treatments were included tallow at 0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5% levels and protein level reduction in NRC energy diets as ME to CP ratio increased 10 unit. Each treatment replicated four times. Metabolizable energy of tallow was determined by Sibbald method. Results showed that AME value of tallow was 7150 kcal kg . In whole production period n -1 (days 7-56) chicks that fed with a diet containing NRC protein level, adding 5 and 7.5 percent tallow significantly (P<0.05) increased feed intake but in reduced protein diets, adding tallow could not affect feed intake. Feeding different levels of tallow and diet protein reduction in both low and high energy diets had no significant effect on weight gain in ages 1-21 and 42-56 and 7-56. There was no significant difference in feed conversion ratio in chicks fed with different experimental diets in all ages. Carcass, liver and abdominal fat did not affect by experimental treatments. The results showed that adding 2.5 percent tallow to a diet with a protein level according to NRC recommendation results to better performance.


Contracture or diastolic dysfunction is a primary cause of injury following ischemia/reperfusion (IR). The present study examined whether Ca2+/calmodulin‑dependent kinase II (CaMKII) is involved in contracture. Isolated rat hearts were subjected to either global IR or Ca2+ paradox (CaP), which is characterized by contracture. Left ventricular end‑diastolic pressure, electron microscopy and troponin I  TnI) in coronary effluent were examined to indicate the extent of contracture. Compared with control hearts, both the IR and CaP groups exhibited an increase in necrosis and apoptosis, and a marked depression in contractile function. Western blot analysis showed that IR stimulated the phosphorylation (Thr287) and oxidation (Met281/282) of CaMKII, and the phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLN), a substrate of CaMKII. By contrast, only the phosphorylation of CaMKII was increased in the CaP group. Treatment with either 3 µM KN‑62, an inhibitor of CaMKII, or 5 µM KB‑R7943, an inhibitor of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, mitigated the damage and the post‑translational modification of both CaMKII and PLN. Similar to the effect of the negative inotropic agent 2,3‑butanedione‑monoxime, the increased cell survival after treatment with KN‑62 was associated with improved diastolic function. Examination using electron microscopy and a biochemical test showed the development of contraction bands, disruption of the sarcolemmal membrane and an increase in the release of TnI in both IR and CaP hearts; these results indicated the occurrence of contracture. Furthermore, these changes were inhibited by either KN‑62 or KB‑R7943. Taken together, these data provided evidence that CaMKII mediates reperfusion‑elicited contracture, and that the activation of CaMKII via phosphorylation is involved in this process.


We investigate the transport properties of a random binary side-coupled chain by using the transfer-matrix technique. It is found that there are resonant states in the systems with short-range correlations between the host chain atoms and the side-coupled atoms. The analytic expressions for the extended states are also presented in the systems with the side couplings between like atoms and between unlike atoms.


We present a computational study for prediction of cis regulatory elements. We model the problem as follows. Each set of conserved binding motifs, evolved from one common ancestor, have a short (Hamming) distance from this ancestor. The problem is to identify a set of l-mers from a given set of promoter sequences which have at most k different positions from the to-be-identified ancestor. A number of papers published in the past attempt to solve this challenging problem. Although the putative ancestor is unknown, even it does not appear in whole background database, we may assume that an instance of it at hand since we can guess it. Our main contribution in this paper is to develop an algorithm, named PROMOCO (PROfile Motif Collection), to find a profile containing all the motifs and relatively small number of random l-mers so that the consensus of the profile would be the putative ancestor. The key idea of the PROMOCO algorithm lies in a new distance measure.


The purpose of this article is to look at how the Lord's Prayer, with its scriptural base (Matt 6:9–13) and frequent use in late medieval piety, came under careful scrutiny at the Reformation: Luther retained it as central to catechesis and worship; Calvin regarded it as an essential guide to the character of all prayer, but was cautious about its liturgical use; and Thomas Cranmer took a conservative approach, so that it appeared in all the services of the Book of Common Prayer and sometimes twice. Richard Hooker, the late Elizabethan theologian, had to defend Prayer Book usage against Genevans in the English church, who were suspicious of 'vain repetitions' – the Geneva Bible's translation of Jesus' warning about prayer (Matt 6:7) – and sought to base his defence by seeing the prayer as an essential part of all worship, both at the daily offices and at the eucharist. Some of his arguments, however, have not stood the test of time, as witness the revisions of the twentieth century, where the prayer is recited only once at each service, and invariably with the doxology – which Calvin favoured, and which Cranmer did not adopt.


Context. Interstellar ices are known to be simultaneously processed by both cosmic-ray bombardment and UV photolysis. Our knowledge of the effects of energetic processing on relevant icy samples is mainly based on laboratory investigations. In the past 35 years many experiments have been performed to study these effects separately but, to the best of our knowledge, never simultaneously. Aims. The aim of this work is to study the effects of simultaneous processing of ices by both cosmic rays and UV photons to investigate to what extent the combined effect of ion bombardment and UV photolysis influences the chemical pathways. Methods. We carried out the simultaneous processing of CH3OH:N2 ice held at 16 K by 200 keV H + ions and Lyman-alpha 10.2 eV UV photons. The samples were analyzed by in situ transmission infrared spectroscopy. The un-combined processes of UV irradiation and bombardment by H + ions of CH3OH:N2 ice were also studied. This mixture was chosen because the effects of ion bombardment and UV photolysis on methanol and nitrogen have been extensively studied in previous investigations. This mixture enables one to investigate whether simultaneous processing (a) influences the destruction of original species; (b) influences the formation of new species; or (c) causes synergistic effects since Lyman-alpha photons have a very low efficiency in breaking the dinitrogen bond because N2 is almost transparent at Lyman-alpha wavelengths. Results. After processing a CH3OH:N2 sample, the intensity of the methanol bands was observed to decrease at the same rate in all cases. After ion bombardment, species such as CO2 ,C O, H2CO, CH4 ,N 2O, HNCO, and OCN − are formed in the ice mixture. After UV photolysis, species such as CO2 ,C O, H2CO, and CH4 are formed, but no N-bearing species are detected. Spectra of ices processed by both UV photons and ions were compared with spectra of ices bombarded only by ions. We find that there are no differences in the band area and profile of N-bearing species for the two types of experiment at the same ion fluence; therefore, the addition of UV irradiation to ion bombardment does not affect the abundance of N-bearing species. The initial formation rate of CH4, within the experimental uncertainties, is the same in all cases studied, while the saturation value of CH4 is higher for UV photolysis than for ion bombardment when they act separately. In the case of simultaneous processing, when the dose (eV/16u) given by UV photons is similar to the dose given during ion bombardment, the saturation value of CH4 reaches a value intermediate between the value obtained after UV photolysis and ion bombardment separately. Conclusions. Our results confirm that when UV photolysis and ion bombardment act separately, their effects are very similar from a qualitative point of view, while significant quantitative difference may exist. In the case of simultaneous processing we did not detect any synergistic effect, but in some instances the behavior of newly formed species (such as CH4) can significantly depend on the UV/ions dose ratio.


We explore the relationship between bank's sovereign debt holdings and lending to the private sector in Eurozone banks over the subprime and sovereign debt crises and the recovery period that followed. We find that small banks in distressed countries were not subject to (1) the substitution effect between sovereign debt and bank loans witnessed in large banks, and (2) the resulting lending restrictions. The implication is that a financial sector with smaller banks may prove more resilient to financial crises. This supports incentives embedded in new banking regulation that penalise bank size. On the other hand, our results suggest that cheap funding provided through quantitative easing programmes has led to substantially higher exposure of small banks to domestic sovereign debt. This reinforces the sovereign-bank "doom loop" documented in larger institutions. JEL Classification: G01, G10, G21, G28


An in vitro study was conducted to examine the influence of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) on bovine polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Eight healthy, midlactating Holstein cows were used as blood donors. Blood PMN were isolated and incubated with a mixture of NEFA, reflecting composition of bovine plasma NEFA at concentrations that were intended to mimic those found in blood of cows undergoing high, moderate, or low lipomobilization intensity (2, 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, and 0.0625 mM). Control samples were incubated in absence of NEFA. Phagocytosis and oxidative burst activities were assessed by a 2-color flow cytometric method, which was based on oxidation of intracellular dihydrorhodamine 123 to green fluorescent rhodamine 123. Oxidative burst products were generated by incubating PMN with Staphylococcus aureus labeled with propidium iodide. A flow cytometric technique was used to detect PMN viability, necrosis, and apoptosis using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled annexin-V and propidium iodide. Phagocytic activity was not affected by NEFA. The highest concentration of NEFA (2 mM) was associated with a dramatic increase of phagocytosis-associated oxidative burst activities with a reduction in cell viability (48.0 vs. 97.5% in control samples) and with a marked increase of necrosis (49.4 vs. 0.5% in control samples). Conversely, the mixture of NEFA did not affect the occurrence of apoptosis. Enhancement of the oxidative burst associated with the highest concentration of NEFA might explain the reduced viability and higher percentage of necrosis observed under the same conditions. This study demonstrated a substantial resistance of bovine PMN to an overload of fatty acids. However, observation that the highest concentration of NEFA regulated some PMN functions encourages the possibility of in vivo studies to assess the relationships between intensity of lipomobilization, plasma NEFA, and bovine PMN functions.


In recent years there has been growing interest in artificial neural networks (ANNs) which are quickly becoming the primary device for machine learning. Used for finding patterns in large data sets, ANNs were also recently employed in many artistic contexts: as tools for artists, semi-independent creators of content, and even as invisible "critics" which / who predict our aesthetic preferences. The aim of this paper is to speculate about the disruptive effect of these 'alien agencies' on the (modernist) aesthetic regime of art centred around the notion of autonomy. The author examines how neural networks and connectionist epistemologies may potentially affect the most common ways of producing, circulating, and valorising art. He claims that the possibility of automatizing creativity and art criticism may lead to the emergence of a new aesthetic regime based on forms of dynamic, distributed and probabilistic governance.


Performance results are presented for a parallel execution model for Prolog that supports AND-parallelism, OR-parallelism, and intelligent backtracking. The results show that restricted AND-parallelism is of limited benefit for small programs, but produced speedups from 7-10 on two large programs. OR-parallelism was found to be generally not useful for the benchmarks examined if the semantics of Prolog were preserved. Of particular interest is the phenomenon of super-multiplicative behavior, in which the performance improvement obtained when more than one technique is used is greater than the product of the performance improvements due to each technique individually. The implications of the performance results for parallel Prolog systems are discussed, and directions for future work are indicated. >


Considerable number of works have reported alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enabled intracellular targeting by peptide assemblies, but little is known how these substrates of ALP enters cells. Here we show that the nanoscale assemblies of phosphopeptides, as a dynamic continuum, cluster ALP to enable caveolae mediated endocytosis (CME) and eventual endosomal escape. Specifically, fluorescent phosphopeptides, as substrates of tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), undergo enzyme catalyzed self-assembly to form nanofibers. As shown by live cell imaging, the nanoparticles of phosphopeptides, being incubated with HEK293 cells overexpressing red fluorescent protein-tagged TNAP (TNAP-RFP), cluster TNAP-RFP in lipid rafts to enable CME, further dephosphorylation of the phosphopeptides form the peptide nanofibers for endosomal escape inside cells. Inhibiting TNAP, cleaving the membrane anchored TNAP, or disrupting lipid rafts abolishes the endocytosis. Moreover, decreasing the formation of peptide nanofibers prevents the endosomal escape. As the first study establishing a dynamic continuum of supramolecular assemblies for cellular uptake, this work not only illustrates an effective design for enzyme responsive supramolecular therapeutics, but also provides mechanism insights for understanding the dynamics of cellular uptakes of proteins or exogenous peptide aggregates at nanoscale.


Objective – This paper aims to analyze Supply Chain Risk (SC Risk) and Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) in the Islamic fashion Industry in Bandung, with a particular focus on micro and small enterprises. Moreover, this paper will demonstrate the differences between the way the micro and small enterprises view SC Risk and SCRM. Methodology/Technique – This research uses questionnaires to obtain the data. The population in this study consists of 86 firms representing the center of the hijab fashion industry in BALTOS, Bandung. The data was obtained through observation and in-depth interviews with selected micro and small enterprises in the Islamic fashion industry, as well as the distribution of questionnaires from the hijab fashion industry in BALTOS. Findings – The results of this study raise concerns relating to SC Risk and the SCRM among micro and small enterprises in the Islamic fashion industry in BALTOS. The findings demonstrate that most Muslims consider that certain market conditions involve high levels of risks, which act as a threat to their businesses. Novelty – The global and dynamic evolution of the global market has contributed to increased levels of intense competition in various markets. The analysis of Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) strategies, to minimize the frequency of Supply Chain (SC) risk, is therefore important.


Atmospheric pressure discharges excited by repetitive nanosecond pulses have attracted significant attention for various applications. In this paper, a plate-plate discharge with airflows is excited by a repetitive nanosecond pulse generator. Under different experiment conditions, the applied voltages, discharge currents, and discharge images are recorded. The plasma images presented here indicate that the volume discharge modes vary with airflow speeds, and a diffuse and homogeneous volume discharge occurs at the speed of more than 35 m/s. The role of airflows provides different effects on the 2-stage pulse discharges. The 1st pulse currents nearly maintain consistency for different airflow speeds. However, the 2nd pulse current has a change trend of first decreasing and then rapidly increasing, and the value difference for 2nd pulse currents is about 20 A under different airflows. In addition, the experimental results are discussed according to the electrical parameters and discharge images.


Polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) compensation by low-density parity-check (LDPC) coded turbo equalization is experimentally demonstrated for a nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) system operating at 10 Gb/s. This technique provides significant improvement of bit-error rate compared to the optimum threshold receiver. The channel capacity loss due to PMD and quantization is studied as well. It was found that the proposed PMD turbo equalizer is about 1.5 dB away from the theoretical limit.


The complete removal and conservation of the facial function in neurinoma of VIIth nerve in the petrous bone, are the goals of this surgery. In 2 cases, the authors emphasize the difficulty of the diagnosis and the means of making an accurate recognition of this lesion before performing a surgical approach. In the first case, neurinoma was carried by the left nervus intermedius at the level of the genu of VII with extension in the internal auditory meatus. Prior surgery had been a suboccipital craniotomy and a second operation by sus petrosal approach was necessary. In the second case, neurinoma of the right chorda tympani was removed by the retro auricular approach. In these two cases, the facial nerve had been spared.


This study seeks to investigate the sensitivity of stock returns to exchange rate, interest rate and oil price volatility in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It employs both the multivariate ordinary least square (OLS) regression and the exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic in mean (EGARCH-M) models to analyse the data collected from Bloomberg and DataStream on the GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) for the period January 2007 to June 2012. The study shows that stock returns in GCC countries are influenced by the exchange rate risk, interest rate risk and oil price risk. However, the exposure is highest for exchange rate risk and lowest for interest rate risk. While the effects of these risks were mixed, overall, exchange rate risk and oil price risk showed a positive and significant relationship as compared to the interest rate risk that showed a negative significant effect on firm values. The level of the effect of these risks also differed from country to country. Further, foreign operations and firm size had a significant influence on the extent of the firms' exposure to all three risks. The study findings suggest that the volatility of stock returns affected by changes in the risk factors could indicate non-prioritisation of risk management by firms. This has implications in terms of consideration of the long-term exposure of firms to these three risks and thus, the need for effective risk management strategies.


3 Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial load and evaluate the nutritional content and sensory property of traditional sun dried okra ("orunla" - Yoruba, Nigeria). Samples were purchased from four different markets at different time in South-western Nigeria. Microorganisms present in the samples were analyzed on nutrient agar, potato dextrose agar and malt extract. Proximate evaluation of the sun dried okra was also carried out to determine the protein, ascorbic acid, ash and crude fibre contents. Nutritional evaluation revealed considerable amount of measured nutrient without significant difference (p>0.05) inspite of the time and place of purchase. Sensory evaluation of the samples showed that they were generally acceptable to a taste panel. Microbial study identified Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergills tamari, Fusarium compactum, Rhizopus nigricans and Bacillus lichiniforms as some of the microorganisms present in the sun-dried vegetable. This study thus, suggested that sun-dried okra could be consumed but when processed under control microbial condition.


Smartphone reminding apps can compensate for memory impairment after acquired brain injury (ABI). In the absence of a caregiver, users must enter reminders themselves if the apps are going to help them. Poor memory and apathy associated with ABI can result in failure to initiate such configuration behaviour and the benefits of reminder apps are lost. ForgetMeNot takes a novel approach to address this problem by periodically encouraging the user to enter reminders with unsolicited prompts (UPs). An in situ case study investigated the experience of using a reminding app for people with ABI and tested UPs as a potential solution to initiating reminder entry. Three people with severe ABI living in a post-acute rehabilitation hospital used the app in their everyday lives for four weeks to collect real usage data. Field observations illustrated how difficulties with motivation, insight into memory difficulties and anxiety impact reminder app use in a rehabilitation setting. Results showed that when 6 UPs were presented throughout the day, reminder-setting increased, showing UPs are an important addition to reminder applications for people with ABI. This study demonstrates that barriers to technology use can be resolved in practice when software is developed with an understanding of the issues experienced by the user group.


: Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is one of commonest ten cancers, and represents fourth most widespread malignancy in females. The study included thirty samples of endometrial cancer's patients and twenty four patient's samples of benign were taken randomly as well as, twenty normal endometrial tissues as control group for comparison. This study was carried out in Laboratories of the College of Science/ Department of Biology, Wasit University, during period between October 2015 and April 2016.The study of p53 and EGFR expression was done by immunohistochemistry technique. The results showed significant increasing in expression and intensity of p53 in endometrial cancer patients when compared with control group (p<0.05).Furthermore, the results also, showed significant increasing in expression and intensity of p53 in endometrial cancer patients comparing with benign patients (p<0.05). Moreover, the results showed no significant between benign patients and control group in the expression and intensity of p53 (p>0.05). On the other hand, the results showed that the EGFR is highly significant increasing in cancer patients comparing with control group and benign (p<0.05).While, no significant different between benign patients and control in the expression and intensity of EGFR (p>0.05). In conclusion, the present study confirms that p53 and EGFR play necessary roles carcinogenesis and develop of endometrial cancer because its impact on the apoptosis of tumor cells.


The functional role of warehouses in modern industry is changing from an established concept of storage to a concept of circulation. The target of this study is to improve the stacker crane's efficiency for the internal operations of the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS). Eight operating schemes are proposed under the combination of three conditions, namely, the storing method, the layout type, and the sequence of command execution. The moving distance of the stacker crane is calculated using the same gateway data through a simulation based on a C# program. The optimal operating scheme is proposed based on the analyzed simulation results. In conclusion, the combination of conditions of random storage, two-way type warehouse, and dual command execution elicits optimum results in travel efficiency for the stacker crane.Received 6 April 2014Revised 18 July 2014Accepted 6 September 2014


The Colic familyʹs house is located at Nikovac Street no. 8 in Vares. Together with several houses on this street and houses in Matijevici and Benici streets, this house contributes to the ambience of this part of Vares where the values of the construction of the indigenous bosnian chardaklia house are still preserved.
The house was built in the mid-19th century, within the well-known Vares Colic family, which had its own sawmill for cutting and processing wood. The house belongs to the type of three-tracks bosnian house with one divanhan. From the time of its construction to the present day, several renovations have been made on the house, both in the layout and materialization and in the furnishing of its interior. The house is still in use today, but occasionally.


Introduction: The purpose of this study was evaluating the effect of core stabilization trainings with Thera-band on energy expenditure, static balance, pain, and functional disability in patients with mechanical low back pain (MLBP). Material and Methods: A total of 30 women with MLBP (height 163.9±4.73, weight 60.4±2.17, age 27±2.6) participated in this research. Pain severity, functional disability, static balance, and energy expenditure were measured using VAS, Oswestry, Force plate, and Polar activity watch, respectively. To analyze data ANCOVA was used ( P <0.05). Results: Data analysis with ANCOVA revealed a significant difference in the training group for VAS and Oswestry measures, but no significant difference was observed in static balance and the consumed energy ( P <0.05). Conclusion: According to the research findings, it can be concluded that core Stabilization training with Thera-band can be used to improve the pain and functional disability of patients with MLBP. Keywords: Energy Expenditure, Energy Expenditure, Low Back Pain, Static Balance, Functional Disability, Force Plate, Polar Activity Watch, VAS, Oswestry


In part 1 of this work, we have found a 'critical curve' which separates the unstable self-modulation regime from the stable one for a Gibbs ensemble of interacting modes. On this critical curve, the correlation length diverges and scaling invariance occurs; in particular, the Langmuir correlation spectrum is proportional to k-2. Simple laws have been derived for the neighbourhood of the critical curve. However these derivations are based on equilibrium statistical mechanics and the results are obtained with a Hartree approximation which has not been checked. So, in this second part, we elaborate a direct statistical theory of Zakharov's equations completed by excitation sources and dissipations. In spite of infra-red divergences and a large fluctuation level, large-scale properties are derived in the neighbourhood of the critical curve, by the renormalization group method. The laws obtained in part 1 are slightly modified; however, the same spectrum is obtained.


Abstract The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome of Reticulitermes labralis was analyzed. This mitochondrial genome is a circular molecule of 15,914 bp in length and has the same gene content and organization as that found in other Reticulitermes species. It contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs (12S and 16S rRNA) and a non-coding AT-rich region (CR). The total base composition is strongly biased toward A + T nucleotides (65.1%). Most of the genes are encoded on the H strand, except for the other four protein-coding genes and eight tRNA genes on the L strand. The phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequences of 13 mitochondrial PCGs using the Bayesian inference method supports the traditional morphologically analysis.


1. The subcutaneous injection of Formalin (5%, 50 microliters) into the receptive field of convergent (wide dynamic range) nociceptive neurons in the spinal dorsal horn has previously been reported to produce a prolonged biphasic response with a time course similar to the observed in behavioral experiments. However, conflicting data in other studies led us to examine the effects of Formalin on the activity of convergent nociceptive neurons at two levels of the trigeminal (V) brain stem complex, namely V subnuclei oralis (Sp5O) and caudalis (Sp5C). 2. Single neuron activity was extracellularly recorded in anesthetized rats. Each neuron was classified as convergent on the basis of its responses to both mechanical and transcutaneous electrical stimuli applied to its mechanoreceptive field (RF). All neurons responded to innocuous and noxious mechanical stimuli and had electrically evoked responses corresponding to both A and C fiber afferent inputs. Seventeen Sp5O and 32 Sp5C convergent neurons received an injection (50 microliters sc) of 5% Formalin into the center of their RF. 3. Three groups of neurons were distinguished: one group that was not activated by the Formalin injection (Sp5O, n = 1; Sp5C, n = 2), another group that responded only with an early and short-lasting response [monophasic neurons: Sp5O, n = 11 (65%); Sp5C, n = 10 (31%)], and a third group that responded with two phases separated by a short period of quiescence [biphasic neurons: Sp5O, n = 5 (29%); Sp5C, n = 20 (62.5%)]. The proportion of biphasic neurons was significantly higher in Sp5C than in Sp5O. 4. The first phases of the Sp5O neurons were not significantly different in terms of duration and frequency from those of the Sp5C neurons. However, duration and discharge frequency of the first phase of biphasic neurons were significantly greater than for monophasic neurons in Sp5C (nonsignificant in Sp5O). The second tonic period of excitation of all biphasic neurons was gradual in outset and offset, and long in duration (23-39 min). The duration of the second phase was significantly longer for the biphasic neurons in Sp5C than for those in Sp5O. 5. Our findings suggest that the mono- and biphasic neurons may have different roles in the transmission of nociceptive information induced by the peripheral injection of Formalin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


IN RECENT years American physicians and biologists have given of their thought and effort to this enticing topic in a measure unprecedented and with results unmatched in medical history. Hence, the features of some rheumatic diseases appear more distinct and meaningful. Their reaction to familiar and new influences can be presaged with greater accuracy. For the first time the effect of a potent antirheumatic alkaloid used empirically since 600 A. D. can be rationalized. Satisfactory control of two major clinical forms of rheumatism has become a reasonable expectation. If this synopsis were to register current reports in rheumatology according to their commonest subject, those dealing with experimental treatments would dominate in number and volume. The supply of new remedies indeed exceeds the capacity of facilities for sound appraisal in the laboratory and clinic. Rheumatic diseases, many of obscure origin, tend to a chronic and remitting course, which may be readily


A many as 20 patients with acute purulent pyelonephritis were studied for clinical and immunological effects of leukinferone. The above patients were convalescent earlier than control subjects. There were instances where clinical status was not accompanied by shifts in immunity. However, on an average in the group, such parameters as level of lymphocytes, amounts of B-cells, Igs G, A, T-helpers, and Tx/Tc ratio were found to be increased as was activity of EK-cells. Stimulating effects of leukinferone were particularly pronounced in those patients with decreased values for immunological status. A conclusion is reached to the effect that patients with acute pyelonephritis may benefit from those treatments involving the use of the above drug preparation.


We present a method for image segmentation using GA-based feature selection and neural net classifiers. We use a GA to select the optimal feature indices as the input of the neural net classifiers. Our GA method is based on an evaluation function, namely vector quantized conditional class entropy. By this measurement, we can evaluate the combination of feature indices rapidly without testing the actual classifiers. We use two types of neural net classifiers: the backpropagation network and a modified counter-propagation network. We applied our method to some classification problems and showed the effectiveness of our method.


In 1998, 175 metric tons (t) of refined gold was recov ered by U.S. refiners from old and new scrap. The overall recycling rate was 29 percent when scrap consumption was compared with apparent domestic supply. Sources of old scrap included discarded jewelry, dental materials, plating solutions, and electronic equipment. A very high old scrap recycling efficiency of 96 percent was reached in 1998, the supply of old scrap peaked, gold prices were at an 18-year low, and substantial amounts of old scrap were exported. U.S. net exports of old scrap had a gold content of 28 t.


AIM
Study previously unknown forms of persistence of Mycoplasma hominis in host organism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Culture method was used for detection of mycoplasmas. Identification was carried out by serological, electron microscopy methods, classic PCR and real time PCR; circulating immune complexes (CIC) were isolated by PEG precipitation.

RESULTS
Classic micoplasma cultures could not be isolated from blood even once. At the same time "mini-colony" cultures composed of mini-cells that were hardly passaged but sometimes formed continuous layer of the same colonies were isolated from blood serum samples with high frequency. During reseeding for more than 1 year they never acquired classic form. Not only antigens of M. hominis but its DNA were shown to be present in CIC. Viable cells forming "mini-colonies" identical to those isolated from blood sera were isolated from circulating immune complexes. A system of evidence on identity of isolated M. hominis cultures is presented. Cultures had infectivity and an ability to persist in organs of experimentally infected mice.

CONCLUSION
The isolated forms are apparently the result of adaptation of mycoplasmas to humoral immunity factors.


The recombination signals (RS) that guide V(D)J recombination are phylogenetically conserved but retain a surprising degree of sequence variability, especially in the nonamer and spacer. To characterize RS variability, we computed the position-wise information, a measure correlated with sequence conservation, for each nucleotide position in an RS alignment and demonstrate that most position-wise information is present in the RS heptamers and nonamers. We have previously demonstrated significant correlations between RS positions and here show that statistical models of the correlation structure that underlies RS variability efficiently identify physiologic and cryptic RS and accurately predict the recombination efficiencies of natural and synthetic RS. In scans of mouse and human genomes, these models identify a highly conserved family of repetitive DNA as an unexpected source of frequent, cryptic RS that rearrange both in extrachromosomal substrates and in their genomic context.


This paper summarises the consolidated results of the collaborative research carried out within the workpackage 'Evolution prospects and framework' (EPF) of the Project RACE 1044: IBC development and implementation strategies. The workpackage has provided pointers to the most suitable paths for evolution towards the target IBC (integrated broadband communications) reference configuration based on detailed analysis of the relevant demand-cost models. The work carried out within the workpackage is described and an overview given of the results achieved and of their exploitation within and outside the RACE community.


The immunomodulatory drug Linomide (PNU-212616) is an efficient inhibitor of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and a variety of other models of autoimmunity. The mechanism of action of the drug is, however, incompletely resolved. It was recently suggested that Linomide might exert its immunomodulatory activity by stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. To investigate the relevance of this mechanism of action, we monitored the plasma levels of endogenous corticosterone after treatment with Linomide, and also directly compared the inhibitory activity of the drug on acute EAE induced in sham or adrenalectomized SJL/N mice. Treatment with Linomide resulted in a dose related inhibition of EAE in line with previously reported results. Upon onset of clinical signs of EAE, there was a 7-10 fold elevation of plasma corticosterone from the normal baseline level. Administration of Linomide did however not by itself result in any change in plasma corticosterone levels, neither at the pre-symptomatic phase of the disease nor during acute short term treatment. In adrenal ectomized animals immunized for EAE, paralytic disease developed rapidly and was of a more severe and fatal nature as compared to sham-operated controls. Treatment with Linomide had a profound inhibitory effect on development of paralytic disease in both the ectomized and sham-operated groups. These results strongly suggest that Linomide does not exert its immunomodulatory activity via the release of endogenous glucocorticoids.


In recent years, there has been increasing interest by reconstructive surgeons in improving the aesthetic and functional outcomes of donor sites. As the success rate of free tissue transfers has exceeded more than 95% in most microsurgical centers, more emphasis can be shifted to the donor site. However, morbidities of donor sites can occur not only in free tissue transfers, but in locoregional flaps as well. In reconstructive procedures, the main principle is to mobilize normal tissue and utilize it to reconstruct an area of defect. The donor site, of course has no pathology, but is a previously healthy area. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to not only minimize postoperative complications at recipient sites, but also pay attention to donor sites. Just as in organ transplantation where efforts are made to ensure the safety and a good outcome for a donor patient, outcomes should be improved and morbidity reduced at donor sites in reconstructive surgery.


Transcriptional cooperativity among several transcription factors (TFs) is believed to be the main mechanism of complexity and precision in transcriptional regulatory programs. Here, we present a Bayesian network framework to reconstruct a high-confidence whole-genome map of transcriptional cooperativity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by integrating a comprehensive list of 15 genomic features. We design a Bayesian network structure to capture the dominant correlations among features and TF cooperativity, and introduce a supervised learning framework with a well-constructed gold-standard dataset. This framework allows us to assess the predictive power of each genomic feature, validate the superior performance of our Bayesian network compared to alternative methods, and integrate genomic features for optimal TF cooperativity prediction. Data integration reveals 159 high-confidence predicted cooperative relationships among 105 TFs, most of which are subsequently validated by literature search. The existing and predicted transcriptional cooperativities can be grouped into three categories based on the combination patterns of the genomic features, providing further biological insights into the different types of TF cooperativity. Our methodology is the first supervised learning approach for predicting transcriptional cooperativity, compares favorably to alternative unsupervised methodologies, and can be applied to other genomic data integration tasks where high-quality gold-standard positive data are scarce.


Resistance to Escherichia coli l-asparaginase in canine lymphoma occurs frequently with repeated administration, a phenomenon often attributed, without substantiation, to the induction of neutralizing antibodies. To test the hypothesis that treated dogs develop antibodies against the drug, we created an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure plasma anti-asparaginase immunoglobulin G responses. Using samples from dogs that had received multiple doses, specific reactivity against l-asparaginase was demonstrated, while naïve patients' samples were negative. The optimized ELISA appeared sensitive, with endpoint titers >1 600 000 in positive control dogs. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 3.6 and 14.5%. The assay was supported by the observation that ELISA-positive plasma could immunoprecipitate asparaginase activity. When clinical patients were evaluated, 3/10 dogs developed titers after a single injection; with repeated administration, 4/7 dogs were positive. l-asparaginase antibodies showed reduced binding to the PEGylated drug formulation. The ELISA should prove useful in investigating the potential correlation of antibody responses with resistance.


Selection for litter size at d 5 after farrowing (LS5) was introduced in 2004 to increase the number of piglets weaned and to reduce piglet mortality in Danish Landrace and Yorkshire. The objective of this study was to investigate selection responses for LS5, total number born (TNB), and mortality [MORT, defined as (TNB - LS5)/TNB] when selection for increasing LS5 was a part of the breeding goal. Data were collected from nucleus herds recorded from 2004 to 2010, including first litters of 42,807 Landrace sows and 33,225 Yorkshire sows. The data were analyzed using a 3-trait animal model of TNB, MORT, and LS5. Significant (co) variances were estimated between the 3 traits in both populations. The heritabilities of TNB, MORT, and LS5 were 0.10, 0.09, and 0.09 in Landrace and 0.12, 0.10, and 0.10 in Yorkshire. The genetic correlations were 0.28 and 0.22 between TNB and MORT, 0.74 and 0.68 between TNB and LS5, and -0.43 and -0.57 between MORT and LS5 in Landrace and Yorkshire, respectively. The results show that the genetic improvement of LS5 was a combination of increased TNB and reduced MORT. During the observation period, the genetic improvement was 1.7 piglets per litter for LS5, 1.3 piglets per litter for TNB, and 4.7% for MORT in Landrace and 2.2 piglets per litter, 1.9 piglets per litter, and 5.9% in Yorkshire. Phenotypic improvement was 1.4 piglets per litter for LS5, 0.3 piglets per litter for TNB, and 7.9% for MORT in Landrace and 2.1 piglets per litter, 1.3 piglets per litter, and 7.6% in Yorkshire. In addition, genetic gain was evaluated in 3 phenotypic groups of TNB, representing the 25% smallest litters, the 50% medium litters, and the 25% largest litters. In all 3 groups, the genetic and phenotypic gains of TNB and LS5 increased, whereas MORT reduced in both populations.


Percutaneous transthoracic needle aspiration (TTNA) biopsy is a diagnostic procedure used in pulmonary nodules where bronchoscopy does not reach. The aim of this study is to assess the value of TTNA in our field where the exams are performed by pneumologists. We assessed 108 consecutive patients who had a TTNA biopsy from January 2008 and December 2010 at our ward. All patients had previously undergone to bronchoscopy with a negative diagnostic result but with a strong clinical suspicion for malignant injury. During CT examination diameters of lesions were measured and the point of aspiration of cytological sample was pinpointed. The point of aspiration was in periphery or in the middle of the lesion. Cytological examinations diagnosed 70 (64.8%) malignant cases. Among 38 non malignant cytology, 29 patients were proved false negative cases. Sensitivity of TTNA was 71%, specificity 100%. Sensitivity of TTNA of central samples was 76.32%, peripheral 69.81%. We divided all patients into two groups: malignancy or benign nature of cytology. We processed a table with measures of diameters of nodules. 64 (91%) malignant cases had a large diameter (>2cm), 6 (9%) had a small diameter ( 2cm), 3 (8%) cases had a small diameter ( Complications were controlled: 21 (19.4%) pneumothorax, 14 (13%) alveolar hemorrages, 4 (3.4%) alveolar hemorrages and pneumothorax, 2 (1.9%) emoftoe. TTNA is an accurate and safe procedure if it is performed by pneumologist. Diagnostic performance of TTNA is not influenced by diameter and location.


This paper investigates the stability and Hopf bifurcation in a class of neural networks with two neurons. This model involves discrete and distributed delays described by an integral with a strong delay kernel. By analysing the distribution of roots of the characteristic equation of the associated linearized system, the conditions for creating the Hopf bifurcation can be obtained. Besides, the delay is chosen as the bifurcation parameter and we find that the equilibrium is asymptotically stable when the delay is less than a critical value while the system undergoes a Hopf bifurcation when the delay exceeds the critical value. Finally, the software package DDE-BIFTOOL is applied to neural networks and the simulation results justify the validity of our theoretical analysis.


ABSTRACT Deferiprone is a bidentate oral iron chelator used for the treatment of iron overload in people. The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic disposition of deferiprone in the domestic pigeon (Columba livia) and to compare the results with a previous study in the white leghorn chicken. Deferiprone (DFP) was administered orally as a suspension at a single dose of 50 mg/kg to 10 iron-loaded (IL-DFP) pigeons and 10 non–iron-loaded controls (NIL-DFP). Six NIL-DFP birds were also administered deferiprone intravenously to determine the bioavailability of the drug after a 30-day washout period. To evaluate if deferiprone induces its own metabolism, the pharmacokinetic disposition of the drug was also studied in the IL-DFP group after oral therapy with deferiprone at a dosage of 50 mg/kg q12h for 30 days. For each phase, collected blood was analyzed for deferiprone by high-performance liquid chromatography to develop a plasma concentration versus time curve. Deferiprone was rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, with plasma concentrations effective for iron chelation maintained for at least 8 hours after administration in iron-loaded birds. The half-life (mean ± SD) for deferiprone given orally to the IL-DFP and NIL-DFP groups was 2.98 ± 0.85 hours and 3.26 ± 1.25 hours, respectively, and when intravenously administered was 3.79 ± 1.23 hours. The half-life after 30 days of treatment was 3.42 ± 1.18 hours. Oral bioavailability was 44%. This study demonstrated that oral absorption of deferiprone is acceptable, it does not induce its own metabolism, and the drug was widely distributed in the pigeon, as it was in the chicken, with a longer half-life than that reported in mammals. Minor interspecies variations in the pharmacokinetics of deferiprone exist between chickens and pigeons.


Field tests in 1966 and 1967 have confirmed initial reports from the Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, that chemical control of submersed aquatic weeds frequently results in substantial increases in rice yield. Promising materials for this purpose are TD294, Hydrothal 191, and chloroxuron. Injury to the seedling rice was the least when these chemicals were applied about 35 days after flooding and seeding. More work is needed to determine precisely how long riceland-treated water must be held to control the submersed weeds most effectively while also eliminating any possible hazard to wildlife, including fish. It should also be determined whether the yield increases result from decreased weed competition or from fertilization provided by the killed submersed weeds (which soon decay, releasing the organically bound plant nutrients).


Background: The highest prevalence of smoking in the United States is in Kentucky, where smoking typically begins in childhood. The state has many patients who suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The primary aim of this study was to assess whether exposure to active and/or passive tobacco smoke in childhood is related to the likelihood of developing IBD. Methods: Recruited into this prospective study were a total of 672 participants (253 patients with Crohn's disease [CD], 177 patients with ulcerative colitis [UC], and 242 controls), all of whom were asked to complete the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey modified by the addition of 4 questions on childhood passive smoke exposure. Results: Survey response rate was 84%. CD and UC patients were more likely than controls to begin smoking regularly by ages 10 and 15, respectively, suggesting that becoming a regular smoker at a younger age may be associated with a subsequent diagnosis of IBD. Smoking by age 10 was associated with an earlier age at diagnosis with UC, but not with CD. CD patients were more likely than controls to have prenatal smoke exposure (odds ratio [OR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–2.71) and were more likely to have passive smoke exposure during childhood, with 1 or both parents or other household members being smokers (OR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.28–3.31). Conclusions: Passive and active smoke exposure in childhood influences the development of IBD. A high incidence of this disease in a state with a high rate of cigarette smoking underscores the profound role of environmental factors in the etiology of these illnesses.


In the last years, vulnerability assessment has emerged as a need for policy making instead of being a pure academic exercise (Hinkel, 2010). In the current context of changing climate, increasing water scarcity threatens economic activities in many arid or semi-arid regions of the World. Climate change (CC) science and policy debates have traditionally focused on CC mitigation and impact assessment (Krysanova et al., 2010). However, even if mitigation policies are successfully enforced some climate change is still expected. Then, adaptation is strongly necessary and, for that, improved knowledge on vulnerability and adaptive capacity is required.


Dense sampling of illumination and detection offers an effective way of improving the image-reconstruction performance of near-infrared diffuse optical tomography (DOT) at a cost of lengthy computation times. In this paper, we describe a fast DOT scheme for reconstructing the absorption coefficient image of a slab medium from dense sampling of both illumination and detection in the noncontact DOT. The proposed method is carried out with spatial-frequency encoding in both the source and detection spaces, and involves a spatial-frequency-compression (SFC) strategy for selecting the useful spatial frequency based on the tissue transfer function. The method is expected to considerably reduce the calculation time for reconstruction while improving the quality of the reconstructed images. Results from the simulated data show that the speed for absorption reconstruction with the proposed SFC method is more than 400 times faster than that with the conventional one. A noncontact DOT system for dense sampling of both illumination and detection is developed by using laser raster scanning and CCD-based data acquisition. Experimental measurements on several solid phantoms demonstrate that a high quantitativeness ratio can be obtained from the proposed method thanks to reduction of the ill-posedness of the inverse calculation. It takes less than 20 s for the proposed method to experimentally reconstruct one absorption image from a 256×256-sized dataset, which would take a few hours with the conventional method.


Sensory cortical anatomy has identified a canonical microcircuit underlying computations between and within layers. This feed-forward circuit processes information serially from granular to supragranular and to infragranular layers. How this substrate correlates with an auditory cortical processing hierarchy is unclear. We recorded simultaneously from all layers in cat primary auditory cortex (AI) and estimated spectrotemporal receptive fields (STRFs) and associated nonlinearities. Spike-triggered averaged STRFs revealed that temporal precision, spectrotemporal separability, and feature selectivity varied with layer according to a hierarchical processing model. STRFs from maximally informative dimension (MID) analysis confirmed hierarchical processing. Of two cooperative MIDs identified for each neuron, the first comprised the majority of stimulus information in granular layers. Second MID contributions and nonlinear cooperativity increased in supragranular and infragranular layers. The AI microcircuit provides a valid template for three independent hierarchical computation principles. Increases in processing complexity, STRF cooperativity, and nonlinearity correlate with the synaptic distance from granular layers.


The Web Content Aggregation Service based on Digital Earth geospatial framework is combined form of existing web content aggregation service and corresponding space position information retrieval. The customized service comprises three stages: web content acquisition, aggregation and distribution stage. This paper focuses on the first stage where the required content is fetched from multiple web sites and location information is extracted from the fetched contents. The first stage provides the location information to be used in the next two stages. The aggregated result is exhibited on the digital earth. Web content acquisition method based on HTML DOM tree structure is proposed in the paper and from practical point of view this method is accurate and efficient especially for the web content with spatial data.


An examination of the debate surrounding foreclosure assistance suggests that arguments vary in the extent that they suggest people facing foreclosure deserve assistance and whether the cause of the foreclosure is at the onset or offset of the foreclosure situation. Results from an experiment using a nationally representative sample suggest that people use the attributional evidence provided by onset- and offset-deservingness scenarios to determine their support for governmental and personal foreclosure assistance. Consistent with attribution theory, path analysis suggested that attributions of controllability and the associated emotions of anger and sympathy mediated the relationship between deservingness arguments and support for foreclosure assistance. Additionally, people who endorse conservatism were more likely to oppose foreclosure assistance. Ideological differences in perceived controllability, anger, and sympathy mediated the relationship between ideology and personal assistance and partially mediated the relationship between ideology and government assistance.


CT technology can make use of the penetrability of X-ray to obtain the internal information of the object without damaging the shape and structure of the sample. Therefore, it has a wide range of applications in the fields of industry, nondestructive testing and medical imaging. However, in the installation process of CT system, there are often some problems, such as inaccurate detector spacing, rotation angle and rotation center deviation, resulting in unclear image reconstruction. Thus it is necessary to calibrate the parameters of the installed system with template data, and then image the unknown samples in the process of CT system installation. This paper studies the parameter calibration of CT system. Through the pre-processed data, the analytic geometry model and statistical analysis method are established to calculate the detector interval, 180 rotation angles and rotation center of CT system. In order to verify the accuracy and stability of the parameters, Non-Local Means denoising algorithm (shortly known as NLM denoising algorithm) and Radon inverse transform imaging theorem are introduced. The theoretical image is rebuilt by the absorptivity of the template. The error between the theoretical image and the geometric information of the original template is analyzed, and the fitting is excellent. Two new inhomogeneous media are introduced, and the image is imaged by the parameters obtained from the parameter calibration model and the imaging theorem in this paper. The results are clear and the shadow points are excluded. At the same time, the specific absorptivity of the media is obtained. The calibration model of CT system parameters obtained in this paper, combined with imaging algorithm, can deal with different shapes and irregular conditions. It has great application value in the field of image reconstruction and medicine.


Natural resource management is littered with cases of overexploitation and ineffectual management, leading to loss of both biodiversity and human welfare. Disciplinary boundaries stifle the search for solutions to these issues. Here, I combine the approach of management strategy evaluation, widely applied in fisheries, with household utility models from the conservation and development literature, to produce an integrated framework for evaluating the effectiveness of competing management strategies for harvested resources against a range of performance metrics. I demonstrate the strengths of this approach with a simple model, and use it to examine the effect of manager ignorance of household decisions on resource management effectiveness, and an allocation tradeoff between monitoring resource stocks to reduce observation uncertainty and monitoring users to improve compliance. I show that this integrated framework enables management assessments to consider household utility as a direct metric for system performance, and that although utility and resource stock conservation metrics are well aligned, harvest yield is a poor proxy for both, because it is a product of household allocation decisions between alternate livelihood options, rather than an end in itself. This approach has potential far beyond single-species harvesting in situations where managers are in full control; I show that the integrated approach enables a range of management intervention options to be evaluated within the same framework.


This study aims to determine the behavior in searching for user information in meeting the information needs of the UINSU Tuntungan library, to determine the behavior pattern in searching for user information in meeting information needs at the UINSU Tuntungan library, to find out the obstacles that occur in searching for user information in an effort to fulfill information needs of the UINSU Tuntungan library. This research uses the type of qualitative research that requires as much information and data as possible to achieve the research objectives. This type of research is a case study because this research is carried out in depth on an institution and with a narrow subject. As a case study, the data collected came from various library sources. This study resulted that in order to determine the behavior of the user before searching for information, the researcher conducted interviews with several informants who were considered to be able to provide information to the researcher. There are several stages that can be used by users in finding information in the library. In conducting information search there are 6 stages developed by Kuhlthau, namely initiation, selection, exploration, formulation, collection and presentation.


Wireless transmissions at more than 10GHz can experience signal fading caused by the presence of hydrometeor particles in the atmosphere. Among these hydrometeors, rain is the largest contributor to the fading mechanism. Rain fade can be predicted or calculated using rain rate measurements. With climate change affecting the world due to the rise of carbon dioxide in the air, it is expected to affect the distribution of rainfall, which ultimately affects rain fade. This paper investigates the effects of climate change on rain rate distribution in Malaysia. Ten years of Hydro-Estimator data containing rainfall rates in Peninsular Malaysia and the Sabah and Sarawak region from 2011 to 2020 were collected and analyzed. Using the linear regression method, a small increment of rain rate distribution at 0.01% annual probability was detected for all regions, indicating a climate change effect on the rain rate distribution. For Peninsular Malaysia, the rate was 0.2356mm/hr per year while for the Sabah and Sarawak region, it was 0.4046mm/hr per year. An increase in the rain rate would increase the rain fade, causing signal losses and distortions in high-frequency wireless communication signals. The evaluation of climate change effects on the rain rate and rain fade distributions can help in developing a long-term prediction of the signal performance in 5G systems and high-frequency radio link frequencies due to hydrometeors.


Background: EML4-ALK fusion tyrosine kinase has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a subset of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). The fusion kinase is a rational therapeutic target for addicted cancer cells whose sustained proliferation and survival depend on it. Cancer cell lines harboring the fusion kinase gene are useful for screening effective therapeutic agents. However, few cell lines have been identified so far, and these cell lines do not represent all the variants discovered in clinical specimens. Moreover, drug-resistant mutations in the fusion gene have recently been identified in patients treated with ALK inhibitors. Techniques to establish cell models addicted to certain genes will be invaluable for developing effective drugs for molecular targeted therapy. We have developed a new method to easily and efficiently establish cell models exhibiting addiction to introduced oncogenes. We evaluated the method for variants of EML4-ALK fusion oncogene including drug-resistant mutants. Material and methods: EGFR-addicted NSCLC cell lines were transfected with each variant of EML4-ALK fusion gene, and the cells addicted to the introduced fusion gene for their growth and survival were selected. Expression of EML4-ALKs in the obtained cells was confirmed by immunoblotting. Their dependence on the introduced fusion gene was assessed by MTS assay following ALK inhibitors treatment. Direct inhibitory effect of the drugs was analyzed by monitoring the autophosphorylation levels of EML4-ALKs. Results: EML4-ALK addicted cells were efficiently established from all the transfectants. They expressed the introduced variant of EML4-ALK. Each of the ALK inhibitors tested in this study exerted distinct anti-growth activities toward the established cell models. PF-2341066 had the strongest, dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the growth of the addicted cells. This agent also inhibited autophosphorylation of EML4-ALKs in parallel with the growth inhibition activity, but failed to inhibit cells expressing drug-resistant EML-4-ALK. Conclusions: We demonstrated that cancer cell models addicted to EML4-ALK can be easily established from EGFR-addicted cell lines. Since the established cells depended on the introduced EML4-ALK genes for their growth and survival, the introduced genes likely preserved their oncogenic functions in these cells. Our method will provide useful cell models to evaluate the efficacy of various inhibitors in vitro and elucidate functions and signaling pathway of EML4-ALKs. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A139.


In recent years a body of literature on the topic of school culture has emerged, highlighting the importance of developing strong school cultures. My purpose was to explore the creation of culture in a new school by studying the school=s core principles, leadership, history, The setting for this descriptive case study was Chapman Friends School B an alternative Quaker high school located in a mid-Atlantic state. Data-gathering techniques included: (a) weekly on-site observations, (b) formal interviews, (c) school publications and documents, and (d) the researcher=s log. The data were analyzed with a thematic coding system based on the cultural components. Three factors were found to be critical in the creation of culture at Chapman Friends School: (a) core principles and the symbolic interactions whereby they were transmitted; (b) the charismatic, authentic leadership of the headmaster; and (c) the consensus-based standards for student membership. The creation of culture at Chapman Friends School was a process wherein school members sought to resolve problems and issues resulting from their conflicting expectations of what the school should be. The creation of culture at Chapman Friends School involved the development of a shared image of what the school should become. Finally, as indicated by previous researchers and supported in this study, a culture evolves over time. The findings expand the field of literature on the subject of school culture and provide insight for school leaders and educators seeking to create effective school cultures. Related topics for further study include: (a) student enrollment screening procedures which shape a school culture, (b) the effect of secular school leaders on the creation of culture in religious-based schools, (c) the effect of the absence of a Quaker majority in Quaker schools, and (d) alternative environmental options for school settings and their effect on school culture. ii DEDICATION I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 To John and Frances Dowling, my parents, who gave me the gift of life and who continue to inspire me to live a life rich in the hope, joy, and love of God.


Annotation. The article analyzed the instrumental platforms of European and national qualifications frameworks. It was found that the European Qualifications Framework contains eight interrelated levels where qualifications determined by training results triad professional qualities: knowledge, skills and competencies. This approach helps to compare qualifications and simplifies their recognition. The study gives examples of modern instrumentation platforms of the European and national qualifications frameworks to facilitate the establishment of the balance of the qualifications mentioned advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Proved that the qualifications frameworks can successfully functioning based on the ontological approach, the content of which is to present the subject area of knowledge with a help of computer ontologies. Ontology is a description of declarative knowledge in the form of classes with the relation between them. The article highlighted the features editor Protege-OWL for building subjectoriented ontology.


Singapore's healthcare system is under strain from the rising demands of an increasing and ageing population, resulting in delayed specialist care for patients presenting to the emergency department and requiring admission. Acute assessment units have been developed elsewhere but are not well established in local healthcare. Our institution extended our acute medical team to form an acute medical unit (AMU), in which focused internist-led teams are stationed on site to rapidly assess and re-triage patients. All patients (excluding those with very complex conditions) are admitted to the AMU and managed by internists who provide holistic, patient-centric care with better ownership, improved efficiency and less fragmentation. Patients can receive timely access to medical interventions and stable patients can benefit from early supported discharge, anchored by the nursing, allied health and transitional care teams. Given the ageing patient population with multiple comorbidities, this integrated model with exceptional outcomes is highly suitable for Singapore.


Regular consumption of red wine in moderate amounts is proven to possess a positive effect on health because of the phenolic compounds and their ability to act as antioxidants. Aging is one the many factors that affects the phenolic composition of red wines. In this study, the effect of aging on total phenolics (TP), flavonoids (TF), anthocyanins (TA), antioxidant capacity (TAC) and individual phenolic compounds of red wines obtained from the two well-known Turkish wineries were investigated. Results showed, except for few samples, aging generally caused no significant difference in TP, TF and TAC (P > 0.05). On the other hand, for all samples, wine aging resulted in significant decrease in both the total (44‐ 88%) and individual (53‐99%) TA (P < 0.05). This study provided valuable insights into the biochemical composition of several commercial Turkish red wines and how this may change during aging.


The incidence of athletic injury is on the rise. Often overlooked in the injury treatment intervention process is the emotional component and the role of the mind. Because stress, panic, fear, and other emotions contribute to this crisis situation, it becomes essential for the sport psychologist to be part of the sports medicine team by offering psychological services and strategies to injured athletes. This article will discuss the mind-body connection in injury and offer practical strategies that the author has found useful in facilitating the healing and recovery process.


Fast electrons produced by a 10 ps, 160 J laser pulse through laser-compressed plastic cylinders are studied experimentally and numerically in the context of fast ignition. K(α)-emission images reveal a collimated or scattered electron beam depending on the initial density and the compression timing. A numerical transport model shows that implosion-driven electrical resistivity gradients induce strong magnetic fields able to guide the electrons. The good agreement with measured beam sizes provides the first experimental evidence for fast-electron magnetic collimation in laser-compressed matter.


Lead titanate, lead zirconate, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films in the sub-μm-range were produced at temperatures around 400 °C using novel single-source precursors in a classical thermal CVD process. The design of two bimetallic alkoxide compounds, a lead titanate and a lead zirconate source with almost identical physical properties and complement miscibility, resulted in a new quasi-single-source PZT precursor, an azeotropic mixture that evaporates at 30 °C and at a pressure of 4 × 10(-1) mbar. After thermal treatment at 650 °C, transparent (100)-oriented PZT films with remnant polarization of 20 μC cm(-2) and a coercive field strength of 20 V μm(-1) were achieved. An additional lead source is not required.


HOXA10 is a member of the homeobox gene family and is a transcription factor primarily involved in embryonic development. Perturbed HOX gene expression has been identified in numerous cancers and thus suggests that these genes may play important roles in diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We initially identified altered HOXA10 expression in prostate tumors form prostate-specific PTEN conditional knockout mice. HOXA10 is highly expressed in the normal prostate glands from wildtype and PTEN-mutant mice and gradually decreases with tumor development and decreased differentiation. However, focal expression of HOXA10 is observed in poorly differentiated tumors and is highly expressed in metastases. To determine clinical significance of HOXA10 in human prostate cancer, we examined HOXA10 expression by immunohistochemistry in matched normal and cancer specimens from prostatectomy cases. HOXA10 nuclear expression was measured according to intensity and distribution. Our analysis shows that HOXA10 is strongly expressed in benign glands and low expression is significantly correlated with Gleason grade (p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3629. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3629


UNLABELLED
Our purpose was to evaluate interfractional organ and patient movement during radiotherapy of prostate cancer and to calculate the necessary CTV to PTV margins. Fifty patients irradiated between 2009 and 2011were included into the prospective study. The 2D-2D KV system combined with the intraprostatic fiducial marker were used for daily position verification. Based on the 8629 measurements of isocentre displacement an interfractional motion of pelvis and prostate was evaluated. The CTV to PTV margins were calculated. Margins of 0.7 cm (AP), 1 cm (SI) and 0.35 cm (LR) are necessary when only bony based IGRT is performed. Margins of 1.0 cm, 1.8 cm and 0.5 cm in AP, SI and LR directions respectively are necessary in case of no IGRT.There was no clinically relevant changes in patient/target mobility throughout the whole treatment. The IGRT is essential for state of art radiotherapy of prostate cancer. Necessary CTV to PTV margins are much bigger in case of no IGRT performed. Changing of margins size throughout regular treatment is not necessary.

KEYWORDS
IGRT, prostate cancer, fiducial marker.


A new expression for the bit error rate (BER) of an asynchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) system with coherent BPSK demodulation in a multipath Nakagami (1960) fading channel is derived. The analysis assumes an arbitrary number of independent, but nonidentical resolvable paths combined by the RAKE receiver. The results obtained show that in such systems, the effect of nonidentical fading on system performance cannot be ignored.


Thiazolidinediones are used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus because they decrease plasma glucose, insulin, triglyceride, and fatty acid levels. Thiazolidinediones are agonists for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, a nuclear receptor that is highly expressed in fat tissue. We identify glyceroneogenesis as a target of thiazolidinediones in cultured adipocytes and fat tissues of Wistar rats. The activation of glyceroneogenesis by thiazolidinediones occurs mainly in visceral fat, the same fat depot that is specifically implicated in the progression of obesity to type 2 diabetes. The increase in glyceroneogenesis is a result of the induction of its key enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, whose gene expression is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ-dependent in adipocytes. The main role of this metabolic pathway is to allow the re-esterification of fatty acids via a futile cycle in adipocytes, thus lowering fatty acid release into the plasma. The importance of such a fatty acid re-esterification process in the control of lipid homeostasis is highlighted by the existence of a second thiazolidinedione-induced pathway involving glycerol kinase. We show that glyceroneogenesis accounts for at least 75% of the whole thiazolidinedione effect. Because elevated plasma fatty acids promote insulin resistance, these results suggest that the glyceroneogenesis-dependent fatty acid-lowering effect of thiazolidinediones could be an essential aspect of the antidiabetic action of these drugs.


Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is an important oil seed crop, providing more than 13% of the world's supply of edible oils. An in-depth knowledge of the gene network involved in biosynthesis and accumulation of seed oil is critical for the improvement of B. napus. Using available genomic and transcriptomic resources, we identified 1,750 acyl-lipid metabolism (ALM) genes that are distributed over 19 chromosomes in the B. napus genome. B. rapa and B. oleracea, two diploid progenitors of B. napus, contributed almost equally to the ALM genes. Genome collinearity analysis demonstrated that the majority of the ALM genes have arisen due to genome duplication or segmental duplication events. In addition, we profiled the expression patterns of the ALM genes in four different developmental stages. Furthermore, we developed two B. napus near isogenic lines (NILs). The high oil NIL, YC13-559, accumulates significantly higher (∼10%) seed oil compared to the other, YC13-554. Comparative gene expression analysis revealed upregulation of lipid biosynthesis-related regulatory genes in YC13-559, including SHOOTMERISTEMLESS, LEAFY COTYLEDON 1 (LEC1), LEC2, FUSCA3, ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3), ABI4, ABI5, and WRINKLED1, as well as structural genes, such as ACETYL-CoA CARBOXYLASE, ACYL-CoA DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE, and LONG-CHAIN ACYL-CoA SYNTHETASES. We observed that several genes related to the phytohormones, gibberellins, jasmonate, and indole acetic acid, were differentially expressed in the NILs. Our findings provide a broad account of the numbers, distribution, and expression profiles of acyl-lipid metabolism genes, as well as gene networks that potentially control oil accumulation in B. napus seeds. The upregulation of key regulatory and structural genes related to lipid biosynthesis likely plays a major role for the increased seed oil in YC13-559.


This collection of essays, originally papers delivered at a seminar convened by the National Office of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, in collaboration with Boston College, USA, and the International Theological Institute, Austria, reflects some of the contemporary confusion surrounding the concept of "vocation" within the Catholic Tradition. There is considerable fluidity across the contributors about what is meant by "vocation". On the whole, the essays point to the universal vocation to the perfection of love, so well-articulated by Lumen Gentium 39-42, but the difficult question of specific vocation to one of the many contemporary forms of male and female consecrated life and the Priesthood emerges regularly.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of intermittent and continuous heating protocols using graphene-heated clothing and identify more effective body region for heating in a cold environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Eight males participated in five experimental conditions at an air temperature of 0.6°C with 40 percent relative humidity: no heating, continuous heating the chest, continuous heating the back, intermittent heating the chest, and intermittent heating the back.

Findings

The results showed that the electric power consumption of the intermittent heating protocol (2.49 W) was conserved by 71 percent compared to the continuous protocol (8.58 W). Rectal temperature, cardiovascular and respiratory responses showed no significant differences among the four heating conditions, while heating the back showed more beneficial effects on skin temperatures than heating the chest.

Originality/value

First of all, this study was the first report to evaluate cold protective clothing with graphene heaters. Second, the authors provided effective intermittent heating protocols in terms of reducing power consumption, which was able to be evaluated with the characteristics of fast-responsive graphene heaters. Third, an intermittent heating protocol on the back was recommended to keep a balance between saving electric power and minimizing thermal discomfort in cold environments.


Macrophage-mediated inflammation plays essential roles in multiple-organ injury. Sinensetin (SNS) at least exhibits anti-inflammation, antioxidant, and antitumor properties. However, the underlying mechanism of SNS-targeted macrophage-mediated inflammation remains elusive. In the present study, our results showed that SNS suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation to ameliorate lung and liver injuries. Mechanistically, SNS significantly inhibited M1-type macrophage polarization and its NLRP3 inflammasome formation to significantly decrease tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and IL-6 expression, while increasing IL-10 expression. Moreover, SNS interacted and activated SIRT1 to promote NRF2 and its target gene SOD2 transcription, which subsequently decreased LPS-induced inflammation. SIRT1 knockdown impaired the effects of SNS on the inhibition of macrophage polarization, NLRP3 inflammasome formation, and NRF2/SOD2 signaling. Taken together, our results showed that SNS is a potential and promising natural active ingredient to ameliorate inflammatory injury via activating SIRT1/NRF2/SOD2 signaling.


Photoaging results in numerous clinical effects in the skin, including wrinkles, textural changes, dyspigmentation, telengiectasia, and lentigines. Long-term sunlight exposure has been shown to increase the risk of actinic keratoses and nonmelanoma skin cancer. Amongst the approaches undertaken to reduce this risk are laser skin resurfacing as well as topical therapies. Concerning the latter, ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C, has received much attention for its ability to reduce ultraviolet (UV)-induced photodamage. The mechanism underlying this photoprotective effect is thought to be related to ascorbic acid's antioxidant activity. When human subjects topically applied L-ascorbic acid as a 10% solution for 5 days prior to UVB irradiation, a significant reduction in erythema was observed when compared to vehicle controls.


P Blocks is a novel software tool which enables students to write mathematical proofs by dragging and dropping prewritten lines into the correct order, rather than writing a proof completely from scratch. We used Proof Blocks problems as exam questions for a discrete mathematics course with hundreds of students, allowing us to collect thousands of student responses to Proof Blocks problems. Using this data, we provide statistical evidence that Proof Blocks are easier than written proofs, which are typically very difficult. We also show that Proof Blocks problems provide about as much information about student knowledge as written proofs. Survey results show that students believe that the Proof Blocks user interface is easy to use, and that the questions accurately represent their ability to write proofs.


We re-estimate the World Technology Frontier (WTF) non-parametrically, using the Data Envelopment Analysis method, with a dataset covering both OECD country-level and US state-level data on GDP per worker and the stocks of physical capital, unskilled labor, and skilled labor. The WTF 2000 is found to be spanned by a few US states such as Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Nevada, Utah, and Washington, while the USA as a whole falls markedly behind these leader states. The auxilliary use of US state-level data adds extra precision to cross-country growth and levels accounting exercises. We also calculate the "appropriate technology vs. efficiency" decomposition, disentangling dynamic shifts of the WTF from movements along the WTF. Our results indicate that previous estimates of the WTF might have been downward biased and previous estimates of technical efficiency might have been upward biased.


45 years old male, with h/o frequent episodes of palpitations and hypertension on amlodipine , no h/o of CAD or MI with family h/o HT got admitted with haemodynamic compromise . ECG at admission revealing


1.ABSTRACT In the countries of Central and Northern Europe with their highly developed waste management concepts, MB technologies have either become firmly established as a residual waste treatment option (eg. Germany, Austria) or do not really play a role beside thermal treatment (as eg. in Switzerland, and Scandinavia). In all other Western European countries, mechanical-biological treatment will become increasingly promoted, partly by transforming existing capacities of product-oriented MBT technologies (composting, fermentation). In the countries of Eastern and South Eastern Europe, which still have a backlog in the eco-friendly handling of municipal solid waste, less sophisticated MBT systems may prove successful methods in the medium and long term for accomplishing mandatory standards set in the in European legal framework.


The nerve endings in the intramural ganglia of the rat's heart are connected by synaptic and non-synaptic junctions with the dendrites and neuron bodies. Peri-membrane indurations of synaptic complexes may look relatively symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on the orientation of the section in relation to the elements of the Akert's presynaptic lattice. In non-synaptic junctions the indurations are symmetrical, but the presynaptic one may be more complicated in its structure. The synaptic complexes are disposed in the field of synaptic dilatations of axons and in the sites of interlacing thin "preterminal" parts of axons with dendrites. They connect preganglionic fibres with dendrites, neuron bodies and with the filamentous and fungiform thorns.


THE completion and placing into service of the Pennsylvania Railroad electrification marks the satisfactory conclusion of a relay design and application problem involving considerable pioneering work in this field. The protection problem is the provision of a system of protective relays, which in event of trouble, will automatically open circuit breakers to isolate the faulty section from the remainder of the power system. Outstanding features of the protective system are:


OSBP-related protein 8 (ORP8) is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear envelope and has been implicated in lipid homeostasis. Oxysterols and cholesterol act as ligands of ORPs [1] and oxysterols inhibit the growth of various cell types [2], but the mechanisms that occurs remain obscure. To gain insight into how oxysterols affect the ER stress and cell apoptosis, we utilized quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) , cell apoptosis assay analyses ,our results shown that ORP8 overexpression, contrary to ORP8 silencing, mediated apoptosis-induced by 27-oxysterol in HepG2 cells, which coincided with increased ER stress response marker, C/EBP homologous protein (Chop).