About the Editors and Contributors. Introduction (Xenia Chryssochoou, Assaad E. Azzi, Bert Klandermans, and Bernd Simon). Part I Development, (Re)Construction, and Expression of Collective Identities (Xenia Chryssochoou). 1 The Role of Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Class in Shaping Greek American Identity, 1890-1927: A Historical Analysis (Yannis G. S. Papadopoulos). 2 Religious Identity and Socio-Political Participation: Muslim Minorities in Western Europe (Maykel Verkuyten). 3 The Bicultural Identity Performance of Immigrants (Shaun Wiley and Kay Deaux). 4 Perceptions of (In)compatibility between Identities and Participation in the National Polity of People belonging to Ethnic Minorities (Xenia Chryssochoou and Evanthia Lyons). Part II Collective Identity and Political Participation (Bernd Simon). 5 Winners and Losers in the Europeanization of Public Policy Debates: Empowering the Already Powerful? (Ruud Koopmans and Paul Statham). 6 New Ways of Understanding Migrant Integration in Europe (P. R. Ireland). 7 Collective Identity and Political Engagement (Bernd Simon). 8 Collective Identity, Political Participation, and the Making of the Social Self (Stephen Reicher and John Drury). Part III Radicalization (Bert Klandermans). 9 Radicalization (Jacquelien van Stekelenburg and Bert Klandermans). 10 Citizenship Regimes and Identity Strategies Among Young Muslims in Europe (Catarina Kinnvall and Paul Nesbitt-Larking). 11 Going All the Way: Politicization and Radicalization of the Hofstad Network in the Netherlands (Martijn de Koning and Roel Meijer). 12 Trajectories of Ideologies and Action in US Organized Racism (Kathleen M. Blee). 13 No Radicalization without Identification: How Ethnic Dutch and Dutch Muslim Web Forums Radicalize Over Time (Jacquelien van Stekelenburg, Dirk Oegema, and Bert Klandermans). Part IV Integration (Assaad E. Azzi). 14 Immigrant Acculturation: Psychological and Social Adaptations (John W. Berry). 15 Ethnic Social Networks, Social Capital, and Political Participation of Immigrants (Dirk Jacobs and Jean Tillie). 16 Naturalization as Boundary Crossing: Evidence from Labor Migrants in Germany (Claudia Diehl and Michael Blohm). 17 Confronting the Past to Create a Better Future: The Antecedents and Benefits of Intergroup Forgiveness (Nyla R. Branscombe and Tracey Cronin). Conclusion: From Identity and Participation to Integration or Radicalization: A Critical Appraisal (Assaad E. Azzi). Name Index. Subject Index.


IV or oral administration of antiarrhythmics has been reported to be effective for relieving neuropathic pain. Recent reports have indicated that tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) Na+ channels play important roles in the nerve conduction of nociceptive sensation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of flecainide, pilsicainide (class Ic antiarrhythmics), and lidocaine (a class Ib drug) on TTX-R Na+ currents in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons using the whole-cell patch-clamp method. Flecainide, pilsicainide, and lidocaine reversibly blocked the peak amplitude of TTX-R Na+ currents in a concentration-dependent manner with half-maximum inhibitory concentration values of 8.5 ± 6.6 μM (n = 7), 78 ± 6.9 μM (n = 7), and 73 ± 6.8 μM (n = 7), respectively. Each drug shifted the inactivation curve for the TTX-R Na+ currents in the hyperpolarizing direction and caused a use-dependent block. We also studied an interaction between these antiarrhythmics on TTX-R Na+ channels. Additional application of flecainide or pilsicainide to lidocaine resulted in an additive increase of tonic and use-dependent block. These results suggest that the inhibition of TTX-R Na+ currents of dorsal root ganglion neurons by such antiarrhythmics is attributable, at least partly, to their antinociceptive effects.


The purpose of this study was to investigate if botulinum neurotoxin type-A (BoNT/A) had a preemptive antinociceptive effect in a formalin-induced orofacial pain model (FT). To test this hypothesis, male Rattus norvegicus were injected with isotonic saline solution 0.9% or BoNT/A administered as a 40 μl bolus, lateral to their nose, at 24 hours, 8, 15, 22, 29 or 36 days pre-FT. The procedures were repeated 42 days later. Influence on motor activity was assessed through the open-field test. Pain scores corresponded to the time spent rubbing and flicking the injected area. Animals pre-treated with BoNT/A at the first protocol (8 days subgroup) showed reduced inflammatory scores (p=0.011). For the other groups no significant results were observed at any phase. Motor activity was similar in both groups. BoNT/A showed to be effective preventing inflammatory pain up to eight days after the first treatment, an effect not reproduced on the second dose administration.


The sensitivity to electrostatic discharge (ESD) events of the phase change memory was investigated by using a three-dimensiona l finite element modeling based on electro thermal physics. Analytical storage elements were tested on � trench structure during three ESD models stress, HBM model, MM model, and CDM model. It was found that the phase-change memory cell is failure when All ESD model voltage stress lower than 5V. The phase change memory cell must then be considered as very sensitive class-O devices for HBM model, class-Ml for MM model and class-Cl for CDM model.


A variety of goods and services in the contemporary world requires evolutionary improvement of services e-commerce platform performance and optimization of costs. Contemporary society is deeply integrated with delivery services, purchasing of goods and services online, that makes competition between service and good providers a key selection factor for end-user.. As long as logistic, timely, and cost-effective delivery plays important part authors decided to analyse possible ways of improvements in the current field, especially for regions distantly located from popular distribution canters and drop-ship delivery networks. Considering both: fast and lazy delivery the factor of costs is playing an important role for each end-user. The work proposes a simulation that analyses the current cost of delivery for e-commerce orders in the context of delivery by the Supplier Fleet, World-Wide delivery service fleet, and possible vendor drop-ship and checks of the alternative ways can be used to minimize the costs. Special attention is given to Drop-Ship networks as the factor of possible costs decrease. The main object of investigation is focused around mid and small companies living far from big distribution canters, in the rural areas but actively using e-commerce solutions for their daily activities. The authors analysed and proposed a solution for the problem of cost optimization for packages delivery for long-distance deliveries using a combination of paths delivered by supplier fleets, worldwide, local carriers and drop-ship networks. Data models and Add-ons of contemporary Enterprise Resource Planning systems have been used, and additional development is proposed in the perspective of the flow selection change for combination of carriers. The experiment is based on data sources of the United States companies using a wide range of carriers for delivery services and uses the data sources of the real companies; however, it applies repetitive simulations to analyse variances in obtained solutions for different combinations of carriers.


BACKGROUND: To evaluate the doubling rate of maternal serum serial β-hCG and a single initial serum progesterone level to predict fetal viability before ultrasonography in women diagnosed with intrauterine pregnancy of undetectable viability. METHODS: 336 pregnant women who applied to the outpatient clinic at Istanbul Okmeydanı City Hospital between March and December 2018 were evaluated on a "Prospective observational" basis. 236 women were excluded from the study for various reasons. The study was completed with 100 pregnant women diagnosed with intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) involving suspected fetal viability by transvaginal ultrasonography only, who met the inclusion criteria with CRL: < 7mm and mean gestational sac diameter: < 25mm. Serum β-hCG and progesterone were taken at the first admission. After 48 hours, control serum β-hCG was taken and the increase rates were calculated. Early pregnancy loss was diagnosed by (transvaginal) TV-USG performed after the days 7, 11 and 14. Patients were divided into two groups as fetal heart rate (FHR) positive (viable) and FHR negative (early pregnancy loss). Pregnancy results were compared with β-hCG increase rates and progesterone value. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis and P<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.RESULTS: No statistically significant result was obtained between the viable and early pregnancy loss (FHR +/-) groups in terms of maternal age, previous pregnancy anamnesis, nationality, presenting symptoms, or ultrasound findings. According to the last menstrual period, the mean gestational age was 45.1±14 days in the viable (FHR+) group and 51.3±14 days in the Early pregnancy loss (FHR-) group, and this difference was found to be statistically significant. Estimation modality was developed in terms of viability with the serum progesterone values and increase rates of β-hCG. The study, which was conducted with a confidence interval of 95%, found the viability rate to be 70% with a β-hCG increase rate of 31%, 80% in the case of an increase by 49%, 90% in the case of an increase by 73%, 95% in the case of an increase by 97%, and 100% in the case of an increase by 181%. For progesterone, when the value was 5.9 ng/ml, the viability rate was 49%, and it was 69% at 10.5 ng/ml, 80% at 13.4 ng/ml, 90% at 18.0 ng/ml, 95% at 21.7 ng/ml, 99% at 29.3 ng/ml, and 100% at 37.5 ng/ml and above. In conclusion, the significant efficacy values of β-hCG increase and first progesterone level in predicting viability were found to be ROC AUC: [0.748 (0.621-0.874)] and ROC AUC: [0.796 (0.685-0.907)], respectively.CONCLUSION: Either Serial β-hCG ratio or serum progesterone level can be used alone to predict pregnancy outcome in early pregnancy. With dissemination of similar studies, estimation modalities can be improved and TV-USG examinations can help shortening the waiting time for results to reduce anxiety of families, hospital admissions and health expenses.


Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is considered the gold standard to study a patient9s exercise intolerance and its causes. An heterogeneous group of chronic lung diseases occurs in CVID and X-LA and can affect the prognosis. The lung disease is usually assessed by spirometry, lung CT-scan, and 6-minute walking test (6-MWT). Aims: To characterize the pulmonary function and exercise capacity of adult patients with CVID and X-LA. Methods: CPET was performed by six CVID and two X-LA patients. Spirometry, CT-lung scan and 6-MWT data were acquired. Results: All the patients reached a maximal effort. Five patients had abnormalities in the aerobic exercise capacity at peak (VO2 peak) and the efficiency of ventilatory response to exercise at the anaerobic thresholds. On the contrary, 6-MWT was almost normal in seven patients. Conclusions: CPET can improve early detection of ventilatory disfunctions and help to set a highly individualized training intensity for exercise prescription to improve prognosis and quality of life.


I didn't finish [school]. What happened is I came out of the closet and all hell broke. And I felt I had to leave [home]. In that time that I was in San Jose, I saw an article on gay Raza organizing in San Francisco. So that's how I ended up here. And I said, "There I could be free [laughter]. That's the free city, let me go do that." And I could still meet other Raza. And it was nice because I had always thought there was only mexicanos, and Chicanos and Chicanas, and I got to meet Puerto Ricans and everything else.1


The use of heavy metals, especially in the industrial sector, has attracted attention for the impacts generated by the use of potentially toxic metals to the environment and public health. Adsorption is a process in which a substance (adsorbate) is physically or chemically attached to the surface of the adsorbent component and currently this process can be seen as an alternative to remove toxic metals from waste of agro-industrial sectors. This article aims to conduct a study about the adsorption of lead II (Pb II) on a modified natural polymer (lignin) obtained from corn stover. For the extraction of the lignin from lignocellulosic material, it was isolated by pulping with formic acid (CH 2 O 2 ) at 80% concentration, obtaining lignin formica (LFOR). LFOR already been crosslinked with hydrochloric acid (HCl) 37.0% to give the polymer adsorbent used in this study crosslinked lignin formica (LFRT). Adsorption tests were performed with different times of contact between adsorbent and the solution of 10.0 mgL -1 lead II, and the final concentration of the solution was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The results which was obtained with atomic adsorption proved the adsorbent polymer show a capability to retain ions of lead II, removing after 100 minutes 98.87% of the heavy metal in the initial solution. Therefore, the polymer LFRT can be used as a possible means to remove heavy metal from agro-industrial effluents. DOI: 10.14685/rebrapa.v6i1.186


Variations in the distribution of biomarkers (steranes and terpanes) as the consequences of primary migration were studied in limestone samples of the type section of the Querecual Formation, Venezuela. These variations were compared with conventional parameters of primary migration such as, variations in concentrations of bitumen, its fractions (saturated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, resins and asphaltene), and the n-alkane distribution. Biomarkers; (steranes and terpanes) show variations along the stratigraphic section that allow the suggestion of the following relative mobility of compounds in the consequence of their primary migration: Tricyclic Terpanes > regular Steranes =(approx.)= Rearranged Steranes > Pentacyclic Terpanes. Variations of bitumen fractions indicate a greater mobility of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons vs. resins and asphaltenes, and variations in the n-alkane distribution indicate a relative greater migration of the light n-alkanes (n-C{sub 20}). These results indicate that primary migration was controlled by the molecular weight and structure of bitumen constituents. The migration tendencies of all geochemical parameters studied point to a vertical migration from the center toward the top and bottom of the type section of the Querecual Formation.


Rapid warming of the Arctic provokes large-scale degradation of permafrost on land terrestrial and in submarines. A vast amount of remobilized organic matter (OM) is involved in the modern biogeochemical cycle. Understanding of the fate of terrestrial OM moving from the land to the Arctic shelf is essential for predicting the potential feedback of Arctic ecosystems. In our research, an attempt was made to characterize the modern OM stored in the surface sediments of the Laptev Sea to estimate its composition variability and to identify the OM sources along with the "coastline outer shelf" profile. Here we discuss the OM features revealed by Rock-Eval pyrolysis (RE) and the distribution of nalkanes in combination with sediment grain-size analysis. The GC/MS records are directly comparable with RE data tracing the terrestrial OM along with the entire studied profile. However, we observe both a significant decline of terrestrial input and the rise of hydrobiont in the outer shelf zone. We assume that different OM sources may produce different ranges of RE values.


Removal of heavy metals from industrial effluent is major part of research carried out by researchers to improve the environment and protect human population from adverse effects of industrialization. Zinc, Copper, Manganese and Lead are few of the major heavy metal which finds application in pharmaceutical, paint, catalyst, piping, battery, insecticides and many other industries. Various physical, chemical and biological methods can be used for their removal. Selection of suitable treatment method depends on the concentration of effluent, composition of effluent, available resources, desired final concentration and end use of effluent, disposal method and economic viability. Groundnut husk (GH) and Rice husk (RH) were used as adsorbents to remove Mn2+, Zn2+, Cu (II), Ni and Pb2+ ions from industrial wastewater. Continuous adsorption experiment was conducted to examine the effect of adsorbent mass, pH, temperature and adsorbent combination on adsorption of Mn2+, Zn2+, Cu (II), Ni and Pb2+ from industrial wastewater. The results showed that the adsorption of the metal ions was adsorbent mass, pH, and temperature dependent. The present review is aimed at summarizing various methods used for the removal of these metal ions with respect to methodology, effectiveness and affecting parameters.


The present study examined whether three-ball cascade juggling was improved by sleep. To elucidate sleep functions related to motor memory consolidation, sleep EEG spectral analysis was performed for each recorded sleep stage. Sixteen female college students practiced juggling in the morning, and were tested immediately afterward. Eight of the subjects took a 2-hour nap after practice juggling (nap group), while another 8 stayed awake (control group). Juggling performance was then re-tested in the evening. Juggling performance improved after the 2-hour nap, while subjects in the control group did not show improvement. Slow oscillation, delta wave, and sigma wave EEG spectral power all increased significantly during non-REM sleep, especially during slow-wave sleep, after the post-motor learning nap (mNap) compared to an earlier baseline nap that preceded learning the task. Such EEG alterations have been suggested to relate to explicit declarative (hippocampus-dependent) memory consolidation; however, motor learning is considered to rely upon implicit procedural memory. We found that while sleep facilitated the consolidation of motor memory similar to that following real sport activities, the alterations in sleep EEG suggest that the initial motor learning of complex, highly coordinated 3-ball cascade juggling may involve substantial use of explicit memory.


In this paper, we conduct two "counterfactual" simulations for the 30-year period 1970-2000-the first holding 1970 crop genetic improvements (CGI) constant and the second presuming the International Agricultural Research Center (IARC) system had not been built. Both these counterfactuals apply to developing countries only. The core estimates on which the counterfactuals are based include country fixed effects , and the key estimates are for the Dietary Energy Sufficiency (DES) equation. DES affects birth rates, death rates, child mortality rates and malnutrition rates, making it possible to "endogenize" population growth in developing countries, in the counterfactuals. Reduced DES levels (from reduced CGI contributions) will lead to more births, more deaths and more child deaths and higher levels of malnutrition. The key technology variables that determine DES are the number of agricultural scientists per million hectares of cropland, the average years of schooling of adult males (over 25), and the level of Green Revolution Modern Varieties (GRMV) adoption. Our results show striking contrasts between the historical record and the alternative counterfactuals. The worst outcome is that without any Green Revolution Technologies or an IARC system to support it, which results in holding technological advancements constant at the 1970 level is a marginal improvement, leading to much higher prices over time, as agricultural production struggles to keep up with food demand in those countries. The endogenous feedback effects of population show the importance of nutrition and education, and argue strongly in favor of those factors playing a significant role in the improvement of human well-being that has been observed since the start of the Green Revolution to present.


Highly enantioselective cycloisomerization of N-methylanilines, bearing o-alkenyl groups, into indolines is established. An iridium catalyst bearing a bidentate chiral diphosphine effectively promotes the intramolecular addition of the C(sp3 )-H bond across a carbon-carbon double bond in a highly enantioselective fashion. The reaction gives indolines bearing a quaternary stereogenic carbon center at the 3-position. The reaction mechanism involves rate-determining oxidative addition of the N-methyl C-H bond, followed by intramolecular carboiridation and subsequent reductive elimination.


Understanding the maturation stress and wood properties of poplar tension wood is critical for improving lumber yields and utilization ratio. In this study, the released longitudinal maturation strains (RLMS), anatomical features, physical and mechanical properties, and nano-mechanical properties of the cell wall were analyzed at different peripheral positions and heights in nine artificially inclined, 12-year-old poplar (Populus × euramericana cv. 'Zhonglin46') trees. The correlations between the RLMS and the wood properties were determined. The results showed that there were mixed effects of inclination on wood quality and properties. The upper sides of inclined stems had higher RLMS, proportion of G-layer, bending modulus of elasticity, and indentation modulus of the cell wall but a lower microfibril angle than the lower sides. At heights between 0.7 m and 2.2 m, only the double-wall thickness increased with height; the RLMS and other wood properties such as fiber length and basic density fluctuated or changed little with height. The RLMS were good indicators of wood properties in the tension wood area and at heights between 0.7 m and 1.5 m. The results of this study present opportunities to better understand the interactions and effects of these two phenomena, which both occur quite frequently in poplar stands and can influence the wood quality of valuable assortments.


The purpose of this systematic review was to reach a general conclusion regarding the effects of Lamiaceae plants on hirsutism by performing a meta-analysis of the clinical trials.

PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched and selected from the results of clinical studies to evaluate the effect of Lamiaceae plants on hirsutism.

Three clinical studies were selected for meta-analysis. In the performed meta-analysis, changes in androgenic hormones levels were non-significant for total testosterone (TT) (SMD = -0.03; 95% CI [-0.68, 0.08]; P= 0.12) and significant for free testosterone (FT) (SMD = -0.85; 95% CI [-1.45, -0.25]; P= 0.005). On the other hand, FSH level did not reduce (SMD = -0.39; 95% CI [-1.83, 1.06]; P= 0.60), while LH showed a marginally significant increase (SMD = 0.37; 95% CI [-0.007, 0.75]; P= 0.055). Ferriman – Gallway score did not show a remarkable change based on the meta-analysis of two studies (SMD = 0.89; 95% CI [-0.73, 2.51]; P= 0.28).

The results showed that the Lamiaceae family can reduce serum levels of some hormones and signs of hirsutism. However, they do not change signs of hirsutism.


The strand of whakapapa - genealogy - weaves through Māori women educators '. Pedagogy This article is based on research carried out with three eminent Māori women educators from Aotearoa New Zealand, which answered the question' what is Māori women educators 'pedagogy?' The research used the Indigenous kaupapa Māori research methodology, which is based on Māori worldviews. From the research I developed a metaphor, which was based on a style of Māori weaving called whatu to articulate Māori women educators pedagogy. A crucial element of the metaphor was the whenu - the warp The whenu represented tikanga -.. whānau and hapū values, traditions and belief systems The data in my research, suggests that identity and in particular whakapapa, a strand of the whenu, were a fundamental aspect of Māori women educators' pedagogy. This article discusses whakapapa and its integral relationship with each of three themes of Māori women educators' pedagogy and how they interact.


The major objective in pepper breeding programs is to generate high yielding
 novel varieties resistant to pests and diseases, tolerant to abiotic stress
 conditions with improved fruit quality traits including capsaicin content.
 Germplasm collections are important sources of variability for breeding
 studies. Molecular markers are important tools to evaluate genetic
 relationships among germplasm collections. Moreover, markers are used to
 select the genotypes conferring the desired traits via marker-assisted
 selection (MAS) as a powerful approach accelerating breeding programs. In
 the current study, 56 pepper genotypes selected among 313 pepper genotypes
 collected from K?r?ehir province in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey
 according to their agronomic and morphological characteristics were used for
 molecular assays. Six SSR markers two of which were linked to fruit
 morphology were selected to characterize pepper genotypes according to their
 high polymorphism information content. Three SCAR markers associated with
 capsaicinoid synthesis and resistance to Phytophtora capsici (Phyto.5.2) in
 pepper were used to assess pungency and resistance among genotypes.
 According to the results obtained with SSR markers, the total number of
 alleles ranged from 1 to 8 among genotypes. The most polymorphic SSR markers
 were CaeMS015 and CAMS452 within the pepper population. The genetic distance
 among genotypes was determined ranging between 0.75-1.00. The segregation of
 the SCAR marker BF6-BF8 linked to pungency in pepper was determined relative
 to pungent and sweet reference cultivars. The OP004.717 SCAR marker linked
 to Phytophtora capsici was tested among genotypes relative to CM334 pepper
 variety, known as a source of resistance to Phytophtora.


An attempt has been made to find out the study of depression and suicidal ideation among Mizo-population. The hypothesis of the present study are depression would have significant role in predicting suicidal ideation among the participants; females are likely to have more depression than male counterparts; females are likely to have more suicidal ideation than male counterparts. To study such hypothesis, ninety-seven participants (both male and female) are randomly selected and included in this present study. The data are collected mainly different parts of Aizawl area. Participants are ranging age from 15-20 years and the participants are administered BDI-II to assess the depression and ASIQ to assess the suicidal ideation. Results are analyzed through linear regression, ANOVA, and descriptive statistics using SPSS Packages. Results indicated that depression emerged as the significant predictor variable of suicidal ideation, the multiple R is .41 and it accounted 17% of the variance in the 1st hypothesis. In the second hypothesis, females have more depression than the male counterparts. The mean of depression between male and females are 18.979 and 23.541 and their F values between groups (F=6.006) are statistically significant. In the Third Hypothesis, Females have more mean values than the male counterparts i.e., 16.536 and 29.208 respectively and theirs F-value s between groups (F=8.055) are found statistically significant.


Between the beginning of 2015 and mid–2017, six countries with either existing or expected importance for the aircraft finance and leasing industry acceded to the Cape Town Convention (Australia, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, the UK and Vietnam). The Cape Town Convention offers acceding Contracting States a variety of options how to ratify and implement the treaty. This article attempts to analyse the approach taken by each respective 'newcomer', inter alia by reference to the 'Cape Town Convention quality standard matrix' developed by the OECD.


Natural products from plants have great potential as novel fungicide sources for controlling pathogenic fungi. The aims of this study were to examine the chemical composition of the leave powders and extract (Hexane, methanol and water) of Mexican plants and to test in vitro, their efficacy as antifungal potential against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli. All the species showed antifungal activity in the methanol extract. Chemical analysis of leave powders and extracts of Byrsonima crassifolia, Ocimum basilicum, Persea americana, Psidium guajava and Spondias purpurea by gas chromatography and spectrometry of masses (CG-MS) analysis showed that 89 volatile compounds were present. Leave powders and extracts contained the following: sesquiterpenes (46.06%), fatty acids (23.6%), diterpenes (14.6%), phenolic compound (11.23%) and monoterpenes (4.7%). Sesquiterpenes were not detected in B. crassifolia. The powders and leaf of extract, at 5% (hexane and methanol) revealed remarkable antifungal effect in the growth inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. gladioli with a range of 15 to 67%. The high chemical diversity of the analyzed plant species results in different effects on the development of the fungus.

 Key words: Gladiolus, botanic extracts, pathogenic fungi, growth inhibition.


We studied 1,274 healthy children of both sexes from 10 until 18 years of age, in Fuenlabrada, Madrid. We knew the tobacco consumption by means of direct asking to the children, without the presence of their parents. We studied the smoking habit of their parents by means of inquiries. The percentage of smoker children was 30% (24% of them had smoker parents, and 6% did not). We studied the tobacco influence in several parameters of cardiovascular risk; it was found that C-HDL levels in the smoker children were 5 mg/dl lower than the non-smokers, and the ratio C-LDL/C-HDL in the smokers was 1,2 times greater than in the non-smokers.


With the increasing commercialization of clinical research and growing competition for research subjects, multinational pharmaceutical corporations are conducting more clinical research outside of primary market areas in the Global North. I refer to this increasingly international scope of privately-sponsored clinical research as 'clinical globalization', a term intended to encompass how politics, industry, groups, and individuals interact across national borders in producing knowledge and commodities related to health and disease. This paper explores the political economy driving research globalization, discusses the expansion of ethical and regulatory capacity that has accompanied international research, and uses a case study of privately-sponsored HIV/AIDS clinical research at a public hospital in Mexico City to examine some of the challenges faced by current ethical infrastructure.


New microwave (MW) paleointensity data on historical bricks from Northeast Brazil presented a bias toward higher fields when compared to previous cooling‐rate corrected double‐heating paleointensity estimates; the same relates to the previously reported values for pottery from Southwestern Pacific islands. A simple theoretical approach suggests that the MW bias in both collections is due to a cooling‐rate effect on MW estimates. We then experimentally corrected the MW cooling‐rate effect on Brazilian fragments, increasing the degree of consistency between the previous and new results (reducing discrepancies from 25% to 8%). Results indicate similar experimental behavior between microwave and thermal procedures despite the different ways in which the energy is transferred into the spin system. Finally, they allow cooling times of less than 90 s to be empirically estimated in most of these MW experiments highlighting the need for systematic cooling‐rate corrections to be applied in similar MW paleointensity studies in the future.


We began the course with a discussion and review of private key cryptography and then started moving into the realm of public key cryptography. During this lecture, we will discuss four public key schemes. Even though RSA preceded the other schemes presented here, we will review ElGamal and introduce DSS rst (both mod p schemes), in hopes of providing more background and motivation for some of the concepts utilized in RSA. Finally, we will also provide a brief introduction to the theory of Elliptic Curves. Throughout this lecture, we will primarily consider public key cryptography as it relates to digital signatures.


A 59-year-old woman with intractable left heart failure caused by severe aortic regurgitation underwent emergency aortic valve replacement. She had originally presented four months earlier with dyspnoea, pyrexia (38.8°C) and signs of pneumonia. Blood cultures were not taken and she was treated with intravenous antibiotics. After four weeks her dyspnoea improved but …


Background Many patients with heart failure (HF) experience changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during follow‐up. We sought to evaluate the predictors and outcomes of different HF phenotypes according to longitudinal changes in EF. Methods and Results A total of 2104 patients with acute HF underwent echocardiography at baseline and follow‐up. Global longitudinal strain was measured at index admission. HF phenotypes were defined as persistent HF with reduced EF (persistent HFrEF, LVEF ≤40% at baseline and follow‐up), heart failure with improved ejection fraction (LVEF≤40% at baseline and improved to >40% at follow‐up), heart failure with declined ejection fraction (LVEF>40% at baseline and declined to ≤40% at follow up), and persistent HF with preserved EF (persistent HFpEF, LVEF>40% at baseline and follow‐up). Overall, 1130 patients had HFrEF at baseline; during follow‐up, 54.2% and 46.8% had persistent HFrEF and heart failure with improved ejection fraction, respectively. Among 975 patients with HFpEF at baseline, 89.5% and 10.5% had persistent HFpEF and heart failure with declined ejection fraction at follow‐up, respectively. The 5‐year all‐cause mortality rates were 43.1%, 33.1%, 24%, and 17% for heart failure with declined ejection fraction, persistent HFrEF, persistent HFpEF, and heart failure with improved ejection fraction, respectively (global log‐rank P<0.001). In multivariable analyses, each 1% increase in global longitudinal strain (greater contractility) was associated with 10% increased odds for heart failure with improved ejection fraction among patients with HFrEF at baseline and 7% reduced odds for heart failure with declined ejection fraction among patients with HFpEF at baseline. Conclusions LVEF changed during follow‐up. Each HF phenotype according to longitudinal LVEF changes has a distinct prognosis. Global longitudinal strain can be used to predict the HF phenotype. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03513653.


Language vulgarism can be heard in the lyrics of many Indonesian dangdut songs in terms of words, phrases, and clauses to portray women as either the instigators or objects of sexuality. The objectives of the study are to see: vulgar language that present in dangdut song lyrics as the pedagogical evidence of gender exploitation, and internal structures for vulgar forms that intentionally appear in the song lyrics. A qualitative approach with content analysis was employed to describe various phenomena of vulgar language that tends to portray women as either the instigators or objects of sexuality. The corpora of 25 Indonesian dangdut songs whose lyrics often feature vulgar language without being limited to certain composers or time of composition were analyzed. The data were language units, namely basic words, affixes, phrases, clauses, and compound sentences. Data were collected using document analysis techniques and interviews. The document analysis technique involved reading the documents and taking notes. Informants were chosen from the writers of the selected songs, the songs' lovers, and elements of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission. Results show that vulgar language was indeed used, and even emphasized, in dangdut song lyrics, representing a continuing sexist attitude toward exploiting women.


While some progress has been made in recent years to treat property as part of the wider capital markets, the subject of indices largely remains poorly understood by the surveying profession even though they play a central role in investment management. Commercial property indices therefore continue to generate confusion both inside and outside the property industry. Reviewing the characteristic features of property, outlines the conceptual and practical problems faced when constructing property indices which are not encountered in other markets. These have major implications for index producers and users alike. Reports on a recent study undertaken by the Society of Property Researchers. Although significant progress has been made in recent years towards the provision of more reliable UK property performance data, further improvements are recommended if property indices are to command a level of respect comparable with that enjoyed by indices of other markets.


Female-limited colour polymorphism occurs in many damselfly species, where one morph resembles the male (andromorph) and the other is dissimilar (gynomorph). Explanations for this phenomenon vary, but most assume that andromorphism has arisen in odonates, as a response to excessive male harassment. Here, we quantify the extent of continental and seasonal variation in female morph frequencies in a widely-distributed damselfly and ask whether the spatiotemporal patterns in andromorph frequency can be understood on the basis of sexual harassment theory. We sampled the damselfly, Nehalennia irene (Hagen) among regions across Canada, and at several sites, over the reproductive season, within Central Canada. Andromorph frequencies ranged from 0 to > 90% across Canada. In particular, sites in Western Canada had consistently high andromorph frequencies, whereas andromorph frequencies among Central sites were lower and variable and, among Eastern sites, were lower still (except one site) and relatively invariant. For populations in Central Canada, both andromorph frequencies and population densities varied significantly over time, reaching a peak mid-season. As expected, morph frequency covaried significantly with estimates of male harassment in some cases, but estimates of male harassment did not consistently account for variation in morph frequencies within all regions. Additional factors such as genetic drift may influence morph frequency at the edge of a species' range. Future work also should test, and attempt to explain causation, for seasonal variation in morph frequency. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90, 501–508.


Chip morphology is the remnant of the machining processes, providing to examine the quality of the machinability. The shape of the chip and its deformation rate identifying the severe of the processes outcomes like surface quality, tool life, required cutting forces and power. Especially plastic deformation in primary deformation zone makes the volume of the chip increase. The shear angle (φ), tool cutting edge approach angle (χ), and chip thickness (t) are the most influential parameters on the volumetric chip expansion factor (r1) in primary deformation zone. While tool cutting edge angle (χ) has a correlate proportional effect, shear angle (φ) and chip thickness (t) inversely proportional effect, on the volumetric chip expansion factor. According to getting the optimum volumetric chip expansion factor (r1), the lower tool cutting edge angle and feed rates, but higher shear angle must be selected. Rake angle (α) and cutting depth (a) have not remarkable effect on the volumetric chip expansion factor (r1), but rake angle only provides the sliding of the chip on the tool rake face.


It has been pointed out that managers constitute a very distinct group because of their dual roles in national marketing systems. As consumers, they are either beneficiaries or victims of the system, but, as decision makers, they play a major role in the design and functioning of the marketing system. Against this backdrop, this study examines the similarities and differences in the attitudes of managers and consumers towards marketing practices, consumerism and government regulation, in an industrializing country, India. A survey of the two groups revealed a high level of skepticism regarding the operating philosophy of business, discontent with marketing practices, and support for consumerism movement in both groups. Compared to the consumers, the managers as a group were found to be less favorably disposed towards price controls and greater government regulation of marketing practices.


Pattern identification in datasets has been the focus of many research works. Data mining, through association rules mining, is one of the best known approaches. However, it results most of the time in a huge set of patterns (rules), so their exploitation is not easy and often requires experts analysis.
In this paper, we introduce a new pattern, referred to as "set of contrasting rules". Contrary to most of the patterns from the state-of- the-art, this pattern has the characteristic of being made up of a set of rules. It has also the advantage of not only identifying a reduced set of rules, but also structuring it into sets. One main originality of this pattern is that it allows to easily identify trigger factors: factors that can bring some event state changes. In real applications, this pattern can thus be used to influence the values of some attributes.
The experiments conducted on a real dataset of census data, con- firm that the patterns discovered are made up of a reduced set of rules and that they can actually be used to influence some attributes in this dataset.


IMPACT STATEMENT
Successful clinical tissue engineering requires functional fidelity of the cultured cell to its in vivo counterpart, but this has been elusive in renal tissue engineering. Typically, renal proximal tubule cells in culture have a flattened morphology and do not express key transporters essential to their function. In this article, we show for the first time that in vitro substrate mechanical properties dictate differentiation of cultured renal proximal tubule cells. Remarkably, this effect was only discernable after 4 weeks in culture, longer than usually reported for this cell type. These results demonstrate a new tunable parameter to optimize cell differentiation in renal tissue engineering.


This article reviews and discusses the approved and emerging therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic and disabling immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects mainly young adults. MS imposes a huge economic burden on healthcare systems and the society. Although the last 20 years have brought a continuous expansion in therapeutic options, there are still unmet needs in MS management. Available MS drugs have varying degrees of efficacy in reducing relapse risk. The long-term term effects of these treatments are incompletely known. New therapies, along with variations of currently available treatments, may prove more effective and tolerable than the available drugs. Treatments for MS differ with respect to the mode of administration, tolerability and likelihood of treatment adherence, side effects, and risk of major toxicity. The armamentarium of approved disease-modifying therapies in MS and those in development include: (1) the first approved, moderately effective, injectable interferon-β and glatiramer acetate; (2) oral drugs (fingolimod, laquinimod, teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate); (3) monoclonal antibodies (rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab, daclizumab, alemtuzumab); and (4) immunosuppressive agents (e.g. mitoxantrone). The place of each drug in the therapeutic algorithm is dependent on its specific risk-benefit profile. Patients′ clinical and paraclinical phenotypes and biomarker profile may help to elucidate disease subtypes and response to therapy in the future, thus allowing treatment individualization.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive framework for improving intensive care unit performance.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH
The study introduces a quality management framework by combining cause and effect diagram and logical framework. An intensive care unit was identified for the study on the basis of its performance. The reasons for not achieving the desired performance were identified using a cause and effect diagram with the stakeholder involvement. A logical framework was developed using information from the cause and effect diagram and a detailed project plan was developed. The improvement projects were implemented and evaluated.

FINDINGS
Stakeholders identified various intensive care unit issues. Managerial performance, organizational processes and insufficient staff were considered major issues. A logical framework was developed to plan an improvement project to resolve issues raised by clinicians and patients. Improved infrastructure, state-of-the-art equipment, well maintained facilities, IT-based communication, motivated doctors, nurses and support staff, improved patient care and improved drug availability were considered the main project outputs for improving performance. The proposed framework is currently being used as a continuous quality improvement tool, providing a planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating framework for the quality improvement measures on a sustainable basis.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
The combined cause and effect diagram and logical framework analysis is a novel and effective approach to improving intensive care performance. Similar approaches could be adopted in any intensive care unit.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE
The paper focuses on a uniform model that can be applied to most intensive care units.


This article provides a background on the migration of the California State University (CSU), Stanislaus library website from an open-source platform to a content management system specifically designed for library websites. Before the migration, there was a trial of different content management systems (CMS), a student usability study, and consultations with outside web and systems librarians to acquire better insight on their experiences migrating a library website and their familiarity with the different CMS trialed. 1 The evaluation process, website design, and usability study began before the pandemic and the global shift to remote services. However, despite this shift, the timeline for the migration was not altered and the migration was completed as planned. Within a year, the library website migration planning, designing, trialing


Abstract The high antibiotic tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms is associated with challenges for treating periprosthetic joint infection. The toxin–antitoxin system, YefM–YoeB, is thought to be a regulator for antibiotic tolerance, but its physiological role is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the biofilm and antibiotic susceptibility phenotypes associated with S. aureus yoeB homologs. We hypothesized the toxin–antitoxin yoeB homologs contribute to biofilm formation and antibiotic susceptibility. Disruption of yoeB1 and yoeB2 resulted in decreased biofilm formation in comparison to Newman and JE2 wild-type (WT) S. aureus strains. In comparison to yoeB mutants, both Newman and JE2 WT strains had higher polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) production. Treatment with sodium metaperiodate increased biofilm formation in Newman WT, indicating biofilm formation may be increased under conditions of oxidative stress. DNase I treatment decreased biofilm formation in Newman WT but not in the absence of yoeB1 or yoeB2. Additionally, WT strains had a higher extracellular DNA (eDNA) content in comparison to yoeB mutants but no differences in biofilm protein content. Moreover, loss of yoeB1 and yoeB2 decreased biofilm survival in both Newman and JE2 strains. Finally, in a neutropenic mouse abscess model, deletion of yoeB1 and yoeB2 resulted in reduced bacterial burden. In conclusion, our data suggest that yoeB1 and yoeB2 are associated with S. aureus planktonic growth, extracellular dependent biofilm formation, antibiotic tolerance, and virulence.


A signaling model is developed to investigate the consequences of corporate income taxation in the presence of adverse selection in the equity market. The model obtains a unique, informationally constrained efficient equilibrium in which a better quality firm retains more inside equity, and, as in the complete information case, only profitable firms are supported The corporate income tax affects signaling costs and the profitability of projects. Numerical experiments with exponential utility functions find that the inside equity position of a better quality firm increases as the corporate income tax rate rises. This reaction is, however, insensitive to the tax rate change due to the risk sharing with the government, which leads to the interesting result that the corporate income tax only incurs a lower welfare cost than the lump sum tax with the same tax revenue.


A high energy and high yield neutron source is a prime requirement for technological studies related to fusion reactor development. It provides a high-energy neutron environment for small-scale fusion reactor components research and testing such as tritium breeding, shielding, plasma-facing materials, reaction cross-section data study for fusion materials, etc. Along with ITER participation, the Institute of Plasma Research, India is developing an accelerator-based 14 MeV neutron source with a yield of 1012 n s−1. The design of the source is based on the deuterium–tritium fusion reaction. The deuterium beam is accelerated and delivered to the tritium target to generate 14 MeV neutrons. The deuterium beam energy and tritium availability in the tritium target are the base parameters of the accelerator-based neutron source design. The paper gives the physics design of the neutron generator facility of the Institute for Plasma Research. It covers the requirements, design basis, and physics parameters of the neutron generator. As per the analytical results generator can produce more than 1 × 1012 n s−1 with a 110 keV D+ ion beam of 10 mA and a minimum 5 Ci tritium target. However, the detailed simulation with the more realistic conditions of deuteron ion interaction with the tritium titanium target shows that the desired results cannot be achieved with 110 keV. The safe limit of the ion energy should be 300 keV as per the simulation. At 300 keV ion energy and 20 mA current, it reaches 1.6 × 1012 n s−1. Moreover, it was found that to ensure sufficiently long operation time a tritium target of more than 20 Ci should be used. The scope of the neutron source is not limited to the fusion reactor research studies, it is extended to other areas such as medical radioisotopes research, semiconductor devices irradiations, and many more.


This study was performed in an effort to create a functional and stable yogurt product containing slander glasswort extract. The extract was added to milk at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0% (w/v), which was then fermented with lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) at for 6 hr. During a period of 15 days of storage, the quality characteristics of the yogurt samples were evaluated in terms of acid production (pH and titratable acidity), levels of lactic acid bacteria, color values, viscosity, and sensory characteristics. There were no significant differences in pH during the storage period; however, the control yogurt presented the highest pH value. The 1.0% slander glasswort yogurt had the highest titratable acidity; but again, there were no significant differences among the yogurts. The 1.0% slander glasswort yogurt also had the highest level of lactic acid bacteria, and both the control and slander glasswort-containing yogurts had increasing levels of lactic acid bacteria over the storage period. The 1.0% slander glasswort yogurt had the lowest L-value and highest a- and b-values. And the slander glasswort yogurts presented lower viscosity values than the control. In sensory evaluations, the 0.25% slander glasswort yogurt scored higher than the other groups for color, flavor, viscosity, sweetness, sourness, and overall palatability. The final sensory results indicated that the 0.25% slander glasswort yogurt was superior.


We derive expressions for the phase-space of a particle of momentum p decaying into N particles, that are valid for any number of dimensions. These are the imaginary parts of so-called 'sunset' diagrams, which we also obtain. The results are given as a series of hypergeometric functions, which terminate for odd dimensions and are also well-suited for deriving the threshold behaviour.


Dynamic wDAG Similarity algorithm can be applied to sugarcane annotation. At first, we have to make a wDAG structure of many different varieties of sugarcane. We also have to make wDAG of sugarcane that will be annotated. Then, we have to calculate the similarity between wDAG types of sugarcane that will be annotated and wDAG of all the existing types of sugarcane. This similarity calculation results will present sequence similarities ranging from the most similar to the most distant from sugarcane varieties were annotated. This Dynamic wDAG Similarity algorithm has difference compared with the previous wDAG Similarity algorithm. WDAG used in this research has the node labeled, arc labeled and arc weighted, where the weight of the arc can be changed dynamically. This research fixes the previous studies of static wDAG, in which the weight values on the arc of wDAG can not be changed. On Dynamic wDAG, the weight on each arc is based on the fuzzy calculations that show the tendency of sugarcane varieties were annotated. And the fuzzy value is calculated based on agronomic traits of sugarcane to be annotated. Leaf node is the part of wDAG that will be compared first. The similarity calculation result between the two wDAG is affected by data on a leaf node to be compared and the weights of the arcs. The result shows that this method gained the average of Precision of 96%, the average of Recall of 88.5%, and the average of Accuracy of 96%.


Background: Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) leads to reduced symptoms upon allergen exposure through as yet unresolved mechanisms. Desensitization of basophils to specific allergens during the updosing phase of injection immunotherapy may contribute to the clinical effect of SIT. Here we report a protocol for efficient in vitro allergen-mediated desensitization of basophils in whole blood and the effect of desensitization on the expression of basophil activation markers (CD203c and CD63) as well as histamine release in response to allergen challenge. Methods: Whole blood from grass pollen-allergic subjects was incubated with Phleum pratense extract by stepwise increase of the allergen concentration in the culture from well below to well above the allergen threshold concentration for activation of basophils. Desensitization was determined by measuring the expression of the basophil activation markers CD63 and CD203c by FACS following challenge with high allergen concentrations. Results: The basophil desensitization protocol reported here affected both the expression of the cell-surface markers and the levels of histamine release. Following the stepwise desensitization procedure the whole-blood basophils were not activated when challenged with more than 10-fold increased allergen concentration. Conclusion: We have established a protocol for basophil desensitization. By mimicking the updosing phase of immunotherapy we raised the allergen threshold for basophil activation and obtained efficient desensitization for all donors. We showed that conditions leading to desensitization affect histamine release and expression of different basophil markers alike.


This paper investigates the effect of gate electrode work function in 30 nm gate length conventional and junctionless FinFETs using technology computer-aided design (TCAD)simulations. DC parameters, threshold voltage (vt), drive current (Ion) and output resistance (Ro), and RF parameters, unity gain cut-off frequency (ft), non-quasi static (NQS) delay and input impedance (Z11) are investigated. Junctionless devices being bulk conductive behaves differently with respect to work function variation compared to surface conducting conventional devices. The rate of change in Vt and Ion with respect to work function, in junctionless devices, is slower compared to conventional devices. Owing to better drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL) performance, junctionless devices have higher output resistance. In conventional devices, ft is not sensitive for most of the work function range due to the screening effect of the inversion layer whereas junctionless device shows strong dependency on the work function.

 Key words: FinFET, Junctionless transistor, work function, drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL), technology computer-aided design (TCAD).


The chapter reflects on the first two years of the Restart Scheme introduced by the Manpower Services Commission for Long term unemployed people in the UK from a facilitator's perspective ten years later. It examines the actual weekly program for participants with some case examples from one of the pilot centres, Crawley College, West Sussex, an area of low unemployment. The observations suggested that even in a place where there are many job vacancies, there will be a 3-4% of the population who are unable to compete for jobs and participate in the work force unless sheltered workshops and specialized training initiatives are established.


Paracoelops has been regarded as monotypic and an endemic bat genus of Vietnam. In the original description of 1947, P. megalotis was characterised by its exceptionally large ears and well developed interfemoral membrane without a tail.The status of this taxon remained uncertain since the species and genus descriptions were based on the single, badly dam-aged holotype. Recently, we re-examined the holotype and found discrepancies between its features and those describedin the diagnoses. Its measurements and characteristics are entirely identical to those of a small species of Hipposideros. Having compared its features with those of other hipposiderids, we show here that Paracoelops megalotis was incorrectly classified both in terms of genus and species and should be considered a synonym of Hipposideros pomona.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize a quantitative assay of blood-retinal barrier (BRB) function in mice and to determine the effect of several purported vasopermeability factors on the BRB.

METHODS
Adult C57BL/6J mice were treated with three regimens of increasingly extensive retinal cryopexy and subsequently were given an intraperitoneal injection of 1 microCi/g body weight of [(3)H]mannitol. At several time points, the amount of radioactivity per milligram tissue was compared in retina, lung, and kidney. Time points that maximize signal-to-background differential in the retina were identified, and the ratio of counts per minute (CPM) per milligram retina to CPM per milligram lung (retina-to-lung leakage ratio, RLLR) or kidney (retina-to-renal leakage ratio, RRLR) were calculated. This technique was then used to compare the amount of BRB breakdown that occurs after intravitreous injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, prostaglandin (PG) E(1), PGE(2), interleukin (IL)-1beta, or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha.

RESULTS
Twenty-four hours after retinal cryopexy, there was a higher level of radioactivity in treated than in control retinas, and the signal-to-background difference was optimal when measurements were obtained 1 hour after injection of [(3)H]mannitol. In untreated mice, the RLLR was 0.30 +/- 0.02 and the RRLR was 0.22 +/- 0.01. Twenty-four hours after one 5-second application of retinal cryopexy, the RLLR was 0.73 +/- 0.20 and the RRLR was 0.71 +/- 0.23. With increasing amounts of cryopexy, there was an increase in the RLLR and RRLR, so that after two 10-second applications, the RLLR was 1.66 +/- 0.31 and the RRLR was 1.47 +/- 0.20. Intravitreous injection of VEGF, IGF-1, PGE(1), PGE(2), IL-1beta, or TNF-alpha each caused significant increases in the RLLR and RRLR, but there were some differences in potency and time course. VEGF caused prominent BRB breakdown at 6 hours that returned to near normal by 24 hours. IL-1beta also caused relatively rapid breakdown of the BRB, but its effect was more prolonged than that caused by VEGF. There was delayed, but substantial breakdown of the BRB after injection of TNF-alpha. IGF-1, PGE(2), and PGE(1) caused less severe, relatively delayed, and more prolonged BRB breakdown.

CONCLUSIONS
Measurement of the RLLR or RRLR after intraperitoneal injection of [(3)H]mannitol in mice provides a quantitative assessment of BRB function that is normalized and can therefore be compared from assay to assay. Comparison of the extent and duration of BRB breakdown after intravitreous injection of vasoactive substances shows that agents can be grouped by resultant extent and time course of leakage. Additional studies are needed to determine whether this grouping has its basis in shared mechanisms of BRB disruption.


Background : Due to better molecular classification and new treatment options, epidemiology and prognosis of mBC is rapidly changing. Clinical data extracted from randomized studies are only relevant to specific subpopulations and retrospective studies are prone to selection bias. SToRM is a prospective clinical trial that aims to create a cohort of 1500 mBC patients, with the ultimate goal of identifying germ line polymorphisms associated with prognosis of breast cancer (BC) and response to treatment in the metastatic phase. Material and methods: Any newly (within 1 year) diagnosed mBC patients were eligible. Whole blood samples were drawn and germline DNA extracted for genetic analysis. Extensive epidemiologic data, disease history from primary diagnosis to metastatic spread, pathological characteristics and ER, PR and HER2 status were collected. Patients are prospectively followed until death. Genotyping using the HumanCoreExome chipset from Illumina is currently underway and will be completed in early summer 2015. Results : 1502 patients were included from March 2012 to May 2014 from 71 French institutions. Median age at metastatic relapse was 60 years (range 26-93). Median time from primary diagnosis to metastatic relapse was 30 months (range 0-473) with 24% of patients already metastatic at initial diagnosis. 78% of patients were ER+, 18% were HER2+ and only 16% were triple negative. Molecular subtype classification derived from pathological data following St Gallen consensus recommendations is presented below: 64% of the patients had received previous adjuvant treatment, among which 81% received adjuvant chemotherapy and 9% trastuzumab. At metastatic relapse, loco-regional progression, liver, lung and bone metastasis were documented in 301 (20%), 494 (33%), 410 (27%) and 1017 (68%) patients respectively. 313 patients (21%) had bone only metastatic disease. First line treatment included: chemotherapy (71%), endocrine therapy (50%) and anti-HER2 treatments (17%). Survival data will be presented at the meeting. Conclusion: Despite a theoretically better prognosis and widespread use of adjuvant hormonal treatment, ER+/HER2- breast cancer still account for more than 60% of mBC. The proportion of patients with HER2+ disease (18%) and triple negative disease (16%) is consistent with percentages observed in early BC populations. In comparison with a cohort of "cured", localized cancer, such as the SIGNAL/PHARE study, GWAS analysis will allow for the identification of genetic polymorphisms correlated with treatment resistance. Fundamentally, such variants will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms responsible for host-genetic influence on BC progression. From a clinical perspective, genetic variants that predispose to metastatic disease can serve as stratification variables in future clinical trials, particularly as the development of new treatment options for resistant BC is needed. Citation Format: Bachelot T, Lavergne E, Romieu G, Rios M, Heudel P-E, Roemer-Becuwe C, Jouannaud C, Tredan O, Chaigneau L, Arnedos M, Orfeuvre H, Petit T, Quenel-Tueux N, Jacquin J-P, Ferrero J-M, Moullet I, Abadie-Lacourtoisie S, Penault-Llorca F, Blanc E, Cox D. SToRM: A prospective clinical trial of 1502 metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients with detail of clinical presentation, molecular subtype, treatment modalities, prognosis and GWAS genotyping. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-06.


Located on the eastern side of the continental landmass, and lying south of the equator between the great lakes of Central Africa and the Indian Ocean, Tanzania has an area of almost a million square kilometres and an estimated population of some 25 million. Although most of the country is made up of plains and plateaux, it is a land of attractive and varied landscape - some on the grandest scale. It boasts both the loftiest and lowest parts of the African continent: Mount Kilimanjaro (5 950 metres above sea-level) and Lake Tanganyika (358 metres below). The mainland, formerly the United Nations Trust Territory of Tanganyika under British trusteeship (and between 1885-1917 part of German East Africa), was granted internal self-government in May 1961. achieving full independence under the leadership of Dr Julius Nyerere on 9 December of that year.


We have studied interactions in the gastrointestinal tract of flavonoids and the influence of glycosylation on their subsequent metabolism by examining the urinary recoveries of the flavonoid naringenin-7-glucoside and its aglycone, in the conscious rat model, after oral and intravenous administration. Absorption studies were also conducted using an in vitro isolated rat jejunum. The results show that ca. 10% of the administered dose of naringenin was recovered after oral dosing, the majority as naringenin glucuronide, whereas, after intravenous administration, the recovery of the glucuronide was ca. 20%. In contrast, after oral dosing of naringenin-7-glucoside, its hydrolysis product naringenin (0.5%) and naringenin glucuronide (12.7%) were detected. After intravenous dosing the majority of that identified in the urine was as the native glucoside. These findings suggest that, via the oral route, the glycoside group is cleaved by an intestinal enzyme prior to glucuronidation within the epithelium. This is substantiated by the urinary elimination of the native glucoside and the lack of detection of glucuronide after intravenous administration. Transport studies with isolated intestine showed that neither unchanged naringenin nor the 7-glucoside was absorbed in significant quantities across the gut wall. The major metabolite detected in both cases was naringenin glucuronide, thus supporting the notion that glucuronidation as well as hydrolysis can occur at the intestinal epithelium.


An improved unsupervised classification method to extract and link places features and cluster recurrent physical locations (key-places) within a movie is presented. Our approach finds links between key frames of a common key-place based on the use of a probabilistic latent space model over the possible local matches between the key frames image set. This allows the extraction of significant groups of local matching descriptors that may represent characteristic elements of a key-place. An exhaustive evaluation of our approach was conducted on in-house and public image datasets, as well as on full-length movies. Results revealed that our method is very efficient for near-duplicate object/background detection with weak overlap. Performance measurements on full-length movies indicate a recognition rate of about 75% on the key-places clustering with a false alarm rate (FAR) of approximately 2%.


Pityriasis amiantacea is a scaly condition of the scalp that is usually seen in children. It is most often associated with an underlying primary dermatosis. We describe two adult patients who did not present with concomitant scalp or cutaneous diseases.


A broad range of microorganisms cause meningitis; viruses, bacteria, mycobacteria, mycoplasma, spirochetes, fungi, and protozoa have all been identified as causative agents. Some pathogens almost exclusively affect immunocompromised hosts, and some are confined only to endemic areas, but viruses are the most common pathogen worldwide. It is estimated that about 75,000 people in the United States suffer from viral meningitis annually. The annual incidence of bacterial meningitis in the United States is approximately 3 per 100,000 (Tunkel & Sheld, 1993), therefore, viral meningitis is far more common. Although the exact number of cases varies among countries, viral meningitis is the most common meningitis in almost all countries throughout the world.


Currently, no treatment exists to improve semen quality in most infertile men. Here, we demonstrate systemic and direct effects of Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) and Klotho, which normally regulate vitamin D and mineral homeostasis, on testicular function. Direct effects are plausible because KLOTHO is expressed in both germ cells and spermatozoa and forms with FGFR1 a specific receptor for the bone‐derived hormone FGF23. Treatment with FGF23 increased testicular weight in wild‐type mice, while mice with global loss of either FGF23 or Klotho had low testicular weight, reduced sperm count, and sperm motility. Mice with germ cell‐specific Klotho (gcKL) deficiency neither had a change in sperm count nor sperm motility. However, a tendency toward fewer pregnancies was detected, and significantly fewer Klotho heterozygous pups originated from gcKL knockdown mice than would be expected by mendelian inheritance. Moreover, gcKL mice had a molecular phenotype with higher testicular expression of Slc34a2 and Trpv5 than wild‐type littermates, which suggests a regulatory role for testicular phosphate and calcium homeostasis. KLOTHO and FGFR1 were also expressed in human germ cells and spermatozoa, and FGF23 treatment augmented the calcium response to progesterone in human spermatozoa. Moreover, cross‐sectional data revealed that infertile men with the highest serum Klotho levels had significantly higher serum Inhibin B and total sperm count than men with the lowest serum Klotho concentrations. In conclusion, this translational study suggests that FGF23 and Klotho influence gonadal function and testicular mineral ion homeostasis both directly and indirectly through systemic changes in vitamin D and mineral homeostasis.


ABSTRACT For a geography bachelor course about climate change, we replaced the end-of-course exam with one term paper and three term-paper peer reviews. Our objectives were to design a learning environment where students read continuously throughout the semester, develop their writing skills, become familiar with quality criteria for academic texts, and get trained in applying these. To support students in their term-paper writing and term-paper peer reviews, we arranged two annotated-bibliography exercises as optional learning activities. A t-test demonstrated a statistically significant increase in performance for those who participated in these exercises compared to those who did not. A survey confirmed that students still doubt their own and their peer students' capability to provide authoritative reviews, but qualitative interviews supported the findings that a majority of students found the peer-review process valuable for their reading behaviours and the development of their writing skills. The improvements, however, were mostly related to form (such as structure, grammar, and how to set up a proper reference list) and less related to academic content.


Abstract The aims of this study are three-fold: determine the factors that motivate nurses to pursue mental health nursing; identify the strategies that might attract nursing students and practising nurses to pursue mental health nursing as a professional career; and identify the difficulties of nurses in achieving their preferred clinical specialty. A descriptive qualitative study design with semi-structured interviews was used. Fifteen mental health nurses from rural and regional South Australia were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was undertaken. Of the fifteen participants, thirteen were females and two were males; their average age was 50 years. The factors that motivated the participants to pursue mental health nursing were categorized as intrinsic and extrinsic. There were many strategies that might attract nursing students and nurses to the field, but the most popular suggestion was the provision of high quality meaningful clinical placements. Other strategies were to convey the personal satisfaction derived from being a mental health nurse, promote mental health nursing aggressively, and provide employment incentives. The study also highlighted the importance of addressing stigma, and greater education and support for nurses to pursue a mental health career.


Purpose: This study is aimed at grasping the benefit/effect of program promoting intention to exercise performance based theory of planned behavior in the elderly who live in the rural areas with degenerative joint diseases (DJDs). Methods: There were 2 groups; 32 people in the experimental group and 24 in the control group, all above the age of 60. Program promoting intention to exercise performance was applied to the experimental group for 12 weeks. Results: Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed a significant the increase of attitude towards exercise, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, exercising intention, and exercise performance. Also, pain as a physical function, joint stiffness, ADLs, body flexibility, parallel, perceived health state as a psychological function, and life satisfaction were significantly improved. Conclusion: We expect that program promoting intention to exercise performance is used in nursing practice for the elderly with DJDs are needed to manage lifestyle.


In this paper, a technique aiming at enhancing the conversion speed of asynchronous high resolution SAR ADCs is presented. In conventional SAR ADCs, the capacitive DAC size is growing exponentially with the converter resolution. The settling time of the MSB capacitors get thus longer, limiting the total conversion speed. This method proposes to operate a small and fast 3-bit ADC in parallel with the main one to determine rapidly the MSB values, while the capacitors of the main DAC have not settled yet. An error correction circuit detects and corrects automatically any decision error due to mismatch between the two DACs. A design example of a 10-bit ADC is implemented in 28nm FDSOI CMOS technology to illustrate this technique. A sampling rate of 800MS/s is achieved without any effort for reducing the capacitive DAC size.


We examined the changes of biting force after the application of deep friction massage on the masticatory muscles of CVA subjects. The subjects were ten CVA patients (five males, five females, average age 66 ± 3), eight healthy young persons (four males, four females, average age 20 ± 1) and eight healthy elderly persons (three males, five females, average age 65 ± 8), all of whom did not use dentures on molars and could bite at the molars of both sides. The biting force was determined by three times measurements each for the left and right molars before and after the deep friction massage, using a biting force meter, and the maximum value was adopted. The results were as follows: 1) In the CVA group of both sexes, there was no difference between the unaffected side and the affected side, but both groups showed an approximate 20~30% decrease in biting force, compared with the healthy elderly group; 2) An approximate 10% increase of biting force was observed after therapy of deep friction massage to the CVA subjects of both sexes. The mechanism of increased biting force due to deep friction massage was attribute to facilitation of muscle tonus manifestation of the masticatory muscles group and relief of hypertonus of peripheral muscles in the neck.


The association of services to manufactured products, leading to service-enhanced products, is an important mechanism for value creation and differentiation. This is particularly relevant in the case of complex, highly customized and long-life products. Suitable servicing in this context typically requires the collaboration among multiple stakeholders. Furthermore, the involvement of the customer is not limited to service consumption but rather includes contributions to new services design and configuration. As such, this paper contributes to the clarification of concepts and definition of a framework for collaborative business services design (co-creation) and delivery. Application examples are illustrated for the solar energy sector.


Understanding the complexity of urban expansion requires an analysis of the factors influencing the spatial and temporal processes of rural-urban land conversion. This study aims at building a statistical land conversion model to assist in understanding land use change patterns. Specifically, GIS coupled with a logistic regression model and exponential smoothing techniques is used for exploring the effects of various factors on land use change. These factors include population density, slope, proximity to roads, and surrounding land use, and their influence on land use change is studied for generating a predictive model. Methods to reduce spatial autocorrelation in a logistic regression framework are also discussed. Primarily, an optimal sampling scheme that can eliminate spatial autocorrelation while maintaining adequate samples to allow the model to achieve the comparable accuracy as the spatial autoregressive model is developed. Since many of the previous studies on modeling the spatial complexity of urban growth ignored temporal complexity, a modified exponential smoothing technique is employed to produce a smoothed model from a series of bi -temporal models obtained from different time periods. The proposed model is validated using the multi-temporal land use data in New Castle County, DE, USA. It is demonstrated that our approach provides an effective option for multi-temporal land use change modeling and the modeling results help interpret the land use change patterns.


This study uses the finite element method to assess the biomechanical behavior of tooth-supported fixed partial prostheses components manufactured with two different infrastructures: Cr-Co Fit Flex metallic alloy and Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) subjected to physiological occlusal loads. Two models with equal geometry were simulated-Model M1: fixed partial prosthesis with Cr-Co metallic infrastructure and feldspar ceramics coating Noritake Ex-3; Model M2: fixed partial prosthesis with PEEK infrastructure PEEK and indirect resin coating Sinfony. They were subjected to axial and oblique loads. The 3D models were entered in the software CAD Solidworks 2016 for registry and analysis. Data were analyzed according to the studied factors: dentin behavior, infrastructure, aesthetic coating, detachment pressure between tooth and cement, and tensile stress of cement. Most stress peaks were observed in model M2, but values from the two models were close. Model M1 showed better results in four of the factors: dentin, infrastructure, detachment pressure between tooth and cement, and cement tensile stress. Model M2 showed better performance in terms of the aesthetic coating. Similar values for both models in most of the simulations suggest a long lifespan of both treatments, although longer for model M1.


It is necessary to use specific modifiers in order to reduce harmful emissions arising in the combustion of liquid fuels into the atmosphere. Such modifiers include organic metal salts which are soluble in fuels and tend to form metal oxides under combustion process conditions, improving the oxidizing properties of fuels. The modifier, described in this paper was used in liquid fuel combustion tests, showing a desirable effect of reducing CO, NOx and hydrocarbon emissions. For such modifiers to be approved for use, examination of their physico-chemical, toxicological and ecotoxicological properties is required according to REACH Regulation. REACH is intended, first of all, to provide appropriate protection to the environment and human health, while striving to maintain competitiveness of European enterprises in the global market. Discussed in this paper are the results of selected tests of the effect of an iron-based modifier for liquid fuels on human health and on the land and air and the aquatic environment. The modifier was subjected to physico-chemical analyses, and toxicological and ecotoxicological tests in accordance with good laboratory practice and OECD guidelines. The test results indicate that the modifier is a safe substance, posing no hazard to human health or the environment.


Background When evaluating hearing disability in medicolegal cases, an average of thresholds at several frequencies is calculated using pure tone audiometry. Occasionally, there are instances in which thresholds at certain frequencies are omitted. One typical example is the threshold at 3 kHz (H3k). The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium (1995) suggested that the average of thresholds at 2 kHz and 4 kHz (H24k) could replace H3k for a comparison of results between studies. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no report in the literature that compares H3k and H24k. Objective This study aimed to investigate the agreement between H3k and H24k. Methods This study is based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010–2012, which was conducted by the Korean government. A total of 18,472 participants (unweighted) who represented 39,357,497 Koreans (weighted) were included. To verify the agreement of H3k and H24k, a paired t-test, Cohen's d, Pearson's correlation, Cronbach's coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), a Bland–Altman plot, and linear regression analysis were used. Results The means of H3k and H24k were 16.2 dBHL and 16.6 dBHL, respectively. They were significantly different in a paired t-test (p<0.0001), which resulted from the large sample size. In contrast, the effect size (Cohen's d) was 0.02, which meant that the two groups nearly overlapped. The means showed strong correlation: Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.92, Cronbach's alpha = 0.96, and ICC = 0.92. A strong linear predictive relationship between H3k and H24k was found: y = –0.6821 + 1.0186x, where x = H24k, y = H3k, and p<0.0001. However, the Bland–Altman plot showed large upper and lower limits of agreement (LOA) of 15.0 dBHL and –15.8 dBHL, respectively. Irrespective of age and degree of the four-tone average (0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kHz) hearing loss or thresholds at 2 kHz, 3 kHz, and 4 kHz, the absolute LOAs were greater than 10 dBHL. Conclusions Despite a very strong correlation between the two thresholds, H3k and H24k showed clinically large LOAs. Therefore, it would be improper to substitute H24k for H3k in an individual requesting a hearing disability rating. However, since the overall means of the H3k and H24k samples were nearly equal, H24k can replace H3k for a mean comparison of results between studies. This result supports the 1995 Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium guideline.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Alcohol consumption is an avoidable risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Studies have examined relative risks and outcomes of alcohol-related harms in Australia at discrete times, limiting the ability to examine changes across time. This paper examined alcohol consumption and its contribution to deaths, illness and injury at two time-points, 2001 and 2010.

DESIGN
Alcohol consumption was modelled based on the 2001 and 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, upshifted to reflect alcohol sales data.

SETTING
All data reported are from Australian sources.

MEASUREMENTS
Based on relative risk estimates obtained from meta-analysis, alcohol-attributable fractions were estimated for 42 disease and injury categories in 2001 and 2010 separately for conditions that were not 100% alcohol-attributable. Deaths and hospital separations attributable to alcohol were calculated in 2001 and 2010.

FINDINGS
There was a relatively stable per capita consumption of alcohol across time, with males reporting higher levels of consumption compared with females. While there were increases in the number of abstainers from alcohol across time, the proportion of heavy alcohol consumers also increased. This corresponded with an observed increase in alcohol-attributable burden. For example, alcohol-attributable deaths increased from 4957 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2867-8770] to 5610 (95% CI = 3398-9408) during the study period.

CONCLUSION
The findings demonstrate that there has been an increase in alcohol-attributable harms between 2001 and 2010 in Australia without a corresponding increase in per capita consumption.


The invention relates to substantially diphenylguanidine-free rubber mixtures, each of which contains at least one rubber, a silicic acid-based filler and/or carbon black, and short-chain alkyl esters of glycerin, the production and use of said rubber mixtures, and vulcanized products obtainable therefrom.


Respiration-driven H+ translocation has been examined in an eup ('energy uncoupled phenotype') mutant of Escherichia coli and compared with that observed in its otherwise isogenic wildtype parent. Respiration-driven H+ translocation was unimpaired in the eup mutant strain. It appears that the role of the eup gene product lies in the utilization of energized protons pumped across the E. coli cytoplasmic membrane.


Dissolution-dialysis studies of commercial tablets of oxyphenbutazone were carried out to establish the applicability of this technique for the in vitro evaluation of oxyphenbutazone dosage form. While disintegration time and dissolution rate studies did not give a true indication of bioavailability, an excellent correlation was obtained between the dialysis rate constant K and the pharmacokinetic parameters AUC and Cmax.


The YCISS Working Paper Series is designed to stimulate feedback from other experts in the field. The series explores topical themes that reflect work being undertaken at the Centre.


The 'wind-rain' house has a courtyard with glazed roof, which allows more direct sunlight to come into indoor spaces during the winter. The glazed roof can be partially opened or closed and automatically controlled to provide natural ventilation in order to adjust for indoor thermal conditions and the roof area can be shaded by reflective insulation materials during the summer. Two field studies for evaluating indoor thermal conditions of the two 'wind- rain' houses have been carried out by author in 2009 and 2010. Indoor and outdoor air temperature and relative humidity adjacent to floor and ceiling of the two sample houses were continuously tested at 15-minute intervals, 24 hours a day during the winter months. Based on field study data, this study investigates relationships between building design and indoor thermal condition of the 'wind- rain' house to improve the future house design for building thermal comfort and energy efficiency Keywords—Courtyard, house design, indoor thermal comfort, 'wind-rain' house


Dual-clutch transmission realized motive force shifting, through one clutch separated while another clutch engaged. Based on analyzing influence factor of shifting quality for dual-clutch transmission vehicle, two clutches separation and engaging fuzzy controller had been designed, and output of clutches separation and engaging speed of the fuzzy controller were quantized under utilized change with shift transmission ratio. The simulation showed in this paper that the two clutches separation and engaging fuzzy controller with dual-clutch transmission vehicle can respond to the request that the vehicle shifting smooth and fast well.


Homeopathy is a holistic healing method for diseases of body and mind. Homeopathy and awareness-based healing methods have a lot in common. The important aspects of a mental healing process on the part of the treating person are empathic receptiveness, watching without judging and reflecting of the observed contents. On the part of the patient it is non-judgemental watching, catharsis and integration. The subtle watching of body, emotions and thoughts, applied in homeopathy, is closely related to meditative awareness techniques which nowadays are also used in psychotherapy. The reflection of the observed is done in homeopathy more by the resonant remedy than by words. With this individual remedy we 'recognise' our patients and we catalyse a cathartic awareness process. The primary objective of this awareness process is to help the patient understand and to accept himself, as he is, and subsequently to relax. While it is known that many mental disorders improve by becoming aware, this is less known for somatic diseases, although there are many studies which show a mental connection for a great part of physical diseases, and therefore similar techniques should work. The most important link between body and soul is the moderation of stressful and sympathetic states. Only in a relaxed parasympathetic state self-healing and repairing mechanisms and the immune system can work effectively and locomotor tensions get relief. Homoeopaths often deny the awareness-based effects of their healing method, because they fear homeopathy to be reduced to placebo medicine, in a time where homeopathy is attacked from many sides. As everywhere in medicine, the placebo effect is invited to ADD itself to the direct impact of our well-chosen remedies. Let us invite also the awareness effects described above, which are far more than only suggestive, by applying them more specifically. Homoeopaths should be proud of their genius and really holistic art of healing, which bundles substantial, psychic and energetic effects in an economical way and with very low side effects.


: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common tumor in the world, and its incidence is increasing. It is second most common cause of cancer related death worldwide and fastest growing cause of cancer death in the United States. Cirrhosis is the most important clinical risk factor for HCC, with approximately 80% of cases of HCC developing in patients with a cirrhotic liver. HCC differs from most malignancies because it is commonly diagnosed on the basis of imaging features alone, without histologic confirmation. The prognosis of HCC depends largely on the stage at which the tumor is detected. The detection of HCC early in its development, therefore, is critical to improve the survival of affected patients. In this talk, we discuss surveillance strategies with ultrasonography (US) as the primary screening imaging test as well as current state of the art for the imaging-based diagnosis and staging of HCC.


A synthetic methodology to access all possible stereoisomers of spectomycin A1 (SMA1) and A2 (SMA2) has been established through late-stage diversification. The key reaction for the construction of all four diastereomers is an intramolecular cyclization based on the umpolung of π-allyl palladium species with bis(pinacolato)diborane (B2 (pin)2 ). Silyl group assisted direct benzylic oxidation of each isomer enabled construction of the fragile β-hydroxytetralone skeleton to provide the SMAs. The relative and absolute stereochemistry of SMA2 was also determined, and the absolute stereochemistry of SMA1 was extrapolated based on the optical rotation of SMA2. The axial chirality of SMAs is discussed based on circular dichroism spectra and DFT calculations, and it is concluded that the M isomer is predominant in solution. Biochemical assessment of all isomers in vitro revealed that the C9 hydroxyl group and dimeric structure were both important for protein SUMOylation-inhibitory activity.


We have created self-assembled circular chains of C60 laterally bound to a layer of Ag atoms as a model system for characterizing fluctuations at a metal-molecule interface. STM measurements show that the Ag and C60 sides of the interface fluctuate independently, with frequency-dependent amplitudes of magnitude 0.1 nm at approximately 1 Hz for the Ag edge and approximately 0.01 Hz for the C60 ring. The measured frequency spectra of the metal and molecule fluctuation amplitudes will contribute characteristic signatures to transport measurements involving such interfaces.


Twenty-seven new derivatives of the 3-N,N-bis-(2-chlorethyl)-amino-4-methyl-benzoic-acid were synthesized and pharmacologically examined. The compounds showed to be highly active in the in vitro-vivo screening models (Crocker sarcoma 180, Sa-180; Friend virus leukemia, FVL) but less active in the in vivo screening models (leukemia L-1210; L-1210; Nemeth-Kellner lympho-sarcoma, NKL). The in vivo tumor growth inhibitions show that this class of compounds has possibilities for further improvement.


In recent years, governments have been embracing policies that 'nudge' citizens into making decisions that are better for their own health and welfare, and the European Commission has embraced this 'libertarian paternalism' in its review of the Tobacco Products Directive. Alberto Alemanno explains that by introducing measures such as plain packaging and display bans, the European Union may be able to 'nudge' people into smoking less, whilst preserving their right to choose.


Streptococcus mutans expresses comX (also known as sigX), which encodes a sigma factor that is required for development of genetic competence, in response to the peptide signals XIP and CSP and environmental factors. XIP (sigX inducing peptide) is derived from ComS and activates comX unimodally in chemically defined media via the ComRS system. CSP (competence stimulating peptide) activates comX bimodally in peptide-rich media through the ComDE two-component system. However, CSP-ComDE activation of comX is indirect and involves ComRS. Therefore, the bimodality of CSP-dependent activation of comX may arise from either ComRS or ComDE. Here we study, at the single-cell level, how genes in the CSP signaling pathway respond to CSP, XIP and media. Our data indicate that activation of comX stimulates expression of comE. In addition, activation of comE requires intact comR and comS genes. Therefore, not only does CSP-ComDE stimulate the ComRS pathway to activate comX expression, but ComRS activation of comX also stimulates expression of the CSP-ComDE pathway and its regulon. The results demonstrate the mutual interconnection of the signaling pathways that control bacteriocin expression (ComDE) and genetic competence (ComRS), both of which are linked to lytic and virulence behaviors.


ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has had enormous effects on health, wellbeing, and economies worldwide. Governments have responded with rapid and sometimes radical public health interventions. As nations grapple with the question of how to regain normality without unnecessarily endangering lives or healthcare systems, some scientists have argued for policies to encourage or compel the use of face coverings in community (non-clinical) settings, despite acknowledged gaps in the evidence base for the effectiveness of such a measure. This commentary has two objectives. First, in the face of strong arguments that face coverings are a commonsense intervention, with negligible downsides, that can only do good, we make the case for caution in changing policy. Many seemingly benign public health interventions have the potential to cause harm, and that harm is often socially differentiated. We present five arguments for caution in policy change. Second, we reflect on the wider implications of the increasingly overt approaches to policy advocacy taken by some scientists. Drawing from the theory of post-normal science, we argue that the science–policy interface in the case of face coverings has taken a surprisingly traditional form, falling short of interdisciplinary integration and failing to incorporate insights of the full range of relevant experts and affected stakeholders. We sketch a vision for an alternative, more mature, relationship between science and society that accepts uncertainty, embraces deliberation, and rises to the challenge of developing knowledge to improve public health.


Existing methods for collecting and analyzing nasality data are problematic for linguistic fieldworkers: aerodynamic equipment can be expensive and difficult to transport, and acoustic analyses require large amounts of optimally-recorded data. In this paper, a highly mobile and low-cost method is proposed. By connecting low impedance earbuds into a microphone jack of a recording device and placing one earbud immediately below one nostril while keeping the other earbud by the mouth, it is possible to capture the relative intensity of sound exiting the nasal and oral cavities. The two channels can then be normalized to assess the relative prominence of nasality and orality in a given speech sound. This method can not only be used to establish whether nasality is present in a speech signal, but it can also provide information about the timing and duration of nasal gestures. As such, it is an ideal tool for collecting high-quality nasality data in the field.


Sustainable and multifunctional forest management, based on ecological principles, is a major challenge for modern forestry. Forest operations which include appropriate road planning, timber harvesting and extraction should be done by the minimizing the treat to the environment. It is particularly important in shelterwood system where different types of cuts are applied. This paper describes an arboricultural timber harvesting process in these relatively complicated forest conditions. For comparison, traditional method with use of motor-manual cutting was taken into consideration, as well. In the both processes, wood extraction was done by the Ponsse Elk forwarder. On the basis of the research carried out in oak stands following factors have been indentified and compared: underplanting damages, labor efficiency as well as economic aspects. Conducted analysis enabled to pinpoint benefits and drawbacks coming from the arboricultural timber harvesting method.