The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging paradigm that enables many beneficial and prospective application areas, such as smart metering, smart homes, smart industries, and smart city architectures, to name but a few. These application areas typically comprise end nodes and gateways that are often interconnected by low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies, which provide low power consumption rates to elongate the battery lifetimes of end nodes, low IoT device development/purchasing costs, long transmission range, and increased scalability, albeit at low data rates. However, most LPWAN technologies are often confronted with a number of physical (PHY) layer challenges, including increased interference, spectral inefficiency, and/or low data rates for which cognitive radio (CR), being a predominantly PHY layer solution, suffices as a potential solution. Consequently, in this article, we survey the potentials of integrating CR in LPWAN for IoT-based applications. First, we present and discuss a detailed list of different state-of-the-art LPWAN technologies; we summarize the most recent LPWAN standardization bodies, alliances, and consortia while emphasizing their disposition towards the integration of CR in LPWAN. We then highlight the concept of CR in LPWAN via a PHY-layer front-end model and discuss the benefits of CR-LPWAN for IoT applications. A number of research challenges and future directions are also presented. This article aims to provide a unique and holistic overview of CR in LPWAN with the intention of emphasizing its potential benefits.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Mites are important sources of allergens in Galicia, Spain. The objective of this study were to identify the main mite species and to determine allergen levels in mattresses from different locations in Galicia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Dust samples were collected with a portable vacuum cleaner for 2 minutes from 2 m2 of the surface of the mattress used by mite allergic patients and controls. After collection, samples were immediatel frozen. Mite species were collected, identified, and counted, and the results expressed as mites per gram of dust. Mite allergen levels (Der p 1 and Der f 1) were measured using monoclonal antibodies. All individuals answered a questionnaire about the characteristics of their homes.

RESULTS
A total of 332 dust samples were collected (112 from mite allergic patients and 220 from controls). Thirty-two species were identified. The mean age +/-SD of all the participants was 32.4 +/- 20.8 years and of the mattresses 7.6 +/- 5.9 years. The geometric mean of the total mite counts was 910.2 mites per gram (896.2 mites per gram in the mattresses of mite allergic patients and 917.3 in the mattresses of control subjects; P > .05). The main species was Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, which was present in 97.6% of the samples (geometric mean, 584.7 mites per gram). The geometric mean level of Der p 1 was 13.1 microg/g of dust: 11.9 in the mattresses of mite allergic patients and 13.8 in the mattresses of control subjects. The geometric mean level of Der f1 was 1.1 microg/g: 1.5 in the mattresses of mite allergic patients and 0.8 in the mattresses of control subjects. Environmental risk factors associated with high mite counts included obvious signs of humidity in the bedroom and the age of the mattress.

CONCLUSIONS
The mite fauna in Galicia is comprised of many species, several of which are known to be of allergologic importance. The total population is exposed to very high levels of mite allergens.


This paper first describes two independently conducted research strands on affective human–computer interaction : one on an emotion simulation system for an expressive 3D humanoid agent calledMax, which was designed at the University of Bielefeld [8, 2]; the other one on a real-time system for empathic (agent) feedback that is based on human emotional states derived from physiological information, and developed at the University of Tokyo and the National Institute of Informatics [15]. Then, the integratio n of both systems is suggested for the purpose of realizing a highly believable agent with empathic qualities.


In work aimed at developing methodologies for validation of estimates of the dietary intake of free-living individuals, Bingham and colleagues have examined the use of urinary nitrogen (UN) excretion as an index of protein intake (Bingham & Cummings, 1985; Bingham, 1994; Bingham et al. 1995). The basis of this approach is that in subjects in N equilibrium, N intake is assumed equal to N excretion. Thus, if N excretion is measured it should indicate N and dietary protein intakes. In practice, since most N excretion occurs via the urine, which is relatively simple to collect, Bingham and colleagues examined the relationship between 24 h UN and N intake (DN). They argued that in subjects on typical UK diets UN should bear a fixed relationship to DN, and measured it carefully in a group of subjects. They showed that in a group of eight individuals in which intake and N excretion were measured meticulously, UN was 81% DN (SD 2, range 78–83%). They argued that measurement of this ratio could be used to assess the validity of food intake measurement and concluded 'In healthy individuals eating normal western diets, 24 h urine N from an 8 day collection verified for its completeness by the PABA check method, should establish urine N to within 81(SD 5)% of the habitual dietary intake, range 70–90%. If the dietary assessment from 18 days of records or 24 h recalls or the diet history falls within these limits, it can be stated that there is no evidence of interference with normal dietary habits, or of reporting errors….' (Bingham & Cummings, 1985).


Objectives. This study aims to examine the utility of von Willebrand factor (vWF) as a biomarker in lcSSc, in particular the ability of vWF to predict the future development of disease manifestations in this disease. Methods. vWFAg concentrations were measured in the serum of patients with lcSSc at baseline and at 3 years, during the QUINs trial [Prevention of Vascular Damage in Scleroderma with Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibition]. %DL CO , %KCO, %FVC, pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) estimation by echocardiography, Raynaud's attack frequency, Raynaud's severity, digital ulcer frequency, urinary protein excretion, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), modified Rodnan skin score and Medsger disease activity score were also measured at baseline and 3 years. Results. Baseline serum vWF concentrations were related to concurrent Medsger disease activity score, %DL CO , %FVC, urinary protein excretion, eGFR and PAP > 30 mmHg. In logistic regression models, baseline serum vWF concentrations were able to predict the future development of elevated PAP by echocardiography (PAP > 40 mmHg, P = 0.001). Conclusions. Pulmonary artery hypertension is a life-threatening complication of lcSSc. vWF is a marker of endothelial cell activation. Raised serum concentrations of vWF in lcSSc increase the risk of developing subsequent elevation in PAP. Therefore screening patients with lcSSc for vWF may identify a group at risk of developing PAH. These patients could potentially be targeted with agents that stabilize the endothelium, e.g. statins.


Real-time semantic segmentation is desirable in many robotic applications with limited computation resources. One challenge of semantic segmentation is to deal with the object scale variations and leverage the context. How to perform multi-scale context aggregation within limited computation budget is important. In this paper, firstly, we introduce a novel and efficient module called Cascaded Factorized Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (CF-ASPP). It is a lightweight cas-caded structure for Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to efficiently leverage context information. On the other hand, for runtime efficiency, state-of-the-art methods will quickly decrease the spatial size of the inputs or feature maps in the early network stages. The final high-resolution result is usually obtained by non-parametric up-sampling operation (e.g. bilinear interpolation). Differently, we rethink this pipeline and treat it as a super-resolution process. We use optimized super-resolution operation in the up-sampling step and improve the accuracy, especially in sub-sampled input image scenario for real-time applications. By fusing the above two improvements, our methods provide better latency-accuracy trade-off than the other state-of-the-art methods. In particular, we achieve 68.4% mIoU at 84 fps on the Cityscapes test set with a single Nivida Titan X (Maxwell) GPU card. The proposed module can be plugged into any feature extraction CNN and benefits from the CNN structure development.


Interleukin-9 (IL-9) is a pleiotropic cytokine produced by several immune and epithelial cells. Recently, many studies have eluded the physiological and pathological roles of IL-9 and its lineage-specific helper T cell subset (Th9). In this chapter, we will focus on the immunological role of Interleukin 9 (IL-9) in allergy and autoimmunity. We will introduce the basics of IL-9 and describe the cells involved in the secretion, signaling, and regulation of IL-9. After establishing the background, we will discuss the pathogenesis and regulation of IL-9 in allergic and autoimmune diseases. We will conclude the chapter by providing an updated therapeutics that target IL-9 and their potential uses in autoimmune and allergic diseases.


Recent advances in laser wakefield acceleration demonstrated the generation of extremely short (with a duration of a few femtoseconds) relativistic electron bunches with relatively low (of the order of couple of percent) energy spread. In this article we study the dynamics of such bunches in drift space (vacuum) and in channel-guided laser wakefields. Analytical solutions were found for the transverse coordinate of an electron and for the bunch envelope in the wakefield in the case of arbitrary change in the energy. Our results show strong bunch dynamics already on a millimeter scale propagation distance both in plasma and in vacuum. When the bunch propagates in vacuum, its transverse sizes grow considerably; the same is observed for the normalized bunch emittance that worsens the focusability of the bunch. A scheme of two-stage laser wakefield accelerator with small drift space between the stages is proposed. It is found that fast longitudinal betatron phase mixing occurs in a femtosecond bunch when it propagates along the wakefield axis. When bunch propagates off axis, strong bunch decoherence and fast emittance degradation due to the finite bunch length was observed.


OBJECTIVE
To summarize and analyze the clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG).

METHODS
This was a single center retrospective observational study. All of the patients were diagnosed with HPVG. The patients were admitted to Peking University Third Hospital from January 2017 to January 2021. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, abdominal imaging, treatment of the primary disease, and clinical outcomes of the patients were collected via electronic medical records. The study was approved by institutional review board and the information of all the patients was kept de-identified.

RESULTS
A total of seven cases were included in the study. The median age of the patients was 67 (63, 81) years. Six of the patients were male. The seven patients all presented with sudden onset of severe abdominal pain, which was the most common symptom. Six patients developed septic shock after admission. The signs of HPVG were detected by CT scans in all the patients, showing gas embolization. It might also be found as unique "aquarium sign" in abdominal ultrosonography. Four cases were caused by intestinal lesions, including acute volvulus, intestinal obstruction, and rectal abscess. Two were caused by ischemic bowel disease and the other one was caused by severe acute pancreatitis. The gas accumulation could disappear after effective anti-shock therapy and surgery (Cases 1, 2, and 6). Two patients had good postoperative outcomes, and one patient was discharged after non-surgical treatment. However, the prognosis was poor in the patients with intestinal ischemia necrosis accompanied by shock and multiple organ dysfunction (Cases 3, 4, 5, and 7 all died).

CONCLUSION
The HPVG patients generally have acute abdominal pain and show up at Emergency Department. The prognosis depends on the potential cause of HPVG. The mechanism and clinical management for the appearance of gas in the portal vein is not well understood. Patients complicated with shock, ascites, and peritonitis may have intestinal necrosis, which indicates surgical intervention and higher mortality. CT is the preferred diagnostic method in standard clinical practice. Physicians need to have a comprehensive understanding of the proactive diagnostic strategy, and active treatment for the primary disease.


Widely studied in the 1980s, the insulation of pistons in engines aimed at reducing the heat losses and thus increasing the indicated efficiency. However, those studies stopped in the beginning of the 1990s due to NOx emission legislation, and also due to acceptable oil prices. Nowadays, with the improvement of exhaust after treatment systems (Diesel Particulate Filter, Selective Catalytic Reduction, and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst) and engine technologies (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), there are more trade-offs for NOx reduction. Besides, the fast rise of the oil prices tends to come back to insulation technologies in order to save fuel. This paper deals with the realization of a 1 mm thick plasma sprayed thermal barrier coating with a graded transition between the topcoat and the bondcoat on top of a serial piston for heavy-duty truck engines (11L displacement – Exhaust Gas recirculation – Single Stage Turbocharger with Variable Geometry Turbine and intercooler). The effects of the insulated pistons on the engine performance are also discussed.


Economics and risk minimization in the design of infrastructure that is vulnerable to flood damage often prove to be non-commensurate objectives. To economically minimize the risk of hydraulic failure of this type of infrastructure is a noble design objective. The hydraulic design of bridges and culverts in Zimbabwe is currently hinged on empirical algorithms of flood estimation. In a changing climate and changing land use environment, the current flood estimation method seems to under-estimate the design floods as evidenced by the increasing number of bridges and culverts being overtopped by floods. This paper discusses the several shortcomings of the current method in use and proposes a new consistent but robust computerized method of flood routing based on historical flow data and statistical analysis techniques. The methodological praxis and resultant design software are intended to substantively improve the flood estimation process, producing a more precisely estimated design flood. From the results obtained, the proposed new model is more conservative than the current method used by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) by an average factor of 1.4. At ungauged sites, or at sites where the stream flow data is inadequate in quantity and quality for Flood Frequency Analysis (FFA), it is recommended that a factor of safety of 1.4 be applied to MoT current flood estimates.,Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers


This article analyzes the determinants of local institutions in Brazil. We show that institutional quality and distribution of land are partly inherited from the colonial histories experienced by different areas of the country. The sugar cane boom—characterized by an oligarchic society—is associated with more land inequality. The gold boom—characterized by a heavily inefficient presence of the Portuguese state—is associated with worse governance and access to justice. We do not find similar effects for a postcolonial boom (coffee). We also find that the colonial episodes are correlated with lower provision of public goods.


This study applies the prey choice model from foraging theory to explain changing human use of fish during the 700-year occupation of Tangatatau Rockshelter, Mangaia, southern Cook Islands. The prey choice model suggests that predators will focus initially on high ranked prey, turning to lower ranked prey if abundance of higher ranked prey declines. It is suggested that increasing human population size would have resulted in increases in harvesting pressure and ultimately prey resource depression. To apply the prey choice model to archaeological faunal records and based on previous research, prey ranks are estimated using overall attributes of taxon body size; the larger the taxon, the higher the rank. Two indices, the Marine and Freshwater Fish Index, are developed to estimate the ratio of high to low ranked prey and are calculated for each zone of the rockshelter. Over time, the indices show a decreasing abundance of high ranked prey and increasing abundance of low ranked prey, which supports the view of resource depression. Skeletal elements from two of the high ranked prey, Serranidae and Anguilla sp., are measured to examine taxon-specific changes in fish body size/age that would indicate direct human exploitation pressure. Evidence for a decline in Serranidae body size over time suggests that some of the decline in prey abundance and encounter rates results from direct harvesting pressure along with behavioural adjustments in the prey. Sample sizes for Anguilla were insufficient for statistical treatment. Environmental and technological factors that might also affect prey abundance and taxonomic representation do not satisfactorily account for the patterns. Overall, the increasing use of lower ranked prey suggests a decline in foraging efficiency, given higher energetic costs associated with their use. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that Polynesians profoundly affected the indigenous biota on islands they colonized. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Objective: This study aims to evaluate the application of Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self-Measure (PRISM) in educating patients regarding oral health before endoprosthesis (EP). Methods: The study consisted of two parts: (I) a cross-sectional study, where patients received a PRISM interview, oral health briefing and oral examinations (treatment need, oral focus). (II) In an observational part, patients were randomly assigned to either PRISM task (Test) or flyer-based verbal briefing (Control). Before and after the interviews, patients answered a questionnaire regarding importance of oral health for EP. Results: (I) 122 patients were included. The distance between subject ("myself") and objects (oral health issues or EP) in the PRISM task were mainly not associated with age, gender, and oral conditions. In part (II), 80 patients (PRISM: n = 40, Control: n = 40) were included. After the interview, the values for perceived relationship between EP and teeth (p < 0.01), EP and gums (p < 0.01), and EP and dental consultations (p < 0.01) significantly increased in both groups. Both groups perceived a high benefit of the interview and felt well educated. Conclusions: PRISM has comparable positive effects like a flyer-based verbal briefing. PRISM as a novel visual tool can support the patient education regarding oral health before EP.


Limb sounders measure atmospheric radiation that is dependent on a radial and angular distribution of temperature and atmospheric constituents. Based on this dependency, we perform and characterize both two dimensional (radial and angular) and one dimensional (vertical) limb profile retrievals of a distribution of carbon monoxide (CO), which represents a simulated plume off the coast of south-east Asia. Both the one dimensional (1-D) and two dimensional (2-D) limb retrievals are characterized by evaluating their averaging kernels and error covariances on a radial and angular grid that spans the plume. This 2-D characterization allows the radial and angular resolution as well as the degrees of freedom and information content to be computed for these limb retrievals. We apply this 2-D characterization of a limb retrieval to a comparison of the 2D retrieval with the 1-D (vertical) retrieval. We find the information content for the 2-D retrieval is an order of magnitude larger than that of the 1-D retrieval and the degrees of freedom is about a factor of two larger. We also use the 2-D averaging kernel to develop a strategy for validation of a limb retrieval with an in-situ measurement.


Since D flip-flop is one of the indispensable building blocks in integrated circuit (IC) design, providing a successful way to print D flip-flop on plastic foils will be the first step to reach fully printed flexible IC. Here, the network structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as an active layer has been employed to print the driver and load thin-film transistors (TFTs) of the D flip-flop. The same physical dimensions of driver and load TFTs were first developed to fully gravure print the D flip-flop because of the advantage of tunable electrical properties of network density of SWNTs. Therefore, the circuit design and printing becomes simpler and more convenient than using general design rules. Furthermore, the SWNT network structure in the active layer can also minimize the fluctuation of threshold voltages (Vth) of SWNT-TFTs because of the use of the same physical dimensions in TFTs. The resulting gravure-printed D flip-flop shows a clock-to-output delay of 23 ms for 20-Hz clock signal. This is the first reported D flip-flop performance using all gravure-printing method yet achieved.


Phase change memory (PCM) becomes very hot in Non volatile memory (NVM) with 65 nm below technologies due to its special storage mode. However, several bottlenecks like power, thermal stability and cycling ability limit the development of PCM. Thus, in this paper, a novel phase change memory based on alloy Ga3Sb8Te1 is designed, then FEA transient thermal, crystalline kinetics analysis and SPICE macro model of embedded PCM based on this material are established. The results of FEA transient thermal simulation and crystalline kinetics analysis show that comparing with conventional GeSbTe-base material the new phase change alloy Ga3Sb8Te1 has lower reset power, higher thermal stability and cycling ability as well as faster set frequency.


Abstract There are more than one million described insect species. This species richness is reflected in the diversity of insect metabolic processes. In particular, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, such as defensive compounds and chemical signals, encompasses an extraordinarily wide range of chemicals that are generally unparalleled among natural products from other organisms. Insect genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes thus offer a valuable resource for discovery of novel enzymes with potential for biotechnological applications. Here, we focus on fatty acid (FA) metabolism-related enzymes, notably the fatty acyl desaturases and fatty acyl reductases involved in the biosynthesis of FA-derived pheromones. Research on insect pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes, which exhibit diverse enzymatic properties, has the potential to broaden the understanding of enzyme specificity determinants and contribute to engineering of enzymes with desired properties for biotechnological production of FA derivatives. Additionally, the application of such pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes represents an environmentally friendly and economic alternative to the chemical synthesis of pheromones that are used in insect pest management strategies.


Many factors influence the decision of a precursor T helper cell to become either a type 1 or type 2 cell. These comprise pathogen-defined factors such as the nature and quantity of the pathogen, the route of infection, the influence of immunomodulatory components and of concomitant infections, as well as host-defined factors including genetic predisposition, the number of responding T cells, the major histocompatibility complex haplotype of the individual, the nature of the antigen presenting cells involved and the cytokine environment of the T cells during and following activation. Understanding how such factors influence immune class regulation is fundamental to understanding the pathology of infectious diseases.


Background Millions of pilgrims attend Arbaeenia mass gathering (MG) in Iraq each year. Thousands of individuals work voluntarily at temporary rest areas (locally called Mawakib), distributed in most of Iraq governorates, to provide food and other services to the MG attendees. The potential for improper handling of food at Mawakib increases the risk of waterborne and foodborne diseases. Objective This study was aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of food handlers in Mawakibs in Baghdad city during Arbaeenia MG. Methods A random sample of 100 Mawakibs was selected in Baghdad, 50 from the eastern side (Rusafa) and 50 from the western side (Kerkh), and five food handlers were randomly selected from each Mawakib. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic data and KAP for food safety and personal hygiene. The questionnaire included 25 questions addressing knowledge, 10 addressing attitudes, and 14 addressing practices of the food handlers with respect to food safety and personal hygiene. Questions on knowledge and attitudes were answered through direct interview with the food handlers, whereas the questions on practices were answered through direct observation while handling or serving the food. SPSS version 20 (IBM SPSS Statistics 20) was used for data analysis and describing proportions. Results There was a varied knowledge of food safety practices among the individuals interviewed. On a scale of 3, the overall average score for both the attitude and practices for food safety and personal hygiene was 2, which corresponds to fair attitude and practices. The attitudes varied significantly by location, age group, and education, whereas the practices varied by location, age groups, employment, and previous experiences. Conclusions The food handlers had unsatisfactory attitudes and practices toward food handling and personal hygiene. Their participation in food handling at Mawakib carries a potential risk of spreading foodborne and waterborne diseases. All individuals intending to serve in Mawakib as food handlers should be licensed from the Ministry of Health after completing a formal training in food safety and personal hygiene.


The general operation of a piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator is to convert the cyclic motion of the piezoelectric plate to a linear motion at the rotor or slider. The conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator has two symmetric exciter electrodes on the front surface and each electrode covers one half of the front surface. The rear surface has only one electrode that severs as a common drain. In this paper, the design and simulation of the novel single-mode piezoelectric actuator with asymmetric electrodes were presented. The accomplishment of this study is to find the optimal dimensions of the piezoelectric plate and the asymmetric electrodes, and the stator tip on the piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator would have the larger vibrating amplitude. From the simulation experiment results, the optimal dimensions of the piezoelectric plate are 20×10×1 mm with 12 mm exciter electrode length, and the vibrating amplitude is from 0.73μm increasing to 0.91μm.


Physical complaints, especially severe pain, result in a massive restriction of a patient's quality of life, especially in the late stages of their disease. The patient's needs and wishes should be the primary goal of any symptom-aimed therapeutic measure. Before initiating or continuing any antineoplastic procedure (e.g., radiation, chemotherapy), it is essential to thoroughly consider their benefits and side effects, since some patients benefit considerably more from quality of life oriented symptom control. This review article describes the basics of cancer pain therapy and symptom management, which are based on the guidelines published by the World Health Organization (WHO).


Optimum co-development layout of multiple targets for unconventional reservoirs is extremely challenging due to complex 3-dimentional well interactions, stochastic well performance, complex fracture geometry, dynamic SRV/DRV evolution, heterogeneous rock properties, various operating conditions, and different economic drivers. In this study, an integrated workflow is developed and applied for co-development of multiple targets in Permian unconventional reservoirs.
 In this workflow, the field pilot and trial measurements, Microseismic, geochemistry measurement, data analytics, detailed geomechanical and reservoir modeling, stochastic multiple history matching and forecast, all combined to quantify the horizontal and vertical interference factors and obtain production profiles for different co-development designs. The stochastic behavior of the well performance is explored from three different aspects: static rock properties, dynamic fracturing, and production. The SRV/DRV evolution are presented as the probability distribution function of half fracture length from Microseismic data and effective drainage half-length from stochastic modeling.


The design of a primary electron beam facility at CERN is described. The study has been carried out within the framework of the wider Physics Beyond Colliders study. It re-enables the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) as an electron accelerator, and leverages the development invested in Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) technology for its injector and as an accelerator research and development infrastructure. The facility would be relevant for several of the key priorities in the 2020 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics, such as an electron-positron Higgs factory, accelerator R\&D, dark sector physics, and neutrino physics. In addition, it could serve experiments in nuclear physics. The electron beam delivered by this facility would provide access to light dark matter production significantly beyond the targets predicted by a thermal dark matter origin, and for natures of dark matter particles that are not accessible by direct detection experiments. It would also enable electro-nuclear measurements crucial for precise modelling the energy dependence of neutrino-nucleus interactions, which is needed to precisely measure neutrino oscillations as a function of energy. The implementation of the facility is the natural next step in the development of X-band high-gradient acceleration technology, a key technology for compact and cost-effective electron/positron linacs. It would also become the only facility with multi-GeV drive bunches and truly independent electron witness bunches for plasma wakefield acceleration. A second phase capable to deliver positron witness bunches would make it a complete facility for plasma wakefield collider studies. [...]


The safety of cortical neurons and their functional activity is essential for organism at all stages of ontogenesis. However, aging changes leading to an increase in apoptosis level may cause considerable damage to cerebral cortex function, including sensorimotor. We have studied the role of exogenous neurometabolites (angiogen, cytoflavin) in apoptosis regulation and correction of age-related motor and behavioral disturbances. To study the regulation of neuronal morphofunctional activity, we used accelerate-senescent transgenic HER2 mice in comparison to wild type FBV mice. Functional changes in cerebral cortex were studied by the Suok test and open field test, the level of neuronal apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL method, the expression of apoptosis-modulating proteins was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. We have revealed differences in psycho-emotional and locomotor activity of these strains of mice. In addition, results of our study showed morphological differences: increase in the apoptosis level of cortical neurons in aged FBV type mice, but no changes in aged HER2 mice. The investigated drugs induce cell death of cortical neurons in transgenic mice of both ages and in young wild-type mice by p53-dependent pathway. Increased apoptosis in the cortex of old transgenic mice has important clinical implications, because reduced apoptosis during aging is one of the causes of cancer. The treatment of old wild-type animals reduces elevated neuronal apoptosis, which decreases risk of age neurodegeneration. Thus, revealed morphological changes in the cerebral cortex are the basis for involutional disabilities (including reduced locomotor activity and increased anxiety level). The use of angiogen and cytoflavin treatment improves functional activity of the cortex and protects normal structure of nervous tissue.


The aim of this study was to investigate nurse educators' perceptions of the quality of their working life. Questionnaires were sent to 706 Finnish nurse educators and their spouses or other adult living with them. The results concerning the structured part of the questionnaire have been described in detail in an earlier paper (Harri 1995). This paper describes the data collected by means of semi-structured questions from 477 (68%) educators and 409 (58%) spouses) and open-ended questions (309 nurse educators and 167 spouses), analysed using content analysis. The seven categories that were identified as the best features of work were, in descending order of prevalence: students, freedom, challenges, teaching, miscellaneous, colleagues, and physical environment. Among the worst features of work, workload ranked first, followed by inadequacy of personal resources, administrative issues, changes, interpersonal relationships, miscellaneous, and physical environment. In the open-ended comments the nurse educators used 400 expressions to describe positive features of their working life, while they used 597 expressions to describe negative features. The spouses made 90 positive comments about the working life of their teacher spouse, and 425 negative comments. The importance of this kind of study was remarked on quite frequently both by nurse educators (22%) and their spouses (12%). The study provides important clues to understanding the present reality of nurse educators' working life. It is hoped that the findings of the study will help focus attention on ways of developing the quality of nurse educators' working life.


By applying a unitary transformation to the Lagrangian density of the cloudy-bag model, the author obtains a generalisation of the Weinberg effective Lagrangian for pion-nucleon scattering. The new Lagrangian incorporates the Weinberg-Tomozawa result for s-wave pion scattering from any hadronic bag in a very simple but elegant fashion.


BACKGROUND
Pneumothorax in middle-aged and elderly patients has various different features from young patients. We set out to investigate the outcome and usefulness of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in this group.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
From January 1993 to August 2010, 168 patients underwent a total of 178 thoracoscopic surgeries. There were 160 men and 8 women with mean age of 67 (range, 50 to 85). The average duration of thoracic drainage before surgery was 7.4 days. We excised only responsible lesions as minimum degree of dissection as possible. When patients have intractable air leakage and chest computed tomography (CT) indicates severe pleural adhesions, pleurography should be performed to locate the site of air leakage and determine surgical approaches. One hundred and seventy patients were treated with the lateral approach, while 8 patients were successfully treated with the anterior approach. One hundred and fifty-one patients were treated with VATS alone, and 27 patients were treated with the combination of VATS and small thoracotomy. The duration of chest tube drainage, hospital stay, post-operative complication, outcome and recurrence were assessed.

RESULTS
The air leakages stopped and all patients except for 2 patents were discharged without drainage tubes. Postoperative drainage time was 4.5 +/- 3.4 days. Postoperative hospital stay was 9.9 +/- 13.9 days. One patient died caused by perioperative myocardial infarction. Seventeen patients died of other diseases. Seven patients needed local hospital treatments and the recurrence rate was 3.9%.

CONCLUSION
VATS for pneumothorax in patients over 50 years old is very useful by appropriate perioperative managements.


But even if we should develop a tenable conceptual scheme which would indicate the causal, conditional, and influential relationships among the innumerable factors involved in advertising, I suspect we would still be far from having a science which could predict with the accuracy of chemistry or physics. The reason for this is that most of the important factors are difficult to define and impossible to measure. HowJ5J


From the large number of substances used in perfumes it is difficult and tedious to identify the allergen in a specific case of dermatitis. Many substances are both irritants and sensitizers. Based on personal experience, a list has been prepared of potential sensitizers, their concentrations and diluents suitable for patch testing.


The incidence of breast cancer is alarmingly increasing worldwide and also among Saudi women. Obesity is linked with an increased cancer risk and studies have also revealed that leptin may be involved in breast tumorigenesis particularly among obese women. Numerous transcriptomic studies have been carried out worldwide; however, molecular studies among breast cancer patients of diverse ethnic groups from the Arabian Peninsula are scarce. In the present study, whole transcriptome analysis of 45 surgically resected breast tumors from Saudi Arabian female patients was carried out. Expression data were analyzed, and molecular networks and canonical pathways were identified. We identified 1,159 differentially expressed genes using p-value with a false discovery rate <0.05 and a fold-change >2 as a cut-off. Using ingenuity pathway analysis tool, we identified many canonical pathways that were implicated in breast cancer for the first time. Notably, along with other lipid metabolism molecules, leptin (LEP) was one of the most downregulated genes (fold cut-off, −7.03) with significant differences between the breast cancer and the control groups (p<0.0001) and was further confirmed in all the samples using qPCR. Transcriptomic profiling of breast cancer from a Saudi female population revealed downregulation of LEP. Molecular pathway analysis demonstrated the role of LEP and other associated molecules of the lipid metabolism pathway. Involvement of leptin and lipid metabolism in breast cancer was highlighted. The majority of cases presented were of late stage, stressing the need to educate individuals concerning early diagnostic testing and the life-style risk factors for breast cancer such as unhealthy diet and obesity.


The novel nucleoside analog, gemcitabine, appears to be exceptionally well tolerated. To examine gemcitabine's toxicity profile in detail, an analysis of safety data from 18 single-agent gemcitabine studies has been performed. The studies were across a range of tumor types, but all used a dose regimen of 800 to 1,250 mg/ m2 once a week for 3 weeks followed by a week of rest. Seven hundred ninety patients were included in the analysis. Myelosuppression was found to be mild and short-lived: World Health Organization grades 3 and 4, respectively, were recorded in 6.4% and 0.9% of patients for hemoglobin, in 8.1% and 0.5% for leukocytes, in 18.7% and 5.7% for neutrophils, and in 3.7% and 1.0% for platelets. There was little associated infection or hemorrhage. Mild transaminase increases were common but were rarely dose limiting. In general, renal toxicity was mild, but a few cases of renal failure of uncertain etiology were reported. There was little symptomatic toxicity, with low incidences of the gastrointestinal and hair toxicities normally associated with cytotoxic drugs. However, there was a higher incidence than expected of flu-like symptoms and edema, although these were rarely serious. When the safety data from non-small cell lung cancer studies were analyzed separately, the toxicity findings were similar. Therefore, these analyses in large numbers of patients confirm gemcitabine's favorable safety profile.


The challenges faced by business and society in the rapidly-changing 21st century require skills and capabilities that our education system, essentially fit-for-purpose in the 19th Century, struggles to provide. In this brief paper, presented at the Rotterdam TEDX-Rotterdam Clean Tech Delta forum on October 5th, Ron sets out a personal vision of how a business school might be restructured to provide graduates who will be better able to meet these challenges but also capable of continually retraining managers.


This paper describes a new transmitter architecture suitable for GSM modulation. The technique is based on direct modulation of a high resolution AZ frequency discriminator based synthesizer to produce the modulated RF signal without any up-conversion. The advantage of this architecture is that it does not require mixers or D/A converters to generate the In-phase and Quadrature signals as in conventional GSM transmitters. This eliminates many of the analog problems associated with mixing and filtering and results in an architecture suitable for monolithic integration.


: The ash from burned coal that falls to the bottom of a furnace is called coal bottom ash (CBA). This ash contributes to about 20% of total coal ash, and it has been disposed of on open land and in landfills for decades, resulting in environmental pollution issues. This research investigates the potential use of coal bottom ash from the Manjung Power Plant as a substitute for sand aggregates in concrete. Therefore, an experimental investigation that includes particle size distribution, fineness modulus, specific gravity, water absorption, x-ray fluorescence (XRF), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) was carried out to determine the characteristics of coal bottom ash. The results revealed that coal bottom ash has a particle size distribution and fineness modulus comparable to that of sand particles. Both materials have rounded to angular particles with interlocking characteristics. However, coal bottom ash seems to have rough surfaces with porous particles and it is lighter than sand particles. These characteristics cause coal bottom ash to have a lower specific gravity and a high water absorption rate. Besides, coal bottom ash used in this investigation has been classified as Class C. It has pozzolanic materials and high calcium content, thus helping to improve C-S-H gels with high cementitious properties, resulting in higher strength performance. In conclusion, coal bottom ash from Manjung Power Plant has its advantages and looks like sand particles. Therefore, it has the potential to be used as a material substitute for concrete.


Floating litter banks are an ephemeral habitat consisting of branches, twigs, flowers, seeds, and fruits that are trapped on the stream water surface by a variety of retention mechanisms. These heterogeneous materials form a deep layer of dead plant matter that is colonized by a variety of organisms, including fish that forage on the aquatic macroinvertebrates found in this unique habitat. In this study, we aimed to characterize which fish species occupy the floating litter banks and their trophic characteristics, as well as determine if fish assemblage composition and species richness can be predicted by the size of the floating litter banks. Fish sampling was conducted in five rivers located in the Amazon basin. Of the 31 floating litter banks sampled that contained fish, 455 individuals were recorded and were distributed within 40 species, 15 families and five orders. Siluriformes were the most representative order among the samples and contained the largest number of families and species. The fish fauna sampled was mainly composed of carnivorous species that are typically found in submerged litter banks of Amazonian streams. The fish assemblage composition in the kinon can be predicted by the volume of the floating litter banks using both presence/absence and abundance data, but not its species richness. In conclusion, kinon banks harbor a rich fish assemblage that utilizes this habitat for shelter and feeding, and may function as a refuge for the fishes during the peak of the flooding season.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the contribution of supply chain management in the Success of Commercial Companies in Burundi. The interest for the researcher is to examine supply chain management practice at SOSUMO as a Para-governmental company to ascertain the effect or influence of supply chain management practice to SOSUMO performance and to make recommendations for improvements. The results of this research and presents findings, data analysis and interpretations. Based on the results, the majority of respondents, 80, 7 % of the sample, appreciate that SOSUMO has guidelines regarding the distribution of sugar. For the first research question, we found at 80,7% that SOSUMO's Supply Chain practice is noticeable through some initiatives such as: SOSUMO has guidelines regarding the distribution of sugar , SOSUMO has permanent wholesalers, SOSUMO has Own transport vehicles from the factory to the wholesalers , There is a strong cooperation between SOSUMO and the distributors, SOSUMO has well- managed warehouses, The main distributors are involved in the planning of the supply system, the delivery time is reasonable, sugar distributors get information through today's technology, SOSUMO staff is aware of the current supply system.


In this paper, we comprehensively study the NLOV UV turbulence effect through simulated and experimental results. A Monte Carlo NLOS UV turbulence channel model, which incorporates the effects of multiple scattering and turbulence attenuation, is proposed based on previous work. To validate this model, a series of outdoor experiments is conducted to investigate the received-signal energy distribution and channel path loss under the turbulence circumstance for the first time. These experimental and simulated results are valuable for studying NLOS UV channel and communication system design.


The 3‐dimensional distribution of transverse (T) tubules at myotendinous junctions (MTJs) was studied by intermediate voltage (400 kV) electron microscopy of thick sections of rat vastus intermedius and chicken pectoralis muscles stained with lanthanum nitrate. Transversely oriented T tubules were seen to run at the level of A‐I junctions (the rat vastus intermedius) and Z bands (the chicken pectoralis), but were absent from such levels adjacent to the end of MTJ processes. These tubules opened to the lateral wall of sarcolemmal infoldings of MTJs and to the lateral cell surface. Longitudinally running T tubules were seen to connect with the transverse T tubules and to open at the bottom of junctional folds. The lack of T tubules at the final sarcomeric regions seems to indicate that the terminal sarcomeric half in close proximity to MTJs may be activated from the sarcoplasmic reticulum which forms couplings with the MTJ sarcolemma and/or longitudinal tubules in the MTJ processes. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is associated with great uptake of soil macronutrients. Following the need to understand the macronutrients levels before and after tobacco cultivation, research was conducted in loamy sand soil of Sikonge, Urambo, and sand soil of Tabora, Tanzania. The initial macronutrients levels in the soil were compared with those measured after unfertilized and fertilized tobacco. Results showed that unfertilized tobacco plant influences the increase of nicotine to the rhizosphere, the macronutrients Ca (135%) > N (25%), decrease in the order of S (81%) > P (49%) > Mg (12%) > K (11%). The sole effect of nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium (NPK) and calcium–ammonium–nitrate (CAN) 27% fertilizers increased further nicotine, Ca (25%) > N (20%) > S (8%) > Mg (4%) > P (3%), and decreased K (3%) in the rhizosphere. Both tobacco plant and NPK + CAN fertilizers on the rhizosphere increased Ca (193%) > N (50%) and decreased S (80%) > P (48%) > K (14%) > Mg (8%). Leaf concentrations in fertilized tobacco increased Ca (197%) > K (28%) > P (27%) > S (26%) > N (18%) > Mg (12%). Therefore, tobacco plant increases soil N and Ca but decreases P, K, Mg, and S.


Introduction Bladder exstrophy (BE) is a rare condition that requires complex surgical corrections to achieve the goals of bladder functionality, normal sexual function, continence, and finally cosmesis. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical parameters that predict better quality of life (QOL) scores using a validated questionnaire (SF-36) with young adults after completing surgical reconstruction. Material and methods Forty-three young adults (mean age 22.35 years, 29 men and 14 women) treated for BE were evaluated using the Short Form 36 general health questionnaire (SF-36). Clinical assessment involved evaluation of the actual condition regarding continence, sexual function, genital satisfaction and overall cosmesis. Results Both genders presented similar QOL scores (p = 0.36). The QOL was not age-related (p = 0.63). Neither genders did not present any differences in the number of procedures (p = 0.27). Although no significant gender difference was found, clinical impairments – such as urinary fistula, incontinence, penile length and infertility – were associated with worse QOL scores and were male-related (p <0.01). The most common complaint after complete surgical repair was about penile length (26/29 patients, 89.6%). Conclusions Age and gender were not predictors of better QOL scores. Any clinical impairment, such as urinary leakage due to incontinence or fistula, penile length and infertility, tended to significantly decrease the overall QOL in male patients with BE. The male genitalia seems to be the most troublesome aspect post-adolescence in treated male patients with exstrophy-epispadias. It has an important impact on the overall QOL, mainly having a social affect on those patients.


This paper addresses an ill-posed problem of recovering a color image from its compressively sensed measurement data. Differently from the typical 1D vector-based approach of the state-of-the-art methods, we exploit the nonlocal similarities inherently existing in images by treating each patch of a color image as a 3D tensor consisting of not only horizontal and vertical but also spectral dimensions. A group of nonlocal similar patches form a 4D tensor for which a nonlocal higher order dictionary is learned via higher order singular value decomposition. The multiple sub-dictionaries contained in the higher order dictionary decorrelate the group in each corresponding dimension, thus help the detail of color images to be reconstructed better. Furthermore, we promote sparsity of the final solution using a sparsity regularization based on a weight tensor. It can distinguish those coefficients of the sparse representation generated by the higher order dictionary which are expected to have large magnitude from the others in the optimization. Accordingly, in the iterative solution, it acts like a weighting process which is designed by approximating the minimum mean squared error filter for more faithful recovery. Experimental results confirm improvement by the proposed method over the state-of-the-art ones.


This paper addresses the Stein conjecture in the simultaneous estimation of a matrix mean of a multivariate normal distribution with a known covariance matrix. Stein (1973) derived an unbiased estimator of a risk function for orthogonally equivariant estimators and considered to isotonize the estimator which minimizes the main part of the unbiased risk-estimator. We call it the Stein risk-minimization estimator (RM) in this paper. Although the Stein RM estimator has been recognized as an excellent procedure with a nice risk-performance, it has a complicated form based on the isotonizing algorithm, and no analytical properties such as minimaxity have been shown. The aim of this paper is to fix this conjecture in lower dimensional cases, that is, the minimaxity of the Stein RM estimator is established for the two and three dimensions.


SUMMARY Trypsin-modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), a mosquito decapeptide, terminates trypsin biosynthesis in the mosquito gut. The hormone is secreted from the ovary, starting 18 h after the blood meal, circulates in the hemolymph, binds to a gut receptor and stops trypsin biosynthesis by exerting a translational control on trypsin mRNA. Because of the unique primary amino acid sequence of the hormone (YDPAPPPPPP) and its stable three-dimensional conformation, TMOF is not degraded by gut proteolytic enzymes and can traverse the gut epithelial cells into the hemolymph of adults and larvae. Using this unique property, hormone fed to different species of mosquito larvae stops food digestion and causes larval mortality. To determine the shortest amino acid sequence that can bind to the gut receptor and still cause high larval mortality, 25 analogues of TMOF were synthesized and tested. The tetrapeptide (YDPA) was as effective as the decapeptide, indicating that the binding to the gut receptor is at the N-terminus of the molecule. Cloning and expressing the hormone on the coat protein of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in Chlorella sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and feeding the recombinant cells to mosquito larvae caused larval mortality. These results indicate that TMOF can be used as a new biorational insecticide against mosquito larvae.


The structure and electrochemical properties of the La_(0.7)Mg_(0.3)Ni_(3.4-x)Mn_(0.1)Co_x (x=01.05) hydrogen storage alloys were investigated. The crystal structure and the lattice parameters of the alloys were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry and Rietveld method. Electrochemical properties of the alloys including p—c—t curves, discharge capacity, discharge capacity retention were studied. The results show that (La, Mg)Ni_3 and LaNi_5 are the main phases of all the alloys. The plateau pressure for hydrogen absorption/desorption decreases and the hydrogen storage capacity firstly increases and subsequently decreases with increasing Co content. The values of the maximum discharge capacity of the alloy electrodes remain in range of 395.3403.1mA·h/g in spite of the change of Co content. The cycling stability of the alloy electrodes is greatly improved with increasing Co content, which is attributed to the suppression of the cell volume expansion during hydriding, leading the pulverization of the alloy particles lowered and the oxidation/corrosion of the active elements reduced.


BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY
Increasing numbers of elderly (aged > 80 years) patients are being referred for cardiac surgery, and results for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are generally better than for combined CABG and valve replacement.

METHODS
During the past 55 months, 77 octogenarians underwent cardiac intervention in our institution. Forty-five patients (mean age 82.5 years) underwent CABG alone; surgery was elective in 33% of patients and 2.7 +/- 1.0 grafts per patient were performed. Thirty-two patients (mean age 82.4 years) underwent combined CABG and valve surgery (28 aortic, four mitral); 2.1 +/- 0.8 grafts per patient were performed and 65% of cases were emergencies.

RESULTS
In patients undergoing CABG alone, the operative mortality rate was 2% and rose to 4% (n = 2) at the end of follow up. Mean NYHA functional class improved significantly from 3.5 +/- 0.5 to 1.4 +/- 0.3 after surgery (p < 0.05) and most patients reported marked improvement in their quality of life. In CABG + valve surgery patients, the operative mortality rate was 6% (n = 2) and reached 18% by the end of follow up. In these patients the complication rate was 24% and mean hospitalization stay 11.0 +/- 2.9 days, while mean NYHA functional class improved from 3.4 +/- 0.6 to 1.2 +/- 0.5. Data analysis revealed that mitral regurgitation combined with coronary artery disease (p < 0.03) and prolonged cross-clamping time (p < 0.01) were the most important independent factors for mortality.

CONCLUSION
This study confirms that, in selected elderly patients, combined CABG and cardiac surgery can achieve good postoperative results.


Between October 2014 and February 2016, Kansas State University partnered with academic and local government and business organizations to host an exhibit displaying William Shakespeare's First Folio. University and community organizations came together to provide twenty-four programs showcasing the works of William Shakespeare, and to host educational lectures for the community regarding Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The Libraries secured funding to obtain modern Shakespeare materials, filling in critical humanities collection gaps, along with illustrating modern adaptations of Shakespeare's works to students. The exhibit was a resounding success, attracting more than 4,000 attendees and more than 2,100 participants in programs related to the folio. The exhibit, a collaborative effort to celebrate the humanities and social sciences at a university traditionally focused upon the sciences, illustrated the importance of valuing all academic disciplines, and provided students and rural community members with a well-rounded educational experience.


Heart rate turbulence (HRT) is commonly assessed by two parameters: turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS), both obtained by averaging RR tachograms following a ventricular premature beat (VPB). It has been recently shown that a model-based detection-theoretical approach results in HRT indices outperforming TO/TS in identifying the presence or absence of HRT. The aim of this work is to evaluate the risk stratification ability of this approach, as compared with the classical parameters TO and TS, in a population of 96 ischemic patients with mild to moderate congestive heart failure. We found significant differences (Mann-Withney U test) between survivors and cardiac death groups for TS and the new parameter T¿(x). Survival analysis showed that T¿(x) is the HRT index with highest association to risk of cardiac death (hazard ratio=2.8, p =0.008). Results show improved risk stratification of the new description of HRT with respect to classical parameters.


The topic of this paper is the study of the tidal velocity profiles within a region of fresh water influence (referred to as ROFI in this paper). These regions of fresh water influence occur where rivers discharge fresh water into salty seas. The main research question is how depth influences the behaviour of the tidal velocity profile in a region of fresh water influence. The approach for this investigation is to apply a model to two different ROFI systems, and compare the results. The first system considered is the Rhine ROFI, for which numerous field data have been collected (Simpson, et al. 1993) and a numerical model has been created (de Boer, Pietrzak and Winterwerp 2006). The second system is the Fraser ROFI in Canada, having similar tidal characteristics as the Rhine ROFI (Foreman, et al. 1995), but a much larger depth. The model used for this comparison is an analytic model, based on Prandle (Prandle 1982a). In order to do so, it was first necessary to understand the complex behaviour of the tidal velocity profile of the Rhine ROFI. The big difference between the behaviour for neap and spring tide can be explained by decomposing the tidal velocity vector into two counter rotating phasors. Also, two parameters turned out to be important: the depth-averaged velocity and the eddy viscosity. As second goal, and main objective of this paper, was to study the impact of the depth on the behaviour of the tidal velocity profile in the region of fresh water influence. This was done by comparing the shallow Rhine ROFI with the much deeper Fraser ROFI. It turned out that finding realistic values for the eddy viscosity coefficient was the biggest challenge. The ability of predicting vertical current profiles may serve many applications, such as offshore construction or oil leaks. Being able to apply this model to other ROFI's around the world with different depths, is therefore a very useful aim.


An ancient pottery workshop belonging to the Han Dynasty was excavated in Caoxie village, Hepu County. Caoxie village is an important archaeological site in Hepu County, Beihai City, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is believed that Hepu County was the oldest departure point on the ancient maritime trading route during the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220) due to the ideal natural geographical conditions and the existence of a large number of Han tombs. Radiocarbon measurements on wood and charcoal samples from the Caoxie village site were performed at the Peking University AMS facility (PKU-AMS), Beijing, and the Centre for Isotopic Research for Cultural and Environmental Heritage (CIRCE) at Naples Second University, Italy. Calibrated ages were obtained with code CALIB 5 (Stuiver and Reimer 1993). The results of these measurements are presented and the related chronology is discussed.


3791 Aberrant signaling by EGFR and/or HER2 tyrosine kinases correlates with more aggressive disease, chemoresistance, and a poor prognosis. The EGFR inhibitor ZD1839 (IRESSA, gefitinib) has shown efficacy in non small-cell lung cancer patients previously treated with multiple cytotoxic agents. To address whether pretreated tumors may become more sensitive to ZD1839 because of enhanced dependence on the EGFR pathway, we compared ZD1839 antiproliferative effects in matched chemosensitive and cisplatin-selected, chemoresistant cell lines. In short term assays, the chemoresistant neuroblastoma cells SK-N-DZ/Pt were as responsive to ZD1839 as their parental cells, whereas a 2-fold increase in growth-inhibition was observed in the chemoresistant human ovarian carcinoma cells A2780/Pt and glioma cells U87/Pt, with A2780/Pt being more sensitive than U87/Pt (IC 50 2.7±1.3 vs 12.6±2.2 μM). A 10-day exposure to 1 μM ZD1839 resulted in 20% and 93% growth inhibition in A2780 and A2780/Pt, respectively. Sensitization to ZD1839 in the chemoresistant cells correlated with higher basal HER2 expression, and enhanced and/or prolonged EGFR and HER2 activation upon EGF stimulation. No change in EGFR level was observed. ZD1839 prevented EGF-induced EGFR and HER2 phosphorylation in both chemosensitive and chemoresistant cells. However, it completely abrogated phospho-Akt only in the resistant cells. In 10% FCS-containing medium, ZD1839 decreased phospho-Akt in both chemoresistant, but not chemosensitive, cell lines. Blockade of Akt pathway by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 resulted in a dose-dependent growth inhibition similar in each pair of cell lines, suggesting that the reconnection of EGFR and Akt pathway might be responsible for sensitization of cells to ZD1839. In A2780/Pt, ZD1839-induced Akt inactivation was associated with upregulation of p27 and correlated with a G 0 /G 1 arrest at the IC 50 . No cell cycle perturbation was observed at equitoxic concentrations in the other cell lines. The combination of ZD1839 and two second-line drugs used in ovarian carcinoma (doxorubicin and topotecan) exerted a more marked synergistic effect in A2780/Pt than A2780. We suggest that chemoresistance in some tumor cells is associated with increased expression of HER2, and enhanced and/or prolonged activation of EGF-dependent signaling, likely through stabilization of HER2-containing heterodimers. Increased dependence on the EGF signaling might sensitize chemoresistant cells to ZD1839 antiproliferative effects and explain the increased synergism we observed. ZD1839 may be worth investigation as second- or third-line treatment in ovarian carcinoma and glioma pretreated patients. Supported by Fondazione per l'Oncologia Pediatrica, Roma. ZD1839 is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.


A comparative study of vesico-vaginal fistulae cases and controls was carried out at two tertiary hospitals in Maiduguri, Nigeria. The fistulae cases were significantly shorter in height, younger in age at marriage and had a higher divorce rate. Prolonged labour, traditional surgical practice of "gishiri cut" and ignorance were identified as the commonest causes of the fistulae. The health and socio-economic consequences to the patient are discussed. Patients are considered to have brought shame to themselves and their families and quite often lose the support of the husband. It is recommended that maternity services be firmly integrated and given a higher priority in primary health care. In the long-term increase in the literacy level of females is desirable.


We present quantitative data on calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy in the section of Montalbano Jonico (Southern Italy). This is one of the candidate Global Statotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Middle Pleistocene. The first common occurrence (FCO) and last common occurrence (LCO) of Reticulofenestra asanoi are well detectable in the section and are here proposed as additional events for improving biostratigraphic resolution in the interval corresponding to the transition between the small Gephyrocapsa Zone and Pseudoemiliania lacunosa Zone. The potential value of the bioevents is tested in a Mediterranean deep-sea core of ODP Site 964, located in the Ionian Sea. At Site 964 the FCO of R. asanoi occurs in the marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 30, and the LCO of the species correlates with MIS 23. The ages of the FCO and LCO of R. asanoi have been estimated at 1.06 Ma and 0.93 Ma respectively. The first occurrence (FO) of Gephyrocapsa sp. 3 has been correlated to MIS 25, both at Site 964 and at the Montalbano Jonico section. The age of the FO of Gephyrocapsa sp. 3 is estimated at 0.95 Ma, based on the astronomical datings of sapropels occurring at the Montalbano Jonico section. In addition, an interval of temporary disappearance of Gephyrocapsa sp. 3 has been identified within the P. lacunosa Zone. The beginning of this interval is correlated with MIS 20/19 and can be considered a reliable event in the Mediterranean area, occurring close to the Brunhes/Matuyama magnetic boundary. The recognized events provide a basis for interpreting the Montalbano Jonico section within a standard chronostratigraphic framework.


To determine if there were consistent differences in growth, mortality, and recruitment on slopes and ridge crests in tropical montane forests, which could explain the (frequent but not universal) low stature of trees in the ridgetop forests, we analyzed data from long-term plots in Jamaica (1990–1994; sixteen 200-m2 plots, six on ridge crests and five each on north and south slopes). Mortality was higher on north slopes, while growth and recruitment rates were not significantly different among positions. Soil pH and effects of recent disturbance by Hurricane Gilbert were positively correlated with growth and recruitment, while slope angle and disturbance effects were the best predictors of mortality. The patterns we found in Jamaica, that growth and recruitment were not higher on ridge crests than slopes, are different than those found by Herwitz and Young in Australia where growth and turnover were greater on a ridge crest. Therefore, it is not possible at present to make simple generalizations about dynamics of ridge crest versus slope forests in the montane tropics.


Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is an earth-abundant indirect n-type semiconductor displaying a band gap of about 2.2 eV, useful for collecting a large fraction of visible photons, with frontier energy levels suitably aligned for carrying out the photoelectrochemical water oxidation reaction under basic conditions. The modification of hematite mesoporous thin-film photoanodes with Ti(IV), as well as their functionalization with an oxygen-evolving catalyst, leads to a 6-fold increase in photocurrent density with respect to the unmodified electrode. In order to provide a detailed understanding of this behavior, we report a study of Ti-containing phases within the mesoporous film structure. Using X-ray absorption fine structure and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy coupled with electron energy loss spectroscopy, we find that Ti(IV) ions are incorporated within ilmenite (FeTiO3) near-surface layers, thus modifying the semiconductor–electrolyte interface. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that an FeTiO3/α-Fe2O3 composite is used in a photoelectrochemical setup for water oxidation. In fact, previous studies of Ti(IV)-modified hematite photoanodes reported the formation of pseudobrookite (Fe2TiO5) at the surface. By means of transient absorption spectroscopy, transient photocurrent experiments, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we show that the formation of the Fe2O3/FeTiO3 interface passivates deep traps at the surface and induces a large density of donor levels, resulting in a strong depletion field that separates electron and holes, favoring hole injection in the electrolyte. Our results provide the identification of a phase coexistence with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance, allowing for the rational design of new photoanodes with improved kinetics.


We present the ultrasonic attenuation dependence on concentration x at 3 MHz as a function of temperature in Na1+2x Zr2-x Mgx (PO4)3. From the ultrasonic relaxation spectra, we obtained the activation energy and the relaxation strength and then compared these values to the data obtained from an electrical impedance measurement. We observed hopping conduction between two sites in the crystal.


Recent phylogenetic studies of fossil crocodilian material from Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia (e.g., Willis et al. 1993; Willis 1995; Salisbury and Wiliis 1996) indicate most extinct crocodilians from Australasia form an endemic clade, the Mekosuchinae, and extant crocodilians in this region are more recent arrivals from Asia. Mekosuchines display a variety of ecomorphs in head shape ranging from small and deep to longirostrine to very deep snouted and the significance of these is discussed.


Ten years ago, a colleague and I co-wrote an article about the Bunya pine tree in Queensland's literary history. In the course of our joint research, we made an interesting and surprising discovery: that there appeared to be two separate and distinct ways of seeing or imagining the Bunya in early Queensland literature – there were, in effect, two different Bunyas. One was the Romantic Bunya, a dark, gloomy, threatening tree, overwhelming in size, and sublime in its capacity to elicit awe and even terror from those nervous European explorers who found themselves surrounded by them. This is the Bunya described in Leichhardt's letters and in the novels of Rosa Praed, for whom it evoked anxieties about cannibalism among the Aboriginal tribes who gathered at the triennial feast.


Mobile phone is an extensively used personal gadget essential in daily life, gradually assuming the status of pathogenic agent of disease transmission. During the present study, 150 swab samples were collected from mobile phones of veterinarians, students (veterinary sciences), laboratory attendants, shepherds, meat and fish handlers of Kashmir valley for isolation, identification of public health significant bacteria and their antibiogram. Out of 150 swab sample examined, 96.66% mobile phones were found to be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. Mobile phone of animal handlers and veterinary surgeons showed highest and lowest total viable count, respectively. Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Proteus spp., Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Klebsiella spp. and were frequently isolated from all mobile phone users. Among all the mobile phone users, highest percentage of E. coli (72%) and B. cereus (84%) was isolated from the fish and meat handlers. All the isolates were highly resistant to Amoxycillin/ Clavulonic acid, Amoxycillin, Ampicillin and Gentamicin. The present study indicates that mobile phones acts as an important source of pathogenic organisms for human and can serve as vehicle for cross-transmission of microbiota.


Three new species of oribatid mites of the genus Pergalumna (Oribatida, Galumnidae) are described from litter and soil in the Korup National Park (Cameroon). Pergalumna jenoi sp. nov. differs from P. margaritata Mahunka, 1989 and P. pseudomargaritata Mahunka, 1994 by the presence of simple dorsosejugal suture, dentate anterior margin of the ventral plate, distinct reticulate pattern on the pteromorphs and dense stria on the genital plates, the localization of setal alveoli la posterior to porose areas Aa, and the absence of a median pore. Pergalumna tuberclesejugalis sp. nov. differs from P. margaritata and P. pseudomargaritata by the larger body size, the localization of porose areas Aa closer to lm than la, and setal alveoli h3 close and lateral to A2, the presence of sejugal porose areas, and the absence of a median pore and stria on the genital plates. Pergalumna grebennikovi sp. nov. differs from P. bifissurata Hammer, 1972 by the larger body size, the presence of smooth bothridial setae, well-developed interlamellar setae, reticulate anterior margin of pteromorphs, comparatively long prodorsal median ridge and a median pore, and the localization of setal alveoli la and porose areas Aa. An identification key to the known species of the genus Pergalumna from the Ethiopian region is presented.


A variety of research exists for the processing of continuous queries in large, mobile environments. Each method tries, in its own way, to address the computational bottleneck of constantly processing so many queries. In this paper, we introduce an efficient and scalable system for monitoring continuous queries by leveraging the parallel processing capability of the Graphics Processing Unit. We examine a naive CPU-based solution for continuous range-monitoring queries, and we then extend this system using the GPU. Additionally, with mobile communication devices becoming commodity, location-based services will become ubiquitous. To cope with the very high intensity of location-based queries, we propose a view oriented approach of the location database, thereby reducing computation costs by exploiting computation sharing amongst queries requiring the same view. Our studies show that by exploiting the parallel processing power of the GPU, we are able to significantly scale the number of mobile objects, while maintaining an acceptable level of performance.


The purpose of this study is to explore parents' perspective on the usage of the types of intervention, service delivery and family involvement in the early intervention program received by autistic children. Data were obtained through questionnaires and interview. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 parents of autistic child aged 2 to 8 years old from five different autistic or learning disabilities centres. Three out of these parents were randomly chosen to be the interview subjects. Data was descriptively analyzed using percentages while the qualititative data were trancribed verbatimly. The results showed that speech therapy is the kind of intervention that most autistic children received. There were changes in the development of the autistic child as a result of intervention. The results also showed that there is a lack of consistency in service delivery between the services delivered by centers and service practitioners. The results too indicated that in most cases only mothers were involved in the early intervention programme. This study has implication on the service planners and parental involvement in the intervention programs.


The Italian Anomaly in the Evolution of International Trade - This study offers a quantitative assessment of the international specialization of Italy in view of the evolving patterns of international trade over the period 1980- 2000. The analysis is based upon the co-evolution of the PRODY index, recently proposed in Hausmann et al. (2005), together with the classical Balassa index of revealed comparative advantage. Our findings suggest that Italian specialization is persistent and increasing in sectors characterized by decreasing capacity to sustain economic growth.


Dog is an important animal model for translational research to study human diseases. This translational research includes identification of causative genes for shared diseases with humans, identification of new drug targets for the treatment of patients with monogenic diseases, canine clinical trials conducted before and parallel with human clinical trials, and intervention research in healthy dogs. For future research, I propose two important considerations. First, knowledge of the genetic epidemiology of diseases in each breed of dog used is indispensable to precisely identify dogs with the best potential in translational research. Second, research in dogs has a significant potential to expand actionable disease treatment to patients with genetic risk of disease. Translational research in dogs can help enhance human medical sciences in addition to veterinary medicine.


Digitized information technology, which is rising and permeating into other scientific domains, is a major trend of contemporary science development. The overlap between ophthalmology and informatics creates ophthalmic informatics, a new and developing discipline. Ophthalmic informatics utilizes the computer as the primary tool and with the aid of ophthalmic knowledge, develops a system to analyze patient data and evaluates the accuracy of the system. It also provides a new method for the development of traditional ophthalmology. In order to let more ophthalmologist to handle the knowledge of ophthalmic informatics and to use it in the practice, this article carries a comprehensive review of ophthalmic informatics, with emphasis on the principle, content and method of ophthalmic informatics. Some relevant studies on ophthalmic informatics in China in recent years are enumerated, as well as the basic frame for studying ophthalmic informatics.


Polytrauma is associated with increased risk of sepsis, but the risk for implant infection is less clear. Neutrophil antibacterial responses are significantly reduced in polytrauma patients (n= 9, ISS≥15) for at least 5 days compared to healthy controls. Reduced neutrophil activity could influence implant infection in addition to sepsis.


Nitrogen NMR shieldings (chemical shifts) of 2-amino-5-nitro-6-methylpyridine derivatives are assessed from the point of view of substituent-induced effects under conditions where alkyl, aryl, nitro, and nitroso moieties are substituents at the amino nitrogen. The nitro nitrogen shielding reveals only little variation upon varying the substituents, and this seems to indicate that steric hindrance which is likely to force the nitro group out of the plane of the aromatic ring reduces the -electron conjugation with the latter, and with the amino group as well. On the other side, the pyridine nitrogen shielding shows large effects of substituents at the amino moiety, which suggests a significant conjugation between the ring and the amino group. The latter effects produce a remarkable deshielding of the pyridine nitrogen in the case of nitro and nitroso substituents at the amino group.


The individual directions of Greenland's environmental policy, which have the greatest impact on the modern ecological situation in the autonomy, are considered. The authors of the work referred to these areas as energy, water resources, waste disposal and pollution control. A description of the development of the selected ecological directions is given, an analysis of their current state is carried out. Greenland's environmental cooperation with Denmark and the European Union is also analyzed. The basis of the source study base of the article is the Greenlandic legislation in the field of ecology. The main documents, programs and cases that influenced the development of the selected environmental directions are considered. The relevance of this article lies in a detailed examination of the environmental policy of Greenland and the construction of general conclusions about the environmental situation of the Danish Autonomous Territory based on the results obtained in the analysis of individual environmental areas. The novelty of the study is seen in an integrated approach to the analysis of the ongoing environmental policy of Greenland. The main positive and negative results in the selected environmental areas are noted. An assumption is made about the ambiguity of the environmental policy of Greenland, and possible outcomes in the implementation of this policy are considered.


Analysing the spillover effects is crucial for small and open regions where productive leakages are relevant, as could be the case of Galicia within the Spanish context. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to examine the spatial interactions between Galicia and the rest of Spain economies that tourism consumption involves, for the period 2001–2007. An interregional input–output model is applied for the year 2005. Additionally, three different kinds of tourism consumption are considered: two inbound and a domestic one. Among other results, we found that around 1% of the gross value added of the small economy depends on the tourism consumption in the rest of the country. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Every spring, hordes of fans descend upon Florida for the Daytona 500, the famed first race in the NASCAR season. But how many know that racers have been bringing fast cars to the beach for more than one hundred years?"Beach Racers" portrays the thrills and dangers of the first automobile races in Daytona. In an era of poor roads, the flat, wide sands of Ormond and Daytona beaches proved to be the ideal venue for engineers and drivers pushing the technological envelope, looking for ways to make their cars go ever faster. Dick Punnett has scoured libraries, auto museums, and historical societies throughout Florida, the Northeast, and the Midwest to track down stunning photographs and primary sources to learn what really happened during these early races.Filled with riveting photographs, fascinating anecdotes, and authoritative lists of winners, contestants, and record-setters, "Beach Racers" is a must-have for every true fan of NASCAR.


Small cell carcinoma (SCC) is a neuroendocrine tumor (NET) commonly found in the lung, known for rapid proliferation and early metastasis. Extrapulmonary small cell carcinomas (ESCC) are rare, with GI tract carcinomas exceedingly so. Due to the lack of clinical data on the treatment of ESCC, the standard regimen is the same as the SCC of the lung. Documented accounts of paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis associated with NETs are also uncommon. We present a patient who suffered from neurologic deficits before being diagnosed with paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis from a duodenal ESCC. The patient presented with ear pain and hematemesis. New symptoms arose after the resolution of initial symptoms, including shortness of breath and numbness. Autoimmune workup was positive for anti-Hu antibodies. A position emission tomography (PET) scan showed increased uptake in the duodenal region. Biopsy results from a duodenal ulcer revealed poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma with positive synaptophysin and strong positivity of Ki-67, consistent with ESCC. Numerous treatments, including platinum-based chemotherapy, yielded no neurologic improvement for the patient. This case details an atypical presentation of ESCC, which should be considered in patients suspected of paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis.


Studies on school teachers' perceptions toward teaching and learning have shown inconsistent results which call for further research in the area. This study was an attempt to investigate the perceptions of teachers towards Teaching and Learning of the English Language. A Likert scale questionnaire with 33 items was developed by the researchers. A randomly selected group of Malaysian School English language teachers (n = 165) responded to the questionnaire. The descriptive statistics results indicated that the Malaysian School English Language Teachers' perceptions of teaching are mainly positive; such as having higher intrinsic interest in adopting teaching as profession, decreased tendency in perceiving Teaching as a stressful profession, understanding the significance of listening and speaking skills (commonly neglected skills), awareness of the advantages of having literature in the English classroom, showing interest in the knowledge about high frequency words and lexiles, and showing interest in knowing and understanding students' interests and problems. However, teachers' perceptions regarding the education system, resource adequacy, class size and in the teaching of the writing skill are negative in the analysis. The findings further indicate the teachers' technology illiteracy and although they acknowledge the supportive role of books in teaching language skills they seem not to be positive on the use of textbooks in the English classroom. The results have interesting implications for policy makers and researchers.


Exploring Cultural Value presents ground breaking new research on the use of the cultural value lens to explain and investigate those areas of society where art and culture can have an impact or add value, beyond economic measures. The book develops and advances existing concepts around cultural value, and thus provides a deeper understanding of the impacts and value of the arts and cultural sectors.


Vocational education in Korea has been suffered from various problems. The most serious problem is that various work-based learning programs, including school-based and job-based work experiences, are not developed and utilized well for students. Starting with premise, the study aims at investigation excellent cases of work-based learning programs in developer countries such as England, Germany, and U.S. The study also discusses the applicability of work-based vocational programs from advanced countries into Korean context. Apprenticeship in England and U.s, dual system in Germany, National Skill Standard in England and U.S, entrepreneurship education in England and Germany, and school-based learning progras in U.S, could shed light on developing work-based learning programs in Korean context. These efforts also could facilitage the transition of students from vocational institutes to the world of work. Government policies need to underline the following stragegies with a view to promoting the development and utilization of various work-based learning programs. First of all, learning by doing and learning by producing need to be emphasezed in vocational education instead of theory-centered learning. Secondly, strong lawful arrangements are needed, in which industries should play major roles for operation of work-based learning programs. Thirdly, work-based learning programs need to be closely linked to vocational qualification system at national level. Finally, an evaluation system of these programs needs to be established for measuring their effectiveness.


Indicators of increasing economic development can be viewed through the numbers or values of economicgrowth. Indicators of the regional economy can also be seen from per capita income, economic growth and economic structure. Economic movements do not only occur in big cities but also occur in the supportingdistricts of the city, for example Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency which are buffer districts from the existence of Surakarta City. The purpose of this study was to determine the leading sector of the economyof the buffer district. The data used in this study is secondary data in the form of time series sourced from the Central Statistics Agency for each area of Karangnayar and Sukoharjo Regencies. The data used are regionalgross domestic product (GRDP) data for each region from 2016 to 2020. The data analysis used in this studyis the analysis of location quotient (LQ) and shift share. Based on the results of the study, it is known that thereare basic sectors found in two buffer districts, namely Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency. Theresults of the study based on LQ analysis stated that there were 7 base sectors in the Karanganyar Regency area while in the Sukoharjo Regency area there were 9 base sectors. If you look at the shift share analysis withindicators on the assessment of the component of regional share growth in Karanganyar Regency, there are 7 sectors that have positive values while in Sukoharjo Regency there are only 4 sectors that are still negative..


Anxiety is a state of mind which comes as a normal reaction to stress and is very common in postmenopausal women. The hormonal changes that occur during the menopause make them prone to psychological changes such as mood swings, anxiety, insomnia and other mental illnesses. The practice of asanas and pranayamas in combination with meditation appears to modulate stress response system of the body. This in turn decreases physiological arousal and thus reduces the level of anxiety on HAM-A rating scale. Objective: To study the role of yogic intervention on postmenopause induced anxiety among participants. Settings and Design: A purposive sample of 30 females of postmenopausal age between 45-55 years was selected and randomly divided into experimental and control group with each of 15 subjects. Research design selected for the present study is pre-test post-test control group design and the duration of the study is 15 days. Study group was asked to follow specific yoga intervention designed after compiling relevant scientific evidences. The intervention was practiced by the study group from 7A.M. to 7:45 A.M. daily for 15 days while the control group was not assigned any such treatment. All subjects were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) of Dr. M.Hamilton prior to commencement of the intervention and readministered the same test after completion of 15days training. Statistical Analysis Used: Paired sample t-test was used to compare the changes obtained by administering the test before and after the intervention with significance criterion on 0.01 level. Result: An analysis of result shows that the selected yogic intervention has proved its role to significantly reduce the level of anxiety among postmenopausal women.


Brief Description Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Objective To evaluate the willingness of young adult males to use male hormonal contraception and to determine the most desirable formulation. Methods An institutional review board–approved survey measuring the willingness to use MHC was dispersed to two distinct populations: University of Cincinnati postgraduate programs and Cincinnati Health Department clinics. Questions on the survey allowed for the collection of demographic characteristics, as well as the preferred method of MHC, and concerns regarding potential adverse effects. This survey was directed at young adult males; therefore, only male participants who were 18 to 35 years old were included for analysis. Results were reported as frequencies in each group and χ2 analyses were performed to compare groups, with a P < 0.05 considered significant. Results Of 162 total survey participants, 45% would use MHC, whereas 30.9% were unsure and 23.5% would not use MHC. Overall, the University of Cincinnati survey population was more likely to be interested in using MHC than the Cincinnati Health Department population (P < 0.05). In both populations, most were interested in using the injectable form. Cited concerns deterring participants from using MHC were different between these two populations, with University of Cincinnati participants more frequently expressing concerns about possible failure of the contraceptive method, whereas Cincinnati Health Department participants had concerns about potential adverse effects (P < 0.001). Conclusions There is significant interest among young adult males in using various forms of MHC, especially in injectable form. Differences in views of MHC were seen in two distinct male populations. Specifically, males who achieved a higher level of education, were employed, or in a relationship were found to more frequently be willing to use MHC. With further research and funding, MHC may serve as a significant way to decrease unintended pregnancies in the future.


In adults, cellulitis is usually caused by group A streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus. However, in patients with underlying disease, it may be caused by other organisms, such as Acinetobacter, Clostridium septicum, Enterobacter, Haemophilus influenzae, Proteus mirabilis or Escherichia coli. We report three cases of cellulitis of the lower legs where E. coli was the causative bacterial organism. It is important to suspect E. coli as a causative organism if blistering cellulitis occurs, especially in patients with underlying diseases.


Background: Depression is common among adolescents that have been victims of bullying at school or through social media. However, numerous cases of bullying are never reported. Several studies have shown that suicidal ideation is associated with depression in adolescents with bullying. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of bullying on depression in adolescents in Surakarta using Health Belief Model. Subjects and Method: A cross sectional study was carried out in Surakarta, Central Java, in December 2019. A sample of 250 adolescents was selected for this study randomly. The dependent variable was depression. The independent variables were bullying, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and self-efficacy. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple logistic regression. Results: Depression increased with bullying (OR= 3.5; 95% CI= 1.70 to 7.25; p= 0.001), strong perceived susceptibility (OR= 2.86; 95% CI= 1.32 to 6.19; p= 0.008), strong perceived severity (OR= 2.65; 95% CI= 1.20 to 5.88; p= 0.016), and weak self-efficacy (OR= 5.26; 95% CI= 2.49 to 11.09; p<0.001). Conclusion: Depression increases with bullying, strong perceived susceptibility, strong perceived severity, and weak self-efficacy. Keywords: bullying, depression, health belief model Correspondence: Kiyat Sudrajad. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36 A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: email@example.com. Mobile: +6285647116834. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the6thicph.02.56


The effects of GABA and its derivatives on blood pressure, respiration and heart rate of the rabbit were investigated.1. 4-Aminobutanol, N-methyl-4-aminobutanol and n-butyric acid had not any effect on blood pressure and respiration.2. N-Methylation (N-methyl-GABA, N-dimethyl-GABA, N-trimethyl-GABA), Nphenylation and N-acetylation reduced profoundly the effects of GABA on blood pressure and respiration.3. Esters of GABA had more or less apparent hypotensive effects on blood pressure.4. GABA-methylester elicited a depressor response which was of the same order in magnitude, but extremely shorter in duration in comparison with that induced by GABA.5. The depressant potency of GABA-methylester was not increased by N-monomethylation, but increased by 2-3-fold with N-dimethylation and by about 60-fold with N-trimethylation. The hypotensive effect of N-trimethyl-GABAmethylester was about 1/2 of that of ACh.6. Other methylesters were compared for their hypotensive effects and placed the following descending order; N-methyl-GABA-methylester>N-butyl-GABAmethylester>N-phenyl-GABA-methylester>N-ethyl-GABA-methylester.7. On the other hand, esters of N-methyl-GABA were placed in the following descending order methyl-GABA-methylester, methyl-GABA-benzylester>methyl-GABA-ethylester>methyl-GABA-butylester.8. The above described derivatives usually did not produce any change in respiration.9. Except of N-trimethyl-GABA-methylester, other methylesters did not elicit so appreciable bradycardia.10.β-Hydroxy-GABA and its methylester had respectively a weaker hypotensive action than GABA and GABA-methylester.11. Nicotinic acid and isonicotinic acid elicited rarely a depressor responce. Their methylesters had a stronger action than the acids, but a far weaker one than GABA-methylester or N-methyl-GABA-methylester.12. The hypontensive action of methylesters of GABA was greatly reduced by atropinization. N-Trimethyl-GABA-methylester had a considerably strong nicotine action.13. Intrathecally applied GABA elicited a much stronger and longer lasting depressor response than intravenously administered GABA. On the other hand, methylesters and N-substituents of GABA produced hardly a depressor response, when applied intrathecally.