In this paper, we calculate the branching ratios and the direct C P-violating asymmetries for decays by employing the perturbative QCD (pQCD) factorization approach at the leading order. We found that (a) the pQCD predictions for the branching ratios are around (0.4–2.8) × 10−6, consistent with currently available experimental upper limits; (b) the C P asymmetries of decays can be large, about (70–80)% for α = 100°.


Arthroplasty and arthroscopy are now commonplace orthopaedic procedures carried out on large numbers of patients, with rapidly increasing demand. Although previous studies have examined long-term outcome, there is little information on psychological and functional recovery in the first weeks and months following this surgery. The role of positive thought processes in recovery following orthopaedic surgery, including optimism and a 'fighting spirit' have not been examined, although cancer research has indicated that patients showing a 'fighting spirit' actually live longer. Following many surgical procedures there is a pronounced feeling of tiredness, termed 'postoperative fatigue syndrome'. Although well known to surgeons, this phenomenon is little understood and a physical cause for continued fatigue after surgery has not been found. Therefore, the possibility was considered that it may be based on psychological changes or processes. Postoperative fatigue has not previously been assessed following arthroplasty. Following a review of the literature. Study 1 examined patient's short-term recovery following hip and knee arthroplasty. A number of psychological factors were linked with improved recovery after surgery. In the short term these included having a less negative mood and a higher fighting spirit. By follow-up having an optimistic outlook on life; maintaining, overall, a more positive than negative mood, having a fighting spirit, and a belief in one's personal control over life situations, rather than feelings of helplessness predicted better recovery. Preoperative levels of fatigue predicted postoperative fatigue as well as some aspects of short and longer term recovery. Fatigue did not increase significantly following arthroplasty. Recovery was slower for knee patients, who reported greater pain throughout the study period than hip patients. Study 2 explored recovery during the first seven days, and at six weeks following day surgery knee arthroscopy. Preoperative levels of fatigue again predicted postoperative fatigue as well as some aspects of short and longer term recovery. Fatigue was associated with distressed mood which supports the view that fatigue may be a link between psychological and somatic processes. Although patients achieved significant relief from pain and many symptoms following arthroscopy, there was a very low rate of satisfaction, which was related to worry about the eventual functional outcome. In Studies 1 and 2 patients reported many difficulties with completion of the measure for optimism, and similar problems occurred for fighting spirit in Study 1. Study 3 therefore investigated whether simple numerical rating scales measuring state and trait optimism and fighting spirit are suitable to use during the perioperative period. Results suggested that optimism could be successfully measured using a numerical rating scale, although further validation work was necessary. There was no association found between the fighting spirit measure and the numerical rating scale. Therefore, the development of a measure for fighting spirit related specifically to recovery following surgery was recommended. The focus of Study 4 was to see whether providing patients with psychological social support in the form of caring, through listening, showing concern and interest in the patient's well-being, improved their fighting spirit and mood and therefore their recovery. It was not definitively shown that social support had a positive outcome on recovery and probable reasons for this are discussed, including the possibility that both groups may have benefited from support. Recovery was again slower for knee patients compared to hip patients. In comparison to Study 1, fatigue was found to increase significantly following arthroplasty in this study, and recommendations for a further study to clarify this are made.


Recent studies suggest that hearing loss in postlingually deafened adults may be associated with lowered levels of the personality factor Openness to experience. This study investigated whether cochlear implantation in postlingually deafened adults raises the level of Openness to experience. Fifty-five postlingually deafened adults (mean age: 63 years) were assessed with the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness-Five-Factor-Inventory (NEO-FFI), a questionnaire capturing the five personality factors Extraversion, Openness to experience, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Personality assessment occurred before cochlear implantation and 24 months after implant activation. On factors Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness the mean scores of the sample were equal to population norms, both before and after cochlear implantation. On factor Openness to experience, the mean score was significantly lower before cochlear implantation, and remained so thereafter. Openness to experience may be reduced in some groups of deaf or hard of hearing persons. Cochlear implantation had no effect on any personality factor, at least not after two years of implant use.


We have investigated epitaxial growth of HfN film and sequential single-oriented growth of Al/HfN bilayered film on (001) Si and (111) Si. Stoichiometric HfN film was prepared on Si by reactive sputtering using an ultrahigh-vacuum dc magnetron sputtering system. Orientational epitaxy and crystal structure of HfN film deposited on Si were investigated by X-ray pole figure measurement and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. Then, Al film was sputter-deposited on the HfN/Si system in the same sputtering chamber without breaking vacuum, and sequential single-oriented growth of Al/HfN bilayered film was examined by X-ray diffraction. It is revealed that the HfN films deposited on Si grow epitaxially with the directional relationships of HfN (001) [110] ∥Si (001) [110] and HfN (111) [002] ∥Si (111) [002], and (100) and (111) Al films also grow in a single-oriented state on epitaxial (001) and (111) HfN films.


A study has been made of the physics interest and feasibility of experiments with nuclear beams in HERA. It is shown that such experiments widen considerably the horizon for probing QCD compared to that from free nucleon targets. In addition there is some sensitivity to physics beyond the standard model. Hence the option to include circulating nuclear beams in HERA allows a wide range of physics processes to be studied and understood.


In recent years, camera technology has been used in the field of beach variation and beach protection. This study presents the results of processing images of Do Son beach based on images. Camera image processing is calibrated based on real measurements of control points. Camera images are processed to capture shoreline and beach developments for the period from August 2018 to October 2019. The results show that Do Son beach has short term and seasonal fluctuations. Beach geomorphology tends to reach equilibrium form.


Background Arteries are immuno-privileged sites. In advanced atherosclerotic lesions, however, adventitial lymphoid infiltrates, sometimes aggregated in lymphoid follicles (the so called artery tertiary lymphoid organs, ATLO), occur together with marked neoangiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, and with the extensive induction of high endothelial venules. Objectives To investigate if tertiary lymphoid organs (TLO) are present in GCA and their formation is associated with the ectopic expression of constitutive lymphoid tissue-homing chemokines. Methods RT-PCR, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analysis were used to determine the presence of ectopic TLO in GCA and the expression of chemokines/chemokine receptors and cytokines involved in lymphoneogenesis in the artery samples obtained from 50 GCA patients and 30 controls. The presence of lymphatic conduits, of follicular dendritic cells (FDC) precursors and lymphoid tissue inducer cells was also investigated. Finally, expression of CXCL13 and BAFF by isolated vascular smooth muscle cells was evaluated before and after stimulation with toll like receptors agonists and cytokines. Results Artery TLO (ATLOs) were observed in the media layer of 60% of GCA patients in close proximity to neo-formed PNAD+ high endothelial venules. Pesence of ATLOs was independent by the number of infiltrating mononuclear cells, the age of patients and the presence of atherosclerosis. ATLO formation was also accompanied by the expression of CXCL13, BAFF, APRIL, IL-7 and IL-17. CXLC13 and BAFF expression was manily observed in the context of ATLOs, in VSMC and endothelial cells of neo-formed high endothelial cells. IL-7 and IL-17 expression levels were significantly correlated with the levels of CXCL13 and BAFF. The presence of follicular dendritic cells (FDC) precursors and of lymphoid conduits was demonstrated by confocal microscopy analysis and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Stimulation of VSMC with TLR agonists (LPS and poly-IC) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-6, IFN-g and IL-17) resulted in the up-regulation of BAFF and CXCL13. Conclusions ATLOs occur in the inflamed arteries of GCA patients possibly representing the immune sites where immune responses toward unknown arterial wall-derived antigens may be organized. Disclosure of Interest None declared


OBJECTIVE
The characteristics of response time (RT) distributions beyond measures of central tendency were explored in 3 attention tasks across groups of young adults, healthy older adults, and individuals with very mild dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT).

METHOD
Participants were administered computerized Stroop, Simon, and switching tasks, along with psychometric tasks that tap various cognitive abilities and a standard personality inventory (NEO-FFI). Ex-Gaussian (and Vincentile) analyses were used to capture the characteristics of the RT distributions for each participant across the 3 tasks, which afforded 3 components: mu and sigma (mean and standard deviation of the modal portion of the distribution) and tau (the positive tail of the distribution).

RESULTS
The results indicated that across all 3 attention tasks, healthy aging produced large changes in the central tendency mu parameter of the distribution along with some change in sigma and tau (mean etap(2) = .17, .08, and .04, respectively). In contrast, early stage DAT primarily produced an increase in the tau component (mean etap(2) = .06). tau was also correlated with the psychometric measures of episodic/semantic memory, working memory, and processing speed, and with the personality traits of neuroticism and conscientiousness. Structural equation modeling indicated a unique relation between a latent tau construct (-.90), as opposed to sigma (-.09) and mu constructs (.24), with working memory measures.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest a critical role of attentional control systems in discriminating healthy aging from early stage DAT and the utility of RT distribution analyses to better specify the nature of such change.


Hydralazine is an antihypertensive medication that has been associated with drug-associated autoimmune syndromes like interstitial lung disease, pauci-immune glomerulonephritis, and hypocomplementemia. Hydralazine-induced ANCA-associated vasculitis and hydralazine induced positive antinuclear antibodies are rare. Clinical manifestations range from arthralgia, petechiae, or rash to multiorgan involvement. When presented as pulmonary-renal syndrome, it can be rapidly progressive and fatal. Here, we describe a case of hydralazine-associated vasculitis with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and highlight the importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment.


Thermoelectric materials capable of converting waste heat energy into electrical energy are enchanting for applications in wearable electronics and sensors by harvesting heat energy of the human body. Organic conducting polymers offer promise of thermoelectric materials for next-generation power sources of wearable devices due to their low cost in preparation, easy processing, low toxicity, low thermal conductivity, mechanical flexibility, light weight, and large area application. Generally, the pristine PEDOT:PSS film has low electrical conductivity, small Seebeck coefficient, and low thermal conductivity. The thermoelectric power factors of conducting polymers of p-type PEDOT:PSS films are considerably improved via synergistic effect by using ethylene glycol and reductants of EG/NaBH4 or EG/NaHCO3. As such, the charge carrier concentration of PEDOT:PSS films is tuned. The synergistic effect might lead to enhanced variation of density of states at the Fermi level and hence enhanced Seebeck coefficient. The resulting PEDOT:PSS films were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, and XPS spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were measured between 325 and 450 K. The carrier concentration and mobility were obtained by Hall measurements. The pristine thin film treated with 0.05 M EG/NaHCO3 solution exhibits the highest power factor of 183 μW m-1 K-2 at 450 K among these two series of films due to its significant enhanced Seebeck coefficient of 48 μV/K. The maximum output power of 121.08 nW is attained at the output voltage of 6.98 mV and the output current of 17.45 μA. The corresponding maximum power density is 98 μW/cm2 for a power generation device made of four pairs of p-leg (EG/NaHCO3 post-treated PEDOT:PSS) and n-leg (Cu0.6Ni0.4) on the polyamide substrate with the size of 4 mm × 20 mm for each leg.


Thi s s tudy was done t o determine how to obtain maxi mum effect i ve filler reten t ion in a fiber and titanium dioxi de system. Retention of fillers in a fibrous system i s greatly influenced th rough the use of high molecular weight po lyme rs. It was found that by using cat ion ic and ani onic polymers in the same syst em, a synergistic effect results which yields a higher effect ive re tention than if either polymers were used along. Furthermore, by precisely controlling the amounts of each polymer so as to obtain the isoelectric point in zeta potential; the peak effective retention is reached.


ABSTRACT The membrane-bound adenylyl cyclases (ACs) represent one of the major families of effector enzymes for G protein-coupled receptors. Eight human AC isoforms, encoded by separate genes, have been identified up to now. However, in several cases only partial cDNA sequences are available (ADCY1,2,5). A ninth expected isoform, the human ortholog of rat ADCY4, has not been described yet. Using the high inter-species homology of mammalian AC isoforms, we searched the human genome and we succeeded to identify full-length coding sequences for all enzymes. Where required, missing sequence information was provided experimentally. Analysis of genomic sequences from the Celera database also allowed us to determine the exon–intron boundaries for ADCY1–9 and to establish the gene structures. We found that human AC genes comprise 11 to 26 exons, which are distributed over 16 to 430 kb. We further report expression profiles for the nine ACs in a panel of 16 human tissues and in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells.


Objectives Heart failure (HF) is the common end stage in the development of a variety of structural heart disease. The excess activation of the renin—angiotensin—aldosterone (RASS) system played an important role in the development of HF. Recently, it has been shown that renal sympathetic denervation (RD) effectively inhibited the excessive activation of the RASS system and improved the refractory hypertension. However, whether we could achieve the purpose of prevention and treatment of heart failure through the inhibition of the RASS system in patients after myocardial infarction (MI) remains to be further studied. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of RD at different time points on RASS system related hormone levels and water sodium excretion in the progress of HF due to MI. Methods 60 Male Wistar rats, weighing 300±20 g, were divided into six groups randomly: rats with RD 1 day after MI (MI1+RD, n=10), rats with RD 1 week after MI (MI7+RD, n=10), rats with RD 1 month after MI (MI30+RD, n=10), rats with MI and renal innervations (MI+INN, n=10), rats with RD but without MI (Sham+RD, n=10), rats without MI and with renal innervation (INN+Sham, n=10). MI was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary atery. The hallmark of a successful MI model is S-T segment raising significantly 30 min after MI compared with before ligation through ECG. EF<50% is the sign of HF. Bilateral RD was coursed by stripping the adventitia of renal arteries. Four-weeks after treatment, measured urine output, urinary sodium content, and the content of rennin, angiotensin II and aldosterone in plasma respectively. Results 1. Sham+RD: Compared with INN+Sham group, there were no significant difference (p>0.05) in the urine output, urine sodium content and plasma renin, angiotensin II and aldosterone content. 2. MI+INN: The incidence of HF was 92%, compared with Sham+INN group, the urine output decreased obviously p<0.05), urinary sodium content did not change significantly, plasma renin, angiotensin II and aldosterone content were increased visibly p<0.05). 3. MI1+RD and MI7+RD: Compared with the MI group, the incidence of HF were much lower in MI1+RD and MI7+RD group, urine output was significantly increased p<0.05), plasma renin, angiotensin II and aldosterone content were obviously decreased p<0.05), and all the indicators above closed to normal. There was no significant difference in these indicators between these two groups. 4. MI30+RD: Compared with MI+INN group, except for plasma angiotensin II concentration decreased significantly lower, the other indexes had no visible improvement (p>0.05). Conclusions 1. RD has little impact on salt and water metabolism at normal level, so it is a therapy with high security. 2. RD operated within 1 week after MI, can effectively inhibit the excessive activation of the RASS system after MI, improve retention of sodium and fluid, prevention and treatment HF. Its efficacy is similar, no matter what time RD operated, as long as in the first week after MI. And the efficacy maintained at least 4 weeks.


The use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) for reinforcement and retrofit of structures has become common in recent years. Although considerable research exists on carbon, glass, and aramid fibers, new materials continue to emerge, requiring new knowledge to optimize their use and safe design. This study analyzed the behavior of continuous beams reinforced with FRP bars. The parameters studied were concrete type (normal-strength concrete (NSC) and ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)), fiber material (carbon, glass, and basalt), and environmental exposure (acid, alkaline, and saline environments). Finite element (FE) beam models were developed and validated with published experimental data. The validated models were used to study the aforementioned parameters. Although the basalt fibers provoked higher displacements when compared to carbon and glass fibers, they also provided better bond with the concrete and higher tensile strength, allowing the beams to reach higher load capacity. Exposure to aggressive environments diminished the adhesion between GFRP and BFRP bars and the concrete, but the reduction was not sufficient to initiate the debonding and the failure was governed by FRP bars rupture. However, it was concluded that the load-displacement response was not affected much by the environmental exposure. The UHPFRC provided superior bond strength between concrete and the reinforcement bars, which assured rupture of the fibers in these beams as well. The use of UHPFRC also resulted in an increase in the beams' load carrying capacity.


High‐efficiency and low‐cost perovskite solar cells (PVKSCs) are an ideal candidate for addressing the scalability challenge of solar‐based renewable energy. The dynamically evolving research field of PVKSCs has made immense progress in solving inherent challenges and capitalizing on their unique structure–property–processing–performance traits. This review offers a unique outlook on the paths toward commercialization of PVKSCs from the interfacial engineering perspective, relevant to both specialists and nonspecialists in the field through a brief introduction of the background of the field, current state‐of‐the‐art evolution, and future research prospects. The multifaceted role of interfaces in facilitating PVKSC development is explained. Beneficial impacts of diverse charge‐transporting materials and interfacial modifications are summarized. In addition, the role of interfaces in improving efficiency and stability for all emerging areas of PVKSC design are also evaluated. The authors' integral contributions in this area are highlighted on all fronts. Finally, future research opportunities for interfacial material development and applications along with scalability–durability–sustainability considerations pivotal for facilitating laboratory to industry translation are presented.


Transferring a mesh or skeletal animation onto a new mesh currently requires significant manual effort. For skeletal animations, this involves rigging the character, by specifying how the skeleton is positioned relative to the character and how posing the skeleton drives the character's shape. Currently, artists typically manually position the skeleton joints and paint skinning weights onto the character to associate points on the character surface with bones. For this problem, we present a fully automatic rigging algorithm based on the geometry of the target mesh. Given a generic skeleton, the method computes both joint placement and the character surface attachment automatically. For mesh animations, current techniques are limited to transferring the motion literally using a correspondence between the characters' surfaces. Instead, I propose an example-based method that can transfer motion between far more different characters and that gives the user more control over how to adapt the motion to the new character. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)


Process mining is able to reveal how people and organizations really function. Often reality is very different and less structured than expected. Process discovery exposes the variability of real-life processes. Conformance checking is able to pinpoint and diagnose compliance problems. Task mining exploits user-interaction data to enrich traditional event data. All these different forms of process mining can and should support Robotic Process Automation (RPA) initiatives. Process mining can be used to decide what to automate and to monitor the cooperation between software robots, people, and traditional information systems. In the process of deciding what to automate, the Pareto principle plays an important role. Often 80% of the behavior in the event data is described by 20% of the trace variants or activities. An organization can use such insights to "pick its automation battles", e.g., analyzing the economic and practical feasibility of RPA opportunities before implementation. This paper discusses how to leverage the Pareto principle in RPA and other process automation initiatives.


Medical radiation exposure to pediatric patients has gained national attention in the last few years. New guidelines encourage technologists, managers, radiologists, and equipment manufacturers to tailor imaging to smaller sized patients. With the advent of computed radiography, patient radiation doses have doubled. This literature review addresses how cumulative doses received by highly radiosensitive infants in neonatal intensive care units correspond to similar doses received by infants that later developed radiation induced cancers. While technologist expertise is important for dose management with any receptor technology, converting to digital flat panel detectors can reduce dose to these areas by > 50%, and minimize risks for radiation induced cancers that often do not present until several decades after exposure.


Recurrence and drug resistance are major challenges in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that spur efforts to identify new clinical targets and active agents. STAT3 has emerged as a potential target in resistant AML, but inhibiting STAT3 function has proven challenging. This paper describes synthetic studies and biological assays for a naphthalene sulfonamide inhibitor class of molecules that inhibit G-CSF-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in cellulo and induce apoptosis in AML cells. We describe two different approaches to inhibitor design: first, variation of substituents on the naphthalene sulfonamide core allows improvements in anti-STAT activity and creates a more thorough understanding of anti-STAT SAR. Second, a novel approach involving hybrid sulfonamide-rhodium(ii) conjugates tests our ability to use cooperative organic-inorganic binding for drug development, and to use SAR studies to inform metal conjugate design. Both approaches have produced compounds with improved binding potency. In vivo and in cellulo experiments further demonstrate that these approaches can also lead to improved activity in living cells, and that compound 3aa slows disease progression in a xenograft model of AML.


Given the boom linked to smart mobility, transport systems require increasingly precise and relevant navigation applications to offer optimized journeys in terms of time and energy consumption, such as for HEV. Most of these navigation applications are based on the processing of 2D digital road maps, while taking into account the GNSS location of vehicles. These localization systems also integrate sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes to overcome the well-known problems of GPS positioning, even if the current limited introduction of IoT in the transport industry has made it possible to develop new aided-GPS methods such as geofencing. This paper focuses on one important parameter in the journey optimization of land vehicles: the road slope. We propose a method to estimate the roads' inclination parameters by fusing GNSS, INS, OSM and ASTER GDEM data through a nonlinear filter. The incremental estimate of the slope will complement the 2D modeling of the roads already available in OpenStreetMap and could be used in route planning optimization. The scientific novelty lies more specifically in the statistical map-matching approaches that we develop both for OSM and DEM data. Estimation results of the roads slopes are shown in experimental conditions.


We study the ancestral recombination graph for a pair of sites in a geographically structured population. In particular, we consider the limiting behavior of the graph, under Wright's island model, as the number of subpopulations, or demes, goes to infinity. After an instantaneous sample-size adjustment, the graph becomes identical to the two-locus graph in an unstructured population, but with a time scale that depends on the migration rate and the deme size. Interestingly, when migration is gametic, this rescaling of time increases the population mutation rate but does not affect the population recombination rate. We compare this to the case of a partially-selfing population, in which both mutation and recombination depend on the selfing rate. Our result for gametic migration holds both for finite-sized demes, and in the limit as the deme size goes to infinity. However, when migration occurs during the diploid phase of the life cycle and demes are finite in size, the population recombination rate does depend on the migration rate, in a way that is reminiscent of partial selfing. Simulations imply that convergence to a rescaled panmictic ancestral recombination graph occurs for any number of sites as the number of demes approaches infinity.


AIM
The aim of this study was to determine if oral administration of a non-absorbable anechoic solution conveys any benefit during abdominal ultrasound (US), with special reference to its accuracy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Fifty-three adult out-patients scheduled for small bowel barium enema (SBE) were included. The day before SBE all patients underwent abdominal US before and after oral administration of an isotonic non-absorbable electrolyte solution containing polyethylene glycol (PEG-ELS). Sensitivity and specificity were evaluated using SBE as a gold standard.

RESULTS
After ingestion of PEG-ELS satisfactory distension of the intestinal lumen was obtained (11-25 mm) with sequential visualization of jejunoileal loops in 30.9 +/- 17.3 min. In 15 out of 53 cases both US and SBE showed bowel changes characteristic of Crohn's disease. In three out of 53 cases both US and SBE showed neoplasms. In one out of 53 cases US was negative, SBE positive for local nodularity and ulcerations typical of Crohn's disease. In one out of 53 cases US was negative, SBE positive for macronodularity consistent with coeliac disease. In five out of 53 cases US was negative, while SBE was positive for mininodularity expressive of lymphoid hyperplasia. In 28 out of 53 cases both examinations were negative.

CONCLUSION
PEG-ELS administration allows a thorough US investigation of the small bowel, with fair sensitivity (72%) and excellent specificity (100%). False negative findings are mainly due to lymphoid hyperplasia, a feature of uncertain significance in adults.


We propose new nonparametric, consistent Renyi-α and Tsallis-α divergence estimators for continuous distributions. Given two independent and identically distributed samples, a "naive" approach would be to simply estimate the underlying densities and plug the estimated densities into the corresponding formulas. Our proposed estimators, in contrast, avoid density estimation completely, estimating the divergences directly using only simple k-nearest-neighbor statistics. We are nonetheless able to prove that the estimators are consistent under certain conditions. We also describe how to apply these estimators to mutual information and demonstrate their efficiency via numerical experiments.


Mutations in the OTC gene in 50 Japanese families with OTC deficiency were reviewed in relation to the phenotype of the patients and predicted structure of the mutant enzyme. Similar to other X-linked diseases, mutant alleles in OTC deficiency are highly heterogeneous. Mutations observed in male patients with neonatal onset of the disease included base insertion/deletion, exon skipping, and nonsense and missense mutations in exon 4, 5, 6, or 7. OTC activity was essentially undetectable in this group of patients. These mutations possibly resulted in unstable mRNA or truncated protein, or involved the active site or core domain of the enzyme leading to structural changes. In male patients with late onset, abnormalities observed were missense mutations in exons 2, 4, 8, 9, and 10, and missense mutations plus donor site errors involving exons 4, 5, and 6. OTC activity in these patients was 8.1 +/- 6.3% of the control and most mutations occurred on the surface of the protein. In female patients, age at onset ranged from 19 months to 7 years, depending on residual OTC activities (4.5 to 33% of the control). Most mutations in this group were similar to those seen in male patients with neonatal onset, i.e., nonsense and missense mutations in exons 5 and 6, and exon skipping, leading to null enzyme activity. These collective data can serve for genetic counseling and monitoring in prenatal care.


Between 1972 and 1975, exploratory laparotomies were carried out on 52 otherwise untreated patients with histologically verified Hodgkin's disease in stages I, II and III following lymphography. 84% of patients with negative lymphograms had histologically normal lymph nodes. 16% of negative lymphograms were shown to have to have histologically positive lymph nodes. Two out of eight patients diagnosed as positive on lymphography (25%) proved to be false positives caused by extensive lymph node involution. The diagnostic accuracy lymphography was therefore 83%. Surgical exploration was of value only in histologically positive cases. Post-operative control by means of lymphanigiography is essential for the evaluation of the course of Hodgkin's disease.


A technique is presented which is applicable to any uniform coupled open transmission lines such as coupled optical integrated circuits. The proposed technique is as follows. The electromagnetic fields of the wave propagating along a coupled line is expressed in terms of a linear combination of the fields associated with the individual lines, as a zero-order approximation. Inserting this trial field description into the variational expression for the propagation constant beta and applying the well-known Rayleigh-Ritz's procedure, accurate solutions for the propagation constants of the coupled lines are obtained. This method can be applied generally to analyze coupled structures in microwave, millimeter wave, and optical wave circuitry. As an illustrative example, the coupling between two optical transmission lines consisting of lens-like dielectric media has been analyzed by means of the proposed technique.


Mayday is a workbench for visualization, analysis and storage of microarray data. It features a graphical user interface and supports the development and integration of existing and new analysismethods. Besides the infrastructural core functionality, Mayday offers a variety of plug-ins, such as various interactive viewers, a connection to the R statistical environment, a connection to SQL-based databases and different data mining methods, includingWEKA-library basedmethods for classification and various clustering methods. In addition, so-called meta information objects are provided for annotation of the microarray data allowing integration of data from different sources, which is a feature that, for instance, is employed in the enhanced heatmap


The state of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) is deteriorating, and the environment is irrational in a way that has led to many businesses, especially SMEs, collapsing early in their existence. In this study, the survival of SMEs in the state of Anambra was examined in relation to ecological marketing. Descriptive survey methodology was used in the study. All SMEs in Anambra State make up the study's population, and 384 people were chosen for the sample through the use of a purposive sampling technique. As a result, respondents were asked to complete a structured questionnaire. Data analysis techniques used included multiple regression analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and Pearson's correlation. Technology, sociocultural factors, and economic factors all had a positive and significant impact on the study's findings regarding the survival of SMEs. However, in Anambra State, political factors have a significant and detrimental impact on SMEs' ability to survive. In light of this, the study came to the conclusion that ecological marketing significantly affects SMEs' ability to survive in Anambra State, Nigeria. Additionally, it claimed that businesses are on the verge of extinction if they don't recognise and act quickly on the new trends and problems in their environment. However, this study recommended strengthening the regulatory framework as well as providing adequate infrastructure facilities for SMEs to survive in Nigeria.


A new aliphatic enone, (17Z,20Z)-hexacosa-17,20-dien-9-one (3), and one new bisindole alkaloid, gangenoid (6), together with seven known compounds were isolated from the roots and aerial parts of Desmodium gangeticum (family: Leguminosae). All the compounds except 2 and 7 were isolated from this plant for the first time, which may be of chemotaxonomic importance. Structures of compounds 3 and 6 were determined on the basis of their detailed spectroscopic analyses (NMR, IR and mass). In addition, compounds 3 and 6 were investigated for their effects on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages for the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6.


A technique for unwrapping subsampled phase maps is presented. The subsampled phase map is obtained by standard phase-shifting methods that use subsampled interferograms. The technique then estimates the wrapped local curvature of the subsampled phase map. This local curvature is then low-pass filtered with a free-boundary low-pass filter to reduce phase noise. Finally the estimated local curvature of the wave front is integrated by the use of a least-squares technique to obtain the searched continuous wave front.


Abstract This paper examines the role of mechanical stratigraphy on the evolution of normal fault geometry and fault zone internal structure, using a well-exposed normal fault system from the Permian Lodève Basin, southern France. Faults formed early during the syn-deformation tilting history of the basin tend to have steeper segments in the competent sandstone layers due to refraction, assisted by pre-existing early bedding-perpendicular joints, where displacement remained on the order of bed thickness. Faults which continued to slip during tilting have a more complex structure of splays due both to the space incompatability problem of slip at fault bends of this irregular geometry, and because tilting favours the generation of new splays at a different angle to the earlier faults experiencing rotation. Continued deformation between faults and their splays often causes both distributed deformation in between the two, and reconnection of splays to the main fault forming isolated lenses. Thus, fault zone complexity increases greatly as slip exceeds competent bed thickness, owing both to the presence of the mechanical layering, and the fact that this layering is being tilted.


Direct measurements of proximal tubular fluid reabsorption have been employed to examine the possible renal site of action of oxytocin. In whole kidney studies the natriuresis and chloriuresis, which occurred during the period of oxytocin infusion, did not coincide with the associated diuresis. The latter reached a peak 10-20 min after hormone administration has ceased. The separation in the saliuretic and diuretic responses underlines the apparent independence of these actions of oxytocin on the renal handling of water and electrolytes. The disturbances in renal function were not related to any change in glomerular filtration rate (gfr) and an examination of single nephron function failed to detect any significant effect of oxytocin on proximal tubular reabsorption. The renal actions of oxytocin would therefore appear to emanate from altered tubular rather than glomerular function, though the present study provides no support for a proximal site of action.


ABSTRACT To understand the energy conversion activities of the anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria, it is necessary to identify the components involved in electron flow. The importance of the abundant type I tetraheme cytochrome c 3 (TpIc 3) as an electron carrier during sulfate respiration was questioned by the previous isolation of a null mutation in the gene encoding TpIc 3, cycA, in Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20. Whereas respiratory growth of the CycA mutant with lactate and sulfate was little affected, growth with pyruvate and sulfate was significantly impaired. We have explored the phenotype of the CycA mutant through physiological tests and transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. Data reported here show that electrons from pyruvate oxidation do not reach adenylyl sulfate reductase, the enzyme catalyzing the first redox reaction during sulfate reduction, in the absence of either CycA or the type I cytochrome c 3:menaquinone oxidoreductase transmembrane complex, QrcABCD. In contrast to the wild type, the CycA and QrcA mutants did not grow with H2 or formate and sulfate as the electron acceptor. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of the CycA mutant showed that transcripts and enzymes for the pathway from pyruvate to succinate were strongly decreased in the CycA mutant regardless of the growth mode. Neither the CycA nor the QrcA mutant grew on fumarate alone, consistent with the omics results and a redox regulation of gene expression. We conclude that TpIc 3 and the Qrc complex are D. alaskensis components essential for the transfer of electrons released in the periplasm to reach the cytoplasmic adenylyl sulfate reductase and present a model that may explain the CycA phenotype through confurcation of electrons.


OBJECTIVE Contraction of longitudinal and subendocardial myocardial muscle fibres is reflected in descent of the atrioventricular (AV) plane. The aim was therefore to determine whether β blocker treatment with prolongation of diastole might result in improved function as reflected by AV plane movements in patients with chronic heart failure. DESIGN Double blind, randomised, placebo controlled and open intervention study. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS Patients with congestive heart failure: placebo controlled (n = 26) and an open protocol (n = 15). INTERVENTIONS 12 months of metoprolol treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Short axis and long axis echocardiography, invasive haemodynamics, radionuclide angiography. RESULTS Recovery of systolic and diastolic function during metoprolol treatment was reflected by early changes in mean (SD) AV plane amplitude, from 5.3 (2.0)% to 7.1 (3.2)% and 7.8 (3.1)% (at 3 and 12 months, respectively; p < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, only the change in AV plane amplitude by three months was independently associated with improvement in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure by six months (r = 0.80, p = 0.017). Change in AV plane amplitude by three months was also a better predictor of improvement in ejection fraction by 12 months (r = 0.78, p < 0.001) than changes in radionuclide ejection fraction by three months (r = 0.34, p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS Improvement in longitudinal contraction was closely associated with a decrease in left ventricular filling pressure during metoprolol treatment. This association was stronger than changes in short axis performance or radionuclide ejection fraction, emphasising the importance of AV plane motion for left ventricular filling and systolic performance in patients with heart failure.


Although previous studies have examined the influence of education on support for redistribution, studies on how this social cleavage of support for redistribution due to education varies depending on several conditions are scarce. To fill this gap, by focusing on the discussions of motivation with self-interest and with the perception of fairness, this study examines the moderation effects of social and institutional trust on the association between education and the demand for redistribution. For the analysis, the present study utilizes pooled data from multiple rounds of the World Values Survey and the European Values Study and two-way fixed-effects models. Through the international comparative analysis, this analysis finds that social trust but not institutional trust dampens the cleavage of support for redistribution due to education. These results suggest that the horizontal aspect of trust may be more influential on preferences for redistribution than the vertical aspect of trust.


Introduction: Teenage pregnancy due to changing social condition, it's a important to study the implication
of the maternal and fetal health. It is a serious health problem, more so in developing countries like India.
Young mother and new born are at increased risk of anaemia, preeclampsia, increased rate of LSCS, PTVD,
LBW, prematurity, NICU care, RDS, sepsi, IUGR. Hence study is directed to identify the problems and
their outcome.
Aim and Objective: study the epidemiological aspects and clinical maternal outcome in teenage
pregnancy.
Materials and Methods: Teenage pregnant ladies between 18 to 20 years were taken up for the study.
100 cases were taken for the study at Index Medical College, Indore and compared with 100 cases of ad ult
women aged between 21 to 32 years. All the cases were included in the study, irrespective of their booking
and unbooking statuses after 28 weeks of pregnancy are taken.
Result: Among 100 cases of pregnancy, 67% of teenage mothers have varying grades of anaemia, 12% had
preterm deliveries, 1% women had preeclampsia, 3% had eclampsia. Among all of these 8.5% requiring
NICU care and 1% were perinatal death due to prematurity, respiratory distress, sepsis.
Conclusion: As teenage pregnancy is associated with high risk of anaemia, preeclampsia, eclampsia,
PTVD, high rate of LSCS, prematurity, low birth weight, perinatal death. It's important to reduce
the teenage pregnancy by improving the socioeconomic condition, education, public awareness, strict
implementation of law, good ANC care, nutrition, acess to contraceptive services, sex education.

Keywords: PTVD- preterm vaginal delivery, LSCS- lower segment caesarean section.


In recent years, obesity is highly prevalent and is related with increased risk of many diseases. The distribution of abdominal adipose tissue plays a major role to assess central obesity. The basic objective of this study is to develop a novel method for automatic segmentation of visceral adipose tissue(VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue(SAT) from abdominal Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) slices which is implemented in two steps. First, clustering of image is done to classify MR image into adipose tissue and non-adipose tissue. Second, after clustering the image, segmentation is done to separate VAT and SAT by a convolutional deep neural network. Sixty five MR images have been used in this study where deep learning techniquet have been adopted for the segmentation of VAT and SAT. The proposed and the manual measurements produced the Dice scores of 0.97 and 0.96 for SAT and VAT respectively. The experimental results show that the deep learning method produces better segmentation results with high accuracy.


Background The pedACR criteria are validated to analyse the response to a treatment but do not indicate the absolute disease activity nor the absolute improvement. This study correlates the JADAS 71 and 10 to the PedACR 30/50/70. Methods Data of the GERMAN BIKER-registry were used to compare the JADAS71 and -10 (Phy. global VAS 0–10cm, Par./pati. global VAS 0–10cm, Active joint count 0-71, Normalized ESR [ESR-20/10]) to the PedACR criteria. Results 7960 reports from 1470 JIA pts treated with Etanercept have been analysed. After 3 mths 75% of pts achieved a PedACR30. This number increased to 83% at mth 12 and remained stable thereafter. At mth 3, 45% of pts achieved a PedACR70. This number increased to 62% at mth 12. The median (range) JADAS71 decreased from 18 (0-85) to 4 (0-81) at mth 3, 3 (0-83) at month 6 and 3 (0-57) at month 12, the JADAS10 decreased from 17 (0-40) to 4 (0-35), 3 (0-35), and 3 (0-36). At patient-visits with a PedACR30 the median JADAS10 was 11 (0-29), for PedACR50 6 (0-26), for PedACR70 1 (0-19). In Patient-visit with a failure according to the PedACR the JADAS10 was 12 (0-37). The JADAS71 was 11 (0-49) for PedACR30 responses, 6 (0-47) for PedACR50, 1 (0-25) for PedACR70 response and 12 (0-84) for non-responders (figure). In pts not achieving PedACR30 the JADAS71 and the JADAS10 slightly decreased. In patients achieving a PedACR30/50/70 the JADAS71 decreased by 9.9, 12.3 and 16.7 points, while the JADAS10 decreased by 7.4, 10.0 and 14.9. 1116 (17%) pts achieved the prelim.criteria for inactive disease corresponding to a JADAS-score of 0. Conclusions The JADAS allows assessing of absolute disease activity and decreased corresponding to the PedACR. The change from baseline for each of the JADAS measures showed adequate ability to classify each of the PedACR accurately. Disclosure of Interest G. Horneff Grant/Research support from: Abbott, Pfizer, K. Minden Grant/Research support from: Pfizer, I. Foeldvari: None Declared


Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a group of antidepressants which when utilised in pregnancy are known to increase the risk of prematurity and neonatal abnormalities including persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, congenital defects and withdrawal symptoms. SSRIs are also known to prolong the QT interval in the electrocardiogram of adults, which can lead to sudden death, but limited data are available for neonates. This prospective case-controlled study therefore sought to examine whether there was an association between antenatal exposure to SSRIs and a prolonged QT interval on the electrocardiogram of term (37 weeks gestation or greater) neonates at 48- 72 hours of age. A group of neonates who were exposed to SSRIs in utero received an electrocardiogram at 48-72 hours old (case group). They were compared with healthy neonates whose mothers did not take SSRIs in pregnancy, but who were still in hospital at 48-72 hours (control group). Of the 43 case neonates and 45 control neonates who had an electrocardiogram (ECG), all had a normal QT interval when screened at 48-72 hours old. Most of the women who used antenatal SSRIs were being treated for depression and/or anxiety with sertraline being the most commonly used SSRI. No association was found between antenatal exposure to SSRIs and a prolonged QT interval in term neonates when assessed at 48-72 hours old, however the study was underpowered, and the result should be interpreted with caution. Based on these findings, there is no justification to change practice and implement an ECG screening programme as part of postnatal care for SSRI exposed neonates. Further research may be considered, but based on this study's feasibility would not be warranted within the current fiscal climate of the NHS


In this work we propose a method to quantify written signatures from digitalized images based on the use of Elliptical Fourier Descriptors (EFD). As usually signatures are not represented as a closed contour, and being that a necessary condition in order to apply EFD, we have developed a method that represents the signatures by means of a set of closed contours. One of the advantages of this method is that it can reconstruct the original shape from all the coefficients, or an approximated shape from a reduced set of them finding the appropriate number of EFD coefficients required for preserving the important information in each application. EFD provides accurate frequency information, thus the use of EFD opens many possibilities. The method can be extended to represent other kind of shapes.


The modification of AV conduction induced by 4 mg b.i.d. of lacidipine (L), a new calcium antagonist, was assessed by studying the changes in ventricular rhythm in 10 patients with stable chronic atrial fibrillation (mean age 71 +/- 15) by daily Holter recordings. The study was single blind versus placebo (P), nifedipine (N) 10 mg b.i.d. and for five patients diltiazem (D) 120 mg b.i.d. Five or seven consecutive 24 hours Holter were recorded in the following order: P, P, N or L, P, N or L, D, D. For each hour, an RR histogram was drawn and the 10 per cent and 90 per cent values of the cumulative cycle length curve were computed, as were the total number of QRS, and the mean value of RR intervals. The correlation coefficient between the number of QRS from the same hour on different days, the Student t test between the mean hourly RR interval values and the comparison between the histograms did not demonstrate a significant difference between the placebo, the nifedipine and the lacidipine periods. The only significant changes were induced by diltiazem (p less than 0.01), with a significant prolongation of the RR intervals. This suggests that lacidipine, like nifedipine, has no effect on AV conduction.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Background: Current treatment of colorectal cancer patients is solely based on TNM stage. Biomarkers to further refine this staging system are warranted. Tumor aggressiveness might be related to the number of cancer hallmarks possessed by a tumor. Expression level of a specific biomarker may represent gain of those cancer hallmarks represented by this marker. Combining such biomarkers might add to needed discriminative value and biological- and clinical significance. We therefore investigated combined expression of Aldh1, Survivin and EpCAM, which together reflect the main cancer hallmarks, in relation to clinical outcome of colorectal cancer patients.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed using a tumor tissue micro array of colorectal cancer patients (N=410). Percentage of cells positive for individual markers was scored. Patients were divided into groups based on median expression. Individual markers and their combination were assessed for associations with overall survival, disease specific survival and recurrence free survival. Complete covariate- and marker expression data were available for 249 patients (study cohort) for uni- and multivariate survival analysis, performed with automated stepwise backward Cox regression.

Results: In single marker analyses, increased expression of Aldh1 and Survivin, and decreased expression of EpCAM was associated with poor clinical outcome in colorectal cancer, and designated clinically unfavorable marker expression. Based on these results, the three biomarkers were combined into four groups (groups 0, I, II and III). Group number represented the number of markers that showed unfavorable expression in the tumor. Reference group 0 contained patients with favorable marker expression for all markers. Group I, group II and group III contained patients with unfavorable marker expression of respectively one, two or three of the markers. No correlation with clinicopathological parameters was found. Combined expression of all three markers (Group I / Group II / Group III, compared to Group 0) was shown to be a strong independent prognostic factor of tumor recurrence rates and patient survival in the multivariate analyses: overall survival (HR= 1.33 / 2.05 / 5.39, P< 0.001), disease specific survival (HR= 2.39 / 4.54 / 12.18, P< 0.001) and recurrence free survival (HR= 2.35 / 5.18 / 12.90, P< 0.001). Increase in group number was associated with higher hazard ratios, indicating that gain of cancer hallmarks was associated with more aggressive tumors.

Discussion: Our data demonstrated that combined expression level of Aldh1, Survivin and EpCAM, together representing the main cancer hallmarks, reflected tumor aggressiveness and hence predicted survival and recurrence in colorectal cancer patients. Including the analysis of these biomarkers may therefore complement the current TNM staging system.

Citation Format: Ines Goossens-Beumer, Eliane Zeestraten, Anne Benard, Tim Christen, Marlies Reimers, Rob Keijzer, Gerrit-Jan Liefers, Hans Morreau, Hein Putter, Cornelis van de Velde, Peter Kuppen. Combined analysis of Aldh1, Survivin and EpCAM expression, representing important hallmarks of cancer, predicts clinical prognosis in colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4690. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4690


Theoretical investigations of the dynamics of the sunlight initiated dehydration of sulfuric acid are performed under atmospheric conditions. The relevant time scales for collisional deactivation and for vibrational fluorescence, which may compete with sulfuric acid dehydration in the upper stratosphere and the mesosphere are evaluated to provide a realistic quantum yield consistent with spectroscopic and theoretical results. The results obtained allow evaluation of the J values for this photochemical reaction in the atmosphere. At the higher altitudes of the upper stratosphere and the mesosphere the J values obtained are sufficiently large to satisfy model requirements and explain field observations of SO2 vertical profiles and the concentration of condensation nuclei in the stratosphere for air of recent polar origin.


Further elaborations/checks on earlier experiments confirm the existence of the aqua ion product obtained on reacting [Mo3S4(H2O)9]4+ with Pb metal as the corner-shared double cube, Mo6PbS88+, and not the single cube, Mo3PbS44+.


Refugees in the destination countries might have some risks including lack of water supply. Nigeria as one of the destination countries for people of concern (PoCs) including refugees also faced the lack of access to water supply, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the factors related to reduced access to water supply in refugee camps in Nigeria during COVID-19 pandemic. This study used the secondary data available from UNHCR in Nigeria 2020. The survey used disproportionate stratified random sampling. After data cleaning, the data from 4,016 households were examined in this study. The interview has been done using the computer-assisted telephone interview. The factors related to the reduced access to water supply were living in Adamawa, Benue, Ogun, Taraba, Yobe, and Borne states, coming from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Syria, having household member 6-15 persons, having household income 41,000- 60,000 Naira per month, and had low awareness about COVID-19. The demographic and economic factors were the most significantly related to reduced access to the water supply.


Background: TNBC is a heterogenous group of tumors for some of which the Epithelial Growth Factor Receptor pathway (EGFR) may play an important role. We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of an anti-EGFR antibody (cetuximab) combined with docetaxel, which were given to the TNBC patients (pts) in the neoadjuvant setting. A biomarker analysis accompanied this trial, aiming to identify predictors of response. Methods: 35 patients with stage II-IIIA TN breast disease were prospectively included in this multicentre pilot study. Systemic therapy (ST) consisted of 6 cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m 2 ) each 3 weeks, in combination with weekly cetuximab (first dose 400mg/m 2 then 250 mg/m 2 /week) for 6 cycles. All patients underwent surgery at completion of ST. Patient characteristics : mean age 48 [28-67]; TNM: T1: 3%, T2: 73%, T3: 24%; N0: 61%, N1-N2: 39%; mean tumor size 40 mm [15-100]; SBR: grade III: 73%, grade II: 27%. The median number of cycles was for docetaxel 6 [1-6] and for cetuximab 15 [1-18]. Pathological complete response (pCR) rate was 24% according to the Chevallier and Sataloff classifications; 28% if we consider breast pCR only. Overall clinical response rate was 57% (22% CR). Conservative surgery was performed in 75% of cases. The main side effect was skin toxicity: grade II: 39%, grade III: 36%, grade IV: 3%. Other side effects were: neutropenia grade IV: 12.7%, febrile neutropenia: 1.3%, hand-foot syndrome grade III: 3%, grade II: 3%, ungueal toxicity grade III: 3%, grade II: 33%. Paraffin-embedded and frozen samples were systematically collected before and after ST for biomarker studies. Germinal BRCA1 mutations and EGFR, KRAS, BRAF and PI3KCA somatic mutations were analyzed by NGS. EGFR, MET, cytokeratins 5/6 and 8/18, PTEN, P-cadherin, ALDH1, Ki67, p53 and the number of FOXP3+ or CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: The biomarker analysis was interpretable on the samples from 21 pts (3 pCR and 18 non-pCR). We applied the ROC curve to identify the best cut-off value for Ki67, EGFR, MET, cytokeratin 5/6 and 8/18, p53, ALDH1, PTEN, P-cadherin and the FOXP3+ or CD8+ TIL counts. None of these biomarkers was predictive of pCR except for the CD8+/FOXP3+ TIL count ratio. pCR rate was higher in the pts with the ratio equal or higher than 2.75 than in the others (43% versus 0%, p = 0.047). BRCA1 mutations were detected in 16% of pts. PI3K and EGFR somatic mutations were observed in 1 and 3 patients, respectively. The presence of the mutations was not predictive of pCR. Conclusion: Similarly to the previously reported trial by our group (SABCS 2012, abstract 1081), the immune component of the tumor microenvironment plays a very important role in the TNBC response to cytotoxic therapy. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P1-08-34.


A microwave system was designed and constructed which provides controlled, localized hyperthermia in the tumors of four experimental animals. The components of the system are a 2.45-GHz microwave source, a four-way power-dividing network and reflected power monitor, a temperature-controlled microwave power regulator, and small direct-contact microwave applicators. Adjustment of the temprature control results in elevated temperatures in the centers of tumors which can be maintained to within /spl plusmn/ 0.1/spl deg/C without production of significant whole body hyperthermia.The temperatures at the edges of the locally heated tumors were found to vary within /spl plusmn/1.0/spl deg/C of the center temperature. The system is currently being used to evaluate the therapeutic potential of sustained Iocalized hyperthermia in small tumors implanted subcutaneously in mice.


Increased frequency of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) predicts shortened survival of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), suggesting their protumoral role in the disease. In vitro, malignant cells of cHL (Reed-Sternberg cells, RS) produce humoral factors that convert macrophages into TAMs capable of suppressing T-cell proliferation and exhibiting matrix remodeling activity that fosters lymphoma cell dissemination. Despite these features, phenotype and tumor-supportive activities of cHL-TAMs still remain to be elucidated. Herein, using an in vitro model of cHL-TAMs (RS-conditioned macrophages; RS-M), we provide more comprehensive insights into the biology of macrophages in cHL.
 To confirm the ability of RS cells to polarize macrophages, THP1 cells and donor-derived CD14+ monocytes were first differentiated into M0 macrophages(Mϕ-0) using PMA and CSF-1, respectively. Obtained Mϕ-0 were nest cocultured for five days with L428 or L1236 RS cells under conditions prohibiting direct contacts (transwell system) and the expression of established M1/M2 polarization markers was assessed by flow cytometry. In comparison to control Mϕ-0, RS-M (L428- and L1236-conditioned: L428-M and L1236-M) exhibited increased surface levels of PD-L1 and M2-associated markers: CD163, CD206 and CD209, but failed to induce M1-specific expression of HLA-DR, indicating that RS cells alter macrophage phenotype in a paracrine manner. Next, using phospho-protein kinase arrays, we studied RS cell-triggered intracellular signaling in conditioned macrophages (L1236-M). In comparison to Mϕ-0, L1236-M exhibited increased phosphorylation levels of M2-specific transcription factors (TFs) and signaling intermediates (CREB1, AKT, STAT-3/6), M1/M2 TF cJun, but also exhibited elevated activity of the M1-specific STAT1 TF. To determine whether M1/M2 states exist within RS-M, we profiled transcriptomes of THP1 and CD14+-derived Mϕ-0 and RS-M by RNAseq, and performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) using known M1/M2-macrophage signatures. Surprisingly, RS-M showed enrichment for both M1- and M2-signatures, indicating that RS-M phenotype is more complex and cannot be unequivocally classified as M1 or M2 state. Consistent with the transcriptional profiles of RS-M, THP1-derived L1236-M exhibited both enhanced glycolysis (typical for M1 macrophages) and oxidative phosphorylation (typical for M2). To look for genes and processes overrepresented in RS-M, we performed Gene Ontology Enrichment analysis, and found that THP1- and CD14+-derived RS-M similarly induced expression of genes involved in chemotaxis/immunomodulation (CCLs: 2, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18 and 24), extracellular matrix organization (TGM2 and MMP-1, -7, -9 and -12), T cell repression (PD-L1) and angiogenesis (VEGFA, PDGFB, TIMP1, CHI3L1 and -2). Consistently, THP-1-derived L1236-M secreted higher levels of CCL-2, -5, -7 and -17, VEGF and CHI3L1 than Mϕ-0, as determined using cytokine arrays. Furthermore, L1236-M produced additional pro-angiogenic factors, Angiogenin and IL8, suggesting that cHL-TAMs support tumor growth by fostering angiogenesis. To verify this hypothesis, we incubated HUVEC endothelial cells in medium supplemented with VEGFA (10ng/ml), or THP1-derived Mϕ-0- or L1236-M-conditioned media and assessed blood vessel formation in a matrigel assay. In comparison to HUVEC cells grown in Mϕ-0-conditioned medium, addition of VEGFA (10ng/ml) increased number of master junctions by 169%, whereas L1236-M-conditioned medium by 187%, indicating that RS cells induce pro-angiogenic function in macrophages.
 Together, our data indicate that RS cells determine TAM phenotype in a paracrine manner. Proteomic, transcriptional and metabolic profiles of the in vitro-generated cHL-conditioned TAMs indicate that these macrophages cannot be categorized into one of the two extreme M1/M2 polarization states. On the contrary, our data identify unique and disease-specific phenotype of cHL-TAMs, characterized by elevated expression of molecules involved in the recruitment and modulation of immune cell function, T-cell suppression, extracellular matrix remodeling and angiogenesis.
 Study supported by National Centre of Science Poland grants: 2017/26/D/NZ5/00561, 2016/22/M/NZ5/00668 and 2018/31/N/NZ5/03214

 Zaucha: Cellgene: Other: travel, accomodations, expenses; Abbvie: Honoraria; Sandoz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accomodations, expenses; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accomodations, expenses; BMS: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy. Juszczynski:Ryvu Therapeutics: Other: member of advisory board.


Slices of livers from neonatal, 7-day-old and adult rats were fixed in osmium tetroxide or a formaldehyde-osmium tetroxide sequence and processed for electron microscopy. Mitochondria from neonatal hepatic parenchymal cells are pleomorphic. Disc-shaped forms are common. In 7-day-old animals, cylinders are the most numerous single form, discs are present but smaller, and spherical forms increase in number. In the adult, mitochondria are predominantly cylindrical in form. The average volume of neonatal mitochondria is greater than that of 7-day-old or adult mitochondria.


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of human mortality and morbidity, which can induce serious neurological damage. At present, clinical treatments for neurological dysfunction after TBI include hyperbaric oxygen, brain stimulation and behavioral therapy, but the therapeutic effect is not satisfactory. Recent studies have found that exogenous stem cells can migrate to damaged brain tissue, then participate in the repair of damaged brain tissue by further differentiation to replace damaged cells, while releasing anti-inflammatory factors and growth factors, thereby significantly improving neurological function. This article will mainly review the effects, deficiencies and related mechanisms of different types of stem cells in TBI.


We build a general theory for characterizing the computational complexity of motion planning of robot(s) through a graph of "gadgets", where each gadget has its own state defining a set of allowed traversals which in turn modify the gadget's state. We study two families of such gadgets, one which naturally leads to motion planning problems with polynomially bounded solutions, and another which leads to polynomially unbounded (potentially exponential) solutions. We also study a range of competitive game-theoretic scenarios, from one player controlling one robot to teams of players each controlling their own robot and racing to achieve their team's goal. Under small restrictions on these gadgets, we fully characterize the complexity of bounded 1-player motion planning (NL vs. NP-complete), unbounded 1-player motion planning (NL vs. PSPACE-complete), and bounded 2-player motion planning (P vs. PSPACE-complete), and we partially characterize the complexity of unbounded 2-player motion planning (P vs. EXPTIME-complete), bounded 2-team motion planning (P vs. NEXPTIME-complete), and unbounded 2-team motion planning (P vs. undecidable). These results can be seen as an alternative to Constraint Logic (which has already proved useful as a basis for hardness reductions), providing a wide variety of agent-based gadgets, any one of which suffices to prove a problem hard.


Universities are increasingly recognised as key actors in the knowledge-based urban development process, occupying a crucial role of knowledge creators and transmitters. This paper takes a critical view of these roles and reviews the extant literature to present a synopsis of relevant work examining universities and open innovation, the uncertainties involved in the process of knowledge transfer, and the spatial scope of university-industry links. The paper proposes a number of areas for future development: understanding the heterogeneity of universities and how this influences their potential roles in knowledge-based urban development; a better understanding of how uncertainties in the partner selection process may prevent efficient university-industry collaboration to promote knowledge-based urban development; further exploration of the micro-level processes involved in knowledge transfer between universities and firms; and a broader understanding of the roles of proximities in facilitating these links.


Sixteen isolates belonging to Fusarium chlamydosporum (n = 4), Fusarium equiseti (n = 1), Fusarium moniliforme (n = 2), Fusarium oxysporum (n = 3), Fusarium proliferatum (n = 1), and Fusarium solani (n = 5) were tested against amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, JAI-amphotericin B (water-soluble compound), hamycin and amphotericin B combined with 5-fluorocytosine, using antibiotic medium M3, high-resolution broth (pH 7.1), Sabouraud's dextrose, and yeast-nitrogen broth media (1 ml/tube). The minimal inhibitory and minimal fungicidal concentrations of 5-fluorocytosine and fluconazole for all species were > 100 micrograms/ml. All Fusarium isolates, except F. equiseti (3.125 micrograms), gave minimal inhibitory concentrations of 12.5-100 micrograms/ml for hamycin. The values for amphotericin B, itraconazole, ketoconazole, JAI-amphotericin B, and amphotericin B combined with 5-fluorocytosine were 1.56-100, 0.78-50, 3.125-100,50-100, and 1.56 to > 100 micrograms/ml, respectively. Although a wide range of minimal inhibitory concentrations was recorded for most of the isolates studied, it appears that some--F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. chlamydosporum, F. equiseti, and F. moliniforme--were more susceptible to amphotericin B, itraconazole, ketoconazole, hamycin, and amphotericin B in the presence of 5-fluorocytosine. All isolates showed resistance to 5-fluorocytosine and fluconazole. The minimal fungicidal concentrations were either the same or several times higher than the minimal inhibitory concentrations.


In contrast to optical imagery, modern high resolution IFSAR sensors deliver intensity images and corresponding interferometric height and coherence data from a single flight path at pixel sizes of 30 cm to 10 cm. Due to the all-weather, day-night applicability of SAR sensors, multiple views over short time can be easily obtained. However, many image users find it difficult to "read" radar images. They differ from the natural human visual impression and the familiar analogy communicated by optical imagery. The goal of our work is to convert radar data into models of the terrain and render those models in analogy to the optical sensing approach that the human visual system represents. Therefore intelligent combinations of multiple views and measurements from all IFSAR data sources available are necessary to help to overcome problems inherent in the SAR data as e.g., blur, speckle, layover and shadow. Using basic image analysis methods we present in this paper our first fully automated approach to separate buildings from other objects in an IFSAR dataset. The building shapes are reconstructed using a simple building model and the results are compared to measurements made from optical imagery.


The field ionization thresholds of n=17,|m|=0, 1 Stark states of Sr atoms have been investigated by two-step excitation using ππ, πσ polarized lasers and both uniform and pulse electric fields. The results showed, contrary to the hydrogen's, higher-energy states generally have lower ionization thresholds, and that the|m|=0, 1 Sr atoms exhibit partly adiabatic behavior at several avoided crossings in the passage to ionization.


PURPOSE
To report on 5-year multimodal imaging of ocular findings in a patient with thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia.

METHODS
Observational case report.

RESULTS
A 20-year-old-man with a history of thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia demonstrated a symmetric bull's eye maculopathy. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography revealed disruption of the parafoveal ellipsoid zone, fundus autofluorescence demonstrated foveal hypoautofluorescence, and full-field electroretinogram testing revealed a decreased photopic and scotopic response consistent with cone-rod dystrophy. His best-corrected visual acuity remained stable over 5 years at 20/50 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left eye, and visual field testing remained stable over time.

CONCLUSION
Ocular manifestations in thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia are uncommon and variable. In this case, multimodal imaging and electroretinogram findings are consistent with cone-rod degeneration. The patient is taking daily thiamine supplementation, and visual acuity, funduscopic examination, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and autofluorescence remained stable over a 5-year period.


CONCLUSION
The rate of growth of a papillary-cystic tumor of the pancreas seemed to be enhanced by the concurrence of pregnancy. Progesterone receptors in the tumor were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and by molecular biology methods.

BACKGROUND
Papillary cystic tumor of the pancreas is extremely rare, occurring predominantly young females. Owing to the low frequency of the tumor, there is scarce information about the conditions that promote tumor growth.

METHODS
In this report, we present the temporal association between very rapid growth of a papillary-cystic neoplasm and pregnancy. Clinicopathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular biology analyses were performed.

RESULTS
A 21-yr-old woman was admitted because of recurrent epigastric abdominal pain associated with episodes of nausea and vomiting, and a history of an abdominal tumor of about 50 mm near the head of the pancreas, detected by ultrasound. On admission the patient had a flat, nontender abdomen without palpable masses. Laboratory analysis including hematologic and hepatic tests were strictly normal; only CA 19-9 (42 U/mL, normal 37 U/mL) was above normal values. One week after admission, an abdominal computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan revealed an 81.6-mm cystic mass localized in the head of the pancreas, and 1 wk later, in a laparotomy, a papillary-cystic neoplasm of 120 mm, limited to the head of the pancreas, was found. Three months later, in a routine follow-up visit, an 18-wk pregnancy was clinically diagnosed and confirmed by ultrasound exploration. The pregnancy continued without complications, and a normal male infant (3.7 kg) was born at 39 wk of gestation, by vaginal delivery. Eighteen months after tumor resection, the patient was asymptomatic and her child was in good health. We propose that progesterone affects tumor growth.


Purpose In 2005, the Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia (CCPPZ) was implemented and has since provided cervical cancer screen-and-treat services to more than 500,000 women. By leveraging the successes and experiences of the CCPPZ, we intended to build capacity for the early detection and surgical treatment of breast cancer. Methods Our initiative sought to build capacity for breast cancer care through the (1) formation of a breast cancer advocacy alliance to raise awareness, (2) creation of resource-appropriate breast cancer care training curricula for mid- and high-level providers, and (3) implementation of early detection and treatment capacity within two major health care facilities. Results Six months after the completion of the initiative, the following outcomes were documented: Breast health education and clinical breast examination (CBE) services were successfully integrated into the service platforms of four CCPPZ clinics. Two new breast diagnostic centers were opened, which provided access to breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy, and needle aspiration. Breast health education and CBE were provided to 1,955 clients, 167 of whom were evaluated at the two diagnostic centers; 55 of those evaluated underwent core-needle biopsy, of which 17 were diagnosed with invasive cancer. Newly trained surgeons performed six sentinel lymph node mappings, eight sentinel lymph node dissections, and 10 breast conservation surgeries (lumpectomies). Conclusion This initiative successfully established clinical services in Zambia that are critical for the early detection and surgical management of breast cancer.


The ability to accurately identify human activities is essential for developing automatic rehabilitation and sports training systems. In this paper, large-scale exercise motion data obtained from a forearm-worn wearable sensor are classified with a convolutional neural network (CNN). Time-series data consisting of accelerometer and orientation measurements are formatted as images, allowing the CNN to automatically extract discriminative features. A comparative study on the effects of image formatting and different CNN architectures is also presented. The best performing configuration classifies 50 gym exercises with 92.1% accuracy.


ABSTRACT Purpose: to evaluate the nutritional status associated with dysphagia, and compare the calorie and protein intake of dysphagic elderly patients to that of non dysphagic ones, during hospitalization. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study with elderly people ranging from 60 to 80 years old admitted as inpatients in a medical and neurological clinic of a public hospital. They formed two groups, according to the presence of dysphagia: dysphagic and non dysphagic ones. The inclusion criteria were: dysphagia secondary to stroke and exclusive oral feeding. Anthropometric measurements and the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were applied. The 24-hour recall was used to analyze food consumption. The statistical analysis used the Fisher's exact test for the association of variables, and the Mann-Whitney test, for their comparison. Results: a total of 12 elderly people participated, whose mean age was 70.50 ± 7.77 years in the dysphagia group (n = 6), and 72.67 ± 5.01 years in the non dysphagia group (n = 6).There was an association between the presence of dysphagia and the risk of malnutrition, according to MNA (p = 0.028). No significant difference in calorie and protein intake was seen between the groups. The group with dysphagia had a lower water intake as compared to the non dysphagia group (p = 0.045). Conclusion: dysphagia was associated with the risk of malnutrition and lower fluid intake in dysphagic patients, thus, increasing their risk of dehydration.


Background: Diarrhoeal disease still remains one of the common causes of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years of age. It is caused notably by the different serotypes of rotavirus. Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence and risk factors for rotavirus diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age seen at Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, and to determine the different serotypes and their relationship with diarrhoea severity. Subjects and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study in which all children under 5 years of age, with diarrhoea had their stool samples tested for rotavirus antigen with enzyme immunoassay. Significant values of variables were determined using t-tests and Chi-square tests as appropriate. Results: One hundred and thirty-two children were studied: 52.3% were males and 46.7% were females. Children 1-11 months of age constitute 49.2%, whereas those 12-59 months were 50.8%. Only 49 (37.1%) children were ELISA positive for rotavirus and of this number, 31 (63.3%) were within 1-11 months of age, P = 0.013. The three most common rotavirus genotypes were G3P[6] in 24.5%, G1P[6] in 12.2% and G12P[8] in 10.2% of the samples, respectively. Duration of vomiting was more prolonged with G3P[6] infection, P = 0.029, whereas dehydration and the overall severity of the diarrhoea were more with G12P[8] infection, P = 0.026 and 0.010, respectively. Conclusion: The emerging G12 rotavirus genotype was isolated in Asaba.


Background Cognitive assessment tools developed for use on personal electronic devices can allow convenient collection of large amounts of cognitive data. This methodology is novel in HD and validation must proceed before large scale implementation. Aims We aim to demonstrate discriminant and concurrent validity of our cognitive assessment methodology that involves participants utilising a smartphone app to self-administer cognitive tasks in their home environment. Methods We developed a smartphone app for iOS and Android, which includes informed consent, prompts through study procedures, and two cognitive tasks. We are using the app in a HD study, with currently, n=21; pre-symptomatic=17, symptomatic=4, HD participants, and n=18 control participants, across an eight-day period including self-administration of cognitive tasks (speeded tapping and a visual memory task) on day 1, 4, and 8. ENROLL-HD cognitive data are available for a subset of HD participants (n=11; pre-symptomatic=7, symptomatic=4). Groups were compared on app-based cognitive tasks to assess discriminant validity. For our HD subsample with ENROLL data, app-based and ENROLL cognitive tasks were compared to assess concurrent validity. Results Tapping speed of the HD group was significantly slower than the control group (p=0.013, d=0.83) as was their response time on the visual memory task (p=0.018, d=0.82). Visual memory performance was similar between the two groups. Greater speeded tapping performance and visual memory performance correlated significantly with greater ENROLL HD Symbol Digit Modality Test and verbal fluency performance (Pearson's r values ranged from.61 – 0.88, p-values from 0.001 to 0.046). Conclusions Current results with a HD sample indicate both promising concurrent and discriminant validity properties of our remote-phone-based cognitive assessment methodology. All participants have completed all tasks, indicating sound usability and acceptability of the app.


Context (Background): Imiquimod (IMQ) 5% cream is an immunomodulatory and antitumorigenic agent, which was used as a topical treatment regimen, who had periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Aim: This study aims to present three cases with large BCC at the medial canthal area treated with IMQ 5% cream. Materials and Methods: IMQ 5% cream was used in three patients with ages 45, 49, and 73 who preferred medical treatment over surgery. Following incisional biopsy IMQ cream was used once a day, 5 times a week and the patients were followed up weekly during 12 week treatment period and monthly after the clearance of the lesion. Results: Erythema and erosion on the surface of the lesion, injection of conjunctiva, burning and itching sensation, epiphora and punctate keratitis were seen in all patients during the treatment period. The ophthalmic side effects could be managed by topical lubricating eye drops and the inflammatory reactions resolved within 1 month after cessation of therapy. The patients were followed up for at least 3 years without tumor recurrence and the biopsies taken from the suspected area were found to be tumor free. Conclusion: Surgical excision of carcinoma of the eyelid at medial canthal area can be difficult without causing damage to the lacrimal system and reconstruction of the defect may need grafts or flaps. IMQ may provide an alternative therapy to surgery in certain cases.


The scaled potentials were used to discuss the vibrational quantum defects of alkali-halide molecules by using the fully quantal Milne equation method and the quasiclassical Wentzell-Kramers-Brillouin approximation. This allowed us to obtain a universal function and its limit value for the charge-transfer states of different alkali-halide molecules.


Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) are widely used to explore aqueous environment. In UWSN, determining the location of sensor nodes is a critical issue. Sensed data is meaningful only when sensing node is localized. There are many techniques available for localization in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) but they are not applicable in UWSN. GPS signals cannot be used underwater for localization. Underwater communication is based on acoustic waves. This paper explores the different localization schemes available for UWSN and challenges to meet the localization issue. Node mobility, high propagation delay, time synchronization and high bit error rate are the main challenges that need to be addressed. KeywordsUnderwater Wireless Sensor Network, Localization, Acoustic Communication.


INTRODUCTION
Giardia doudenalis infection remains an important public health problem worldwide, as well as in Colombia. This infection is associated with poverty and lack of public services.

OBJECTIVE
The study was designed to describe prevalence trends of Giardia duodenalis infections in preschool and school-age children from the village of La Virgen, Quipile, Cundinamarca, and its possible association with socioeconomic variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Three cross-sectional studies were undertaken in 1995, 2001 and 2005. In each, a non-random sample was selected among children aged <1 to 15 years. Fecal samples were collected for direct examination in order to determine G. duodenalis infection and other intestinal parasites. During the 2005 survey information was collected concerning the sociodemographic and economic conditions in each family group from which a child was sampled.

RESULTS
The prevalence of G. duodenalis infection did not change significantly during the study period-13.6% in 1995, 12.8% in 2001 and 15.2% in 2005. These results suggested that belonging to the subsidized health care regime was associated with G. duodenalis infection (prevalence rate [PR]: 4.47; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.6-32.0), not having water supply (PR 2.6; 95% CI 1.1-6.0) and involvement in agricultural activities (PR 2.5; 95% CI 1.0-6.4).

CONCLUSION
Giardiasis is a continuing public health problem at La Virgen. As long as the environmental and socioeconomic factors associated with infection persist, this intestinal protozoan infection will not be controlled.


Abstract: In this article, we present an educational intervention that embeds ethics education within research laboratories. This structure is designed to assist students in addressing ethical challenges in a more informed way, and to improve the overall ethical culture of research environments. The project seeks (a) to identify factors that students and researchers consider relevant to ethical conduct in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and (b) to promote the cultivation of an ethical culture in experimental laboratories by integrating research stakeholders in a bottom-up approach to developing context-specific, ethics-based guidelines. An important assumption behind this approach is that direct involvement in the process of developing laboratory specific ethical guidelines will positively influence researchers' understanding of ethical research and practice issues, their handling of these issues, and the promotion of an ethical culture in the respective laboratory. The active involvement may increase the sense of ownership and integration of further discussion on these important topics. Based on the project experiences, the project team seeks to develop a module involving the bottom-up building of codes-of-ethics-based guidelines that can be used by a broad range of institutions and that will be distributed widely.


The high prevalence of obesity in children may increase the magnitude of lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease (CD). At present, explicit data for recommending biomarkers as routine pre-clinical markers of CD in children are lacking. C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is assuming increasing importance in CD; in adults with heart failure, its plasma levels are related to clinical and functional disease severity. We have previously reported five different reference intervals for blood CNP as a function of age in healthy children; however, data on plasma CNP levels in obese children are still lacking. Aim of this study was to assess CNP levels in obese adolescents and verify whether they differ from healthy subjects. Plasma CNP was measured in 29 obese adolescents (age: 11.8 ± 0.4 years; BMI: 29.8 ± 0.82) by radioimmunoassay and compared with the reference values of healthy subjects. BNP was also measured. Both plasma CNP and BNP levels were significantly lower in the obese adolescents compared to the appropriate reference values (CNP: 3.4 ± 0.2 vs 13.6 ± 2.3 pg/ml, p < 0.0001; BNP: 18.8 ± 2.6 vs 36.9 ± 5.5 pg/ml, p = 0.003). There was no significant difference between CNP values in males and females. As reported in adults, we observed lower plasma CNP and BNP levels in obese children, suggesting a defective natriuretic peptide system in these patients. An altered regulation of production, clearance and function of natriuretic peptides, already operating in obese adolescents, may possibly contribute to the future development of CD. Thus, the availability of drugs promoting the action of natriuretic peptides may represent an attractive therapeutic option to prevent CD.


Cage roll-forming has been widely used in pipe production,considering the complexity of cage roll-forming process of high frequency welding(HFW) pipes,which involves large deflection and nonlinearity,in order to understand the deformation process better,a large deformation elastic-plastic finite element model of the pre-forming section of Φ508mm welded pipe cage forming mill was established and simulated through adopting dynamic explicit algorithm. The distribution of effective plastic strain and the deformed geometry of the strip at the pre-forming section were obtained,and the accuracy of simulation was validated through the measurements. The simulation results show that at the pre-forming section the biggest effective plastic strain occurs at the center of strip and the strip edge.


The role of uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cells for osteoarthritis treatment remains unclear despite sporadic reports supporting their use in clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of autologous uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cell transplantation in a rabbit osteoarthritis model. Uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cells isolated from rabbits were administered via intra‐articular injection into the knees after osteoarthritis onset. Animals were sacrificed at 8 and 12 weeks after osteoarthritis onset to compare the macroscopic, histological, and immunohistochemical characteristics between the uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cell and control groups. Co‐culture assay was also performed. The chondrocytes isolated from the model were co‐cultured with adipose‐derived stromal cells. The cell viability of chondrocytes and expression of chondrocyte‐specific genes in the co‐culture (uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cell) group were compared with the mono‐culture (control; chondrocytes only) group. In macroscopic and histological analyses, the uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cell group showed less damage to the cartilage surface than the control group at 8 and 12 weeks after osteoarthritis onset. In immunohistochemical and co‐culture assay, the uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cell group showed higher expression of collagen type II and SRY box‐9 and lower expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐13 than the control group. The cell viability of chondrocytes in the uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cell group was higher than that in the control group. Intra‐articular autologous uncultured adipose‐derived stromal cell transplantation inhibited the progression of cartilage degeneration in a rabbit osteoarthritis model by regulating chondrocyte viability and secreting chondrocyte‐protecting cytokines or growth factors, which promote anabolic factors and inhibit catabolic factors. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:1376–1386, 2019.


Animal research has shown that reinforcement is substantially less effective when it is delayed, but in studies of human motor learning delays in providing feedback typically have much less effect. One possible explanation is that in human research participants know the response to be learned and can thus focus on it during the delay; that is not the case in experiments on animals. We tested this hypothesis using a task in which participants had minimal information on what movement was correct and found that, as in animal experiments, participants learned only when feedback was immediate. A second experiment confirmed that the effects of the delay depended on how many responses had to be held in working memory: the greater the memory load, the poorer the learning. The results point to the importance of activity during a delay on learning; implications for the teaching of motor skills are discussed.


The existence of Mg(B12H12) as an intermediate compound during the dehydrogenation process of Mg(BH4)2 has been verified. To elucidate the formation process of Mg(B12H12), the dehydrogenation products of Mg(BH4)2 at different temperatures were characterized via Xray diffraction and B magic angle spinning NMR measurements. The experimental results indicate that several new intermediate compounds such as Mg(B2H6) and Mg(B5H9) or Mg(B5H8)2 are expected to be formed prior to the formation of Mg(B12H12). Thus, it is suggested that the formation of [B12H12] 2 from [BH4] occurs via the gradual evolution of the B-H complex anion, i.e., [BH4] ! [B2H6] ! [B5H9] or [B5H8] ! [B12H12] . [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MA201002]


Are there stem cells in the esophagus or not? The stem cell biology of the esophageal epithelium is an unresolved area in biomedical research. The field has major clinical implications, as esophageal cancer is a common cause of malignancy-related death, accounting for more than 500,000 deaths per year worldwide (1). Despite decades of research, there is little consensus regarding how this epithelium is maintained. On page 1091 of this issue, Doupé et al. (2) show that the esophageal epithelium is generated by a single population of cells that divide randomly into differentiated or proliferative progeny. Their finding contrasts with the prevailing hypothesis that stem cells underlie homeostasis of the tissue.


At the heart of the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) is the attempt to realise a commonly anticipated future – the opportunity, if desired, to create and raise a genetically related child. For some, existing ARTs cannot assist, yet upcoming ones such as in vitro derived gametes (IVGs) may do so. However, the desire for genetically related children is frequently critiqued in debates about new ARTs. Since most heterosexual couples can have such children without assistance, and same‐sex couples are equally likely to desire them, this is highly problematic. This article presents the moral and legal case for the legalisation of IVGs, if and when judged sufficiently safe. It analyses development of the concept of 'treatment' in relevant UK law; argues that it is reasonable (that is, not unreasonable) to value the project of procreative parenting, thereby refuting the arguments that there is a moral duty to adopt, or that the alternatives of adoption or donor conception should suffice; explores legal recognition of the ordinary place of reproduction in social life; and considers the implications of the rights to private and family life and to non‐discrimination, particularly under the European Convention on Human Rights, highlighting the disabling nature of infertility.


OBJECTIVE
To determine compliance with oral hygiene instructions (OHI) of adolescents receiving two-arch multibracket fixed appliances and identify its predictive factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty-one patients in a longitudinal study were provided standardized OHI and assessed at baseline: before bonding (T0mo), approximately 30 days after bonding (T1mo), and approximately 150 days (T5mo) after bonding straight-wire appliances simultaneously in the maxillary and mandibular arches. Oral hygiene (OH) performance was measured using plaque and gingival indices. Compliance predictors were identified from questionnaires administered to patients and their parents and from patients' charts.

RESULTS
OH performance worsened from T0mo to T1mo but then improved from T1mo to T5mo. At T5mo, 73% of the sample had good OH. Univariate analyses found perceived severity of malocclusion, school performance, and parental marital status to be significant predictors of good OH performance at T5mo. Multiple logistic regressions identified having married parents and good academic performance in school as significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS
In the sample studied, after initially worsening, compliance with OHI improved at 5 months after bonding. Adolescents with married parents and those reporting good academic performance in school were found more likely to have complied with OHI provided at baseline and to perform better OH.