The low-level expression of the bovine heart mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier (bovine type 1 ADP/ATP carrier (bAAC1)) in the yeast mitochondrial membrane is significantly improved by replacement of its N-terminal region with corresponding regions of the yeast type 1 and 2 carriers (yAAC1 and yAAC2) (Hashimoto, M., Shinohara, Y., Majima, E., Hatanaka, T., Yamazaki, N., and Terada, H. (1999) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1409, 113–124). To understand why the bAAC1 chimeras were highly expressed in yeast mitochondria, we examined the effects of the length and sequence of the N-terminal region extending into the cytosol on the expression of bAAC1 and yAAC2 derivatives in yeast mitochondria. For this, their N-terminal regions were replaced with peptide fragments of various lengths and sequences derived from those of bAAC1, yAAC1, and yAAC2. We found that a specific amino acid sequence and a definite length of the N-terminal region of yAAC2 were required for high expression of bAAC1 and yAAC2 in yeast mitochondria. We also examined the steady-state transcript levels and expression of these derivatives in whole yeast cells. Based on our results, we discuss the role of the N-terminal region in efficient expression of bAAC1 and yAAC2 in yeast mitochondria.


Introduction: Psychosocial aspects of infertility in couples are of much relevance. This paper attempts to compare psychological factors that may play a role in couples with and without infertility. The main objectives are to examine the differences concerning marital quality, attachment styles, and defense styles of infertile and fertile couples. Methods: A total of 60 individuals (30 infertile couples and 30 matched fertile couples) were assessed through administering the personal information schedule, Marital Quality Scale, Attachment Style Questionnaire, and Defense Style Questionnaire-40. General Health Questionnaire-28 was administered in the fertile couples to rule out psychiatric morbidity. Results: Statistical analyses revealed that infertile couples differed from fertile couples on marital quality dimensions of understanding, satisfaction, trust, role functioning, despair, and rejection. On the attachment style, component of preoccupation with relationships and the use of immature defenses such as acting out and displacement. Conclusions: This research identified several psychological dimensions related to fertility. Understanding these factors may be helpful for the couples, their family members, and practitioners, with regard to the psychological and social needs related to infertility.


Multicompartment block copolymer nanoparticles (MCBNs) constructed with two diblock copolymers of poly[N-(4-vinylbenzyl)-N,N-diethylamine)]-b-polystyrene (PVEA-b-PS) and poly[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate]-b-polystyrene (PDMAEMA-b-PS) were prepared through the two macro-RAFT agents co-mediated dispersion polymerization. These MCBNs dispersed in water contain a 33 nm solvophobic core of the PS block, 5 nm discrete nodules of the PVEA block and a solvophilic corona of the PDMAEMA block. These MCBNs are thermo-responsive both in water and in methanol. In water, the corona-forming PDMAEMA block exhibits the soluble-to-insoluble phase transition at a temperature above the phase-transition temperature (LCST) of 70 °C to deposit on the PS core of MCBNs. In methanol, the PVEA nodules on the PS core are dissolved at a temperature below LCST of the PVEA block at 53 °C, and when the temperature increases above LCST the PVEA block reversibly deposits on the PS core to form discrete PVEA nodules on the PS core. The prepared MCBNs showing thermo-response both in water and in methanol are believed to be useful in nanotechnology.


Summary Being a putative predictor of ischemic heart disease, the measurement of factor VII (FVTI) coagulant activity will be presumably requested to clinical laboratories with increasing frequency. To assess the influence on FVII assays of different thromboplastins and FVII-deficient plasmas we compared performances of all possible combinations of 5 thromboplastins and 6 deficient plasmas. The reproducibility of the clotting times of the dose-response curves for human and rabbit thromboplastins were acceptable (CV lower than 7%), whereas bovine thromboplastin had a higher CV. Reproducibility was very similar for all deficient plasmas when they were used in combination with a given thromboplastin. Responsiveness of the dose-response curve did not depend on the deficient plasma but rather on the thromboplastin: one rabbit thromboplastin was the least responsive, the bovine thromboplastin the most responsive, the human and the remaining two rabbit thromboplastins had intermediate responsiveness. Assay sensitivity to cold-activated FVII varied according to the thromboplastin: the bovine thromboplastin was the most sensitive, the human thromboplastin the least sensitive, of the three rabbit thromboplastins two were relatively sensitive, one was almost insensitive. In conclusion, our results indicate that thromboplastin rather than deficient plasma is the crucial factor in the standardization of FVII assay.


Autonomic activity affects beat-to-beat variability of heart rate and QT interval. The aim of this study was to explore whether entropy measures are suitable to detect changes in neural outflow to the heart elicited by two different stress paradigms. We recorded short-term ECG in 11 normal subjects during an experimental protocol that involved head-up tilt and mental arithmetic stress and computed sample entropy, cross-sample entropy and causal interactions based on conditional entropy from RR and QT interval time series. Head-up tilt resulted in a significant reduction in sample entropy of RR intervals and cross-sample entropy, while mental arithmetic stress resulted in a significant reduction in coupling directed from RR to QT. In conclusion, measures of entropy are suitable to detect changes in neural outflow to the heart and decoupling of repolarisation variability from heart rate variability elicited by orthostatic or mental arithmetic stress.


P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) mediates rolling of leukocytes on P-selectin under flow. The glycoproteins that enable leukocyte tethering to or rolling on E-selectin are not known. We used gene targeting to prepare PSGL-1-deficient (PSGL-1-/-) mice, which were healthy but had moderately elevated total blood leukocytes. Fluid-phase E-selectin bound to approximately 70% fewer sites on PSGL-1-/- than PSGL-1+/+ neutrophils. Compared with PSGL-1+/+ leukocytes, significantly fewer PSGL-1-/- leukocytes rolled on E-selectin in vitro, because their initial tethering to E-selectin was impaired. The residual cells that tethered rolled with the same shear resistance and velocities as PSGL-1+/+ leukocytes. Compared with PSGL-1+/+ mice, significantly fewer PSGL-1-/- leukocytes rolled on E-selectin in TNF-alpha-treated venules of cremaster muscle in which P-selectin function was blocked by an mAb. The residual PSGL-1-/- leukocytes that tethered rolled with slow velocities equivalent to those of PSGL-1+/+ leukocytes. These results reveal a novel function for PSGL-1 in tethering leukocytes to E-selectin under flow.


Summary It is thought that influenza and related viruses enter susceptible cells, such as those of tissue cultures and the chorioallantois, by being adsorbed to the surface and then taken in by an active process termed 'viropexis'. It has been suggested that this active process resembles phagocytosis (Fazekas de St Groth 1948). However, influenza viruses commonly invade the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract of the intact host, which is thought not to be actively phagocytic. Organ cultures of such epithelium are extremely susceptible to infection (Hoorn & Tyrrell, 1969). It was therefore of interest to use these to investigate the mechanism of entry of influenza viruses into ciliated epithelial cells; it was uncertain whether the primary target cells would be the ciliated or the mucus-secreting cells. As infection was so efficient, it seemed likely that the virus might 'exploit' in some way the sweeping action of the cilia and, rather than being moved on by their activity, might attach and then enter the cells directly or indirectly. Further studies on the entry of virus into non-ciliated cells appeared during this work and these will be discussed later.


Background The purpose of this clinical study was to compare the marginal adaptation of infrastructure design with 4 different techniques. Material/Methods Forty tissue-level implant abutments (NTA, Shorter) were inserted on implant analogs. The samples were placed randomly in the wax blocks in the arch form of the upper jaw so that there would be 10 in each group. Test samples were obtained using the conventional casting method (CC), milling from metal blocks method (MB), direct metal laser sintering method (LS), and Noritake Alliance (NA) system. Data were analyzed by ANOVA with t tests. Result After porcelain oven-drying, marginal gaps of metal substructures obtained by using conventional casting and milling methods were observed to decrease. The smallest value of the marginal gaps was found in the Noritake (NA) system, and the largest value in the milling (MB) method before and after oven-drying. The marginal gap of the direct metal laser sintering method was not significantly different from the change in the marginal gap of other metal substructures (p>0.05). Conclusions The marginal gap of the substructures obtained using the direct metal laser sintering method was not significantly different from the change in marginal gap of other metal substructures (p>0.05).


Why did the European Marriage Pattern that emerged in the North-Sea region in the late Medieval Period not result in a continuous shift from 'quantity' to 'quality'? This paper addresses this question focusing on the changing labour market position of women in England between 1500 and 1800. It is demonstrated that the gender wage gap increased strongly in this period; wages of women working in agriculture fell from about 80% to 40% of the wages of an unskilled labourer. This was probably the result of a decline in the demand for female labour in this period due to changes in the structure of agriculture, and was possibly also related from the movement from a labour scarcity economy in the 15 century to a labour surplus economy in 18 and early 19 century. This decline in female labour participation and in particular in the relative wages earned by women had important consequences for demographic behaviour and investment in human capital of children. It helps to explain the 'baby boom' of the second half of the 18 century, and the stagnation in human capital formation that occurred at the same time – in short, it contributes to the understanding of the 'Malthusian intermezzo' of this period.


The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of social media on buying behavior. This study is to recognize the effectiveness of social media, effectiveness of buying behavior and problems of social media on buying behavior. The study is based on the survey of engineering college students of Chennai. The study reveals the vital role of the social media in making the positive impact on buying behavior among the students. It is an outcome of the study that, the social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are highly effective on the students buying behavior. Also, a model changing students buying behavior towards selecting certain product, age group by using the most suitable social media and buying behavior equation will be the best tool for products reach and advertisement. Output of this study will help online marketers, bloggers, vendors, executives and marketing managers to adopt social media effectively and efficiently to promote and maintain the existing customers, attract more users in order to achieve their goals and solving problems that are related to the usage of social media.


Faramea is characterized by white or blue, tetramerous corollas and blue-black, fleshy fruits with a single, large pyrene. Both infrageneric relationships and species boundaries are poorly understood in the genus. This study represents the first broad-scale phylogenetic study of Faramea, with 80 of the c. 170 species sampled, 24 by two or more specimens. We aimed to include specimens representing the entire geographical, morphological and ecological ranges of the genus. Morphological characters historically utilized to delimit infrageneric sections in Faramea (e.g. bract and pyrene forms) were also evaluated. Only one of the currently accepted infrageneric sections was recovered as monophyletic (within a complex of species from other sections) and none of the morphological features traditionally utilized to determine infrageneric relationships in the genus was found to be uniquely diagnostic of a larger clade. Some Faramea lineages appear to be geographically isolated, with several clades containing solely specimens collected in the Atlantic Forest biomes. Of the 24 species represented by at least two specimens, 11 were supported as monophyletic, ten as non-monophyletic and three were not resolved as either monophyletic nor non-monophyletic. The results of the present study constitute a good basis for future studies of taxonomy, biogeography and ecology of Faramea.


A heterogeneous nanocomposite (NC) of g-C 3 N 4 /W 18 O 49 based on the coupling of W 18 O 49 nanorods (NRs) with the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) sheets has been synthesised via a solvothermal method. The as-synthesised products were characterised by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. The g-C 3 N 4 /W 18 O 49 NC exhibited very strong adsorption ability towards the methylene blue (MB) dye and demonstrated a high removal ef fi ciency of 99.14% after 0.5 h equilibration in dark. Compared to the g-C 3 N 4 sheets and W 18 O 49 NRs, the g-C 3 N 4 /W 18 O 49 NC exhibited higher removal ef fi ciencies towards both the MB and methyl orange (MO) dyes via a combination of adsorption and degradation. The photocatalytic process of the g-C 3 N 4 /W 18 O 49 NC followed the Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism. This work provides an ef fi cient strategy for the synthesis of g-C 3 N 4 -based heterogeneous photocatalysts.


BACKGROU D: Intestinal schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni(S. mansoni) infection is a widely distributed disease in several localities of Ethiopia. However, very limited information is available on the level of community's awareness about the disease. The aim of this study was to assess community's awareness about intestinal schistosomiasis as well as the prevalence of the disease in two rural communities of Ethiopia. METHODS: In June 2004, a cross-sectional study on awareness and prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis was conducted in rural communities living in Dudicha and Shesha Kekel peasant associations. RESULTS: Among 176 respondents from Dudicha, only 45 (25.6%) individuals heard about Bilharzia. Similarly, among 241 respondents from Shesha Kekel only 78 (32.4%) subjects heard about Bilharzia. The proportion of males who heard about Bilharzia was higher than that of females both in Dudicha (38% vs 7%, p< 0.001) and Shesha Kekel (51.6% vs 20%, p< 0.001). There was no significant difference in level of awareness about schistosomiasis between the two communities (Dudicha, 25. 6% vs Shesha Kekel, 32.4%, p> 0.05). Only 1(0.6%) individual from Dudicha and 6(2.5%) participants from Shesha Kekel had knowledge of the intermediate host. The prevalence of the disease was 43.2% in Dudicha and 31.6% in Shesha Kekel. The prevalence of infection was higher in males than in females in Dudicha community (56.7% vs 21.5%, p< 0.05). CO CLUSIO : Although the disease was prevalent in the two sites, majority of the people had no awareness about schistosomiasis. Therefore, provision of health education could raise community's awareness of schistosomiasis in such endemic areas of the country.


The human U1 and U6 genes have similar basal promoter structures. A first analysis of the factor requirements for the transcription of a human U1 gene by RNA polymerase II in vitro has been undertaken, and these requirements compared with those of human U6 gene transcription by RNA polymerase III in the same extracts. Fractions containing PSE‐binding protein (PBP) are shown to be essential for transcription of both genes, and further evidence that PBP itself is required for U1 as well as U6 transcription is presented. On the other hand, the two genes have distinct requirements for TATA‐binding protein (TBP). On the basis of chromatographic and functional properties, the TBP, or TBP complex, required for U1 transcription appears to differ from previously described complexes required for RNA polymerase I, II or III transcription. The different TBP requirements of the U1 and U6 promoters are reflected by specific association with either TFIIB or TFIIIB respectively, thus providing a basis for differential RNA polymerase selection.


EXperimental electron-capture and loss cross sections of 5- to 70-keV hydrogen atoms and ions in magnesium vapor are reported for the processes The cross sections for these processes are compared with measurements b,y . + 0 other groups. Results for the H -. H capture process in magnesium are compared with the semiclassical formulation by Bates and Mapleton and with Born-approximation (Brinkman-Kramers) calculations by Hiskes adjusted according to prescriptions by Mapleton and Nikolaev. The adjusted B-K capture cross sections are in satisfactory agreement with the measurements • . < .. ::.


The article deals with the concept of science in action. This is a method of conducting science in the interests of the local community and in collaboration with local institutions. Academic research is coupled with practice, with the common aim of solving specific social problems. Knowledge gained in this way enriches global achievements, and at the same time meets the needs of the community. The defining conditions of this process are respect and mutual acknowledgement among co-workers, partnership communication, co-operation focussed on effectiveness and the coupling of theory with practical research, as well as a full-scale diagnosis of the real problems in the institute.


A 42-year-old woman with no history of atopy reported several episodes of generalized urticaria and shortness of breath after eating shellfish (prawns and barnacles) but with good tolerance of the same foods between episodes. Skin prick tests (SPTs), serum enzyme allergosorbent tests (EAST) for specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E, Western blot and inhibition assays, and oral challenge tests with prawns, barnacles, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and alcohol as potential effect modifiers were performed. Specific IgE to both barnacle and prawn were detected by SPTs and EAST. Results from a Western blot of raw prawn revealed an IgE binding band of 37 kDa and IgE binding bands of 143, 83, 38, 32, and 20 kDa appeared in the raw barnacle assay. Oral challenge tests were positive with prawns and prawn extract only if preceded by NSAIDs. Oral challenges with NSAIDs alone, prawns alone, barnacles with or without NSAIDs and alcohol led to no reaction. A synergistic effect of NSAIDs in inducing anaphylaxis after prawn intake was confirmed. No similar effect was achieved with barnacles despite the presence of specific IgE. Additional factors needed to elicit a clinical reaction in food allergy may not be obvious and several oral challenge protocols are mandatory in such cases.


Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a kind of dielectric elastomer (DE) which can behave as an actuator, altering thickness strain in response to electrical stimulation. The composites are made up of fillers with a very high dielectric constant that are spread in a polymer matrix. It is very difficult to obtain large deformation at low voltage. In this study, we made two-dimensional (2D) MXene nanosheets with excellent conductivity and one-dimensional (1D) polydopamine (PDA)-modified CNT fiber fillers. After that, TPU dielectric elastomer films made of MXene/CNTs or MXene/CNTs@PDA were prepared. The results showed that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of TPU dielectric film including MXene/CNTs were much higher than that containing MXene/CNTs@PDA, although Young's modulus and breakdown strength (Eb) were significantly lower. At the same time, these two types of dielectric films had a significantly higher dielectric constant and dielectric loss than pure TPU dielectric film, and their breakdown strength was significantly lower. The compatibility of CNTs@PDA fibers with the TPU matrix improves after PDA modification, and the dispersion of CNTs@PDA fibers improves, resulting in an increase in Young's modulus. MXene with a two-dimensional nanosheet structure increases the breakdown strength of the TPU dielectric elastomer under the condition of the addition of a tiny quantity. To summarize, the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, Young's modulus, and dielectric elastomer breakdown strength are mutually restrictive conditions, and the relationship between all parties must be balanced to obtain obvious deformation properties.


Using a dynamic discrete choice model that controls for unobserved heterogeneity and the initial conditions problem, we estimate the state dependence in Swedish social assistance for Swedish-born and foreign-born who were single in 1990 before the recession period started. The estimates of the structural state dependence for Swedish-born singles indicate that it is unaffected by the event of living together with a partner, and the effect is significantly lower for women than for men. For the foreign-born singles, the state dependence for those who stay single the whole decade is equally strong for men and women, and almost not affected when the foreign-born single started to live together with a foreign-born partner.


In schools, tests are given mainly to evaluate learning achievements. Receiving a test is also known to promote learning and long-term retention of memory. Recently, even incorrect test answers have been revealed to improve scores in later evaluation tests(pre-test effect). To develop an effective teaching method by using the pre-test effect, it is necessary to understand how the effect differs between individual students depending on their characteristics. However, it has not been investigated whether the pre-test effect in promoting longterm retention of memory differs by the characteristics of students or not. In this study, the authors examined whether the pre-test effect appeared or not in a paired-associate learning task of new words, which has been widely used in studies on learning, by using Japanese stimulus words(Experiment 1). Then, the working memory capacity of each student was measured as an index for personal characteristics, and the effects of the personal difference on pre-test effect was investigated(Experiment 2). The experiments showed that the group that experienced pretest scored better in a subsequent evaluation test than the group that did not receive a pretest, confirming the pre-test effect as in preceding studies. However, no relationship was found between the pre-test effect and working memory capacity. Therefore, the pre-test effect is possibly a phenomenon independent of working memory capacity.


Episodic aggressive behavior that responded poorly to neuroleptics was reduced by a carefully titrated dose of propranolol in three patients with advanced Huntington's disease. The optimal doses were 180, 30, and 30 mg/day, respectively. Language: en


Nowadays, vehicle-oriented Internet of Things (IoT) is a new generation of IoT networks in which sensors are deployed on electronic hardware modules of vehicles. A secure and feasible IoT-assisted vehicle environment should include a robust data transmission mechanism for transferring and collecting data packets from both onboard and roadside sensors, resulting in the accurate delivery of packages without delay. When designing such Internet of Vehicles (IoV) networks, the vulnerability of the network should be considered to facilitate data transmission in the remaining network under the condition that some nodes (e.g., vehicles) and channels are damaged due to the dynamic environmental factors and unpredicted failures at various nodes. Fractional Critical Deleted Graph (FCDG), which is used in graph theory, can act as Fractional Factor (FF) in the IoV networks to maintain the IoT network stable and provide reliable network connectivity when a part of data transmission network is damaged. Toughness is an important condition to measure the sturdiness of such FF-encoded network. In this work, we study the relationship between toughness and FCDG in IoV networks. Moreover, the graph conditions are considered together with the tight lower bound of the toughness for the existence of path factor. Such feasibility analysis of IoV networks help to find the bound in the effort to recover or realign lost links in networks, which is critical for the next generation of intelligent transportation systems where all vehicles are connected seamlessly.


The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been widely adopted as a measure of child and adolescent mental health and behavioral problems. However, despite an impressive number of studies demonstrating its psychometric properties, appropriate analyses of the instrument's underlying structure have not been reported. We conducted confirmatory factor analyses on matched data obtained from a large community sample of 7-17-year-olds, their parents, and their teachers. The analyses indicated that the reputed factor structure was not supported, with none of the subscales being unidimensional. Further, each informant group appeared to respond differently to the questionnaire. Considering the findings in relation to the stringency of the tests used to evaluate the SDQ, its utility, and previous research on its clinical validity, it is suggested that the SDQ be used with caution and in conjunction with other forms of assessment.


Biological characteristics of cancer cells are thought to be immortalization, transformation (abnormal cell growth) and capacity for tumor invasion and metastasis. Recent studies have revealed that many cellular genes (oncogenes and anti-oncogenes) were activated or suppressed at the level of DNA in cancer cells, and in normal condition the products of these genes have important roles in signal transduction for cell growth as a positive or negative way. Point mutation and unphysiological DNA recombination are considered to be major molecular mechanisms in the alteration of these cellular genes. Further, several genes were found to be involved in invasion and metastasis. However, still a significant portion of cancers remains to be elucidated in terms of unknown cellular (or viral) genes involved in multi-step carcinogenesis. Therefore, we need to continue the basic research on cancer and to initiate the studies on new chemicals, hormones or others by which we could control the activities of known oncogene and anti-oncogene products.


To study the hot deformation behavior of the Ti-22Al-25Nb alloy, isothermal compression tests were conducted at the temperature range of 930–1080 °C with strain rates of 0.001–1.0 s^−1. Both the strain rate and the deformation temperature have a significant influence on the stress–strain behavior of the Ti-22Al-25Nb alloy. A hyperbolic–sine constitutive equation is established to quantitatively demonstrate the relationship between the parameters involved, and the hot deformation activation energy Q is determined as 621 kJ/mol. To optimize the processing window, a hot processing map is established, which is related to the microstructure evolution in hot working. The lamellar globularization as well as the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) would contribute to the stable regions with high power dissipation, while the adiabatic shear bands would lead to unstable regions. Moreover, an Avrami-type kinetics model is applied to examine the evolution of DRX during isothermal deformation process.


Some of the issues arising in the design of the T9000 transputer, which integrates a complete computer in a single VLSI chip of over two million transistors, are discussed. High performance has been achieved by extensive use of caching and a novel processor implementation. The processor uses a fat pipeline and dispatches several dependent instructions into the pipeline each cycle. The resulting processor is able to saturate a 25-MFLOP floating-point unit. The processor is supported by a communications system that supports communications at high speed and low latency.<<ETX>>


Bois noir is an important grapevine yellows disease in Europe that can cause serious economic losses in grapevine production. It is caused by stolbur phytoplasma strains of the taxonomic group 16Sr‐XII‐A. Hyalesthes obsoletus Signoret (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) is the most important vector of bois noir in Europe. This polyphagous planthopper is assumed to mainly use stinging nettle [Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae)] and field bindweed [Convolvulus arvensis L. (Convolvulaceae)] as its host plants. For a better understanding of the epidemiology of bois noir in Switzerland, host plant preferences of H. obsoletus were studied in the field and in the laboratory. In vineyards of Western Switzerland, adults of H. obsoletus were primarily captured on U. dioica, but a few specimens were also caught on C. arvensis, hedge bindweed [Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Brown (Convolvulaceae)], and five other dicotyledons [i.e., Clematis vitalba L. (Ranunculaceae), Lepidium draba L. (Brassicaceae), Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae), Polygonum aviculare L. (Polygonaceae), and Taraxacum officinale Weber (Asteraceae)]. The preference of the vector for U. dioica compared to C. arvensis was confirmed by a second, more targeted field study and by the positioning of emergence traps above the two plant species. Two‐choice experiments in the laboratory showed that H. obsoletus adults originating from U. dioica preferred to feed and to oviposit on U. dioica compared to C. arvensis. However, H. obsoletus nymphs showed no host plant preference, even though they developed much better on U. dioica than on C. arvensis. Similarly, adults survived significantly longer on U. dioica than on C. arvensis or any other plant species tested [i.e., L. draba and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (Lamiaceae)]. In conclusion, although nymphs of H. obsoletus had no inherent host plant preference, adults tested preferred to feed and oviposit on U. dioica, which is in agreement with the observed superior performance of both nymphal and adult stages on this plant species. Urtica dioica appears to be the principal host plant of H. obsoletus in Switzerland and plays therefore an important role in the epidemiology of the bois noir disease in Swiss vineyards.


We have investigated the role of the carbohydrate moiety in the biological activity of fibronectin in vitro by using tunicamycin to inhibit the glycosylation of this glycoprotein. Tunicamycin is a glucosamine-containing antibiotic that specifically inhibits glycosylation of protein asparaginyl residues mediated by dolichol pyrophosphate. Fibronectin synthesized in the presence of 0.5 microgram of tunicamycin per ml was not glycosylated, as determined by amino sugar analysis, lack of incorporation of [14C]glucosamine and [3H]mannose, and concanavalin A binding studies. Nonglycosylated fibronectin that was isolated from chicken embryo fibroblasts and added to transformed cells in vitro was as effective as the glycosylated protein in promoting a more normal fibroblastic phenotype, including cell flattening, elongation of cell processes, and parallel alignment of cells. The nonglycosylated protein was also as effective as the glycosylated species in mediating cell attachment to collagen and spreading on plastic, as well as in agglutination of formalin-fixed sheep erythrocytes. The nonglycosylated protein was twice as sensitive as the glycosylated protein to proteolytic hydrolysis in vitro as had been suggested by previous studies with intact cells [Olden, K., Pratt, R.M. & Yamada, K.M. (1978) Cell 13, 461-473]. We conclude that the carbohydrate moiety of fibronectin is not required for the mediation of a number of biological activities characteristic of this glycoprotein.


The Kentucky Geological Survey provided data on 372 full bed channel samples representing 35 coal beds of Early and Middle Pennsylvanian (Namurian through Westphalin D) age. Principle components (PC) analysis was performed on eight rank parameters. PC scores were regressed on sample position, then rank anomalies were identified by mapping regression residuals (the actual PC score minus the score estimated by regression). The first principle component (Rl) explains 43% of the variance of the eight rank parameters. It has large positive loadings on mean maximum vitrinite reflectance, heating value, and free swelling index; and large negative loadings on volatile matter and elemental ratios O/C, H/C, and S/C. (N/C has a small loading.) Regression of R1 on easting, northing, and bed number (assigned to quantify stratigraphic position) explains 53% of the variance of R1. R1 increases toward S43(E and downward, as calculated from regression coefficients, consistent with the trend to greater burial depths. Ba, Sr, Mg, and Yb also increase southeastward within 5 o of S43 o E, and Na increases toward S51°E. R1 is anomalously high immediately northwest of the Pine Mountain thrust fault. This and the coincident directions of increase of elements expected to be present in orogenic fluids are interpreted as being the effects of hot orogenic fluids channeled under the Pine Mountain thrust fault as they moved northwestward during the Alleghany orogeny. R1 is anomalously low over the Floyd County channel and adjacent parts of the Rome trough. Evidently thicker Lower Paleozoic shales insulated overlying Pennsylvanian coals from escaping heat.


Due to urbanization around the world, people living in urban areas have been suffering from a series of negative effects caused by changes in urban microclimate, especially when it comes to urban heat islands (UHIs). To mitigate UHIs, management of urban wind environments is increasingly considered as a crucial part of the process. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of wind fields has become a prevailing method to explore the relationship between morphological factors and wind environment. However, most studies are focused on building scale and fail to reflect the effects of comprehensive planning. In addition, the combined influence of different morphological factors on wind environment is rarely discussed. Therefore, this study tries to explore the relationship between urban morphology and wind environment in a new-town area. CFD method was applied to simulate the wind field, and 11 scenarios based on criteria according to existing literature, planning regulations and local characteristics were developed. The simulation results from different scenarios show that the impact of the five selected factors on wind speeds was non-linear, and the impact varied significantly among different areas of the study region. Simulation of the differences in regional wind speeds among different planning scenarios can provide strong decision-making support.


We present and study a family of metrics on the space of compact subsets of $R^N$ (that we call ``shapes''). These metrics are ``geometric'', that is, they are independent of rotation and translation; and these metrics enjoy many interesting properties, as, for example, the existence of minimal geodesics. We view our space of shapes as a subset of Banach (or Hilbert) manifolds: so we can define a ``tangent manifold'' to shapes, and (in a very weak form) talk of a ``Riemannian Geometry'' of shapes. Some of the metrics that we propose are topologically equivalent to the Hausdorff metric; but at the same time, they are more ``regular'', since we can hope for a local uniqueness of minimal geodesics.
We also study properties of the metrics obtained by isometrically identifying a generic metric space with a subset of a Banach space to obtain a rigidity result.


Age at the start of breast development and at menarche are important maturity indicators in adolescent females. Breast development is usually the first event of puberty and menarche virtually the last. Irregularities in the age of the subject at their appearance can denote a lack of synchronisation between pubertal events, which, in turn, may indicate hormonal or psychosocial disturbance. Data are presented on the age of occurrence of breast development, according to Tanner's criteria, and age at menarche for urban and rural South African black females. In addition published reports are reviewed to determine whether there is a pattern of change in these ages. Breast development seems to be fairly stable, occurring in girls between the ages of 10.5 years and 11.5 years. Age at menarche appears to have decreased over the last 40 years in children from both urban and rural environments. Girls from rural areas have a delay of about 1.5 years in both pubertal events.


B. R. Hills has numerous medicinal plants in which some of the plants are used Soliga tribe to cure different ailments as a folk medicine .Chlorophytum laxum,R.Br. is one of the important medicinal plant in this area, is commonly called "Bhoomi sakkare" .The over exploitation of this plan for its medicinal property, the plant is under threaten condition. Hence, urgent need to conserve the plant through tissue culture technique.


Chronic osteomyelitis is a difficult to treat infection of the bone, which requires a combined medical and surgical approach and often persists intermittently for years, with relapses and failures. The optimal type, route of administration, and duration of antibiotic treatment remain controversial, and the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms poses major therapeutic challenges. Identification of the causative agent and subsequent targeted antibiotic treatment has a major impact on patients' outcome. In this review, we summarize which intravenous and oral antibiotics are the best options available for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis, according to specific aetiologies.


Phytate has been classified as an anti-nutrient, but there are no adverse effects from the consumption of a balanced diet with 1 to 2 g of daily phytate (inositol-hexaphosphate, InsP6) as a calcium magnesium salt, the form naturally present in grains. Furthermore, recent research has shown that phytate consumption may prevent pathological calcifications, such as kidney stones and cardiovascular calcifications. However, many endogenous and exogenous enzymes can hydrolyze phytate to lower inositol phosphates (InsPs) that also have biological activity. We performed a controlled hydrolysis of phytate and identified the products (InsPs) using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The total level of all InsPs was measured using a non-specific methodology. In addition, we evaluated the effects of the InsP6 hydrolysates on calcium oxalate crystallization using scanning electron microscopy and measuring the time needed for the induction of crystallization. Our results indicate that InsP6 and its hydrolysis products functioned as effective inhibitors of calcium oxalate crystallization. Thus, even though InsP6 is hydrolyzed after consumption, the enzymatic products also have the potential to reduce pathological calcifications. Finally, although it is useful to measure the overall level of InsPs in biological fluids, such as urine, there is a need to develop simple analytical methods to quantify the level of individual InsPs.


In vivo, we have already shown that only two of the 5S rDNA array blocks of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome produce the mature 5S rRNAs. Deletions and point mutations were introduced in an Arabidopsis 5S rDNA-transcribed region and its 5'- and 3'-flanks in order to analyse their effects on transcription activity. In vitro transcription revealed different transcription control regions. One control region essential for transcription initiation was identified in the 5'-flanking sequence. The major sequence determinants were a TATA-like motif (-28 to -23), a GC dinucleotide (-12 to -11), a 3-bp AT-rich region (-4 to -2) and a C residue at -1. They are important for both accurate transcription initiation and transcription efficiency. Transcription level was regulated by polymerase III (Pol III) re-initiation rate as in tRNA genes in which TATA-like motif is involved. Active 5S rDNA transcription additionally required an intragenic promoter composed of an A-box, an Intermediate Element (IE) and a C-box. Double-stranded oligonucleotides corresponding to different fragments of the transcribed region, used as competitors, revealed the main importance of internal promoter elements. A stretch of four T is sufficient for transcription termination. Transcription of Arabidopsis 5S rDNA requires 30 bp of 5'-flanking region, a promoter internal to the transcribed region, and a stretch of T for transcription termination.


This paper shares macro-level perspectives drawn from business and engineering on the widespread efforts to bring innovation to education ecosystems. Significant shifts are occurring in the education marketplace: from content delivery technologies to video capturing and processing technologies. The changes involve a combination of large corporations and small innovative start-ups, for example, there is increased emphasis on engineering approaches to the integration of pedagogy and learning analytics into online education systems, more marketplace-based companies are surfacing, and global edupreneurs are building an array of skill-based training and workforce ecosystems. In short, it is highly predictable that the ways people acquire knowledge and learn new skills, evaluate competencies, and secure jobs will change drastically in the future.


Diabetes is associated with a decrease in glucose uptake into muscle, the primary tissue responsible for whole body glucose uptake in the fed state. To study the basis of such a decrease we estimated the number of glucose transporters in skeletal muscle membranes from control and streptozotocin (STZ)-treated rats. Animals were injected with 65 mg STZ/kg and were clearly diabetic (hyperglycemic and glycosuric) at 1 week. After an overnight fast, animals were killed, and skeletal muscle from hind limbs were removed and used to prepare plasma membranes and internal membranes. The number of glucose transporters was determined by D-glucose-protectable equilibrium binding of [3H]cytochalasin-B. STZ-treated rats showed a 37% decrease in the number of glucose transporters per mg protein in crude membranes. The decrease was more pronounced in plasma membranes (average 50% decrease) than in the intracellular membranes (32% decrease). The reduction in the number of glucose transporters was specific, since it was not paralleled by changes in other plasma membrane markers or in total protein, although plasma membrane protein decreased by 15% in STZ-treated rats. When total recoveries of transporters were calculated (i.e. picomoles of transporters recovered per g tissue), the number of transporters in the plasma membrane fraction from STZ-treated rats was decreased by 68% relative to that in control animals. In the intracellular membranes and in total crude membranes from diabetic rats the transporters were decreased by 45%. This suggests that in STZ-treated rats there is an overall decrease in the number of glucose transporters, and that the plasma membrane is further specifically depleted of transporters. The decrease in glucose transporter number in the plasma membrane could at least in part be the cause of the diminished glucose uptake in diabetic muscle and for overall drop in total body glucose utilization of this condition.


Background Australia's workforce is ageing due to demographic and economic factors. Aims (1) To describe the dimensions, nature, and external causes of fatalities in workers aged 55 years and older, Australia, 2000–2009. (2) To provide baseline data for future studies. (3) To investigate the preparedness of high risk industries and workers for the safety of the ageing workforce. Methods Retrospective descriptive cohort data for workers aged 55 years and older (2000–2009) were extracted from population-based mortality data and analysed by age, gender, industry, occupation, and external cause. Subsequent studies investigated the preparedness of industry (stakeholder interviews) and workers (focus groups) for ageing workforce safety in the agriculture, transport and construction industries. Results Of 2283 unintentional work-related fatalities: 336 were aged 55 years or older; 218 were 55–64; 83 were 65–74; 35 were 75 years or older; and 96.3% male. Industries with the most deaths among older workers were agriculture (37.8%), transport (19.3%) and construction (16.6%). Common themes among industry stakeholders included: awareness of the ageing workforce, the impact of ongoing heavy physical labour, and related management issues; an assumption that general safety initiatives will adequately cover older worker safety; and concerns about older worker compensation liabilities. The focus group study is in progress and results will be reported. Significance Older worker deaths are a significant problem which will likely grow with workforce ageing. Employers and work authorities will need to consider the specific characteristics and vulnerabilities of older workers to enable implementation of appropriate injury prevention strategies for this population.


Astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology have changed out of all recognition over the last 100 years. The IAU has provided an essential means of fostering international collaboration in these disciplines including times of international tension. Developments will be highlighted which have profoundly changed our understanding and insight into the workings of our Universe.


This study explores college-going ganas in the South Rio Grande Valley of Texas within the context of Frierian liberatory praxis. During focus groups, current and former high school students discussed their experiences developing ganas regarding college going and discussed how parental support was integral to ganas formation. The participants also identified structural barriers preventing ganas from becoming college going (e.g., teachers handcuffed by standardized testing). Students wanted to change these conditions, demonstrated the ability to organize, but had also been taught that they were incapable of creating social change. Implications are discussed.


The present investigation extends previous work on the relationship between daily stressors and memory failures in a naturalistic setting by examining whether this relationship varies across levels of neuroticism. A daily diary study of 333 older adults (mean age = 73.27 years, SD = 7.17) in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (see A. Spiro & R. Bossé, 2001, for additional information) was used to examine whether there were neuroticism differences in cognitive reactivity to daily stressors. Multilevel models indicated that on days when people high in neuroticism experienced stressors, particularly interpersonal stressors, they were more likely to report memory failures compared to those who were lower in neuroticism. The findings may have important implications for age-related cognitive decline.


1. Characterization of the beta-adrenoceptors mediating inhibition of gastric acid secretion in the conscious Heidenhain pouch dog has been investigated by determination of the effects of propranolol, (+)-propranolol, practolol and H35/25 on salbutamol and isoprenaline-induced inhibition of gastric acid secretion. 2. The gastric antisecretory effect of salbutamol was significantly blocked by propranolol and H35/25 but not by practolol or (+)-propranolol. The effect of isoprenaline was significantly blocked by propranolol and practolol but not by H35/25 or (+)-propranolol. 3. It is concluded that both beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptors can mediate inhibition of pentagastrin-induced gastric secretion in conscious dogs with a Heidenhain pouch. Salbutamol exerts its antisecretory effect through beta2-adrenoceptors, whereas isoprenaline mediates its effects primarily through beta1-adrenoceptors. 4. The results are discussed with regard to the sub-classification of beta-adrenoceptors and to the possible role of adrenoceptors in the physiological control of gastric secretion. 5. In this study it is concluded that the tachycardia induced by isoprenaline or salbutamol is mediated primarily through reflexes activated by beta2-adrenoceptor mediated vasodilatation.


UNLABELLED
The importance of peripheral arterial diseases is revealed by statistical data, which showed a frequency of arterial diseases equal to the one of stable angina Traditional treatment of these patients was the surgical bypass, but an alternative therapy in these cases is the interventional treatment. Arguments for this option could be: it is less expensive, it decreases the hospitalization time, it does not require general anesthesia, and complications are less frequent and less severe. Interventional treatment is recommended especially in cases of short, isolated lesions of great vessels. During the last years, indications for interventional treatment were expanded to more difficult and complex cases, due to the advances in technology of endoluminal treatment products and the recently introduced laser angioplasty technology.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
Among the interventional techniques we apply in our clinic, we mention: percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, intraarterial stent implantation, laser angioplasty and intraarterial thrombolysis, some of them peformed with IVUS control. In a period of 14 years we examined a total number of 6,532 patients suffering from peripheral arterial obstructive diseases. In the past 3 years, in our new laboratory of interventional cardiology, new procedures have been introduced in the algorithm of interventional treatment, such as laser angioplasty. Invasive diagnosis performed in the Cardiology Clinic consisted in aortography in 746 cases and peripheral arteriography in 2035 cases. Interventional treatment consisted in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (1.240 procedures, 756 performed in the latest 3 years), intraarterial thrombolysis (214 procedures), laser angioplasty (since June 2002-130 procedures performed) and stent implant (since 2001-61 cases). Axillar approach was also introduced in 2001 and was applied in 23% of cases.

RESULTS
We recorded a 76.5% success rate using only PTA for repermeabilisation of the lower limb arteries. Association of intraarterial thrombolysis increased the success rate to 91%. Using laser angioplasty and autoexpandable stent implantation, the success rate achieved was 100%.

CONCLUSION
Interventional treatment is an important alternative in the complex algorithm of treatment in PAOB. Intraarterial stenting significantly improves the immediate and the long term results of interventional treatment, and autoexpandable stents with thermal memory show superior results. Laser angioplasty is an adjuvant method which significantly improves the results of interventional treatment. In all these methods, a very important role plays the good cooperation of the team formed by cardiologist, angiologist and vascular surgeon.


ABSTRACT Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is currently sweeping the globe. With this pandemic impacting social, political and economic spheres, this article unpacks COVID-19 in relation to international tertiary dance education, asking: How are we sustaining international relationships and global dialogues within dance education in light of COVID-19? What might be new ways of engaging internationally if we are not physically able to travel in the ways we did before COVID-19? And how are we becoming creative with our dance education within this time of online learning, teaching and researching, and what might this offer international tertiary dance education? Through an auto-narrative approach we share three experiences from these early days within a changing wold, where we reflect on our role and practices as dance educators and researchers navigating these times. Themes of innovation, motivation, cultural agendas, slow scholarship, online pedagogy, and virtual and corporeal mobility are identified and discussed in relation to the potential future(s) for international tertiary dance education in a COVID-19 world.


A reduction of iron (III) oxides deposited on expanded graphite (EG) matrixes of three types in hydrogen flow was studied in dynamic and static regimes. In the dynamic regime, the EG matrix was shown not to influence the temperature range of the iron (III) oxide reduction. However, the C/O atomic ratios, varying depending on the type of EG matrixes, affect the completeness of reduction of these oxides to metallic iron. The reduction kinetics of iron (III) oxides deposited on EG and of bulk oxides were found to be similar and could be described by the combination of expanded Prout–Tompkins autocatalysis and n -dimensional growth of nuclei models. The prolonged hydrogen treatment at 600 °C of the samples in the static regime results in quantitative reduction of iron (III) oxide to α-Fe independent of the type of EG matrix used. The obtained samples demonstrate the relatively high values of saturation magnetization of 35 emu/g together with a high sorption capacity for crude oil of 93 g/g.


A worm screw is widely used in a geared motor unit for motion conversion from rotation to linear motion. For mass production of a high quality worm, the current roll forming process is substituted with the milling cutter process. Since the milling cutter process enables the integration of all machining operations of worm manufacturing on a CNC(Computer Numerical Control) lathe, productivity can be remarkably improved. The tooling system for side milling cutter on the CNC lathe to improve machinability is developed. However, the runout of spindle and cutting tips are important factors to be considered for producing high quality worms because the tooling system has multiple tips. In this study, surface roughness variations accuracy according to runout was investigated in side milling cutter for worm screw. The result shows by simulation and experiment.


A paper has been previously griten by we and published in the same magazine, where the slope stability in soils was studied, applying a similar analytical procedure to presented in this moment, except in this new on a numerical approach has been developed, to evaluate the slope stability in rock mass. Taking advantage of the rock mass macrostructure, and carrying out some laboratory tests, the safety factor for the slope landslide can be estimated, using the method developed here. So as to compare results, the problem is salved using (m, s) parameters which classify the rock mass. Then applying the instantaneous parameter methodology and linear regression, the solution is obtained applying the criterion here displayed.


This study aims to investigate the main national and international theoretical contributions on Public Governance, with a focus on Intellectual Property. The methodology used involved exploratory analysis, based on bibliometric research. The data were collected through the Capes Periodical Portal, namely in the Scopus databases, consisting of a database of citations and neutral abstracts curated by independent sources of specialists in the subject. The obtained result indicated that the combination of the searched terms, "Public Governance" and "Intellectual Property", as a filter in all fields. As a result, it is observed that there are 15 countries more prominent in research on Public Governance and Intellectual Property, led by the USA, standing out with 22.5% of publications. Of the 13 (thirteen) largest areas of knowledge, it can be seen that the three largest areas represent 78% of the publications in the Scopus database. In relation to the largest universities found among the 15 (fifteen), potentially 3 (three) stand out with greater individual percentage representativeness in the publications on the theme of this research. Finally, it was identified that this research contributes to researchers and the scientific community in general, while allowing the reproduction of future research, using other bases, and thus increasing knowledge.


Research purpose. To identify the correlation between the clinical signs of neonatal adaptation in the dynamics and the content of trace elements in the serum of newborns of different gestational ages who underwent perinatal asphyxia (main group): 41 premature infants and 27 full-term children.Results. It was found that there was a direct significant correlation between the concentration of trace elements (Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu), gestational age and Apgar grades (5th minute) in n prematurely born babies during the period of acute adaptation (3-5 days). Reliable feedback was established between the clinical signs of posthypoxic damage to the central nervous system, suppression syndrome and the content of Fe, Mg and Zn, as well as a weakening of muscle tone and the content of Zn and Mg. In full-term babies, the correlation between the content of Fe, Zn, Mg in the blood serum and clinical indicators was expressed more clearly. In these children, a significant positive correlation was observed between the Ca content in the blood and the syndrome of neuro-reflex excitability.Conclusion. The determination of trace elements in blood serum in newborns in the dynamics of the neonatal period (3-5th and 21-28th days of life) makes it possible to predict the course and severity of hypoxic-ischemic damage to the Central nervous system.


Herein, we report substantially improved high-voltage stability of Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 as a cathode material due to a surface MgO coating and bulk Mg doping for high-voltage sodium-ion batteries, for the first time. The MgO coating layer effectively suppressed the unfavorable side reactions during cycling while the partial Mg doping into the bulk Ni sites improved the structural stability by moderating the extent of the irreversible multiphase transformation. As a result, the combination of a MgO coating with Mg doping provides enhanced electrochemical performance and structural stability of Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 within the voltage range of 2.0–4.2 V. The material demonstrated a high specific capacity of 167 mA h g−1 at a 0.1C and excellent cycling stability and rate capability with 60% capacity retention at 10C (vs. the initial capacity at 0.1C). The practical acceptability of the simultaneous MgO coating and Mg doping of the Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 cathode was obviously verified using scaled-up pouch-type full cells with hard carbon anodes.


The objectives of this study to identify whether the use of roleplay was effective to improve the students' speaking ability at Pharmacy Major of Health Polytechnic Palembang.The study applied experimental method and used non-equivalent control design The population were 60 students of Pharmacy Poltekkes Kemenkes Palembang. They were grouped into two groups as the experimental and contol group. The test was administred twice as pre-test and post-test. The results of the test were analyzed by using t-test through SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program. The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference in speaking ability between the students of Pharmacy Poltekkes Kemenkes Palembang who were taught by using role-play and those who were not based on the independent sample t-test, and role-play has an effect to the student's ability.


This paper presents theoretical results on the convergence of the distributed consensus timing synchronization (DCTS) algorithm for wireless sensor networks assuming general Gaussian delay between nodes. The asymptotic expectation and mean square of the global synchronization error are computed. The results lead to the definition of a time delay balanced network in which average timing consensus between nodes can be achieved despite random delays. Several structured network architectures are studied as examples and their associated simulation results are used to validate analytical findings.


Arcobacters are emerging food borne pathogens potentially associated with prolonged diarrhoea and occasional systemic infections but the pathogenic mechanisms of these bacteria are largely unknown. This study was designed to investigate the pathogenicity of Arcobacter isolates. Two strains of A. butzleri isolated from stool of healthy chickens were confirmed with real time PCR and tested on albino rat by giving a single oral challenge of 109cfu/ml to 65 healthy adult male rats. Five (5) uninfected animals were used as control. Diarrheoal illness occurred in all rats from the fifth day and resolved from day 21 post infection, severe histopathological lesion such as hepatic necrosis, villous erosion, desquamation, matting and necrosis of the segments of small intestine was also observed. In this study, the toxic ileitis necrosis pattern of pathology in the gut of experimentally infected rats could be an indication of observed persistent watery diarrhea associated with the clinical presentation of Arcobacter infection in humans. The pathology of A. butzleri in albino rats had not been previously described, and it appears that the present study is the first report in Nigeria. It may therefore be useful for further investigation.


Background Prostate cancer is a common malignancy in men. Radical prostatectomy is one of the primary treatment modalities for patients with prostate cancer. However, early identification of biochemical recurrence is a major challenge for post-radical prostatectomy surveillance. There is a lack of reliable predictors of biochemical recurrence. The purpose of this study was to explore potential biochemical recurrence indicators for prostate cancer. Materials and Methods We analyzed transcriptomic data of cases with biochemical recurrence in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Then, we performed integrative bioinformatics analyses to establish a biochemical recurrence predictor model of prostate cancer. Results There were 146 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between prostate cancer and normal prostate, including 12 upregulated and 134 downregulated genes. Comprehensive pathway enrichment analyses revealed that these DEGs were associated with multiple cellular metabolic pathways. Subsequently, according to the random assignment principle, 208 patients were assigned to the training cohort and 205 patients to the validation cohort. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that 7 genes were significantly associated with the biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. A model consisting of 5 genes was constructed using LASSO regression and multivariate Cox regression to predict biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. Expression of PAH and AOC1 decreased with an increasing incidence of prostate cancer, whereas expression of DDC, LINC01436 and ORM1 increased with increasing incidence of prostate cancer. Kaplan–Meier curves and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves indicated that the 5-gene model had reliable utility in identifying the risk of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. Conclusion This study provides a model for predicting prostate cancer recurrence after surgery, which may be an optional indicator for postoperative follow-up.


ABSTRACT Karambas, T.; Koftis, T., and Prinos, P., 2016. Modeling of nonlinear wave attenuation due to vegetation. In the present work, a nonlinear wave propagation model is developed and is applied for the simulation of the wave dissipation over vegetation. The free-surface flow over the vegetation is simulated using a Boussinesq model, while the flow within the canopy is simulated by solving simultaneously a canopy flow model. The parameters of the canopy flow model are related to the geometric characteristics of the vegetation, while the drag coefficient is taken from existing formulas found in literature and is related to the Reynolds number. The coupling between the Boussinesq and the canopy flow model is simulated by adding two extra terms, due to vegetation, in the continuity and momentum equations of the Boussinesq model. The numerical results are found to be in good agreement with several experimental measurements found in the relevant literature. The advantage of the proposed methodology is based on a nonlinear Boussinesq-type wave model, with wide range of applications for both engineering and scientific purposes, and the use of a canopy flow model with no calibration needed for the model coefficients. Moreover, a simple formula is extracted from the results for the estimation of the wave damping coefficient depending on the meadow and wave parameters.


We present a singly charged scalar extension of the Scotogenic model, ScotoZee, which resolves the recently reported deviations in W boson mass as well as lepton g − 2. The model admits a scalar or a fermionic dark matter while realizing naturally small radiative neutrino masses. The mass splitting of ∼ 100 GeV, required by the shift in W boson mass, among the inert doublets fields can be evaded by its mixing with the singlet scalar, which is also key to resolving ( g − 2) (cid:96) anomaly within 1 σ . We establish the consistency of this framework with dark matter relic abundance while satisfying constraints from charged lepton flavor violation, direct detection as well as collider bounds. The model gives predictions for the lepton flavor violating τ → (cid:96)γ processes testable in upcoming experiments.


BACKGROUND
Limited data are available indicating associates of stunting among Iranian children. This study was conducted to investigate determinants of stunting in first grade primary school children of Tehran in 2007.

METHOD
In this case-control study, 3147 school children were selected by multistage cluster random sampling method from 5 districts of Tehran. Anthropometric measurements were done and stunting was defined as height for age less than the 5(th) percentile of CDC2000 cut-off points. Eighty six stunted children were identified and considered as case group. After matching for age, sex and residence area, 308 non-stunted children were randomly selected as control group. Required data were collected by trained nutritionists using questionnaires.

RESULTS
Stunting was prevalent among 3.7% of the study population (girls 4.4% vs. boys 2.8%, P < 0.05). Mean age of the studied children was 82.3 month. Children with a birth weight of >3000 g were less likely to be stunted (OR: 0.25: 95% CI: 0.11-0.54) compared with those with a birth weight of <3000 g. Being born to older mothers (>35 years) was associated with greater odds of being stunted (3.01; 1.19-7.60) compared with being born to younger mothers (<35 years). Those with fathers' height of >160 cm were less likely to be stunted (0.04; 0.005-0.37) than those whose fathers' height was less than 160 cm.

CONCLUSIONS
We found that birth weight, maternal age and fathers' height are the major contributing factors to stunting in this group of Iranian children. Taking into account the determinants of stunting might help policy makers designing appropriate interventions.


AIM
To probe the related proteins to stress-induced myocardium injury.

METHODS
After establishment of a myocardium injury model induced by restraint stress in rats, myocardium proteins of restraint stress-treated and untreated rats were extracted, and the two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) maps of the extracted proteins were established by using the immobilized pH gradient (IPG) and SDS-PAGE two-dimensional electrophoresis respectively. The alterative protein spots were analyzed by Image Master 3.01 software and identified with assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and database searching.

RESULTS
Proteomics analysis showed that there were 10 proteins were significantly influenced by restraint stress in rat myocardium. After stress, proteins, including cardiac myosin heavy chain, dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase component of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, similar to dihydrolipoamide S-succinyltransferase, mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, H (+)-transporting ATP synthase, albumin, myosin heavy chain and apolipoprotein A-I precursor showed increased expression. Mitochondrial aconitase and uncoupling protein UCP-3 showed decreased expression.

CONCLUSION
These differential expressive proteins might be involved in stress-induced injury to myocardium.


Detoxified alcoholics (n = 192) were found to be 9.3% slower than age-matched controls (n = 112) with regard to the composite speed (movement time, MT) with which they were able to strike targets of various sizes and distances with a hand-held stylus at onset of a light stimulus (Fitts's Task). Females (n = 102) were 8% slower than males (n = 202), and blacks (n = 103) about 15.6% slower than whites (n = 201). Gender was the only significant factor with regard to errors (target misses), with women committing 28% fewer errors than men. Women, in contrast to men, appear to trade speed for accuracy in this task. Favorable socioeconomic/medical status and target misses were directly related to movement speed. Thus, when the MT data were corrected for lifestyle variables, the significance of the alcohol effects on MT disappeared, but gender differences persisted. The alcohol effect became statistically significant, the ethnic group differences remained statistically significant, and the gender effect became insignificant when MT scores were corrected for accuracy of performance (target misses). The slope of the linear function relating MT to target difficulty was similar for all subgroups. Prior knowledge of the direction of movement was found to affect MT performance more in white than in black subjects. With regard to reaction times, ethnic group and alcohol use effects remained statistically significant after corrections for lifestyle and errors were made, with values for blacks about 5% slower than values for whites, and values for alcoholics about 4.6% slower than those for controls. Prior knowledge of the direction of movement significantly improved (shortened) reaction time in all subgroups (14%-19%).


The review covers current concepts of the pathogenesis of acne. It presents the data of international and Russian clinical studies conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of drugs comprising 15% azelaic acid and used for the treatment of acne. The authors describe mechanisms of the effect of azelaic acid on major stages of the pathogenesis of acne. They substantiate the need in basic care in the treatment of acne by the example of products of the JOYSKIN line. The authors discuss the effect of different components of skin care products on the acne-prone skin.


The authors report on a case of "benign" intracranial hypertension due to bilateral thrombosis of the lateral sinuses and internal jugular veins of infectious origin (otitis). A venous by-pass was established between one of the lateral sinuses and an external jugular vein. As early as the first post-operative week, the intracranial pressure was reduced and the visual disorders regressed. Such venous by-passes, now made possible by micromicrosurgical techniques, can be suggested for treating occlusions of the intracranial sinuses due to thrombophlebitis, traumatisms or tumours.


Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased use of telemedicine. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate attitudes and behaviors of licensed physicians in the region to telemedicine. Methodology: A cross-sectional design using an electronic survey as the primary tool was done. The questionnaire had a demographic component of the respondent (first part), covering age, specialty, and experience with telemedicine during the COVID pandemic, and a second part, which was in the form of a Likert scale, covering perceptions related to telemedicine. The Likert scale itself had two main areas: (1) attitudes toward telemedicine and (2) perceived barriers. Results: There were 392 valid responses of which 228 (58.1%) had used some form of telemedicine (other than standard phone calls) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common platforms used for telemedicine include WhatsApp® (211, 53.8%), Zoom® (131, 33.4%), Microsoft Teams® (27, 6.2%), Sehha App (65, 16.5%), Email (84, 21.4%). There was a strong agreement on the following statements: "Telemedicine can reduce unnecessary outpatient visits" (87.5%), "Effectiveness of telemedicine depends on the specialty" (89.5%), and "Telemedicine can be used to monitor chronic patients from home" (88.3%). Concerning the barriers to telemedicine, the ones having the most concordance were technological limitations (66.6%) and concerns of diagnostic reliability (66.1%). Conclusions: The responses from our study seem to suggest that while the attitudes toward telemedicine are positive, practicing physicians are concerned about a perceived lack of clarity regarding related legal frameworks and barriers such as technological issues, cultural factors, and diagnostic concordance.


The link between functional traits and changes in the environment are challenging, especially in systems of high diversity, such as transitional regions between savannas and tropical forests that are considered unstable and highly vulnerable to climate change. Here we evaluate a series of anatomical traits, key morphological traits, and nutrient concentration for the most representative woody species of four vegetation types (i.e. semideciduous seasonal forest, transition forest, typical cerrado and rocky cerrado) in the Amazonia-Cerrado transition. Our aim was to understand how trees respond to the distinct and unique environmental conditions in each area. Overall, species growing in closed-canopy environments exhibited acquisitive strategies (i.e., higher leaf water content and higher specific leaf area). On the other hand, species from open-canopy environments have adopted conservative strategies (i.e., higher leaf thickness and higher trichomes density). These differences represent a divergence in the adaptive strategies of woody species of the Amazonia-Cerrado transition and are important indicators of how vegetation can respond to future climate change and water availability. Despite these differences, stomatal density and leaf nutrient concentration at a mass basis was surprisingly similar across trees from all vegetation types, suggesting some common environmental drivers, such as likely similar nutrient limitation and climate seasonality.


Cholesterol transport for steroidogenesis in the human placental mitochondria is an enigma as, contrary to other steroidogenic tissues, the human placenta does not express steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), a protein known to be required for efficient utilization of cholesterol by adrenal and gonadal mitochondria. These observations suggest the possibility that cholesterol transport in human placental mitochondria involves a similar system to that present in other non-steroidogenic tissues. We studied cholesterol incorporation into mitochondria isolated from AS-30D hepatoma cells and the human placenta. Mitochondria from both sources incorporated cholesterol in vitro. There were no differences in cholesterol incorporation into hepatoma mitochondria treated with or without trypsin. In contrast, the human placental mitochondria treated with trypsin did not incorporate exogenous cholesterol. The presence of ATP increased the uptake of cholesterol by human placental mitochondria. This increase was inhibited by vanadate. These results suggest that cholesterol incorporation into human placental mitochondria is mediated by protein(s).


Metallic nanoparticles have a strong localized plasmon resonance that is influenced by the physical properties of the nanoparticles and their immediate ambient environment. Electromagnetic field and plasmon energy can also be manipulated by engineering nanoparticle plasmonic structures to concentrate and transport the electromagnetic energy, as well as by transferring the plasmon energy. If coupled with chemical and biological molecules on the surfaces, nanoplasmonic particles and related structures can be used to detect and measure static and dynamic molecular interactions in intro and in vivo. The nanoplasmonic particle molecular sensor is an emerging research tool to help in answering questions of sophisticated genetic processing and cellular signaling mechanisms, as well as early diagnostic imaging of human diseases. The optical molecular sensing enhanced by plasmonic nanoparticles is discussed in the aspects of fundamental theories, nanofabrication, optical spectroscopy, and imaging. Many biomedical applications are also reviewed.


The purpose of the study was to understand the experiences and explore the nature of posttraumatic growth by undergraduate nursing students. The data was created by in-depth interviews on the experiences of 4 participants for 4 months; from June to September, 2016. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed. The analysis of the data was made Colaizzi's phenomenological analytic method. Five categories that emerged from themes and themes clusters were: 1) Trauma event, 2) Traumatic reexperience, 3) Struggling, 4) Getting used to traumatic experience, 5) Going to growth. The findings of the study illustrated in the participants' experiences of posttraumatic growth, will contribute to the development of program that promotes posttraumatic growth including self disclosure.


: The study aims to identify the uses of information and communication technology to support the shift in the practice of the affairs of faculty members and employees at the Najran University towards electronic management, and to know the availability of an infrastructure for information and communication technology necessary to implement the use of human resources management electronically. The findings chow that: 1) there is full clearness for the importance of e-HRM at different managerial levels, 2) the availability of sufficient infrastructure at (ICT) Centers that could be used to start the changing process to e-Management in general and to e-HRM specifically, and 3) Full support by university leaders to the changing process to the administrative e-Management. Finally, the results show the misuse of some services related to human resources management electronically such as: Electronic tests in the recruitment process, Evaluation of staff performance electronically, the identification training needs electronically.


In this work, we propose FUSE, a novel GPU cache system that integrates spin-transfer torque magnetic random-access memory (STT-MRAM) into the on-chip L1D cache. FUSE can minimize the number of outgoing memory accesses over the interconnection network of GPU's multiprocessors, which in turn can considerably improve the level of massive computing parallelism in GPUs. Specifically, FUSE predicts a read-level of GPU memory accesses by extracting GPU runtime information and places write-once-read-multiple (WORM) data blocks into the STT-MRAM, while accommodating write-multiple data blocks over a small portion of SRAM in the L1D cache. To further reduce the off-chip memory accesses, FUSE also allows WORM data blocks to be allocated anywhere in the STT-MRAM by approximating the associativity with the limited number of tag comparators and I/O peripherals. Our evaluation results show that, in comparison to a traditional GPU cache, our proposed heterogeneous cache reduces the number of outgoing memory references by 32% across the interconnection network, thereby improving the overall performance by 217% and reducing energy cost by 53%.


Background Urethral Pain Syndrome (UPS) in women is a recurrent urethral pain without any proven infection or other obvious pathology. There are few studies on UPS, and evidence-based treatment is lacking. The primary aim was to study what treatments are used, and to compare the treatment tradition of UPS in Sweden in 2018, with what was used in 2006. Methods A questionnaire on the treatment of women with UPS was sent to all public gynecology, urology, gynecologic oncology and venereology clinics, and one public general practice in each county in Sweden in 2018. Private practice clinics in gynecology responded to the survey in 2017. Comparisons were made with the same survey sent to gynecology and urology clinics in 2006. Findings Of 137 invited clinics in 2018, 99 (72.3%) responded to the survey. Seventy-seven (77.8%) of them saw women with UPS and 79.2% (61/77) of these clinics treated the patients using 19 different treatment methods. Local corticosteroids and local estrogens were the methods most used. Treatments were similar in gynecology and urology clinics in 2006 and 2018, although strong corticosteroids had increased in use in the treatment regimens of 2018. More than half of the clinics used antibiotics. Interpretation Since there is no evidence-based treatment of UPS, a wide spectrum of treatments is used, and different specialties use different treatment strategies. Despite the lack of proven infection, a large number of clinics also treated the syndrome with antibiotics. There is thus a need for well-designed randomized controlled clinical trials to find evidence-based treatments of UPS.


The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is a highly destructive primary pest of ash (Fraxinus sp., Oleaceae) trees outside of its native range. Ash is an important component of many ecosystems and its loss would be detrimental to both the economy and the environment. The present study aimed to improve our understanding of the effectiveness of green sticky prism traps baited with host kairomone and insect pheromone lures for A. planipennis and to collect data for modelling the range of attraction of the pheromone (3Z)‐dodecen‐12‐olide [(3Z)‐lactone]. Traps were deployed over a single flight season in urban locations of Ontario, Canada, with low densities of EAB. Traps were placed in pairs of trees separated by not more than 25 m. All traps contained the host kairomone, (3Z)‐hexenol, with the remaining half in each pairing additionally baited with (3Z)‐lactone pheromone. Both lure types were highly effective in capturing EAB, with >90% detection rates overall. However, traps baited with the lactone pheromone and host volatile lures doubled trap captures of EAB over distances of at least 25 m from the nearest traps baited with only host volatiles. Although the baseline detection rate of traps containing (3Z)‐hexenol alone is not significantly reduced compared with traps containing (3Z)‐lactone, the overall trap effectiveness is significantly increased when (3Z)‐lactone is present. The implications for the use of (3Z)‐lactone at 3 mg per septum dose in an early warning trapping system are discussed. Trap layout methods and risk‐based analysis models can now be further refined by including these data about the attractive range of lures and their behaviour in different plot environments.


Abstract Selectivity for monovalent metal ions is an important facet of the function of the metalloregulatory protein CueR. 111Ag perturbed angular correlation of γ‐rays (PAC) spectroscopy probes the metal site structure and the relaxation accompanying the instantaneous change from AgI to CdII upon 111Ag radioactive decay. That is, a change from AgI, which activates transcription, to CdII, which does not. In the frozen state (−196 °C) two nuclear quadrupole interactions (NQIs) are observed; one (NQI1) agrees well with two coordinating thiolates and an additional longer contact to the S77 backbone carbonyl, and the other (NQI2) reflects that CdII has attracted additional ligand(s). At 1 °C only NQI2 is observed, demonstrating that relaxation to this structure occurs within ≈10 ns of the decay of 111Ag. Thus, transformation from AgI to CdII rapidly disrupts the functional linear bis(thiolato)AgI metal site structure. This inherent metal site flexibility may be central to CueR function, leading to remodelling into a non‐functional structure upon binding of non‐cognate metal ions. In a broader perspective, 111Ag PAC spectroscopy may be applied to probe the flexibility of protein metal sites.


The significant capabilities of a dynamic neural model system, the KIII model, are illustrated for speech recognition. The neural network system presented was derived from the anatomical features of the olfactory system and consists of three layers of primary and secondary nerve units composed of basic oscillators: OB, AON and PC. Chaotic dynamics arises in the KIII model mainly due to differences in the interlayer time delay constants and dissonant characteristic frequencies in the feedback interactions between the OB and the lumped AON and PC layers. The authors discuss the generation of chaotic activity as basic dynamics of the system and the abrupt bifurcation between a basal and different classes of attractors.<<ETX>>


The dynamic interaction of a Distributed Synchronous Generator (DSG) with Fixed-speed (FSIG) and Doubly-Fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind turbines during network fault conditions is presented in this paper. The objective is to enhance the damping of the wind turbine torsional oscillations, and the transient stability margin of the distributed generators measured by their respective Critical Clearing Times (CCTs). Power System Stabilizer (PSS), Static Var Compensator (SVC), Transient Gain Reduction (TGR) and high-speed exciters including static and solid-state exciters are investigated as candidate solutions to the system subjected to multiple-fault conditions. Impact of various factors such as fault location, SVC location, SVC size, PSS gain, exciter type and increased ceiling voltage are discussed using the results obtained from the PSCAD/EMTDC simulation.


In group-structured populations, altruistic cooperation among unrelated group members may be sustainable even when the evolution of behavioral traits is governed by a payoff-based replicator dynamic. This paper explores the importance in this dynamic of two aspects of group structure: interaction in a public goods game and the cultural transmission of behavioral traits. Agents are paired with others to play the game and (independently of this) to learn from a cultural model. Where pairing is global, one's game partners and cultural model are drawn from the entire population. Or pairing may be local, in which case one's game partners will be the same from period to period, and one's cultural models will be drawn from one's game partners. To clarify the underlying dynamic I derive an extension of the Price equation for the decomposition of changes in the population frequency of a binary trait and analyze the effect of different structures of social interaction on withinand between-group variances and on the evolution of cooperation The simulations reported below use a genetic algorithm to explore a large strategy space for this problem, and to study the dynamics of this population. I show that of the four population structures given by global and local learning and global and local game interaction, local interaction with global learning provides the most favorable environment for the evolution of cooperation. This occurs because this combination of learning and interaction structures supports a high level of between group variance in the frequency of cooperative types, so that most cooperators benefit from being in groups composed mostly of cooperators. However neither global learning nor local interaction is sufficient by itself to support high levels of cooperation. Learning globally and playing locally are thus highly complementary: global learning in the presence of global interactions or local interaction in the presence of local learning, makes little contribution to the evolutionary success of cooperative traits. JEL codes: B52, C72, D64


OBJECTIVES
Carcinoma of the cervix is the most common cause of the death in Nepal. Cervical carcinoma does not develop suddenly from normal epithelium but is presented by a spectrum of intraepithelial neoplastic changes that are precancerous lesion and were termed as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Cervical cytological screening is designed to detect over 90% of cytological abnormalities. It has also been established that most cervical cancers can be diagnosed at the preinvasive stage with adequate and repetitive cytological screening. Keeping in view of the importance of carcinoma and the precancerous lesion (CIN) of cervix, study of different methods for the early detection of abnormalities in cervix, correlation with the clinical findings and comparison between the techniques was carried out.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Patients with suspicious cervix attending Gynaecology OPD of TUTH and Western regional hospital (Pokhara) who have undergone for pap smear cytology test along with biopsy were selected. Detail history with clinical examination was performed and the findings were correlated.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
Unhealthy cervix with discharge was found to be common even in chronic cervicitis however bleeding and tenderness were associated with more advanced lesions. Pap smear test was found to be equally sensitive to histopathological examination for the early detection of different cervical lesions. However, it is advised to perform biopsy if any abnormalities are detected in pap smear for correlation and confirmation.


To the Editor.— The article "Tutankhamun and His Brothers: Familial Gynecomastia in the Eighteenth Dynasty" (1980;244:160) presents an interesting summary of the difficulty of reconstructing the pedigree of this family and interpreting the appearance of archeological artifacts in pathological and genetic terms. However, three important points should be added. First, the author, Bernadine Z. Paulshock, MD, is perhaps too sanguine in her belief that "once Queen Tiye's mummy is ABO/MN typed, the theory that either she or Sitamun was the mother of Smenkhare and Tutankhamun should be either corroborated or abandoned." Among the mummies originally typed were Yuya and Thuya, the parents of the Queen. 1 Both were A 2 N, so their daughter must be either A 2 N or ON. If the mummy is otherwise, either it is not Tiye—an internal contradiction, since one basis of her identification was extreme cephalometric similarity to the mummies of Yuya and


We describe two slowly progressive cases of T-cell lymphoma that involved both acral skin and oral cavity. One patient presented with a tongue nodule, completely responded to chemotherapy and then developed recurrent lymphoma involving tongue and skin a few months later that also responded to therapy. The second patient presented with a skin nodule that spontaneously resolved without therapy, and subsequently recurred in tongue and skin a few years later. In both cases, the neoplasms were composed of atypical lymphoid cells with epidermotropism and were of T-helper cell lineage (CD4+). The initial lesions were also negative for CD30. Identical T-cell receptor gene rearrangements were detected in the initial and recurrent lesions of one case. Although these neoplasms were classified as unspecified peripheral T-cell lymphoma because of the unusual distribution of disease, both cases also had histopathologic features of mycosis fungoides. These cases are strikingly similar, and may represent an unusual clinicopathologic type of T-cell lymphoma that can hone to cutaneous and oral mucosal sites with a slowly progressive natural history.


Background. The influence of platelet von Willebrand factor (vWF)–glycoprotein (GP)Ib-V-IX and GPIIb–IIIa receptor interactions in the context of hyperacute rejection (HAR) of pulmonary xenografts has not previously been explored. Methods. Aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA, an inhibitor of platelet-GPIb interactions with vWF), SC52012A (SC, a synthetic GPIIb/IIIa inhibiting peptide), or both were added to heparinized whole human blood before perfusion of isolated piglet lungs. Results were compared with unmodified blood ("unmodified"). Results. Perfusion of porcine lungs with unmodified human blood resulted in an immediate rise in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), fluid and platelet sequestration in the lung, and, without exception, cessation of function within 15 minutes with a mean survival of 8 minutes. Addition of ATA or SC before lung perfusion significantly decreased the rise in PVR, diminished histamine release, and prolonged survival to 31±11 and 31±22 minutes, respectively. When the therapies were combined, mean survival was 156±77 minutes (P <0.05 vs. either monotherapy). Complement activation was synergistically attenuated only when the drugs were used together. Conclusions. Platelet protein receptor adhesive interactions play an important role in amplification of complement activation during hyperacute lung rejection. Inhibiting recruitment of platelets at the site of initial immunologic injury to endothelial cells may protect porcine organs against thrombosis and inflammation during the initial exposure to human blood.


Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by increased osteoclast activity resulting in bone destruction and development of lytic lesions. Despite overall survival achieved by new treatment modalities, new drugs are required to specifically and effectively inhibit bone destruction. PD 0332991 is a selective small molecule inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)4 and Cdk6 with oral bioavailability. We have demonstrated recently that inhibition of Cdk4/6 by PD 0332991 effectively controls MM tumor expansion in animal models and sensitizes chemoresistant MM tumor cells to bortezomib killing despite protection by bone marrow stromal cells. Currently clinical phase I/II trials are ongoing to test the efficacy of the combination of PD 0332991 and bortezomib. Selective inhibition of Cdk4/6 by PD 0332991 leads to sustained G1 arrest but not apoptosis, and this appears to be cell type-specific. Consistent with these findings, PD 0332991 is well tolerated in MM patients. On this basis, we address the possibility that PD 0332991, alone and in combination with bortezomib, may inhibit osteoclastogenesis, by culturing non-adherent mononuclear bone marrow cells from MM patients cultured in the presence of M-CSF and RANKL for three weeks. Treatment of human osteoclast cultures with PD 0332991 for 3 weeks decreased osteoclast formation in a dose-dependent manner with an IC 50 50 nM. The combination of PD 0332991 and bortezomib led to synergistic inhibition of osteoclast formation and completely abrogated osteoclastogenesis with low dose PD 0332991 (25 nM) and bortezomib (2 nM). Furthermore, we show in a time course study that treatment with PD 0332991 for the first week, but not the second or third week, was sufficient to inhibit osteoclast formation. PD 0332991 is the only known selective inhibitor of Cdk4 and Cdk6, which at concentration below 5 uM does not cross react with at least 38 kinases or induce apoptosis. Taken together, our data suggest that by inducing G1 arrest and inhibiting progenitor expansion, PD 0332991 is a powerful and selective inhibitor for osteoclastogenesis. We propose that targeting Cdk4/6 with PD 0332291 in combination therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy to improve bone integrity in MM.


Abstract We have examined the distribution of preferred directions of motion for neurons in the middle temporal visual area (MT) of the macaque. We found a marked anisotropy favoring directions that are oriented away from the center of gaze. This anisotropy is present only among neurons with peripherally located receptive fields. This peripheral centrifugal directionality bias corresponds well to the biased distribution of motions characteristic of optic flow fields, which are generated by displacement of the visual world during forward locomotion. The bias may facilitate the processing of this common form of visual stimulation and could underlie previously observed perceptual anisotropies favoring centrifugal motion. We suggest that the bias could arise from exposure of modifiable cortical circuitry to a naturally occurring form of selective visual experience.


In many extreme emergency cases such as forest fires or tube terrorist attacks, the rescuers have difficulty using traditional legacy networks due to destruction or collapse of the infrastructure in such events. We use the term emergency Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (eMANETs) in order to describe Next Generation Networks (NGNs) which are deployed in emergency cases. The security of these networks is critical. Especially secure routing is important given the fact that potential attackers aim to disrupt the appropriate operation of the routing protocol within an eMANET. In this paper we propose a game theoretic approach called AODV-GT (AODV-Game Theoretic) and we integrate this into the reactive Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol to provide defense against blackhole attacks. AODV-GT is based on the concept of non-cooperative game theory. AODV-GT outperforms AODV in terms of malicious dropped packets when blackhole nodes exist within the eMANET. Our simulations were implemented using the network simulator ns-2.


Recent advances in neurotechnology allow neurological impairments to be treated or reduced by brain machine interfaces and neuroprostheses. To develop energy-efficient and real-time capable devices, neuromorphic computing systems are envisaged as the core of next-generation 'neurobiohybrid' systems for brain repair. We demonstrate here the first exploitation of a neuromorphic prosthesis to restore bidirectional interactions between two neuronal populations, even when one is damaged or completely missing. We used in vitro modular cell cultures to mimic the mutual interaction between neuronal assemblies and created a focal lesion to functionally disconnect the two populations. Then, we employed our neuromorphic prosthesis for two specific applications with future clinical implications: bidirectional bridging to artificially reconnect two disconnected neuronal modules and hybrid bidirectional bridging to replace the activity of one module with a neuromorphic spiking neural network. Our neuroprosthetic system opens up new avenues for the development of novel bioelectrical therapeutics for human applications.