Growth is one of the key processes in the dynamic of exploited resources, since it provides part of the information required for structured population models. Growth of mangrove cockle, Anadara tuberculosa was estimated through length-based methods (ELEFAN I y NSLCA) and using diverse shell length intervals (SLI). The variability of L(infinity), k and phi prime (phi') estimates and the effect of each sample were quantified by jackknife techniques. Results showed the same L(infinity) estimates from ELEFAN I and NSLCA across each SLI used, and all L(infinity) were within the expected range. On the contrary, k estimates differed between methods. Jackknife estimations uncovered the tendency of ELEFAN I to overestimate k with increases in SLI, and allowed the identification of differences in uncertainty (PE and CV) between both methods. The average values of phi' derived from NSCLA1.5 and length-age sources were similar and corresponded to ranges reported by other authors. Estimates of L(infinity), k and (phi' from NSCLA1.5 were 85.97 mm, 0.124/year and 2.953 with jackknife and 86.36mm de L(infinity), 0.110/year de k and 2.914 de phi' without jackknife, respectively. Based on the observed evidence and according to the biology of the species, NSCLA is suggested to be used with jackknife and a SLI of 1.5 mm as an ad hoc approach to estimate the growth parameters of mangrove cockle.


Cucurbitaceae is an important family having a large number of fruit vegetables rich in the glycoside Cucurbitacin which is
a very important nutraceutical compound. The Cucurbitacin content of these fruit vegetables are known to vary due to
environmental conditions. It was thought necessary to estimate the Cucurbitacin content in Trichosanthes dioica Roxb from nine agro climatic
zones of Maharashtra collected in the summer and winter season to ascertain the best region and best season for maximum cucurbitacin content.


This massive tome is the third Genizak volume so far published. It might be of advantage to set out here the proposed scheme of publication: Part


This study presents an industrial fault diagnosis system based on the cubic dynamic uncertain causality graph (cubic DUCG) used to model and diagnose industrial systems without sufficient data for model training. The system is developed based on cloud native technology. It contains two main parts, the diagnostic knowledge base and the inference method. The knowledge base was built by domain experts modularly based on professional knowledge. It represented the causality between events in the target industrial system in a visual and graphical form. During the inference, the cubic DUCG algorithm could dynamically generate the cubic causal graph according to the real-time data and perform the logic and probability calculations based on the generated cubic DUCG models, visually displaying the dynamic causal evolution of faults. To verify the system's feasibility, we rebuild a fault-diagnosis model of the secondary circuit system of No. 1 at the Ningde nuclear power plant based on the new system. Twenty-four fault cases were used to test the diagnostic accuracy of the system, and all faults were correctly diagnosed. The results showed that it was feasible to use the cubic DUCG platform for fault diagnosis.


U.S. Government work not protected by U.S. copyright. T he term "molecular imaging" was coined only a few years ago, and there is still no real consensus as to what it means and encompasses. One of the better definitions of molecular imaging was by Luker and Piwnica-Worms [1], who defined it as "the characterization and measurement of biologic processes in living animals, model systems, and humans at the cellular and molecular level by using remote imaging detectors." As the definition implies, an intrinsic or extrinsic signal-emitting probe that can be used to track a molecular event as well as a detection system that is sensitive enough to capture and quantify the emitted signal with sufficient signal to noise and contrast to noise in a spatially and temporally resolved manner is required. The importance and relevance of molecular imaging was heightened in 2003 because of several events: the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double helix structure by Watson and Crick; completion of the sequencing of the human genome; awarding of the Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology to Prof. Paul Lauterbur and Sir Peter Mansfield, two pioneers in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); and the announcement of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) roadmap, where molecular imaging features prominently together with the Molecular Library effort as an important initiative after the human genome project. Why is molecular imaging receiving so much attention? Much of molecular biology research focuses on elucidating the functions of specific genes or gene products. Understanding how different gene products interact with each other in specific pathways and how these pathways respond to various modulations is important to further our knowledge of how individual cells carry out different functions. The complexity increases when one tries to sort out how different cells interact in a tissue and how different tissues interact in a whole organism in a coordinated manner. Working from a "bottom-up" approach has obviously given us much insight; however, it is increasingly clear that we need to observe molecular events in the in vivo environment so that in vitro observations can be validated. Molecular imaging offers the tools for a "top-down" approach in which molecular events can be observed in vivo in a whole organism, repeatedly , in a re la t ively noninvasive manner . Modulations of the molecular pathways can be performed and observations made without sacrificing the organism. With image-guided tissue procurement, cells with specific in-vivo characteristics can be extracted and analyzed using functional genomics, proteomics, and other techniques. With knowledge gained from the tissue analysis, new molecular-imaging probes can be designed so that eventually a cocktail of molecular probes, each emitting a different signal, can be used to study molecular pathways of interest under various modulating conditions. Obviously, this can be a highly iterative process with new experiments building on the knowledge gained from previous experiments. With this combined iterative "top-down" and "bottom-up" approach, hopefully new discoveries not possible with either approach alone can be made. The review articles that are divided between this and the September issue offer a fairly good overview of the range of research that is ongoing in the field of molecular imaging. However, it is by no means all inclusive and encyclopedic. The goal of these special issues is to give the bioengineering community an idea of what molecular imaging is and to stimulate dialogue and future collaborations. Molecular imaging intrinsically requires a multidisciplinary approach with collaborations of physicists, engineers, chemists, biologists, and physicians. Let us work together to unravel "the complexity of life," which is the challenge and opportunity of this new century.


Guide for faculty members interested in incorporating technology and digital learning into their Humanities courses. Information on project types, pedagogical implications, and resources available.


The Lightning Ridge region displays rich geodiversity. Though best known for its valuable black opal, it is also world-renowned for yielding a diversity of opalised fossils, including invertebrates, reptiles, dinosaurs and some of the earliest known monotreme mammals. Cenozoic silcrete preserves impressions of fossil plants in great detail at several sites. At Cuddie Springs, 100 km SSW of Lightning Ridge, remains of extinct Pleistocene megafauna are found in association with Aboriginal tools. Numerous Aboriginal sites are also scattered around the ridges and along waterways. Over 100 years of mostly small-scale opal mining at Lightning Ridge is evidenced by historic workings and equipment that are unique to this area or rarely seen elsewhere. This valuable record of geoheritage is of interest to tourists, historians, scientists and artists. Geotourism is intimately linked with opal-mining and is a growing source of income to the region, on par with documented sales of opal itself. Managing such a diverse region presents a challenge, as diverse stakeholders can have conflicting objectives. Tourism has the potential to unite stakeholders and ensure the prosperity of the region long after the opal resources are exhausted. A whole-of-government approach is vital in ensuring sustainable development and prosperity of the region.


Design relations are given for semiconductor lasers having both an active and a passive (low-loss) region within a single resonant cavity. Langevin noise sources are included to make possible the calculation of line width and power fluctuations using Monte Carlo techniques. Explicit relations based on equilibrium conditions are given for line width, power fluctuations, transient-response time constant and side mode level. It is shown by example that when the passive section is several times the length of the active section, the statistics of the power fluctuations become more nearly Gaussian and mode partition noise should become far less noticeable.


Forced alignment refers to a technology that time-aligns a given transcription with a corresponding speech. However, as the forced alignment technologies have developed using speech audio, they might fail in alignment when the input speech audio is noise-corrupted or is not accessible. We focus on that there is another component that the speech can be inferred from, the speech video (i.e., talking face video). Since the drawbacks of audio-based forced alignment can be complemented using the visual information when the audio signal is under poor condition, we try to develop a novel video-based forced alignment method. However, different from audio forced alignment, it is challenging to develop a reliable visual forced alignment technology for the following two reasons: 1) Visual Speech Recognition (VSR) has a much lower performance compared to audio-based Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), and 2) the translation from text to video is not reliable, so the method typically used for building audio forced alignment cannot be utilized in developing visual forced alignment. In order to alleviate these challenges, in this paper, we propose a new method that is appropriate for visual forced alignment, namely Deep Visual Forced Alignment (DVFA). The proposed DVFA can align the input transcription (i.e., sentence) with the talking face video without accessing the speech audio. Moreover, by augmenting the alignment task with anomaly case detection, DVFA can detect mismatches between the input transcription and the input video while performing the alignment. Therefore, we can robustly align the text with the talking face video even if there exist error words in the text. Through extensive experiments, we show the effectiveness of the proposed DVFA not only in the alignment task but also in interpreting the outputs of VSR models.


This anthology offers a broad, representative selection of lyric compositions by the poet-musicians of 12th- and 13th-century France: the Provencal troubadours of the south - the originators of "courtly love" - and their northern counterparts, the trouveres. Using both musicological and philological expertise, the collection is a valuable resource for musical performers and students of early poetry. The audio CD has recordings of 12 pieces from the anthology.


The thermal decomposition of pure perspex and a mixture of 50% perspex and 50% poly(ethylene terephthalate; PET) was carried out between 295 and 325°C using a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) in air and nitrogen (N2) atmosphere. The weight losses of decomposition products were measured during these experiments. The thermal degradation process is slower in inert atmosphere than air, where oxidation reaction expedites the decomposition process. Kinetic rate constants (k), pre-exponential factor (A) and activation energy (E) for both pure prespex and a blend of perspex/PET were calculated for both air and N2 conditions. The thermal degradation process followed a third-order reaction in air and second-order in N2. A second-order (n = 2) model for the pyrolytic process based on simultaneous reactions was developed using experimental data for pure and blend. The pyrolytic products are gases, liquids, waxes, aromatics and char, which can be ultimately used as raw material and fuel in various applications. It is important to note that the addition of PET to perspex was found to suppress/inhibit the decomposition of perspex compared with pure perspex. Pre-exponential factor (A) and activation energy (E) values support such an observation. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering


The free-energy concentration expansion method (FCEM), originally derived for the theoretical prediction of surface segregation in the presence of interatomic correlations (short-range order) in binary alloys, is extended to multicomponent alloy nanoclusters, and is applied to unravel the compositional structure of unsupported 309 atom Ni-Cu-Pd cubo-octahedrons. It is a first attempt, to the best of our knowledge, to compute ternary alloy nanocluster site-specific compositions, which are typically inaccessible by current experimental techniques. The calculations predict surface segregation of both solutes Pd and Cu leading to separation of Ni-rich cluster core (the ``finite size/matter effect''). Due to the core separation, even relatively low Ni content clusters are expected to be magnetic. The Ni enrichment and associated magnetic order can prevail up to temperatures noticeably higher than in bulk alloys of the same overall composition. Depending on temperature and overall composition, Cu and Pd form orderedlike patterns (``compositional oscillations'') or mix at the wrapping surface. As the overall Cu content in the cluster increases (on the expense of Ni), the two solutes exhibit surface multisite competition, namely, Cu displaces Pd sequentially from vertexes to edges and facets, and finally Pd desegregates from the surface sites into the core. FCEM can be conveniently applied also to calculation of ``surfaces'' of thermodynamic functions for all ranges of composition above the Gibbs triangle, including the currently defined ``cluster mixing functions.'' It is shown that sharp compositional-structural changes in Ni-Cu-Pd are reflected distinctly in the cluster mixing entropy surface, and the general shape of calculated free-energy surfaces indicates mixing properties of ternary alloy clusters that differ considerably from the corresponding bulk alloys.


Many works have attempted to give a comprehensive view of certain aspects of kidney function such as noted in the recent review on salt and water metabolism (Arch. Intern. Med., March, 1961). In Metabolic Aspects of Renal Function the author discusses a series of special biochemical functions of the kidney. The first two chapters dealing with phosphate, amino acid, and glucose transport compare the renal mechanisms to similar processes in other tissues. The chapters on the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the synthesis and secretion of ammonia represent an area in which the author has recently been working. An interesting feature is the discussion of the interrelationships of these 2 functions, especially in acid-base regulation. The final chapters, on organic acid transport and phlorizin, present thorough reviews, with excellent bibliographies of 2 important aspects of renal function. The book contains numerous references to areas needing research. The volume is recommended to


5626 Irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11) is widely used for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), but its low conversion rate to an active metabolite, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38), and low retention in tumor tissue limit the antitumor effect. To exploit therapeutic potential of SN-38 by optimizing its pharmacokinetic properties, we have successfully developed NK012, SN-38-encapsulated nanoparticle, and reported that NK012 drastically improved intratumoral SN-38 delivery and exhibited the superior antitumor activity to CPT-11 in liver metastatic tumor model of colorectal cancer (2007 AACR Annual Meeting, #1495). In the present study, we evaluated the combination effect of NK012 and 5-FU in mouse Colon 26 cancer model. First, we compared the effect of administration sequences of 10 mg/kg of NK012 (20% of MTD, iv) and 80 mg/kg of 5-FU (50% of MTD, iv) in the following three combination: (a) simultaneous administration, (b) 5-FU followed by NK012 on the next day, and (c) NK012 followed by 5-FU on the next day, starting when the tumor reached 100-200 mm3 in size. The time requiring to reach 4 times of the initial tumor volume was determined for each group and its delay over control group produced treatment was calculated as TGD as the ratio of control. The TGD were 118%, 118%, and 178% for the sequence of (a), (b) and (c), respectively, indicating that a sequence of NK012 followed by 5-FU is superior to the concurrent administration or the reverse sequence. Next, combination effect of NK012 (25 mg/kg) followed by 5-FU (80 mg/kg) was compared with that of CPT-11 (67 mg/kg) and 5-FU. The higher dose combination of NK012 and 5-FU produced superior antitumor efficacy (TGD = 437%) to that of CPT-11 and 5-FU (TGD = 153%). These results indicate that NK012 maximizes combined therapeutic benefit of SN-38 over CPT-11 in combination with 5-FU. The improved efficacy of NK012 might be accounted for by the prolonged exposure time to SN-38 released from the micellar NK012, which specifically accumulated in tumor tissue due to leakiness of tumor blood vessel to nanosize molecules.


Having studied the experience of 84 resections of the oesophagus and gastric cardia in patients with portal hypertension and taking into account postoperative complications (reflux-oesophagitis, progressing loss of weight, dispeptic disorders, phenomena of agastric asthenia etc.) the authors came to a conclusion that the indications for this surgical intervention should be lessened and recommended the indication to be justified only as the last attempt of the surgeon in his struggle against recurrent hemorrhage from varicose veins of the oesophagus which should be preceded with transthoracic oesophago- or gastrotomy with the ligation of varicose veins.


Context. R Aqr is a symbiotic binary system consisting of a mira variable, a hot companion with a spectacular jet outflow, and an extended emission line nebula. Because of its proximity to the Sun, this object has been studied in much detail with many types of high resolution imaging and interferometric techniques. We have used R Aqr as test target for the visual camera subsystem ZIMPOL, which is part of the new extreme adaptive optics (AO) instrument SPHERE at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Aims. We describe SPHERE/ZIMPOL test observations of the R Aqr system taken in Hα and other filters in order to demonstrate the exceptional performance of this high resolution instrument. We compare our observations with data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and illustrate the complementarity of the two instruments. We use our data for a detailed characterization of the inner jet region of R Aqr. Methods. We analyze the high resolution ≈25 mas images from SPHERE/ZIMPOL and determine from the Hα emission the position, size, geometric structure, and line fluxes of the jet source and the clouds in the innermost region <2′′ (<400 AU) of R Aqr. The data are compared to simultaneous HST line filter observations. The Hα fluxes and the measured sizes of the clouds yield Hα emissivities for many clouds from which one can derive the mean density, mass, recombination time scale, and other cloud parameters. Results. Our Hα data resolve for the first time the R Aqr binary and we measure for the jet source a relative position 45 mas West (position angle −89.5◦) of the mira. The central jet source is the strongest Hα component with a flux of about 2.5 × 10−12 erg cm−2 s−1. North east and south west from the central source there are many clouds with very diverse structures. Within 0.5′′ (100 AU) we see in the SW a string of bright clouds arranged in a zig-zag pattern and, further out, at 1′′−2′′, fainter and more extended bubbles. In the N and NE we see a bright, very elongated filamentary structure between 0.2′′−0.7′′ and faint perpendicular "wisps" further out. Some jet clouds are also detected in the ZIMPOL [O I] and He I filters, as well as in the HST-WFC3 line filters for Hα, [O III], [N II], and [O I]. We determine jet cloud parameters and find a very well defined correlation Ne ∝ r−1.3 between cloud density and distance to the central binary. Densities are very high with typical values of Ne ≈ 3 × 105 cm−3 for the "outer" clouds around 300 AU, Ne ≈ 3 × 106 cm−3 for the "inner" clouds around 50 AU, and even higher for the central jet source. The high Ne of the clouds implies short recombination or variability timescales of a year or shorter. Conclusions. Hα high resolution data provide a lot of diagnostic information for the ionized jet gas in R Aqr. Future Hα observations will provide the orientation of the orbital plane of the binary and allow detailed hydrodynamical investigations of this jet outflow and its interaction with the wind of the red giant companion.


This text includes features that make learning easy and enjoyable - yet - challenging for learners. Students receive a wide range of learning experiences from activities with one or two commands to simulations and case studies that challenge and sharpen learners' problem-solving skills.


Does the dominant approach to learn representations (as a side effect of optimizing an expected cost for a single training distribution) remain a good approach when we are dealing with multiple distributions? Our thesis is that such scenarios are better served by representations that are richer than those obtained with a single optimization episode. We support this thesis with simple theoretical arguments and with experiments utilizing an apparently na\"{\i}ve ensembling technique: concatenating the representations obtained from multiple training episodes using the same data, model, algorithm, and hyper-parameters, but different random seeds. These independently trained networks perform similarly. Yet, in a number of scenarios involving new distributions, the concatenated representation performs substantially better than an equivalently sized network trained with a single training run. This proves that the representations constructed by multiple training episodes are in fact different. Although their concatenation carries little additional information about the training task under the training distribution, it becomes substantially more informative when tasks or distributions change. Meanwhile, a single training episode is unlikely to yield such a redundant representation because the optimization process has no reason to accumulate features that do not incrementally improve the training performance.


The motion response of a shear-leg crane ship lifting a heavy load in wave groups was investigated. The 9-DOF dynamic model incorporated hull motions coupled with nonlinear large-angle load swing and elastic stretch of the hoisting rope assembly. Hydrodynamic response forces and wave excitation forces were taken to be frequency dependent, and nonlinear mooring system restoring forces were allowed for. Closed-form linearized results about the system equilibrium state verified our nonlinear simulation algorithm; simulation results in comparison with scale model test measurements, our mathematical model. Wave groups were idealized in two different ways: 1) as continuous wave groups produced by pairs of beating waves of equal amplitude and slightly different periods, and 2) as isolated wave packets generated by superimposing a large number of regular wave components derived from a Gauss-modulated amplitude spectrum. Simulations show that hook load response, strongly coupled with ship motions, was mainly influenced by first-order wave-exciting forces. Low-frequency horizontal ship motions caused by second-order wave (drift) forces did not generally affect hook load response, i.e., first-order and second-order responses were independent.


Nowadays, the use of Artificial Neural Networks shows continuity in many different applications. In particular, the use of deep learning type neural networks, seen as impractical previously, is increasing by processing power growth. Software Defined Radio (SDR) is another hot topic called as Digital Radio concept. With a growing interest in the environment was formed especially by radio amateurs. Analyzing signals and making sense out of them by SDR is accepted in many areas. In this study, design and implementation of a sample work has been subjected for identification of received radio signals on SDR with deep learning neural networks. (DLNN).


This study discusses the effects of the new technology on the democratic system by reviewing the political history of democracy in philosophic view. The study explores the philosophical discussion of democracy and its components that is designed by most influential philosophers whom most of them agreed on the importance of education and knowledge to be the two main components. The study connects the democratic progress in the State of Kuwait to its roots, namely knowledge and education.


Detail analysis of active medium flow structure is presented. Schlieren method photography of flow is processed to reconstruct parameters both stochastic and order phase components. Properties of random part including correlation function, spectrum of spatial frequency, scale of turbulence, are determined by digital filtering. It was possible to compare influence of random and regular phase distortions on radiation divergence structure.


With the growth of using e-banking transactions through mobile phones in China, it brings along with convenience of people's life as it enables people to have access to banking services anywhere and at any time as well as it conducts business more effectively. Technology acceptance model (TAM) has been applied in different contexts to examine a wide range of information technology. With mobile transactions popularity, online payments grew 33.8 percent year over year since 2014 (Marketing China, 2015). It is necessary to investigate the factors influence on customers' behavior intention towards the e-banking transactions through mobile phones. The study employed convenience sampling technique to collect data from 500 respondents of e-banking of mobile users. The results revealed that perceived compatibility and mobility significantly affects to perceived usefulness, and further perceived usefulness significantly affect behavior intention of using e-banking through mobiles. It also examined that perceived usefulness as a mediator between the relationship of perceived compatibility and behavior intention as well as the relationship between mobility and behavior intention.


Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems are extremely sensitive to nonlinear distortions brought by the Power Amplifier (PA) because of the inherent high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of the signal. In this paper, we analyze the impact of the non-linearities on the output signal, assuming that the transmitter is equipped with a linearization stage before the PA. Therefore, the expression of the Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) of the output signal is analytically derived with or without the use of the linearization process. We provide analytical expressions of the EVM in the form of a series expansion that depends on the transition factors of the PA and predistortion characteristics. Simulations results confirm the accuracy of our analytical expressions, even when limiting the series expansion to an order of 4.


Objective: The effect of Rhizoma Panacis Japonici ethanol extracts on protein caspase 3 and Drp-1 in MCAO rats.
Methods: Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, the sham operation group (s group), ischemia and reperfusion group (I/R group), Rhizoma Panacis Japonici Ethanol extracts low dose group (10 mg/kg/d, RPJEL) and Rhizoma Panacis Japonici Ethanol extracts high dose group (30 mg/kg/d, RPJEH) with 15 rats in each group. After intragastric administration of 1 W, the middle cerebral artery occlusion method preparation of focal cerebral ischemia model, ischemia 2 hrs and reperfusion for 24 hrs, postoperative 24 hrs monitoring the brain ischemic area middle cerebral artery blood flow changes, the Triphenyltetrazolium Chloride (TTC) method to measure the volume of cerebral infarction was used to detect the apoptosis of brain cells level, immunohistochemistry and Western blot Drp-1, Caspase 3 protein expression.
Results: Compared with I/R group, both of RPJEL and RPJEH groups could significantly decrease the Drp-1 and Caspase 3 protein level, and also minimize the infarct volume. Two hours after the infarct model established, the blood flow of I/R group were changed to 30.26% ± 1.58%, and the blood flow of the RPJEL and RPJEH groups were decreased to 52.1% ± 2.94%57.3% ± 4.21%.
Conclusions: RPJE could effectively inhibit the nerve cell apoptosis and mitochondria. The action mechanism may be related to the decreased levels of Drp-1 and Caspase 3.


The appearance of COVID-19 brought to Brazil, and to the world, innumerable methods to contain the increase of infected people. These methods are necessary to avoid the spread of the virus and include social distancing and quarantine of the population. Knowing that these methods have a big impact on the educational system. This study has as its objective to verify the process of teaching and learning, in educational spaces and environments, in times of a pandemic. In order to look for a pattern in established actions in educational programs to incorporate in large scale the tools of educational technology at a distance (distance learning), for example platforms and virtual teaching environments designed to guarantee the pedagogical processes of learning and ameliorate the impact of absence from the classroom during the pandemic, and its post-pandemic consequences. We emphasize the importance of the teacher as mediator, understanding that this professional should respect the different levels of learning of the students and try to carry out activities that help with the improvement of practical education for the appropriate environment and spaces of interaction.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The increase of molecular data and the resulting insights into legume systematics make the search for new morphological characters and a careful re-investigation of already stated characters necessary. Bracteoles are small, reduced leaves borne close to the base of lateral branches. Although they seem unimportant in older buds, they have an ecological function in protecting the sepal primordia. Furthermore, a morphogenetic function in mediating the onset of sepal initiation is suspected in the literature. The occurrence of bracteoles varies within Papilionoideae, and their distribution is used in legume systematics. But this is open to criticism, because there is a tendency to use 'absent' for 'caducous'. Thus attention here was paid to the initiation of bracteoles as well as to the sequence of sepal initiation.

METHODS
The floral development of 30 taxa out of 15 tribes of Papilionoideae was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

KEY RESULTS
In five taxa the bracteoles initiated, but suppressed early. Furthermore, a broad variability of sepal initiation was found. Besides the widely stated unidirectional pattern, modified unidirectionality, tendencies towards whorled, fully whorled, bidirectional and successive initiation of sepals were all found.

CONCLUSION
Initiated but suppressed bracteoles are presented as a 'new' character in Papilionoideae. Considering the presence of bracteoles as a plesiomorphy, their suppression can be seen as a step towards completely reduced bracteoles. The remarkable variability of the sequence of sepal initiation questions the widely stated unidirectionality of organ initiation in Papilionoideae. The different modes of sepal initiation are deducible from the helical pattern of some caesalpinioids, which is seen as a developmental link of the flowers of Papilionoideae and Caesalpinioideae. The bidirectional sepal initiation is possibly a consequence of the morphogenetic function of bracteoles, although bidirectionality is not found in all taxa with reduced bracteoles.


For inclusive educational policies to be successful, teachers need to support their implementation in the classroom, in terms of their beliefs and instructional practices. But what do teacher believe about teaching and learning in children with special needs and disabilities in inclusive classrooms? This position paper considers this question. Possible ways forward will be suggested to encourage teacher beliefs that better support effective inclusive instructional practices.


Vehicle scheduling problem in distribution step has always been the focus of domestic and overseas academic circles. Especially during recent years, with rising of logistics as a new industry, optimization of vehicle scheduling has become a hot issue. Optimization for vehicle scheduling in distribution step can not only save cost and improve economic returns for enterprises, but is also beneficial to realizing scientific logistics management. At present, there are many algorithms involved in vehicle scheduling and this paper chose two typical algorithms - traditional heuristics algorithm and genetic algorithm; characteristics of these two algorithms were discussed. Finally through comparison, it pointed out how to choose proper algorithm in solving practical problems.


Drawing upon the resource-based view and knowledge-based theory, this research investigated the roles of entrepreneurial social capital and knowledge structure in the process of new venture innovation. A questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 1000 new ventures in U.S. The analysis results show that an entrepreneur's social capital influences their knowledge structure of new production development, and ultimately impacts new venture innovation. By incorporating the entrepreneur's knowledge structure with their social capital in the context of new venture innovation, this research attempted to develop a theory of action which connects individual differences with social structure.


Ficus religiosa is being used in Ayurvedic and Malay traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including gastric ulcer. Considering the above claims, the present work was undertaken to validate the anti-ulcer potential of the ethanol extract of stem bark of F. religiosa against in vivo indomethacinand cold restrained stress-induced gastric ulcer, and pylorus ligation assays. The extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) significantly (P<0.05) reduced the ulcer index in all assays used. The extract also significantly (P<0.05) and increased the pH of gastric acid while at the same time reduced the volume of gastric juice and, free and total acidities. In conclusion, the present study provide preliminary data on the antiulcer potential of F. religiosa stem bark and support the traditional uses of the plant for the treatment of gastric ulcer.


The subject of immunogenetics is not a simple one even (or especially) for workers in the field, and this book is not one that can be scanned quickly. Yet Dr. Lengerova writes clearly and advances her discussion logically from basic conceptual and historical aspects, through the topography and immunochemistry of mouse H-2 antigens into the complexities of tumor antigens and parent-hybrid incompatibilities. There are informative chapters on Y chromosome-determined antigens, the "Eichwald-Silmser effect," and on hybrid resistance as an ostensible exception to the one-gene, one-antigen concept. The monograph is not merely a compendium of references, although the bibliography is extensive and up to date, but is a critical review of existing information. In this regard, the chapters on the thymus-leukemia (TL) antigenic system in mice and on allogeneic inhibition are particularly strong critical appraisals of current knowledge. These chapters indicate the possible relation of the limited phenomena to the general field of alloantigenicity and bone marrow transplantation. It is in fact this continually transmitted sense of where individual elements fit into the field of transplantation genetics that makes the book so valuable.


ACUTE incubation of NMDA with neuroblastom a × glioma hybrid (NG108–15) cells or neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells produced significant attenuation of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ)-induced activation of G protein and inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. The attenuation of N/OFQ signaling by NMDA was dose-dependent, blockable by NMDA antagonists, and not observed in cells lacking NMDA receptors, indicating that the effect of NMDA is mediated by the NMDA receptor. Furthermore, NMDA antagonist pretreatment greatly attenuated N/OFQ-induced acute homologous desensitization of ORL1. Interestingly, the signaling induced by etorphine, an opioid agonist of wide spectrum, was sensitive to NMDA treatment in NG108–15 but insensitive in SK-N-SH cells, suggesting differential modulation of opioid signaling by NMDA. The attenuation effects of NMDA on μ opioid receptor-mediated signaling were also observed.


This study uses a business game as a vehicle for implementing decision support systems (DSS). Fifty-Eight companies, consisting of about 300 senior graduate students participating in a business game, developed DSS and reported on the systems developed. Questionnaires were later used to evaluate a number of relevant variables: use of systems, contribution of systems, and user satisfaction. Findings, consistent with previous empirical studies, strengthen the validity of the simulation exercise as a useful tool for measuring DSS effectiveness.


Background: Few studies associate adverse health factors with frailty defined by biomarkers. Aim: To evaluate the association of adverse health factors in elderly people (controlled by age group, gender, and activity) with the combined analysis of leukocytes and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Method: The study was a cross-sectional epidemiological investigation of an integral part of the ELSIU (Uberaba Elderly Health Study), consisting of a sample of 241 elderly people. The data collection involved physical performance tests, anthropometric measurements, and a questionnaire through individual interviews. Fragility was defined by the concomitant presence of BDNF serum levels ≤1888.42 mg/dL (first quartile) and a leukocyte count lower than 4, 000 mm³ or higher than 9,290 mm³. For the data analysis, descriptive statistic procedures (frequency, mean) and Poisson regression were used, p ≤ 0.05. Results: The prevalence of frailty was 8.7%, and this condition was more prevalent in elderly individuals who were hospitalized in the last three months (RP = 7.33) and among those with disability in the basic activities of daily living (BADLs) (RP = 7.64), controlled by age group, gender and the level of physical activity. Conclusion: The early identification of frailty using biomarkers associated with health factors (hospitalization and disability in BADLs) may provide early intervention for these individuals.


Abstract Music is a popular tool for language revitalization efforts, providing both an attraction for potential language learners and a cultural context for language-related activities. In both Scotland and Nova Scotia, Canada, Gaelic revitalization is further linked with instrumental music, especially fiddle and bagpipe music, because the language is regarded as directly informing its rhythm and articulation. While this relationship creates the potential for a rich interaction between language and music enthusiasts, it is also complicated by a long history of contested definitions of authentic Gaelic expression. When local self-esteem is an important component of successful language revitalization, such complications must be addressed.


We study the behaviour of automorphic L-Invariants associated to cuspidal representations of GL(2) of cohomological weight 0 under abelian base change and Jacquet-Langlands lifts to totally definite quaternion algebras.
Under a standard non-vanishing hypothesis on automorphic L-functions and some technical restrictions on the automorphic representation and the base field we get a simple proof of the equality of automorphic and arithmetic L-invariants. This together with Spiess' results on p-adic L-functions yields a new proof of the exceptional zero conjecture for modular elliptic curves - at least, up to sign.


Clusters of galaxies may contain radio sources if they still experience successive mergers at present. This has been confirmed by radio observations that about 30% of nearby clusters possess radio halos. We present a theoretical prediction of radio cluster counts using a semi-analytic approach which incorporates the empirical correlation between radio power and dynamical mass of clusters, and the cluster mass function described by the Press-Schechter formalism. The total population of radio clusters over the whole sky and their redshift distribution are given.


We analyze the performance of cross-validation (CV) in the density estimation framework with two purposes: (i) risk estimation and (ii) model selection. The main focus is given to the so-called leave-$p$-out CV procedure (Lpo), where $p$ denotes the cardinality of the test set. Closed-form expressions are settled for the Lpo estimator of the risk of projection estimators. These expressions provide a great improvement upon $V$-fold cross-validation in terms of variability and computational complexity. From a theoretical point of view, closed-form expressions also enable to study the Lpo performance in terms of risk estimation. The optimality of leave-one-out (Loo), that is Lpo with $p=1$, is proved among CV procedures used for risk estimation. Two model selection frameworks are also considered: estimation, as opposed to identification. For estimation with finite sample size $n$, optimality is achieved for $p$ large enough [with $p/n=o(1)$] to balance the overfitting resulting from the structure of the model collection. For identification, model selection consistency is settled for Lpo as long as $p/n$ is conveniently related to the rate of convergence of the best estimator in the collection: (i) $p/n\to1$ as $n\to+\infty$ with a parametric rate, and (ii) $p/n=o(1)$ with some nonparametric estimators. These theoretical results are validated by simulation experiments.


We measured the age at onset of foraging in colonies derived from three races of European honey bees, Apis mellifera mellifera, Apis mellifera caucasica and Apis mellifera ligustica, using a cross-fostering design that involved six unrelated colonies of each race. There was a significant effect of the race of the introduced bees on the age at onset of foraging: cohorts of A. m. ligustica bees showed the earliest onset, regardless of the race of the colony they were introduced to. There also was a significant effect of the race of the host colony: cohorts of bees introduced into mellifera colonies showed the earliest onset of foraging, regardless of the race of the bees introduced. Significant inter-trial differences also were detected, primarily because of a later onset of foraging in trials conducted during the autumn (September-October). These results demonstrate differences among European races of honey bees in one important component of colony division of labor. They also provide a starting point for analyses of the evolution of division of labor under different ecological conditions.


Nurses' impressions of a hypothetical patient, labeled an alcoholic, were strongly influenced by their negative stereotypic views of alcoholics. Nurses responded more favorably to the same "patient" when he was not labeled an alcoholic even though the behavior of the patient was held constant.


Life analysis is conducted for economic analysis of equipment or facilities. The purpose of life analysis is to predict future indicators for scrapping construction equipment, and establish and utilize a wide variety of business strategies according to data predictions. First, this study shows the methods to figure out average life, life expectancy and life prediction of construction equipment and the analysis of life making methods, using survival curves. Second, the study proposes and examines the life expectancy making model depending on revenues and expenses. The result of the study reveals that the economic life of the same equipment varies with expenses, revenues and the initial cost. The life expectancy making model for construction equipment reflects respective management status for equipment and will help efficient management for companies.


Synopsis The flotation response of a Pb-Zn sulphide ore from the Rosh Pinah Mine (Namibia) was studied in the presence of inorganic depressants such as sodium cyanide and zinc sulphate. Poor flotation selectivity was observed in the rougher concentrate of the galena circuit despite the use of a large amount of sodium cyanide. Batch flotation tests have shown that the use of cyanide alone is not efficient for the depression of sphalerite from the Rosh Pinah ore when milling is carried out according to the current plant particle size distribution. The use of both cyanide and zinc sulphate improved the selectivity between galena and sphalerite much better than cyanide alone. Flotation selectivity is limited by the mineralogical texture of the Rosh Pinah ore sample. Microscopic analysis has shown that the presence of sphalerite in the galena concentrate is also due to poor liberation between galena and sphalerite, especially in the middlings. Hence, selectivity could be improved by regrinding the rougher concentrate prior to the cleaning stage.


Geographic Information Systems (ARCGIS-ESRI) have tools to produce cartographical generalizations that are based in spatial transformations which alter the geometrical data and topological representation. The major spatial objects use vector as the basic entities for representation. Vectorial generalization has been well studied and is the most common transformation used in existent systems. The three basic elements for vectorial representation are points, lines and areas and are translated to geographical objects. This article discusses polygonal line simplifying methods explains the experiments and evaluation processes for two algorithms to improve line simplification applied to GIS: an adaptation of Douglas-Peucker algorithm, an area/perimeter quotient, and an adaptation of Wang, algorithm applying arc technical recognition.


This study was undertaken to determine the changes which could occur in glucose homeostatis during the suckling-weaning transition in the genetically obese Zucker (fa/fa) rat. Glucose kinetics and glucose utilization in individual tissues were determined in 15-day-old suckling and 30-day-old weaned obese Zucker rats either in the post-absorptive state or during a glucose infusion. During suckling, glucose turnover rates in the basal state as well as glucose production and utilization during the glucose infusion were identical in lean and obese rats. Furthermore, individual tissue glucose utilizations were similar in the two groups of rats, except in brown adipose tissue where utilization was lower in obese than in lean rats during the glucose challenge. After weaning, glucose turnover rates and glucose utilization in individual tissues were identical in the two genotypes in the basal state. During the glucose infusion, hepatic glucose production was less suppressed in the obese. Furthermore, glucose utilization was significantly lower in muscles (extensor digitorum longus, tibialis anterior, diaphragm) and higher in white adipose tissue of obese rats. These data show that, before weaning, pre-obese Zucker rats present a perturbation only in the uptake of glucose in brown adipose tissue. Major defects in the regulation of glucose homeostatis occur after weaning.


Emerging reconfigurable data centers introduce unprecedented flexibility in how the physical layer can be programmed to adapt to current traffic demands. These reconfigurable topologies are commonly hybrid, consisting of static and reconfigurable links, enabled by e.g., an Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) connected to top-of-rack switches in Clos networks. Even though prior work has showcased the practical benefits of hybrid networks, several crucial performance aspects are not well understood. For example, many systems enforce artificial segregation of the hybrid network parts, leaving money on the table. In this article, we study the algorithmic problem of how to jointly optimize topology and routing in reconfigurable data centers, in order to optimize a most fundamental metric, maximum link load. The complexity of reconfiguration mechanisms in this space is unexplored at large, especially for the following cross-layer network-design problem: given a hybrid network and a traffic matrix, jointly design the physical layer and the flow routing in order to minimize the maximum link load. We chart the corresponding algorithmic landscape in our work, investigating both un-/splittable flows and (non-)segregated routing policies. A topological complexity classification of the problem reveals NP-hardness in general for network topologies that are trees of depth at least two, in contrast to the tractability on trees of depth one. We moreover prove that the problem is not submodular for all these routing policies, even in multi-layer trees. However, networks that can be abstracted by a single packet switch (e.g., nonblocking Fat-Tree topologies) can be optimized efficiently, and we present optimal polynomial-time algorithms accordingly. We complement our theoretical results with trace-driven simulation studies, where our algorithms can significantly improve the network load in comparison to the state-of-the-art.


This article describes the need for an increased emphasis for change management and how it affects the information systems (IS) practitioner. Computer-based systems have become highly integrated into everyday business activities and the successful implementation of new information technology will depend upon not only the technical strength of the information system but, importantly, the effective management of organizational change. Organizational change issues are identified as planning for change, ensuring appropriate change leadership, creating a readiness for change, managing resistance to change, managing the transition, implementing and evaluating the change. A conceptual change model is derived for use in a systems development environment. This model proposes four main phases: orientation, preparation, implementation and support. Specific activities and deliverables are detailed for each segment. The proposed change model is matched to the Systems Development Life Cycle, showing where change management tasks could be incorporated into an overall project workplan.


: Opting out of successful careers has been a highly debated topic ever since New York Times columnist Lisa Belkin published her article ' The Opt-Out Revolution ' . However, men have not been included in the debate, nor has it captured contemporary, societal aspects, as it has focused solely on women who leave to care full-time for children. I have thus broadened the definition of opting out to include opting in to new lifestyles or solutions for work. Mainstream career models no longer accurately describe preferred or actual career patterns and progressions. In addition, although prevalent career models are based on masculinist norms, they do not leave much room for diversity among men. Using a narrative approach, this chapter draws on the narratives of 29 men from Finland, the UK and the US who opted out of mainstream masculinist careers to pursue new lifestyles and solutions for work. The men typically felt disenchanted with corporate ideals and expectations as they progressed up the career ladder. This disenchantment came from internal struggles associated with increased pressure and stress on the one hand, and ethical issues regarding the treatment of, for example, employees and clients on the other. Opting out allowed them to create solutions for work that provided a sense of coherence, authenticity and wellbeing, and made it possible for them to spend time and nurture the relationships with people who were important to them.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of advanced glaucoma on locomotor activity rhythms and related sleep parameters. Nine normal subjects and nine age-matched patients with bilateral advanced primary open-angle glaucoma, >10 yrs since diagnosis, were included in this observational, prospective, case-control study. Patients were required to record the timing and duration of their sleep and daily activities, and wore an actigraph on the wrist of the nondominant arm for 20 d. Activity rhythm period, MESOR (24-h time-series mean), amplitude (one-half peak-to-trough variation), and acrophase (peak time), plus long sleep episodes during the wake state, sleep duration, efficiency, and latency, as well as mean activity score, wake minutes, and mean wake episodes during the sleep interval were assessed in controls and glaucomatous patients. Glaucomatous patients exhibited significant decrease in nighttime sleep efficiency, and significant increase in the mean activity score, wake minutes, and mean wake episode during the night. These results suggest that alterations of circadian physiology could be a risk to the quality of life of patients with glaucoma. (Author correspondence: firstname.lastname@example.com)


A review of Barrie Kosky's essay, On Ecstasy : Most of us describe the E word as a pleasant, out of this world experience—a type of boundless, artificial joy, deliberately induced by some kind of technicoloured drug. For others, it is that "lovey dovey" feeling. A spinning ceiling. Anything Lindt. For sensualist and soup connoisseur Barrie Kosky, it is easier than this. Being On Ecstasy involves, quite simply, his grandmother's chicken specialty—something warm and golden, surrendered with vegetables and a side of transcendental bliss. "A soup that took you to the beginning and end of time itself. A dazzling, pure, clear rhapsody" (7).


ABSTRACT Anaplasma phagocytophilum has long been known to cause tick-borne fever in ruminants and has been identified more recently as the causative agent of the emerging disease human granulocytic anaplasmosis. The related organism Anaplasma marginale uses gene conversion of the expression site for two major outer membrane proteins (OMPs) to generate extensive sequence and antigenic variation in these OMPs. This is thought to present a continuously varying repertoire of epitopes to the mammalian host and allow disease persistence. Recent genomic and structural data on human strains of A. phagocytophilum, together with animal studies in model systems, have implicated an orthologous OMP of A. phagocytophilum in a similar mechanism of variation. However, to date there has been little investigation of the mechanisms of antigenic variation or disease persistence in hosts naturally infected with field strains of A. phagocytophilum. Approximately 300,000 lambs in Norway suffer severe disease caused by A. phagocytophilum annually. We show here the persistent and cyclic nature of infection in these animals that is accompanied by loosely programmed sequence variation of the major OMP expression site in each rickettsemic peak. These data will allow analysis of interactions between A. phagocytophilum and the host immune system in naturally occurring persistent infections and provide an important comparison with enduring infections of cattle caused by A. marginale.


In the actuality the violence against women can produce a big amount of negative effects in which they bring the decrease or as well the destruction of labor productivity, as it may generate invisible costs for the organizations. The objective of the research is in order to determinate the viability of implementing a internal supportive program, aimed to woman that are victims of domestic violence in an industrial company of Chihuahua City, and being in the possibility of minimizing the labor consequences of the women affected by domestic violence. The applied methodology was made with a design research no experimental, transversal and with mixed nature, as it counted with the appliance of a measure instrument that consists in a survey where the resulting information was that inside of the organization theres a lot of women that has been part or are part of domestic violence. It was also found that 73 % of female staff operating level primarily suffer from domestic violence , these women match on the need to implement support programs, which would be of great benefit to them in their personal and working life . The impact created at work can be seen reflected in: delays, truancy, permits, rescinding his contract , shift change , labor accidents and disclaimers. The domestic violence that could be presented in different ways either : sexual, physical, psychological or financial.


Abstract The background, rationale, methodology and outcomes of a project on developing local lifelong guidance strategies in four areas are outlined. The main components of the strategies developed in the four areas are analysed, and a number of issues relating to the process of strategy development are addressed. Much of the lack of coherence at local level stems from lack of coherence at national policy level: implications for national policy are examined. Finally, implications for parallel work in other localities are explored.


Cognitive Radio Networks (CRN) have enabled us to efficiently reuse the underutilized radio spectrum. The MAC protocol in CRN defines the spectrum usage by sharing the channels efficiently among users. In this paper we propose a novel TDMA based MAC protocol with dynamically allocated slots. Most of the MAC protocols proposed in the literature employ Common Control Channel (CCC) to manage the resources among Cognitive Radio (CR) users. Control channel saturation in case of large number of CR users is one of the main drawbacks of the CCC based MAC protocols. In contrast with CCC based MAC protcols, DSAT-MAC protocol is based on the TDMA mechanism, without using any CCC for control information exchange. The channels are divided into time slots and CR users send their control or data packets over their designated slot. The protocol ensures that no slot is left vacant. This guarantees full use of the available spectrum. The protocol includes the provision for Quality of Service, where real-time and safety critical data is transmitted with highest priority and least delay. The protocol also ensures a fair sharing of available spectrum among the CR users, with the mechanism to regulate the transmission of malicious nodes. Energy saving techniques are also presented for longer life of battery operated CR nodes. Theoretical analysis and simulations over ns-2 of the proposed protocol reveal that the protocol performs better in various CR adhoc network applications.


The synchronization between neural oscillations at different frequencies has been proposed as a core mechanism for the coordination and integration of neural systems at different spatiotemporal scales. Because neural oscillations of different frequencies can only fully synchronize when their "peak" frequencies form harmonic relationships (e.g., f2 = f1/2), the present study explored whether the transient occurrence of harmonic cross-frequency relationship between task-relevant rhythms underlies efficient cognitive processing. Continuous EEG recordings (51 human participants; 14 males) were obtained during an arithmetic task, rest and breath focus. In two separate experiments, we consistently show that the proportion of epochs displaying a 2:1 harmonic relationship between alpha (8–14 Hz) and theta (4–8 Hz) peak frequencies (i.e., alphapeak ≈ 10.6 Hz; thetapeak ≈ 5.3 Hz), was significantly higher when cognitive demands increased. In addition, a higher incidence of 2:1 harmonic cross-frequency relationships was significantly associated with increased alpha–theta phase synchrony and improved arithmetic task performance, thereby underlining the functional relevance of this cross-frequency configuration. Notably, opposite dynamics were identified for a specific range of "nonharmonic" alpha–theta cross-frequency relationships (i.e., alphapeak/thetapeak = 1.1–1.6), which showed a higher incidence during rest compared with the arithmetic task. The observation that alpha and theta rhythms shifted into harmonic versus nonharmonic cross-frequency relationships depending on (cognitive) task demands is in line with the notion that the neural frequency architecture entails optimal frequency arrangements to facilitate cross-frequency "coupling" and "decoupling". SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neural activity is known to oscillate within discrete frequency bands and the interplay between these brain rhythms is hypothesized to underlie cognitive functions. A recent theory posits that shifts in the peak frequencies of oscillatory rhythms form the principal mechanism by which cross-frequency coupling and decoupling is implemented in the brain. In line with this notion, we show that the occurrence of a cross-frequency arrangement that mathematically enables coupling between alpha and theta rhythms is more prominent during active cognitive processing (compared with rest and non-cognitively demanding tasks) and is associated with improved cognitive performance. Together, our results open new vistas for future research on cross-frequency dynamics in the brain and their functional role in cognitive processing.


(1) There are three distinct kinds of nephridia in Pheretima posthnma and other species of the genus, namely, the septal, the pharyngeal and the integumentary, named according to the position they occupy in the worm; they differ from each other in size and also in respect of the place of opening of their ducts. (2) Each nephridium is a separate and discrete structure and there is no network of any kind, and therefore the terms "plectonephric" and "diffuse" are inapplicable to these nephridia, although the term "micronephridia" can be retained. (3) The integumentary nephridia are very minute and are hardly visible to the naked eye. Each of them has its own separate duct opening separately to the exterior on the skin. Each, segment has about 200 to 250 of them. The pharyngeal nephridia occur in paired tufts lying at the sides of the oesophagus in the fourth, fifth and sixth segments; these nephridial tufts have three pairs of ducts, one in each segment, which open into the buccal cavity and the pharynx in the second and fourth segments. (4) The septal nephridia are attached to both sides of the septa; they do not open on the skin, but are connected with an elaborate system of ducts which ultimately open into the lumen of the intestine mid-dorsally at segmental intervals. The system of ducts and openings is perfectly segmental in arrangement, and consists of a pair of septal excretory canals on each septum which open into a pair of supra-intestinal excretory ducts lying in the mid-dorsal line of the worm above the dorsal wall of the gut, these ducts communicating with the lumen of the intestine at each intersegmental place by means of a narrow ductule. This last feature is characteristic of this type of nephridial system, and the latter has therefore been termed the "enteronephric" type of nepliridial system. Bach septal nephridium has a remarkable feature in that it lies--the funnel and all--wholly within the bounds of a single segment. The septal canals, the supra-intestinal ducts and their openings into the lumen of the gut have been described here for the first time, and the segmental character of the nephridial system of Pheretima, which was denied by Beddard, has now been established. (5) The enteronephric nephridial system is probably a device for the conservation of water in this tropical genus, the gut-epithelium reabsorbing the water of the excretory fluid while letting the solid excretory matters pass out through the anus along with the faeces. (6) Each nephridium in Pheretima, like that in Lumbricus, is connected with two blood-vessels, one bringing blood to it and the other taking away the blood. The septal and the integumentary nephridia are supplied with blood from the ventral vessel through the parietal vessel and the septal branch, and the blood is returned from these nephridia to the general blood-stream via, the dorso-lateral vessel and the subneural vessel. The pharyngeal nephridia receive their blood-supply from the dorsal vessel, and the blood is returned from them to the lateral cesophageal vessels. (7) The intersegmental septa in Pheretima posthuma and other species have definite, circular or oval apertures, each with a sphincter muscle around it. It is suggested that by closing these apertures by means of sphincters there is a restriction of the cœlomic fluid to certain segments which become consequently turgid and stiff, and are thus able to help the setae in having a firm hold of the ground during the locomotory movements of the animal; this turgidity of the part of the body applying setse on to the ground seems necessary, since a limp part cannot fix its setae on the substratum on which the worm moves.


This research demonstrates how the Decision Based Design (DBD) approach can be used for determining a system's lifecycle value when including excess. Prior research has shown that excess (the degree to which a component or attribute is sized beyond the minimum required to support the initially fielded system) can reduce the cost of changing a system. Theoretically, excess inhibits change propagation within a system and could be strategically added to increase the value of that system. Including excess, however, also adds cost and potentially impacts system performance. Prior research has not quantitatively linked excess as a means of limiting change propagation to system lifecycle value. This work advances the existing literature by considering how excess is imbedded in a system and what impact excess has on the system's total value. After being introduced, the method is demonstrated on a desktop computer example. Results from the study are used to show how decisions about power supply capacity can be optimized by incorporating excess to achieve flexibility.


We have demonstrated simultaneous laser frequency stabilization of a UV and IR laser, to coupled transitions of ions in the same spectroscopic sample, by detecting only the absorption of the UV laser. Separate signals for locking the different lasers are obtained by modulating each laser at a different frequency and using lock-in detection of a single photodiode signal. Experimentally, we simultaneously lock a 369 nm and a 935 nm laser to the (2)S(1/2) → (2)(P(1/2) and (2)D(3/2) → (3)D([3/2]1/2) transitions, respectively, of Yb(+) ions generated in a hollow cathode discharge lamp. Stabilized lasers at these frequencies are required for cooling and trapping Yb(+) ions, used in quantum information and in high precision metrology experiments. This technique should be readily applicable to other ion and neutral atom systems requiring multiple stabilized lasers.


With the rise of globalization in the past twenty years, the positioning of religious belief and activity worldwide has become increasingly complicated due to new information technologies, immigration flows, corporate restructuring and transnational finance. This paper identifies five factors that not only characterize late modern societies but also create conditions to which religions must adapt, or ignore at their peril. Using Buddhist temples, priests, and their surrounding communities in Japan as case studies, the paper traces how social forces such as 1) a "crisis of orientation," 2) corporate and bureaucratic restructuring, 3) consumer culture, 4) individualization within a "risk" society, and 5) experimental approaches to spirituality impact religious practice and institutions. Without a perspective that incorporates the global into the local (but still acknowledges the power of individual agency), our analysis of religious activities remains parochial and sociocentric.


This study examines the dynamic effect of disability on marriage. Data on disability and marriage come from the New Beneficiary Survey, designed to characterize new beneficiaries of the Social Security Disability Insurance Program. Using an event-study model, the study finds that disability onset decreased marriage among beneficiaries, but only at younger ages. The study further examines whether the effect of disability on marriage is due to formation, dissolution, or both, and whether the effect varies by educational attainment and subsequent mortality. The results highlight the importance of marriage selection in the oft-cited relationship between marriage and better health.


Introduction: Kidney transplant recipients appear to be at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness due to chronic immunosuppression and coexisting conditions. Objectives: We aimed to study the clinical characteristics, laboratory and radiological results, treatment aspects and clinical outcomes of kidney transplant patients with COVID-19. Patient and Methods: Twenty consecutive kidney transplant patients with COVID-19 pneumonia from two tertiary care centers from India were retrospectively studied from July 1 to Oct 31, 2020. Results: Of 20 patients, 18 required admission; mean age was 42.8±9.39 years and 18 out of 20 (90%) were male. Symptom onset to testing time was a mean of 3.05±1.47 days. All patients were on triple immunosuppression. The median time since transplantation to COVID-19 was 3.75 years (IQR 2.37-5.41). Fever, cough and breathlessness were the most common presenting symptoms. Nine out of twenty (45%) had severe COVID-19 while six out of 20 (30%) required intensive care. Twelve (60%) patients had lymphopenia. Additionally mycophenolate was withheld in seventeen out of twenty (85 %) and enoxaparin and intravenous methylprednisolone were administered in all hospitalized patients while remdesivir was prescribed in 16 out of 20 (80%). Moreover, acute kidney injury (AKI) was seen in five out of 20 (25%) since one of died (5%). After a median hospital stay of 8.5 days (IQR 6.75-15.5), seventeen patients were discharged from the hospital. Conclusion: COVID-19 infection in kidney transplant recipients is usually a moderate-severe form. COVID-19 should be a differential diagnosis for fever in this high-risk population however lymphopenia may not be seen in all. Antimetabolite withdrawal, intravenous steroid, anticoagulation and early remdesivir were all found to be safe and effective strategies for improving outcomes. Early diagnosis and timely treatment may decrease mortality in this high-risk population.


This paper presents the design details and performance measurements of an implementation of the Cells In Frame (CIF) protocol over the Linux operative system. The CIF protocol allows to encapsulate ATM cells in Ethernet frames, bringing in this way the advantages of ATM technology over legacy Ethernet networks. Throughput, delay, and delay variation have been measured in order to determine the ability of this approach to suite properly the requirements of multimedia traffic. The obtained results point out that this scheme will provide the necessary ATM quality of service at the price of a minimum throughput reduction respect to native Ethernet. Also, a new queuing algorithm is being researched to optimize traffic management.


Convincing evidence for the stimulatory action of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH2)D) on transcellular absorption of calcium (Ca) and inorganic phosphate (P) has led to the consensus that this hormone is the major regulator of Ca and P absorption. Careful review of the literature, however, suggests important regulation of Ca and P absorption by factors and agents other than those mediated by vitamin D. Thus, in rapidly growing neonatal rats, the intestine is insensitive to vitamin D and Ca absorption is entirely mediated through passive mechanisms. Patterns of change in Ca absorption associated with pregnancy and lactation are identical in vitamin D-replete and vitamin D-deplete rats. The presence of active Ca and P absorption in young, growing rats rigidly deprived of vitamin D and of active Ca and P secretion in mature rats optimally replete with vitamin D, also suggests the participation of non-vitamin D factors in the regulation of intestinal Ca and P absorption. The possibility that Ca and P in the peri-enterocyte environment may regulate their own absorption is discussed. Kinetic analysis of 1,25(OH2)D-induced transport mechanisms indicates that saturation would occur at low substrate concentrations, thus raising the question whether these mechanisms would have major regulatory roles under normal dietary conditions. There is also suggestive evidence indicating that even under conditions of low dietary Ca or P intake, the adaptive changes in intestinal absorption may not be mediated by vitamin D alone. Bile salts, lactose and prolactin are discussed as examples of agents which can stimulate Ca and/or P absorption through vitamin D-independent mechanisms.


Aim/Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how research skills and communities can be promoted in student affairs and/or higher education graduate preparation programs through a peer-led, team-based model. Background Numerous scholars emphasized a lack of empirical research being conducted by student affairs professionals, even though integration of scholarship with practice remains of critical importance to field of higher education. Methodology Though a descriptive case study of a graduate research course, we engage both quantitative and qualitative data points in a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Contribution This study provides an important contribution in understanding how graduate programs may better prepare students to engage within a spectrum of scholarpractitioner identity. Findings Findings suggest that while participants see value in a scholar-practitioner identity and its impact on their future goals, there is often a discrepancy between the perceived feasibility of embodying the role in actual student affairs practice as well as variations across master's and doctoral student levels. Recommendations for Practitioners Recommendations for practice include working to integrate scholarship in professional positions and promoting greater collaboration between graduate coursework and professional supervisors. Scholar-Practitioner Identity through Peer-Led Communities 96 Recommendation for Researchers Recommendations for researchers include continuing to examine how communities of practice develop across the levels of graduate socialization. Impact on Society Understanding how individuals engage in scholarship in their fields carries interdisciplinary implications for merging research into professional roles. Future Research A key area for future research is longitudinal inquiry into how emerging professionals in higher education/student affairs negotiate the scholar-practitioner spectrum across career development.


This paper presents a new approach to automatic 3D building reconstruction from LiDAR data. While traditional approaches use random sampling or Hugh transform for extracting subsets of coplanar points from noisy point clouds, our method is based on locally fitted surfaces (LoFS). These are planes, best-fitted to the Kneighbourhood of each LiDAR point. In this way, a set of candidate patches for a building surface is obtained. The clustering of patches is then performed based on the planes' normals and the positions of neighbourhoods, in order to obtain a rough approximation of flat roof sides. An adjacent graph is generated between them and intersections between neighbouring sides are estimated in order to define ridges, while intersections between buildings and ground points are considered in footprint definition. This defines the vertical walls. This method was tested on buildings of different architectural styles, sizes, and complexity. Most buildings are successfully reconstructed, however with increased building details, the accuracy of reconstruction is often decreased.


The risk of developing carcinoma of the cervix in women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) was estimated in a nested case-control analysis of 33 cancers (invasive and in situ) and 113 controls, matched by age and sex, from an ongoing cohort study of lifestyle and cancer in a rural population of Northeast Thailand. Oncogenic HPV types were present in 10.8% of control women and in 31/33 of the carcinoma cases, corresponding to an odds ratio of 130.6 (95% CI 11.7–1457.0). There was no significant difference in risk between prevalent cancer cases (diagnosed less than 3 months after HPV testing) and incident cases (diagnosed an average of 2.1 years later). HPV 16 and 18 were the most prevalent oncogenic HPV types present. The results confirm that some two of three of cervical cancer cases in this population of Northeast Thailand are caused by HPV 16 and 18.


Sir Ken Robinson's 2006 TED talk "Do schools kill creativity?" was a clarion call that sparked a groundswell of support to foster creativity, which has since become central to discussions around school change globally. Today, almost every educator agrees that we need to consider creativity as a fundamental skill to be cultivated in schools. The question is how. HundrED and The LEGO Foundation have teamed up to answer that question by shining a Spotlight on 20 leading innovations fostering creativity in the world today.


As the operating frequency of digital systems increases and voltage swing decreases, it becomes increasingly important to accurately characterize and analyze power distribution networks (PDN). This paper presents the modeling, simulation, and measurement of a PDN in a high-speed FR4 printed circuit board (PCB) designed for chip-to-chip communication at a data rate of 3.2 Gbps and above. The test board consists of two transceiver chips placed on wire bond plastic ball grid array (PBGA) packages. The applied analysis method is a hybrid technique that combines the interactions of the power planes, interconnects, and the nonlinear drivers. The power planes and interconnects are modeled using the transmission matrix method (TMM) and rational interpolation, respectively. Then macro modeling is applied to generate reduced-order models to efficiently analyze the whole system including the nonlinear drivers using conventional circuit simulation tools such as SPICE. The transfer characteristics of the power planes are calculated and the effects of the decoupling capacitors and power supply noise are studied. The simulation results are also correlated with measurement data to verify the validity of the method.


depressed patients (mean 39.5, s.d. 26.4) than nor mal controls (mean 125.7, s.d. 91.1) (P<0.Ol). Pre and post-treatment Kd and Bmasof a2AR werenot significantly different. The results of study 2 showedsignificantly lower prostaglandin El stimulation of adenylate cyclase (% of basal activity) in depressed patients (mean 156.6, s.d. 22), than normal controls (mean 221.8, s.d. 47) (P<0.Ol) at baseline. There was no sig nificant difference in adenylate cyclase activity in response to sodium fluoride, 5'-guanylimidodi phosphate(GPP (NH)p) and forskolin betweende pressed patients and normal controls. More over, there were no changes in AC-stimulated activity during treatment with placebo (2 patients), rolipram (phosphodiesterase inhibitor) (Collins & Abou-Saleh, 1992)(3 patients), and fluparoxan (3 patients). These results are at variance with the results reported by Karege et al(l993), who showedplate let a2 AR (AC inhibition and primary aggregation) desensitisation in depressedpatients with a sig nificant correlation between the two mechanisms. Our two studies have also examined the effectsof treatment, and the findings suggestthat antidepres sants including an a2 AR inhibitor appear to down regulate a2 AR activity while no change was observedin AC activity with treatment including a phosphodiesteraseinhibitor. The relationship betweenplatelet a2AR and AC inhibition merits further investigation in the same group of patients. COLLINS,J. & Aaou.S*.i.su, M. T. (1992) Rolipram: a new concept for the treatment of tricydic resistant depression. Journal of Drug Development, 5, 65—70. DOYLE, M., GEORGE,A. 3., R@tvmiDa@N, R., ci al(1985) Platelet a2 adrenoceptor activity in dementia. American Journal of Psychia. try,142,1489—1491.


This paper presents a patch based method to normalize temporal intensities from longitudinal brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. Longitudinal intensity normalization is relevant for subsequent processing, such as segmentation, so that rates of change of tissue volumes, cortical thickness, or shapes of brain structures becomes stable and smooth over time. Instead of using intensities at each voxel, we use patches as image features as a patch encodes neighborhood information of the center voxel. Once all the time-points of a longitudinal dataset are registered, the longitudinal intensity change at each patch is assumed to follow an auto-regressive (AR(1)) process. An estimate of the normalized intensities of a patch at every time-point are generated from a hidden Markov model, where the hidden states are the unobserved normalized patches and the outputs are the observed patches. A validation study on a phantom dataset shows good segmentation overlap with the truth, and an experiment with real data shows more stable rates of change for tissue volumes with the temporal normalization than without.


Recent advances in targeted and immunotherapies have unlocked potent treatment options for malignant melanoma patients. However, targeted therapies are associated with limited response durations and only a fraction of patients benefit from immunotherapies. The analysis of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) provides a powerful tool for the continuous assessment of treatment responses in melanoma patients. We have established a robust pipeline for the serial, prospective analysis of ctDNA in melanoma patients. By combining next generation sequencing (NGS)- and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)-based approaches we make ideal use of currently available technologies. To date, plasma samples from over 120 individuals have been collected, with follow-up times surpassing one year in many cases. For routine monitoring of patients commencing BRAF-mutant targeted therapies, pre-treatment DNA, derived from tumour biopsy or plasma, is tested to confirm the exact BRAF mutation and rule out pre-existing resistance-associated mutations using a custom NGS sequencing panel. Timely follow-up throughout treatment is achieved by measuring mutant BRAF fractions in ctDNA using ddPCR. When increasing BRAF variant allele frequencies are detected, additional ddPCR-based profiling for NRAS mutations and NGS-based re-sequencing for other resistance-associated mutations is initiated. We demonstrate superiority of ctDNA monitoring over LDH measurements and present a strategy to detect emerging resistant disease ahead of clinical scans in a cost-effective, timesaving and low technology way. In addition to the basic characterization of BRAF-mutant cases undergoing targeted therapy, we have used the analysis of ctDNA to uncover clonally distinct tumour sub-populations resulting in complex responses to treatment. For instance, we monitored a case of metastatic vaginal mucosal melanoma undergoing sequential targeted, immuno- and chemotherapy. Despite the presence of a KIT mutation in the primary tumour, response to KIT inhibitor imatinib was mixed. In the absence of tumour biopsies, we used whole exome-wide NGS of ctDNA to study the underlying mechanisms. This strategy revealed a KIT-mutant tumour sub-clone that responded to imatinib and a second sub-clone including an SF3B1 mutation that did not respond. The sub-clones also responded differentially to immunotherapies, but both responded to chemotherapy. The analysis of ctDNA is a powerful approach to monitor responses to systemic therapies in melanoma. By providing early warning of resistance and crucial information of clonal composition/evolution of the disease, ctDNA analysis has the potential to revolutionize the implementation of precision medicine. Citation Format: Gabriela Gremel, Rebecca J. Lee, Maria R. Girotti, Grace Garner, Amit K. Mandal, Sally Wood, Alberto Fusi, Sara Valpione, Patricio Serra-Bellver, Nathalie Dhomen, Paul Lorigan, Richard Marais. Systematic analysis of circulating tumor DNA in melanoma patients to uncover mechanisms of resistance and disease clonality. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 469.


A continuous process strategy has been developed for the preparation of α-thio-β-chloroacrylamides, a class of highly versatile synthetic intermediates. Flow platforms to generate the α-chloroamide and α-thioamide precursors were successfully adopted, progressing from the previously employed batch chemistry, and in both instances afford a readily scalable methodology. The implementation of the key α-thio-β-chloroacrylamide casade as a continuous flow reaction on a multi-gram scale is described, while the tuneable nature of the cascade, facilitated by continuous processing, is highlighted by selective generation of established intermediates and byproducts.


The fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based transparent and fl exible fi eld emission devices (FEDs) has been a major issue for a long time. This Letter reports on the successful demonstration of SWCNT-based highly transparent and fl exible FEDs using a transparent and fl exible novel metavanadate phosphor. The results indicate that SWCNTs and metavanadate have great potential for the fabrication of fi eld electron emitters and screens for future transparent, fl exible, and portable FEDs. Rapid Research Letter


Previous studies of the relationship between the size of nerve fibers and . the velocity of conduction of impulses have resulted in the bringing forward of three formulations: 1. v = kD (Gasser and Erlanger, 1927; Gasser, 1934) 2. v = kD2 (Blair and Erlanger, 1933) 3. v = kD0s5 (Pumphrey and Young, 1938) At the time at which the present studies were started only the first two proposals had been made, and it was hoped that by the utilization of an experimental method different from those used for the measurements that constitute the basis of the original derivation, new evidence would be acquired which would throw the balance toward one or the other of the two formulas. The method employed depends upon the generally accepted assumption that in any given nerve the largest fiber conducts at the highest velocity. The procedure in accord with the method is to select nerves with different maximal velocities, measure the velocities, and then prepare histological sections of the nerve in which measurements of the diameter of the largest fiber can be made. A similar method was used by Pumphrey and Young for the small fibers in their nerves. The velocities in the large axons were determined individually and the diameters were measured directly in the fresh state. Squid nerves were used exclusively in their experiments, and this fact must be kept in mind when their data are compared with the data to be presented later, all of which were obtained from medullated vertebrate nerve. METHOD. In order to obtain valid velocity readings it is essential that the fibers be in the best possible condition. Precaution is especially necessary when small fibers are concerned, as they are more susceptible to injury than large fibers, and if injured they acquire a velocity rating that is too low. The method is a favorable one from the standpoint of the conservation of fibers, as dissection is limited to freeing the nerves of adherent fascia, and it is not necessary to use small strands. Excised nerves of the cat were mounted on silver-silver chloride electrodes in a moist


Soft tissue sarcomas comprise a group of histologically diverse malignant neoplasms arising from mesenchymal cell lines. Among these, leiomyosarcomas are sarcomas exhibiting smooth muscle differentiation. Occurrence of this neoplasm in the oral cavity is exceedingly rare and its presentation is unusual in children. We present a case report of leiomyosarcoma of the oral cavity in an eight-year old child. Primary oral leiomyosarcoma, being a rare entity in children, this case report emphasizes the prompt recognition of this tumor to institute appropriate multimodality treatment.


The U.S. Geological Survey monthly water balance model (MWBM) was enhanced with the capability to simulate glaciers in order to make it more suitable for simulating cold region hydrology. The new model, MWBMglacier, is demonstrated in the heavily glacierized and ecologically important Copper River watershed in Southcentral Alaska. Simulated water budget components compared well to satellite‐based observations and ground measurements of streamflow, evapotranspiration, snow extent, and total water storage, with differences ranging from 0.2% to 7% of the precipitation flux. Nash Sutcliffe efficiency for simulated and observed streamflow was greater than 0.8 for six of eight stream gages. Snow extent matched satellite‐based observations with Nash Sutcliffe efficiency values of greater than 0.89 in the four Copper River ecoregions represented. During the simulation period 1949 to 2009, glacier ice melt contributed 25% of total runoff, ranging from 12% to 45% in different tributaries, and glacierized area was reduced by 6%. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) decreasing and increasing trends in annual glacier mass balance occurred during the multidecade cool and warm phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, respectively, reinforcing the link between climate perturbations and glacier mass balance change. The simulations of glaciers and total runoff for a large, remote region of Alaska provide useful data to evaluate hydrologic, cryospheric, ecologic, and climatic trends. MWBM glacier is a valuable tool to understand when, and to what extent, streamflow may increase or decrease as glaciers respond to a changing climate.


This research is the first study to evaluate and compare alternative service positioning matrices using rigorous statistical analysis and a common data set based on a variety of service processes. The matrices are evaluated based on five guidelines: clarity of construct definitions, conceptual independence of the two axes of each matrix, clarity in specifying the direction of causation from one axis to the other, axis unidimensionality, and correlation between the two axes of each matrix. These five guidelines provide a more rigorous approach to evaluating current and future positioning matrices, and contribute to the literature by defining more specifically than past research what constitutes a good positioning matrix. The difference between a classification scheme and a positioning matrix are also explained. The results indicate that while there is a statistically significant level of association (correlation) between the axes (Guideline 5) of each of the service matrices studied, meeting the requirements of the other four guidelines is a challenge for some service matrices.


Coassembling peptides offer an additional degree of freedom in the design of nanostructured biomaterials when compared to analogous self-assembling peptides. Yet, our understanding of how amino acid sequences encodes coassembled nanofiber structure is limited. Prior work on a charge-complementary pair, CATCH+ and CATCH- peptides, detected like-peptide nearest neighbors (CATCH+:CATCH+ and CATCH-:CATCH-) within coassembled β-sheet nanofibers; these self-associated peptide pairs marked a departure from an "ideal" coassembled structure. In this work, we employ solid-state NMR, isotope-edited FTIR, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate the alignment of β-strands within CATCH peptide nanofibers. Both experimental and computational results suggest that CATCH molecules coassemble into structurally heterogeneous nanofibers, which is consistent with our observations in another coassembling system, the King-Webb peptides. Within β-sheet nanofibers, β-strands were found to have nearest neighbors aligned in-register parallel, in-register antiparallel, and out-of-register. In comparison to the King-Webb peptides, CATCH nanofibers exhibit a greater degree of structural heterogeneity. By comparing the amino acid sequences of CATCH and King-Webb peptides, we can begin to unravel sequence-to-structure relationships, which may encode more precise coassembled β-sheet nanostructures.


Epidemiological research commonly involves identification of causal factors from within high dimensional (wide) data, where predictor variables outnumber observations. In this situation, however, conventional stepwise selection procedures perform poorly. Selection stability is one method to aid robust variable selection, by refitting a model to repeated resamples of the data and calculating the proportion of times each covariate is selected. A key problem when applying selection stability is to determine a threshold of stability above which a covariate is deemed 'important'. In this research we describe and illustrate a two-step process to implement a stability threshold for covariate selection. Firstly, covariate stability distributions were established with a permuted model (randomly reordering the outcome to sever the relationship with predictors) using a cumulative distribution function. Subsequently, covariate stability was estimated using the true model outcome and covariates with a stability above a threshold defined from the permuted model, were selected in a final model. The proposed method performed well across 22 varied, simulated datasets with known outcomes; selection error rates were consistently lower than conventional implementation of equivalent models. This method of covariate selection appears to offer substantial advantages over current methods, to accurately identify the correct covariates from within a large, complex parameter space.


Mortality from ischaemic heart disease remains high in the United Kingdom, and the present report describes the prevalence of the various epidemiological manifestations of the disease in two recent community studies with a common core protocol, each containing samples of over 2000 men, carried out in South Wales (Caerphilly) and the West of England (Speedwell, Bristol). The prevalence of electrocardiographic evidence of ischaemia was similar in the two communities--8.7% of men aged 45-49 years rising to 18.6% in men aged 55-59 years in the samples from South Wales, and 8.0% and 17.2% respectively in the Bristol population. The overall prevalence of angina was 7.7% in Caerphilly and 7.8% in Speedwell in men aged 45-59 years, but symptoms of severe chest pain were more commonly reported in South Wales than in Speedwell (10.1% compared with 6.3%). The data, however, suggested that the overall prevalence of ischaemic heart disease was very similar in the two areas. The prevalence of ischaemic heart disease was compared with that found in other population studies carried out in the United Kingdom and was higher than that found when employed men only were studied. There were substantial differences in mortality between the two areas; possible reasons for this are differences in community or medical services, smoking habit, or unemployment rates.


We have recently described1 mucosal ultrastructural impairments, such as height and thickness of microvilli, space between microvilli, and thickness of tight junctions, in non-coeliac type 1 diabetic patients after a preliminary report of an alteration in intestinal mucosal permeability (IP) evaluated by the lactulose/mannitol (LA/MA) test.2,3

Therefore, in the "aetiological" classification of autoimmunity based on initiating factors,4 the category of diet induced diseases could be expanded to include type 1 diabetes and, perhaps, other endocrine autoimmune diseases.

Thyroiditis is the most frequently associated autoimmune endocrine disease with type 1 diabetes. Moreover, type 1 diabetes and Hashimoto thyroiditis present similar pathogenetic mechanisms of cellular damage, a cell mediated autoimmunity induced by Th1 cytokines. However, mucosal intestinal morphology and function have not yet been studied in autoimmune thyroiditis patients. Hence we investigated intestinal mucosal ultrastructural morphology and IP in a group of patients with autoimmune thyroiditis. The study was approved by the local ethics committee.

Fourteen patients (12 females and 2 males; mean age 33.2 (SD 10.2) years) and 23 controls (12 females and 11 males; mean …


OBJECTIVES
The risk of porcine endogenous retrovirus infection is a major barrier for pig-to-human xenotransplant. Porcine endogenous retrovirus, present in porcine cells, can infect many human and nonhuman primate cells in vitro, but there is no evidence available about in vitro infection of human liver cells. We investigated the susceptibility of different human liver cells to porcine endogenous retrovirus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The supernatant from a porcine kidney cell line was added to human liver cells, including a normal hepatocyte cell line (HL-7702 cells), primary hepatocytes (Phh cells), and a liver stellate cell line (Lx-2 cells), and to human embryonic kidney cells as a reference control. Expression of the porcine endogenous retrovirus antigen p15E in the human cells was evaluated with polymerase chain reaction, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot.

RESULTS
The porcine endogenous retrovirus antigen p15E was not expressed in any human liver cells (HL-7702, Phh, or Lx-2 cells) that had been exposed to supernatants from porcine kidney cell lines. Porcine endogenous retrovirus-specific fragments were amplified in human kidney cells.

CONCLUSIONS
Human liver cells tested were not susceptible to infection by porcine endogenous retrovirus. Therefore, not all human cells are susceptible to porcine endogenous retrovirus.