foraminiferal assemblages, including soft-walled monothalamous taxa (organic-walled allogromiids, agglutinated saccamminids and psammosphaerids) in addition to hard-shelled polythalamous forms, were analyzed at nine sites (26–104 m water depth) in Tempelfjord on the west coast of Svalbard. Small volumes of sediments (1 ml) were split into 63–125, 125–300 and >300 µm size fractions and each fraction was sorted for all stained foraminifera. There was a marked contrast in foraminiferal assemblages between the inner and outer parts of the fjord. Monothalamous foraminifera (88–97% of the live assemblage >63 µm) overwhelmingly dominated samples from the inner stations, located close to the glacier edge and, therefore, influenced by freshwater inputs. Multi-chambered agglutinated and calcareous taxa, on the other hand, were most common (77–82%) at the two outer stations. Many of the monothalamous foraminifera were organic-walled allogromiids. The dominant allogromiid was a tiny (30–60 µm) undescribed species, often with a distinctive cover of sediment particles, which ensured its retention on the 63-µm sieve. This species made up 31% of live foraminifera in all samples and 66% at one station near the glacier. Saccamminids and psammosphaerids were also common at some stations. A total of 63 monothalamous morphospecies was recognized with numbers at each station ranging from 7 (station 0763) to 19 (station 0758). Saccamminids at station 0759 were particularly diverse (12 morphospecies). Forms assigned to the genus Gloiogullmia represented 5–10% of the assemblage along the fjord, while the percentage of the genera Psammosphaga, Tinogullmia, and Micrometula was fairly consistent at all stations. These results provide further evidence of the importance of soft-walled, monothalamous foraminifera in sublittoral, high-latitude and brackish-water settings.


That the rise and fall of the tide is driven primarily by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun is common knowledge, but not all tides are controlled by such a standard mechanism. Researchers working on Loch Ness in Scotland found that rather than the loch's tide being driven directly by this so-called astronomical tide, it is also controlled by a process known as ocean tidal loading. Loch Ness lies just 13 kilometers inshore from the North Sea. The astronomical tide redistributes the ocean to such an extent that the changing mass of water along the coast deforms the seafloor. As the ocean tide ebbs and flows, the surface of the Earth rises and falls.


Efficacy of spinosad and malathion loaded in eco-friendly biodegradable formulations was evaluated for controlling Culex pipiens larvae. Malathion (organophosphorus larvicide) and spinosad (naturally derived insecticide) were loaded on chitosan/alginate/gelatin capsules. Capsules were characterized by size measurement, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and water uptake. In vitro release kinetics of the larvicides was studied in the running and stagnant water. Biochemical studies on the larvae treated with technical and formulated insecticides were also demonstrated. The results indicated that the released spinosad was active for a long time up to 48 and 211 days in the running and stagnant water, respectively. However, the capsules loaded with malathion showed larvicidal activity for 20 and 27 days in the running and stagnant water, respectively. Technical and formulated malathion and spinosad had an inhibition effect on acetylcholinesterase, carboxylesterase, and glutathione S-transferase. The results proved that the prepared capsules consisting of biodegradable polymers containing larvicides could be effective as controlled-release formulation against C. pipiens larvae for a long period.


Circular RNAs (circRNAs) form a class of endogenous single-stranded RNA transcripts that are widely expressed in eukaryotic cells. These RNAs mediate post-transcriptional control of gene expression and have multiple functions in biological processes, such as transcriptional regulation and splicing. They serve predominantly as microRNA sponges, RNA-binding proteins, and templates for translation. More importantly, circRNAs are involved in cancer progression, and may serve as promising biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and therapy. Although traditional experimental methods are usually time-consuming and laborious, substantial progress has been made in exploring potential circRNA-disease associations by using computational models, summarized signaling pathway data, and other databases. Here, we review the biological characteristics and functions of circRNAs, including their roles in cancer. Specifically, we focus on the signaling pathways associated with carcinogenesis, and the status of circRNA-associated bioinformatics databases. Finally, we explore the potential roles of circRNAs as prognostic biomarkers in cancer.


Complex investigation of free radical process intensity by means of spontaneous, Fe(2+)- and H2O2-induced, luminol dependent biochemiluminescent methods was performed. The increased formation of reactive oxygen species and no change of hydroperoxide levels were found in brain of rats with high seizure susceptibility.


ABSTRACT In this article we seek to promote a deeper understanding of the value of universal intervention research in education as well as other fields and to call for greater interdisciplinary learning and discourse. Our goal is to deepen the conversation regarding how to build a stronger research orientation toward longitudinal, population-level outcomes in education and mental health. After highlighting the value of universal approaches targeting entire populations and their relevance to education, we raise issues regarding the traditional benchmarks of efficacy when applied to universal intervention trials and suggest alternative metrics for judging the impact of universal approaches. We conclude with lessons based on exemplar studies to help shape future research and policy regarding universal interventions.


This chapter introduces the paradigmLimit Cycle Walking'. This paradigm for the design and control of two-legged walking robots can lead to unprecedented performance in terms of speed, efficiency, disturbance rejection and versatility. This is possible because this paradigm imposes fewer artificial constraints to the robot's walking motion compared to other existing paradigms. The application of artificial constraints is a commonly adopted and successful approach to bipedal robotic gait synthesis. The approach is similar to the successful development of factory robots, which depend on their constrained, structured environment. For robotic walking, the artificial constraints are useful to alleviate the difficult problem of stabilizing the complex dynamic walking motion. Using artificial stability constraints enables the creation of robotic gait, but at the same time inherently limits the performance of the gait that can be obtained. The more restrictive the constraints are, the less freedom is left for optimizing performance. The oldest and most constrained paradigm for robot walking is that ofstatic stability', used in the first successful creation of bipedal robots in the early 70's. Static stability means that the vertical projection of the Center of Mass stays within the support polygon formed by the feet. It is straightforward to ensure walking stability this way, but it drastically limits the speed of the walking motions that can be obtained. Therefore, currently most humanoid robots use the more advancedZero Moment Point' (ZMP) paradigm (Vukobratovic et al., 1970). The stability is ensured with the ZMP-criterion which constrains the stance foot to remain in flat contact with the floor at all times. This constraint is less restrictive than static walking because the Center of Mass may travel beyond the support polygon. Nevertheless, these robots are still under-achieving in terms of efficiency, disturbance handling, and natural appearance compared to human walking (Collins et al., 2005). The solution to increase the performance is to release the constraints even more, which will require a new way of measuring and ensuring stability. This is the core ofLimit Cycle Walking'; a new stability paradigm with fewer artificial constraints and thus more freedom for finding more efficient, natural, fast and robust walking motions. Although this is the first time we propose and define the termLimit Cycle Walking', the method has been in use for a while now. The core of the method is to analyze the walking motion as a limit cycle, as first proposed by Hurmuzlu (Hurmuzlu and Moskowitz, 1986). Most of the research on `Passive Dynamic Walking' initiated by McGeer (McGeer, 1990a) follows this stability method. But also various actuated bipedal robots that have been built around the world fall in the category ofLimit Cycle Walkers'.


OBJECTIVE Craniectomy is often performed to decrease intracranial pressure following trauma and vascular injuries. The subsequent cranioplasty procedures may be complicated by surgical site infections (SSIs) due to prior trauma, foreign implants, and multiple surgeries through a common incision. Several studies have found that intrawound vancomycin powder (VP) is associated with decreased risk of SSIs after spine operations. However, no previously published study has evaluated the effectiveness of VP in cranioplasty procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether intrawound VP is associated with decreased risk of SSIs, to evaluate VP's safety, and to identify risk factors for SSIs after cranioplasty among patients undergoing first-time cranioplasty. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing first-time cranioplasty for indications other than infections from January 1, 2008, to July 31, 2014, at an academic health center. Data on demographics, possible risk factors for SSIs, and treatment with VP were collected from the patients' electronic health records. RESULTS During the study period, 258 patients underwent first-time cranioplasties, and 15 (5.8%) of these patients acquired SSIs. Ninety-two patients (35.7%) received intrawound VP (VP group) and 166 (64.3%) did not (no-VP group). Patients in the VP group and the no-VP group were similar with respect to age, sex, smoking history, body mass index, and SSI rates (VP group 6.5%, no-VP group 5.4%, p = 0.72). Patients in the VP group were less likely than those in the no-VP group to have undergone craniectomy for tumors and were more likely to have an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score > 2. Intrawound VP was not associated with other postoperative complications. Risk factors for SSI from the bivariable analyses were diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 3.65, 95% CI 1.07-12.44), multiple craniotomy procedures before the cranioplasty (OR 4.39, 95% CI 1.47-13.18), prior same-side craniotomy (OR 4.73, 95% CI 1.57-14.24), and prosthetic implants (OR 4.51, 95% CI 1.40-14.59). The multivariable analysis identified prior same-side craniotomy (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.06-10.79) and prosthetic implants (OR 3.93, 95% CI 1.15-13.40) as significant risk factors for SSIs. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients with SSIs were more likely than those without SSIs to be readmitted (OR 7.28, 95% CI 2.07-25.60). CONCLUSIONS In this study, intrawound VP was not associated with a decreased risk of SSIs or with an increased risk of complications. Prior same-side craniotomy and prosthetic implants were risk factors for SSI after first-time cranioplasty.


Three series of experiments (I-III) on 33 volunteers aged 20-23 years old were carried out using the climatic chamber. The thermal thresholds were measured on the forearm of men dressed only in swimming trunks. The Peltier thermode was used. Inspection I was carried out in a thermoneutral environment (27 degrees C) with 1 degree C step modification of the initial thermode temperature ("i) within 29-38 degrees C temperature span. In an alternative experiments (II) the "i was supported at 33 degrees C, while the men were exposed to 20, 27 and 38 degrees C. In the last series (III) "i was maintained close to natural cutaneous temperature and the environmental temperatures were 27, 20 and 14 degrees C. It is shown that selected changes of local cutaneous temperature (I series) or the medium temperature (II series) render the a sharply expressed and opposite influence on local thermal thresholds. Common body cooling (III series) also reduces local thermal sensitivity. The equations and three-dimensional graphs linking thresholds of local thermal sensitivity, local skin temperature and average weighted full coverlet temperature (or deep body, or environmental temperature) on obtained data were computed. They allow taking into account the influence of body thermal state in practice of a quantitative cutaneous thermal sensitivity definition.


Liquisolid compacts were used to formulate water insoluble drugs in non-volatile solvents and converting into acceptably flowing and compressible powders. The main objective of present investigation was to enhance the dissolution rate of water insoluble drugs Ibuprofen and Naproxen by using liquisolid technique. Several liquisolid tablets were prepared by using different carrier materials.PEG 400 was used as non- volatile water miscible liquid vehicle. The liquid loading factors for such liquid vehicle was calculated to obtain the optimum amounts of carrier and coating materials necessary to produce acceptable flowing and compactable powder admixtures viable to produce compacts. The formulated liquisolid tablets were evaluated for post compression parameters such as weight variation, hardness, drug content, content uniformity, percentage friability and disintegration time. The in-vitro release characteristics of the drug from marketed tablets and liquisolid technique were studied. XRD,DSCand FTIR were performed. The results showed that liquisolid formulations of Ibuprofen and Naproxen exhibited higher percentage of drug release than marketed formulation.


Structure of the spore wall.-A notable addition to our knowledge of the structure and development of the spore wall is contributed by BEER31 in a study of the young pollen grains of Ipomea purpurea. At the conclusion of the reduction division, the tetrads of young pollen grains become surrounded by massive mucilaginous walls, which show the reactions of callose and pectose. Within this mucilaginous wall, and surrounding each young pollen grain, is another mucilaginous wall with the same reactions. This second wall is called the "special wall," a term suggested by STRASBURGER to replace the awkward and misleading term "special mother cell wall." The exine is deposited by the pollen protoplast upon the inner surface of the special wall, and at first is homogenous, but soon becomes differentiated into an outer lamella, with a network of thickening bands on its inner surface, and at the intersection of the bands are the rudiments of the spines. At this stage a clear space is seen between the outer lamella and the thickening bands, and in this space the rodlets characteristic of the mature pollen develop. The spines project into the pollen cavity before they begin to appear externally. The intine develops within the exine as a thin layer, with thicker portions where it protrudes into the exit pores. Chemically, it consists of pectic bodies associated with some cellulose. In older pollen grains the exine consists of a delicate outer lamella perforated with countless pores, so that it really forms a reticulum with open meshes, beneath which are the thickening bands constituting the mesospore, perforated by the narrow exit pores for the pollen tubes. The outer lamella of the exine dips into the exit pores and covers the protrusions of the intine at these spots. Since nearly the entire growth of the rodlets and spines takes place after they have become separated from the protoplast, it is concluded that they are able to develop without any direct contact with the protoplasm. This short paper presents a thorough study of a single species and suggests a series of investigations, for it may be predicted with the utmost confidence that the account will not hold for angiosperms in general, and the author makes no such claim. After various types of pollen grains have received similar attention, it will be time to generalize.-CHARLES J. CHAMBERLAIN.


Abstract The present day seismic activity from a region reflects the active tectonics and can confirm the seismic potential of the seismogenic sources as they are modelled using the historical seismicity. This paper makes a comparative analysis of the last decade seismicity recorded in the Banat Seismic Region (western part of Romania) and the historical seismicity of the region (Mw≥4.0). Four significant earthquake sequences have been recently localized in the region, three of them nearby the city of Timisoara (January 2012 and March 2013) and the fourth within Hateg Basin, South Carpathians (October 2013). These sequences occurred within the epicentral areas of some strong historical earthquakes (Mw≥5.0). The main events had some macroseismic effects on people up to some few kilometers from the epicenters. Our results update the Romanian earthquakes catalogue and bring new information along the local seismic hazard sources models and seismotectonics.


The extracellular matrix (ECM) in breast cancers is altered and provides new biomarkers for cancer diagnosis [1] and prognosis [2,3]. Collagen I (Col1) fibers are the major ECM component in breast tumors, and increased Col1 has been found to facilitate breast tumor formation, invasion, and metastasis [2,3]. We tested the relationship between occurrence of lymph node (LN) and Col1 fibers in primary tumors on a tissue microarray by using second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging and image analyses. A breast tissue microarray that had 50 LN positive (LN+) and 50 LN negative (LN-) status patient9s primary breast tumor biopsy samples was used in this study. Z-stacks of SHG tile images were acquired on a Zeiss 710 multiphoton microscope. We analyzed the SHG images from all breast biopsies for geometric features such as fiber volume, inter-fiber distance [4], and both 2D and 3D Haralick features such as energy, entropy, and correlation, among others. K-mean clustering of a case-controlled subset (19 LN+ and 16 LN- cases with grade 2, Stage II, T2) was performed. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to reduce data dimensions. Supervised nonlinear support vector machine (SVM) classification of 50 LN+ and 50 LN- samples with cross validation was performed on the 3D Haralick features. The detection errors of LN+ and LN- samples based on individual geometric, Haralick texture features and their combinations, which were obtained from the analysis of the Col 1 fiber patterns of 35 case-controlled samples, were calculated. The features that best differentiate LN+ and LN- samples were 3D entropy and 3D energy in the analysis of 35 case-controlled samples. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of SVM was generated to classify 3D Haralick features of 50 LN+ and 50 LN- samples, in which a Gaussian kernel with a sigma of 2.9 was the best model and gave a false negative rate of 0.13, a false positive rate of 0.31, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.81. In this larger statistical analysis from 100 breast cancer samples, we performed supervised SVM classification with cross validation to ensure the robustness and obtained a best false positive rate of 0.3. This could be because some LN- cases may have turned out as LN+ cases later on, and no follow-up data were available to us. A larger number of breast cancer samples with patient follow-up information is currently being imaged in our lab to train a more robust statistical SVM model. SHG imaging of Col1 fibers in primary breast tumors followed by image analyses can serve as a predictive biomarker to assess LN status and thereby predict outcome of breast cancer. [1]. A. Bergamaschi et al., J. Pathol. (2008). [2] P. P. Provenzano et al., BMC Med. (2008). [3] M. W. Conklin et al., Am. J. Pathol. (2011). [4] S. Kakkad et al., J. Biomed Optics (2012). This work was supported by NIH P50 CA103175. Citation Format: Jiang Lu, Samata Kakkad, Tiffany Greenwood, Meiyappan Solaiyappan, Zaver M. Bhujwalla, Xingde Li, Kristine Glunde. Collagen I fiber signatures in breast cancer predict lymph node metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-160. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-LB-160


Abstract New intermolecular H-bonded liquid crystalline complexes, viz., 2-(p-n-heptyloxybenzylidene imi-no)-5-chloro-pyridine:p-/z-alkoxybenzoic acid; (HICP:nABA) (where n denotes the alkoxy carbon num bers 3 to 10 and 12) exhibiting smectic-F (n = 12) and smectic-G phases have been synthesized and char acterized by Thermal Microscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Detailed IR (solid and solution states) analysis confirms the existence of intermolecular H-bonding between the pyridyl nitro gen and the COOH group of the p-n-alkoxybenzoic acid moiety. The phase behaviour of the series is discussed in the light of reported data on free p-n-alkoxybenzoic acids. The crystallization kinetics of a representative complex, using the DSC technique, is discussed. The mechanism of the crystal growth of the new crystalline smectic-G phase is computed with the Avrami equation.


Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered as one of the principal initiators of immune responses. In their immature state, they migrate into peripheral tissue in order to uptake antigen and to patrol for danger signals. Upon maturation, they acquire the ability to migrate to the lymph nodes and present the captured antigens to T cells in order to direct the development of specific immune responses. There is evidence that microbial compounds interfere with proper functions of DCs in order to block innate and specific immunity. Here we characterized the influence of Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT) on monocyte-derived DCs. Using pull-down assays with recombinant rhotekin or p21-activated kinase, we demonstrated the activation of RhoGTPases by PMT in DCs. Moreover, PMT induced changes in DC morphology and actin polymerization, impaired chemotaxin-induced actin re-organization and inhibited their migration response. However, macropinocytosis was not influenced by PMT. In summary, these data indicate that PMT inhibits proper function of the motility machinery in DCs, which might limit the development of adaptive immune surveillance during infection with Pasteurella multocida.


The purpose of the paper is to substantiate the means of overcoming corruption in order to ensure effective state governance and sustainable economic development of the country. Methodology. The research is based on a systematic approach to studying aspects of overcoming corruption as a basis for effective public administration and sustainable economic development of the country. The following methods are used: the method of induction (while determining the impact of corruption on society); the method of analysis (while determining the means for effective fight against corruption); synthesis (while generalizing the main causes of corruption in Ukraine), the method of hypotheses (while determining ways to support effective public administration in Ukraine). Results. The destructive effects of corruption are considered at two levels: at the state level (national level) and at the level of citizen (personal level). The state is formed by people, and their tolerance to corruption depends on their value systems and a vital position formed by society and family. The one can fight against corruption effectively, first of all, by forming the competence of "responsibility" in the citizens of the country, that is, their conscious attitude to the requirements of society, the ability to be responsible for their own lives and actions. Anti-corruption tools are investigated at the state level and at the level of personality formation. Effective governance under the influence of corruption pressure not only prevents the country from developing in a normal way, inhibiting foreign investment and reducing national wealth, but also activating the migration outflow of a responsible part of the population, the best part of the national gene pool, thereby destroying the nation. The fight against corruption at the state level should begin with the fight against corruption at the level of education of the individual, first of all, by forming the competence of the "responsibility" in the citizens of the country, that is, their conscious attitude to the requirements of society, the ability to be responsible for their own lives and actions. Practical implications. Using global experience in the fight against corruption, the following strategic measures are proposed: government data and information on tax revenues, as well as on funds from international organizations should be freely used by citizens (Ukrainian ministries' websites contains no transparent and detailed data); create an active forum for government officials, civil society, private sector leaders, and other members of "Anticorruption Initiatives", which will provide an opportunity to fight against corruption and protect interests of the population in many areas, including the most risky, such as medical procurement; publish all data on public expenditure on the Open Government Portal – the data warehouse of world-wide budgets created by the World Bank Group; to create information and technological infrastructure that will allow the widespread use of electronic services (from the payment of taxes through the Internet to filling out the prescriptions of doctors); provide the opportunity to send instant text messages from citizens' mobile phones to a specified address in order to provide feedback, submitting suggestions, or reporting a problem related to public services. Value/originality. The means of overcoming corruption are substantiated in order to ensure effective public administration and sustainable economic development of the country.


In many eukaryotic signalling cascades, receptor mediated phospholipase C (PLC) activity triggers phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis leading to information transfer in cells. Coupled with PLC activation is a sequence of reactions spread across multiple compartments by which PIP2 is resynthesized, a process essential to maintain PIP2 levels and support sustained PLC signalling. The biochemical strategies to co-ordinate these reactions and support PIP2 levels have remained poorly understood. In particular, the question of whether the PIP2 cycle is a closed cycle with no net addition or loss of metabolites has not been addressed. Using mathematical modelling approaches, we find that a closed PIP2 cycle cannot explain experimentally observed changes in the metabolic intermediates when changing enzyme activities in the PIP2 cycle. Thus, we propose that the PIP2 cycle likely includes at least one metabolic source and one sink whose net activity results in the experimentally observed regulation of this key signalling pathway.


The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control regions (CR), cytochrome b (Cyt b), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) and cytochrome coxidase subunit I (CO I) genes of four Asian freshwater turtles, Mauremys japonica, Ocadia sinensis, M. mutica, and Annamemys annamensis, were sequenced using universal PCR and long-PCR techniques. Combined with CR sequences of Chinemys reevesii, the composition and structure of CR of the five species were compared and analyzed. Three functional domains (TAS, CD and CSB) in CR and their conserved sequences (TAS, CSB-F, CSB-1, CSB-2, and CSB-3) were identified based on sequence similarity to those of other turtles. At the 3' end of CSB, six type motifs of variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) of five species were recognized, in which the TTATATTA motif may be the VNTR motif of the ancestral species of these five turtles. Comparison of nucleotide divergences among Cyt b, ND4, CO I, and CR of 11 turtle species using transitions + transversions and transversions-only methods supported the conclusion that CR evolved 2.6- to 5.7-fold faster than the other mtDNA genes. After excluding VNTRs of CR, molecular phylogenetic trees were constructed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. The results supported an expanded clade of Mauremys, which included species formerly in Ocadia, Chinemys, Mauremys, and Annamemys; this was also reflected in the results of VNTR analysis.


Background: Walk-up buildings are common in China today since they were almost the only type of residential buildings constructed from the 1950s to the 1990s. Objectives: This study examined how a vertical mobility obstacle, that is, mandatory stair climbing in walk-up residential buildings, may impact whether seniors go outdoors. Methods: We collected and examined 1,608 valid data records from 64 Chinese senior participants in Shanghai wearing Fitbit HR wristbands that tracked their mobility and physical activity for 31 consecutive days. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regressions were performed on the binary leaving-home-or-not probability by the level of vertical obstacles controlled for physical–demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, outdoor activity habits, and weather. Results: Our observations revealed that each floor above ground level reduced the likelihood of outdoor trips by approximately one third per floor. After controlling for the physical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors of the participants as well as weather and holidays, we found that significantly fewer going-out incidents were also associated with more frequent outdoor activities within the community, especially in paved areas, but no associations were observed with self-reported visit frequencies to green spaces, senior centers within the community, or other places outside the community. Conclusion: This study offered the in situ observation that seniors' probability of leaving their homes is correlated with the degree of vertical circulation as a mobility barrier (i.e., the number of stairs between their living space and access to the outdoors), which may impact policy making for regulations concerning elevators in residential codes and renovations.


The loss of K-bearing clay minerals has been observed over an 80 y cultivation period in Chinese rice paddies despite the use of NKP fertilizers. Clay mineral determinations were made in flood-irrigated paddies cultivated for 3, 10, 15, 30 and 80 y in clayey (45 wt.%), red soils derived from red Quaternary sediments. Three clay minerals are initially present in these soils: illite-mica, magnesian chlorite and an interstratified mica-aluminous chlorite mineral. This last phase was identified using computer simulations. The K-bearing phases (discrete mica and illite as well as interstratified mica layers) are to a large extent lost while the Fe content decreases in the soil as a whole and increases in the chlorite. The mica component in the mixed-layer mineral decreases also. These changes in clay mineralogy and relative abundance suggest a loss of potassic minerals and an increase in the formation of less siliceous, more ferro-magnesian chlorite. These changes occur over 30 y or less, a rather rapid, irreversible transformation of soil clay minerals. Such loss of potassic minerals renders the cultivation more dependent on fertilizer amendment.


Forestry partnership is a social forestry scheme as an attempt resolution of conflict society and permit holders. The objective of the research to explain the forestry partnership program conducted by PT REKI and the people of Dusun Kunangan Jaya I. This research used a qualitative research approach. The methods of data collection include in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document studies. The results of the research showed a forestry partnership carried out by PT REKI and KTH Berkah Jaya, KTH Bungin Mandiri and indigenous people of Batin Sembilan. The agroforestry pattern is applied to partnership lands. The percentage of forestry partnership outcomes, 85% for the community and 15% for PT REKI. The rights and obligations that have not been achieved have an impact on hampering agroforestry management. The limited funding of  PT REKI, which depends on donors as a source of income causing the forestry partnership program has not been maximized. PT REKI in supporting forestry partnership provides various facilities including the provision of forestry plant seeds, cattle, education, and health services community empowerment. The rejection of forestry partnership cooperation carried out by most of the community because of mismatch between the expectation of community and PT REKI. The performance of the government in forest monitoring needs to be improved to support forestry partnerships to cut down land conflicts while improving community welfare.Forestry partnership is a social forestry scheme as an attempt resolution of conflict society and permit holders. The objective of the research to explain the forestry partnership program conducted by PT REKI and the people of Dusun Kunangan Jaya I. This research used a qualitative research approach. The methods of data collection include in-depth interviews, participant observation and document studies. The results of the research showed a forestry partnership carried out by PT REKI and KTH Berkah Jaya, KTH Bungin Mandiri and indigenous people of Batin Sembilan. The agroforestry pattern is applied to partnership lands. The percentage of forestry partnership outcomes, 85% for the community and 15% for PT REKI. The rights and obligations that have not been achieved have an impact on hampering agroforestry management. The limited funding of  PT REKI, which depend on donors as a source of income causing the forestry partnership program has not been maximized. PT REKI in supporting forestry partnership provides various facilities including the provision of forestry plant seeds, cattle, education and health services community empowerment. The rejection of forestry partnership cooperation carried out by most of the community because of mismatch between the expectation of community and PT REKI. The performance of the government in forest monitoring needs to be improved to support forestry partnership to cut down land conflicts while improving community welfare.


This article proposes a framework which presents a general overview of the key components within school scenario in relation to going green. Three important human factors are covered by the framework. They are school leaders, teachers, and students. Each of the groups contributes to implementing green school practices successfully through analysis. School leaders' attitudes are very decisive at the beginning of a new program. Teachers, who link both school leaders and students, undertake important roles of spreading and performing green school practices. Besides, students are the core of the framework. Going green cannot be finally realized if students are unwilling to participate and have weak awareness of environmental protection. In order to test whether the three groups of people are going to cooperate in implementing green school practices, the framework suggest following the theory of planned behavior (TPB). It is a theory widely used for checking human behavior and intentions. The article ends in presenting recommendations and research possibilities for implementing green school practices based on the proposed framework.


Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics Philosophical, Theological, and Scientific Perspectives. Robert T. Pennock, Ed. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2001. 825 pp. $110, £75.95. ISBN 0-262-16204-0. Paper, $45, £30.95. ISBN 0-262-66124-1. This anthology includes representative selections from the proponents of a new effort to banish Darwinism and philosophical naturalism, along with critiques from their opponents and some rebuttals from the creationists.


Background: Mycoplasma is an opportunistic pathogen causing both urogenital and extragenital infections. The lack of cell wall renders Mycoplasma difficult to culture and identify with ordinary methods. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a new technology helping a lot in the diagnosis of infective diseases. In this case, NGS played a key role in the diagnosis of Mycoplasma infection. Case presentation: A mid-aged man suffering from renal cyst underwent cyst incision followed by invasive treatments to eliminate hematoma caused by renal artery hemorrhage. After the cyst incision operation, the patient had a persistent high temperature. The persistent increase of blood neutrophile granulocyte count and C-reaction protein suggested an unresolved infection. The empirically chosen anti-infective agents were meropenem and linezolid since the ordinary bacterial cultures of surgical site drainage and blood yielded a negative result. At postoperation day (POD) 17, NGS result of his drainage clearly indicated the pathogen was Mycoplasma hominis. At POD 24, the drug sensitivity test showed resistance to quinolones, clarithromycin and erythromycin, but intermediate to azithromycin. Since then, the antimicrobial agents were changed into azithromycin and kept unchanged until the patient was fully recovered and discharged at POD 39. Conclusion: When the ordinary laboratory diagnostic methods failed, NGS diagnosis could reduce the hospitalization expenses and shorten the lengths of hospital stay.


Echocardiographic findings were reviewed for 106 patients (mean age 41.3 +/- 23.0 years, range 3 to 90 years, 61% female) referred for evaluation of unexplained syncope. Abnormal echocardiographic findings were seen in 36/106 (34%) patients, of which 12/106 (11%) may have an abnormality that contributed to symptoms. Abnormal echocardiographic findings (64 vs 6%, p < 0.01) and those possibly causing syncope (22 vs 0%, p < 0.05) were significantly more likely in the oldest tercile of patients compared with the youngest. No patient less than 35 years old had a possibly diagnostic abnormality.


The authors report on a multiyear study designed to reveal how introducing a content management system (CMS) in an administrative office at a large organization affects the office's writing and work practices. Their study found that users implemented the CMS in new and creative ways that the designers did not anticipate and that the choices users made in using the CMS were often driven not by technology but by the social implications the CMS held for their office. By contrasting how writers negotiated specific genres of writing before and after the CMS was introduced, the authors argue for increased attention to providing flexible technologies that enable writers to innovate new tools in response to the social needs of their writing environments. This approach must be driven by research on the implications of technology in workplace communities.


To facilitate training and planning for medical procedures such as prostate brachytherapy, we are developing an interactive simulation of needle insertion and radioactive seed implantation in soft tissues. We describe a new 2D dynamic FEM model based on a reduced set of scalar parameters such as needle friction, sharpness, and velocity, where the mesh is updated to maintain element boundaries along the needle shaft and the effects of needle tip and frictional forces are simulated. The computational complexity of our model grows linearly with the number of elements in the mesh and achieves 24 frames per second for 1250 triangular elements on a 750 MHz PC. We use the simulator to characterize the sensitivity of seed placement error to physician-controlled and biological parameters. Results indicate that seed placement error is highly sensitive to physician-controlled parameters such as needle position, sharpness, and friction, and less sensitive to patient-specific parameters such as tissue stiffness and compressibility.


Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is central to John McDowell's classic Mind and World. In Lectures IV and V of that work, McDowell makes three claims concerning Aristotle's ethics: first, that Aristotle did not base his ethics on an externalist, naturalistic basis (including a theory of human nature); second, that attempts to read him as an ethical naturalist are a modern anachronism, generated by the supposed need to ground all viable philosophical claims on claims analogous to the natural sciences; and third, that a suitably construed Aristotelian conception of "second nature" can form the basis of a viable contemporary philosophy of mind, world, and normativity. This paper challenges each of these three claims. Aristotle's ethics, we will claim alongside Terence Irwin, Bernard Williams, Philippa Foot, and many premodern commentators, is based in the kind of physics, metaphysics, and metaphysical biology that McDowell says it cannot be. Historically, we will argue that McDowell's argument that Aristotle's ethical reasoning is "autonomous" or "self-standing" is distinctly modern, citing evidence from the leading medieval commentators on the Nicomachean Ethics. The felt need to which McDowell responds, of reading Aristotle's ethical or political thought as wholly non-metaphysical, arises from out of the successes of the natural sciences in the modern world, which he agrees discredit the Aristotelian, teleological account of nature. In the final part of the paper, we propose that McDowell's account of normativity, rooted in the non-metaphysical "second nature" he reads into Aristotle, we will contend, is as it stands inescapably relativistic. On a different note, we need also to recognize, as McDowell does not, that this is a new Aristotle, one shaped by our requirements and space of reasons, not the mind and world of the Greek Philosopher himself.


In this paper we discuss the results of morphological analysis of test objects in high-noise conditions and compare image reconstruction using two widely employed methods in computer tomography, namely Filtered Back Projection and Algebraic Reconstruction Technique. In our test tomography experiments, we used a laboratory X-ray source designed and manufactured at the Institute of Crystallography, Moscow, Russia.


. The paper analyses the effects of the ISO system implementation and certification. It covers the aspects that are internal (managerial, personnel related) and external (mainly - marketing and sales related). Since there are differences between the ISO system implementation motivations and the actual benefits after its implementation, these two are analysed separately. In addition to a traditional mail survey, the author uses the technique of two qualitative interviews with every sample company, getting managerial opinions before the project (these mainly reflect motivations) and one year after the project (mainly reflecting benefits). The analysis is based on a sample of Lithuanian companies, comparing the findings with information from Lithuania and other countries.


Population policy and the 5-year plans since 1951 in India are reivewed and evaluated in terms of limiting population growth. The family planning (FP) programs have not had a major impact on peoples attitudes practice of contraceptives or the average fertility rate. Not enough attention has been paid to the interaction of demographic structure and economic and social development and the implications for limiting population growth. Vital elements of a population policy are containing population growth limiting births among the young and reproductive age groups enhancing employment options for males and females diversifying the economy improving literacy and educational standards improving urban/rural ratios and balancing male/female ratios. Several approaches to FP programs are possible: long term measures to improve the social economic and demographic structure and short term measures to immediately avert births. Long term approaches recognize the complexity of the problem. Rapid socioeconomic development is the best contraceptive for controlling Indias population. A well conceived population education program can help as will increasing the marriage age preventing children from entering the labor market increasing female education levels providing old age pension and social security and other insurance and providing maternity benefits for small families. Short term measures may provide temporary or permanent methods of averting births; i.e. contraceptives sterilization penalties and rewards for small families. However it must not be a bureaucratic measure imposed from above. It must be a self generating process. The author suggests that simultaneous long and short term approaches are necessary. Research should be conducted to delineate which measures have the most impact on reducing fertility and policy be formulated in accordance with these answers. Compulsion is required and government should not hesitate to step in. In rural areas traditional and modern methods in FP should be tried in order to achieve responsible behavior. The population increases in India were a result of a mortality decline starting in 1921 and a fertility decline starting in 1971. Attention must focus on high fertility areas such as Uttar Pradesh Bihar Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The 7th 5-year plan was important for making FP voluntary and generating an environment for fertility decline and the 8th should establish FP as a self generating process.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Diindolylmethane (DIM), an isothiocyanates found in cruciferous vegetables, has been shown to have cancer chemopreventive effects. A series of synthetic C-substituted DIMs (C-DIMs) analogs was developed, including DIM-C-pPhtBu and DIM-C-pPhC6H5, which exhibited better inhibitory activity in cancer cells than DIM. This study examined the effects of C-DIMs on the growth of KB human oral cancer cells. DIM-C-pPhtBu and DIM-C-pPhC6H5 decreased the number of viable cells and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis. The apoptotic cell death was accompanied by a change in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and damage to mitochondrial membrane potential through the induction of Death Receptor 5 and the cleavage of bid and caspase 8. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the apoptotic cell death induced by DIM-C-pPhtBu and DIM-C-pPhC6H5 was mediated by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. This provides the first evidence that synthetic C-DIMs originating from cruciferous vegetables induce apoptosis in KB cells via the ER stress pathway.

This study was supported by Bio R&D program through the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (M10870050003-08N7005-00311) and National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (KRF-2008-331-E00260).

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 224.


Fifteen percent of diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are expected to develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) within their lifetime. DFUs represent an ever increasing burden for the healthcare system. Chronic wounds, lack the linear progression from one classical phase of healing to the next and are mainly characterized by the persistence of the inflammatory phase. To define the transcriptome landscape of healthy uninjured skin, DM and DFU skin, we performed transcriptome profiling on skin specimens from foot surgeries obtained from 4 controls, 4 DM patients without DFU and on samples from 2 DM patients after DFU debridement . We generated the single cell transcriptome profiles of 3,766 and 3,469 cells from non-DM and DM patients and of 660 cells from patients with active DFUs. Further, bioinformatics analysis identified clusters of cells with similar transcriptome states. The most abundant cell type was fibroblast. Other clusters included adipocytes and endothelial cells. T-cells, monocytes, and macrophages were the main immune cell types identified. As macrophages are critical for healing of DFUs, we estimated the abundance of total macrophages and their polarization. Approximately 10% of cells were macrophages in each group while DFU group had significantly more M1 polarized as compared to M2 (M1/M2=2.4 times). Supervised analysis identified a set of 66 and 1genes that are significantly differentially expressed in macrophages of DFU and DM patients respectively as compared to controls. A master regulator (MR) analysis in DFU patients identified activation of inflammatory and angiogenesis related MRs (e.g., STAT3, IL15). while in DM patients it identified activation of distinct inflammatory MRs (e.g., SMAD3, CD44). In summary, we present for the first time sc-RNAseq data on lower extremity skin samples that could help delineate the molecular mechanisms of dysregulated wound healing and identify novel therapeutic targets. Disclosure G. Theocharidis: None. S.S. Bhasin: None. K. Kounas: None. M.K. Bhasin: None. A. Veves: Advisory Panel; Self; HyperMed Imaging, Inc., AOBiome.


BACKGROUND
Environmental concerns about peat extraction in wetland ecosystems have increased. Therefore, there is an international effort to evaluate alternative organic substrates for the partial substitution of peat. The aim of this work was to use different composts (C1-C10) obtained from the fruit and vegetable processing industry (pepper, carrot, broccoli, orange, artichoke residues, sewage sludge (citric and pepper) and vineyard pruning wastes) to produce added-value composts as growing media with suppressive effect against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis (FOM) in muskmelon.

RESULTS
Composts showed values of water-soluble carbon fractions and dehydrogenase activity that allowed them to be considered mature and stabilized. All compost treatments produced significantly (F = 7.382; P < 0.05) higher fresh shoot weight than peat, treatment T-C2 showing the highest values. Treatments T-C5, T-C7 and T-C8 showed percentages of disease incidence that were significantly (F = 16.052; P < 0.05) the lowest, relative to peat, followed by T-C6, T-C10, T-C1 and T-C9 with values below 50%.

CONCLUSION
Composts produced are suitable components of mixed compost-peat growing media, providing a 50% substitution of peat. Furthermore, some of these composts also showed an added value as a suppressive organic medium against Fusarium wilt in muskmelon seedling, a fact probably related to high pH and pepper wastes and high content of pruning waste as initial raw materials. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.