Background:Cardiovascular disease has been the leading killer of Americans since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.  During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, social distancing and stay-at-home requests, there has been increased television (TV) engagement, and marketing has become more impactful in modifying consumer behaviors.
Objective:  We evaluated the healthfulness of food marketing, based on commercials most frequently aired on American primetime networks during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Methods:We reviewed a total of 104 TV commercials, 89 chosen randomly during TV watching and 14 targeted to enrich the sample with the leading quick service restaurants ("fast-food chains").  The commercials fell into 4 categories: 1) fast-food chains, 2) brand-recognized individual items, 3) grocery chains, and 4) home-delivery meals. The food items displayed in each commercial were recorded and scored based on the previously validated healthful versus unhealthful nutrition scoring system, assigning either positive or negative values for each food item in the commercial.
Results:We found that 58% of the commercials advertised fast-food chains (mean score = -3.1, i.e., 3.1 more unhealthy than healthy items per commercial), while 27% were brand-recognized individual items (-0.82), 9% were grocery chains (-0.4), and 6% were for home-delivery meals (0.83); each was less unhealthy than fast-food (p< 0.0001).
Conclusions:Commercial TV in the US routinely promotes the consumption of foods that are known to be unhealthy, particularly those underpinning cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. Regulation and/or legislation to curtail the frequency and/or content of these commercials, and consider a ban on such advertising to children, similar to that previously employed in Canada and the European Union.


To understand the mechanism underlying autophagy in regulating dendritic cells during rat liver regeneration, we used the method of percoll density gradient centrifugation combined with immunomagnetic bead to isolate dendritic cells, the Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array to determine the expression changes of autophagy-related genes, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis 9.0 (IPA) to determine the autophagy activities. The results indicated that LC3, BECN1, ATG7 and SQSTM1 genes had significant expression changes during rat liver regeneration. There were 593 genes related to autophagy, among which 210 genes were identified as significant. We also showed that the activity of autophagy was enhanced in the priming phase and teminal phase of liver regeneration, weakened in the proliferative stage by comparative analysis method of IPA. The autophagy-related physiological activities mainly included RNA expression, RNA transcription, cell differentiation and proliferation, involving in PPARα/RXRα activation, acute phase response signaling, TREM1 signaling, IL-6 signaling, IL-8 signaling and IL-1 signaling, whose activities were increased or decreased in liver regeneration. Cluster analysis found that P53 and AMPK signaling participated in the regulation of dendritic cells autophagy, with AMPK signaling in the priming phase of liver regeneration, and both signaling pathways in the terminal phase. We conclude that dendritic cells autophagy played an important role in initiation of the immune response in priming phase and depletion of dendritic cells in late phase during rat liver regeneration.


Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), resulting from the forced expression of cocktails out of transcription factors, such as Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM), has shown tremendous potential in regenerative medicine. Although rapid progress has been made recently in the generation of iPSCs, the safety and efficiency remain key issues for further application. In this work, microRNA 302-367 was employed to substitute the oncogenic Klf4 and c-Myc in the OSKM combination as a safer strategy for successful iPSCs generation. The negatively charged plasmid mixture (encoding Oct4, Sox2, miR302-367) and the positively charged cationized Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharide (CPEPS) self-assembled into nanosized particles, named as CPEPS-OS-miR nanoparticles, which were applied to human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for iPSCs generation after characterization of the physicochemical properties. The CPEPS-OS-miR nanoparticles possessed spherical shape, ultrasmall particle size, and positive surface charge. Importantly, the combination of plasmids Oct4, Sox2, and miR302-367 could not only minimize genetic modification but also show a more than 50 times higher reprogramming efficiency (0.044%) than any other single or possible double combinations of these factors (Oct4, Sox2, miR302-367). Altogether, the current study offers a simple, safe, and effective self-assembly approach for generating clinically applicable iPSCs.


Lately there has been renewed interest in the topic of creativity as scientists begin to readdress the question of where new and appropriate ideas come from (see Sternberg 1988 for a review.) Simultaneously technologically driven global pressures such as the increased pace of change and the global marketplace have forced organisations to consider ways in which they can become more responsive and creative enough to meet the increased competition from the Pacific Rim and elsewhere. This has led to an interest in ways of drawing out creativity in the workforce. To do this one needs some idea of what conditions favour creativity.


Aluminum is produced commercially using Bayer process and HellHéroult process. Besides scrap recycling and reuse of aluminum hydroxide contribute to total production. Bauxite is crushed, digested, precipitated, and calcined resulting in alumina. The alumina is then reduced to aluminum by electrolysis. The worldwide Al production is 41.1 million tons in 2010. The global average in energy is consumption is about 15kWh/kg of Al. The production process is energy intensive and used about 3% of global electricity production in 2010.


Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) class II alleles were analyzed in Japanese leprosy patients to ascertain whether immunogenetic differences exist among the forms of leprosy in classification of World Health Organization-recommended multidrug therapy (WHO-MDT). The subjects were 86 unrelated Japanese leprosy patients, including 62 multibacillary leprosy (MBL), 24 paucibacillary leprosy (PBL). Controls were 114 unrelated healthy subjects. Genotyping of HLA class II alleles was performed by using the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods. The frequencies of HLA-DRB1* 1501, * 1502 and DRB5* 0101,* 0102 and DQA1* 0102 and DQB1* 0602 were significantly increased in the whole patients (44.2%, 34.9%, 44.2%, 34.9%, 53.4% and 41.9%, respectively) as compared with the control subjects (14.0%, 21.1%, 14.0%, 21.1%, 27.2% and 13.2%, respectively). On the other hand, the frequencies of HLA-DRB1* 0405, * 0803, * 0901 and DQA1* 03 and DQB1* 0401 were significantly decreased in the whole patients (10.5%, 5.8%, 16.3%, 41.9% and 9.3%, respectively) as compared with the control subjects (29.8%, 17.5%, 30.7%, 78.1% and 29.8%, respectively). When MBL and PBL patients were compared, the frequencies of HLA-DRB1* 1501, DRB5* 0101 and DQB1* 0602 were significantly increased in the MBL patients (51.6%, 51.6% and 48.4%, respectively) as compared with the PBL patients (25.0%, respectively). Our results suggest that HLA-DRB1* 1501, DRB5* 0101 and DQB1* 0602 contribute to the susceptibility to the Japanese MBL.


Crizotinib (Xalkori), the first inhibitor of both anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and c-Met receptor kinases, has been approved in the United States, Korea, and other countries for the treatment of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This approval came within just 4 years of the discovery of rearrangements in the ALK gene in a subset of patients with NSCLC. Oral crizotinib 250 mg twice daily showed excellent efficacy in patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC, with objective response rates of 61% and 51% in ongoing phase I and II studies, respectively. Objective response rates of current standard, single-agent, second-line therapies are less than 10%. Median progression-free survival was 10 months (95% confidence interval, 8.2-14.7) in the phase I study expanded cohort and has yet to be reached in the phase II study; progression-free survival with current therapies is less than 3 months. Crizotinib was well tolerated; grade 1/2 gastrointestinal toxicity and visual disturbances were the most common adverse events. Patients in the phase II study reported improvements in fatigue, dyspnea, and cough, based on quality of life assessments. Phase III studies investigating crizotinib for the first- and second-line treatment of advanced ALK-positive NSCLC, versus current standards of care, are ongoing. Crizotinib represents a new standard of care for patients with ALK-positive NSCLC and highlights the importance of the role of the pathologist, as molecular profiling becomes a part of initial workups for newly diagnosed patients with NSCLC. This approach will ensure effective individualized treatment for patients with NSCLC.


The process of component integration for distributed application software development requires identifying the candidate components and performing compatibility checks based on the functional as well as non-functional requirements of the target application software. Since these requirements vary, it is important that distributed components themselves provide a set of specific services to facilitate component integration. In this paper, an approach to component integration for distributed application software is given. An object-oriented distributed component framework and a distributed connector model are presented to facilitate component integration.


The information on the variations of indium composition, aggregation size, and quantum-well width is crucially important for understanding the optical properties and, hence, fabricating efficient light-emitting devices. Our results showed that spinodal decomposition could occur in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells with indium content in the range of 15%–25% (grown with metal–organic chemical-vapor deposition). A lower nominal indium content led to a better confinement of indium-rich clusters within InGaN quantum wells. The InGaN/GaN interfaces became more diffusive, and indium-rich aggregates extended into GaN barriers with increasing indium content. It was also observed that indium-rich precipitates with diameter ranging from 5 to 12 nm preferred aggregating near V-shaped defects.


Two cases of submicroscopic recombinants of intrachromosomal transposition of telomeres, one each from chromosome 1 and 2 are described. Meiotic crossing‐over would generate the recombinants from these reciprocal rearrangements. In both cases, which were detected by FISH with subtelomeric probes, there is a minute deletion of the qter region and a second presence of the pter subtelomeric region on the respective qter, i.e., a duplication of 1pter or 2pter respectively. The deletion on 2qter (case 2) was confirmed by microsatellite inheritance and was of paternal origin, but in case 1 there was no detectable 1q deletion other than of the subtelomeric probe, and parental origin could not be determined. The present case 2 with del(2qter)/dup(2pter) shares many features with reported cases of simple deletion (2qter) but did not have features of Albright hereditary osteodystrophy, which are seen in half of such deletion patients. The clinical features present in case 1 were similar to those of the previously reported case of a submicroscopic 1qter deletion but also to cases with microscopically visible 1qter deletions, presumably because of gene enrichment in subtelomeric regions. Recombinants of such intrachromosomal subtelomere transpositions detected by subtelomeric probes may comprise up to 10% of submicroscopic pter or qter deletion cases. Other cases of this unusual mechanism may be detected with more common use of subtelomeric probes. It is suggested the bouquet associations of telomeres in early meiosis may facilitate such unusual rearrangements. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Fragalyst 3.0 is an advanced version of the Fragalyst 2.0 developed indigenously by CIMFR and Wavelet Group Pune. The software has multiple functions where the digital images of blasted fragments can be analysed for size distributions (BBSD) and the in situ block size distribution (IBSD)can also be determined using the joint frequencies in a blast face. The software then uses the Bond;s index to determine the explosive energy utilisation in a blast. initially an image of the face is to be imported and joints determined by using a scanline method which in turn determines the IBSD. Once blast is carried out on the same face sufficient number of images (at least 15) need to be imported in the software and analysed for fragmentation distribution. Several options of image enhancement, resize and crop are also available along with a large combination of threshold parameters which makes edge detection easy. The detected edges of fragments can be edited using advanced tools. The analysis of all the individual images is then called for a merged analysis of the blasted fragment size distribution (BBSD). A fines correction option is now available for correcting the BBSD for fines. The area between the BBSD and IBSD curves determines the explosive energy utilised in the blast. The software results have been compared to the results obtained with imported software and results are conforming. The software has been tested at number of sites in India and significant changes in productivity have been reported. There are some advanced features included in the software such as shape factor, spherocity and other distributions of blasted fragments, distance measurements and angle calculations which can be useful to an inquisitive researcher. The paper details the capabilities of Fragalyst 3.0 along with few applications and respective analysis.


In the last years, together with powerful new techniques developped from nucleic acids biochemistry, analytical methods in the area of protein chemistry have also emmerged. Among them is the two-dimensional gel electophoresis method which has been improved and became so reliable and reproducible that it can be used by geneticists. In this paper is related what has been done in our laboratory using this technique to tentatively answer genetical questions in wheat and its relatives. Several statements were made such as the followings: 1) it is the Triticum speltoides species that is the closest to the ancient diploid form that gave the B genome and the cytoplasm to the cultivated wheats; 2) the same allelic forms can be found at the three homoeologous loci of cultivated wheat, for most of the genes considered; 3) only very few heterotic (non additive) effects can be detected on the more abundant gene products in this autogamous hexaploid species; 4) there is a high level of polymorphism for heat shock proteins, but for most of them this variability is not correlated to thermotolerance; 5) selective forces are active during the haplodiploidization process in barley, and the genotypes having the selected allele are more efficient than the others for the production of doubled haploid plants.


Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites containing carbon nanotube (CNT) with the loading ratios from 0.5wt% to 2 wt% were prepared using melt-compounding process. Surfaces of the CNT particles were treated with sulfuric acid/nitric acid to purify CNT and to achieve compatible surface characteristics between TPU matrix and CNT. Mechanical, thermal, flame retardant, melt flow, and morphological properties of TPU/CNT composites were investigated. Addition of CNT to TPU matrix causes in a prominent increase in tensile strength, percentage of elongation at break, and tensile modulus values of TPU. The mechanical properties are improved for lower modified CNT loadings. CNT inclusions also improve the thermal stability of pristine TPU. Addition of CNT into TPU matrix causes increase in melting and decomposition temperatures of TPU and decrease in glass transition temperature. The flammability parameters of TPU also shift to higher values after CNT loadings to matrix. Modified CNT additions at higher concentrations exhibit better fire performance. Additions of modified CNT and pristine CNT show different trends in the case of melt flow rate values. Modified CNTs disperse more homogeneously relative to pristine ones into TPU matrix which is due to improvement in interfacial interactions between CNT and TPU.


Ad Hoc Networks provide a real opportunity to design flexible networks, very simple to deploy. However they remain a particular computation environment, characterized by the deficiency of pre - existed and centralized infrastructure. In the other hand, SIP p rotocol, which knows a huge booming in internet networks, requires centralized entities, like proxy server, registrar server and location service; consequently SIP is not adapted to Ad Hoc networks. We have presented in a new technique VNSIP (Virtual Netwo rk for Session Initiation Protocol) to fix the problem related to constraints of SIP deployment in MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Networks). In this paper we use a new algorithm which we have called MCAC (MANET Call Admission Control) to improve VNSIP Performances .


Superconducting radio-frequency cavities have been chosen as the main accelerating cavities and harmonic cavities in some synchrotron light sources. The previously developed computational scheme for the multiphysics with finite-element models can be used to calculate the electromagnetic characteristics of an externally loaded cavity, but unphysical results could be found on greatly deformed cavities. To solve this problem, we mesh not only the cavity structure with shell elements, but also the cavity vacuum with solid elements at the stage of computing the structural deformation. The interior solid elements, as being assigned with a negligible rigidity, are thus adjusted to a reasonable element shape as the external loads are applied on the shell elements to simulate the real cavity structure; this deformation information is then transferred to compatible electromagnetic elements to compute the electromagnetic characteristics of the deformed cavity. Examples of this improvement are presented with a 1.5-GHz superconducting radio-frequency cavity. Two loading conditions, external pressure and longitudinal compression, are demonstrated in computing the resonance frequency.


AbstractIn this study we investigate how two didactic models can be used by chemistry teachers to improve teaching to support students with a second language to "talk chemistry". The study contributes to show how these models can be used by chemistry teachers to organize, perform and assess chemistry lessons in a way that better supports second language students to become more active in talking and so learn chemistry. The material consists of video and audio recordings from chemistry lessons in an introductory class in upper secondary school in Sweden. The study was carried out in two cycles of planning, teaching and analysis in two successive classes. The first cycle entailed analyzing how a "normal" chemistry lesson gave students opportunities to talk and learn chemistry. In cycle 2 changes were made by using the models for the purpose of increasing the students' opportunities to "talk chemistry".   Our findings show how teachers can support also second language students' learning to "talk chemistry" by using the didactic models developed for mono-lingual classrooms when planning and performing chemistry lessons.


In recent years, there has been strong interest in examining the microbiome and its impact on human health and the environment. By leveraging modern sequencing technologies, investigators can quickly determine the composition of a given microbial sample. At the same time, the same investigations often yield an array of categorical and numerical metadata derived from the sequenced samples such as immunohistochemical measures or locality information. Understanding how the microbiome data is associated with this external metadata is essential in developing targeted treatments for chronic diseases or proposing bacteria-modulated host responses. While many R or Python libraries and command-line tools have been developed for specific analysis purposes, there are still relatively few tools to facilitate open-ended data exploration and hypothesis generation. Here we introduce Mian, an open-source web framework to interactively visualize or run a suite of statistical and feature selection tools on the microbiome to identify important taxonomic groups in the context of any provided categorical or numerical metadata. Visualizations include boxplots, correlation networks, and PCA or NMDS scatterplots. Tools include Fisher's Exact Test, Boruta feature selection, alpha and beta diversity, and differential and correlational analysis. Mian supports multiple standard representations of the OTU table as input and optionally subsamples the data during the upload process. Users can also filter and aggregate the OTU table at different taxonomic levels and dynamically adjust analysis parameters to see how the visualizations, results, and statistical measures change in real-time. Mian is freely available at: miandata.org


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Inhibition of BET recruitment to chromatin as an effective treatment for MLL-fusion leukemia Recurrent chromosomal translocations involving the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene initiate aggressive forms of leukemia, which are often refractory to conventional therapies. Many MLL-fusion partners are members of the super elongation complex (SEC), a critical regulator of transcriptional elongation, suggesting that aberrant control of this process plays an important role in leukemia induction. Here we will describe a global proteomic strategy to demonstrate that MLL-fusions, as part of SEC and the polymerase associated factor (PAFc) complex are associated with the BET family of acetyl-lysine recognising, chromatin "adaptor" proteins. These data provided the basis for therapeutic intervention in MLL-fusion leukemia, via the displacement of the BET family of proteins from chromatin. We will show that a novel small molecule inhibitor of the BET family GSK1210151A (I-BET151) has profound efficacy against human and murine MLL-fusion leukemic cell lines, through the induction of early cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. I-BET151 treatment in two human leukemia cell lines with different MLL-fusions alters the expression of a common set of genes whose function may account for these phenotypic changes. The mode of action of I-BET151 is, at least in part, due to the inhibition of transcription at key genes (BCL2, C-MYC and CDK6) through the displacement of BRD3/4, PAFc and SEC components from chromatin. In vivo studies will demonstrate that I-BET151 has significant therapeutic value, providing survival benefit in two distinct mouse models of murine MLL-AF9 and human MLL-AF4 leukemia. In addition, the efficacy of I-BET151 against human leukemia stem cells (LSC) will be shown, providing further evidence of its potent therapeutic potential. These findings establish the displacement of BET proteins from chromatin as a promising epigenetic therapy for these aggressive leukemias.

To extend the applications of our work, we will also present preliminary data to demonstrate that inhibition of BET proteins has therapeutic promise in a larger number of AML subtypes. We will speculate on potential mechanisms for this, the investigation of which is ongoing. Finally, we will discuss extension of the paradigm of BET inhibition to the numerous other epigenetic "readers" implicated in the induction and progression of cancer.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr SY38-03. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-SY38-03


Communication in the Senate during these last 40 years has been aimed at bringing the Chamber to citizens, initially through the media and now also through social networks with the creation of profiles on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
During this journey, the Senate has opened its debates to all citizens with the emission of its parliamentary meetings on the Chamber's website and has kept its doors open at all times to the media that in these 40 years have multiplied with the appearance of private, regional television and digital newspapers. At this time, the Senate has 26871 accredited journalists and although it is still fighting against the "wall of silence", all eyes are focused on parliamentary work, as was the case with article 155 of the Constitution. The Media Department fulfilled its task: informing, accrediting, organizing the press in the Chamber, providing the TV and radio signal and telling what was happening through social networks. However, it has been working with the media for 40 years, and now also taking on the challenge of direct communication with citizens.


In this paper, the insecurity problem of cryptographic protocol is proposed. To solve this problem, we give an accurate formal specifications for cryptographic protocols, and define the security properties precisely and reasonably, presenting some critical concepts and propositions in the deduction of the problem solving. The method of this paper with provable semantics is reasonable and sound, proved to be efficient by practice.


ABSTRACT Since 2005, Britain has utilized a handful of interventionists to engage with those at risk of violent extremism and those convicted of terrorism related charges in order to manage its risk of terrorism. The goal of the interventionists is to "deradicalize" those that they interact with to facilitate their reintegration in society. This article discusses the mentoring environment in the United Kingdom, how intervention providers establish their credibility with individuals, communities, and government, some of the structural safeguards and their impact on mentoring, how success is conceived, and the absence of reporting.


Irritability is a symptom of 15 disorders in the DSM-5 and is included in Mood Disorders, Addictive Disorders, Personality Disorders, and more (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, the term irritability is defined and measured inconsistently in the scholarly literature. In this article, we reviewed the scholarly definitions of irritability and the item content of irritability measures. Components of definitions and items measuring irritability were divided into three categories: a) causes, b) experience, and c) consequences. We also reviewed potential causes and biomarkers of irritability. We found much overlap between definitions and measures of irritability and related constructs such as anger and aggression. Consequently, the validity of research on irritability needs to be questioned including the role of irritability in psychopathology and the presence of irritability as a symptom in any disorder. Research on irritability's role in behavioral disorders needs to be repeated after more well defined measures are developed. We proposed a more precise definition of irritability that clearly differentiates it from related constructs. Suggested items for measuring irritability are also provided.


Abstract:In this study, asexuality is transcended beyond the spectrum of desire when defined against other identities that offer power, resources, networks, advantages, and disadvantages. Drawing on the insights of intersectional feminism, we use an intersectional lens to examine how Chinese assigned-female-at-birth asexuals in different socioeconomic standings understand and give meanings to asexual identity when they navigate marriage and reproductive norms, and other hegemonic representations and relations. The paper presents three constructions of asexual identity that are derived from different intersectional locations: asexuality as the pinnacle of evolutionary success; a globalized discourse of asexual pride; and indifference to asexual identity. We find that socioeconomic status at the individual and community levels contributes to a sense of asexual pride, albeit in different manners, thus legitimizing an otherwise unaccepted identity. Nevertheless, there are individuals who cannot find pride in their asexual identity. Instead of merely attributing this to oppression, an intersectional approach points to other positionings that enable personal agency. In doing so, we can facilitate a more inclusive and accurate portrayal of globalized asexualities. We also propose that the interplays between resistance and hegemony and inclusion and exclusion are elucidated when asexuality is analyzed through the interactions of social identities.


Fifty six mycelial cultured Basidiomycetes were screened for their inhibitory effects against prolyl endopeptidase(PEP), acetylcholine esterase(AChE) and thrombus coagulation. Out of them, methanolic extract of mycelium and/or ethylacetate(EtOAc) soluble fraction from culture broth of Peniophora quercina, Amanita aspera, Phellinus chrysoloma, Grifola frondosa, Wolfiporia extensa, Clavicorona pyxidata and Phanerochaete sordida inhibited more than 90% of PEP activity at 40 ppm. The extracts of Lenzites betulina, Phellinus chrysoloma, Wolfiporia extensa, Phanerochaete sorrlida, Hypocrea nigricans, Coriolus azureus, Flammulina velutipes, Phlebiopsis gigantea and Bondarzewia montana exhibited about 40% of inhibitory activity against AChE at 40 ppm. In thrombin times assay, the extracts of Amanita aspera, Oxyporus latemarginata, Peniophora quercina, Fomes fomenfarius, Trametes versicolor, and Phlebiopsis gigantea delayed coagulation of thrombus about two to three times over control at ca 550 ppm. In activated partial thromboplastin times assay, none of the tested Basidiomycetes showed significant effect.


This special issue concerns English genitive variation: the choice between the sgenitive and the of-genitive. It has grown out of the workshop 'Genitive variation in English', which was held at the conference of the International Society for the Linguistics of English at the University of Boston in June 2011. While previous research on genitive variation has already unearthed a wealth of factors predicting the variation, the aim of this volume is to add new dimensions to existing parameters. More specifically, the papers presented in this volume extend previous research in four important ways:1


The emergence of Islamic finance as a system of thought and practice is timely in the midst of world crisis and the uncertain proposals for solving it. It is hoped that Islamic finance could offer a coherent perspective for understanding real economic problems as well as a genuine alternative to the very foundations of how finance should be managed to actualize human prosperity. It is widely expected that Islamic finance will continuously evolve into a more sophisticated form and structure in the next decade. Some, however, question whether the development is moving on the right track to realize the hopes pinned on it at the time of its initial establishment. This embarks from the differences in understanding the raison d?etre of Islamic finance emergence and hence approach taken in developing the industry. In this paper we argue that Islamic finance should be directed to provide for meaningful development in the twenty-first century, Islamic finance must realize its full potential as a system, not merely a stopgap means of surviving the crisis. It must go beyond that to provide the guidelines for managing a good economy, stimulating growth and development, realizing socio-economic justice and promoting employment and stability. It cannot limit itself to merely offering economic and financial practices that satisfy the minimum standard of legal requirements.


To investigate the pathogenesis of polycythaemia in a child with isolated, primary erythrocytosis, we measured serum erythropoietin activity and in vitro erythroid progenitor cell responsiveness to erythropoietin. Unstimulated erythropoietin activity was markedly elevated (1.8 IU/ml), and isovolaemic phlebotomy induced a four‐fold increment above this level. In contrast to findings in our index case with this syndrome, normal erythroid colony growth patterns were present in patient marrow cultures. The primary mechanism of polycythaemia in this individual is similar to that reported in the index case: an inappropriately elevated regulatory set point for erythropoietin production. Since an additional defect of progenitor cell hypersensitivity to erythropoietin is not always present, we conclude that abnormalities at single or multiple sites of the erythropoietic regulatory axis may occur in primary erythropoietin‐dependent erythrocytosis.


The aim of this study was to assess toxic effects of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) serum on blood peripheral mononuclear cells from healthy donors and to evaluate if complement activation was involved. Monocytes from a healthy donor were incubated with 20 sera from ten SLE patients in both high and low disease activity states. After incubation non-adherent cells were analysed by flow cytometry. Serum from six SLE patients induced an increased cell death, four in active disease only, one in the inactive state and one in the active and the inactive state. Five of these sera, three with high and two with low disease activity, induced an increased apoptosis in the monocytes. Proportion of apoptotic cells correlated inversely with C1q and C3 concentration in the active disease sera, but not with disease activity as evaluated by SLEDAI. Apoptosis could be induced by addition of active C1s or antigen/antibody complexes to normal serum before incubation. Serum with complexes added induced increased tumour necrosis factor-a secretion from mononuclear cells, but SLE patient sera did not. The results demonstrate that the toxic effect of serum from SLE patients on healthy monocytes is explained by induction of apoptosis. The induction process is suggested to be connected with complement activation in the serum.


amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) is a tissue bound toxic metabolite derived from the nitrofuran antibiotic, furazolidone. AOZ is detected in the derivatised form of 3-{((2-nitrophenyl) methylene) amino}-2-oxa- zolidinone (NP AOZ). 3-{((3-carboxyphenyl)-methylene) amino-2-oxazolidinone (CP AOZ) was used as the immu - nising hapten for the production of monoclonal antibodies against NP AOZ. Monoclonal antibodies were pro - duced using hybridomas from the fusion of murine myeloma cells and spleen cells isolated from BALB/c mice immunised with CP AOZ-ethylenediamine-human serum albumin (CP AOZ-ed-HSA). The antibody production in ascitic fluids from clones 3B8/2B9 and 2D11/A4 was monitored during a 16 month period. Repeated cultures of these hybridomas, followed by injection into mice and cloning did not change the assay parameters. Clone 2D11/A4 exhibited long term stability in antibody production throughout the experiment whereas clone 3B8/2B9 demonstrated variability in particular antibody yields whilst retaining assay sensitivity. Reasons for this produc- tion variability in clones are discussed. In an optimised direct ELISA format, the antibodies exhibited a 50% binding inhibition in the range of 0.52-1.15 ng/ml with NP AOZ (0.22 -0.50 ng/ml, respective AOZ equivalents) and showed high specificity towards this analyte. The sensitivity of monoclonal antibodies incorporated into the ELISA is compatible with the European Union MRLP and is currently in use for routine analysis.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a well-characterized class of small RNAs (sRNAs) that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. miRNAs function within a complex milieu of other sRNAs of similar size and abundance, with the best characterized being tRNA fragments or tRFs. The mechanism by which the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) selects for specific sRNAs over others is not entirely understood in human cells. Several highly expressed tRNA trailers (tRF-1s) are strikingly similar to microRNAs in length but are generally excluded from the microRNA effector pathway. This exclusion provides a paradigm for identifying mechanisms of RISC selectivity. Here, we show that 5′ to 3′ exoribonuclease XRN2 contributes to human RISC selectivity. Although highly abundant, tRF-1s are highly unstable and degraded by XRN2 which blocks tRF-1 accumulation in RISC. We also find that XRN mediated degradation of tRF-1s and subsequent exclusion from RISC is conserved in plants. Our findings reveal a conserved mechanism that prevents aberrant entry of a class of highly produced sRNAs into Ago2.


Background Bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is caused by increased bone resorption, however, there is no increased bone formation1. The Wnt pathway is important in the control of bone formation through regulation of osteoblast activity2. Sclerostin is an important regulator of the Wnt pathway by blocking Wnt binding to its receptor and thereby inhibiting bone formation3. An increased sclerostin expression in synovial tissues of RA was found compared to osteoarthritis patients4. Objectives This work aimed to study serum sclerostin level in a group of Egyptian rheumatoid arthritis patients and to correlate its level with bone mineral density (BMD), disease activity and radiological grading. Methods Forty RA patients, 26 (65%) were females and 14 (35%) males. Their ages ranged from 21 years to 68 years with a mean of 48.9±11.6 years, their mean value of disease duration was 8±6.4 years and 40 age and sex matched apparently healthy subjects were included. Routine laboratory investigations and testing for serum sclerostin level were done. Plain radiographs of hands & feet and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) test were done for all patients. Results In RA patients, serum level of sclerostin ranged from 0.1 to 1.1 ng/ml with a mean of 0.4±0.2 ng/ml. In the controls, it ranged from 0.2 to 2.3 ng/ml with a mean value of 0.5±0.4 ng/ml. No significant difference was found between RA patients & healthy controls as regard mean value of serum sclerostin level. Postmenopausal RA patients had higher levels of serum sclerostin than premenopausal RA patients (mean value 0.46±0.26 and 0.29±0.18 ng/ml repectively). However, it was statistically significant on comparing healthy postmenopausal to healthy premenopausal with mean values 0.5±0.39 and 0.32±0.14 ng/ml respectively and P value =0.02. Serum sclerostin had significantly positive correlations with age of RA onset (r=0.328, P=0.039), weight of RA patients (r=0.32, p=0.043) and negative correlation with ESR in RA patients (r= -0.34, P=0.03). Forteen (35%) of RA patients had osteoporosis on DXA test. There was no statistically significant correlation between serum sclerostin and BMD, disease activity or radiographic grading. Conclusions Serum sclerostin level in RA patients did not differ significantly from healthy subjects. Serum sclerostin levels have no correlation to disease activity, radiographic joints damage or BMD in RA. For better identification of the role of sclerostin on bone loss in RA, larger sample size is needed. More studies on serum sclerostin levels among different grades of RA activity are encouraged. References Eggelmeijer F, Papapoulos SE, Westedt ML, et al. Bone metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis; relation to disease activity. Br J Rheumatol 1993; 32: 387–391. van Bezooijen RL, Svensson JP, Eefting D, et al. Wnt but not BMP signaling is involved in the inhibitory action of sclerostin on BMP-stimulated bone formation. J Bone Miner Res 2007; 22:19–28. Weidauer SE, Schmieder P, Beerbaum M, et al. NMR structure of the Wnt modulator protein Sclerostin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2009; 380:160–165 Kim J. H., Liu X., Wang J., et al. Wnt signaling in bone formation and its therapeutic potential for bone diseases. Ther Adv Musculoskel Dis 2013; 5(1), 13–31. Acknowledgements I would like to express my deepest gratitude and thankfulness; first to Allah for giving me the will and strength to fulfill this work then to my family, Dr. Somaya Anwar, Dr. Sahar Fakhreldin and Dr. Dina Mehaney. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.1169


The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (Covid-19), caused by a novel and highly pathogenic coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, SARS-CoV-2), is a persisting global health concern. Research so far has successfully identified the molecular mechanisms of viral entry, alterations within the host cell upon infection, and the stimulation of an immune response to fight it. One of the most important cellular regulatory machineries within the host cell to be affected by the SARS-CoV-2 infection is epigenetic regulation, which modulates transcriptional activity by DNA sequence-independent factors such as DNA-methylation, RNA interference and histone modifications. Several studies in the literature have previously reported epigenetic alterations within the host due to infections of the Coronaviridae family viruses including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV that antagonized immune system activation. Recent studies have also identified epigenetic dysregulation of host metabolism by SARS-CoV-2 infection, linking epigenetic mechanisms with the pathophysiology and illness severity of Covid-19. Therefore, this book chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the epigenetic regulation mechanisms in viral infections with a special focus on SARS-CoV-2 infection.


This study aimed to describe the assemblage of decapod crustaceans associated with the mussel farming ropes located in the Armacao do Itapocoroy Bay, in the municipality of Penha, Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. The following aspects were assessed: species composition and total weight, succession of species and temporal oscillation of abundance, species richness and Shannon's diversity. The growth data (height and weight of the shells) of the biological substrate (mussels) are also presented. During the nine months of the experiment, associated decapods were collected from 15 ropes (three ropes every other month). A total of 501 decapods were collected that belonged to nine families, 15 genera and 21 species. The most dominant family was Porcellanidae, with seven species, followed by Panopeidae (five) and Pilumnidae (three), while the remaining families were represented by one species each. The most abundant species was Pilumnus dasypodus (n = 244) that together with Synalpheus fritzmuelleri, Pachycheles laevidactylus, Pisidia brasiliensis, Menippe nodifrons, Pachycheles monilifer and Petrolisthes galathinus summed up 88% of decapod. Species richness increased from three to 15 during the experiment and species diversity showed its maximum in the fifth and ninth month, due to increased availability of shelters within biological substrate composed of living mussels. The total weight of decapods represented only 3% of the total weight of the farming ropes, due to the smallness of them. This indicates that these animals cannot be considered harmful for the mussel farming. The ropes play a role of shelter and as food resource, since most of these decapods spend all their bentic life in this biotope.


Since 1999, and particularly the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the federal government has sought to prepare against the threat of bioterrorism by developing a comprehensive national "preparedness and response" program that encompasses state and local health agencies. In fiscal year 1999, approximately $150 million was made available through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to develop bioterrorism preparedness and response infrastructure in public health departments. Emergency medical services (EMS) funding was not specifically considered in this DHHS program, primarily because EMS is usually funded through traditional first-responder programs in other departments of the U.S. government. This approach may be effective in addressing some EMS needs, but it is insufficient for enhancing the emergency medical infrastructure throughout this country or for linking emergency public health and emergency medical prehospital initiatives. The role of EMS is shifting. As EMS in the future will be expected to be more comprehensive and encompass the urgent aspects of public health preparedness and response, more resources must be applied to the medical control units of EMS systems so that they may provide the most benefit to the public health and medical system. Emergency medical systems and their leadership are poised to play a critical role in national preparedness against bioterrorism. Preparedness funding within the health sector will continue to expand markedly in the near future. However, a well-developed strategy will be necessary to sustain the best linkage between EMS, hospital preparedness, and public health preparedness at the local, state, and federal levels.


The device of the pneumatic sowing device of vacuum action which differs in simplicity of a design, the lowered material consumption, low level of mechanical damage of a sowing material (minimum values of percent of crushing of seeds), possibility of simultaneous sowing of seeds of two different cultures in one row (it is important for fodder crops) is developed. Structurally, the following basic changes have been made in the pneumatic sowing device:1. The scattering part of the pipe (with experimentally selected parameters, length 100 ... 120 mm and a sieving angle 80 ... 90°) allows the main zone to intercept the flow of seeds from the hopper, without passing them to the lower part of the sowing disc – in the accumulation zone; 2. The air flow from the nozzle supports the seeds (through the use of their useful aerodynamic qualities) in a suspended state near the holes of the sowing disc, which contributes to the reliable suction of the seeds to the holes of the disc. At the same time, the nozzles prevent the penetration of seeds into the accumulation zone, which allows to improve the quality of the sowing apparatus. The exclusion of the tedder from the structural part of the sowing device reduces the percentage of mechanical damage to the seeds (which affects the yield), as well as the material capacity of the structure itself.


In the event of acute respiratory failure, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is a required practice to support gas exchanges and to unload respiratory muscles. It is important to optimise the timing of effective need of IMV. Weaning is defined as the process of gradual removal of mechanical ventilation support toward spontaneous ventilation. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) efficacy have been proved only in a selected population of patients such as people with acute-on-chronic respiratory failure (COPD exacerbation) to shorten the length of invasive mechanical ventilation, the intensive care unit (ICU) stay and to avoid intubation related complications such as VAP. The role of NIV in all the other conditions (i.e. hypoxic patients, post-surgical patients) remains unclear. In the event of unplanned extubations during the weaning period, NIV could be considered as a good option to prevent re-intubation. (Tur Toraks Der 2011; 12: 27-31)


A Vibroacoustic Database Management Center has recently been established at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The center uses the Vibroacoustic Payload Environment Prediction System (VAPEPS) computer program to maintain a database of flight and ground-test data and structural parameters for both shuttle and expendable launch-vehicle payloads. Given the launch-vehicle environment, the VAPEPS prediction software, which employs Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) methods, can be used with or without the database to establish the vibroacoustic environment for new payload components. This paper summarizes the VAPEPS program and describes the functions of the Database Management Center at JPL.


We describe a new catalog of accelerating star candidates with Gaia G ≤ 17.5 mag and distances d ≤ 100 pc. Designated as the Gaia Nearby Accelerating Star Catalog (GNASC), it contains 29,684 members identified using a supervised machine-learning algorithm trained on the Hipparcos–Gaia Catalog of Accelerations (HGCA), Gaia Data Release 2, and Gaia Early Data Release 3. We take advantage of the difference in observation timelines between the two Gaia catalogs and information about the quality of the astrometric modeling based on the premise that acceleration will correlate with astrometric uncertainties. Catalog membership is based on whether constant proper motion over three decades can be ruled out at high confidence (greater than 99.9%). Test data suggest that catalog members each have a 68% likelihood of true astrometric acceleration; subsets of the catalog perform even better, with the likelihood exceeding 85%. We compare the GNASC with Gaia Data Release 3 and its table of stars for which acceleration is detected at high confidence based on precise astrometric fits. Our catalog, derived without this information, captures over 96% of the sources in the table that meet our selection criteria. In addition, the GNASC contains bright, nearby candidates that were not in the original Hipparcos survey, including members of known binary systems as well as stars with companions yet to be identified. It thus extends the HGCA and demonstrates the potential of the machine-learning approach for discovering hidden partners of nearby stars in future astrometric surveys.


Due to the harmful environmental effects of HCFC's (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) and CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) discovered in the late 20th century, interest has increased for more environmentally-friendly refrigerant alternatives in cooling systems. One of the alternatives is carbon dioxide due to its unique properties, low cost, and low environmental impact compared to conventional refrigerants.
The aim of this report is to study the use of CO2 in a one-stage and two-stage heat pump cycle for transportation purposes using an existing HCFC-based heat pump modified to work with CO2. Tests were conducted on this existing experimental CO2 heat pump setup at SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden in Boras, Sweden.
A model was developed with MatLab software primarily for the two-stage compression configuration, and the results of the model were validated against measurements conducted with the experimental setup. Overall, the measurement and model results showed that the gas cooler unit is over-dimensioned and modifications in future systems could be considered. It was found that the air side within each heat exchanger limits the heat transfer in the existing setup due to the ratio of outside to inside surface area and the low air heat transfer coefficient. Measurements results also indicate that there is significant uneven distribution at the entrance to the evaporator unit. This creates uncertainty when modelling as it is too complicated with the existing measurements and equipment to model anything other than perfect distribution at the inlet to the evaporator unit.
Results also indicate that the 2nd stage compressor operates at a much lower efficiency than expected by manufacturer and theoretical data. Tests on compressor operating speed changes showed significant system performance improvements when decreasing the 2nd stage compressor speed from the manufacturer suggested value. It was also found that there are possibilities for improving the system performance such as installing an internal heat exchanger.


Food additives have been used for flavoring, coloring and extension of the useful shelf life of food, as well as the promotion of food safety. Recently the use of food additives was increased and the levels of human exposure to such agents are very broad, thus feeding over long periods may continually possess potential hazards to the human health. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the protective role of bees honey against the adverse effects on the kidney functions induced by food additives (sodium nitrite as a food preservative and metanil yellow as food colorants) in male albino rats. The results of this study revealed that the oral administration of sodium nitrite (10 mg/ Kg body weight) for 8 weeks induced renal dysfunction as reflected by a significant elevation in serum levels of uric acid and creatinine and significant decrease in serum level of urea, while non-significant in serum urea as well as significant increase in serum creatinine and uric acid after treatment with metanil yellow (50 mg/ Kg) for 8 weeks. These results are apparently linked to the presently observed decrease in sodium level and increase in potassium in serum after treatment with sodium nitrite while increased of serum sodium and serum potassium levels were observed after treatment with metanil yellow for 8 weeks. The study also showed a significant decrease in total protein and albumin levels in rats exposed to both sodium nitrite and metanil yellow. Furthermore, increased in liver enzyme, AST, ALT and ALP activities in sodium nitrite and metanil yellow treated groups. In addition, decrease in catalase and glutathione reduced, while increase in lipid peroxide and nitric oxide activity were showed. Histological changes of the sodium nitrite treated group revealed no pathological lesions of kidney cells and metanil yellow treated group are within normal limits with mild glomerular congestion, whereas the liver tissues of sodium nitrite and metanil yellow treated groups showed mild fatty change, central vein congestion, and sinusoidal congestion. On the other hand, the daily intake of natural bees honey at a dose of 2.5g/ Kg body weight resulted in sufficient amelioration against the adverse effects of food additives as indicated by the observed improvement in all tested biochemical parameters and increase in antioxidant enzyme (catalase) and glutathione reduced and decrease in oxidant enzyme (lipid peroxide) and nitric oxide. In conclusion, this study revealed that the use of natural bees honey has the ability of preventing kidney dysfunction induced by food additives.


The article examines the emergence and implications of comparative political theory (CPT). It distinguishes theorizing based on travel and observation from that based on contemplation. Tracing the rise of the term CPT to 1997, it explains the academic, geopolitical, and cultural transformations that gave rise to some of the earlier work in the field. The acceleration of globalization also led to the rapid appearance of new intercultural and transnational approaches to political theory that move beyond the West. The article proceeds to analyze the methodological variety and alternatives within CPT work, arguing that we ought to take a broad, ecumenical approach to non-Western and cross-cultural theorizing rather than posit one single method as best. It presents two broad categories of CPT, one that is normative and another that is interpretive. The article closes by examining regional contributions in CPT, critiques, and supporting stances for CPT.


Some factors which affect the aerial counts of dugongs and sea turtles were examined experimentally. There was no significant difference in the observed density of dugongs when survey height was doubled from 137 m to 274 m with an accompanying doubling of transect width on either side of the aircraft from 200 m to 400 m. In contrast, a significantly higher density of turtles was observed at the lower heightharrower transect width. The higher level of glare on the exposed side of the aircraft, the time of day and the time from high tide made no significant difference to the observed densities of dugongs or turtles. The survey crew included a tandem team of two observers on each side of the aircraft, who reported their uncolluded observations into separate tracks of a two-track tape recording system. This allowed the reports of tandem observers to be compared in order to assess observer reliability. Overall, observers missed over 40% of dugong groups and over 80% of turtles visible within the transect including groups of more than 10 dugongs. The chance of observers missing a group of dugongs was independent of group size. There was little disagreement between tandem observers about the identification of animals, or the position of animals in the water column. However, observers differed markedly in their categorisation of dugong behaviour and in their counts of animals (particularly dugong calves) in larger groups.


Adjuvants are surface active agents that are added to pesticide formulations or tank-mix to facilitate the mixing, application, or efficacy of these products. Addition of adjuvants changes the physico-chemical properties of spray liquid. In this work, we have focused in particular on surface tension and density of aqueous solutions of different adjuvants registered for mixing with herbicides. Eleven different adjuvants were subject of this study under labora tory conditions. An equation which enables determination of density of aqueous solutions in concentration range of 0–15 g/kg was designed. Average difference between the experimental and calculated density values amounts to ± 0.006%. The concentration dependence of surface tension was utilized to determine the critical micelle concen tration (cmc). Evidently, the cmc of most tested adjuvants was lower than the amount recommended by manufacturer, especially in case of adjuvants Dedal 90 EC and Mero 33528. For adjuvant Trend 90 EC the recommended rate is even lower than that obtained for the cmc. Maximum reduction of the surface tension of water was achieved with adjuvants Silwet L-77 and Break Superb.


This book records the proceedings of a conference on minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) in adults, convened by Dr. Bellak in 1978. The rationale for this conference being that MBD does not disappear when childhood sufferers achieve adulthood. It is worth remarking that minimal brain dysfunction in children is termed"Attention Deficit Disorder" in the DS M III. The possibility ofthis condition persisting into adult life is acknowledged by assigning it to a special category"Attention Deficit Disorder, Residual Type." The first and probably most important paper presented at the Conference was that by Paul Wender who discussed the validity of the concept of adult MBD. He had four main arguments to support the view that this condition existed. First, there is a characteristic cluster of psychiatric symptomatology in adults diagnosed as having MBD in childhood. Second, there is evidence, particularly from adoption studies, to support the view that there is a genetic component common to both adult and childhood MBD. Third, symptomatic improvement occurs in response to treatment with drugs which increase dopaminergic activity. Finally, there is some tenuous evidence from biochemical studies. (For an update on Wender's work see Arch Gen Psychiatry 1981;38: 449-56). The main clinical features of the condition were described by Huessy and his colleagues and they include impulsivity, depression, anxiety, aggressive outbursts, sleep problems and distractibility. About 50% of their subjects responded to treatment, and there was no difference in the effects of tricyclic antidepressants, methylphenidate, or dexamphetamine. Studies of psychiatric illnesses in the families of hyperactive children were reported on by Cantwell. There is an increased prevalence of MBD in the close relatives of hyperactive pro bands. Adoption studies have shown that this was greater in the biological first and second degree relatives of adopted away MBD children than in their non-biological relatives. There was also an increased prevalence of other psychiatric disorders in relatives, particularly the St. Louis triad of alcoholism, sociopathy and Briquet's syndrome. Other papers were presented which dealt with related topics. Monroe discussed episodic loss of control in aggressive criminals and the possible epileptoid mechanism responsible for this. Tucker described the sensorimotor disturbances found in psychotics and particularly the neurological soft signs found in schizophrenia, whilst the role of cerebral dysrhythmia in schizophrenia was reviewed by Davies and Neil. . The treatment of neurotic adults with MBD by intensive psychotherapy was described by Greenspan who drew attention to the unique form of transference that occurs. In discussing medication, Arnold contended that it is just one amongst several treatments, all of which should be employed within the context of a long term supportive relationship by a clinician who is prepared to deal with crises whenever they occur. Other treatments which might be used include family therapy, environmental change, raising the general level of health, social skills training, behaviour therapy, biofeedback and hypnosis. There was unevenness in the quality of the papers presented at this Symposium, and some were not distinguished by scientific rigour. However, this should not be construed as a criticism of the contributors but rather reflects the preliminary quality of the work. This book is a pioneering attempt to establish the syndrome of minimal brain dysfunction in adults, which may prove to be a condition of considerable clinical importance. Anyone wishing to familiarize themselves and to appreciate the developing interest in this condition could profitably begin with this book. The quality of the editing and the production is excellent.


Studies on frogs exploiting subterranean environments are extremely scarce, as these Amphibians are usually considered accidental in these environments. However, according to recent studies, some anurans actively select subterranean environments on the basis of specific environmental features, and thus are able to inhabit these environments throughout the year. We present the first study on the abundance and spatial use of the Italian stream frog, Rana italica , in subterranean environments. We monthly collected data from 66 cave sectors during a whole year (2013), recording > 120 detections of R. italica . Frogs were more frequently found close to the cave entrance, without significant differences between age classes or sexes. Adults generally were observed being higher up along cave walls compared to juveniles. Frogs abundance was higher in areas showing specific environmental features, such as warm temperature, low incident light and the presence of potential prey. Rana italica likely occupies subterranean areas characterized by a combination of microclimatic suitability and prey availability.


A method of decomposing wastes containing target compounds having one or more of hydrolyzable bonds of ether bond, ester bond, amide bond and isocyanate bond wherein the method comprises continuously supplying the wastes in a molten state or liquid state to a reactor, continuously supplying super-critical water or high pressure/high temperature water to the reactor, bringing the water into contact with the wastes, thereby decomposing the target compounds and then recovering them as raw material compounds or derivatives thereof for the target compounds. Target compounds contained in wastes in chemical plants which could not be utilized but merely incinerated or discarded so far are continuously decomposed into raw material compounds or derivatives thereof for the aimed compound and can be reutilized effectively.


The existing curricula in maritime colleges does not satisfy the growing requirement to provide future marine engineering officers with the basic economic and management knowledge. Introduction of an engineering management program in such a highly specialized engineering school creates its own difficulties and specific challenges, and, as a result, requires a substantial modification of the traditional approach. On one side, being dedicated to a single industry the school can better steer the program and determine the boundaries of the subjects included. On the other side, the already overloaded four-year program limits an in-depth exposure to some vital theoretical concepts. This paper is intended to emphasize the importance of the engineering management training in the maritime environment, and to offer practical resolutions. I. Reasons For Program Development There is no doubt that enhanced economic and management education should improve the decision making process on all levels of activities from global projects to routine day-to-day operational decisions. Another important reason for additional economic and management training is to make the marine engineering program more attractive for prospective cadets. Nowadays, when a young man or woman is considering a maritime profession, a couple of questions might pop up: What will happen to me if in a few years after graduation I would not be able or would not want to sail any more? Will I be prepared for a shoreside job? Additional economic and management knowledge offered at school might amplify the management career path ashore. This consideration might appear a decisive one in choosing the profession. If the question of a possible career change in the future appears, again additional economic and management training helps to get a positive answer. These days, when the romantic attractiveness of the marine engineering profession is getting weaker, the maritime colleges have


Non-linear loads increasing on a power system results in harmonic distortion (THD) increasing. Harmonic distortion increasing getting bad influences on power system components. Measurement at one of PLN's customer installations with many non-linear loads shows the amount of voltage THD 9.41% and current THD 15.05%. To reduce the harmonic distortion we can use harmonic filters. The filter designed is a single-tunned passive filter. The design of harmonic filters adapted to the dominant order occured. Filters are not only used to reduce harmonic distortion occurred but also increase power factor. From the simulation results that by installing a single-tunned passive filters on the system, voltage THD has decreased from 9.41% to 6.61% while the current THD decreased from 15.05% to 10.40%. Meanwhile, system power factor increased from 0.971 to 0.992. Keywords : Total Harmonic Distortion, Passive Filter, Nonliear Load


This paper presents a new method for the characterization and diagnosis of electrical disturbances caused by fuses operation in the electrical distribution systems. A set of descriptors is proposed in order to quantify the typical features of the distortions caused by operation of expulsion and current limiting fuses. A multivariate statistical analysis is performed to select the descriptors with the best profiles qualifiers and the optimal decision thresholds are selected to classify the disturbances using machine learning algorithms. Voltage and current signals of the fuses operation are obtained from the ATP-EMTP simulation, as well as some real signals, to be all used in the validation of the new proposed algorithm, obtaining optimal performance and efficiency results. The algorithm was implemented in Matlab and the computational requirements are minimal.


Drawing on systemic thinking (i.e. constructivist systems theory) the paper reviews grossly the assumptions underlying childhood's restlessness ("hyperactivity") both as a distinct nosological entity and as foundation for different treatments. The phenomenon is considered, in accordance with contemporary ideas, as an interactional one. Two case examples serve as a starting point for gathering basic elements which, if put together, allow to understand this phenomenon without falling into the extremes of a mainly medical or a socionormative approach. This permits to make use of the systemic view in a manner that enables the therapist to adopt an attitude of respectful acceptance and understanding towards his/her small clients and their relatives.


Monitoring and troubleshooting a large wireless mesh network presents several challenges. Diagnosis of problems related to wireless access in these networks requires a comprehensive set of metrics and network monitoring data. Collection and offloading of a large amount of data is infeasible in a bandwidth constrained mesh network. Additionally, the processing required to analyze data from the entire network restricts the scalability of the system and impacts the ability to perform real-time fault diagnosis. To this end, we propose MeshMon, a network monitoring framework that includes a multi-tiered method of data collection. MeshMon dynamically controls the granularity of data collection based on observed events in the network, thereby achieving significant bandwidth savings and enabling real-time automated management. Our evaluation of MeshMon on a real testbed shows that we can diagnose a majority (87%) of network faults with a 66% savings in bandwidth required for network monitoring.


The rise of intelligent assistant systems like Siri and Alexa have led to the emergence of Conversational Search, a research track of Information Retrieval (IR) that involves interactive and iterative information-seeking user-system dialog. Recently released OR-QuAC and TCAsT19 datasets narrow their research focus on the retrieval aspect of conversational search i.e. fetching the relevant documents (passages) from a large collection using the conversational search history. Currently proposed models for these datasets incorporate history in retrieval by appending the last N turns to the current question before encoding. We propose to use another history selection approach that dynamically selects and weighs history turns using the attention mechanism for question embedding. The novelty of our approach lies in experimenting with soft attention-based history selection approach in an open-retrieval setting.


Photometric measurements were collected for a new study aimed at estimating orbital debris sizes based on object brightness. To obtain a size from optical measurements the current practice is to assume an albedo and use a normalized magnitude to calculate optical size. However, assuming a single albedo value may not be valid for all objects or orbit types; material type and orientation can mask an object s true optical cross section. This experiment used a CCD camera to record data, a 300 W Xenon, Ozone Free collimated light source to simulate solar illumination, and a robotic arm with five degrees of freedom to move the piece of simulated debris through various orientations. The pseudo-debris pieces used in this experiment originate from the European Space Operations Centre s ESOC2 ground test explosion of a mock satellite. A uniformly illuminated white ping-pong ball was used as a zero-magnitude reference. Each debris piece was then moved through specific orientations and rotations to generate a light curve. This paper discusses the results of five different object-based light curves as measured through an x-rotation. Intensity measurements, from which each light curve was generated, were recorded in five degree increments from zero to 180 degrees. Comparing light curves of different shaped and sized pieces against their characteristic length establishes the start of a database from which an optical size estimation model will be derived in the future.


· 59. Jahrgang · 11/2005 standing corrosion performance are taken advantage off. As starting material for Copper products Copper cathodes have the highest purity. This material can only be degraded during remelting by absorbing gases and solid inclusions. In secondary materials besides dissolved gases also alloying elements can be present as dissolved impurities that lower the properties. In this paper melt treatment technologies for the refining of secondary Copper melts are discussed. Especially the removal of gases from secondary Copper, the removal of dissolved metallic impurities as well as the treatment of solid inclusions are reviewed in detail.


Triangular gold nanoprisms with high yield percentage were synthesized via the seed-mediated approach and functionalized by mono-6-thio-β-cyclodextrin without alkyl chain. The undecorated and decorated triangular gold nanoprisms were characterized and analyzed. Moreover, the novel decorated triangular gold nanoprisms were used as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for chemical sensing of the explosive agent 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT). The vibrational bands in the experimental SERS spectrum were assigned with the aid of density functional theoretical simulation. The analytical enhancement factor of the hybridized triangular gold nanoprisms for the detection of DNT has been obviously increased in contrast with hybridized spherical gold nanoparticles, suggesting that the former are excellent SERS substrates. Compared to some other approaches, the limit of detection can be remarkably improved (qualified as sub-ppb level), which indicates that the excellent chemical sensing of decorated triangular gold nanoprisms can be widely applied to trace analysis of explosive or warfare agents. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their nitrogen-analogues (N-PAHs) were investigated in soil samples collected from oil exploration areas of the Niger, Delta. Physical/chemical parameters of the soil samples were determined and PAHs/N-PAHs were analysed using soxhlet extraction followed by GC/MS. The soil samples were found to be extremely alkaline with low CEC values. The mean PAH and N-PAH concentrations measured in the samples ranged from  663.9-1,618,821.2ug/kg and 488.2-3,510.5ug/kg, respectively. Petrogenic-PAHs predominated the oil spill sites while pyrogenic-PAHs dominated the drilling and gas flaring sites. Further, spill sites recorded elevated concentrations of N-PAHs with 3-ring and carcinogenic N-PAHs showing dominance. Statistical analysis reavealed statistically significant positive correlation in the distribution of PAHs and N-PAHs in the region; indicating similar anthropogenic sources. Additionally, PAHs/N-PAHs levels in the soil samples were found to be higher compared with ither agricultural/industrial contaminated soils in literature; indicating that the region may need further survey/remediation. Studies like this are important in the development of soil quality guidelines in relation to human health and soil-biota.


Background: Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) function is controlled by regulatory subunits that modulate the activity of the catalytic subunit and direct the PP2A complex to specific intracellular locations. To study PP2A's role in signal transduction pathways that control growth and differentiation in vivo, a transgenic mouse lacking the B56γ regulatory subunit of PP2A was made. Results: Lack of PP2A activity specific to the PP2A‐B56γ holoenzyme, resulted in the formation of an incomplete ventricular septum and a decrease in the number of ventricular cardiomyocytes. During cardiac development, B56γ is expressed in the nucleus of α‐actinin‐positive cardiomyocytes that contain Z‐bands. The pattern of B56γ expression correlated with the cardiomyocyte apoptosis we observed in B56γ‐deficient mice during mid to late gestation. In addition to the cardiac phenotypes, mice lacking B56γ have a decrease in locomotive coordination and gripping strength, indicating that B56γ has a role in controlling PP2A activity required for efficient neuromuscular function. Conclusions: PP2A‐B56γ activity is required for efficient cardiomyocyte maturation and survival. The PP2A B56γ regulatory subunit controls PP2A substrate specificity in vivo in a manner that cannot be fully compensated for by other B56 subunits. Developmental Dynamics 243:778–790, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


We have previously demonstrated lactational transfer of T cell–based immunity from dam to foster pup. In the short term, a significant part of transferred immunity is passive cellular immunity. However, as time progresses, this is replaced by what we have described as maternal educational immunity such that by young adulthood, all immune cells responding to a foster dam immunogen are the product of the foster pup's thymus. To reduce confounding factors, this original demonstration used congenic/syngeneic dam and foster pup pairs. In this study, we investigated lactational transfer of immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in MHC class I–mismatched animals, as well as from Th1-biased dams to Th2-biased foster pups. Using immunized C57BL/6J dams, lactational transfer to nonimmunized BALB/cJ foster pups resulted in much greater immunity than direct immunization in 5-wk-old pups (ex vivo assay of pup splenocytes). At this age, 82% of immunogen-responding cells in the pup spleen were produced through maternal educational immunity. FVB/NJ nonimmunized foster recipients had a greater number of maternal cells in the spleen and thymus but a much larger percentage was Foxp3+, resulting in equivalent immunity to direct immunization. Depletion of maternal Foxp3+ cells from pup splenocytes illustrated a substantial role for lactationally transferred dam regulatory T cells in suppression of the ex vivo response in FVB/NJ, but not BALB/cJ, recipients. We conclude that lactational transfer of immunity can cross MHC class I barriers and that Th1 immunity can be imparted to Th2-biased offspring; in some instances, it can be greater than that achieved by direct immunization.


I review the present theoretical attempts to understand the quantum properties of spacetime. In particular, I illustrate the main achievements and the main difficulties in: string theory, loop quantum gravity, discrete quantum gravity (Regge calculus, dynamical triangulations and simplicial models), Euclidean quantum gravity, perturbative quantum gravity, quantum field theory on curved spacetime, noncommutative geometry, null surfaces, topological quantum field theories and spin foam models. I also briefly review several recent advances in understanding black hole entropy and attempt a critical discussion of our present understanding of quantum spacetime.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of suppressor gene p16 in the process of differential regulation of retinoic acid (RA) on the A549 lung cancer cells.

METHODS
Tumor suppressor gene p16 was transfered into A549 cells and the cells were treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) at the dosage of 5 x 10(-6) mol/L for 4 d. After that, the proliferation and differentiation of A549 cells were examined by growth curve and cytometry analysis, the change of lung lineage-specific marker MUC1 was tested by immunohistochemical staining. Meanwhile, Western blot was used to observe the change of p16 protein expression in A549 cells treated with ATRA.

RESULTS
ATRA could obviously inhibit the growth and induce the differentiation of A549 cells that were transfered with p16 gene. There were more cells arrested in G1/G0 phase and the expression of MUC1 was markedly down-regulated than in control cells. The expression of p16 protein was up-regulated in A549 cells treated with ATRA.

CONCLUSION
Suppressor gene p16 could enhance the effects of RA on proliferative suppression and differential induction of A549 cells.


The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the wider social and cultural influences on the individual and the way of building communities in the contemporary society. This raises further important questions about social space and the harmonization between the freedom of the individual and the linking of individuals in the process of the co-creation of the common. The historical-political-cultural context which is to a great degree shaped by neoliberalism and postmodernity, largely influences the everyday life of the individual. The individual bears the burden of the responsibility of building and reflecting upon their own life project or biography, which is accompanied with continuous decision making and choosing, thereby being in the constant process of creating their own individuality and claiming freedom. The same mechanisms/processes are under way in the establishing of relationships and the building of communities – all of which are influenced by this era of constant change, transition and claims for freedom. The empirical part deals with and presents the ethnographic research of the project Little Intercultural Space. In this part, the generative themes and sensitizing concepts that had appeared and developed during the researcher's four months' stay and involvement in the Little Intercultural Space are presented. The Little Intercultural Space is presented as an example of rethinking topics of culture, living together, participation, transition, social space, commodity relationships and relationships of dialogue, the positioning of the individual in the contemporary communities and the process of the co-creation of the common. In the conclusion the opened themes, sensitizing concepts and the concluding findings of the research are being linked to other social/community spaces and social pedagogical "grassroots" projects. Some guidelines for the creation of such projects are being suggested.


Background: High mortality rates are predominant even in COVID-19 patients requiring minimal supportive therapy, with a short-coming of data on COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation.Objectives/Design: We performed a single-center, retrospective, cohort study at a tertiary care, community-based teaching hospital with patient who required invasive mechanical ventilatory support and were COVID-19 positive. All patients were treated according to the ARDSnet protocol. The primary outcome was overall mortality, and secondary outcome was successful extubation.Results: A total of 72 COVID-19 positive intubated patients were included. Twenty-six (66.6%) patients died within the first 15 days of hospital admission; thirty-eight (52.7%) died within 28 days, and thirty-nine (54.2%) died within 29 days. A total of 22 patients (30.5%) were successfully extubated. 15 patients (20.8%) who required reintubation or could not be extubated further underwent tracheostomy.Conclusions: Mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilatory support is high, our observed mortality rate (54.2%) was significantly lower than currently published reports. We believe our rate to be a consequence of early intubation in conjunction with adherence to ARDSnet protocol. We also observed patients with hyperlipidemia, higher CRP, renal failure, or those requiring vasopressor use had worse outcomes.


Deroceras laeve (O. F. Müller, 1774) is the most common slug in crops cultivated in greenhouses or foil tunnels. In favourable conditions it occurs in masses and causes considerable damage to cultivated plants (DANKOWSKA & BARANOWSKI 1995, 1998, DANKOWSKA 1996). Molluscicides which are used at present for plant protection are not always effective. New substances are still sought, which would limit the palatability of plants, and thus decrease or completely prevent slug feeding. They may be extracts or infusions from plants which have a deterrent effect on gastropods (BARONE & FRANK 1999, KOZ£OWSKI et al. 2003, 2004, PISAREK 2003). The objective of this study was to test coffee, tea, onion and garlic infusions for their deterrent effect on D. laeve.


An increasing number of people are engaging in therapy. As a consequence there is a growing debate about the benefits of therapy and its place in global society. In this exciting and engaging new text Peter Morrall argues that therapy should be treated with healthy scepticism and provides a compelling, contemporary, and controversial argument as to how we should construct a sceptical view. In an engaging style akin to authors such as Oliver Burkeman, Stan Ferudi and Alain de Botton, the author offers a sociology of psychotherapy as well as placing sociology in therapy. The author explores the links between therapy and science, therapy and power, therapy and reality, madness and normality, and personal misery and the values of global society. The author asks questions about therapy and the "therapy culture" of the modern day. Is therapy dysfunctional, arrogant, selfish, abusive, infectious, insane and deceitful? The author illustrates different aspects of therapy using a troubled character called Heather, who undergoes therapy and features in vignettes throughout the book. This innovative, engaging, and compelling analysis of therapy is a wake-up call about therapy. It is essential reading for anyone interested in psychotherapy, counselling, sociology or the human condition.


Seven new cytotoxic xenicane-type diterpenoids, 9-deoxyxeniloide-E (1), 9-deoxy-7,8-epoxyxeniloide-E (2), xeniolide-G (3), 9-deoxyxenialactol-C (4), xenibecin (5), xeniolide-H (6), and xenitacin (7), were isolated from the methylene chloride solubles of the Formosan soft coral Xenia umbellata. The structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis, and their cytotoxicity against selected cancer cells was measured in vitro.


With the advancement of plant synthetic biology, plastids have emerged as an optimal platform for the heterologous production of numerous commercially valuable secondary metabolites and therapeutic proteins. In comparison on nuclear genetic engineering, plastid genetic engineering offers unique advantages in terms of efficient expression of foreign genes and biological safety. However, the constitutive expression of foreign genes in the plastid system may impede plant growth. Therefore, it is imperative to further elucidate and design regulatory elements that can achieve precise regulation of foreign genes. In this review, we summarize the progress made in developing regulatory elements for plastid genetic engineering, including operon design and optimization, multi-gene coexpression regulation strategies, and identification of new expression regulatory elements. These findings provide valuable insights for future research.


The IEEE 802.11 and Low Rate WPAN (LR-WPAN) wireless networks can provide complimentary services and are likely to be installed within the same environments. Coexistence between the networks would be impaired, if the probability of packet collision between the networks is sufficiently large. This paper presents the results of an empirical study examining the impact of IEEE 802.11 on the LR-WPAN. The study focused on evaluating one aspect of the probability of collision: determining the interference power at which packet retransmission is likely to be required. The results from this empirical study are used to substantiate analytical models for interference suppression versus carrier frequency offset. The empirical study and analytical model are used to provide insight into the impact of adjacent channel interference from the interfering wireless service.


The result of the interaction between Bloom and Dedalus, Kimball argues as a central tenet in her unique reading of "Ulysses, "is the gradual development of a relationship between the two protagonists that parallels C. G. Jung s descriptions of the encounter between the Ego and the Shadow in that stage of his theoretical individuation process called "the realization of the shadow." These parallels form a unifying strand of meaning that runs throughout this multidimensional novel and is supported by the text and contexts of "Ulysses."Kimball has provided the first comprehensive study of the relationship between Jungian psychology and Joyce s "Ulysses. "Bucking critical trends, she focuses on Stephen rather than Bloom. She also notes certain parallelssynchronicitiesin the lives of both Jung and Joyce, not because the men influenced one another but because they speculated about personality at the same historical time. Finally, noting that both Jung and Joyce came from strong Christian backgrounds, she asserts that the doubleness of the human personality fundamental to Christian theology is carried over into Jung s psychology and Joyce s fiction."


The paper describes the universal approach for monitoring the data storage of a globally distributed cloud computing system, which allows you to automate creation of new metrics in the system and predict their behavior for the end users. Since the existing monitoring software products provide built-in scheme only for system metrics like RAM, CPU, disk drives, network traffic, but don't offer solutions for business functions, IT companies have to design specialized database structure (DB). The data structure proposed in this paper for storing the monitoring statistics is universal and allows you to save resources when orginizing database monitoring on the scale of the GDCCS. The goal of the research is to develop a universal model for monitoring and forecasting of data storage in a globally distributed cloud computing system and its adequacy to real operating conditions.


These essays on Arthurian prose romances, published as a tribute to Cedric E. Pickford, reflect their development and the reshaping of the romances in response to changing taste and fashion from the death of Chretien de Troyes to the end of the medieval period in England. Topics include the question of religious influences; the transition of Arthurian material to foreign contexts; and the fortunes of the prose romance in England, focusing on the Prose 'Merlin' and Malory. The contributors are: ELSPETH KENNEDY, RENEE L. CURTIS, FANNI BOGDANOW, JANE H.M. TAYLOR, DAVID BLAMIRES, CERIDWEN LLOYD-MORGAN, CAROL M. MEALE, KAREN STERN, DEREK BREWER, FAITH LYONS, ROGER MIDDLETON


Subtilisin BPN' contains two cation binding sites. One specifically binds calcium (site A), and the other can bind both divalent and monovalvent metals (site B). By binding at specific sites in the tertiary structure of subtilisin, cations contribute their binding energy to the stability of the native state and increase the activation energy of unfolding. Deconvoluting the influence of binding sites A and B on the inactivation rate of subtilisin is complicated, however. This paper examines the stabilizing effects of cation binding at site B by using a mutant of subtilisin BPN' which lacks calcium site A. Using this mutant, we show that calcium binding at site B has relatively little effect on stability in the presence of moderate concentrations of monovalent cations. At [NaCl] =100 mM, site B is >or=98% occupied with sodium, and therefore its net occupancy with a cation varies little as subtilisin is titrated with calcium. Exchanging sodium for calcium results in a 5-fold decrease in the rate of inactivation. In contrast, because of the high selectivity of site A for calcium, its occupancy changes dramatically as calcium concentration is varied, and consequently the inactivation rate of subtilisin decreases approximately 200-fold as site A becomes saturated with calcium, irrespective of the concentration of monovalent cations.


The agricultural system is complex and comprehend since it deals with large data that comes from several factors. Lot of techniques and have been used to identify any interactions between factors affecting yields with crop performance. The major objective of this paper is to help us predict the yield of a particular crop before even cultivating it for its production. We are using artificial neural networks for forwarding and implementing a system that will help the farmers in finding their crop yields according to their given data as input in the system and the system will give output based on previous data. The method used in this crop yield system is an artificial neural network and the algorithm used is feed forward and back propagation. Provide the input of data sets and the desired outcome of the system. Compute the error between the actual and desired outcome of the system. Amendment of the weight associated with different inputs and different functions. Compare the errors and the tolerance ratio of the output. Various machine learning techniques have been used in the past for calculating the crop yield using remote data. However, these methods are less useful and effective for predicting the yield of maize and for some other crops, which is cultivated at different times in various fields.The major application of this crop yield system is that it will help us to predict the yield before even cultivating it by studying the previous data collected such as soil fertility, pH level.


We propose a new type of all-fiber bandwidth tunable rejection filter using cascaded helicoidal long-period fiber gratings in single-mode optical fiber and report controllable broadband rejection characteristic with low insertion loss and polarization dependent loss.


Postoperative portal vein thrombosis is a rare complication which occurs most often after hepatobiliary surgery. To date, few cases following laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been reported. In this paper we present a case of portal vein thrombosis diagnosed with abdominal CT scan on the seventh day following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient was administered therapeutic intravenous heparin with resolution of symptoms.


Ian Campbell's paper, originally delivered at a conference on the development of 'The reflective practitioner' while he was Unit General Manager of Sunderland Royal Infirmary, describes the liaison between general and nurse managers in the hospital. Management must give a hospital organisation direction and must set the parameters of corporate and individual performance, but it must also be responsive to the feedback received from practising clinicians. The key concept is quality of service, and in this managers and practitioners can work together towards a common goal.


History of plant landscaping in Chengdu City was reviewed,and divided into 4 periods: ① Primary development period from 1949 to 1978.Traditional memorial gardens were renovated and expanded during this period,many parks and street-side green spaces were constructed,such as Memorial Temple to Military Marquise Zhuge Liang,Guihu Lake and Thatched Cottage of Du Fu;② Breaking-constraint period from 1979 to 1989.Classical gardens destroyed during the Great Cultural Revolution were repaired and expanded,green space planning was first compiled,garden styles combining local and modern features were explored,such as botanic garden,amusement park,Taizishan Park and Baihuatan Park;③ Rejuvenation period from 1989 to 1999.The city loop green belts along Funan River was formed,and the new edition of Green Space System Planning of Chengdu City was finished in 1996,representative works were Shudu Avenue,City Loop Park of Funan River,Xinhua Park,Huoshui Park and so on;④ The new beginning of this old undertaking since 2000.Relatively mature green space planning concepts were formed by considering the balanced urban-rural development with "building garden city" as the target,representative works of this period were Huanhuaxi Park,Shahe Zonal Park,Sanshenghuaxiang,Beihu Forest Park,Intangible Heritage Park,Jinsha Ruins Park,Donghu Park,green belts along the Third Ring Road,road landscapes along the South Renmin Road.Characteristics of plant landscapes in Chengdu were discussed from 2 perspectives: natural characteristics and cultural characteristics.Plant landscaping in 4 types of land uses was analyzed: park green spaces,green spaces in residential areas,road green spaces,green spaces in scenic areas;corresponding suggestions were given for the construction,and it was stressed that exploring local natural and cultural characteristics was the demand of times and the development direction of this industry.


Correspondence to Hyoung Seop Kim Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, 100 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang 10444, Korea. Tel: +82-31-900-0137 Fax: +82-31-900-0343 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Chan Woong Jang, Han Kyul Park, Hyoung Seop Kim Central and Extrapontine Myelinolysis after Alcohol Withdrawal and Correction of Hypernatremia in a Chronic Alcoholic: a Case Report Brain & NeuroRehabilitation 02


The commentary by Carl Mika on the paper by Hook regarding "A National Māori University" suggests that such an institution could prove of value in the investigation of Māori epistemology and ontology. The creation of new ideas and new knowledge as outcomes would be fundamental to a National Māori Univerity. A National Māori University could break the educational constraints imposed by Pākehā through the 1989 Education Act and provide an important step towards achieving Māori tino rangatiratanga (self- determination).