Abstract. Rai IN, Suada IK, Proborini M, Wiraatmaja IW, Semenov M, Krasnov G. 2019. Indigenous endomycorrhizal fungi at salak (Salacca zalacca) plantations in Bali, Indonesia and their colonization of the roots. Biodiversitas 20: 2410-2416. Cultivation of snake fruit, commonly known as salak usually done organically on dry land with limited fertilizer in Bali. This research aimed to observe and to identify the indigenous endomycorrhizal fungi on salak roots. The exploration was carried out by collecting soil and root samples in salak producing areas in Bali, i.e. Bebandem and Selat of Karangasem Regency, Payangan of Gianyar, and Pupuan of Tabanan Regency. At each location, 9 random samples were taken, resulting in a total of 36 samples. Spore extraction was carried out using a wet filtration technique followed by centrifugation according to the method by Brunndrett et al. (2009). Morphological identification was carried out at the genus and species level using the Manual for Identification of Mycorrhiza Fungi for identifying Vesicular-Arbuscular-Mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi (Schenk and Perez, 1990), while molecular identification was carried out according to Tedersoo et al. (2014). The percentage of root infections was carried out using the coloring method with trypan blue. The results showed there were only two genera of endomycorrhizae (Glomus and Entrophospora) identified at the locations of study sites. The results also showed that samples from Bebandem and Selat regions had 3 Glomus species, Payangan had 3 Glomus species and 1 Entrophospora species, while in Pupuan had only 2 Glomus species. Identification results based on morphological characters showed that all species in the genus Glomus consisted of 3 species, namely Glomus sp-1, Glomus sp-2, and Glomus sp-3, while one species in the genus Entrophospora was Entrophospora sp. Genetic identification results based on the nucleotide arrangement showed that Glomus sp-1 concluded as Glomus cubence, Glomus sp-2 concluded as Glomus custos, and Glomus sp-3 concluded as Glomus indicum, while Entrophospora species concluded as Entrophospora_sp_SH197095.06FU. The average of root colonization/ infection was very high, reaching 93.33% in Bebandem and Selat, 95.00% in Pupuan, and 100% in Payangan. The very high root infection rates indicated that the indigenous endomycorrhiza found in these areas was very adaptive in salak plantation, so there is an opportunity to be developed as biofertilizers.


We report lasing properties of distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers (DFB QCLs) including a double-phonon-resonance active region, at wavelength of about 8.4 μm. A broad gain spectrum is generated due to the coupling between the lower laser level in the active region and the levels in the injector, and is demonstrated by the lasing spectrum of the corresponding Fabry–Perot QCLs whose width is 0.5 μm at 1.5 times of the threshold current. As a result, the DFB QCLs employing different grating periods exhibit a wavelength span of 0.18 μm at room temperature and total wavelength coverage of 0.28 μm at various heat sink temperatures. A high side mode suppression ratio of about 30 dB and a low threshold current density of 1.78 kA/cm2 are achieved as the lasers operate at room temperature in pulsed mode.


A new one-pot, sequential three-component access to 3,4-diacylpyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine was achieved from the reaction of an α-haloketone, azide, and N-substituted pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde under mild reaction conditions, through which a polysubstitution pattern on the pyrazine moiety of the scaffold was realized. The formation of multiple bonds (one C-C and two C-N) was enabled by this domino process involving the in situ generation of α-iminoketones, intermolecular Mannich reaction, intramolecular imine formation, and aromatization. Construction of the relevant 3,4-diacylpyrazino[1,2-a]indole and further expansion of this chemical space via synthetic elaboration of the resulting products were demonstrated as well. Preliminary biological screening of the synthesized derivatives against oral adenosquamous carcinoma cells (CAL-27) and triple negative human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) led us to identify a potent hit compound (7o) having ∼3 times stronger in vitro anticancer activity than that of the anticancer agent, capecitabine.


Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STATs) are latent transcription factors that mediate a number of cellular responses including but not limited to cell survival, proliferation and differentiation. This protein family consists of seven members, STAT1-6 including two closely related molecules, STAT5a and STAT5b, that show 96% amino acid sequence homology and are critical for lymphoid, myeloid, and erythroid cell development and function. We recently identified Stat5b as the critical regulator of IgE-mediated cytokine production in mast cells. We found that Fyn-mediated Stat5 tyrosine phosphorylation is critical for Stat5-dependent effects. Our recent work demonstrates that Stat5b is also phosphorylated on serine residues during IgE signaling in mast cells. We find that STAT5b serine phosphorylation occurs through a Src-independent pathway requiring PI3-kinase function. Understanding the pathways leading to Stat5b serine phosphorylation and its role in the inflammatory response will yield new targets for mast cell-associated diseases.


All living organisms are affected by natural or induced modifications of their surrounding physical environment. A distinct relationship exists between the health of the environment and the health of the individuals living in it. This paper presents a selection of resources about environmental health resources readily accessible on the Internet in October 1998.


The present work describes the influence of different temperatures on mechanical properties and microstructure of additively manufactured high-strength 1.2709 maraging steel. For this purpose, samples produced by selective laser melting technology were used in their as-printed as well as their heat-treated state. Both samples were than exposed to temperatures ranging between 100 °C to 900 °C with a total dwell time of 2 h followed by water-cooling. The microhardness of the as-printed material reached its maximum (561 ± 6 HV0.1) at 500 °C, which corresponded to the microstructural changes. However, the heat-treated material retained its initial mechanical properties up to 500 °C. As the temperature increased, the microhardness of both the materials reduced, reaching their minimum at 900 °C. This phenomenon was accompanied by a change in the microstructure by forming coarse-grained martensite. This also resulted in a significant decrease in the ultimate tensile strength and an increase in the plasticity. TEM analysis confirmed the formation of Ni3Mo intermetallic phases in the as-printed material when exposed to a temperature of 500 °C. It was found that the same phase was present in the heat-treated sample and it remained stable up to a temperature of 500 °C.


Mast Cells play an pivotal role in bronchial asthma, one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract. Since dysfunction of the sensory nerve fibers have been associated with asthma, the impact of neuronal stimulation on bronchoconstriction and mast cell degranulation were analysed. Mast cells and peripheral sensory nerves were visualized using a primary antibody against tryptase and the pan neuronal marker PGP9.5. Three-dimensional confocal pictures of the upper and lower human airways were analysed regarding the mast cell-nerve colocalisation and mast cell degranulation. To set up an acute allergic phase, human precision cut lung slices (PCLS) were passively sensitized with plasma from allergic patients. Subsequently, bronchoconstriction was provoked with the allergen house dust mite (HDM) or with capsaicin +/- histamine 1 receptor antagonist. Bronchoconstriction was visualized by videomicroscopy analyzing airway area reduction in PCLS. Close mast cell-nerve interactions were shown in the airways of three human donors. Capsaicin-treated passive sensitized PCLS showed mast cell degranulation using primary antibodies against mast cell tryptase, bound IgE and the neuropeptide substance P. HDM and capsaicin- induced bronchoconstriction showed reduction of the airway area in 30 % and 40 % respectively. Capsaicin- induced AHR was totally inhibited by 10 µM of the histamine 1 receptor antagonist., showing that mast cells and histamine release is involved in capsaicin-induced bronchoconstriction. Here we show the importance of neuroimmunologic features involved in respiratory diseases such as asthma.


The greenbug Schizaphis graminum (Rond.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is one of the principal pests of Triticum aestivum L. and may be responsible for the injection of toxins, the transmission of viral infections and, ultimately, plant death. The aphid can be controlled by the use of selective insecticides or with the application of silicon. The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of imidacloprid and silicon on the feeding behaviour of S. graminum on wheat plants. Aphids collected from and reared on sorghum plants were maintained in a growth room at 25 ± 2°C; 12 h photoperiod. Seeds of the wheat cultivar EMBRAPA 22 were planted in plastic pots containing a commercially available soil substrate and thinned out 8 days after sowing to leave two vigorously growing seedlings in each pot. Four treatments (each replicated 25 times) were applied: (i) seeds were treated with imidacloprid (36 g/100 kg) 1 day prior to sowing; (ii) silicon (50 ml of 1% silicic acid; equivalent to a dose of 1000 kg of silicon/ha) was applied directly to the substrate 10 days after plant emergence; (iii) the described treatments with imidacloprid and silicon were applied jointly; and (iv) neither seeds nor substrate were treated (untreated controls). Electrical penetration graph assays were performed 15, 30 and 45 days after plant emergence. The results showed that wheat seed treatment with imidacloprid and/or the application of silicon to the substrate reduced both the feeding time of S. graminum and the percentage of insects that fed on phloem sap. Moreover, this study provides further support that the action of silicon may not be restricted to physical resistance (constitutive or induced) but may also involve induced plant chemical defence.


A provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a special modifier within the Medicare physician fee schedule that would adjust physician payments based on a measurement of cost and quality. They're calling it the "value-based purchasing modifier." The PPACA gives little detail on what factors will go into the cost and quality measurements, leaving it to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to make most of those decisions.


A lot of polymeric materials are flammable, requiring modification to decrease their flammability. Nanoparticle (NP) fillers are very attractive for this purpose as they can improve both the physical and the flammable properties of the nanocomposites (NCs). Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) is one of the NPs having flame-retardant property. For the first time, ZrO2 NPs were modified using a fire-resistant modifier and then the chiral NCs were prepared via incorporating modified ZrO2-NPs into the poly(amide–imide) matrix. By decreasing the flammability of these NCs, severe aggregation of ZrO2-NPs could be reduced by surface modification. The surface modification of ZrO2 and the synthesis of NCs were performed through ultrasonic irradiations. The resulting modified ZrO2 and NPs-reinforced composites were characterized by different analyses. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results proved that ZrO2-NPs were homogeneously distributed after the surface modification and successfully incorporated into the PAI matrix. The grafting of modifier on the surface of ZrO2 was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. TGA also showed high thermally stable and flame-retardant properties of the obtained NCs.


The search for new metal‐based photosensitizers (PSs) for anticancer photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a fast‐developing field of research. Knowing that polymetallic complexes bear a high potential as PDT PSs, in this study, we aimed at combining the known photophysical properties of a rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complex and a ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex to prepare a ruthenium‐rhenium binuclear complex that could act as a PS for anticancer PDT. Herein, we present the synthesis and characterization of such a system and discuss its stability in aqueous solution. In addition, one of our complexes prepared, which localized in mitochondria, was found to have some degree of selectivity towards two types of cancerous cells: human lung carcinoma A549 and human colon colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29, with interesting photo‐index (PI) values of 135.1 and 256.4, respectively, compared to noncancerous retinal pigment epithelium RPE1 cells (22.4).


Fermented dairy food, such as yogurt, exhibits some beneficial effects on consumers, including alleviating constipation. In this study, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus DPUL-36, Lactobacillus paracasei DPUL-40 and Lactobacillus paracasei DPUL-44 were used as combined starter cultures at a bacterial cell ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 for reconstituted skim milk fermentation. The milk fermented with the combined starter culture showed good sensory properties. During the storage period, the yogurt showed high lactic acid bacteria vitality and quality stability. Constipated BALB/c mice induced by loperamide (Lop) were orally administered with the combined starter culture fermented milk for 14 days. The results clearly showed that oral administration of the fermented milk relieved Lop-induced constipation in the mice, as evidenced by the significantly increased fecal water content, reduced first black stool time, improved gastrointestinal transmission rate, recovered colon tissue damage, increased level of excitatory neurotransmitters (motilin, gastrin, and substance P) and reduced level of inhibitory neurotransmitters (vasoactive intestinal peptide, somatostatin and endothelin-1) of the mice. Compared with the mice in the Lop group, oral administration of the fermented milk significantly increased the concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid and valeric acid in the feces of the mice, and furthermore, exerted a regulatory effect on the gut microbiota of the mice by up-regulating the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bacteroides, and decreasing the abundance of Helicobacter, Pseudomonas and Porphyromonas. Our results indicated that the combined starter culture fermented milk can effectively alleviate Lop-induced-constipation in BALB/c mice. The relationship between the nutrient profiles and the health promoting function of the yogurt should be further illustrated.


The electronic structures of Ag-doped rutile and anatase TiO2 are studied by first-principles band calculations based on density functional theory with the full-potential linearized-augmented-plane-wave method. New occupied bands are found between the band gaps of both Ag-doped rutile and anatase TiO2. The formation of these new bands can be explained mainly by their orbitals of Ag 4d states mixed with Ti 3d states and are supposed to contribute to their visible light absorption.


Using a single-potential-step coelectrodeposition route, Ppy-SiO2 nanocomposite films characterized by a multimodal porous structure were cathodically deposited from ethanolic solutions on oxidizable and nonoxidizable substrates for the first time. The materials produced have an interesting and unique strata-like pore structure along their depth. With the exception of a silica-rich inner region, the nanocomposite films are homogeneous in composition. Because the region closest to the electrode surface is silica-rich, the fabrication of Ppy-SiO2 and Ppy free-standing films become possible using a multistep etching strategy. Such films can be captured on a variety of different supports depending on the application, and they maintain their conductivity when interfaced with an electrode surface. These mesoporous composite films form through a unique mechanism that involves the production of two catalysts, OH(-) and NO(+). Through the process of understanding the reaction mechanism, we highlighted the effect of two simultaneous competing redox reactions occurring at the electrode interface on the morphology of the electrodeposited Ppy nanocomposite films and how solvent can influence the Ppy electropolymerization reaction mechanism and hence control the morphology of the final material. In an ethanolic solvent system, the pyrrole monomers undergo a step-growth polymerization, and particulate-like nanostructured films were obtained even upon changing the monomer or acid concentration. In an aqueous-based system, nanowire-like structures were produced, which is consistent with a chain-growth mechanism. Such materials are promising candidates for a wide range of applications including electrochemical sensing, energy storage, and catalysis.


Integrated Islamic Primary School called by Sekolah Dasar Islam Terpadu / SDIT appeared in the area of religious hegemony in through educational institutions. Community who were swept away in the euphoria of educating children to be part of a faith-based effort to save her from straying from the black hole of cultural globalization. Integrated Islamic School became one of the institutions that were believed by the public to educate children in accordance with his religious beliefs, which was based on the power of the discourse of the Qur'an text. Cause public euphoria pragmatism hegemony in the religious life and discourse interpret the Qur'an text that should not only be part of the formal idol without the full meaning and understanding simple. Integrated Islamic School that raised public hegemony became part of religious education that had doctrinal side of the positive values that emphasize ethical moral teachings for the sake of public order and peace, but it could be different from that created by religious hegemony with power and dominance over his people. Religiosity practice known in the west as a new era of spirituality or postmodern spirituality. Dream institute which was expected to educate children to be part of the human being started based on religious values but becomes oppression and imprisonment for children. Determination of the values of the Qur'an made school teaching hours increase, so that integrated Islamic  Education refers to the concept of a full - day school. Religious hegemony in the educational area to be part of the euphoria that saved the way education was becoming increasingly oppressive and merely a formality in meaning in performing religious beliefs that were considered sacred.


Aggressive behaviors (numbers of bites/hour) within groups (ns = 8) of normal rats and rats in which seizures had been induced by a single systemic injection of lithium/pilocarpine were observed for 11 successive, 1-hr, periods. Mean numbers of neurons and glial cells were counted for 10 different nuclei of the amygdala for 16 different brains (8 control; 8 seizure). Although there was no significant difference found between rats with chronically induced seizures and controls for the numbers of neurons per area within the central medial amygdaloid nucleus, the neuronal density was correlated significantly (.92) with mean numbers of bites per hour for the chronically epileptic group only. The hypothesis that seizure-induced damage within proximal amygdaloid nuclei disinhibits the central nucleus and encourages aggression was supported.


E. japonica is a well-known medicinal plant in Japan. The leaves of E. japonica were reported to have a hypoglycemic action. However, seeds of E. japonica are discarded and not used. To elucidate for anti-diabetic effects of E. japonica, Type 2 diabetic mice were allocated to control group, E. japonica leaf, and seed extract group. Animals were fed a 2018S Teklad global 18% protein rodent diet. Animals were received daily oral injections of E. japonica leaf or seed extract at a dose of 200 ㎎/㎏ body weight for 6 weeks. Body weight, food intake and water intake, and total adipose tissue weight of animals were significantly reduced by feeding of E. japonica leaf extract. All E. japonica extract groups significantly decreased fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin levels, size of adipocytes and serum adiponectins. However, they did not have a beneficial effect on the serum triglyceride and cholesterol in the diabetic animals. These results suggest that E. japonica seed and leaf extracts have a antidiabetic effect by controlling of blood glucose and decrease of size of adipocytes in db/db mice and seed extract is more effective in hypoglycemic action than leaf extract.


Given an associative graded algebra equipped with a degree +1 differential delta we define an A∞-structure that measures the failure of delta to be a derivation. This can be seen as a non-commutative analog of generalized BV-algebras. In that spirit we introduce a notion of associative order for the operator delta and prove that it satisfies properties similar to the commutative case. In particular when it has associative order 2 the new product is a strictly associative product of degree +1 and there is compatibility between the products, similar to ordinary BV-algebras. We consider several examples of structures obtained in this way. In particular we obtain an A∞-structure on the bar complex of an A∞-algebra that is strictly associative if the original algebra is strictly associative. We also introduce strictly associative degree +1 products for any degree +1 action on a graded algebra. Moreover, an A∞-structure is constructed on the Hochschild cocomplex of an associative algebra with a non-degenerate inner product by using Connes' B-operator.


Background Since rheumatoid synovial cells produce large amounts of various cytokines and proteases, up to 30% of all newly synthesized proteins are unfolded, leading to a cellular stress condition. Histone-deacetylase (HDAC) 6, a mainly cytoplasmatic member of class II HDACs, plays a key role in the major response pathways to the cytotoxic accumulation of misfolded proteins, which are aggresome formation, autophagy activation, and heat shock protein accumulation. Methods Expression of HDAC6 mRNA was measured in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASF, n=8) and osteoarthritis (OA) SF (n=7) by SYBR green Real-time PCR and normalized to expression levels of GAPDH. HDAC6 protein expression in SF (n=6-7), as well as in synovial tissues of RA and OA patients (n=5) was determined by Western blotting. In silico analysis of the 3'untranslated region of HDAC6 was performed using the miRWalk database. Pooled samples of 3 OASF and 3 RASF cultures were screened for differentially expressed micro RNAs (miR) by expression arrays. Expression levels of miR-221 and miR-222 in cultured SF derived from human RA (n=6) and OA (n=12) patients were measured by TaqMan Real-time PCR and normalized to expression levels of RNU6B. SF were transfected with precursor molecules (pre-miR) of miR-221 and miR-222 or control molecules by lipofectamine (n=2). Results HDAC6 mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in RASF compared to OASF (RASF: dCt: 14.4±0.4, OASF: dCt: 13.8±0.2; p<0.05). Corresponding results were obtained when HDAC6 protein levels were measured, with a 43% downregulation in SF and a 62% downregulation in synovial tissues from RA compared to OA patients. In silico analysis of the 3'untranslated region predicted that HDAC6 is regulated by miR-221 and miR-222. These miRs were also significantly elevated in RASF compared to OASF in a screen of 260 differentially expressed miRs. Accordingly, the expression levels of miR-221 and miR-222 were higher in RASF compared to OASF (miR-221: RASF dCt: 3.0±0.3, OASF dCt: 4.5±0.3; miR-222: RASF dCt: 6.0±0.5, OASF dCt: 7.9±0.3; p<0.01) and HDAC6 negatively correlated with the expression of miR-221 (Pearson r: 0.78; p=0.01) and miR-222 (Pearson r: 0.67; p<0.05). Furthermore, overexpression of miR-221 and miR-222 by transfection of OASF with pre-miRs decreased HDAC6 levels by 35% ±4.5. Conclusions Here we show impaired expression of HDAC6 in SF and synovial tissues of RA patients and identified miR-221 and miR-222 as possible mediators of this deregulated HDAC6 expression. Since HDAC6 is a critical component of the cellular stress response, which has most recently been linked to inflammation, lower levels of HDAC6 in RASF might contribute to the pathological inflammatory response seen in these cells. Acknowledgements IAR Epalinges, FP7 Masterswitch, IMI-BT Cure, EMDO-Stiftung Disclosure of Interest None Declared


In this paper, we will explore the essence of the phenomenon that state with less entanglement may generate greater Bell violation in the two-qubit Bell tests with CH-type inequalities, i.e., more nonlocality with less entanglement. We will show that this interesting but counterintuitive phenomenon is caused by the rotational asymmetry of the nonmaximally entangled state in the measurement plane. This asymmetry allows the both-side detection probabilities and the one-side detection probabilities obtain their maximal values with nonmaximally entangled state. But the maximal Bell violation may not always happen on nonmaximally entangled state, because these probabilities will compete with each other, and the Bell violation behaves differently for various CH-type inequalities.


It is often said that control and estimation problems are in duality. Recently, in (Aubin-Frankowski,2021), we found new reproducing kernels in Linear-Quadratic optimal control by focusing on the Hilbert space of controlled trajectories, allowing for a convenient handling of state constraints and meeting points. We now extend this viewpoint to estimation problems where it is known that kernels are the covariances of stochastic processes. Here, the Markovian Gaussian processes stem from the linear stochastic differential equations describing the continuous-time dynamics and observations. Taking extensive care to require minimal invertibility requirements on the operators, we give novel explicit formulas for these covariances. We also determine their reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces, stressing the symmetries between a space of forward-time trajectories and a space of backward-time information vectors. The two spaces play an analogue role for filtering to Sobolev spaces in variational analysis, and allow to recover the Kalman estimate through a direct variational argument. For comparison, we then recover the Kalman filter and smoother formulas through more classical arguments based on the innovation process. Extension to discrete-time observations or infinite-dimensional state, tough technical, would be straightforward.


Few concepts in Discourse Studies are so versatile and intricate and have been so frequently contested as interpersonality. This construct offers ample terrain for new research, since it can be viewed using a range of diverse theoretical frameworks, employing a variety of analytical tools and social perspectives.
Studies on the relationship between writer/reader and speaker/audience in the legal field are still scarce, dispersed, and limited to a narrow range of genres and a restricted notion of interpersonality, since they are most often confined to modality and the Gricean cooperative principles.
This volume is meant to help bridge this gap. Its chapters show the realisation and distribution of interpersonal features in specific legal genres. The aim is to achieve an expansion of the concept of interpersonality, which besides modality, Grice's maxims and other traditionally interpersonal features, might comprise or relate to ideational and textual issues like narrative disclosure, typography, rhetorical variation, or Plain English, among others.


We present experimental and device model results for electron only, hole only, and bipolar organic light-emitting diodes fabricated using a soluble poly (p-phenylene vinylene) based polymer. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics were measured for a series of electron only devices in which the polymer thickness was varied. The I–V curves were described using a device model from which the electron mobility parameters were extracted. Similarly, the hole mobility parameters were extracted using a device model description of I–V characteristics for a series of hole only devices where the barrier to hole injection was varied by appropriate choices of hole injecting electrode. The electron and hole mobilities extracted from the single carrier devices are then used, without additional adjustable parameters, to describe the measured current–voltage characteristics of a series of bipolar devices where both the device thickness and contacts were varied. The model successfully describes the I–V characteristics of single carrier and bipolar devices as a function of polymer thickness and for structures that are contact limited, space charge limited, and for cases in between. We find qualitative agreement between the device model and measured external luminance for a thickness series of devices. We investigate the sensitivity of the device model calculations to the magnitude of the bimolecular recombination rate prefactor.


Hydrogen plasma treatment can create defects such as sulfur vacancies in single layer MoS2. A single layer graphene's protection can effectively reduce the defects formation as confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. © 2019 The Author(s)


Pulling back the weight system associated with the spinor representation of the Lie algebra $\frak{so}_7$ by the universal Vassiliev-Kontsevich invariant yields a numerical link invariant with values in formal power series. Computing some skein relations satisfied by this invariant, I derive a recursive algorithm for its evaluation. The values of this invariant belong to the ring ℤ[W,W-1] of Laurent polynomials in one variable.


Effects of tri-n-butyltin (TBT) on mouse thymocytes were examined using a flow-cytometer and fluorescent dyes for membrane potential and intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). TBT at concentrations from 1 x 10(-7) M to 3 x 10(-7) M caused hyperpolarization in thymocytes during 30 min. after drug application in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Further increase in TBT concentration (to 1 x 10(-6) M) made hyperpolarization of thymocytes more profound within 5 min. after application, thereafter gradually depolarized them during the next 25 min. TBT at 3 x 10(-8) M or more (up to 1 x 10(-6) M) increased the [Ca2+]i of thymocytes. After reaching maximum [Ca2+]i at the various TBT concentrations used within 5 min. after drug application, the [Ca2+]i slightly decreased in a time-dependent manner. Effects of TBT on membrane potential and the [Ca2+]i were greatly reduced under nominal external Ca(2+)-free condition. Results suggest that TBT can promote Ca(2+)-influx to thymocytes, resulting in hyperpolarization by activation of Ca(2+)-dependent K+ current. The increase in [Ca2+]i by TBT may be related to its cytotoxic action on thymocytes.


In this hitherto unpublished manuscript essay (c. 1848), Thomas Carlyle uses ancient Dionysian ritual as a symbol for a complex of contemporaneous social tendencies that he deplores. Foremost among these tendencies is the displacement of piety and duty by the exaltation of sensualism and romantic love, which Carlyle associates with revolutionary France, George Sand and her epigones, and circulating-library fiction more generally. "Phallus-worship" represents a jointure between Carlyle's humane youthful writings and the authoritarian jeremiads of his old age, combining the literary virtuosity of the former with the caustic perspective of the latter. More broadly, "Phallus-worship" is a textual locus of the shift between early and mid-Victorian sensibilities, as Carlyle's own residual puritanism marked the limits of his capacity to engage with the literary and cultural developments that interested a rising generation of Victorian men and women of letters.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how institutions can facilitate or inhibit radical innovation. The authors argue that organizational radical innovation is necessary to maintain a competitive advantage and to evolve in the market place, and institutions are the basis of this innovation. From an innovation and service dominant (SD) logic perspective, network ties are proposed to be a determining factor for the achievement of innovation through institutionalization in the university knowledge management context.

Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual approach is applied to develop and propose a framework for deepening understanding of radical organizational innovation, institutions and network ties. Data were gathered from Link by UMA-ATech, which in the context of the University of Málaga (Spain) is with great success developing a strategy based on fostering innovation. In all, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with actors in the Link context, together with additional important second-order data analyses (sector analyses, statistics and company websites). Because of the perceived desirability of innovation, public universities have established a model as a part of this strategy in order to foster and develop new businesses through technology transfer.

Findings
Changing institutional arrangements are the basis of innovation. Opening universities to the actors around them, with an interest in exchanging resources through the evolution of network ties toward a less bureaucratic and more collaborative and open university (tertius iungens) is the basis for reaching organizational radical innovation in the university context to develop the provider-driven radical innovation network structure via the "University Living Lab" theoretical model.

Research limitations/implications
A conceptual understanding is used in combination with an empirical approach, in which one case study and 22 organizations are considered in the context of Link-by-UMA ATech, at the University of Málaga. A range of different contexts from other universities would also be useful to add new perspectives to the development of the theory.

Practical implications
Although radical innovation is occasionally seen in systems and arises naturally in markets, it is interesting to consider the possibility of designing strategies that facilitate the process from the beginning of the design of the business model. In this sense, the present findings could help organizations in general and universities in particular, to devise strategies resulting in positive relationships that could facilitate the design of business model structures. These could in turn foster the development of new institutions resulting in new network ties, which could give rise to radical innovation through the attraction of new actors interested in exchanging service-for-service resources.

Originality/value
The present paper develops the provider-driven radical innovation network structure of the "University Living Lab" theoretical model, which encourages the university to make decisions to devise more open models based on a change of network ties, in turn based on the design of new institutional arrangements. These concepts have not previously been put together, and build on the theories of institutions and organizational radical innovation. This theoretical contribution is framed within the SD logic perspective and specifically in the 11th fundamental premise (FP 11/5th axiom) to better understand how innovation occurs in service ecosystems, allowing the provider the possibility of developing such processes through the design of institutional arrangements.


Dynamic responses of steel plate girder bridges considering road surface roughness of bridge and bridge-vehicle interaction are investigated by numerical analysis. Simply supported steel plate girder bridges with span length of 20 m, 30 m, and 40 m from "The Standardized Design of Highway Bridge Superstructure" published by the Korean Ministry of Construction are used for bridge model and the road surface roughness of bridge decks are generated from power spectral density(PSD) function for different road. Three different vehicles of 2-and 3-axle dump trucks, and 5-axle tractor-trailer(DB-24), are modeled three dimensionally. For the bridge superstructure, beam elements for the main girder, shell elements for concrete deck, and rigid links between main girder and concrete deck are used. Impact factor and DLA of steel plate girder bridges for different spans, type of vehicles and road surface roughnesses are calculated by the proposed numerical analysis model and compared with those specified by several bridge design codes.


Prior to becoming Crown Prince of Japan in 1989, following the death of his grandfather Emperor Showa, Prince Naruhito studied at Merton College, Oxford, from June 1983 to October 1985. His research topic was the River Thames as a commercial highway in the eighteenth century. This marked the first time that anyone in direct succession to the throne had ever studied outside Japan. In 1992, he published a record of his time at Oxford under the title Thames no tomo ni . The memoir, which includes a colour plate section incorporating photographs taken by the Prince, explores his daily life, studies and recreational experiences, including discovering beer and being banned from entering a disco because he was wearing jeans. The Thames and I is a remarkable record, not least because of its candour, but equally because it reveals the Crown Prince as an individual, including his personal charm and sense of humour. It will be of special interest to those wishing to know more about the future emperor of Japan.


The degree of selfing has major impacts on adaptability and is often controlled by molecular mechanisms determining mating compatibility. Changes in compatibility systems are therefore important evolutionary events, but their underlying genomic mechanisms are often poorly understood. Fungi display frequent shifts in compatibility systems, and their small genomes facilitate elucidation of the mechanisms involved. In particular, linkage between the pre- and postmating compatibility loci has evolved repeatedly, increasing the odds of gamete compatibility under selfing. Here, we studied the mating-type chromosomes of two anther-smut fungi with unlinked mating-type loci despite a self-fertilization mating system. Segregation analyses and comparisons of high-quality genome assemblies revealed that these two species displayed linkage between mating-type loci and their respective centromeres. This arrangement renders the same improved odds of gamete compatibility as direct linkage of the two mating-type loci under the automictic mating (intratetrad selfing) of anther-smut fungi. Recombination cessation was found associated with a large inversion in only one of the four linkage events. The lack of trans-specific polymorphism at genes located in nonrecombining regions and linkage date estimates indicated that the events of recombination cessation occurred independently in the two sister species. Our study shows that natural selection can repeatedly lead to similar genomic patterns and phenotypes, and that different evolutionary paths can lead to distinct yet equally beneficial responses to selection. Our study further highlights that automixis and gene linkage to centromeres have important genetic and evolutionary consequences, while being poorly recognized despite being present in a broad range of taxa.


Strategic project decisions are based on the distributions global variables, for example, total mineable resource, or recoverable oil volume. These global variables distributions are very sensitive to rock type proportions and the histograms of continuous variables. Representivity of the input one point statistics is important in all spatial models. The process of assembling representative one point statistics is complicated by sample clustering and spatial bias in the data locations. Explanation is provided on the source of nonrepresentative sampling and the need for declustering and debiasing. This work addresses some key implementation details on declustering. Standard declustering is not always able to correct for sampling spatial bias. Two methods for correcting bias in the one point statistics: "trend modeling for debiasing" and "debiasing by qualitative data" are reviewed and demonstrated with a poly metallic data set.


A theoretical study of five odd configurations of singly ionized platinum was performed in the framework of the Slater-Racah theory. This led to the interpretation of all 202 experimentally known energy levels. In the earlier analysis we altered the J-values of five levels and removed the indeterminacies in J-values of another 13 levels. Twenty-eight new levels were found in the vicinity of the predictions, and the lowest levels of 5d87p and 5d66s26p were identified at 106 995 and 104 625 cm−1, respectively. The transition probabilities computed in the HXR option of the Cowan code are in good agreement with observed intensities of Sansonetti J E, Reader J, Sansonetti C J and Acquista N (1992 J. Res. NIST 97, 1). One hundred and fifty-one newly classified lines are reported in the range 1077-4104 Å.


Subthalamic (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a recognized therapy for alleviating motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, little is known about its impact on mobility, an important component of quality of life (QoL). To address this issue, we assessed the impact of STN DBS on life‐space mobility and QoL.


Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on agriculture and civil supplies departments at the camp office here on Monday and directed the officials to focus on paddy procurement, ensuring that the farmers are being paid remunerative prices without any role of millers. During the review, the Chief Minister emphasised providing minimum support prices for agricultural produce and said that farmers should get better benefits without suffering any loss. He ordered the officials to conduct quality and quantity testing of paddy at all RBKs during procurement. He told the authorities to create awareness among the farmers about the process of procurement, and MSP through pamphlets, posters, and hoardings. He instructed them to take all the necessary measures to prevent fraud and irregularities and told them to install weighbridges at the RBK level. Officials have been told to involve women employees of village secretariats in crop procurement by providing incentives. Further, the Chief Minister said that soil tests should be conducted regularly and soil test cards must be handed over to the farmers including all the details regarding their land. The officials were directed to provide advice and suggestions on the use of fertilisers and the cultivation of crops in accordance with the nature of the land limiting their usage. He instructed the authorities to conduct soil tests after the end of every Kharif and Rabi. He said that RBKs should be helpful to farmers in crop cultivation. Besides, he also discussed RBKs stating that measures should be taken for the effective functioning of Rythu Bharosa Kendras by coordinating with the line departments. He said that RBKs are facilitating farmers from seed to procurement of crops, and offering services related to fisheries, animal husbandry, free power supply, and management of CHGs and stressed on coordinating with concerned departments like Agriculture, Fisheries, Revenue, Civil Supplies, and Disaster Management. He asked the officials to chart out an effective plan for smooth functioning. Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao, Chief Secretary Dr Sameer Sharma, Agriculture Department Special CS Poonam Malakondaiah, Civil Supplies Commissioner Girija Shankar, Agriculture Commissioner C. Harikiran, Marketing Commissioner Pradyumna, Civil Supplies Corporation VC and MD Veerapandian and other senior officials were present. Procure paddy at MSP: CM


Visibly pushdown languages are a subclass of context-free languages and are particularly well suited for specification and verification of application sof tware. We find that, in addition to the pumping theorem inherited from context-free languages, visibly pushdown languages have some specific pumping properties. These properties have consequ ences in the recursive constructs of a process algebra based on visibly pushdown languages.


The problem of entities that play multiple roles in a relational database is studied, with an emphasis on the universal relation view of the database. A tree structure is used to describe the compatibilities among attributes. The compatibility information for an attribute encodes role playing information that cannot be described by traditional data dependencies. This structure is used to define the semantics of a QUEL-like (Stonebraker et al. [1976]) query language that uses special naming rules to permit easy use of attribute compatibility


Dihydropyridine-based calcium antagonists are among the most widely used drugs for the treatment of hypertension. Since azelnidipine is a highly lipid-soluble dihydropyridine-based calcium antagonist with high vascular affinity, it is conceivable that azelnidipine could play a protective role against atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether azelnidipine could suppress the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, a principal chemokine which mediates the recruitment of monocytes to the vasculature, in tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α-exposed human umbilical vein endothelial cells. TNF-α, at a concentration of 10 ng/ml, upregulated monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA levels about seven-fold. Azelnidipine, 10 nmol/l, was found to inhibit the TNF-α-induced upregulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA levels in human umbilical vein endothelial cells significantly. Furthermore, azelnidipine suppressed TNF-α-induced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 production by human umbilical vein endothelial cells. This study demonstrates a novel beneficial aspect of azelnidipine, whereby azelnidipine could play a protective role against atherosclerosis by suppressing monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 overexpression in endothelial cells.


Academic researchers have been collecting data and pro- gramming scripts to process and analyze them for years. Re- searchers have studied the difficulty in sharing data alone, but sharing the scripts required to reproduce results has been discussed less often. At the Collective Action and So- cial Media (CASM) Lab at the Illinois Institute of Technol- ogy, we study how people use social media to engage with their communities. Our interdisciplinary team consists of students with various technical backgrounds. Since everyone in the lab needs to run code, we have developed a standard repository structure. We will share the structure definition and explain the reasoning behind our design decisions. We aim to make our data and code accessible to social scientists not trained in information retrieval, so we frame this paper from that perspective. By publicizing our approach we invite researchers with similar goals to build on our work, collab- orate on the design and implementation of modern tools to share code and data, and to suggest improvements to our process.


Visual-Inertial odometry (VIO) is the process of estimating the state (pose and velocity) of an agent (e.g., an aerial robot) by using only the input of one or more cameras plus one or more Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) attached to it. VIO is the only viable alternative to GPS and lidar-based odometry to achieve accurate state estimation. Since both cameras and IMUs are very cheap, these sensor types are ubiquitous in all today's aerial robots.


A patient who had had successful operation for a common atrium subsequently developed subaortic stenosis and regurgitation several years later. The diagnosis of subaortic lesion was confirmed by echocardiography. This case shows that the left ventricular outflow tract gradient should be measured before operation for common atrium and that after operation such cases should be examined by cross sectional echocardiography at follow up visits.


In cardiac cells, calcium is the mediator of excitation-contraction coupling. Dysfunctions in calcium handling have been identified as the origin of some cardiac arrhythmias. In the particular case of atrial myocytes, recent available experimental data has found links between these dysfunctions and structural changes in the calcium handling machinery (ryanodine cluster size and distribution, t-tubular network, etc). To address this issue, we have developed a computational model of an atrial myocyte that takes into account the detailed intracellular structure. The homogenized macroscopic behavior is described with a two-concentration field model, using effective diffusion coefficients of calcium in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and in the cytoplasm. The model reproduces the right calcium transients and dependence with pacing frequency. Under basal conditions, the calcium rise is mostly restricted to the periphery of the cell, with a large concentration ratio between the periphery and the interior. We have then studied the dependence of the speed of the calcium wave on cytosolic and SR diffusion coefficients, finding an almost linear relation with the former, in agreement with a diffusive and fire mechanism of propagation, and little dependence on the latter. Finally, we have studied the effect of a change in RyR cluster microstructure. We find that, under resting conditions, the spark frequency decreases slightly with RyR cluster spatial dispersion, but markedly increases when the RyRs are distributed in clusters of larger size, stressing the importance of RyR cluster organization to understand atrial arrhythmias, as recent experimental results suggest (Macquaide et al., 2015).


The scheduler's main goal in a general purpose multitasking operating system is to provide a fair share of processor time to all processes, in order to achieve good performance and an adequate response time for interactive applications. Each process has its own demands for processing and response time, which can not always easily be informed by the user or inferred by the scheduler itself. This article aims to explore the possibilities of applying data mining techniques to the mass of information held by the system kernel for each process, in order to 1) automatically discover groups of processes with similar behavior and 2) automatically classify new processes in these groups. The automatic classification of processes into groups of similar behavior can significantly assist the task of the process scheduler.


We investigate the resonant two-photon (two-step) processes of photorefractive grating formation and identify the regimes in which nonvolatile holography is possible. We develop a charge-transport model to describe this behavior for a photorefractive crystal with a single active impurity species under continuous-wave illumination. For the cases that allow for nondestructive reconstruction of gratings, we evaluate the maximum refractive-index perturbation and the response rate with respect to illumination intensities and impurity characteristics. We evaluate the importance of the impurity intermediate-state occupancy. Holographic data storage system issues are also discussed. The present results are consistent with previously reported photorefractive behavior and predict additional properties that characterize these resonant processes. The analysis may be used further to study other related two-photon phenomena of interest in holographic storage systems.


Background Within routinely collected health data, missing data for an individual might provide useful information in itself. This occurs, for example, in the case of electronic health records, where the presence or absence of data is informative. While the naive use of missing indicators to try to exploit such information can introduce bias when used inappropriately, its use in conjunction with other imputation approaches may unlock the potential value of missingness to reduce bias and improve prediction.Methods We conducted a simulation study to determine when the use of a missing indicator, combined with an imputation approach, such as multiple imputation, would lead to improved model performance, in terms of minimising bias for causal effect estimation, and improving predictive accuracy, under a range of scenarios with unmeasured variables. We use directed acyclic graphs and structural models to elucidate causal structures of interest. We consider a variety of missingness mechanisms, then handle these using complete case analysis, unconditional mean imputation, regression imputation and multiple imputation. In each case we evaluate supplementing these approaches with missing indicator terms. Results For estimating causal effects, we find that multiple imputation combined with a missing indicator gives minimal bias in most scenarios. For prediction, we find that regression imputation combined with a missing indicator minimises mean squared error.Conclusion In the presence of missing data, careful use of missing indicators, combined with appropriate imputation, can improve both causal estimation and prediction accuracy.


Stress, Coping, Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Health and Cortisol In Premature Infants, at Age 23 Little is known about the psychobiological processes of adults, at age 23 who were born prematurely. Compared to infants born at term, premature infants face additional obstacles of immature body systems, more neonatal stress and are at risk for developmental delay and possible parental overprotective patterns. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease theory asserts that early prenatal and neonatal stress disturbs hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, which in the long run, affects later health and behavior. The purpose of this secondary analysis is to examine neonatal stress of prematurity on coping, emotional intelligence, physiological responses, developmental milestones and emotional health at age 23 years in a sample at risk for HPA dysfunction. Prematurely born age 23 year olds, categorized into four groups of medical risk were compared to a term-born group on measures of: Daily Hassles Stress, Coping Response Inventory-Adult, Bar-On EQi, Adult Self Report and salivary cortisol responses in the Trier Social Stress Test. Significant differences in cortisol slope, between the term and premature medical risk group with high stress coupled with lower and upper socioeconomic status, were found as well as differences in total cortisol AUCg levels between premature groups. Significant differences in cortisol slope values were found for all 23 year olds with Adult Self Report psychological clinical problems. This study supports the HPA Axis stress response as a biomarker of premature birth and of psychological clinical problems. Preventative and clinical interventions for young adults to reduce and actively manage problems can promote adaptive emotional health behaviors and later physical health.


Passive location and tracking of moving target in space is a key problem in recent years.The technology has been widely applied in the fields of aviation and guidance.It has expansive prospects for application.The modified gain EKF(MGEKF)algorithm for passive localization of maneuvering target by single station is discussed.Based on the time difference of arrival(TDOA) and the direction of arrival(DOA) of the emitter,passive localization by single station is practicable,and also the localization of maneuvering target is practicable with the MGEKF algorithm.Some concerned issues,such as technical problems,principle and algorithem are discussed in this paper.With the help of computer simulation,the method is proven to be correct and effective.


The extra G-positive, C-negative band within 9q13 has been repeatedly found during chromosomal analyses of amniocenteses with a frequency of 2.4 in 1000 (28 cases in 11,890 chromosomal analyses) in the Korean population. All of the carrier parents with this variant did not have any phenotypic abnormalities and 10 cases that were followed after birth showed that all, except 1 patient with duodenal atresia, had no apparent phenotypic abnormalities. The results of Agilent 244 K oligonucleotide array CGH showed no changes of genomic dosages. We can be sure that the extra bands present are heterochromatic materials of no clinical significance.


In this paper, we present technologies for measuring inner dimensions of small holes. In the first method with a single probe system, the electrical contact between a vibrating probe and the inner surface of a hole is detected and the duty factor of the contact is measured. Through controlled scanning by a probe with a constant duty factor, data on the ups and downs of the surface profile are obtained. To characterize inside profiles of micro-holes regardless of materials, we developed a new technology with a twin-probe system. With a silicon-based micro-twin probe 3 mm in length, a micro-hole with a diameter of around 125 µm was measured and the estimated imprecision of measurement on this set-up is smaller than 0.5 µm.


INTRODUCTION: Collagenous gastritis (CG), a rare disorder of unknown etiology, has been postulated to have immune-mediated mechanisms. We investigated (i) the incidence and prevalence of CG in a pediatric population; (ii) the clinical, endoscopic, and histologic characteristics of childhood-onset CG; and (iii) the evidence for autoimmunity and/or inflammatory activity in these patients. METHODS: Clinical, endoscopic, and histologic data were reviewed longitudinally in a population-based Swedish cohort of 15 patients with childhood-onset CG diagnosed in the period 2008–2019. A set of 11 autoantibodies, 4 blood inflammatory biomarkers, and the human leukocyte antigen DQ2/DQ8 genotype was analyzed cross-sectionally. RESULTS: The incidence rate of childhood-onset CG was 0.25/100,000 person-years, with an incidence rate ratio of girls to boys of 4.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.2–15). The prevalence of CG was 2.1/100,000 in children aged younger than 18 years. The endoscopic and histologic findings remained pathologic in all the examined patients during a median follow-up of 4.4 years. Many patients had heredity for autoimmune disorders (47%) and/or tested positive for autoantibodies (40%) or human leukocyte antigen DQ2/DQ8 (53%). No associated autoimmune comorbidities were observed. The serum levels of calprotectin and amyloid A were increased in 10/15 (67%) and 5/15 (33%) of the patients, respectively, whereas plasma C-reactive protein levels were normal in all, but 1 patient. DISCUSSION: The results indicate that childhood-onset CG is rare and has a chronic disease course. Although signs of autoimmune predisposition are frequent, early development of autoimmune comorbidities seems seldom. Serum calprotectin and amyloid A represent novel candidate biomarkers of inflammatory activity in CG (see Visual Abstract, Supplementary Digital Content 4, http://links.lww.com/CTG/A349).


Two trends are emerging in the World Wide Web (WWW). The first is the proliferation of Web Services -- self-contained, Web-accessible software applications and associated distributed systems architectures. The second is the emergence of the "Semantic Web," the vision for a next-generation WWW that is computer interpretable. Today's Web was designed primarily for human use. To enable reliable, large-scale automated interoperation of Web services, their properties and capabilities must be understandable to a computer program. In this talk we briefy overview our ongoing work to develop a declarative language for describing Web services on the Semantic Web, contrasting it with emerging industrial Web service and Semantic Web standards. Our declarative representation of Web services enables automation of a wide variety of tasks including Web service discovery, invocation, interoperation, composition, simulation, verification and monitoring.To address the problem of automated Web service composition, we propose automated reasoning techniques based on the notion of generic procedures and customizing user constraint. To this end, we adapt and extend a logic programming language to enable programs that are generic, customizable and usable in the context of the Web. We combine these with deductive synthesis techniques to generate compositions of Web services. Further, we propose logical criteria for these generic procedures that define when they are knowledge self-sufficient and physically self-sufficient. To support information gathering combined with search, we propose a middle-ground interpreter that operates under an assumption of reasonable persistence of key information. Our implemented prototype system is currently interacting with services on the Web.Parts of this work were done in collaboration with Tran Cao Son and Honglei Zeng. The notion of semantic Web services is introduced in [3]. The origins of OWL-S, the OWL (Ontology Web Language) ontology for Web services are described as DAML-S in [1]. Up-to-date work on OWL-S can be found at [5]. Research on automated Web service composition can be found in [3, 2], with research on analysis, simulation and verification of Web services discussed in [4].


Bee Pollen is a food that has a complete nutritional content including as a source of steroid hormones, helping to improve concentration and brain performance. This study aims to determine the effect of bee pollen on the sperm quality of male rats. Administering 1 ml of water as control (-), 1 ml/kg of Eurycoma longifolia capsule as control (+), 1 ml/kg of nano bee pollen, and bee pollen with concentrations of 0.33 ml/kg, 0.66 ml/kg, 1 ml/kg, and 1.33 ml/kg 34 times in Sprague Dawley male white rats. The mice were then operated on and examined for testicular weight, epididymal weight, sperm pH, sperm motility, sperm concentration, and sperm abnormalities. The results showed that bee pollen and nano bee pollen did not significantly affect the quality of rat spermatozoa. In examining the testicular weight of rats, 0.33 ml/kg of bee pollen had an average testicular weight greater than the control group. For sperm weight and pH of the rat epididymis, the administration of bee pollen showed the average weight and pH were lower than the control. In the examination of sperm motility, 0.33 ml of bee pollen had a higher percentage than the control, while 1 ml of nano bee pollen had the lowest percentage of motility. The results of the concentration and abnormalities of rat spermatozoa from a dose of 1 ml/kg of bee pollen had an average sperm count higher than the control which was 2,129.7 million/ml and the lowest percentage of sperm abnormalities was 8.73%.


In order to evaluate coagulation and platelet function modifications in patients undergoing a rehabilitation trial after myocardial infarction, we have studied 26 patients (24 males and 2 females) of age comprised between 37 and 62 years. The effectiveness of the trial was assessed on the basis of an increased mechanical work (expressed in Kgm) at the end of the period. Modifications in platelet number, AT III and plasminogen levels were noticed at the same time, while platelet aggregation and the levels of platelet 5 HT, plasma alfa2 macroglobulin and alfa1 antitrypsin remained unchanged. The possible effects of the trial on coagulation and platelet function are discussed.


Input–output analyses are increasingly used to estimate consumption-based environmental footprints. The potential of estimates of social, economic, and ecosystem consequences of lifestyle interventions can be improved by detailing the complex way that final demand arises from patterns of household activities, i.e. from how households choose to use their time. We perform a systematic literature review by searching three scientific databases and using backward citation snowballing to clarify how input–output models have been used to analyse household activity patterns. We discuss the prospects of the used methods for estimating environmental footprints associated with households' time uses in activities. We identified 48 relevant studies, each contributing with motivations and methods that are important for household activity-level environmental footprint accounting. When linked with the market economy and environmentally extended, input–output tables detailing the use of time and money across household types provide a clear picture of the connections between the economy, the social sphere, and the environment. Realistic expenditure and time-use data structures quantify the production and consumption activities that occur in households and the associated household inequalities in time use and expenditure patterns. Household activity-level environmental footprints differ notably across household activities. The reviewed studies provide the foundation for detailed and complete environmental footprint data at the household activity level to support policy decisions targeting everyday life. The current research on the topic is patchy with only one study modelling multiple countries and only one country being modelled across years. The research needs to be harmonised and scaled up to allow for comprehensive analyses. Ideally, future modelling should cover more countries with continuous data series and harmonised data collection and analysis methods.


The majority of research into vat photopolymerization (VP), has been focused on experimental investigations of the influence of process and material parameters. In a specific application of the VP technique, where the resin is filled with particles, this empirical approach has its limitations. In order to fully understand the relation between process parameters and the material properties a detailed numerical analysis is needed. In this paper we present a multi-scale and multi-physical simulation approach to unravel such relations in the complex production process. Using a homogenization approach, the influence of the filler particles, in this case alumina, on the light scattering, conversion characteristics and resulting effective thermal and mechanical properties is determined. The effective composite material and scattering properties are then used as input in a process simulation framework. This enables prediction of key filled-VP characteristics at a structural level. A mesh sensitivity analysis at the component scale reveals that adequate predictions may be obtained with a rather course discretization, facilitating multi-physics VP part simulations.


The advanced GaAs:Cr material for radiation detection is in the scope of many scientific and technological institutions in the world, as a result of its proved superior properties and economic advantages. The energy calibration of a hybrid GaAs:Cr-based Timepix detector with alpha particles performed in the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems at Joint Institute for Nuclear Research confirms that the device is able to register these particles in energy range from 3140 to 7687 keV. The mathematical simulation was used to calculate the transmitted energy, making possible the experimental calibration with the use of Mylar as absorbent. By calibrating the detector with characteristic X rays of some target materials and using a two steps fitting procedure was determined the relationship between the photon energies and the registered by the detector TOT counts. The energy calibration with alpha particles was performed according to a linear function and verified with the measurement of the 218Po line of radon in air.


Background Macrophages have been demonstrated to promote the rupture of the atherosclerotic lesion, a primary cause of ischemic events, by modulating the formation of plaque necrosis. We aimed to search the key factors of genetic macrophages in concerns of carotid ruptured plaques.Methods The database of the gene expressed GSE41571 is retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to differentially obtain the measured expression genes (DEGs) by tendering the tool usage of GEO2R. The enriched pathways of ontology at DEGs performances with DAVID interacted the constructions of protein to protein networking by the analysis of STRING and Cytoscape software. And also the identified PPI networks in the significance of hub genes module plugged into respective Cytohubba and MCODE Cytoscape.Result A total of 1481 DEGs in macrophages from ruptured and stable carotid atherosclerotic plaques are noticed, by including 568 up-regulation genes and 913 down-regulation genes. The analyzed GO shows a DEGs are mainly involved in protein ubiquitination, endocytosis, mRNA processing, and mitotic cell cycle. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that some major protein catabolism pathways, including the ubiquitin-proteasome, autophagy, and endocytosis systems, play key roles in the progressive carotid plaque clotting. The genes of the hub in the PPI network included POLR2E , PPP2R1A , HSP90AA1 , and CBL . The modules were mainly associated with ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, endocytosis, spliceosome, proteasome.Conclusion Our findings offer novel molecular insights into the mechanisms by which macrophages drive formation and vulnerability of plaques. The candidate DEGs and potential biological pathways might be used as diagnostic targets, and facilitate the development of novel macrophage-targeting therapies for unstable atherosclerosis.


On the falsifiability of prototype and exemplar models. Wolf Vanpaemel K.U.Leuven Abstract: In the Popperian view on model testing, models are only amenable to empirical test if they are falsifiable. Despite the widespread philosophical acceptance of Popperian tests, they are extremely rare in the cognitive sciences. Using the prior predictive method (PPM) recently proposed by Vanpaemel (submitted, see also Roberts and Pashler, 2000), the falsifiability of two prominent models of category learning (the prototype and the exemplar models) is evaluated across a wide array of previously used experimental designs (i.e., category structure and sample size). Apart from these previously used experimental designs, new designs are proposed in which both the exemplar and prototype models are falsifiable, and hence testable. The results of these analyses are useful for experimenters interested in contrasting the prototype and exemplar models, informing them which experimental designs provide meaningful tests of both models, and which don't. Roberts, S., & Pashler, H. (2000). How persuasive is a good fit? A comment on theory testing. Psychological Review, 107, 358-367. Vanpaemel (submitted). Theory testing by the Prior Predictive Method.


The literature survey typically predicated sharp growth for IP-based video traffic i.e., 30% or more annually. For the Internet TV in mobile networks, video traffic growth rate is expected to rise 80% or more. These high growth rates of video traffic will account for a large portion of the bandwidth. The performance of video-on-demand system during real-time data streaming greatly depends on the session oriented data-storage finding in the mass scale distributed storage architecture. At the storage end, data is broken up into manageable chunks of data packets, which could be smoothly, deliver over the Internet. The objective of this study was to present the necessity of traffic control and traffic analysis methodology in the video on demand system to minimize the hop count for finding exact media storage to retrieve video chunk data.


Previous works have suggested that social network sites (SNSs) users are exposed to political content incidentally through messages posted by network friends, regardless of their interest in politics. I propose to explore to what extent discussing politics on social media depends on (1) news-seeking attitudes, (2) personal news curation, and (3) users' interest in politics. Using a cross-national sample of French and Japanese SNS users, I test a series of hypotheses with multiple group analysis. The results show that while political discussions on SNSs mainly arise independently from intentional news seeking, political interest determines the chances of discussing politics with network friends. Moreover, discussing politics on SNSs is more dependent on news-seeking attitudes for the Japanese group. These results put into question the generalizability of previous findings regarding social media's role in providing political information for large audiences.


In this paper, we propose a novel uniformity framework for highlight detection and removal in multi-scenes, including synthetic images, face images, natural images, and text images. The framework consists of three main components, highlight feature extractor module, highlight coarse removal module, and highlight refine removal module. Firstly, the highlight feature extractor module can directly separate the highlight feature and non-highlight feature from the original highlight image. Then highlight removal image is obtained using a coarse highlight removal network. To further improve the highlight removal effect, the refined highlight removal image is finally obtained using refine highlight removal module based on contextual highlight attention mechanisms. Extensive experimental results in multiple scenes indicate that the proposed framework can obtain excellent visual effects of highlight removal and achieve state-of-the-art results in several quantitative evaluation metrics. Our algorithm is applied for the first time in video highlight removal with promising results.


In open and heterogeneous environments, where an unpredictable number of applications compete for a limited amount of resources, executions can be affected by also unpredictable delays, which may not even be bounded. Since many of these applications have timeliness requirements, they can only be implemented if they are able to adapt to the existing conditions. We present a novel approach, called dependable QoS adaptation, which can only be achieved if the environment is accurately and reliably observed. Dependable QoS adaptation is based on the timely computing base (TCB) model. The TCB model is a partial quality of service synchrony model that adequately characterizes environments of uncertain synchrony and allows, at the same time, the specification and verification of timeliness requirements. We introduce the coverage stability property and show that adaptive applications can use the TCB to dependably adapt and enjoy this property. We describe the characteristics and the interface of a QoS coverage service and discuss its implementation details.


A theory for capturing an audio scene and then rendering it remotely over headphones is developed. The method relies on capture of a sound field up to a certain order in terms of spherical wave functions. Then, the captured sound field is convolved with the head‐related transfer function and rendered to provide presence in the auditory scene. The sound‐field representation is then transmitted to a remote location for immediate rendering or stored for later use. A system that implements the capture using a spherical array is developed and tested. Head‐related transfer functions are measured using the system described in [D.N. Zotkin et al., J. Acoustic. Soc. Am. (to appear)]. The sound renderer, coupled with the head tracker, reconstructs the acoustic field using individualized head‐related transfer functions to preserve the perceptual spatial structure of the audio scene. [Work partially supported by VA.]


Abstract Pronase is a useful and relatively nonspecific protease that cleaves many red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins that carry blood group antigens. Unexpected findings in tests using pronase-treated RBCs during the investigation of a patient's blood sample led us to test which high-incidence blood group antigens were sensitive and which were resistant to pronase treatment, and to determine the prevalence of antipronase in the serum of blood donors. Our results show that antigens in the Cromer and Lutheran blood group systems and the JMH antigen were sensitive to pronase treatment of RBCs. Antigens in the Dombrock blood group system and Sc1 were either sensitive to or markedly weakened by pronase treatment of RBCs. The following high-incidence antigens were resistant to treatment of RBCs with pronase: AnWj, Ata, Coa, Co3, Dib, EnaFR, Era, Fy3, Jk3, Jra, k, Kpb, Jsb, K14, Lan, Oka, Rh17, U, Vel, and Wrb. Over half of the serum samples from normal blood donors contained antibodies to pronase-treated RBCs. When testing human serum against pronase-treated RBCs, it is essential either to use an autocontrol or to perform the testing with an eluate.


In this paper, we interpret the new YY/T 0841-2011 standard and contrast the difference between it and GB9706.1-2007 standard. Then, we improved the current preventive maintenance work. After the improvement, we not only have more effective detection of the electrical safety performance of all kinds of medical electrical equipment, but also reduce the workload of clinical engineers, improve efficiency, and reduce the risk of electrical shock.


The neural mechanisms underlying hunger are poorly understood. AgRP neurons are activated by energy deficit and promote voracious food consumption, suggesting these cells may supply the fundamental hunger drive that motivates feeding. However recent in vivo recording experiments revealed that AgRP neurons are inhibited within seconds by the sensory detection of food, raising the question of how these cells can promote feeding at all. Here we resolve this paradox by showing that brief optogenetic stimulation of AgRP neurons before food availability promotes intense appetitive and consummatory behaviors that persist for tens of minutes in the absence of continued AgRP neuron activation. We show that these sustained behavioral responses are mediated by a long-lasting potentiation of the rewarding properties of food and that AgRP neuron activity is positively reinforcing. These findings reveal that hunger neurons drive feeding by transmitting a positive valence signal that triggers a stable transition between behavioral states. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.18640.001


Timberland investment opportunities in Colombia are expected to increase as a result of the peace agreement recently signed between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. This new socio-political environment may facilitate the expansion of commercial forest plantations on a wider range of site conditions that are currently considered in existing biometric tools. Data from 1119 temporary plots of unthinned, unmanaged, and genetically unimproved Pinus patula plantations in the Antioquia region were combined with a large set of biophysical attributes to identify spatial variation in yield. A wide array of biophysical covariates was explored to characterize the most favorable environmental conditions for the species, and to identify potential explanatory variables to be included in forest yield models. The mathematical form of the model is the von Bertalanffy-Chapman-Richards type, with parameters: asymptote, intrinsic growth rate and allometric constant. The parameters were expressed as linear functions of soil pH, terrain slope, the mean annual temperature to mean annual precipitation ratio, and stand density. The statistical contribution of selected covariates was evaluated using the likelihood ratio test. The model was validated using an independent set of 133 observations. The spatial representation of the model depicts the timber production potential and allows for the identification of the most suitable geographical areas to establish Pinus patula plantations in Antioquia, Colombia. The estimated yield model provides a reliable baseline for timber production, and insight into timberland investments in Colombia.


Objectives To assess the consequences of malignant hypertension and its evolution with antihypertensive treatment. Background Malignant hypertension can be considered as a model of the effects of very high blood pressure and renin–angiotensin levels on target organs. However, the consequences on the heart have been little studied. Methods The consequences of malignant hypertension on left-ventricular function and its evolution with treatment were assessed with echocardiography in a prospective study between January 2004 and June 2009. Results During the study period, 46 patients were referred to our unit for malignant hypertension of whom 25 could be included in the echocardiographic study. These patients showed at baseline important left-ventricular hypertrophy and alteration in systolic function. Global longitudinal strain was the most sensitive tool to assess impaired systolic function and was significantly reduced in 13 patients (<12.8, 52%). Short-term follow-up (1–3 months) showed a rapid improvement in systolic function together with significant hypertrophy regression. With a follow-up of 11 months on average all patients had recovered a normal global longitudinal strain with further but incomplete regression of hypertrophy. Conclusions Our study highlights the significant impact of malignant hypertension on systolic function of the left ventricle, and the ability of this ventricle to quickly recover normal systolic function under antihypertensive treatment.


The research reported in this paper was conducted to analyze erythrocyte membrane associated proteins (ERMBPs) of some of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients and selected individuals of Sri Lanka employing one dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis (1D-SDS-PAGE) combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI–TOF-MS). Erythrocyte membranes from blood were isolated by osmotic lysis, centrifugation and washings. ERMBPs were separated on 1D-SDS-PAGE, visualized by silver staining and the separated protein bands dissected out from the gel and were subjected to digestion by proteolytic enzyme, trypsin, and the resulting peptide mixture was analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS. Resulting experimental peptide mass values were analyzed by peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) technique. From this analysis 10 ERMBPs including α and β spectrin, ankyrin, band 3, band 4.1, band 4.2, band 7, dematin, actin, 55 KDa erythrocyte membrane protein were identified accurately with their primary structure information. The study was able to provide some evidence for Cathepsin associated cleavage of Band 3 anion transport protein in CML patients reported previously. In addition we were able to detect changes in gel bands between healthy controls and CML patients around the area of 20 kDa in the 1 D-SDS-PAGE. It was identified as nuclear protein Dbf 4 related factor 1 isoform 2. Although erythrocytes are devoid of nuclei, such unexpected nuclear proteins have been identified in previous research. We were successful in identifying several human ERMBPs with available resources. As the identified proteins were known to be related to pathology of some of the hematological diseases, this methodology could be extended to detect the protein changes in erythrocyte membrane protein associated diseases. Therefore, this initial research would at some point lead to discovery of biomarkers to these hematological diseases in Sri Lanka.


Many traffic collisions are the result of the driver's failure to notice the other vehicle. It is often cited in police reports that the driver "looked but did not see". The purpose of Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) is to increase the visual contrast of DRL-equipped vehicles. Visual contrast, which is the difference in brightness between two areas, is an important characteristic enabling a driver to detect objects. This paper begins with a brief regulatory history of DRLs in the U.S. and how General Motors Corporation (GM) introduced DRL-equipped vehicles. It also describes a DRL effectiveness study conducted by Exponent Failure Analysis Associates of San Francisco for GM. The study compared the collision rates of specific GM, Saab, Volvo and Volkswagen vehicles before and immediately after the introduction of DRLs. Since DRLs are not visible from behind a vehicle, rear-end collisions were not included in the study. Information from police accident reports and registration data shows that GM customers have avoided more than 25,000 vehicle collisions since GM began equipping vehicles with DRLs in 1995. For the covering abstract see ITRD E111577.


Presentation on NREL's integrated biomass conversion capabilities. Presented at the 2009 Advanced Biofuels Workshop in Denver, CO, Cellulosic Ethanol session.


Objective: Non adequately regulated glycemic level in patients with known hypertension, expressed in % HgbA1C, cause disbalance in lipid metabolism. Very important antiatherogenic role in this process has the reversal transport of lipid particles from the artery walls itself towards liver, though regulated by HDL cholesterol. It stimulates the genesis of NO and vasodilatation, thus having anthitombogenic effect. In almost 2/3 of coronary patients the level of HDL is decreased. As a result cardiovascular complications can be seen, especially in those having diabetes and hypertension. Design and Method: Assessment if there is any link between high levels of glycosylated HgbA1C on the HDL level in cardiovascular, hypertonic patients with diabetes mellitus. We have been studded interaction between linkage of HgbA1C and HDL cholesterol, and also their influence to cardiovascular events in the group of 20 patients with proven coronary disease (on coronarography 2 or more diameter stenosis over 50%) and having both hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Results: There is exponential correlation between unregulated glycaemia and values of HDL. The mean values of HgbA1C (7–8,5%), while for HDL (0,9–1,5), pointing out that is the high risk population with non-adequately regulated glycaemia. But, although having in mind this is very small sample, all cardiovascular events were not significantly increased (HR 0,86–2,31; p-0,083) Conclusions: HgbA1C is not only biomarker of non-regulated glycaemia for a longer period but could be a possible predictor of lipid profile in cardiovascular patients having hypertension and diabetes mellitus.


In the classical principal-agent problem, a principal must design a contract to incentivize an agent to perform an action on behalf of the principal. We study the classical principal-agent problem in a setting where the agent can be of one of several types (affecting the outcome of actions they might take). This combines the contract theory phenomena of "moral hazard" (incomplete information about actions) with that of "adverse selection" (incomplete information about types). We examine this problem through the computational lens. We show that in this setting it is APX-hard to compute either the profit-maximizing single contract or the profit-maximizing menu of contracts (as opposed to in the absence of types, where one can efficiently compute the optimal contract). We then show that the performance of the best linear contract scales especially well in the number of types: if agent has n available actions and T possible types, the best linear contract achieves an O(n log T) approximation of the best possible profit. Finally, we apply our framework to prove tight worst-case approximation bounds between a variety of benchmarks of mechanisms for the principal.


Competitive protein binding radioimmunoassay (CPB-RIA) is a principal method for quantifying serum C Peptide concentration. The accuracy of this method is critically dependent on factors that influence the reaction between anti-C Peptide antibody (P) with 125I-C Peptide (M). We studied the influence of initial concentration of M, ionic strength, and viscosity on the reaction between M and P. A kinetic model for the the reaction between. Such model adjusts satisfac- torily to the results. Bi-exponential and irreversible kinetics is determined. The results of the viscosity analysis show clear negative influence on the direct reaction rate. The ionic strength shows scarce influence on equilibrium and negligible in- fluence upon the rate constant, which suggests that the variation resulting from the effect of the glycerol addition is not due to the influence of the dielectric constant of the solutions used. The effect of temperature shows activation parameters similar to the viscous flow energy of water, which suggests that the reaction is diffusion-controlled. The value of ΔHo for the immucomplex formation is positive, as is the case with endothermic processes.


Gendered content that travels through popular TV in Pakistan highlights gender-based crimes and allows women access to the mediated public sphere. This is an unprecedented form of access in a society that defines public/private through Shariah. The boundaries between the two spheres have thus far been immutable. Recent changes in the media landscape have made these boundaries porous. Drawing on theoretical debates on popular culture, cultural citizenship and counter public sphere, the study argues that these popular cultural spaces can be read in terms of an emerging feminist public sphere where women can engage as members of the public and as cultural citizens. To determine engagement patterns of young viewers, focus groups turned out to be effective method. In the sample of university students, there were 42 participants in 10 groups with 4 to 6 members in each group. The study finds that gendered content allows women to act in pro-civic ways. Their engagement with this content allows viewers to revisit their intersecting identities as Muslims, women and Pakistanis.


We examine the effects of post-trade transparency on intermediation in the over-the-counter corporate bond market using the staggered introduction of TRACE as a natural experiment. Post-trade transparency leads to increased trading volume and more connected dealer networks. Transparency reduces dealers' profitability but also their portfolio risk and adverse selection costs. In contrast to prior research suggesting that TRACE benefits customers at the expense of dealers, we show that the net effect on dealer welfare is ambiguous. Bond spreads are less predictive of default in a transparent market, consistent with reduced profitability of informed trade weakening incentives to produce information.


This paper focuses on the structural glaciology, dynamics, debris transport paths and sedimentology of the forefield of Soler Glacier, a temperate outlet glacier of the North Patagonian Icefield in southern Chile. The glacier is fed by an icefall from the icefield and by snow and ice avalanches from surrounding mountain slopes. The dominant structures in the glacier are ogives, crevasses and crevasse traces. Thrusts and recumbent folds are developed where the glacier encounters a reverse slope, elevating basal and englacial material to the ice surface. Other debris sources for the glacier include avalanche and rockfall material, some of which is ingested in marginal crevasses. Debris incorporated in the ice and on its surface controls both the distribution of sedimentary facies on the forefield and moraine ridge morphology. Lithofacies in moraine ridges on the glacier forefield include large isolated boulders, diamictons, gravel, sand and fine‐grained facies. In relative abundance terms, the dominant lithofacies and their interpretation are sandy boulder gravel (ice‐marginal), sandy gravel (glaciofluvial), angular gravel (supraglacial) and diamicton (basal glacial). Proglacial water bodies are currently developing between the receding glacier and its frontal and lateral moraines. The presence of folded sand and laminites in moraine ridges in front of the glacier suggests that, during a previous advance, Soler Glacier over‐rode a former proglacial lake, reworking lacustrine deposits. Post‐depositional modification of the landform/sediment assemblage includes melting of the ice‐core beneath the sediment cover, redistribution of finer material across the proglacial area by aeolian processes and fluvial reworking. Overall, the preservation potential of this landform/sediment assemblage is high on the centennial to millennial timescale.


Key Points MHC II ubiquitination impacts dendritic cell numbers and phenotype. MHC II ubiquitination is critical for Ag-dependent T cell responses in vivo. MHC II ubiquitination is required for Ab responses. Visual Abstract MHC class II (MHC II) Ag presentation by dendritic cells (DCs) is critical for CD4+ T cell immunity. Cell surface levels of MHC II loaded with peptide is controlled by ubiquitination. In this study, we have examined how MHC II ubiquitination impacts immunity using MHC IIKRKI/KI mice expressing mutant MHC II molecules that are unable to be ubiquitinated. Numbers of conventional DC (cDC) 1, cDC2 and plasmacytoid DCs were significantly reduced in MHC IIKRKI/KI spleen, with the remaining MHC IIKRKI/KI DCs expressing an altered surface phenotype. Whereas Ag uptake, endosomal pH, and cathepsin protease activity were unaltered, MHC IIKRKI/KI cDC1 produced increased inflammatory cytokines and possessed defects in Ag proteolysis. Immunization of MHC IIKRKI/KI mice identified impairments in MHC II and MHC class I presentation of soluble, cell-associated and/or DC-targeted OVA via mAb specific for DC surface receptor Clec9A (anti-Clec9A-OVA mAb). Reduced T cell responses and impaired CTL killing was observed in MHC IIKRKI/KI mice following immunization with cell-associated and anti-Clec9A-OVA. Immunization of MHC IIKRKI/KI mice failed to elicit follicular Th cell responses and generated barely detectable Ab to anti-Clec9A mAb-targeted Ag. In summary, MHC II ubiquitination in DCs impacts the homeostasis, phenotype, cytokine production, and Ag proteolysis by DCs with consequences for Ag presentation and T cell and Ab-mediated immunity.


We have investigated the dissociation of α- and β- alanine following impact of slow multicharged ions, namely He+, He2+, O5+ and Xe20+ at 10 keV per charge unit. The collision products were analyzed using a reflectron-type time-of-flight mass spectrometer. In general, for a given projectile, ionization of both alanine-isomers gives rise to similar fragmentation patterns. However, significantly different peak intensities are observed for fragments with mass over charge ratios (m/q) of 30 and 44 amu. These differences can be explained in terms of isomer geometry and fragment stability. By analyzing the fragment kinetic energies, we found that protons as well as ionic oxygen fragments are sufficiently energetic (up to 200 eV for Xe20+) to induce further damage in a biological environment.


A series of novel 4H-pyran derivatives containing thiophene were designed and synthesized via Domino Knoevenagel condensation–Michael addition–intramolecular O-cyclization sequence in a clean, efficient and straight forward manner. Characterizations of synthesized compounds were done by various spectroscopic techniques like IR, NMR and Mass spectrometry. All synthesized compounds have been screened against four anti-bacterial and two anti-fungal species. Among synthesized compound, no one is relatively active against antimicrobial.


To enhance the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) philosophy for the internet, research into IoT service composition has gathered momentum. In a distributed IoT environment, identifying IoT service among a set of similar service offerings that meets both functional and performance requirements of an IoT application has become important. However, the performance of a service cannot be guaranteed. Therefore service's QoS and network characteristics are required to aggregate IoT services. Most existing composition approaches only consider non-network related QoS properties at the application tier. However they do not consider the network parameters such as network latency at the application level in selection and composition of services. Therefore we propose two evolutionary algorithms for IoT service composition that consider not only QoS but also network latency at the IoT application layer. The algorithms are discussed and results of evaluation are presented. The results indicate that our algorithms are efficient in finding QoS optimal and low latency solutions.


Silicon carbide (SiC) is becoming a preferred technology of choice for power dense application compared with silicon (Si). A more comprehensive analysis of the long-term pulsed power reliability of SiC is necessary so that the technology can make the transition commercially. In this article, a testbed is utilized to evaluate research grade 15-kV SiC MOSFETs and 20-kV SiC IGBTs manufactured by Wolfspeed, a Cree Company. A testbed was developed here at Texas Tech University (TTU), Lubbock, TX, USA, to test these two devices. The narrow pulse testbed's capacitor bank can be charged up to 10 kV and output square waveform pulse up to $2.0~\mu \text{s}$ . The waveform has a full-width at half-maximum pulse and is tested at a repetition pulse rate of three seconds. The electrical characteristics of the forward conduction and reverse breakdown of the device under test (DUT) are measured periodically during the experiment. The DUTs were pulsed at different current levels, up to 340 A (1.06 kA/cm2) for the IGBTs and 74 A (296 A/cm2) for MOSFETs, while the electrical device degradation was monitored. This work discusses the results of the long-term pulsed power reliability, failure modes, and their robustness in overcurrent operations of high-power SiC MOSFETs and IGBTs.