John N. Paden. Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution: The Challenge of Democratic Federalism in Nigeria. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2005. xiii + 303 pp. Maps. Tables. Index. $32.95. Paper. Muhammad S. Umar. Islam and Colonialism: Intellectual Responses of Muslims of Northern Nigeria to British Colonial Rule. Leiden: Brill, 2006. xiv + 295 pp. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. $145.00. Cloth. With the tumult unfolding in Iraq and Sudan, it is natural to see growing apprehension over Nigeria's prospects for stability, and in particular the possibility of growing Islamic radicalism there. One does not have to search long these days for a Web site such as "World Defense Review" telling us, in very authoritative tones, that "traditional syncretistic Islam" in West Africa is being swept aside by "militant Islamism." In this situation, we are in dire need of well-researched works on Islam in Nigeria that are rooted in long experience and careful analysis rather than ideological opportunism. Two new books take on this challenge. Muhammad Umar's Islam and Colonialism is a study of literary and intellectual expression in Northern Nigeria, and particularly the lands of the former Sokoto Caliphate, during the colonial period. John Paden's Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution looks at the role of Islam in politics in the whole of the Nigerian federation since independence. Umar investigates the response of the Northern Nigerian traditional ruling elite and Islamic scholars to the swift and sudden onslaught of British rule in 1903. He draws on a wide range of sources in Arabic, Hausa, and English, including poetry, narrative, Islamic religious commentary, and administrative documents, working to adapt his methods to these diverse sources. He provides detailed excerpts where suitable, careful consideration of translation problems, and insightful analysis. For the leaders of the Sokoto Caliphate, the British conquest came as a shock. Its rulers were descendants of those who came to power with the Sokoto jihad led by 'Uthman Dan Fodio in the early nineteenth century. Deeply imbued with the rhetoric and doctrine of the jihad, their initial response, Umar shows, was one of proud defiance. Many of those in positions of power at the time of the conquest (1903) did resist, and when resistance failed, they undertook hijra, flight from the infidel. Yet there were other members of the elite, and of the same extended families as the resisters, who stood ready to work with the British. Umar effectively demonstrates the literary, legal, and psychological strategies that they used to cope with this situation. Taqiyya, or dissimulation, is the Islamic term used to convey the outward acceptance of collaboration for the sake of survival. "Compartmentalization" is an English term conveying a somewhat different version of this, an approach in which one clearly separates the Islamic aspects of life from the Western ones to avoid contamination of the former. Umar shows that the British authorities were especially wary of any transnational Islamic connections, and occasionally went into panic mode when they intercepted a letter from an Islamic leader in Morocco or Senegal, a pattern emulated by today's neoconservative commentators. Perhaps because his sources are so Nigeria-centered, Umar himself pays limited attention to the wider historical context, for instance the Saudi/Wahhabi takeover of Mecca in 1924. Looking at that wider context can help one understand the emergence of debates over questions such as funeral rituals which cropped up in the 1920s and '3Os, not only in Nigeria but in other Muslim settings as well. The study ends around 1945, in other words, at the time when all of the convenient compromises of indirect rule were in danger of unraveling as the emirates of Northern Nigeria began to awaken to the fact that, while the British had been kind enough to leave their structures in place, they had quietly made them part of a larger entity, Nigeria. …


The macromolecular crystallography beamlines at third-generation synchrotron facilities play a central role in solving macromolecular crystal structures and also in understanding the biological function at molecular levels. The MX beamline BL17U at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility is a typical standard MX beamline with a focused beam size (H × V) of FWHM around 80 μm × 45 μm. However the protein samples brought to the beamline are down to 5-10 m from the important and challenging science project now. These samples require smaller size beam. In order to achieve the mini-size beamline, two mini-beam modes have been developed on BL17U: the pinhole-based mini-beam and the focused mini-beam by compound refractive lens (CRL). Compared to the pinhole-based mode, three times increase in flux is obtained by the CRL mode at a similar beam size. The flux gain obtained by the CRL needs to be considered for data collection strategies. It takes few minutes to switch the beamline from the normal to CRL mini-beam mode.


The function of the proteasome is modulated at the level of subunit expression and by association with its regulatory complexes. During coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) myocarditis, IFN-induced formation of immunoproteasomes (ip) is known to be critical for regulating immune modulating molecules. The function of the IFN-γ-inducible proteasome regulator subunits PA28 α and β, however, in this context was unknown. During viral myocarditis, we found an increased abundance of PA28β subunits in heart tissue. PA28α/β exists in PA28-20S-PA28 and PA700-20S-PA28 hybrid proteasome complexes in cells both with either predominant ip and standard proteasome (sp) expression. Being in line with reduced proteasome activity in PA28α/β-deficient cells, we observed increased levels of oxidized and poly-ubiquitinated proteins upon TLR3-activation in these cells. Moreover, PA28α/β is capable to interfere directly with viral replication of CVB3 and facilitates the generation of CVB3-derived MHC class I epitopes by the proteasome. In contrast to a distinct function of PA28α/β in vitro, gene ablation of PA28α/β in mice being on a genetic background with resistance towards the development of severe infection had no significant impact on disease progression. Other than reported for the ip, in this host PA28α/β is dispensable to meet the demand of increased peptide hydrolysis capacity by the proteasome during viral myocarditis.


The paper presents the main results of a FEM 3-D model reproducing a physical model subjected to shaking table tests. The tests, performed at the EERC laboratory of Bristol University, have been simulated by means of a new numerical model based on a recent constitutive model characterized by isotropic and kinematic hardening and devoted to granular soil. The shaking table tests have been performed using: a six-degree of freedom shaking table; a shear-stack; a scaled one-storey steel frame; the Leigthon Buzzard Sand. The tests have been characterized by 11 shaking runs. As regards the 3-D numerical modeling, the linear elastic material has been considered for the structure, instead the soil has been modeled both with a cap-hardening Drucker-Prager model, often implemented in commercial codes, and with the above mentioned new constitutive model, implemented in the utilized FEM code by the Research Group of Catania University. Thanks to the great quantity of experimental data, the power of the proposed numerical model in simulation/prediction of dynamic soil-structure interaction can be verified and compared with the capability of other numerical models based on simpler constitutive models.


The secreted cystine-knot protein sclerostin was first identified from genetic screening of patients suffering from the rare bone-overgrowth diseases sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease. Sclerostin acts a negative regulator of bone growth through inhibiting the canonical Wnt signalling cascade by binding to and blocking the Wnt co-receptor LRP5/6. Its function in blocking osteoblastogenesis makes it an important target for osteoanabolic therapy approaches to treat osteoporosis, which is characterized by a progressive decrease in bone mass and density. In this work, the production, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction data analysis of a sclerostin-neutralizing human Fab antibody fragment, AbD09097, obtained from a naive antibody library are reported. Crystals of the Fab AbD09097 belonged to space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 45.19, b = 78.49, c = 59.20 Å, β = 95.71° and diffracted X-rays to a resolution of 1.8 Å.


Well completion has evolved rapidly in the past two decades, as multistage completion has become the predominant practice to complete a well in many places. Although innovation in completion tool technology has been continuous in recent years, there are still gaps in the well completion optimization practice. In this paper, we add additional dimensions to well completion technology by incorporating geoengineering, measurement while pumping, and data mining, and we have evidence to show that those additional elements help to improve our understanding, on-site efficiency, and overall performance.
 Multistage completion optimization is about where and how to complete a well. Different methods were employed in the past, and even with a better-engineered completion design where both reservoir and completion quality are honored, there are still area for improvement. For example, 1) geological properties are not qualitatively utilized in the completion design; 2) real-time operational feedback during the execution phase is inadequate for in-time decisions for completion and fracturing adjustment; 3) the completion-to-well-performance cycle is so long that the learning curve is not fast enough, and too many influential factors are hidden in the details.
 Three extra dimensions were added to address the improvement areas. Geoengineering adds "space information" in enabling geological properties from a 3D space grid to be projected onto the wellbore as geology quality (GQ) so that the information can be used together with reservoir and completion quality (RQ and CQ) quantitatively to improve the fracturing treatment design. Measurement while pumping (MWP) adds "timely feedback" in that real-time operational feedback—either from the wellbore via high-frequency pressure monitoring or from the target zones via microseismic data in offset horizontal monitoring wells—can help with the completion and fracture diagnosis and decision making on-site. Data mining adds "pattern recognition" in that reservoir and operation data are collected and analyzed to generate a systematic understanding of the reservoir complexity, paving the way for the improved planning of future well completions in the same region. Each of the solutions comes with specific case studies in our work.
 Geoengineering, MWP, and data mining add three dimensions to the current well completion practice. In our case studies, these approaches have demonstrated the capability to improve the accuracy of the design, increase confidence in the execution, and accelerate the learning curve from evaluation. The extra dimensions added to the current completion practice are essentially space, time, and pattern, and together, they help to define the direction of future innovations for completion optimization.


Ten years into the war on terror, the Karzai government and its international backers, namely the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), continue to face bleak prospects in Afghanistan. The country suffers from political uncertainty and instability, with a resurgent Taliban movement in control of vast swaths of territory. This article argues that five key factors have interacted inauspiciously to contribute to this situation—the mosaic nature of the Afghan society, an inappropriate political system which has subsequently led to poor governance, the flawed US and NATO political and military strat-egies, the prominence of Afghanistan's narcotics trade and a number of counter-systemic actors, chief among them being the Taliban. A change of US policy by placing a greater emphasis on reform, reconstruction and containment is needed if Afghanistan is to have a chance of getting out of its current deteriorating cycle of violence and bloodshed.


An ultrafast bioanalytical method using monolithic column high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) was evaluated for the simultaneous determination of a drug discovery compound and its metabolite in plasma. Baseline separation of the two compounds was achieved with run times of 24 or 30 s under isocratic or gradient conditions, respectively. The monolithic column HPLC/MS/MS system offers shorter chromatographic run times by increasing flow rate without sacrificing separation power for the drug candidate and its biotransformation product (metabolite). In this work, the necessity for adequate chromatographic resolution was demonstrated because the quantitative determination of the drug-related metabolism product was otherwise hampered by interference from the dosed drug compound. The chromatographic performance of a monolithic silica rod column as a function of HPLC flow rates was investigated with a mixture of the drug component and its synthetic metabolite. The assay reliability of the monolithic column HPLC/MS/MS system was checked for matrix ionization suppression using the post-column infusion technique. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the analysis of study rat plasma samples for the simultaneous quantitation of both the dosed drug and its metabolite. The analytical results obtained by the proposed monolithic column methods and the 'standard' silica particle-packed HPLC column method were in good agreement, within 10% error.


The banana research developments in the world are summarized based on searching, counting and analyzing the year of publication, citation, country / region, language, document type, funds agencies, organizations extended(posting institutions), author, Web of Science(subject) and other aspects of the related literature about banana in the world by the 1994~2012 SCI-Expanded(SCI-E).


A smooth $d$-dimensional projective variety $X$ can always be embedded into $2d+1$-dimensional space. In contrast, a singular variety may require an arbitrary large ambient space. If we relax our requirement and ask only that the map is injective, then any $d$-dimensional projective variety can be mapped injectively to $2d+1$-dimensional projective space. A natural question then arises: what is the minimal $m$ such that a projective variety can be mapped injectively to $m$-dimensional projective space? In this paper we investigate this question for normal toric varieties, with our most complete results being for Segre-Veronese varieties.


The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a massive rise in survey-based research. The paucity of perspicuous guidelines for conducting surveys may pose a challenge to the conduct of ethical, valid and meticulous research. The aim of this paper is to guide authors aiming to publish in scholarly journals regarding the methods and means to carry out surveys for valid outcomes. The paper outlines the various aspects, from planning, execution and dissemination of surveys followed by the data analysis and choosing target journals. While providing a comprehensive understanding of the scenarios most conducive to carrying out a survey, the role of ethical approval, survey validation and pilot testing, this brief delves deeper into the survey designs, methods of dissemination, the ways to secure and maintain data anonymity, the various analytical approaches, the reporting techniques and the process of choosing the appropriate journal. Further, the authors analyze retracted survey-based studies and the reasons for the same. This review article intends to guide authors to improve the quality of survey-based research by describing the essential tools and means to do the same with the hope to improve the utility of such studies.


INTRODUCTION: Since the introduction of two-dimensional echocardiography, in the late sixtees (1-3), it has undergone a lot of developments. It is now considered as the time tested, accurate, noninvasive method of demonstrating the cardiac anatomy. However, reliable noninvasive evaluation of cardiovascular hemodynamics was not possible until the introduction of Doppler echocardiography. Earliest application of Doppler was restricted to assess peripheral circulation (4). CONCLUSION: Doppler echocardiography has a profound influence on the clinical cardiology. It provides safe, non-invasive reproducible and reliable cardiovascular hemodynamics. Majority of the patients in the developing countries, undergoing surgery for rheumatic heart disease, are still young and do not require  preoperative coronary angiograms.However for the best results, it is necessary to integrate the data with the clinical and other non-invasive parameter. Accuracy of information, like other technology, has learning curve and improves with experience.


The KoBo device is a press with a cyclically rotating die enabling extrusion of ingots with the permanent destabilization of their substructure. The method involves a cyclic change of deformation path that increases the plasticity of the material and inhibits formation and propagation of cracks. The possibility of using KoBo for obtaining zinc wires with high mechanical properties was explored. A polycrystalline zinc ingot of purity of 99.995% was subjected to extrusion at room temperature. The microstructure of the material was investigated primarily via high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction using a scanning electron microscope. The microstructure is heterogeneous and consists of grains elongated slightly in the extrusion direction (ED). The material has a relatively sharp nearly axial texture with the ED scattered between the <1 0 -1 0> and <2 -1 -1 0> directions. More than 95% of high-angle grain boundaries do not correspond to any twin or low Σ CSL boundaries. The dimensions of the grains range from 10 - 20 micrometers down to the sub-micron scale. Despite the relatively large grains, the final product exhibits very good mechanical properties, which could not be explained by the Hall - Petch relation. It was found that besides grain refinement two other effects could affect the material mechanical properties. These effects are formation of nanograins inside the large, micrometer-sized grains and formation of broad areas of high-density crystal lattice defects extended along the HAGBs.


This paper explores how traditional media organizations (such as magazines, music, film, books, and newspapers) develop routines for coping with an increasingly productive audience. While previous studies have reported on how such organizations have been affected by digital technologies, this study makes a contribution to this literature by being one of the first to show how organizational routines for engaging with an increasingly productive audience actually emerge and diffuse between industries. The paper explores to what extent routines employed by two traditional media organizations have been brought in from other organizational settings, specifically from so-called 'software platform operators'. Data on routines for engaging with productive audiences have been collected from two information-rich cases in the music and the magazine industries, and from eight high-profile software platform operators. The paper concludes that the routines employed by the two traditional media organizations and by the software platform operators are based on the same set of principles: Provide the audience with (a) tools that allow them to easily generate cultural content; (b) building blocks which facilitate their creative activities; and (c) recognition and rewards based on both rationality and emotion.


Utilizing the GKLS master equation we show that the decay property of a particle can be straightforwardly incorporated. In standard particle physics the decay is often described by an efficient non-hermitian Hamiltonian, in accord with the seminal Wigner-Weisskopf approximation. We show that by enlarging the Hilbert space and defining specific GKLS operators we have attained a formalism with a hermitian Hamiltonian and probability conserving states. This proves that the Wigner-Weisskopf approximation is Markovian and completely positive. In addition, this formalism allows a straightforward generalization to many-particle decays. Last, but not least, some impacts of the GKLS master equation onto systems at high energies are reported, such as for neutral meson, neutrino and hyperon systems.


Abstract An ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue lacking vascular or anatomic communication with the normal body of the pancreas. It is rarely symptomatic as it is found incidentally at laparotomy most of the time. Despite advances in diagnostic modalities, it still remains a challenge to the clinician to differentiate it from a neoplasm. It is prudent to differentiate it from neoplastic etiologies, as simple surgical excision can potentially be curative. We discuss the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of an interesting case of ectopic pancreas presenting as a gastric antral tumor.


Introduction Sentinel Surveillance and STI Control (VICITS) strategy is implemented in public health clinics for key populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM) in Guatemala. Although oral and anal sexually transmitted infections (STI) are important public health issues, they are not included in national treatment guidelines. Evidence of disease burden is needed for decision making. We analysed STI prevalence in oral, anal and urethral samples among MSM who attended VICITS clinics in Guatemala in 2014. Methods Clients were male, ≥18 years old, who reported sexual relations with another man in the last 12 months, and who was seen at one of four VICITS clinics between June–December 2014. Sociodemographic data, risk behaviour, and biological data were abstracted from routine clinical intake forms stored in the in VICITS information system. Laboratory results from urethral, anal and oropharyngeal samples were collected. Digene Hybrid Capture II (Qiagen) was used for detection of C. trachomatis (CT) and N. gonorrhoeae (NG). Data analysis was performed using Stata 11.0. Results A total of 524 MSM were included in the analysis. The median age was 25 years old (IQR 21–30), 67.4% reported receptive anal sex in the last 30 days, and 56.6% reported condom use at last receptive anal sex. About 30% reported at least one STI and 4.6% reported at least 2 STIs in the last 3 months. The prevalence of anal CT was 4.7%, anal NG was 4.4%, oral CT was 2.2%, oral NG was 25.4%, urethral CT was 1.9%, and urethral NG was 4.1%. Overall, 77.7% of infections were caused by NG. Conclusion We found a high prevalence of NG, especially in oral and anal samples among MSM attending VICITIS clinics. Our findings underscore the need to include anal and oral STIs in national treatment guidelines. Innovative strategies to increase adoption of condom use in anal and oral sex among MSM and the evaluation of resistance profile for NG are urgently needed in Guatemala. Disclosure of interest statement We declare that we have no conflicts of interest.


This note shows how a simple electric toy racing car set can be used to develop some interesting results in linear dynamics and how these results can be analysed using basic calculus.


Background: Although there are several predominantly single-center case series in the literature, relatively little prospectively collected data exist regarding the outcomes of open hip reduction (OR) for infantile developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The purpose of this prospective, multi-center study was to determine the outcomes after OR in a diverse patient population. Methods: The prospectively collected database of an international multicenter study group was queried for all patients treated with OR for DDH. Minimum follow-up was 1 year. Proximal femoral growth disturbance (PFGD) was defined by consensus review using Salter's criteria. Persistent acetabular dysplasia was defined as an acetabular index >90th percentile for age. Statistical analyses were performed to compare preoperative and operative characteristics that predicted re-dislocation, PFGD, and residual acetabular dysplasia. Results: A cohort of 232 hips (195 patients) was identified; median age at OR was 19 months (interquartile range 13 to 28) and median follow-up length was 21 months (interquartile range 16 to 32). Re-dislocation occurred in 7% of hips (n=16/228). The majority (81%; n=13/16) occurred in the first year after initial OR. Excluding patients with repeat dislocation, 94.5% of hips were IHDI 1 at most recent follow-up. On the basis of strict radiographic review, some degree of PFGD was present in 44% of hips (n=101/230) at most recent follow-up. Seventy-eight hips (55%) demonstrated residual dysplasia compared with established normative data. Hips that had a pelvic osteotomy at index surgery had about half the rate of residual dysplasia (39%; n=32/82) versus those without a pelvic osteotomy with at least 2 years follow-up (78%; n=46/59). Conclusions: In the largest prospective, multicenter study to date, OR for infantile DDH was associated with a 7% risk of re-dislocation, 44% risk of PFGD, and 55% risk of residual acetabular dysplasia at short term follow-up. The incidence of these adverse outcomes is higher than previous reports. Patients treated with concomitant pelvic osteotomy had lower rates of residual dysplasia. These prospectively collected, multicenter data provide better generalizable information to improve family education and appropriately set expectations. Level of Evidence: Level II, prospective comparative study.


The objective of this paper is to systematically investigate the dynamical properties of a ratio-dependent predator-prey system with Holling type IV functional response by white noise. The global existence of a positive unique solution to the system with positive initial value is shown employing comparison theorem of stochastic equation and It^o's formula. We derived some appropriate conditions for the persistence in mean and extinction. This system has a stable stationary distribution and it is ergodic. Numerical simulations are carried out for further support of present research.


This paper employs a quarterly time series to determine the timing of structural breaks for interest rates in USA over the last 60 years. The Chow test is used for investigating the non-stationary, where the date of the potential break is assumed to be known. Moreover, an empirically examination of the financial sector to check if it is positively related to deviations from an assumed interest rate as given in a standard Taylor rule. The empirical analysis is strengthened by analysing the rule from a historical perspective and look at the effect of setting the interest rate by the central bank on financial imbalances. The empirical evidence indicates that deviation in monetary policy has a potential causal factor in the build up of financial imbalances and the subsequent crisis where macro prudential intervention could have beneficial effect. Thus, my findings tend to support the view which states that the probable existence of central banks has been one source of global financial crisis since the past decade.


Abstract. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in Chinese river catchments
are contributed by agricultural non-point and industrial point sources
causing deterioration of river water quality and degradation of ecosystem
functioning for a long distance downstream. To evaluate these impacts, a
distributed pollutant transport module was developed on the basis of BTOPMC
(Block-Wise Use of TOPMODEL with Muskingum-Cunge Method), a grid-based
distributed hydrological model, using the water flow routing process of
BTOPMC as the carrier of pollutant transport due a direct runoff. The
pollutant flux at each grid is simulated based on mass balance of pollutants
within the grid and surface water transport of these pollutants occurs
between grids in the direction of the water flow on daily time steps. The
model was tested in the study area of the Lu county area situated in the
Laixi River basin in the Sichuan province of southwest China. The simulated
concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus are compared with the available
monthly data at several water quality stations. These results demonstrate a
greater pollutant concentration in the beginning of high flow period
indicating the main mechanism of pollution transport. From these preliminary
results, we suggest that the distributed pollutant transport model can
reflect the characteristics of the pollutant transport and reach the expected
target.


The reduction of the Vehicle interior noise has been the main interest of NVH engineers. The driver`s perception on the vehicle noise is affected largely by psychoacoustic characteristic of the noise as well as the SPL. The previous methods to evaluation of the SQ about vehicle interior noise are linear regression analysis of subjective SQ metrics by statistics and the estimation of the subjective SQ values by neural network. But these are so depended on jury test very much that they result in many difficulties. So, to reduce jury test weight, we suggested a new method using Mahalanobis distance for SQ evaluation. And, optimal characteristic values influenced on the result of the SQ evaluation were derived by signal to noise ratio(SN ratio) of the Taguchi method. Finally, the new method to evaluate SQ is constructed using Mahalanobis-Taguchi system(MTS). Furthermore, the MTS method for SQ evaluation was compared by the result of SQ grade table at the previous study and their virtues and faults introduced.


Stable and compatible cathode materials are a key factor for realizing the low-temperature (LT, ≤600 ̊C) operation and practical implementations of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this study, perovskite oxides SrFe1-xTixO3-δ (x < = 0.1), with various ratios of Ti doping, are prepared by a sol-gel method for cathode material for LT-SOFCs. The structure, morphology and thermogravimetric characteristics of the resultant SFT powders are investigated. It is found that the Ti is successfully doped into SrFeO3-δ to form a single phase cubic perovskite structure and crystal structure of SFT shows better stability than SrFeO3-δ. The dc electrical conductivity and electrochemical properties of SFT are measured and analysed by four-probe and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) measurements, respectively. The obtained SFT exhibits a very low polarization resistance (Rp), 0.01 Ωcm 2 at 600◦C. The SFT powders using as cathode in fuel cell devices, exhibit maximum power density of 551 mW cm -2 with open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.15V at 600◦C. The good performance of the SFT cathode indicates a high rate of oxygen diffusion through the material at cathode. By enabling operation at low temperatures, SFT cathodes may result in a practical implementation of SOFCs.


Email Classifiers based on Bayesian theorem have been very effective in Spam filtering due to their strong categorization ability and high precision. This paper proposes an algorithm for email classification based on Bayesian theorem. The purpose is to automatically classify mails into predefined categories. The algorithm assigns an incoming mail to its appropriate category by checking its textual contents. The experimental results depict that the proposed algorithm is reasonable and effective method for email classification.


The landscape represents the geographical-historical context where any objects acquire a historical but not universal meaning. The protection of a monumental or architectural asset does not automatically translate into protection of the landscape where it is contained. We should also be aware that the «reading» of the geographic landscape doesn't map into research methodologies for cultural assets and, therefore, the geography cannot be credited as a privileged interlocutor in this field. No cultural asset has the same degree of complexity of the landscape; any cultural asset can be preserved, restored or reused without losing its meaning and its value. The landscape instead is a morphogenetic process in constant evolution and change that can be retained in its transformation but not preserved. The purpose of the following contribution is just to give the definition of geographic landscape as cultural heritage in the postmodern age.


Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, and developing therapies to promote its regression is an important clinical goal. We previously established that atherosclerosis regression is characterized by an overall decrease in plaque macrophages and enrichment in markers of alternatively activated M2 macrophages. We have now investigated the origin and functional requirement for M2 macrophages in regression in normolipidemic mice that received transplants of atherosclerotic aortic segments. We compared plaque regression in WT normolipidemic recipients and those deficient in chemokine receptors necessary to recruit inflammatory Ly6Chi (Ccr2–/– or Cx3cr1–/–) or patrolling Ly6Clo (Ccr5–/–) monocytes. Atherosclerotic plaques transplanted into WT or Ccr5–/– recipients showed reduced macrophage content and increased M2 markers consistent with plaque regression, whereas plaques transplanted into Ccr2–/– or Cx3cr1–/– recipients lacked this regression signature. The requirement of recipient Ly6Chi monocyte recruitment was confirmed in cell trafficking studies. Fate-mapping and single-cell RNA sequencing studies also showed that M2-like macrophages were derived from newly recruited monocytes. Furthermore, we used recipient mice deficient in STAT6 to demonstrate a requirement for this critical component of M2 polarization in atherosclerosis regression. Collectively, these results suggest that continued recruitment of Ly6Chi inflammatory monocytes and their STAT6-dependent polarization to the M2 state are required for resolution of atherosclerotic inflammation and plaque regression.


With an actographic recorder (IR emitter), the genetic variability in the circadian rhythm of locomoter activity has been analysed within a natural population of D. melanogaster. The activity pattern shows differences between sexes and environmental conditions (photoperiod LD or continuous darkness). In free running conditions, the period and the amplitude of the activity peaks differ between isofemale lines.


Abstract It may be economically advantageous to both consumer and producer to enter into an incentive type contract in which the price paid for a product depends upon the outcome of an acceptance test. If no test is performed, a product of some minimum quality is produced and the consumer suffers a considerable penalty. The outcome of the test will reflect, to some degree, the quality of the product. If the consumer agrees to pay a premium dependent upon the outcome, the producer will be motivated to invest money in improving his product and both parties may expect to profit from the arrangement. This paper constitutes an unconventional approach to acceptance testing, in which the test is viewed not as a procedure to obtain information but rather as motivation toward product improvement. Admissible strategies are defined and their properties are studied. An application to repairable systems is considered in detail.


Objectives/Goals Second hand smoking studies have revealed that the wound healing process is negatively affected by toxins in the smoke. The goal of this study is to examine the wound healing process with the influence of a simulated air quality. It is hypothesized that the hazardous organic chemicals common in vehicle exhaust and secondhand smoke will hinder the wound healing process in standard white mice. Methods/Materials The experiment was conducted by puncturing a 5-millimeter diameter wound in twelve white mice. Four mice were kept to a cage. Two of the cages were connected to an automated smoking machine from 10 PM to 5 PM every weekday. One cage of mice was only exposed to second hand smoke, and a second cage was only exposed to mainstream smoke. The third cage was placed in a normal environment to simulate a control group. The smoking machine smoked a pack of cigarettes every day. Results Tissue analysis showed that sidestream smoking caused cytoskeletal changes in the fibroblast. A decrease in cell migration also resulted in the wound area and led to the accumulation of cells at the edge of the wound. This prevented full wound healing and could potentially cause fibrosis and excess scarring. Conclusions/Discussion It is possible to apply the procedure used in the smoking study to study the effects of the environment on mice. An environmental chamber would be an ideal place to raise the mice. Dosages of chemicals could be injected into the chamber to simulate the conditions of outdoor air pollution; especially those caused by diesel fuel exhaust.


It was a different era when Gary Becker did his groundbreaking work on the economics of fertility, during the years from the late 1950 through the early 1990s. There was great concern then about the "population explosion" due to sustained high fertility in the developing world after mortality declined following World War II. In 1968, Paul Ehrlich published "The Population Bomb" predicting disaster and mass starvation due to rapid population growth: "The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s, the world will undergo famines – hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death. . . ." Robert McNamara, then the President of the World Bank, in 1984 said "Short of thermonuclear war itself, population growth is the gravest issue the world faces over the decades immediately ahead. If we do not act, the problem will be solved by famine, riots, insurrection and war."


The present study was conducted in Uyui District, Tabora Tanzania from November 2006 to January 2007. The aim of the study was to make an assessment on the status of agroforestry dissemination in Uyui District. Specifically, the study assessed the origin and status of agroforestry dissemination in the study area, agroforestry technologies adopted by local communities, benefits gained by the farmers through adoption of agroforestry technologies, constraints to scaling-up agroforestry and possible agroforestry interventions required for programme activity improvement. Data collection methods involved reconnaissance, household interviews, and field surveys. Systematic random sampling was employed to select 20 sample households from selected wards and villages. Data obtained from households were supplemented with the results from the discussions with key informants. Data were analyzed by the SPSS and Excel softwares, ANOVA and LSD tools. The results indicated that, while Agroforestry research started at the ARI-Tumbi in 1987, wider dissemination of the proven useful technologies started during the 2000/01 cropping season, and that by 2006 10% of the Uyui district population had adopted agroforestry. The results further indicated that the ICRAF through SADC/ICRAF Agroforestry project in collaboration with various institutions was the originator of the Agroforestry programmes in the district. About four technologies were disseminated to farmers from which "Improved fallow" and "Woodlots" technologies were found to be the most widely adopted by the local communities in the district while Boundary planting and Fodder bank were less adopted. These technologies have started to provide some of the various benefits to farmers e.g. fuelwood, poles and income. Based on the discussion of these results together with the identified constraints to the effective dissemination of those technologies and determined corrective measures, it is recommended to strengthen extension services, integration of more useful and diversified tree species to increase benefits for the communities from the Agroforestry technologies. ii


In an experimental study we examined the function of the TMJ of patients with a considerable aberration from ideal dynamic occlusion and with obvious symptoms of frontal dysgnathia. Using a measuring seat for the simultaneous recording of opening and closing movements without occlusal interference and the sounds produced by the TMJ, we could not find any significantly impaired TMJ function compared with an orthognathic control group of similar age.


Although entrepreneurial failure is perceived negatively by society, many researchers believe in its opportunity to learn from it. However, it is sometimes difficult to learn from a failure given the financial, psychological and social costs associated. Through our conceptual model, we take a more positive approach of entrepreneurial failure. We suggest that a high level of psychological capital plays a moderating role in the relationship between the negative consequences of failure and the positive side of learning from failure. This learning and high psychological capital would help failed entrepreneurs to pursue their entrepreneurial career.


The class discussion of reading material in the second year language course need not be restricted to materials provided in the Inhaltsfragen offered by the average reading anthology. This article suggests several approaches to the development of reading and conversational skills. The methods proposed are: (1) Free paraphrase of the textual material; (2) Free dialogue; (3) Sketches and cartoons. These methods permit the teacher and the student to focus their attention on the development of spontaneous conversational skills and they provide opportunity for vocabulary and grammar exercises which become an integral part of the textual paraphrase.


Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between longitudinal change in total cholesterol as a main cardiovascular disease risk factor and shift work, controlling for the effect of the weight at baseline of recruitment. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study consists of 674 employees of Iranian Corporation Polyacril from 1992 to 2009. Stratified analysis of the relationship between shift work and cholesterol based on weight status at baseline of recruitment controlled for the effect of confounders including age, body mass index, pre-employment cholesterol, glucose, triglyceride, urea, work types, education, and marital status. A linear mixed model used for analyzing the data. Estimation of parameters has done by Bayesian approaches using Winbugs statistical software. Bayesian confidence interval (CI) was used for testing regression coefficients. Results: Average age mean at employment was 25 years (standard deviation [SD] =3.3); the average number of measurement for each individual was 3.7 times (SD = 0.6). In this model, relationship between shift work and cholesterol changes controlled for confounding factors was significant in whom overweight was at baseline (beta = 2.25, P Conclusions : The rate of cholesterol changes was higher for normal weight shift workers compared with workers who were overweight at baseline of recruitment.


Indirect blocks, part of a file's metadata used for locating this file's data blocks, are typically treated indistinguishably from file's data blocks in buffer cache. This paper shows that this conventional approach will significantly detriment the overall energy efficiency of memory systems. Scattering small but frequently accessed indirected blocks over allmemory chips reduce the energy saving opportunities. We propose a new energy-efficient buffer cache management scheme, named MEEP, which separates indirect and datablocks into different memory chips. Our trace-driven simulation results show that our new scheme can save memory energy up to 16.8% and 15.4% in the I/O-intensive server workloads TPC-R and TPC-H, respectively.


Background and Purpose: The neonatal period is one of the most sensitive stages of life, requiring proper understanding and attentive care. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of theory of planned behavior-based educational intervention on newborn care in pregnant mothers. Methodology: This study was conducted as a quasi-experimental research on 100 pregnant mothers who were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention (N=50) and control (N=50). The data were collected using a theory of planned behavior-based questionnaire. Considering the effective constructs of this theory, the educational intervention was performed in the form of four 60-minute education sessions in one month in the intervention group. One month after delivery, the data were recollected from both groups and analyzed using statistical tests.Findings: The mean and standard deviation of the mothers' age in both intervention and control groups were 26.14±4.7 and 26.10±5.19, respectively (p=0.48). Before the educational intervention, the behavioral intention of the intervention group was 3.33 (out of 5), which significantly increased to 4.54 after the educational intervention (p<0.001). In addition, the performance of mothers regarding neonatal care was significantly enhanced from 2.86 to 4.64 one month after the delivery (p=0.001). Conclusion: The theory of planned behavior-based educational intervention, along with active follow-ups, led to better and more principled behavioral intention and care provided by pregnant mothers to their newborn infants. Therefore, providing theory of planned behavior-based education in other healthcare centers is recommended.


Astrocytes are the most common glial cell type in the brain, yet, it is still not clear how their activation affects the transcriptome of other brain cells such as microglia and neurons. Engineered G protein-coupled receptors called Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDS) make it possible to selectively activate specific cell types, such as neurons and astrocytes. By combining the selective activation of astrocytes with single cell RNA sequencing, we were able to study transcriptional changes that occur in response to the activation of astrocytes at the single cell level. Interestingly, our data shows that long-term activation of astrocytes in healthy mice results in dramatic alteration in the transcriptome of astrocytes and microglia. Genes that were differentially expressed in these Gq-DREADD-activated astrocytes were involved in neurogenesis and low density lipoprotein particle biology, while those in the microglia were involved in the response to lipoproteins, and the migration and chemotaxis of immune cells. Furthermore, network analysis showed that Gq-DREADD-mediated activation in astrocytes resulted in an upregulation of genes involved in the G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway and calcium ion homeostasis. This confirmed the activation of astrocytes through the expressed DREADDS. Our findings show the importance of considering the transcriptomic alteration in microglia and neurons after the activation of astrocytes in in vivo models. Therefore, our data will serve as a resource for the broader neuroscience community.


The ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family of proteins is involved in a variety of cellular interactions, including cell adhesion and ecto- domain shedding. Here we show that ADAM 12 binds to cell surface syndecans. Three forms of recombinant ADAM 12 were used in these experiments: the cys-teine-rich domain made in Escherichia coli (rADAM 12-cys), the disintegrin-like and cysteine-rich domain made in insect cells (rADAM 12-DC), and full-length human ADAM 12-S tagged with green fluorescent protein made in mammalian cells (rADAM 12-GFP). Mesenchymal cells specifically and in a dose-dependent manner attach to ADAM 12 via members of the syndecan family. After binding to syndecans, mesenchymal cells spread and form focal adhesions and actin stress fibers. Integrin β1 was responsible for cell spreading because function-blocking monoclonal antibodies completely inhibited cell spreading, and chondroblasts lacking β1 integrin attached but did not spread. These data suggest that mesenchymal cells use syndecans as the initial receptor for the ADAM 12 cysteine-rich domain–mediated cell adhesion, and then the β1 integrin to induce cell spreading. Interestingly, carcinoma cells attached but did not spread on ADAM 12. However, spreading could be efficiently induced by the addition of either 1 mM Mn2+ or the β1 integrin–activating monoclonal antibody 12G10, suggesting that in these carcinoma cells, the ADAM 12–syndecan complex fails to modulate the function of β1 integrin.


The practical inability to diagnose Trichinella spiralis antibodies in man before day 20 post infection (dpi) has stimulated interest in the development of immunodiagnostic test to detect circulating antigens. Our previous experience showed that soon after infection immune complexes as well as uncomplexed parasite antigens in sera of infected rats could be detected. To diagnose the presence of antigen in urine, double sandwich-capture ELISA was applied using a peroxidase-conjugated rabbit immunoglobulin to T. spiralis larval antigens. The plates were coated with metabolic (AES) or somatic (AS) larval antigens. Mice were infected with 500 T. spiralis larvae. The urine samples from experimentally infected mice taken from 1 to 41 dpi. and the urine samples from patients of the Clinical Hospital in Białystok taken from 3 to 120 dpi were examined. Before testing, the urine samples were heated for 6 min. at 100 degrees C and centrifuged for 6 min. at 5000 g, supernatants were used in ELISA. The presence of T. spiralis antigens in mice urine samples was detected between 6-26 days post infection (dpi) using double sandwich-capture ELISA. All samples taken later were negative as samples taken from uninfected mice. 3 from 9 human urine samples taken 3-10 dpi were positive, the remaining samples taken 3-10 and 10-30 dpi showed values near to "cut-off". In both mice and human urine samples the higher level of antigens was detected in ELISA when somatic larval antigen was used. The T. spiralis antigens were present in urine of infected men and mice in the first phase of infection.


Over the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of reports related to Arthrobacter sp. lipase (ABL:MTCC No. 5125) catalyzed kinetic resolution performed in biphasic media. A strain displaying esterase/lipase activity and designated as ABL was isolated, during the course of a screening program at Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu. Considerable research has shown that reactions catalyzed by ABL are more selective than many commercial lipases. Since new applications of this lipase are emerging, there is a great need to provide all the relevant information exclusively. This review article is an attempt to cover all the relevant reports based on isolation, purification, immobilization, and application of ABL in the biopharmaceutical sector.


Competition law as one of the foundations of a market economy whose main purpose is to ensure an equal position of entrepreneurs in the market, regardless of the size, market power and other features of the implied system of state aid both at central and local and regional level. The aim and purpose of this research is a clear and tentative way of pointing out the importance of competition in relation to coronavirus. In order to achieve this goal, the paper seeks to provide scientifically based answers to a number of current issues, starting from detention from the definitions of competition and coronavirus. In addition to the above, it is necessary to consider how this disease affected entrepreneurship, which had positive and negative consequences. In addition, it is important to note that it has left a significant impact on our mental health. The main results of the research point to the fact that the coronavirus as a global, economic and health crisis suddenly caught us all overnight and as such changed our lives. In addition to greatly affecting the economy, there is also a blow to the company. In case of suspicion of infection, the obligation to call a doctor, ie a territorially competent epidemiologist, and the obligation to go to an outpatient clinic are determined as a preventive measure. In this paper, qualitative research in correlation with quantitative research was used. Starting from the fact that quantitative research is based on the description of individual conditions, ie the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships, the paper in a representative way seeks to simplify the concept of competition as the driving force of a market economy that entails many benefits consumer choice, innovation. In addition, considering the coronavirus from a quantitative point of view, it is manifested in how the coronavirus as a new strain of virus, discovered in humans, 'stirred' the whole world as such forced people to care about their health and the health of our loved ones. Also, an obligation to adhere to epidemiological measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection has been introduced. Qualitative research, as a term used to describe research that focuses on the way individuals and groups view and understand the world, also has a significant impact on this work, primarily because it considers how the pandemic affected the health of people interacting with each other.


ABSTRACT This modified Delphi study aimed to develop educational guidelines for integrating spirituality and spiritual care into occupational therapy education. The first round comprised a self-administered questionnaire, the second round used a face-to-face workshop, and last round reviewed the developed educational guidelines, which reached the highest agreement and median values greater than 3.25. A panel of 18 comprised occupational therapy educators, clinicians, and nursing experts were recruited. A total of 126 out of 142 items reached the highest agreements from the panel participants, categorized based on the content knowledge-based, importance, skills, ethics, pedagogical approaches, teaching and learning strategies, and assessment of student learning.


The association of Sweet's syndrome and Crohn's disease is unusual, with less than 50 reported cases. We report a case in which these entities debut together.


Although theory has demonstrated rather low levels of gene flow are sufficient to counteract opposing mutation, drift, and selection, widespread recognition of the evolutionary importance of gene flow has come slowly. The perceived role of gene flow as an evolutionary force has vacillated over the last century. In the last few decades, new methods and analyses have demonstrated that plant gene flow rates vary tremendously-from nil to very high-depending on the species and specific populations involved, and sometimes over time for individual populations. In many cases, the measured gene flow rates are evolutionarily significant at distances of hundreds and sometimes thousands of meters, occurring at levels sufficient to counteract drift, spread advantageous alleles, or thwart moderate levels of opposing local selection. Gene flow in plants is likely to often act as a cohesive force, uniting individual plant species into real evolutionary units. Also, gene flow can evolve under natural selection, decreasing or increasing. The fact of frequent, but variable, plant gene flow has important consequences for applied issues in which the presence or absence of gene flow might influence the outcome of a policy, regulatory, or management decision. Examples include the unintended spread of engineered genes, the evolution of invasiveness, and conservation. New data-rich genomic techniques allow closer scrutiny of the role of gene flow in plant evolution. Most plant evolutionists now recognize the importance of gene flow, and it is receiving increased recognition from other areas of plant biology as well.


Sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) is the most common progressive muscle disease of older persons. The muscle biopsy demonstrates mononuclear cell inflammation and vacuolated muscle fibers containing paired helical filaments and 6- to 10-nm fibrils, both resembling those of Alzheimer disease brain and Congo red positivity. The term hereditary inclusion-body myopathies (h-IBMs) designates autosomal-recessive or autosomal-dominant disorders with muscle biopsies cytopathologically similar to s-IBM but without inflammation. Vacuolated muscle fibers of both s-IBM and the h-IBMs contain accumulations of several "Alzheimer-characteristic proteins" including beta-amyloid protein and beta-amyloid precursor protein, and their paired helical filaments are composed of phosphorylated tau. We used six well characterized antibodies against several residues of presenilin 1 (PS1) to immunostain muscle biopsies of 12 patients with s-IBM, 5 patients with autosomal-recessive inclusion-body myopathy, and 16 normal and disease controls. Seventy to eighty percent of the vacuolated muscle fibers of both s-IBM and autosomal-recessive inclusion-body myopathy had inclusions that were strongly PS1-immunoreactive, which by immunoelectron microscopy localized mainly to paired helical filaments and 6- to 10-nm filaments. None of the control biopsies had PS1-positive inclusions characteristic of the s- and h-IBM abnormal muscle fibers. Mutations of the newly discovered PS1 gene are responsible for early-onset familial Alzheimer disease (AD), and PS1 is abnormally accumulated in sporadic and familial AD brain. Our study provides the first demonstration of PS1 abnormality in non-neural tissue and in diseases other than AD and suggests that the cytopathogenesis in AD brain and IBM muscle may share similarities.


Tmck chassis is a major component in a vehicle system. It inte!:-Tfates the main
component systems such as the suspension, engine, cab and trailer. Thus it often
identified for refinement in order to develop vehicles with reduced cost and weight.
Nowadays with the capabilities of advanced computer aided design and engineering
tools, the process of chassis design in the automotive industry has been significantly
refined. The application of FEA such as structural modification and optimization is
used to reduce component complexity, weight and subsequently cost. Because the
level of model complexity can be high, the opportunity for error can also be high. For
this reason, some fonn of model verification is needed before design decisions made
in the FEA environment can be implemented in production with high confidence.
This thesis project describes the application of dynamic correlation techniques for
verification of the FEA models of truck chassis. The dynamic characteristic of tmck
chassis such as the natural frequency and mode shape will be detenllined using finite
element method. Experimental measurement has been carried out to validate the
analytically derived dynamic models. Modal testing is one of the methods that apply
the experimental technique in detennining the modes of vibration. Initial results from
both analysis show that the truck chassis experienced 1st torsion mode for 1st natural
frequency, 2nd bending mode for 2nd natural frequency, 2nd torsion mode for 3rd
natural frequency and 2nd bending mode for 4th natural frequency. However there is a
small discrepancy in tenns of frequency. Thus. the model updating of truck chassis
model has been carried by adjusting the selective properties such as Modulus Young
and Poisson ratio in order to get better agreement in the natural frequency between
both analysis. Finally. the modifications of the updated FE truck chassis model has
been suggested such as by consider adding the stiffener. The purpose is to reduce the
vibration as well as to improve the strength of the truck chassis.


Generally, the N-719 dye, used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), only absorbs visible light in the wavelength range from 400 to 700 nm. Consequently, most of the ultraviolet and infrared rays from the sun are not utilized by this dye. However, ultraviolet and infrared rays can be converted to visible light by upconversion luminescence. Such visible light can then be reabsorbed by the dye, allowing for a larger range of solar irradiation to be utilized in DSSCs. Phosphor (ZnGa2O4, Y2O3:Er(3+)), acting as a luminescence medium, was added to the TiO2 electrode of DSSCs, and owing to the effect of upconversion, it increased their photocurrent density and efficiency. Phosphor (ZnGa2O4, Y2O3:Er(3+)) co-doped TiO2 electrode cells showed better performance than phosphor-free cells. In fact, the highest efficiency observed for a DSSC containing five phosphor layers was 7.03% with a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 15.62 mA/cm2, an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.661 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 68.17%.


Current guidance, nationally and internationally, would suggest within oncology and hospice outpatient settings holistic assessment be completed. However how this should occur and what assessment tool be used, there is no agreed consensus. Aim To explore the use of a validated patient reported symptom assessment tool within a lung oncology and hospice outpatient setting. Methodology An exploratory study looking at patient reported ESAS-r assessment form completion prior to attending their clinic review with an oncology and hospice setting and the data collected, analysed for comparison. Results Total number of Hospice patents: 22 (male13: female 9), age: 42–80 versus total number of Oncology out patients: 26 (male14: female 12), age: 54–91. The median total symptom score for hospice outpatients was 34.5/100 versus median total score for Oncology outpatients was 23.5/100. Tiredness (6.5/10) and drowsiness (5/10) were the high scoring symptoms within hospice outpatients while tiredness (5/10) and wellbeing (5/10) were in the lung cancer outpatient setting. The median score for pain and shortness of breath was 3/10 & 0/10 in Hospice patients versus 1/10 & 1.75/10 in Oncology clinic patients. Conclusion The symptom scores were comparable and not surprisingly the median scores were higher in the hospice outpatient setting. The physical and psychological symptoms scored significantly higher in the hospice outpatient population. The authors acknowledge the small sample size and this was an exploratory piece of work. However, clinicians found the ESAS-r tool to be clinically useful and helped focus discussions about what was important from a patient's agenda but helped in the disclosure of commonly ignored symptoms such as fatigue. This then prompted further assessment for eligibility for clinical trials specifically directed at fatigue management. Therefore the use of a patient, self-reported holistic assessment tool is a useful addition to oncology and hospice outpatient clinics.


Prior research has demonstrated that both yohimbine, an alpha2-adrenergic antagonist, and naloxone, an opiate antagonist, facilitate components of copulatory behaviors in nonstressed male rats. In the present experiments, we demonstrate that these drugs differentially affect copulatory behaviors when the behavioral testing situation contained an aversive element. Male rats received an injection of lithium chloride (0.3 M, 20 ml/kg, ip) immediately after each encounter with an estrous female. Consequently, male copulatory behaviors gradually declined during successive test sessions. These male rats also received ip injections of either yohimbine (2 mg/kg/ml), naloxone (4 mg/kg/ml), or isotonic saline 20 min prior to each copulation test. Yohimbine-treated rats were more likely to copulate than control rats during both acquisition and extinction of lithium chloride-induced associative inhibition of copulatory behavior. Conversely, naloxone-treated rats were less likely to copulate than control rats during both acquisition and extinction. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that yohimbine increases sexual motivation in the male rat and limit the generality of the excitatory effects of naloxone on copulatory behaviors.


In a water-scarce country such as Pakistan, rainfall is the third-largest source of freshwater. In most of the urban cities of the country, rainwater is mixed with sewerage and is rendered useless for managed aquifer recharge purposes. Therefore, this study investigates the rainfall potential for managed aquifer recharge in Lahore (Pakistan). The present research was designed and conducted by the Irrigation Research Institute (IRI). Three different sites were selected for rainwater sample collection across the study area (Lahore), ranging from urban to rural areas. The rainwater samples were collected and divided into three categories (direct capture, rooftop runoff, street runoff). For longer rainfall events, the effect of time on the quality of the collected rainwater samples was also studied. Spatiotemporal trends of turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, carbonates, bicarbonates, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and hardness in the collected rainwater samples were investigated. In terms of TDS, results indicated that directly captured rainwater is most suitable for managed aquifer recharge (TDS < 50 ppm), followed by rooftop runoff (TDS < 100 ppm). In addition, the quality of rainwater samples collected at the rural site was comparatively better. Moreover, the quality of rainwater samples improved after the initial ten minutes. All in all, this study concludes that direct capture of rainwater is the most suitable option for managed aquifer recharge.


Mitochondrial dysfunction is an important cause of metabolic disorders of children and adults, with no effective therapy options. Recently, induction of mitochondrial biogenesis, by transgenic overexpression of PGC1-alpha [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma coactivator 1-alpha], was reported to delay progression of early-onset cytochrome-c-oxidase (COX) deficiency in skeletal muscle of two mouse models: a muscle-specific knock-out of COX10 (COX10-mKO) and a constitutive knock-out of Surf1 (Surf1-KO). A pan-PPAR agonist, bezafibrate, could similarly delay myopathy progression in COX10-mKOs, but not in SURF1-KOs. We asked whether bezafibrate affected disease progression in late-onset adult-type mitochondrial myopathy mice. These 'Deletor mice' express a dominant patient mutation in Twinkle-helicase, leading to accumulation of multiple mtDNA deletions and subsequent progressive respiratory chain (RC) deficiency with COX-negative muscle fibers at 12 months of age. The primary and secondary molecular findings in Deletor mice mimic closely those in patients with Twinkle myopathy. We applied 0.5% bezafibrate diet to Deletors for 22 weeks, starting at disease manifestation, mimicking patient treatment after diagnosis. Bezafibrate delayed significantly the accumulation of COX-negative fibers and multiple mtDNA deletions. However, mitochondrial biogenesis was not induced: mitochondrial DNA copy number, transcript and RC protein amounts decreased in both Deletors and wild-type mice. Furthermore, bezafibrate induced severe lipid oxidation effects, with hepatomegaly and loss of adipose tissue, the mechanism involving lipid mobilization by high hepatic expression of FGF21 cytokine. However, as bezafibrate has been tolerated well by humans, the beneficial muscle findings in Deletor mice support consideration of bezafibrate trials on adult patients with mitochondrial myopathy.


This paper proposes a DSP based technique for power efficiency enhancement in a low-IF WLAN IEEE 802.11a transmitter architecture. This work combines a clipping function with an oversampling operation for reducing signal envelope variation. For that, an optimal oversampling factor was firstly chosen for a given input signal type. A clipped signal is then applied to a predistortion-based linearized power amplifier. The value of the clipping ratio is set so that the resulting overall transmitter error vector magnitude (EVM) meets the standard specifications. This allowed an important reduction of the power back-off that in its turn leads to a significant increase of the power added efficiency (PAE). Experiments that were performed using a 1-watt commercial solid state power amplifier demonstrated a relative power efficiency improvement of about 80 %


PurposeThe objective of this paper to assess the wind energy potential of the Sujawal site for minimizing the dependence on fossil fuels.Design/methodology/approachThe site-specific wind shear coefficient and the turbulence model were investigated. The two-parameter, k and c, Weibull distribution function was used to analyze the wind speed of the Sujawal site. The standard deviation of the site was also assessed for a period of a year. Also, the coefficient of variation was carried out to determine the difference at each height. The wind power and energy densities were assessed for a period of a year. The economic assessment of energy/kWh was investigated for selection of appropriate wind turbine.FindingsThe mean wind shear of the Sujawal site was found to be 0.274. The mean wind speed was found to be 7.458, 6.911, 6.438 and 5.347 at 80, 60, 40 and 20 m, respectively, above the ground level (AGL). The mean values of k parameter were observed to be 2.302, 2.767, 3.026 and 3.105 at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively, for a period of a year. The Weibull c m/s parameter values were found to be 8.415, 7.797, 7.265 and 6.084 m/s at 80, 60, 40 and 20 m, respectively. The mean values of standard deviation were found to be 0.765, 0.737, 0.681 and 0.650 at 20, 40, 60, and 80 m, respectively. The mean wind power density (W/m2) was found to be 287.33, 357.16, 405.16 and 659.58 for 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively. The economic assessment showed that wind turbine 7 had the minimum cost/kWh US$ 0.0298.Originality/valueThe Sujawal site is suitable for installing the utility wind turbines for energy generation at the lowest cost; hence, a sustainable solution.


Gender is a socially constructed difference between men and women but it is different from sex, which is the biological difference between them. Women as such she had been subjected to many discrimination and deprivation from different angles of the society. Discrimination may lead to deprivation and deprivation may facilitate discrimination against a person. In fact gender discrimination starts even before birth by sex determination techniques. Women in India have struggled to establish an identity and create a space for themselves at their workplace, especially in terms of leadership. Traditional cultural values continue to have a strong impact in the Indian society and to a large extent adversely affect the entrepreneurial spirit of the women community. The attitude towards a women entering business is negative .If she succeeds it is a chance; if she fails it is considered natural. There is a lack of self worth and difficulties in being accepted as a boss in the male dominated world. This paper focuses on the various aspects of gender discrimination women entrepreneurs had to face in their working environment.


Carica papaya (papaya), from the family of Caricaceae, is a perennial plant originating from the Southern part of Mexico. Carica papaya leaf extract (CPE) has been traditionally used to treat various diseases, including infectious diseases and cancer. However, the anticancer effects and molecular mechanism of CPE are elusive. The aim of our study is to examine the anticancer effects of aqueous leaf extract of Carica papaya against prostate cancer (PCa). We investigated the effect of CPE on LNCaP, DU145 and PC-3 PCa cells. CPE treatment (5, 10, 25µl/ml) significantly reduced the cell proliferation and induced cell death in PCa cells. Furthermore, we found that CPE induced G1, S and G1 as well as G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in LNCaP, DU145, and PC-3 cells, respectively. At molecular level, the cell cycle arrest was associated with decreased expression of CDK 4, cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and PCNA. CPE induced cell death was associatedwith depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, increase in ratio of Bax/Bcl2, cleavage of caspase-3 and cleaved -Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). CPE treatment also reduced mitochondrial fission and induced mitochondrial fusion by reducing the level of Drp1 protein. Further, we observed that CPE increased the expression of E-cadherin and decreased the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin. We checked the CPE toxicity in C57BL/6 male mice. We found that oral administration of CPE(0.25%, 0.5% and 1% v/v) in drinking water did not show any significant changes in body weight, water consumption and food intake as compared to control group. Collectively, CPE inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell death via apoptosis, mitochondrial fusion, epithelial marker and reduced mesenchymal markers.In vivo toxicity study with CPE treatment via drinking water was found to be non-toxic. These findings suggest that CPE has potential as anticancer therapeutic option for prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. Citation Format: Surya Pratap Singh, Sivapar V. Mathan, Arpit Dheeraj, Dhanir Tailor, Rana P. Singh, Arbind Acharya. Anticancer effects and associated molecular changes of Carica papaya against prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3004.


This paper gives the full dynamical model of a commercially available quadrotor rotorcraft and presents its behavior control at low altitudes through sliding mode control. The control law is very well known for its robustness against disturbances and invariance during the sliding regime. The plant, on the other hand, is a nonlinear one with state variables are tightly coupled. The simulations have shown that the algorithm successfully drives the system towards the desired trajectory with bounded control signals.


Abstract: Prostate adenocarcinoma is a very rare cause of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) syndrome. We report the case of a 70-year-old man who presented with clinical and biochemical features of ACTH-dependent Cushing syndrome secondary to prostate carcinoma. On admission, his blood pressure was 170/100 mm Hg. Physical examination revealed signs of excessive production of cortisol. Laboratory values were consistent with hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. Elevated serum cortisol, ACTH, and urine free cortisol levels were found. Cortisol was not suppressed with an overnight 1-mg oral dexamethasone suppression test (DST), 2-day low-dose DST, or overnight 8.0-mg high-dose DST. Chest computed tomography showed multiple parenchymal nodules in the right lung, consistent with metastatic disease. Whole-body bone scintigraphy revealed numerous foci of increased radiotracer uptake in the femur and axial skeleton, consistent with metastatic disease. Bone survey (radiography) showed generalized osteolytic metastases. Histologic analysis of a prostatic biopsy showed prostate adenocarcinoma. Immunostaining of the prostate adenocarcinoma for ACTH was positive. The severe metabolic alkalosis due to glucocorticoid-induced mineralocorticoid excess was treated with potassium supplements and spironolactone. This case is a remarkable example of the complex metabolic endocrine manifestations that can accompany prostate adenocarcinoma.


Frequent itemset mining has been studied extensively in literature. Most previous studies require the specification of a min/spl I.bar/support threshold and aim at mining a complete set of frequent itemsets satisfying min/spl I.bar/support. However, in practice, it is difficult for users to provide an appropriate min/spl I.bar/support threshold. In addition, a complete set of frequent itemsets is much less compact than a set of frequent closed itemsets. In this paper, we propose an alternative mining task: mining top-k frequent closed itemsets of length no less than min/spl I.bar/l, where k is the desired number of frequent closed itemsets to be mined, and min/spl I.bar/l is the minimal length of each itemset. An efficient algorithm, called TFP, is developed for mining such itemsets without mins/spl I.bar/support. Starting at min/spl I.bar/support = 0 and by making use of the length constraint and the properties of top-k frequent closed itemsets, min/spl I.bar/support can be raised effectively and FP-Tree can be pruned dynamically both during and after the construction of the tree using our two proposed methods: the closed node count and descendant/spl I.bar/sum. Moreover, mining is further speeded up by employing a top-down and bottom-up combined FP-Tree traversing strategy, a set of search space pruning methods, a fast 2-level hash-indexed result tree, and a novel closed itemset verification scheme. Our extensive performance study shows that TFP has high performance and linear scalability in terms of the database size.


We have developed a scanning thermal probe microscope that operates in liquid environments. The thermal sensor is a fluorescent particle glued at the end of a sharp tungsten tip. Since light emission is a strongly thermally sensitive effect, the measurement of the particle fluorescence variations allows the determination of the temperature. No electrical wiring of the probe is needed. As a demonstrative example, we have measured the temperature map of a Joule-heated microheater immersed in a water∕glycerol solution. Both topographical and thermal images are obtained with a good sensitivity.


As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of natural hazards still looms large. How will humanitarian response to a major natural hazard be affected during the COVID-19 pandemic? As the monsoon season begins in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in the South West Pacific and Southeast Asia, this is a scenario that countries face. The overlapping effects of a pandemic and a natural hazard can compound socio-economic vulnerabilities in countries. While the current focus is on managing the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and communities also need to be prepared for concurrent natural hazards. This NTS Insight explores the effects of concurrent pandemic-disaster events, and how they threaten states and societies in the Asia-Pacific. This Insight demonstrates the potential challenges of dual crises on societies and vulnerable populations. It argues that the current situation calls for a broader and deeper localisation of the humanitarian system, one that places human security as its core organising principle unlike the backseat it currently takes today. To this end, it argues that inter-regional cooperation can further localisation through the experience of the South West Pacific where human security is articulated as national security and the cooperation in Southeast Asia on disaster response which builds national capacity. With overseas travel and supply chain restrictions severely hampering the movement of relief items and international humanitarian workers, the need to empower and strengthen local humanitarian actors becomes even more pressing.


A Digital-to-frequency converter (DFC) based on the concept of time-average frequency and a flying-adder frequency synthesizer is a novel circuit component that enables many system-level innovations. The clock output of the DFC has unique characteristics in both time and frequency domains. In this paper, a study on the energy distribution of the DFC output for a special case is presented. Mathematical analysis is performed, and closed-form expression is derived for this case.


As the global need for aluminum constantly rises, bauxite is considered to be a critical mineral, and the mining industry is in search of new and effective exploration solutions. In this context, we designed and implemented a purely earthquake-based passive seismic survey at the Gerolekas bauxite mining site, in Greece. It is a very difficult exploration setting, characterized by rough topography, limited accessibility, and a very complex geotectonic regime. We gather a passive seismic dataset consisting of 4 months of continuous recordings (May-August 2018) from 129 stand-alone three-component seismological stations. We then analyze this dataset and extract 848 microearthquakes that will serve as sources for the application of local earthquake tomography (LET) and transient-source seismic interferometry (TSI) by autocorrelation. We apply LET to estimate 3D P- and S-wave velocity models of the subsurface below the study area and TSI by autocorrelation to retrieve the zero-offset virtual reflection responses below each of the recording stations. The velocity models provide a relatively coarse image of a previously completely unexplored part of the mining concession, while the higher-resolution virtual reflection imaging illuminates in detail the different interfaces. We also reprocess three lines of legacy active seismic data that were shot in 2003, using the LET P-wave velocity model for depth migration, and confirm the improvement of seismic imaging. Finally, we evaluate the obtained results using well data and jointly interpret them, extracting useful information on the expected target depths and showing that earthquake-based passive seismic techniques can be an innovative and environmentally friendly option for mineral exploration.


The purpose of paper is to calculate the excavation volume of unequal interval grid using nonlinear boundary in eathwork volume determination for reclamation of the foreshore. A congruence area formula by first and third equation is compared with trapezoidal simpson formulas to earthwork volume. And nonlinear spot level method of unequal interval grid is compared with linear and nonlinear sport level method of equal interval grid excavation volume. As a result algorithm of derived area and volume formula should provide a better accuracy than linear and nonlinear spot level currently in use. Practical application of each method to the excavation volume is illustrated by digital elevation model of aerial photogrammetry and model test of aquarium.


Abstract The endogenous cannabinoid system plays important roles in the retina of mice and monkeys via their classic CB1 and CB2 receptors. We have previously reported that the G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55), a putative cannabinoid receptor, is exclusively expressed in rod photoreceptors in the monkey retina, suggesting its possible role in scotopic vision. To test this hypothesis, we recorded full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) after the intravitreal injection of the GPR55 agonist lysophosphatidylglucoside (LPG) or the selective GPR55 antagonist CID16020046 (CID), under light- and dark-adapted conditions. Thirteen vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) were used in this study: four controls (injected with the vehicle dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO), four injected with LPG and five with CID. We analyzed amplitudes and latencies of the a-wave (photoreceptor responses) and the b-wave (rod and cone system responses) of the ERG. Our results showed that after injection of LPG, the amplitude of the scotopic b-wave was significantly higher, whereas after the injection of CID, it was significantly decreased, compared to the vehicle (DMSO). On the other hand, the a-wave amplitude, and the a-wave and b-wave latencies, of the scotopic ERG responses were not significantly affected by the injection of either compound. Furthermore, the photopic ERG waveforms were not affected by either drug. These results support the hypothesis that GPR55 plays an instrumental role in mediating scotopic vision.


This study investigated the images that people have of the unemployed. In study 1, general images of the unemployed were ascertained through qualitative and quantitative research. Various images, both positive and negative, were found for the unemployed in general. In study 2, a scale to measure the level of stigma associated with the unemployed was created based on the images from study 1. The results yielded four subscales for stigma associated with the unemployed. University students seemed to show more stigma for the unemployed on some sub-scales than typical adults did. Working experiences, such as an internship or a part-time job during student life, would promote the reduction of the stigma associated with the unemployed.


This paper presents preliminary analysis and modelling of facial motion capture data recorded on a speaker uttering nonsense syllables and sentences with various acted facial expressions. We analyze here the impact of facial expressions on articulation and determine prediction errors of simple models trained to map neutral articulation to the various facial expressions targeted. We show that movement of some speech organs such as the jaw and lower lip are relatively unaffected by the facial expressions considered here (smile, disgust) while others such as the movement of the upper lip or the jaw translation are quite perturbed. We also show that these perturbations are not simply additive, and that they depend on


Background Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are now considered a new therapeutic option for SLE patients refractory to conventional therapies. MSCs autologous transplantation showed less therapeutic efficacy than the allogenic one and morphologic and functional defects observed in MSCs from SLE patients are considered the main cause. However, it has also been postulated that other patient-related factors could interfere with MSC functions and, among these, underlying therapies could represent an important issue to be considered. Objectives The present study was designed to explore whether an in vivo treatment with Hydroxichloroquine (HCQ) might interfere with bone marrow MSC frequency and ex vivo expansion in a murine model of SLE. Methods Ten NZB/WF1 mice (NZ) were daily treated with oral hydroxychloroquine (3 mg/Kg body weight) starting from 12 weeks of age and compared to 10 age-matched untreated NZ mice. The mice were observed until sacrifice at 30 weeks of age. At sacrifice, bone marrow was harvested from tibias and femurs from each mouse and mononuclear cells were plated at the same density of 300000 cell/cm2. Bone-marrow derived MSCs (bmMSCs) were isolated by plastic adherence and expanded in standard medium for murine MSC culture. Clonogenic potential was evaluated by colony-forming-unit-fibroblasts- assay (CFU-f) and population doubling (PD) analysis was performed to evaluate the culture growth curve. To confirm the mesenchymal nature of the cells obtained, differentiation tests (osteogenic and adipogenic) as well as immunophenotyping were performed; the cell sorting analysis evaluated the expression of the following surface marker antigens: Sca-1, CD90.2, CD45, CD106, CD34. Results The mean CFU frequency 7 and 14 days after seeding resulted 4.5 x10-7 (±2.3 x10-7) and 27x10-7 (±9.1 x 10-7) respectively in treated mice and 16 x10-7(±3.3 x10-7) and 38 x 10 -7(±14 x 10-7) in untreated mice; in treated mice CFU frequency was significantly lower at 7 days (p=0.01) while no statistically significant differences were observed at 14 days (p=0.4). As expressed by linear regression analysis, the cumulative PD was significantly lower in treated mice and the growth curve low steep (y=0.0423x-0.2565, r2=0.9 in treated and y=0,1023x-9.7 R² = 0,9 in untreated mice, respectively). Moreover, while in untreated mice the growth curve demonstrated exponential rate until 240 days after seeding (for a cumulative PD of 14), in treated mice the growth curve tended to be flatter and reached the plateau around 130 days after seeding (for a cumulative PD of 6). No differences have been observed between groups in surface marker antigen expression or in differentiation capabilities. Conclusions Hydroxichloroqine is frequently used in SLE as background treatment both in inactive and active disease. Our data show that an in vivo treatment with hydroxichloroquine for 18 weeks in NZ mice altered the frequency and clonogenicity of ex vivo expanded bmMSC and the proliferation rate. If confirmed in future studies, this observation might suggest an important issue to be considered when evaluating the functional properties of bmMSC from patients with systemic autoimmune diseases under treatment with hydroxichloroquine. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared


The union-closed sets conjecture (Frankl's conjecture) says that for any finite unionclosed family of finite sets, other than the family consisting only of the empty set, there exists an element that belongs to at least half of the sets in the family. In this paper, we introduce a stronger version of Frankl's conjecture and give a partial proof. The idea in this paper may be used to study the original Frankl's conjecture.


We use semiclassical methods to evaluate the spectral two-point correlation function of quantum chaotic systems with discrete geometrical symmetries. The energy spectra of these systems can be divided into subspectra that are associated with irreducible representations of the corresponding symmetry group. We show that for (spinless) time-reversal invariant systems, the statistics inside these subspectra depends on the type of irreducible representation. For real representations the spectral statistics agrees with those of the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of random matrix theory (RMT), whereas complex representations correspond to the Gaussian unitary ensemble (GUE). For systems without time-reversal invariance, all subspectra show GUE statistics. There are no correlations between non-degenerate subspectra. Our techniques generalize recent developments in the semiclassical approach to quantum chaos allowing one to obtain full agreement with the two-point correlation function predicted by RMT, including oscillatory contributions.


Music is a very soft and subtle sound that cools the ears and soothes the soul. Ancient scholars have concluded that Tamil is a musical and musical drama. Music raises a wide variety of melodies from its instruments and instruments by the magnificence of the people. The classification system is still not found in any other language. Although there is no one who does not know the nature and differences of music in general and does not like music in general. Thiruvalluvar has concocted the idea that music and musical instruments existed among the Tamils even before the Sangam literature, even though the Sangam literature is a testament to the spread of music in Tamil. One of the great epics of Sangam literature, Tolkappiyam, Silappathikaram also contains many stories about Tamil music. The music now spreads from the educated to the palmer. Thus this article suggests that the place of music in literature is enormous.


Recent guidelines suggest dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after 'drug-eluting' stent (DES) implantation for 6 months in stable patients and for 12 months in patients after acute coronary syndrome. Serious complications after stent implantation include stent thrombosis, recurrent myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, cardiovascular death and bleeding. These complications also occur beyond 1 year after coronary intervention. Thus, it is important to consider whether a prolonged DAPT (>12 months after percutaneous coronary intervention) is of benefit to lower thrombo-ischemic events in high-risk patients. This review addresses the results of recent randomized clinical studies (DAPT, ITALIC, OPTIDUAL and PEGASUS) and meta-analyses to support the author's view of which patient collectives might benefit from prolonged DAPT.


Vanadium salts and organic complexes diminish or reverse many of the consequences of insulin deficiency and insulin resistance in vivo. It is widely assumed that the inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases can explain biological effects of vanadium; however, there is considerable evidence in vitro that vanadium can act significantly downstream from the protein tyrosine phosphorylation "level" of signal transduction. The aim of these studies was to focus on the ability of vanadium to inhibit hormone-sensitive triglyceride (TG) hydrolysis because this action is observed at rather low vanadium concentrations (typically 10-100 uM) and the mechanisms involved in the control of TG hydrolysis are well defined. Based on the balance of prior studies, this thesis focused on the possibility that cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) might be a viable target for inhibition by vanadium. These studies confirmed that PKA could be potently inhibited by vanadium. Due to the complexity of interactions between vanadate, vanadyl and reagents used in assay mixtures, it was essential to define the experimental conditions carefully to allow unambiguous characterization of the effects of vanadium. Following initial optimization of enzyme activity, PKA was found to be inhibited by high concentrations of vanadyl sulphate (VS) (IC50 > 400 uM). However, PKA inhibition was seen at dramatically lower VS concentration (IC50 < 25 uM) when sequestration of vanadyl ions was minimized. Under these conditions, the true concentration of vanadyl was lower than the threshold for detection by EPR spectroscopy (~ 15 uM). The derived kinetic constants (Xi values < 20 uM) must still be considered "apparent" values and the true affinity constant of vanadyl for PKA is probably even lower. The effective PKA inhibitor species is likely to be vanadyl because a range of divalent cation chelators abolished PKA inhibition by VS. Vanadyl was both a weak cofactor and a strong inhibitor of PKA, perhaps replicating the dual roles hypothesized for magnesium. From the results of EPR and kinetic studies, it was concluded that the vanadyl EPR signal is enhanced in the presence of glutathione at physiological pH. Significantly, the combination of reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH and GSSG) was more effective than either form in maintaining the vanadyl EPR signal at pH 7-9. The most effective combination of GSH and GSSG observed in these studies is similar to that expected within mammalian cells. In conclusion, these studies provide evidence that PKA could be an important target for vanadyl action in vivo, the vanadyl being produced and stabilized through the actions of GSH and GSSG.


Correlating the physicochemical parameters for assessment of the groundwater quality has emerged as a very useful approach for water use. Taking water samples from the Toba Tek Singh District of Pakistan, this study assess the water quality for drinking and irrigation purposes. A sum-total of 72nos. groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for the purpose of different water quality parameters including sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), bicarbonate (HCO- 3), chloride (Cl-), sulphate (SO4 2-), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) and total hardness (TH). The results obtained were, then, compared with the standard desirable limits of physicochemical parameters prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) for drinking purposes. In order to classify the groundwater suitability for irrigation purpose, parameters such as sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), percent sodium (PS), permeability index (PI), residual sodium bicarbonate (RSBC), Kelly's ratio (KR), and magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR) were also calculated on the basis of chemical data. After that, the correlation coefficients between different physicochemical parameters were calculated to identify the highly correlated and interrelated parameters for water quality. Different plots like Piper, Durov, Schoeller and Stiff diagrams were drawn to classify the groundwater ability for different purposes. These several classifications show most of groundwater samples falling within the safe limits and thus suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes, except of a few samples with a caution that it may get worse in the future.


Closure of logging wounds on 96 sample trees was evaluated after 2, 5, and 10 years for Appalachian hardwood trees in north-central West Virginia. For yellow-poplar, northern red oak, black cherry, and white oak, many small wounds, 1 to 50 square inches in size, closed between 5 and 10 years after logging. For larger wounds, 50 to 200 square inches, it appears that many of these wounds may not close for at least 15 or perhaps 20 years after logging. Recommendations are provided to minimize logging wounds on residual trees in partially cut stands.


The business-driven access control used in cloud computing is not well suited for tracking fine-grained user service consumption. UCONABC applies continuous authorization reevaluation, which requires usage accounting that enables fine-grained access control for cloud computing. However, it was not designed to work in distributed and dynamic authorization environments like those present in cloud computing. During a continuous (periodical) reevaluation, an authorization exception condition, disparity among usage accounting and authorization attributes may occur. This proposal aims to provide resilience to the UCONABC continuous authorization reevaluation, by dealing with individual exception conditions while maintaining a suitable access control in the cloud environment. The experiments made with a proof-of-concept prototype show a set of measurements for an application scenario (e-commerce) and allows for the identification of exception conditions in the authorization reevaluation.