This paper presents a reduced but reprehensive real time network model constructed in RSCAD for RTDS to evaluate the impact of HVDC systems and Non-Synchronous Generation (NSG) on the protection performance in the AC grid. The proposed network model could be flexibly configured to evaluate key factors that could affect the protection performance, including the level of system strength, different control strategies adopted in the HVDC system, different levels of synchronous compensation installed at the HVDC site, etc. The developed network model contains a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC)-based HVDC system, a NSG unit representing the converter-interfaced generation and a Synchronous Condenser (SC) representing the level of synchronous compensation. A flexible controller is designed for the HVDC system to realise various typically used control strategies, including balanced current control, constant active power control and constant reactive power control, and inject a desired level of the negative sequence current as required. The NSG employs the widely-adopted PQ control strategy. Three typical controllers, comprising the Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR), constant reactive power and droop controller, are implemented for the SC to realistically emulate the SC behaviour under different control modes. Case studies on the application of the model for testing distance protection performance are presented. The developed model is suitable for both pure simulation-based studies and also hardware-in-the-loop test when connected to an external physical relay, thus providing an ideal testing platform for identifying the potential critical protection issues and the potential solutions in future power networks with high penetration of renewables.


Abstract Notably the integration of additives such as growth factors, vitamins, and drugs with scaffolds promoted nerve tissue engineering. This study tried to provide a concise review of all these additives that facilitates nerve regeneration. An attempt was first made to provide information on the main principle of nerve tissue engineering, and then to shed light on the effectiveness of these additives on nerve tissue engineering. Our research has shown that growth factors accelerate cell proliferation and survival, while vitamins play an effective role in cell signalling, differentiation, and tissue growth. They can also act as hormones, antioxidants, and mediators. Drugs also have an excellent and necessary effect on this process by reducing inflammation and immune responses. This review shows that growth factors were more effective than vitamins and drugs in nerve tissue engineering. Nevertheless, vitamins were the most commonly used additive in the production of nerve tissue. Graphical Abstract


This thesis presents a critical edition of the Anglican cathedral works of Irish-born
composer Sir John Andrew Stevenson (1761-1833). It evaluates his contribution to that
repertoire and the inclusion of his works in the programmes of various cathedrals
throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. Consideration will also be paid to Stevenson's
place alongside his contemporaries and to the popularity of his works throughout the
nineteenth century. Various criticisms of the composer's works will be explored.
The first chapter of the thesis outlines Stevenson's biography, focusing on him as
composer both of secular and sacred music. The second chapter looks at conditions in the
Dublin cathedrals c.1800. Chapter three focuses on external influences on Stevenson's
compositional style, including the music of Haydn; it also appraises Stevenson's legacy and
establishes him as a prolific composer whose contribution to the repertoire of Irish
cathedral music was of notable importance.
A number of primary sources exist for Stevenson's cathedral works. These are
considered in the second part of the thesis, which also describes the process of editing and
dating the compositions following analyses of primary sources with textual commentaries.
The third part of the thesis presents a critical edition of all of Stevenson's cathedral works.
The rationale behind the preparation of this edition stems from the paucity of critical
editions of Irish cathedral music in general. To date the following remain the only exercises
in critical editions of the works of Irish cathedral composers: Barra Boydell's editions of
selected anthems from the repertoire of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin (1998), Gillen and
Johnstone's A Historical Anthology of Irish Church Music (2001); Douglas Gunn's
editions of individual cathedral works by Thomas Carter (c.1740-1804), Daniel
Roseingrave (1650-1727)
, Ralph Roseingrave (c.1695-1747) and Richard Woodward
(1743-1777); and various unpublished editions prepared as MA theses, including those
studies by Carol Cunningham (1997), Eithne Donnelly (1998), Elaine Sherwin (2000)
and Nicola Horn (2004). As an initial step, the number and titles of the anthems.


Trust lies at the heart of every social interaction. Each day we face decisions in which we must accurately assess another individual's trustworthiness or risk suffering very real consequences. In a global marketplace of increasing heterogeneity with respect to nationality, race, and multiple other social categories, it is of great value to understand how implicitly held attitudes about group membership may support or undermine social trust and thereby implicitly shape the decisions we make. Recent behavioral and neuroimaging work suggests that a common mechanism may underlie the expression of implicit race bias and evaluations of trustworthiness, although no direct evidence of a connection exists. In two behavioral studies, we investigated the relationship between implicit race attitude (as measured by the Implicit Association Test) and social trust. We demonstrate that race disparity in both an individual's explicit evaluations of trustworthiness and, more crucially, his or her economic decisions to trust is predicted by that person's bias in implicit race attitude. Importantly, this relationship is robust and is independent of the individual's bias in explicit race attitude. These data demonstrate that the extent to which an individual invests in and trusts others with different racial backgrounds is related to the magnitude of that individual's implicit race bias. The core dimension of social trust can be shaped, to some degree, by attitudes that reside outside conscious awareness and intention.


This essay reviews The Clinic and the Court (Ian Harper, Tobias Kelly, and Akshay Khanna eds., 2015) and The Role of Social Science in Law (Elizabeth Mertz ed., 2008). One edited volume focuses on medicine; the other on social science. Each shows how expert discourses interact with the expert discourse of law, being shaped by it and shaping it from the inside. And each provides a chance to consider how we can study the role of context in law: how to recognize moments where legal actors pick out aspects of the world as relevant, how to evaluate their interpretations of those aspects, and how to trace those interpretations as they make their way into the law. Each piece brings face to face two expert discourses, each of which sometimes claims for itself a uniquely powerful, monolithic status. The challenge, then, is to believe neither at the same time: to show how both have porous borders, internally complex organization, and characteristics that are subject to change. That means imagining law and other expert disciplines not as complete, bounded wholes colliding on the field of the social, but as continuously interpenetrating influences on partly formed, partly developing tendencies. The essays in these important volumes usefully illuminate fissures in the walls that law builds to set itself off, showing how non-legal knowledges and methodologies operate in the very core of legal discourse, influencing legal decisions and processes from the inside. And they provide tools and approaches to use in illuminating other such areas. At the same time, I worry that at least parts of these books take a bit for granted the internal structure, and specifically the unity, of law itself. After all, the nature of legal action depends crucially on distributions of authority, divisions of labor, tropes of legitimation, and traditions of practice among the diverse persons and institutions that make up the state: the expert discourse of law itself is highly internally variegated. Even in these essays, where agency regulation permeates the action, the go-to image of the legal setting is the courtroom, with its judges, litigators, and opinions. What effect, I wonder, does the unmarked nature of that image — which captures such a tiny portion of actual legal practice — have on how we formulate scholarship about the law, and how we imagine that scholarship interacting with legal discourse?


PURPOSE
To summarize the contemporary scientific evidence available regarding restorative dental treatment in patients with Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI).

METHODS
An electronic literature search was conducted using the search term "Amelogenesis imperfecta" and the PubMed/MEDLINE database as well as Google Scholar. Prospective and retrospective clinical studies that investigated the outcome of direct and/or indirect dental restorative treatment in patients with AI, were published in English, and had an observation time of at least 1 year were included in this review. The articles identified were screened and analyzed by two reviewers according to inclusion and exclusion criteria in three review rounds.

RESULTS
Six prospective or retrospective clinical studies analyzing longevity and complications associated with dental restorative treatment in patients with AI met the inclusion criteria. Extracted data suggest that in patients with AI, indirect restorations feature superior predictability and longevity than direct restorations.

CONCLUSIONS
As endodontic complications were infrequently observed and periodontal parameters regularly improve with the insertion of indirect restorations, dental treatment in patients with AI should focus on indirect restorations as soon as possible. While adhesive bonding techniques to enamel surfaces in patients with AI feature merely limited predictability and longevity and as the available data is scarce, further laboratory and clinical studies should be performed to investigate the performance of minimally invasive indirect restorations bonded to enamel in patients with AI.

RECOMMENDATION
Scientific evidence indicates that indirect restorations should be preferred over direct restorations in patients with AI.


Transgenerational plasticity (TGP) occurs when the environment experienced by parents induces changes in offspring traits1. Such effects can be adaptive or non-adaptive2,3 and are increasingly recognised as key determinants of health4, cognition5, development6 and performance7–9 across a wide range of taxa, including humans. While the conditions that favour maternal TGP are well understood10,11, rapidly accumulating evidence indicates that TGP can be maternal or paternal 12–15, and offspring responses can be sex-specific12–18. However, the evolutionary mechanisms that drive this diversity are unknown. Here we use individual-based models to show that diverse patterns of TGP can evolve when the sexes experience different environments. We find that non-adaptive patterns of TGP result when alleles at loci that determine offspring responses to environmental information originating from the mother and father are subject to sexually antagonistic selection. By contrast, a variety of sex-specific responses evolve via duplication and sex-limitation of loci responsive to parental information, including non-adaptive TGP when sexual selection is strong. Sexual conflict can therefore explain why adaptive TGP evolves in some species but not others, why sons and daughters respond to parental signals in different ways, and why complex patterns of sex-specific TGP may often be non-adaptive.


PCP has been widely used in a number of industrial applications. As a consequence of its intensive use and due to the stability of its molecule, it has become a progressively widespread contaminant in soil, sediments and landfills. Because classical remediation technologies (incineration, etc.) are generally non-ecological and non-economical, alternative methods involving biodegradation by microbial populations have been developed. The two known pathways of biodegradation (oxidative and reductive), as well as factors affecting PCP degradation by microbial strains, are reviewed here. Also, different suggested bioremediation strategies and those recently developed are outlined.


In a previous paper, meteorological circumstances of myocardial infarctions, cerebrovascular attacks, and suicidal attempts were studied by a univariate method. The present work used the same clinical reports, collected by the Medical Emergency Assistance System (SAMU) in the Paris area from 1975 to 1977, but with multivariate calculations. 150 potential predictive indicators were submitted to "progressive ascending selection". Selected indicators were then combined into a composite index by "linear canonic discrimination". This index was tested in terms of successful prediction. The 150 indicators were: 1) meteorological variables, recorded at ground level, such as wind and temperature (expressed respectively in 28 and 24 ways), airpressure, moisture; 2) variables computed from data recorded in altitude; 3) pollutants; 4) non-meteorological indicators, such as day of the week, season, solar activity; 5) the "past of the predictand", i.e. the frequency of infarctions during the previous days; 6) types of weather, defined after confronting meteorological maps with clinical data. The coding of qualitative data required a new procedure. The event to be predicted, which occurred only one day a week, was an incidence of infarctions of at least twice the average. The percentage of successful prediction was 78.7%. The type of weather was by far the best indicator. Detrimental circumstances were changing weathers, with in the order of decreasing correlations, atmosphere fluxes coming from S-SE, E, SW, and NW. These results complete those of univariate analysis. They validate a simple and efficient predictive method, similar in its principle to that used in Germany.


The substantial decrease in solubility accompanying the reduction of U(VI) to U(IV), producing the sparingly soluble mineral uraninite, is viewed as a potential mechanism for the sequestration of environmental uranium contamination. In recent years, a variety of bacteria have been reported to exhibit this reductive capacity. To obtain an understanding of the microbial uranium transformation, to develop a practical approach for the acceleration of in-situ bioreduction, and to predict the long-term fate of environmental uranium, several aspects of the microbial reduction process have been experimentally explored. This dissertation outlines the research that investigates rates of microbial uranium reduction under various experimental conditions, probes the product(s) of enzymatic U(VI) reduction and elaborates the structure of one product –biogenic uraninite– demonstrating the structure- and reactivity-modifying effect of a dopant (Mn(II)) and lastly identifies the products of abiotic uranium reduction by biogenic magnetite and vivianite.


From a social capital theoretical perspective, deficiencies in access to mainstream ties and institutions explain persistent joblessness among the black urban poor. Little problematized, however, is the extent to which access leads to mobilization and the social context within which social capital activation occurs. Employing in‐depth interviews of 105 low‐income African‐Americans, this work advances the literature in two ways. First, it suggests that what we have come to view as deficiencies in access among the black urban poor may have more to do with functional deficiencies of their job referral networks. Second, the findings from this study lay the groundwork for a single, multilevel conceptual framework within which to understand social capital activation, a framework that takes into consideration properties of the individuals, dyads, and communities of residence.


Since the first description of chondroectodermal dysplasia by Ellis and van Creveld in 1940,1approximately 32 cases of this syndrome have been reported in the literature. Recent articles2-5have reviewed the literature and discussed the salient features of the disease. Characteristically, there is ectodermal dysplasia, chondrodysplasia, and polydactyly, with or without associated congenital heart lesions and other defects. This report is concerned with the 33d case to be described and the results of chromosome analysis done on this patient. To our knowledge there have been no previous reports of chromosome studies in a patient with this syndrome. Report of Case A 3½-year-old white female of Italian descent, was admitted to the Jersey City Medical Center, N.J., on March 8, 1961 because of fever and respiratory distress of 24 hours' duration. Past History.—This patient was the product of a normal full-term pregnancy and delivery; birth weight was 2,778


We purified lactotrophs from pituitary tumors induced by estrogen in ovariectomized female Fischer 344 rats from 80% of the population before to more than 90% after purification through a continuous Percoll density gradient. The percentage of lactotrophs was evaluated by immunofluorescence. The patterns of PRL release stimulated by 100 nM TRH, 20 microM A23187 (a Ca++ ionophore), 50 nM 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (a C-kinase activator), or combinations of these agents, or inhibited by 10 microM dopamine were similar in perifused primary cultures of tumor lactotrophs to patterns in cultures of anterior pituitary cells from female retired breeders used previously. In particular, dopamine completely inhibited the release stimulated by forskolin. Intracellular cAMP concentrations and PRL accumulation in the medium were measured in monolayer cultures of purified tumor lactotrophs. In 9 separate experiments, forskolin (10 microM) increased intracellular cAMP concentrations more than 60-fold above control after 30 min of incubation. Preincubation (30 min) with dopamine (10 microM) reduced the cAMP accumulation caused by forskolin, but levels were still at least 20-fold above basal levels in most experiments. PRL release was stimulated 2-fold with forskolin alone, but there was no stimulation of PRL release by forskolin in the presence of dopamine even though cAMP levels were elevated above basal. Therefore, a decrease in cAMP levels is not necessary to inhibit PRL release, and dopamine must have a mechanism for inhibiting PRL release in addition to inhibiting adenylate cyclase.


Cellular automata as an emerging technology have been adapted increasingly by geographers and planners to simulate the spatial and temporal processes of urban growth. While the literature reports many applications of cellular automata models for urban studies, in practice, the operation of the models as well as the configuration and calibration of relevant parameters used in the models were only known to the model builders. This is largely due to the constraint that most cellular automata models were developed based on desktop computer programs, either by incorporating the model within a desktop GIS environment, or developing the model independent of a desktop GIS. Consequently, there is little input from the user to test or visualise the actual operation or evaluate the applicability of the model under different conditions. This paper presents a methodology to implement a fuzzy constrained cellular automata model of urban growth within a web-based GIS environment, using the actual urban growth of Metropolitan Sydney, Australia from 1976 to 2006 as a case study. With the web-based cellular automata model, users can visualise and test the operation of the model; they can also modify or calibrate the model's parameters to evaluate its simulation accuracies, or even feed the model with various 'what-if' conditions to generate alterative outcomes. Such a web-based modelling platform provides a useful and effective channel for government authority and stakeholders to evaluate different urban growth scenarios. It also provides an interactive environment that can foster public participation in urban planning and management.


Abstract It is common practice to estimate a mean diameter for spherical or sub-spherical particles or vesicles in a rock by multiplying the average diameter of the approximately circular cross-sections visible in thin section by a factor of 1.273. This number-weighted average may be dominated by the hard-to-measure fine tail of the size distribution, and is unlikely to be representative of the average particle diameter of greatest interest for a wide range of geological problems or processes. Average particle size can be quantified in a variety of ways, based on the mass or surface area of the particles, and herewe provide exact relations of these different average measures to straightforward measurements possible in thin section, including an analysis of how many particles to measure to achieve a desired level of uncertainty. The use of average particle diameter is illustrated firstly with a consideration of the accumulation of olivine phenocrysts on the floor of the 135 m thick picrodolerite/crinanite unit of the Shiant Isles Main Sill.We show that the 45 mthick crystal pile on the sill floor could have formed by crystal settling within about a year. The second geological example is provided by an analysis of the sizes of exsolved Fe-rich droplets during unmixing of a basaltic melt in a suite of experimental charges. We show that the size distribution cannot be explained by sudden nucleation, followed by either Ostwald ripening or Brownian coalescence. We deduce that a continuous process of droplet nucleation during cooling is likely to have occurred.


The Meloland Overcrossing is located 0.3 mi from the Imperial fault and was shaken by ground surface motions of up to 0.3 g during the Imperial Valley earthquake of 1979 (magnitude M = 6.4). While there was no significant damage to this instrumented highway bridge or any reported surface evidence of subsurface liquefaction, it is assessed that liquefaction occurred in up to three layers at the site at various times during the first eight seconds of shaking. A modified level ground liquefaction analysis after Seed and others (1983) was used to assess such time dependent development of liquefaction. Results from such evaluations were used to assess and explain anomalies in the lateral and rotational responses of the central pier pile foundation demonstrating that the central pier of the Meloland Overcrossing came periously close to complete collapse during this event. This is contrary to the bridge designer9s belief that this highway bridge performed quite well during the earthquake as characterized solely by the lack of observable damage to the bridge. It is further suggested that the time dependent evaluation of liquefaction demonstrated herein can be used on other projects where one likewise wishes to assess the amount of deformation (e.g., the rotationally induced settlement in the case of Meloland) that is likely to ensue.


Recently, by genetic and biochemical approaches, it has been shown that adenovirus VAI RNA is required for efficient translation of viral mRNAs at late times after infection. To understand the nucleotide sequences and the domains of the VAI RNA that are responsible for the role of VAI RNA in enhancement of translation, a mutational analysis of the VAI gene was undertaken. Deletion, substitution, and insertion mutations covering most of the nucleotide sequences of VAI RNA were introduced into the VAI gene at the plasmid level. These mutant genes were then reintroduced into the virus, and growth properties of the mutant viruses were studied. The majority of the mutants retained normal or nearly normal levels of biological function. Mutations in the region between +43 and +53 and between +107 and the 3' end of the gene resulted in a considerable loss of activity. These mutants, however, grew significantly better than did an adenovirus type 5 mutant lacking both functional VAI and VAII genes, indicating that they retain a portion of their activity. Because no one mutation was able to completely abolish the function, we suggest that the VAI RNA may have multiple functional sites for its translation modulation function. These multiple sites may be short oligonucleotide sequences that may interact with cellular or viral components or both during translation.


White Leghorn pullets of the Y1, Y2, and North Central Randombred (NCR) experimental stocks were used. Half of the birds of each stock had half of the upper and less of the lower mandible removed at 4 wk of age by making a V-shaped cut as viewed from the side (BT), whereas the other half retained their beaks intact (IN). Pullets were moved from growing pens to a layer house at 18 wk of age. Seventy-two cages and 30 floor pens were filled with 6 and 20 birds per unit, respectively. Pullets within a cage or floor pen were all of the same genetic stock and beak treatment. All measurements were performed within 10 wk after housing, except for mortality in cages. When kept in cages, genetic stocks did not show behavioral differences. However, in floor pens, stock differences were detected in feeding, crouching, and nonaggressive pecking. When kept in cages, the stocks also differed in 24-wk body weight, weight gain from 18 to 24 wk, and certain measures of fearfulness in both cages and pens, and in feather condition at 21 and 22 wk. Mortality from cannibalism and hen-days survival of caged IN pullets differed among genetic stocks. Mortality from cannibalism was absent among pullets kept in experimental floor pens. In cages, BT pullets were less active, gained less weight, and had lower incidence of cannibalism than IN pullets. Also, BT pullets were less nervous and had better feather condition than IN pullets. However, trimming beaks to prevent cannibalism was less effective in NCR pullets than in Y1 or Y2 pullets. In floor pens, BT pullets showed less activity and reduced feeding frequency and less fearfulness as indicated by duration of induced tonic immobility. Agonistic behaviors were not different between BT and IN pullets. From these results, beak trimming could be interpreted as having either stressful or stress-alleviating effects, depending on the criteria used. However, proper beak trimming appears beneficial when cannibalistic pecking is likely to be a problem. The relative benefits of beak trimming vary among genetic stocks.


OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the association between suicidal ideation in early adulthood and daily tobacco smoking in a community sample of adolescents.

METHOD
Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study of health and development. The factors of disadvantage, impulsiveness, stress, depressed mood, tobacco smoking, other substance use, and parental attachment were included in multivariate modelling of suicidal ideation.

RESULTS
Data on tobacco use were available for 764 participants. Early tobacco smoking was significantly predictive of later suicidal ideation, but there was no longer a significant relationship when high levels of stress and depression and low levels of parental attachment in adolescence were included in the multivariate model.

CONCLUSIONS
Tobacco smoking in adolescence does not appear to elevate the risk of later suicidal ideation.


The effect of processing conditions such as frying time and temperature, and batter formulation on pore development in deep-fat fried chicken nuggets coatings were studied using helium pycnometer method. Chicken nuggets with preformed and laboratory prepared batter coatings were fried at temperatures between 170 and 190 °C for a time range between 0 and 240 s. There was significant (P < 0.05) effect of frying temperature and batter formulation on porosity. Porosity increased with frying time and temperature, and ranged between 2.15 and 47.92% for the preformed batter and 9.96 and 54.76% for the formulated batters. Apparent and bulk densities of the preformed batters increased and decreased with frying time, respectively, but both declined gradually with increasing frying temperature. As the level of rice flour in the formulation increased, apparent and bulk densities also increased. Batter formulation and frying temperature significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the variation in moisture and fat content of the fried batter. Porosity demonstrated positive and negative correlation with fat uptake and moisture loss, respectively, for all the batter coatings.


Visual methods are becoming increasingly popular in social sciences, but are still little explored when it comes to water related studies. Drawing on literature on visual methods and documentary filmmaking, this paper reflects on the role and potential of videography to capture and visualize inequalities in urban water supply and access. The paper is based on research undertaken over a period of 4 years, in which a mix of talk based and videographic methods was used to capture the production of uneven conditions of access to water in Lilongwe, Malawi, and Maputo, Mozambique. It reflects on the important and unique ethical questions raised by video‐based methods, including the data collection process, the type of knowledge that is produced, how it is mobilized, who has access to it and the relation between representation of social reality and the power of storytelling.


A large body of research shows that children who live with two married biological parents have lower levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems compared to their peers in other family structure, including cohabitating biological families. Such patterns suggest that marriage provides a uniquely protective family environment, though we know less about children in the obvious counterfactual case: married stepfamilies. While research suggests children with stepfathers have more behavior problems than those living with married biological parents, we know little about how children with stepmothers fare, or how children with stepparents fare compared to those living with cohabiting biological parents. We use the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) sweep 6 to compare children living with married biological parents, married fathers and stepmothers, and cohabiting biological parents. We find that family structure has no significant relationship with children's internalizing behavior problems, but that children living with a stepmother and biological cohabitating families exhibit more externalizing behavior problems than do those living with married biological parents. Covariates that indicate both physical and social family environments must be considered together to explain differences in married-parent families on externalizing behavior problems.


When facing sacrificial dilemmas in which harm maximizes outcomes, people appear sensitive to three moral principles: They are more averse to actively causing harm than passively allowing it (action principle), causing harm directly than indirectly (contact principle), and causing harm as a means than as a by-product of helping others (intention principle). Across five studies and a meta-analysis (N = 1,218), we examined whether individual differences in people's sensitivity to these principles were related to participants' moral preferences on sacrificial dilemmas. Interestingly, sensitivity to each of these principles was related to both elevated harm-rejection (i.e., deontological) as well as elevated outcome-maximization (i.e., utilitarian) response tendencies. Rather than increasing responses consistent with only one philosophical position, people sensitive to moral principles balanced moral concerns about causing harm and maximizing outcomes similar to people high in other measures of moral concern.


The numerical weather prediction (NWP) model outputs are point deterministic values arranged on a three‐dimensional grid. However, there is always some level of uncertainty in the prediction. Many applications would benefit from provision of relevant uncertainty information along with the forecast. A common means of formulating and communicating forecast uncertainty are prediction intervals (PI). In this study, various methods for modelling the uncertainty of NWP forecasts are investigated and PIs provided for predictions accordingly. In particular, the interest is in analysing the historical performance of the system as a valuable source of information for uncertainty analysis. Various clustering algorithms are employed to group the performance records as the first step of the PI determination process. In the second step, a range of methods are used to fit appropriate probability distributions to errors of each cluster. As a result, PIs can be computed dynamically depending on the forecast context. The clustering algorithms are applied over different feature sets and derived and generated features. All presented PI computation methods are empirically evaluated using a comprehensive verification framework in a set of experiments involving two real‐world data sets of NWP forecasts and observations. The proposed evaluation provides a considerably fairer and more reliable judgement compared to existing methods. Results show that incorporating trained uncertainty model outputs into the NWP point predictions provides PI forecasts with higher reliability and skill. This can lead to improvement of decision processes for many applications that rely on these forecasts. Copyright © 2013 Royal Meteorological Society


Developers and researchers have been using crowdsourcing in a variety of fields related to software development and software engineering. Crowd based documentation is another yield of crowdsourcing where the coder community or workers document the software. In the present work, we have analyzed how crowdsourcing can be used for an API documentation. The study is based on the fact that good programmers write descriptive variables and method names and continue to do so for future references. A variety of tools such as Amazon Mechanical Turk, ETurk and DocIt were evaluated for the purpose. Among these, DocIt and ETurk were built in-house. The evaluation of the documentation was performed by experienced coders. This is a preliminary experiment which was performed in a controlled environment. Results were encouraging and help us to determine that in future crowd based documentation might help to reduce time to market and improve software quality.


Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using linked pharmacy claims and cancer registry data from the population-based National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI). Women with stage IV breast cancer at initial diagnosis (2004-2006), who received HTx as 1st line treatment for ≥90 days were identified (tamoxifen, toremifene, fulvestrant, anastrozole, letrozole, exemestane). Compliance was calculated over the time that patients remained on HTx i.e. from the date of treatment initiation to the earliest of either HTx discontinuation or end of follow up (31/12/07, 3 years or death). Patients discontinuing HTx were assigned their compliance rate at this time for the remainder of follow-up. In the primary analysis Cox proportional hazard models with late entry at 90 days post HTx initiation and time varying compliance (defined dichotomously as: low Results: 359 women with stage IV breast cancer at diagnosis were identified. Of these, 151 received HTx as 1st line treatment. Median HTx compliance was 84.8%, (range 19.4%-100%; interquartile range 75.5%-100%). Demographic, tumor and treatment characteristics were similar between low (n=51) and high (n=100) compliance groups. The number and distribution of metastatic sites at diagnosis was also similar (low/high compliance: bone only 70.6%/70.0%, lung only 17.6%/18.0%, liver only 11.8%/14.0%, brain only 0.0%/0.0%, other 13.7%/17.0%, multiple sites 15.7%/18.0%). Compliance rates for both compliance groups increased marginally over time. Unadjusted all-cause mortality rates were 143 and 359 deaths/1000 woman years for low and high compliance respectively. Low compliance was associated with a 90% increased risk of all-cause (HR 1.90; 95%CI 1.06, 3.41) and breast cancer specific (HR 1.91; 95%CI 1.03, 3.55) mortality. In the secondary analyses low compliance was associated with a shorter time to HTx discontinuation (HR 1.97; 95%CI 1.01, 3.84). Low compliance within the first 90 days of treatment was associated with non-significantly increased mortality (all-cause HR 1.57; 95%CI 0.88, 2.80; breast cancer specific HR 1.58; 95%CI 0.85, 2.93). Discussion: This study demonstrates, for the first time to our knowledge, a significant association between low HTx compliance and increased mortality in patients with MBC. In addition, the observed association between compliance and treatment duration is consistent with a reduced time to disease progression in low compliance patients. The findings do not appear to be related to either the burden of metastatic disease at diagnosis or to increasing disease severity causing lower compliance over time. These results suggest that the development and evaluation of effective interventions to support HTx compliance in patients with MBC is warranted. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-12.


The occurrence of blast cell granulocytic tumors (chloromas, myeloblastomas) associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia has been well documented. However, the production of lytic lesions by nonmyeloblastomatous hematopoietic cell forms in chronic myelogenous leukemia has been described only once previously. The pain associated with osteolysis in this particular patient preceded roentgenographic appearance of lytic lesion and diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia. Biopsy of lytic lesion demonstrated infiltration with cell forms nearly identical with those of simultaneously performed bone marrow aspiration.


Clozapine is an effective atypical antipsychotic associated with a relatively high incidence of drug-induced agranulocytosis. It forms a reactive nitrenium ion metabolite upon oxidation by peripheral neutrophils and their precursors in the bone marrow. Although the mechanism of this idiosyncratic drug reaction is still unknown, the observation that it does not occur rapidly on rechallenge of patients with a history of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis suggests that it is not immune-mediated. Previous studies by other research groups had found that patients on clozapine had lower plasma and red blood cell levels of selenium. The reactive metabolite of clozapine reacts with glutathione, and therefore, it is likely that it also binds to selenocysteine-containing proteins, such as glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin reductase, and protein disulfide isomerase. We set out to test the hypothesis that clozapine-induced agranulocytosis is associated with selenium deficiency with rats on a selenium-deficient diet. We studied the effects of clozapine on selenium levels and the effect of selenium deficiency on leukocyte and neutrophil counts and clozapine covalent binding. We did not observe any significant difference between clozapine-treated rats given a selenium-adequate or deficient diet. Therefore, it is unlikely that selenium deficiency is a major risk factor for clozapine-induced agranulocytosis.


In densely-populated countries and in particular in large metropolitan areas, the presence of so much human activity causes all sorts of negative externalities, for example traffic noise disturbance. These externalities call for corrective measures by the government. Economists have developed a number of procedures that provide reasonable estimates on the monetary value of some amenities and externalities. In this paper we develop a spatially-explicit hedonic pricing model for house prices in order to quantify the social cost of aircraft noise disturbance in monetary terms. While focusing on aircraft noise around Amsterdam airport in the urban fringe of the Amsterdam region, a key point in our analysis is that we account for background noise. We do this by taking multiple sources of traffic noise (i.e. road, railway and aircraft noise) into account simultaneously and by setting threshold values for all three sources of noise above which sound is generally experienced as nuisance. Based on our regression results we conclude that a higher noise level means ceteris paribus a lower house price. Air traffic has the largest price impact, followed by railway traffic and road traffic. These model outcomes can subsequently be used to estimate the marginal and total benefits of aircraft noise reduction in the studied area around Amsterdam airport. We find a marginal benefit of 1 dB noise reduction of 1,459 Euro per house, leading to a total benefit of 1 dB noise reduction of 574 million Euros.


This article reports on cultural influences on symptoms experienced during menopausal transition of Korean women in South Korea and Korean immigrant women in the United States. Data from independent studies of two groups of Korean women were triangulated and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The analysis indicated that Korean women in South Korea tended to report more symptoms than Korean immigrant women in the United States. Types and severity of prevalent symptoms were also found to be different between the two groups. The findings suggest that recent introduction of menopausal industries in South Korea and contextual influences on Korean women's work and immigration in the United States would be the reason for differences. Based on the findings, implications for future research are proposed.


In their seminal work on the Stable Marriage Problem, Gale and Shapley describe an algorithm which finds a stable matching in $O(n^2)$ communication rounds. Their algorithm has a natural interpretation as a distributed algorithm where each player is represented by a single processor. In this distributed model, Floreen, Kaski, Polishchuk, and Suomela recently showed that for bounded preference lists, terminating the Gale-Shapley algorithm after a constant number of rounds results in an almost stable matching. In this paper, we describe a new deterministic distributed algorithm which finds an almost stable matching in $O(\log^5 n)$ communication rounds for arbitrary preferences. We also present a faster randomized variant which requires $O(\log^2 n)$ rounds. This run-time can be improved to $O(1)$ rounds for "almost regular" (and in particular complete) preferences. To our knowledge, these are the first sub-polynomial round distributed algorithms for any variant of the stable marriage problem with unbounded preferences.


alpha 1-Antitrypsin is the most abundant of several serum protease inhibitors. Its deficiency is associated with an increased incidence of emphysema in adults, jaundice in newborns, and childhood cirrhosis. We describe an automated functional assay for the Instrumentation Laboratory's Multistat III Microcentrifugal Analyzer with N-alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide as trypsin substrate. The assay is standardized in terms of moles of trypsin active sites inhibited per liter of serum, by use of a chromogenic titrant for trypsin active sites, p-nitrophenyl-p'-guanidinobenzoate. The method is rapid, precise, and independent of trypsin supplier, and results correlate well with those by a manual chromogenic and a nephelometric assay.


A new approach to the analysis of wide foil bearings is investigated. The equation of motion for a finite length of tape is coupled to the transient lubrication equation for the air film between the tape and the recording head. Compressibility and slip flow are retained in the fluid mechanics equation; flexural rigidity and high-speed dynamic effects are retained in the tape equation. The steady-state solution to the coupled equations is obtained as the limiting case of the transient initial value problem. Describing the system equations relative to the undeflected tape (as opposed to conventional foil-bearing theory, which uses the head as the reference surface) permits investigation of noncircular head geometries. In addition, wave propagation effects in the tape and the interaction of waves in the tape with the air-bearing region may be studied.


Thomas Willis (1621-1675) contributed much more to seventeenth-century medicine than the "Circle of Willis" for which he is remembered in anatomy texts. While a student, he was well acquainted with such figures as Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren, and others in the famous Oxford group who were to become charter members of the Royal Society. Later, as Professor at Oxford, Willis published a series of Latin treatises on what today we would call neuroanatomy, neuropathology, and biopsychology. These published works were translated into English soon after Willis's death, and are fairly well known to historians of science. But this book by the long-time Willis scholar Kenneth Dewhurst provides the first easy access to Willis's academic lectures, as recorded by his friend and pupil Richard Lower and the future philosopher John Locke. These lectures were delivered in the early 1660s and show Willis at a transition in his career, between his early works on chemistry and the publication of his classic Anatomy of the Brain (1664). The topics covered are predominantly neurological—for example, epilepsy, hysteria, coma, delirium, melancholy, and localization of cerebral functions. Such terms are familiar enough to modern medicine, but Willis chose to describe all of these phenomena with reference to "spirits"—a concept which requires a special effort for the present-day reader to understand. In his book De fermentatione (1659), Willis named salt, sulfur, and spirits as the three main "principles" involved in chemical processes, spirits being by far the most active and subtle; he then saw the chief exemplification of this active principle in the "animal spirits," which, in traditional Galenic physiology, were the agents of nervous transmission. Thus combining two traditions in his own peculiar way, he proceeds to explain neurological disorders as various disturbances of the spirits in the brain and nerves. Calling this "neurochemistry" would be too anachronistic, but Willis deserves appreciation for an ingenious attempt to put neural activity on a kind of chemical basis. His approach was generally neglected in the eighteenth century, when most physiologists preferred to see nerve transmission as a hydraulic mechanism. Dewhurst has tried to shape the lectures into a readable narrative by selectively combining the notes of Locke and Lower, and by providing a smooth translation. The serious scholar might suspect that certain ambiguities have been covered up and would like to see some of the original Latin. The lectures are preceded by a biography of Willis which Dewhurst and others have provided elsewhere and followed by a rather scant analysis of Willis's scientific method. However, a very good scholarly service is performed by footnotes to each lecture which identify names and sources mentioned in the text and provide many cross references to Willis's published works. And since these works do not exist in modern editions, the publication of his thoughts in this form is a valuable contribution to medical history.


We report the use of non-magnetic Al2O3 nano particles deposited between two ferromagnetic La0.5Pr0.2Sr0.3MnO3 (LPSMO) manganite layers with an aim to improve the electronic and magnetotransport properties of the layered supper lattice grown on single crystal STO(100) substrate using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique. We studied the electronic-transport and magnetotransport properties of this system wherein Al2O3 particles are expected to act as insulating scattering centers between two ferromagnetic LPSMO layers. The scattering due to additional scattering centers (insulating Al2O3 nano particles) could be controlled by application of external field, resulting in high magnetoresistance (MR) approximately 72% as compared to pristine LPSMO film (MR approximately 51%) at temperature close to their T(M) values. In addition, incorporation of nanostructured Al2O3 barrier between the two ferromagnetic LPSMO layers results in a 2-3 fold increase in the values of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and the field coefficient of resistance (FCR) as compared to pristine LPSMO film, suggesting the use of such nanoengineered manganite layered structure for better device application.


IFRS adoption's effect and board governance on accounting quality from Ghanaian perspective was examined using OLS technique between a seven-year periods (2013-2019). From the study, IFRS adoption negatively impacts accounting quality in an insignificant manner. The insignificant nexus was due to lax implementation of regulations by institutions with IFRS and incentive-performance tied schemes presented to managers. Additionally, all but profitability and institutional ownership have positively significant impact on accounting quality whilst board governance negatively affect accounting quality though not statistically significant. Finally, moderating the role of board governance on IFRS - accounting quality relation, evidence established from the regression is that board governance does not moderate relationship between IFRS adoption and accounting quality using discretionary accruals. Our study captured effective corporate governance practices using composite board governance index to moderate effect of IFRS on the nexus between board governance and accounting quality serving as central motivation to contribute to literature.


The motivation for writing this paper is the growing concern in society towards the amount of products we produce containing low utility and sustainability. Through emotional awareness the student can design meaningful artifacts which extend being more than consumer goods. The hypothesis is that Product Design students designing burial monuments increase their awareness of emotional and meaningful artifacts, and increase their emotional awareness in the design process. Twenty students worked designing burial monuments for a stonemasonry. Their design process was researched trough use of archival studies and participatory observations. The study shows the theme affected the students emotionally, which again influenced their design process. The research indicates that designing burial monuments led to an increased emotional awareness for the majority of students participating in the project.


The decreasing cost and power consumption of intelligent, interconnected, and interactive devices at the edge of the internet are creating massive opportunities to instrument our cities, factories, farms, and environment to improve efficiency, safety and productivity. Developing, debugging, deploying and securing software for the estimated trillion connected devices present substantial challenges. As part of the SMARTER (Secure Municipal, Agricultural, Rural, and Telco Edge Research) project, Arm has been exploring the use of cloudnative technology and methodologies in edge environments to evaluate their effectiveness at addressing these problems at scale.


Article history: Received on: 07/01/2015 Revised on: 06/02/2015 Accepted on: 04/03/2015 Available online:28/03/2015 Mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous vectors among the group of arthropods. Infections due to mosquitoes are a major worldwide health problem, with high endemicity in developing countries. In the present study, we determined the larvicidal activity of Methanol, Acetone, Hexane, Chloroform and Aqueous extracts of a mangrove plant Excoecaria agallocha against (4 instar larvae) Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. Mosquito larvicidal assays were conducted and their mortality rate was identified after 24hours to evaluate the larvicidal activity of the crude extract of Excoecaria agallocha.


The explosion products, such as shock waves, fragments and heat energy formed by explosion, act on the plate structure, which may cause structural damage, material failure and even phase transformation of material. In this paper, the damage mechanism and protective effect of near-field blast load on sandwich structure based on foam-nickel core material were studied. Firstly, the near-field explosion test was conducted to investigate the blast response of the foam-nickel sandwich structure subjected to blast shock from 8701 explosive at near-field position. The deformation characteristics and stress history of the sandwich structure on the acting location of blast load were carefully investigated via experimental methods. A finite element model of near-field explosion was established for effective numerical modelling of the dynamic behaviour of the sandwich structure using the explicit dynamics software ANSYS/LS-DYNA for more comprehensive investigations of the blast shock response of the sandwich structure. The finite element model is reasonable and validated by mesh independence verification and comparing the simulated response behaviour to that from the experimental results for the sandwich structure subjected to near-field blast load. On this basis, the damage mechanism and protection effect of the near-field explosion impact on foam-nickel cores with different density and porosity are simulated more systematically. The investigated results from the experiments and a series of numerical simulations show the large deformation effect due to the extensive energy absorption, which suggests that the sandwich structure based on foam-nickel core material may be expected to become a new choice of protective structure under near-field blast load.


Recent advances in exogenous factors known to cause embryopathies are reviewed. Among the non-infectious agents alcohol is the most important, followed by a combination of anticonvulsant drugs, valproic acid, retinoic acid, lithium, coumarin derivates, methyl mercury, aminopterin and methotrexate, cocaine and amniogenic bands. Rubella embryopathy is well known. Varicella zoster and herpes simplex type II viruses are now also known to be teratogenic in some cases. Erythema infectiosum has recently been detected as a cause of embryonic death. Diabetic women and women with phenylketonuria must be carefully examined before and during pregnancy. There does not seem to be a world trend towards increased frequency of genetically and non genetically conditioned malformations.


Medicine is increasingly focused on team‐based practice as interprofessional cooperation leads to better patient care. Thus, it is necessary to teach teamwork and collaboration with other health care professionals in undergraduate medical education to ensure that trainees entering the workforce are prepared to work in teams. Gross anatomy provides an opportunity to expose students to interprofessional education (IPE) early in their training. The purpose of this study is to describe an IPE experience and report if the experience has lasting influence on the participating students. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire was administered to first year medical (MD) and physical therapy (PT) students at Mayo Medical School and Mayo School of Health Sciences. Results demonstrated an openness on the part of the students to IPE. Interprofessional education experiences were incorporated into gross anatomy courses in both medical and PT curricula. The IPE experiences included a social event, peer‐teaching, and collaborative clinical problem‐solving sessions. These sessions enhanced gross anatomy education by reinforcing previous material and providing the opportunity to work on clinical cases from the perspective of two healthcare disciplines. After course completion, students again completed the RIPLS. Finally, one year after course completion, students were asked to provide feedback on their experience. The post‐curricular RIPLS, similar to the pre‐curricular RIPLS, illustrated openness to IPE from both MD and PT students. There were however, significant differences in MD and PT perceptions of roles and responsibilities. One‐year follow‐up indicated long‐term retention of lessons learned during IPE. Anat Sci Educ 8: 317–323. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.


The automatic discovery of functional dependencies (FDs) has been widely studied as one of the hardest problems in data profiling. Existing approaches have focused on making the FD computation efficient while inspecting single relations at a time. In this paper, for the first time we address the problem of inferring FDs for multiple relations as they occur in integrated views by solely using the functional dependencies of the base relations of the view itself. To this purpose, we leverage logical inference and selective mining and show that we can discover most of the exact FDs from the base relations and avoid the full computation of the FDs for the integrated view itself, while at the same time preserving the lineage of FDs of base relations. We propose algorithms to speedup the inferred FD discovery process and mine FDs on-the-fly only from necessary data partitions. We present InFine (INferred FunctIoNal dEpendency), an end-to-end solution to discover inferred FDs on integrated views by leveraging provenance information of base relations. Our experiments on a range of real-world and synthetic datasets demonstrate the benefits of our method over existing FD discovery methods that need to rerun the discovery process on the view from scratch and cannot exploit lineage information on the FDs. We show that InFine outperforms traditional methods necessitating the full integrated view computation by one to two order of magnitude in terms of runtime. It is also the most memory efficient method while preserving FD provenance information using mainly inference from base table with negligible execution time.


Benefiting-Bone Capsule (BBC) is a Chinese herbals formula that shows promise in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis (OP), but the mechanisms underlying its anti-osteoporotic effects are yet to be established. Here we detect the influence of the extract on several targets of the Notch and Wnt/β- catenin signaling pathways in bone tissue of ovariectomized rats as a model of OP with the aid of realtime PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemical staining. The water extract of BBC exerted a pronounced beneficial effect on OP rats and activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway through regulating Wnt3a, Wnt10b protein, and glycogen synthesis kinase 3β (GSK-3β) mRNA. Furthermore, the BBC extract inhibited Jagged1, 2 protein and Notch 1,2 mRNA of the Notch signaling pathway. We detected simultaneous changes in the levels of a number of downstream transcripts, including increased runtrelated transcription factor 2 (Runx 2) and decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), which were closely correlated with the treatment effect. Based on the collective findings, we propose that the water extract of BBC regulates OP-associated factors through modulation of key transcripts and proteins in the Notch and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. Our results provide further mechanistic evidence supporting the clinical efficacy of BBC in the treatment of OP.


We are witnessing a proliferation of design, collaborative technological platforms, websites, and networks dedicated to exchanging information of all kinds. These technologies have a positive role and promote social justice, equity, and the rapprochement of cultures. However, several researchers and civil community members wonder about the use of these technologies, the reasons beyond their emergence, and their designers. While technologies are at the forefront of global development, any system to function well needs a framework to support the experiences that would flow from their environment. In all human progress, some voices urge us to be cautious. Given the preponderance of technologies in our environment, what are the principles to regulate these ecosystems? Many studies have highlighted the moral and ethical issues related to the social use of information technology. There have been previous attempts towards finding ways to create suitable rules for these systems. This paper presumes that many of these conduct codes are more user-oriented, and very few are issued to regulate information technology professionals and designers. Therefore, it is urgent to find a way to design socio systems where several entities (organizations and individuals) can collaborate independently and responsibly on-site in their respective spheres on social projects. In this paper, we are trying to provide different perspectives and lines of thought for responsible and safe use of socio systems and collaborative technology platforms.


This article focuses on an ancient, yet unexplored Aksumite site in Eastern Tigray, visited during an ethnohistorical research carried out between 2004 and 2006. It lies at an unknown ancient (Aksumite) route and might have been the seat of a provincial leader. The site lies in an area not known yet for Aksumite ruins, as it lies rather remote from main routes today. The site consists of a stelae and a ruin hill with remains of an unidentified ancient building. This publication aims at awaking interest in research on that site, including researching oral sources. The interest lies in the possibility to learn more about the provinces of Aksum.


Abstract Wildlife managers increasingly are using remotely sensed imagery to improve habitat delineations and sampling strategies. Advances in remote sensing technology, such as hyperspectral imagery, provide more information than previously was available with multispectral sensors. We evaluated accuracy of high-resolution hyperspectral image classifications to identify wetlands and wetland habitat features important for Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) and compared the results to multispectral image classification and United States Geological Survey topographic maps. The study area spanned 3 lake basins in the Salmon River Mountains, Idaho, USA. Hyperspectral data were collected with an airborne sensor on 30 June 2002 and on 8 July 2006. A 12-year comprehensive ground survey of the study area for Columbia spotted frog reproduction served as validation for image classifications. Hyperspectral image classification accuracy of wetlands was high, with a producer's accuracy of 96% (44 wetlands) correctly classified with the 2002 data and 89% (41 wetlands) correctly classified with the 2006 data. We applied habitat-based rules to delineate breeding habitat from other wetlands, and successfully predicted 74% (14 wetlands) of known breeding wetlands for the Columbia spotted frog. Emergent sedge microhabitat classification showed promise for directly predicting Columbia spotted frog egg mass locations within a wetland by correctly identifying 72% (23 of 32) of known locations. Our study indicates hyperspectral imagery can be an effective tool for mapping spotted frog breeding habitat in the selected mountain basins. We conclude that this technique has potential for improving site selection for inventory and monitoring programs conducted across similar wetland habitat and can be a useful tool for delineating wildlife habitats.


The presence of a high-affinity, low-capacity 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) binding complex was demonstrated in cytosol from rat lung. When analyzed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, the 3H-TCDD binding complex sedimented at 8-9 S and 6.5 S in low and high ionic media, respectively. The apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of the 3H-TCDD binding complex was determined to be 2.9 nM and the number of binding sites (Bmax) was approximately equal to 69 fmol/mg of cytosolic protein. The entity was sensitive to heat and to proteases but not to DNAse or RNAse, indicating that it was a protein. An excess of unlabeled TCDD, benzo[a]pyrene, 3-methylcholanthrene, 7,12-dimethylbenzo[a]anthracene and 9-hydroxy ellipticine all competed with 3H-TCDD for binding. A single injection of either benzo[a]pyrene (20 mg/kg body weight) or 9-hydroxy ellipticine (20 mg/kg body weight) had different effects on the concentrations of 3H-TCDD binding proteins in the lung but none of the chemicals had a significant effect on the synthesis of surfactant as assayed by total phospholipid content, 72 h after the injection.


Abstract Aiming to determine the size distribution and surface area per unit mass of catalyst nanoparticles for fuel cells, we have developed a novel method of digital image processing that quantitatively determines the size of individual nano-particles from atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. After introducing the basic concept of this new method, we demonstrate its efficiency using platinum nanoparticles on carbon support as a model system. Special attention is given to the error that can be introduced by estimating the surface area per unit mass from the distribution of particle diameters in the presence of asymmetry of the particle size about the mean.


The interleukin (IL)-1 gene cluster within chromosome 2 contains genes coding for both anti- and proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-1Ra, and several novel cytokines designated IL-1F5 - IL-1F10.1 Proinflammatory cytokines IL-1alpha and beta are involved in the enhancement of inflammation and host defence. Anti-inflammatory IL-1Ra counteracts the function of IL-1alpha and IL-1beta. These cytokines are produced by a variety of cell types, for example, monocytes, magrophages, and keratinocytes. All IL-1 family genes are polymorphic and several of these polymorphisms have been shown to be associated with either susceptibility to or severity of inflammatory conditions and diseases.2

Atopy is a familial syndrome underlying atopic eczema, allergic rhinoconjuctivitis, and bronchial asthma. The skin prick test (SPT) is used to examine specific IgE mediated allergic responses and the results are generally in line with anamnestic data on atopy.3 Both IL-1alpha and beta have been shown to play a role in the regulation of allergen induced early and late reactions.4,5 IL-1alpha has also been found to accelerate cutaneous inflammation,6 whereas IL-1beta is involved in the regulation of contact sensitisation.7 In asthmatic bronchial epithelium, the expression of both IL-1beta and IL-1Ra is increased.8

Cytokines function as a network and thus the net effect on allergic inflammation may be dependent on allele combinations of individual cytokine genes. Recently in our population based case control study, we showed that IL1A (SNP +4845) genotype influences the SPT results.9 The carriers of the rarer allele 2 had a significantly lower SPT positive rate than that of non-carriers. Now we have expanded the study by analysing two additional SNPs ( IL1B SNP +3954 C>T and IL1RN VNTR in intron 2) in the IL-1 gene cluster from the same cohort.

Altogether 254 females and 151 males (mean age 60 years, age range …


We form tricategories and the homomorphisms between them into a bicategory. We then enrich this bicategory into an example of a three-dimensional structure called a locally double bicategory, this being a bicategory enriched in the monoidal 2-category of weak double categories. Finally, we show that every sufficiently well-behaved locally double bicategory gives rise to a tricategory, and thereby deduce the existence of a tricategory of tricategories.


The shuffled linear regression problem aims to recover linear relationships in datasets where the correspondence between input and output is unknown. This problem arises in a wide range of applications including survey data, in which one needs to decide whether the anonymity of the responses can be preserved while uncovering significant statistical connections. In this work, we propose a novel optimization algorithm for shuffled linear regression based on a posterior-maximizing objective function assuming Gaussian noise prior. We compare and contrast our approach with existing methods on synthetic and real data. We show that our approach performs competitively while achieving empirical running-time improvements. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our algorithm is able to utilize the side information in the form of seeds, which recently came to prominence in related problems.


Photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals obtained from wearable sensors have been utilized for monitoring health conditions in both clinical and non-clinical environments, mostly concerning with heart-rate events. This paper shows the potential use of short-time PPG signals for differentiating patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) from healthy control (HC) subjects with nonlinear dynamics analysis. Multiscale entropy, time-shift multiscale entropy, and fuzzy recurrence plots were applied for extracting features from PPG signals of PD patients and HC subjects. Least-square support vector machine based cross-validations of the features extracted from the three nonlinear dynamics analysis methods achieve high classification rates, where those obtained from fuzzy recurrence plots are the highest.


Background: Experimental evidence has demonstrated an antineoplastic role for vitamin D in the colon, and higher circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are consistently associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Genome-wide association studies have identified loci associated with levels of circulating 25(OH)D. The identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from four gene regions collectively explain approximately 5% of the variance in circulating 25(OH)D. Methods: We investigated whether five polymorphisms in GC, CYP2R1, CYP24A1, and DHCR7/NADSYN1, genes previously shown to be associated with circulating 25(OH)D levels, were associated with colorectal cancer risk in 10,061 cases and 12,768 controls drawn from 13 studies included in the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO) and Colon Cancer Family Registry (CCFR). We conducted a meta-analysis of crude and multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios and associated confidence intervals for SNPs individually, SNPs simultaneously, and for a vitamin D additive genetic risk score (GRS). Results: We did not observe a statistically significant association between the 25(OH)D-associated SNPs and colorectal cancer marginally, conditionally, or as a GRS, or for colon or rectal cancer separately. Conclusions: Our findings do not support an association between SNPs associated with circulating 25(OH)D and risk of colorectal cancer. Additional work is warranted to investigate the complex relationship between 25(OH)D and colorectal cancer risk. Impact: There was no association observed between genetic markers of circulating 25(OH)D and colorectal cancer. These genetic markers account for a small proportion of the variance in 25(OH)D. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(11); 2037–46. ©2013 AACR.


Discovery of disease specific biomarkers in human body fluids has become an important challenge in clinical proteomics. Facing the increasing threat of degenerative and disabling diseases like cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and inflammatory diseases in large parts of the world's population, there is an urgent need to improve early diagnostics. In this review we discuss possibilities and limitations connected to using mass spectrometry based proteomics in the search for novel biomarkers, with focus on multiple sclerosis as a typical representative for the large group of non-curable degenerative and disabling disease with the lack of specific tests for early diagnosis. Careful control of the pre-analytical phase including sampling, storage and fractionation of samples, in addition to a thoroughly considered patient selection, is important in order to avoid false biomarkers to appear in the resulting mass spectra. Furthermore, advanced computational tools are needed in order to discover potential biomarkers from the enormous data amounts generated by the mass spectrometers. The development of such computer tools is a research field currently in the start phase and could prove to be a bottle neck in the biomarker discovery the next years. Therefore, a rather detailed review of the most used computational and pre-analytical methods is given in this review. Mass spectrometry based biomarker discovery is undoubtedly still in its early infancy. However, in light of the potential of this technology to provide deep coverage of the body fluid proteomes, it will certainly consolidate its role in developing molecular medicine into clinical practice.


ABSTRACT In order to better characterize the initial stages of sporulation past Spo0A activation and the associated solventogenesis in the important industrial and model organism Clostridium acetobutylicum, the spoIIE gene was successfully disrupted and its expression was silenced. By silencing spoIIE, sporulation was blocked prior to asymmetric division, and no mature spores or any distinguishable morphogenetic changes developed. Upon plasmid-based complementation of spoIIE, sporulation was restored, although the number of spores formed was below that of the plasmid control strain. To investigate the impact of silencing spoIIE on the regulation of sporulation, transcript levels of sigF, sigE, and sigG were examined by semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR, and the corresponding σF, σE, and σG protein levels were determined by Western analysis. Expression of sigF was significantly reduced in the inactivation strain, and this resulted in very low σF protein levels. Expression of sigE was barely detected, and no sigG transcript was detected at all; consequently, no σE or σG proteins were detected. These data suggest an autostimulatory role for σF in C. acetobutylicum, in contrast to the model organism for endospore formation, Bacillus subtilis, and confirm that high-level expression of σF is required for expression of σE and σG. Unlike the σF and σE inactivation strains, the SpoIIE inactivation strain did not exhibit inoculum-dependent solvent formation and produced good levels of solvents from both exponential- and stationary-phase inocula. Thus, we concluded that SpoIIE does not control solvent formation.


Ion implantation is a powerful technique to modify the contact angles of surfaces. However, a change of the contact angle with the passage of time, called ageing, is observed on most surfaces. This paper aims to better understand the mechanism leading to the ageing of quartz surfaces implanted by argon ion. Coupons of quartz have been irradiated by 3?keV Ar ions to a fluence of 1.8?1016?Ar?cm?2. Some implantations were performed under oxygen partial pressure (~5?10?5?Torr). The samples have been characterized at different periods of time after implantation by means of contact angle hysteresis measurements, angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) and lateral force microscopy (LFM). A more hydrophilic surface was observed immediately after implantation. This effect was strongly enhanced by the use of an O2 partial pressure. With the passage of time, the contact angles increased both in ambient air as well as under an Ar atmosphere. Characterization by means of XPS has shown a decrease of the relative concentrations of the more polar molecules containing oxygen (C?O, C = O and (O?C = O)?O) which could partly explain the increase of the contact angles with time. On the other hand, a higher ratio of the signals SiO2(104?eV)/SiO2(103?eV) is observed for samples implanted with O2which could be responsible for their higher level of wettability. A model using the ARXPS measurements suggests that for the samples implanted without oxygen, the ageing could also be caused by the spreading of a natural carbonaceous surface layer dispersed into islands after the Ar implantation. This layer being more hydrophobic than the SiO2 surface, its spreading would increase the contact angles. Characterization by means of AFM?LFM shows that the surface is composed of two areas having different friction properties. Their distribution is in agreement with the covered surface fraction given by the model for the samples implanted without oxygen and aged in Ar.


Cell-to-cell variation in gene expression is a common feature of developmental processes. Yet, it remains unclear whether molecular mediators can generate variation and how this process is coordinated across loci to allow the emergence of new cell states. Using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as a model of development, we found interconverting cell states that resemble developmental expression programs and vary in activity at specific enhancers, such as those regulating pluripotency genes Nanog and Sox2 but not Pou5f1 (Oct4). Variable enhancers drive expression of variable genes, including those encoding microRNAs (miRNAs). Notably, variable miRNAs increase cell-to-cell variation by acting on neighborhoods of pluripotency genes. The encoded, variable pluripotency factors bind variable enhancers, forming a feedback loop that amplifies variation and allows the emergence of new cell states. These findings suggest gene regulatory networks composed of enhancers, protein-coding genes, and miRNAs harness inherent variation into developmental outcomes.


The analogy between colors and values is strongly interlinked with the idea that these properties are by nature dispositions or response-dependent properties. Indeed, that colors are essentially visible, and values are inherently motivational, cries out for a dispositional or a response-dependent account. Recently, Primitivism has challenged the viability of the dispositional account of colors, taking the apple, for instance, to be "gloriously, perfectly, and primitively red." Unsurprisingly, the attack on the dispositional account of colors has found a moral analogue in the view that values are sui generis irreducibly primitive properties. The question this article addresses is whether given Primitivism the analogy between colors and values is preserved; or in other words, whether Primitivism breaks the bond between the dispositional account and the analogy between colors and values.


INTRODUCTION
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggest there is no role for routine radiography in the diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA). It is not known how consistent this recommendation is across international guidelines, or the impact of UK guidance on domestic OA X-ray request rates.

METHODS
A systematic search identified guideline recommendations on the role of radiography in OA diagnosis. Full texts underwent dual screening and appraisal using the AGREE II tool. A narrative synthesis was performed. Consultation data were extracted from a UK primary care database: the Consultations in Primary Care Archives (CiPCA). The annual proportion of X-ray requests per 100 OA consulters from 2000 to 2012 were calculated. Joinpoint regression analysis examined if there were changes in the trend of X-ray request rates and compared these with the publication dates of UK guidelines.

RESULTS
Eighteen evidence-based OA guidelines were included in the review. Eleven recommended a clinical diagnosis of OA without radiographic confirmation. Seven recommended routine radiography; these guidelines were predominantly for radiologists. A mean of 17.3 X-rays per 100 patients were requested in patients consulting for OA per year between 2000 and 2012. A statistically significant reduction in X-ray request rates was seen in 2003.

CONCLUSION
Recommendations on the role of radiography in OA vary between medical specialty and countries. UK guidelines appear to have had a limited impact on X-ray request rates in OA.


Background:
 Junctophilin-2 is required for the development, maturation and integrity of the t-tubule system and the gating stability of RyR2 in cardiomyocytes. This study investigated whether and how junctophilin-2 maintained junctin, a scaffold protein stabilizing RyR2, to prevent cardiomyocyte death under stress.

 Methods:
 Cardiomyocytes were exposed to conditions of stress including palmitate, doxorubicin, or hypoxia/re-oxygenation. Adenoviral vectors were employed to manipulate expression of junctophilin-2 and junctin in cardiomyocytes. Molecular/cellular/biochemical analyses were conducted.

 Results:
 Different conditions of stress decreased junctophilin-2 expression through aberrant autophagy and concomitantly induced a reduction of junctin protein in cardiomyocytes. Over-expression of junctophilin-2 preserved the protein levels of junctin and attenuated cytosolic Ca
 2+
 and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes under stress. Knockdown of junctophilin-2 reproduced the detrimental phenotypes of stress in cardiomyocytes. Notably, over-expression of junctin prevented cardiomyocyte death under stress whereas knockdown of junctin offset the protective effects conferred by junctophilin-2 over-expression. Mechanistically, junctophilin-2 blocked MURF1-junctin interaction thereby preventing junctin ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation. Mass spectrometry analysis identified multiple ubiquitination sites on the junctin protein and the non-ubiquitinated junctin mutant (K8R/K102R/K107R/K140R) was resistant to degradation.

 Conclusions:
 This study uncovers an unrecognized role of junctophilin-2 in preventing junctin ubiquitination and degradation in maintaining cytosolic Ca
 2+
 homeostasis. Junctophilin-2 and junctin represent two new survival factors of cardiomyocytes and thus, may be new therapeutic targets for cardiac protection.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen heavily implicated in chronic diseases. Immunocompromised patients that become infected with P. aeruginosa usually are afflicted with a lifelong chronic infection, leading to worsened patient outcomes. ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen heavily implicated in chronic diseases. Immunocompromised patients that become infected with P. aeruginosa usually are afflicted with a lifelong chronic infection, leading to worsened patient outcomes. The complement system is an integral piece of the first line of defense against invading microorganisms. Gram-negative bacteria are thought to be generally susceptible to attack from complement; however, P. aeruginosa can be an exception, with certain strains being serum resistant. Various molecular mechanisms have been described that confer P. aeruginosa unique resistance to numerous aspects of the complement response. In this review, we summarize the current published literature regarding the interactions of P. aeruginosa and complement, as well as the mechanisms used by P. aeruginosa to exploit various complement deficiencies and the strategies used to disrupt or hijack normal complement activities.


A century after it began, we still struggle with the terrible reality of the First World War, often through republished photographs of its horrors: the muddy trenches, the devastated battlefields, the maimed survivors. Due to the crude film cameras used at the time, the look of the Great War has traditionally been grainy, blurred, and monochrome-until now. The First World War presents a startlingly different perspective, one based on rare glass plate photographs, that reveals the war with previously unseen, even uncanny, clarity. Scanned from the original plates, with scratches and other flaws expertly removed, these oversized reproductions offer a wealth of unusual moments, including scenes of men in training, pictures of African colonial troops on the Western front, landscapes of astonishing destruction, and postmortem portraits of Belgian soldiers killed in action. Readers previously familiar with only black-and-white or sepia-toned prints of the hostilities will be riveted by the book's many authentic color photographs, products of the early autochrome method. From children playing war games to a wrenching deathbed visit, these images are extraordinary not only for their subject matter, but also for the wide range of emotions they evoke. Accompanied by a preface from celebrated writer Geoff Dyer and an essay by historian David Van Reybrouck, the photographs here serve both as remarkable witnesses to the everyday life of warfare and as dramatic works of art in their own right. These images, taken by some of the conflict's most gifted photographers, will radically change how we visualize the First World War.


A comparative statistical analysis of "synaptic ribbons" evolution over a 24 hour period during two different photoluminous seasons (September, and winter) is carried out. Seventy male rats were used. Statistical analysis involved the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, variance analysis, the Student t-test and Pearson's correlation test. The results show that "synaptic ribbons" evolve during the circadian phase and through two different seasons, with a clear and marked influence of point-time (p < 0.0001) and season (p < 0.0001).


BACKGROUND
Recent studies have identified a novel polymorphism (C825T) of the gene encoding the beta(3) subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins (G:beta(3)) which is associated with enhanced activation of G-proteins and appears to be more common in hypertensive patients and possibly contributes to decreased kidney allograft survival.

METHODS
In the present study we examined the relationship between this genetic variant, type 1 and type 2 diabetes and renal complications of diabetes in 1008 Caucasian patients recruited from an outpatient diabetes clinic and four dialysis centres. We also studied 1940 healthy controls.

RESULTS
After multivariate adjustment and in univariate statistics, the G:beta(3) 825TT genotype was not associated with a significantly enhanced risk of diabetes or renal complications.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that the G:beta(3) 825T allele apparently does not contribute to the development of diabetes or associated renal complications in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.


The diagnosis of mycosis fungoides (MF) remains difficult even with current immunohistochemical and molecular techniques. Flow cytometry is a technology widely used for the diagnosis of hematologic malignancies in all areas of hematopathology but has not been readily applied for the diagnosis of MF. In this article the Authors review two issues that affect the ability to diagnosis of MF by flow cytometry, lymphocyte cell recovery from skin biopsies and identifying T cell neoplasia through alteration of the normal T cell phenotype. They present data from their recently published study and others that demonstrate that cell recovery is, in fact, adequate for diagnosing MF in the vast majority of cases. Moreover, they illustrate techniques used to identify neoplastic T cells that help in the analysis of skin biopsy specimens suspected of harboring a T cell malignancy. Finally, they discuss the power of flow cytometry for the diagnosis of cutaneous T cell lymphomas (CTCL). They argue that the capabilities of current flow cytometric techniques for the diagnosis of MF should allow for enhanced diagnostic accuracy and classification of CTCLs.


Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Health indicators are very poor, communicable diseases are prevalent and, coupled with malnutrition, remain the major killers of children under 5 years old. The Integrated Primary Health Care Project (PROISS) was a US$39 million project executed by the Ministry of Health (MOH), 50% financed by the World Bank and aimed at improving primary health care in the four largest Bolivian municipalities. The implementation of the project started in 1990 and ended in 1997. During implementation it went through three distinct phases: Phase 1 (1990-94) was a period characterized by conflict and confusion; Phase 2 (1995-mid-1996) documented major improvements in coverage and service quality; and Phase 3 (mid-1996-97) witnessed the decline of the project. This paper explores the factors that contributed to the success and the decline of the project, draws lessons for project managers and international agencies involved in the definition and implementation of social sector projects, and discusses the unlikelihood that externally financed projects can have a sustainable impact on the development of the health sector of recipient countries.


Background
TiaochangXiaoliu decoction (TXD) has an anti-tumor effect in clinical practice. We further investigated the role of TXD in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods
Mouse models of CRC were induced by azomethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), with sixty male C57BL/6 mice randomly divided into six groups (10 mice/group): a control group, AOM/DSS group, TXD at low dose (L-dose) group, middle dose (M-dose) group, high dose (H-dose) group, and Celecoxib (Cel) group. The colorectum, serum, and plasma of mice in each group was collected following sacrifice to record the number of tumors. HE staining was utilized for observing pathological damage to colorectal tissues, ELISA used for detecting INF-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α expression in serum, and flow cytometry used for measuring the proportion of CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK cells in plasma.

Results
Compared with the control group, the AOM/DSS group showed tumor masses in the colorectum and different degrees of pathological damage in the intestine. AOM/DSS induction also resulted in an increase in INF-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α expression in serum, and a decrease in the percentages of CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK cells(P<0.05). In comparison with the AOM/DSS group, with the increase of TXD dose, the number of tumors decreased significantly, and intestinal structure and mucosal inflammatory cell infiltration also improved. Further, in comparison with the AOM/DSS group, all three doses of TXD and celecoxib caused an increase in the contents of CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK cells in plasma. In addition, in the M-dose, H-dose, and Cel groups, INF-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α expression showed a marked decrease, and the reduction in these two groups treated with TXD was dose-dependent.

Conclusions
TXD leads to a marked reduction in the number of tumors and inflammatory cell infiltration in CRC mice. This decoction significantly decreased the levels of INF-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α in serum, and increased the contents of CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK cell in the plasma of mice with AOM/DSS-induced CRC.


A practical handbook for endurance athletes who want to get the most out of their training and so maximise their potential, and for sports coaches and fitness instructors who are seeking a thorough understanding of how best to structure effective training programmes for their athletes. It is essential reading for runners, swimmers, traithletes, duathletes, cycle racers, mountain bikers, rowers, canoeists and for participants in many team sports. There are 58 specific programmes to get you started and everything you need to know to customize them for your own needs. This book is endorsed by the Exercise Association, the national governing body for exercise and fitness.


The size of VLSI components is increasing every year, following the improvements made by the silicon technology. The gang bonding TAB technology, usually applied at ILB (Inner Lead Bonding) assembly step, shows limitations when integrated circuits size becomes larger than 10-12 mm. The problem comes from the difficulty of obtaining coplanarity between bonding tool and the set of bumps and leads at the bonding temperature. This requirement is mandatory, in order to obtain at each bonding site, an equal amount of pressure and temperature necessary to obtain a reliable joint. During the last ten years, wire bonding equipments have been improved dramatically and have been in the mean time adapted to TAB bonding (sequential). With single point bonding, the bonding time increases compared to gang bonding, but this is partially compensated by the ease of controlling local bonding conditions. Single point ILB also allows a reduction in the constraint on bump thickness tolerance, since each pad is treated separately; it even allows the nominal thickness, which is 20-25 /spl mu/m for normal gang bonding operation, to be reduced down to a couple of micrometers. Constraints on copper and gold hardnesses are different in single point bonding compared to gang bonding and are described in this paper. Single point ILB has been demonstrated down to 75 /spl mu/m pitch, and reliability data show an excellent stability of joint integrity. This technology is already applied industrially and may become an alternative technology for gang bonding when dealing with large size components. >


Creep behavior of some metals (pure polycrystalline magnesium, die-cast Mg and Al alloys and stainless steel 304) assisted by anodic dissolution in aqueous solutions, which we have called "corrosion creep" (CC), was investigated. The effect of environment on the creep behavior of magnesium and steel is mainly connected with plasticization of metal assisted by chemical reactions and mechanically enhanced anodic dissolution of metal. Anodized Mg-alloys reveal a significantly longer creep life in comparison with uncoated die-cast alloys.


Theoretical investigation of frequency doubling of a short-duration, high-intensity laser pulse in a potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal is given. The coupled nonlinear equations for the parametric process, including the third-order nonlinear susceptibility, have been solved. By applying a time delay between the extraordinary and ordinary waves for the fundamental pulse in type-II phase matching, the group velocity mismatch and the nonlinear phase shift can be made to compensate each other, resulting in peak intensity enhancement and pulse width compression. The optimum conditions for the incident intensity, the crystal thickness and the predelay time have been derived. It is shown that intensity conversion efficiency of 440% accompanied by pulse width reduction from 1 ps fundamental pulse to 100 fs second-harmonic pulse is achieved for incident intensity of 50 GW/cm2.


Magnetic alginate beads were used to purify alpha-amylases from porcine pancreas, starchzyme, BAN 240L (a commercial purification from Bacillus subtilis), and wheat germ. The beads bound a significant level of alpha-amylase activity from porcine pancreas, BAN 240L, and wheat germ. In each case, the enzyme activity could be eluted by using 1.0 M maltose, a known competitive inhibitor of alpha-amylase. In the case of BAN 240L, 3.6-fold purification with 72% recovery of activity was observed. In the case of wheat germ enzyme, starting from the crude extract, 48-fold purification with 70% activity recovery was observed. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis also indicated considerable purification in the latter case.


In this document we disclose a technique integrating both a color interpolation method and an antialiasing method in a single step. This solution permits a reduction of memory requirement. In fact no extra memory lines are required to perform the false colors removal. This technique drastically reduces false colors and zipper effect by exploiting at the same time both spatial and spectral correlations.


Venous malformation of the kidney is not uncommon. However, bilateral variation of renal veins is of rare occurrence and is clinically significant. In the present case, left renal vein divided into left pre and retro-aortic renal veins which passed in front and behind the abdominal aorta respectively, together forming a circumaortic renal vein. The retro-aortic limb received left testicular vein at a distance of 5.8 cm from inferior vena cava and pre-aortic vein received left suprarenal vein at a distance of 4.2 cm from inferior vena cava. Pre-aortic and retro-aortic veins drained into IVC separately about 4 cm apart from each other. On the right side, two separate renal veins (superior and inferior) were present. Both of them drained into inferior vena cava separately and about 2.6 cm apart from each other. This aberrant pattern of renal vein may affect the venous drainage of kidney and testis leading to renal hypertension and varicocele. Such variations should be known to urologists and surgeons before commencing any surgical and interventional procedures.


Simple Summary Population control of free-roaming dogs is a topic of great interest worldwide. Immunocastration (immune blockade of GnRH-I, the hormone that commands reproductive ability) has emerged as a complementary alternative to surgical castration. In this work, the effectiveness of an immunocastration vaccine for dogs was evaluated, as were the reproductive and behavioral characteristics of vaccinated animals. Two consecutive trials were carried out for this purpose. A first trial was conducted under experimental conditions, observing an immune response against the vaccine over a nine-month period that was associated with changes in the testicular function of the animals (decrease in testosterone and alteration of the characteristics of the ejaculate). The second trial was conducted on dogs who had owners, and vaccinated animals showed an immune response against the five-month vaccine and a decrease in unwanted behaviors associated with the presence of sex hormones. While more studies are needed, this vaccine is emerging as a promising tool for the reproductive and behavioral management of male dogs. Abstract Canine immunocastration development has been of interest for many years as a complementary strategy to surgical castration. The purpose of this paper was to verify the effect of a recombinant vaccine for dog immunocastration. Two tests were done, one under controlled conditions and a second under field conditions. Animals were injected with 1 mL of 500 µg GnRXG/Q recombinant protein; 500 µg of low molecular weight chitosan as adjuvant; 1 mL NaCl 0.9% q.s. In the first trial, eight Beagle male dogs between the ages of 1 and 3 comprised the sample, randomly divided into two groups: vaccinated group (n = 7) and control group (n = 2). The second trial had 32 dogs with owners. In the first controlled conditions trial, the vaccine produced specific antibodies that remained until the end of the trial (day 270), inducing reduced testosterone and spermiogram changes in the immunized animals. In a second trial, on the field, specific immunity was induced, which remained high up to day 150. The vaccine also reduced sexual agonistic and marking behaviors. This new vaccine proved to be safe, immunogenic, capable of reducing gonadal functionality, and had a positive effect on inducing reduced sexual, agonistic, and marking behavior of the animals.