Rust fungi in Pucciniales have caused destructive plant epidemics, have become more aggressive with new virulence, rapidly adapt to new environments, and continually threaten global agriculture. With the rapid advancement of genome sequencing technologies and data analysis tools, genomics research on many of the devastating rust fungi has generated unprecedented insights into various aspects of rust biology. In this review, we first present a summary of the main findings in the genomics of rust fungi related to variations in genome size and gene composition between and within species. Then we show how the genomics of rust fungi has promoted our understanding of the pathogen virulence and population dynamics. Even with great progress, many questions still need to be answered. Therefore, we introduce important perspectives with emphasis on the genome evolution and host adaptation of rust fungi. We believe that the comparative genomics and population genomics of rust fungi will provide a further understanding of the rapid evolution of virulence and will contribute to monitoring the population dynamics for disease management.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of parent and peer attachment on school adjustment of 5th and 6th graders. In order to achieve this research purpose, following research questions were established. First, does attachment to parents influence on school adjustment of 5th and 6th graders? Second, does attachment to peers influence on school adjustment of 5th and 6th graders? Third, what are relative influences of parent and peer attachment on school adjustment of 5th and 6th graders? Three hundred eighty nine 5th and 6th graders in Busan participated in this study and completed Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment and School Adjustment Scale. Collected data were analyzed using Two-way ANOVA and . The major findings of this study were that parent attachment and peer attachment would significantly influence on school adjustment of 5th and 6th graders; Relative influence of Parent attachment and peer attachment would differ depending upon sub-factors of school adjustment. These results were discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications. Finally, the limitations of this study were commented and suggestions for future research were made.


Two stratified probability samples were conducted in the southeastern United States, one of consumers and one of retailers, to measure economic perceptions in the fall of 2008. Direct comparisons were made between consumers' and retailers' perceptions in the areas of the economy, financial soundness, cost of living, and planned consumer holiday spending. The results suggested that retailers and consumers held similar negative perceptions in terms of the state of the economy. Consumers though felt less financially sound than retailers did. Additionally, consumers felt the cost of living has increased to a greater degree than retailers felt their cost of operating had. Finally, there was a considerable difference in consumers' planned holiday spending and retailers' expectations of holiday spending as retailers better predicted that consumers were planning to spend less. The managerial implications for retailers based on these predictions are presented.


Introduction Respiratory viruses have been associated with increased symptoms and a decline in lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The optimal means of diagnosis of respiratory viruses in CF is unclear. We compared the suitability of sputum, nose- and throat-swabs for the diagnosis of respiratory viruses in adults with CF. Methods 100 adults with CF provided sputum, nose- and throat-swabs every 2 months between December 2010 and June 2011 within a prospective observational study. Samples were repeated if new respiratory symptoms developed between regular visits. Specimens were analysed using PCR assays for adenovirus, influenza, metapneumovirus, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus. Positive viral identification rates for each specimen type were compared. FEV1, inflammatory markers and symptom scores for upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and pulmonary exacerbation (PEx) were recorded at each visit. Results 210 sets of samples were collected. A respiratory virus was identified at 52 (24.8%) visits of which rhinovirus accounted for 63%, influenza A 10.5%, metapneumovirus 9% and influenza B 7%. Among virus-positive cases, sputum was positive in 34 (65%), nose swab in 25 (48%) and throat swab in 21 (40%). A single specimen type was positive in 32 (62%) cases; two specimens in 12 (23%) and all three specimens in only 8 (15%). Sputum alone was positive in 17 (33%) cases, nose-swab alone in 8 (15%) and throat-swab alone in 7 (13%). An increasing number of positive specimens was associated with higher mean (SD) URTI scores (4.9 (5.0) vs 6.7 (6.6) vs 10.3 (5.5) for 0, 1 and =2 positive specimens respectively; p=0.046 for =2 vs 1 specimens) and higher PEx scores (2.8 (2.8) vs 3.2 (2.2) vs 5.1 (1.5); p=0.002). FEV1, CRP and WCC were similar between these groups. There were no significant differences in lung function, symptoms or inflammatory markers when viruses were detected in sputum compared with the upper airways. Conclusions Sputum is superior to nose- and throat-swabs for the diagnosis of respiratory viruses in adults with CF but all three are required for optimal identification rates. Viral positivity in =2 specimens is associated with higher upper and lower respiratory symptom scores.


The control of indoor conditions in heritage buildings, such as castles or museums, is of paramount importance for the proper preservation of the artworks kept in. As heritage buildings are often not equipped with HVAC systems, it is necessary to provide proper interventions and measures with the aim of monitoring and controlling indoor physical parameters. Moreover, another requirement should be achieved in such buildings, that is the maintenance of the safety conditions in presence of visiting people. This work reports the results of a survey carried on a hall of a historical palace, aimed to assess an useful correlation between CO2 concentration and occupancy levels.


Chiral smectic liquid crystal cells showing V-shaped electrooptical switching have been reported as one of the most promising technologies for high-end display applications. In this work, time-resolved electrical behaviour of these devices has been obtained through a set of systematic measurements. The electrical equivalent circuit has been derived, a number of simulations at different frequencies have been performed using commercial software for analogue circuits. Performance of this electrical model to account for time domain variations of switching currents in chiral smectic LC displays with V/W-shaped electrooptical response has been analyzed as well.


High power 1.5 µm band fiber lasers are of great importance for many practical applications. Generally, the technical targets including high average output power, narrow linewidth, temporally suppressed intensity dynamics, high spectral purity, single transverse mode lasing, and excellent robustness are the major concerns when constructing a high-performance laser source. Here, we demonstrate the highest output power of a wavelength tunable 1.5 µm band random fiber laser based on the active fiber gain mechanism to the best of our knowledge. A master oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) configuration is employed to greatly boost the output power to 20 watt-level with a single transverse mode lasing and the same linewidth as the seed, benefiting from the spectral broadening free feature when employing the random fiber laser as the seed. This work not only enriches the progress of random fiber laser, but also provides an attractive alternative in realizing high performance lasing light source at 1.5 µm band.


ABSTRACT Microbial biofilms are an important element of gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration systems for decentralized drinking water production. Mature biofilms fed with biomass from the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa efficiently remove the cyanotoxin microcystin (MC). MC degradation can be 'primed' by prior addition of biomass from a non-toxic M. aeruginosa strain. Increased proportions of bacteria with an anaerobic metabolism in M. aeruginosa-fed biofilms suggest that this 'priming' could be due to higher productivity and the resulting changes in habitat conditions. We, therefore, investigated GDM systems amended with the biomass of toxic (WT) or non-toxic (MUT) M. aeruginosa strains, of diatoms (DT), or with starch solution (ST). After 25 days, these treatments were changed to receiving toxic cyanobacterial biomass. MC degradation established significantly more rapidly in MUT and ST than in DT. Oxygen measurements suggested that this was due to oxygen-limited conditions in MUT and ST already prevailing before addition of MC-containing biomass. Moreover, the microbial communities in the initial ST biofilms featured high proportions of facultative anaerobic taxa, whereas aerobes dominated in DT biofilms. Thus, the 'priming' of MC degradation in mature GDM biofilms seems to be related to the prior establishment of oxygen-limited conditions mediated by higher productivity.


A device can be constructed for kilovoltage measurement by taking the ratio of signals from an ionisation chamber and a sodium iodide crystal scintillator, with the crystal mounted behind the ionisation chamber. The ionisation chamber monitors the incident photon flux and the crystal measures the energy carried by the beam, the crystal being sufficiently thick almost completely to absorb diagnostic quality radiation incident upon it. The ratio of the signal from the scintillator divided by the ionisation chamber signal is a function of the mean photon energy which, in a heavily filtered beam, is a fixed proportion of the peak kilovoltage. 1.5 mm of copper placed over the ionisation chamber makes the ratio independent of tube filtration up to 140 kVp. Below 60 kVp, exposure factors become excessively large and a 0.5 mm copper filter may be substituted to extend the operating range downwards.


A new system of modified freeze-thaw testing apparatus is introduced. This system is developed to evaluate the geotechnical parameters and their dependence upon freezing-thawing history of frost-susceptibility soil. A necessary condition for stationary frost heaving is clarified in this paper. The method changes the thermal boundary condition up to the net heat flow at the freezing frost becomes zero. The effectiveness of this method is verified by freeze-thaw tests. Frost heaving observed after the application of the method is found to be due to another frost heaving action called long-term frost heaving. This frost heaving has already been studied and is considered ignorable as engineering factor because of its small heaving amount.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Cetuximab is a novel biological agent with superior therapeutic efficacy for colorectal cancer treatment. This study aimed to systematically review the existing evidence related to the cost-effectiveness of cetuximab. Areas covered: Using Medline and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, a total of 12 articles were identified. Previous studies have shown mixed results on the cost-effectiveness of first-line cetuximab combined with FOLFIRI (5-Fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan). However, cetuximab-irinotecan therapy as third-line treatment has consistently been found to be cost-ineffective compared to best supportive care or no third-line therapy. The Kristen-rat-Sarcoma-viral-oncogene (KRAS) testing strategy prior to cetuximab use has been reported as cost-effective compared with the cetuximab-containing strategy without KRAS testing. Expert commentary: The results should be interpreted with consideration of the specific healthcare settings in which cetuximab use was evaluated. Future studies are expected to examine the economic value of cetuximab compared with other newly approved biologic products.


This study is designed to explore the phytochemistry and antimicrobial activity of the stem bark of Fadogia erythrophloea . The powdered stem bark material was subjected to Soxhlet extraction using methanol. The methanol extract was then partitioned using chloroform and ethyl acetate. The fractions were also concentrated using rotary evaporator. Phytochemical screening of the extract and fractions of Fadogia erythrophloea stem bark revealed the presence of cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and alkaloids. The antimicrobial analysis revealed that the crude methanol extract, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions were active against most of the test microorganisms. The mean zones of inhibition against the test microorganisms ranged between 20 – 33 mm. The highest zone of inhibition was obtained with ethyl acetate for Bacillus cereus as 33 mm. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) ranges from 2.75 mg/ml to 50 mg/ml, the MIC for both methanol and chloroform extracts were both found to be 12.5 mg/ml whereas ethyl acetate has 6.25 mg/ml. Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the ethyl acetate fraction was determined to12.5 mg/ml for most of the microorganisms tested. The broad range of inhibition detected implied that the extract has measurable antibacterial properties. This may be due to the presence of active principles which were detected in the phytochemical screening. Keywords: Fadogia erythrophloea , Stem bark, phytochemistry, antimicrobial activity, Soxhlet extraction


The financial industry with the principle of shari'ah compliance has grown rapidly in almost all countries in recent years. Sharia Capital Market is an important segment of sharia financial development. The Islamic capital market must adhere to the moral principles of Islam, which are free from interest (riba), masyir (gambling) which automatically avoids things that lead to gharar (uncertainty).  Islamic rules clearly forbid such conditions, so that the allocation of assets to Sharia stocks in the Islamic capital market tends to be bounded based on sharia moral principles. This study intends to evaluate the level of compliance of shariaa labeled stocks against bounded moral sharia. The method used is a measure of financial ratios based on POJK No. 35 /POJK.04/2017, linkage distance sharia compliance to default (DSCD) and the rate of compliance value for all shari'ah shares incorporated in the Indonesian Syari'ah Stock Index (ISSI).  The fact is that not all shares with a syari'ah label are compliant with the existing Shari'ah moral principles.


Fatigue life models are widely used to predict the fatigue behavior at arbitrary cycle counts of composite structures subjected to cyclic or highly dynamic loads. However, their predictive capacity and determination of model parameters are strongly dependent on loading conditions and large experimental efforts. This research aims to develop a new model which uses a single model parameter to predict the variation trend and distribution pattern of fatigue experimental data points subjected to different stress ratios, loading frequencies and fiber orientations. Validation of the model with several sets of experimental data shows that the proposed model is capable of adequately considering the effects of stress ratio, loading frequency and fiber orientation on the fatigue behavior of composite materials and correctly predicting the variation trend of the experimental data points using only one set of model parameters regardless of stress ratios, loading frequencies and fiber orientations.


Recently, a number of solutions were proposed to address the challenges and issues of vehicular networks. Vehicular Cloud Computing (VCC) is one of the solutions. The vehicular cloud computing is a new hybrid technology that has a remarkable impact on traffic management and road safety by instantly using vehicular resources. In this paper, we study an important vehicular cloud service, content-based delivery, that allows future vehicular cloud applications to store, share and search data totally within the cloud. We design a VCC-based system architecture for efficient sharing of vehicular contents, and propose a Hierarchical Hybrid Content Delivery scheme using Bloom Filter (H²CDBF) for efficient vehicular content delivery in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs). The performance of the proposed H²CDBF is evaluated through an analytical model, and is compared to the proactive content discovery scheme, Bloom-Filter Routing (BFR).


BACKGROUND
Bait formulations are widely used to control German cockroach (Blattella germanica) populations. To perform optimally, these formulations must compete favorably with non-toxic alternative foods present within the insect's habitat. We hypothesized that the nutritional history of cockroaches and their acceptance or avoidance of glucose would affect their food preference and thus bait efficacy. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a controlled laboratory experiment, first providing glucose-accepting and glucose-averse cockroaches nutritionally defined diets and then offering them identical diets containing the insecticide hydramethylnon as a bait proxy to evaluate the effect of diets of differing macronutrient composition on bait performance.

RESULTS
The interaction between diet composition and bait composition affected the survival of adult males as well as first-instar nymphs exposed to excretions produced by these males. Survival analyses indicated different responses of glucose-averse and glucose-accepting insects, but generally any combination of diet and bait that resulted in high diet intake and low bait intake reduced secondary kill.

CONCLUSIONS
This study represents a comprehensive examination of the effect of alternative foods on bait efficacy. We suggest that disparities between the nutritional quality of baits and the foods that are naturally available could profoundly impact the management of German cockroach infestations. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.


Careful planning of the electrical power sector is of great importance since the decisions to be taken involves the commitment of large resources, with potentially serious economic risks for the electrical utility and the economy as a whole. There are different types of techniques available for analysis and prediction of randomly varying parameters. They are classified as statistical, intelligent systems, time series, fuzzy logic, neural networks. In this paper the Weibull density function, Beta Density function and arithmetic mean method has been used to estimate the load demand. The results are compared to determine the most efficient method. Another issue of great importance is that day by day fossil fuels are getting depleted. Another option for conventional sources of energy is increase in generation of renewable sources of energy. Wind generation forecasting is necessary as large intermittent generations have influence on the grid security, system operation, and market economics. Although wind energy may not be dispatched, the cost impacts of wind can be substantially reduced if the wind energy can be scheduled using accurate wind speed forecasting. In this paper Statistical Method is used for analysis of load demand of power system and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used for wind speed forecasting.


To the Editor: It is striking that corticosteroid use in the United States remained relatively stable between 2003 and 2011 in keeping with our previous findings from the United Kingdom despite the earlier introduction and wider use of biologics in the United States.1,2 This may suggest that reduction in corticosteroid use cannot be simply achieved by earlier and wider use of immunomodulators and biologics and should now be regarded as a key quality marker of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care. Narula et al acknowledge that their study did not include an analysis of budesonide use which is licensed for treatment of ileal and ileocecal Crohn's disease and is recommended in international guidelines.1,3 The synthetic steroid budesonide can reduce the undesirable side effects of conventional steroids that clinicians should aim to avoid in the treatment of IBD. We analyzed our original cohort of patients for budesonide use in Crohn's disease from which we previously described temporal trends in corticosteroid use in the United Kingdom.2 We found that only 11.5% had been prescribed budesonide within the first 5 years of diagnosis. The cumulative probability for receiving budesonide within 5 years was 0.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27%–2.5%), 11.5% (95% CI: 9.2%–14.4%), 12.6% (95% CI: 10.9%–14.5%), 10.6% (95% CI: 9.3%–12.1%), for era A (1990–1993), B (1994–1997), C (1998–2001), and D (2002–2005) respectively (log-rank P , 0.001) (Fig. 1). Estimating the occurrence of ileal and ileocecal disease to be 30% to 60% and the largest proportion of patients to have mild or moderate disease,4 we would suggest that at least a third should have received budesonide in this period. Our findings suggest that budesonide is underutilized in the treatment of Crohn's disease and should be considered more widely as an alternative to systemic corticosteroids and is in itself a quality marker of IBD management.


The second-order distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) method is employed to investigate the triple differential cross sections (TDCS) of coplanar doubly symmetric (e, 2e) collisions for magnesium at excess energies of 6 eV–20 eV. Comparing with the standard first-order DWBA calculations, the inclusion of the second-order Born term in the scattering amplitude improves the degree of agreement with experiments, especially for backward scattering region of TDCS. This indicates that the present second-order Born term is capable to give a reasonable correction to DWBA model in studying coplanar symmetric (e, 2e) problems of two-valence-electron target in low energy range.


Until now, the pandemic conditions of Covid-19 are still ravaging the world, even in Indonesia and West Java. Various attempts have been made to stop it. West Java implements Large Scale Social Restrictions, is known as Pembatasan Sosial Skala Besar (PSBB). However, over time, a discourse emerged to loosen PSBB. One of the World Health Organization's (WHO) requirements to loosen is the effective reproduction rate of Corona Virus cases below 1. Therefore, this study focuses on predicting the number of cases in West Java. The methods based on multi-layer perception (MLP) and linear regression (LR). The data were obtained from the C Covid -19 positive case from March to mid-August 2020 in West Java. The experiments show that MLP reaches optimal if it used 13 hidden layers with learning rate and momentum = 0.1. The MLP had a smaller error than LR. Both of them predict the number of cases in the next 30 days from August 14, 2020. The results show that West Java will still have an increase in the number of new cases of Covid -19.


Both R. Davis & D. Webb were able to develop Argo float technology during early 1990s. A profiling array comprising of 3300 such floats was proposed to cover the oceans globally in 1998 by the Argo's Science Team. The first Argo profiling float came into existence in the year 1999. By the year 2007, Argo had achieved its target of 3000 active floats covering the desired global ocean. The conventional depth for obtaining Argo data has been 0 2000 meters. As a giant leap forward, by the middle of 2014, a workshop named, "Deep Argo Implementation Workshop", was held in Hobart. In this conference, Johnson et al. proposed an array of 1228 floats providing coverage of 5° × 5° × 15-day cycles. Deployment of pilot arrays for covering particular regions has already been executed. Deep Ninja and Deep Arvor from Japan and France simultaneously cover depths of 0 4000, while Apex & Solo of Unites States are developed to cover 0 6000 meters. This study is focused on obtaining insitu data from a couple of deep Argo buoys and then, compares their salinity, temperature, and sound speed's in-situ values with the extrapolated ones. Prior to availability of deep Argo, the data in depth was usually extrapolated for various parameter calculations. The literature presents numerous methods and examples for extrapolation of vertical profiles for salinity, temperature, and sound speed profiles. The measured temperature and salinity parameters with the pressure were converted to sound speed profile. The extrapolation was carried out using MATLAB's polyfit and polyval functions. The comparative analysis among in-situ data and the extrapolated one illustrates deviation in deeper vertical profiles especially after 2500 meters. The analysis results are presented in the form of graphs and marked accordingly for both in-situ and extrapolated curves. In addition, the study focuses on varying factors responsible for the typical anomalies especially in deeper oceans. The anomalies suggest that for deeper depth calculations, the real measured values present more accurate results instead of mere extrapolations.


This article attempts to assess the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the situation both in the MENA region as a whole and in particular countries. Analysis of the dynamics of the main economic indicators showed that the region is undergoing a period of stagnation - a decrease in growth rates, a decline in business activity, and an increase in unemployment. At the same time, it should be noted that in most cases the pandemic did not generate, but only intensified the existing negative trends, which require structural transformations. Especially important is the fact that not only economically relatively weak states have suffered due to the pandemic, but also countries that traditionally rely on high revenues from hydrocarbon exports. The emerging crisis of the development model of the Persian Gulf countries is alarming. Another trend demonstrated by the second wave of the crisis was the rapid growth of political tensions in a number of countries, which could also lead to significant negative changes in the region.


One major barrier to advancing fundamental studies of biological cargoes for clinical use has been effective delivery into the cytoplasm. Available methods such as electroporation, viral techniques, and liposomal reagents come with respective strengths and weaknesses depending on the application needs. We present a laser-based cargo delivery platform that combines 11-ns laser pulses and structured flexible polymer substrates to create transient pores in the plasma membrane of cells. Cells are grown on the substrates, and pores are induced form on the cells in the regions excited with nanosecond laser pulses—thus, allowing treatment selectivity in a population. The medium surrounding the cell contains the delivery cargoes in solution, and cargoes diffuse into the cell before the transient pores are sealed. Polymer-based substrates are a promising material for laser-based delivery methods because they are low-cost, have flexible spatial movements, and have simple fabrication techniques. We deliver cargos of various sizes. We use fluorescence imaging and flow cytometry to quantify the delivery efficiency and viability in a reproducible manner. We obtain delivery efficiencies of up to 40% with viabilities of 60% for calcein green in adherent cells such as HeLa and Panc-1. We also deliver molecules of up to 40 kDas and siRNA. We use scanning electron microscopy to study cell adherence and substrate surface morphology. Our data shows that polymer-based substrates can deliver biological material directly into cells in a cost-effective manner.


BACKGROUND
The earliest insult to the kidney following the onset of ureteral obstruction is a marked elevation in collecting system pressure. This imparts a mechanical stress that is transmitted directly from the collecting system to the kidney substance. Renal tubular injury is the principal functional and histological change encountered, with glomerular changes being less marked and occurring later. Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to protect against renal injury in UO, but its mode of action has not been clearly defined.

METHODS
MDCK (canine) and HK-2 (human) renal tubular cells were grown under control conditions or subjected to mechanical strain for periods of 24 and 48 hours. Cells were studied treated with or without Fas-antibody, etoposide or diethyl maleate (DEM) alone or in combination with NG-monomethyl l-arginine (L-NMMA), sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or l-arginine. Cell proliferation and apoptosis was determined using propidium iodide DNA staining. NO production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression were measured by the Griess reaction and Western blotting, respectively.

RESULTS
Cells subjected to mechanical strain displayed a decrease in the proportion of cells undergoing cell division. They also showed an increased susceptibility to apoptosis. Associated with this was a decrease in Bcl-2 expression. An increase in iNOS expression was seen in cells subjected to mechanical strain, but no increase in NO production. The cellular effects of mechanical strain were reversed by SNP and l-arginine.

CONCLUSIONS
Culture of renal tubule cells in an environment of mechanical strain results in an imbalance in homeostasis and a net cell loss. This can be reversed by the administration of an NO donor or precursor.


This study, among 330 pairs of employees and their supervisors, tested whether self- versus supervisor ratings of five employability dimensions (occupational expertise, corporate sense, personal flexibility, anticipation and optimization, and balance) are associated with different learning characteristics in the workplace, and whether age moderates these relationships. Results of structural equation modelling showed that the learning value of the job positively related to both self- and supervisor ratings of corporate sense, personal flexibility, and anticipation and optimization. Applicability in the job of recently followed training and development programmes was associated with all dimensions of self-rated employability and with supervisor ratings of anticipation and optimization. Regarding the hypothesized age moderation effects, contrary to our expectations, it was found that both learning value and applicability of training and development related more strongly to self-rated anticipation and optimization for younger workers. In addition, age appeared to moderate the otherwise non-significant relationship between learning value and self-rated occupational expertise. Implications for Human Resource Development (HRD) practices are discussed. As learning characteristics are differentially related to the unique employability dimensions, tailor-made development programmes are key. Moreover, it is advocated that having a job with a high learning value is an important factor in the light of the employee's sustainable employability.


This article introduces a Rao-Blackwellised particle filtering (RBPF) approach in the finite set statistics (FISST) multitarget tracking framework. The RBPF approach is proposed in such a case, where each sensor is assumed to produce a sequence of detection reports each containing either one single-target measurement, or a "no detection" report. The tests cover two different measurement models: a linear-Gaussian measurement model, and a nonlinear model linearised in the extended Kalman filter (EKF) scheme. In the tests, Rao-Blackwellisation resulted in a significant reduction of the errors of the FISST estimators when compared with a previously proposed direct particle implementation. In addition, the RBPF approach was shown to be applicable in nonlinear bearings-only multitarget tracking.


Group B streptococci and Escherichia coli are the most frequently isolated etiologic agents in neonatal septicemia. Neonatal infection that is caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is usually late in onset, nosocomial in origin and epidemic in pattern. However, P. aeruginosa must be considered in all neonatal infections, regardless of the age of onset, so that early, appropriate and often lifesaving antibiotic therapy may be instituted.


Although mesenteric vasculitis due to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is relatively uncommon, it is the most dangerous manifestation associated with high mortality. We describe the case of a SLE patient with life-threatening gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to mesenteric vasculitis in whom methylprednisolone pulse therapy was quite effective in controlling the hemorrhage and resulted in a satisfactory long term outcome. A 47-yr-old woman presenting with high fever, rash, and melena was diagnosed with SLE from positive antinuclear antibodies, anti-dsDNA, and low complement titers. Although fever and rash subsided with administration of prednisolone, massive hematemesis appeared with melena. Endoscopy demonstrated bleeding ulceration of the antrum, which was intractable despite intensive antiulcer therapy and transfusion. Surgical exploration revealed ileal penetration, and multiple bleeding ulcerations were observed over the resected ileum as well as the antral ulceration. However, bleeding persisted after surgery and surgical findings prompted us to select methylprednisolone pulse. Hemorrhage responded promptly to the therapy, and the patient has remained well since then for >10 yr. Our report indicates that corticosteroid pulse may serve as one of the therapeutic options for SLE with massive hemorrhage due to widespread mesenteric vasculitis.


Bandwidth enhancement of chaotic signal generated from chaotic laser by using continuous-wave optical injection is experimentally demonstrated. A distributed feedback semiconductor laser with optical feedback is employed as the chaotic laser. The bandwidth of the chaotic signal is enhanced roughly three times by optical injection into the chaotic laser compared with the bandwidth when there is no optical injection.


In this work, we first present a semianalytical method for the evolution of linear fully dispersive transient waves generated by an initial surface displacement and propagating over a constant depth. The procedure starts from Fourier and Hankel transforms and involves a combination of the method of stationary phase, the method of uniform asymptotic approximations and various Airy integral formulations. Second, we develop efficient convolution techniques expressed as single and double summations over the source area. These formulations are flexible, extremely fast, and highly accurate even for the dispersive tail of the transient waves. To verify the accuracy of the embedded dispersion properties, we consider test cases with sharp-edged disturbances in 1-D and 2-D. Furthermore, we consider the case of a relatively blunt Gaussian disturbance in 2-D. In all cases, the agreement between the convolution results and simulations with a high-order Boussinesq model is outstanding. Finally, we make an attempt to extend the convolution methods to geophysical tsunami problems taking into account, e.g., uneven bottom effects. Unfortunately, refraction/diffraction effects cannot easily be incorporated, so instead we focus on the incorporation of linear shoaling and its effect on travel time and temporal evolution of the surface elevation. The procedure is tested on data from the 2011 Japan tsunami. Convolution results are likewise compared to model simulations based on the nonlinear shallow water equations and both are compared with field observations from 10 deep water DART buoys. The near-field results are generally satisfactory, while the far-field results leave much to be desired.


The paper aims to identify, describe and analyse knowledge risks organisations might face and based on this, proposes a taxonomy of knowledge risks. To achieve this goal, a literature review was conducted. After the analysis of the existing material, it was possible to divide knowledge risks into two categories: internal (originating from the inside of the organisation) and external (originating from the outside of the organisation). Some of the presented knowledge risks appear to have an incidental character (e.g., knowledge spillover, knowledge leakage or knowledge waste), while others are of a continued nature (e.g., knowledge attrition or risks connected with knowledge work). Our study is not only timely but also relevant for initiating increased and rigorous research activities in the field of knowledge risks. The proposed taxonomy will also help organisations in concentrating on their crucial knowledge and in finding ways to prevent or reduce these risks.


New Cu(II) complexes of sulfamethazine (4-amino-N-[4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinyl]benzenesulfonamide, HL) [Cu(2)(CH(3)COO)(2)(L)(2)].2dmf (1) and ([Cu(L)(2)].2H(2)O)(infinity) (2) were prepared and structurally characterized. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/n, with a = 8.9486(9) A, b = 15.0956(12) A, c = 16.542(3) A, beta = 105.584(15) degrees, and Z = 2. Compound 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/c, with a = 13.8097(8) A, b = 14.5765(4) A, c = 13.7853(15) A, beta = 96.033(9) degrees, and Z = 1. In compound 1 two copper ions are linked by two syn-syn acetates and two nonlinear NCN bridging groups pertaining to the deprotonated sulfamethazine ligands. Each copper center presents a nearly square planar geometry. Magnetic susceptibility data for 1 show a strong antiferromagnetic coupling with 2J = -216.7 cm(-)(1). The EPR spectra at the X- and Q-band frequencies present the signals corresponding to the dinuclear entity, being the zero-field splitting parameter, D = 0.265 cm(-)(1). The antiferromagnetic exchange coupling is discussed using DFT calculations on some model compounds with NCN bridging ligands and also on model structures with mixed mu-acetato and NCN bridges. The copper in the polymeric compound 2 is five coordinate. The CuN(5) chromophore has a highly distorted square pyramidal geometry with small axial N-Cu-N angles of 65.53(14) and 59.90(13) degrees. In the structure a sulfamethazinate anion binds to one copper through the sulfonamido and pyrimidine N atoms and to an adjacent copper via the amino N atom.


In recent years, the focus for the development of combustion technology focus has been set on the following main aims: fuel consumption reduction, nitrogen oxides emission reduction, increased productivity and product quality. Fuel consumption reduction has been reduced by as much as 30-40%, and also CO2 emission reduction was achieved by replacing combustion air with oxygen. To achieve very low emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) the new combustion technology is characterised by: lower temperature of flame, more uniform temperature distribution and reduced concentration of oxygen as well as nitrogen inside the combustion chamber. As in this combustion technique a flame is replaced by a large chemical reaction zone and thus is often not visible the process was named as "flameless" combustion. "Flameless" combustion process that use oxygen, so called oxyfuel combustion, as well as its technical application is the subject of this work. The work presents a description and main features of the "flameless" oxyfuel combustion, results of laboratory tests of a new type of burner, REBOX (R), as well as examples of industrial applications including waste incineration are included.


Conventional topologies operate with a dc link, which makes them bulkier and costlier; it also imposes limits on the compensation capability of the DVR. The dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) is a definitive solution to address the voltage-related PQ problems. This paper presents the voltage sag compensation in multi-bus system with ac chopper based dynamic voltage restorer, Voltage sag remains a serious powerquality (PQ) problem by being the most common and causing more economic losses. Topologies with the same functionality, operating without the dc link by utilizing a direct ac–ac converter, are preferable over the conventional ones. Since no storage device is employed, these topologies require improved information on instantaneous voltages at the point of common coupling and need flexible control schemes depending on these voltages. Therefore, a control scheme for DVR topologies with an ac–ac converter, based on the characterization of voltage sags is proposed to mitigate voltage sags with phase jump. The proposed control scheme is tested on an inter-phase ac–ac converter topology to validate its efficacy by using MATLAB.


This study examined the social consequences for mothers of long-term breastfeeding in a non-supportive culture, and how mothers learned to cope with negative reactions and comments from others. One hundred seventy-nine women who were recruited from La Leche League area conferences nationwide from 1989 to 1991 completed a self-administered closed-ended questionnaire which asked about their breastfeeding and weaning experiences. The percentage of mothers who cited "social stigma" as a negative aspect of breastfeeding increased dramatically as the age of the child increased; 29 percent cited social stigma for breastfeeding past six months, 44 percent for breastfeeding past 12 months, and 61 percent for breastfeeding past 24 months. In spite of the social stigma, the women cited more positive aspects for breastfeeding (M=6.18 aspects) than they did negative aspects (M=.85 aspects). The positive aspects of breastfeeding emphasized the strong emotional bond between mother and child, and the emotional benefits they both received. Mother-to-mother support, spousal support, and a woman's own sense of confidence were important buffers against the criticism of others. And while the criticism of others was likely to cause negative feelings, the mothers reported that it had very little impact on their breastfeeding behaviors.


In previous work, researchers have attempted to construct taxonomies of information visualization techniques by examining the data domains that are compatible with these techniques. This is useful because implementers can quickly identify various techniques that can be applied to their domain of interest. However, these taxonomies do not help the implementers understand how to apply and implement these techniques. The author extends and proposes a new way to taxonomize information visualization techniques by using the Data State Model (E.H. Chi and J.T. Reidl, 1998). In fact, as the taxonomic analysis in the paper will show, many of the techniques share similar operating steps that can easily be reused. The paper shows that the Data State Model not only helps researchers understand the space of design, but also helps implementers understand how information visualization techniques can be applied more broadly.


Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, is the site of a known thermal anomaly with free-flowing artesian wells and springs ranging in temperature from 36.7 to 45.6°C. Recently completed electrical resistivity surveys and hydrogeologic studies indicate two specific areas worthy of further evaluation for low to moderate-temperature geothermal potential: one area about 1 km northwest of Truth or Consequences, and the other at the southwestern end of the Mud Springs Mountains. The DC electrical resistivity study consisted of three Schlumberger vertical electric soundings and an extensive roving bipole-dipole survey in the vicinity of the previously mentioned target areas. Three total-field apparent resistivity maps were generated from the data collected during the roving bip le-dipole survey. To demonstrate the effect of lateral heterogeneities in the geothermal reservoir zone, these maps were compared with theoretical total-field maps computed for a one-dimensional layered earth. Combined electric, hydrologic, and lithologic data indicate that the major thermal aquifer is a fault-bounded block of Pennsylvanian limestone with a major recharge area in the Mud Springs Mountains. This carbonate aquifer is approximately 1 km thick and, locally buried as much as 120 m beneath Quaternary alluvium and the nonthermal piedmont aquifer. Transport of thermal waters from the carbonate aquifer into the Rio Grande flood-plain aquifer occurs along a N60°W-trending reverse fault zone which dips 60°N. Latest movement along this fault zone has tentatively been dated as middle to late Pleistocene. The heat source for the thermal aquifer may be related to early Pleistocene igneous activity. End_of_Article - Last_Page 564------------


A decoction of the leaves of Vernonia galamensis (Asteraceae) has been used in folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. But because folkloric medicines have no standard dose or acceptable method of formulation, attempts have been made by some scientists to formulate crude plant extracts into tablets. The crude leaves extract of Vernonia galamensis is highly hygroscopic and deliquescent and is stored over silica gel crystals in a desiccator. In this study, the effect of a grade of microcrystalline cellulose; avicel PH-103 (FMC Corporation, USA), an efflorescent pharmaceutical powder of reduced moisture content, ideal for moisture-sensitive materials; and the comparative binding effects of maize starch, polyvinylpyrrolidone and gelatin were investigated in the tablet formulation of the deliquescent crude extract. Preparations of the binders at varying concentrations of 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5% w/v were used to produce the granules by wet granulation method and compressed into tablets at 26.25KN. Granule properties such as angle of repose, moisture content, bulk and tapped densities, Carr's index, and tablet properties such as tablet thickness, friability, disintegration times, and dissolution rates using standard methods were investigated. An increase in binder concentration led to an increase in crushing strength, decrease in friability and increase in disintegration time of the tablets. Formulations using gelatin as binder produced the best quality tablets in terms of the CS/FR ratio, CSFR/DT ratio and dissolution rate. Gelatin can therefore be a useful binding agent in the formulation of the deliquescent crude leaves extract of V. galamensis when the efflorescent fumed silica is used as diluent.


This essay offers an overview of the applied arts in Naples in the high baroque, concentrating on artistic forms that could span from minimal to maximal size and dividing the subject by media (marbles, wood, and silk and silver). It focuses on the relation between architecture and sculptural ornament and revetment, stressing the important role played by the minor arts in the construction of the Neapolitan cantiere. Revisiting available literature on the field, it also casts light on the professional forms of association and partnerships within the architectural workshops and on the artistic interactions at play in the manufacture of the surfaces of buildings.


Background Older adults are more vulnerable to health risks than younger people and may get exposed to various dangers, including elder abuse. This study aimed to design and implement an empowerment educational intervention to prevent elder abuse. Methods This parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2014–2016 for 18 months on 464 older adults aged above 60 years who visited health houses of 22 municipalities in Tehran. Data were collected using standard questionnaires, including the Elder Abuse-Knowledge Questionnaire, Health-Promoting Behavior Questionnaire, Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, Barriers to Healthy Lifestyle, Perceived Social Support, Perceived Self-Efficacy, Loneliness Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and the SCARED (stress, coping, argument, resources, events, and dependence) tool. The intervention was done in twenty 45- to 60-minute training sessions over 6 months. Data analysis were performed using χ2 tests, multiple linear and logistic regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results The frequency of knowledge of elder abuse, self-efficacy, social support and health promoting lifestyle before the intervention was similar in the two groups. However, the frequency of high knowledge of elder abuse (94.8% in the intervention group and 46.6% in the control group), high self-efficacy (82.8% and 7.8%, respectively), high social support (97.0% and 10.3%, respectively) and high health promoting lifestyle (97.0% and 10.3%, respectively) was significantly higher (P<0.001) and the frequency of elder abuse risk (28.0% and 49.6%, respectively) was significantly less in the intervention group after the intervention. SEM standardized beta (Sβ) showed that the intervention had the highest impact on increase social support (Sβ=0.80, β=48.64, SE=1.70, P<0.05), self-efficacy (Sβ=0.76, β=13.32, SE=0.52, P<0.05) and health promoting behaviors (Sβ=0.48, β=33.08, SE=2.26, P<0.05), respectively. The effect of the intervention on decrease of elder abuse risk was indirect and significant (Sβ=−0.406, β=−0.340, SE=0.03, P<0.05), and through social support, self-efficacy, and health promoting behaviors. Conclusion Educational interventions can be effective in preventing elder abuse.


Results of the Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation and Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation (NICE-SUGAR) trial, intensive insulin therapy (IIT), and use of a continuous glucose sensor in intensive care units (ICU) were analyzed. The NICE-SUGAR trial was unable to determine if optimal intensive insulin therapy decreases mortality. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology has the potential to improve glycemic control with low glucose variability and low incidence of hypoglycemia. Interstitial fluid CGM may not be useful in perioperative and ICU settings. Studies evaluating the accuracy and reliability of CGM devices, based on a whole blood sample in perioperative and ICU settings, are needed. Once a reliable CGM sensor for ICU use is identified, a large, prospective, controlled, multicenter study could determine if optimal IIT with a low or zero incidence of hypoglycemic events improves mortality.:


Although William Lane only began publishing under the Minerva imprint in 1790, by the end of that decade he had—thanks to his ongoing publication of gothic romances written in imitation of Ann Radcliffe, his recruitment of unknown women authors, and his innovative marketing strategies—eclipsed the competition. Before the Minerva era began, however, one of Lane's major competitors in the field of circulation-library formula fiction, Thomas Hookham, published several novels that were important to Jane Austen's juvenilia, including the three this essay focuses on: Ann Radcliffe's Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789) and two by Eliza Nugent Bromley, Laura and Augustus (1784) and The History of Sir Charles Bentinck and Louisa Cavendish (178/1789?). In addition, because advertisements, catalogues, and other reading lists were important to readers and self-fashioning important to the aspiring young author, besides these primary texts I also consider associated paratexts. These include titles and dedications in Austen's case and, in Hookham's case, a list of "Books Printed by T. Hookham," which appears inside Athlin and Dunbayne immediately following the title page, where any reader must notice it. Although we cannot know for sure, it is possible that this particular list directly influenced Austen's (and the Austen family's) choice of reading material in 1789 as well as Austen's subsequent choice of satiric targets for "Love and Freindship." In any case, the very possibility that she paid such close attention to Hookham's list of "Books Printed" prompts a careful consideration of what the juvenilia may reveal about her reading process, her youthful understanding of circulation-library publishers' marketing strategies and materials, and her response to the model of authorship they promoted.
Taken together, these texts and paratexts strongly suggest that the teenaged Austen appreciated the practical use of lists like the one found in "Books Printed" and made good use of them as a reader who was committed to mastering generic conventions, but that she also parodied their rhetoric in her own titles and dedications; they suggest, moreover, that she appreciated the pleasurable recognition of the familiar enjoyed by readers of circulation-library publisher's formulaic fiction but was skeptical about certain aspects of the reading and writing networks that such publishers' marketing strategies were designed to produce. After all, one of the targets of her satire in "Love and Freindship" is quixotic young ladies who, like this epistolary novel's narrator Laura, set out on the road of literary imitation and end up both disappointing and disappointed.


In two non‐consanguineous Hungarian Roma (Gypsy) children who presented with cardiomyopathy and decreased plasma carnitine levels, we identified homozygous deletion of 17081C of the SLC22A5 gene that results in a frameshift at R282D and leads ultimately to a premature stop codon (V295X) in the OCTN2 carnitine transporter. Carnitine treatment resulted in dramatic improvement of the cardiac symptoms, echocardiographic, and EKG findings in both cases. Family investigations revealed four sudden deaths, two of them corresponded to the classic SIDS phenotype. In postmortem tissue specimens available from three of them we could verify the homozygous mutation. In liver tissue reserved from two patients lipid droplet vacuolization could be observed; the lipid vacuoles were located mainly in the peripherolobular regions of the acini. In the heart tissue signs of generalized hypertrophy and lipid vacuoles were seen predominantly in the subendocardial areas in both cases; some aggregates of smaller lipid vacuoles were separated, apparently by membranes. Review of all OCTN2 deficiency cases reported so far revealed that this is the first presentation of histopathology in classic familial sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) with an established SLC22A5 mutation. In addition to the two affected homozygous cardiomyopathic children and three homozygous sudden death patients, the genetic analysis in 25 relatives showed 14 carriers. The mutant gene derived from five non‐consanguineous grandparents, each of them having 6–14 brothers and sisters. This alone suggests a wide ancestral spread of the mutation in certain Roma subpopulations. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Written for students, remote sensing specialists, researchers and SAR system designers, Processing of SAR Data shows how to produce quality SAR images. In particular, this practical reference presents new methods and algorithms concerning the interferometric processing of SAR data with emphasis on system and signal theory, namely how SAR imagery is formed, how interferometry SAR images are created, and a detailed mathematical description of different focussing algorithms. Starting with the processing basics and progressing to the final geo-coded SAR data product, the book describes the complete processing steps in detail. Algorithms based on the effects of side-looking geometry are developed to correct foreshortening, shadowing and layover.


The Mantoux test is considered to be positive if in 48 hours an area of infiltration of at least 5 mm. diameter is present at the site of the intracutaneous injection. There is no definite agreement as to the minimum size of the reaction that is to be considered positive. Some investigators will not call a Mantoux test positive unless the diameter is 10 mm. or more. The reaction, as a rule, persists or even becomes larger in 72 hours, and some physicians prefer to do the reading in 72 rather than in 48 hours. Areas of erythema without induration that appear in 24 hours but fade away in 48 hours are generally considered false positive reactions and are not uncommonly seen when larger doses of old tuberculin or purified protein derivative are used. As far as purified protein derivative is concerned, the specificity of even typical positive tests is


Biodegradable polybutylene succinate(PBS) is a kind of environmentally friendly plastics for fisheries, because it can mitigate the ghost fishing problem caused by gill-net and trap fisheries. To evaluate durability of PBS monofilament, each of different diameter 3 types of monofilaments were spun and exposed to 56 month outdoor and then their gravity, modification of surface, breaking strength, and elongation were analysed. The gravity of PBS monofilament was estimated to be approximately 1.24 when spinning ratio from 4.8 to 6.1. PBS monofilaments did not show any crack after 56 month exposed to outdoor and load-elastic elongation curve was showed sigmoid type. Decreasing ratio of elongation was appeared in the thinnest monofilament 0.2mm diameter and breaking strength was in the thickest monofilament 0.4mm diameter. Breaking strength and elongation at break were decreased rapidly after 48 month exposed to outdoor. Breaking strength reduced linearly after 48 month exposure, while no such linear relationship was found in the case of elongation at break. In results, it was investigated that the durability of PBS monofilament nets for gillnet and trap were 24, 50 month when keep to land, respectively.


Correlations have been searched for between the atmospheric [Fe/H] value and the observed amplitudes of classical Cepheids. Model calculations show that fundamental mode pulsation is unstable for solar like chemical composition between 8 and 10 days, but observations contradict the models. The ratio of the radial velocity and photometric amplitudes, AVRAD/AB, shows a mild metallicity dependence.


Deep venous thrombosis occurs in approximately 40 to 60 per cent of patients who have a total knee arthroplasty5,10,11,13,15,17,18. However, symptomatic pulmonary embolism occurs in only 1 to 2 per cent9,10,17-19, and fatal pulmonary embolism has been reported in 0.2 per cent of patients who received no anticoagulation therapy8.

The relatively high frequency of deep venous thrombosis and low prevalence of pulmonary embolism may be related to the location of the thrombus. Most deep venous thrombi occur in the calf10,13,18, and they do not appear to be associated with as serious a risk of pulmonary embolism as more proximal thrombi. The role of routine anticoagulation therapy for treatment of the relatively common thrombosis of the calf and for prevention of the relatively uncommon fatal pulmonary embolism has recently been questioned8.

Complications of manipulation after total knee arthroplasty include rupture of the patellar ligament, fracture of the supracondylar region of the femur, avulsion of the collateral ligament, wound dehiscence, hemarthrosis, and heterotopic formation of bone1,3,4,6,7,12,14. However, pulmonary embolism has not generally been considered as a direct risk associated with this procedure. The following case of fatal pulmonary embolism that developed during a manipulation performed three weeks after a total knee arthroplasty demonstrates that thromboembolism can be an important risk.

A sixty-four-year-old man with a medical history that included hypertension and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was managed with a right total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthrosis on October 18, 1993. The procedure was performed with the patient under spinal anesthesia. Preoperative examination of the knee had revealed a …


Health care costs are a driving force in the current health reform debate. Efforts to constrain costs include aggregate fiscal constraints, as well as changes in a combination of price and/or volume within the system to reduce total spending.


Background Condylar process fractures account for one-third of all mandibular fractures, and the distal fragment is prone to dislocate to the medial side due to the pulling of the lateral pterygoid muscle. Retromandibular approaches are commonly used, but the intraoperative view becomes limited in medially dislocated fractures. This study summarized a series of cases of retromandibular reduction for medially dislocated condylar process fractures and described our supplementary procedure to realign the dislocated condylar process. Methods Nine patients with medially dislocated condylar process fractures underwent surgical correction from January 2012 to December 2016. In 6 of them, it was possible to realign the fractures with a conventional retromandibular approach, but for 3 cases of severe dislocation to the middle cranial fossa, a supplementary transoral procedure was carried out. The angle difference between the ramus and condyle, ramus height, and maximal mouth opening (MMO) were evaluated. Results All 9 cases were restored to the proper anatomical alignment without any major complications, and postoperative images revealed successful union. The angle difference was 8.94°±4.11° preoperatively, and 0.99±0.49° at the 6-month follow-up. The pretreatment ramus height difference was 6.12±6.09 mm, and the postoperative difference was 0.18±0.10 mm. These changes after surgery were statistically significant. The MMO before surgery was 11.44±3.0 mm, and the postoperative MMO was 37.2±2.9 mm, reflecting a significant increase after reduction. Conclusions Retromandibular reduction is a useful method in medially dislocated condylar process fractures, and additional transoral assistance should be considered to realign condylar processes that severely dislocate to the middle cranial fossa.


Twenty three boys with delayed adolescence (age 15.7 +/- 2.0, bone age 12.4 +/- 2.1 years) were studied. Their cortisol response to insulin was normal. After oral metyrapone (500 mg/m2 by mouth) one to three consecutive 12 h urine samples were collected for analysis of THS. Thirty seven tests with 37 first, 21 second, and 11 third samples were carried out. The results could be divided into two main groups: 25 tests (group A) were subnormal in the first sample, 12 of them with a very weak (40 +/- 8 micrograms/m2/12 h) and 13 with an insufficient (191 +/- 16 micrograms/m2/12 h) THS response. Values in the second and third sample were higher, indicating a delayed response. In 12 tests (group B), the results were normal (1016 +/- 143 micrograms/M2/12 h) in the first and lower in the second and third samples. In three patients with repeated tests, there was improvement with increasing bone age. The THS-responses to metyrapone did not correlate with those of growth hormone, gonadotrophins, and TSH to stimuli. It is concluded that the THS-response to a single dose of metyrapone may be temporarily insufficient or delayed in delayed adolescence. We interpret this finding as showing transiently reduced or slow hypothalamic responsiveness.


As Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are rapidly being adopted within large software systems, software developers are increasingly required to design, train, and deploy such models into the systems they develop. Consequently, testing and improving the robustness of these models have received a lot of attention lately. However, relatively little effort has been made to address the difficulties developers experience when designing and training such models: if the evaluation of a model shows poor performance after the initial training, what should the developer change? We survey and evaluate existing state-of-the-art techniques that can be used to repair model performance, using a benchmark of both real-world mistakes developers made while designing DNN models and artificial faulty models generated by mutating the model code. The empirical evaluation shows that random baseline is comparable with or sometimes outperforms existing state-of-the-art techniques. However, for larger and more complicated models, all repair techniques fail to find fixes. Our findings call for further research to develop more sophisticated techniques for Deep Learning repair.


The Cherenkov Telescope Array is the future of ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. Its first prototype telescope built on-site, the Large Size Telescope 1, is currently under commissioning and taking its first scientific data. In this paper, we present for the first time the development of a full-event reconstruction based on deep convolutional neural networks and its application to real data. We show that it outperforms the standard analysis, both on simulated and on real data, thus validating the deep approach for the CTA data analysis. This work also illustrates the difficulty of moving from simulated data to actual data.


Recently, a novel diffractive-based encoded system has been developed for various multiplexed suspension biological assays. These microparticles, which are manufactured using photolithography of a commercial epoxy-based negative photoresist (SU-8), contain micrometre-sized diffractive elements and can encode millions of unique codes. In this thesis, the preparation and surface modification of different diffractive microparticles; the attachment of a range of biological molecules (e.g. proteins and peptides) onto the functionalised surfaces; and different on-bead analytical techniques for surface characterisation are described. From a thermodynamic study of a multiplexed immunoassay for immunoglobulins (Ig, MW ~150 kDa), the immobilised probe molecules exhibit high affinity (Kd = 9 ± 3 nM) and excellent specificity (S/N >36:1) for the target analytes. The suspension assay resembles solution-like reaction kinetics allowing detection of multiple target proteins in 0.96. Intra-assay variability (%CV) is determined to be <25%. The sensitivity of the multiplexed immunoassay, expressed as Lowest Detection Limit (LDL), is found to be 379 fM and 1.47 pM for TNF-? and IL-6 respectively, and are comparable to the corresponding ELISAs as demonstrated by the suppliers


It has been previously demonstrated that systems based on block wise local features and Gaussian mixture models (GMM) are suitable for video based talking face verification due to the best trade-off in terms of complexity, robustness and performance. In this paper, we propose two methods to enhance the robustness and performance of the GMM-ZTnorm baseline system. First, joint factor analysis is performed to compensate the session variabilities due to different recording devices, lighting conditions, facial expressions, etc. Second, the difference between the universal background model (UBM) and the maximum a posteriori (MAP) adapted model is mapped into the GMM mean shifted supervector whose over-complete dictionary becomes more incoherent. Then, for verification purpose, the sparse representation computed by l1-minimization with quadratic constraints is employed to model these GMM mean shifted supervectors. Experimental results show that the proposed system achieved 8.4% (group 1) and 10.5% (group 2) equal error rate on the Banca talking face video database following the P protocol and outperformed the GMM-ZTnorm baseline by yielding more than 20% relative error reduction.


A new method based upon Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for fingerprint enhancement is proposed in this paper. PCA is a useful statistical technique that has found application in fields such as face recognition and image compression, and is a common technique for finding patterns in data of high dimension. In the proposed method image is first decomposed into directional images using decimation free Directional Filter bank DDFB. Then PCA is applied to these directional fingerprint image which gives the PCA filtered images. Which are basically directional images. Then these directional images are reconstructed into one image which is the enhanced one. Simulation results are included illustrating the capability of the proposed method.


Abstract Low vitamin D status is recognized as a prevalent disorder in certain high-risk groups. The greatest prevalence has been reported in the institutionalized elderly. The goal of this article is to review the literature pertaining to vitamin D deficiency in the institutionalized elderly and to highlight the need for treatment in this high-risk group. A computer search for English language articles from 1980 to February 2007 was conducted using the PubMed database and key words vitamin D, hyperpar-athyroidism, elderly, institutionalization, and nursing home. Several risk factors have been noted, which are more prominent in the institutionalized elderly, including decreased sun exposure, poor oral intake, and multiple comorbidities. Long-term care residents should be prescribed higher doses of calcium and vitamin D for adequate bone mineral density and fracture prevention.


The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cytotoxicity of soot on rat alveolar macrophages has been postulated. A single intratracheal injection of soot (5 mg) in corn oil significantly induced the macrophage population, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation, thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive substances of lipid peroxidation, and the activities of extracellular acid phosphatase (AP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) at 1, 4, 8, and 16 days of postinoculation. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) were significantly inhibited at all the stages, while glutathione reductase (GR) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) showed a different pattern. These results show that soot is cytotoxic to alveolar macrophages and suggest that ROS may play a primary role in the cytotoxic process.


There is little research on knowledge of the policy rules that could affect individuals, either in general or in evaluations of new programs. The lack of research is surprising, given that knowledge gaps could limit the effectiveness of reforms or lead to incorrect inferences regarding the effects of a policy change. In this article, we use survey data to examine the level and sources of welfare participants' policy knowledge in the context of a substantial change in child support and welfare policy in Wisconsin. We find very low levels of knowledge of child support policy rules. Multivariate analyses suggest that people tend to learn policy rules by experience; we find less consistent support for knowledge being primarily imparted through interactions with caseworkers. A difference-in-difference analysis suggests that if participants had been more knowledgeable, program impacts would have been larger. Implications of this research for policy implementation and policy evaluations are discussed. © 2007 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management


Volatility in currency exchange rate and the resulting uncertainty is one of the major variables in macroeconomics that affects different economic sectors in various aspects. Since these fluctuations and the resulting uncertainty do not affect all economic sectors in a similar way, this study aims to investigate the effect of uncertainty in the actual currency exchange rate on development of economic sectors in Iran using combined data over the period between 1991 and 2011 through panel method. The results obtained from this study indicate that uncertainty in the exchange rate has negative and significant effects on development of economic sectors. This effect was higher in industry, mining, agriculture, transportation and communication, hotels and restaurants, and construction sector with - 0.51, -0.40, -0.35, -0.27,-0.24, and -0.23 respectively.


The role of complement system in stem cell transplantation is largely unknown. In solid organ transplantation, endovascular C4d deposition, a degradation product of the classic complement pathway, is essential for early rejection diagnosis. We retrospectively analyzed all patients diagnosed with graft versus host disease (GVHD) for C4d deposition at Oklahoma University between years 2000 and 2008. A modified Banff07 grading system was used to quantify C4d deposition. 58 biopsies (40 skin, 18 colon) performed on patients clinically suspected of having GVHD and 12 controls (all colon biopsies) were analyzed for C4d deposition. We recorded "response to steroids" in all clinical GVHD cases and looked at whether C4d can be utilized as a predictor of steroid treatment response. Of 40 clinical skin GVHD cases, 27 showed positive C4d staining which did not correlate well with steroid sensitivity: 74% of positive C4d cases responded to steroid therapy compared to 92% for negative cases (p=0.2634). 94% of colon GVHD cases showed positive C4d staining compared to 17% in controls (p<0.001). Only 44% of clinical colon GVHD cases were confirmed pathologically by H&E, compared to 93% of skin GVHD cases. For colon GVHD cases, 61% had clinical grade III/IV, and 78% responded to steroids. Interestingly, 90% of negative H&E colon cases responded to steroids. In conclusion, C4d deposition is a valuable marker for detection of colon GVHD, indicating a potential role of complement system in the pathogenesis of GVHD. C4d staining is potentially an objective tool than can help pathologist, in addition to H&E, to diagnosed colon GVHD.


Photochemical and thermal isomerization of various azobenzenes was systematically investigated to understand the correlation between the molecular structure and transcis isomerization characteristics of azobenzenes.A blue shift in πDπ* absorption band of ortho-alkylated azobenzenes(1o and 2o) was observed together with a reduction in molar extinction coefficient in comparison with both meta-alkylated azobenzenes(4m and 5m) and 7p lacking the meta and ortho substituents.For ortho-alkylated azobenzene,photochemical trans-to-cis isomerization and thermal back cis-to-trans isomerization in solution occurred slowly when compared with 4m,5m and 7p.The half-life time of the cis form of 2o was found to be 380 h,which is about 8-50 times longer than those of comparable 4m,5m(43-13 h) and 7p(7 h).Furthermore,comparison of the molecular structure and isomerization characteristics of azobenzene thiol(2o and 5m) self-assembled monolayers on flat gold surfaces indicates that the trans-to-cis photoconversion in monolayer systems is influenced by steric hindrance and strong intermolecular interaction between azobenzene units.


Rational individuals take preventive measures to avoid costly air pollution exposure. This paper provides new empirical evidence of pollution avoidance that Chinese urban residents purchase particulate-filtering facemasks against ambient air pollution. The analysis is conducted with detailed and comprehensive data available on daily facemask purchases and air quality that became available only very recently. We find that this transitory air pollution avoidance behavior exhibits dynamics and nonlinearities, with significant increases of facemask purchases during extreme pollution episodes. The daily model shows that a 100-point increase in Air Quality Index (AQI) increases the consumption of all masks by 54.5 percent and anti-PM2.5 masks by 70.6 percent. The estimates from the aggregated model with flexible pollution levels are used to simulate the benefit of air quality improvement. If 10 percent of heavy pollution days were eliminated, the total savings on facemasks alone would be approximately 187 million USD in China. This result suggests that reducing the occurrence of "airpocalypse" events represents a significant opportunity to improve social welfare. Nevertheless, our estimates are likely only the lower bound of the benefit of clean air because facemasks can only partially reduce the negative health effects of air pollution and the costs of other avoidance behaviors are not included.


In this article, the author describes the positive impacts of happiness-sharing activities, especially regarding achievement. These activities are essential in maintaining and improving mental health. In addition, the author inspires so that many people can do positive things, infect many people and create a more positive world.


A new trithiodiketopiperazine derivative, adametizine C (1), and five new alkane derivatives (7–11), were isolated from the mangrove sediment–derived fungus Penicillium ludwigii SCSIO 41408, together with five known dithiodiketopiperazine derivatives (2–6). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configuration of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. In a variety of bioactivity screening, 1–5 exhibited some selective antifungal or antibacterial activities. Compounds 1–3 showed cytotoxicity against prostate cancer cell line 22Rv1 with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 13.0–13.9 μM; moreover, 3 showed obvious activity against another prostate cancer PC-3 cells with an IC50 value of 5.1 μM. Further experiments revealed that 3 could significantly reduce PC-3 cells colony formation and induce apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Several compounds also exhibited obvious inhibitory activities of lipopolysaccharide–induced nuclear factor-κB with IC50 values range from 8.2 to 21.5 μM, and 1, 5, and 9 were further evaluated for their effects on receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis. Adametizine C (1), with the strongest inhibitory activity against RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation in bone marrow macrophage cells with 10 μM, was suggested to be the promising lead compound for the treatment of osteoclast-related diseases.


Imaging in the Terahertz (THz) region has drawn attention in recent years, but the nature of the THz frequency regime causes some drawbacks in imaging such as long wavelength, high cost, and low emission levels at room temperature. Because of the high atmospheric absorption of THz waves, fabrication of a microbolometer pixel that works in the sub-1 THz frequency regime is necessary. Large pixel pitches due to longer wavelengths and the resulting higher thermal mass pose a difficult challenge. Due to those limitations, a unique design of an absorber is essential for THz microbolometers. This study investigates the use of absorbers based on novel materials and alloys with the goal of developing efficient absorbers in small pixel pitches. First, thin layer metal absorbers typically used in commercial IR microbolometers are characterized in terms of absorption performance in the sub-1 THz region. Thin films based on metal alloys such as TiAlV show a markedly lower absorption in this region than in the IR. To improve the performance of these absorbing layers and reduce pixel pitches. Use of effective media based on the mixture of dielectric materials and metals with patterned thin films are investigated to develop unique absorbing thin layers. It is seen that with the use of an effective medium whose complex dielectric constant is tailored appropriately, efficient absorption of sub-1 THz radiation can be achieved.


We propose and numerically demonstrate a high-quality hybridized resonant platform, composed of a one-dimensional metal grating and a dielectric cavity. Under a moderate oblique illumination, an ultra-high spectral quality (Q) factor of 1375 is achieved, which shows orders of magnitude larger than that of the system under normal excitation. The high-Q mode results from the strong coupling effect between the surface plasmon polariton of the metal grating and the photonic mode of the dielectric cavity. Based on this hybridized plasmonic resonator, a high-performance sensing scheme with the spectral sensitivity (S) up to 800 nm/RIU (refractive index unit, RIU) is further introduced. Moreover, the figure of merit reaches 1337, indicating a new record for both the localized or propagating surface plasmons based sensors. These features could find applications in sensing and detecting devices, plasmonic switches, and light flow modulators.


The asymptotic normality of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) under regularity conditions is a cornerstone of statistical theory. In this paper, we give explicit upper bounds on the distributional distance between the distribution of the MLE of a possibly-high dimensional parameter, and the multivariate normal. An explicit analytical expression of the MLE is not required and the random vectors are independent but not necessarily identically distributed.


Language is the guardian, main carrier and a powerful translator of cultural spiritual values, so that the language can show all the components of culture. The article is devoted to the description of the word's etymological and magical character in modern Turkic and Slavic languages, with the indication of their historical formation, dew to the general laws of their development. In particular, the special importance is given, to the philosophical, linguistic and cultural, sociological system of the naming, as a source of spiritual and historical information, describing the ethnic's historical development process. This is not only a linguistic reconstruction of the past, but also a process of disclosing of some unknown historical aspects of an ethno-cultural nature. According to this the article goes on saying about the origin and the history of formation of the words of a magical character in modern Turkic and Slavic languages. Based on the fact that the words, name and naming- are the most important "means of magic", the magical power of the word is analyzed. On the basis of the historical materials, it is proved that all the signs of the magic in the Turkic and Slavic languages were formed from the verbs "arbau, jadylau (zhad)" (to conjure) in the spoken language, coming from the significant words "arbaushy"," jat(zhad)/zhadylaushy" (adjures, sorcerer)


A 24 GHz low-power transceiver is designed, fabricated, and characterized using 130 nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The designed transceiver is targeted for frequency-modulated-continuous-wave (FMCW) wireless local positioning. The transceiver includes four switchable receiving channels, one transmitting channel and local-oscillator generation circuitries. Several power-saving techniques are implemented, such as switch channel and adaptive mixer biasing. The design aspects of the low-power circuit blocks and integration considerations are presented in details. The integrated transceiver has a chip area of only 2.2 mm × 1.7 mm. In transmitting mode the transceiver achieves an output power of 4 dBm and phase noise of −90 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz, while consuming 75 mW power consumption under 1.5 V power supply. In switch-channel receiving mode the transceiver demonstrates 31 dB gain and 6 dB noise figure with 65 mW power consumption. The transceiver measurements compare well with the simulated results and achieve state-of-the-art performance with very low-power consumption.


The Temperature Buffer Test is a heated full-scale field experiment carried out at the Aspo Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden, simulating repository conditions for radioactive waste. The initial thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) evolution in the clay barrier was investigated in a separate mock-up test. The paper describes this laboratory experiment and the corresponding numerical simulations. Most of the related work refers to THM analyses of bentonite barriers well below 100°C, but here higher temperatures are considered. A 20 cm closed specimen of compacted MX-80 bentonite was subjected to a temperature gradient (84°C and 120°C at the end points). The evolution of temperature, relative humidity, pore pressure and stresses was monitored at several points. The test was allowed to reach steady-state conditions. The specimen was then sampled and analysed in terms of water content and bulk density. Several finite element analyses considering different coupled THM interactions were performed, and compared with measurements. Bentonite properties were obtained from independent tests. Additionally, retention properties were also obtained from measured saturation ratios and steady-state suction values. For the mechanical problem the Barcelona Expansive Model was used, which includes explicitly the two structural levels that actually exist in expansive clays (macro- and microstructure). This model made it possible to simulate the evolution of stresses as well as the expansion of bentonite at the 'cold' side and the compression at the 'hot' side, using a single set of parameters.


Trapped by Earth's magnetic field far above the planet's surface, the energetic particles that fill the radiation belts are a sign of the Sun's influence and a threat to our technological future. In the AGU monograph Dynamics of the Earth's Radiation Belts and Inner Magnetosphere, editors Danny Summers, Ian R. Mann, Daniel N. Baker, and Michael Schulz explore the inner workings of the magnetosphere. The book reviews current knowledge of the magnetosphere and recent research results and sets the stage for the work currently being done by NASA's Van Allen Probes (formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes). In this interview, Eos talks to Summers about magnetospheric research, whistler mode waves, solar storms, and the effects of the radiation belts on Earth.


This study uses four news organizations and their online services based in Beijing to identify newsroom convergence models in China. It finds that there is a gulf between central-level and local news sites' convergence efforts. At the macro level are policy barriers such as TV licensing, licensing to distribute news on the Web and the issuance of press cards. At the meso level, the websites have five main revenue streams: state subsidy, advertising, wireless value-added services, sales of data and website construction. State subsidy is only available to key state news sites like Xinhuanet and Peoplesnet. These central-level sites can afford to experiment with multiplatform and multimedia services as well as original products and services. By contrast, local news sites struggle to stay in the market and their strategies focus on providing local news and information while forging strategic partnerships with big businesses to sustain their advertising platform.


The horses of Shackleford Banks, NC, United States are harassed by many species of biting flies. Apart from being a nuisance, their bites can lead to blood loss and transmit disease. As a result, these horses tend to avoid areas where fly abundances are high. Like other free-ranging horse populations, environmental factors such as low wind speeds and high temperatures increase fly loads per horse. Similarly, coat color matters since darker horses attract more flies than lighter ones, especially on hot sunny days. Many horse populations reduce per capita fly loads by living in large groups or by bunching tightly together. Shackleford horses do so, too, but also use wind speed differences among habitats to modulate fly numbers. By adopting a systematic pattern of moving between habitats such that they only visit a habitat when wind speed is high enough to keep fly harassment to a tolerable level, they can avoid being bitten while continuing to forage. Typically, they begin the day foraging on the salt marshes where fly abundance is inherently low and are lowered further by faint early morning breezes. Later in the morning, horses move to grassy patches (swales) when increasing wind speed reduces fly landings there to levels found on the marshes. Later still, when wind speeds peak, horses begin foraging among the sand dunes. At this point wind speeds are high enough so that horses using any habitat will be minimally harassed by flies, thus enabling them to freely choose where to feed based on which habitat meets particular dietary needs for protein, energy and nutrients on any particular day. Hence, Shackleford horses follow the breeze to solve a challenging dilemma of maintaining a high nutritional plane without succumbing to fly harassment. Other free-ranging horses populations appear to have a more limited "either-or" choice of "bite or be bitten," thus limiting their decision-making options.


Due to shortage of fresh water resources, the vegetation of the eastern region of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced a series of declines resulting from salinization of groundwater, which is the major source of irrigation. To assess these changes, field measurements combined with Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) based Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) were analysed. TM and ETM+ images from two dates, 1987 and 2000 were acquired to enable the computation of the greenness anomalies for three sites in the eastern region, Fujairah, Kalba and Hatta. The results show an overall increase in agricultural area, associated with a severe decrease in vegetation greenness and health conditions, particularly in the Kalba study area. The SAVI values decreased with increased soil salinity, permitting the identification of salt‐affected areas. This remotely sensed data offered valuable information regarding vegetation health conditions, especially when using greenness indices. However, in open canopies, like date palm trees, soil line indices, such as, SAVI are more robust, since they account for the contribution of the soil background. This research suggests, that in order for the date palm trees of this region to stay productive, considerable attention needs to be placed in managing and monitoring soil salinity conditions and progress. Potential areas of further research range from studying the effects of tree spacing and understory crops as immediate and potential solutions to maintain productivity and mitigate the salinity problem.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the effect of integrin β3 (ITGB3) gene silencing mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) in mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
MIRI mice model was established, and myocardial tissues of MIRI mice and sham operation group mice were extracted. Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the pathological changes of myocardial tissue; terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was used to detect the apoptosis of myocardial cells; ELISA method was used to detect the levels of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the two groups. The infarct size was measured by TTC staining. Myocardial cells of MIRI model mice were isolated and cultured, and then grouped and transfected. The cells were transfected with the grouping of MIRI group, negative control (NC) group, MAPK signal pathway agonist Anisomycin group, MAPK signal pathway inhibitor SB203580 group, ITGB3-siRNA group, SB203580 + ITGB3-siRNA group. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of ITGB3, p38MAPK/p-p38MAPK, GSK-3β/p-GSK-3β, Cx43/p-Cx43, pro-apoptotic factor Bax and anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2. 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assay was used to detect cell proliferation and flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis.

RESULTS
The expression of ITGB3 in myocardial tissue of MIRI mice was significantly higher than that of sham operated mice (p<0.05). Compared with the sham operation group, the apoptosis rate of myocardial cells in MIRI group was significantly increased, the expression levels of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly increased, and the myocardial infarction area was significantly increased (all p<0.05). Compared with MIRI and NC groups, ITGB3 mRNA and protein expression levels in ITGB3-siRNA group and SB203580 + ITGB3-siRNA group were significantly decreased (all p<0.05), but no significant change was found in Anisomycin group and SB203580 group (p>0.05). Furthermore, ITGB3-siRNA group and Anisomycin group had markedly decreased mRNA and protein expressions of ITGB3 and Bax, increased mRNA and protein expressions of p38MAPK/p-p38MAPK, GSK-3β/p-GSK-3β, Cx43/p-Cx43 and Bcl-2, as well as increased cell proliferation and decreased cell apoptosis (all p<0.05); SB203580 group indicated an opposite result with Anisomycin group; while SB203580 + ITGB3-siRNA revealed none significant statistical difference. In addition, compared with ITGB3-siRNA group, SB203580 + ITGB3-siRNA group showed significantly upregulated mRNA and protein expressions of Bax, downregulated mRNA and protein expressions of p38MAPK/p-p38MAPK, GSK-3β/p-GSK-3β, Cx43/p-Cx43 and Bcl-2, as well as decreased cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis (all p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Silencing ITGB3 gene expression can promote the activation of MAPK signaling pathway, elevate the phosphorylation of GSK-3β and Cx43 in the downstream, promote the proliferation of mouse myocardial cells, inhibit myocardial cell apoptosis and inflammatory reaction, and thus have protective effect on MIRI in mice.


What influences private investment in the Czech Republic? This paper arrives at a conclusion based on a survey of fixed-asset purchases in 30,000 non-financial corporations over the period 2008–2015. BVAR models are estimated on aggregates for 19 industries and the whole non-financial economy. As our results show, foreign demand is the most important factor for Czech business investment, especially in manufacturing and tourism. We also find an increased importance of expectations and uncertainty during the period under review. According to our findings, business investment is fostered by a devalued currency and is crowded out by public investment. The most profound crowding-out was seen in manufacturing and agriculture, whereas services, trade, and construction exhibit crowding-in. Finally, EU funds are found to be successful in providing occasional support to private investment.


Psychiatric genetics has made substantial progress in the last decade, providing new insights into the genetic etiology of psychiatric disorders, and paving the way for precision psychiatry, in which individual genetic profiles may be used to personalize risk assessment and inform clinical decision‐making. Long recognized to be heritable, recent evidence shows that psychiatric disorders are influenced by thousands of genetic variants acting together. Most of these variants are commonly occurring, meaning that every individual has a genetic risk to each psychiatric disorder, from low to high. A series of large‐scale genetic studies have discovered an increasing number of common and rare genetic variants robustly associated with major psychiatric disorders. The most convincing biological interpretation of the genetic findings implicates altered synaptic function in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. However, the mechanistic understanding is still incomplete. In line with their extensive clinical and epidemiological overlap, psychiatric disorders appear to exist on genetic continua and share a large degree of genetic risk with one another. This provides further support to the notion that current psychiatric diagnoses do not represent distinct pathogenic entities, which may inform ongoing attempts to reconceptualize psychiatric nosology. Psychiatric disorders also share genetic influences with a range of behavioral and somatic traits and diseases, including brain structures, cognitive function, immunological phenotypes and cardiovascular disease, suggesting shared genetic etiology of potential clinical importance. Current polygenic risk score tools, which predict individual genetic susceptibility to illness, do not yet provide clinically actionable information. However, their precision is likely to improve in the coming years, and they may eventually become part of clinical practice, stressing the need to educate clinicians and patients about their potential use and misuse. This review discusses key recent insights from psychiatric genetics and their possible clinical applications, and suggests future directions.


A replicated shadehouse experiment demonstrated that a canola oil derivative gave good control of the important grapevine disease, powdery mildew (caused by Uncinula necator). Repeated inoculation of potted vines with U. necator lead to severe foliar infection in the unsprayed control treatment. Repeated sprays of the canola oil derivative at rates of 2.0 and 5.0 mL (formulated product) per L prevented the development of foliar symptoms as effectively as either wettable sulphur 2 g (formulated product) per L or fenarimol 0.2 mL (formulated product) per L at label rates. On the final assessment date, when the untreated control vines were very heavily diseased, the lowest rate (1 mL/L) of canola oil derivative gave significantly (P<0.05) poorer disease control than the other fungicide treatments though symptoms were significantly (P<0.05) less severe than in the control. No phytotoxicity was observed in any treatment.


In situations of water scarcity, significant conflicts can arise between management of water for irrigation and inland fisheries. This paper considers the principles and lessons that can be drawn from the application of a conflict resolution mechanism—a protocol for participatory impact assessment and management—to a situation of conflict in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Key features of this protocol are: (i) genuine participation of stakeholders; (ii) integrated assessment and management of impacts of irrigation on fisheries; (iii) management of information and an informed decision‐making process; and (iv) adoption of an iterative and learning approach. The two main sources of conflict between fishermen and irrigators in the case investigated arise in the management of reservoir water levels and in the disposal of drainage flows into coastal lagoons. Application of the protocol demonstrated ways to improve information and communication between parties, to reduce conflict and to improve resource management. Consensus for resource management options was found in emphasising the priority needs of the poorest sections of local communities, and in seeking means to improve management of irrigation to the benefit of both farmers and fishermen. Application of the protocol thus identified possible synergies between irrigation and fisheries where previously these activities had been viewed as purely antagonistic. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.