OBJECTIVE
To determine whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, compared with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, are associated with an increased risk of early bladder cancer events.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We conducted a multisite, population-based, new-user, active comparator cohort study using the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Medicare fee-for-service, Optum's de-identifed Clinformatics Data Mart Database (CDM), and MarketScan Health databases from January 2013 through December 2020. We assembled two cohorts of adults with type 2 diabetes initiating 1) SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1RAs and 2) SGLT2 inhibitors or DPP-4 inhibitors. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs of incident bladder cancer. The models were weighted using propensity score fine stratification. Site-specific HRs were pooled using random-effects models.

RESULTS
SGLT2 inhibitor (n = 453,560) and GLP-1RA (n = 375,997) users had a median follow-up ranging from 1.5 to 2.2 years. Overall, SGLT2 inhibitors were not associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer compared with GLP-1RAs (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81-1.00). Similarly, when compared with DPP-4 inhibitors (n = 853,186), SGLT2 inhibitors (n = 347,059) were not associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.91-1.09) over a median follow-up ranging from 1.6 to 2.6 years. Results were consistent across sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS
Contrary to previous randomized controlled trials, these findings indicate that the use of SGLT2 inhibitors is not associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer compared with GLP-1RAs or DPP-4 inhibitors. This should provide reassurance on the short-term effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on bladder cancer incidence.


P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a membrane pump often responsible for the multidrug resistance of cancer cells, undergoes conformational changes in the presence of substrates/modulators, or upon ATP depletion, reflected by its enhanced reactivity with the UIC2 monoclonal antibody. When the UIC2-shift was elicited by certain modulators (e.g. cyclosporin A or vinblastine, but not with verapamil or Tween 80), the subsequent binding of other monoclonal anti-Pgp Ig sharing epitopes with UIC2 (e.g. MM12.10) was abolished [Nagy, H., Goda, K., Arceci, R., Cianfriglia, M., Mechetner, E. & Szabó Jr, G. (2001) Eur. J. Biochem. 268, 2416-2420]. To further study the relationship between UIC2-shift and the suppression of MM12.10 binding, we compared, on live cells, how ATP depletion and treatment of cells with phosphate analogues (sodium orthovanadate, beryllium fluoride and fluoro-aluminate) that trap nucleotides at the catalytic site, affect the two phenomena. Similarly to modulators or ATP depleting agents, all the phosphate analogues increased daunorubicin accumulation in Pgp-expressing cells. Prelabeling of ATP depleted cells with UIC2 completely abolished the subsequent binding of MM12.10, in accordance with the enhanced binding of the first mAb. Vanadate and beryllium fluoride, but not fluoro-aluminate, reversed the effect of cyclosporin A, preventing UIC2 binding and allowing for labeling of cells with MM12.10. Thus, changes in UIC2 reactivity are accompanied by complementary changes in MM12.10 binding also in response to direct modulation of the ATP-binding site, confirming that conformational changes intrinsic to the catalytic cycle are reflected by both UIC2-related phenomena. These data also fit a model where the UIC2 epitope is available for antibody binding throughout the catalytic cycle including the step of ATP binding, to become unavailable only in the catalytic transition state.


Foliar surface undergoes several structural and functional changes when particulate-laden air strikes it. An attempt was made to evaluate the quality of air in terms of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), suspended particulate matter (SPM), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) along with biochemical parameters of twelve selected roadside plant species at industrial, traffic, residential and rural areas of Rourkela city in India. Increase concentration of heavy metals (Fe, Cu and Zn) was recorded at site B (industrial area). Considerable reduction in chlorophyll, sugar and protein contents were observed at sites receiving higher pollution load. The variation in heavy metal concentration and enzyme activity (Catalase, Peroxidase) were found to be pollution load dependent, suggesting the activation of protective mechanism in these plants under air pollution stress. A significant negative correlation was found between ambient air quality and biochemical parameters except for ascorbic acid which exhibited significant positive correlation with pollution load.


von Willebrand factor (vWF) is stored and released from endothelial secretory granules called Weibel-Palade (WP) bodies. Acute release can be induced by thrombin, histamine, and other mediators of thrombosis or inflammation. Their effect is thought to be mediated by an increase in intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i). Purine nucleotides such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) are released from platelet dense granules and from ischemic tissues and are important regulators of platelet function and vascular tone. In the present study, we investigated whether they could also induce exocytosis from cultured endothelial cells. ATP (1 to 100 micromol/L) induced a dose-related increase in vWF release, with a 2.3-fold maximal increase after 30 minutes. Similar responses were observed with ADP. ATP induced calcium mobilization from intracellular stores, an effect mimicked by 2-methylthio-ATP, a selective agonist for P2y receptors. However, 2-methylthio-ATP-induced vWF release was only 43% of the ATP response. ATP-induced vWF release was also associated with a twofold increase in cellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) content, and was potentiated by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine ([IBMX] added to increase cAMP levels by blocking cellular phosphodiesterases) and 8-bromo-cAMP and inhibited by more than 50% by Rp-8-CPT-cAMPS, a competitive protein kinase A inhibitor. Adenosine but not 2-methylthio-ATP mimicked the ATP-induced increase in cAMP. ATP-induced vWF release was partly inhibited by adenosine deaminase, which degrades adenosine generated from ATP in the incubation medium. Adenosine (1 to 100 micromol/L) failed to induce vWF release, but potentiated the secretory response to 2-methylthio-ATP and thrombin without modifying the calcium response to these agents. Our results suggest that ATP/ADP can induce vWF release from endothelial cells via dual activation of P2y and adenosine A2 receptors. ATP/ADP-induced exocytosis could be involved in the regulation of thrombus formation and ischemia-reperfusion injuries. Further, we provide evidence that a receptor-mediated increase in cellular cAMP can potentiate the secretory response to calcium-mobilizing agents.


Tachyplesin I is a cationic peptide isolated from hemocytes of the horseshoe crab and its anti-tumor activity has been demonstrated in several tumor cells. However, there is limited information providing the global effects and mechanisms of tachyplesin I on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Here, by using two complementary proteomic strategies (2D-DIGE and dimethyl isotope labeling-based shotgun proteomics), we explored the effect of tachyplesin I on the proteome of gliomaspheres, a three-dimensional growth model formed by a GBM cell line U251. In total, the expression levels of 192 proteins were found to be significantly altered by tachyplesin I treatment. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that many of them were cytoskeleton proteins and lysosomal acid hydrolases, and the mostly altered biological process was related to cellular metabolism, especially glycolysis. Moreover, we built protein–protein interaction network of these proteins and suggested the important role of DNA topoisomerase 2-alpha (TOP2A) in the signal-transduction cascade of tachyplesin I. In conclusion, we propose that tachyplesin I might down-regulate cathepsins in lysosomes and up-regulate TOP2A to inhibit migration and promote apoptosis in glioma, thus contribute to its anti-tumor function. Our results suggest tachyplesin I is a potential candidate for treatment of glioma.


Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are the reference structural materials for future fusion reactors. They have proven to be a good alternative to austenitic steels for their higher swelling resistance, lower damage accumulation and improved thermal properties. However, irradiated RAFM steels exhibit a low temperature hardening and an increase in the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature, which imposes a severe restriction on reactor applications at temperatures below about 350°C. Furthermore, a high density of small cavities (voids or helium bubbles) has been recently evidenced in specimens irradiated with a mixed spectrum of neutrons and protons at about 300°C at a dose of 10 dpa, which could affect their fracture properties at intermediate temperatures. The upper temperature for the use of RAFM steels is presently limited by a drop in mechanical strength at about 500°C. New variants that can withstand higher temperatures are currently being developed, mainly using a stable oxide dispersion. This paper reviews European activity in the development of RAFM steels.


It is proposed to conduct on the Cadarache neutral beam test bed an experiment with the following characteristics: 1 MeV, 0.1 A, D−, long pulses (several seconds). This experiment will deal with several ITER neutral beam relevant subjects, which are critical and still not (or poorly) explored: (i) development of scalable high‐energy (up to 1 MeV) D− accelerator concepts, with current densities in the 10 mA/cm2 range, adequate optical quality and suppression of stray particles (electrons, etc.); a simplified concept of accelerator, SINGAP, will be compared to a multi‐hole multi‐gap accelerator; (ii) study of breakdowns in the presence of the beam with a vacuum insulated beamline and effects of a large stored electrostatic energy released during breakdowns (100 Joules range); (iii) development of critical HV devices (large insulator for bushing; decoupling devices for the external stray capacitances; fast protection systems in case of breakdowns). If this proposal is accepted by the European Community beginning of 1993, the experiments could start by mid‐1994.It is proposed to conduct on the Cadarache neutral beam test bed an experiment with the following characteristics: 1 MeV, 0.1 A, D−, long pulses (several seconds). This experiment will deal with several ITER neutral beam relevant subjects, which are critical and still not (or poorly) explored: (i) development of scalable high‐energy (up to 1 MeV) D− accelerator concepts, with current densities in the 10 mA/cm2 range, adequate optical quality and suppression of stray particles (electrons, etc.); a simplified concept of accelerator, SINGAP, will be compared to a multi‐hole multi‐gap accelerator; (ii) study of breakdowns in the presence of the beam with a vacuum insulated beamline and effects of a large stored electrostatic energy released during breakdowns (100 Joules range); (iii) development of critical HV devices (large insulator for bushing; decoupling devices for the external stray capacitances; fast protection systems in case of breakdowns). If this proposal is accepted by the European Community begin...


In an effort to discover strategies which identify effective drug combinations, we analyzed 39 of the 480 compounds screened in the Cancer Therapeutics Response Portal (CTRP) where combinations of two compounds were tested against 860 cancer cell lines; this enabled a comparison of the drug sensitivity of the combinations versus that of the individual compounds. More than half of the drug combinations (n=21) did not significantly improve the drug sensitivity, compared to individual compounds alone. In fact, some of the combinations showed reduced drug sensitivity. In EDDY-CTRP* analysis, the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) RNAseq data and CTRP compound response measurements were analyzed to discover both 1) pathways enriched with differential dependencies between sensitive and non-sensitive cell lines for each compound and 2) the mediators of cell line response to a drug. A mediator is a gene in a pathway that plays a significantly different role between sensitive and non-sensitive conditions. The significance is assessed for either essentiality, measured as a node's centrality change, or specificity, measured as the difference in condition specific edges. These drug-pathway-mediator connections are predicted to reveal crucial molecular determinants of drug sensitivity that otherwise are hidden in the complexities of the molecular networks of the cell (Speyer et al., PSB 22:497-508, 2017). We further investigated whether mediators identified for single compounds could predict sensitivity to drug combinations. This analysis revealed that if two single compounds share the same specificity mediators, i.e. the genes with the most significant re-wiring of gene dependencies between sensitive and non-sensitive cell lines, combination of these two compounds correlate with improved sensitivity. The converse was also found: compounds that do not share mediators rarely show synergy. Further analysis and empirical testing of predicted combinations promises to prioritize synergistic drug combinations. We believe that this methodology may predict synergistic drug combinations from cancer cell line drug screening data. Supported by NIH U01CA168397. *available at http://biocomputing.tgen.org/software/EDDY/CTRP Citation Format: Seungchan Kim, Gil Speyer, Harshil Dhruv, Jeff Kiefer, Michael Berens. Synergistic drug combination prediction through drug differential dependency network analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1083. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1083


Transportation agencies have invested in extensive infrastructure for vehicle detection and speed estimation. Although knowledge of vehicle speeds helps characterize traffic flow, vehicle accelerations can lead to better characterization. Vehicle accelerations are important in designing signal timings with respect to yellow intervals and green extensions for dilemma zone protection. Vehicle acceleration models are also used in studies of vehicle emissions. This paper develops an algorithm that uses existing inductive loops and magnetometers in speed trap configurations to measure acceleration. The algorithm chosen is the maximum-likelihood estimator, given an additive white Gaussian noise model for noise. The algorithm is found to have an error of about 0.02 g.


A large number (63) of well-defined nitroxide radicals, all phenol-based TEMPO and PROXYL esters, were synthesized using different strategies based on well-established Steglich esterifications. All of these radicals can be used as spin probes (SPs) and spin labels (SLs) for electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of supramolecular systems. Depending on the nature of the functional group(s) on each SP/SL, the synthesized nitroxide radicals serve as polyphilic molecular "toolbox" for the EPR-spectroscopic detection and characterization of specific types of interactions, e. g. π-π interactions, sulfur-sulfur interactions, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic and dipole-dipole interactions, and van der Waals and hydrophobic interactions, in the presence of the selected supramolecular systems of interest (e. g. proteins, peptides). For each synthesized SP/SL the water solubility was gravimetrically determined for use in aqueous solution at pH 7.


Since its description in 2016, the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has become a widely employed regional anesthetic technique and kindled interest in a range of related techniques, collectively termed intertransverse process blocks. There has been ongoing controversy over mechanism of action of the ESPB, mainly due to incongruities between results of cutaneous sensory testing, clinical efficacy studies, and investigations into the neural structures that are reached by injected local anesthetic (LA). This paper reviews the spread of LA to the paravertebral and epidural space and the cutaneous anesthesia in ESPB, with specific emphasis on the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). We hypothesize that the DRG, due to its unique and complex microarchitecture, represents a key therapeutic target for modulation of nociceptive signaling in regional anesthesia. This paper discusses how the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the DRG may be one of the factors underpinning the clinical analgesia observed in ESPB and other intertransverse process blocks.


There are two types of GAs with different of representation of strings. They are the binary coded GA and the order-based GA. We have already proposed a new type of binary coded GA, called the forking GA (fGA), as a kind of multi-population GA and showed that the searching power of the fGA is superior to the standard GA. The distinguished feature of the fGA is that each population takes a different role in optimization. That is, each population is responsible for searching in a non-overlapping sub-area of the search space. In this paper, the extended forking GA for order representation, called the o-fGA, is proposed. The results of experiments for the blind traveling salesperson problem (TSP) show that the approach of fGA is also effective for the order representation.<<ETX>>


We have investigated the HECA-452 expression in large plaque parapsoriasis (PP) and mycosis fungoides (MF) patients, evaluating the potential role of this biomarker in both cutaneous disorders. Skin specimens from 72 PP and 61 MF patients were selected in this study. We compared their actual histological diagnosis with their previous diagnosis and we found that all 72 PP patients had the same diagnosis as before (stable PP), while 26 out of 61 MF had a previous PP histological diagnosis (evolving PP). Our results show an increased expression of HECA-452 in MF compared to PP (p<0.01). Furthermore, evolving PP showed a significantly higher level of HECA-452 than stable PP (p<0.05). We conclude that HECA-452 expression increases during the natural history of Mycosis Fungoides. HECA-452 could be used as a biomarker for MF and predict which PP evolves to MF.


Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), which overexpresses cyclin-D1 through an alteration in the t(11;14)(q13;q32) chromosomal region, is associated with brief disease-free and overall survival durations characteristic of aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) has been identified as a key component of the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling pathway and is implicated in the pathogenesis of certain B-cell malignancies. Phase III clinical trials of BKT inhibitor ibrutinib in MCL patients have demonstrated clinical responses characterized by mobilization of tissue-resident MCL cells into the peripheral blood. However, since the time to maximum response with ibrutinib is relatively long and patients may become resistant to BTK inhibition, combination regimens that accelerate time to remission and increase depth of remission are of considerable interest. We hypothesized that combinations of ibrutinib with proapoptotic drugs that function independently of BCR signaling could yield synergistic anti-lymphoma interactions. Thus we investigated the antitumor effects and molecular mechanisms of simultaneous treatment with ibrutinib and selexinor, an oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE)(KPT-330, Karyopharm), or ABT-199, a selective Bcl-2 inhibitor. SINE agents exhibit antiproliferative and proapoptotic activities against MCL cells via inhibition of nuclear export of tumor suppresor proteins, transcription factors and oncogenic mRNAs and repression of ribosomal biogenesis (Tabe et al. ASH 2013). Selinexor showed promising anti tumor activity in agrresive lymphoma as part of ongoing Phase 1 study (ASCO 2014). ABT-199 has promising proapoptotic activity in relapsed/refractory CLL and NHL without inducing thrombocytopenia. In this study, we utilized four MCL cell lines: MINO, Z138, Jeko-1, and JVM2. Inhibition of BTK activity by ibrutinib resulted in reduction of cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner with G0/G1 cell cycle arrest but no apoptosis induction (IC50 at 48 hrs by MTT: 5.4 mM for MINO, 3.5 mM for Z138, 0.5 mM for Jeko-1, 3.1 mM for JVM2). Western blot analysis demonstrated ibrutinib-induced downregulation of phospho-(p-)BTK, p-Akt, mTORC1 substrates p-S6K and p-4EBP1, and cyclin D1 expression. Single-agent selinexor induced cell growth inhibition with G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 ranging from 10 nM to 130 nM). The ibrutinib/selinexor combination resulted in further decrease of p-4EBP1 and cyclin D1 expression and downregulation of p-Rb, c-Myc, and Mcl-1, which translated into synergistic reduction of cell proliferation in three of the four tested cell lines (combination index [CI]: 0.4 for MINO, 0.2 for Jeko-1, 0.2 for JVM2). ABT-199 inhibited cell proliferation with apoptosis induction in MINO and Z138 cells (IC50: 1.5 nM for MINO, 17.5 nM for Z138), which synergistically enhanced the antiproliferative effects of ibrutinib (CI: 0.6 for MINO, 0.8 for Z138) with striking reductions of p-4EBP1, cyclin D1, p-Rb, and c-Myc expression along with induction of Bax and cleaved caspase-3. To investigate the molecular modifications of the cellular pathway network in response to BTK blockade by ibrutinib alone or in combination with selinexor or ABT-199, we employed the proteomic technology of isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). In MINO cells, iTRAQ identified 1,401 unique proteins. Ibrutinib induced downregulation of isoform BTK (p=0.02) and the cell cycle initiation of mitosis pathway (p=0.003) with decreases of ribosomal proteins and elongation factors. Combination with selinexor upregulated the apoptosis and oxidative stress–associated pathways with increases of cytochrome c, voltage-dependent anion channels, HSP10, and histone H1, all of which function as dynamic initiators of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis (p Taken together, our findings suggest that treatment with combinations of ibrutinib and selinexor or ABT-199 exerts synergistic antiproliferative effects through inhibition of mTOR signaling, downregulation of ribosomal biosynthesis, and induction of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. These combinations warrant further evaluation in clinical trials in MCL patients. Disclosures Andreeff:Karyopharm: Research Funding.


Bankruptcy prediction of economic institutions is considered a necessary matter at the present time in order to avoid the risks that may drive such institutions out of business. Given such fact, the current study was made to highlight the intellectual aspects of the subject of bankruptcy prediction and means of measuring it. There are five main types of models for predicting companies bankruptcy: one-way analysis of variance , multiple discriminant analysis , logarithmic analysis, recurrent algorithm analysis , and finally neural networks analysis , which is the most recent bankruptcy prediction method. These methods do not produce similar results. Most bankruptcy prediction studies used multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) and statistical methods for models development. These studies covered both large and small companies as well as private and public companies. MDA is the essence of this research paper which deals with Altman Model in detail and describes the changes that the original Z-Score equation has gone through. The study problem lies in arranging Altman Models for bankruptcy prediction of commercial companies in Iraq in accordance with the importance of each model.


Grape juice consumption may influence the early occurrence of ductal constriction during pregnancy, since the consumption of foods rich in polyphenols can be linked to the premature constriction of the ductus arteriosus. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of purple grape juice consumption during gestation on fetal ductus arteriosus closure, prostaglandin levels, and oxidative stress markers in Wistar rats. We divided 18 pregnant rats into four groups: a control group (C), a single‐dose grape juice group (SDGJ), a two‐dose grape juice group (TDGJ) of 7 μl/g body weight per day, and an indomethacin group (I). Blood was collected on gestational day (GD) 0, 14, and 20. Prostaglandin levels were measured, and the livers and hearts were removed from the mothers and fetuses for oxidative stress analysis; histology of the fetal ductus arteriosus was performed. Prostaglandin levels (pg/ml) at GD 20 were (C:1462.10 ± 314.61); (SDGJ:987.66 ± 86.25); (TDGJ:1290.00 ± 221.57), and (I:584.75 ± 46.77). Fetal ductus arteriosus closure occurred only in the indomethacin group. Lipid peroxidation evaluated through thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (nmol/mg protein) in maternal livers was lower in the grape juice groups (C: 4.11 ± 0.76 nmol/mg protein), (SDGJ: 2.34 ± 0.36), (TDGJ: 1.52 ± 0.18), and (I: 4.20 ± 0.76). Sulfhydryls (nmol/mg protein) were lower in the TDGJ group (C:763.59 ± 61.38 nmol/mg protein), (SDGJ:978.88 ± 158.81), (TDGJ:385.32 ± 86.78), and (I:727.72 ± 49.12). Also, superoxide dismutase activity (USOD/mg protein) was higher in fetal hearts in this group: (C:5.29 ± 0.33), (SDGJ:4.48 ± 0.47), (TDGJ:7.35 ± 0.43), and (I:6.00 ± 0.18). We conclude that grape juice consumption in pregnancy does not induce ductus arteriosus closure in the fetus and presented potential antioxidant effects.


Non-invasive, low-cost methods for censusing depleted fish populations are being prioritised among many jurisdictions worldwide. Collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) could offer one such option for augmenting fish population assessments. However, candidate species need to be carefully selected because species-specific DNA shedding and decay rates are affected by many biotic and abiotic factors that may influence relative abundance estimates. In this study, we sought to ascertain if the eDNA of a depleted Australian teleost, mulloway, Argyrosomus japonicus, reflects its weight under controlled aquaria conditions. With four experiments, we investigated the relationships between mulloway eDNA concentrations and their weight tank−1 as a function of: (1) time post-tank establishment; (2) water temperatures (within the species' tolerance range); (3) stocking densities; and (4) among individual, similar-sized fish. The concentrations of eDNA in tanks stabilised after six days, and a positive relationship was found between fish weight and eDNA concentration, despite some variability in shedding rates by similar-sized fish. There was also a positive effect of water temperature on eDNA concentrations, which reinforces the need to control for such abiotic factors. We conclude that there is strong utility in applying eDNA concentrations as an index of relative abundance for mulloway under controlled conditions, which justifies future field-based investigations.


River flow monitoring is a critical task for land management, agriculture, fishery, industry, and others. Herein, a robust least-squares triple cross-wavelet analysis is proposed to investigate possible relationships between river flow, temperature, and precipitation in the time-frequency domain. The Athabasca River Basin (ARB) in Canada is selected as a case study to investigate such relationships. The historical climate and river flow datasets since 1950 for three homogeneous subregions of ARB were analyzed using a traditional multivariate regression model and the proposed wavelet analysis. The highest Pearson correlation (0.87) was estimated between all the monthly averaged river flow, temperature, and accumulated precipitation for the subregion between Hinton and Athabasca. The highest and lowest correlations between climate and river flow were found to be during the open warm season and cold season, respectively. Particularly, the highest correlations between temperature, precipitation, and river flow were in May (0.78) for Hinton, July (0.54) for Athabasca, and September (0.44) for Fort McMurray. The new wavelet analysis revealed significant coherency between annual cycles of climate and river flow for the three subregions, with the highest of 33.7% for Fort McMurray and the lowest of 4.7% for Hinton with more coherency since 1991. The phase delay analysis showed that annual and semiannual cycles of precipitation generally led the ones in river flow by a few weeks mainly for upper and middle ARB since 1991. The climate and river flow anomalies were also demonstrated using the baseline period 1961-1990, showing a significant increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation since 1991 for all the three subregions. Unlike the multivariate regression, the proposed wavelet method can analyze any hydrometeorological time series in the time-frequency domain without any need for resampling, interpolation, or gap filling.


The increasing demand in New York City for prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders has necessitated the development of a large-scale, centralized prenatal genetic screening program. The objective of this program is eventually to serve 3,000 to 4,000 at-risk New York City pregnant women annually. Through the teamwork of a task force comprising representatives from the New York Scientists' Committee for Public Information (SCPI), the Medical and Health Research Association of New York City Departments of Health, and five different advisory committees, the centralized Prenatal Diagnosis Laboratory of New York City (PDL) was designed and established. While this program aims to provide high quality, centralized laboratory service for the prenatal detection of chromosome abnormalities and open neural tube defects, it also emphasizes quality-controlled services in genetic counseling, aminocentesis, ultrasound monitoring, obstetric care, and patient follow-up. Genetic counseling by PDL-employed counselors is made available to patients whenever the participating hospital lacks such service or cannot handle their patient load. In addition, PDL has launched a vigorous public health education program. A detailed guideline for the program was prepared describing the highest standards of quality for each component. The initial step was th developmental phase that included establishing the advisory committees, searching for sponsors, preparing guidelines, developing the health education program, renovating the laboratory site, purchasing and installing equipment, and recruiting of staff. The experience gained from this endeavor will be of value in the development of similar large-scale prenatal diagnosis programs.


OBJECTIVE
To construct the expressing vector of siRNA which can inhibit the Smad3 activity.

METHODS
Sixty-four bases of 2 pair oligos for hairp in RNA expression which targeted Smad3 gene were chemically synthesized and annealed. pSUPER vector was linearized with BgL II and Hin d III treated with alkaline phosphatase (CIP). Anneled oligos were inserted into the downstream of the treated pSUPER's pol III H1 promoter to construct RNAi plasmid (pSUPER Smad3). Oligos with a scrambled sequence were used as a negative control. pSUPER Smad3 was transfected into human renal tubular epithelial cells (HKC).

RESULTS
Recombinant pSUPER Smad3 vector was identified by the digestion with Eco R I and Hin d III, and confirmed by the sequencing analysis with T3 primer. Sixty-four bases had been inserted into the expected site. Furthermore, the insertion sequence was exactly corrected. The activity evaluation indicated that mRNA and protein of Smad3 but not Smad2 were inhibited by pSUPER Smad3 in HKC.

CONCLUSION
The pSUPER Smad3 system has been constructed successfully, and has high inhibition and specificity in vitro.


Urban poverty is one of multidimensional issue in Nepal. Increasing immigration from the outer parts of Kathmandu due to rural poverty, unemployment and weak security of the lives and the properties are core causes pushing people into urban areas. In this context how squatter urban area people sustain their livelihoods is major concern. The objectives of the study are to find out livelihood assets and capacities squatters coping with their livelihood vulnerability in adverse situation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are applied for data collection. It is found that squatters social security is weak, victimized by severe health problems earning is not regular with lack of physical facilities and overall livelihood is critical. This study helps to understand what the changes that have occurred in livelihood patterns and how poor people survive in urban area.


In this paper, a model with one supplier, one manufacturer and one retailer is constructed to analyze the situation that a retailer makes orders twice before and after the forecast update from the supply chain coordination perspective. The manufacturer's capacity is insufficient according to the second order of the retailer, so the manufacturer may recover the deficit by capacity outsourcing from the supplier at a certain option price at first and then supplying the very product back to the retailer by exercising the options. There are two decision points in this model. At the beginning of the planning horizon, the retailer decide how much to order for the first time, and the manufacturer knows her limited capacity and decides to purchase options from the supplier to assure the retailer's demand to be completely satisfied At the second decision point, with forecast update, the retailer makes his second order, and the manufacturer exercises the options to meet the retailer's order. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the efficacy of the developed model in the end.


This is the first report of a species of Echinuria Soloviev, 1912, on anatid hosts in South America, causing granulomas. It is also the first detailed description and record of a species of Echinuria, for South America in the Rosy-billed Pochard, Netta peposaca (Vieillot, 1816). Fifty-two rosy-billed pochards were examined for helminths in the Municipalities of Santa Vitoria do Palmar (locality of Fazenda Sossego) and (locality of Ponta da Antena), State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and Alvear, Province of Corrientes, northern Argentina. Samples were obtained from 2003 to 2004. After the catch each bird was immediately frozen with dry ice. Prior to necropsy birds were sexed, weighted, measured, and the state of maturity (juvenile or adult) determined, based on the presence or absence of a bursa of Fabricius. The granulomas with the nematodes were found in the proximal esophagus at the junction with the proventriculus. Two birds had one (fistulated) and two granulomas, respectively. One of the birds was from the wintering grounds along the coastal region in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. The other, from one of the breeding grounds in northern Argentina, was captured before the trip to the wintering grounds along the migratory flyway. Prevalence was 3.8% while the mean intensity of infection was 7.2. Morphometry of males and females and the comparison with previous


Intellectual historians of Africa are principally concerned with how Africans have understood and contested the contexts that they inhabited in the past, and how ideas and vernacular discourses change over time. As a particular approach in historical methodology it is closely associated with cultural history, and its evolution followed the emergence of political history writing during the 1960s and social history during the 1980s. The first innovative works in African intellectual history were concerned with pan-Africanism and Négritude. These studies were followed by histories of religious ideas and social dissent. Historians have since offered varying descriptions of Africa's "intellectuals." For some, Africa's colonial intellectuals were mostly missionary-educated literati, while others emphasize Africa's rural intellectual histories and the importance of studying "homespun," or vernacular historiographies. African epistemologies and knowledge production have also remained a central concern in the study of African intellectual history. To illuminate Africa's intellectual registers, historians interrogate different topics, regions, and temporalities. Historians of precolonial Africa use historical linguistics to understand the intersection of ideas about public healing and social organization. Scholars of the colonial period challenge many of the earlier assumptions held by colonial researchers and policy makers, who had cast African communities as primordial, conquered peoples. Intellectual historians, by contrast, explore the constantly changing arenas of ideational disputation and political contestation within African societies. Intellectual historians of gender have shown how ideas about production, masculinity, and femininity have informed competing nodes of authority. By the early 21st century, global intellectual historians began demonstrating how Africans reworked European political ideas into local vernacular debates about the past, and how Africans have shaped the making of the modern world. To write Africa's intellectuals histories, scholars draw from a range of sources, which are often maintained in institutional archives, public libraries, and private homes. These sources—textual, oral, and material—include letters, diaries, annotated libraries, vernacular newspapers, grammars, novels, oral histories, linguistic etymologies, sculptures, clothing, paintings, photography, film, and music.


Manuscript Type: Empirical. Research Question/Issue: We study the relationship between informal rules (represented by social norms and social cohesion in a community) and corporate governance. A community is a large social unit characterized by a distinct set of informal rules. Specifically, three hypotheses are tested: (1) Communities with stronger social norms will have more open firm-level corporate governance; (2) More socially cohesive communities will have more open firm-level corporate governance; and (3) The relationship between social norms and corporate governance will be mediated by social cohesion. Research Findings/Insights: Unlike previous studies, we use data from a single, culturally diverse country, Ukraine, in order to isolate the effect of informal rules. The country's provinces are used as proxies for communities. We develop our measures of social norms and social cohesion by performing a factor analysis on the measures commonly used in previous research (social capital, religiosity, total fertility, ethnic homogeneity, linguistic homogeneity, and homicide rate). All three hypotheses are supported, whether using composite or individual measures of social norms and cohesion. The mediation is partial, suggesting that the hypothesized effect of social norms on corporate governance may (1) partly come through cohesion; and (2) partly be direct. The results are highly significant and robust, and they hold very well when controlled for economic development, firm characteristics, and industry. Theoretical/Academic Implications: We contribute to the large literature on institutional determinants of corporate governance by proposing that informal rules may have a substantial impact on firm-level corporate governance. We also identify specific sources of informal rules: social norms and cohesion. Testing our insights in other countries and in cross-country settings would help to further understand what rules matter for corporate governance and whether informal rules may substitute for formal rules. Another research opportunity, perhaps best exploited through case-based research, is the deeper enquiry into the very mechanism by which informal rules may affect firm-level corporate governance. Practitioner/Policy Implications: Manipulating informal rules, such as norms and cohesion, is an unlikely option for corporate governance reform. If that is the case, the policy should consist in adjusting the governance system to fit them. As this fit will differ across communities and countries, international convergence of corporate governance appears unlikely.


The preservation of image details in the defogging process is still one key challenge in the field of deep learning. The network uses the generation of confrontation loss and cyclic consistency loss to ensure that the generated defog image is similar to the original image, but it cannot retain the details of the image. To this end, we propose a detail enhanced image CycleGAN to retain the detail information during the process of defogging. Firstly, the algorithm uses the CycleGAN network as the basic framework and combines the U-Net network's idea with this framework to extract visual information features in different spaces of the image in multiple parallel branches, and it introduces Dep residual blocks to learn deeper feature information. Secondly, a multi-head attention mechanism is introduced in the generator to strengthen the expressive ability of features and balance the deviation produced by the same attention mechanism. Finally, experiments are carried out on the public data set D-Hazy. Compared with the CycleGAN network, the network structure of this paper improves the SSIM and PSNR of the image dehazing effect by 12.2% and 8.1% compared with the network and can retain image dehazing details.


Abstract A grazing experiment was conducted from 1992 to 1996 at a sandy grassland in the Horqin sandy land, located in the northeastern part of China. The grassland had been grazed by sheep for many years before the experiment at an intensity of 4.5 sheep ha−1. The experiment consisted of 4 grazing treatments: no grazing (0 sheep ha−1), light grazing (2 sheep ha−1), moderate grazing (4 sheep ha−1) and overgrazing (6 sheep ha−1). Plant species diversity, plant biomass, soil properties, and sheep liveweight under various grazing treatments were examined. Overgrazing resulted in considerable decreases in both species diversity and plant biomass. As a result, sheep liveweight gain decreased significantly in the last 3 years of the experiment in the overgrazing treatment. No grazing and light grazing treatments had higher species diversity as well as higher biomass production than moderate grazing and overgrazing treatments. The results indicate that light sheep grazing is sufficient for the recovery of overgrazed grassland in this region and for the maintenance of plant species diversity. The proper grazing intensity should be 2–3 sheep or sheep equivalents per hectare for the sandy grassland in Inner Mongolia.


ABSTRACT This article addresses corruption as a negative practice displaying the 'darker side' of social capital in Chinese guanxi and Russian blat/svyazi networks. It presents a conceptual framework integrating several research streams to establish a conceptual linkage between social network characteristics and three forms of corruption between business persons and public officials: cronyism, bribery, and extortion. We argue that the forms of corruption in a society are determined by the nature of social network ties and their underlying morality, with particularistic and general trust being key factors. Our framework depicts networks as three concentric circles representing three types of corruption resulting from their corresponding types of reciprocity: open, closed, and negative. We then apply the framework to the practice of guanxi in China and blat/svyazi in Russia. We propose that different network characteristics and different forms of corruption may help explain what we label the 'China-Russia paradox' of why corruption and high economic growth have co-existed in China, at least in the short term, but less so in Russia. We conclude with ethical and legal implications for doing business in those two transforming economies and offer suggestions for future research.


Abstract This prospective study was conducted to evaluate the risk of nosocomial pneumonia when changing heat and moisture exchangers every 48 hours in 1996 instead of every 24 hours in 1995 for patients needing continuous mechanical ventilation. Medical and surgical patients in the two periods did not differ in terms of demographic characteristics and markers of acute or underlying illnesses. The incidence density of nosocomial pneumonia was not different in the two groups. Extended heat and moisture exchanger use reduces circuit manipulation and cost.


ABSTRACT The nucleoprotein (NP) gene of the 1918 pandemic influenza A virus has been amplified and sequenced from archival material. The NP gene is known to be involved in many aspects of viral function and to interact with host proteins, thereby playing a role in host specificity. The 1918 NP amino acid sequence differs at only six amino acids from avian consensus sequences, consistent with reassortment from an avian source shortly before 1918. However, the nucleotide sequence of the 1918 NP gene has more than 170 differences from avian strain consensus sequences, suggesting substantial evolutionary distance from known avian strain sequences. Both the gene and protein sequences of the 1918 NP fall within the mammalian clade upon phylogenetic analysis. The evolutionary distance of the 1918 NP sequences from avian and mammalian strain sequences is examined, using several different parameters. The results suggest that the 1918 strain did not retain the previously circulating human NP. Nor is it likely to have obtained its NP by reassortment with an avian strain similar to those now characterized. The results are consistent with the existence of a currently unknown host for influenza, with an NP similar to current avian strain NPs at the amino acid level but with many synonymous nucleotide differences, suggesting evolutionary isolation from the currently characterized avian influenza virus gene pool.


Work values have been identified as critical variables in the career development process. Many of the problems associated with foreign joint ventures in China over the past two decades have been concerned with employee motivation and retention. Given these concerns, it is important to examine how differences between future managers in China and the USA might be changing over the past decade. This paper considers whether or not there are significant differences in work value among management students in US and Chinese business schools. Utilising Manhardt's work values instrument, US business students were found to be concerned more with competence and growth than Chinese business students, but no differences were found along the factors of comfort and security, and status and independence.


Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and accounted for
8.8 million deaths annually in humans. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the
most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervix and stomach cancer
are the most common among women. Numerous drugs that the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) have approved for use in cancer therapy are derived from plants, including taxanes such as
paclitaxel and vinca alkaloids such as vincristine and vinblastine. Still, there is an intense need for
a search for numerous bioactive sources to develop a novel anti-cancer drug to overcome this
chronic disorder. About more than thirty plants derived natural products have been isolated till
date and are currently under clinical trials. As per literature survey from various journals and texts
has been found to be novel medicinal agents from bioactive sources are clinically active against
various types of cancer cells.

 Current review has been highlighted on the novel medicinal agents from plant
sources have potential effects against many types of cancer, which have been supported by clinical
trials. The main findings of these active novel medicinal agents were also summarized and
discussed here.


The physical particles in supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory are bound states of gluons and gluinos. We have determined the masses of the lightest bound states in SU(3) N=1 SYM theory. Our simulations cover a range of different lattice spacings, which for the first time allows an extrapolation to the continuum limit. Our results show the formation of a supermultiplet of bound states, which provides a clear evidence for unbroken supersymmetry.


Field experiments are experiments conducted outside laboratories with theoretically relevant participants in a real setting. Field experimental research is adopted by many development economists in rural areas of developing countries. This paper aims to provide a review on field experimental studies in developing countries and specify the issues toward this form of research in Japanese domestic rural areas. For this purpose, motivations of field experimental studies in developing countries are summarized. Motivations of field experiments in developing countries are categorized into two categories. One is to evaluate the impact of poverty alleviation programs and the other is to get an index of personal preferences like altruism, risk attitudes and so on. Separating prior studies into either of the two groups, a review on this form of research was carried out to understand the different frameworks of field experiment research. Further, the issues of experimental management are discussed through a case study. Based on literature review and case study, issues on application for future field experimental research in rural areas of Japan are summarized.


The discourse on Physiognomy had an important influence and impact on European theatrical culture at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries. The book discusses the debate about the scientific nature of Physiognomy. Starting from the concept that Physiognomy refers to particular signs on the face, it looks for evidence of a knowledge and awareness of this pseudo-scientific theory. The author researches among various acting manuals and theatrical works in English, German, French and Italian. She points out that Physiognomy makes an appearance in many different guises. In the so-called «physiognomical portraits», for instance, where we find animated discussions on the passions to be displayed, and also direct references to Johann Caspar Lavater and his science.


Although Sylvia Plath apparently sought psychotherapeutic help following her first suicide attempt in her twenties, she did not have access to specialized forms of suicide assessment and intervention available in the present day. In this 'thought experiment,' the authors drew on material available in her journals and literary work to formulate a treatment plan for Plath, were she to be seen by a contemporary psychotherapist skilled in voice therapy. In particular, they focused on her inwardness, her preference for fantasy gratification, her self-denial, her addictive attachment to her mother and husband, and her negative thoughts toward self and cynicism toward others. The authors then sketched out suicide risk assessment procedures as they might be applied in her case, and illustrated a hypothetical voice therapy session designed to ameliorate her pertubation and lethality during her last suicidal crisis.


Numerous biological processes are governed by the biological clock. Studies using Drosophila melanogaster (L.) are valuable that could be of importance for their effective applications on rodent studies. In this study, the beneficial role of quercetin (a flavonoid) on H2O2 induced stress in D. melanogaster was investigated. D. melanogaster flies were divided into four groups (group I – control, group II – H2O2 (acute exposure), group III – quercetin, and group IV – quercetin + H2O2 treated). Negative geotaxis assay, oxidative stress indicators (protein carbonyls, thiobarbituric reactive substances [TBARS]), and antioxidants (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], glutathione-S-transferase [GST], glutathione peroxidase, and reduced glutathione [GSH]) were measured at 4 h intervals over 24 h and temporal expression of heat shock protein-70 (Hsp70), Upd1 (homolog of IL-6 in Drosophila), and nitric oxide synthase (Nos) was analyzed by Western blotting. Groups II and IV showed altered biochemical rhythms (compared with controls). Decreased mesor values of negative geotaxis, SOD, CAT, GST, and GSH were noticed in H2O2, increased mesor of oxidative stress indicators (TBARS and protein carbonyl content) and a reversibility of the rhythmic characteristics were conspicuous after quercetin treatment. The expression levels of Hsp70, Upd1, and Nos were noticeably maximum at 04:00. Significant elevation of expression by H2O2 was nearly normalized by quercetin treatment. The possible mechanism by which quercetin modulates oxidant–antioxidant imbalance under oxidative stress could be ascribed to the modulation of the rhythmic properties. Our results will be helpful to understand the molecular interlink between circadian rhythm and oxidative stress mechanism.


Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is a rare, benign entity of unknown pathogenesis. It often presents as painful or pruritic intradermal or subcutaneous red to brown papules or nodules on the head and neck of young adults. A 38‐year‐old man had a gradually enlarging and mild pruritic plaque on the scrotum for half a year. Pathological findings showed dermal proliferation of anomalous blood vessels lined by plump endothelium with a significant perivascular inflammatory infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, histiocytes, scattered plasma cells and many eosinophils. They were consistent with the diagnosis of ALHE. In addition, the inflammatory infiltrate was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and T‐cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement. They were mostly CD3+ T cells and a monoclonal T‐cell population. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of ALHE affecting the scrotum to be reported in the published work. We present this case to expand the anatomical distribution of this rare tumor. The molecular study of our case supports that ALHE might be a low‐grade T‐cell lymphoproliferative disorder.


Aim: The present analysis is aimed at identifying genetic variants associated with disease severity in adult subjects with ever asthma. Methods: We evaluated 326 subjects (aged 20-64) with ever asthma, who were identified from the general population between 2008 and 2010 in Verona (Italy), in the Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases study. A panel of 236 tag-SNPs, which are representative of 51 candidate gene regions with a previous indication of a possible association with asthma/COPD/rhinitis, was genotyped by a custom GoldenGate Genotyping Assay. Measures of asthma severity were: a Symptom frequency and anti-asthmatic Treatment intensity Score (STS), which ranges from 0 to 10 (high values represent severe conditions), and pre-bronchodilator FEV1%predicted. The association of SNPs with STS and FEV1%predicted was evaluated by using Bayesian least absolute shrinkage and selection operator zero-inflated Poisson and linear regression models, respectively. These models allows the simultaneous selection of genetic variants and the estimation of their effect, adjusting for the effect of gender, BMI and smoking habits. Results: SNP rs2427829 in FCER1A is significantly associated with FEV1%predicted (mean = -0.323, 95% credible interval=[-4.533, -0.2677]). SNP rs676750 in CHML (mean= -0.2482, 95% credible interval=[-0.434, -0.072]), rs4334089 in VDR (mean= -0.255, 95% credible interval=[-0.254, -0.059]) and rs11080344 in NOS2 (mean= -0.2239, 95% credible interval=[-0.390, -0.064]) are independently associated with STS. Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that FCER1A, CHML, VDR and NOS2 could play a role in disease severity among adult subjects with ever asthma.


Quality of life is a valid patient-reported parameter that provides an assessment of treatment need or outcomes complementary to standard clinical measures. Such patient-reported assessments are particularly salient when examining chronic conditions with prolonged treatment trajectories, such as cleft lip and palate. This critical review identifies key questions related to ongoing research on the oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children with cleft and caregiver well-being. Details of the design and results from 2 longitudinal multicenter studies are presented. This article also provides an update on recent published reports regarding OHRQoL in individuals with cleft. Methodological issues in OHRQoL research are discussed, including condition-specific versus generic instruments, incorporating positive items in OHRQoL instruments, calculating minimally important differences in OHRQoL, implementing mixed methods design, and utilizing validated short assessment forms in OHRQoL research. Finally, new directions for research in cleft as a chronic condition are identified and discussed.


Post weaning diarrhoea syndrome (PWDS) in piglets is caused mainly by enterotoxigenic Escherichia (E.) coli (ETEC) strains. Six different in-feed usage programmes of enrofloxacin (ENR/Baytril; I.E.R. 2.5%) were tested for their efficacy on the control of post weaning colibacillosis in piglets, using seven groups with totally 336 weaned piglets for a 28 day period. One group (negative control) was offered feed free of antimicrobials, three groups were offered feed medicated with 50 ppm of ENR starting on weaning day for 5, 7 and 10 days respectively, three groups were offered feed medicated with 50 ppm of ENR starting 7 days post weaning for 5, 7 and 10 days respectively, and were compared with regard to the appearance of clinical signs, mortality, weight gain and feed conversion. The results showed that all ENR treatments reduced the incidence and severity of diarrhoea. Mortality was similar in all ENR treatments, but in the groups where the ENR was added for 10 days immediately after weaning and/or 7 days post weaning for 7 and 10 days respectively was lower compared to the negative control group (P < 0.05). The evaluation of the weight gain data, as well as feed conversion ratio indicated that the six treated groups performed remarkably better than the control group (P < 0.05). No ETEC were detected on days 21 and 28 in all ENR groups contrary to the untreated control. It was concluded that a strategic medication initiated 7 days post weaning with 50 ppm of ENR and only for 7 and 10 days period of time is a useful tool in controlling PWDS due to ETEC.


Abstract In this work an algorithm for direct design of cascade control system is presented. The algorithm is based on the Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning (VRFT) paradigm and allows tuning both the internal loop controller and the external loop control in a single shot based on an I/O data set collected in a single experiment on the plant. Application of this control tuning procedure will be performed on an Electro-HydroStatic Actuator (EHSA) prototype, a new generation of hydraulic actuator providing the main advantages of both mechanical and hydraulic actuators but reducing most of the drawbacks. Experimental validation is presented showing that the designed control system provides good control accuracy and robustness.


Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is an additive manufacturing process that offers numerous benefits in terms of simplicity, ease of operation, material strength, flexibility, etc. However, its fabricated parts are frequently affected by poor dimensional and geometrical accuracy. Therefore, it is very important to understand the different sources of error in FDM so that appropriate measures can be taken to overcome its limitations. In this work, an attempt has been made to quantify the different sources of error which contribute to the poor accuracy of FDM fabricated parts. For this reason, a standard part (also referred to as benchmark part) which is comprised of various shapes, features and geometries have been used for the evaluation of the FDM process. The primary objective of this work is to characterize the FDM process in terms of dimensional and geometrical accuracy. Although, this research is specific to a particular machine, however, it would provide useful information regarding the procedure that can be employed when a benchmark part is utilized. This work can also act as a foundation to further improve the FDM machine design and expand its applications.


The authors explore the utility of applying social survey data (a) to evaluate the impact of existing health programs and (b) to rank-order priorities concerning future health care policies. Based on national survey data from 1963, 1970, and 1976, they concluded that although Medicare and Medicaid have enabled more people to see a physician than ever before, a large proportion of the population still registers dissatisfaction with the health care they received--particularly with respect to their out-of-pocket costs for obtaining it. However, national health insurance options favored by the majority of the population--particularly those who can best afford the cost of care--suggest preferences for programs that incorporate some mix of existing modes of financing rather than those that provide for substantial restructuring of the current system.


Fuzzy mathematical morphology is an extension of binary morphology to gray-scale morphology, using techniques from fuzzy set theory. In this paper, we will study the decomposition and construction of fuzzy morphological operations based on /spl alpha/-cuts. First, we will investigate the relationship between /spl alpha/-cuts of the fuzzy morphological operations and the corresponding binary operations. Next, we will review several ways to obtain fuzzy morphological operations starting from binary operations and /spl alpha/-cuts. The investigation is carried out in both the continuous and the discrete case. It is interesting to observe that several properties that do not hold in the continuous case do hold in the discrete case. This is quite important since in practice we only work with discrete objects.


INTRODUCTION
Investigation on subjective symptoms in schizophrenia has traditionally been limited to delusions and hallucinations, not considering the persistence of many others disorders and difficulties as residual negative symptoms and cognitive deficits that instead greatly affect the clinical and functional prognosis. The aim of the study is to investigate the differences between the subjective experience of the patient and the objective assessment regarding the negative dimension symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We evaluated 58 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia consecutively admitted at the L'Aquila Psychiatric inpatient ward (Italy) from April to September 2010; all of them were taking psychopharmacological treatment. The instruments used were: the PANSS for assessment of clinical symptoms and VGF for the assessment of the global functioning, the SENS, the Insight Self-Report Scale and the Scale Geople to investigate respectively the negative dimension subjectively perceived, the insight and the social cognition.

RESULTS
The analysis of SENS showed a score of 95.43 (SD ± 9.1) in the awareness, pointing to a negative perception of the experience medium to high. The study of Social Cognition has shown the presence of a statistically significant discrepancy between the two evaluations (p <0.01). The inferential analysis between SENS and PANSS, reported significant correlations between the PANSS negative symptoms of the item of inability to feel the SENS (p <0.015). Finally, a positive correlation was found between the total score of SENS with GFR (p <0.02).

CONCLUSION
The knowledge of the subjective experiences of patients with schizophrenia can be difficult because of social withdrawal and resistance to treatment, due mostly to the subjective suffering that is not adequately understood. The results, in line with the recent literature, have shown that the perception of negative symptoms does not always find a parallel in the clinical assessment and how this is a significant correlation with the global functioning. In this perspective, it is therefore necessary to consider the point of view of the patient in order to predict the adherence to the treatment and the global functioning outcome.


An algorithm for the parallel generation of 3-D unstructured grids is presented. The technique is an extension of the algorithm presented in Reference 21 for the 2-D case. The method uses a background grid as the means to separate spatially different regions, enabling the concurrent, parallel generation of elements in different domains and interdomain regions. The parallel 3-D grid generator was implemented and tested on the INTEL hypercube and Touchstone Delta parallel computers. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm developed. The methodology is applicable to the parallel implementation of a wide range of problems that are, in principle, scalar by nature, and do not lend themselves to SIMD parallelization.


Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by uncontrolled activation of fibroblasts with increased deposition of extracellular matrix. Persistent activation of TGFβ signalling is thought to play a key-role for the aberrant activation of fibroblasts in SSc. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is transmitting signals from growth factor receptors at the plasma membrane receptors to nucleus. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of STAT3 in TGFβ induced fibroblast activation and to analyze the potential of STAT3 inhibition as a novel anti-fibrotic approach. Methods The activation of STAT3 was analyzed by IF staining and by WB for pSTAT3. Selective inhibitors of JAK2 and STAT3 and knockout strategies were used to interfere with JAK2 and STAT3 signaling in vitro and in vivo. The anti-fibrotic potential of STAT3 inactivation by inducible fibroblast-specific knockout as well as with the small molecule inhibitor S3I-201 was evaluated in two mouse models of SSc: bleomycin-induced fibrosis and fibrosis induced by overexpression of a constitutively active TGFβ receptor type I (TBR). Results Increased activation of STAT3 signaling was observed in SSc fibroblasts as well as in murine models of SSc. Stimulation with TGFβ induced phosphorylation of STAT3 and its nuclear accumulation in cultured fibroblasts. Inhibition of JAK2 by selective inhibitor TG101209 abrogated the TGFβ induced STAT3 activation and its nuclear accumulation, demonstrating TGFβ mediated STAT3 phosphorylation in a JAK2 dependent manner. Inactivation of STAT3 with the selective STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 reduced the TGFβ induced activation of human fibroblasts with reduced mRNA levels of col1a1 and col1a2, decreased release of collagen protein (-56%, p=0.05) and impaired myofibroblast differentiation. Comparable results were observed when STAT3 was genetically inactivated in murine fibroblasts. In the model of bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis, fibroblast-specific knockout of STAT3 decreased hydroxyproline (HP) content by 39% (p<0.05). Potent anti-fibrotic effects were also observed in TBR induced fibrosis with HP content reduced by 47% (p<0.05). Moreover, treatment with the selective STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 also effectively ameliorated bleomycin- and TBR-induced skin fibrosis at well tolerated doses (HP by 51% and by 60%; p<0.05). All models also showed significant decreases in dermal thickening and myofibroblast counts. Conclusions Our study identifies STAT3 as a key-regulator of fibroblast activation and provides first prove that STAT3 is a novel intracellular mediator of the TGFβ signaling. We showed that the inhibition of STAT3 prevents fibroblast activation and exerts potent anti-fibrotic effect in preclinical models of SSc. These findings may have direct translational implications given that STAT3 inhibitors are currently in late clinical development. Acknowledgements EULAR Health Professionals Educational Visit Grant Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.2911


Keratinocytes (KCs) are the main cells that constitute the epidermis, which have immunogenicity and play important roles in immunity. KCs-mediated immune response plays an initiating role in the innate immune response. KCs recognize antigens mainly through Toll-like receptors and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors. After being activated, KCs up-regulate the expressions of cytokines, chemokines, and antibacterial peptides via signal transduction pathways and help initiate skin immune response. KCs also participate in early innate immune response by attracting inflammatory cells and innate immune cells such as mast cells and macrophages. Studies on the molecular biological mechanism and regulatory measures of KCs' immunogenicity are of great significance for the construction of skin substitutes such as cell sheets to repair wounds. This article reviews the research advances in immunological properties and gene regulation of KCs.


Objective: To evaluate feasibility and acceptability of a neuropsychologically-based vocational intervention with increased follow-up support for women with multiple sclerosis. Design: Single-blinded parallel-group randomized controlled trial with 12-month follow-up. Setting: Tertiary-care multiple sclerosis center. Participants: Forty-nine employed women with multiple sclerosis meeting criteria on measures of cognitive dysfunction (Symbol Digit Modalities Test), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale), and/or depression (Beck Depression Inventory/Patient Health Questionnaire). Interventions: Participants received either neuropsychological testing and phone feedback regarding findings and tailored recommendations (standard-care treatment), or testing, in-person feedback, and two calls from a care-coordinator (experimental treatment). Measures: Feasibility measures included enrollment and attrition rates, and compliance to recommendations at 12-months between groups. Acceptability was evaluated by participants' report of benefit from interventions. Secondary analyses included evaluation of symptom changes (cognition, fatigue, depression) from baseline to 12-months. Results: Of 49 women meeting screening measure thresholds, 44 were randomized to treatment groups (attrition: standard-care = 8, experimental = 6), and 30 completed the study (standard-care = 14, experimental = 16). Recommendation adherence rates did not significantly differ between standard-care and experimental groups (31% vs 49%). However, 16/16 experimental participants at least partially completed given recommendations as compared to 8/14 in the standard-care group. Participants across groups (97%) reported benefit from participation. No significant differences in symptom outcomes between groups at 12-months. Conclusion: In-person feedback and care-coordinator calls were feasible and acceptable additions to a neuropsychological intervention and may serve to increase recommendation adherence. Given high drop-out rate, particularly prior to testing, future research may explore avenues to improve completion rates and maximize benefits of such interventions.


In recent years, the trend in the population towards consuming more natural and sustainable foods has increased significantly. This claim has led to the search for new sources of bioactive compounds and extraction methods that have less impact on the environment. Moreover, the formulation of systems to protect these compounds is also focusing on the use of ingredients of natural origin. This article reviews novel, natural alternative sources of bioactive compounds with a positive impact on sustainability. In addition, it also contains information on the most recent studies based on the use of natural (especially from plants) emulsifiers in the design of emulsion-based delivery systems to protect bioactive compounds. The properties of these natural-based emulsion-delivery systems, as well as their functionality, including in vitro and in vivo studies, are also discussed. This review provides relevant information on the latest advances in the development of emulsion delivery systems based on ingredients from sustainable natural sources.


Background Older age and frailty increase the risk of morbidity and mortality from cancer surgery and intolerance of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The effect of old age on diagnostic intervals is unknown; however, older adults need a balanced approach to the diagnosis and management of cancer symptoms, considering the benefits of early diagnosis, patient preferences, and the likely prognosis of a cancer. Aim To examine the association between older age and diagnostic processes for cancer, and the specific factors that affect diagnosis. Design and setting A systematic literature review. Method Electronic databases were searched for studies of patients aged >65 years presenting with cancer symptoms to primary care considering diagnostic decisions. Studies were analysed using thematic synthesis and according to the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis guidelines. Results Data from 54 studies with 230 729 participants were included. The majority of studies suggested an association between increasing age and prolonged diagnostic interval or deferral of a decision to investigate cancer symptoms. Thematic synthesis highlighted three important factors that resulted in uncertainty in decisions involving older adults: presence of frailty, comorbidities, and cognitive impairment. Data suggested patients wished to be involved in decision making, but the presence of cognitive impairment and the need for additional time within a consultation were significant barriers. Conclusion This systematic review has highlighted uncertainty in the management of older adults with cancer symptoms. Patients and their family wished to be involved in these decisions. Given the uncertainty regarding optimum management of this group of patients, a shared decision-making approach is important.


Amifostine, 2‐(3‐aminopropyl) aminoethyl phosphorothioate, is a broad‐spectrum cytoprotective agent used to treat nuclear radiation and chemical weapon injuries. Recently, amifostine has been shown to have a profound biological influence on tumor cells. To examine the effects and mechanisms underlying the effects of amifostine on human acute megakaryocytic leukemia, we evaluated the efficacy of amifostine against Dami cells and observed a cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase. Amifostine treatment also induced cell apoptosis of Dami cells which corresponds to formal studies. Through whole‐genome microarray and bioinformatics analyses, we found that amifostine affected the gene expression of CCND1, BCL2, and CASP3 which revealed the mechanism amifostine acted on Dami cells. Thus, CCND1‐BCL2 Gene Network is predicted to be a direct target of amifostine treating human acute megakaryocytic leukemia, which may provide a novel potential target for the therapy of several subtypes of human AML.


Construction industry is one of the largest industrial sector in the United States that employs close to ten million people and makes a high contribution to the growth of the country's economy. In spite of the huge impact that the industry has on the US economy, construction businesses have a hard time surviving in the market, with construction companies having the least survival rate among all the industries. Five-year survival rate of construction companies is one of the lowest compared to other industries. This study aims at providing evidence that the construction industry suffers the most as compared to the other industries in terms of business survival rate. A General Linear Model was used for statistical analysis. Results show a significant difference between the construction industry and other industries providing evidence that the construction industry businesses have the least survival rate.


Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) extracted from tomato leaves and berries (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were separated and identified using optimized reversed-phase liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization (ESI) and ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS). The ESI source polarity and chromatographic conditions were evaluated. The ESI spectra contain valuable information, which includes the mass of SGAs, the mass of the aglycones, and several characteristic fragment ions. Cleavage at the interglycosidic bonds proximal to the aglycones is the most prominent process in the ESI process. A protonated molecule, [M+H]+, accompanied by a mixed adduct ion, [M+H+Na]2+, was observed for alpha-tomatine (i.e., m/z 1034.7 and 528.9) and dehydrotomatine (i.e., m/z 1032.6 and 527.9) in positive ion mode spectra. The structures of these tomato glycoalkaloids were confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry. The identification of a new alpha-tomatine isomer glycoalkaloid, named filotomatine (MW 1033), which shares a common tetrasaccharide structure (i.e., lycotretraose) with alpha-tomatine and dehydrotomatine, and soladulcidine as an aglycone, is described for the first time. It occurs in significant amounts in the extracts of wild tomato foliage. Multistage mass spectrometry both of the protonated molecules and of the doubly charged ions was used for detailed structural elucidation of SGAs. Key fragmentations and regularities in fragmentation pathways are described and the fragmentation mechanisms involved are proposed.


ABSTRACT In the implementation of thermal enhanced oil recovery (TEOR) techniques, the temperature impact on relative permeability in oil–water systems (Krw and Kro) is of special concern. Hence, developing a fast and reliable tool to model the temperature effect on Krw and Kro is still a major challenge for precise studying of TEOR processes. To reach the goal of this work, two promising soft-computing algorithms, namely Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) and Gene Expression Programming (GEP) were employed to develop reliable and simple to use paradigms to predict the temperature dependency of Krw and Kro. To do so, a large database encompassing wide-ranging temperatures and fluids/rock parameters, was considered to establish these correlations. Statistical results and graphical analyses disclosed the high degree of accuracy for the proposed correlations in emulating the experimental results. In addition, GEP correlations were found to be the most consistent with root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.0284 and 0.0636 for Krw and Kro, respectively. Lastly, the performance comparison against the preexisting correlations indicated the large superiority of the newly introduced correlations. The findings of this study can help for better understanding the temperature dependency of Krw and Kro in TEOR.


Networking technologies dedicated for the Internet of Things are different from the classical mobile networks in terms of architecture and applications. This new type of network is facing several challenges to satisfy specific user requirements. Sharing the communication medium between (hundreds of) thousands of connected nodes and one base station is one of these main requirements, hence the necessity to imagine new solutions, or to adapt existing ones, for medium access control. In this paper, we start by comparing two classical medium access control protocols, CSMA/CA and Aloha, in the context of Internet of Things dedicated networks. We continue by evaluating a specific adaptation of Aloha, already used in low-power wide area networks, where no acknowledgement messages are transmitted in the network. Finally, we apply the same concept to CSMA/CA, showing that this can bring a number of benefits. The results we obtain after a thorough simulation study show that the choice of the best protocol depends on many parameters (number of connected objects, traffic arrival rate, allowed retransmission number), as well as on the metric of interest (e.g. packet reception probability or energy consumption).


Potential biochemical indicators of long-term undernutrition in cattle, which could be used objectively, reliably and routinely, were investigated by evaluating frequently analysed metabolites in cattle. In an initial study, a meta-regression of literature data for glucose, urea, non-esterifed fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) against body condition score (BCS), body weight (BW) and its change (BWC) was conducted. The credible intervals of the gradients included zero for all regressions, showing that there were no significant relationships between any of the blood metabolites and BCS, BW or BWC across the 13 included studies. In a second study, fresh field samples from nine herds of adequately-nourished suckler cows and stored samples from two herds of suckler cows, which had experienced severe undernutrition, were analysed for serum albumin, total protein, urea, BHB, NEFA, creatinine, fructosamine and globulin. Positive regressions with BCS were obtained for albumin and creatinine, and a negative regression with fructosamine/albumin ratio. With the threshold for detecting undernutrition set at ≥ 10.75 μmol g–1, the fructosamine/albumin ratio gave sensitivity and specif city of 100%. Therefore, it is probably necessary to combine several blood measures to obtain a valid assessment of the nutritional state of ruminants, and we advise against the use of a single plasma metabolite concentration in assessing the nutritional state and welfare of individual cows.


The ability of an observer to detect variations in size of a geometrical image feature have been investigated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Three types of image were constructed using computer graphics: disc-shaped targets of variable radius, model chest radiographs showing a variable heart diameter and model arterial angiograms with variable vessel width. Five factors were investigated: observer experience, variation of detectability with theoretical signal-to-noise ratio, the prior probability of the presence of an abnormality, viewing distance, and uncertainty in the location of an abnormality. In all but one experiment, excellent agreement was found between measured detectabilities and the predictions of signal detection theory, providing an initial practice session was included for each observer. No significant variation in detectability was found using six different prior probabilities and two different viewing distances, and the reduction in detectability for a four-alternative location task was in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The high statistical efficiencies found for the detection of geometrical signals suggest that the levels of observer "internal" noise arising from decision-making processes during an ROC experiment are very low.


There is increasing scientific and practical interest in the importance of reduced tillage systems for increasing yield, and obtaining it more economically, in cotton production. Reduced tillage systems which involve lesser field applications have several advantages when compared to conventional systems. Field trials were conducted over 2 years. The aim was to establish the greatest applicability of reduced tillage systems. The 4 types of tillage compared were conventional, precision, strip and ridge tillage. In each of these plots, seeds were planted in 8 rows. A mechanical seed drill was used in 4 rows of each plot at a seed rate of 50 kg ha -1 . In the other 4 rows planting was done at 0.05 m seed spacings using a pneumatic spacing drill. Planting was performed in 0.7 m row spaces. Tillage and planting treatments were evaluated for 8 different criteria. The emergence degree, plant height, number of bolls/plant, seed cotton yield, first picking percentage and fibre quality parameters such as fineness, length and strength were measured. Analysis of variance revealed, no significant differences among the systems in terms of seed cotton yield, number of bolls/plant or fibre quality parameters. The height of the plants in the ridge planting applications was 10% greater than that in the conventional planting applications. However, 10.6% greater first picking percentage was observed in the ridge planting applications. Finally, it was concluded that reduced tillage systems were more advantageous than conventional tillage systems.


Abstract We study gender spillovers in career advancement using eleven years of employer-employee matched data on white-collar workers at over 4,000 private sector workplaces in Norway. Our data allow us to define seven hierarchical ranks that are consistent across plants and over time and track promotions even for individuals who change employers. We find positive spillovers across ranks (flowing from higher-ranking to lower-ranking women) but negative spillovers within ranks. The finding of narrower gender gaps in promotions for workers with more female bosses suggests that policies that increase female representation in corporate leadership can have spillover benefits to women in lower ranks.


Skin detection is one of the building blocks of many image processing and computer vision algorithms. Within the Video Processing group at Philips Research we are investigating the use of skin detection algorithms for a number of core applications. In this report we focus on skin color based methods. These methods are extremely popular in the computer vision and image processing fields because they are simple and fast, they are robust to geometric variations of the skin patterns, to partial occlusions, scale or rotation changes. The aim of this report is to discuss the different aspects involved in the implementation of a pixel-based skin detection algorithm. These questions will drive the practical realization of the system, which will be discussed and evaluated at the end of the manuscript.


To perform tasks specified by natural language instructions, autonomous agents need to extract semantically meaningful representations of language and map it to visual elements and actions in the environment. This problem is called task-oriented language grounding. We propose an end-to-end trainable neural architecture for task-oriented language grounding in 3D environments which assumes no prior linguistic or perceptual knowledge and requires only raw pixels from the environment and the natural language instruction as input. The proposed model combines the image and text representations using a Gated-Attention mechanism and learns a policy to execute the natural language instruction using standard reinforcement and imitation learning methods. We show the effectiveness of the proposed model on unseen instructions as well as unseen maps, both quantitatively and qualitatively. We also introduce a novel environment based on a 3D game engine to simulate the challenges of task-oriented language grounding over a rich set of instructions and environment states.


The DNA region of the Vibrio harveyi chromosome containing the heat-shock genes groES and groEL was cloned, and the genes were sequenced. These genes are arranged in the chromosome in the order groES-groEL. Northern hybridization experiments with RNA from V. harveyi and a DNA probe carrying both groES and groEL genes showed a single, heat-inducible transcript of approximately 2200 nt, indicating that these genes form an operon. Primer extension analysis revealed a strong, heat-inducible transcription start site 59 nt upstream of groES, preceded by a sequence typical for the Escherichia coli heat-shock promoters recognized by the sigma(32) factor, and a weak transcription start site 25 nt upstream the groES gene, preceded by a sequence typical for sigma(70) promoters. Transcription from the latter promoter occurred only at low temperatures. The V. harveyi groE operon cloned in a plasmid in E. coli cells was transcribed in a sigma(32)-dependent manner; the transcript size and the sigma(32)-dependent transcription start site were as in V. harveyi cells. Comparison of V. harveyi groE transcription regulation with the other well-characterized groE operons of the gamma subdivision of proteobacteria (those of E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) indicates a high conservation of the transcriptional regulatory elements among these bacteria, with two promoters, sigma(32) and sigma(70), involved in the regulation. The ability of the cloned groESL genes to complement E. coli groE mutants was tested: V. harveyi groES restored a thermoresistant phenotype to groES bacteria and enabled lambda phage to grow in the mutant cells. V. harveyi groEL did not abolish thermosensitivity of groEL bacteria but it complemented the groEL mutant with respect to growth of lambda phage. The results suggest that the GroEL chaperone may be more species-specific than the GroES co-chaperone.


Human Disabled-2 (Dab2) is a candidate tumor suppressor gone that regulates cell growth by c-Fos suppression in normal cells. In many cancer cells, Dab2 expression is lost or greatly diminished in of the breast and ovarian cancers. In this study, we have examined the methylation status of CpG island on Dab2 gene promoter using bisulfite-assisted genomic sequencing and methylation specific PCR (MSP) method in human breast cancer cell line, MDA MB-231 cells. In normal human uterus endometrial cells, Dab2 was completely unmethylated. In contrast, Dab2 was methylated on CpG dinucleotides near the TATA_ box in MDA MB-231 cells. following MDA MB-231 cells by treatment with 5-azacytidine, Dab2 gene were demethylated and reexpressed. Result of this study suggested that silencing of Dab2 gene is correlated to CpG island methylation in human breast cancer cell line, MBA MD-231 cells.


Background Participation in physical activity has a positive impact on the overall health and quality of life, whereas physical inactivity is associated with a poor prognosis among breast cancer survivors. Despite the health-enhancing benefits of physical activity, the majority of Malaysian breast cancer survivors are not physically active. This paper presents the design of a randomised study to evaluate the feasibility and effect of exercise therapy intervention using light resistance dumbbell exercise to promote active lifestyle and improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors in Malaysia. Methods/design This is an intervention study of a 12-week exercise therapy that will explore and compare the effects of light resistance and aerobic exercise on physical activity level and quality of life components in 102 female breast cancer survivors. Major eligibility criteria include histologically confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer stages I–III, 3–12 months post-diagnosis, and absence of any disorder contraindicating exercise. Participants will be stratified based on menopausal status (pre-menopause vs post-menopause) and then assigned randomly to one of three groups. Participants in group A will participate in a three-times weekly supervised resistance exercise using light resistance dumbbells; participants in group B will participate in a three-times weekly supervised aerobic exercise; while participants in group C (control group) will be given aerobic exercise after completion of the intervention. The primary end points include physical activity level and quality of life components. The secondary end points are body mass index, body composition, total caloric intake, and waist-to-hip ratio. Discussion Although there have been many studies of resistance exercise in breast cancer survivors, this is the first study using this specific mode of resistance. Findings will contribute data on the feasibility and effects of light resistance dumbbell exercises, and provide knowledge on the physical activity intervention programme that will maximally promote better overall health and well-being of survivors.


From the Publisher:
Platinum Edition XHTML, XML and Java 2 is separated into several sections, each of which focuses on a specific technology, including XHTML, XML, JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, CGI programming with Perl, Server-side Programming with ASP, ColdFusion and PHP, and Java 2. Throughout the book, the authors focus on the features and benefits of each technology, giving readers a well-rounded education in current web development tools and techniques. In addition, the authors demonstrate the value of combining various technologies (such as Java and XML) for more powerful web solutions.
All the code and working applications developed in the book will be available for download from Que's web site at www.mcp.com/que
Completely updated and revised with the latest information about the newest web technologies including XHTML, Java 2 and XML.


The objective was to determine the effects of sous-vide cooking and degree of doneness on consumer eating experience of pork chops when cooked color was expected to differ. The hypothesis was consumers would prefer a cooked brown color and would rate grilled chops more acceptable than sous-vide chops. Chops were cooked to 63 °C or 71 °C using either an open-hearth grill or a sous-vide device. Participants evaluated four samples for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall acceptability. Participants rated a greater percentage of chops cooked sous-vide at 63 °C as tender (82.82%), juicy (55.83%) and acceptable (60.34%) compared with all other cooking method and degree of doneness combinations. Participants rated a greater percentage of sous-vide chops as tender and acceptable compared to grilled chops. Participants rated a greater percentage of chops cooked to 63 °C as tender, juicy, flavorful, and acceptable when compared to 71 °C. Even when participants could visualize cooked color, they preferred chops cooked to 63 °C compared with chops cooked to 71 °C. Overall, participants preferred chops cooked to 63 °C compared to 71 °C regardless of the cooking method and preferred chops cooked to 63 °C using the sous-vide cooking method the most among all treatments.


A procedure based on the ability of Mts-1 to competitively inhibit the formation of Fura-2 complexes with Ca(2+)-ions is described. It has been shown that Mts-I reversibly inhibits the complex formation between Fura-2 and calcium. The efficiency of natural Mts-I isolated from cells of the CSML-100 line and of its recombinant analog on the formation of the Fura-2+Ca complex is different. The inhibition constant, Ki, for the native protein is equal to 2,4 microM, that for the recombinant form is 8.5 microM. The data obtained are suggestive of posttranslational modification of Mts-I in cells under in vivo conditions.


Data Scientists leverage common sense reasoning and domain knowledge to understand and enrich data for building predictive models. In recent years, we have witnessed a surge in tools and techniques for automated machine learning . While data scientists can employ various such tools to help with model building, many other aspects such as feature engineering that require semantic understanding of concepts, remain manual to a large extent. In this paper we discuss important shortcomings of current automated data science solutions and machine learning. We discuss how leveraging basic semantic reasoning on data in combination with novel tools for data science automation can help with consistent and explainable data augmentation and transformation. Moreover, semantics can as-sist data scientists in a new manner by helping with challenges related to trust , bias , and explainability .


This essay discuoses the importence and recessity of health education and it puts forword the idea that proper sense of health, conscionsners of health and promothion of health education are the heart that run through the process of health education only by defining these concepts, adopting effective means and method and striking root in the hearts of people and everywhere can we change our unhealthy behaior and habit and develop healthy ones that accord with healthy demands and favonable to body and mind. These behavior and habit will promote the development of health education.


It is indeed a privilege to read the life's work of an extremely competent investigator. This is the case with respect to Max Lurie's work, Resistance to Tuberculosis. The book is written in a most logical, clear and concise fashion. Each series of experiments follows one another as carefully planned building blocks to a most logical conclusion. It is difficult to "put this book down" as the reading is so fluid and experiments defined with such clarity that their significance is very easily grasped. Certainly this book gives not only tremendous insight into the mechanisms involved in resistance to tuberculosis but an insight into integral body mechanisms of defense as a whole. I feel that this book is one of the major contributions in its field.


Stamatov, S. & Velcheva, N. (2020). Assessment of genetic diversity in sesame germplasm as an initial material for Bulgarian breeding programs. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 26 (5), 1047–1052 The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate sesame genotypes for their suitability for mechanized harvesting for the needs of the crop hybridization program. 47 introduced sesame samples of diverse ecological and geographical origin were studied. Subjective independent evaluation method, Sesaco method and field testing were used. The genetic diversity is represented by a hierarchical cluster analysis dendogram. The results reveal the wide genetic basis of the gene pool studied in terms of the ability of individual samples to retain seed in the capsule during physiological maturity and harvesting. The working collection is characterized by samples that retain their seeds on the field during ripening and those that retain the seeds during threshing. The study identified donors which could produce offspring with excellent retention of the seeds on the field until plant maturation and during threshing, when properly combined.


The first reversible chemosensor to creatinine based on artificial chemoreceptors is described. The receptor layer was prepared by molecularly imprinted photopolymerization of acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid and methylenediacrylamide. The polymer layer was grafted onto the surface of gold electrodes coated with an alkanethiol monolayer. Creatinine binding was detected by a decrease in the electrode capacitance. The sensor response is reversible and highly selective: no response to addition of sodium chloride, creatine, urea or glucose were observed. The detection limit for creatinine is 10 µM which is optimal for medical applications.