Currently, detecting 3D objects in Bird's-Eye-View (BEV) is superior to other 3D detectors for autonomous driving and robotics. However, transforming image features into BEV necessitates special operators to conduct feature sampling. These operators are not supported on many edge devices, bringing extra obstacles when deploying detectors. To address this problem, we revisit the generation of BEV representation and propose detecting objects in perspective BEV — a new BEV representation that does not require feature sampling. We demonstrate that perspective BEV features can likewise enjoy the benefits of the BEV paradigm. Moreover, the perspective BEV improves detection performance by addressing issues caused by feature sampling. We propose PersDet for high-performance object detection in perspective BEV space based on this discovery. While implementing a simple and memory-efficient structure, PersDet outperforms existing state-of-the-art monocular methods on the nuScenes benchmark, reaching 34.6% mAP and 40.8% NDS when using ResNet-50 as the backbone.


The thermal behavior and kinetic parameters of the exothermic decomposition reaction of N-methyl-N-nitro-2,2,2-trinitroethanamine in a temperature-programmed mode have been investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).The kinetic equation of the exothermic decomposition process of the compound is proposed. The values of the apparent activation energy (Ea), pre-exponential factor (A), entropy of activation (ΔS^≠ ), enthalpy of activation (ΔH^≠ ), and free energy of activation (ΔG^≠ ) of this reaction and the critical temperature of thermal explosion of the compound are reported. Information is obtained on the mechanism of the initial stage of the thermal decomposition of the compound.


We show the emergence of strong catalytic activity at low concentrations in dynamic libraries of complementary sequence-defined oligomeric chains comprising pendant functional catalytic groups and terminal recognition units. In solution, the dynamic constitutional library created from pairs of such complementary oligomers comprises free oligomers, self-assembled di(oligomeric) macrocycles, and a virtually infinite collection of linear poly(oligomeric) chains. We demonstrate, on an exemplary catalytic system requiring the cooperation of no less than five chemical groups, that supramolecular di(oligomeric) macrocycles exhibit a catalytic turnover frequency ca. 20 times larger than the whole collection of linear poly(oligomers) and free chains. Molecular dynamics simulations and network analysis indicate that self-assembled supramolecular di(oligomeric) macrocycles are stabilized by different interactions, among which chain end pairing. We mathematically model the catalytic properties of such complex dynamic libraries with a small set of physically relevant parameters, which provides guidelines for the synthesis of oligomers capable to self-assemble into functionally-active supramolecular macrocycles over a larger range of concentrations.


Background To elucidate mechanisms involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), we studied genetic regulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats, assuming a conservation of pathogenic pathways. In this study, we focused on Eae23, originally identified to regulate EAE in a (LEW.1AV1xPVG.1AV1)F2 cross. Our aim was to determine whether one or more genes within the 67 Mb region regulate EAE and to define candidate risk genes. Methodology/Principal Findings We used high resolution quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis in the 10th generation (G10) of an advanced intercross line (AIL) to resolve Eae23 into two QTLs that independently regulate EAE, namely Eae23a and Eae23b. We established a congenic strain to validate the effect of this region on disease. PVG alleles in Eae23 resulted in significant protection from EAE and attenuated CNS inflammation/demyelination. Disease amelioration was accompanied with increased levels of Foxp3+ cells in the CNS of the congenic strain compared to DA. We then focused on candidate gene investigation in Eae23b, a 9 Mb region linked to all clinical phenotypes. Affymetrix exon arrays were used to study expression of the genes in Eae23b in the parental strains, where none showed differential expression. However, we found lower expression of exon 4 of ZEB1, which is specific for splice-variant Zfhep1. ZEB1 is an interleukin 2 (IL2) repressor involved in T cell development. The splice-specific variance prompted us to next analyze the expression of ZEB1 and its two splice variants, Zfhep1 and Zfhep2, in both lymph node and spleen. We demonstrated that ZEB1 splice-variants are differentially expressed; severity of EAE and higher IL2 levels were associated with down-regulation of Zfhep1 and up-regulation of Zfhep2. Conclusions/Significance We speculate that the balance between splice-variants of ZEB1 could influence the regulation of EAE. Further functional studies of ZEB1 and the splice-variants may unravel novel pathways contributing to MS pathogenesis and inflammation in general.


Sequence type (ST) 72 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV (ST72-MRSA-IV) and ST5-MRSA-II are the most significant lineages found in community-associated (CA) and healthcare-associated (HA) environments in Korea, respectively. ST5 HA-MRSA-II tend to display enhanced resistance to host defense-cationic antimicrobial peptides (HD-CAPs) compared to ST72 CA-MRSA-IV and ST72 livestock-associated (LA)-MRSA-IV due to mechanisms involving a higher surface positive charge. Thus, the present study explored the genetic factors contributing to the enhanced HD-CAP resistance phenotype in ST5 MRSA strains. The ST5 HA-MRSA-II strains displayed higher levels of mprF and dltABCD expression compared to the ST72 CA-/LA-MRSA-IV strains. The increase in expression of mprF and dltABCD in ST5 HA-MRSA-II strains was correlated with dysregulation of the upstream transcriptional regulator, graRS. However, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within mprF and graRS ORFs were not involved in the enhanced surface positive charge or the altered expression of mprF/dltABCD.


Abstract Background There is need for validated outcome measures for postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) following pediatric venous thromboembolism (VTE), with a focus on quality of life (QoL). Aims This article assesses reliability and validity of two PTS and two QoL scales for children following lower extremity VTE. Methods Pediatric patients following lower extremity VTE were recruited from three thrombosis clinics. The Manco–Johnson (MJ) and the modified Villalta (MV) PTS scales were compared with each other and with the generic pediatric health-related QoL, PedsQL, and a newly developed pediatric venous-specific QoL, the Peds-VEINES-QOL. Results Eighty children following VTE and 60 healthy control children were enrolled. Internal consistency measured by Cronbach's α was high for the two QoL scales, and moderate for the two PTS scales. Inter-rater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients was moderate to high for the MJ, MV, and Peds-VEINES-QOL, and moderate for the PedsQL. Evidence of high internal consistency by Cronbach's α coefficients, and moderate to high interitem correlations support the premise that a single construct was measured by each instrument. Correlations between the four instruments indicate convergent validity. Conclusion The MJ and MV scales detect similar outcomes in children following VTE. As used, the MJ is slightly more sensitive to QoL because a positive diagnosis requires pain which is the leading factor in reduced QoL following deep vein thrombosis. When using the MV, a requirement for pain or abnormal use to diagnose PTS would make the MV a better predictor of QoL.


Nanotechnology is a multi disciplinary science which is getting considerable attention in development of new chemical entities, diagnosis and treatment of several ailments. Nanomedicine technology has developed many drug delivering systems like nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, nanosuspensions, nanosponges etc., which are associated with many advantages including improved bioavailability. Nanosponges are tiny sponges having size of about a virus and can be filled with variety of drugs. This sponge can circulate around the body until interact with specific target site and stick on surface and start releasing drug in a controlled manner. Nanosponge play vital role in targeting drug delivery in a controlled manner. Both lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs are incorporated in nanosponges. The outer surface is typically porous, allowing controlled release of drug. Important characteristic of these sponges is their solubility in aqueous form and suitable for the drugs with poor solubility. This review is focusing on the preparation methods, applications of nanosponges in the field of drug delivery.


The noradrenaline and glycogen contents as well as hexokinase, glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities were determined in normal, embryonic and partially denervated (bilateral dissection of the Nervus splanchnicus or Nervus vagus) rat liver and in two transplantable hepatomas. In embryonic liver and hepatomas a strong decrease or complete loss of noradrenaline and glycogen levels and glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities is demonstrable as compared to the livers of adult animals, while the hexokinase activity is enhanced. Following bilateral splanchnicotomy the glycogen content and hexokinase activity are enhanced; the glucose-6-phosphatase activity is reduced, and the liver does not contain any noradrenaline. Bilateral vagotomy causes decrease of the glycogen content, of the hexokinase and glucokinase activities and an enhancement of glucose-6-phosphatase activity. The results lend support to the idea of antagonistic action of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems upon several partial reactions of carbohydrate metabolism of liver. In addition, it can be assumed that the alterations of the carbohydrate metabolism demonstrable in hepatomas as compared to normal liver are not solely attributable to disturbance or breakdown of the nervous regulation.


Shannon proved in 1949 that information-theoretic-secure encryption is possible if the encryption key is used only once, is random, and is at least as long as the message itself. Notwithstanding, when information is encoded in a quantum system, the phenomenon of quantum data locking allows one to encrypt a message with a shorter key and still provide information-theoretic security. We present one of the first feasible experimental demonstrations of quantum data locking for direct communication and propose a scheme for a quantum enigma machine that encrypts 6 bits per photon (containing messages, new encryption keys, and forward error correction bits) with less than 6 bits per photon of encryption key while remaining information-theoretically secure.


This paper is focuses on modulating a shared resource, power demand on the electricity grid, among intelligent agents charged with modulating residential HVAC systems. We discuss the use of synchronized control actuation signals (PWM) to simplify scarce resource auctions for control of a network of intelligent home agents. By synchronizing the actuation signal with the auction times, identification and prediction becomes simpler, and modulation of the shared resource is as easy as adjusting the saturation limits of the controller. We show results through simulation.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


The case of Turner vs. Agius is a landmark judgment regarding the liquidation of civil damages in Maltese law. The case compelled the courts to review Article 1046 of the Maltese Civil Code which indicates that where in consequence of the act giving rise to the damage death ensues, the court may, in addition to any actual loss and expenses incurred, award compensation to the heirs of the deceased person. Contrasting interpretations of this article were given by the First Hall and the Court of Appeal, which disagreed on central issues, mainly, the concept of dependency. Enter Bill 78 of 2011 and the whole issue becomes clearer. The Bill aims to remove the concept of heirs being awarded lucrum cessansentirely, thereby eliminating the conundrum of dependency. Clearly, had the Bill been in force during the trial of Turner vs. Agius, the case would have been resolved effortlessly when compared to the problematic issues which the courts grappled with at the time.


Background: The value of good oral hygiene practices has increased over the years, and the removal of bacteria plaque and other deposits from the teeth is essential for the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease. Aims: The objectives of this study were to assess the oral hygiene status of the elderly population in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and investigate the influence of sociodemographic variables on oral hygiene. Subjects and Methods: The research was cross-sectional study. A total of 543 old people were selected by systematic random sampling. Data were collected with a self-developed oral health assessment questionnaire designed in two sections (A and B) and analyzed using SPSS version 20 (IBM SPSS Armonk, New York, USA). The relationship between variables was established using independent t-test and analysis of variance, and significance determined at 0.05 alpha level. Results: The overall mean oral hygiene score for the sample was 2.55 (standard deviation = 0.85). Most of the respondents had poor 245 (45.1%) and fair 254 (46.8%) oral hygiene. Females had significant better oral hygiene than males, while there was a significant increase in the oral hygiene score with increasing age. Educational status and retirement grade level were inversely and significantly associated with the oral hygiene score of the pensioners. Conclusion: The oral hygiene score recorded among the pensioners in this study was inadequate; therefore, the study participants need to be educated on the role of plaque in the development of dental caries and periodontal diseases, and the need to keep good oral hygiene.


This paper reports on the user requirements gathering activities and design of an information visualization tool for analyzing network data for intrusion detection (ID). User-centered design methods have been widely used for many years. However, innovative visualization displays are often developed with limited consideration of user needs in the context of real-life problems. While it can be argued that this is required to generate creative new solutions, the resulting tools may not fully support actual users in their daily work. We studied ID analysts' activities in order to understand their work practices. This resulted in a simple task model of ID work and guidelines for visualization support. Noting the lack of current visualization support for the analysis ID task and grounded in the actual needs of ID analysts, we designed a visualization prototype for investigating network traffic.


The paper presents a study of several hydronyms and place-names (derived from rivernames) in the southwestern zone of the Caspian Sea, in Gilan and adjoining areas in the province of Ardabil in Iran. The analysis reveals lexical units of highly archaic nature in the geographic nomenclature of the mentioned region, especially among river-names. This concerns not only the forms of Iranian origin, but also those bearing obvious traits of a pre-Iranian linguistic substrate. Particularly, the author postulates such origin for a widespread hydro-toponymic lexeme meaning, as she thinks, "reed" (or "cane"), a characteristic attribute of the local landscape.


Research findings on the effects of raised lead levels on children's cognitive and behavioural functioning are reviewed. The results are considered separately with respect to clinic‐type studies of children with high lead levels, studies of mentally retarded or behaviourally deviant children, chelation studies, smelter studies, and general population studies of dental lead. It is concluded that, although the findings are somewhat contradictory, the evidence suggests that persistently raised blood lead levels in the range above 40/μg/100ml may cause slight cognitive impairment (a reduction of one to five points on average) and less certainly may increase the risk of behavioural difficulties. There are pointers that there may also be psychological risks with lead levels below 40μg/100ml, but the evidence on this point is inconclusive so far. Parallels are drawn with studies of other brain traumata and some suggestions are made with respect to both practical implications and the needs for further research.


A new purple complex of (1,9-diamino-1,4,6,6,9-pentamethyl-3,7-diazanona-3-ene) (l-propylenediamine)nickel(II) perchlorate and the known yellow complex, (octamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecadiene)nickel(II) perchlorate, were obtained by the reaction of tris(l-propylenediamine)nickel(II) perchlorate and acetone without any irradiation by ultraviolet light. The structure of the purple complex was estimated from its absorption and circular dichroism spectra in acetonitril and in an aqueous solution, and from its infrared spectrum in the solid state. The complex was found to take an octahedral [NiN6]-type structure in acetonitril and a planar [NiN4]-type structure in aqueous solution. The (1,9-diamino-1,4,6,6,9-pentamethyl-3,7-diazanona-3-ene)nickel(II) perchlorate and (1,9-diamino-1,4,6,6,9-pentamethyl-3,7-diazanona-3-ene)(ethylenediamine)nickel(II) perchlorate complexes were also prepared.


Beginning with an introduction to carbon-based nanomaterials, their electronic properties, and general concepts in quantum transport, this detailed primer describes the most effective theoretical and computational methods and tools for simulating the electronic structure and transport properties of graphene-based systems. Transport concepts are clearly presented through simple models, enabling comparison with analytical treatments, and multiscale quantum transport methodologies are introduced and developed in a straightforward way, demonstrating a range of methods for tackling the modelling of defects and impurities in more complex graphene-based materials. The authors also discuss the practical applications of this revolutionary nanomaterial, contemporary challenges in theory and simulation, and long-term perspectives. Containing numerous problems for solution, real-life examples of current research, and accompanied online by further exercises, solutions and computational codes, this is the perfect introductory resource for graduate students and researchers in nanoscience and nanotechnology, condensed matter physics, materials science and nanoelectronics.


Even though Quentin Meillassoux's philosophy is still in the making, to use Graham Harman's (2015) expression, it has garnered sufficient attention to become the topic of an ever-growing body of specialized literature. Here we wish to make a contribution in that direction. We offer an examination of Meillassoux's definition of philosophy as "the invention of strange forms of argumentation". We compare and contrast this definition to the one that has been offered by Deleuze & Guattari in What is Philosophy? We then provide an example of his metaphilosophy by evaluating his potential to become a philosophical heir to Alain Badiou. We explain why this may be the case, highlighting features of a situation that we will name "the Continental Expectation", and then linking that situation to the contents of Meillassoux's philosophy.


Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is more frequent among females <40 years old; however, it affects preferentially older males (>60 years old). In order to contribute to the study of the still largely unknown mechanisms that underlie this peculiar sex-dependent shift, we compared the kinetics of the increase of the age-specific BCC incidence rates (R) as a function of age in males and females. Studies reporting sex-stratified R were found using a PubMed search and male to female age-specific incidence rate ratios (RR) were calculated for each age-class as reported in each study and assigned to the mean of the corresponding age periods. Trends in age were assessed with Kendall's τ test and relationships between two variables by inverse variance method-weighed Loess and linear regression analysis. Sixteen data sets were eligible and confirmed a significant shift in the male to female ratio (Kendall's τ = 0.530; P < 0.001). Moreover, the slope parameter b = 1.205 (SE = 0.014) of the best fit (r2 = 0.980) regression line resulting by plotting male vs. female age-specific incidence rates predicts a statistically significant (P = 0.001), constant, about 20% faster increase of R in males of all ages. Similar relationship are also evident for cutaneous squamous cell and Merkel cell carcinoma and, even more intriguing, for sums of all cancers (excluding BCC and SCC) in many different registries. In conclusion, females are probably born with an inherently higher risk to develop BCC; however, also with a much slower increase rate of this risk as a function of age. Notably this observation seems to be not a BCC peculiarity. Because of its high incidence coupled with moderate morbidity and extremely low mortality rates, BCC may serve as a valuable, single-tumor paradigm to reproach the complex mechanisms that underline the interaction of age and sex in the pathogenesis of human malignancies.


The Gillnet Sole Fishery Study Group monitored discards since 2011. This document describes results from the self-sampling. No observer trips in the Dutch Sole Gillnet Fishing have taken place under the EU data collection framework (DCF). Under the DCF The Netherlands are obliged to sample ten gill net fishing trips. However, it is not specified which type of gill net fishing trips should be sampled, i.e. no target species is specified. In 2011 observers only went on board gill net trips in which cod was targeted. In 2012, up to November 2012, no observer trips were carried out in these fisheries


Abstract Imaoka, T., Okamoto, M., Nishimura, M., Nishimura, Y., Ootawara, M., Kakinuma, S., Tokairin, Y. and Shimada, Y. Mammary Tumorigenesis in ApcMin/+ Mice is Enhanced by X Irradiation with a Characteristic Age Dependence. Radiat. Res. 165, 165–173 (2006). The ApcMin/+ (Min) mouse is genetically predisposed to both intestinal and mammary tumorigenesis. We investigated age-related changes in the susceptibility of mice (before, during and after puberty) to radiation-induced mammary tumorigenesis using this model. Female Min and wild-type mice having the C57BL/6J background were irradiated with 2 Gy of X rays at 2, 5, 7 and 10 weeks and killed humanely at 18 weeks of age. Min mice irradiated at 7–10 weeks of age (after puberty) developed mammary tumors with squamous metaplasia, whereas their wild-type littermates did not. Interestingly, irradiation of Min mice at 2–5 weeks (before and during puberty, respectively) did not induce mammary tumors but rather cystic nodules with metaplasia. The mammary tumors exhibited increased nuclear β-catenin protein and loss of the wild-type Apc allele. Our results show that susceptibility to radiation-induced mammary tumorigenesis increases after puberty in Min mice, suggesting that the tumorigenic effect of ionizing radiation targets the lobular-alveolar progenitor cells, which increase in number with age and are controlled by β-catenin signaling.


An effective visual signal elicits a strong receiver response. The visual receptors of most insects are sensitive to ultraviolet (UV), blue and green light. The decorations of certain orb web spiders may be described as a type of visual signal, a sensory trap, as they exploit visual biases in insects. We filtered UV and blue light from the decorations of Argiope keyserlingi, under field conditions, using plastic sheets to test if the UV and blue light reflected affects the type of prey caught. We found that houseflies, blowflies, stingless bees, honeybees and vespid wasps were caught more frequently in webs with decorations than webs without, while ichneumonid wasps were caught less frequently. Blowflies, stingless bees, honeybees and vespid wasps were caught more often in unfiltered decorated webs. These insects also have receptor sensitivities in the blue and UV. We showed that exploiting visual sensory biases plays an integral role in attracting insects to orb web decorations. Whether UV light, blue light, or both, are the most important cue, however, requires further study. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 94, 221‐229.


In this paper, we investigate a disaster management system using D2D cooperative communications. Specifically, we consider two D2D cells, one is in healthy area and the other is in disaster area, where a user equipment (UE) in healthy area aims to assist a UE in the disaster area to recover wireless information transfer (WIT) via an energy harvesting (EH) relay. In the healthy area, a cellular base station (BS) shares the spectrum with the UE even though they may belong to different service providers. In return, this UE will have to provide some incentives to the BS by paying prices for causing interference and for trading energy. We formulate these processes as two Stackelberg games, interference pricing and energy trading, where their Stackelberg equilibriums are derived in closed-form solutions. Finally, numerical results are provided to validate our proposed schemes. It is shown that the energy trading scheme outperforms the interference pricing scheme in terms of assistance efficiency for the disaster area.


Asthma remains a frustrating and underestimated threat to health. Non-compliance with medication is a frequent problem, especially when asthma attacks are difficult to predict, and amongst children and young adults. Non-compliance has been attributed to shortfalls in patient education. There may, however, be an attitudinal-altered image dimension to the problem.


Abstract Objective: Various foods play important role in the pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These foods are shown to increase gastroesophageal reflux symptoms via various mechanisms and majority of these foods also contain nickel. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between Nickel sensitivity and GERD. Material and methods: Fifty-four patients diagnosed with GERD and 50 healthy volunteers who were admitted to our gastroenterology outpatient clinic were took part in the study. European standard patch test series, nickel-containing test units and corticosteroids were applied to the patient body; upper back. Evaluation was performed according to the scheme of the International Contact Dermatitis Research Group (ICDRG). The positive and negative reactions were recorded at the hours of 48, 72 and 96. Following the test implementations, 7 days later, the tests were reevaluated for late reactions. Statistics package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 17 package program was used for statistical evaluation and results of tests were compared between groups with the Chi-squared test. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Individuals in both groups were statistically similar in terms of age and gender. Nickel sensitivity was found to be positive in 48.2 and %22 of the GERD patients and control group, respectively. Difference between groups was statistically significant (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Nickel sensitivity was significantly higher in GERD patients compared to the control group. In addition to imbalance between defensive and aggressive forces of the esophagus, there seems to be an association between nickel sensitivity and GERD.


Mechanical fruit thinning could be a practical and cost-effective alternative to hand thinning of Sauvignon blanc grapes to increase quality by reducing yield. Botrytis bunch rot, caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, is the main seasonal disease risk for grapes grown in New Zealand but it is unknown if this disease is exacerbated by mechanical rather than manual thinning of the vines. It was hypothesised that the damage caused by mechanical thinning would result in more disease or increase disease pressure than hand thinning or no thinning. Botrytis bunch rot was determined in the field at harvest following mechanical thinning in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons compared with an un-thinned control. In the 2011 season, possible mechanisms that may have influenced disease severity were investigated. The parameters investigated were: bunch openness; berry susceptibility to infection; and percentage of bunch debris infected with Botrytis cinerea. Mechanical thinning resulted in the same or lower observed disease severity compared with the un-thinned control in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons while reducing yield as desired. In all seasons, both heavy and light machine thinning treatments reduced incidence of botrytis compared to the un-thinned control and the heavy machine treatment always reduced disease severity compared to the un-thinned control. Berry susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea was a complex interaction between various factors. Heavy machine thinned berries without wounding and inoculation were significantly less susceptible than the un-thinned control. Further investigation will be required to determine if the significant differences observed in berry susceptibility to infection and total infected bunch debris per bunch can be correlated with observed field disease levels.


Computational modeling of the genome-wide metabolic network is essential for designing new therapeutics targeting cancer-associated metabolic disorder, which is a hallmark of human malignancies. However, previous studies generally assumed that metabolic fluxes of cancer cells are subjected to the maximization of biomass production, despite the wide existence of trade-offs among multiple metabolic objectives. To address this issue, we developed a multi-objective model of cancer metabolism with algorithms depicting approximate Pareto surfaces and incorporating multiple omics datasets. To validate this approach, we built individualized models for NCI-60 cancer cell lines, and accurately predicted cell growth rates and other biological consequences of metabolic perturbations in these cells. By analyzing the landscape of approximate Pareto surface, we identified a list of metabolic targets essential for cancer cell proliferation and the Warburg effect, and further demonstrated their close association with cancer patient survival. Finally, metabolic targets predicted to be essential for tumor progression were validated by cell-based experiments, confirming this multi-objective modelling method as a novel and effective strategy to identify cancer-associated metabolic vulnerabilities.


BA42 (DMRB 1.3) gives advice on the design pressures relevant to three main classes of integral abutment, ie shallow height, full height portal frames and embedded wall abutments. Field measurements on a shallow height abutment have been previously reported, however few data are available on the performance of full height abutments. This study reports on the performance of two full height integral bridges of about 40m span over the Manchester Outer Ring Road. One of the bridges (Phase 2) was constructed with contiguous bored pile abutments founded in glacial till. The other bridge (Phase 1) was a more conventional portal frame structure with the abutments retaining granular backfill. This report describes field measurements during construction and over the first two years in service.


Gunawan R, Ramadhan UG, Iskandar J, Partasasmita R. 2017. Local knowledge of utilization and management of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) among Cipanggulaan People of Karyamukti, Cianjur (West Java, Indonesia). Biodiversitas 19: 93-105. Sugar palm, locally known as kawung or aren, (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb.) Merr.) has long been known for its various ecological, economic, and socio-cultural uses among rural people of West Java. Rural people have utilized and managed kawung based on their local knowledge. Nowadays, however, the abundance of kawung trees has been decreasing in many areas, for example, through reduction in planting and destruction. The decreasing experience in managing kawung trees among local people has eroded their local knowledge, and therefore documenting this knowledge is important before it disappears entirely. This paper (i) reports local knowledge of the Cipanggulaan people of Cianjur, West Java on landraces of sugar palm; (ii) identifies various uses of sugar palm by those people, and (iii) describes traditional management systems for the sugar palm conducted by those people. This study adopted qualitative methods developed in ethnobotany based on participant observation and in-depth interviews. Research findings identified two local landraces and at least 10 different plant parts used in various ways. Particular attention was paid to the making of palm sugar in various ways. Conservation of the sugar palm has traditionally been conducted by selective harvesting of the sugar palm fruit and allowing some palms to regenerate naturally.


Dredged samples of Tertiary chalks are described from five stations distributed over a distance of about 200 miles along the continental slope. The Foraminifera and nannoplankton indicate a range in age from Middle Eocene to Upper Miocene. The conclusions are reached that (i), the continental slope appears not to have received and retained much clastic sediment of recent geological time, (ii), the facies of the chalks is quite different from that recorded in western Europe, (iii), the chalks crop out at least in the upper reaches of the slope and form terraces, (iv), a structural explanation, probably faulting, is required to account for the conflicting topographical and stratigraphical levels of some samples and (v), there is no support for the existence before Pleistocene times of the continental shelf of the Western Approaches in physiographical form similar to that known today.


A prospective study on 1,482 adult members of 98 Utah pedigrees was carried out to determine which variables may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension incidence. After an average of 7 years of follow-up, 40 individuals had been placed on antihypertensive medications to lower blood pressure. Baseline study variables included anthropometries, clinical chemistry measurements of blood and urine, socioeconomic and lifestyle variables, and detailed erythrocyte ion transport and concentration measurements. Age (relative risk of 4.28 for a 2 SD difference, p< 0.0001) and baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressures (relative risks of 3.55 and 3.52, respectively, both p< 0.0001) had the strongest associations with hypertension incidence. Controlling for age and baseline blood pressure, the following age- and sex-adjusted variables were associated with an increased risk of future hypertension (relative risks for a 2 SD difference, all /?<0.10): family history of hypertension (2J5); height (1.97); body mass index (2.31); abdominal girth (2.66); subscapular, suprailiac, and triceps skinfold thicknesses (2.79, 2.52, and 2.28, respectively); percent ideal body weight (2.63); log triglyceride concentration (2.02); plasma uric acid (2.16); inorganic phosphate (0.50); and passive erythrocyte sodium permeability (1.59). The final model, which included all of the age- and sex-adjusted variables (p<0.10) in a backward elimination logistic regression analysis, consisted of age (4.78), systolic blood pressure (2.91), subscapular skinfold thickness (2.21), height (1.92), uric acid (2.06), inorganic phosphate (0.50), and family history of hypertension (1.82). None of the ion transport or concentration measurements was associated with an increased risk of hypertension. We conclude that the risk factors of age, body fat and size, plasma uric acid, low plasma inorganic phosphate, and family history of hypertension, previously shown to be significant in crosssectional studies, prospectively increase the risk of hypertension. If other variables have important predictive roles, then they may affect only a subset of this or other large study populations.


Investigations of completely excavated coarse root systems from Grewia flava DC (Tiliaceae), Strychnos cocculoides BAK., Strychnos spinosa LAM. (Loganiaceae) and Vangueria infausta BURCH. (Rubiaceae) were conducted to detect species-specific rooting patterns. Additionally, systematic soil sampling was carried out to achieve information about morphological patterns of fine roots. Attributes of both entities, also including their spatial arrangement, are compared. Semi-automatic digitising was used to obtain 3-D models from coarse root systems. Analysis of fine roots was performed with digital image analysis, to gain morphological parameters and to correlate them with dry weight for approximation of whole fine root distribution.Box counting dimension of coarse root systems was determined for three-dimensional (D) and two-dimensional (Dxy) considerations, while fractal behaviour of fine root samples was only analysed under the assumption of planarity. Two new indices, qa and qb, related to altitude a and mean topological depth b, were developed. Additionally, topological analysis was complemented with link length analysis. All these parameters are furthermore compared with species-dependent capabilities of "exploration" and "exploitation". For this purpose, already established parameters for fine roots, e.g. exploration index E(0) and exploitation index E(φ), were applied to coarse root systems and fine root samples. The parameters number of explored cells NEC, exploration efficiency EE and a new parameter, generalized efficiency of exploitation GEE(φ), were used to quantify explorative and exploitative behaviour of coarse root systems. Thus, definitions from the literature were further extended and generalized to clarify commonly used notions. The determination of an individual soil volume ISV for each coarse root system, taking varying spatial extensions into account, was beneficial to detect differing fine root dispersal inside and outside the restricted soil volume.Clear distinctions between the investigated species are obvious. Strychnos cocculoides, with relatively weak coarse root systems and also scarce development of fine roots, was most contrasting with root systems from Vangueria infausta. In terms of competition, Strychnos cocculoides as least and Vangueria infausta as most explorative conspecific among the investigated species are most contrasting. Grewia flava and Strychnos spinosa lie between both extremes. For fine root characteristics, the same ranking occurs for exploitative parameters. However, for exploitation by coarse root systems, separation of the species was only possible with the parameter GEE(φ): here, Grewia flava, as the most exploitative species, was most opposed to Strychnos cocculoides. In this context, a link between deep rooting, less explorative and "herringbone" coarse root systems seems to exist. The other extreme, with intensive branching, is associated with shallow rooting, indicating a high exploration potential with a "dichotomous" configuration. Also the external link length (le) was well correlated with topological parameters. Affinities between characteristics of coarse and fine roots hint at a 'common strategy' of the plant for the construction of both entities. Empirical tests of Leonardo s rule confirmed the pipe stem theory with reasonable accuracy. Although the relation between root collar diameter and other metrical parameters (root length, root volume) yielded good correlations, the test of a supposed exponential tapering rule did not show convincing results.A combination of complete excavation of coarse roots with systematic sampling of fine roots was a suitable method to obtain detailed information about whole root system composition, and to detect species-specific differences in potential competition. The results suggest that co-occurring species develop contrasting rooting patterns to maximise their acquisition of soil resources as an effective means of spatial and/or temporal sharing.


European labour markets are often described as rigid with comparatively high levels of job protection that do not allow for the flexible adjustment of employment to economic fluctuations. This interpretation overlooks important sources of flexibility, however. Research has shown that recent labour market policy reforms have allowed for the creation of two-tier labour markets consisting of insiders in standard employment relationships and outsiders in non-standard employment. This outcome has typically been explained by pointing to the representational interests of unions or social-democratic parties. It has been argued that rather than protecting all labour market participants, unions and social-democratic parties focus on the interests of their members and their core constituency, respectively, most of whom are in standard employment relationships. In contrast, it is argued here that unions' institutional power resources are the crucial variable explaining this outcome. In difficult economic times, when unions are asked to make concessions, they will assent to labour market reforms, but only to those that do not fundamentally threaten to undermine their organisational interests. In the context of job security legislation, this means that unions defend the protection of permanent contracts while they compromise on the regulation of temporary employment. This 'second best solution' allows them to protect their organisational interests, both by retaining their institutional role in the administration of dismissals and by living up to their institutional role as one of the organisations responsible for the direction of labour market policy reform. Using fsQCA this article shows that unions' institutional power resources are more apt to explain the observed two-tier reform pattern than the unions' or the social-democratic parties' representational interests.


Abstract This study tested the predicted relation of satisfaction to person-environment fit using an alternative approach (Edwards, 1991) to that typically used in theories of career choice and adjustment. Fuzzy work preferences, fuzzy job perceptions, and nonfuzzy job satisfaction data were collected for 21 work value and interest dimensions from up to 352 respondents in five different organizations. Hierarchical regression analyses were undertaken at the item level, examining the independent and interacting contribution of work preferences and job perceptions to satisfaction. Job perceptions accounted for most of the variance in job satisfaction while interactions with work preference (fit) added significant incremental variance for 13 of the 21 satisfaction items. The judged match index (Hesketh, McLachlan, & Gardner, 1992) explained further incremental variance for 3 of the items. The data demonstrate the importance of examining direct relations of person and situational variables as well as "fit" and the advantages in retaining information at the item level. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.


Injection of foams can be used to optimize different gas injection processes such as CCUS (Carbon Capture Use & Storage) and possibly to boost oil recovery kinetics in heterogenous or naturally fractured reservoirs (Enick R.M. 2012). In this case, foams, which are more viscous and dense than gases, aim at limiting early gas breakthrough during field operation by improving the sweeping efficiency of reservoirs and by blocking the most permeable areas of the latters (A. Al Sumaiti 2017, Chabert M. and D'Souza D. 2016). A large part of the world oil reservoirs that have already been operated by primary and secondary recovery methods are carbonate reservoirs and are mostly located in the Middle East (Talebian S.H. 2014). In these reservoirs, which are often operated by CO2 injection, the adsorption of surfactants on positively charged carbonates may be a major hindrance to foam injection (Pownall 1989, Cui L. and Ma K. 2014). That is why, cationic surfactants have been developed for these CO2 foam applications (Chen Y. 2016). However, these cationics are often hardly soluble at pH>6 (Jian G. 2019) and/or not industrially avalaible (Cui et Dubos 2018).
 For this study, we selected three different cationic surfactants. Using automated robotic platforms, we explored a large range of surfactant combination (combining each cationic surfactant with a whole co-surfactant portfolio) at high temperature and in a hard concentrated brine (120g/LTDS, [Ca2+]= 8100ppm). We show that adding co-surfactants to each of these cationics boosts their foaming properties in porous media as well as their solubility at high pH (pH=8) while maintaining low levels of adsorption on carbonates. While a high shear rate is required for cationic surfactants to generate foam in sandpacks, formulations combining cationics and co-surfactants form foams at much lower shear rates. Moreover, the fact that these formulations are soluble at pH=8 means that, on field, the water would no longer need to be acidified at the wellhead to solubilize the surfactant blend. Thus, pipe corrosion induced by the flow of acidified solutions in the surface facilities is prevented. Lastly, all the molecules that are tested in this study are industrially available.


In spite of several challenges, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) has continued to be used as a social research methodology since its multiple critical approaches began examining the relationship between textual discourse, society and culture. The benefits derived were that it exposed hidden agendas of media discourses (van Dijk, 1995) and offered opportunities to analyze causes of social injustices and their solutions (Wodak & Meyer, 2009). For this purpose, it adopted very pertinent discourse analytical strategies relevant to the context (Fairclough, 2003). Having seen such a strong advocating of CDA approaches and in order to seek a solution to all ambiguities, this study attempted to perform a CDA of Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man (1953). This study employed CDA as a research tool and performed a content analysis of the novel under study.  The findings revealed how language has been used as a kind of social practice, in a specific historical and sociocultural context widely recommended to determine the discourse analysis of a text.  This study is an analytical research of the socio-political context in which the text is created and expresses concern about the power abuse or injustice done to the black community in that context. While the study focused on the language of the text, it collected evidences from its story elements like plot, themes and characterization.


Purpose. To improve the results of treatment in patients with chronic injuries of the long extensor tendon of the hand first finger. Materials and Methods. The authors proposed an original technique for tendoplasty of the long extensor of the hand first finger by transposition of the tendon of the intact long muscle abducting the thumb. They analyzed the long-term functional results of treatment by the proposed technique in 32 patients within the periods from one to ten years. Results. The following results were obtained: excellent 81.3 % (n=26), good 18.7 % (n=6). There were no satisfactory and unsatisfactory surgical outcomes. Conclusion. The proposed plasty technique allows to improve surgical functional results significantly when recovering the tendons of the hand first finger extensors in different posttraumatic periods.


The incidence of lung cancer during pregnancy is rising due to the high rate of smokers in young women and the late mean age of pregnancy; in addition, considering that the patients are young women with a higher incidence of molecular alterations, molecular testing in lung adenocarcinoma should always be performed, even in pregnancy. Here, we report the case of a lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy with a long survival who benefitted from brain radiotherapy, conventional chemotherapy, and ALK TKI-targeted treatment. It reveals the safety of whole brain radiotherapy during pregnancy and consideration of other brain radiation techniques even in palliative cases, which should be personalized and managed by a multidisciplinary team. However, upfront management of brain metastasis in ALK-positive patients remains unresolved.


This thesis studies a problem that has been proposed as a novel way to disrupt communication networks: the load maximization problem. The load on a member of a network represents the amount of communication that the member is forced to be involved in. By maximizing the load on an important member of the network, we hope to increase that member's visibility and susceptibility to capture. In this thesis we characterize load as a combinatorial property of graphs and expose possible connections between load and spectral graph theory. We specifically describe the load and how it changes in several canonical classes of graphs and determine the range of values that the load can take on. We also consider a connection between load and liquid paint flow and use this connection to build a heuristic solver for the load maximization problem. We conclude with a detailed discussion of open questions for future work.


PurposeTo evaluate the correlation between the amount of pseudoexfoliation (PXF) material on the anterior lens capsule, pigment in the iridocorneal angle, presenting intraocular pressure (IOP) and severity of glaucoma in patients with PXF glaucoma/syndrome. Patients and MethodsAnterior lens capsule PXF material and iridocorneal pigment of 98 untreated patients with PXF syndrome/glaucoma were graded from photographs and correlated with untreated IOP and indices of glaucoma severity (cup to disc ratio, and visual field mean deviation, and pattern standard deviation). ResultsThere was a positive statistically significant correlation between the iridocorneal angle pigmentation and IOP (P=0.047, R2=0.2), but not the indices of glaucoma severity (P>0.13). There was no significant correlation between the anterior lens capsule PXF material and IOP or the indices of glaucoma severity (P>0.42). The grade of angle pigmentation, but not lens PXF, in eyes with IOP >21 mm Hg was significantly higher than in eyes with IOP ≤21 mm Hg (P=0.04). ConclusionsIn patients with PXF syndrome/glaucoma, gonioscopically identified iridocorneal angle pigmentation correlates more strongly with presenting IOP than the amount of PXF material on the anterior lens capsule.


The dynamics of the muon spin in muonium during repeated electron spin exchange with spin-1/2 paramagnetic species is investigated. The full spin states of the system at t after n spin exchange collisions at t1, t2, . . ., tn are explicitly calculated in terms of the phase factor introduced at each spin exchange and muonium hyperfine transition frequencies. The expectation value of the muon spin polarization at t is then averaged over statistical time distributions of t1, t2, . . ., tn for a fixed n and over all possible numbers of collisions (n) between t=0 and the observation time t. The present work treats the exchange of unlike spins (spin flip exchange) and like spins (spin non-flip exchange) on the same footing and allows one to identify clearly the physical origin of observed muon spin relaxations and of the empirical parameter introduced by Nosov and Yakovleva (1965) to account for muon spin depolarizations.


Assessment of cognitive functioning among older adults requires specialized training and refined psychometric tools. Psychologists conducting such assessments must learn current diagnostic nomenclature and criteria, gain specialized competence in the selection and use of psychological tests, and understand both the limitations of these tests and the context in which they may be used and interpreted. Assessment of cognitive issues in dementia and age-related cognitive decline is a core focus of the specialty of clinical neuropsychology. Therefore, these guidelines are not intended to suggest the development of an independent proficiency. Rather, they are intended to state explicitly some appropriate cautions and concerns for all psychologists who wish to assess cognitive abilities among older adults, particularly when distinguishing between normal and pathological processes.


By utilizing a remote ultraviolet ozone source, a low-temperature (600–700 °C) radical-assisted oxidation (RAO) process to produce high-quality ultrathin (1.4–3.7 nm) gate oxides was successfully developed for the fabrication of high-performance SiGe/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). The oxide grown by this technique showed much improved leakage and breakdown properties, compared with that grown without ozone. The reactive oxygen species in the RAO process seemed to cure the unpaired bonds in oxide networks making them more robust and dense, without an increase in thermal budget. The Si0.8Ge0.2 p-channel MOSFET with a RAO gate oxide exhibited superior device and 1/f noise characteristics to that with a standard higher temperature furnace oxide. This was because of the suppressed Ge-related gate-oxide degradation at the reduced process temperature when the Si-cap layer was thinned to below 2 nm. These suggest that the RAO process is particularly suitable for SiGe/Si MOSFET devices requiring a high-quality and low-temperature oxidation process.


In an optical fiber network bidirectional WDM traffic is sent on one optical main transmission fiber (1) between two nodes (A, B) connected in the path of the transmission fiber. The bidirectional traffic between a pair of nodes is carried on two different wavelength channels (Nos. 1, 2), one for each direction. The two wavelength channels are added to/dropped from the traffic in the ring fiber (1) in each node using a two-channel add/drop filter (5e1-2, 5w1-2), e.g. a band add/drop filter. In this way the number of add/drop filters connected in the path of the transmission fiber can be kept as small as possible.


Nutritional constituents and physicochemical properties of lipids of forest resources were studied in order to examine their practical utilization in the lipid industry. In this study, Garae, Dongback, Mougwi, and Muwhanja were chosen as sources of fat-soluble components. Fatty acid profiles of forest resources showed more than 80% polyunsaturated fatty acids in total fatty acids. For total tocopherol contents, Garae showed higher content than others; moreover, Dongback was a good source of α-tocopherol. Phytosterols of forest resources ranged from 55.96±2.23 to 194.94±21.42 mg/100 g, and Muwhanja showed the highest phytosterol contents. Chemical properties such as acid value, peroxide value, and p-anisidine value showed good oxidative stability of lipids of forest resources. For physical properties, browning intensity and color parameters were studied. Induction times, as an indicator of oxidative stability, were measured and ranged from 0.70±0.01 to 18.40±1.02 h in four forest resources. Taken together, contents of lipid constituents and physicochemical properties can be used as an important preliminary database for utilization of lipids of forest resources.


Introduction: Vulnerably housed individuals, especially those experiencing homelessness, have higher acute care use compared with the general population. Despite available primary care and social services, many face significant challenges accessing needed services. Connect 2 Care (C2C) is a novel transitional case management program that includes registered nurses and health navigators with complementary expertise in chronic disease management, mental health and addictions, social programs, community health, and housing, financial, transportation and legal resources. C2C bridges acute care and community services to improve care coordination. Methods and Analysis: We will perform a mixed-methods evaluation of the C2C program according to the Donabedian framework of structure, process and outcome, to understand how program structure and process, coupled with contextual factors, influence outcomes in a novel intervention. Eligible patients are homeless or unstably housed adults with complex health conditions and high acute care use. Change in emergency department visit rate 12-months after program enrolment is the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include 12-month post-enrolment hospital admissions, cumulative hospital days, health-related quality of life, housing status, primary care attachment and substance use. Qualitative methods will explore experiences with the C2C program from multiple perspectives and an economic evaluation will assess cost-effectiveness. Discussion: Academic researchers partnered with community service providers to evaluate a novel transitional case management intervention for vulnerably housed patients with high acute-care use. The study uses mixed-methods to evaluate the Connect 2 Care program according to the Donabedian framework of structure, process and outcome, including an assessment of contextual factors that influence program success. Insights gained through this comprehensive evaluation will help refine the C2C program and inform decisions about sustainability and transferability to other settings in Canada.


The pre-glossopterid macroflora from the Volpe Ranch, in Monte Mor (State of São Paulo), was deposited during an interglacial context of the Itararé Group. It is characterized by the Paranocladus-Ginkgophyllum-Brasilodendron Association and is included in the middle-basal part of the Itararé Group outcrop, in the NE of the Paraná Basin. It is similar to the Argentine macrofloristic association Krauselcladus-Asterotheca Phytozone (ex-Interval Zone) and its palynofloristic contents belong to the Crucisaccites monoletus Palynozone (Kasimovian to Gzhelian). The conifers in this assemblage are represented by macro and microfossils and record the first level of occurrence of conifers in the basin. They are documented by leafy branches impressions and compressions of Paranocladus dusenii Florin and Buriadia heterophylla (Feistmantel) Seward and Sahni emend. Singh, and platyspermic seeds of the genus Paranospermum. Cuticular studies allowed to correlate the presence of Paranocladus dusenii with the platyspermic seeds Paranospermum cambuiense Ricardi-Branco and to identify a new species of Paranospermum as well. Previous palynological studies in this level led to the recognition of some pollen grains affinis to the gymnosperms (conifers, ginkgoaleans and pteridospermales) comprising monosaccate and bisaccate forms allocated to the genera Cannanoropollis, Plicatipollenites, Potonieisporites and Caheniasaccites indicating certain diversity of conifers as early as in Pennsylvanian. The association of conifers and Ginkgophyllum represents a mesoxerophytic tree community. The abundance of their fragmented material in the taphofloral assemblage suggests allochthonous origin transported toward a deltaic plain which were associated to a parautochthonous origin material. Their fossiliferous sandy matrix overlying the coal also suggests a higher energy agent of transport.


A gamma-ray beam produced by Compton scattering of a laser beam with a relativistic electron beam has been used to determine the electron beam parameters. In the past, the electron beam energy and energy spread were directly fit from the high energy edge of a measured gamma beam spectrum using a gamma-ray detector. However, due to non-ideal response of the detector, the measured spectrum cannot represent the true energy distribution of the gamma-ray beam. Thus, the electron beam energy and energy spread could not be accurately determined from the measured gamma beam spectrum. In this paper, we will present a novel end-to-end spectrum reconstruction method to accurately extract the energy distribution of the gammaray beam from the measured gamma beam spectrum. Using this method we have accurately determined the energy and energy spread of the electron beam in Duke storage ring using a Compton gamma-ray beam from the High Intensity γ-ray Source (HIγS) facility.


The properties of extracellular cellulase obtained from Bacillus species (FIIRO Strain B223) on supplying cellulose from Brewers Spent Grain (BSG) were studied. Generally, a crude cellulase activity between 11,757 Units to 13,930 Units was observed for both sources of carbon (BSG and crystalline cellulose). The optimum pH and temperature of 5.0, and 30°C - 40°C for both sources of carbon was observed. Heavy metals such as copper, zinc, and iron inhibited the activities of B223 cellulase while the cellulase activities on alkaline earth metal (manganese) were moderate. The co-factor behaviour of manganese ion was also established. Local production of cellulase in Nigeria using local raw materials such as Brewers Spent Grain reduces enzyme cost; cost of finished products and increases gross domestic products.


OneClassMaxMinOver (OMMO) is a simple incremental algorithm for one-class support vector classification. We propose several enhancements and heuristics for improving model selection, including the adaptation of well-known techniques such as kernel caching and the evaluation of the feasibility gap. Furthermore, we provide a framework for optimising grid search based model selection that compromises of preinitialisation, cache reuse, and optimal path selection. Finally, we derive simple heuristics for choosing the optimal grid search path based on common benchmark datasets. In total, the proposed modifications improve the runtime of model selection significantly while they are still simple and adaptable to a wide range of incremental support vector algorithms.


Aim. To study left and right ventricular (LV, RV) diastolic dysfunction in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and initial stages of chronic heart failure (CHF). Material and methods. In total, 64 patients with CHD and NYHA Functional Class (FC) I-II CHF (31 men, 33 women; mean age 58,9±2 years) underwent LV and RV myocardial contractility assessment, by balanced radioven-triculography (BRVG), with segmental histogram analysis. Control group included 19 relatively healthy individuals aged 17-48 years. Results. LV and RV ejection fraction was normal in all participants: 63,6+4,6% and 53,4±5,2%, respectively. At the same time, diastolic dysfunction - decreased peak filling velocity - was registered: 259±25%/s and 194±22%/s, as well as decreased 1/3 diastolic filling: 25,9±4,9%/s and 18,3±3,2%/s, respectively. Local dyskinesia was registered for both LVandRV. In LV, 321 segments (62,9%) were normokinetic, 163 (31,8%) - hypokinetic, and 28 (5,4%) - akinetic. Normokinetic zones localized in intraventricular septum (IVS), posterior or lateral LV walls (91%), hypokinetic (85,8%) and akinetic zones (85,7%) - in superior IVS and anterior wall. InRV, prevalence of hypo- or akinetic zones reached 43,5%. Akinetic (70%) and hypokinetic (49%) zones were situated in free RVwall, normokinetic segments (84%) - in anterior-septal RVarea. Conclusion. In CHD patients with initial stages of CHF, LV and RV diastolic dysfunction was observed, manifesting in LV and RV local dysfunction. Maximal segmental contractility abnormalities were registered in LV anterior-septal area and RV free wall.


Factors influencing ethanol elimination rate and blood acetaldehyde concentration with regard to age, blood ethanol concentration, and degrees of alcoholic liver disorder were studied in alcoholic patients vis-à-vis healthy subjects. Ninety-four male alcoholic patients were divided into five groups according to age and into three groups according to blood ethanol concentration which ranged between 4.21 and 0.29 mg/ml. It was noted that as age increased, blood ethanol concentration decreased. Groups A, B, and C consisted of subjects whose ethanol levels were more than 2.5, between 1.0 and 2.5, and less than 1.0 mg/ml, respectively. Average values of ethanol elimination rate in Groups A, B, and C were 0.26, 0.23, and 0.18 mg/ml/hr, respectively. The rate increased as blood ethanol concentration elevated. The rate in Group B was significantly higher than that in the healthy control subjects who had blood ethanol levels between 1.0 and 2.5 mg/ml. The rate of ethanol elimination was independent of liver disorder judged by liver function test values. Blood acetaldehyde concentrations in the patients were less than 1.48 micrograms/ml, with an average value of 0.58 microgram/ml, and were significantly correlated with blood ethanol levels in both alcoholics and healthy subjects.


OBJECTIVES
To describe the rapidly evolving field of consumer health informatics (CHI), which is empowering the patient and the public.

DATA SOURCES
Published articles, research studies, and government reports pertaining to interactive health communication and CHI.

CONCLUSIONS
Application of CHI can provide information to patients and the public, promote self-care, enable informed decision-making, promote healthy behaviors, and promote peer information exchange and social support. Quality, research methodology, and accessibility must all be increased to ensure that CHI achieves its potential to improve the nation's health.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE
With the advent of the internet, the profusion of consumer health-related web sites, online support groups, and electronic patient-centered communications present new challenges for clinical practice. Health care providers have important roles in helping their patients as well as the public locate, assess, and interpret health information.


During physiological blood coagulation after injury the " clotting enzyme," thrombin, is always formed in excess. Such large amounts of liberated thrombin would ultimately cause extensive intravascular thrombosis, were it not for the presence of substances with antithrombic activity, which destroy the thrombin formed, partly before and partly after its action upon fibrinogen. While these substances are of great protective importance in physiological blood coagulation, they have hampered in vitro work considerably. Much difficulty has been caused by them in the quantitative determination of prothrombin, because it has not -been possible to convert prothrombin to thrombin completely in plasma or whole blood and to measure thereafter the activity of the latter in clotting fibrinogen. An undeterminable part of the thrombin formed has always been destroyed by antithrombic activity.


The highly enantioselective conjugate addition of enamides and enecarbamates to in situ-generated ortho-quinone methides, upon subsequent N,O-acetalization, gives rise to acetamido-substituted tetrahydroxanthenes with generally excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivities. A chiral BINOL-based phosphoric acid catalyst controls the enantioselectivity of the carbon-carbon bond-forming event. The products are readily converted into other xanthene-based heterocycles.


This study aims to determine the communication planning of the Health Office in the success of the vaccine program in Palu City. The research method used is descriptive qualitative with a case study research basis. Using purposive sampling technique to determine the informants in order to obtain twelve (12) people. Data collection methods are observation, in-depth interviews and documentation with data analysis techniques through data reduction, data presentation, and verification/drawing conclusions.

The results of this study indicate that the communication planning carried out by the Health Office in the success of the vaccine program in Palu City is: (1) Analyzing the problem by going directly to the community and meeting community leaders, and finding the fact that the public's lack of interest in taking vaccines because of hoax news related to vaccines; (2) Analyzing audiences and formulating communication objectives, by dividing the vaccine program targets through three stages, namely: Phase I: Health Workers; Phase II: State Civil Apparatus (government officials, TNI, and Polres); Phase III: The general public by dividing into several categories, such as people aged between 12-17 years, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. (3) Media selection and planning for media production, the Health Service cooperates with UPTD Puskesmas, Palu City Public Relations, and other government sectors to convey information using radio, local TV, banners, billboards, websites, Instagram, Facebook as information channels and also socialize. (4) Messages delivered by the Health Service are informative and persuasive, (5) Planning communication monitoring and evaluation by conducting field visits at vaccine sites and evaluating messages on communication media


PURPOSE
Breast mass segmentation is a prerequisite step in the use of computer-aided tools designed for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment planning. However, mass segmentation remains challenging due to the low contrast, irregular shapes, and fuzzy boundaries of masses. In this work, we propose a mammography mass segmentation model for improving segmentation performance.

METHODS
We propose a mammography mass segmentation model called SAP-cGAN, which is based on an improved conditional Generative Adversarial Network (cGAN). We introduce a superpixel average pooling layer into the cGAN decoder, which utilizes superpixels as a pooling layout to improve boundary segmentation. In addition, we adopt a multiscale input strategy to enable the network to learn scale-invariant features with increased robustness. The performance of the model is evaluated with two public datasets: CBIS-DDSM and INbreast. Moreover, ablation analysis is conducted to evaluate further the individual contribution of each block to the performance of the network.

RESULTS
Dice and Jaccard scores of 93.37% and 87.57%, respectively, are obtained for the CBIS-DDSM dataset. The Dice and Jaccard scores for the INbreast dataset are 91.54% and 84.40%, respectively. These results indicate that our proposed model outperforms current state-of-the-art breast mass segmentation methods. The super-pixel average pooling layer and multiscale input strategy has improved the Dice and Jaccard scores of the original cGAN by 7.8% and 12.79%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Adversarial learning with the addition of a superpixel average pooling layer and multiscale input strategy can encourage the Generator network to generate masks with increased realism and improve breast mass segmentation performance through the minimax game between the Generator network and Discriminator network.


This paper examined the UNESCO PBL teacher training's effect through the investigation, and what problem still exist in the training, then we found the training effect is good, and this training really effective. So under the project based learning environment, the teacher training pattern can promote high effective teacher training, this can provide reference for the later teacher training.


Background It is estimated that oncogenic gene fusions cause about 20% of human cancer morbidity. Identifying potentially oncogenic gene fusions may improve affected patients' diagnosis and treatment. Previous approaches to this issue included exploiting specific gene-related information, such as gene function and regulation. Here we propose a model that profits from the previous findings and includes the microRNAs in the oncogenic assessment. We present a classifier called ChimerDriver for the classification of gene fusions as oncogenic or not oncogenic. ChimerDriver is based on a specifically designed neural network and trained on genetic and post-transcriptional information to obtain a reliable classification. Results and discussion The designed neural network integrates information related to transcription factors, gene ontologies, microRNAs and other detailed information related to the functions of the genes involved in the fusion and the gene fusion structure. As a result, the performances on the test set reached 0.83 f1-score and 96% recall. The comparison with state-of-the-art tools returned comparable or higher results. Moreover, ChimerDriver performed well in a real-world case where 21 out of 24 validated gene fusion samples were detected by the gene fusion detection tool Starfusion. Conclusions ChimerDriver integrated transcriptional and post-transcriptional information in an ad-hoc designed neural network to effectively discriminate oncogenic gene fusions from passenger ones.


Microfluidic paper analytical devices (µPADs) is smart and accessible substituent to traditional counterparts in point-of-care tests (POCT), which exploited delicate control over passive fluid in microscale for rich functions. In this work, we are extend-ing such control by introducing novel ways to generate 1D and 2D gradient on µPADs. It is achieved by using paper capillary-based serial sampling. The paper capillary is composed of a concaved paper channel sealed with tape, with test pads properly distributed aside. In such a structure, the liquid can not only quickly and automatically flow along the capillary, but also be continuously consumed by the peripheral test pads. Thus, when we do serial sampling, abnormal liquid chasing effect can be observed, where the later liquid sample chases and surpasses the earlier parts in the paper capillary, leading to reversely ordered sample distribution compared with that in a typical glass capillary. This specialty allows for fast, ordered and tunable sequential sampling, enables efficient generation of 1D and 2D concentration gradient with one, two and even three components on µPADs. Besides, we verified the applicability of this technique for arrayed assays, including 1D serial dilution-based metal ion colorimetry and 2D bacterial antibiotic susceptibility test for synergic effect evaluations, which paves the way for high-throughput sample analysis and information-rich condition screening on µPADs.


The study investigated the parasites affecting Oreochormis Niloticus (tilapia) from the Cagayan de Oro River. The study revealed that there were ten (10) species of parasites infecting the different organs of the fish samples, namely Protozoans: Oodinium pilluris (egg), Chilodonella sp., Coccidia sp.and,Cryptobia sp.; Nematodes: Capillaria sp., Procamallanus sp.,Spirocamallanus sp. and Camallanus sp.; Cestode: Hymenolypis nana; and Acanthocephala: Acanthocephalus sp. The skin, gills, and fins were the organs harboring most protozoan parasites. The internal parts most infected with the different parasites were the stomach and intestine of the fish. Two species of parasites, cestode and acanthocephalan, were found to harbor pigs as part of their life cycle. Among the three water sources, the highest incidence rate of infection with Protozoan, Nematode, Cestode, Acanthocephalan parasites was in Barangay Carmen. Aside from the piggeries put up along the riverbanks, Barangay Carmen also receives all the wastes coming from the upper parts of the Cagayan de Oro River, thus making the rate of infection high. Lowest incidence rate of infection with the parasites was in Barangay Consolacion. This is due to the salinity of the water. Most fish health problems occur because of environmental problems such as poor water quality and existence of parasites. Key words - Ectoparasite, Endoparasite, Protozoa, Nematoda, Cestoda, Crustacea, Acanthocephala, Monogenean Digenea


This article addresses the role of intentional control in intergroup favouritism and out-group discrimination. We hypothesise that explicit strategies of discrimination (reward allocation, trait attributions) are under people's intentional control, whereas the linguistic intergroup bias (LIB) represents a strategy that allows relatively little conscious control. An experiment is reported in which basketball fans (N = 88) of two different teams were compared, one known for its uninhibited expression of intergroup hostility, the other known for considering aggressive behaviours unacceptable. Aggressive fans showed greater out-group discrimination than unaggressive fans on reward allocation and trait attribution, but comparable degrees of LIB. This suggests that on explicit tasks such as reward allocation, out-group discrimination can be inhibited relatively easily, whereas intentional control appears considerably more difficult for subtle differences in language abstraction. The LIB may therefore constitute a useful tool for assessing prejudice while minimising the impact of social desirability considerations.


There is no protective vaccine or effective drug against hepatitis C virus (HCV). Sustained virological response to INF/ribavirin treatment regimen has an efficiency of about 50%. Many patients worldwide have used traditional medicines and herbal medicine in particular. A laccase has been purified from oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) to homogeneity by DEAE Affi-gel blue gel, CM-Sephadex G-50 and Sephadex G-100. The molecular weight of the laccase was about 58 kDa in SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature of the laccase activity were pH 4.0 and 60 degrees C, respectively. The activity of the enzyme increased steadily from 20 to 40 degrees C, then very slowly from 40 degrees to 60 degrees C, while the enzyme activity decreased to 9% at 90 degrees C. The activity of the laccase changed gradually over the pH range 2.0-4.0. However, the enzyme activity was totally abrogated at the pH 8 and above. Incubation of peripheral blood cells PBCs and hepatoma HepG2 cells with laccase which were then infected with HCV did not protect the cells from HCV attack and entry, while direct interaction between HCV and the laccase at the concentrations of 2.0 and 2.5 mg/ml led to a complete inhibition of virus entry after seven days of incubation. Meantime, the laccase at the concentrations of 1.0 and 1.5 mg/ml did not display any blocking activity. The potential activity of the laccase on intracellular HCV replication in infected HepG2 cells has been examined. The laccase was capable of inhibiting HCV replication at the concentrations of 1.25 and 1.5 mg/ml after first dose of treatment for four days and at the concentrations of 0.75, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5 mg/ml after the second dose of treatment for another four days.


The results of echocardiographic study of 87 children with coarctation of aorta before and after surgical treatment are presented. All children were broken down in two groups: patients with a low ejection fraction and those with a normal one. While determining the type of left ventricle remodeling, eccentric hypertrophy was revealed in 46% of patients in the first group, mainly in children with a preductal variant of aorta coarctation. It was found out that the echocardiographic characteristics of the first group patients, who underwent surgery at the age of more than 6 months, were restored slowly. In general, LV functional characteristics were restored faster than the geometrical ones. When studying a longitudinal function of the left ventricle, an increase in the index of myocardial contractility and a decrease in the myocardial rates in 100 % of cases were revealed.


The powder bed-based additive manufacturing (AM) process contains uncertainties in the powder spreading process and powder bed quality, leading to problems in repeatability and quality of the additively manufactured parts. This work focuses on identifying the uncertainty induced by particle size distribution (PSD) on powder flowability and the laser melting process, using Ti6Al4V as a model material. The flowability test results show that the effect of PSDs on flowability is not linear, rather the PSDs near dense packing ratios cause significant reductions in flowability (indicated by the increase in the avalanche angle and break energy of the powders measured by a revolution powder analyzer). The effects of PSDs on the selective laser melting (SLM) process are identified by using in-situ high-speed X-ray imaging to observe the melt pool dynamics during the melting process. The results show that the powder beds made of powders with dense packing ratios exhibit larger build height during laser melting. The effects of PSD with efficient packing on powder flowability and selective laser melting process revealed in this work are important for understanding process uncertainties induced by feedstock powders and for designing mitigation approaches.


Mental terms, including belief and desire terms, were studied in a sample of 14 mother-child pairs longitudinally when the children were 2;0, 3;0, and 4;0 in order to examine the acquisition of these terms. Percentage use of utterances involving belief and desire terms in naturalistic interactions were calculated for each subject. In addition, children at 4;0 were tested for comprehension of the distinctions between the belief terms know, think and guess, using a task designed to assess the understanding of the expression of relative certainty. Results showed an interlocking of mothers' use of belief terms, children's use of desire and belief terms, and children's comprehension of belief terms. Children's use of desire terms at 2;0 was related to their use of belief terms at 3;0 and their comprehension of belief terms at 4;0, perhaps reflecting their developing theory of mind. Maternal use of belief terms when their children were 2;0 was significantly related to their children's concurrent use of desire terms, and significantly predicted their children's use of belief terms both one and two years later. Mothers' use of belief terms at 2;0 also predicted their children's comprehension of belief terms at 4;0. These results are consistent with a picture of maternal linguistic scaffolding of their children's developing theory of mind.


Introduction: Survivin is often overexpressed in many types of cancers. An elevated survivin expression level in cancers is correlated with enhanced proliferative index, reduced apoptosis levels, and resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In addition, cancers often have elevated levels of S100A4 expression, which is known to be involved in metastasis. Metastasis has been linked with the ability of cancer cells to undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Both survivin and S100A4 are known to be highly expressed in the head and neck cancers(HNC), which is the 6th most common cancer in the world and its 5-year survival rate is often less than 50%. ICG-001, developed by Michael Kahn, is a novel small molecule inhibitor of Wnt signaling. Previous studies have shown that ICG-001 inhibits CBP/beta-catenin interaction and its down-stream target genes, including survivin and S100A4. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of this small molecule inhibitor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which constitutes more than 90% of all HNC, and radiation resistance and metastasis are the main cause of a poor prognosis. Experimental Procedures: Three HNSCC cell lines (USC-001, SCC-71, and SCC-15) were used in this study. Expression of survivin, cyclin-D1, S100A4, and E-cadherin were analyzed by realtime qRT-PCR. Survivin expression is further analyzed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Survivin and Wnt/b-catenin promoter activities were analyzed by survivin-luciferase and TOPFLASH assays, respectively. Viable cells were determined by trypan blue exclusion assay and WST-1 assay. Dead cells were determined by Sytox-green/Hoechst staining. Caspase activity was determined by caspase-6 assay. Summary of results: Our in-vitro data showed that ICG-001 treatment (5, 10, and 25uM) reduced viable HNSCC cells and Ki67positive cells as much as 50%, in a dose-dependent manner. Western blotting, RT-PCR, immnohistochemistry and survivin-promotor analysis showed that survivin expression level was significantly reduced by ICG-001 treatment. Moreover, Wnt/b-catenin promoter activity was reduced by ICG-001. In addition, ICG-001 treatment significantly downregulated S100A4(mesenchymal marker) expression and upregulated E-cadherin (epithelial cell marker) expression level in all of the cell lines we tested. Pre-treatment with ICG-001 enhanced radiation induced cell death in vitro, determined by WST-1 and Sytox-Green/Hoechst assays. In order to delineate the molecular mechanisms of ICG-001 coupled radiation-mediated cell death, caspase activity was measured. Our preliminary results showed that Caspase-6 activity was enhanced in a dose dependent manner in ICG-001 pre-treated, radiation-treated cells. Conclusion: Antagonizing CBP/b-catenin signaling by ICG-001 induced anti-proliferative effect in HNSCC and could enhance radiation sensitivity in vitro, possibly by inducing apoptosis due to a reduced survivin expression. Moreover, the small molecule inhibitor may reduce EMT process by reducing S100A4 expression levels. Modulating downstream target genes of CBP/b-catenin signaling by the small molecule inhibitor ICG-001 may be a powerful tool to enhance radiation sensitivity and to reduce metastatic potential in HNSCC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B214.


Chemotherapy is one of the major systemic treatments for cancer, in which the drug release kinetics is a key factor for drug delivery. In the present work, a versatile fluorescence-based real-time monitoring system for intracellular drug release has been developed. First, two kinds of star-conjugated copolymers with different connections (e.g., pH-responsive acylhydrazone and stable ether) between a hyperbranched conjugated polymer (HCP) core and many linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) arms were synthesized. Owing to the amphiphilic three-dimensional architecture, the star-conjugated copolymers could self-assemble into multimicelle aggregates from unimolecular micelles with excellent emission performance in the aqueous medium. When doxorubicin (DOX) as a model drug was encapsulated into copolymer micelles, the emission of star-conjugated copolymer and DOX was quenched. In vitro biological studies revealed that fluorescent intensities of both star-conjugated copolymer and DOX were activated when the drug was released from copolymeric micelles, resulting in the enhanced cellular proliferation inhibition against cancer cells. Importantly, pH-responsive feature of the star-conjugated copolymer with acylhydrazone linkage exhibited accelerated DOX release at a mildly acidic environment, because of the fast breakage of acylhydrazone in endosome or lysosome of tumor cells. Such fluorescent star-conjugated copolymers may open up new perspectives to real-time study of drug release kinetics of polymeric drug delivery systems for cancer therapy.


This essay attempts to continue and expand the conversation based on the concept of anthroposemiosis, as the study of actions of signs as it relates to our species, with particular attention to the concept of multimodality, or the pluralistic enterprise combining multiple signification strands or mediums into a larger analysis of the semiosis enterprise. In the last decade or so, multimodality has provided a much-needed framework for the analysis of the multiplicity of modes, a multipurpose toolkit. This essay will attempt to frame these processes belonging to a larger process, of what can be perceived as multi-dimensional semiosis. By this typology, the modalities or modes are not independent of the process of signification to create a whole, neither are they independent processes that interact with each other, but rather, they are part of a larger symbiotic system of signification.


The genus Xenolecanium Takahashi is reviewed and transferred from the subfamily Myzolecaniinae to the Coccinae (tribe Paralecaniini). The type species Xenolecanium mangiferae Takahashi is redescribed, and Xenolecanium takahashii Kondo sp. nov. from Indonesia is described based on the adult female and first instar nymph. A taxonomic key is provided to separate adult females of the two species of Xenolecanium. Xenolecanium rotundum Takahashi is transferred to become the type species of a new monotypic genus, Takahashilecanium Kondo, which is also placed in the Paralecaniini. The morphological justification for placing Xenolecanium and Takahashilecanium in the Paralecaniini is discussed, and we provide a taxonomic key for separating both genera from all other members of the Paralecaniini.


A media filter was constructed to treat swine wastewater after anaerobic lagoon treatment. The media filter consisted of a tank (1.5-m-diameter x 0.6-m-height) filled with marl gravel. The marl gravel had a carbonate content of 300 g kg-1. Gravel particle size distributions were 85 and 14% in the 4.7- to 12.7-mm and 12.7- to 19-mm size classes, respectively. Pore space of the filtration unit was 57%. Wastewater flow rate was 606 L m-2 d-1, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) load was 198 g m-2 d-1. The media filter removed 54% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) content after one cycle, but increased cycling did not produce additional COD reduction. Total suspended solids (TSS) removal after one cycle was 50% of initial levels, and additional cycling reduced TSS levels at a much lower rate of 7% per cycle. Removal efficiencies for total phosphorus (TP) ranged from 37% to 52% (one to four cycles), but long-term phosphorus removal would be limited by the sorption capacity of the gravel. Up to 24% of TKN was converted to nitrate-plus-nitrite-N (NO3+NO2-N). Effluents with high NO3+NO2-N levels can be treated further for denitrification with constructed wetlands or anaerobic lagoon. This is important in cases where land is limited for wastewater application.


Objective Management of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) is difficult, and overdoses can have dramatic hemorrhagic consequences. The adverse drug event (ADE) scorecards is a tool intended for the detection and description of adverse drug reaction/ADE developed during a European computerized medical data processing project. It is used in a quality assurance process. Our objective was to evaluate the performance of the ADE scorecards in the detection of the contributing factors for VKA overdoses, among the cases where a VKA overdose is observed. Methods Twenty-eight rules allow the detection of VKA treatment overdose related to drug or a clinical situation. They were applied on 14,748 electronic medical records from a community hospital. Among 582 records including a VKA prescription, 59 cases of VKA overdoses (international normalized ratio ≥ 5) during the hospital stay have been identified. The ADE scorecards detected 49 of them. We evaluated the positive predictive value and sensitivity of these rules, by an expert review of the cases. Results The expert review confirmed the contribution of a detected risk factor to the VKA overdose in 11 cases. Therefore, the precision of the rules is 22.4%. The sensitivity is 84.6%. The risk factors were mainly infection and amiodarone introduction. The 4 cases of clinical injury related to a drug were properly designated by the rules. Conclusions Our study shows the great potential of the ADE scorecards for detecting cofactors of VKA overdoses and gives an argument to include complex rules in the knowledge bases used for the detection and identification of ADEs in large medical databases.


The emergence of additive manufacturing has afforded the ability to fabricate intricate, high resolution, and patient‐specific polymeric implants. However, the availability of biocompatible resins with tunable resorption profiles remains a significant hurdle to clinical translation. In this study, 3D scaffolds are fabricated via stereolithographic cDLP printing of poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) and assessed for bone regeneration in a rat critical‐sized cranial defect model. Scaffolds are printed with two different molecular mass resin formulations (1000 and 1900 Da) with narrow molecular mass distributions and implanted to determine if these polymer characteristics influence scaffold resorption and bone regeneration in vivo. X‐ray microcomputed tomography (µ‐CT) data reveal that at 4 weeks the lower molecular mass polymer degrades faster than the higher molecular mass PPF and thus more new bone is able to infiltrate the defect. However, at 12 weeks, the regenerated bone volume of the 1900 Da formulation is nearly equivalent to the lower molecular mass 1000 Da formulation. Significantly, lamellar bone bridges the defect at 12 weeks with both PPF formulations and there is no indication of an acute inflammatory response.


SOX2 is a transcription factor involved in early embryonic development. It plays a critical role in eye, forebrain, and hypothalamo-pituitary development. Individuals with SOX2 mutations have major eye abnormalities including anophthalmia, microphthalmia, and coloboma. Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is a complex developmental disorder characterized by gonadotropin deficiency. Recently, a number of patients with SOX2 mutations have been shown to have hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, making SOX2 an interesting addition to the list of genes implicated in the etiology of the condition. Most of the patients demonstrate anterior pituitary hypoplasia. Surprisingly, although most patients with anterior pituitary hypoplasia manifest GH (growth hormone) deficiency, gonadotropin deficiency appeared to be the most consistent endocrinopathy in patients with SOX2 mutations. SOX2 may be involved at multiple levels during the development of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis, and is likely to play an essential role in GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) neuronal differentiation and migration. Animal data also suggest an additional role for the gene in gonadal development. Given the critical role of Sox2 in normal hypothalamo-pituitary development in the mouse and the anterior pituitary hypoplasia observed in most human patients with SOX2 mutations, it remains to be established whether further pituitary hormone deficiencies might evolve with time.


Summary 1. Live-trapping is a fundamental tool in the study of wildlife species and populations. Capture of nontarget species is an inherent side-effect of trapping animals that is inefficient and potentially detrimental to individuals and populations. Reducing recapture of nontarget species will increase the efficiency of long-term studies and projects, and minimize unwanted impacts. 2. During the initial stages of a 3-year feral cat Felis catus control programme on San Clemente Island, California, USA, we experienced high recapture rates of nontarget endangered San Clemente Island foxes Urocyon littoralis clementae, impacting project efficiency and potentially foxes. 3. We investigated whether we could modify our baiting strategy to reduce fox recaptures using behavioural modification techniques, while simultaneously maintaining the ability to capture feral cats. We tested two strategies, aversive conditioning and reward removal, to reduce fox recapture rates. 4. Using lithium chloride (LC) as an aversive agent, we reduced fox recapture rates more than 10 times compared with rates using control bait. Using the reward removal technique, we reduced fox recapture rates almost 20 times compared with control baits. Neither behavioural modification technique deterred cats from entering traps, and our results suggest that by reducing fox recaptures, we improved our ability to capture cats. 5. Synthesis and applications. These novel baiting strategies have wide applicability in wildlife research and management. The efficiency of long-term monitoring or control programmes may be enhanced by discouraging recapture of 'trap happy' animals. Potential impacts to threatened species confined in traps could be minimized by reducing recaptures. Sampling of rare species in biodiversity studies could be improved by reducing recapture of competitively superior or numerically dominant species.


Mitochondria are dynamic and complex cellular organelles that are involved in a wide range of cellular events and are essential for tissue adaptation, survival, death, and renewal. In addition to their important role in energy metabolism making them popularly known as the cellular powerhouse in textbook definitions, mitochondria are malleable structures that are also intimately involved in controlling cellular redox status, cellular signaling, calcium homeostasis, and cell death and autophagy processes. Thus, mitochondria have emerged from simply being the powerhouse of the cell to being at the forefront of numerous research avenues. In fact, mitochondrial perturbations evoked by physiological and pathological stimuli have been shown to contribute towards the pathogenesis of many diseases and mitochondrial research now constitutes a very significant and ever-expanding research area. It is now understood that mitochondria and their associated pathways may represent areas for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies to potentially mitigate diseases/disorders such as diabetes, obesity, neurodegeneration, and sarcopenia.

In the present issue of Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity devoted to mitochondria in health and disease, a variety of original research articles were published covering distinct aspects of cellular physiology and adaptation involving mitochondria. These include the role of mitochondrial and peroxisome group VIB phospholipase A2 (iPLA2g) in β-cell proliferation and redox control (Bao et al., 2013), the study of mitochondrial metabolic and structural phenotypes in liver and skeletal muscle from obese animals (Cao et al., 2013), the modulator effects of hydrogen disulfide in neuronal cells and mitochondria (Guo et al., 2013), the mechanisms by which astragaloside IV protects against oxidative stress-induced increased permeability transition pore opening in cardiac cell line (He et al., 2012), the effects of alpha-lipoic acid on mitochondrial superoxide and glucocorticoid-induced hypertension (Ong et al., 2013), and the development of in vitro approaches to study population mitochondrial genomic variations (Lin et al., 2013). In the present issue, the potential use of two-photon microscopy probes for the study of mitochondrial redox environment (Kim and Cho, 2013) and the potential of translocator protein 18 as therapeutic target and also a diagnostic tool for cardiovascular diseases (Qi et al., 2013) are also reviewed and discussed. It is our belief that the articles in this special mitochondrial issue could provide an important contribution to improve the use of mitochondrial-related models for health and disease research, as well as identifying mitochondrial pathways and associated mechanisms as important subcellular targets in the prevention and treatment of many pathological conditions.

Jose  Magalhaes

Paola Venditti

Peter J. Adhihetty

Jon Jay Ramsey

Antonio Ascensao