Purpose
While a substantial number of studies have examined information behaviour, most centred on choice of information source, student information behaviour, information behaviour of women, environmental uncertainty and scanning behaviour of top-level hotel executives. However, little is known about how the small and medium enterprise (SME) managers scan, seek, gather, document and use information relevant for emerging information and communication technology (EICT) adoption decision-making. This paper aims to examine the key success factors influencing SME manager's information behaviour on EICT adoption decision-making.

Design/methodology/approach
This study deploys a qualitative approach to exploring 16 key success factors shaping SME managers' information behaviour on EICT adoption decision-making. More specifically, the study adopted both unstructured and semi-structured interviews with 20 small business managers drawn purposeful from Crunch Database.

Findings
This study develops an extended technology, organisation and environment framework by incorporating the information context which helped to unravel 16 key success factors influencing small business managers' information behaviour on EICT. From the technology context, uncertainty driven, compatibility, replacement of legacy technology, relative advantages, lack of technical know-how and perceived affordability fit for purpose influence SME managers' information behaviour. Users' acceptance information, efficiency driven, owner's support shape the organisation context of perceived information need; competitor's intelligence gathering, customer's information gathering provider credibility and government policy influence the environmental context of perceived information need; and finally, perceived information sources credibility, herding event, testimonial and openness to other people's ideas and experiences are shaped by the information context.

Research limitations/implications
Qualitative research is normally subjective, interpretive and limited on the sample used. Because of the limited number of interviews, the generalisation of the framework and the finding is difficult. Therefore, the finding and the framework need to be established across broader population. The findings are vital considering the fact that small business managers are limited in knowledge and the study may improve the way and manner they go about seeking and gathering information relevant in adopting new ICT.

Originality/value
This research provides further insight into SME managers' information behaviour by developing a framework and identifying main factors influencing SMEs information behaviours on EICT. Therefore, understanding such factors will enrich their knowledge on some of the factors that may shape their decisions during EICT adoption decision to make effective decision.


Abstract We prove the homogenization of a class of one-dimensional viscous Hamilton-Jacobi equations with random Hamiltonians that are nonconvex in the gradient variable. Due to the special form of the Hamiltonians, the solutions of these PDEs with linear initial conditions have representations involving exponential expectations of controlled Brownian motion in a random potential. The effective Hamiltonian is the asymptotic rate of growth of these exponential expectations as time goes to infinity and is explicit in terms of the tilted free energy of (uncontrolled) Brownian motion in a random potential. The proof involves large deviations, construction of correctors which lead to exponential martingales, and identification of asymptotically optimal policies.


Naphthoquinones are medicinally important molecules with a diverse array of biological properties such as antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-artherosclerotic and anticarcinogenic activities. In this study, we report the simple and direct preparation of a new group of novel menadione-hydrazone conjugates by reaction of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinones with several aliphatic, aromatic and nucleobase hydrazides. The menadione-hydrazone conjugates were produced in excellent yields and characterized by IR, NMR and HRMS. The menadione derivatives were tested for their anticancer effects against human colon cancer HCT116 and human breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines. Interestingly, the molecules displayed disparate activities against both cell lines; the menadione hydrazones derived from the lipophilic myristic hydrazide and stearic hydrazide exhibited the most potent activity against HCT116 cell lines with IC50 of 89 and 64 μM. The most effective compounds against MCF-7 cells were the lauric hydrazide and benzoic hydrazide-derived menadione hydrazones with IC50 of 56 μM.


Laboratory bioassays indicate that the bark beetle Ips pini employs flexible, rather than absolute, responses to phytochemicals in its host acceptance behavior. Each beetle's decision to enter substrate was influenced by the types and concentrations of monoterpenes present. However, previous rejection of a simulated host containing a moderate concentration of monoterpenes increased the likelihood that the same concentration would be accepted upon a second or third encounter. This flexibility more than offsets any loss of vigor due to starvation and age that accompanies a process of trial and error. Starvation decreased beetles' total lipid content, but beetles can recover some energetic losses by a small amount of feeding during each trial. In addition to its adaptive value, a flexible host acceptance strategy may yield population level consequences. That is, bark beetles preferentially enter trees having low concentrations of monoterpenes, but may modify their acceptance thresholds when cues associated with stressed trees are not available. This could partially explain how some tree‐killing bark beetles colonize a broader physiological range of trees during outbreaks. The adaptive value of relating individual decisions to population density may arise from two ecological relationships: first, as populations rise, the pool of stressed trees is rapidly depleted; secondly, healthy trees are attainable through pheromone – mediated mass attacks when adequate numbers of beetles are present. Flexible host acceptance behaviors may also reduce the advantage of relying exclusively on pre‐landing cues to distinguish between susceptible and non‐susceptible trees.


Youngsters Birt and Etho are friends, "big friends," who engage in imaginative play with the help of two large cardboard boxes: "Sometimes they're kings, soldiers, astronauts. Sometimes they're pirates sailing wild seas and skies." Birt is content with this one-on-one arrangement and is taken aback when a new boy, Shu, brings his own cardboard box and asks to join them. Gracious Etho welcomes Shu, and the three of them continue to play—but Birt has difficulty changing the dynamic from two to three and eventually bows out, even going so far as to destroy his box in a fit of irritation. Etho and Shu, though, persist in inviting Birt into their play and eventually lure him back with a new creation—multiple boxes mounted on wheels—which expands their adventures and leads Birt to decide that new and different can also be good. Sarah's thoughtful, pithy storytelling is pleasingly punctuated with quirky, childlike phrases that add both freshness and credibility to the tale. A common and often tricky situation among children is portrayed with compassion and honesty; Birt does not come around immediately—he needs time on his own to adjust to the idea—and Etho and Shu's gentle persistence in trying to get Birt back in the game is both heartening and satisfying. Davies' palette of muted browns, blues, grays, and olive greens are well-chosen for the outdoor setting and it, coupled with the simple, dot-eyed figures, gives the inviting digital illustrations a classic, retro feel. Both useful and attractive, this will hit the spot for school and home discussions of friendship dynamics. JH


Précis: Global peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (pRNFL)/Bruch membrane opening–minimum rim width (BMO–MRW) ratio is an objective and effective parameter to separate glaucomatous optic neuropathies (GONs) from nonGONs (NGONs). Purpose: This study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic capability of the pRNFL/ BMO–MRW ratio to differentiate GONs from NGONs. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study included patients with an optic neuropathy (ON), visual loss for>6 months and a confirmed single etiology. pRNFL thickness and BMO–MRW were measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The diagnostic accuracies of pRNFL, BMO–MRW and the global pRNFL/BMO–MRW ratio were evaluated with the areas under receiver operating characteristics curves. Results: One eye each from 171 patients was investigated: 50 primary open angle glaucomas, 15 normal pressure glaucomas, 50 optic neuritises, 15 nonarteritic anterior ischemic ONs, 24 compressive ONs, 10 dominant optic atrophies, and 7 nutritional ONs. The global pRNFL/BMO–MRW ratio had the highest area under receiver operating characteristics curve [0.97 vs. 0.92; P=0.01]. It was able to distinguish between GONs and NGONs with a cutoff value of 0.34. Increased mean deviation of the visual field-defect severity was associated with a higher ratio for GONs and a lower ratio for NGONs. Conclusion: Compared with NGONs and for the same degree of pRNFL thinning, lower BMO– MRW was found to be a specific marker of glaucoma, reflecting the neuroglial architecture changes within the optic nerve head typical of glaucoma and supporting fundamental pathophysiological differences.


Purpose – This study aims to identify and classify the available types of 3D printing services, with the scope of determining the potential implications that such services could have on the supply chains of manufacturing firms and creating a research agenda for future studies. Design/methodology/approach – The authors review the current literature on the potential supply chain impacts of 3D printing and evaluate the 3D printing services provided by 404 firms in selected European markets. Findings – Our results show that 3D printing services form a rapidly evolving industry, with new service providers entering the market on a regular basis. Evidence from the European markets investigated suggests that services can be classified into three distinct categories: generative, facilitative and selective services. Research limitations/implications – This paper represents an attempt to take stock of a fastmoving and potentially paradigm-shifting market. The implications are dynamic as new applications, business models and techniques are continually being developed. Further studies are required to substantiate the findings. Practical implications – Three categories of 3D printing services that could significantly impact supply chain configurations of the future are proposed. Several issues specific to 3D printing services raised in the research agenda require further scrutiny and substantiation before services can reach their full potential. Originality/value – This paper provides an overview of the growing 3D printing services industry, highlighting how the market might change as additive manufacturing technology matures.


To design more radiation tolerant Integrated Circuits (ICs), it is essential to create and test accurate models of ionizing radiation induced charge collection dynamics within microcircuits. A new technique, Diffusion Time Resolved Ion Beam Induced Charge Collection (DTRIBICC), is proposed to measure the average arrival time of the diffused charge at the junction. Specially designed stripe-like junctions were experimentally studied using a 12 MeV carbon microbeam with a spot size of 1 {micro}m. The relative arrival time of ion-generated charge is measured along with the charge collection using a multiple parameter data acquisition system. The results show the importance of the diffused charge collection by junctions, which is especially significant in accounting for Multiple Bit Upset (MBUs) in digital devices.


It has been hypothesized that a signaling pathway for regulating aging and longevity may be involved in stem cell functions. To address the hypothesis we investigate roles of molecules that regulate aging on self-renewal capacity of HSC. Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutational inactivation of the ATM. ATM has a central role in maintenance of genomic stability via regulating cell cycle checkpoint in response to DNA damage, stability of telomere and oxidative stress. A-T patients display variety of sympotoms including high incidence of lymphoma and premature aging. In this study we investigated the effects of ATM deficiency on the hematopoietic system. ATM−/− mice have normal numbers of peripheral blood cells and colony-forming cells in the bone marrow (BM) at the age of 8 weeks. A frequency of KSL in the ATM−/− BM was similar to that of wild-type mice. However, the number of colony-forming cells derived from ATM−/− KSL cells after 6 weeks co-culture of stromal cells was significantly decreased. To directly assess a repopulating ability of the HSC in vivo, we performed a competitive reconstitution assay with congenic mice. Short-term (4-weeks) repopulation was not affected. However, there were dramatically fewer hematopoietic cells derived from ATM−/− BM at 16 weeks post-transplant, indicating that ATM has an essential role in the self-renewal of adult HSCs, but is not required for the differentiation or proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. We next evaluated the effects of ATM deficiency on hematopoiesis in older mice. All ATM−/− mice older than 20 weeks exhibited a progressive pancytopenia with hypocellularity in bone marrow. The numbers of myeloid and erythroid precursors among ATM−/− BM MNCs were markedly decreased, KSL cells had disappeared, and co-culture on stromal cells showed that ATM−/− cells were no longer able to form any colonies after 2 weeks of culture. Taken together, our data indicate that chronic ATM deficiency in vivo results in progressive multi-lineage BM failure due to defective maintenance of the adult HSC pool. ATM is involved in oxidative defense, and the loss of ATM results in oxidative damage in several tissues. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the regulation of the HSC pool by ATM, we next evaluated ROS generation in HSC, and were able to demonstrate that the intracellular concentration of radical oxygen was higher in KSL cells from ATM−/− mice than from WT animals. Two members of CDK inhibitors, p16 and p19, were highly elevated in ATM−/− KSL cells after 2 days in vitro incubation with cytokines. Treatment with the permeant thiol N-acetylcysteine (NAC) abrogated the upregulation of p16 and p19 expression and BM failure corresponding to decrease in the level of intracellular ROS. The numbers of colonies formed from ATM−/− HSCs were restored to near-WT levels by treatment with either NAC or catalase in long term culture. Furthermore we found that NAC treatment of ATM−/− mice dramatically restored the repopulation capacity comparable to that of the WT. We conclude that self-renewal capacity of HSCs depends on ATM-mediated inhibition of oxidative stress. Our data support a model in which master regulator molecules govern the disparate processes of stem cell self-renewal, normal aging and tumor development.


The computer has transformed the way that information is spread, as well as the way that it is processed and generated. The Internet provides a huge amount of information in a cost-efficient way, and has become a main channel for gaining information. This study addresses an economic consequence of the rapid spread of information via the Internet. Given that economic rationality and utility maximization rely on agents' information set, the access to the Internet may result in information asymmetry between users and non-users, which affects utility maximization. Analyzing the CPS data, this study finds that, controlling for occupational status, education, and other variables, Internet access influences one's utility maximization, measured as hourly earnings. More specifically, information-seeking activity, but not Internet access itself, produces differences in earnings. It is also found that the characteristics of Internet users correlate with the main factors of stratification, such as race/ethnicity, education, and occupation. This finding implies that information revolution, informatization, or the information society, whatever one calls it, follows a long prevailing split between haves and have-nots, and may have exacerbated old inequalities in new ways.


Climate changes brought on by human interventions have proved to be more devastating than predicted during the recent decades. Recognition of seriousness of the situation has led regulatory organisations to impose strict targets on allowable carbon dioxide emissions from automotive vehicles. As a possible solution, it has been proposed that Fibre Metal Laminate (FML) system is used to reduce the weight of future vehicles. To facilitate this investigation, FML based on steel and self-reinforced polypropylene was stamp formed into dome shapes under different blank holder forces (BHFs) at room temperature and its forming behaviour analysed. An open-die configuration was used in a hydraulic press so that a 3D photogrammetric measurement system (ARAMIS) could capture real-time surface strains. This paper presents findings on strain evolutions at different points along and at 45 to fibre directions of circular FML blank, through various stages of forming. It was found initiation and rate of deformation varied with distance from the pole, that the mode of deformations range from biaxial stretching at the pole to drawing towards flange region, at decreasing magnitudes away from the pole in general. More uniform strain distribution was observed for the FML compared to that of plain steel and the most significant effects of BHF were its influence on forming depth and level of strain reached before failure.


Aim. Many studies presented some evidence that EBV might play a role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Still, there are conflicting reports concerning the existence of EBV in the synovial tissue of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. This systematic review assesses the causal relationship between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for gaining a better understanding of the pathogenesis of RA. Methods. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to answer among other questions the following: Is there a cause effect relationship between Epstein-Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis? The method of the conditio sine qua non relationship was used to proof the hypothesis without Epstein-Barr virus no rheumatoid arthritis. In other words, if rheumatoid arthritis is present, then Epstein-Barr virus has to be present too. The mathematical formula of the causal relationship k was used to proof the hypothesis, whether there is a cause effect relationship between Epstein-Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis. Significance was indicated by a p-value of less than 0.05. Results. The studies analysed were able to provide convincing evidence that Epstein-Barr virus is a necessary condition (a conditio sine qua non) of rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, the studies analysed provide impressive evidence of a cause-effect relationship between Epstein-Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusion. EBV infection of human synovial tissues is a conditio sine qua non, a conditio per quam of rheumatoid arthritis. In other words, Epstein-Barr virus is the cause of rheumatoid arthritis.


This thesis focuses on the ancient reception of the Categories of Aristotle, a work which served continuously, from late antiquity into the early modern period (Frede 1987), as the student's introduction to philosophy.  There had previously been no comprehensive study of the reception of the Categories during the age of the first philosophical commentaries (c. 80 BC to AD 220). In this study, I have collected, assigned, and analyzed the relevant fragments of commentary belonging to this period, including some that were previously undocumented or inexplicit in the source texts, and sought to establish and characterize the influence of the early commentators' activity on the subsequent Peripatetic tradition. In particular, I trace the early evolution of criticism and defense of the text through competing accounts of its aim (skopos), which would ultimately lead Stoic and Platonic philosophers to a partial acceptance of the Categories and frame its role in the later Neo-Platonic curriculum.


To investigate the feasibility of establishing standards of care based on a broad consensus, a questionnaire concerning the management of signs and symptoms of common respiratory infections in infants was given to a national sample of pediatric infectious disease specialists, general pediatricians, and family physicians. There was significant disagreement (p less than .01) among the three groups of physicians in 15 of the 18 clinical situations concerning the appropriateness of prescribing antibiotics. Whenever there was disagreement, the family physician group was most inclined and the infectious disease group least inclined to favor antibiotics therapy. More than 75% of each group favored antibiotics in the same situation in only three instances. These results suggest that it may be difficult to set widely accepted standards for the evaluation of medical care where there are such differences of opinion.


The study assessed carbonated and healthy drinks consumption pattern of the undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), IIe –  Ife, Nigeria. Random sampling technique was employed in this study. The study relied on primary data which was collected through questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using mean and percentages. The total number of respondents was 260 undergraduate students, which comprised 102 males and 158 females. Majority (47.3%) of the respondents were between 17 – 20 years old and were single. It was indicated that majority (49.6%) of the respondents has less than N10,000 as income level from their monthly stipend. The result indicated that the carbonated drinks that the students consume the most were Fanta and Coke. Majority (38.5%) of the respondents consume fruit smoothies while they sometimes (38.8%) consume zobo drink. The result also reveals that zobo drink has the highest percentage (76.2%) of consumption than other healthy drinks. The major factors influencing healthy drinks consumption based on individual perceptions were taste (40.4%), price (38.9%), preferences (36.2%), and  nutritional benefit (35.0%) while price (36.5%), taste (35.8%), preferences (33.5%) and availability on campus (31.5%) were the major factors influencing carbonated drinks consumption based on individual perceptions. It is therefore recommended that the Federal and State Government should ensure proper health education of undergraduates regarding the nutritional benefits of healthy drinks as well as the adverse effects of  carbonated drinks.
Keywords: carbonated drinks, healthy drinks, consumption pattern, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)


Apocrine hidrocystoma (AHC) is a benign cystic lesion arising from apocrine glands and frequently presents as a blue hae with a whitish gloss. It has been reported that the amount of lipofuscin and the degree of its oxidation determines the pigmentation of AHC. However, little is known about the correlation between clinical color and lipofuscin granules. In this study, we histopathologically investigated three cases of AHC and statistically analyzed the quantitative correlation between the clinical color tone and the amount of cytoplasmic lipofuscin deposits. The color tone was quantified as the mean gray value using Image J software. Statistical analysis showed a negative correlative tendency (P = 0.09) between the color tone and the amount of lipofuscin. Our study suggests that the color tone of AHC is associated with the amount of lipofuscin.


ABSTRACT Objective Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings on TiO 2 nanotubes (TNT) provide osteoconduction and hence promote bone healing and apposition, leading to the rapid biological fixation of implants. In the current study, TNT surfaces were formed by electrochemical anodization technique and Cu and Zn were simultaneously substituted in HA coating so as to form a coating with antibacterial properties with good osteoconductive surface. Methods: Ion substituted HA coatings such as Cu-HA and Zn-HA were deposited cathodically on TNT surfaces. This work elucidated the antibacterial effect and cytocompatibility of Cu and Zn substituted HA coating on TNT. To improve the antibacterial property of pure HA, Cu and Zn were substituted into its structure. Results: XRD of the coatings showed the formation of Cu-HA and Zn-HA while PIXE confirmed the coatings to be calcium deficient. MTT assay was employed to assess the cell survival rate of Cu-HA and Zn-HA coatings with osteoblast-like cells. Conclusion: While both the coating showed good bioactivity, better cell activities were observed in case of Zn-HA coating. Better cell activities on Zn-HA may be attributed to the cytocompatibility nature of Zn-HA and because of its higher roughness.


Atropine and related drugs (scopolamine, stramonium) have proved their value in the symptomatic treatment of chronic encephalitis. There is a definite decrease in rigidity and tremor as well as a decrease in sialorrhea. However, there are annoying symptoms in this disease which are not affected by atropine. These are oculogyric crises, drowsiness during the day and sometimes also wakefulness at night. Some patients also have a feeling of exhaustion. Benzedrine sulfate has been used with success in sleep disorders (narcolepsy) 1 It has been found helpful in certain conditions characterized by fatigue and depression 2 and it has been reported as being of some symptomatic value in chronic encephalitis. 3 Some of the symptoms of chronic encephalitis are due to parasympathetic stimulation. 4 The addition of benzedrine sulfate, which is a sympathomimetic drug, to the atropine treatment should enhance the effect of the latter. It has already been established that


The past eight years since 2008 under the leadership of Ma Ying-jeou, the relations between China and Taiwan have been experiencing the golden age. By cooperating in many sectors, like economic partnership; social interactions; tourism and some political dialogues, both countries have been building a good relationship between them. Looking back to the past, China and Taiwan have a long series of conflicts, which ended in the Chinese Civil War 1949 with the victory of the Chinese Communist party which has now become the People's Republic of China. Meanwhile, its opposing democratic party has now become the Republic of China (Taiwan). Since then, China and Taiwan's relations have been on a standstill Ma Yingjeou rose to power as the president of Taiwan. By using the concept of Economic Interdependence and Conflict in World Politics by Mark J.C. Crescenzi, this paper aims to explain how the golden age of China-Taiwan relations have been going on in the past eight years up until now, as well as the future of the relations itself under the new president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-we. This paper has the following research question: how has the good relation between China and Taiwan been built since 2008, considering their previously severed relations in the past?


Hospital birth* has not undergone rigorous scientific scrutiny, yet is commonly believed to be safer than planned homebirth, even for low-risk women. A commonly promoted notion is that there are rare complications, which can arise at birth, making a hospital birth safer for low-risk women. There is no published research to support this notion. Where trained and equipped birth attendants are available, and hospital transfer is closer than 30-45 minutes, a planned, attended homebirth is safer for low-risk women than a planned hospital birth. Currently available published research suggests planning a hospital birth is not safer than planning an attended homebirth for women with one head-down fetus, between 37-42 weeks, no high blood pressure, no previous cesareans and no serious medical conditions that affect pregnancy outcome.


Oral contraceptive (OC) use is a risk factor for the development of deep venous thromboses (DVT) in adolescents, particularly for those patients undergoing surgery. Adolescents have received little attention in the literature on this subject. We describe a 17-year-old female who developed a DVT while receiving OCs at the time of elective surgery. We recommend that adolescent females undergoing elective surgery discontinue OCs at least 1 month before and after the surgery and attendant immobilization.


This paper discusses the current situation of public libraries in Korea, from the viewpoint of Ranganathan's 'Five Laws of Library Science". Public libraries have very rapidly grown in Korea in the past ten years. With an average growth rate of 5.8% per year, the number of public libraries reached to 703 in 2009, and the number of people served per library have gradually reduced every year, even if still far below other advanced countries. However, there are still some attempts to retrain people of their right to read whatever they want. In this paper, it is emphasized that in public libraries more attention and financial and strategic assistance should be given to the disadvantaged people, and the equal right to benefit from library services should be ensured. And the library as a growing organism should be balanced with the responsible library director, devoted librarians, and concerned people in the community.


Submitted for Presentation at ICAF 2013 The elastic stress intensity factor (SIF, commonly denoted as K) is the foundation of practical fracture mechanics (FM) analysis for aircraft structures. This single parameter describes the first-order effects of stress magnitude and distribution as well as the geometry of both structure/component and crack. Hence, the calculation of K is often the most significant step in fatigue analysis based on FM. This presentation will provide several reflections on the current state-of-the-art in SIF solution methods used for practical aerospace applications, including a brief historical perspective, descriptions of some recent and ongoing advances, and comments on some remaining challenges. Newman and Raju made significant early contributions to practical structural analysis by developing closed-form SIF equations for surface and corner cracks in simplified geometries, often based on empirical fits of finite element (FE) solutions. Those solutions (and others like them) were sometimes revised as new analyses were conducted or limitations discovered. The foundational solutions have exhibited striking longevity, despite the relatively "coarse" FE models employed many decades ago. However, in recent years, the accumulation of different generations of solutions for the same nominal geometry has led to some confusion (which solution is correct?), and steady increases in computational capabilities have facilitated the discovery of inaccuracies in some (not all!) of the legacy solutions. Some examples of problems and solutions are presented and discussed, including the challenge of maintaining consistency with legacy design applications. As computational power has increased, the prospect of calculating large numbers of SIF solutions for specific complex geometries with advanced numerical methods has grown more attractive. Fawaz and Andersson, for example, have been generating literally millions of new SIF solutions for different combinations of multiple cracks under simplified loading schemes using p-version FE methods. These data are invaluable, but questions remain about their practical use, because the tabular databases of key results needed to support practical life analysis can occupy gigabytes of storage for only a few classes of geometries. The prospect of using such advanced numerical methods to calculate in real time only those K solutions actually needed to support a specific crack growth analysis is also tempting, but the stark reality is that the computational cost is still so high that the approach is not practical except for specific, critical application problems. Some thoughts are offered about alternative paradigms. Compounding approaches are some of the earliest building blocks of SIF development for more complex geometries. These approaches are especially attractive because of their very low computational cost and their conceptual robustness; they are, in some ways, an intriguing contrast and complement to the brute-force numerical methods. In recent years, researchers at NRC–Canada have published remarkable results showing how compounding approaches can be used to generate accurate solutions for very difficult problems. Examples are provided of some successes—and some limitations—using this approach. These closed-form, tabulated numerical, and compounding approaches have typically been used for simple remote loading with simple load paths to the crack. However, many significant cracks occur in complex stress gradient fields. This is a job for weight function (WF) methods, where the arbitrary stress distribution on the crack plane in the corresponding uncracked body (typically determined using FE methods) is used to determine K. Several significant recent advances in WF methods and solutions are highlighted here. Fueled by advanced 3D numerical methods, many new solutions have been generated for classic geometries such as surface and corner cracks with wide ranges of geometrical validity. A new WF formulation has also been developed for part-through cracks considering the arbitrary stress gradients in all directions in the crack plane (so-called bivariant solutions). Basic WF methods have recently been combined with analytical expressions for crack plane stresses to develop a large family of accurate SIF solutions for corner, surface, and through cracks at internal or external notches with very wide ranges of shapes, sizes, acuities, and offsets. Finally, WF solutions are much faster than FE or boundary element solutions, but can still be much slower than simple closed-form solutions, especially for bivariant solutions that can require 2D numerical integration. Novel pre-integration and dynamic tabular methods have been developed that substantially increase the speed of these advanced WF solutions. The practical utility of advanced SIF methods, including both WF and direct numerical methods, is greatly enhanced if the FM life analysis can be directly and efficiently linked with digital models of the actual structure or component (e.g., FE models for stress analysis). Two recent advances of this type will be described. One approach directly interfaces the FM life analysis with the FE model of the uncracked component (including stress results). Through a powerful graphical user interface, simplified FM life models can be constructed (and visualized) directly on the component model, with the computer collecting the geometry and stress gradient information needed for the life calculation. An even more powerful paradigm uses expert logic to automatically build an optimum simple fracture model at any and every desired location in the component model, perform the life calculation, and even generate fatigue crack growth life contour maps, all with minimal user intervention. This paradigm has also been extended to the automatic calculation of fracture risk, considering uncertainty or variability in key input parameters such as initial crack size or location. Another new integrated approach links the engineering life analysis, the component model, and a 3D numerical fracture analysis built with the same component model to generate a table of SIF values at a specific location that can then be employed efficiently to perform the life calculation. Some attention must be given to verification and validation (V&V) issues and challenges: how good are these SIF solutions, how good is good enough, and does anyone believe the life answer? It is important to think critically about the different sources of error or uncertainty and to perform V&V in a hierarchal, building-block manner. Some accuracy issues for SIF solutions, for example, may actually involve independent material behavior issues, such as constraint loss effects for crack fronts near component surfaces, and can be a source of confusion. Recommendations are proposed for improved V&V approaches. This presentation will briefly but critically survey the range of issues and advances mentioned above, with a particular view towards assembling an integrated approach that combines different methods to create practical tools for real-world design and analysis problems. Examples will be selectively drawn from the recent literature, from recent enhancements in the NASGRO and DARWIN computer codes, and from previously unpublished research.


An internally consistent succession of six named regional stages (from youngest to oldest: Sunwaptan, Steptoean, Marjuman, Delamaran, Dyeran, Montezuman), with their boundaries defined by regional extinction events within the trilobite record, is proposed for the trilobite-bearing rocks of Laurentia. Sub-trilobite stage(s) are recommended but unnamed. The three youngest stages have been named previously, but the lower boundary of the Marjuman is shifted downward. The three older stages within the trilobite record are new. If deemed necessary, four regional series are also suggested (from youngest to oldest: Millardan, Lincolnian, Waucoban, and Begadean); each of the three youngest series accommodates two stages.


BACKGROUND
Receiving negative test results may be associated with two problems: (a). not being reassured and wanting further, unnecessary screening; and (b). not understanding residual risk and not attending future recommended screening.

AIM
To test two hypotheses: (1). Emphasizing test accuracy and low residual risk when giving negative test results reduces a desire for further unnecessary screening, while also reducing a correct understanding of the meaning of the result. (2). The effect of emphasizing low risk on desire for future screening is mediated by lack of reassurance.

DESIGN
Experimental, vignette-based study, with a 2 x 2 factorial design.

METHOD
A sample of 184 women was asked to imagine that they had recently undergone a cervical screening test and received a normal result. They were given one of four hypothetical letters from their GP,differing in whether or not it emphasized test accuracy and low residual risk of developing cervical cancer. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing perceived risk, reassurance about test results, desire for further screening within six months and understanding of the test results.

RESULTS
Emphasizing test accuracy and low residual risk increases desire for inappropriate screening while reducing the understanding of residual risk. These effects are interactive, in that presenting both together has a larger effect than the sum of the two individual effects. The effect of emphasizing low risk on desire for future screening was mediated by reassurance.

CONCLUSION
Emphasizing low residual risk and test accuracy is a double-edged sword: it reduces a desire for unnecessary screening, but also reduces correct understanding of the result.


Introduction: COPD is a disease of accelerated ageing, as increased cellular-ageing (senescence) occurs in the lungs of these patients. We aim at developing a primary skeletal muscle cell culture (Human skeletal muscle satellite cells [HSKMC]) model of muscle ageing to study the cascade of events that occur in muscle senescence in vitro and to explore the effect of inflammation (TNF alpha) and oxidative stress (H 2 O 2 ), two of the putative mechanisms related to muscle dysfunction and/wasting, on muscle differentiation and on protein loss in differentiated cells. Methods and Results: HSKMC were cultured to senescence when the cells stopped replicating. DNA was isolated from cells in serial passages of culture. Telomere length, a marker of biological ageing, was measured by qPCR and expressed as the ratio of telomere repeat copy number to single gene copy number in the experimental sample relative to a control sample (relative T/S ratio) (n=3). Preliminary results show a progressive shortening of telomere length with cellular ageing when comparing early (passage 2, 1.433±0.05 relative T/S ratio) with a later passage (passage 15, 0.340±0.2 relative T/S ratio) . Conclusion: We have developed a novel in vitro model of ageing skeletal muscle cells, which will help us to assess the role of accelerated ageing in muscle dysfunction and/wasting in COPD patients. Dr Lakhdar was funded by an LTERS fellowship grant.


Autophosphorylation regulates the function of receptor tyrosine kinases. To dissect the mechanism by which Eph receptors transmit signals, we have developed an approach using matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry to map systematically their in vivo tyrosine phosphorylation sites. With this approach, phosphorylated peptides from receptors digested with various endoproteinases were selectively isolated on immobilized anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies and analyzed directly by MALDI mass spectrometry. Multiple in vivo tyrosine phosphorylation sites were identified in the juxtamembrane region, kinase domain, and carboxy-terminal tail of EphB2 and EphB5, and found to be remarkably conserved between these EphB receptors. A number of these sites were also identified as in vitro autophosphorylation sites of EphB5 by phosphopeptide mapping using two-dimensional chromatography. Only two in vitro tyrosine phosphorylation sites had previously been directly identified for Eph receptors. Our data further indicate that in vivo EphB2 and EphB5 are also extensively phosphorylated on serine and threonine residues. Because phosphorylation at each site can affect receptor signaling properties, the multiple phosphorylation sites identified here for the EphB receptors suggest a complex regulation of their functions, presumably achieved by autophosphorylation as well as phosphorylation by other kinases. In addition, we show that MALDI mass spectrometry can be used to determine the binding sites for Src homology 2 (SH2) domains by identifying the EphB2 phosphopeptides that bind to the SH2 domain of the Src kinase.


It has been argued that "consumerism" has been one of the main influences on health policy in many countries over the last decade or so. This article focuses on the role of consumerism in U.K. health policy during this period through the introduction of changes in National Health Service provision such as introduction of the quasi-market, creation of the new managerialism, and new organizational structures set up under the recent Labour government. It considers the consequences of these changes for the users of health care and for citizenship rights, in particular the extent to which the changes have empowered these users and citizens.


This study aims at investigating the effect of heat treatment conditions on the dry sliding wear behavior of thermally sprayed Ni-based self-flux alloy coatings. Ni-based self-flux alloy powders were sprayed onto a carbon steel substrate and then heat-treated at 700, 800, 900 and for 30 minutes in a vacuum furnace. Dry sliding wear tests were performed using sliding speed of 0.4 m/s and applied load of 6 N. AISI 52100 ball(diameter 8 mm) was used as counterparts. Microstructure and wear behavior of both as-sprayed and heat-treated Ni-based self-flux alloy coatings were studied using a scanning electron microscope(SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX), electron probe micro-analysis(EPMA) and X-ray diffraction(XRD). It was revealed that microstructure and wear behavior of thermally sprayed Ni-based self-flux alloy coatings were much influenced by heat treatment conditions.


Learning word representations from large corpora relies on the distributional hypothesis that words present in similar contexts tend to have similar meanings. Recent work has shown that word representations learnt in this manner lack sentiment information which, can be introduced using external knowledge. Our work addresses the question: Can affect lexica improve word representations learnt from a corpus ? In this work, we propose techniques to incorporate affect lexica, which capture fine-grained information about a word's psycholinguistic and emotion orientation, into the training for Word2Vec SkipGram, Word2Vec CBOW, and GloVe using a Joint Learning approach. We use affect scores from the Warriner's affect lexicon to regularize the vector representations learnt from an unlabeled corpus. Our proposed method outperforms previously methods on standard tasks for word similarity detection, outlier detection, and sentiment analysis. We also show the usefulness of our approach for the prediction of formality, frustration, and politeness in text.


The cytoadherence of infected red blood cells (IRBCs) to the vascular endothelium is the major cause of IRBC sequestration and vessel blockage in the cerebral form of human malaria. Among the rodent models of malaria, Plasmodium yoelii 17XL-infected mice show many similarities with the human cerebral malaria caused by P. falciparum. In both, the sequestration of IRBCs in the brain vessels is secondary to the cytoadherence of IRBCs to the vascular endothelium. Similar to P. falciparum infection in the human but in contrast to P. berghei ANKA infection in mice, P. yoelii 17XL results in little, if any, accumulation of monocytes in the brain. In vivo microcirculatory studies reported here were designed to further understand the hemodynamic aspects and mechanisms underlying cytoadherence of IRBCs in the P. yoelii model using the easily accessible cremaster muscle vasculature. The results show significant decreases in arteriovenous red blood cell velocities (Vrbc) and wall shear rates in the microcirculation of P. yoelii-infected mice, with a maximal decrease occurring in small-diameter postcapillary venules, the main sites of cytoadherence. This reflects contributions from IRBC cytoadherence as well as from increased rigidity of parasitized red blood cells. No cytoadherence is observed in arterioles of the infected mice despite decreased wall shear rates, indicating that endothelial receptors for cytoadherence are restricted to venules. Infusion of a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) resulted in significant increases in both arteriolar and venular Vrbc and wall shear rates, accompanied by detachment of adhered IRBCs at some venular sites. The peripheral blood smears taken after the MAb infusion showed a distinct increase in the percentage of schizonts, again indicating detachment and/or prevention of cytoadherence. An MAb against the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) as well as an irrelevant control antibody had no effect on these parameters. These results provide the first in vivo microcirculatory evidence indicating involvement of ICAM-1, but not of VCAM-1, in the sequestration of IRBCs in a rodent model of cerebral malaria.


Increases in plasma VP in response to osmotic stimulation are critical for water conservation, while VP released into the pituitary portal circulation is an important regulator of ACTH secretion and does not contribute to plasma VP levels. The role of the adrenal medulla in the specificity of these responses was studied in rats subjected to osmotic and non‐osmotic stress two months following adrenal demedullation or sham operation. Basal and stimulated plasma corticosterone, aldosterone, ACTH and PRA levels in adrenal demedullated rats were similar to those in the sham operated groups indicating recovery of adrenocortical function. Basal plasma VP levels were similar in sham operated controls and adrenal demedullated rats (0.93±0.13 and 1.0 ± 0.1 pg/ml, respectively) and rose to comparable levels in both groups following 48 h osmotic stimulation by water deprivation (14.4+1.3 and 20.7 + 3.4, respectively). On the other hand, while in sham operated rats, immobilization for 15 min, a non‐osmotic stress, had no effect on plasma VP levels in control or water deprived (2.0±0.9 and 15.0±2.7 pg/ml), in adrenal demedullated rats, caused dramatic increases in plasma VP from 1.0±0.1 to 126.0 + 29.9 pg/ml in controls, and from 20.7 + 3.4 to 155 + 37 pg/ml in water deprived rats. Intraperitoneal hypertonic saline injection, a combination of osmotic and painful stress, caused much higher increases in plasma VP in adrenal demedullated rats (138.0 + 22.1 compared with 34.7 + 3.7 pg/ml in sham operated rats). Water deprivation potentiated this response to 70.0 + 8.3 and 295 + 24 pg/ml in sham operated and adrenal demedullated rats, respectively. VP mRNA measured by in situ hybridization, and irVP measured by immunohistochemistry, were elevated in magnocellular neurones in the hypothalamus of adrenal demedullated rats. The demonstration of marked plasma VP responses to non‐osmotic stimuli in adrenal demedullated rats, suggests a modulatory role for the adrenal medulla in the specificity of the secretory responses of the magnocellular and parvicellular vasopressinergic systems.


Using a simple empirical approach, we analyze world and regional-level cohort replacement as determined by the key components of population dynamics, i.e. fertility, survival, and migration, for 1950–2010, using UN data. We define two kinds of homeostatic relationships among these components: fertility responses to mortality change (type I) and migration responses to changes in net reproduction (type II), and show that both can be observed to some degree in this period. We examine the extent of cohort replacement embodied in the medium-variant UN population projections over 2010–2100 and consider how the international migration assumptions made in such projections would be affected by a homeostatic perspective.


The perils of an orthopedic graduate You have just cleared your postgraduate examination in Orthopedics. Moreover, the journey has been tough. You have filtered through the toughest of competitions, made the grade, and passed the mother of all examinations and you can now proudly say that you are a qualified orthopedic surgery Welcome to the next level-overqualified, under employed, and confused It is a sea on uncertainty – you are no longer a student. There is no more set curriculum to follow. No one to tell you what to do you are the boss now – but with no specific work to do From huge sense of achievement, we all instantly move to a phase of diffidence and-There is a lack of clarity on how to move forward. MS Ortho, what now? The options available can be quite easily characterized – 1. Take up the available public Hospital teaching post. This move is toward entering academics, but could also mean procrastinating 2. Sub-specialization – go look for available training options to further your career. Choosing the specialty that you will marry for life, and, in turn, divorce permanently all other options can be confusing and daunting for some. Other postgraduates, who are very sure of what they want, can find it very hard to find the appropriate training center and mentor 3. Start practice as a general orthopod – your meter will be down, and your wheels will start turning immediately, with the collateral risk of ending up being a "small fish in a big pond." Fortunately, orthopedics are running specialty and most start doing well in practice pretty early 4. Join dads practice-for the lucky few orthokids, though many from this group still choose to specialize 5. Leave the country and figure out what next-at least there is a promise of a job, a steady income, a new lifestyle. All of which is indeed an attractive prospect for the fresh postgraduate. Creating a more organized system for orthopedic postgraduates to help deciding their careers moves and lending the best possible option becomes responsibility of our academic societies It would be absolutely wonderful for these young orthopedic surgeons If all these options could be presented systematically, at counseling sessions – including listing the available resources and methods to get there, and using senior practicing oracademic surgeons as mentors and counselors Videos of our channel would agree that it is time to make this move to help create a fantastic generation of orthopods.


Background Indomethacin is used to treat acute gouty arthritis and other acute pain conditions, but similar to other NSAIDs, is associated with dose-related gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal complications. International health authorities recommend that NSAIDs be used at the lowest effective dose. To deliver effective pain relief with lower systemic exposure than commercially available NSAIDs, Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC is developing an investigational, lower-dose SoluMatrix® indomethacin drug product manufactured using SoluMatrix Fine Particle Technology™ that contains submicron indomethacin drug particles allowing for faster dissolution. In a phase 1 pharmacokinetic study, lower dose submicron indomethacin 40 mg demonstrated faster absorption (tmax), comparable maximum plasma concentrations (Cmax), and lower overall extent of exposure (AUC0–∞) compared with conventional indomethacin immediate-release capsules 50 mg under fasting conditions. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of lower-dose submicron indomethacin compared with placebo in two phase 3 studies in postsurgical patients. Methods Two phase 3, multicenter, double-blind studies enrolled patients aged 18–68 years with moderate-to-severe acute pain (≥40 mm/100 mm by Visual Analog Scale) following bunionectomy. Patients were randomized to receive lower-dose submicron indomethacin 40 mg TID, 40 mg BID, 20 mg TID, or placebo. One study included a treatment group of celecoxib 400-mg loading dose followed by 200 mg BID. The efficacy parameters for both studies included the overall (summed) pain intensity difference over 0-48 h (SPID-48) following the first dose of study medication and pain intensity differences (PID) at each scheduled assessment. Results In total, 835 patients were enrolled: 462 in study 1 and 373 in study 2. In study 1, the lower-dose submicron indomethacin 40 mg TID (509.6±91.9;P<0.001), 40 mg BID (328.0±92.9;P=0.046), and 20 mg TID (380.5±92.9;P=0.017) groups experienced significantly greater reductions in overall pain intensity over 0–48 h (LS mean SPID-48 ± SE) compared with placebo (67.8±91.4). While the celecoxib 400 mg loading dose followed by 200 mg BID (279.4±91.9;P=0.103) group experienced some pain relief, SPID-48 was not significant compared with placebo. In study 2, lower-dose submicron indomethacin 40 mg TID (598.5±105.7;P=0.034) and BID (623.0±106.2;P=0.023) provided significantly greater reductions in pain intensity over 0–48 h compared with placebo (280.9±105.8). Lower-dose submicron indomethacin 20 mg TID (342.8±106.8;P=0.680) did not achieve significant reductions in overall pain intensity over 0–48 h compared with placebo, likely due to the high level of analgesia observed in the placebo group. In study 1, analgesia was apparent based on PID in the lower-dose submicron indomethacin 40 mg TID (2.9;P=0.309) and 40 mg BID (2.6;P=0.316) groups compared with placebo (0.2) 30 min after dosing, but was not statistically significant. In study 2, analgesia was present at 15 min after dosing in patients treated with lower-dose submicron indomethacin 40 mg BID (2.2;P=0.451) compared with placebo (0.5). Conclusions Lower-dose submicron indomethacin provided effective analgesia in two phase 3 studies in patients with acute pain following bunionectomy and represents a potentially promising treatment option for patients with acute pain. Disclosure of Interest : R. Altman Consultant for: Pfizer, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Petah Tikva, Oletec, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Speakers bureau: Ferring Pharmaceuticals, A. Gibofsky Shareholder of: GlaxoSmithKline plc, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, Pfizer, AbbVie, and Johnson & Johnson, Consultant for: Takeda, Amgen, AbbVie, Genentech, Horizon, UCB, and Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC, D. Parenti Employee of: Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC, C. Young Employee of: Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.5286


Every institution of any substance and importance has its story of ups and downs, in which is chronicled at least one major disaster, which seems at the time to shatter not only its fortunes, but also the spirits of those who are responsible for its work and welfare. The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine has had to record the loss of many distinguished servants, mostly members of the medical profession whose names were a household word throughout the country. The sudden and unexpected death of our Business Manager has come to us all as a shattering blow. Mr. Blythe came to us in 1941, at a time when the Fellowship was hard put to it to maintain its equilibrium, and it is no exaggeration to say that its continued good fortunes and the increase in the prestige and success of its two Journals were largely due to his initiative and to the loyal and untiring energy which he devoted to its interests. To say this is the least we can do in justice to his memory; to express what we shall feel at the loss of one who had become to all of us on the Executive Committee and Editorial Board a very dear personal friend is far more difficult. Like most high-souled individuals to whom their work was a real vocation, he was gentle, modest and unassuming. His interest in our future well-being was very real, and he gave us of his best to the utmost. Those who had to work with him can never forget his untiring energy, his tact, and above all his extreme patience and forbearance, often in circumstances in which others, more materially minded, would have thrown up the sponge and left us in the lurch. Blythe was a first-class man of business, full of knowledge, experience and initiative. With these qualities were combined a devotion and loyalty to his employers which are not conspicuous in these days. There is little doubt that the constant output of mental and physical energy which he expended, regardless of himself, in the discharge of his obligations were partly responsible for his sudden and untimely death, and so we bid him farewell with a deep sense of gratitude and in the knowledge that' greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.' MAURICE DAVIDSON


This factor was designated a haemolysin. Pentek-Juhasz (1960) observed that cultures of saprophytic leptospirae contained a factor causing haemolysis of mouse and rat erythrocytes. Kmety et al. (1966) showed that strains belonging to the parasitic serotypes pomona, grippotyphosa and bataviae also haemolysed mouse and rat erythrocytes. Rogols, Fizette and Bohl (1959) pointed out that the nature and activity of the leptospiral haemolysin resemble those of an enzyme. On the basis of the observations that erythrocyte stromata, like lecithin, yield white floccules when mixed with leptospiral haemolysin, as they also do when mixed with the a-toxin of Clostridium welchii, and that some lecithinase inhibitors also inhibit the haemolytic activity of the leptospirae, they suggested that the lysis of erythrocytes by leptospiral haemolysin may be due to the action of enzymes on the phospholipids of the red cells.


Background: About 37 million people are living with human-immunodeficiency-virus (HIV) worldwide, with 2.6 million co-infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV infection causes 650 000 deaths annually worldwide. Botswana has a high prevalence of HIV and a growing population of patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HIV–HBV co-infection amongst HAART eligible adult patients in some rural settings in Botswana. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst HAART eligible adult patients at 15 HAART clinics in the Mahalapye, Ngami and Serowe Health Districts of Botswana, from August to October 2015. A total of 132 were recruited; of these 118 consented and were tested for HBsAg reactivity using Elisa. Results: Six (5.1%, 6/118) patients from the three rural health districts were HIV–HBV co-infected, with three in the 20–29 age group. The association between sex and HIV–HBV co-infection status was not statistically significant; p = 1.00. Conclusion: The finding of 5.1% HIV–HBV co-infection prevalence in some rural settings of Botswana was similar to results from one study conducted in a Botswana urban centre, while another previous similar study reported prevalence as being twice as high. This finding may call for prioritisation of pre-HAART HBV screening and early HAART initiation for all HIV-infected patients.


Conservation tillage systems, used successfully by cotton producers on the Texas southern High Plains, have facilitated the development of new weed problems including horseweed (Conyza canadensis) and Russian thistle (Salsola iberica). Studies were conducted in 2004 and 2005 near Lubbock, TX to evaluate winter weed control with (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), dicamba, and diflufenzopyr plus dicamba. All of these herbicides have current registration restrictions limiting their use in cotton. Cotton response studies were initiated in 2003 and repeated in 2004 and 2005 to evaluate cotton injury and yield from dicamba (0.14 and 0.28 kg ai/ha), diflufenzopyr plus dicamba (0.10 and 0.20 kg/ha), and 2,4-D (0.56 and 1.12 kg/ha) applied 4, 2, and 1 wk before planting (WBP); and to determine the minimum interval between application of these herbicides and cotton planting without affecting yield. 2,4-D controlled both horseweed and Russian thistle, and could be applied as close as 2 WBP without injuring cotton. However, dicamba as well as diflufenzopyr plus dicamba were less effective on horseweed and Russian thistle as size increased and both injured cotton regardless of interval between application and planting. Nomenclature: Dicamba; diflufenzopyr plus dicamba; 2,4-D; horseweed, Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq. ERICA; Russian thistle, Salsola iberica Sennen & Pau SASKR; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, L.


The hypothesis that tumors arising in a particular organ site impose a characteristic plasma free amino acid (PFAA) pattern was tested by analyzing PFAA in fasting venous blood of preoperative patients with breast cancer, gastrointestinal tract cancer, and head and neck cancer. Healthy volunteers served as control subjects. Levels of 28 PFAA were determined in blood samples using an amino acid analyzer, and the data were compared using discriminant analysis and chi‐square testing. Compared with control subjects, the concentrations of seven amino acids (glutamine, threonine, histidine, cysteine, alanine, arginine, and ornithine) in patients with tumors correlated closely with the known diagnoses. By means of discriminant analysis, these seven amino acids had the highest correlation with the specific diagnoses, indicating that PFAA profiles correlate diagnostically with the organ‐site origin of three different kinds of malignant tumors.


2013 Accepted: 16 Oct 2014 Abstract Introduction: Sciatic nerve compression is one of the factors that may cause the cell body degeneration of the alpha-motoneurons of spinal cord ventral horn. Nigella sativa belongs to the family of Ranunculaceae which owns numerous pharmacological properties. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the neuro-protective effects of n-butanol and ethyl acetate fractions of Nigella sativa on motoneurons' density of Spinal Cord Ventral Horn in Rats undergoing compressived injury of sciatic nerve. Methods : In this study, 24 Wistar male rats with average body weight of 250gr to 300gr were divided into four groups of six: control, compression, A(compression + n-butanol fraction 75mg/kg) and B(compression+ethyl acetate fraction75mg/kg). In compression and treatment groups, sciatic nerve of the right leg underwent compression (30sec). In fact, the extract was injected intraperitoneally twice after the compression. After 28days, lumbar segments of spinal cord L2-L4 were sampled under perfusion method. After going through tissue processes, they were cut in serial sections (7µ), and stained with toluidine blue. Then, the density of alpha-motoneurons of spinal cord ventral horn was measured by using dissector method. Conclusion : The study findings revealed that n-butanol fraction of Nigella sativa caused an increase in neuronal density which posesses neuroprotective effects. This could be due to antioxidant and anti inflammatory effects of this herb. However, increases in neuronal density in ethyl acetate fraction


Overactivity of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) is a frequent event in many types of solid tumors. Therefore, it is of great importance to uncover the mechanisms that regulate PDGF/PDGFR signalling, to develop efficient inhibitors targeting this pathway. The first step of downregulation of PDGFR activity upon ligand binding is internalization; thus we investigated how endocytosis pathways affect PDGFR signaling. We showed that in Ras-transformed fibroblasts, the internalization of PDGFR is shifted from the routine clathrin-dependent endocytosis to macropinocytosis, which results in enhanced PDGFR activity and subsequent downstream signalling, promoting anchorage-independent growth.We were also interested in how intracellular trafficking regulates signalling attenuation of PDGFR. We found that His-domain containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (HD-PTP) positively regulates phosphorylation level of the ubiquitin-ligases c-Cbl and Cbl-b; consistently, silencing of HD-PTP led to a decreased level of PDGFR ubiquitination (paper II). Consequently, internalized PDGFR could not be sorted properly and escaped degradation. This resulted in enhanced activation of phospholipase C γ (PLCγ) and changed kinetics of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 signalling, which further increased colony formation of HD-PTP silenced cells in soft agar, indicating a tumor suppressor role of HD-PTP.Activation of PDGFR leads to stimulation of downstream pathways. We identified Fer kinase as a critical signal transducer downstream of PDGFR in a proteomic screen. We showed that Fer kinase is essential for PDGF-induced STAT3 activation; as a result (paper III), Fer depletion severely blunted the ability of PDGFR signalling to promote anchorage-independent growth in soft agar and delayed tumor initiation in a mouse model.The crosstalk between host and tumor plays a critical role in tumor progression. At present most anti-cancer drugs are targeting tumor cells; we were interested in how targeting tumor host cells affects the efficacy of anti-tumor therapy. We found that selective PDGFRβ inhibition in host cells exerted tumor inhibitory effects on growth and vascularization of tumors with autocrine PDGF signaling, whereas tumors lacking such stimulation show only minor response on tumor growth (paper IV). Meanwhile, we demonstrated that PDGF/PDGFRβ signalling promotes expression of NG2, a marker for pericytes.


To supplement the present weekly allotment of 30 minutes of physical education, a school district in southeastern North Carolina identified recess time as part of the state mandated (HSP-S-000) 150 minutes of physical activity (PA) per week and have purchased fitness equipment (recess packs) for the children to use. Twelve participants were selected from four elementary schools that had recently received the recess packs equipment and training. The participants were; (a) four principals, (b) four teachers, and (c) four students. They were selected by a purposeful sampling technique. Qualitative data analysis procedures were used to explore participants' views on how the recess packs had impacted PA levels during recess. Several themes emerged during the interviews including: (a) gender differences in the types of activities performed during recess before and after the introduction of the recess packs, (b) how the type and the developmentally appropriateness of activities had been affected by the recess packs, (c) how the recess packs initiative had changed the teacher's role during recess, (d) the importance of addressing nutritional concerns in addition to encouraging more physical activity during recess, and (e) the training that principals and teachers had received. Overall, the study demonstrates the PA benefits in providing equipment during school recess periods. Also, it stresses the importance of training principals and teachers to effectively plan and deliver developmentally appropriate activities resulting in more intense bouts of PA.


A rigorous boundary contour mode-matching (BCMM) method is presented for the efficient calculation of the modal scattering matrix of cascaded, arbitrarily shaped H-plane discontinuities, junctions and/or obstacles in rectangular waveguides. For the inhomogeneous waveguide region with general contour, the field is expanded in the complete set of cylindrical wave functions. The mode-matching technique is applied at the boundary to the waveguide ports and is shown to yield quick convergence and high numerical stability. Moreover, the modal scattering matrix of the corresponding region is obtained directly. The generalized modal scattering matrix technique achieves the rigorous and flexible modeling of composed H-plane waveguide structures of arbitrary cross-section, including the higher-order mode interactions at all discontinuities, such as of inductive iris coupled filters with resonators of more general shape. The theory is verified by comparison with results obtained by other methods.<<ETX>>


Some US hospitals charge patients more than 10 times what Medicare pays for the same services, a new study has found.

For the study, published in the June issue of Health Affairs , Ge Bai from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and Gerard Anderson from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, compared what hospitals list as their charges for services with what are known as "Medicare allowable costs."1

Looking at a sample of 4483 hospitals, the researchers found that in 2012 hospital charges were on average 3.4 times the Medicare allowable cost, meaning that when a hospital incurred $100 (£64; €89) of Medicare allowable costs, the hospital charged $340. When ranked based on how much they charged, the 10% of hospitals that charged the lowest had a charge …


Physical activity is a fundamental means of improving physical and mental health. Although academic youth can be described as a relatively healthy population group of society, both in Lithuania and other countries research data suggests that many students do not meet the physical activity recommendations of the World Health Organization. Knowing how important an adequate physical activity is in the life of students it is necessary to identify maintaining factors and barriers which condition this activity. The object of research is physical activity and factors influencing it. The aim is to establish physical activity and its determinants among students of Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. The survey was conducted in 2013–2014. The study population consisted of first-year full-time students from the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences from 20 teachers' training study programs. The sample size was 432 persons (32.6% males and 67.4% females) aged 18–23 (mean age 19.35 ± 1.02). An anonymous paper-and-pencil questionnaire was used to collect data on university students' socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported health status, and maintaining factors or perceived barriers to physical activity participation. The physical activity levels were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – IPAQ. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS software package, version 16.0. To assess contingency tables, Chi-square test was used. Differences were considered to be statistically significant at p < 0.05. According to the results of the presented study 16.2% of the students had low, 29.9% – moderate, and 53.9% – high level of physical activity. Significantly higher physical activity was observed among males (69.5%) than females (46.4%). The results showed that most commonly reported factors positively impacting on participation in physical activity are perceived health benefits (70.5%) and the aspiration to maintain good physical shape (58,3%). The results of the research also confirmed that barriers to physical activity are a lack of time (44.7%), lack of will, stubbornness, and laziness (29.6%). Keywords: physical activity levels, IPAQ, university student, maintaining factors or perceived barriers to physical activity participation. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/p.2017.65


Human organs for transplantation are extremely valuable goods and their shortage is a problem that has been verified in most countries around the world, generating a long waiting list for organ transplants. This is one of the most pressing health policy issues for governments. To deal with this problem, some researchers have suggested a change in organ donation law, from informed consent to presumed consent. However, few empirical works have been done to measure the relationship between presumed consent and the number of organ donations. The aim of this paper is to estimate that impact, using a new method proposed by Koenker (2004): quantile regression for longitudinal data, for a panel of 34 countries in the period 1998-2002.

The results suggest that presumed consent has a positive effect on organ donation, which varies in the interval 21-26% for the quartiles {0.25; 0.5; 0.75}, the impact being stronger in the left tail of the distribution. Health expenditure has an important role on the response variable as well, the coefficient estimate varying between 42-52%.


Due to gradual decrease in petroleum resources and impacts of these wastes on the environment, there is a need to utilize the wastes of potatoes to get wealth out of wastes and clean the environment. In this study, potato wastes were investigated as source of bioethanol. 100 g potato powder was mixed with 1 L distilled water in two separate beakers to form potato slurry. Bioethanol production was investigated using effect of pH, temperature and mixture of digesting enzymes after scarification and fermentation. The results show that significant (p<0.05) bioethanol was produced at 35°C and at pH 5.5. This investigation also reveals that mixture of enzymes significantly enhanced (p<0.05) bioethanol production compared to non treated mixture. Maximum bioethanol productions were due to the presence of sugar in potatoes. Key words: Bioethanol, potato, ph, temperature, liquefaction.


Like many other polymers, amorphous polyethyleneterephthalate cold draws in the shoulders of a neck when stretched at room temperature. The draw ratio across the shoulders is not a constant for the polymer, but is found to depend on the temperature and speed of stretching, and on the initial specimen cross-section and birefringence. A local temperature rise is also observed in the shoulders. Isothermal load-extension curves have therefore been measured from 20 to 140°C, and from them an adiabatic load-extension curve has been calculated. This has a negative slope range which appears to be unstable. An alternative process of extension at constant tension in a shoulder, coupled with exchanges of heat along the specimen by conduction, appears to be possible at a lower tension than that needed for pure adiabatic extension. For this second process the length of the shoulder, the tension at which it operates, and the draw ratio across it, can be calculated from the simple adiabatic curve and are found to agree with experimental data within a factor of two. This theory is then used to discuss cold drawing in some other polymers.


The first essential in the treatment of nasal sinusitis is an exact differential diagnosis of the surgical and nonsurgical types of disease condition present in the lining membranes. A lack of precise histopathologic knowledge in the past has led to the indiscriminate removal of tissues essential to the physiology of the nose and accessory sinuses. As every one knows, this has been attended by a striking array of contradictory results. The purpose of this report is to recount in as much detail as possible the known types of sinusitis, the effects of allergy on the course of the sinus disease, the separation of reversible inflammatory from irreversible degenerative changes, and the character of the lining that forms after radical operations. The chief desideratum is a working principle which will delineate the types of disease present in every case and indicate the most appropriate treatment for each. The method of choice,


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

The human Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 1 (APE1) protein has distinct and possibly related functional roles in DNA damage repair and transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Due to its significant role in DNA repair, APE1 is a viable target for chemotherapeutic drugs; inhibition of DNA repair activity of APE1 potentates the cytotoxic effect of lesions caused by DNA-reactive drugs. Using a combination of in silico screening as well as in vitro enzyme-inhibition assays, we identified strong in vitro inhibitors (IC50 < 1 μM) of the APE1 protein. Using human glioblastoma (T98G) cells, it was demonstrated that these inhibitors potentiate the cytotoxicity of DNA damaging agents, especially alkylators, and that these compounds also cause increased accumulation of intracellular abasic sites. We investigated the association of the inhibitors with APE1 protein and DNA by means of CD, UV and fluorescence spectroscopies, and by a fluorescent intercalator/groove binder displacement assay.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4697. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4697


We examined the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and social deprivation in one urban district in Liverpool from October 1995 to September 1996 inclusive. This area has a stable Caucasian population of 176, 682. Lists were made of all known diabetics attending six different medical points of contact during the year, and were condensed and aggregated to eliminate duplicates. From postcode data, each patient was assigned to residence in one of the 14 electoral wards in the district, for which demographic structure and standardized measures of social deprivation were known (Townsend index). The crude period prevalences of type 1 and type 2 diabetes were estimated for each ward. Crude prevalence data were then corrected by applying capture-recapture (CR) techniques to the different patient datasets to allow for undercount. The crude period prevalence (95%CI) of diabetes was 1.5% (1.4-1.5%), or 2585/176, 682. The mean age of people with diabetes was not significantly different between electoral wards. The crude period prevalence of type 2 diabetes within individual wards ranged from 0.4% (0.3-0.6%) in the least deprived area to 4.1% (3.6-4.6%) in the most deprived area. The corresponding range of CR-adjusted period prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes was from 3.2% (2.8-3.6%) to 6.7% (6.1-7.4%), and there was strong correlation between both crude and CR-adjusted prevalence and social deprivation in each ward (r=0.76, p<0.001 for crude; and r=0. 49, p<0.005 for CR-adjusted prevalence). There was no correlation between the crude or CR-adjusted period prevalence rates of type 1 diabetes and Townsend index (r=0.14, p=NS). This strong correlation between the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and social deprivation has important implications for the planning of health-care delivery.


Impulse-Radio (IR) is a wideband modulation technique that can support multiple users by employing random Time-Hopping (TH) combined with repeated transmissions. The latter is aimed at alleviating the impact of collisions. This work introduces a graphical model for describing the multiuser system which, in turn, facilitates the inclusion of general coding schemes. Based on factor graph representation of the system, several iterative multiuser detectors are presented. These detectors are applicable for any binary linear coding scheme. The performance of the proposed multiuser detectors is evaluated via simulations revealing large gains with low complexity.


The reported research focuses on establishing tangible links between a series of interrelated databases, covering four major cities in Scotland, namely Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow (2003–2006). The databases, containing postcode sector information, customer contacts (relating to sewer flooding complaints) and Multiple Deprivation scoring/Census Data, were supplied in a non‐common format and 'mined' so as to reveal patterns of information relating to how complaint density varies with population density and social deprivation scores. The research shows that there are indistinct patterns among the cities and that these patterns may be used to define critical density limits to which targeted asset management modelling approaches may be applied.


The activation of 2-(bromomethyl)benzaldehydes using N-heterocyclic carbenes represents a novel approach to the generation of o-quinodimethane (o-QDM) intermediates. Coupling with ketones such as phenylglyoxylates, isatins, or trifluoromethyl ketones via [4 + 2] annulation gives access to functionalized 1-isochromanones.


Fully deacetylated quaternary chitosan (DQCTS) was prepared by replacing the carboxyl group of chitosan with a quaternary ammonium salt. The DQCTS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The antimicrobial activity of DQCTS was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) methods and time-kill assay. DQCTS exhibited strong antibacterial and antifungal activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157: H7, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus flavus. Especially, the antifungal activity against C. albicans of DQCTS was greatly improved at 15.6 µg/mL of MIC and 31.3 µg/mL of minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). Expression levels of virulence genes of microorganisms were also significantly decreased by DQCTS treatment, and the risk of virulence of microorganisms might be decreased. The result of the cytotoxic effect of DQCTS on human skin cells (HaCaT cells) indicated that the cytotoxicity of DQCTS on HaCaT cells was nearly non-toxic at 50 μg/mL. The DQCTS, with strong antimicrobial and low toxicity, has a high potential for use in functional food packaging and biomedical applications.


Mentalizing is defined as the inference of mental states of fellow humans, and is a particularly important skill for social interactions. Here we assessed whether activity in brain areas involved in mentalizing is specific to the processing of mental states or can be generalized to the inference of non-mental states by comparing brain responses during the interaction with an intentional and an artificial agent. Participants were scanned using fMRI during interactive rock-paper-scissors games while believing their opponent was a fellow human (Intentional agent, Int), a humanoid robot endowed with an artificial intelligence (Artificial agent, Art), or a computer playing randomly (Random agent, Rnd). Participants' subjective reports indicated that they adopted different stances against the three agents. The contrast of brain activity during interaction with the artificial and the random agents didn't yield any cluster at the threshold used, suggesting the absence of a reproducible stance when interacting with an artificial intelligence. We probed response to the artificial agent in regions of interest corresponding to clusters found in the contrast between the intentional and the random agents. In the precuneus involved in working memory, the posterior intraparietal suclus, in the control of attention and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in executive functions, brain activity for Art was larger than for Rnd but lower than for Int, supporting the intrinsically engaging nature of social interactions. A similar pattern in the left premotor cortex and anterior intraparietal sulcus involved in motor resonance suggested that participants simulated human, and to a lesser extend humanoid robot actions, when playing the game. Finally, mentalizing regions, the medial prefrontal cortex and right temporoparietal junction, responded to the human only, supporting the specificity of mentalizing areas for interactions with intentional agents.


The text aims to analyse how women from religious minority communities (Muslim, Evangelic and Orthodox ones) living in urban Aragonian contexts see this religious belonging as well as their woman condition, mediate their dynamics of sociability and social visibility. From an ethnomethodological perspective, we conducted discourse analysis to the discourse obtained through in-deep interviews to women who belong to these religious minorities. These women share a common understanding on a visibility signed by a multiple otherness: this derived from their religion, the foreignness associated to it, and their woman condition. At the same time, there is a dual —both emotional and functional— nature to the religious communities as mediation of dynamics of sociability for these women. Visibility and sociability are articulated, to this way, on the mediation derived from the women condition and the religious belonging.


To perceive a weed is to ascribe meaning to the landscape where it occurs and ecosystem services required from that landscape. These perceptions change over time. In Australia, native vegetation has been transformed from something to be cleared to something of intrinsic value, and landscapes from bare palettes for new agronomy species to landscapes needing strict continental quarantine. We can now conceive of environmental weeds. Amidst these trends, the effects of global warming provide novel, all pervasive, pressures of environmental change at the continental scale. Under global climate change, southeastern Australia faces a warmer, drier, extreme-weather-event punctuated (e.g. fire and flood) future, whilst inhabitants face a socio-ecological-economic future that is both water and carbon-constrained and landscapes with profound legacies. Biophysical environments and related processes are changing, and will continue to change, including abundances and distributions of biota, including weeds. Prospective biological responses of weedy species provide part of our understanding, however, socio-ecological landscape changes, frequently ignored, are vital for a more complete appreciation of appropriate long-term responses. In the context of multiple uncertainties, adaptation to climate change, including land-use and management, is an increasing societal focus. Adaptation to climate change is vital for long-term sustainability and intergenerational landscape equity and includes the resilience of agricultural and post agricultural landscapes. Perceptions of assets and ecosystem services that we value and obtain from landscapes are changing trajectories of land-use, and response to climate change may accelerate these processes (e.g. carbonsequestration). Adaptation and mitigation (of CO2 emission) strategies converge in landscapes as society seeks to increase its resilience to climate change impacts. This contribution examines the interaction of these major fluxes in relation to historic land use and our perception of weeds. Responses to climate change will accelerate Australian society's on-going re-evaluation of landscapes and services they provide, including reevaluation of 'weeds' and consequent management strategies.


By using a combination of biochemical methods (i.e., endoglycosidase H digestion and immunoblot and plant lectin binding studies), it was verified that pig flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO1) was N-glycosylated. By using mass spectrometry approaches [i.e., peptide mapping, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, microbore HPLC/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS), chemical ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (CI/GC/MS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS)], we were able to confirm that pig FMO1 was N-glycosylated and we were able to identify the site of N-glycosylation. Pig FMO1 contains two putative consensus sites of N-glycosylation. The results showed that pig FMO1 amino acid Asn120 was selectively N-glycosylated. Highly purified pig FMO1 avidly bound concanavalin A and reacted positively for carbohydrates by the periodic acid/Schiff's base method of analysis. In addition, treatment of pig FMO1 with endo-N-acetylglucosaminidase converted the enzyme to another species with a molecular mass approximately 5000 Da lower than that of the parent protein as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblot experiments. Peptide mapping of pig FMO1 showed that the protein used in the study was not contaminated with another glycoprotein. MALDI/MS experiments showed that pig FMO1 was present with the expected molecular mass but that higher-molecular mass forms consistent with the presence of N-linked high-mannose oligosaccharide structures were also covalently attached to the enzyme. The presence of N-acetylglucosamine isolated from acid hydrolysates of the N-linked high-mannose oligosaccharide of pig FMO1 was confirmed by high-pH anion exchange HPLC studies and verified by CI/GC/MS studies of derivatized monosaccharide fractions. Further analysis of pig FMO1 proteolytic peptides by LC/ESI/MS showed that the only residue that was N-glycosylated in pig FMO1 was Asn120. Knowledge of the structural aspects of FMO may be useful in understanding the membrane association properties of the enzyme.


The purpose of this study was to understand customers` perception on service quality in Korean restaurants of foreigners living in Korea and to examine the effect of service quality upon the customer`s value and satisfaction. Based on total 594 foreigners obtained from the empirical research, this study reviewed reliability and fitness of research model and verified total 3 hypotheses using Amos program. The hypothesized relationships in the model were tested simultaneously by using a structural equation model(SEM). The proposed model provided an adequate fit to the data, χ2 677.677(df256), GFI .917, RMR .088, NFI .924, CFI .951, RMSEA .053. As a result of empirical analysis, the food quality(β=.279), employee service(β=.291), price(β=.142) and convenience(β=.192) as service quality factors in Korean restaurants, were indicated to have influence upon customer`s utilitarian value. In the influence upon customer`s hedonic value, the food quality(β=.252), employee service(β=.163), price(β=-.320)and convenience(β=.290) were surveyed to have influence. Also, customer`s utilitarian value(β=.943) and hedonic value(β=.102) had positive(+) influence upon customer satisfaction. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.


The e-book comprises a selection of papers delivered at the 24th IVR World Congress. All papers address the challenge of the construction of a Global Ethics in the context of fragmented and pluralist societies, in which the idea of an Ethical Space seems to be an unachievable project, but also an indispensable device for cooperation between individuals, communities and states. The idea of a Global Ethics is to be constructed from within different traditions and environments with a mutual understanding and exchange of opinions. In this e-book, we combine the ideas of Harmony (typical of the traditional Chinese legal philosophy) and of the Rule of Law (as it is understood in Western societies) to new ideals. By acknowledging the potential that these ideals have on a global scale, the papers of the first section, Ethical Dimensions of the Rule of Law address some of the key ethical problems in today's world. In a second section, some of the leading legal philosophers in China propose a way to incorporate the values of Harmony and of the Rule of Law into the Chinese Law and Society.


Background It has been recognized for a long time that about 60% of all spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients show microscopic inflammatory gut lesions, a fraction of which evolves into Crohn's disease(1). Recently, this high prevalence of microscopic gut inflammation was confirmed in a patient cohort fulfilling the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria for axial and peripheral SpA (Gent Inflammatory Arthritis and spoNdylitis cohort - GIANT), and several risk factors for microscopic gut inflammation were identified(2). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) enables us to identify early in the disease course patients with non-radiographic axial SpA (nr-axSpA) by assessing bone marrow edema (BME) of the sacroiliac joints (SIJ). However, the correlation between the extent of BME and disease activity remains unclear. Objectives This study was designed to assess the link between BME of the SIJ and gut inflammation. Furthermore, we have evaluated the correlation between BME and established disease activity parameters. Methods The GIANT cohort is a prospective observational cohort in which patients diagnosed with axial and peripheral SpA according to the ASAS criteria are prospectively followed; at present 150 SpA patients have been included. Ileocolonoscopy was performed in 54 patients (28 men and 26 women), never being treated with TNF blockers. Two patients had a history of inflammatory bowel disease. Mean age was 33.9 years. Eighty percent of the patients were HLA-B27 positive. Bone marrow edema was assessed by the Spondyloarthritis research consortium of Canada (SPARCC) score(3) and linked to the presence of gut inflammation. Patients with total ankylosis of the SIJ were excluded from this analysis as they showed no BME. Results A normal gut histology was found in 55.6% of all patients, 11.1% patients showed acute lesions and in 33.3% chronic lesions were found. SPARCC scores were significantly higher (median, [interquartile range]) in the group of patients showing gut inflammation (16.5 [23.6]) compared to those with normal histology (9.0 [15.4], p= 0.042). The degree of BME was most pronounced in patients with chronic lesions. SPARCC scores correlated moderately with C-reactive protein (CRP)(r=0.418, p=0.003), whereas no correlation with BASDAI or ASDAS was seen. Conclusions Higher degrees of BME were observed in patients showing gut inflammation. There was a moderate correlation between the degree of BME and CRP. These data solidify a link between mucosal inflammation and the degree of sacroiliac joint inflammation in axial spondyloarthritis. References Mielants H, Veys EM, Cuvelier C, et al. The evolution of spondylarthropathies in relation to gut histology. II. Histological aspects. J. Rheumatol. 1995;22(12):2273-8. Van Praet L, Van den Bosch FE, Jacques P, et al. Microscopic gut inflammation in axial spondyloarthritis: a multiparametric predictive model. Ann Rheum Dis 2012. Nov 8. [Epub ahead of print] Maksymowych WP, Inman RD, Salonen D, et al. Spondyloarthritis research consortium of Canada magnetic resonance Imaging index for assessment of sacroiliac joint inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis. Arthrit Rheum-Arthr 2005;53:703-709. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


The Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, also known as the longhorned tick, bush tick (Australia), and cattle tick (New Zealand), is a three-host tick native to East Asia. This tick has been categorized as an invasive species in Australia, New Zealand, and several Pacific Islands. In the U.S., an Asian longhorned tick infestation was recorded in New Jersey during the fall of 2017. This tick is somewhat unique in that females are capable of parthenogenesis, meaning that females can produce offspring without having mated with males. The Asian longhorned tick feeds on a wide range of hosts including birds and mammals, including humans. This tick is considered a medical and veterinary vector due to its ability to transmit pathogens that cause disease in humans and other animals.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1263


A computer model that represents the connection of a Purkinje fiber to a two-dimensional ventricular muscle tissue is used to study the ionic mechanism responsible for the development of phase 3 early after depolarizations (EADs) in Purkinje fibers, and their propagation to ventricular muscle cells as ectopic beats. The conditions that favor EAD generation (EAD conditions) are only applied to Purkinje cells. The electrical behavior of these cells is described using the DiFrancesco-Noble equations and EAD conditions are simulated multiplying the fast second inward current of the model, i/sub Ca.s/, by 1.7 (70% i/sub Ca,s/ enhancement) and the delayed K/sup +/ current, i/sub K/, by 0.3 (70% i/sub K/ blockade). For these conditions, a single phase 3 EAD developed in the Purkinje fiber propagates to the ventricular muscle tissue generating an ectopic beat. In our simulations, the ionic mechanism underlying phase 3 EAD development is the reactivation of the fast sodium current in Purkinje cells near the Purkinje-ventricular junction. The reactivation of this current is due to greater h-gate values reached as a result of a decrease in the rate of repolarization induced by EAD conditions. The propagation of these phase 3 EADs to the ventricular muscle tissue may trigger some ventricular arrhythmias.