The problem of simultaneous detection and estimation of signals in noise is formulated in the language of statistical decision theory. Optimum structures and corresponding general measures of system performance are derived under the Bayes criterion of minimum average risk for the detectors and estimators appropriate to this type of joint operation: It is shown that whereas the structures of the resulting optimum detectors require a class of modified likelihood ratios, the structures of the optimum estimators, which act on the data when there is uncertainty as to the presence of a signal [p(H_{1}) , have a common canonical form for a wide variety of operating strategies. This form is identical with that obtained for estimation alone [p(H_{1}) , even though there is generally mutual coupling between detector and extractor. A simple structure is obtained for the estimation of amplitude and waveform in the case of a quadratic cost function (least mean-square error), where it is found that the estimator which is optimum here [p(H_{1}) is the product of the corresponding Bayes estimator in the "classical" case [P(H1) = 1 ] and a simple algebraic function of the generalized likelihood ratio. In this case, one can also show that estimators that are unbiased in the classical sense remain unbiased. In parallel with the classical theory, a generalized version of unconditional maximum likelihood estimation is obtained for the "simple" cost function when p(H_{1} . It is found that estimators that are linear in the classical case [p(H_{1}) = 1 ] are nonlinear in the more general situation [p(H_{1}) , where increased structural complexity is always the rule for both detectors and estimators. A specific example involving the coherent estimation of signal amplitude illustrates the approach. Analogous extensions to prediction and filtering are formulated, making it evident that a broad area for further generalizations of classical Bayes detection and extraction theory is available for systematic investigation.


Embryo development is linked to several factors, such as intrinsic defects within the embryo, an inadequate maternal environment or failure of maternal response to embryonic signals. Reproductive seasonality in buffalo species (Bubalus bubalis) is responsible for the lower reliability of the pregnancy diagnosis by progesterone assay in spring, probably due to the high incidence of early embryo mortality (EEM) for hormonal reasons (Campanile et al., 1989; Proc. 2th National Meeting 'Studio dell'efficienza riproduttiva degli animali di interesse zootecnico': 51–57). The aim of the study was to identify the causes of EEM in buffaloes inseminated during the spring period. Italian Mediterranean Buffalo cows (n = 209) in a good state of health were synchronized using the Ovsynch-TAI Program (Pursley et al., 1995 Theriogenology 44, 915–923) and inseminated 16 and 40 hours after the second administration of GnRH. Artificial inseminations were performed by the same technician. Ten to 20 days after the first insemination two blood samples were collected from each animal for assessing P4 levels by RIA. Days 24 and 40 after the first insemination, pregnancy diagnosis was assessed by rectal ultrasonography (Aloka SSD-500) with a 5 MHz sector scanner. In animals with EEM a uterine flushing was carried out and recovered fluid was analyzed for the principal infectious agents. Microbiological analyses were carried out according to Quinn et al. (1994 Clinical Veterinary Microbiology, Wolfe Publishing, Mosby, Europe) and a PCR analysis was performed only for Bubaline Herpes Virus (BuHV1), Toxoplasma and Neospora. Statistical analysis was assessed by Student's t-test. The incidence of cyclic buffaloes after synchronization treatment (94%) and pregnancy rate at 40 days (34.4%) were similar to those reported in a previous study (Neglia et al., 2003 Theriogenology 60, 125–133). EEM between 24 and 40 days was 45% and only in 9 buffaloes (15.3%), these results correlated with the presence of infectious agents (Streptococcus spp. group B and G, Bacillus licheniformis, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus spp.). P4 levels on Day 10 were higher (P < 0.05) in pregnant (P) buffaloes than in those with EEM. On Day 20, P4 levels were higher (P < 0.01) in P buffaloes than in those with EEM and those not pregnant. It is hypothesized that the reduced activity of hypophysis, correlated with an increase in hours of light, may be responsible for decreased P4 concentrations and EEM in buffalo. Table 1 P4 blood levels in pregnant (P) and non pregnant (NP) buffaloes and in buffaloes with EEM 10 and 20 days after insemination


This brief addresses the problem of scan-chain ordering under a limited number of through-silicon vias (TSVs), and proposes a fast two-stage algorithm to compute a final order of scan flip-flops. To enable 3-D optimization, a greedy algorithm, multiple fragment heuristic, is modified and combined with a dynamic closest-pair data structure, FastPair, to derive a good initial solution in stage one. Stage two initiates two local refinement techniques, 3-D planarization and 3-D relaxation, to reduce the wire (and/or power) cost and to relax the number of TSVs in use to meet TSV constraints, respectively. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm results in comparable performance (in terms of wire cost only, power cost only, and both wire-and-power cost) to a genetic-algorithm method but runs two-order faster, which makes it practical for TSV-constrained scan-chain ordering for 3-D-IC designs.


Heart failure self care refers to the practices in which geriatric patients with heart failure engage in their own care to maintain their own health, and their decisions about managing signs or symptoms. Objective: The study was conducted to determine the effect of self-care interventions on quality of life (QOL) of older adults with heart failure. Setting: The study was carried out in the outpatient cardiac clinic in the health insurance hospital (Gamal Abd El Naser), Alexandria, Egypt. Subjects: The study subjects included, thirty older adults diagnosed with HF for at least 6 months. Tools: Seven measures were used in this study; the socio-demographic and clinical data structured interview questionnaire, New York Heart Association Functional Classification (NYHA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-SF), Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire(MLHFQ), European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale (EHFSCBS), and Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale (DHFKS). Results: There are significant improvements in both quality of life and self care practice and knowledge after the implementation of the interventions which decreased gradually 6 weeks and 12 weeks later. However, they still better than before the interventions. Conclusion: Implementation of the self-care interventions proved to be effective in improving self-care knowledge, self-care practices and health related QOL for the majority of the study older adults. Recommendations: Preparation of an instructional booklet to include the self care interventions for older adults with heart failure. Further researches are needed such as: Effectiveness of nursing intervention strategies on the QOL of older adults with HF.


In most bribery games in the literature, there is no mention of rights and duties associated to participants' roles. Authors have hitherto relied on loaded frames, negative externalities, and the possibility of sanctions to implicitly signal prescriptive norms. We argue that participants' interpretation of these factors may not be univocal. In this study, a participant in the role of a common citizen either did or did not acquire the right to obtain a monetary benefit and could offer a bribe to an associated participant in the role of public official. This participant, in turn, had an explicit duty of providing the benefit only if the citizen acquired the right to it. Conditions with/without the acquisition of the right were crossed with the presence/absence of negative externalities associated with transgressions of the official's duty. One last (fifth) condition mimicked other bribery games in the literature which rely on loaded frames and negative externalities but no information on rights and duties. We found that both the presence of externalities and information about rights were effective bribery deterrents, and that bribe offers and acceptances were most discouraged with their synergic effect. Interestingly, officials followed prescriptive information even when it was inefficient to do so (when there were no externalities), and implied choosing against their material self-interest (by rejecting a bribe), and not reciprocating bribe offers. We conclude by highlighting the limits of making generalizations from results without explicit normative information and the relevance of present findings as anti-corruption behavioral insights.


This paper presents a computer-aided conceptual design system for developing product forms. The system integrates a virtual hand, which is manipulated by the designer, with deformable models representing the product forms. Designers can use gestural input and full hand pointing in the system to discover potential new ways for product form design. In the field of industrial design, styling and ergonomics are two important factors that determine a successful product design. Traditionally, designers explore possible concepts by sketching their ideas and then using clay or foam mock-ups to test them during the early phases of product design. With our deformable modeling simulation system, we provide a useful and efficient tool for industrial designers that enable to produce product form proposals efficiently without unnecessary trial and error. Designers can input pre-scanned 3D raw data or a 3D CAD model as an initial prototype. Then, the input model is given the material's elastic property via the construction of a volume-like mass-spring-damping system. The virtual hand in the system constantly changes gestures as the designer manipulates it with a glove-based input device. The product form will be deformed or shaped according to the amount of force exerted by the virtual hand. A mesh smoothing feature called "PN-triangle" is also used to improve the appearance of the deformed model. Finally, a physical prototype with volume and weight is generated using a rapid prototyping machine. Designers can use these mock-ups to conduct further ergonomic evaluations.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


Cyanophages play a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles of aquatic ecosystems by affecting the population dynamics and community structure of cyanobacteria. In this study, a novel cyanophage, Nanhaivirus ms29, that infects Synechococcus sp. MW02 was isolated from the ocean basin in the South China Sea. It was identified as a T4-like phage using transmission electron microscopy. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that this cyanophage is distinct from other known T4-like cyanophage, belonging to a novel genus named Nanhaivirus within the family Kyanoviridae, according to the most recent classification proposed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The genome of this novel cyanophage is composed of 178,866 bp of double-stranded DNA with a G + C content of 42.5%. It contains 217 potential open reading frames (ORFs) and 6 tRNAs. As many as 30 auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) were identified in the genome, which related to photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, nutrient uptake and stress tolerance, possibly reflecting a genomic adaption to the oligotrophic environment. Read-mapping analysis showed that Nanhaivirus ms29 mainly distributed in temperate and tropical epipelagic waters. This study enriches of the virus gene database of cyanophages and provides valuable insights into the phylogeny of cyanophages and their interactions with their hosts.


The aim of this study is to fine out urban context factors and analyze them, so that its developing can continue. Furthermore, through analyzing the four factors: natural environment, urban architecture environment, region civilization and technique, and discover the content and characteristic, grasp the connotation of urban context. It will provide service for city designing.


The response of matter to external fields forms the basis for a vast wealth of fundamental physical processes ranging from light harvesting to nanoscale electron transport. Accurately modeling ultrafast electron dynamics in excited systems thus offers unparalleled insight but requires an inherently nonlinear time-resolved approach. To this end, an efficient and massively parallel real-time real-space time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT) implementation in NWChem is presented. The implementation is first validated against linear-response TDDFT and experimental results for a series of molecules subjected to small electric field perturbations. Second, nonlinear excitation of green fluorescent protein is studied, which shows a blue-shift in the spectrum with increasing perturbation, as well as a saturation in absorption. Next, the charge dynamics of optically excited zinc porphyrin is presented in real time and real space, with relevance to charge injection in photovoltaic devices. Finally, intermolecular excitation in an adenine-thymine base pair is studied using the BNL range separated functional [ Baer , R. ; Neuhauser , D. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2005 , 94 , 043002 ], demonstrating the utility of a real-time approach in capturing charge transfer processes.


BACKGROUND
Fructose intake has been correlated with increased prevalence of metabolic disorders including hypertension. In pregnant rats, fructose intake has been reported to have adverse effects on the health of its offspring. This study investigated the effects of gestational maternal fructose consumption and if supplementation with melinjo seed extracts to the maternal diet during lactation could benefit the offspring in later life.

METHODS
Pregnant rats were randomly divided into three groups: untreated (CC), fructose-treated (FC), and fructose and melinjo-treated (FM). FC and FM groups received 100 g/L of D(-)-fructose solution by means of the drinking water during gestation while CC received normal drinking water. During lactation, CC and FC groups were given standard commercial laboratory diet, while the FM group was given commercial laboratory diet with 0.1% melinjo seed extracts. After weaning, the offspring were given normal drinking water and standard commercial diet until week 17. The blood pressure of the offspring was monitored until the 16th week. During week 17, the offspring were killed, and the kidneys were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS
The level of renal phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK) in FM of 17-week female offspring was significantly higher compared with FC and CC groups. Maternal fructose intake down-regulated the renal endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthetase expression in FC and maternal melinjo seed extract consumption maintained renal endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthetase expression in FM of 17-week female offspring. In addition, maternal melinjo seed extract intake during lactation lowered the systolic blood pressure in FM of 17-week female offspring.

CONCLUSION
Female offspring were more vulnerable to the effects of placental fructose and melinjo seed extracts, suggesting sex-specific sensitivities. In summary, our data show that melinjo seed extract consumption during lactation improved vasodilation and attenuated the development of hypertension in the 17-week female offspring of fructose-fed pregnant rats. Birth Defects Research 110:27-34, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Objective: In this study, I examined the association between age of substance use initiation and sexual violence (SV) among adolescent girls. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and the sample included 7526 girls. Logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between age of initiation of alcohol use, marijuana use and cigarette smoking, and SV, assessed by forced sexual intercourse and experiencing SV. Results: A dose-response association was observed between age of substance use initiation and SV. Across all 3 substance use variables and for both SV outcomes, those who initiated substance use before age 15 were more likely to experience SV than those who initiated at or after age 15, who, in turn, had a higher likelihood of experiencing SV than those who had never initiated substance use. Conclusion: Early initiation of substance use may be a meaningful marker of risk for SV victimization in later adolescence. SV prevention programs could use early initiation of substance use to identify adolescents who are at increased risk for SV and provide them with targeted interventions. To be more effective, primary prevention of SV may need to begin targeting substance use in early adolescence.


Infrared frequencies calculations were carried out for 20 (H2O)20 water clusters obeying the 5(12) dodecahedral geometry, optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. Their combined spectra contained 800 O-H stretch modes, ranging from 2181 to 3867 cm(-1) (unscaled), which were treated and studied as a database. Of these, 752 modes (94%) could be assigned to a single dominant O-H stretch. These 752 were classified into five subdatabases depending on the local H-bond type of the dominant stretch. The frequency (nu) was correlated with the O-H distance (b(OH)), with H-bond length (R(OO)) where applicable, and with other variables. The parameter b(OH) alone accounted for 96-99% of the variance in nu for stretches in H-bonds. The correlation with R(OO) is substantially weaker. Normal modes were classified as "high ratio" or "low ratio" depending upon the mode's distribution of kinetic energy among the O-H bonds. High-ratio modes (389 modes, or 49% of our sample) are modeled well as a single oscillator undergoing small perturbations by weak coupling from other oscillators. Low-ratio modes involve strong coupling with at least one other O-H stretch for which b(OH2) is close to b(OH). The IR intensities of modes vary widely but can be explained in terms of a single equation giving dipole moment derivatives as a function of b(OH). For the lowest-energy (H2O)20 clusters, their IR stretch spectra contained eight distinguishable absorption bands. An explanation for eight bands in terms of the theory of polyhedral water clusters is offered.


Objective: To investigate the incidence and survival of esophageal cancer with different histological types and to understand the incidence trend and burden of esophageal cancer in Linzhou during 2003-2012. Methods: All incidence records of esophageal cancer and population reported were collected from Linzhou Cancer Registry during 2003-2012. Incidence rate was calculated using gender and histological types. Age standardized incidence rate was calculated according to world Segi's population and Chinese census data in 2000. Age standardized incidence rate by world population between 2003 and 2012 was analyzed with JoinPoint regression model and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated. 5-year survival rate was calculated with Kaplan-Meier model. Results: There were 8 229 esophageal cancer cases in Linzhou during 2003-2012. The average annual incidence rate was 80.08/100 000 (8 229/10 276 481). Among all esophageal cancer cases, 7 019 (85.3%) were diagnosed as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In Linzhou, the age standardized incidence rate by Chinese standard population and by world standard population was 80.92/100 000 and 81.85/100 000 in 2003, 67.97/100 000 and 68.63/100 000 in 2012. JoinPoint regression model showed that EAPC was-12.9% (95%CI:-16.4%--9.1%) for other and unspecified histological type between 2003 and 2012. The EAPC was-5.5% (95%CI:-9.2%--1.6%) for esophageal cancer between 2007 and 2012,-5.4% (95%CI:-7.0%--3.9%) for esophageal cancer in female between 2006 and 2012,-4.9% (95%CI:-9.5%--0.1%) for ESCC between 2007 and 2012. The 5-year prevalence of esophageal cancer was 215.49 per 100 000 (2 337/1 084 493), and 5 489 died within 5 years after incidence. 5-year survival rate of esophageal cancer was 34.6% (95%CI: 33.5%-35.6%). Conclusion: Esophageal cancer had a decreasing trend in Linzhou. The survival rate was increasing. But, esophageal cancer was still a major burden in Linzhou. The major histological type was ESCC. ESCC had a similar decreasing trend with esophageal cancer.


The use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) has been steadily increasing over the past few years due to their efficacy in glycaemic control as well as added benefits of weight loss and reduction in cardiovascular mortality. SGLT2i are a class of oral hypoglycaemics that work by increasing urinary glucose excretion via the inhibition of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 in the proximal tubule of the kidney. Euglycaemic diabetic ketoacidosis (euDKA) is a potentially life-threatening adverse effect of SGLT2i. The literature shows an increasing awareness of this issue amongst physicians. However, in addition to prescriber education, emphasis needs to be placed on patient education to highlight this potentially serious adverse effect. We present two cases of patients with euDKA following SGLT2i use in the perioperative period. The cases discussed reiterate the importance of awareness of SGLT2i-induced euDKA during the perioperative period. Both cases raise the question of whether patients are being adequately educated about the drug, its adverse effects and under what conditions to cease the medication.


In 1988, ERA Technology, in collaboration with The Nottingham Trent University, started a detailed program of research for the development of a means of monitoring the condition of a power transformer using the frequency response analysis technique. The research work concentrated on the establishment of a mathematical model of the transformer windings. The models developed were general and accurate. Overall 11 transformers were tested (500kVA - 70MVA). They range from distribution type, arc furnace, power station generator and neutral earthing reactors. In this paper, attention is centred on measuring and predicting the frequency response of iron cored disk-type windings in a 500 kVA distribution type transformer.


The isotope effect E = d ln(D)/d ln(1/√m) of Co diffusion in structurally relaxed Co86Zr14 and Co81Zr19 glasses has been measured by means of a radiotracer technique. Within experimental accuracy no isotope effect was detected (E < 0.04). This suggests a highly cooperative diffusion mechanism. The connection between diffusion and collective low-frequency relaxations in glasses is discussed.


This is a conference paper. It was presented at 23rd International System Safety Conference, August 22-26, 2005, San Diego, Westin Hotel.


Paulo Freire is regarded by many as the most significant educational thinker of the twentieth century. This volume offers Freire's own intimate retrospection of his life and work. These reflections, dedicated to his niece Cristina, provide a backdrop for a deeper understanding of how his experiences are linked to his philosophical and pedagogical work.


Individual promoters for transcription of each strand of human mtDNA are located near the origin of heavy-strand DNA replication in the displacement-loop region. Initiation of heavy-strand synthesis represents the first event in mtDNA replication. Analyses of the 5' and 3' map positions of displacement-loop nucleic acids from mitochondria of cultured human cells reveal a close correspondence between the 3' ends of RNA, whose 5' ends map at a unique site, and the 5' ends of DNA strands. The 5' ends of the RNA species all map at nucleotide position 407 in the genomic sequence, which corresponds exactly to the major 5' transcriptional start site, determined previously in vitro, that is contained within the light-strand promoter sequence. Displacement-loop heavy-strand DNAs map immediately adjacent to the 3' termini of these RNAs, and these transition points between RNA and DNA lie within short conserved sequence blocks in the template sequence. The simplest interpretation of these data is that replication is initiated at the major transcriptional promoter with subsequent precise cleavage of primary transcripts to provide the appropriate primer species.


The ability to read emotions from faces is a very important skill. One might even call it a superpower. People around the world use this skill when they communicate with each other. But do people from different cultural backgrounds recognize and interpret facial expressions the same way? The answer, according to scientists, is both yes and no. Yes, because the brain system specializing in understanding faces is similar across cultures, so we all can recognize basic emotions, such as happiness or sadness, when looking at other faces. No, because culture influences how we behave and how we think, which means it also influences the rules we learn as children that tell us when and how to show our emotions. In this article, we discuss how we are able to read emotions from faces and how we might be reading emotions differently, depending on where we are from.


Purpose The main objective of this report
is to describe the Tiny House Movement in the Nether-
lands and to examine the impact on the global warming
of construction and insulation materials which are used
for a tiny house. The assessment might support new
tiny house owners in their material choice.
Methods This study consists of a life cycle assessment,
cradle-to-gate, of three tiny houses: one built with only
new materials (Case A), one built with only reclaimed
materials (Case B) and one tiny house built with new
and reclaimed materials (Case C). The cradle-to-gate
phase enclose the raw material extraction, manufacture
construction and insulation materials, transport of the
V. Verhoeven
Drienerlolaan 5
7522 NB
The Netherlands
E-mail: email@example.com
S. Bhochhibhoya
Drienerlolaan 5
7522 NB
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31534894254
Supervisor
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
M. Winkler
Dienstweg 5
7522ND Enschede
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31534894041
Supervisor
E-mail: email@example.com
B. Marechal
Dienstweg 5
7522ND Enschede
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31534891855
Supervisor
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
raw materials to the manufacture, transport from the
shop to the building site, transport from the building
site to the living site and the electricity use for the used
tools. The calculations of the life cycle assessment are
done with the GaBi Education Software in combination
with the GaBi ecoinvent Database and literature. The
functional unit is formulated as kg CO2/m2, for a lifes-
pan of 50 years.
Results and Discussion Sheep Wool has the highest im-
pact on the global warming potential per squared me-
ter. And the results show that the transport has a low
environmental impact in comparison with manufacturing of the materials. The use of products coming from
animals is open to question, in this study the Sheep
Wool is considered as main product and not as byprod-
uct which results in a higher environmental impact of
the Sheep Wool.
Conclusions Buying materials not far away is more en-
vironment friendly. This study also showed that as-
sumed byproducts needs a second thought: "Are the
materials actually a byproduct in the manufacturing
process or are they main products nowadays"?


Peer-to-peer recruitment efforts are important in generating interest and participation of patients as partners in research but difficult to sustain when face-to-face interactions are limited. The Retinoblastoma Research and You! booklet, co-developed by patients, researchers and health professionals, serves as a guide for patient engagement in research while retaining an element of personalization. The Retinoblastoma Research and You! booklet was developed through two virtual workshops to iterate and finalize the booklet design and content. The booklet outlines how individual patients' lived experiences and skills can influence retinoblastoma research and highlights real-world examples of patient-partnered research activities at different stages of the research process.


The primary goal of the present study was to describe the range, types, and quality (in terms of exposure to aggressive peers) of social activity settings in which young children typically have contact with peers. We also examined whether participation in these settings varied as a function of child sex and age, and family demographic characteristics. Subjects were 277 preschoolaged children. On the basis of detailed accounts of their mothers, activity setting measures were derived separately for ages 2-4 years (era 1) and ages 4-5 years (era 2). Each of seven activity settings (e.g. neighbourhood, day care, organised playgroups) was rated for frequency of participation and frequency of exposure to aggressive peers. Children had the greatest amount of peer contact and were exposed to aggressive peers most often in the neighbourhood setting. In contrast, children participated least frequently in structured playgroup settings, and these settings were least likely to contain aggressive peers. Children from lower SES and single-parent families were more likely to be involved in settings (especially neighbourhoods) containing aggressive peers. These findings suggest that one mechanism through which risk for behaviour problems among children in lower SES and single-parent families may operate is increased exposure to activity settings in which aggression occurs regularly.


In the course of less than forty  years, the Spanish political and cultural scenario has changed drastically, particularly in relation to civil rights. Social movements, especially feminist and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) organizations, have been successful in putting demands on the political agenda that have translated into gender equality, same-sex and transgender laws. Looking at definitions of equality, this article explores the implications of some postmodern theories that promote the analysis of political intersectionality for some of the recent laws that are presented as progressive and transformative in Spanish policy making. The analysis will explore two case studies:  samesex marriage and equality policy law texts, discussing the conception of intersectionality and equality. In addition, the definition of the feminist political strategy in which these policies are framed is addressed. Both case studies show that the policies are conceptualized within a liberal and assimilationist framework, since neither the male norm nor the sexual order is profoundly questioned.


Metabolism is controlled by a complex system of transcriptional events and posttranslational modifications stimulated by substrate and metabolite availability. It is becoming clear that neurodegenerative diseases are a symptom of a deficiency in the regulation or execution of metabolic reactions. Mitochondria, as the central organelles in metabolic regulation as well as the chief generators of reactive species, clearly have a role to play in the etiology of neurodegenerative conditions. We are developing antibody‐based capture arrays to determine multiple parameters of key mitochondrial proteins. Parameters include enzyme activity, quantity, oxidative modification (including nitrative and oxidative stress), and regulation (phosphorylation and acetylation). At this time the core of this array focuses on the enzymes of oxidative phosphorylation. We continue to expand this array as antibodies for enzyme isolation and modification detection become available. Here we demonstrate the use of this array by analyzing the proteomic differences in oxidative phosphorylation enzymes between human heart and liver tissues, cells grown in media promoting aerobic versus anaerobic metabolism, and the catalytic/proteomic effects of mitochondria exposed to oxidative stress.


This paper describes a complete end-to-end Doppler centroid estimation scheme, which determines the fractional PRF part of the Doppler centroid. It also resolves the Doppler ambi- guity. Experiments show that the scheme works successfully over various terrain types, including land, water, and ice, and that it requires only a modest amount of SAR data to perform reliably. The proposed scheme has an added advantage that it is directly applicable to RADARSAT and ENVISAT ScanSAR data. The scheme uses two complementary Doppler estimation al- gorithms, both utilizing the phase information embedded in the radar signal. In each algorithm, upper and lower parts of the available bandwidth of the received signal are extracted to form two range looks. The first algorithm, called multilook cross correlation (MLCC), computes the average cross correlation coefficient between adjacent azimuth samples for each of the two looks and then takes the difference between the angles of the two coefficients. The Doppler ambiguity is determined from the angle difference. The fractional pulse repetition frequency (PRF) part is also determined from the cross correlation coefficients. In the second algorithm, called multilook beat frequency (MLBF), the two looks are multiplied together to generate a beat signal. The beat frequency is then estimated and the Doppler ambiguity determined from the beat frequency. The MLCC algorithm performs better with low contrast scenes while the MLBF works better with high contrast ones. Although each algorithm works well on its own with sufficient averaging, it is also possible to use quality measures to select the best result from either algorithm. In this way, scenes of different content or contrast can be handled reliably. This paper presents the analysis of the two algorithms, explaining why their performance is affected by scene contrast, which is confirmed by experimental results with ERS-1 and JERS-1 data.


Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are bone marrow-derived cells, contributing to endothelial cell regeneration of injured vessels as well as neovascularization of ischemic lesions. EPC levels and function are inversely correlated with cardiovascular risk factors, can predict the occurrence of adverse events and atherosclerotic disease progression. Ischemia and inflammation are the primary triggers for EPC mobilization and homing, however, vascular trauma, as it occurs during surgical procedures, has been demonstrated to stimulate EPC mobilization even in absence of tissue ischemia. The effect of angioplasty on EPCs is not well defined, mainly because of the different and sometimes contrasting clinical results, due to low numbers of patients enrolled and to lack of standardization in evaluating EPCs. Aim of this review is to report recent results on the effect of EPC mobilization and homing after angioplasty, attempting to summarize them in a comprehensive model. The effect on EPCs of different kind of stents and the potential use of new stents able to attract EPCs will be also described. Results obtained in patients undergoing angioplasty in different vascular districts (coronary, peripheral and carotid) will be shown, together with the correlation between circulating progenitor cells and restenosis.


This paper develops an extreme learning machine for solving linear partial differential equations (PDEs) by extending the normal equations approach for linear regression. The normal equations method is typically used when the amount of available data is small. In PDEs, the only available ground truths are the boundary and initial conditions (BC and IC). We use the physics-based cost function use in state-of-the-art deep neural network-based PDE solvers called physics-informed neural network (PINN) to compensate for the small data. However, unlike PINN, we derive the normal equations for PDEs and directly solve them to compute the network parameters. We demonstrate our method's feasibility and efficiency by solving several problems like function approximation, solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs), and steady and unsteady PDEs on regular and complicated geometries. We also highlight our method's limitation in capturing sharp gradients and propose its domain distributed version to overcome this issue. We show that this approach is much faster than traditional gradient descent-based approaches and offers an alternative to conventional numerical methods in solving PDEs in complicated geometries.


This article provides a counterpoint to analyses of contemporary sport culture that falsely polarize the global and the local, in a manner that tends to privilege, and indeed romanticize, expressions of the sporting local. Rather than treating them as mutually exclusive categories, this discussion seeks to further the understanding of the constitutive interdependence linking the (sporting) global and the (sporting) local. In looking to further the understanding of the contemporary sporting landscape, we offer an alternative approach that reinscribes the influence of the global in shaping structures, practices, and experiences of the sporting local. The processual and empirical continuum through which we conceptualize globalization is bounded by grobalization (the imperialistic ambitions of nations, corporations, organizations, and the like and their desire, indeed need, to impose themselves on various geographic areas) and glocalization (the interpenetration of the global and the local, resulting in unique outcomes in different geographic areas): the grobal and the glocal. We discuss four sport scenarios, and illustrate the manner in which they exhibit – in varying inflections and to varying intensities – the necessary, but never guaranteed, interpenetrative relationship between the grobal and the glocal. This is achieved by both problematizing the very possibility of the sporting local within conditions of intensive and extensive globalization (leading to the concept of the glocal), and simultaneously explicating the importance of the global (through the concept of the grobal) to the structure and experience of everyday sport cultures.


The curcuminoids are a group of diarylheptanoid molecules that possess important pharmacological activities, particularly acting as anti-inflammatory agents. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the fragmentation behavior of the three major curcuminoids in ion trap liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Both positive and negative mode electrospray ionization in tandem and multidimensional MS(n) experiments in quadrupole ion trap instruments and high-resolution and accurate mass MS and sustained off-resonance irradiation (SORI) MS/MS experiments in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer were used to elucidate the main fragmentation channels of these compounds. These experiments yielded essentially the same fragmentation results in both ion trap and ICR instruments for all three curcuminoids and for their phenolic monoacetates. Major and diagnostic fragment ions were identified and their origins are proposed.


"Dumbing Down Our Kids" is a searing indictment of America's secondary schools-one that every parent and teacher should read. "Dumbing Down Our Kids "offers a full-scale investigation of the new educational fad, sometimes called "Outcome Based Education" -the latest in a long series of "reforms" that has eroded our schools. -Why our kids rank to, or at the bottom of international tests in math and science -Why "self-esteem" has supplanted grades and genuine achievements -How the educational establishment lowers standards and quality in our schools-while continuing to raise their budgets and our school taxes -The dumbing down of the curriculum so everyone can pass-but no one excel -How parents, students, and teachers can evaluate schools and restore quality learning


As part of the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference, "Shared Decision Making in the Emergency Department: Development of a Policy-relevant Patient-centered Research Agenda," a panel of representatives from the Office of Emergency Care Research, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the American Heart Association, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the Emergency Care Coordination Center were assembled to discuss funding opportunities for future research in this field. This article summarizes their discussion of funding priorities and examples of successfully funded projects related to shared decision making in emergency medicine.


Details are given of an instrument capable of measuring large and small optical phase differences between the components of an elliptically polarized radiation. The lowest limit is between 10−4 and 10−5 2π. The compensator consists of an accurate quarter-wave plate (Senarmont compensator) for the wavelength used (5461A) and a Nakamura half-shadow device. The quarter-wave plate, suitably orientated, reduces the elliptically polarized light to a linearly polarized vibration, the azimuth of which is simply related to the phase difference. The azimuth is determined with a Glan-Thompson polarizing prism. The full theory is given with special reference to possible sources of error. These are calculated for a series of values. An expression for the half-shadow sensitivity is found. The method of use and of construction are fully described. The instrument is particularly suitable for the measurement of streaming double refraction.


In an effort to adapt to changes in its environment, the IMF has over the years adjusted its lending framework. Lending facilities have been created, abolished or modified, according to changing global circumstances. Nevertheless, these adaptations have often been made on an ad hoc basis. The article examines the current structure of IMF lending facilities and the policies governing them. It illustrates how some of the Fund's lending facilities may have lost their relevance, that gaps could be perceived in the current lending framework and why the framework seems fragmented and overly complex. These issues can affect the credibility of the Fund's lending framework and hence the perceived legitimacy of the institution. In order to address these issues, a comprehensive review of the IMF lending framework is direly needed. In fact, the Fund is currently reviewing its lending instruments and access policies in the context of its ongoing overall strategic review. This article seeks to provide an input into this process and, within this context, suggests three options for modernising the Fund's lending framework. Under the first option, the spirit of the current multi-facility framework would be maintained, with a different facility for each type of financing need. In order to make this new multi-facility framework less complex and more internally consistent than the current set-up, a number of modifications are put forward to the policies governing it. A second option would involve the most far-reaching adjustment of the Fund's lending framework, as it would replace the whole arsenal of IMF facilities with a single, flexible, SBA-type facility. Such a system is appealing for its simplicity, transparency and because it avoids the problem of having to analyse ex ante the type and expected duration of a member's balance of payments needs. On the other hand, in order to be workable and to ensure uniformity of treatment, each lending decision would need to be based on clear rules and with due regard to precedents and the merits and requirements of each case. As an intermediary solution, the third option suggests replacing the current lending framework with a dual framework. Such a structure would comprise two facilities ; one facility for short- and one for medium- to longterm access or, alternatively, one facility for normal access and one for exceptional access to IMF resources.


Representatives of Fallopia sect. Reynoutria (knotweeds) belong to the most aggressive invasive plants in Europe. Despite their significant role in biological invasions and the major interest devoted to them by botanists and environmentalists, the identification of the members of this group is still very difficult and often mistaken. We studied the distribution of this group in the northwestern part of the Krivánska Malá Fatra Mountains (northwestern Slovakia). Forty-three Fallopia sect. Reynoutria stands (53 stems, 106 leaves) were used in flow cytometry and multivariate morphometrics to evaluate their genome size and morphological variation. Our research revealed that the group in the study area includes three knotweed taxa and that each of them is represented by only one cytotype: hexaploid (2n = 6x ~ 66) in F. ×bohemica (23 stands), octoploid (2n = 8x ~ 88) in F. japonica var. japonica (18 stands) and tetraploid (2n = 4x ~ 44) in F. sachalinensis (2 stands). Morphometrics of 23 leaf characters revealed that the most reliable distinguishing character of Fallopia sect. Reynoutria taxa is leaf indumentum. Analyses showed that F. ×bohemica is much more similar in leaf morphology to F. japonica var. japonica than to F. sachalinensis, thus explaining the fact that F. ×bohemica is, in both Slovakia and Europe, very often confused with F. japonica var. japonica, whose presence outside cultivation is overestimated. Compared to the other two knotweed taxa, occurrences of F. japonica var. japonica in the study area were situated mainly along watercourses, due to its exclusively vegetative propagation.


The adsorption of a series of atoms and small molecules and radicals (H, C, N, O, NH, OH, H2O, CH3, and NH3) on hexagonal crystalline and amorphous ice clusters were obtained via classical molecular dynamics and electronic structure methods. The geometry and binding energies were calculated using a QMHigh:QMLow hybrid method on model clusters. Several combination of basis sets, density functionals and semi-empirical methods were compared and tested against previous works. More accurate binding energies were also refined via single point Coupled Cluster calculations. Most species, except carbon atom, physisorb on the surface, leading to rather small binding energies. The carbon atom forms a COH2 molecule and in some cases leads to the formation of a COH-H3O+ complex. Amorphous ices are characterized by slightly stronger binding energies than the crystalline phase. A major result of this work is to also access the dispersion of the binding energies since a variety of adsorption sites is explored. The interaction energies thus obtained may serve to feed or refine astrochemical models. The present methodology could be easily extended to other types of surfaces and larger adsorbates.


The mode of action of trichloroethylene on electrical properties of squid giant axons has been studied by means of voltage clamp techniques. Trichloroethylene decreased the resting membrane potential in a manner dependent upon the concentration, the depolarization by 50% saturated trichloroethylene attaining 28.4 and 32.7% of the initial value at 20 and 10 degrees C, respectively. Leakage conductance was decreased to 34.6% of the control by 30% saturated trichloroethylene at 10-12 degrees C. It appears that the trichloroethylene-induced depolarization is at least in part due to a decrease in resting potassium permeability. Both peak transient and steady-state conductance increases were suppressec by trichloroethylene, and the curve relating the steady-state conductance to the membrane potential was shifted in the depolarizing direction while the peak transient conductance curve was not appreciably shifted. The reversal potential for the peak transient current was greatly shifted by trichloroethylene in the direction of hyperpolarization in a manner dependent on the concentration, the maximum shift amounting to 25 mV at 10 degrees C. This effect was less pronounced at 20 degrees C. The shift in the reversal potential is mostly due to a decrease in selectivity of the peak transient channel and partly due to an accumulation of sodium ions inside. Analyes of dose-response relation in suppressing peak transient and steady-state conductances show that trichloroethylene interacts with receptor on a one-to-one stoichiometric basis. Steady-state sodium inactivation curve was shifted by trichloroethylene in the direction of hyperpolarization. All of these effects were partially reversed after washing the axon with anesthetic-free media. The accumulation of sodium ions inside would be much more pronounced in small nerve fibers in the brain than in giant axon and, together with the observed decrease in the selectivity of peak transient channels, would play a significant role in general anesthesia.


In this study, we tried to screen the Bacillus strain having safety probability by isolation of strains from traditional fermented food, measurement of probiotic properties, and the fermentative characteristics of Cheonggukjang. We isolated 400 Bacillus-like isolates from traditional fermented foods. Selected strains examined on the prevalent characteristic such as extracellular enzyme and antibacterial activities, and their safety probability was confirmed by biogenic amine productivity, hemolytic, and harmful substances and enzyme productivity. We selected the 5 strains by analysis of biogenic amine, antibacterial and B. cereus toxic associated gene. Five selected strains were examined on cell surface hydrophobicity, and bile and acid tolerance, and we selected the SRCM100730 as the final strain. SRCM100730 was confirmed B. amyloliquefaciens by 16S rRNA sequencing, and named the B. amyloloquefaciens SRCM100730 (KCCM11966P). Finally, we manufactured Cheonggukjang using SRCM100730 for confirmation of fermentation properties. Manufactured Cheonggukjang did not contain B. cereus, and showed that γ-PGA and extracellular enzyme activities were superior to commercial Chunggukjang. Amino nitrogen content was 544.02 mg% and 26 free amino acid were detected, and the bitterness-related amino acid content was lower than commercial Cheonggukjang. Especially, the amount of GABA was 3 fold higher than commercial Cheonggukjang. These results suggest that SRCM100730 have high availability in commercial probiotics market and fermented food industry.


The palladium-catalyzed oxidative C–H olefinations of uridine, deoxyuridine, uridine monophosphate and uridine analogues are reported herein. This protocol provides an efficient, atom-economic and environmentally friendly approach to the synthesis of biologically important C5-alkene modified uracil/uridine-containing derivatives and pharmaceutical candidates.


The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided a mechanism for expanded coverage of selected promising technologies under its "coverage with evidence development (CED)" policy. The National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) was designed to address the CED requirements for collection of clinical and demographic data to allow for CMS coverage of PET for previously noncovered cancer types and indications. The NOPR opened in May 2006. This report reviews the NOPR's data collection and analysis plan. Methods: NOPR is a nationwide prospective internet-based registry. All PET facilities that are participating providers in the Medicare program may enroll in NOPR. The PET facility is responsible for collecting and entering patient data into the NOPR database through a Web application at http://www.cancerPETregistry.org/. Data are collected from the requesting physician on Pre-PET and Post-PET forms. The primary research goal is to assess the effect of PET on referring physicians' plans of intended patient management across the spectrum of expanded cancer indications (diagnosis, staging, restaging, suspected recurrence, and treatment monitoring). The NOPR investigators will have access to data only on cases in which both the patient and the referring physician have consented to allow their data to be used for research. Data will be analyzed and compared in aggregate for all cancers by category (e.g., staging) and then for specific high-impact types and indications (e.g., staging of pancreatic cancer) when 200 patients have been accrued to a specific combination or after the NOPR has been operational for 1 y. Conclusion: The NOPR will allow an accurate assessment of the impact of PET on intended patient management across a wide spectrum of cancer indications.


Drugs for asthma and other chronic obstructive diseases of the lungs should be preferably delivered by the inhalation route to match therapeutic effects with low systemic exposure. Inhaled drugs are delivered to the lungs via different devices, mainly metered dose inhalers and dry powder inhalers, each characterized by specific inhaler technique and instructions for use. The patient–device interaction is part of the prescribed therapy and can have a relevant impact on adherence and clinical outcomes. The most suitable device should be considered for each patient to assure the correct drug intake and adherence to the prescribed therapy. The development of new drugs/devices in the past decades improved the compliance with inhaler and possibly drug delivery to the bronchi. The present review focuses on the recently developed beclomethasone/formoterol extrafine fixed combination and technical aspects of drug delivery to the lungs in patient's perspective.


In this study, various techniques, such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and spectrophotometry, were used to analyze the properties of nanometric CdS particles synthesized with varying precursor concentrations. EDX analysis revealed the nonstoichiometric composition manifested by an increase in the Cd/S ratio from 1.02 up to 1.43 with increasing precursor concentration. The growth of lattice parameters and unit cell volume accompanying preferential crystallization of the hexagonal phase along with an increasing Cd/S ratio was confirmed by XRD analysis. This indicated the presence of interstitial cadmium in nonstoichiometric Cd1+xS. The formation of shallow Cdi donor levels below the bottom edge of the conduction band impacts the bang-gap energy; a decrease from 2.56 to 2.21 eV along with increasing nonstoichiometry was observed. This is accompanied by a widening of the range of absorption of light, which creates conditions that can lead to an increase in the efficiency of redox reactions in photochemical processes.


Real insulation systems are often heterogeneous and sometimes non-linear. In this paper we discuss the application of dielectric frequency response methods to a number of such practically important systems. Important examples of composite insulation systems are the oil/cellulose insulation of power transformers and the glass-mica-epoxy system of machine insulation. A few examples of non-linear effects and their implication for dielectric response analysis are discussed. These include narrow liquid ducts in transformer insulation, exhibiting a voltage dependent conductivity, polymer cables with water trees exhibiting non-linear behaviour that is the basis for diagnosis. The relation between partial discharges and dielectric response is elucidated and finally the special problems of measuring non-linear field grading material is discussed.


K.ReCI. (IV), after precipitation from solutions of HCI'' with nitron, contained no significant radioactivity. Cs.ReOCI, (V), insoluble in HCl, after suspension in methanol containing HCl" and filtration was radioactive. An x-ray diffraction determination of the Cs2ReOCI. unit cell parameters and a microscopic estimation of the surface of the samples made possible the calculation of 83 % exchange of the surface chlorine atoms. Results agree with the generalization that octohedral complexes with no vacant d orbitals are inert, whereas those with at least one vacant d orbital are labile. Cs,ReOCl, is a yellow-brown crystalline solid, insoluble in dilute HCI. X-ray diffraction determination gave hexagonal unit cell parameters of a =7.04A 0 and C=10.9A 0 • The application of isotopic tracers has been fruitful in g1vmg information of the liability of coordination compounds ( 1) . Taube (2) classified octohedral complexes with vacant d orbitals as labile and those with no vacant d orbitals as inert. By placing the complex in an environment with radioactive atoms common to those in ligands, a measure of the liability then would be how rapidly the percent of exchange approaches that of equilibrium. Potassium hexachlororhenate (IV) has no vacant d orbitals in its electron structure: 5d1 5d1 5d1 (5d2 6s1 6p3 ), therefore should be inert. The hexachlororheinate (IV)-chloride exchange system was first investigated by Jexowska, Trzebiatowska et al (3) who concluded that the exchange reaction, if any, is extremely small. Rhenium (V) has one vacant d orbital and should be labile: 5d1 5d1 5d0 (5d2 6s1 6p3 ). Preliminary experiments revealed that K 2Re0Cl5 is difficult to prepare and maintain without disproportionation. Pietsch and Erich ( 4) found that K 2re0Cl5 rapidly changes to K 4 (Re20Cl10). Preliminary experiments revealed that the cesium salt, however, is stable probably because of its insolubility in dilute HCI. For this reason the cesium salt was used for the Re (V) compound. Since K 2ReCl6 is soluble, the exchange experiment could be carried out in radioactive chlorine tagged solution. However, since Cs2Re0Cl5 is insoluble, a measure of the exchange with the estimated number of chlorine atoms on the surface was made. This involved a determination of the unit cell parameters, and a measurement of the surface of the samples used in the exchange experiment. Other studies of exchanges on surfaces of insoluble substances have been ' Chemistry Department, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. 119 1 Woods et al.: Comparison of Chlorine-36 Exchange With K2ReCl6 and Cs2 ReOCl5 Published by UNI ScholarWorks, 1969 120 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE [Vol. 76 done. For example, Sweitzer and Whiting ( 5) studied the exchange of radioactive silver in solution with insoluble silver chloride. PREPARATION OF COMPOUNDS AND ANALYSIS K2ReCla The K2ReCl~ was prepared by a standard method (6). AU. V. spectrum of the preparation matched the spectrum of standard K~ReCl6 in dilute HCI solution. Cs2 Re0Cl5 Preparation: A modified method by Colton (7) was used to prepare Cs2ReCl5 • Approximately 1 g of ReCl5 was dissolved in 40 ml. concentrated HCI. The solution turned dark green, then brown-orange. A stream of oxygen was bubbled through the solution and solid CsCI was added. A dull-yellow precipitate formed which was washed with concentrated HCl until washings were colorless. After final washes with ethanol and ether the solid product was dried in a desiccator over calcium chloride. Because ReC15 reacts with water vapour it was handled in a glove bag filled with nitrogen. Analysis of Cs2Re0Cl5 : The yellow product reduced mercuric chloride and oxidized iodide. A quantitative spectrophotometric analysis of two weighed samples produced the expected concentration of ReO~ and Re02 when disproportionation occurred according to the following: 3 Rev -7 2Re1v + ReVII (I) Table 1 gives results of the analysis. Table 1. Spectophotometric Analysis of the Disproportionation of . the Cs2ReOCl, Sample 1 2 Wavelength, m 'TT 238 252 Extinction coefficient from a standard curve 3.23 x 10' 1.58 x 10' Concentration of (ReO,)calculated on application of the Beer-Lambert Law 1.98 X 10-•M 2.15 X 10-•M Projected concentration of Cs.ReOCI, 5.94 X 10-•M 6.45 X 10-•M Concentration of Cs,ReOCl, if sample was identical to this compound 6.02 X 10-'M 6.64 X 10_.M Per cent deviation between experimental and theoretical concentration values 2% 3% 2 Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol. 76 [1969], No. 1, Art. 18 http://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol76/iss1/18 1969] CHLORINE-36 EXCHANGE 121 L\'.--ray diffraction determination of unit cell parameters: An x-ray powder diffraction pattern of the Cs2Re0Cl 5 was carried out using a Debye-Sherrer camera of 114.6 mm. diameter with a filtered copper source ( ;\, = 1.542 A 0 ) and ten hours exposure time. The diffraction data was treated by a method described by Cullity (8). Data for indexing the Cs2Re0Cl5 is shown in Table 2. Table 2. X-ray Diffraction Data for Indexing the Cs2ReOCI,


A term newborn infant developed hypovolaemic shock shortly after birth. She was pale with gross hepatomegaly. She required multiple boluses of intravenous fluids, blood products as well as inotropic support. Blood investigations showed persistent thrombocytopenia, anaemia and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). She also developed heart failure. She finally succumbed on the eleventh day of life. Autopsy revealed haemangiomatosis involving the liver, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and adrenals.


: The application of madder and indigo plant dyes with various concentrations on five different cellulose blend samples, hansanmoshi/cotton, tencel/cotton, cotton, deodor-izing processed cotton yarn, bamboo yarn, resulted in various strengths of color, which is useful for versatile towel design. For madder and indigo dyes, 80 o C and 40 o C were respec-tively the optimum dyeing temperatures, and 20 min of dyeing time was sufficient to achieve reasonable color strength. Both hansanmoshi-blend towel and tencel-blend towel dyed with natural madder and indigo showed excellent fastness properties: the rated washing fastness, rub fastness, light fastness, and perspiration fastness were 3 − 4, 4 − 5, 4, and 4 − 5, respectively. Those towels exhibited excellent functionality such as 99.8% deodorization effect and 94% antimicrobial activity with no detectable formaldehyde in an assay.


Spatial resolution is one of the main characteristics of electronic imaging devices such as the digital still-picture camera. It describes the capability of a device to resolve the spatial details of an image formed by the incoming optical information. The overall resolving capability is of great interest although there are various factors, contributed by camera components and signal processing algorithms, affecting the spatial resolution. The spatial frequency response (SFR), analogous to the MTF of an optical imaging system, is one of the four measurements for analysis of spatial resolution defined in ISO/FDIS 12233, and it provides a complete profile of the spatial response of digital still-picture cameras. In that document, a test chart is employed to estimate the spatial resolving capability. The calculations of SFR were conducted by using the slanted edge method in which a scene with a black-to- white or white-to-black edge tilted at a specified angle is captured. An algorithm is used to find the line spread function as well as the SFR. We will present a modified algorithm in which no prior information of the angle of the tilted black-to-white edge is needed. The tilted angle was estimated by assuming that a region around the center of the transition between black and white regions is linear. At a tilted angle of 8 degree the minimum estimation error is about 3%. The advantages of the modified slanted edge method are high accuracy, flexible use, and low cost.


ABSTRACT Throughout the world in 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic caused wide-spread infections, realignments of medical priorities, pervasive shortages and rationing of medical care, increases in the hidden components of morbidity icebergs, and substantial mortality. It also caused two types of international disequilibrium: 'excess supply' in the macroeconomic sphere generated by lockdowns and 'excess demand (shortage)' in critical product markets (e.g., personal protective equipment). Although the simultaneous and global nature of these phenomena and problems in 2020 were unusual, many of them have been evident in national medical systems over the past decade. The key questions addressed in this article are: (1) What are the relationships between economic systems, government priorities, shortages in health services, and compensatory policies? and (2) How did resource constraints, priority shifts, shortages, bottlenecks in production, and rationing during 2000–2019 influence the initial conditions of medical systems in the UK and Russia in 2020 when confronting Covid-19 epidemics?


The results are given of an analysis of the stability of the travelling-wave regime in a ring laser model that takes account of the real structure of the gain profile of neodymium-doped yttrium aluminate garnet. A travelling-wave steady state of the system is found by considering such system parameters as the linear coupling of counterpropagating waves at microinhomogeneities of optical components, the amplitude and phase nonreciprocities of the cavity, and the detuning of the lasing frequency from the centres of both gain profiles. An explanation is given of the change in the resonance peaks in the spectrum of fluctuations of the intensity of the radiation emitted by a solid-state ring laser due to reversal of the sign of the phase nonreciprocity, observed experimentally earlier.


This paper is to investigate the power system operation strategy for an electrified mass rapid transit ( MRT ) network to enhance the loading factors of main transformers. The train motion equation has been applied to find the mechanical power demand profiles of the train set according to various operation modes by considering operation resistance. The DC load flow analysis is executed to derive the electric power loading of each traction substation and the AC load flow analysis is then performed to solve the dynamic loading behavior of main transformers for each time snapshot. To improve the loading factors of main transformers, the proper strategy of unit commitment and load transfer by switching operation are determined for the MRT operation during the peak and off peak periods. The Taipei MRT network is selected for computer simulation to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. It is found that the loading factors of main transformers can be improved dramatically and the load balance among the transformers can be obtained by the proposed methodology.


It has been suggested that one risk factor in the development of hypertension and vascular disease may be abnormal copper and zinc metabolism. In the current study we tested the hypothesis that hypertension itself may result in alterations in the metabolism of these essential elements. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed diets containing 0.4 or 8.0% NaCl for 32 days. At the conclusion of the study, blood pressure was significantly higher in the rats fed a high NaCl diet than in controls. Liver, kidney, and heart copper concentrations were significantly lower in the rats fed a high NaCl diet compared with controls, while plasma copper levels were higher. In contrast, tissue zinc levels were higher in the rats fed a high NaCl diet than in controls, while plasma zinc levels were lower. It is hypothesized that alterations in copper and zinc metabolism may be one factor underlying tissue damage in these animals.


ABSTRACT Operating hydraulic turbines over an extended range of discharge values requires an optimized runner that minimizes the weighted-average draft tube losses. It is shown that the draft tube losses can be minimized before actually designing the (new or refurbished) runner blades by optimizing the runner outlet flow. For this, a new runner surrogate model is introduced, where the relative flow angle is expressed via the so-called swirl-free velocity profile (represented with two parameters). Given a swirl-free velocity profile, as well as a turbine discharge value, the model provides swirling flow profiles consistent with the hydraulic turbine operation. With this swirling flow as inlet condition, the draft tube flow computation provides the relationship between the swirl-free velocity parameters and the hydraulic loss. It is shown that this approach can be used for optimizing the runner for a range of turbine operating regimes.


Introduction: São Paulo city in Brazil has implemented social and health care for homeless people with pulmonary tuberculosis since 2007. We conducted a health technology assessment (HTA) of the interventions provided based on a national theoretical model using 2015 data and an overview of systematic reviews. The HTA was requested by national policymakers. The results demonstrated that the interventions for pulmonary tuberculosis were satisfactory. The municipal secretariat implemented actions to improve the national treatment recommendations and adopted incentives to increase adherence to treatments. Our objective was to describe the feedback process for the Health Secretariat. Methods: The feedback was categorized as: (i) an executive abstract with key messages (i.e. ninety-seven percent of notified cases underwent sputum smears, nineteen percent were hospitalized, and fifty-nine percent were cured) reported to policymakers involved in the surveillance program; and (ii) three meetings were organized jointly by the research group and local policymakers. Results: In 2016 we conducted a meeting to present the results. Thirty-nine professionals involved in the primary care team working on the streets (thirty-five percent) and the Tuberculosis Surveillance and Control Program (five percent) were present. The main barriers presented by the professionals were issues of human resources (i.e. suboptimal professional staff and having two different social organizations responsible for health care). The main facilitators presented by professionals were: (i) using homeless-peers as healthcare workers; (ii) having a network linking the primary care and surveillance programs; and (iii) periodic training. Conclusions: In addition to the positive results, the HTA presented an opportunity to discuss the sustainability of incentives for adhering to treatments adopted by the policymakers, such as meal allowances and housing support, to improve social conditions among the homeless.


Most companies around the world are family-controlled and/or closely held. The need to value these companies routinely arises in practice for a variety of reasons, e.g ., to buy out minority shareholders; for gift and estate tax purposes; to tie executive compensation to firm performance; to raise outside capital; or to sell the company outright. However, these companies present certain unique characteristics that can make standard valuation methods inappropriate for them.


Background To evaluate the association between the isolated single umbilical artery (iSUA) and perinatal outcomes, including pregnancy outcomes and perinatal complications. Material/Methods We performed a meta-analysis of 15 eligible studies regarding the relationship between the iSUA and perinatal outcomes, including gestational age at delivery, nuchal cord, placental weight, small for gestational age (SGA), oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios, pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preeclampsia, and perinatal mortality. The overall odds ratios (OR) or standardized mean difference (SMD) were calculated. Results The occurrence of nuchal cord was not found to be different between an iSUA and a three-vessel cord (TVC) fetus. For perinatal complications, the SGA, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios, GDM, and perinatal mortality showed dramatic difference between women with an iSUA and women with a TVC fetus, which implied that the presence of iSUA significantly increased the risk of perinatal complications. For other perinatal complications, such as PIH and preeclampsia, no significant association was detected. Conclusions Our meta-analysis suggests that the presence of iSUA would increase the risk of perinatal complications such as SGA, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios, GDM, and perinatal mortality. Therefore, pregnant women with an iSUA fetus have poorer perinatal outcomes and more attention should be given to the management of their pregnancy compared to women with a TVC fetus.


We develop an importance sampling (IS) algorithm to estimate the lower tail of the distribution of returns for a discretely rebalanced portfolio—one in which portfolio weights are reset at regular intervals. We use a more tractable continuously rebalanced portfolio to design the IS estimator. We analyze a limiting regime based on estimating probabilities farther in the tail while letting the rebalancing frequency increase. We show that the estimator is asymptotically efficient for this sequence of problems; its relative error grows in proportion to the fourth root of the number of rebalancing dates.


Much has been written about the shortcomings of the traditional approach to asset allocation. Traditional asset allocation policies can be characterized by relatively static asset allocation and by diversification across asset class building blocks. Exactly how risk factors should be included in the portfolio construction process is still a nascent area of research and is fiercely debated among practitioners. Although numerous research papers explore this topic, they tend to be theoretical, and for this reason, this article has a stronger focus on the practical aspects of implementation. Rather than provide definitive answers here, the authors aim to share their reflections on this topic, following feedback from practitioners and discussions that took place in client roundtable events organized by S&P Dow Jones Indices to promote dialogue with industry experts.


Structured prediction plays a central role in machine learning applications from computational biology to computer vision. These models require significantly more computation than unstructured models, and, in many applications, algorithms may need to make predictions within a computational budget or in an anytime fashion. In this work we propose an anytime technique for learning structured prediction that, at training time, incorporates both structural elements and feature computation trade-offs that affect test-time inference. We apply our technique to the challenging problem of scene understanding in computer vision and demonstrate efficient and anytime predictions that gradually improve towards state-of-the-art classification performance as the allotted time increases.


We compute the expansion of the Catalan family of Lie idempotents introduced in [Menous et al., Adv. Applied Math. 51 (2013), 177-22] on the PBW basis of the Lie module. It is found that the coefficient of a tree depends only on its number of left and right internal edges. In particular, the Catalan idempotents belong to a preLie algebra based on naked binary trees, of which we identify several Lie and preLie subalgebras.


A simple formula for non-discriminatory insurance pricing is introduced. This formula is based on the assumption that certain individual (discriminatory) policyholder information is not allowed to be used for insurance pricing. The suggested procedure can be summarized as follows: First, we construct a price that is based on all available information, including discriminatory information. Thereafter, we average out the effect of discriminatory information. This averaging out is done such that discriminatory information can also not be inferred from the remaining non-discriminatory one, thus, neither allowing for direct nor for indirect discrimination.


High-resolution neutron counting sensors with mi crochannel plates coupled to a Timepix readout enable high spatial (~55 μm) and temporal (~1 μs) accuracy for each detected thermal and cold neutron. One of the attractive applications for those sensors is the high-resolution strain mapping in engineering samples through transmission Bragg edge diffraction. The unique combination of high detection efficiency (up to 70%), high spatial and temporal resolution of, detectors enable ~100 μm strain mapping with ~100 μstrain accuracy. We present the results of proof of principle measurements performed at ROTAX beamline at ISIS spallation neutron source. Strain map of a bent steel sample is measured with very high spatial resolution. The same sensors enable high-resolution nondestructive studies in such diverse areas as neutron microtomography, dynamics of fuel injection, material composition, archaeology, water propagation and many others.


Soil organic matter (SOM) fractions were determined using extraction-, incubation-, and density-based fractionation techniques on samples collected from a range of furrow-irrigated sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) based rotations on the same soil series on farmers' fields in Wyoming. We hypothesized that extending the period of time between sugar beet crops in rotations beyond the 2-yr sugar beet–barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) (SB-BA) rotation by adding perennial or annual legumes would lead to higher levels of surface-soil (0–15-cm) organic C and N. Four rotations were compared: SB-BA, sugar beet–dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (SB-DB), sugar beet–barley–dry bean (SB-BA-DB), and sugar beet–sugar beet–alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)–alfalfa (SB-SB-Alf-Alf). Soils under SB-BA and SB-DB rotations on average contained 607 g soil organic C (SOC) m⁻² in the upper 15 cm, or 46% of the SOC found within SB-BA-DB and SB-SB-Alf-Alf soils. Potentially mineralizable C and N and microbial biomass C (MBC) were lower in SB-BA and SB-DB soils than SB-BA-DB and SB-SB-Alf-Alf soils, but, when normalized by SOC and total soil N (TSN), these labile C and N fractions were >1.5 times higher in SB-BA and SB-DB soils, suggesting greater SOM mineralization. Moreover, light-fraction C in SB-BA and SB-DB soils was about half that of SB-SB-Alf-Alf soils. Sugar beet sucrose yield was also higher in the SB-SB-Alf-Alf than any other rotation. There were strong linear relationships (r² = 0.50–0.84) between sugar beet sucrose yield and TSN, SOC, and MBC across all four rotations. To conserve high surface-soil organic C and N fractions on furrow-irrigated farm fields without sacrificing sugar beet sucrose yield, extending the 2-yr SB-BA rotation by adding 2 yr of alfalfa is recommended.


Introduction Heterotopic pregnancies are rare. However, they are occurring with increasing frequency. Unfortunately, diagnosis is frequently delayed, with patients presenting in extremis. Case Report We present a case of a heterotopic pregnancy diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in a woman presenting with lower abdominal pain, who had a documented normal first trimester ultrasound the day prior to presentation. Discussion Given the increasing rates of heterotopic pregnancies, we can no longer be reassured by the presence of an intra-uterine pregnancy (IUP) in a patient with concerning signs and symptoms of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. A thorough POCUS evaluation of the uterus and adnexa is essential for the diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy in the emergency department. Conclusion This case highlights the value POCUS brings to the emergency department evaluation of patients in early pregnancy.


Deep learning models achieve state-of-the art results in predicting blood glucose trajectories, with a wide range of architectures being proposed. However, the adaptation of such models in clinical practice is slow, largely due to the lack of uncertainty quantification of provided predictions. In this work, we propose to model the future glucose trajectory conditioned on the past as an infinite mixture of basis distributions (i.e., Gaussian, Laplace, etc.). This change allows us to learn the uncertainty and predict more accurately in the cases when the trajectory has a heterogeneous or multi-modal distribution. To estimate the parameters of the predictive distribution, we utilize the Transformer architecture. We empirically demonstrate the superiority of our method over existing state-of-the-art techniques both in terms of accuracy and uncertainty on the synthetic and benchmark glucose data sets.


We report the synthesis of a low cytotoxic polycation that maintains its cationic strength for well over a few hours then degrades into a benign polymer with nontoxic byproducts. Well-defined poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl acrylate) (PDMAEA) of five different molecular weights prepared using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) "living" radical polymerization degrades slowly over 200 h (∼8 days). As this degradation is independent of both the polymer molecular weight and solution pH, it is consistent with a self-catalyzed hydrolysis process without the need for an internal or external degradation trigger. In addition, the polymer shows little or no cytotoxicity to HeLa cells for the molecular weights of 5600 and below, even at very high polymer concentrations (equivalent to a nitrogen/phosphorus ratio of 200). Therefore, at sufficiently low molecular weights this polymer has the essential attributes (i.e., ability to autodegradable and low toxicity) for a delivery carrier suitable for DNA or siRNA.


We set out to ascertain whether uterine carcinosarcoma represents: (a) a "collision tumor," i.e., a mixture of two histogenetically distinct malignant cell populations (endometrial carcinoma and sarcoma); (b) a "combination tumor" with both histological elements of common stem cell origin; or (c) a "composition tumor," i.e., an endometrial carcinoma with reactive, atypical stroma. In in vitro cultures of human uterine carcinosarcoma, we could separate two distinct, different cell types and succeeded in establishing adenocarcinoma cell lines (HWUA-1 and HWUA-2) and sarcoma cell lines (HWUS-1, HWUS-1a, and HWUS-2). These cell lines grew well for over 10 months. HWUS-1a was hypertetraploid, HWUA-1 and HWUA-2 were pseudodiploid, and HWUS-1 and HWUS-2 were hyperdiploid. These cell lines were transplanted into the subcutis of BALB/c nude mice and produced tumors. HWUA-1 and HWUA-2 cell produced poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, HWUS-1 and HWUS-2 produced poorly differentiated sarcoma, and HWUS-1a produced well-differentiated leiomyosarcoma. These results support the combination tumor theory and reject the composition tumor theory as the cause of carcinosarcoma.


This article is situated within the context of present discourse on reparations to Africa. It theoretically engages with one kind of the arguments for reparations to Africa for colonialism that have been made by political reparationists; namely the moral argument for reparations. The core of the moral argument is that colonialism developed the West and underdeveloped Africa, and for this Western nations have particular moral obligations to pay reparations. The article argues generally that political reparationists need to pay attention to the moral force with which the reparations argument is framed, and in particular that it would enhance and contribute to the overall pursuit of successful reparations claims if political reparationists endeavour to clearly articulate the normative framework


Within the next decade, computing technology will transform the Internet into the Interspace, an information infrastructure that supports semantic indexing and concept navigation across widely distributed community repositories. With the Interspace, the global information infrastructure will, for the first time, directly support interaction with abstraction. This infrastructure uses technologies that go beyond searching individual repositories to analyze and correlate knowledge across multiple sources and subjects. The Interspace will offer distributed services to transfer concepts across domains, just as Arpanet used distributed services to transfer files across machines and the Internet uses distributed services to transfer objects across repositories. The Community Architectures for Network Information Systems Laboratory has developed a working Interspace prototype that uses scalable technologies for concept extraction and navigation. They have successfully tested these technologies, which compute contextual frequency of document phrases within a community repository, on discipline-scale, real-world collections.


The modulation of enzymatic activities of Escherichia coli DnaB helicase by homologous and heterologous single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs) and its DNA substrates were analyzed. Although DnaB helicase can unwind a variety of DNA substrates possessing different fork-like structures, the rate of DNA unwinding was significantly diminished with substrates lacking a 3' fork. A 5 nt fork appeared to be adequate to attain the maximum rate of DNA unwinding. Efficient helicase action of DnaB requires the participation of SSBs. Studies involving heterologous SSBs demonstrated that they can stimulate the helicase activity of DnaB protein under certain conditions. However, this stimulation occurs in a manner distinctly different from that observed with cognate E.coli SSB. The E.coli SSB was found to stimulate the helicase activity over a wide range of SSB concentrations and was unique in its strong inhibition of single-stranded DNA-dependent ATPase activity when uncoupled from the DNA helicase activity. In the presence of a helicase substrate, the ATPase activity of DnaB helicase remained uninhibited. Thus, E.coli SSB appears to coordinate and couple the ATPase activity to the DNA helicase activity by suppressing unproductive ATP hydrolysis by DnaB helicase.


This article reviews the right to a fair trial under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights for litigants in person (LIPs). LIPs operate in a system that was not designed for them and so challenge the norm of fully represented parties that the system has evolved to expect, creating potential risks for their Article 6 rights. The jurisprudence on Article 6 reveals the centrality of effective participation as a requirement for fulfilling the right to a fair trial. The article views the jurisprudential interpretation against original and significant empirical research data on how LIPs participate in civil and family court processes. It applies a conceptual analysis of legal participation to consider what might constitute effective participation in court proceedings and, through the empirical evidence, categorizes the intellectual, practical, emotional, and attitudinal barriers that LIPs face in their legal proceedings, which can constitute risks to their rights under Article 6.


Recently, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become one of the latest application technologies in the aeromagnetic field. Furthermore, high-precision aeromagnetic gradient surveys need higher precision magnetometers, and higher dynamic measurement precision of UAVs. The problem of magnetic interference of UAVs must be solved to implement high-precision aeromagnetic surveys, as the switch mode power supply (SMPS) is one of the most important interference sources of UAVs. Through the analysis of electromagnetic interference (EMI) sources of UAVs and the working characteristics of optical pumping magnetometers, this paper intends to design and optimize the switching power supply circuit, reduce the generation of EMI, and improve the measurement precision of optical pumping magnetometers.


In spite of the reported probiotic effects, Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 (BGN4) showed no β- glucosidase activity and failed to biotransform isoflavone glucosides into the more bioactive aglycones during soy milk fermentation. To develop an isoflavone-biotransforming BGN4, we constructed the recombinant B. bifidum BGN4 strain (B919G) by cloning the structural β- glucosidase gene from B. lactis AD011 (AD011) using the expression vector with the constitutively active promoter 919 from BGN4. As a result, B919G highly expressed β- glucosidase and showed higher β-glucosidase activity and heat stability than the source strain of the β-glucosidase gene, AD011. The biotransformation of daidzin and genistin compounds using the crude enzyme extract from B919G was completed within 4 h, and the bioconversion of daidzin and genistin in soy milk during fermentation with B919G also occurred within 6 h, which was much faster and higher than with AD011. The incorporation of this β-glucosidaseproducing Bifidobacterium strain in soy milk could lead to the production of fermented soy milk with an elevated amount of bioavailable forms of isoflavones as well as to the indigenous probiotic effects of the Bifidobacterium strain.


The objective of this study was to evaluate haemorrheologic and fibrinolytic activities of seropositive hepatitis prospective donors attending University of Calabar Teaching Hospital bleeding bay. A total of one hundred and fifty eight (158) prospective donors participated in the study. Seventy-four (74) subjects were seropositive for hepatitis B, sixteen (16) for hepatitis C, while sixty eight (68) who were seronegative for hepatitis served as control. Packed cell volume (PCV) and relative plasma viscosity (RPV) were used to assess rheology, while euglobulin clot lysis time (ELT) was used to assess fibrinolytic activity. Age range of participants was between 23 - 48 years. Packed cell volume was performed on anticoagulated blood samples by microhaematocrit method; relative plasma viscosity was carried out using syringe viscometer, while euglobulin clot lysis time was performed on citrated plasma using acid precipitation method. There was a significant reduction (p 0.05) when the comparison on the basis of sub-type of hepatitis B and C was made. This study concludes that haemorrheologic and fibrinolytic activities are altered in infectious hepatitis. Keywords : Infectious hepatitis, rheology, fibrinolytic activity, blood


Karnal bunt is a fungal disease which infects wheat and, when present in wheat crops, yields it unsatisfactory for human consumption. Due to the fact that Karnal bunt (KB) is difficult to detect in the field, samples are taken to laboratories where technicians use microscopes and methodically search for KB teliospores. AlliedSignal Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (FM&T), working with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, created a system which utilizes pattern recognition, feature extraction, and neural networks to prototype an automated detection system for identifying KB teliospores. System hardware consists of a biological compound microscope, motorized stage, CCD camera, frame grabber, and a PC. Integration of the system hardware with custom software comprises the machine vision system. Fundamental processing steps involve capturing an image from the slide, while concurrently processing the previous image. Features extracted from the acquired imagery are then processed by a neural network classifier which has been trained to recognize "spore-like" objects. Images with "spore-like'' objects are reviewed by trained technicians. Benefits of this system include: (1) reduction of the overall cycle-time; (2) utilization of technicians for intelligent decision making (vs. manual searching); ( 3 ) a regulatory standard which is quantifiable and repeatable; (4) guaranteed 100% coverage of the cover slip; and (5) significantly enhanced detection accuracy.


Introduction: Composite tissue allotransplantation is a newly emerged field of transplantation. Shock wave technology has already been used in the treatment of urologic and orthopedic disorders. Recent studies demonstrated a suppression of the early proinflammatory immune response. Methods: 50 allogeneic hindlimb transplantations were performed on rats in 5 different groups. Group A (n = 10), (Lewis → Brown-Norway) received 500 impulses of extracorporeal shock wave. Groups B, C, D, and E served as control groups with group B (n = 10) receiving no immunosuppression, group C (n = 10) receiving FK506 and prednisolone, group D (n = 10) receiving no immunosuppression with isograft transplantations (Brown-Norway → Brown-Norway) and group E receiving 500 impulses of extracorporeal shock wave on the contralateral hindlimb. Results: Rejection of the allogeneic hindlimb occurred on average 7.12 days after transplantation in group A (extracorporeal shock wave). Rejection was significantly delayed compared to the control groups B (no immunosuppression) and E (contralateral hindlimb), where rejection of the allogeneic hindlimb occurred on average 5.49 and 5.6 days after transplantation (t test, P < .01). No rejection was seen in groups C and D. Conclusions: For the first time, shock waves have been applied in a composite tissue allotransplantation model and resulted in a significant immunosuppressive effect. These promising first results have showed that shock wave treatment is clinically relevant in composite tissue allotransplantation and justify subsequent research to improve the experimental and clinical outcome.


The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of gender, the influence of parents, student perceptions, labor market considerations, on career choice as a public accountant. This research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to accounting students for 3 universities in Batam. This research is primary research and uses the purposive sampling method as a sample distribution and obtained about 274 respondents for data processing using SPSS. The results of this study indicate that the variables of gender, parental influence, and the job market have no influence on career choice as a public accountant, while student perceptions have an influence on the career choice of a public accountant.


Detecting receptor dimerisation and other forms of clustering on the cell surface depends on methods capable of determining protein-protein separations with high resolution in the ∼10–50 nm range. However, this distance range poses a significant challenge because it is too large for fluorescence resonance energy transfer and contains distances too small for all other techniques capable of high-resolution in cells. Here we have adapted the technique of fluorophore localisation imaging with photobleaching to measure inter-receptor separations in the cellular environment. Using the epidermal growth factor receptor, a key cancer target molecule, we demonstrate ∼10 nm resolution while continuously covering the range of ∼10–80 nm. By labelling the receptor on cells expressing low receptor numbers with a fluorescent antagonist we have found inter-receptor separations all the way up from 8 nm to 59 nm. Our data are consistent with epidermal growth factor receptors being able to form homo-polymers of at least 10 receptors in the absence of activating ligands.


Irradiation of the mammalian foetus produces a broad spectrum of congenital abnormalities, growth retardations, developmental delays, and functional deficits, depending upon the dose and the specific gestational phase of irradiation. The developing brain is particularly susceptible to production of deleterious effects, with decreased brain size, behavioural alterations, and mental retardation having been documented. Supplementing the limited human data, rodent models have been extensively used to investigate the specific processes by which relatively low doses, with correspondingly minor cellular damage to the developing neocortex, can produce dramatic postnatal consequences in brain structure and function. The effects of a variety of physical (dose, linear energy transfer, dose rate, fractionation) and biological (species, strain, gestational age, time course post-irradiation) parameters have been examined in an attempt to provide much needed information on such critical aspects as dose response, threshold doses for effect, and extrapolation to human risk estimates. Various acute cellular responses (e.g. appearance of pyknotic cells and macrophages) observed in the developing neocortex 0-24 h after in utero irradiation can be associated with postnatal effects. Moreover, it is possible to correlate thinning of specific layers of the cerebral cortex with specific behavioural aberrations, allowing prediction of brain structural changes from functional alterations, and vice versa. Thus, it is possible to speculate as to the mechanisms and targets for extremely sensitive, radiation-induced cellular damage in the developing foetal brain, that will interfere with the orderly and precisely programmed development of the mammalian brain, leading finally to postnatal expression as delays in growth and development, perturbations in behaviour, and alterations in brain structure.


Recently established organic regions aim to be model regions of sustainability. In the frame of this article we understand organic regions as territories that aim at the sustainable management of local resources, based on the principles of organic farming and agroecology. The contribution focuses especially on the role and configurations of values-based supply chains for the territorial development of such organic regions. Three different case studies, in Italy, France and Austria, are investigated. Principles of organic farming, according to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement and the concept of neo-endogenous development by Christopher Ray, serve as framework for analyses. Finally, we include values-based supply chains into the model of neo-endogenous development for two reasons: first to link values on a territorial level, and second as a tool to permanently apply those values within a region.


Genomic sequencing has provided a tremendous amount of information that can be useful in vaccine target identification. The sheer volume of information available necessitates the use of new research disciplines and techniques. Using bioinformatics, researchers sift through available data to identify appropriate candidates for biological analysis. This review provides an overview of available bioinformatic techniques for vaccine candidate identification and a few examples of how these techniques are being applied to specific bacterial pathogens.


Based on observations of how teachers teach science found that the process is still teacher-centered learning, students are not given the opportunity to interact directly with concrete objects and teachers to teach science concepts are fragmented. To overcome these problems is developing an integrated learning model that can enhance the skills of rational thinking. Aspect of rational thinking skills that can be developed include: recall, classify, generalize, and compare as well as aspects of science process skills developed include: observing, classifying, measuring, and interpreting observations. Some of the things that underlies the development of this integrated learning model include: the involvement of students during learning activities, involving the manual and intellectual activities, to attract the attention of students developed a program to play while learning, environment and resources used as a means of learning and a holistic view of children about nature then integreted concepts that can be linked into a coherent whole by using the theme as an umbrella so that the separation between the concept is not so clear. Key words: connected learning, rational thinking, integreted concepts